"The Parthians are withdrawing!"

As winter approached, Apis, with four Roman legions, approached the mountainous region of eastern Syria, occupied by Sulena. However, just as the morale of the soldiers was high and they were ready to fight to the death, the news of the early withdrawal of the Parthian army came from the front. This not only puzzled the soldiers, but also made Apis ponder. For no reason, is it because of the fear of the Roman legions? That's impossible.

But that's the case.

"Brothers, we have no time, we must speed up the march, our enemies Parthians are withdrawing, although I still do not know their motives for retreating, but as the general of the legion, I must lead the legion, lead you, catch up with them. Marcus. The revenge of Crassus' death must be avenged, and we must let these aliens be subjected to the harshest punishment and punishment of the legion. We can't let them slip out of our noses! ”

As soon as the news of Sulena's withdrawal came, Appis immediately decided to speed up his march and pursue.

This is not just a matter of face, but also a matter of military morale. Just imagine, the murderer of Crassus Jr. is at the door, and as a result, he marches into Syria by himself, but he has nothing to gain, not only to the legions, but also to himself, and to the people of Rome, at least to achieve a small victory, this winter, the army and Rome, there will be no complaints and complaints.

So, there was an order from the commander-in-chief, and below, the morale of the soldiers was high, and the army galloped along the Roman military route.

A week later, Appis' cavalry finally caught up with Sulena's scout cavalry. Two cavalry teams fought skirmishes on the Gobi Desert outside the ancient city of Palmyra.

As a result, the Parthian cavalry did not dare to fight, and after killing five men, they hurriedly retreated with their tails between their legs. On Appis's side, the cavalry lost only one man.

"General, I can be sure that it is the main force of Parthia, which is about thirty leagues away from us, and they are numerous, and they seem to be in a hurry to move."

The cavalry's report gave Appis a reluctance. According to the speed of the Parthian march, if the Roman legions wanted to catch up with them, it would only take about three days, and if they marched in a hurry, it could be compressed to two days. At such a close distance, as long as the Parthians remained in Syria and did not enter the desert, the legions had a chance to fight with them.

"Okay, you've worked hard, soldier. But we must continue to observe and continue to convey the latest and most reliable information to me. ”

Appis encouraged the Gallic cavalry and issued new orders.

……

Two days later, Apis, with his huge legions, finally forced the Parthians to halt and turn their heads to deal with the fierce pursuers. Although their army was mainly cavalry, infantry also accounted for more than half of it, so the speed of the march was slowed down by these desert infantry, and they did not have the same rigorous military physical training as the Roman soldiers, and they were much inferior in terms of hurrying.

Sulena was forced to have his soldiers set up camp to defend against a surprise attack by the Roman legions.

And the terrain in this area, Sulena knew that his army was not suitable for launching a large-scale cavalry battle, the wasteland was overgrown with weeds, there were many uneven hills, and trees to cover it, Sulena could only disgust it from the heart, why did Appis's pursuers chase this place, give him two more days, and he can reach the Grand Canyon, once he passes through the Grand Canyon, it is a vast and boundless desert.

"Maximus, Klein, Publius, tell me, what was your first reaction when you saw this map?"

After catching up with Sulena, Apis ordered his legions to set up camp in place and confront the Parthians. And in the barracks, he discussed the next action with Maximus and others. This ancient military map, drawn entirely by hand, is not accurate, but it basically depicts the terrain of Syria.

"First reaction? I estimate that if Sulena really wants to withdraw his troops, then he will bring his troops here for only one purpose, which is to cross the Grand Canyon of Lakrac in the north. ”

After reading the map, Publius came up with this sentence.

"Why?"

Appis asked.

"Look here, Appis, the last rugged strip of land in Syria is here, and through the Grand Canyon to the north, Sulena and his army can enter the desert. Once in the desert, their cavalry can take advantage of their mobility. Deal with us, at that time, our legions have no advantage at all. The Parthians could easily escape our pursuit. ”

Publius went on to explain. And this answer is also the answer that Appis wants. Sulena's round-the-clock march was certainly not aimed at bringing himself to such a desolate and mountainous place, bringing the cavalry here, but for the sole purpose of what Publius called the northern desert.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. We had the good luck to stop the Parthians before they crossed the Grand Canyon. However, the question now is, how to completely eliminate them. The Parthians followed our example and built camps and fortifications. ”

Appis then asked.

"If there is no better way, besiege them, we have much more logistical supplies than they have, at least 30,000 men are carrying food and grass for us, supplies and grain are constantly coming from Egypt, Cyprus and Silesia, and Sulena, what does he have? He marched straight into the local towns and plundered the grain and grass, but without an efficient military route, his supplies would be cut off in the winter. Now the situation is that the Parthians are more afraid of winter than we are. ”

Maximus continued. They are now like a think tank around Apis, ready to express their opinions and opinions. Moreover, after several years of campaigning, many generals have developed excellent qualities. Apis nodded with satisfaction at the two generals' opinions. And, the next day, it was announced that the legions would be stationed for a long time, until the Parthians were defeated without a fight because they ran out of food.

But problems soon followed......

A restless mood gradually spread through the barracks, infecting many soldiers. They thought they had come all the way to fight the Parthians to the death. Now that Apis is facing off with the enemy, is the great Roman legion commander Apis afraid of the enemy? Confrontation, wait until the other side runs out of food, and the devil knows how long it will take. Soldiers are always enthusiastic about matters to which there are definite answers, and always full of doubts and restlessness about those things that are illusory and uncertain.

For this reason, Appis had to make a speech again in front of the whole army-

"Brothers, I know what you are talking about and talking about me behind my back during this time. However, I don't blame you, because it is only because you want to win that you have such anxious emotions and even radical remarks. But, believe me, in my life, Apisron, I have fought against the Germans, against the Iberian tribal barbarians, against the Numidian cavalry, and without defeat. Even though there were bumps in the road, they were eventually defeated. This time, it was no exception, even if the other party was Parthia. What I want to tell you is that there is no need to worry, we are confronting the enemy, not waiting for them to deplete their food reserves, but constantly harassing and attacking them. Don't let them out of the camp, don't let them out of here. We will send our best soldiers to seize that valley and cut off the Parthians on their last path, and our cavalry will set out every day for a fierce battle with the Parthians who fetch water. We're going to keep them here, trapped here! ”