God Three Group Chat: Three Kingdoms

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Considering the unique circumstances of the Roman Empire and Parthia in Central Asia, and the subsequent redistribution of resources, Liu Tong did not spend too much time calculating the land that the Han Empire was very likely to acquire.

Regarding the simple calculation of land area, Liu Tong stated that after so many years of effort, the Han Empire's expansion of its territory was quite effective.

If we simply calculate the effective land area, the entire territory of the Han Empire has successfully expanded by more than four million square kilometers, although the effectively developed land is less than one-tenth of the total area.

But once they get their hands on the land, they have the final say on what to do with the development.

Perhaps it's because he's been in this era for too long, and the era's passion and pursuit of the land have influenced Liu Tong to some extent.

Having extensive historical experience, Liu Tong is well aware of the actual value of these lands. Even though most of the land is currently uninhabited and undeveloped, its value cannot be ignored.

Large islands in the south, such as Australia, one of the seven continents, possess mineral resources sufficient to sustain humanity's journey beyond the solar system.

The land in the Middle East can provide a large amount of rare resources, rich mineral resources, and so on.

Even if full-scale mining is not feasible in this era, further optimization can be achieved, such as crop cultivation.

In particular, many Central Asian plants of this era possessed extremely unique body-strengthening effects and could, to some extent, prolong life, thus increasing the average lifespan.

Therefore, taking advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, it is the most correct thing to do to expand and develop the Han Empire, thereby increasing its actual control over the territory and the scope of its cultural influence.

"However, Rome has already brought its military force very close to the Tigris River basin and also close to Ctesiphon." Looking at the flags on the map, Liu Tong frowned.

Given the current situation, thanks to the prior planning and arrangements, the Roman army's offensive is proceeding at a much slower pace than originally planned, and the delay is also longer.

However, if there are further delays, then it's hard to say.

As winter approaches, Rome's logistical pressures will increase, and supply difficulties will rise.

In this situation, theoretically, it would be the perfect opportunity for Parthia to take a short break and for Rome to halt its offensive.

However, based on his understanding of the actual situation on the front lines, Liu Tong knew very well that this idea was not advisable.

The reason is simple: as the emperor of the Roman Empire, Severus could not afford to delay for so long, nor could he allow Rome, which had already incurred huge sunk costs, to pay even greater costs.

During this period, regardless of how much time the Romans spent training their army, retraining it, and restoring the coordination and combat capabilities of their large legions, they were actually quite well prepared.

The Romans, who had made significant progress in these areas due to the war, naturally would not delay any longer, especially not in the winter.

"If the Romans were decisive enough and went all out, they could have ended the war and conquered Parthia during the entire winter. To be on the safe side, it would probably have lasted until the following spring." Thinking of this possibility, Liu Tong calmly shook his head.

When the Romans focused all their attention on Parthia, that was when they began to respect the entire world. Without Parthia's obstruction and allure, a Rome without its usual attractions would be a disaster for the whole world.

But for Liu Tong now, there was absolutely no way to stop the Romans' advance and military might.

It's not that they lack the ability and strength, it's just that the cost they have to pay is too high, to the point that even Liu Tong can't accept it.

Compared to the enormous manpower costs required to successfully repel the Romans, Liu Tong would prefer the war to proceed at its current pace.

In at least this case, the costs incurred by the Han Empire were far less than the costs of stopping the war.

When an empire is militarily powerful enough, even if others want to try to stop or sabotage it, they will have to pay an extremely high cost.

Moreover, the Han Empire had already sided with Parthia, and for the entire Roman Empire, the Han Empire was a card that Parthia had put out in the open.

Things that are out in the open will naturally be targeted, manipulated, and even have traps set.

Knowing the enormous risks involved, Liu Tong naturally wouldn't do something so foolish.

"Will the Romans last this long?" Si Niang asked, looking at the distance of less than fifty kilometers, puzzled.

Lacking any basic military knowledge or corresponding expansion speed, the only reference point Si Niang could use was the speed of the Han Empire's past expansion.

In the past, the speed of the Han Empire's external expansion was extremely rapid.

A mere fifty kilometers is basically a few days' journey, or even less.

“That’s the core region of the Parthian Empire, a distance of fifty kilometers. If the Romans could advance five kilometers a day, that would be considered fast.” Faced with Si Niang’s question, Liu Tong shook his head directly, stating quite clearly, “If you consider the Tigris River basin near Ctesiphon as the area around Chang’an at this time, you’ll understand why the Romans’ advance was so slow…”

Throughout Parthia, especially under the command of Vologius V, people and troops from all parts of the Parthian Empire were assembled and sent to Ctesiphon to deal with the Roman Empire's attack.

It was precisely this coordination at the national level that transformed what seemed like a short distance into the Roman Empire's path of slow, steady advance.

However, for Rome, the current situation might actually be a good thing.

There's no need to spend a lot of time and effort gathering information, finding out where Parthia's main force is, and then eliminating it.

Now, all the Romans need is a little more time to stabilize the situation, and then they can gradually push their army towards Ctesiphon. Soldiers gathered and trained by the Parthian Empire will come from all directions and become stumbling blocks to the Roman Empire's advance.

It can be said that it was precisely because of this consideration that the Roman legions' slow and gradual suppression also contained the idea of ​​besieging the enemy's stronghold and attacking their reinforcements.

This was, in itself, a calculated move. Volognes V couldn't possibly abandon Ctesiphon now, and if he didn't want to give it up, he could only do everything in his power to coordinate the army. (End of Chapter)