The Roman camp was not faring well at this moment.
"Pah, pah, pah."
As soon as Prus stepped outside, he was choked with sand by the wind and dust, spitting several times.
"What kind of cursed weather is this? It's truly hellish. How do these Wei people manage to survive here?"
Prus grumbled but still went out. Today, he was ordered to patrol the city. As a general in the army, Prus had to patrol the city every few days.
Not long ago, the Roman army had set an ambush near Zhoukou County, feigned defeat, and seized the opportunity for a surprise attack. Taking advantage of the Western Army's eagerness for battle and their long journey, they directly routed the Western Army.
Originally, the Romans should have pressed their advantage and captured Zhoukou County immediately, but a sandstorm happened to occur at this time.
It must be known that sandstorms in the northwest region are extremely severe. A significant reason why many people are averse to the northwest is the harsh environment there.
It was this sandstorm that prevented the Romans from continuing their offensive. They had no choice but to retreat back to the cities they had previously occupied. Fortunately, the cities in the northwest were large enough, and stationing troops in a few county towns was sufficient to meet the needs of the Romans.
However, the Romans were not accustomed to the sandstorms in the northwest. Even within the cities, they felt stifled and restless. In recent times, many brawls had occurred, causing considerable headaches for the Roman generals.
Prus perfunctorily inspected the city walls and was about to return to his occupied courtyard.
But unexpectedly, he was stopped halfway.
"Baron Prus, the Marshal requests your presence," a soldier said respectfully to Prus.
Prus frowned and asked, "Is there anything important? I have other important matters to attend to."
In this cursed weather, Prus was unwilling to wander around the city. It was better to return to his residence as soon as possible.
"I am unaware of the specifics, but the Marshal has summoned quite a few generals, so there should be something to discuss," the soldier replied.
Prus frowned. He actually didn't want to deal with Vasily.
Although Vasily was the Marshal of this large army, Prus was no ordinary person. Prus's father was a Duke of a border province, possessing immense authority in his territory.
As the sole heir, Prus had only come to the army to gain experience, with no particular ambitions. Coupled with his illustrious family background, even if he did something out of line, Vasily would not dare to say much.
However, Prus hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lead the way."
"Yes, Baron, this way please."
Ultimately, it was Vasily's recent major victory that led Prus to have some respect for him and recognize his military prowess.
As for the small county towns previously captured, Prus considered them a matter of course. The defenses of these towns were not particularly strong, and it would be strange if the numerically superior Roman army could not capture them.
When Prus arrived at Vasily's residence, he heard people arguing heatedly as soon as he entered.
"Bastard, what are you talking about? Who can go out in this weather? Your knights are the bravest men, so why are yours unwilling to go out?"
"Hah, my men are naturally the strongest. As for this weather, it's just cursed. Our warriors should not be consumed and wasted here for nothing. Remember, there are barbarians on the other side of the continent who are constantly coveting our homeland.
How can we waste our warriors on this land full of yellow sand?"
"Hahaha, you talk of warriors, but I think you're afraid."
"Ridiculous, that I would be afraid? I am a descendant of the great Alexander."
"How could Alexander have such a cowardly descendant as you?"
"Say that again!"
When Prus entered, he saw two men glaring at each other like fighting cocks, spewing insults.
Prus gradually understood what they were saying.
Alexander believed that they should not waste any more time here. It was too far from their homeland, and engaging a powerful enemy after such a long journey was unwise.
Moreover, Roman territory itself faced crises, with barbarians constantly threatening its security, and the conquered populations constantly resisting.
Some powerful Dukes within the country, especially border Dukes like Prus's father, held immense power and were undermining Roman rule.
Especially since the current Roman Emperor was not very popular, the internal situation in Rome was even more complex than in Middle Kingdom countries like Wei.
At this juncture, although the empire had resumed the eastward expansion of Alexander the Great, the empire's focus was clearly not on this.
Witnessing the harsh environment of this land, they realized that capturing and holding it would yield little profit. Consequently, many were having second thoughts, with Alexander being a particularly vocal one.
Omda's stance, on the other hand, was simpler: he simply wanted to continue fighting. As for domestic matters, they hadn't descended into chaos yet, so there was no need to consider them. Continuing the war was more practical.
Prus sat down, watching the two men curse each other with great interest. Prus had been groomed as the family heir and, while somewhat arrogant, was not foolish.
At this point, the other generals remained silent, also watching.
Omda and Alexander's argument escalated, even devolving into personal insults.
"You dirty Anglo-Saxon, what right do you have to speak here?"
"I am a Baron personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor. What kind of trash are you to dare insult me?"
"I am a noble descendant of Alexander. What right do you have, you dirty insect, to compare yourself to me, huh!"
Seeing Alexander and Omda's argument becoming increasingly offensive, Vasily, who had been silent, intervened to stop the farce.
"Enough, all of you, shut up," Vasily raised his voice and said, "We are here to discuss military affairs, not to listen to you bicker. No more talking."
Rome had conquered many regions, incorporating the peoples, religions, and populations of various territories into the Roman Empire. This was the reason for Rome's immense power.
If the Roman Empire had remained confined to the territories around the Mediterranean Sea, as in the days of the Roman Republic, it would not have had the capability to become a super-empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.
However, by incorporating so many ethnic groups, the Roman Empire also faced severe ethnic tensions and conflicts. Different peoples such as Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Celts, Jews, and Germans constituted this vast empire.
But while this brought strength to the empire, it also sowed seeds of future trouble. The animosity between various ethnic groups ran deep. For instance, pure Roman nobles like Alexander always exhibited a conqueror's superiority complex when dealing with people of other ethnicities.
They believed that Romans were the true masters of the Roman Empire, and everyone else was merely a slave of the Roman Empire.
Yet, other brave and skilled races like Omda's people had achieved great feats and even attained noble titles, naturally refusing to be humiliated by the Romans. This constant friction led to unending conflicts.
Vasily had initially intended to ignore the two, but seeing their arguments become increasingly excessive, even escalating to insults against entire peoples, Vasily could no longer remain seated.
If the conflict intensified, Vasily's dream of achieving military glory would be shattered. It was only then that Vasily was forced to intervene.
"Alright, let's get down to business."