Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 40: Attacking the Heart First (Five more chapters, please read later)
After the battering ram was ready, the Romans began their first exploratory attack on the city wall.

All artillery units opened fire to suppress the people on the city wall, temporarily preventing the defenders from raising their heads. At this time, three well-protected battering rams were pushed out, and against the firepower of the Parfi people, they slowly and firmly came to the foot of the city wall.

The battering ram with a ram's head carved on the front began to hit the city wall, but it must be said that Architas II really spent a lot of money when building this wall. After hitting it for more than half an hour, the wall was almost motionless. The bricks and stones of several towers were a little broken, but it did not affect the main structure at all.

If they continue to hammer away at this rate, there might be results in a few hours, but the defenders in the city are no fools. After the initial shock, they quickly reacted and fought back.

The defenders on the city wall began to throw down large stones and torches. A large number of soldiers also swarmed out of the city and began to engage in close combat with the soldiers operating the battering rams, hoping to destroy the siege weapons.

Although these Palfies were short-sighted, rude and mean, and constantly fighting among themselves, their fighting spirit was quite commendable. The two sides launched a fierce battle, one side desperately trying to ignite the battering ram, and the other side desperately trying to protect the battering ram. The scene was very chaotic.

Although the Romans were far ahead of their opponents in terms of individual equipment, combat skills and organizational training, the enemy, with their fearless courage and superior numbers, broke through the Roman defense line, and some battering rams were already on fire.

At this time, the reserve cavalry, led by Tia, rushed to the battlefield, attacked the Parphian army from behind, and cooperated with the surrounded Roman army from inside and outside.

The impact of the cavalry was not as strong as in later generations, but the tall and strong cavalry units still put considerable psychological pressure on the Parfi people. In addition, several of the enemy's leaders were killed by Tia. In order to prevent these troops from rushing into the city, the defenders could only retreat and close the city gates tightly.

Rome won the battle, but they also suffered heavy losses. They could only pull the battering ram back to the earthen embankment for repairs while preparing for the next round of attack.
-
One night later, Orville was having dinner with Tia.

Some officers would bring a luxurious lifestyle into the barracks, but Tia really ate only dry bread, bacon and fruit vinegar every day for months, and rarely drank a little wine.

For her, eating during a war is just to fill her stomach with food, without any element of enjoyment. Orville really admires this kind of self-control. He doesn't mean to eat a lot of fish and meat, but it is normal to buy some candied fruits, fish sauce, pickles, cheese and other things to accompany the meal. He will also give some fish sauce and pickles to his men, and even after each battle, he will find a way to get some fish or livestock to make soup as a reward.

After finishing the last bite of bread, Orville wiped his hands with a cloth and said, "I heard that you crucified several prisoners you captured? This is not like you."

This is the same punishment that Jesus received. Nailing a person to a cross and letting him die of dehydration and bleeding is already a very cruel measure.

Tia also looked depressed: "I don't want to do this, but the most urgent task now is to make the people in the city surrender. I hope this method can break their will to resist."

Orville disagreed with this approach: "Let's change the perspective and ask why do you think the Roman soldiers fought bravely and why do the Palphic soldiers fight bravely?"

Dia thought for a moment and said, "The former is due to good training and a sense of honor, while the latter is probably due to hatred. I don't deny that former Governor Florus went too far here. I'm asking my father to punish him, but it's very difficult to severely punish a senator." "This is part of the reason. An important reason why they fought so bravely is not hatred, but fear. They fear their own fate, so they resist those who threaten them. If we had already broken through three city walls and entered the city at this time, they might have collapsed out of fear. But now they are still hoping for the best and think they can rely on the city's defense. Doing this will only inspire their courage and ferocity, making them feel that they have nowhere to retreat."

Tia pondered and agreed deeply. She had listened to part of it: "So what do you think we should do?"

"Put some more pressure on them, make them feel that the city walls cannot protect them, and then attack their hearts. No group can be absolutely unified in thought. They resisted the Romans because of a common goal. If their goals diverge, they will collapse."

Orville suggested this to the other party. This matter was difficult to understand for Tiya, whose strategy was only 7 points, but Orville still hoped that the other party would think more about it and prepare for the future.

"I've written down your words. My father also told me to think more about your advice, which is sometimes really useful. You asked me to turn something that has no precedent into something that I'm familiar with, and I've figured it out."

"What exactly is it?" Orville didn't just say it casually at the time. He was naturally curious about what Tia would come up with.

"Since siege warfare is difficult to handle, why not turn it into a defensive battle in some areas? The Romans have a lot of experience in this."
-
Orville later understood what Tia meant, and she ordered the construction of several towering siege platforms.

These things are similar to siege towers, except that they have many openings used as shooting holes. They are stacked up to about 20 meters high, not to mention the city walls. They are several meters higher than most towers and have fireproof shells made of iron plates and mud to resist rocket fire.

Standing on the top platform, one can fire suppressive shots from a high vantage point, and the numerous shooting holes below can also provide a good shooting field of view. Relying on these platforms, which the Romans called "city capturers", the siege troops outside the city further suppressed the defenders inside the city.

With these platforms as cover, the Romans once again pushed their battering rams to break down the walls. This time the defenders still went out of the city to fight, but the Romans' firepower was stronger than before and their infantry was more fully prepared.

Knowing that the Parphians were less organized, they formed a tighter battle formation, making it difficult for the Parphians to break up the Romans. Also, because their weapons were more disorganized, during the battle, the Parphians tended to stand more dispersed in order not to be accidentally injured by their companions' weapons. This gave the Romans a chance to respond calmly.

The Roman short swords in their hands were far more suitable for such crowded occasions than the Parvi people's short spears, long swords and axes. Even if they faced the enemy in a very tight formation, they still had enough space to stab with the weapons in their hands.

A Parvi man holding a long sword often had to face two or even three Roman short swords hidden behind shields, which was very difficult for them with their poor martial arts skills.

PS. I agreed to update every day, and I finished it in two days, a total of eight chapters. There is one extra chapter for adding to favorites. If there are enough favorites later, I will update at any time.

(End of this chapter)