Since Ma Chao rescued Tuobajun from Daqin, Liu Xin has realized that the nomadic cavalry pretending to be a horse bandit will be seen through sooner or later, and he has to seriously consider how to deal with the aftermath. The Han people have a lot of face, but it doesn't mean that other ethnic groups don't have face. Tuoba Jun killed so many Parthians, and he always had to give others an explanation before it made sense, and he had a suitable candidate in his hand.
Soon, a team of guards escorted a prison car in which stood a tall, blond man in shackles and handcuffs. Seeing this blond man, Sister Kleia's eyes were suddenly full of anger, and they shouted in unison: "Serica! It's Serica!"
Liu Xin raised his hand and signaled the two sisters to be quiet. Then he turned to the Parthian envoys and said: "Those horse thieves are from the grasslands in the north of the Han Dynasty. They were originally simple men. This person’s instigation has become what it is now. Do you know this person?"
The Parthian envoys all shook their heads blankly.
Liu Xin beckoned to Kleia and said, "You come and tell them."
Kleia gritted her teeth and said: "He is Duke Serica, the elder of the Great Qin Empire Senate, even if he burns to ashes, I can recognize him!"
Since Serica was captured by the big man, Liu Xin treated him favorably. Serika was not held in the dark sky prison, but was held alone in the military camp of the Flying Tiger guards, so outsiders rarely knew about the existence of Serika.
The food provided by the army of the Han Dynasty is very good, even surpassing many substantial homes, and the treatment of the Flying Tiger Guards is the highest among the army. Serika ate the same food as the Flying Tiger guards every day, but lacked exercise, and was already much fatter than when he was captured. And in order to solve his physical needs, Liu Xin also asked people to buy two female slaves from Daqin, who would accompany him every night.
Nevertheless, Serica still thinks about returning to Daqin one day. But the barracks were already heavily guarded, and he couldn't find a chance. Suddenly just a few days ago, the guards pulled a prison wagon, put him in handcuffs and shackles, and escorted him out. But he didn't expect to come all the way west to Parthia, only a few steps away from thinking about his hometown. Last night, Liu Xin deliberately talked to him for a long time, and promised that as long as he was willing to bow his head and confess his guilt, he would be sent back to the West.
Being imprisoned in Chang'an for these years, Serica has been able to speak Chinese fluently, but he does not understand many meanings in Chinese. When he wanted to come, Guixi and Xigui meant the same thing. How could there be any reason for not agreeing? Therefore, even in the face of the Parthian envoy, Serika pleaded guilty and took everything to himself.
Liu Xin was very satisfied with Serica's performance, and he winked quietly at the guard behind him. The guards stepped forward and dragged Selika out of the cart. Serica thought that Liu Xin was going to fulfill his promise and let him go "Westward", but unexpectedly, the guards opened his mouth, stuffed walnuts, and then found a long iron chain and hung him at the gate. the following.
Selika knew her feelings were bad, and struggled desperately, but it was to no avail.
Liu Xin turned to Sister Kleia and said, "Do you want revenge?"
Sisters Kleia said in unison: "Your Majesty, please allow us to cut off his head with our own hands to comfort my parents' spirit in the sky!"
Liu Xin smiled and said, "You follow the Queen Mother Kangju to practice riding and shooting. I want to test and compare your skills today. Come here, let's get a bow and arrow!"
For Sister Kleia, close hand-to-hand combat is their strong point. Although they have practiced archery for more than a year, they have not progressed fast. Seeing Liu Xin's posture, she wanted them to avenge them with bows and arrows, Kleia couldn't help but tense and said, "Your Majesty, the slave and maid will be hard to hit with a single arrow. Let the slave and maid use a knife."
Liu Xin laughed and said, "It’s okay, it’s okay. If you miss one arrow, shoot two arrows, and if you miss two arrows, shoot three arrows. I will give you a pot of arrows for each of you, so you won’t be able to shoot both pots of arrows. In that case, he should never die."
Sisters Kleia couldn't help being overjoyed, thanked Liu Xin, and each took their bows and arrows to aim at Serica who was hanging from the shaft. There was a clapper sound, and the two sisters let go, and two arrows shot at Selika at the same time. The archery skills of the two sisters are indeed disdainful. After only fifty steps, Kleia still shot in the air, but Maria shot Selika's calf with an arrow. However, the strength of the two of them was surprisingly great, and Maria's arrow passed through Selika's calf, leaving a huge blood hole.
The two sisters kept their hands. A sharp arrow full of hatred shot at Serica. There were a total of sixty arrows, but there were more than forty arrows. Serica was filled with arrows all over her body, like a hedgehog. Although not a single arrow hit the vital point, but his whole body was wounded, Selika's blood was almost drained, and she couldn't survive.
Liu Xin patted his slap lightly, and said to several Parthian envoys: "Serica, the first evil person, is dead, and I have an explanation for you."
A Parthian envoy suddenly said: "Your Majesty the emperor, do you have any evidence that this person is a noble of Daqin? Who can guarantee that he was not just you looking for someone to pretend to be?"
It was originally a matter for everyone to get each other down, but this envoy had to ask the roots, Jushou suddenly changed his face and shouted loudly: "Bold! It is really rude to dare to question what our Majesty said! Come here! , Drag him..."
"Forget it." Liu Xin waved his hand, drank back the guard who was about to step forward, and nodded and said, "Gongyou, we are in heaven, why do we have the same knowledge of these villains? Selika is the elder of the Great Qin Empire. And because you are a Duke, there are probably not a few people who know him. Let them take Selika's head back and find someone to recognize it. Don't they know the authenticity
Several Parthian envoys did not dare to say anything more, carrying the baggage that contained the head of Serica, rushed back to Ekbatana overnight. Remitu held up this bloody head and watched for a long time, and finally nodded and said, "His Royal Highness, this person is undoubtedly the elder Serica of the Great Qin Empire! Is the news that Aldaban got wrong? We blamed the Han people? "
It turned out that Remitu had been the minister of the country for many years, and he had many dealings with the powerful neighbor of the Great Qin Empire. He knew Serica. Although Serica had many arrows in her body, Sister Kleia did not hit his head with an arrow, so Serica’s face was well preserved, except for a pair of eyes that were so round that they were about to fall out. Yes, there is nothing suspicious about other parts.
Arshak didn't want to meet with the Han Dynasty soldiers. After Remitu confirmed Selika's head, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "It seems that we can now withdraw the army to the camp."
"Don't do this!" Remitu shook his head and said, "Whether the horse thieves were really bewitched by Selika or pretended by the Han army, they have been defeated by the Da Qin army. Now, Da Han and Da Qin. The war between them is on the verge of breaking out, and who will win and lose is still unclear. His Royal Highness can take advantage of the loss of both of them and take back the concession in one fell swoop. Therefore, not only can the army not withdraw, but more should be dispatched and inspected!
Remitu is actually much more competent than Volojis and his sons. He wants to take back the concession and give Parthia a complete territory. But he overlooked one thing. Even if Liu Xin was willing to return to the concession, I was afraid that the people in the concession would have a good life. I am afraid that no one wants to be a citizen of Parthia anymore.
In fact, Liu Xin never considered returning the concession to Parthia.
Even when he was actively preparing for the war with the Great Qin Empire, the construction of the concession did not stop for a day. The infrastructure construction of the entire concession was all completed by the professional team of the Corps of Engineers. Around the original three new cities, more than a dozen castles have been built one after another, and the scale of the three new cities has also been expanded. In order to protect the fragile local ecology, all the masonry and wood needed for the construction were transported from the Central Plains, and the freight alone was a huge expense. It took a staggering price to transform the concession from a barren land in the past into a commercial center now. How could Liu Xin give away a place where he developed so hard
On the other hand, the strategic location of the concession is also very important. This place has become a springboard for the Han army to move westward. All kinds of grain, grass, and supplies were first gathered from all over the country to Chang'an, then transported from Chang'an to the fortress of Uzbeli, and finally transported to the concession via Beitian city. The concession has become A huge military base. At the same time, the concession is an important barrier to guard Kangju. Whether Parthia or Daqin, if they want to invade Kangju south, the concession is a hurdle they cannot bypass.
Liu Xin is not worried about the possible actions of Parthia. Because he knew very well that the combat effectiveness of the Parthian army was not even as good as that of paramilitary units like the Engineer Corps. Now there are not only 60,000 engineers in the concession, but also 20,000 elite infantrymen of the Third Army. It is not a problem to withstand the attack of the 200,000 Parthian troops.
Therefore, after sending away the Parthian envoys, Liu Xin personally led the army to march north. This way up to the Daqin border was already under the control of the Han army, and the cavalry of the 40,000 Western Regions Army led by Ma Chao was responsible for the defense. However, because this passage was too long and narrow, Liu Xin was still a little worried, and drew 20,000 infantry and 10,000 light cavalry from the Third Army to fortify along the way.
In Liu Xin’s original plan, Parthia was still in the position of an ally, but the plan could not keep up with the rapid changes. Now Liu Xin had to allocate a part of his troops to guard against Parthia, which directly led to the only remaining people who finally reached the border of Daqin. There are three hundred thousand regular regiments and sixty thousand nomadic cavalry from the grasslands. The new situation of the 400,000 Daqin troops in Asia Minor also forced Liu Xin to readjust his combat plan.