Diqin Designer

Chapter 552 Seeking to Borrow Troops to Destroy a Foreign Country

Wang Ling expressed his support for Guan Ying's actions: "It's bad enough that they didn't treat us well, but they even tried to harm us. General Guan Ying did a good job!"

Li Shiqi also said, "If we really let them succeed, we will all perish here."

As envoys of the Qin Dynasty, it was one thing for these Seleucids to treat them impolitely—they could simply refuse to go to the Seleucids and part ways amicably. But these Seleucids actually harbored malicious intentions and wanted to keep them there.

Can this be tolerated?
Even if it wasn't Guan Ying who came into contact with the Seleucids, if it were Li Shiqi, he would have launched a sudden attack and preemptively killed these Seleucids.

Because these Seleucids already harbored hostility towards the delegation, they would not let the delegation go even if Guan Ying did not make the first move. Rather than waiting for the other party to make the first move, they would naturally strike first and kill the other party.

The Qin Dynasty did not adhere to the principle of not striking first or firing first.

Li Shiqi asked, "Envoy, Generals, what should we do next?"

While it was satisfying to cut them down, it also meant that the delegation had offended Seleucus, so the mission was out of the question for the time being, and they would have to figure out how to deal with Seleucus's retaliation.

Wang Ling glanced at the Qin army soldiers beheading Seleucid soldiers and said, "The two generals should already have an idea?"

Cao Can nodded and said, "Indeed, I have some ideas. We should leave the Seleucids as soon as possible and head to Parthia. Bringing these heads will serve as proof that we have clashed with the Seleucids. The Parthian king and the Seleucids have a deep-seated conflict. Seeing that we are carrying the heads of the Seleucids, they will surely protect us."

After listening, Wang Ling said, "The two generals must be thinking of more than just gaining the Parthian King's trust and protection, right?"

Cao Can said, "Before the chief envoy and deputy envoy arrived, General Guan Ying put forward a bold idea..."

"General Guan Ying, you proposed that idea, why don't you say it yourself?"

Wang Ling, Li Shiqi, and the others all looked at Guan Ying. Under everyone's gaze, Guan Ying said, "The Seleucids look down on us and insult us. We cannot let this go. However, we lack the troops to retaliate. We have no troops, but the Parthian king and the Bactrian king do."

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Wang Ling and the others understood what Guan Ying wanted to do.

Guan Ying continued, "My intention is to borrow troops from the Parthian king and the Bactrian king to teach these Seleucids a lesson, to let them know that there are always people more powerful than themselves, and to make them realize the might of our Great Qin!"

If the goal is to borrow troops from King Arsak I of Parthia, then there is indeed no better gift than the heads of the Seleucids.

Seeing that Wang Ling and Li Shiqi were deep in thought after listening, Cao Can chimed in for Guan Ying: "Envoy, Vice Envoy, I think General Guan's idea is feasible. The Seleucids rely heavily on the Macedonian phalanx in their battles. Once the Macedonian phalanx is broken, they will be nothing more than chickens and dogs waiting to be slaughtered."

"Before we came, Young Master Li Nian explained the Macedonian phalanx to us in detail and told us how to break it."

"These Westerners think their formation is invincible, but it's really nothing special. They just haven't encountered our Great Qin before, otherwise it would have been broken long ago."

When Cao Can, Guan Ying, and others heard Li Nian talk about the Macedonian phalanx, they found it incredible. Could such a formation have been invincible in the West for over a hundred years? And how could Alexander have used this formation to conquer all the way to the Mauryan Empire?
Westerners...

Isn't that a bit too bad?
If generals of the caliber of Lord Wu'an, General Li Mu, or General Wang Jian saw this, they would surely figure out a way to break it in no time, right?

When Li Nian explained the weaknesses of the Macedonian phalanx and how to break it, it confirmed Cao Can and others' ideas. The Macedonian phalanx had obvious weaknesses and was not difficult to break.

But its weakness is there, and the Westerners have been unable to crack it for a hundred years, which has earned it the reputation of being invincible, to the point that Western countries are now using the Macedonian phalanx.

Because if they don't use it, they can't beat others using the Macedonian phalanx, so they can only roll together.

Thus, on the Western battlefields of this era, it was common for both sides to form Macedonian phalanxes and fight each other.
Later, in the Battle of Aria against the Gauls, the Romans were breached from the flank by the Gauls, and 30,000 Romans and their allies were killed by the Gauls without any ability to resist. This made the Romans realize that the Macedonian phalanx was not invincible, but rather had significant weaknesses.

After that, the Romans began to use more flexible tactics, which gradually evolved into the Roman legions.

The Romans conquered the West with their legions. When they fought against the last major enemy in the Mediterranean region, the Kingdom of Syria, the Kingdom of Syria used the Macedonian phalanx, while the Romans used Roman legionary tactics.

The two sides clashed in a narrow valley, where the Roman legions used the terrain to annihilate the Syrian army in Macedonian phalanx formations. After this battle, the Macedonian phalanx completely disappeared.

Because other countries already knew that the Macedonian phalanx was not invincible, but rather had great weaknesses; if the enemy caught it, the entire army would be annihilated.

If their weaknesses are truly exploited, the entire army will be wiped out, and escape will be difficult. This is because they formed a densely packed Macedonian phalanx. Once they are at a disadvantage and surrounded by the enemy, how can they escape?
Cao Can said, "It would be easy for our Great Qin to break through the Macedonian phalanx. One way is to bombard them directly with artillery. The Macedonian phalanx is concentrated, and bombarding them from a distance with artillery would be extremely effective."

The Qin Dynasty was not afraid of the Macedonian phalanx at all. Against the Qin army equipped with artillery, the Macedonian phalanx was just a large, live target made of human soldiers.

Imagine a group of people voluntarily lining up there, only to be bombarded by a barrage of artillery shells; the scene must have been incredibly bloody.

"Secondly, we can exploit the weaknesses of the Macedonian phalanx. Although it appears powerful, the Macedonian phalanx is actually extremely vulnerable, with several weaknesses, such as its flanks, its need for open terrain to deploy, and its cumbersome nature..."

It's absurd that the Westerners didn't try to counter these many weaknesses, allowing the Macedonian phalanx to remain invincible for over a hundred years.

Cao Can continued, "Although we do not have a large army, we have a method to break the Macedonian phalanx. As long as the Parthian king agrees to lend us troops, we will surely be able to severely damage the Seleucids!"

Just as Wang Ling was about to ask something more, he saw that the Qin army had finished cleaning up the battlefield and said to Cao Can, Guan Ying, and the others, "Let's talk as we go; we can't stay here any longer."

They are currently within the territory of the Seleucid Empire and have killed hundreds of Seleucid cavalry. If the Seleucids discover them, they will definitely send troops to pursue them. They should leave the Seleucid Empire as soon as possible.

Cao Can, Li Shiqi, Guan Ying, and others led the delegation back in the direction they had come from, heading towards Parthia.

While traveling, Wang Ling asked the question he had been wanting to ask earlier: "Are the two generals planning to borrow troops by using the method of breaking the Macedonian phalanx? But wouldn't that mean letting these Westerners know how to break the Macedonian phalanx?"

They used the heads of Seleucid cavalry to gain the Parthian king's trust, and then used the method of breaking the Macedonian phalanx to persuade the Parthian king to agree to lend them troops. Otherwise, they might not have been able to borrow troops with just the heads of Seleucid cavalry.

Wang Ling's concern was that if Western countries learned how to break the Macedonian phalanx, it would be detrimental to the Qin Dynasty.

Guan Ying said, "Your Excellency need not worry. We have already obtained permission from His Majesty and the young master before we came. If necessary, we can reveal the method to break the Macedonian phalanx. General Cao and I believe that the time has come!"

Wang Ling and Li Shiqi fell into thought again. Wang Ling knew very well that Cao Can and Guan Ying told them these things in order to obtain their consent.

He and Li Shiqi were the chief and deputy envoys of the mission. If they did not agree, Cao Shen and Guan Ying would have no way to carry out their plans.

Wang Ling looked at Li Shiqi, who was riding beside him on horseback, and asked, "What does the Vice Envoy think?"

Li Shiqi said, "I think what General Cao and General Guan said is feasible. If successful, it will not only strike the Seleucid Kingdom and inflict heavy damage on it, but also let the western countries know the power of our Great Qin and show the prestige of our Great Qin."

"Even if our Great Qin does not send a large army, we can still suppress all the other countries by borrowing troops from them!"

"These Western countries may seem civilized, but they are still barbarians at heart. And barbarians fear power but do not appreciate virtue. So why do the lords of Bactria and Parthia treat us with respect?"

Li Shiqi asked and answered himself: "It is because they know that our Great Qin is powerful and dare not be enemies with Great Qin. Moreover, they still need our help, so they treat us with courtesy. However, the western countries after Parthia are isolated from news and know almost nothing about Great Qin. They do not know that Great Qin is powerful, so they are not afraid of us and even dare to plot against us."

That's the truth. You said you came from Alpha Centauri, but the other person tilted their head and asked, "What star? Can you eat it?"
Are you from the Great Qin of the East? Where did that barbarian little country of Great Qin come from?

Li Shiqi continued, "In addition, the Seleucids' arrogance and conceit will only exacerbate this situation. The Seleucids split off from Macedonia, and they consider themselves the legitimate successors of Macedonia. They have always been very self-important and look down on other countries. Naturally, they would not take the Qin Dynasty, which they do not know, seriously."

"If we are to continue our journey to the western countries, we must make Seleucus and the western countries realize the power of our Great Qin. Only in this way can we earn their respect."

Li Shiqi has already made his stance clear: he wants to borrow troops from Parthia to deal with the Seleucids.

Wang Ling said, "Since the Vice Envoy agrees, wouldn't it be somewhat out of place for me to refuse?"

Upon hearing Wang Ling's words, Cao Shen and Guan Ying's worries subsided. If the envoy did not agree, there was nothing they could do.

After indicating that he could agree, Wang Ling changed the subject: "However, I have one request for the battle against the Seleucids: a great victory is required!"

Cao Can and Guan Ying immediately straightened their expressions and assured Wang Ling, "Your Excellency, rest assured, we will surely win a great victory and will never tarnish the prestige of our Great Qin!"

Hearing their assurances, Wang Ling nodded and said, "That's good. We are here on behalf of Great Qin and His Majesty as envoys to the western countries. We may die in foreign lands, but we must never tarnish the prestige of Great Qin and His Majesty! The Seleucid Kingdom dares to bully us, and they must pay the price!"

The mission did not go far into Seleucid territory before crossing the border between Seleucid and Parthian and returning to Parthian territory.

At this moment, the Parthian prince who had been sent by Arsak I to escort the Qin delegation out of the country was still at the Parthian border. When he heard someone report that the Qin people had returned, he was taken aback. How could the Qin delegation have returned from Seleucus so quickly?
Then the Parthian prince realized that the Qin people must have encountered something in Seleucid territory and were forced to turn back, most likely due to a conflict with the Seleucids...

If that's the case, that would be wonderful, because it would mean that the Qin people would no longer side with the Seleucids and help them, but would instead help them defeat the Seleucids.

The Parthian prince asked, "Are you sure it's the Qin people who have returned?"

The Parthian soldier who came to report said, "It is absolutely certain that the chariot, the flag, the armor, and the horses all belong to the Qin envoys."

The Parthian prince whispered, "The Qin people turned back; they must have clashed with the Seleucids..."

Thinking of the arrogant and conceited nature of the Seleucid Macedonians, the Parthian prince shook his head: "Given the nature of the Seleucids, they are indeed very likely to clash with the Qin envoys. I just don't know whether the Seleucids or the Qin envoys will suffer losses in this conflict."

After speaking in a low voice, the Parthian prince stood up and said, "Let's go and welcome the Qin envoys back!"

This was a great opportunity to improve the Qin envoy's favorability. He knew how powerful the Qin state from the east was—stronger than Parthia, stronger than the Seleucids, and even stronger than the legendary Macedonians during Alexander's time!

The Seleucids did a good job; they provoked a powerful enemy for themselves and gave them a powerful ally.

Even though the Qin people are far to the east and it is difficult for them to send troops directly, as long as the Qin people bring their weapons over, the Parthians will be able to equip themselves with the Qin soldiers and armor, and they will surely defeat the Seleucids on the battlefield!

The Seleucids had no idea how much trouble they had gotten themselves into!
Wang Ling and the others saw through their telescopes that the Parthian prince was leading a troop of Parthian cavalry, and knew that he was probably there to greet them.

Wang Ling instructed, "Everyone, be serious and angry. Make sure the Parthians feel our anger so that they will agree to lend us troops."

If the delegation met the Parthian prince with a frivolous and joking demeanor, the prince would definitely think that the conflict between the delegation and the Seleucids was not significant, and might even suspect that the delegation had conspired with the Seleucids and deliberately returned to deceive them.

If you're still laughing and joking after a conflict with someone that results in injuries or fatalities, then it's definitely a fake conflict.

A serious and angry demeanor would be more in line with the situation where the mission had clashed with the Seleucids!
As the Parthian prince approached, he immediately sensed something was wrong with the Qin delegation. Everyone looked serious, and their seriousness was tinged with intense anger.

The Qin soldiers in the Qin delegation had cold eyes and exuded a terrifying pressure. Some of the soldiers' armor was still stained with blood, indicating that they had been fighting.

Although the Qin soldiers were still considered formidable, they had never been so aggressive as they were now, and their swords, which had been hidden in their sheaths, were finally drawn.

The Parthian prince's gaze swept over the Qin delegation, and he immediately noticed something amiss: the Qin delegation seemed to have fewer soldiers but many more horses.

Wait, what's on the backs of those horses?
(End of this chapter)