"Want to trap them? No, that's difficult, Susa, as the summer capital of Parthia, has hoarded a lot of grain and grass, and the water source is also abundant, and it is unrealistic to wait until they run out of food by besieging the city. What's more, we are far away from Armenia, and it is difficult to replenish our own food and grass. ”

The massive Parthian capital of Susa was just around the corner, but the difficulty of the siege was beyond everyone's imagination. Not because the walls of the city were tall and strong, but because the Roman legions in a hurry did not carry enough siege weapons, and the last large city and fortress of the enemy were in front of them, but they could not conquer it, and everyone was in a hurry.

Appis convened a military council, but no one was able to come up with an effective siege plan at the meeting. The method of besieging the city and trapping the defenders was vetoed by Apis at the first time.

This war cannot drag on for too long, and the longer it goes, the more unfavorable it will be for itself. No one knows when the long logistical supply lines will go wrong. In the event that the Parthian cavalry of Orodes plundered the Roman legions' grain convoy on the way, then everything would be passive.

So, at the end of the day's military meeting, all the proposals put forward by Apis were vetoed by Appis. There is still no workable solution.

It was a dangerous siege, and the biggest threat was not the walls and defenders of Susa, nor how many militias Orodes could urgently recruit to defend the city. The greatest threat to the Roman legions was logistical.

"Klein, you and I have been together for many years, and we have been fighting for many years, is this the biggest dilemma we have encountered?"

Unable to come up with a strategy to deal with the enemy, Apis and Crane walked with Klein on the banks of the Dizford River outside Susa. The autumn wind hit, and both of them couldn't help but shiver.

"No, not at all, not at all, the biggest dilemma, brother. But it's tricky. ”

Crane, who was a little more sensible, replied calmly.

"Look at the scenery here, the endless grasslands, forest farms, abundant resources, and abundant arable land, it is no wonder that the Parthians made this the summer capital. And the water, how clear, it is much clearer than the rivers of Syria and Egypt. ”

Appis said, crouching down and looking at the calm water with a melancholy expression. The Dizfur River, a large river that flows through the city of Susa, is not of much water and winds its way through the plains.

Then, Appis stared at the river for a moment, and suddenly, a bold idea broke into his mind.

The river in the plain area is not turbulent, the volume of water is not large, there is no height difference, and it cannot store enough potential energy, but the gentle flow of water also has its advantages, and it is easy to build dams. Intercepting the river downstream would raise the water level and turn the meadows outside Susa into a swamp and wetland, and the earthen walls would not be able to withstand the erosion of the current, and over time they would inevitably collapse.

Of course, for the plan to be successful, it must first explore the downstream geography and whether it is suitable for damming.

Of course, this kind of knowledge was not something that Apis knew before, but he learned little by little from the Roman engineers after coming to this world. It seems outrageous, but there are examples in battle.

"Crane, take the engineering team and set out this afternoon to the lower Didsford River to survey the terrain, and if it is suitable for the construction of the dam, let the legion take turns to build the dam. The tributaries are narrowed as much as they can, raising the water level,"

Appis came back to his senses as if he had been electrocuted, and said excitedly to Crane.

"But there's a question, brother, where do we get the stone we need to build the dam?"

Klein reacted quickly. But at the same time, he also threw another conundrum.

Building fortifications is not so easy, and there are many factors to consider.

"You don't necessarily need a lot of stones, you put the sand in sacks and throw it at the bottom of the river. It can also damn rivers. In short, as long as the riverbed can be filled, all debris can be thrown into the river, and the water here is very gentle, so there is no need to worry about debris and sacks being washed away by the current. ”

Sandbag...... The most frequently used thing for flood fighting and rescue in later generations...... Appis replied thoughtfully.

With their ideas clear, Roman engineers conducted a field trip to the lower reaches of the Didsford River. Construction began three days later. Tens of thousands of Roman legionnaires worked the banks of the Didsford River, sinking bags of sandbags full of sand and earth to the bottom, filling in the river little by little, and digging two drainage channels at the same time to allow the water to flow downstream along the terrain. It's like a dam is being built in later generations.

……

"Your Majesty, I don't know if you have noticed a phenomenon in the past two days, the grass in the southwest of Susa City is slowly becoming wet. It hasn't been raining lately, and I suspect the Romans outside the city are doing something again. ”

In the palace of the summer capital of Susa, the minister Ghassani worriedly reported to King Orodes about his observations in the past few days. But the other ministers and generals seemed to be insensitive to this phenomenon, and even cast disdainful glances at Ghassani, as if to say that such a trivial matter should not be made a fuss.

"The land is getting wet?"

Orodus asked in surprise. Orodus knew the tactics of the Roman legions better than the generals here, and he had more than once appreciated the talent and engineering of the Roman army. In the latest battle, Apis even wanted to dig an aqueduct to turn the battlefield of the confrontation between the two armies into a swampy wetland to stop the cavalry charge. Orodes remembered this very well, so when the minister Ghassani mentioned the same phenomenon, Orodus quickly listened to it.

"Yes, just for two days, and fast. I don't know where the water source comes from. ”

Ghassani replied melancholy.

"Damn, what are these Romans doing? Last time, they dug ditches and channeled water from the river into the meadows, almost trapping me at the front line. What did they think about this time? ”

After hearing the report, Orodus's heart itched. The more he interacted with the Roman legions, the more he became aware of the flexibility and diversity of the force. They don't win with short swords and spears alone.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, these Romans, though well armed, are not able to conquer our walls without siege weapons. Susa's walls, though not as strong as Ctesiphon's, are still strong enough compared to other towns. That Roman general named Appis, he couldn't have dragged on with us for too long. His grain and grass were brought from thousands of miles away, and ten cartloads of grain were transported here, and only one cart remained. Therefore, if the attack cannot be attacked, the siege cannot be encircled, and after a long time, he will inevitably withdraw his troops. ”

Seeing King Aurodus' worried look, the minister Hamses spoke in a tone of relief.

"You don't understand what we're talking about, Hamsis, you haven't fought with the Romans, you don't know how good they are."

After Hamsis finished speaking, Orodus shook his head helplessly. Said to let him be quiet, since he did not understand the words of the Roman legions.