Chapter 1159: Three-Way Meeting

If earlier Canasius thought that the Han army could be defeated with the Roman Senate Guard or the Teutonic Axemen, he now realized that to take down this cavalry unit, only an imperial-level guard could manage it!

As for any other army, they would just be fodder. Canasius had already attempted to send his general's guard forward, but even with the Eagle Standard raised, they were still getting suppressed. He estimated that only with the imperial Eagle Standard’s blessing could the fight be an even match.

At this point, Canasius didn’t even want to continue the battle. As long as the Western Liang cavalry retreated, he had no desire to pursue. He now fully understood how difficult this enemy was.

Li Jue also knew the danger of hesitating in battle, so once he realized he couldn’t take down the Roman army, he chose not to fight to the death. Instead, he veered to the south, looking for a weak spot to break through. The best way to retreat in such a situation was to find a vulnerable point and force an exit.

Noticing Li Jue’s cavalry no longer charging toward the Eagle Standard but heading south instead, Canasius immediately understood his intention. He ordered the southern defenses to weaken, allowing Li Jue to break out. At this point, getting caught in the core of the battle would be a loss for both sides.

After breaking through the southern defenses, Li Jue seized a camp banner as a consolation prize. Since he couldn’t capture the Eagle Standard, he thought it necessary to take something else.

As soon as Li Jue broke through, thousands of cavalry followed, bursting through the breach behind him. Of the original 3,000 cavalry, only a little over 2,000 remained, all covered in blood as they emerged.

After breaking out, Li Jue quickly reformed his men into a striking formation, their momentum unbroken, pointing their weapons threateningly at the Roman soldiers.

The moment the Han forces broke through, the Romans finally had a chance to regroup and re-establish their shattered battle lines. As Li Jue and his cavalry turned and formed up once more, the Roman front ranks also fell back into a more disciplined and threatening stance.

Canasius watched the bloodied but resolute Han soldiers, many of whom were pierced with arrows, while their hot breath steamed in the cold air. On the other side, Li Jue also observed the unflinching Roman heavy infantry, long spears in hand. Both sides understood that continuing this fight would only lead to mutual destruction.

The Han army had already suffered more than 20% casualties, while the Romans were not much better off, with a casualty rate approaching 10%. For the Romans, this meant over 7,000 losses. Both sides were battle-ready, but continuing the fight would only escalate the bloodshed.

"Why haven’t these bastards retreated yet?" Canasius thought, his mind heavy with the gravity of the situation. Even he had to admit the strength of the Han army.

"Why aren’t these Romans pulling back?" Li Jue wondered. His legion talent could only last for another quarter of an hour, and while there’s an old saying about never losing face in battle, he certainly didn’t feel like he had lost. Besides, his fallen brothers still lay on the battlefield!

Li Jue turned to Guo Si and said, "Aduo, go talk to them. See if they’ll return our brothers’ bodies. I’ve already gotten a good sense of their strength."

Guo Si wiped the blood from his face, a Roman spear having cut a gash in his cheek that was still bleeding.

"Talk to them? Do you even speak Roman?" Guo Si scoffed. There was no way they could communicate with the Romans.

Li Jue felt a bit embarrassed but was firm in his resolve. Retreating without honor wasn’t an option; he’d rather die standing his ground.

"We didn’t bring our translator!" Fan Chou groaned, clutching an arrow wound near his chest. A Roman soldier had nearly pierced his lung earlier.

"Even if he were here, does he know Roman?" Li Jue retorted.

Canasius, on the other side, was equally frustrated. He wanted to shout a few parting words at the Han troops to leave with some dignity, but none of his men knew the Han language. All the noblemen around him were useless—none of them had bothered to learn foreign languages.

"We can’t keep wasting time like this. Dignity in retreat doesn’t matter anymore," Canasius thought. He knew they couldn’t afford to continue this stalemate with Li Jue’s forces.

Just as Canasius prepared to send his tribunes out to negotiate with the Han army, the red-clad Parthian Imperial Guard finally arrived. However, the Romans barely glanced at them, keeping their eyes focused on the Han army, whose unremarkable appearance belied their formidable strength.

The Parthian Imperial Guard, upon seeing the standoff between the two sides, immediately reined in their horses. It was clear to them that the Han and Romans had fought a bitter battle. The Romans had lost eight camp banners, and the Han weren’t in much better shape!

But what stunned the Parthian soldiers most was that both sides had activated their imperial honors—whether it was the Roman army's raised Eagle Standard or the Han army's glowing starlight, both symbols represented immense power in the Parthian Empire’s eyes.

Li Jue glanced at the Parthian Imperial Guard, noting that there were only about 3,000 of them. Even if they joined forces, they would be of little use. The Romans were far too tough to crack, and Li Jue didn’t see the lightly armored Parthian cavalry contributing much in a battle like this.

"An Yue! Can you speak Roman?" Li Jue shouted at the bumbling translator who had just arrived.

"I’ll give it a try!" An Yue, a former Wusun merchant, actually knew some ancient Roman. This time, he really could help.

An Yue rode within arrow range and shouted to the Romans, "Marquis of Chiyang from the Han Empire requests negotiations with the commander of the 15th Roman Legion!"

Canasius took a deep breath, feeling slightly relieved. The Parthians’ arrival would at least allow communication to happen. Otherwise, continuing the standoff would only lead to another brutal clash, and Canasius knew that fighting for the empire’s glory meant he couldn’t back down.

With three tribunes and the captain of his centurion guard by his side, Canasius rode out. The Roman ranks parted to allow them through. On the other side, Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou exchanged glances, then spurred their horses forward.

Seeing this, the Parthian Imperial Guard also advanced, forming a meeting of three armies in the center of the battlefield. All the soldiers from the three sides instinctively stepped back several dozen paces to give space to their leaders.

In the heart of the Central Asian plain, Canasius, the Roman commander of the 15th Legion, Marquis of Chiyang Li Jue of the Han Empire, and General Tiridates of the Parthian Imperial Guard met face to face for the first time.

"Tiridates!" Tiridates glared at Canasius with hatred. For the past decade, the invasions of Parthia had mostly been led by Canasius.

Canasius didn’t even look at Tiridates, arrogantly riding past him without stopping.

However, when he approached Li Jue and his comrades, Canasius dropped his haughty demeanor, offering a respectful bow. The Romans were willing to show respect to strong opponents, even inviting them into their ranks as trusted warriors, even in defeat.

"What did he just say?" Li Jue frowned at Canasius, having no idea what the cleanly dressed Roman officers were talking about. Why did their language sound so strange?

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