"Tribulus terrestris. Yes, a combat tool that looks as inconspicuous as a stirrup, but can do a huge job. ”

In the silent gaze of everyone, Appis spoke eloquently. In fact, this tactic was conceived long before Appis set out, for which the Roman blacksmiths prepared tens of thousands of thistles before the legions set out. It's just that no one told them what this thing was for. They're just tasked with building these gadgets.

"It looks like an iron lump."

Maximus picked up a piece of thistle and looked at it carefully. He had seen a cart of strange supplies in the baggage before, but he didn't expect it to be full of these sharp little iron tools.

"Yes, when the infantry retreats, sprinkle it on the ground, once the opposing cavalry catches up, the war horse will step on these small iron thorns, and run wildly, do not obey the command of the rider, and even free the rider off the horse, at this time, it is the best time for us to counterattack."

In the big tent, Appis introduced his tactic with great interest.

"But to do that, we must convince the Parthians that we are really retreating, and not deceive them."

"But it is too risky to use heavy infantry as bait, to retreat too early, the enemy will not be fooled, resist hard, our soldiers will be wounded and will be killed. It will be more than worth the cost. ”

Klein mentioned.

"Yes, so, I'm going to let the light infantry take the lead. Have the auxiliary legions bring the legion's shields and javelins to confuse the enemy. The heavy infantry was hidden in the rear, and if the Parthians did charge our infantry phalanx with hoplites, the auxiliary legions would soon be dispersed, and the tactics would be carried out as planned. Of course, if the Parthians were not willing to storm our lines with heavy cavalry, then these auxiliary legions would be more than enough to deal with the Parthian infantry of the East. ”

Inside the Great Tent, Appis and several legion commanders discussed the coming battle. Try to think of all possible scenarios in the battle, and come up with a solution to it, and arrange it in advance. Otherwise, at the beginning of the battle, the commander will not be able to know the situation on the battlefield in time and issue orders, and even if the orders are issued, the army may already be in chaos by the time they are executed.

…………

The next day, as Apis had expected, the Parthian army appeared on the horizon. From a distance, it was a mixed army of infantry and cavalry, without such a neat formation as the Roman legions, but only loosely scattered, with the whole front rising and falling, and crowded.

"Brothers, hold on to your shields and daggers, the day of the decisive battle has come, the moment you have been longing for has come. On the opposite side was the eastern army of 50,000 Parthian cavalry and infantry, proud of the fact that they had twice defeated the Roman legions and were the sworn enemies of the Republic. Now, the opportunity for revenge has come, and we will march forward with great pride and courage to crush the ridiculous pride of our enemies. Brothers, after this battle, the glory of Rome will be sprinkled on the eastern lands, and you will be the heroes of Rome. Conquer Parthia! ”

A major war is on the verge of breaking out, and there is hardly any room for peace talks between the two sides. Apis rode a white war horse and gave a speech in front of the whole army. On the other side is the Parthian army. They kept moving, like a moving sandstorm.

Hundreds of Roman legions of catapults and ballistas then took aim at the stormy desert storm.

"It will be carried out according to the original plan, and it will be adjusted at any time if there are changes in the middle."

After speaking, Apis drove his horse to the backfield, where the auxiliary archers and heavy infantry were located, where Crane had been waiting for a long time. Twenty thousand legionary hoplites were behind the position, morale was high, ready to go out at any moment to slaughter the Parthian hoplites, their mortal enemies.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and sprinkled down. The officers and men of the three armies were shrouded in golden light.

Immediately, a burst of majestic trumpets sounded in the sky, and the Parthians attacked first. A large number of archers rushed in, rolling up the dust in the sky, and the rain of arrows smashed into the positions of the Roman legions.

"Hold your ground!"

The centurions of the Roman Auxiliary Legion shouted, whistles, shouts, and shouts on the battle line, mingled with the clanging of arrows against their shields. While the Roman auxiliary legions were under the pressure of a rain of arrows, they were also under tremendous psychological pressure. Because, according to the old tactics of the Parthians, the rain of arrows was often followed by a charge of heavily armed iron cavalry. That overwhelming momentum was seen by many Roman allies.

"Order the siege ballista to counterattack."

However, the Roman legions on the front line were not all defensive. At Appis' orders, the wild ass slingers and heavy ballistae in the rear row began to fire large arrows and cannons at the massive Parthian cavalry in front of them.

In the majestic and magnificent battlefield, while the Parthians rained down arrows, the artillery stones and crossbow arrows of the Roman legions were also fired from the backfield. Far away, like a burning meteor stone, it fell into the Parthian cavalry army.

As the flints and arrows fell, the Parthian cavalry heard the neighing of horses and the screams of soldiers. With a powerful and terrifying force, the flint struck the ground, and many Parthian cavalry had no room to dodge at all, so they were hit by the cannonball, and instantly shattered their bones, even men and horses, and turned into a pile of burning minced meat......

There were even Parthian cavalrymen, who were shot through their bodies by the big arrows from the ballistas of the Roman legions, and the whole person fell to the ground on his back facing the sky, and he lost his breath in an instant. Thick crossbow arrows are four times the diameter of ordinary arrows, piercing enough to pierce through a person's body, even if they are covered in ironclad cavalry.

Sporadic large arrows fell into the crowd, each shot being fatal. However, compared to the arrows fired by thousands of Parthian riders, the long-range counterattack of the Roman legions was nothing in comparison. However, Appis had no hope of crushing his opponent by shooting at each other from a distance. Now, it's just a matter of draining the patience of both sides to see who loses patience first. Once the Parthian cavalry began to charge, it was a turning point in the whole campaign.

Everyone sweated for the auxiliary corps at the front. Let's see if they can resist the rain of arrows from the Parthians. On the front, many soldiers of the auxiliary legions were wounded to varying degrees, and the lethality of the Eastern compound bow was amazingly penetrating, and it could even shoot through the large shields used by the Roman legionnaires. This is one of the reasons why the mighty Roman legions were defeated again and again by the Parthians in the desert.

At this moment, the shields of many auxiliary legionnaires were already filled with arrows fired by Parthian archers, and some of the arrows had penetrated the large shield, nailing the arms of the auxiliary legionnaires holding shields to it, blood and water were constantly flowing in the position, and screams were constantly heard, but, with the encouragement of the various centurions and legionnaires, this ragtag army did not show signs of rout for the time being. They believed in Apis, and believed that the counterattack of the regular Roman army would be effective in containing the Parthian archers.