Dahan Pirate Air Force

The flames beside the Tigris River were still burning slowly, with black smoke lingering and dead bodies everywhere. There were broken walls and ruins everywhere, and the docks were also burned down.

Dadherborn's horse moved through the mess.The Sasanian cavalry had already retreated safely, and there was nothing left to do except to leave some people to clean up the mess.

He looked at the corpses on the ground, quite a few of which were Parthian soldiers.Many people did not have time to put on armor, and the weapons they held were not mounted weapons such as lances or spears, but scimitars. This showed that they were awakened in their sleep and rushed to the battle.

The army protecting the warehouse consisted of half a brigade, more than 1000 people, nearly one-twentieth of Parthia's strength.The body of Yasar, the thousand-man captain who now led this force, lay before him.

Dadheboun looked at his old subordinates who had been with him through life and death, with red eyes, sad and angry.

......

"No food and grass left at all!" Dadheboun was going crazy. "Yasal, this old fool, a force of 1000 people, 1000 people! He was easily wiped out by Shapur, without even having time to raise an alarm. It’s unbelievable that he lost his life.”

In the commander's big tent, every captain was trembling with fear for fear of offending the furious general.

Routine military meetings were usually only attended by the thousand-man captain. Solomon and Daolao were also present. The two stood side by side and exchanged glances from time to time.

"I will never retreat. I will let Shapur, this smug boy, suffer and let him know how powerful the Parthian heavy cavalry is!" Dadheboun waved his fists and was still losing his temper.

Among the thousand-man captains, a young noble general with a somewhat arrogant face couldn't stand it anymore and said: "It will take at least fifteen days to raise and transport grain and grass from Ctesifon. If there is a problem with the transportation, We will be in danger. General, you should calm down. It is not a shame to retreat. We are not defeated after all."

Dadherbun blushed and stared at the captain fiercely.The captain smiled apologetically, but was not too nervous.

The general's face turned red and white, and everyone was worried.Fortunately, Dadherbun finally calmed down a little. He walked to his seat and sat down, letting out a long breath. Everyone followed him and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Su Lin, how much food and grass do we have left?" Dadheboun asked slightly panting.

"It's only enough for ten days," the young noble who interrupted replied, "We lost about half a year's worth of food this time."

"It will take at least five days to raise food and fodder," Dadherbun said dejectedly.Several other thousand-man captains were nearby, nodding silently without speaking.

"By the way, Solomon! There was a riot in the military camp last night. What happened?" He suddenly remembered.

When Solomon heard that it was his turn, he immediately replied: "It was in Captain Daolao's camp that two centurions rebelled. Captain Daolao discovered that there was a fight between the two sides. Now the two traitors and their dozens of helpers have been captured." All solved.”

"Rebellion? Is it the Sasanians?"

"Yes, Captain Daolao, please answer the specific details!"

Daolao nodded and said: "The rebels were Tiemin and Ziye. They were tempted by Sassanid and led their men to set fire to the military camp in response to the attack on the granary. There were more than 20 people participating, all of whom were Zoroastrians. Now they have all been eliminated and captured. I'm sorry that this happened. These two subordinates have been following me for many years, and I really didn't expect that they would rebel."

"It's not your fault. There are fewer and fewer loyal people. You said they are Zoroastrian? These believers are everywhere now, making people panic." Dadheboun said, "We should concentrate and consider whether we should Withdraw your troops!”

At this time, Solomon interrupted: "Sorry general, when it comes to withdrawing troops, the king is waiting outside the tent. He asked me to apply to you to participate in this meeting. It is said that he has important suggestions for you!"

"King? Tsk! He has never fought in a war, so he doesn't know anything about military affairs."

Daolao added: "It's okay to meet him. After all, he is the king, and he should be respected both emotionally and rationally. What's more, if the capital needs to raise food and grass, the king's order may be more effective!"

Dadheboun thought about Daolao's words and remained silent.Su Lin asked in surprise: "Is His Majesty the King in the army? Then the rumors are true. If His Majesty wishes to attend the meeting, he should not be kept waiting, otherwise it would be too disrespectful."

"Then...okay! I hope he has a good proposal." Dadehburn agreed reluctantly.

Solomon immediately went out of the tent to invite the king. After a while, the king entered the military tent with Zhang Bai in red robes.Dadheboon frowned when he saw Zhang Bai, a child, also coming in, but there were enough things that were bothering him now, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

Su Lin was the first to come forward and said, "Your Majesty, it's great that you can come. Your arrival is like the sun shining down, which eliminates the haze in our hearts. Please sit here!"

Daolao and several other thousand-man captains all expressed their welcome to the king, while Dadhebuen nodded to the king and snorted.

Zhang Bai, who was following the king, looked on with cold eyes and laughed in his heart: "This Dadheboun doesn't know how to welcome his superiors at all. He seems to be a straight minister!"

King Artabanus V didn't care at all about the general's attitude or the flattery of others. He sat upright in the designated position and said without looking away: "I understand your plight, my bodyguards." Chang Zhang Bai has a suggestion, let him say it himself!"

"Captain of the Guards?" Su Lin felt strange. Such a child was more like a jester. How could he still protect the king?It was probably an official title that the king thought was fun!

Several officers who didn't know Zhang Bai had similar thoughts.However, Dadhebuen, Solomon, and Daolao all knew Zhang Bai's ability and his many tricks, so they didn't take it seriously at all.

Zhang Bai first cupped his fists and bowed to the king, and then said loudly: "Everyone knows our plight. The food and grass have been burned. It is impossible to support us for a long time with the current food reserves. There are still several choices now. Let me analyze it for you. .”

"The first is to withdraw. This is a wise choice. The army can retreat to Isfahan or the capital city of Ctesiphon. The advantage is that it can quickly stabilize the morale of the army and preserve its strength. The disadvantage is that it is easy to be chased when retreating. Moreover, more than half a meter is lost. This wealthy region will be plundered, and the Parthian economy will be severely damaged."

"I agree to withdraw the troops. This is the only rational decision. The army must be preserved." Su Lin said firmly from the side.Zhang Bai greeted him with his eyes to show friendship, but he was non-committal.

"The second is the opposite decision, which is to stick here and wait for supplies to arrive. The advantage is that it does not give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it and can protect the Media area. The disadvantage is that it is impossible to achieve. It takes about a month to collect and transport the military rations in the capital. I can't even finish it." Zhang Bai said.

Hearing this, Dadhebuen crossed his arms and straightened his body while sitting.