Inside the central command tent of the Roman camp.

Marcus Aurelius, along with generals such as Curic and Hanis, gathered together.

The atmosphere inside the tent was somewhat heavy. More than four months had passed since the expedition began. The 400,000-strong army had been on a long march, and their supplies were now completely inadequate. The collected grain and fodder were only enough to last for a dozen days. Once they ran out of food, the situation would be extremely dangerous.

Kulik was the first to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, after these days of fierce fighting, our provincial legions have suffered more than 24,000 casualties, and the soldiers are unwilling to fight any longer!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, nearly 30,000 of our men have died in battle, a loss of 20%. The soldiers all want to go home!" Hanis chimed in.

Hearing that both men were considering withdrawing their troops, Marcus Aurelius added, "The Parthian army's resistance is indeed unexpected. Continuing the fight would be counterproductive!"

His gladiator legion also suffered nearly 20,000 casualties.

The entire Roman army suffered nearly 70,000 casualties, a number unprecedented in Roman history.

Although the Parthian garrison in the capital seemed to be on its last legs, the Roman side wasn't much stronger either.

If this drags on, not only will we be unable to explain ourselves to the people upon our return, but our army also risks defeat.

Upon hearing Marcus Aurelius's words, everyone in the tent breathed a sigh of relief.

Marcus Aurelius then said, "Yesterday, I received a letter from the Han envoy. He said that he was deeply distressed by the fact that the conflict between our army and the Parthians had displaced millions of people, and he wanted to intervene to mediate!"

"Your Majesty, that would be best!"

"Having a Han envoy intervene is still advantageous for us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present chimed in with their agreement.

In their view, the Parthians should be the ones to sue for peace, and then they should withdraw their troops.

Unfortunately, the Parthians were determined to fight to the bitter end. If I took the initiative to negotiate, not only would the Parthians realize that I was powerless to attack, but I would also lose face.

Of course, the party that takes the initiative to seek peace will undoubtedly be at a disadvantage in negotiations and thus lose the initiative.

Now that the Han envoy has stepped forward, I can say that I am giving the Han Dynasty face. This will not only cover up any unfavorable situation to come, but also save face and allow me to maintain the upper hand in the negotiations.

On the other side, King Anxi and the others were so excited after receiving Chu Qian's message that they almost cried.

If the arrival of the Han envoy was a timely rain for the Roman army, then for the Parthians it was nothing short of a lifeline.

Subsequently, the Roman and Parthian armies tacitly ceased fighting and awaited the arrival of the Han envoy.

October 20th.

Ten miles south of the capital of Parthia, two groups of people stood distinctly apart on an open ground.

Leading the group on the west side was Marcus Aurelius, dressed in full regalia. Behind him were Zhang Bao, Li Boming, and a group of officers and nobles.

Leading the group on the east side was the Parthian king, also dressed in full regalia, followed by Sakhon and a host of Parthian ministers.

The people on both sides did not exchange any words, but all looked south with expectant eyes.

"They're here!"

Before long, a plume of dust rose from the southern horizon.

A smile appeared on the faces of people from both Rome and Parthia.

Soon, a caravan of horses came into view.

Huang Gai led a thousand naval soldiers as guards, followed by Chu Qian and his accompanying staff and instructors.

Upon reaching them, Chu Qian sidestepped and jumped off his horse, tossing the whip to a nearby attendant before walking toward Marcus Aurelius and the Parthian king and his entourage.

Upon approaching, Chu Qian bowed respectfully to Marcus Aurelius, saying, "I am Chu Qian, greetings to Your Majesty!"

"Envoy Chu, you're too kind. It's been more than half a year since we last met, and you look much more refreshed!"

Upon seeing Chu Qian, who first bowed to him, Marcus Aurelius greeted him with a cheerful greeting, trying to establish a friendly rapport.

Chu Qian also smiled and said, "Your Majesty's complexion is rosy, and you look even more heroic than before, much better than I am!"

"Haha~, Envoy Chu is also an old friend of mine. It's a pleasure to meet him again today!"

Upon hearing Chu Qian's words, Marcus Aurelius also laughed and tried to get on Chu Qian's good side.

Seeing the two chatting and laughing, the expressions of the Parthian king and his ministers on the other side were not so pleasant.

They were genuinely worried that Chu Qian might be biased due to their past relationship, which would undoubtedly put the Parthian side at a significant disadvantage in the upcoming negotiations.

Following behind the Parthian King, Saksi stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, let's take the initiative to greet him!"

"good!"

King Parthia nodded, and then, guided by Sakqi, walked towards Chu Qian.

With a broad smile and a bow, Sakoqi approached Chu Qian's right side, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I greet Commander Chu!"

"Ah, Right Chancellor, you're too kind!"

Chu Qian, whose conversation had been interrupted, turned around, cupped his hands in return, and looked up at the King of Anxi.

Seeing this, Sakqi quickly stepped back and stood behind the Parthian king, introducing him to Chu Qian: "Envoy Chu, this is our Parthian king!"

"My name is Chu Qian. Greetings, King Anxi!"

Chu Qian then bowed in return, his expression indifferent and his tone equally nonchalant, a stark contrast to his earlier attitude toward Marcus Aurelius.

"Envoy Chu, there's no need for such politeness. I've long heard of your great reputation, and seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary, worthy of being an envoy of a nation!"

Although Chu Qian's preferential treatment made King Anxi somewhat uncomfortable, he dared not show the slightest displeasure. Instead, he even offered a compliment with a smile.

There was no other way; the current situation was pressing, and all his hopes were pinned on this peace talk, so he naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest.

After exchanging only a few perfunctory pleasantries, Chu Qian said to Marcus Aurelius and the Parthian King, "The weather is starting to turn cold today, and those people who have been displaced by the war urgently need to be properly resettled."

Therefore, time is of the essence, and we hope that the two sides can reach a truce as soon as possible!

Marcus Aurelius declared loudly, "The envoy from Chu is right. You are an old friend of us Romans, and we must still give you face!"

The Parthian king quickly added, "I also hope that the war can be stopped as soon as possible!"

Chu Qian smiled and said, "Alright, in that case, let's begin now!"

"good!!"

Marcus Aurelius and the Parthian king echoed each other's sentiments.

Subsequently, under Chu Qian's arrangement, a long wooden table was placed between the two parties.

Chu Qian represents the Han Dynasty, sitting facing west, with the Romans to the north and the Parthians to the south.