主题：【原创】飞腾的火焰-萨珊波斯四百年（不定期填坑） -- 赫克托尔

Another legendary story has to do with Shapur’s journey in disguise to the Roman empire to gauge the power of the enemy. He is recognized and then imprisoned in the skin of an ass in a dungeon, and the key is kept by Caesar’s wife (āh-nāma VII, pp. 228-29). The queen’s maid, who is of Persian descent, softens the skin with milk and escapes with the king to Persia. While Caesar is laying siege to Ctesiphon, Shapur and 6,000 men attack the drunken Roman ruler and his troops at night (ibid., VII, pp. 238-40). Caesar is imprisoned, his ear and nose are cut off, and he dies in prison (ibid., VII, pp. 244-45). The two stories have similarities:

(1) Shapur is handsome, and beautiful maidens residing with the enemy facilitate his escape;

(2) the maidens are of Persian origin, hence their loyalty lies with their homeland;

(3) In the jaws of defeat the king is able to turn things around and defeat his enemies with intelligence and bravery.