Roman Camp.
By this time, it was already dark, and two rows of lamps were lit inside the central command tent, illuminating the interior.
Unfortunately, the bright lights could not illuminate the gloom on Marcus Aurelius's face.
Marcus Aurelius's sharp gaze swept across the faces of the noble leaders, finally settling on the commander.
"Tell me, how did the siege go today?"
Upon hearing Marcus Aurelius's question, the commander trembled, his face filled with bitterness as he replied, "Your Majesty, the Parthian army is truly tenacious. Our siege has been unsuccessful, and our casualties have been heavy. Eight thousand have died in battle, and twenty thousand are wounded and unable to fight any longer..."
"Hmph, I told you long ago that our army has just arrived here, the soldiers are exhausted, and the siege equipment is not yet fully prepared. It is not advisable to attack the city, but you did not listen and insisted on attacking."
Now things are really bad. Not only have we lost so many brave warriors, but we've also severely damaged the morale of our troops. What do you suggest we do next?
Marcus Aurelius snorted coldly, staring angrily at the noble leaders, looking as if he wished he could execute them all on the spot.
A noble commander hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Rest assured, the Parthian garrison is also in a difficult situation. Tomorrow, our army will attack the city again and will surely take Xilin Pass in one fell swoop!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! We will fight again tomorrow and we will surely win!"
"Please, Your Majesty, give me another chance..."
The other noble leaders also chimed in, offering their guarantees.
Actually, they weren't afraid that Marcus Aurelius would actually execute them, but rather that if the Roman army were defeated in the subsequent battles, Augustus would certainly use this as an excuse to shift all the blame onto them.
At that time, not only will their own lives be in danger, but even their families will not escape misfortune.
"Heh~, that sounds nice, but who can guarantee that you won't hold back your efforts in order to conserve your strength?"
Marcus Aurelius sneered, his face frosty as he looked at the crowd and said in a deep voice, "I have been watching the siege today. The Parthian defenders were already at their limit. If you had just sent out the sixth team to continue the attack, you might have been able to break through the city and win the first prize in this battle."
But you chose to retreat at the last moment, causing all your efforts to be in vain..."
Upon hearing Marcus Aurelius's words, the noble leaders lowered their heads in shame.
On the contrary, the commander's eyes reddened, and he almost cried. He looked at Marcus Aurelius with deep emotion, and immediately regarded him as a confidant.
The commander then shouted, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will do our utmost to capture Xilin Pass in one fell swoop tomorrow!"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will do our utmost!"
Seeing that the commander had spoken, the other noble leaders immediately chimed in with their assurances.
Marcus Aurelius also said with a solemn expression, "It's not that I don't trust you, but now that things have come to this, the die is cast."
Today's siege will surely hasten the arrival of Parthian reinforcements. Our army must capture Xilin Pass before the enemy reinforcements arrive.
Therefore, to prevent you from becoming complacent, I have decided to dispatch legions from each province to oversee the battle!
"this……"
Upon hearing that Marcus Aurelius was actually planning to send legions from various provinces as supervisory teams, the faces of the noble commanders immediately changed.
Their Senate, as the core power institution of Rome, not only restrained the Roman emperor, but also restricted the rights of the various provinces in taxation, finance, people's livelihood, and military affairs.
Therefore, not only did the Roman emperors despise the Senate, but even the governors of the various provinces regarded the Senate as their number one enemy, and the two sides had long harbored deep resentment.
If the legions of each province were to act as supervisory teams, following closely behind us, who knows if they would take the opportunity to retaliate for personal gain?
Seeing the hesitation of the crowd, Marcus Aurelius said solemnly, "Don't worry, I have already spoken to those officers. As long as your legions fight bravely against the enemy, they will not act recklessly."
After all, this expedition is for the benefit of all Roman citizens; they can still distinguish between what's important and what's not!
“Your Majesty is right, we will not disregard the overall situation!” An officer standing on the right also stepped forward to echo.
"If that's the case, then so be it, Your Majesty!"
Seeing that Marcus Aurelius and the officers of the provincial legion had expressed their opinions, the noble leaders had no choice but to agree.
Thinking of the wounded soldiers in the army, the commander immediately asked, "Your Majesty, there are many wounded in today's siege. Would you be willing to ask the physicians of the Taiping Sect to help treat them?"
"Well..."
Upon hearing the request, Marcus Aurelius paused and said, "You will have to ask Zhang Tianshi about this yourself. After all, they are people of the Han Dynasty, and I cannot order them to do things!"
Commander: "Your Majesty is right. I will go and inquire immediately. Please allow us to take our leave!"
Marcus Aurelius nodded upon hearing this, and then waved to the group of noble leaders.
After all the noble leaders had left, Marcus Aurelius then waved to the officer from the Arab province who was standing to the side.
Marcus Aurelius lowered his voice: "The arrangements are complete. As for how things go tomorrow, that's entirely up to you!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, we know what to do. We guarantee that those guys will fight to the death to help us complete our plan!" the officer replied with a smile.
Marcus Aurelius waved his hand: "Alright, you can all go and rest now!"
"yes!"
The officers agreed and then bowed and left.
On the other side, a group of noble commanders, after leaving the central command tent, also arrived at Zhang Bao's camp.
"We humbly beg Master Zhang for your mercy and help treat our wounded warriors. Rest assured, we will doubly reward you for the necessary medical expenses!"
As soon as he entered the tent, the commander respectfully made his request to Zhang Bao.
In the past, if soldiers were wounded on the battlefield, it was almost a death sentence; few were able to recover and continue fighting.
However, the medical skills of the Taiping Church physicians in regenerating broken bones and stitching up wounds during the march shattered everyone's understanding.
It's important to understand that in a war, not many soldiers actually die on the battlefield; most die in the wounded soldiers' camp.
If the wounded soldiers can be treated and recover, it will not only reduce losses in battle, but also further enhance the army's combat effectiveness.
After all, veterans who have been on the battlefield and survived are far more capable in combat than ordinary soldiers.
Of course, the most important thing is morale. As long as the soldiers know that even if they are injured on the battlefield, they will not be in mortal danger, then they will not be hesitant when they charge into battle.
This demonstrates just how important a medical team is to the military.
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