webnovelfull Chapter 718 Can't Eat for Now
Chapter 718 Can't Eat for Now
The Parthian Empire had a vast territory, encompassing mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, deserts, and plains, but the most fertile land was the Mesopotamian plain in the Tigris-Euphrates region.
That plain was the most important grain-producing area of the Parthian Empire, and it was also a region contested between Parthia and the Qin Dynasty (Rome). Currently, only half of it remains in the hands of the Parthian Empire, while the rest has been seized by the Qin Dynasty.
Nevertheless, the Parthian Empire remained incredibly wealthy, but unfortunately, it was rich but not powerful. If Ma Chao hadn't intervened, this plain would probably have fallen to the Sassanid family much sooner.
The word "Plains" successfully piqued Ma Chao's interest. He decisively turned around, put his arm around Ardashir's neck, and walked to the side, laughing, "Tell me in detail about this beautiful Plains of America. Don't try to hide anything. If you dare to hide anything, I'll sell you to Rudolf immediately."
What does a plain mean? It means that it can be cultivated on a large scale, and it means that there is an endless supply of food.
With sufficient food, one can feed a larger population, recruit a larger army, and seize a larger territory.
Why was Cao Cao able to defeat him so badly that he fled in terror? It was because he controlled the Central Plains, the largest grain-producing region of the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, he had a very strong interest in the Mesopotamian plain.
Ardashir dared not conceal anything and focused on the advantages of the Lower Mesopotamian Plain and the wealth of the Parthian Empire.
After listening, Ma Chao decisively looked at Rudolf, put on what he thought was a friendly smile, rubbed his hands together and said, "Rudolf, right? I can't possibly sell Ardashir to you, but you absolutely have to give me ten million shi of grain. If you don't give it to me, then take it yourself. Any problems?"
What do you mean? Isn't this blatant robbery?
Rudolf was furious, wanting to refuse outright but holding back the memory of the Sassanid soldiers' suffering in the prisoner-of-war camp. He gritted his teeth and said, "I can give you the food, but you just said you would never attack Ctesiphon within ten years..."
Ma Chao laughed and said, "Don't worry, we Han people are the most trustworthy. We will definitely keep our word. If you don't believe me, we can sign an alliance, but you have to give me an IOU for the ten million shi of grain and guarantee that it will all be settled within six months."
Rudolf had no choice but to agree, having neither the room to refuse nor the courage to do so.
Ma Chao then had Pan Jun produce a pre-written IOU, fill in the amount, and have Rudolf sign and affix his seal.
The IOU was written in Chinese because it was not for Parthia to see but for themselves. If Parthia dared to withhold even a single grain of food, Ma Chao could use the IOU to rally a large army to collect the debt.
The Han Dynasty always valued a just cause for its expeditions. Some soldiers might be unwilling to fight the Parthian Empire for no reason, but everyone would be eager to go to the Parthian Empire to collect debts, since nobody dislikes having more money.
Under pressure from Ma Chao, Rudolf signed the agreement and then left Tambe with a promissory note written in Chinese and a covenant written in Parthian that would not be attacked in Ctesiphon for ten years. He returned to Ctesiphon to report the situation to the Parthian king.
Ardashir didn't stay long. The next morning, Ma Chao kicked him to the prisoner-of-war camp and sent him back to his family to transport grain with hundreds of thousands of prisoners.
Ma Chao returned all the prisoners of war to Ardashir, because keeping them was useless and he couldn't afford to feed them. It was better to let them go back with Ardashir to grow food for him.
As for whether these people would follow Ardashir to attack him again after they returned, Ma Chao was not worried at all. First of all, he was strong enough that he was not afraid of these people coming again.
Secondly, this group of people had been terrified by the Han army and had developed a strong psychological shadow over them. They no longer had the courage to fight against the Han army. What was so scary about a bunch of cowardly fools?
In the end, he didn't plan to stay in Tambedo. Once he had the food from the Sassanid family and the Parthian Empire, he left without worrying about retaliation.
Therefore, these prisoners were neither useful nor a threat to him, so he released them without hesitation. However, he did not release them all. Instead, he selected dozens of Sassanid civil officials to keep by his side in case of need, intending to learn about the terrain, topography, and customs of Parthia and Qin through these individuals.
Furthermore, although Ma Chao released the prisoners, he did not provide them with food. They could only follow Ardashir home hungry. As for whether they would starve to death on the way, that was Ardashir's concern and had nothing to do with him.
After sending Ardashir and Rudolf away, Ma Chao began to deal with his own internal affairs. First, he ordered Pan Jun to restart the steel mill and remelt all 300,000 sets of equipment captured from the Sassanid army in this battle to make weapons and agricultural tools in preparation for spring plowing.
Next, he ordered Ma Su and Ma Cheng, who were guarding Mulu City, to bring the remaining personnel in the city and the Northern Xiongnu tribesmen to join him, in preparation for moving to Armenia.
Finally, the dozens of Sasanian civil officials and Hoss who had been specially left behind were all assigned to draw maps of Parthia and Qin separately.
After learning about the Mesopotamian Plain from Ardashir, Ma Chao astutely realized that he knew nothing about this land, not even where the good things were, which was extremely unprofessional.
He's a robber now; if he wants to steal something good, he needs to know where it is first, right?
Therefore, while having Sassanid civil officials draw maps, he also obtained more information about the Mesopotamian plain from these people and from Hostu, and then...
Ma Chao took the map drawn by Huo Sidu to Pan Jun for his opinion. He spread the map in front of Pan Jun and said, "Chengming (Pan Jun's courtesy name), look, there are actually two rivers in this plain of Armenia. If we build a few more large-scale water conservancy projects like Dujiangyan and Zheng Guo Canal, it will definitely become a granary comparable to the Central Plains. Why don't we skip Armenia and go to this plain instead?"
Pan Jun was also tempted, but after a struggle with himself, he shook his head and gave up, sighing helplessly, "It's too dangerous. This plain is good, but it is sandwiched between Parthia and Qin, making it a battleground. If we occupy it, we will be attacked from both sides. Our current strength is not enough to take this piece of meat."
"Therefore, my suggestion is to retreat to Armenia, develop agriculture and farming rapidly with the Black Sea behind us, and then gradually encroach on this plain as the population increases."
"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; to eat fatty meat, one must have good teeth."
The Mesopotamian Plain is the border between Parthia and the Qin Dynasty, where the two sides have fought for many years. If Ma Chao does not occupy it, he can sit back and watch the two countries fight and reap the benefits. However, if he occupies it, it will immediately become a buffer zone between the two countries and become the target of their combined attacks.
Ma Chao, having served as a feudal lord, possessed some foresight. Upon hearing this, he could only sigh helplessly and say, "Then let's leave it in the hands of the Parthian Empire for now. Once the Han, Qiang, and Xiongnu tribes under our command have successfully integrated and the population has grown to over ten million, not only Parthia, but even the Great Qin will be mine."
His biggest weakness right now is population. Since he doesn't want to educate the Parthian natives, he can only make his own people have as many children as possible. But this is not something that can be done overnight; it requires the efforts of several generations.
Time flew by and it was soon March. The ice and snow began to melt, and grain from the Sassanid family and the Parthian Empire was delivered one after another. Neither family dared to resist Ma Chao and could only obediently hand over the grain.
With sufficient food supplies, we have the confidence and the ability to do more.
In mid-March, Ma Chao ordered Kuai Qi to return to the Han Dynasty to report to Liu Bei and ask for his help. He also ordered Ma Dai to lead an advance team to Armenia to explore the area and see if it was suitable for habitation.
After defeating the Sassanids and extorting Parthia, Ma Chao embarked on a new journey, preparing to establish himself in Armenia.
Once he has established a firm foothold and completely stabilized his current banditry, and then receives talent assistance from Liu Bei, he will definitely become a nightmare for Parthia and Rome.