Chapter 896: Gambling Thoughts
Rome is Rome after all, and after getting rid of the shadow, it quickly recovered its original spirit.
They were just stunned for a moment, just like Afghanistan bombing an American aircraft carrier.
But when they returned to normal, they quickly began to adjust their mindset, no longer despising Parthia, and various defense plans were proposed one after another.
Just like Chiano's proposal to break the bridge and collect the ships was approved by Ganasis.
"Tachito, lead your legions to burn and destroy all the floating bridges further up and down the Tigris River, collect all the ferries, and smash all those that cannot be collected. Chiano's plan is very good, and I'll leave it to you to execute."
After the order was given, Ganasis felt that it was not appropriate and continued to add.
"Dilandi, you lead the twelve legions to assist Tacitus. You must complete this mission in the shortest possible time."
Dilandi, who was named, had a look of disappointment on his face. To be honest, he was not the real Eagle Flag Commander of the 12th Legion. Originally, this unit was led by Marche, but as a descendant of Marche's family, he was also replacing Marche to gild his reputation.
As a result, he failed to get the gilding treatment and might even have to sacrifice his entire future and honor, so that he looked a little dull. It was not that he didn't want to, but he really couldn't get excited.
"Dylandi!" Seeing that Dylandi did not respond, Ganasis could not help but raise his voice.
"Yes, I understand!" After Dilandi came to his senses, he nodded, indicating to Ganasis that he had received it.
Ganasis glared at Dilandi but said nothing. The commander of the Eagle Flag Legion, even if he was temporary, was very special. The commander of the Barbarian Legion could be killed to establish his authority, but the commander of the Eagle Flag Legion definitely could not be killed.
But now they are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope, and he is not worried that Dilandi will not try his best. As for attitude, he can only turn a blind eye now.
In fact, Ganasis was not completely unprepared, but he really did not expect that Parthia, which had been suppressed for many years, would suddenly rise up. Coupled with a series of unexpected events such as underestimation of the enemy, he directly ruined the situation.
As a last resort, he could only use the method of clearing the fields and strengthening the walls to delay time.
Even after a crushing defeat, he still believed that as soon as Roman reinforcements arrived, the threat from Parthia would be resolved.
"Filippo, you will lead the archer corps to conduct reconnaissance. If there is any unusual movement from Parthia, come and inform me immediately. The rest of you will work with me to speed up the construction of the defense line."
Ganasis kept issuing orders. Some people would be crushed by adversity, while others would be sublimated by adversity, and Ganasis was obviously the latter.
A great defeat, a political failure, and the fatal responsibility he took on voluntarily did not defeat Ganasis, but instead continued to push him forward.
Even Ganasis's talent began to change dramatically, and he was only one step away from becoming a monarch.
The monarch's talent is also the biggest difference between him and other border county dukes, which is why he is the weakest border county duke on the surface.
"We must create a victory. Although the morale of the army has gradually recovered, the eagle flag and emblem of the Thirteen Roses are still in Parthia's hands. If the other party uses this method to make trouble, the morale of the barbarians will definitely be affected."
The Roman troops gradually stabilized as Ganasis continued to mobilize, but all the heavy responsibilities fell on Ganasis' shoulders.
As Ganasis thought, more and more key points began to appear in his mind. He came up with a crazy idea. Since he had no way out, he might as well go a little crazy and fight to the death!
He called his personal guards and gave them instructions for a long time. After watching the other party disappear from his sight, Ganasis sneered in the direction of Parthia.
Now that things have come to this, what is there to worry about? Just go your separate ways. After all, it's just an exchange of sons. The Romans may not be able to say anything else, but they have the most barbarians.
On the other side, Parthia was disgusted by Ganasis. It had to be said that Ciano's idea of clearing the fields and strengthening the walls was very effective. He directly destroyed all the floating bridges and ferries for hundreds of miles. Even if there were ferries, only one or two would slip through the net, which was not enough for Parthia to cross the river.
And the most disgusting thing is that as long as there are more than 500 people on their side, the other side will immediately send a team of 100 people to follow along. Although the distance between them is quite large due to the river, both sides are supermen and can basically see the general situation.
This man-to-man marking tactic was extremely effective, and combined with the patrols of the Fourth Legion, especially the Western Archers led by Filippo, disrupted the Parthian plans several times when they were trying to build a pontoon bridge.
"It's been five days and we haven't made any progress. Is this how you fight a war?" Fars Sassan angrily scolded the officers in the tent.
Ardashir and the others were feeling miserable. They had no idea they could win so thoroughly. They had initially thought they would have to fight for a long time at the previous place and were not prepared at all.
Fars Sassan waved his hand to let the generals leave, then looked at Zhuge Liang with a little embarrassment.
"General Fars, don't you have any warships prepared?"
Zhuge Liang was very confused. Logically speaking, this situation had never happened before in the Han Dynasty since Chen Xi became powerful.
In the river crossing battle, without warships, isn't that just a joke?
Although it is possible to build a pontoon bridge, the losses will obviously be much greater. The Roman legions on the opposite side are not made of clay, and attacking them halfway across the river is a classic tactic.
"We won too quickly. We were not prepared and the opponent responded promptly. I was just trying to warn them!" Fars Sassan shook his head helplessly. He certainly knew the helplessness of Ardashir and others.
But without going through these things, how could Ardashir and the others grow up? Only by hitting the wall enough times will there be a possibility of reaching the peak.
While his old bones can still hold on, he must create more opportunities for young people to hone their skills. Otherwise, after the all-out war breaks out, there will not be so many opportunities to make judgments.
"The Tigris River is not wide, so we can just build a floating bridge across it. If we move forward a little bit, we will eventually be able to cross it," Zhuge Liang suggested.
"The Romans have always known that the pontoon bridge can be destroyed at any time by the enemy. It is very easy to have problems if it is built like this." Fars Sassan shook his head, seeming to be reluctant to continue fighting.
Zhuge Liang raised his eyebrows. He heard the hidden meaning of Fars Sassanid. For example, the other party seemed to want to drag it out and tie up the opposite Roman legion here.
"What's the outcome of the war in Armenia? His Majesty Voggis is heading south?" Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and asked.
Fars Sassan looked at Zhuge Liang with admiration, and was once again amazed at Zhuge Liang's wisdom. Although he looked about the same age as his grandson, he was almost as good as the old general in terms of overall situation and wisdom.
"Going from north to south, you can directly cross the two rivers!"
"I see! General is just taking advantage of the situation. The Armenian troops will definitely arrive earlier than the Roman reinforcements, and we will attack them from both sides... General, are you planning to defeat this entire army?" Zhuge Liang suddenly understood.
Parthia, which destroyed the Thirteen Roses, seemed to be just like the Han Dynasty that won the Battle of Dragon City. Its strategic level was instantly raised to a higher level.
"This is a godsend opportunity, why not give it a try!" Fars Sassan said with a smile.
Zhuge Liang nodded, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
"Are you worried that if we waste too much time, something will change?" Fars Sassan saw Zhuge Liang's doubts and spoke directly.
"Well, there is an old saying in the Han Dynasty: the longer the night, the more dreams there are. If you delay, changes will occur. The Romans are definitely not lambs to be slaughtered. If we continue to drag it out like this, I am afraid that it will not go as the general wishes."
Because Parthia respected the Han Dynasty very much, Zhuge Liang had no intention of hiding anything. Since it was made clear, he would just say it directly. This was also the reason why Zhuge Liang did not hide his expression before.
"Haha, you're worrying too much. The Romans' honor won't allow them to surrender. They can only hold on. When they are attacked from both the north and the south, the Roman army will undoubtedly be defeated!"
Fars Sassanid explained that this was a plan he proposed based on his understanding of Roman habits, and at least for now, it seemed very feasible, which made him and Vogys V both want to try it.
Zhuge Liang did not mean to deny it. On the contrary, he thought the plan was very feasible, but there was one problem.
There is not only the Tigris River here, but also the Euphrates River in a place. The two rivers are very close to each other and not far from where they are now.
So, judging from the customs of the Central Plains, with water, fire and food being the main issues, would Rome just break the dam and release the water?
According to Zhuge Liang's understanding, the Roman barbarians were not considered human beings, but the main force was all barbarians. When the time came, Ganasi would burn his boats and directly exchange the barbarians with the Parthians, and then the situation would be a complete breakup.
No matter how elite you are, you are nothing in front of the raging flood. Even if you can survive by relying on the legion's attack, what will you do next? A flood is enough to stop Parthia here.
Moreover, if Ganasi had made more preparations and sent elite troops to attack after the flood, Parthia might have been defeated and even the emperor and his army might have disappeared, and Rome might have been able to counterattack and conquer Ctesiphon.
Fars Sassan, who was frightened by Zhuge Liang's gaze, subconsciously began to think whether something went wrong. Otherwise, why was Zhuge Liang so serious? He did not treat Zhuge Liang as a child.
The other party is a man of great wisdom and is on equal footing with him. It is reasonable for him to take Zhuge Liang's proposal seriously.
"General, have you ever considered breaking the dike to release the flood?" Zhuge Liang pointed at a node on the map with the feather fan in his hand.
Fars Sassan's scalp suddenly went numb. It was a blind spot before, but after Zhuge Liang came out, he instantly realized how terrible this node was and how many people were enough to fill the hole.
"Rome wouldn't be like this..." Fars Sassan said hesitantly as if it were a conditioned reflex.
But looking at Zhuge Liang's deadly eyes , Fars Sassan instantly realized the reality.
Putting your hopes on others is equivalent to putting your life in their hands. This foolish behavior will only have one outcome.
That is, death!
"Call all officers!" Fars Sassan made a prompt decision. "Thank you for the reminder, General!"
"You're welcome. We are friendly forces. It's only natural for us to help our friendly forces!" Zhuge Liang said gently. Although Parthia's reaction seemed a bit slow to him, it's always good to admit one's mistakes and correct them.
"We will cross the Tigris River within three days and drive the Roman bastards out of the Mesopotamian region. Let Achaemenid and Turansha lead the legions to attack Akkad and drive the Romans out!"
Fars Sassanid told the Parthian officers about Zhuge Liang's speculation, and then gave orders almost in a roar.
No one dares to gamble, especially on whether or not someone else is so cruel as to bet their life and property.
"Everyone start cutting down trees tomorrow. I want to see our flag planted on the other side of the river in three days!"
The more Fars Sassanid thought about it, the more frightened he became. These people were half of Parthia's elite troops. If they died together with the barbarians, then Parthia would not only have no chance of rising, but would also be doomed to be destroyed in a matter of seconds.
Everyone understood that the longer it delayed, the more dangerous it would be, so there was no resistance to Fars Sassan's orders.
After giving the order, Fars Sassan solemnly saluted Zhuge Liang. Although it looked inappropriate, his gratitude was evident. Other officers also stood up and saluted. They were all impressed by Zhuge Liang's wisdom in anticipating opportunities.
All the Parthian generals had flaming eyes and said that they would definitely reach the other side of the river in three days.
Compared with the annihilation of the entire army, the losses caused by forced crossing the river were nothing. If they failed to reach the other side in three days, they would have to go to the other side of the Yellow Spring River.
The entire Parthian army acted decisively and began trying to force a river crossing that day to distract the Romans, while the remaining people frantically went into the woods to cut down large trees.
"It seems that the wise men of Parthia are not as wise as imagined!" Lu Su said to Zhuge Liang after he learned what had happened, and Zhuge Liang nodded in agreement.
He really didn't expect that Fars Sassan actually didn't take the flood into account in his plan. It was a pity that he had been thinking about Fars Sassan's intentions.
It turned out that I was on the fifth floor and Fars Sassan was on the first floor. I thought Fars Sassan was on the sixth floor. It was such a joke.
"There are no large rivers in Parthia, and there hasn't been much research on floods. This strategy has been almost overused in the Central Plains!" Lu Su shook his head. To be honest, if such a slow-witted commander was left in the Central Plains, he would probably be killed.
"The Romans are not ruthless enough. If they just break the dam and retreat, Parthia will definitely be the unlucky one. By then, this land will become a natural barrier, and Rome will have enough buffer time!"
Sun Quan sneered and said, to be honest, he had also seen through the water attack.
It can be said that there was almost no officer in the Han Dynasty who could not see that water and fire were merciless, and the first thing everyone thought about was the problem of water and fire.
If these two problems are not resolved, fighting will be a gamble with life.
