Mythical Three Kingdoms

The disturbance on the Parthian side has not gone unnoticed by the Roman Eastern Border Commandery, it’s just that Rome is currently facing some troublesome situations.

The Duke of Border Commandery in this region, the same Duke Ganasis who clashed with Li Jue, was the first to recognize the threat of the Han Empire and personally traveled to Rome to support Severus as Roman Emperor.

No matter what Ganasis’s thoughts were at the time, being the first Duke of Border Commandery to support Severus in Rome earned him quite a reputation.

Severus, who came from North Africa, had few supporters apart from his army. As a Duke of Border Commandery with military and political power, Ganasis’s support was of immense significance to stabilizing the Roman situation.

It was precisely due to this move that Ganasis avoided becoming the scapegoat in Severus’s strategy to warn others by example, instead being considered by Severus as a trustworthy supporter, naturally establishing Ganasis as Severus’s steadfast ally.

Thus, when Severus swept through the northern barbarians, he naturally took Ganasis along.

Consequently, the influential figure currently overseeing the Roman Eastern Province, which involves areas like Mesopotamia, Syria, and Kari, is not within his territory; he is presently accompanying his emperor in England, engaged in desperate battles with the barbarians, resulting in a somewhat delayed response in this region.

However, despite the delay, the loss of the Duke of Border Commandery’s command does not mean the legion leaders will lose coherence; they remain level-headed.

In fact, after Ganasis departed, the leaders of the three Eagle Banner Legions stationed in Eastern Rome became even more cautious. Upon receiving news of the Parthian situation, they immediately sent word to the Roman Parliament while actively fortifying their defenses, to avoid embarrassment in the absence of their boss.

Hence, even before the Parthian actions commenced, these Romans began diligently mobilizing resources, as they have long understood the Parthians’ combat methods. Therefore, even in Ganasis’s absence, the legions, under their leaders’ direction, steadily constructed their defense lines.

Initially, upon receiving news of Parthian disturbances, there was some confusion regarding whether Rome should defend first or attack proactively.

After all, the Roman Eastern Border Commandery under Ganasis has a total of eight organized legions, with only three of them being Eagle Banner Legions, while the other five are barbarian. Although these barbarians are formidable fighters, relatively speaking, a legion composed solely of Roman citizens, such as the Eagle Banner Legions, is more formidable.

Furthermore, given the Roman citizens’ inherent authority, although the matter of Parthian disturbances was discussed among eight legion leaders, in practice, only three leaders were involved in the critical discussions about defense versus offense.

In the Roman camp, a legion leader named Marcus Aurelius Gilea was the first to convene all legion leaders upon receiving intelligence on Parthian disturbances and was the first to propose a proactive offensive plan.

It’s not the proposal itself that was crucial, but rather the feasibility of this fellow’s suggestion.

After gathering everyone, he immediately suggested consolidating all forces, withdrawing defenses from various districts, using the three Eagle Banner Legions as a core, with five barbarian forces as support, plus numerous auxiliary troops, to launch a direct offensive southward from Armenia into Parthian heartlands—Media and Taysi Sealed!

Use offense as defense, force Parthia to abandon its plan to attack Mesopotamia, relocate the battlefield directly to Parthia’s most prosperous areas, constrain their army’s destructive power, not seeking victory, but simply to hold off the Parthian army, waiting for reinforcements to arrive for a direct assault on Taysi Sealed, forcing a decisive battle between Parthian forces and the Romans.

Of course, this proposal was vetoed by the other two legion leaders. Gilea is indeed too young, despite his royal lineage and inherent sensitivity to warfare, he lacks much seniority, and such a proposal carries a gambler’s risk.

Although three legion leaders overseeing barbarians considered this proposal excellent, it’s clear the Roman structure dictates that the Eagle Banner Legions are far superior to other legions, making Gilea’s numerous reasons irrelevant.

Naturally, such a reckless proposal being vetoed led the three legion leaders to plan to gather forces for defense in Mesopotamia.

Indeed, the primary defensive point was placed east of the Tigris River at Gilea’s insistence, and after his first proposal was vetoed, the two legion leaders deliberated and ultimately decided to heed his second suggestion.

After all, his formidable status, commanding the Thirteenth Eagle Banner Legion, coupled with genuine capabilities, meant that the two legion leaders, while considering the bigger picture, preferred not to offend this fellow. Even grand nobles feel intimidated when encountering someone with such solid backing.

Despite agreeing to Gilea’s second proposal, the two other legion leaders initially went ahead with camp construction between the Euphrates River and the Tigris River.

Compared to the youthful exuberance of Gilea’s desire to confront Parthia head-on, these two experienced legion leaders chose to initiate a preliminary test east of the Tigris River.

If progress goes smoothly, a decisive first battle to defeat the opposing vanguard and lift their morale would follow, severely weakening the enemy. Immediately striking the Parthian army with great force wouldn’t be out of the question, but war is never predictable.