Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 43 Persuading Surrender
Although the defenders certainly felt the pressure, after waiting for several days, until all the military salaries were paid and the army had had sufficient rest, they still did not make any demands or suggestions, that is, they still refused to negotiate.

Tia no longer hesitated and ordered the army to continue the attack.

The focus of this attack was the Antonine Wall, which can be said to be the gateway to the Temple Mount. It surrounds and protects the Temple Mount. Only by controlling this place can there be hope of controlling the Temple Mount.

The third city wall was sandwiched between two small hills on the left and right. If the Romans insisted on attacking the third city wall, they would be severely attacked by the people on the hills on both sides. Therefore, it was necessary to take down the hill on one end first and then consider attacking the third city wall.

Tia chose to attack the Temple Mount, which was located in the east and had more stringent defenses but greater symbolic significance. Once the Antonine Wall and the temple were taken, the morale of the Parvi people would collapse directly, and she would be able to easily occupy the rest of the city.

This city wall is extremely difficult to capture. In addition to the towering walls and towers, there is also a ditch with the deepest point being nearly 15 meters. If one wants to capture the fortress, the ditch must also be filled up.

As the space for movement becomes smaller and smaller, the offensive of the rebels in the city is becoming more and more fierce.

They learned quickly under pressure, and by now were able to use the trebuchets and remaining ballistae with considerable accuracy, causing serious harassment while the Romans built their earthen embankments.

Their combat capabilities and tactics also improved rapidly in the high-intensity confrontation. Although it was impossible for them to surpass the professional Roman army that had been trained for several years, their disadvantage in close combat was shrinking. They launched raids almost every night to try to destroy the earthen embankments that the Romans had worked so hard to build, and the battle between the two sides was very difficult.

On this land watered by the blood of both sides, the ditches are gradually being filled up bit by bit, and the embankments are being raised bit by bit, slowly and seemingly irreversibly.
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"Governor Antonius and I have long told you to be careful. Are you satisfied now?"

Tia was lucky and had never been injured, but luck doesn't always last. This time, when she was riding around the city wall to persuade people to surrender, a piece of gravel fired by a catapult hit her left shoulder. Even though it was just a small stone, it caused her very serious injuries.

Due to fractures, bruises and subcutaneous hemorrhage, Titus' left arm in another time and space remained weak for the rest of his life. The physical fitness of humans in this time and space is generally stronger, and Tia is even better, so his arm will not be crippled, but it will take hundreds of days of rest to recover basically. It is unlikely that he can go to the battlefield and draw a knife to kill people during this period.

Orville felt a little sorry for the other party when he saw the wound that was still bleeding, but he still blamed him. The commander-in-chief liked to play suspense. If nothing went wrong, everything would be fine. But there were countless examples of him being defeated when something went wrong.

If anything went wrong with Tia, Vespa would have to skin himself alive and crucify himself.

Tia frowned and said in a calm tone, "It's not a big problem. I will recover in time. I can still command the battle after being injured, but I can no longer charge into the enemy camp myself."

Orvel raised his eyebrows: "Do you still want to go to the battlefield?"

She said seriously, "If it's just my left arm, it won't be a big deal. As long as we don't get out of the formation, there shouldn't be any problem. We lack excellent on-site commanders and cavalry commanders. I'm the only one qualified for this position. Hannibal was able to command the army even though he lost one eye. I just have one arm that's temporarily unusable. Besides, the enemy we're dealing with is not the Romans."

Orville was also speechless. He rolled his eyes and took out a flat pot from his arms.

"The thing Ms. Berenice gave me is said to be useful for healing. I don't know if it's really that useful. Do you want to try it?"

Her focus was not on healing her wounds: "Berenice's stuff? Let me try it, I'm looking forward to it." After saying that, she raised her hand to take it, but her body paused because of the pain in the wound, and she saw a tear flashing in the corner of her eye.

Orville gloated: "Does it hurt?"

Tia glanced at him and said unhappily, "Go out and see if it hurts. If it were you, your arm would be broken too."

After saying a few words to ease the atmosphere, Orville pulled out the cork and poured a small amount of liquid into the wound.

A strange scene happened: the wound on Tia's shoulder was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the blood-stained gauze also faded. After five minutes, Tia's wound seemed to have basically healed.

She tentatively moved her arm, still grimacing in pain, but her eyes never left the vial in Orville's hand.

"Can this thing be mass-produced?!"

"Don't even think about it. The royal priests may only be able to produce enough liquid for ten people after a long time. Only a grand sacrifice can produce this kind of liquid, and it takes a lot of energy and physical strength from them. Think about how long you can keep your sword turning red, and think about the energy they lose when performing the ritual."

After getting the expected answer, Tia sighed: "Yes, if the Palfi people had this ability, they should have conquered the world long ago."

"Whether or not I can conquer the world, I will record what happened today and report it to your father in the future."
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"Tribute Nicanor, are you sure this is a safe distance?"

Standing at the foot of the city wall, Orville questioned his old friend.

In fact, the two of them had known each other for a long time. Not only did they know each other before the war, but when Orville was captured, it was he who took him to see Vespa. Later, the two of them often met in the military camp, and they became more or less familiar with each other.

Nicanor pointed to the arrow wound on his arm and said confidently, "Commander Tia and I have been responsible for persuading them to surrender. I am the one who is most familiar with the range of their weapons. As long as it is a single-soldier weapon, it is impossible to hit your position. It is no problem to be closer. Of course, there is nothing we can do in the case of the legion commander. The catapult depends on luck. Generally speaking, they will not focus their fire on us. It is not worth wasting ammunition. They are just two soldiers."

Orville became even more panicked when he saw this. Both of his seniors were injured, so this kind of guarantee was undoubtedly pale and powerless.

After Tia was injured, Orville didn't agree to let her come over to speak again. Tia happened to be at a loss for words and didn't know what to say next, so she gave the task to Orville.

She felt that Orville was a local, had served as the commander of the rebels in the past, was currently in a high position among the Romans, and had a decent talent for languages. This kind of person was simply the most suitable person to persuade them to surrender.

Unexpectedly, Orville's visit had the exact opposite effect.

(End of this chapter)