Cai He is now a relative of the emperor, a serious uncle of the country, and a doctor in the Foreign Affairs Department appointed by Liu Xin. Therefore, Liu Xin did not hide the matter of Ban Tou'er from him. After listening to Guo Jia's words, Cai He
He immediately said disdainfully: "What is Parthia? How can it be compared with Kangju!"
Liu Xin waved his hand and said: "The situation in Kangju is indeed different from that in Parthia, and the relationship between Parthia and the Han Dynasty is far from the point of bitterness. However, we cannot ignore the war between Qin and Parthia.
Regardless, the best way is to let them fight as long as possible."
Jushou smiled and said: "Your Majesty is trying to reap the benefits of the fishermen. I heard that Parthia's armor is not as good as that of Qin, so Feng Xiao's proposal can be considered. The many captured armors are filling the warehouse, and our army is not as good as ours anyway."
There’s no need for it, so why not do it as a favor and give it to Parthia so that they can have a good fight with Da Qin.”
Liu Xin sneered and said: "Although these soldiers and armor are food for us and it is a pity to abandon them, we cannot give them to them in vain. Cai He, you have to go to talk to Wologis again."
Business, I think he will be interested in it."
Cai He was reluctant, but Liu Xin's order had been given, and he did not dare to disobey it. He had to leave the hall angrily, pack his bags and come to Ctesiphon again. However, when he just entered Parthia,
, and felt an unusually tense atmosphere. Cai He spent some money and bribed a few passers-by to inquire. It turned out that the Parthian army was defeated, and Putimius personally led the army to capture Seleucia and Tessie again.
Seal these two important Parthian cities.[
The army that Putimius mobilized this time was originally to invade the Han Dynasty, because the Han Dynasty was also an unknown world to them, so Putimius assembled a heavy army. He was prepared to prepare such a powerful force
The army suddenly pressed on the Parthian border, and Vorogis could not resist at all. He collapsed at the first touch and fled south in a panic, even abandoning his concubines.
When Cai He heard the news, he wanted to go back home, but thinking about his mission, if he just escaped like this, even if Liu Xin didn't punish him for Cai Jue's sake, he would not be able to see anyone in the future. Cai Jue would not be able to see anyone anymore.
He gritted his teeth and sent two followers back to Chang'an to meet Liu Xin, while he continued to lead his team northward, but at a slower pace.
Two days later, Cai He finally found out that Vologis had fled to a place called Susa. This was the largest city in central Parthia, and Vologis was gathering the remaining soldiers there to regroup. He heard that Vologis had been killed earlier.
The big Han envoy who he had run away in anger came again. Only then did Wologis remember the warning the Han people had given him. If he could have listened to the Han people's advice and made preparations early, there would be no such disastrous defeat today. Thinking of this, Wologis
Logis quickly ordered people to invite the Han envoy in.
Cai He looked up and saw that Wologis was sitting upright with a haggard face. He had long lost the arrogance of the past. He couldn't help but cupped his hands and said: "Dear King, our Emperor of the Han Dynasty heard that the Qin Dynasty wanted to attack Pa.
Tia used force and sent foreign ministers here to ask if the king needs help."
Vologis sighed and said: "I regret that I did not listen to your advice, which led to today's defeat. Now that the Qin Dynasty is pressing heavily on the territory, my army is difficult to resist for a while. I wonder if you big men are willing to send troops to help?
"
When Cai He arrived, he had already received Liu Xin's order. He shook his head and said, "Back to your Majesty, His Majesty the Han Emperor is a generous man and does not like weapons. I am afraid that I, the Han Emperor, cannot send troops. However, our Emperor strongly advocates disarmament, so we have many more soldiers...
…”
After Cai He finished speaking, the Parthian Prime Minister Remitu standing aside suddenly said: "Is it possible that your Majesty the Emperor intends to provide us with armor?"
Parthia lacks the most soldiers and armor. Many soldiers fight in civilian clothes. Facing the heavily armed heavy infantry and knights of the Qin Dynasty, they have no defense capabilities. Every battle basically relies on human life. So I heard Remi Tu
Vorogis also became more energetic after asking the question, and said: "If this is true, I am willing to form a brotherly alliance with the Han Dynasty forever!"
Cai He said with a smile: "Our Emperor has said that these soldiers and armors are made by the people, so how can they be given away for free? If the king is interested in these soldiers and armors, the price can be discussed."
At this time, Artaban, the youngest son of Vologis, said: "You Han people have a saying that water from afar cannot quench the thirst that is near. Before your soldiers and armor arrive, the swords of the Qin people have already been placed on our necks. We
Is it still necessary to pay now?”
At this moment, a soldier hurried in and said loudly: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Congratulations, Your Majesty, heavy snow has fallen suddenly in the north, making it difficult for people and horses to move forward. The Qin army has retreated to Taixi Feng."
A few days ago, a small number of forwards of the Qin army appeared outside the city of Susa. Vologis was in a panic all day long and had already begun to consider whether to surrender to Putimius. When he heard the good news, he couldn't help but look up to the sky.
He shouted: "God is really blessing me! Okay, you give me a price, I want to buy 300,000 pieces of armor!"
Remitu hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, we don't have that much money anymore!"
It turned out that the situation was very urgent when Vorogis fled from Ctesiphon. He even left his concubines and princesses behind, so how could he take care of carrying gold and silver treasures? However, most of the wealth of Parthia was concentrated in Ctesiphon. Now all the
Not counting the people of Daqin who were benefiting from it, they couldn't raise the money to reorganize the army for a while.
This time even Cai He was in trouble. His purpose was to complete this business. Now that the Parthians had no money at all, this business would naturally not be successful. The hall was silent for a while. Suddenly, Artaban said
: "Father, I have an idea. Why don't we carve out a piece of territory and hand it over to the big men in exchange for their armor?"
If those obsolete soldiers and armor can be exchanged for a large territory, it will be regarded as a great achievement in opening up territory. Cai He couldn't help but feel moved, but then he thought about his mission, hesitated again, and said: "This matter
The stakes are so high that foreign ministers dare not take matters into their own hands. They need to go back and consult His Majesty the Emperor before he can make the decision."
Hearing that his son had come up with such a bad idea, Volojis was about to scold him, but saw that Cai He himself was not very active, so he endured it and said: "Well, Da Qin's army can't attack it for the time being anyway."
, please ask the envoys of the Han Dynasty to go to the embassy to rest first, and let me wait for the monarch and his ministers to discuss it again."
It wasn't until Cai He left that Huo Logis shouted angrily: "You're talking too much!"
Remitu also said: "The little prince's remarks are indeed inappropriate."[
Artaban was so full of blood that he could not think so far ahead. He said disapprovingly: "The Han Dynasty is thousands of miles away from me. Even if we give him a piece of land, can he still take it away? Besides, doesn't the Emperor of the Han Dynasty not like to use weapons?
?We have obtained their soldiers and armor, and then use force to take back the land, what can he do to me?"
Wologis was not a man of his word. After hearing his son's fallacy, he couldn't help but smile and said: "My son is still clever, so I will entrust this matter to you. You must negotiate with the Han envoy."
.”
/
After receiving Vologis's order, Artabanus rolled up a sheepskin and went to the inn. The sheepskin had a detailed map of Parthia painted on it. Although he did not get Liu Xin's authorization, Cai He was still pounding when he saw this map.
However, unable to withstand Aldaban's repeated persuasion, the two sides reached a preliminary agreement, with Aldaban marking a place on the map as a bargaining chip in exchange for Han soldiers.
When Cai He returned to Chang'an excitedly and presented the map to the main hall, Jushou asked, "Cai He, have you visited those places?"
Cai He shook his head and said: "There is a war in Parthia. I am eager to report the situation there to Your Majesty, but I have never gone to see it."
Jushou sneered and said: "You have been deceived by others, but you don't know it! Do you know what kind of place there is? Let me tell you, most of the place assigned to you by Wologis is desert, which is completely useless!
"
Since knowing the ambition of Putimius, Liu Xin began to send people to collect information west of Kangju. The mountains and river geography were naturally the focus of his collection. As a cabinet bachelor, Jushou was certainly very aware of the situation in Parthia.
Liu Xin suddenly said: "Wait a minute, show me the map!"
Cai He quickly presented the map.
Liu Xin took the map in his hand and looked at it over and over for a long time. Suddenly he laughed and said: "Cai He, Cai He, you are really a good general. I am very satisfied with this place that I accidentally bumped into.
I want this place!"
It turned out that Liu Xin didn't notice where this place was at first, but after hearing Jushu mention the desert, he thought about it for a long time and finally discovered that this land was probably the Persian Gulf, which was rich in oil in later generations. There may not be anyone there now
It was discovered that there was rich oil under the land, and even if someone discovered it, they would not understand its value. But Liu Xin, who came from a later generation, was different. That desert was more valuable to him than a gold mine.
But Guo Jia stood up and said: "Your Majesty, Parthia is far away from my big man. If we keep too few troops, we can't defend it, and if we keep too many troops, we can't afford it. What will we do if Vorogis regrets it? Even if this land is not a desert,
I thought it was necessary!"
Because winning this land was a great achievement for him, Cai He said without thinking: "The Parthians are in urgent need of our soldiers and armor, how can they regret it?"
Guo Jia sneered and said: "It is precisely because he has obtained our armor and strengthened his fist that he is more likely to regret it! Your Majesty, I think this is not an option. I don't mind letting the land go. I'd rather trade gold and silver directly with the Parthians."
So good!”
At this time, it was not Cai He but Liu Xin who was most eager to promote this matter. Of course he would not tell Ju Shou and Guo Jia that there was oil under their land, otherwise he would just explain what oil is and what its role is.
, it would take three days and three nights. Liu Xin lowered her head and thought for a long time, and suddenly said: "I have a solution!"