I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1146 Raid on Egypt
Emperor Severus's speech was incredibly moving. After a moment of silence in the Senate, thunderous applause and shouts erupted. Fear was temporarily suppressed, and the inherent pride and martial spirit of the Romans were ignited.

"For Rome!"

"Long live Severus!"

"Crush those Eastern barbarians!"

Despite lingering resentment, Albinus, faced with the overwhelming tide of events and the actual power granted to him by Severus (rule of the west), had no choice but to rise, bow to Severus, and accept the appointment to fight the enemy together. The Senate swiftly passed the decrees for war appropriations and general mobilization, and the entire Roman Empire's war machine began to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

The news quickly spread far and wide via sea routes and post roads.

But soon, the Romans experienced firsthand what Eastern efficiency was all about.

"what?!"

"Something's happened in Egypt?!"

Just as Severus and his local legion were preparing to board their ships, a fast sailing ship delivered a battle report about Egypt.

Two weeks ago, Egypt was engulfed in war.

The Han army's offensive was much faster than expected. Almost at the same time that they learned of the fall of Antioch, the Han army's iron hooves had already trampled through Pelusion (south of present-day Gaza) and opened the gates of Egypt.

Upon hearing the news, Governor Flavius ​​of Alexander the Great was so shocked that he dropped his silver cup, spilling purple wine onto the exquisite mosaic floor like ominous bloodstains.

“Pelucion...lost in a single day?!” He grabbed the messenger by the collar, his voice trembling with fear. “Where are the garrison? Didn’t I send a large auxiliary corps there?!”

The messenger was deathly pale, his voice trembling: "My lord... the garrison... the garrison offered almost no resistance! Before the Han army even reached the city walls, the Jews, Greek merchants, and even some of the local garrison... mutinied! They opened the city gates, raising white flags and... and a red Han flag to greet the enemy! The main force of the Han cavalry practically strolled into the city!"

"Traitors! A bunch of damned traitors!" Flavius ​​roared, shoving the messenger aside and staggering a few steps, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

His worst fears came true. Roman rule in Egypt was not monolithic. Long-standing oppressive policies, heavy taxes, and religious and cultural barriers had already fueled resentment in this ancient land. The arrival of the Han army and Su Yao's propaganda as "liberators" were like sparks falling into a tinderbox.

"Quickly! Reinforce the defenses of Alexandria immediately! All legions to the highest level of combat readiness! Close all city gates and impose a curfew! Anyone who incites surrender or spreads rumors will be executed on the spot!" Flavius ​​ordered hoarsely, attempting to stabilize the situation with ruthless measures.

However, panic spread far faster than his orders. Pelucion's "peaceful liberation" spread like a plague throughout the Nile Delta. Riots broke out in major cities such as Memphis and Heliopolis, and the morale of local residents and non-Roman soldiers in the garrison was low, with countless people secretly forming alliances.

Guan Yu, the commander of the Han army's southern route, astutely seized this opportunity. Instead of rushing to attack the heavily fortified port of Alexandria, he adopted the advice of the Jewish and Egyptian guides accompanying the army, leveraging the mobility of the Han cavalry to divide his forces into several routes and march south along the Nile, sweeping across the delta region like a hot knife through butter.

Guan Yu personally led the main force straight to Memphis, while Zhang Fei led his army to sweep through the eastern towns, cutting off Alexandria's connection with the interior. Wherever they went, they encountered almost no significant resistance. Many towns surrendered without a fight, and the Roman garrisons either collapsed or were disarmed by the defectors within the cities. Any resistance that did occur was quickly crushed by their artillery fire.

The mighty Han army didn't even need the fearsome "Emperor" to intervene; with its military might and effective political offensive alone, it brought the Roman Empire's rule in the region to the brink of collapse.

But Roman rule did not collapse; barbarian rebellions were commonplace for them.

Everyone knew that ultimately, victory or defeat would be determined by the outcome on the battlefield. "What?!"

"You mean...we should go out of the city to meet the enemy???"

Alexandria, Egypt.

The bloodstains of the traitors in front of the square were still bright red, and Governor Flavius ​​then issued the decision to assemble a large army to go to war and meet the enemy.

His decision nearly made Commander Lucius of the Third Cyrenaica Legion drop his jaw in astonishment. Just moments before, he had been praising the Governor's bold decision to purge the city of barbarian "spies," but now the Governor had pulled a stunt on him.

"The enemy has won one victory after another, and we are already under immense pressure defending Alexander. How can we possibly go out of the city to meet them? Isn't that just courting death?!"

However, Flavius ​​disagreed with Legion Commander Lucius's words: "Not at all!"

"Haven't you noticed? The Han army relied on two things to attack the city—one was the 'liberation' rhetoric that stirred up the people's hearts, and the other was those terrible weapons that could blast open the city walls."

"Besides that, their main force has no infantry at all, and they rely on surrendered soldiers to lead the vanguard. Although their cavalry is fast, they are no different from those nomadic barbarians. In terms of discipline and training, they are far from being a match for my Roman legions!"

Flavius ​​astutely observed the characteristics of this Han expeditionary force: the number of genuine Han Chinese who had traveled halfway around the world to this place was limited, and those who came out to work were mostly troops from vassal states that had submitted to the Han.

Governor Flavius ​​pointed sharply to a relatively flat area east of Alexandria on the map: "But they have a fatal weakness! Their siege weapons are cumbersome and slow-moving. If we cower behind Alexandria's high walls, we are essentially allowing their 'thunderous weapons' to deploy at their leisure, slowly blasting our walls to dust! Meanwhile, traitors and wavering elements within the city will breed trouble while we wait, just like Pelucion!"

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a mixture of despair and desperate madness: "But what if we take the initiative? A decisive battle in the open! Our legionary phalanx, our heavy infantry and javelin throwers, are the masters of the battlefield! We don't have those explosive weapons, but we have the iron discipline and tactics of Rome! As long as we can crush their main force in open battle, those barbarian tribes and rebels who are allied with us will naturally scatter like birds and beasts! Their siege weapons will also become our spoils!"

Legion Commander Lucius opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that the governor's words were not entirely unreasonable.

Holding out in a fortified city while awaiting reinforcements of uncertain arrival time meant facing the dual pressures of instability within the city and the enemy's terrifying siege weaponry. While venturing out into the open fortified city was risky, it allowed them to fully utilize the traditional strengths of the Roman legions and was the best way to avoid a direct confrontation with the enemy's "thunderous magic."

After all, the Romans were extremely good at killing barbarians!

Whether they were barbarians from the North African desert, Germanic barbarians from Europe, or Sarmatians, they were all beaten black and blue.

These barbarians from the East will be no different.

Aren't they all just one nose and two eyes?

“However, Your Excellency,” Lucius remained worried, “their cavalry far outnumbers ours and is extremely mobile. What if…”

“There’s no chance!” Flavius ​​interrupted him, his tone resolute. “We have Alexandria at our backs, giving us a clear advantage. We can choose terrain favorable to us, have our legionary phalanx hold its ground, and then use auxiliary cavalry and light infantry to probe and harass, luring their main cavalry force to charge our fortified lines! Once their cavalry offensive falters and their formation falls apart, that will be our moment to counterattack! Don’t forget, the 22nd Deutarus Legion is coming from upstream; we can form a pincer movement with them!”

Ultimately, Lucius was persuaded by the governor's determination, or rather, his madness. Perhaps, this truly was their only chance of survival in their desperate situation?
(End of this chapter)