Chapter 19: Beheading (I)

"I Henry, the King by God's grace, and all my bishops say to you, Get down, get down." β€”Henry IV's letter of challenge to Gregory VII

β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”

In the late autumn, sixty miles outside Ctesiphon, in the wilderness below Mount Guernica along the Tigris River, 15,000 elite Roman troops, including 5,000 new infantry of the Leus Legion, 2,000 men of the four detachments of the New Cavalry Legion, and about 8,000 troops of the Twelfth Legion and the Lark Legion, together protruded from the hidden mountain pass, and suddenly wrapped the Parthian palace capital under their own sword.

The ploy of this ploy was completely unexpected by the Parthian monarch Hyrod.

However, after Li Bida announced his conquest in the name of "Parthia secretly financed the Caesar's murderers, attempted to split the republic, and deliberately seized the province of Syria, which was tantamount to tearing up the previous armistice agreement", supported Mindaz and other opposition parties, entered Syria along the passage south of the Taurus Mountains in Asia Minor, and announced the conquest, Hayrod's decision was made up - he would not only abandon the actual capital of Seluria, but also abandon the winter capital of Ctesiphon, which is across the river, in other words, the entire ancient Mesopotamia between the two rivers, farmland, towns, Pastures and ports, he had to give them all up, Hyrode was an "opponent" who was defeated by Lybidaeus more than ten years ago, but before Lybida only had three legions at hand, and now he had nearly twenty legions: ten elite legions on the front line of Syria and Armenia, and the ten second-line legions of Agrippa and Lufio were stationed in the Lydian plain of Asia Minor. "We are far from being rivals. Anyway, the advantage of the Parthians is that they come and go without a trace and retain their strength. We might as well retreat to the old capital of Nyssa, which is located on the plateau and in the mountains, for the Romans will not last, and when Lybida returns to Rome to fight for power, we will launch a counterattack, so that we will be able to recover all the land without much effort. "This is what Hyrod said to General Serhis.

Then the noble Lord Assassis, despite the persuasion of his young son Paklus, first swept away the wealth of all the citizens and merchants of Seluria, and loaded it on tens of thousands of pack horses and camels. Passing over the pontoon bridge over the Tigris River, and ignoring the cries of the city, he began to set fire to the city, under the pretext of clearing the wilderness and guarding against the invasion of the Romansβ€”but Lypida's six legions remained motionless in the vicinity of the city of Calle (still preparing sufficient logistical supplies, after all, the lesson of the last time was simply profound); In addition, the four legions led by Li Bida and Mindaz also stayed in the Chinodosha fortress on the border with Armenia in the north.

Knowing that his father would be defeated by doing so, Paclus temporarily mobilized 30,000 men, including 20,000 tribal cavalry. It consisted of a small number of elite armoured oven cavalry, deployed in the middle of the Tigris, as the keen and brave prince knew. The Romans of Calais were vain soldiers, and the four legions of Lipida in the fortress of Chinodosha were the deadly hammers in the hands of the high priest.

And his mission is to block Li Bida's movements before his father evacuates safely.

However, Li Bida was obviously superior, and after leaving a Seven Legions as a virtual soldier in Chino Doxia, he led three legions under the guidance of his daughter Nicola and Nico's husband (Li Pida did not relent, anyway, he recognized Ossetiannius as his son-in-law), and bravely broke through the uninhabited valley that was forty miles long, and once again appeared on the flank of Pacruz as a great adventurer and a gambler.

For two huge empires, the so-called duel is often not a decisive battle with the strength of the whole country, but a skirmish or surprise attack of this kind of small-scale main force with strong "chance and artistry" - after the victory or defeat of a battle is decided, it can also be decided.

The helpless Paclus could only desperately change the formation, trying to press Li Bida to the side of the mountain to annihilate, but who thought that Li Bida would change the formation faster - within half a day, 15,000 Roman soldiers set up their positions from north to south, and the formation was strict and orderly.

So Pacruz hurriedly sent a pegasus herald to seek his father's location, but he was at a loss, because the heralds were intercepted by the Matthias sent by Li Pida, and the rest of the lucky ones went out like a stone into the sea, and there was no news.

In the early morning of the second day, Li Bida gave up his defense very decisively, and even attacked directly at the camp of Pakruz.

In the Guernica moor, the light and heavy cavalry of both sides clashed back and forth like the wind, and the flags and team signs were sometimes staggered, sometimes scattered, and the brass gunners of the Leus regiment, step by step, with the cooperation of the light infantry and cavalry, spewed out bursts of flames, frightened the Parthian horses into the desert, and then alternately covered the advance.

"We can't be forced back by this monster weapon anymore, because behind us is the surging Tigris River, which is a place of death, and even if we retreat to Seleuria on the left bank, we will be besieged and annihilated by the enemy!" Faced with the Romans' flanking formation, the young Pakruz finally couldn't bear it, and he ordered all the cavalry to concentrate and launch a breakthrough charge against the approaching formation of the Romans.

"Samontoga!" In the face of the roaring Parthian cavalry, the chief centurion of the Leus legion, Vlakus, turned around and shouted at the four artillery detachments around him after turning around and getting the signal flag of Lipida.

"Father, this is amazing!" Under the flag, Niko, who had always been by Li Bida's side, cheered loudly on horseback with bright eyes, "My Papa is indeed a descendant of the God of War of Lius. Papa, don't be afraid, Niko is here to guard you with a bow and arrows blessed by the goddess, and the enemy cavalry will never hurt you in the slightest. ”

A strange sound sounded suddenly, first one by one, and then by pieces of cork rockets, with smoke tails, like thousands of poisonous snakes and pythons, shooting at the Parthian cavalry that was rolling and galloping, causing their formation to be chaotic! Then Niko watched with adoring eyes as her father raised his hand, and the military flag behind him was immediately raised high, and Li Bida's new cavalry shouted, accompanied by the infantry on both wings, and the spear forest, from the central position, to rush and crush the Parthian cavalry in a mess.

"The unique elite created by this generation happens to be the nightmare of the Parthians for the next thirty years." In the end, Li Bida smiled proudly and said in front of his daughter that it was only right for a father to show off to his daughter.

In the midst of the shouts, the advance unit of the Leus legion noticed that in the rain of black smoke and fire, a young enemy nobleman wearing a golden crown was riding a horse, trying to jump up a certain high mons, and broke through, "That's the prince of the Parthians!" Shoot, shoot, for the glory of the High Priest! Many of the centurions who had received the information shouted with their fingers, and then a group of soldiers of the Leus legion, who were close to the high fu, quickly rushed over, formed a wall, and bombarded Pacrus and his retinue who rushed down from the high fu. (To be continued......)