Mythical Three Kingdoms

After Li Jue joined the war between Parthia and Rome, it became a complete mess. The Romans had gotten accustomed to adapting to local conditions and never thought another nation would assist Parthia. The only potential threat they anticipated, the Hunnic cavalry, never appeared; instead, another army did.

The current Roman equipment is entirely designed to counter Light Cavalry. To be precise, their current military structure is enough to vex most Light Cavalry, including the elite White Horse Soldiers.

Yet, it all came to nothing; Rome wasn’t prepared to confront Heavy Cavalry this time. If they had known such a formidable Tugi Cavalry would join the war, they certainly would have brought along Teutonic Throwing Axemen, Phalanx Shield Snatchers, temporary caltrops, and such.

Unfortunately, the Roman Parliament repeatedly confirmed that it was almost impossible for anyone to aid Parthia. The most likely scenario was that the damned Huns would return, but the Huns typically don’t fight desperately, so there was no need for excessive worry. Once they crushed Parthia, the Huns would likely withdraw on their own, but things took an unexpected turn.

”General, after analysis by our side, the cavalry that previously disregarded our attacks should be Heavy Cavalry, and it seems they’re at the level of the Council Guard Heavy Cavalry.” The Romans withdrew their routed soldiers before retreating a significant distance, only setting up camp once safety was ensured.

”Where on earth did this Heavy Cavalry come from? Don’t tell me those uncivilized Parthian folks suddenly awakened after a century of stagnation?” Ganasis himself found this hard to believe. Parthia’s military system hadn’t changed for a hundred years. During the days when Rome struggled against their Light Cavalry assaults, including those integrated archery units, Romans had presumably already outdone them, yet they still hadn’t changed.

”Based on our guesses, this is not Parthian Cavalry; their language is unfamiliar to us,” explained the young Tribune of the Plebs, sharing their deductions with Legion Leader Ganasis based on all the battle observations.

Ganasis had some headaches; although unexpected factors and being flanked contributed, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry’s demonstrated combat effectiveness and momentum clearly marked them as an elite force.

”Council Guard level Heavy Cavalry.” Ganasis paused for a moment before speaking, ”There aren’t many legions in the Empire capable of dealing with this type of unit. We need more understanding of this mysterious cavalry.”

”Camp Leader, do you have anything to say?” Ganasis noticed the Camp Leader’s desire to speak and inquired.

”This should be the Han Army. We all know there’s an empire on the east side of Parthia, a supposed mighty empire called Han, which crushed the Hunnic Empire. Compared to the Huns’ combat power...” This world has no impenetrable fortresses; just as Li Youu and others could recount Han emissaries being greeted in Parthia, there were also those in Rome who had impressions of the Han Empire.

”Han Empire?” Only one person in the tent had heard of it, leaving everyone else bewildered.

”A powerful and wealthy empire. The silk we wear and the porcelain we use come from that empire, not Wusun. It’s the ruler of the distant east, with which we’ve had some interactions before.” The Camp Leader thought for a moment and replied.

”Silk, porcelain?” All the Roman generals were suddenly excited; these were incredibly precious treasures in their country.

”Let us conquer that empire, with the ever-victorious Roman Parliament Guard, formidable Teutonic Throwing Axemen, and our catapults, Heavy Infantry, archer squads. We can defeat any nation!” The Tribune of the Plebs, a gilded-noble designate, had eyes reflecting golden light upon hearing this, for in Rome, silk was more valuable than gold.

”Heh.” The Camp Leader wasn’t appointed by the nobles but climbed up through strength, and he sneered at the words of the noble descendant.

”Usnafso, tell us what else you know,” Legion Leader Ganasis prompted the Camp Leader, as he differed greatly from those ignorance-filled members of the plebian class; he was fully aware of how powerful a country needed to be to earn the name of an empire.

Even Parthia, deeply entrenched in the pit dug by Rome, had endured over a century from the start of the war to present. Parthia, although struggling to survive, still existed on this continent. Though Rome’s lengthy supply lines contributed, it demonstrated that wars between empires typically spanned generations before conclusions unfolded.

As for the more distant Han Empire, Ganasis knew very well that even if Rome wanted to fight, they didn’t have the capability. Similarly, the Han Empire also presented no immediate threat to Rome. The lengthy supply lines meant both sides could only engage in skirmishes of approximately fifty thousand troops or smaller.

For super empires standing at the peak of their era, as Ganasis, the position just below the Consul and General of the Army, was acutely aware, solving the supply problem was critical; without it, victories are meaningless.

This is also the reason Rome has broken through the Parthian Royal City of Ctesiphon several times but hasn’t managed to annihilate Parthia; the supply line is simply too long. If Parthia were on the Mediterranean Sea’s edge, Rome would unquestionably teach Parthia a lesson.

”Legion Leader, there’s not much more I know on this subject.” Usnafso responded with a wry smile, having gleaned this information from books, and then explained what he knew.

”A country a thousand miles wide, with millions of people, capable of using silk and porcelain,” Ganasis repeated the phrases. Although he understood there was likely exaggeration involved, it was still intimidating after contemplation.

”There’s no other choice; it seems we’ll have to stop here this time, withdraw to Mesopotamia, conclude the current phase of the war with Parthia, and prepare better for the next.” Ganasis, as a Legion Leader and a noble with potential to be promoted to General of the Army, knew being cautious was far better than reckless risk-taking at this juncture.

Besides, Ganasis could already see that with his current troop configurations there was no effective way to counter what might be the Han Empire’s Iron Cavalry.

Though Ganasis knew that setting up a military formation would make the opposition’s repeated assaults difficult; the Iron Cavalry could still shoot arrows. If they were to face a rain of arrows while retaliating, the formation would still face collapsing morale.

In Ganasis’s view, the Iron Cavalry, which disregards long-range attacks, wasn’t there purely for combat despite its sharp attack capabilities; they weren’t invincible. Roman armored infantry, when forming three groups, could bring down one.

Although there’s nothing much to brag about, the opponent’s cavalry numbered only a few thousand. Heartlessly sacrificing a camp of Heavy Infantry could wear them out, and afterwards, even without a camp of Heavy Infantry, Rome could still defeat Parthia.

However, Ganasis knew there could be no gamble on the battlefield; that was the secret of his ascent to the position of Legion Leader. He could imagine the opponent enduring the arrow exchange, merely losing a few archer squads daily, while Han Cavalry retreated unharmed, swiftly sapping troop morale over time. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to vote and cast monthly votes on Qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)