Ansu City.

Chu Qian, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and other generals, along with a group of military advisors and instructors, gathered in the city lord's mansion.

Everyone's attention was drawn to a map hanging on the wall.

The map clearly shows the situation of the Roman and Parthian armies.

An operations staff officer stood below the map, holding a baton, explaining the situation of the war to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, according to intelligence, the troops that can be mobilized within Parthia now include 130,000 border troops from Kemorin, 60,000 new troops from the capital, and 20,000 troops stationed in the northeast to defend against the Persians, totaling 210,000 troops."

Of the 130,000 border troops, due to defeat and loss of passes, and unstable morale, they were basically incapable of fighting and would at most just cower in Hanta City, daring not to make any moves.

As for the 20,000 soldiers guarding against the Persians, the Parthian king certainly wouldn't move them lightly.

Therefore, Parthia now only has its 60,000 newly recruited troops capable of fighting!

The staff officer paused for a moment, then continued, "As for Rome, during the attack on the pass, a total of more than 90,000 people were killed or wounded, including 20,000 killed in action and 70,000 wounded!"

However, under the treatment of the Catholic physicians, many of the Roman soldiers with minor injuries began to recover.

This is why the Roman army did not move out for a long time after occupying Xilin Pass. In addition to waiting for supplies, they were mainly waiting for the wounded soldiers to recover!

It is speculated that the Roman army will launch its eastward advance around mid-September…!!

After listening to the operations staff's analysis, Chu Qian nodded, then looked at Cheng Pu and the other generals: "Generals, in your judgment, what will be the final outcome of this war?"

After exchanging glances, the generals spoke up: "Envoy Chu, if this had happened before today, Parthia would have been defeated and might even have been destroyed by Rome."

However, we have now provided Parthia with a batch of military equipment. Although the quality of that equipment is not very good and it cannot withstand wear and tear, it is still much better than that of Rome. Even if the Parthian army is not very good, it will still be able to defend the capital.

Moreover, according to intelligence, Rome is also under great pressure. With an expedition of 400,000 men and a long supply line, Rome can only hold out for about five months at most.

In addition, we have instructed Sarkozy to implement a scorched-earth policy.

Therefore, I conclude that this war will end before winter.

As for the final result...

Cheng Pu paused for a moment, then looked at the operations staff officer.

The staff officer stepped forward and said, "According to our staff's repeated calculations, since the war is taking place on their own soil, coupled with the Romans' rampage and the Parthians' scorched-earth policy, the western cities will definitely become a wasteland, with at least five million refugees."

Therefore, Parthia would not only lose its economic source from trade routes, but also lose control of the western cities and tax revenue. All it could rely on were the cities surrounding the capital and the eastern cities.

It can be said that after this battle, Parthia will completely lose its status as a great power and will hardly have any chance to grow stronger again...!

At best, Rome could only force Parthia to sign a humiliating treaty, thus opening up a land trade route between Rome and the Han Dynasty.

An even better outcome would be the capture of Parthia's passes and parts of its western territory.

Besides, Rome would gain little further substantial benefit from this expedition, and its treasury would be depleted, rendering it unable to expand further. It would be forced to rely solely on trade with the Han Dynasty to slowly recover.

After listening to the operations staff's analysis, Chu Qian smiled with satisfaction. "So, what can our Great Han gain from this war?"

Upon hearing this, the advisor's eyes lit up, and his voice rose a few decibels: "If we had intervened beforehand, the Romans would have been able to conquer the Parthian capital and acquire a great deal of wealth and slaves, making a fortune."

At most, we can only achieve a period of stable development and peace in the south.

However, our intervention gave the Parthians the ability to defend themselves, while the Romans were bogged down in a quagmire.

Although on the surface it seems we only made a lot of money by selling arms,

However, in the long run, the future military lifeline of Parthia and the future economic lifeline of Rome will both be in the hands of the Han Dynasty, and the benefits contained therein are unimaginable…

After listening to the advisor's words, Chu Qian and everyone else present became very excited.

The war between Rome and Parthia not only made the Han Dynasty a fortune, but also further promoted the plan to gradually annex Parthia. It also greatly weakened the strength of Rome, a potential rival, and gave the Han Dynasty the initiative in future conflicts with Rome. It was truly a win-win situation, making the Han Dynasty the biggest winner.

Chu Qian stood up excitedly and said loudly, "In this war between Rome and Parthia, we not only want to reap the benefits, but we also want to be good guys!"

Cheng Pu was slightly taken aback: "Envoy Chu, what do you mean?"

Chu Qian smiled and said, "The Romans are certainly not willing to retreat so easily after leading such a large army on this expedition. However, if they do not retreat, they will not be able to hold out for long. In the end, they will need a reason to retreat."

The Parthians, struggling to hold on, desperately hoped the war would end as soon as possible.

Therefore, we can mediate, giving Rome a reason to retreat while saving face, and allowing the Parthians to escape the danger of national annihilation.

In that case, how could they not be grateful to us?

At that time, we will not only gain both fame and fortune, but also further demonstrate the might of the Han Dynasty!

Cheng Pu's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! Envoy Chu's move was simply a stroke of genius!"

“Yes, in this way, not only will all the benefits go to us, but it will also allow the Parthians and Romans to further experience the majesty of our Han Dynasty!” Huang Gai echoed.

Chu Qian smiled and waved his hand, "Alright, generals, go back and make your own preparations. In addition to continuing to expand your factories and workshops, you should also urge all ports to further increase their grain purchases in preparation for any eventuality."

"Here you go!"

Everyone agreed and then dispersed to get back to their own tasks.

Chu Qian also began to deploy manpower to prepare for the upcoming peace talks.

September 15th, Xilin Pass.

With the return of the last group of lightly wounded soldiers, Marcus Aurelius immediately ordered the army to set off.

After a day of preparation, Marcus Aurelius left a legion to guard the pass and care for the seriously wounded before leading his army out of Xilin Pass and heading towards the Parthian capital.

Behind the Roman army, in addition to the supply train and the legions of the defenders of the Taiping Church, there were two more special legions.

These two legions were the Parthian wounded soldiers who had been healed by the Taiping Church.

Now, these Parthian wounded soldiers have completely sided with the Taiping Church, and they are only following the army into battle because they want to spread the glory of the Taiyi God.

Zhang Bao appointed these two legions as a tribunal, with the intention of adjudicating and striking at the military forces of hostile churches.