The next morning.

A long procession appeared on the official road east of Xilin Pass.

The soldiers in the column, dragging their weary bodies, slowly made their way towards Xilin Pass.

"Phew, we've finally made it!"

Moklin, standing at the front of the procession, looked at the closed Parthian banner and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Soon, the garrison commander of Xilin Pass, upon receiving the news, came out of the pass to greet him with a joyful expression.

"Commander, the Romans have come with overwhelming force and seem determined to break through the pass at any cost. Our 30,000-strong garrison has been fighting fiercely for two days, and now we have less than 10,000 soldiers left capable of fighting..."

After entering the pass, the garrison commander of Xilin Pass also gave Moklin a detailed account of the battle that had taken place in the previous two days.

"The Romans are fighting so desperately for two reasons: first, their supplies are running low and they want a quick victory; second, they know that our country is vulnerable internally and want to break through the pass as soon as possible so they can plunder it!"

Upon hearing the report from the garrison commander, Moklin immediately made his own judgment.

Although Moklin had accurately predicted the situation of the Roman army, there was no sign of happiness on his face.

In the past, he could have relied on this formidable pass to hold out until the Romans ran out of food and retreated.

But now it's not possible. The Parthian army is also facing a severe shortage of food. The army must ensure that the soldiers are well-fed every day in order to prepare for any possible attack by the Romans.

However, based on the current food situation of the Parthian army, it can only sustain them for five days at most. Even if the Parthian king and his ministers allocate food supplies, it will still take at least a month.

By then, the Romans won't even need to fight them; they'll all starve to death here.

The Romans wanted a quick victory, and so did he.

However, looking at the endless Roman camps beyond the pass, Moklin's face was also full of bitterness.

The garrison commander stepped forward and said, "Commander, I recently acquired something important that might help our army defeat the Roman army!"

Kmollin's expression shifted: "Oh? What is it?"

"A map of the Roman camp!"

As he spoke, the guard took the parchment from his bosom and presented it to Kemorin.

Kermolin opened the parchment and examined it closely. He saw that it not only depicted the distribution of the entire Roman camp, but also clearly marked the location of the central command tent and the surrounding troop strength.

Upon seeing the distribution map, a hint of joy flashed in Kemorin's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at the garrison commander with a puzzled expression.

"How did you obtain this map?"

As if he had been prepared, the guard replied solemnly after hearing Camerin's question: "Commander, this was mapped out by several hundred of my personal guards who risked their lives to infiltrate the Roman camp!"

"Did the Romans notice?" Camerin asked again, still uneasy.

"Please rest assured, Commander, I have been keeping an eye on the Romans' movements since last night, and they have not made any moves!" the garrison commander said, patting his chest.

"That's good!"

Seeing the commander's appearance, Kemorin nodded in relief.

"Commander, I believe we can launch a surprise attack on the Romans tonight. If we kill or capture their emperor, the Roman army will surely retreat!"

"It's probably not going tonight. Our army has been traveling for two days and two nights to get here as soon as possible. The soldiers are exhausted and need at least two days of rest before they can fight again!"

At the original marching speed, reinforcements will not arrive until tomorrow at the earliest.

However, along the way, Moklin kept receiving requests for help from Xilin Pass, so he had no choice but to order his troops to march day and night.

Now, although they have arrived here, the soldiers are exhausted and have lost their fighting ability. Let alone launching a surprise attack, even defending the city is a bit of a struggle.

The garrison commander hesitated, saying, "What should we do? If the Romans attack the city, my soldiers will have a hard time holding them off!"

Kermolin glanced at the distant Roman camp and said in a deep voice, "Pass on my order: raise more flags on the city walls and spread the word that reinforcements have arrived."

In this way, even if the Romans wanted to attack the city, they would have to spend several days making the necessary equipment!

"yes!"

The garrison commander agreed, then turned and left to begin making arrangements according to Kemorin's instructions.

Soon, banners were planted densely on the walls of Xilin Pass, and news of the arrival of 70,000 reinforcements reached the Roman army.

...

Roman Camp.

Inside the central command tent, a group of noble commanders and officers from various provincial legions lined up on either side, quietly watching Marcus Aurelius, who sat in the main seat.

The atmosphere inside the tent was quite heavy, as the arrival of Parthian reinforcements so quickly had taken everyone by surprise.

After glancing around at everyone, Marcus Aurelius said in a deep voice, "The enemy's reinforcements have arrived, and it seems that Xilin Pass will be very difficult to capture."

My army of 400,000 is suffering heavy daily losses; I need to think of other solutions…!

The commander frowned: "Your Majesty means...?"

"What I mean is, now that the Parthian reinforcements have arrived, there's no need for our army to waste any more time here."

Therefore, I have decided to divide my army into three parts. One part will remain to hold off the enemy's main force, while the other two parts will be sent to attack Helan Pass in the south and Linma Pass in the north!

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead my warriors to attack Linma Pass in the north!"

As soon as Marcus Aurelius finished speaking, the commander hurriedly volunteered for battle.

They had just agreed to use the Parthian army's raids to strike at Marcus Aurelius and the legions of the various provinces.

Now that Marcus Aurelius is actually preparing to divide his forces to attack other passes, whoever stays here is bound to be in big trouble.

"Alas, your troops have been fighting for two consecutive days. Not only are the soldiers extremely exhausted, but there are also 30,000 wounded soldiers. It is really not advisable to launch another raid. It would be better to hold your ground here!"

"Leave the matter of dividing our forces to capture the pass to me and the legions of each province!"

Upon hearing the commander's request, Marcus Aurelius politely declined.

"Your Majesty, every warrior in my army is brave and skilled in battle. This little difficulty is nothing!" the commander said, still unwilling to give up.

Marcus Aurelius frowned and said in a deep voice, "Then let me ask you, now your troops have less than 60,000 combat-ready soldiers. If you cannot break through the pass in a short time, what should you do?"

"I……"

Upon hearing Marcus Aurelius's question, the commander was speechless and unsure how to answer.

If you volunteer for battle, you'll definitely have to sign a pledge; if you fail to break through the barrier, you'll truly be in a passive position.