Chapter 1159: Three-Way Meeting
If prior to this, Ganasis believed that this Han army could be taken down merely by relying on the Council Guard or the Teutonic Throwing Axemen, now he could assure that to take down this cavalry unit, it would definitely require an Imperial Guard Rank guard to accomplish the task!
As for other armies, they would absolutely be just sending themselves to their deaths. Ganasis had previously tried pressing in his General's Guard, yet even with the Eagle Banner raised, they could only be suppressed in battle. He estimated that it would take the support of the Empire's Eagle Banner to ensure an evenly matched fight.
By now, Ganasis no longer wished to fight. As long as the Iron Cavalry withdrew, he had no intention of pursuing; he has understood the difficulty of the opponent.
Li Jue also understood the folly of hesitation leading to chaos. Hence, after confirming that he couldn't chew through this hard bone of Great Qin, he decided against recklessness and veered southward in an attempt to break through, realizing that the most correct form of retreat at this time was to find a weak point to break through.
Ganasis noticed that Li Jue's Iron Cavalry was no longer charging towards the Eagle Banner but instead made a charge southward. He instantly understood Li Jue's strategy and shifted the southern defenses to allow Li Jue to break out quicker — being entangled in the core of the battle was damaging for both sides.
After breaking through the southern defenses, Li Jue casually seized a camp banner. Unable to seize the Eagle Emblem, Li Jue figured he should at least take something else as compensation.
The moment Li Jue broke through, countless Iron Cavalry surged out from the breach, closely following behind him. Of the more than three thousand Iron Cavalry, only just over two thousand remained at this time, all soaked in blood as they emerged.
After breaking out, with a big turn, Li Jue directed his men to reform into an assault formation, menacingly pointing at the Roman Soldiers opposite.
As the Han army burst through the encirclement, the Romans finally had a chance to adjust their thoroughly collapsed battle formation. In the moment when the Iron Cavalry turned to form a stance, the Romans' front line had already assumed a stance of grim determination.
Ganasis, eyes heavy with concern, watched the Han soldiers, some riddled with arrows, steaming with heat, but silent and determined. Meanwhile, Li Jue gazed at the fearless Roman Heavy Infantry holding Long Spears; both knew that this battle could not continue further.
The Han army's casualties had exceeded twenty percent, and the Romans were not much better off with nearly ten percent casualties, which already accounted for over seven thousand men. However, both sides' silent and grim formations clearly indicated their readiness to continue fighting if needed.
[Why haven't these bastards retreated yet!]Ganasis thought with heavy heart; both sides having fought to this extent, even he had to acknowledge the strength of the Han army.
[Why hasn't this group of Great Qin people retreated yet.]Li Jue was troubled, his Legion Talent could only support for one more Quarter Hour, but there's a saying that goes, "better to lose men than formation." Li Jue definitely didn't feel beaten, besides his brothers' bodies were still out there!
Li Jue turned to Guo Si beside him and said, "Aduo, go and negotiate with them, request to retrieve our brothers' bodies. I've roughly figured out the opponent's strength."
Guo Si wiped the blood off his face; earlier, his cheek had been sliced open by a Roman spear, still bleeding.
"That's mere talk; do you know how to speak Great Qin language?" Guo Si sneered, knowing they had no means to communicate with the Romans.
Li Jue felt a bit embarrassed, yet he wasn't about to retreat for sure, he'd rather stand his ground here!
"We didn't bring our translator!" Fan Chou said painfully, clutching the arrow in his chest, which had almost pierced his lung earlier due to some hindrance.
"Even if we did, could he speak Great Qin language?" Li Jue retorted.
Ganasis was feeling a bit crazy on his end as well. He wanted to say some harsh words to the Han Empire people and then leave with dignity. But after querying the people around him, not a single one spoke the language; these noblemen were all useless, none having studied foreign languages.
[We can't drag this out any longer; dignified retreat aside, it's now more important to extricate ourselves.]Ganzis understood that they couldn't keep stalling with Li Jue's group.
Just as Ganasis prepared to lead the Protector Officials to negotiate with the Han army, the red-clad Parthian Imperial Guard finally arrived, though the Romans merely glanced at the Parthians and continued to focus on the rather plainly dressed Han soldiers.
Upon seeing the confrontation, the Parthian Imperial Guard immediately reined in their horses, knowing all too well the scope of the situation. The Han army and the Romans had a major clash, with even eight Roman camp banners lost — though the Han army didn't fare much better.
What astonished the Parthian Imperial Guard was that both sides had deployed their Empire's Glory — whether it be the Roman's Legion Eagle Emblem or the Han army's starlight; both were formidable symbols within the Parthian Empire.
Li Jue cast a glance over at the Parthian Imperial Guard, only numbering over three thousand men, knowing even if they added forces, it wouldn't help against the Great Qin, which was exceptionally hard to crack. He didn't see much use for Parthian Light Cavalry in such a battle.
"Anyue, do you speak Great Qin language?" Li Jue shouted over to the newly arrived amateur translator.
"I'll give it a try!" Anyue, a former Wusun merchant, did speak Ancient Rome language, and yes, this time he truly could.
Anyue rode out to a distance of one arrow-shot, shouting at the Romans facing him, "The Han Empire's Marquis of Chiyang requests to negotiate with the Roman Empire's Fifteenth Legion Leader!"
Ganasis took a deep breath, feeling somewhat relieved. It was good that the Parthians had also arrived; at least communication could happen. Any further standoff would surely lead to another fight. He believed quitting the battlefield without some form of battle wasn't fitting for an empire fighting for its honor.
Ganasis, along with three Protector Officials and the Hundred-Man Squad Leader, reined in their horses and moved out from the Roman army, creating a path for them. Meanwhile, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou gave each other a look, also reining out.
The Parthian Imperial Guard Cavalry, observing this situation, exchanged glances and moved out as well. All three large armies, upon seeing this, took several dozen steps back.
In the center of the three armies, the Roman Fifteenth Legion's Legion Leader Ganasis, the Han Empire's Marquis of Chiyang Li Jue, and the Parthian Imperial Guard Legion Leader Tilitaya officially met on the plains of Central Asia.
"Ganasis!" Tilitaya stared at Ganasis with eyes full of killing intent; it was Ganasis who largely orchestrated the Parthian Empire's near-decade-long invasion wars.
Ganasis ignored Tilitaya of the Parthian Empire, arrogantly passing by him without pause.
Yet when Li Jue's trio approached, Ganasis surprisingly shifted from his previous arrogance and respectfully bowed to them. Romans were inclined to respect powerful foes, and even in the event of defeat, they were willing to incorporate them as mainstays under their command.
"What did he say?" Li Jue frowned, staring at Ganasis, utterly clueless about what the five neatly dressed individuals across from them were saying, puzzled by how odd the Great Qin language sounded. (To be continued... If you enjoyed this work, feel free to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets on Qidian.com as your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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