Chapter 3611
The Basis of Negotiation
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Almost all the Roman legion commanders and generals understood the purpose of this operation and the way to recoup their losses.
Therefore, based on the premise that plunder is a way to recoup costs, the situation was completely different in Ctesiphon, the Parthian capital.
Having lost its core strength, it had no power to retaliate against the Roman army's attack.
The Roman army, having occupied these core areas, began efficient plundering.
Plunder tangible wealth, resources, silk, money, and currency, as well as intangible things like fortune, knowledge, and the future.
Under Severus's orders, each legion commander demonstrated exceptional search and plundering abilities, completing the looting of their designated targets in a very short time while simultaneously destroying any Parthian resistance that might resurface.
Under such repeated attacks and plundering, the Parthians in this region suffered the same price as the Romans in the Turkish provinces.
Faced with this plundering behavior, the Han Empire's army chose to remain silent and withdrew directly to the outer field, withdrawing from this area.
Instead of directly confronting the Roman army, they provided relief to a portion of the Parthians in the surrounding areas, and did so very cautiously.
During this relief process, the entire Han Empire's army, under Sima Yi's command, began a high-intensity performance.
Saving people is indeed a rescue, but it is also conditional and limited.
They would not force a head-on confrontation with the Roman army while trying to save lives, nor would they display a fearless, savior-like mentality.
Instead, it was as if he truly wanted to save the Parthians and rescue this ally, but under the overwhelming military power and threat of Rome, he could only regretfully retreat to the outer field.
At the same time, based on this position and on the position of our allies, we will do our best to save lives.
Maintain this mindset, maintain this acting style, and demonstrate behavior different from that of the Romans, showing the different behaviors of both sides towards the Parthians.
To the best of our ability, we should fulfill our duties as allies within this framework.
As for the rescued Parthians, who still don't understand the situation and criticize and talk nonsense about the Han army, Sima Yi will make it clear to them that he is not someone to be trifled with.
Acting is acting, politics is politics, and aid is aid; everything is for the ultimate goal.
Saving the Parthians was what he was supposed to do, but not all Parthians deserved to be saved.
This is the foundation, and also the principle for saving lives.
As their actions continued for a while, they developed a tacit understanding with each other.
Rome plundered as much as possible, reaping the corresponding wealth, and then drove the people to the outskirts. This way, the soldiers wouldn't have too much psychological burden, nor would they have to bear the stigma of massacring civilians.
As for the price the Han Empire paid during this period, what does that have to do with Rome?
Severus didn't care what the Han Empire could gain in this process, nor did the rest of Rome.
They have already obtained what they wanted and what they desired. As for what others can gain in the process, that is up to their abilities.
For Rome, after this tacit understanding lasted for some time, their private exchanges became more and more frequent.
In this process of exchange and communication, both the Han Empire and Rome shared their opinions and demonstrated their sincerity. Rome's sincerity was quite simple and unpretentious: everything left behind after Rome's plunder was open to negotiation.
Sima Yi's sincerity was even more simple and unpretentious; the silk he had intercepted beforehand became an item for both sides to mend their relationship.
Based on their mutual sincerity, both sides have a basis for continuing the talks and a consensus.
One of the key factors in the Roman Empire's invasion of Parthia was that the Parthian Empire was located on the Silk Road, allowing it to directly exploit this route to raise prices and plunder Rome's wealth through silk.
If it were merely a simple business transaction of buying low and selling high, Rome wouldn't have had such strong opinions about Parthia, even if they did.
Parthia's actions were purely a case of exorbitant pricing; not only did they charge high prices, but they also didn't provide quality goods, which naturally angered many Romans.
Therefore, eliminating the Parthians was essentially about reorganizing the Silk Road, making it smoother and cheaper, so that Han Dynasty silk could flow more easily into Rome.
If one's own foundation is sound, then one has the capacity to handle external matters.
The silk in the Silk Road refers to external things.
To obtain silk in a long-term and stable manner, it was necessary to maintain a certain level of stability and trade balance with the silk-producing country, namely the Han Empire.
Based on these interests and demands, even though Rome had been taken advantage of by the Han Empire, it naturally accepted the current conditions and situation after the Han Empire demonstrated its strength and made some concessions.
Communication and exchange between empires ultimately depend on strength, and the strength demonstrated by the Han Empire was indeed impressive.
The distance between Rome and the Han Empire was far enough that even if Rome had other ideas, given this practical distance, it could only choose more realistic methods and actions.
With interests to discuss, goals to discuss, and the strength to sit at the negotiating table, both sides naturally have the possibility of continuing to talk.
The current situation has brought a rare moment of joy to Pompiannis, the Roman financier.
Even the silk trade, which had always been opposed, was not explicitly rejected as it had been in the past, but rather accepted as a transaction.
On the one hand, silk is indeed comfortable, and Pompiñus himself wore it, so he didn't have much resistance to it.
In the past, there was opposition to the state spending vast sums of money to purchase silk, because this wealth would not only fund the enemy but also undermine the country's economic foundation.
Therefore, it is perfectly normal to oppose the purchase of silk from the perspective of prioritizing the nation's interests.
But now that Parthia is gone, there is naturally no longer any situation where they would support enemy countries.
Parthia was gone, but a great deal of wealth was plundered from it, making up for the national treasury deficit and even leaving behind enough savings to last for decades.
Given the current combat effectiveness and size of Rome's army, maintaining this timeframe is not a problem at all.
After all, Rome's military expenditure was determined by the army's combat effectiveness. Now that the army's elite forces had suffered heavy losses, the corresponding military expenditure would naturally be greatly reduced, which was a good thing for Pompiñus.
With no rivals, the treasury is abundant, and military spending has decreased... (End of Chapter)