Chương 724: Two Years of Warfare, a Thousand Miles of Raids...

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Severus scoffed, took a sip of his drink, and his face was full of disdain:

"Those Parthian bastards are no surprise they got wiped out. They were probably just some nomadic tribe from the East, they grabbed a quick loot and left, they're no match for us. We can ignore them."

He didn't take it seriously at all, thinking that Anxi was weak to begin with and that it was only a matter of time before it was wiped out.

Second letter: The Eastern army occupied Mesopotamia, and the two Roman legions stationed there were completely annihilated, with their commanders killed in battle.

Severus's smile vanished, his brow furrowed, and he put down his wine glass.

"Both legions are gone? Are the Easterners really that good at fighting? Impossible! Even Parthia couldn't stop them?"

He was a little skeptical. He knew the fighting strength of the Roman legions better than anyone. How could two legions with more than 10, 000 men just disappear like that?

Third letter: Antioch is besieged, Syria is in imminent danger, and Eastern troops are about to invade the Mediterranean.

Severus slammed his wine glass to the ground, shattering it, his face turning deathly pale.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Roman legions are invincible! How could they possibly lose to these Eastern barbarians?! It must be a false report!"

The commander of the royal guard, Papinianus, picked up the urgent report and read it carefully three times. After finishing, his face was grave, as if covered in ashes:

"Your Majesty, the news seems genuine. The three urgent reports echo each other, so it doesn't seem fake. If even with so many Parthian cavalry, they couldn't hold them off, I'm afraid our legion will too..."

The most urgent task is to quickly return to the East and gather all available forces to stop them! We cannot allow them to advance into the Mediterranean! Otherwise, we'll be in serious trouble!

Severus took a deep breath, knowing that things were serious and that underestimating the enemy would lead to the downfall of his kingdom.

He immediately ordered: Geta to leave three legions to guard Britain, while he himself took Caracalla and returned to Rome immediately; at the same time, he ordered all the legions of the Danube and Syria to assemble at Antioch and block the Eastern army at all costs.

For this battle, Severus went all out, assembling a total of eighteen legions plus auxiliary troops, a full 200, 000 men, though he claimed to have 300, 000, and personally led them to Antioch to fight the Han army to the death.

This was almost half the army of the Roman Empire; if they lost, the empire would be finished.

On the way, Severus encouraged Papinianus and himself:

"We have the Roman tortoise formation, heavy infantry, and crossbows; we are invincible in close combat. Their strength lies only in firearms; they are no match for us in close combat."

"Once they run out of ammunition and charge in for close combat, that will be our opportunity. We'll annihilate them in one fell swoop, capture their emperor, and parade him through the streets of Rome."

Papinianus nodded, but he still felt uneasy... It couldn't have been that easy to wipe out the Parthian army.

But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight; there's no turning back.

When Severus arrived at Antioch, the Han army was already arrayed outside the city, as if they had known he was coming all along.

The two armies lined up on the plain outside the city, with 200, 000 Roman soldiers facing 300, 000 Han soldiers (with garrison troops left along the way).

On the Roman side, the heavy infantry were arranged in a dense square formation, with their shields held high, forming a tortoise-like formation that looked like a mobile steel fortress; auxiliary troops were on the flanks, and cavalry were at the rear; ballistae were placed in front of the formation, densely packed.

Severus stood on the high slope, looking at his army, and felt a little more at ease... This was Rome's most elite legion, invincible, and they were sure to win.

On the Han army's side, the infantry were lined up in a row, with artillery at the front and cavalry on both flanks. The formation was neat and eerily quiet, without a sound, like a group of silent death gods.

Liu Ce led his third son Liu Yao, fourth son Liu Yong, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Xu Da, Li Jing, Yue Fei, Su Lie and others on horseback and slowly walked over. The soldiers immediately made way for them.

Upon reaching the center of the formation, the Third Prince Liu Yao, the Fourth Prince Liu Yong, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Xu Da, Li Jing, Yue Fei, Su Lie, and others stopped. Liu Ce rode his horse alone to the very center of the entire army.

Liu Ce rode his horse slowly past the army formation, and the soldiers all turned to face him, their eyes following him.

Facing the army, Liu Ce clenched his right fist and placed it heavily on his left chest, giving a standard military salute.

He took a deep breath and shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the army: "The Han army is mighty!"

"General, you are mighty!"

The soldiers responded in unison, their voices booming like thunder, shaking the ground.

Liu Ce shouted again, his voice even deeper: "The Han army is mighty!"

"Your Majesty is mighty!"

This time, the voice was louder and more resolute, filled with absolute trust and admiration.

Liu Ce shouted for the third time, using all his strength, his voice almost hoarse, his voice filled with burning passion:

"The Han army is mighty!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Han Dynasty! Long live the Han Dynasty! Long live the Han Dynasty! Long live the Han Dynasty!"

The soldiers shouted with all their might, raising their muskets and spears high, their blades gleaming coldly.

Flags fluttered, swords and spears stood ready, and shouts echoed endlessly into the distance, reaching even the Roman army, whose faces turned pale.

Liu Ce shouted to the crowd, his tone impassioned:

"After twenty years of fighting and traveling thousands of miles, today we will engage the enemy's main force in battle!"

I want you all to join me in this joint venture; I want you all to fight alongside me on the battlefield!

We must let the Romans know that those who offend our great Han Dynasty will be punished, no matter how far away they are!

We must ensure that our descendants will never again suffer the ravages of war, and that the glory of the Han Dynasty will shine throughout the world!

Then Liu Ce drew his sword, and with a "whoosh," a flash of cold light appeared.

The generals also drew their swords, and the flashes of their blades created a continuous blur.

The soldiers shouted, "Kill!"

Liu Ce picked up his sword and swung it forward, shouting, "I will not turn back until the enemy is defeated!"

The soldiers shouted, "Kill!"

Liu Ce picked up his sword and swung it forward, continuing to shout at the top of his lungs, "We will not turn back until we defeat the enemy!"

The generals and soldiers shouted, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Shouts of battle pierced the sky, each face bearing a resolute gaze and an overwhelming murderous aura.

This is the army of the Han Dynasty, a battle-hardened force.

......

Severus stood on the high slope, looking at the neat formation of the Han army, the dark cannon barrels, and listening to the deafening battle shouts. He felt uneasy and a little panicked.

But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight; if we retreat, morale will collapse.

With a wave of his hand and a gritted teeth, he ordered: "All troops advance! Form a tortoise formation! Advance steadily, and only throw javelins and charge when you get close!"

The Roman hoplites formed a dense formation, raising their shields to form a wall of shields, advancing step by step like a mobile fortress. Their steps were synchronized and made a "thump-thump" sound, which was indeed quite intimidating.

This tortoise formation had withstood countless arrows and javelins; it was the Roman legions' trump card. The soldiers were full of confidence, believing that with the shields protecting them, no firearms would be effective, and that once they charged forward, it would be their domain.

Standing under the central command flag, Li Jing watched the Roman army advance and said to Yue Fei with a smile:

"Pengju, can your cannon break through this tortoise shell? What if they actually charge in?"

Yue Fei raised an eyebrow and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, Pharmacist. Even if it's made of pure iron, let alone a wooden shield covered with iron, our exploding shells can shatter it."