The news that Lin Tian's army had annihilated two hundred thousand Crusader troops and occupied a city of the Roman Empire quickly spread.
After all, not all two hundred thousand Crusader troops were wiped out.
Quite a few Crusader troops managed to escape.
Therefore, Lin Tian knew that such an event could not be kept secret, and what he had to do next was merely for show.
When others in the Roman Empire learned of this matter, everyone was so shocked that their mouths hung open.
"How is this possible? That was two hundred thousand Crusader troops, each one of them a true elite. How could they possibly be defeated?"
"That's right, that was an army of two hundred thousand. What kind of person could take down our two hundred thousand strong army?"
"Impossible, I don't believe it. Although I knew the enemy this time was a bit formidable and had occupied one of our cities, I simply couldn't believe they could defeat our two hundred thousand Crusader troops!"
Many people found it hard to believe the crushing defeat of the Crusader army.
In their hearts, the might of the Roman Empire's army and the Crusader troops was so deeply ingrained that no one could easily shake it.
Under such circumstances, how could anyone be more powerful than their two hundred thousand Crusader troops?
Unless their enemy had an army of at least a million strong, they would believe it.
Therefore, many civilians and ministers were filled with doubt.
"Don't tell me they have an army of a million. I heard they only had a little over a hundred thousand!"
"Exactly, an army of just over a hundred thousand trying to take on our two hundred thousand Crusader troops is simply wishful thinking. What you're saying must not be true!"
"Enough, all of you are spreading rumors. If you keep spreading them, our people will get angry with you!"
Due to their trust in the Roman Empire's army and the Crusader troops, they were unwilling to easily accept the news of their defeat.
However, the Crusader troops who had escaped back were ironclad proof.
They recounted the process of the battle with vivid detail, leaving people no choice but to believe.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, our army of two hundred thousand was truly defeated. Their corpses were left there, and our Roman Empire has indeed lost another city. If you don't believe me, you can send people to investigate!"
"Alright, then I'll send someone to investigate!"
In the end, many people chose to send people to investigate, believing they would only trust what they discovered for themselves.
As for anything else, it was just rumors.
Soon after, the soldiers who went to investigate returned in a panic.
Their appearance suggested they had been greatly frightened, which surprised many.
"What's wrong? What happened? What exactly did you see?"
"Corpses, corpses everywhere! I saw nothing but the bodies of Crusader troops there. They were burning the bodies of the Crusader troops!"
"And that road was all red, completely stained red!"
"Especially the city they were in before, it was practically filled with corpses. The enemy set fire to that city, intending to burn the corpses and the city together. The sight was too terrifying."
To prevent the spread of disease, Lin Tian naturally needed to burn the corpses.
However, because the killing had occurred some distance away, collecting the corpses took some time.
By the time people from the Roman Empire arrived, Lin Tian's army had just begun burning the bodies.
The sight of two hundred thousand corpses gathered together was undoubtedly terrifying.
That terrifying scene was enough to leave a lasting psychological scar on many people's lives.
And at this moment, the soldiers of the Roman Empire felt exactly that.
Especially since many of the fallen soldiers had died with their eyes wide open, staring at them even in death, which made them feel even more terrified.
Therefore, when they reported back, they displayed their fear to the fullest.
And after their words, many fell silent.
In fact, before they sent these soldiers out, they had already determined that their Roman Empire's two hundred thousand Crusader troops had been annihilated by Lin Tian's army.
After all, many of them had witnessed the departure of the two hundred thousand strong army.
But now, only a handful of Crusader troops had returned.
Under such circumstances, even a fool would know what the outcome would be.
However, upon actually hearing it from their soldiers, their hearts were still filled with complex emotions.
"Then, then, did that army occupy any of our Roman Empire's cities?"
"They did. They have already occupied another city of ours, and they have even reinforced the city gates! From their actions, it seems they plan to station there for a long time!"
"Station there for a long time? It seems they have their sights set on our Roman Empire!"
If it were before, they would not have paid too much attention to Lin Tian's army.
Even if someone had their sights set on the Roman Empire, it wouldn't matter.
With the might of the Roman Empire, even if someone targeted them, they could easily handle it.
They could even dispatch an army to easily deal with those people.
The Roman Empire's army was invincible.
But now, things were different. Not only had the Roman Empire lost a city, but even two hundred thousand Crusader troops had been destroyed.
This had directly shattered their myth of invincibility and made many of them feel an intense sense of crisis.
They understood that what had appeared in their Roman Empire was no simple character, but a terrifying enemy.
If they did not take this terrifying enemy seriously, their fate would likely be very, very grim.
Therefore, they had to take Lin Tian's army seriously.
"This matter still needs to be discussed with the Emperor. We must request the Emperor to make a decision!"
"After all, two hundred thousand Crusader troops were defeated by them. In such a situation, if we act rashly again, we are likely to suffer a major defeat."
"Therefore, we must concentrate the entire strength of the Roman Empire to deal with this army!"
"Only then can we have sufficient confidence and assurance to completely contain them and make them buried forever in our Roman Empire!"
The crushing defeat of the two hundred thousand Crusader troops was enough for the people of the Roman Empire to take it seriously.
Therefore, one and all, they were being cautious.
...