Chapter 53: The Eastern Empire and Unconscious Flexing

Chapter 53: The Eastern Empire, Effortless Flexing

At the head of the procession was a rugged, formidable, and tall man wearing a treasured sword at his waist. With a tiger-like face and hawk-like eyes, he immediately looked like a fierce warrior from the military.

The troops behind him wore iron armor adorned with engraved patterns. The broadswords at their waist reflected a chilling glint. On their left arms, they wore small iron-inlaid infantry round shields. Slung across their backs were large longbows, and the arrows in their quivers were already less than half full. Unlike their commanding officer, the soldiers all wore face masks, concealing their expressions.

The marks of sword slashes and arrow strikes were still visible on their armor. The entire formation made not a single superfluous sound, save for the thud of leather boots stepping upon the ground.

"Halt!" shouted the Centurion.

"Clack!" The entire troop stopped instantly, standing frozen in place like statues.

The Centurion's sudden shout startled the crowd, but what followed made the spectators roar with excitement. Never before had they witnessed such a neat and disciplined army, and they broke into thunderous cheers and applause.

Screams and gasps of amazement rang out endlessly. Many young women of Parthia already had flushed cheeks like peaches, their large eyes sparkling with intense fascination.

"I, Zhang Hu, Centurion of the 5th Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the Qilin Legion, Great Qin Empire, bearing the state letter from His Majesty, the First Emperor of the Great Qin Empire, come to pay respects to the King of the Parthian Empire." Centurion Zhang Hu retrieved a specially crafted box from his back, opened it to reveal a state letter inscribed upon silk, and spoke with a slight bow.

"Esteemed envoy, dispense with the formalities and you have had a hard journey!" Arsaces I released the queen's hand, slowly descended from the high platform, and said to Zhang Hu.

Immediately, an attendant nearby took the box from Zhang Hu's hands and respectfully presented it to Arsaces I. Arsaces picked up the Qin state letter, embellished with gold silk and embroidered dragons. Before he even opened it, he was captivated by the silk used to craft the document—so soft and smooth, truly living up to the reputation of a mystical realm.

Unfolding the state letter, lines of characters entirely different from the Parthian script appeared on the silk. The writing exuded an aura of mystery, resembling the divine script of ancient times. Regrettably, he could not read it and hurriedly summoned the accompanying translator of the Great Qin envoy delegation, since no one in Parthia was literate in Qin script.

"This King accepts your nation's state letter. Convey to His Majesty, your Emperor, this King's highest respects," Arsaces I said.

"My thanks to the King. These are some gifts from His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Qin; we ask the King to inspect them." Zhang Hu ordered his men to bring forward the gifts from Great Qin.

"These are the finest fine wine, silk, and brocade of my Great Qin. In addition, we present one treasured saber and three sets of exquisite armor," Zhang Hu stated alongside them.

"Good! Good! Good!" Arsaces had long been coveting the weapons and armor worn by Zhang Hu and his men. Hearing that Great Qin had gifted him some, he immediately hurried over to the gifts in excitement.

"Ahem!" The queen gave a disapproving cough.

"Ah. This King has already prepared a banquet; esteemed envoy, this way please." Realizing his loss of composure upon hearing the queen's reminder, Arsaces collected himself and gestured for the group to follow.

"Many thanks, the King." Zhang Hu led several squad leaders and platoon leaders along with a few soldiers to attend. The remaining soldiers were naturally looked after by designated personnel, as it was impossible for everyone to attend a banquet clad in armor.

Inside the royal palace's banquet hall, the giant dining table was piled high with delicacies such as fruit, roasted meat, and bread. Assisted by maidservants, Zhang Hu and his party took their seats along one side of the table.

Arsaces I sat in the seat of honor, Zhang Hu and his men sat on the left, and the Parthian royal family members and ministers sat on the right. A banquet spanning across the ages thus commenced.

The dining table was a blur of flashing wine goblets. Under Arsaces's arrangement, scantily clad dancing girls swayed gracefully to the music, and from time to time, alluring dancers would twist their enchanting figures near Zhang Hu and his men.

"The esteemed envoy must hold a position of high authority within the Empire; otherwise, your Emperor would not have dispatched you to Parthia," Arsaces I probed, attempting to gather information about the Great Qin Empire after three rounds of drinks.

Before setting off, the Imperial Preceptor had instructed Zhang Hu to spread the prestige of Great Qin, stating that anything not involving top-secret imperial secrets could be discussed.

"Your Majesty flatters me; I am merely a humble captain!" Zhang Hu replied casually.

"The esteemed envoy is too modest. I heard your subordinates address you as a Centurion, so you must surely be a major general of Great Qin," the Parthian Queen interjected.

"The Queen misunderstands. In Great Qin, the leader of a hundred men is called a Centurion. It is merely a title and hardly makes one a general," Zhang Hu said, putting down his wine cup.

"I see. The General is truly young and promising," Arsaces praised.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. A Centurion like myself—in a single Legion of Great Qin, there are at least a thousand such men. I am hardly worth mentioning!" Zhang Hu thought for a moment and said.

"What! A thousand men!" exclaimed an elderly Parthian general suddenly.

"Celsus!" Arsaces warned.

"Your Majesty, the esteemed envoy just said that in a single Legion of Great Qin, there are a thousand Centurions like him. This old subject momentarily lost his composure," Celsus apologized to Arsaces.

"Celsus, what is there to make such a fuss about? It's just a thousand men. The warriors of Parthia are no less numerous! A mere thousand men!"

"How many men does the esteemed envoy command?" Arsaces I asked, suddenly snapping back to reality.

"A hundred!" Zhang Hu said indifferently, thinking to himself that these were a bunch of uncultured bumpkins.

"Might I ask the esteemed envoy, how many legions does Great Qin possess?" Arsaces asked nervously, while those drinking and making merry nearby also pricked up their ears.

"Replying to His Majesty the King, excluding the soldiers garrisoned in various commanderies and city counties, my Great Qin Empire has five professional legions, numbering roughly eighty or ninety thousand—wait, I mean eight to nine hundred thousand. Don't you all have that many?" Zhang Hu said with a smiling chuckle, wearing an expression of absolute normalcy.

"..." The gathering of Parthian elites did not know how to respond.

After quite a while, Celsus managed to squeeze out a question: "With so many soldiers in your country, does that mean every adult male in the Empire has become a soldier? Can the common folk of the Empire even afford to sustain this?"

"Hmph!" The other Great Qin soldiers attending the banquet wore expressions of utter disdain.

The people of Parthia thought about it and reasoned it made sense: the mighty Parthian Empire, with a population exceeding six million, could barely muster just over two hundred thousand soldiers. Even if this mysterious Eastern-Western Empire of Great Qin were far more mystical and powerful than Parthia, having a million warriors must mean that every single eligible male throughout the entire nation of Great Qin had been conscripted into military service; otherwise, how could there possibly be so many?

Everyone wore expressions of "we understand now" as they waited for Zhang Hu's reply, the pressure brought on by the million-strong army instantly dissipating.

"Not at all! My Great Qin has a population of thirty million, with a million soldiers. Thirty citizens support a single soldier. It is completely affordable!" Zhang Hu said with feigned astonishment, his clumsy acting almost making the participating Great Qin soldiers burst into laughter.

"..."

"..."

"Your Majesty, this old subject is feeling unwell and begs to withdraw first!" Celsus's constipated-looking face was blanketed with anxiety.

With Great Qin making such a sudden visit, the situation of the Parthian Empire was deeply worrying!