Chapter 118: The Foreseen Outcome
Chapter 118: The Foreseen Outcome
“Wow! Let’s show the Romans the power of the horse-riding people.”
Mutares shouted confidently.
He was filled with the conviction that they could not lose.
The morale of his soldiers was high.
At first, Karen was anxious, but now he was sure of victory.
The Parthian army was most powerful when they fought in a wide plain.
This terrain allowed them to maximize the mobility of their cavalry.
The Parthian army divided their forces into two groups.
13,000 archers were led by Mutares and 4,000 heavy cavalry were commanded by Karen.
Originally, Mutares was supposed to lead the heavy cavalry and charge, but he changed his mind at the last minute.
He did not want to face 60,000 enemies head-on, no matter how confident he was.
Besides, if the situation turned unfavorable, the archers could keep their distance and fight, making it easier to escape.
He took over the command of the archers by forcing Karen to take charge of the assault with the excuse that he was more experienced.
Karen guessed Mutares’ intention, but he agreed to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Everything went according to Mutares’ plan, and he advanced his archers with confidence.
If he won this battle, he would surpass Surena, who had fallen from grace, and rise to the core of Parthian power.
“Archers, shower the Romans with arrows. They have no mobility and can’t chase us.”
“Wait, aren’t we closing the distance too hastily? I heard that the Roman bows have a decent range. Shouldn’t we be careful?”
“It’s only natural that a regular archer has a slightly longer range than a mounted archer. We can’t avoid taking some damage. Anyway, they will soon enter our range and then we can exchange fire.”
Mutares was not completely thoughtless.
He just could not imagine how much difference there was between the bows of both sides.
The Roman army watched the approach of the Parthians calmly.
They lifted their shields and loosened their ranks.
The archers who took their positions between the shielded soldiers began to load their bows.
They did not care that they were still far away.
They did not miscalculate their range.
The archers at the front were elite soldiers trained to use a special arrow called a solenarion.
A solenarion was a very short arrow that was inserted into a tube and fired.
The tube acted as a guide rail, giving it more power if fired correctly.
It was a weapon used by medieval Byzantium, but Marcus introduced it in advance because he judged that it was possible to implement it with Rome’s current technology.
In fact, a solenarion flew faster and farther than a normal arrow, and its trajectory was closer to a straight line, making it harder for the enemy to deal with it.
Of course, it was not easy to handle without high skill, so it was only given to elite archers with excellent abilities.
But there was nothing like a new weapon to crush the enemy’s morale.
The eyes of the Roman soldiers who loaded the solenarions glowed with murderous intent.
At the same time, a loud sound of breaking through the air accompanied the tubes spitting out the solenarions.
Pwing! Squeak!
When firing a solenarion, only the tube remains in the shooter’s hand and the short arrow flies almost in a straight line.
From afar, it looked like the arrows fell to the ground due to poor shooting skills.
The Parthian archers saw no exception.
They could not understand why the Romans fired their bows when they were still far from their range.
The sandstorm made it hard to see the incoming arrows with their eyes, which also contributed to their confusion.
“Heh, the Romans must be nervous. They are wasting arrows for no reason…”
Puck!
One of the archers who sneered fell off his horse with an arrow stuck in his chest.
Plop plop plop!
Then, along with the sound of flesh and bone being pierced, soldiers who were leading the charge fell off their horses one after another.
The Parthian cavalry did not realize what had happened for a moment.
They thought they were still far from effective range and did not think they had been hit by arrows.
Compared to ancient arrows, Rome’s solenarions had an effective range that was up to three times longer.
It was natural that they did not think of being shot right away.
Puck, plop!
“Aaagh!”
“What, what is this? Why are we falling down?”
Another round of archers who were rushing forward fell down in confusion.
They realized that they were being attacked by arrows only after they saw the arrows stuck in the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
“A, arrows! The Roman arrows are reaching us!”
The Parthian cavalry who were running with momentum fell into chaos.
The archers still had a long way to go before they reached their effective range.
But it took a lot of courage to close the distance while being hit by arrows one-sidedly.
In this situation, the commander should have calmed his subordinates.
If it were Surena, he would have immediately widened the gap between the cavalry and put the shielded cavalry in the front line.
But Mutares, who faced an unexpected situation, was so stunned that he could not make a proper decision.
‘How can arrows fly this far? Was an arrow a weapon that could do this? Even if we shoot on a flat ground, our arrows don’t reach half of this distance. Is there such a huge gap between our technology and the Romans?’
Mutares looked down at the arrow stuck in the corpse of a soldier.
It was much shorter than the arrows used in Parthia.
There was no sign of breaking in the middle, so it was clear that it was this short from the beginning.
Mutares, who had no idea of the principle of solenarion, was more confused.
‘Does shooting a short arrow make it fly farther? No, how can they shoot accurately with such a short arrow? If it’s short and light, it should have less power, right?’
While he was hesitating, the Roman arrows flew in with a loud sound.
Now the Parthian army could see how the small arrows flew.
They did not draw a large curve like normal arrows. They came at them with a smaller curvature and a terrifying speed. They were strange arrows that they had never seen before.
But they somehow managed to close the distance more and now normal arrows filled the sky instead of solenarions.
The improved composite bows used by the Roman army were also much better than Parthia’s bows.
Mutares, who had suffered too much damage from the arrow rain, finally gritted his teeth and came up with a countermeasure.
“Damn, archers, spread out. We can’t break through them from the front. Retreat for now! Then flank them and attack their weak spots!”
Mutares did not blame himself for the damage he had taken.
According to his research, the Roman army consisted of heavily armed infantry and a few archers.
But this was too different from what he had heard.
Of course, the formation of the Roman army led by Marcus was different from the usual Roman army.
He had been researching for a long time how to crush the Parthian army.
He based everything on fighting against Parthia: the composition of troops, the equipment they used, the training of soldiers.
The legion led by Marcus was practically a different unit from the Roman army.
But Mutares had no way of knowing this fact and he cursed his allies instead.
Surena had told him that the enemy’s bows were superior, but he did not say that there was such a huge difference in range.
The people who gathered information also did not suggest that the Romans had such powerful arrows hidden.
So this was all the fault of his incompetent staff.
“General Karen, send in the heavy cavalry and break the momentum of those Roman archers.”
Karen sighed as he saw Mutares turn his horse around in a hurry, opposite to his initial charge.
It was true that the Roman arrows were unexpectedly powerful, but his judgment was too slow.
He had lost almost a thousand archers in vain.
This was not a situation where he should have suffered such severe damage and he could not suppress his anger.
But there was no good in causing trouble on the battlefield.
Anyway, to break through the enemy’s line once, he had to charge with his heavy cavalry at least once.
Karen nodded curtly and shouted as he aimed at the right side of the Roman army.
“Troops, strike at their flank. We have to break their line and create an opening for our allies!”
Karen bravely took the lead and drove his horse forward.
Thanks to him, the Parthian cavalry regained their morale and charged with a roar.
Marcus watched their movement with a smirk on his face.
He was sure of it when he saw the archers panic because of solenarion.
Surena was not on this battlefield.
The level of whoever commanded Parthia’s archers was close to incompetent.
The movement of heavy cavalry and archers seemed disjointed as well.
The reason was obvious.
The command of their army was split into two parts.
Antonius next to him also noticed this fact and snorted incredulously.
“To be honest, I did not expect this flow. How much did those Parthians underestimate us to fight like this? It’s astonishing.”
“They dismissed their best commander, so there’s no way they can have proper leadership.”
“In short, everything went according to your plan.”
“······Haha, I guess so.”
‘But I didn’t expect it to go this well.’
It was thanks to Marcus’ preparation, but the enemy commander was so sloppy that the situation became even better.
He pointed at Karen’s army that was turning to the side.
“I’ll leave the annihilation of the enemy’s heavy cavalry to you. Can you do it?”
“I’ll show you a satisfying result.”
Antonius, who was in charge of the archers, finally joined the front line.
Nearly 10,000 archers armed with saddles and new composite bows rushed out like lightning.
The Parthian heavy cavalry, who were trying to attack the flank of the Roman army, were confused by the sudden appearance of a large cavalry unit of the Romans.
Karen, who commanded the cavalry, was momentarily puzzled about which side to attack first.
Antonius did not miss that opportunity and ordered his archers to fire.
Shriek! Thud!
“Argh!”
A heavy cavalryman who was hit by an arrow in the face fell backwards.
Karen did not hesitate like Mutares.
If he let the archers block his retreat while attacking the Roman infantry, he might suffer a near-annihilation.
He decided that it was best to neutralize the Roman archers first.
“Change the target. Kill the Roman cavalry first. Then attack the infantry again!”
One of the best ways to deal with archers was to charge them with heavy cavalry.
Karen, as a leader of a nomadic tribe, knew all the basic tactics.
The arrows of the archers could not inflict much damage unless they hit the parts that were not covered by the horse’s face or armor.
He based his confidence on that and charged at Antonius’ archers.
But unfortunately, there was a significant difference in iron technology between Rome and Parthia.
The bows and arrows used by the Roman army boasted enough firepower to penetrate Parthia’s soft iron armor.
The Parthian heavy cavalry, who were proud of their armor, fell bloodlessly under the arrow rain of the Roman archers.
Karen felt something was wrong, but he did not stop his charge.
In this situation, showing his back would only result in more damage.
Anyway, when the distance was narrowed, the archers could not continue shooting either.
His mind did not change that he could win even if he suffered more damage than expected.
Antonius did not face the Parthian cavalry who charged without fear of death head-on.
He ordered his archers to retreat and they started to run away from the formation where the Roman army was.
The Parthian heavy cavalry chased them closely with a lot of momentum.
“Drive your horses with all your strength! Then they can’t turn around and shoot their arrows!”
Karen encouraged his soldiers and chased the Roman cavalry for a long time.
10,000 archers running at full speed raised a thick cloud of sand and dust.
But the Parthian cavalry did not slow down their pursuit, breaking through the thick dust and sand.
He thought he could catch up with them if he pushed them a little more.
The elite cavalry unit that Marcus had hidden in the rear finally started to move.
It was 500 cataphracts led by Publius.
They had been waiting for their time under white cloth that blocked the scorching sun of the desert.
Antonius deliberately lured Parthian cavalry to where his allies were ambushed.
It was a small unit of only 500 men, so Karen was too late to notice Publius’ approach.
He would not have been so fooled if it were not for the thick dust and sand.
He was encouraging his soldiers with a loud scream when he was startled by the sound of horse hooves from his side.
He tried to reorganize his cavalry, but it was too late to change direction as they had already accelerated.
“An ambush from the side! The enemy is few, so don’t panic and fight back!”
Even though he had suffered quite a lot from the arrow rain of the archers, Parthia’s heavy cavalry numbered over 3,000.
On the other hand, Rome’s heavy cavalry looked much less in number at a glance.
But among them, 200 wore plate armor that Marcus had painstakingly made.
The other 300 also wore chain mail that covered their vital parts with plates.
Parthia’s heavy cavalry also wore this kind of armor, but there was a difference in quality of armor.
They also used saddles to maximize the impact of lance charging.
Thud thud thud thud.
The Roman cataphracts who had fixed their long spears under their armpits charged at Parthia’s cavalry who had hastily turned their direction.
Clang! Splash!
Parthia’s soldiers’ bodies broke like watermelons.
Their soft iron armor was nothing against Rome’s charge from the beginning.
The long spears stabbed by Rome sometimes pierced two or three Parthian cavalry at once.
500 soldiers were crushed in one attack without a single survivor among those who were hit from the front by Rome’s charge.
Parthia’s cavalry were confused by Rome’s attack that was more powerful than they imagined. They had no choice but to stop in their tracks and fight with their weapons.
But the true power of heavy cavalry was to use the kinetic energy of the charging horse on the spear.
The spear that stabbed in place could not even make a proper scratch on Rome’s plate armor.
The Roman soldiers who wore plate armor under the scorching sun of the desert could not operate for a long time.
They intended to defeat the enemy’s heavy cavalry and leave from the beginning.
On top of that, Antonius, who had retreated, turned his horse around and pushed Parthia again.
Parthia’s cavalry were trapped in a situation where they could not do anything.
Antonius, who was in charge of the archers, finally joined the front line.
Nearly 10,000 archers armed with saddles and new composite bows rushed out like lightning.
The Parthian heavy cavalry, who were trying to attack the flank of the Roman army, were confused by the sudden appearance of a large cavalry unit of the Romans.
Karen, who commanded the cavalry, was momentarily puzzled about which side to attack first.
Antonius did not miss that opportunity and ordered his archers to fire.
Shriek! Thud!
“Argh!”
A heavy cavalryman who was hit by an arrow in the face fell backwards.
Karen did not hesitate like Mutares.
If he let the archers block his retreat while attacking the Roman infantry, he might suffer a near-annihilation.
He decided that it was best to neutralize the Roman archers first.
“Change the target. Kill the Roman cavalry first. Then attack the infantry again!”
One of the best ways to deal with archers was to charge them with heavy cavalry.
Karen, as a leader of a nomadic tribe, knew all the basic tactics.
The arrows of the archers could not inflict much damage unless they hit the parts that were not covered by the horse’s face or armor.
He based his confidence on that and charged at Antonius’ archers.
But unfortunately, there was a significant difference in iron technology between Rome and Parthia.
The bows and arrows used by the Roman army boasted enough firepower to penetrate Parthia’s soft iron armor.
The Parthian heavy cavalry, who were proud of their armor, fell bloodlessly under the arrow rain of the Roman archers.
Karen felt something was wrong, but he did not stop his charge.
In this situation, showing his back would only result in more damage.
Anyway, when the distance was narrowed, the archers could not continue shooting either.
His mind did not change that he could win even if he suffered more damage than expected.
Antonius did not face the Parthian cavalry who charged without fear of death head-on.
He ordered his archers to retreat and they started to run away from the formation where the Roman army was.
The Parthian heavy cavalry chased them closely with a lot of momentum.
“Drive your horses with all your strength! Then they can’t turn around and shoot their arrows!”
Karen encouraged his soldiers and chased the Roman cavalry for a long time.
10,000 archers running at full speed raised a thick cloud of sand and dust.
But the Parthian cavalry did not slow down their pursuit, breaking through the thick dust and sand.
He thought he could catch up with them if he pushed them a little more.
The elite cavalry unit that Marcus had hidden in the rear finally started to move.
It was 500 cataphracts led by Publius.
They had been waiting for their time under white cloth that blocked the scorching sun of the desert.
Antonius deliberately lured Parthian cavalry to where his allies were ambushed.
It was a small unit of only 500 men, so Karen was too late to notice Publius’ approach.
He would not have been so fooled if it were not for the thick dust and sand.
He was encouraging his soldiers with a loud scream when he was startled by the sound of horse hooves from his side.
He tried to reorganize his cavalry, but it was too late to change direction as they had already accelerated.
“An ambush from the side! The enemy is few, so don’t panic and fight back!”
Even though he had suffered quite a lot from the arrow rain of the archers, Parthia’s heavy cavalry numbered over 3,000.
On the other hand, Rome’s heavy cavalry looked much less in number at a glance.
But among them, 200 wore plate armor that Marcus had painstakingly made.
The other 300 also wore chain mail that covered their vital parts with plates.
Parthia’s heavy cavalry also wore this kind of armor, but there was a difference in quality of armor.
They also used saddles to maximize the impact of lance charging.
Thud thud thud thud.
The Roman cataphracts who had fixed their long spears under their armpits charged at Parthia’s cavalry who had hastily turned their direction.
Clang! Splash!
Parthia’s soldiers’ bodies broke like watermelons.
Their soft iron armor was nothing against Rome’s charge from the beginning.
The long spears stabbed by Rome sometimes pierced two or three Parthian cavalry at once.
500 soldiers were crushed in one attack without a single survivor among those who were hit from the front by Rome’s charge.
Parthia’s cavalry were confused by Rome’s attack that was more powerful than they imagined. They had no choice but to stop in their tracks and fight with their weapons.
But the true power of heavy cavalry was to use the kinetic energy of the charging horse on the spear.
The spear that stabbed in place could not even make a proper scratch on Rome’s plate armor.
The Roman soldiers who wore plate armor under the scorching sun of the desert could not operate for a long time.
They intended to defeat the enemy’s heavy cavalry and leave from the beginning.
On top of that, Antonius, who had retreated, turned his horse around and pushed Parthia again.
Parthia’s cavalry were trapped in a situation where they could not do anything.
Antonius raised his weapon and pointed it at the direction where the Roman army was.
The scorching sun of the desert shattered dazzlingly on his sword.
“Troops, from now on, we will flank the enemy’s rear. Let’s wipe them out thoroughly with the thought of not leaving a single one alive!”
The Roman cavalry responded with a loud voice and resumed their march.
Now only Mutares, who was commanding the archers, was left.
The victory cry spread to the far end of the wide desert with the sandstorm.