Mythical Three Kingdoms

"In summary, the situation is like this: we can defeat the Parthians, but with the Han Army intervening, it’s impossible to defeat both at once." Ganasis elaborated on the previous events, "The allied forces sent by the Han Dynasty have completely surpassed the limits of what our Eastern Border County can withstand."

"Can we hold them off?" Caracalla’s lip twitched upon hearing Ganasis’s explanation, as the Han Army seemed terribly relentless; the strength of their allied forces was unexpectedly immense.

"We can hold them off since our strength is not weak, but I think it’s unnecessary to confront them head-on now." Ganasis shook his head and said, "A war of attrition will greatly deplete our national resources; I think it’s better to wait until our forces are concentrated before engaging."

"Duke, are you suggesting we wait for my father?" Caracalla frowned as he inquired.

"Yes, our current forces will only lead to a stalemate with them. The Han Army’s Military Spirit Legion is very strong, and we don’t have a legion capable of suppressing them. Previously, we could rely on a large number of Guardians of the Empire to lead an escort for suppression, but..." Ganasis’s expression darkened, recalling Lyu Bu’s brutal tearing of the Sky Dome.

"Is that strongman from the Han Empire really that fierce?" Caracalla, seeing Ganasis’s change in expression as he spoke, couldn’t help but ask with curiosity.

"You’ve heard from Ludwig as well. From what I feel, their strength doesn’t belong to the demigod level at all. Our Guardians cannot withstand his attacks." Ganasis remembered Lyu Bu turning two experts into stars with his attacks, feeling quite fearful about it.

Caracalla nodded. Words indeed differ greatly from what one sees firsthand. Although Caracalla also thought that someone capable of beating Ludwig to that extent must be strong, he didn’t really understand what tearing the Sky Dome entailed.

"So, are you suggesting that we negotiate with them now?" Caracalla asked.

"Novelli’s idea is to invite both Parthia and the Han Dynasty but to make peace only with the Han. Since they’re not on the same side, even if the Han Dynasty refuses, it would be a thorn for Parthia. And as long as Parthia and the Han have conflicts, our opportunity will come." Ganasis explained Novelli’s idea.

"Will that work?" Caracalla wasn’t very optimistic about this plan.

"Whether it works or not doesn’t matter, as long as Parthia and the Han know our stance." Ganasis said casually, "Honestly, given the current situation, I have no desire to conflict with the Han Dynasty. Do you know what kind of news my son brought back from the Han Dynasty?"

"I’ve heard about it. It’s a wealthy and powerful empire." Caracalla nodded solemnly, recalling the reports given to Rome by Serali after returning, which were well-known among the Roman upper echelons, as Serali’s descriptions of the Han Dynasty were incredibly rich.

"So, unless necessary, let’s avoid conflict with the Han Dynasty. After all, the furthest east of Rome and the furthest west of the Han Empire are thousands of miles apart; there’s no value in a conflict," Ganasis laughed, "The Han’s assistance to Parthia, according to Novelli’s analysis, is likely just a gesture of faith and righteousness. We have a basis for unilateral negotiations with the Han. If Parthia offends the Han because of this, it’ll be advantageous for us."

Although Caracalla didn’t possess Severus’s strategic insight, he could understand Ganasis’s words, so he agreed.

Thus, after Ganasis and Caracalla combined forces, Rome sent representatives to the Han Dynasty and Parthia simultaneously to inform them of Rome’s willingness to negotiate peace.

"It seems a bit puzzling that Rome doesn’t seem to want to fight. Logically, they’ve lost territory, so why negotiate peace?" Zhuge Liang expressed with a strange look after sending away the Roman envoy, completely unable to fathom the Romans’ mindset.

Chen Gong, Sheni Pei, Sima Yi, and others also found it difficult to understand the Romans’ intentions. Given the fertile nature of the Mesopotamian lands, people from the Central Plains, inherently skilled in agriculture, could immediately see that these lands were comparable to the best plains in the Central Plains.

The Romans, having lost such a large area, opted for peace despite their combat power being on par with the opponents.

"Could it be a trap?" Zhuge Liang was also doubtful. In the Central Plains, if your strength was sufficient, losing territory and not reclaiming it would warrant ministers facing execution.

Chen Gong, Sheni Pei, and the somber-faced Sima Yi were all baffled; they couldn’t ascertain the answer, as the Roman mindset was indeed peculiar.

"In that case, let’s go and talk with the Parthians about negotiating with Rome. If we can reach an agreement, great. If we have to fight, we’re not afraid!" Zhuge Liang decided instantly upon seeing the three as confused as he was.

As a Commander-in-chief, sometimes decisive action is far more meaningful than overthinking. Zhuge Liang was gradually learning how to act from his position of authority.

After Zhuge Liang made his decision, the others began to consider and estimate the many possible scenarios.

"Looking at this situation, it seems the Romans might want to negotiate with us, letting us stay out of their affairs." Chen Gong had already grasped part of the threads.

On the other side, Parthia also received notification from Rome. Vologases V hesitated slightly, but considering Parthia’s current strength, decided to quit while ahead, taking advantage of their triumph over Rome to suppress the remaining grand nobles within the country.

Clearly, Vologases V’s mind wasn’t clouded by victory; he was aware that the power of the Han Dynasty wasn’t his own, only Parthia’s strength was true power.

"Rome wants peace talks, that’s fine; I need time," Vologases V took a deep breath, suppressing his resentment towards Rome. He needed time to rectify Parthia internally; the previous aggressive stance against Rome was largely to shift internal conflicts, but fell short.

If the issue with the Parthian nobles isn’t completely resolved, Parthia sending 120,000 troops is already the limit, but if the noble issue is resolved thoroughly, even sending 200,000 wouldn’t be the limit.

However, the reality is far removed from what the Parthians envisioned.

"Marquis of Chiyang, long time no see." Ganasis, accompanied by Novelli and twenty Inner Qi Manifestation generals, welcomed the arrival of the Han Dynasty at the negotiation site. Due to it being for both parties, there was a temporal gap between the arrival of Han and Parthia.

"Ganasis, I’m not leading this time. Here, this person is our leader." Li Jue rather admired Ganasis’s boldness of "pointing at Parthia, speaking of bifurcation," so when the other came to greet, he didn’t put on airs.

Although Li Jue rode ahead in the leading position, he wasn’t confused about the leader, pointing at Zhuge Liang to indicate, but didn’t notice Novelli’s sudden change in expression when looking at the young Han army.

"I was a bit puzzled earlier, being able to understand your language, and you can understand ours." Ganasis said with a smile, showing none of the previous anger when the two sides clashed, as if welcoming old friends, while ushering Zhuge Liang.

"Oh, I got this telepathy bead from Kushan." Li Jue said dismissively, which slightly surprised Ganasis; he hadn’t expected Li Jue to directly tell him.

"Ganasis, Duke of Eastern Roman Border, greets all from the Han Dynasty." Ganasis’s words were perfectly translated into Chinese by the telepathy bead, and Zhuge Liang and the others heard clearly.

"Zhuge Liang, Marquis of Yangdu Pavilion." Zhuge Liang and others dismounted to return the greeting upon hearing this, but evidently Ganasis was secretly observing the Han delegation.

"Is the Duke searching for the general who shattered the sky dome that day?" Seeing Ganasis and other Romans’ gaze, Zhuge Liang knew they were undoubtedly looking for Lyu Bu; there was no choice—the guy attracted attention wherever he went.

"Cough, cough." Ganasis coughed twice, saying nothing, tacitly acknowledging.

"He has returned." Zhuge Liang said calmly, then reiterated to Ganasis what was infused to the Parthian Emperor earlier. Listening, all Roman Guardians felt envious—no choice, the Heavenly Realm—here in Rome, it’s equivalent to becoming a god!

"No wonder, so formidable! I see!" Ganasis understood then why Ludwig couldn’t possibly be a match, how can a demigod possibly contend with a god.

At this point, the Romans were in an uproar, and the twenty Roman Guardians finally realized their path ahead—becoming gods. Yet, merely imagining it compared to their inability to even touch the sky dome, they felt like cold water was poured over them.

Thinking further how among the Romans thus far, nobody could even make the sky dome ripple, let alone shatter it, they realized how unbelievably powerful gods were!

"Please enter, everyone." Ganasis gestured an invitation, assigning two Inner Qi Manifestation guides to lead the Han Dynasty inside. The Han Army came with primarily several civil and military generals, not even bringing escorts; this kind of demeanor earned Rome’s deep respect.

Although Ganasis hadn’t intended to cause trouble during negotiations, Han’s conduct let them clearly sense the confidence of the Han Empire. Since the opposite party so trusted Roman demeanor, naturally Ganasis wouldn’t disappoint the Han Empire.

"Stay prepared." Seeing from afar the Parthians charge here with thousands of troops, Ganasis couldn’t help but smirk, thinking, look, look, this is the difference; Han casually sent roughly a dozen people, while Parthia brought so many troops—scare them for what.

Parthia’s thousands of cavalry suddenly pulled their reins about three hundred paces away, their synchronized actions made Ganasis squint slightly.

Compared to Parthia’s earlier mediocrity, now they have some strength; however, impoverished families don’t produce nobles over three generations. Despite Parthia’s restored power, there’s still a long way to go in terms of demeanor, unable to discern even the bearing of the enemy!