Chương 725: In the past few years, I am the only army that has reached this place.

Just you wait and see. One volley of fire will show them what a devastating attack really is.

When the Roman army had advanced two miles, Yue Fei gave a crisp command:

"All artillery, fire simultaneously! Target: enemy center infantry formation!"

In an instant, more than a thousand cannons opened fire simultaneously, like a volcanic eruption.

Solid shot, explosive shells, and grapeshot rained down on the Roman army, "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of cannons was deafening, and the heavens and earth seemed to shake.

The cannonballs crashed into the tortoise-shell formation, instantly blasting the shield wall into pieces, like smashing an eggshell—it shattered with a single blow.

A solid shot leaves a trail of blood with each impact, smashing people and shields into a bloody pulp, like a string of candied hawthorns, one shot can knock down several people.

The exploding shells spread out in one go, leaving nowhere to hide. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and shields were no match for them. Blood and flesh were blown apart.

The shotgun shells swept down a large area like water being poured out, and felled large swathes of wheat with each shot.

The Roman soldiers were dumbfounded.

Their shields were fine against javelins and arrows, but they couldn't stop cannonballs!

One shot killed several people, shields and all, leaving not even bone fragments behind. They didn't even know how they died.

In the first round of bombardment, the Roman army suffered nearly 10, 000 casualties, and their formation was thrown into chaos. The soldiers in front retreated while those behind pushed forward, creating complete disarray.

Severus's eyes were bloodshot. He drew his sword and shouted, "Don't stop! Keep pushing! Charge in and fight! Charge in and we'll win!"

The Roman army gritted their teeth and continued to charge forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades. Wave after wave of soldiers died, but they refused to retreat. They were ruthless enough to be considered cunning.

After finally getting within a hundred paces, they were met with five volleys of flintlock musket fire.

The gunshots rang out incessantly, like popping beans. Lead bullets pierced shields and armor, leaving gaping holes in the body from which blood gushed.

The Roman soldiers fell in rows, one after another, but they couldn't get close to the Han army at all. It was as if there was an invisible wall that they just couldn't get through.

With every step forward, a pile of corpses was left behind.

With great difficulty, a few soldiers rushed forward, and the Han infantrymen immediately fixed bayonets and thrust their spears at them. The long bayonets were much longer than short swords, and the Roman short swords could not reach them at all. They were stabbed down in a few strokes, and the Han soldiers could not gain an advantage in close combat.

When Severus saw that his infantry could not advance, he ordered his cavalry to flank from both sides, hoping to attack from behind.

As a result, the Roman cavalry were driven back by the cannons and flintlock muskets on both flanks of the Han army as soon as they charged out. They suffered heavy casualties and could not even get close. As many as they charged, they died.

In less than three hours, the Roman army had suffered more than half its casualties, with corpses piled up like small mountains and blood flowing like rivers, staining the land red.

Morale completely collapsed, and the soldiers started running backwards, unstoppable.

Xue Rengui, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Yuwen Chengdu and other fierce generals had been itching for a fight. Seeing that the time was right, they each led their cavalry out from three directions to launch a general attack.

Lu Bu took the lead, his halberd flashing as he charged straight at the Roman central army, clearly aiming for Verus's head, like a vengeful ghost.

"Capture the Roman Emperor! A thousand pieces of gold will be your reward!" Zhang Fei shouted, charging forward. His eighteen-foot spear swept down a whole group of people, killing anyone who tried to block it.

Severus was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and his face turned pale. Under the protection of the royal guards, he turned and ran, abandoning even the imperial banner.

With the emperor gone, the Roman army completely collapsed. Soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons and fled for their lives, trampling each other to death and injuring countless people. They cried out for their parents, like stray dogs.

Zhao Yun had already led his cavalry to the rear of the Roman army to block their retreat. The Roman soldiers who could not escape threw down their weapons and surrendered, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, fearing that they would be beheaded if they were too late.

In this battle, 160, 000 of the 200, 000 Roman soldiers died, 25, 000 surrendered, and some fled, essentially resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

Severus was pursued by Lü Bu, but he was caught up with not far away and killed instantly with a single stab of his halberd, without even leaving a last word.

The once invincible Roman legions and the Roman Empire, which once spanned three continents, collapsed in an instant after losing all their elite troops and the emperor's death.

After the war, the Han army captured Antioch with little effort and then advanced westward, sweeping through cities along the way without resistance.

Not long after, Liu Ce led his army to Rome, to the banks of the Tiber River.

Liu Ce, 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 rode their horses to a small hill and reined in their horses.

Liu Ce and the others turned to look at the army below, then at the city of Rome, and watched the Tiber River flow slowly.

Liu Ce pointed around with his riding whip and said with a smile:

"This is the Tiber River, the starting point for the Roman ancestors to dominate the world. In the past few hundred years, only my army has reached this place."

Then Liu Ce burst into laughter, his hearty laughter filled with boundless pride and triumph.

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 all looked at Liu Ce with smiles, their eyes full of admiration and respect.

Yes, throughout history, no emperor has ever been able to bring his army to the gates of Rome or reach the Mediterranean Sea.

Your Majesty has done it; no one before you has done it.

Liu Ce added, his tone slightly teasing:

"The Kushans, Parthians, and Rome—they were all old friends, and quite formidable at that. Now they've all arrived, and all been destroyed. Three empires, all taken care of."

Just then, news from the navy arrived: a fleet of 100, 000 men had captured the Persian Gulf, marched along the Red Sea, and caused small countries along the way to surrender without resistance, occupying many ports.

The generals cheered loudly, their voices shaking the heavens.

Advancing by both land and water, the entire operation was a resounding success.

The banner of the Great Han has already been planted on the Mediterranean coast.

......

After a great victory and the capture of Rome, the army rested for a few days.

The weather was nice that day; the sun was shining brightly and a gentle sea breeze was blowing.

With nothing else to do, Liu Ce led his generals to the Mediterranean coast to see the legendary sea.

Looking at the boundless blue sea, with waves crashing against the shore and splashing white spray, and seabirds flying in the sky, everyone exclaimed in amazement, all of them awestruck by the sight before them.

Zhang Fei scratched his head and clicked his tongue, looking like a country bumpkin:

"I've lived my whole life, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a vast expanse of water! It's much bigger than the ocean! You can't see the end of it, there must be so many fish!"

Cheng Yaojin nodded in agreement: "Exactly! I used to think the vast ocean was big enough, but compared to the Mediterranean Sea, it's just a small puddle!"

The fourth prince, Liu Yong, looked at the sea with gentle eyes: "This sea is so beautiful, so blue, so lovely, like a sapphire. If we build a port here in the future, it will surely be bustling with merchant ships coming and going."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and nodded, his face solemn:

"Your Majesty is wise. Our Han army has been invincible wherever it went, reaching as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This is truly an unprecedented feat. Future generations of historians will surely record it in great detail."

Xu Da cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, now that the Kushan, Parthian, and Roman Empires have submitted, the trade route from the Western Regions to the Mediterranean is completely open. Our railways and steam engines can now be built all the way to the west."

"When the time comes, you'll be able to take a train directly from Los Angeles to the Mediterranean; that will be truly amazing."