"Abolish the various gates on the trade route? That's impossible! Dear Roman legion generals, even if you win this war, we will not accept such a crude and unequal treaty. The trade route passed through various Parthian towns such as Susa and Valk, and customs duties were supposed to be collected by Parthia. Now, your country is demanding the unilateral abolition of tariffs, such a treaty, King Orodes will not accept! ”

Having captured Sulena and sacked Ctesiphon, Apis ordered the legions to repair in place and await orders. Then, unsurprisingly, the Parthian king Orodes sent an emissary a few days later to ask for peace talks. Psychologically, though, Apis also wanted peace talks. However, you have to pretend that you don't care. Let the Parthians be anxious and uneasy.

"Your Excellency the Courier, in this world, no post-war treaty is equal, and if there is to be equality, then why wage war? Think of your situation, where there is a strong enemy outside and a riot inside. If Orodus had been smarter, he should have come to negotiate peace with me in person, instead of sending a cowardly messenger. Of course, your cunning king may also be frightened by this war. Afraid that I will hold him hostage. ”

In front of the Parthian messengers, Apis taunted Orodes unhurriedly. But the messenger was speechless, and could only hold back the fire in his belly.

"Our king is willing to cede fifteen cities to Rome in the hope of a peace between Parthia and Rome."

Seeing that the negotiations could not proceed, the envoy came up with a second plan. This is the order given to him by Orodus before departure, if he can fight for more benefits, he will fight for more, but it is really not good, they still have a way to retreat, such as giving up the city, and also get a short period of peace and respite.

"Which fifteen cities? I can tell you, I would not have agreed without the summer capital of Susa. ”

"Let's see."

With that, the messenger handed him a map with basic information about Parthia in front of Apis.

Swore to their sincerity.

Appis, on the other hand, continued to sit on the lion's chair in a lofty posture, glancing at the map handed by the Parthian messenger. The map was so crudely that it did not even depict the coastline of the Persian Gulf accurately, and it was completely different from the modern maps of later generations.

"Fifteen cities, huh. Hehe, your king is really good at business, and fifteen cities sound good, but they are just small towns with barren land and few people. Not even a city. Do not deceive me, Parthians, for I have made a detailed knowledge of your country and of your land before I set out on my expedition. The economic centers of Parthia were concentrated in two large cities – Ctesiphon and Susa. And the fifteen cities you are talking about belong to only one region, and they are landlocked, close to Lucummans. Why, in the future, if you want me to conquer my allies? ”

Staring at the messenger, Appis asked with disdain and questioning.

At this moment, the messenger panicked, he had little leverage, and Appis repeatedly pressed, and the negotiation was about to break down.

"Don't hesitate here, you can't decide what I have asked, go back as soon as possible, and tell your king what is going on here. Let him come here in person and accept my terms of peace talks, otherwise, the Roman legions will march east again. You know, it's only the end of summer, and winter hasn't come yet. ”

Without waiting for the messenger to speak again, Apis stopped him with a word.

A month later, the negotiations concluded that Orodus had no choice but to accept Appis's request to open trade routes and be free of customs duties. It was later known as the East-West trade route of the Silk Road, and now Parthia no longer has checkpoints to collect taxes. This move instantly halved the price of luxury goods shipped from the East to Rome. Such a move was undoubtedly great news for the nobles in Rome. You know, the Roman aristocracy was arrogant and lascivious, and their dependence on oriental luxuries was no different from the dependence of drug addicts on opium. Every year, more than half of the expenses of aristocratic families are spent on these luxury goods. Now, the halving of the price of luxury goods is tantamount to the expansion of their assets. Because the overhead is reduced. As a result, more than half of the nobles in Rome fell to the side of Apis and began to support Apis. The support of the commoners, the support of the aristocracy, for a while, in Rome, as if it was a carnival, everyone was feverishly celebrating this great victory. The commoners benefited from the war, and the nobles also benefited after the war, and the price of luxury goods decreased, so they did not have to spend a lot of money on these luxury goods, and the money saved could be used to invest in other things. In addition, the war brought with it a large number of prisoners of war slaves, which reduced the price of slaves. A war not only conquered lands and cities, but also boosted the entire Roman economy. Before returning home, the praise of Appis in the city of Rome had reached the point of popularity.

Of course, there were also disgruntled people, and the leader of the Parthian rebels, Palisia, came to the barracks a few days later, approached Apis, and demanded that Apis fulfill his promise......

"Appis, have you forgotten the agreement between us? You said you would help me get the king's position. And now, having sacked Ctesiphon, and returning home with a whole load of loot, you have gained great wealth and glory. But what about me? I still have nothing, that's not what we said when we were in the league. ”

Parisia was full of resentment, and stood in front of Apis and said resentfully.

"Brother, my ally, what are you not satisfied with? Before I came here, you were just a bandit leader who fled in disarray, and it was I who supported you financially, let you form an army, and helped you hold back the main army of Orodus, so that you had a chance to develop to the point where you are today. Looking at your achievements today, you have captured Lucummans, restored your former lordship, and, in addition to Lucummans, you have captured some of the surrounding towns and villages, and your soldiers have expanded to 20,000 men, don't you see these achievements? ”

Palicia tried to quibble, but Appis wouldn't let him interrupt him, and continued—

"Palicia, brother, yes, our original agreement was to overthrow Orodes and make you king of Parthia. But now, the situation is different, and Orodes fled to the summer capital of Susa. There are many city-states and scattered strongholds, and it is difficult to completely eliminate him. The war between Rome and Pontus lasted twenty-five years, and how many years do you think it would take for Parthia, which is so large, to wipe out all the power of Orodes? So, I can only help you eradicate the biggest threats, and you have to do the rest yourself. Orodus fled to the mountains, to the desert, and you must find him. It is impossible for the legions to penetrate deep into those regions in search of a fallen king. ”