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Chapter 1151: Translating with Effort
🕑 Added 2024-12-04 09:05:31 +0000 UTCLi Jue and his two companions immediately felt awkward. Li You had specifically instructed them to maintain good relations with allied nations and deal decisively with any disobedient factions. So, the three of them dismounted and respectfully saluted Vologases V, speaking words that the Parthian king couldn't understand.
Vologases V couldn't understand Li Jue and his companions' words, but from their expressions, he gathered that they were apologizing and paying their respects, which made him feel a favorable impression toward them. The rumors that the Han Dynasty was a nation of ritual and propriety seemed true.
This was partly because Li Jue and his comrades had demonstrated extraordinary military power by saving the Parthian king. Moreover, thanks to the language barrier and Li You's instructions, they showed respect toward the Parthian king. Otherwise, with their rough personalities, they could have caused trouble.
Vologases V laughed heartily, a sign that he was a figure of some character to laugh in such a tense situation. "Thank you, General, for saving us!"
"Thank you," Fronto nervously translated into clumsy Han Chinese.
Li Jue realized this wasn't going to work. Although he understood the king was expressing gratitude, what if he inadvertently offended him? Better to bring over the interpreter, who had been doing a decent job so far.
Li Jue made an apologetic gesture, then looked around for the interpreter. People who could understand both Parthian and Han languages were quite rare.
Vologases V saw Li Jue’s gesture and understood that without a translator, their conversation was like chickens talking to ducks—completely nonsensical.
Soon, their somewhat clumsy translator, who had been scared to tears during the charge, came over. After witnessing how easily Li Jue’s forces crushed the Romans, the interpreter realized he had aligned himself with a powerful force.
"Oh great Parthian King!" The interpreter, despite his excitement, nearly fell to his knees when he saw the Parthian monarch. As a Wusun man, he had certainly heard of this vast empire next door, but he never expected to actually meet the Parthian king in person.
"Tell them that we in Parthia are grateful for the aid of the Han Empire, and we are willing to reward these brave warriors with treasures!" Vologases V, sensing this was the translator, spoke with authority.
"General, the Parthian King says he wants to reward each knight," the translator nervously conveyed to Li Jue.
"Wow, that generous? Well then, thank the king for his kindness!" Li Jue responded, giving a thumbs-up to show his approval.
"The general says you're brilliant, Your Majesty!" The translator, somewhat guessing, relayed the message.
Vologases V assumed that Li Jue was praising his decision to deploy his royal guard to help defeat the Romans. This had been one of the few bright spots in the battle.
"Hahaha, ask him if he's willing to help me defeat Rome!" Vologases V laughed heartily. He had only ascended to the throne a few years ago, and unlike his predecessor, he was determined to restore Parthia's strength and erase the humiliation of their capital being breached by Rome multiple times.
"General, His Majesty is very pleased and asks if you can help defeat Rome," the translator said, trembling. He had just realized he had mistranslated the previous message, but he didn't dare correct himself now. In his fear, he once again mistranslated.
"Rome, huh? Well, we caught them off guard this time, so we won the battle," Li Jue mused. He had seen Roman spear-and-shield infantry, which were quite formidable. "If you're asking whether we can defeat them, under equal conditions, we definitely wouldn't lose."
The translator was dumbfounded. He couldn’t make sense of these hypothetical terms or idioms. After all, his proficiency in both Han and Parthian languages was limited—he was just a Wusun man...
But sometimes, even if you don’t understand, you still have to translate. After all, the Parthian king was watching. The translator, resigning himself to his fate, pieced together whatever he could.
"Your Majesty, the general says they can defeat them—they are undefeated!" the translator confidently stated.
Vologases V laughed again. To him, an excellent general needed this kind of confidence. To be able to proclaim in front of another nation's king that one's army was undefeated—that took boldness!
"As expected of the brave warriors from the Han Empire, the ones who defeated the Xiongnu! Parthia is willing to renew our alliance with you!" Vologases V declared excitedly, not even glancing at the terrified translator, who had realized he had mistranslated many things.
By this point, the translator was nearly in tears. If either side ever found out what had actually been said, he was sure he’d be made into minced meat.
"His Majesty says that you and your men are incredibly capable, and they are willing to form an alliance with you," the translator conveyed, digging himself deeper.
Li Jue was taken aback. A national alliance? What was that supposed to mean? All three of them were dumbfounded.
But then again, they were quite cunning themselves. With just a glance at each other, they understood. The Parthian king was being so respectful. Even though Parthia was in decline, hadn't they still caused great trouble for Chang'an just a couple of years ago? And didn't the Han Dynasty still manage to overcome it? The foundation of empires wasn't something to be underestimated. No matter how downtrodden a kingdom might seem now, it could rise again at any time.
"We are willing to form an alliance with your esteemed nation," Li Jue said, removing the official seals from their waists as a gesture of agreement.
Li Jue’s title of Marquis of Chiyang, Guo Si’s Marquis of Meiyang, and Fan Chou’s Marquis of Wannian had never been stripped from them. When Emperor Xian was rescued by Cao Cao, this issue had simply been ignored. When Li Jue left, he still held his title as an imperial emissary, and, of course, he never returned it.
Li Jue never thought that he’d still have use for these items, so he quickly ordered his personal guard to bring over the imperial scepter. At this moment, it was time to flaunt his authority.
When Li Jue’s personal guard presented the imperial scepter, Fronto’s eyes widened. He had seen this symbol before and knew exactly what it represented. According to rumors, possessing this object meant one had the authority of the emperor. It dawned on him that he had stumbled upon a major opportunity.
"Your Majesty, this is a symbol of the Han Emperor's authority. Holding this means they can act on behalf of their emperor. They have the power to form alliances directly with us," Fronto hurriedly explained to Vologases V.
"A grand noble?" Vologases V murmured, growing more cautious. Parthia had fallen into its current state largely due to its internal nobility constantly undermining the royal authority. As long as the royal family could keep the nobility in check, Rome could only fight them in the Tigris and Euphrates regions.
However, Parthian royalty was often sabotaged by its own nobles, which had led to Rome breaching the winter capital of Ctesiphon multiple times. This was why Vologases V was wary of grand nobles.
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