The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 350
Quintus was stunned, with an undisguised expression of surprise on his face: "Why...what?"

The expression on Momia's face quickly regained the confidence that Zhizhu was holding. She asked back: "Do you think King Yue is the kind of person who can change his attitude for a few women? If so, I don't think he is worth it." You trust so much."

Quintus said "Oh", slapped his thigh, and suddenly realized: "Yes, although King Yue likes women, he has never changed his mind because of women. There are so many beauties in his palace, and beauties from all over the world are impressive. Dazzled, how could he do something he didn't want to do because of a few women." He scratched his head in some embarrassment: "If you hadn't reminded me, I would have almost done a stupid thing. On the contrary, it will make him feel that I have underestimated him. Momia, you are really my good wife."

The corner of Momia's mouth twitched, her expression became a little complicated, she nodded silently, and after a long time she said lightly: "Yes, if you want to get him some women in exchange for his help , That is an insult to him, harmful rather than beneficial. For a person like him with a clear purpose and far-reaching strategy, women are probably just playthings. How could he change his mind because of a woman. What he wants is benefits, It is a very big benefit. If there is no interest that makes him feel tempted, even if you give him all the women in Rome, he will not be tempted."

Quintus nodded in agreement. He felt that Momia was right. Although Sun Shao was lustful, he didn't seem to have heard that he did things that were unfavorable to Yue because of a woman. gain benefits from others through relationships with women.The daughter of King Nimar of Ceylon, Yasudra, is his concubine. As a result, Ceylon has become a transit point for the Yue State, and many navy officers from the Vietnam State have also stationed there. The benefits he has gained from Ceylon are far greater than that of Nimar many.

"Then what benefits can we give him?" Quintus said with some embarrassment: "We haven't reached an agreement on our own interests. If we give him some benefits, wouldn't it be unreasonable?"

"The benefits he wants may not necessarily be the benefits you want. Besides, if you don't cooperate with Yue, you won't be able to win Taixifeng, and none of you will get any benefits. What do you share?" Momia said sarcastically: "Those people think they are smart, and they won't give in to anyone, so let them get nothing. Gordian was smart for a lifetime, but he didn't expect to be confused when he was old. It really fits with what the Han people said. "

Quintus pondered for a moment: "You're so stunned?"

Momia chuckled, and started writing on her own. Quintus sat aside and watched her practice Chinese characters, a little absent-minded.Originally, he planned to do what he liked, send a few women to get closer to Sun Shao, so that he could ask him for help, but now Momia denied it, so how could he ask Sun Shao.Momia said that Sun Shao has the interests that Sun Shao wants, so what kind of interests can impress Sun Shao?Is it a trade route?The Mediterranean Sea has become the territory of the Vietnamese Navy. Although the sovereignty is still Roman, the actual rights have fallen into the hands of the Vietnamese people. In the future, the sea trade routes will be under the control of the Vietnamese people. Although the land route still has some trade volume, But the proportion is not much, and it is still decreasing. Does Sun Shao want to eat even this?But if all the trade routes were controlled by Sun Shao, how could the nobles in the Senate agree?Isn't the reason why they are arguing now is that there are not enough benefits left for them to share?
Quintus was puzzled, frowned and remained silent.

Momia seemed calm, but her mind was in a mess.She originally thought that Sun Shao was willing to help Rome because of her son Philip. After meeting Sun Shao, seeing Sun Shao's love for Philip and his tenderness for her, she not only affirmed In my own thoughts, I further feel that there is also a reason for my affection for her.This idea was originally just a little bit, but these days, it felt like it would ferment, and it slowly swelled up, filling her heart with sweetness and intoxicating her in happiness.

But the few words Quintus inadvertently said just now made her suddenly understand something. She might have thought things too ideally.The reason why Sun Shao was willing to come may be because of her and Philip, but she definitely didn't think as much as she thought. He should think more about benefits.

Thinking of these two words, Momia's heart felt like being gnawed by countless ants. Apart from a trace of pain, there was also a burst of indescribable sadness.If she hadn't met Sun Shao again, the impression Sun Shao left on her was only a wise king and a strong man. She might not have such a feeling, but just regarded Sun Shao as a strong man, but she has seen After seeing Sun Shao's tender side, her mind has changed inadvertently. She has regarded Sun Shao as a lover, far more than a lover in the general sense of a lover—she gave birth to a child for Sun Shao.

Because of this, when Quintus planned to send a few women to Sun Shao, she instinctively expressed her objection. She refused to have other women share this man with her. Although this man already had many women, she wanted to Protect your territory, even if you know it's futile.

However, she suddenly discovered that Sun Shao might not think so, maybe he had never considered her.

She lowered her head and didn't know what Quintus was thinking, but she could feel that Quintus was looking at her all the time, she didn't dare to show any abnormal behavior, no matter how much pain she had, she could only hide it deeply in her heart .She couldn't let Quintus find out that Philip was not Alexander's posthumous son, but her illegitimate son for Sun Shao, that would ruin everything.

She tried her best to control her emotions, but the bitterness became heavier and heavier. She struggled between reason and emotion, and she didn't know if she was strong enough.With a shake of the hand, the tip of the pen drew a short ink line on the rice paper, which slowly blurred into a ball.

Looking at the black mass, Momia felt that her world was slowly darkening.

Quintus thought for a while, and seemed to have found a direction, but he was not sure, so he decided to discuss it with Momia, but found Momia's expression was a little dazed. Although the pen was in her hand, it stopped There was no movement for a long time, and the ink blob on the paper was getting bigger and bigger. Feeling a little surprised, she called out softly: "Momiya?"

Momia didn't move.

"Momia?" Quintus hesitated for a moment, reached out and tapped lightly on the table, Momia was startled, and then she came back to her senses, and looked at Quintus in a panic: "You still have What's up?"

"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Are you too tired to take Philip?" Quintus said with concern: "I know you love Philip, but you should also pay attention to your body. I think it's still Bring Obianna back, after recuperating for so long, she should have recovered. After all, Philip is her child, and with Philip, she may be able to recover from grief faster."

"Oh." Momia was startled, and quickly returned to normal. She smiled: "I see, I will send someone to check on her condition. If her sanity is recovered, I will Bring her back."

"Well." Quintus sighed sympathetically: "Father and husband died at the same time. This blow is indeed too great for a woman. Fortunately, she has been in good health and has not affected Philip. Otherwise, Oh, it's unbelievable."

Momia responded noncommittally, and Quintus saw that she was not interested in talking about it, and was afraid that she might think he had other ideas, so he changed the subject. "I thought about it just now, and I think that the King of Yue might want to control the entire business route, but in this way, our losses will be great, and it is impossible for the people in the Senate to agree."

"You're right in thinking, why don't you ask someone to test his words first?" Momia put down her pen, washed her hands in the sink handed over by the maid, and then dried them with a silk handkerchief, and then said: "Don't take the initiative to consult with him, so as not to lose the initiative. I always feel that he will not just return empty-handed after he has worked so hard to besiege Ctesiphon. He is probably waiting for us to beg him, and then we can Ask for more benefits. It’s just like doing business, the first bidder always suffers.”

Quintus nodded again and again: "You are so right, I am also worried about this." He thought for a moment, and then said: "Well, I will go to see him, but I won't talk to him about the situation, just Look what he's doing."

"Alright." Momia responded casually, got up and said, "I'm a little tired, you should go get busy first."

Quintus tactfully got up and said goodbye.As soon as he went out, Momia's face darkened, and she angrily threw her hands into the room, walking around the room violently, like an enraged lioness.The emotions that were suppressed by her just now were vented without any scruples. The complicated feelings made her lose her former composure. Even in the days when she got the news of Alexander's death, she never lost her composure.The accompanying maids looked at her nervously and worriedly, but none of them dared to come forward to advise her, which made her feel even more helpless and depressed.

Quintus walked into the manor with a smile on his face, and was told that King Yue was admiring the flowers in the backyard with the prince, so he left his entourage and came directly to the back garden with only one bodyguard.As soon as he entered, Sun Feng was already at the door to greet him, bowing his body to salute: "His Majesty the Emperor has arrived, and it is really impolite to fail to greet him from a distance. Father ordered me to greet you here, please Your Majesty to enjoy the flowers together."

Quintus laughed, and reached out to pat Sun Feng's shoulder affectionately: "Prince, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have changed so much. You have grown into a man by accident. I really envy my old friend, Having such a good son is his greatest success."

"His Majesty the Emperor has praised you." Sun Feng smiled and led Quintus into the room.They bypassed two rockeries, came to a three-acre pool, walked up the winding covered bridge, and came to the pavilion in the center of the pool.Sun Shaozheng was sitting on a chair with a big horse and a chessboard in front of him. Seeing Quintus walking quickly, he smiled and said, "Why is Your Majesty the Emperor free to visit me today? Since you are here Alright, let's have a hand-to-hand conversation with me."

Quintus was not too polite, and sat down opposite Sun Shao and stretched out his hand: "You are a guest, please first."

"Here, you are the guest." Sun Shao smiled slightly.Quintus was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, and without being polite, he took out two white jade chess pieces from the cherry wood chess box next to him, and dropped one with a "snap".Sun Shao immediately responded with a son, and the two came and went, and soon they fought together.Sun ordered someone to serve tea and stood aside to watch.

Quintus stayed in the east for a long time, and his level of Go is not bad, but Sun Shao's level of Go is very limited. It was better at the beginning, but after entering the middle game, he was at a disadvantage, and the time for thinking became longer and longer. His brows also gradually wrinkled.

"Father, you seem to have lost." Sun Feng reminded.

"Who said I lost?" Sun Shao raised his head unconvinced, glared at Sun Feng, and complained to Quintus again: "Why is my prince turning to you? Did you do him any favors?"

Quintus smiled slightly, and said with some meaning in his words: "Old friend, your words are too serious. He is your prince, and he will have far more wealth than me in the future. What else can I do to impress him?"

"Crying poor again?" Sun Shao glanced at him, with a smile on his mouth: "I said, why do you come to see me suddenly, and you are in such a good mood, and you are willing to talk with me, it turns out that you have other plans what."

"With the heart of a villain, you can save the belly of a gentleman. Why, I can't come to see you? Even if I don't come to see you, it's a refreshing thing to see the beautiful scenery that combines the essence of Rome and Han. Ah. Why, Your Majesty doesn't welcome you?"

"Hahaha..." Sun Shao conceded his defeat, clapped his hands, took a cup of tea from Master Sima, took a sip, and then said, "Are you in a bad mood? You want to come to me to relax. I said Quintus, you are not as kind as before. You gave me a garden, but trapped me in this city. I can only walk around in such a big place every day. Even a beautiful garden can make people feel like a prison. feeling."

"If you're bored, let someone carry you around. As long as you don't fall to the ground, your weird temper is really unbearable. If you run around Damascus whenever you feel like it, I'm at a loss Already?" Quintus rolled his eyes and said with a narrow smile, "I think you might as well go for a run in Tessiphon, so that we don't have to be neighbors with that old wolf of Ardashir."

When Sun Shao heard this, the smile on his face suddenly turned into disappointment. He sighed, thought for a moment, and pointed at Master Sima: "Bring that document for His Majesty the Emperor to have a look at."

Sima Shi turned around and left. After a short time, he came over again holding a document. Sun Feng took it and handed his hands to Quintus who looked suspicious.Quintus was puzzled, but seeing Sun Shao's face, he knew that this matter must be very important, and he became unnaturally nervous.He looked at the military newspaper in his hand, and there were two dark red marks on the military newspaper.Quintus breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the two marks indicated that although the matter was serious, it was not the most serious. The three marks of cinnabar were the most urgent military situation.

He opened the military newspaper and couldn't help raising his head to look at Sun Shao after only one glance, his eyes revealed great shock.This military report was actually written by Cao Zhang, a cavalry general of the Han Dynasty. Quintus was even more surprised that Cao Zhang was actually in Sasanian territory, only five hundred miles away from Taixifeng. When did he arrive?Sun Shao never said he would join the war.Cao Zhang is a member of the court, and his appearance here means that this matter is not only about Yue, but about the whole Han Dynasty.Things were far more important than what he knew now, and Sun Shao never revealed a word about these situations from the beginning to the end.

His intention was really great, and Quintus couldn't help admiring Momia.He always felt that Sun Shao was helping him, but now it seemed that Momia was right, Sun Shao had been fighting for himself, not for Rome, at least not just for Rome.

Sun Shao was already prepared for Quintus' reaction, and he was not in a hurry to explain, but just signaled Quintus to continue watching.

Quintus then looked back, his shock slowly turning into disappointment, and finally into despair.Ardasil not only jumped out of the ambush by Cao Zhang and others, but also took advantage of the underestimation of the Guishuang people to beat Bodiao, turned passive into active, and returned safely to Taixifeng.This was very frustrating news for Quintus, who was preparing to besiege Taisifeng next, and Quintus was unwilling to accept it even more than Sun Shao's secretly mobilizing Cao Zhang and others to join the battle.

"This..." Quintus put down the military newspaper, hesitating to speak. In fact, he is in a very bad mood now. He is full of words, but he doesn't know where to start. Allow yourself time to gather your thoughts.

"Ardashir is a cunning tiger, and he escaped once again." Sun Shao sighed, "We failed to beat the tiger, but were wounded by the tiger. Now we are a little bit hard to ride the tiger."

Hearing this sentence, Quintus's heart tightened. It is obviously not the most important thing to ask Sun Shao why he concealed the actual situation at this time. He wisely put this question aside and stared at Sun Shao helplessly. After a while, I couldn't help asking: "Then what are you going to do?"

Sun Shao scratched his brows in embarrassment, thought for a while, and finally smiled bitterly: "Old friend, I wanted to help you a favor, but I didn't expect Ardashir to be too difficult to deal with. We have used all our strength now, but He escaped." He paused for a moment: "Of course, so far, we still took advantage of it, although we didn't get what we wanted, and it wasn't nothing. After this battle, Sassan , at least it will not be as rampant as before. Rome can also gain security for a period of time, and the goal of the four-nation alliance has been achieved. Although it has gone through a period of twists and turns and made some sacrifices, how can there be peace without bloodshed in the world? We should have thought of this result a long time ago, don't you think?"

Quintus nodded lightly, but still looked at Sun Shao without saying a word, listening to what he had to say.He heard the intention to withdraw from Sun Shao's words, which made him very uneasy.If Sun Shao doesn't have the confidence to continue fighting, what will Rome do?He wanted to ask several times, but when he thought of what Momia said that Sun Shao's plan was only stronger than his, he raised a glimmer of hope.Since Sun Shao was able to make such a big move, he probably didn't really want to help him as he said, but it only showed that his intention was far more than just helping.That being the case, he shouldn't give up so easily, right?As long as he refuses to return in vain, there is still hope and a chance to gain a certain degree of initiative.Because at this time not only Rome needs the help of the Yue Kingdom, but the Yue Kingdom also needs the help of Rome.

"After receiving this news, I was very disappointed." Sun Shao looked at the military newspaper on the table, his thick eyebrows were furrowed, and he seemed to be in a very bad mood. "This was originally the most important part of my many arrangements. For this day, I spent a lot of money and energy, persuaded the Wei and Shu countries to send troops to help, and agreed to many conditions of Bo Tiao before gathering Raised [-] infantry and [-] fine cavalry. You should be able to imagine how much it will cost me to do this."

Quintus nodded, of course he knew that these costs were high, and because of this, he believed that Sun Shao would not give up easily.

"Gordian and General Lu severely injured the Sasanians twice in a row. In particular, General Lu ambushed them before they entered the desert, killing and capturing more than 2 people. More importantly, they intercepted a large amount of supplies and forced them to The Sasanians entered the desert with insufficient reserves. After this battle, the Sasanians must have suffered a lot in the desert. When he walked out of the desert, he was at his weakest. At this time, give him a fatal blow. It is possible for us to end this war ahead of time, but it is a pity..." Sun Shao spread his hands and let out a long sigh: "God's will, this can only be said to be God's will, it cannot be done by human beings."

Quintus was also very disappointed. Sun Shao's arrangement was thorough, but Ardashir still escaped the fate of extinction. It seems that only God's will can explain it.Could it be that the Roman gods were outraged by the fall of the Romans and no longer blessed Rome?Quintus was full of thoughts, and he was as emotional as Sun Shao.The two sighed for a long time, and Quintus finally asked: "What is the king's plan now?"

"I have two plans." Sun Shao stretched out a finger: "First, continue to fight. Although Ardashir escaped, but after all, he was also seriously injured. If you don't take this opportunity to completely eliminate him, then There will be another battle as soon as possible in the future. After this battle, Ardashir will definitely not be as frivolous as before. He may use some conspiracy methods to create some misunderstandings and contradictions among our three countries, and then break them one by one. It’s not like fighting on two fronts like this time, and finally go all the way to besiege Asum. Once he succeeds, it’s impossible for our three countries to cooperate like this time, and we can only face the revenge of the Sasanians separately. By that time , our situation will be very dangerous.”

He hesitated for a moment, then stretched out a finger: "So, although I have a second plan, that is to suspend the army temporarily, and force him to sign the armistice treaty again when he is defeated, and to get as much money as possible." Some benefits. It’s just that I’m very reluctant to do this, raising tigers to cause trouble, you understand this truth, and I understand it too.”

"The king is inclined to the first plan, continue to march, besiege Taixi and seal the city, and completely destroy Sassan?"

"I think so, but there is a prerequisite." Sun Shao bowed his body to make himself sit more comfortably, and looked at Quintus with piercing eyes: "The Allied Forces of the Three Kingdoms, Bodiao for revenge , I am definitely willing to continue the fight. As for me, I have made so many preparations, and I don’t want to return empty-handed. However, if you Rome can’t resolve the internal disputes and continue to waste time quarreling like this, only with the strength of our two countries , we simply cannot complete such a arduous task. Once the fighter plane is lost, even if we are unwilling, we can only stop here."

Quintus narrowed his eyes, hesitating.When Sun Shao talked about this, he could see that Sun Shao had nothing to hide from him.So far, all the forces that Sun Shao can mobilize are here, even the troops of Wei, Shu and the imperial court have been mobilized, and the people of Guishuang have also gone all out, but if there is no Rome, only these forces can imagine It is still very difficult to conquer Ctesiphon.The siege of a city is no better than a field battle. Strategies and the like are of little use. In the end, it is strength, not only financial resources, but also military strength. The [-] Roman army is an indispensable force for them.

In his view, if Rome does not participate in the war, Sun Shao seems to have no choice but to retreat. Although he is not reconciled, although this will leave many troubles, he can only do so.Otherwise, even if he tried his best, he still couldn't conquer Ctesiphon, and the loss might be even greater.He believed that what Sun Shao said at this moment was the truth, even though he might be forced to tell the truth, it was the truth after all.

However, from Quintus' perspective, he doesn't want that either.If they retreat here, Rome, Guishuang, and Yue will become Sasanian's enemies, and Yue will be the safest one. Although Sun Shao killed Ardashir's two sons, Yue and Sasan are separated It is too far away, even the peerless Alexander only went to Tianzhu, and the front of the army is still thousands of miles away from the land of the Yue Kingdom. The chance of Ardashir being able to attack the Yue Kingdom in his lifetime is not great. It is only for the commercial interests of the people living in Vietnam.But Rome and Guishuang are not. They are directly under the threat of the Sassanians, and the horseshoes of the Sassanians may set foot on their land at any time.

"I need your help to gather the power of Rome." After thinking for a long time, Quintus still said what he didn't intend to say this time: "Gordian's power is too strong, and I don't have enough power." the power to control him."

"This is a matter within your Rome, and it is not easy for me to intervene." Sun Shao shook his head and vetoed: "If I help you suppress Gordian, I'm afraid it will be even more detrimental to you. If he says that you have teamed up with outsiders to betray Rome What about my interests? You must remember how Alexander died? I have already lost a Roman friend and I don’t want to lose you again. Alexander’s death has made me very sad, and I don’t want to have this experience again. "

(End of this chapter)