Seeing the ministers bowing their heads and remaining silent in the hall, King Parthia, though furious, managed to calm himself down before returning to his throne.
He knew that his roar just now was nothing but impotent rage. Now that the pass had been lost and Parthia was completely exposed to the Romans' swords, the most important thing now was to stop the Roman army.
Glancing around the hall, the Parthian king noticed that Sakqi was not present and frowned. "Where is the Right Chancellor? Where has he gone at this hour?"
An official stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Right Chancellor went out to negotiate with the Han people early this morning, saying that a batch of military equipment has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, the Parthian King's expression softened considerably: "The Right Chancellor is truly the most considerate; even in this time of national crisis, he still does not forget to serve the country!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I heard that the Right Chancellor has been restless ever since he received news of the Roman invasion. He immediately contacted the Han Dynasty to purchase a batch of military equipment to strengthen the new army and resist the Roman attack!"
"Indeed, I have also heard that the Right Chancellor argued strongly on reason, which finally persuaded the Han Dynasty to relent and sell us a batch of military equipment!"
Many ministers in the hall also spoke up, praising Sakqi.
"The Right Chancellor has arrived!!"
Just then, a loud shout came from outside the hall, immediately silencing everyone, including the Parthian King, who all looked towards the entrance of the hall.
Sakqi walked into the hall looking haggard and with a slightly unsteady gait, his silk Han-style robe somewhat disheveled.
He was panting heavily as he walked, and judging from his appearance, he had obviously come in a hurry.
Upon seeing this, Anxi quickly stood up as well: "Right Chancellor, slow down!!"
The two ministers inside the hall also rushed forward to help Sakqi up.
Upon approaching, Sakqi bowed deeply and said, "Your subject... Sakqi greets Your Majesty!"
The Parthian king also rushed forward to help Sakqi up, saying, "Right Chancellor, there's no need for such formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After thanking him with a grateful expression, Sakoqi straightened up.
The Parthian king asked anxiously, "Prime Minister, what is the situation with the military equipment?"
"Your Majesty, the military equipment I received this time includes 5,000 sets of Han-style armor, 30,000 spears, 30,000 long swords, 3,000 powerful Han-style bows, 300 crossbows, and 200,000 arrows of various types...!"
Although this batch of weaponry was somewhat expensive, it was enough to equip an elite force of over 30,000 men. According to the Han army's analysis, with this weaponry, defending the capital would be no problem at all!
"Okay, that's good!"
Upon hearing Sakhozi's account, the Parthian king finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In his view, as long as the capital could be defended, Parthia would still have a chance.
After all, Rome was sending an army of 400,000 on a long expedition, with supply lines stretching for thousands of miles. The daily consumption alone was an astronomical figure. No matter how rich and powerful Rome was, it couldn't hold out for long.
"Report!"
Just then, a guard rushed in carrying an urgent report.
"Your Majesty, it has been reported that after Commander Kemorin's defeat, he fled eastward and ordered the withdrawal of all border troops stationed on the frontier. Now, a total of about 130,000 border troops have gathered in Hanta City."
"What?"
Upon hearing this report, the Parthian king's expression changed drastically: "That bastard, he actually withdrew all the border troops? What is he planning to do?"
The guard said, "It is said that Commander Camerin was worried that the Romans would defeat the border troops one by one, so he concentrated all his forces in one place in order to block the Romans' attack!"
"Nonsense! He's clearly worried I'll kill him, and he wants to amass power by holding onto his army!"
Upon hearing this news, King Parthia couldn't help but swear, his face contorted with rage.
Today, the western border of Parthia is unguarded, and the Romans can attack Parthia from any direction at any time.
The entire western part of Parthia would surely be utterly destroyed by the Romans.
This will not only affect the capital's tax revenue, but also require a large amount of money and resources for reconstruction, which will undoubtedly be adding insult to injury for Parthia.
Most importantly, once the Romans occupied those border passes, they could attack Parthia at any time, and Parthia would never have peace again.
At that point, let alone development, whether or not the country can even survive being destroyed is another matter entirely.
Seeing this, Sakqi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, regardless of Kemorin's purpose, it is best to appease and stabilize him for now, lest he become desperate and do something rash!"
"Whew!"
The Parthian king exhaled and then nodded: "The Right Chancellor is right. Immediately issue an edict that although Camerin was defeated in this battle, there are extenuating circumstances. Order him to immediately mobilize a large army to block all routes for the Romans to advance eastward!"
Furthermore, immediately mobilize provisions and supplies to support them!
Sakqi frowned: "Your Majesty, everything else is fine, but the current food supplies in the capital are only enough for the new army. We cannot move them lightly!"
The Parthian king thought for a moment and said, "Then send people to collect taxes from the Persians; if that's still not enough, increase the levy and collect from the people; if all else fails, go to the Han army and buy some from them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Sakqi agreed and then said, "Your Majesty, transporting provisions takes time. In order to stabilize the morale of the Kemorin army, I suggest that the Kemorin army be allowed to procure provisions on its own."
This way, they could both replenish the Camorin army's supplies and implement a scorched-earth policy, thus delaying the Roman advance.
Upon hearing Sakhon's suggestion, the Parthian king frowned, recalling Sakhon's bizarre act of feeding the people last year.
"Prime Minister, isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if it incites public outrage..."
It wasn't that the Parthian king was particularly compassionate towards his people, but rather that the lesson of last year was still fresh in their minds. If something like that happened again, Parthia really wouldn't be able to withstand it!
"Your Majesty, the Romans have now breached the pass and could launch an attack on the western cities at any time. Even if we don't collect the grain from those people, it will still fall into the hands of the Romans."
"If the Camorin army runs out of supplies and can't stop the Romans, the fate of those civilians will only be more tragic!"
Sakhozi, however, was unimpressed by the Parthian king's hesitation and instead launched into a sophistry, explaining the pros and cons.
Of course, Sakqi's words were taught to him by one of the Han's staff officers when the weapons were delivered.
Compared to the Parthian king and his ministers, the Han army stationed in Ansu City had a clearer understanding of the situation in this war between Rome and Parthia.
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