Chapter 151: The Second Eastern Expedition 2
Chapter 151: The Second Eastern Expedition 2
Marcus followed Surenas’ suggestion and transported his soldiers using the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
It was too much of a forced march for the soldiers who departed from Antioch to cross the Zagros mountains, and there was a high probability of casualties.
However, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were also not ideal places for ships carrying a large army.
The river mouth area had many swamps that prevented large ships from passing through easily.
That was why historically, the Red Sea trade route through the Persian Gulf was used more often.
Although there were many reefs and unpredictable winds in the Red Sea, it was relatively easier for large ships to sail through.
The Romans hardly used this route, so Surenas’ presence was a great help.
He reduced the size of the large galleys that the Roman army usually built and hired merchants who frequently used the Persian Gulf to guide them.
If Surenas had not been there, the Roman army would have been stuck at the mouth of the Euphrates for a long time.
Parthia must have expected that too.
Whether they crossed the Zagros mountains or came up from the south through the Persian Gulf, their time would be delayed.
In the meantime, they would have prepared enough defenses and used aggressive guerrilla tactics to buy more time.
That was Parthia’s strategy.
However, the fully prepared Roman army escaped from the Persian Gulf faster than expected and landed on the coast.
The Parthian commander who was guarding the nearby area tried to stop the Roman army’s landing with all his might.
Of course, the result was a decisive victory for the Romans.
Marcus’ Roman army, which adopted the strategy suggested by Surenas, easily slaughtered the Parthian soldiers and occupied the coast.
“The resistance of the enemy is much weaker than expected. Even if we arrived faster than they anticipated, this is too extreme.”
Marcus looked down at the corpses of the Parthian soldiers who could not even put up a decent fight and were slaughtered.
Their courage to fight until the end was admirable, but a battle could not be won by willpower alone.
Surenas, who had approached Marcus’ side unnoticed, sighed deeply.
His eyes were full of complex emotions as he looked at the fallen bodies.
“The best way to stop the landing would have been to deploy a proper navy, but Parthia had no reason to invest in a navy to protect this area after losing Mesopotamia completely. Besides, in this terrain, Parthia’s main force, the cavalry, could not exert their full power. If he was a competent commander, he would have ordered a retreat instead of fighting. I can roughly guess what Parthia’s current situation is like.”
“I see. But I’ve felt this since before, but isn’t your way of speaking too formal?”
“Language is like a mirror that reveals one’s position and attributes. I thought I needed a language that matched my lord whom I decided to serve.”
“If you are comfortable with that, then do as you please.”
“Yes, I will continue to do so.”
Marcus decided to accept Surenas’ changed way of speaking as it was.
What his words meant was that he had decided to serve Marcus as his king.
His manner of speech was a minor issue compared to that.
“I appreciate your loyalty, but you don’t have to go to the front until the end of this expedition. You have already done enough for me, so if you feel conflicted, you can stay behind.”
That was Marcus’ way of treating those who became his subordinates.
Considering Surenas’ personality, attacking Parthia would not be easy for him.
He did not want to push him too hard from now on.
Surenas understood Marcus’ intention and calmly shook his head as he spoke.
“I’m fine. Once I decided to serve my lord by my own will, I won’t confuse my duty with my feelings. And rather, I think this situation will show my ability and determination better.”
“Still, it’s your birthplace and homeland. It must be uncomfortable to contribute to its downfall with your own hands.”
“If it was really an unjust invasion, I would have had a hard time making up my mind. But objectively speaking, Parthia gave too much of an excuse. That’s why I think it’s right to stop them if I have to…and hold Sanatruces accountable for what he has done.”
“True, I can understand your feelings to some extent.”
After all, it was because Surenas failed to deal with Sanatruces that all this started.
Of course, Marcus also had a hand in making it happen, but Surenas blamed himself for it.
In the end, Parthia’s downfall started from Sanatruces’ survival.
“I can’t understand or forgive his actions. He should have acted accordingly if he ascended the throne with the help of a foreign power. Even if he had other schemes in his mind, he shouldn’t have revealed them until the end. Well, I’m not in a position to say that, since I’m commanding a foreign army to attack my own country.”
Surenas gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly.
Many emotions that were hard to define in one word came out of his words.
Marcus changed the topic to avoid making Surenas feel guilty.
“Who do you think will be the supreme commander of Parthia?”
“Most likely, it will be Karen who will lead the soldiers. He is the only one who has proper combat experience with the Roman army.”
“The general who commanded the heavy cavalry last time? He didn’t seem like such an outstanding commander.”
“That’s because Mithridates’ presence was too overwhelming back then. Karen is not an incompetent general. He’s not exceptional either, though.”
“Mithridates…I miss that sound. Is there a possibility that someone like him will appear on the front this time?”
Marcus, who recalled Mithridates, the greatest contributor of the last war, chuckled softly.
“It will be difficult. Such talents don’t come out easily.”
“That’s a pity. Anyway, I decided to give you a chance in this war, so show me what you can do. I will follow your opinion as much as possible, as long as it’s not an unacceptable command.”
“By the end of this war, you will receive praise that is no less than Pompey’s.”
He tried not to show it, but he could feel his awareness of Pompey.
If he was impatient because of that, it would be a problem, but if he was burning with ambition and spirit, it could be seen as a positive factor.
Marcus secretly guessed that Surenas was motivated by Pompey’s expedition to join this war.
In fact, Surenas intended to prove his worth through this war.
But he didn’t rush more than necessary.
First, he rested for a day on the coast and relieved the fatigue of sailing and fighting. Then, the Roman army resumed their march slowly.
As Surenas expected, the command of the Parthian army was taken by Karen, a nobleman.
He had already experienced the fear of the Roman army in the previous war and had no intention of confronting them head-on.
His basic plan was to use his mobile cavalry to hinder the enemy’s movements.
Then, Sanatruces would move from one city to another to avoid being captured by the Roman army and prolong the resistance as much as possible.
However, Surenas had already read his plan.
It was originally the strategy that Surenas had planned to use when the Roman army first invaded.
Surenas knew everything about the Parthian army, such as the size of their forces, the composition of their units, and the temperament of their commander, as if he had seen them himself.
It was common sense in any era that if you knew yourself and your enemy, you could win a hundred battles without losing.
Surenas first divided the ten Roman legions into two groups.
The main force led by Marcus pursued Sanatruces and advanced, while the archer cavalry unit under his command started independent actions.
Surenas preferred to handle archers from the beginning and showed his true value.
He first took over the Sistan region that his clan had ruled.
He had planned to use this region as a base from the start when he came up from the south through the Persian Gulf.
As soon as Surenas returned, Sistan joined the Roman army.
Now, the supply units that came later could safely join the main force through Sistan.
There was also a way to procure supplies locally if necessary.
With this, the Roman army could be said to have almost no burden on their supplies.
It was like a bolt from the blue for the Parthian army.
Their plan was ruined before they could even use guerrilla tactics properly.
Meanwhile, Marcus’ main force approached the capital smoothly.
Karen and Sanatruces decided to evacuate the capital and wait for a later opportunity.
They still gave up on dragging out a long war.
He was not a bad commander in terms of judgment, as Surenas said.
He knew that once Sistan was occupied, the Roman army would no longer feel burdened by a long war.
So he gathered troops from all sides while retreating and managed to form a force of over 40,000 soldiers.
The reason for their large number was that more than two-thirds of them were not cavalry.
The situation was so dire that they needed infantry to shield their cavalry.
Karen decided to launch a surprise attack disguised as a frontal confrontation.
“This area has rocky mountains on the left side that make it easy for soldiers to hide. So I will ambush 10,000 soldiers here. When the enemy comes in, we will attack their rear.”
Sanatruces approved Karen’s plan.
They had no choice but to fight anyway if they kept running away without making the enemy feel anxious.
Armies that were strong in frontal confrontations like the Romans sometimes showed weaknesses in surprise or irregular attacks.
Karen decided to stake his fate on this point.
At first, the battle seemed to go as he wished.
The Roman army rushed in as soon as they saw the Parthian army lined up in the desert.
But then an unexpected development occurred.
Heavy cavalry wearing plate armor charged at the Parthian army’s front with a terrifying momentum.
It was a basic military tactic for cavalry to attack the enemy’s flank.
Parthia, which was good at using heavy cavalry, did not attack the enemy’s center so blatantly either.
Karen suddenly remembered how powerful the Roman cavalry were in the last war.
He hastily reinforced his center’s defense and ordered them to shoot arrows.
But that was not enough to stop the Roman heavy cavalry’s charge.
In an instant, they reached the front and trampled the Parthian infantry as they moved forward.
It was a sight that made one’s spine chill.
The Parthian infantry, who were barely formed, had no power to resist the Roman cavalry’s charge.
Even those who had seen the power of the Roman heavy cavalry before were shocked.
The previous war was mostly a fight between cavalry.
They didn’t expect how overwhelming the Roman heavy cavalry could be when they attacked the infantry.
Karen was no exception.
He didn’t anticipate the difference in combat power.
What about the infantry who were directly attacked by the cavalry?
Those who were hit by the heavy cavalry’s charge in the center were already on the verge of losing their will to fight.
It was not because of the overwhelming difference in combat power.
The biggest problem was the fear that the enemy’s cavalry brought, who did not suffer any damage whether they were stabbed with a spear, slashed with a sword, or shot with an arrow.
The infantry in the path of the cavalry did not even think of swinging their weapons and just retreated frantically.
The infantry, who had already fallen into chaos, did not care if their allies were trampled under their feet.
With one attack, the center was almost split in half.
Following the cavalry, who showed their formidable power, the Roman infantry fiercely penetrated.
Karen, who was flustered by the faster-than-expected collapse of the center, shouted.
“Don’t lose heart! Proud Parthian soldiers, strike the Romans’ back!”
“Uooooh!”
As if answering his command, the ambushers who had been hiding came out in a rush.
They quickly ran to attack the rear of the Roman army.
The Parthian cavalry, who were proud of their skills, also started to attack the Roman army’s flank.
However, the Parthian army’s movements were already within Marcus’ expectations.
“Just as Surenas told me. Of course they wouldn’t miss such a place to ambush.”
Surenas, who knew this area completely, had already informed Marcus of all the possible places where the Parthian army could hide.
The difference in strength between Parthia and the Roman army was too obvious to mention.
The only way to reverse this difference was surprise or ambush.
That’s why it wasn’t hard to predict the enemy’s movements.
Marcus considered the possibility of ambush as soon as he saw the terrain that would become the battlefield, following Surenas’ advice.
If the enemy was hiding, he knew that they would be hiding in the terrain behind the rocky mountains with a 100 percent chance.
So he hid the elite of the 12th legion led by Spartacus in the blind spot of the rocky mountains in advance.
The Roman army, who had been warned beforehand, did not panic at the Parthian soldiers’ ambush.
Rather, they immediately formed a line and faced the enemies who were aiming for their rear.
“Spartacus, now!”
At Marcus’ signal, the 12th legion also revealed themselves.
The Parthian ambushers were confused by being surrounded instead.
Their bodies were met by Spartacus’ merciless blades.
The power of the Roman army grew stronger as the battle continued.
It was like a red tide that swept away the Parthian army.
No matter how much Karen encouraged and boosted his soldiers’ morale, it was useless.
The Parthian army, which was completely outmatched in tactics and strategy, collapsed like a sandcastle swept away by a wave.
“Hu, retreat! All troops retreat and regroup!”
He desperately commanded his shattered soldiers and withdrew his army.
The Parthian soldiers ran away without any order or discipline.
The cavalry on horseback could quickly get away from the battlefield, but the infantry could not even do that.
They threw away their weapons and helmets and ran away in a panic to escape faster.
Karen, who had suffered a complete defeat in this war as well as in the previous one, was utterly disheartened.
He lost nearly 30,000 troops out of 40,000 at once.
It wasn’t that all 30,000 troops were killed or captured in one battle.
There were many soldiers who ran away from the battle and never rejoined afterwards.
Even at this moment, deserters were constantly appearing.
The Roman army seemed to know this and followed the Parthian army slowly without rushing.
Karen had no choice but to change his course to the stronghold city where he had originally intended to hide with Sanatruces.
But when they arrived at their destination, they saw a Roman flag flying over the wall.
Surenas’ raiding unit had already taken over the city before them.
“Surenas, you traitor…”
Sanatruces felt exactly what his father had felt once.
In the past civil war, his father Mithridates III always played into Surenas’ hands and suffered defeat after defeat.
He thought that he had met the same fate after all and could only laugh bitterly.
He resigned himself to his destiny and decided to surrender peacefully.
He refused Karen’s suggestion to flee to another city and sent an envoy to Marcus who was approaching.
“I should have done this from the beginning… I wasted tens of thousands of lives with vain hesitation and greed. My sin is truly great.”
“Shahanshah…”
“I am no longer Shahanshah. He who will rule this land from now on deserves to be called Shahanshah.”
Sanatruces waited for Marcus’ arrival with a heavy heart.
When he finally faced Marcus, he knelt before him.
“Parthia has no more strength to fight against Rome. The governor can make any decision he wants and the loser will only obey. But please, I beg you to be generous to the people and nobles of this land.”
Sanatruces did not say any words of blame to Surenas, who was standing next to Marcus.
He had cursed him as a traitor at first, but when he thought about it calmly, he realized that he had no right to do so.
“I thought we could have a fairly constructive relationship. It’s a shame.”
“…I’m sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations.”
“I’d like to hear the reason. Why did you make such a foolish plan? I think I warned you enough not to make me your enemy.”
“It was because of that warning. I felt it when you put me on the throne and took Mesopotamia and Zagros. I can’t match you with my abilities. So I was consumed by impatience and made an irreversible mistake.”
“You were wise, but you made a very foolish choice. If you hadn’t done anything unnecessary, Parthia could have remained as an ally that served as a buffer zone in the east.”
Sanatruces bowed his head without saying anything.
Marcus’ words were sincere without a trace of falsehood.
If he conquered Parthia completely, there would be many things to worry about as well as benefits.
But now that things had come to this point, he couldn’t leave Parthia as it was.
After a moment of silence, Marcus announced the end of Parthia in a low voice.
“I will depose Sanatruces and send all the members of the Arsacid dynasty to Rome. I will guarantee the positions of the local nobles of Parthia and grant Roman citizenship to those who want it.”
Sanatruces clenched his teeth and closed his eyes at the expected result.
The meaning of his words was clear.
He would make Parthia a vassal of Rome.
But no one dared to object to Marcus’ decision.
The eastern power Parthia, which lasted for 200 years, finally disappeared on this day like many other dynasties in history.