Chapter 1034: Despair in Hope
Severus arrived with a large army.
Parthia discovered Severus, or rather, Severus had no intention of hiding and directly made his presence known.
Well, it doesn't matter that he came. What matters is that Severus brought the Legion of Military Soul, the Three Talented Elites, the Fourth Legion of Lucky, the Fifth Legion of Skylark, the Sixth Legion of Triumph, the Ninth Legion of Spanish, the Tenth Legion of Knights, the Eleventh Legion of Sacrifice, the Twelfth Legion of Thunder, the Fourteenth Legion of Combined, the Twenty-second Legion of Devouring, the Thirty-first Parthian Legion, the Thirty-second Parthian Legion, the Thirty-third Parthian Legion, and a large number of Citizen Auxiliary Legions and Barbarian Legions.
Among them, the 31st to the 33rd were actually Severus' former personal soldiers. Later, in order to struggle for power, Severus stuffed these three legions into the ranks of the Eagle Flag Legion.
Of course, it was not through backdoors, but relying on real strength to obtain the three eagle flags.
Although it is ranked low, the eagle flag is still the eagle flag, carrying a part of the destiny of the Roman Empire, so even if it is ranked low, its combat effectiveness is actually at the top.
In addition to the fifteen fanatics, sixteen paladins, and the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth legions of angels that were already here.
There were also defeated legions including the Second Trajan Legion, the Seventh Loyal Legion, the Eighth Giant Legion, the Thirteenth Rose Legion, and the Thirty Invincible Legion.
A total of eighteen Eagle Legions and five Church Legions, a total of twenty-three Eagle Legions, carrying two-thirds of Rome's elite troops, all gathered here.
What does this huge army want to do? Of course, it is to destroy the country!
When Vogelges V received the news, he was not panicked. Instead, he felt relieved as if a huge stone had been lifted off his chest.
Ever since he went to war with Rome, he had always felt uneasy in his heart. It was not until now, after seeing the troops dispatched by Rome, that he put his uneasiness aside.
The Roman army is very strong, but Parthia is no longer the Parthian Empire that allowed Rome to ravage it. They are the Parthian Empire, and they are also capable of fighting .
Unlike the Central Plains, the Mediterranean climate is very suitable for war except for a few months when it rains frequently. Therefore, at the end of this year, Severus mobilized a large number of troops directly from Rome.
It has to be admitted that the Mediterranean baths did greatly reduce the difficulty of Roman logistics and troop transportation. If there were no Mediterranean, it would take the Romans about half a year to transport troops to West Asia with their poor road conditions. But with the Mediterranean, they could deliver people, weapons, baggage and food to the Jewish province in just one month.
The Romans were notoriously short-legged on land, so they were quickly discovered by the Parthian light cavalry, but to be honest, Severus had no intention of concealing it.
Seeing such a mighty army, the Parthians once again felt the fear they once felt when they were ruled by the Romans.
But after so many victories and wars over the past period of time, they no longer have the fear they once had.
"Haha, he is truly a pillar of Parthia. I wonder what the other Temujin is like."
Severus stood in the middle of the parliamentary guards, looking at Ardashir from afar with a smile on his lips.
As a Roman emperor, he possessed the talent of a monarch, so after seeing Ardashir from a distance, he knew that Ardashir was not the savior of Parthia, but on the contrary, Ardashir was a hero.
Even if Rome did not come to destroy Parthia, the Parthian dynasty would have ended in the hands of Ardashir, who had the same ambitions as other dukes of the border counties.
It was a desire for power and status, but under the Roman military force, Ardashir had no chance to realize his ambition, so he became one of the twin heroes of Parthia.
"The situation is a bit bad!" Ardashir looked a little ugly. He really didn't expect that the Roman army would be so terrible.
He had a premonition that the natural barrier of the mountains might not be defensible.
But he did not retreat, but calmly watched the Roman army.
Although it was a little beyond imagination, it was a consensus among the Parthian upper class that Rome would send troops, so everyone had been desperately squeezing out Parthia's potential and utilizing all possible resources.
There was no strategic location to defend behind the mountains, so they built their own city. Several simple fortresses were located on the vast plain.
Although simple, they are combined with Parthia's great secret techniques and are also one of their killer moves against Rome.
I don't expect to turn the tables by relying on the great secret arts, but I still have to deal a heavy blow to Rome and consume some of its military strength.
They knew very well that their arrangements could not really hinder Rome's advance, but even if they could allow Rome to launch one more legion attack, it would be meaningful.
"It's over!" After seeing the information about the Roman army, Temujin collapsed to the ground in despair.
He felt that all his previous efforts were in vain and Parthia was doomed. The reason was simple: he and Jin Wushu would not shed their last drop of blood for Parthia.
Without them, Parthia's defense would be full of loopholes, and it would be doomed to failure.
Even if they really shed their last drop of blood, they could not stop the Roman army this time. The Roman army could only remind Temujin of the last tragic battle on the northern grasslands.
It represented the final battle that marked the complete demise of the Huns.
"Do you think Parthia is doomed?" Hu Yanchu suddenly asked without thinking, "Are you thinking that if we can get our troops out of the mountains, we still have a chance of winning a battle in the Mesopotamian region?"
"That's right!" Temujin admitted it directly without hiding it.
In Temujin's view, the so-called natural barriers were one of the keys to Parthia's defeat. The cavalry, which Parthia excelled at, could not be fully utilized in the natural barriers.
Faced with the natural barrier, Rome only needed to send troops to Armenia, and together they would be finished.
Parthia actually had to defend quite a few places, and the two most core defense circles were Armenia and the Mesopotamian and Zagros Mountains. Both places were strategically located.
Relatively speaking, after the defenses of the two rivers were breached, Parthia could still rely on the Zagros Mountains for defense in the western part of its homeland. But if Armenia was breached, the Romans could move south from the northwest and directly invade Parthia's key areas such as Ctesiphon and Media in the hinterland.
Therefore, for Parthia, the importance of Armenia is actually higher than that of the Mesopotamian Empire. Owning the Mesopotamian Empire is icing on the cake. Having Armenia is equivalent to having an extra layer of protection for life. It can be said that it has completely avoided the war from happening on its own territory.
That is why Vogys V sent Fars Sassanid to garrison Armenia in person, while he himself was ready to support any place where the main force of Rome attacked.
Currently, most of Rome's troops are distributed near the Mesopotamian River basin, leaving a buffer zone for both sides. Even though the Roman army is powerful, the conflict between the church and the eagle flag still needs to be resolved.
Therefore, Severus did not rush to attack Parthia, but concentrated on adjusting the coordination between the church and the Eagle Legion. Even if they could not cooperate with each other, they must not let each other down.
After Severus arrived with his army, the barbarians who were originally arrogant were once again beaten back to their original form. However, the seeds of doubt had already blossomed and borne fruit in their hearts. Once Rome was defeated, it would suffer unprecedented backlash.
"Well, I don't think that the Armenian general Fars Sassanian left by Parthia can defend Armenia. The Parthian emperor will definitely go there." Temujin said with a wry smile.
"The natural barrier will become an iron wall for Rome to besiege Ardashir and me. Even if we are willing to shed our last drop of blood for Parthia, everything will be in vain by then!"
Temujin was somewhat desperate. Although his defense zone was a detour, it was enough for the Romans to march straight into Ctesiphon.
Regardless of whether he chose to support Armenia or not, the fall of Parthia's inner core areas was a foregone conclusion.
"The Roman army is too strong, so strong that I can hardly see any possibility of Parthia winning." Temujin shook his head, feeling somewhat desperate about the current situation.
Sometimes, even the God of War can't change some things.
Now even if Han Xin took action personally, it was a foregone conclusion that Parthia's core areas would be completely destroyed. Even if Han Xin could beat Rome back this time, Parthia would have completely lost the capital to rise again.
We will return to the era when Roman barbarians invaded at will, and it will be the same even if Rome still has double military souls and double three talents at that time.
The final outcome will be just like that of the Huns, who can only survive and then become historical garbage and exit the stage of history.
Well, if Parthia could produce three military gods right now and push back against Rome from three directions, that would be its only chance of winning.
However, this probability is lower than the probability that the Kushans and the Han Dynasty would suddenly reconcile and then lead troops to attack Rome.
"But your judgment is inaccurate!" Hu Yanchu said to Temujin.
Temujin's eyes lit up, and he would rather his judgment was wrong.
"Teacher, what advice do you have?" Temujin looked at Hu Yanchu with a sharp gaze, hoping that he could come up with some strategy to turn the situation around.
But Hu Yanchu shook his head.
"I'm not accurate. It's not that you can win, but you are too optimistic about the situation!" Hu Yanchu's words made Temujin feel like he was falling into an icy cave.
Parthia is doomed, are you still optimistic?
"It is not a difficult task for Rome to attack the Zagros Mountains, Armenia, and here at the same time!" Hu Yanchu said, and Temujin's expression became even gloomier.
Indeed, the possibility of a three-pronged counterattack against Rome was a dream, while the possibility of Rome defeating Parthia by dividing its troops into three groups was almost certain.
"Do you think Armenia will be the first to collapse?" Hu Yanchu asked with a wry smile. Sometimes he would rather he was not smart enough.
"Could it be that the Romans want to get back at me?"
Temujin frowned and asked, this is possible, after all, Fars Sassan is also the first commander of Parthia, maybe he can delay Rome for a while.
On the contrary, the probability that he would not be able to hold on would be greater, after all, there were too many elite legions coming from Rome this time.
"No, the first one to retreat will be Ardashir!" Hu Yanchu sighed.
"Impossible. With the natural fortress at hand, as long as Ardashir holds on, it will take some time for the Romans to defeat the city even if they attack it non-stop!" Temujin shook his head to express his disagreement.
"Your mind is confused, you have brought in the identity of Parthia, but I will not be influenced by external things, nor will I be shaken by the strength of the situation, nor will I make a one-way judgment based on the intelligence at hand. I will only think of the simplest way." Hu Yanchu shook his head.
This is what he thinks is the saddest thing. The descendants of the Huns have begun to integrate into Parthia, and they think like Parthians.
He knew it, but he knew that this was the best outcome.
Without the support of Parthia, they probably wouldn't even have the legions they have now.
"Wait, you mean!" Temujin suddenly thought of something. Since the natural barrier is the geographical advantage, what if the geographical advantage is taken away?
It's easy to tell which is easier, attacking a large army or attacking an immovable mountain.
"It seems that you have understood. If I were Rome, I would definitely attack Ardashir and then use the legions to attack and open up a smooth road through the Zagros Mountains. There would be no Parthia in the future."
This is the biggest strategy in war, which is the so-called using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. Moreover, in just this one wave, the Romans pushed their tactics to the most extreme level.
Since Rome was planning to destroy the country, it had no intention of giving Parthia any chance to survive. It forced Parthia to use its strongest army to face their large army.
Without giving Parthia any room to operate, they directly used F2A and chose the simplest and most brutal way to advance.
As for any tactics Parthia might use later, it might not be possible to do so. Once the Zagros Mountains are opened, it would be a smooth road for Rome to connect with the Parthian capital.
Parthia had no choice but to defeat Rome head-on.
There is also... that is to withdraw the troops directly and declare the demise of Parthia.
Although they would preserve their strength, it would be impossible for Parthia to revive again unless their preserved strength could reach the Roman capital.
Otherwise, the already loose tribal federation would collapse, and no one would respond to the call of the Parthian Empire.
Well... Temujin actually hoped so. In the future, maybe they could defeat Mongolia's No. 7 and occupy Parthia's territory and rebuild a Mongol Empire.
But even if it could be established, it would still have to face the same problem as Parthia, that is, there was a smooth road between Rome and Parthia.
Rome came to the same conclusion as Hu Yanchu.
That is to open a mountain range and force Parthia to fight a decisive battle in Ctesiphon, which is more meaningful than any other method.
"In that case, the whole army will march forward."
Severus did not bother to conceal his thoughts, all he wanted was to crush and defeat the enemy. He wanted to destroy Parthia to establish his own reputation.
So nature is as magnificent as it can be.
What could better enhance one's reputation than a direct war between kings to annihilate a nation?
