"We were surrounded by at least 100,000 soldiers."
To evade responsibility, the general had no choice but to report it seriously.
In fact, what he said was practically true. Although Septimus had left part of his troops to protect the capital, and considering the casualties in battle, the number of soldiers was only around 100,000. If the workers were included, the figure rose to around 130,000.
A total of 8 clone legions and more than 80 soldiers from allied armies were part of the army that invaded Armenia.
"Your Majesty, I think we should retreat first and then request reinforcements from all over the country. With our current strength, we are no match for the enemy. Once the armies from everywhere arrive, we will be able to engage in a decisive battle against the Romans and, without a doubt, we will defeat them," said a minister who was standing beside Tigranes.
"That is right. With a large army at his disposal, how could Septimus possibly be a match for Your Majesty?" argued another minister loyal to Tigranes.
Seeing the ministers offer their advice, Tigranes also felt that it made sense.
In fact, he still had great ambitions. As the King of Kings who had conquered many countries, he had his own pride and was confident that he could defeat Rome.
"It is decided. We will retreat to the Taurus Mountains and notify all the tribes to send soldiers to help us. Ah, and also my father-in-law: quickly send someone to apologize to him and tell him that if he wants to reconquer the Kingdom of Pontus, he had better join forces with me," Tigranes said to the crowd of subordinates.
Tigranes's father-in-law was Mithridates VI, whom Tigranes treated as a prisoner after he fled to Armenia.
They abandoned him in the swamp and completely ignored his request to restore his kingdom; a clear example of arrogance first and obsequiousness second.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"…"
Tigranes immediately led a large army out of the fortress, accompanied by a large number of ministers, and then entered the vast Taurus Mountains.
---
Upon arriving at Tigranocerta, Septimus discovered that it was indeed a fortress.
Built against the mountain, the terrain was treacherous, and it would take a long time to conquer it.
Besieging the fortress would cost many lives. Fortunately, Tigranes had fled and the fortress was empty.
At that moment, a Galatian cavalry captain rode up to Septimus to report.
"He reported to the general that we had captured some wealthy merchants who had fled. They told me that Tigranes had escaped from the fortress and had issued a royal order, summoning armies from all over to come to the king's aid," said the Galatian messenger as he knelt down.
"Summoning armies from all over," Septimus repeated with a slight expression of contempt.
Septimus was not overly surprised. If the defeat of ten thousand soldiers had not awakened Tigranes, then he would not be worthy of being called the King of Kings.
As for the useless attempt to gather a large number of troops, he paid no attention to it.
In the original history, the general Lucullus completely confronted and defeated the 300,000-man Armenian army with fewer than three Roman legions and some allies. Furthermore, he also defeated the tripartite alliance of Armenia, Pontus, and Parthia. There was no reason why Septimus could not accomplish the same.
On the other hand, the wealthy merchant did not know the direction in which Tigranes was heading, but all the tracks pointed toward the Taurus Mountains.
The Taurus Mountains, with their imposing peaks and dense forests, offered an excellent place to escape.
---
A week passed quickly.
In the surroundings of the city of Tigranocerta, the Arab tribes became uneasy due to the arrival of the Roman army.
The recent rumors about the king's flight to the Taurus Mountains caused uneasiness among the Arabs.
The presence of the Roman army and patrols of its allied troops confirmed the rumors circulating among the Arab tribes.
On a lonely plain near a small river, a peaceful tribe with simple tents gathered near the river.
The leader of the tribe was called Arianmis.
Arianmis watched his tribe while he wondered about the fate of his tribe.
What should he do? Should he lead the tribe in its migration?
His tribe still maintained the tradition of living in tents, which made migration easier.
But now, with war and chaos unleashed, where should they migrate?
At that precise moment, he heard a shout outside.
Arianmis became furious at the noise that distracted him, but as soon as he stepped out of the tent, his expression changed.
He discovered that a large number of horsemen had arrived at the place and had surrounded his tribe.
Some of the horsemen had skin that was very dark, like coal.
However, there were also horsemen with very light complexions, but they did not look Armenian. Based on his long experience traveling around the world, he believed they were Romans.
The Romans had arrived at his tribe! This was terrible!
Arianmis forced a smile. "My esteemed officers, is there anything I can help you with? I, Arianmis, enjoy helping others more than anything."
A Roman officer slowly stepped forward.
The young officer was handsome but showed signs of going bald.
"Are you Arabs?" the young Roman officer said with a frown.
"That is right," Arianmis replied with a smile.
"Where is your food?" Julius Caesar asked.
"Sir, what do you mean?" Arianmis asked cautiously.
"Damn it, answer the question and stop talking nonsense!"
At that moment, a Roman soldier kicked him, throwing him to the ground.
Arianmis felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and an intense hatred toward those Romans.
This was absolutely outrageous!
The Arabs were also outraged, but with more and more Romans surrounding them, they had to suppress their anger.
"Hand over all your food supplies or you will die."
Caesar maintained an elegant smile, but his words chilled the blood of all the Arabs.
An angry Arab man said, "You are forcing us to hand over all our food. What are we going to eat?"