Four-Armed Divine Emperor

Shows of force to intimidate enemies are a tradition among Zoroastrians.

Of course, there is nothing you can do if you meet someone who is determined to resist to the end.

The defenders of the Helvetica Fortress remained unmoved. Looking through the telescope, the defenders on the city wall remained calm, as if they would not be shaken by any display of force by the enemy, and their morale was low.

The siege began "as usual".

From a mortal's perspective, this was a brutal battle. It was obvious that the Romans had anticipated the arrival of the enemy and were well prepared.

The Zoroastrian soldiers pushed various siege engines to approach the city wall, but were immediately attacked fiercely by the defenders, including ballistae, catapults, and rain of arrows...

The first batch of vanguard troops soon suffered heavy casualties, and the frontline generals in charge could not help but curse inwardly:

These barbarians are immoral!

They had obviously specialized in researching and innovating traditional offensive and defensive equipment, such as the ballista, a weapon that was actually "spontaneously" restricted by the secular world because of the pressure from the extraordinary and the "dislike" of the mages. The Romans set up the ballista on the city walls to specifically target large equipment and densely packed soldiers. The ballista was extremely powerful and could even easily penetrate several armored soldiers in a row and "nail" them together.

It shoots very quickly, is very powerful, and explodes.

It seemed that something was stuffed into the head of the crossbow arrow. Judging from the materials collected by the craftsmen, it seemed to be a by-product of magical alchemy combined with certain craftsmanship.

This was confirmed by the Lords of the Holy Witches. After knowing this, the Lords of the Holy Witches became even more contemptuous and looked down upon the barbarians in the city. Obviously, it was not surprising that a barren place like Serso, which lacked magic power, gave birth to such barbarians who ignored the White Order, or who had never been bathed in the light of the White Tower.

This posed a considerable obstacle to the Alan people, but they did not give up. After all, not to mention the quality, there was a huge gap between the two sides in terms of quantity alone.

Since a quick victory was not an option, the siege itself was a lengthy undertaking, and the first two days of siege yielded no results—the best that could be achieved was that the battering rams reached the edge of the city wall and were then burned by the enemy using kerosene.

The effect of the ladder ants was not obvious. According to the report from the soldiers returning from the front line, the barbarians had obviously concentrated all their elite troops in this fortress. They were strong and well-trained, and the quality of the armor and weapons they used was not inferior to that of ordinary Alan soldiers.

This made the generals excited: if they could annihilate the main force of the barbarians in the fortress, then the subsequent operations would be very easy and smooth.

They also felt a little disappointed that they could not quickly pull out the nail that the enemy had nailed so firmly into their path.

So after two days of siege, the generals signaled to the prince:

Perhaps we can split our forces.

Leave a part of the troops to continue besieging the fortress, and the other troops can bypass it to the west and south.

The Romans must have had more than one such fortress blocking the Alans' path to the south.

Faced with a tough nut to crack, the arrogant Alan people regarded it as the "main force" of the enemy without hesitation.

They will definitely not let Helves go.

But before that, it wouldn't hurt to send some troops to the south to have a look.

165: "Roman Warrior"

Roland was dressed neatly and patrolled the city wall with several brothers.

They were fully armored, except for their helmets. Their attire was plain and simple in appearance, but anyone with a little discerning eye would realize by the weight of the armor they wore that they were definitely an elite group of the elite.

When the soldiers saw Roland and the others, they didn't need any other verification. They could immediately recognize their identities by looking at the clothes they were wearing. They made way for them and performed the Sky Eagle or saluted to show their greetings.

This has nothing to do with any status or power. The fierce fighting power displayed by these "sons of war" - "father's guards" on the battlefield during this period of time is enough to conquer all the soldiers standing beside and behind them.

After all, even for a high-ranking knight, without taking into account the influence of supernatural powers, it would be very difficult to sustain movement on the battlefield while wearing a full set of armor weighing hundreds of pounds and with inner plates and outer ribs.

Although the descendants of Ai'er are not as strong as the true Asta "special" monks with three hearts and two lungs in terms of physique, and their average level cannot be said to be high-level knights at present, they can still be at the level of "elite warriors". Taking into account their super recovery and endurance, it is not a big problem for them to fight against the so-called "high-level knights" of mortals - that is, "strong people" of the level of Ansuna - with pure physical strength.

What's more, they also have psychic powers, and simply attaching them to themselves can greatly reduce the burden of wearing armor. This is very effective in transforming the descendants into simple, elite, and somewhat overly elite soldiers, generals, and front-line commanders under the restriction that it is inconvenient to easily expose the fact that Rome has a large number of mages, which is likely to arouse the curiosity of outsiders.

In simple terms, if they were to form an army, they could completely defeat ordinary mortal troops unilaterally, even if they were ten times stronger than ordinary mortal troops.

Chapter 217

massacre, and ensure low or even no combat losses for themselves.

Under the instructions of their respected father, the sons of war who joined the army wore armor made of steel that was carefully extracted and crafted from both materials and craftsmanship. When making these protective gear for the sons, the craftsmen also added a rare metal to it, which gave it a slight magic resistance effect.

The Thurso region lacks plains and arable land, being dominated by mountains and hills. However, it is extremely rich in mineral and forest resources. However, in the past, civilization here was relatively backward, so it was difficult to make use of them. But after the Roman unification, all this naturally changed...

Wearing such a plain but extremely defensive and difficult-to-use armor, for a simple mortal opponent, there is actually no difference between facing an Astartes Brother wearing power armor with a thick ceramic steel shell.

Their conventional weapons could hardly hurt the armor worn by their descendants. Due to the limitations of their craftsmanship, the craftsmen had the idea to create a strong armor with a mixed outer and inner plate.

The Battle of Helvetia had lasted for four full days. Apart from leaving behind nearly 14,000 corpses in front of the city walls, the best result of the Alans' army was that they briefly touched the city walls a few times. Once, they opened up a temporary foothold, but were quickly pushed back by the frenzied counterattack of the enemy in the city. What they didn't know was that this small "progress" was actually also under the order of Cyrus. The defenders deliberately gave it to the Alans, so that those arrogant and brutal generals who did not regard their soldiers as lives would see any tangible "gains".

The reason why it was so easy to suppress the enemy's attack was largely due to————

"We underestimated the barbarians," said General Alan, a frontline commander, with a stern face as he stood beneath a watchtower erected in the siege camp, gazing at the city walls. "They may be barbaric and backward, but they are not completely useless... The mountains and untamed lands are the most prone to breeding ferocious beasts. It has always been this way."

During this period of siege, the Alan people also learned a lot of information about their opponents.

"The barbarians known as Roma are stubborn and unyielding. They are adept at cooperative hunting, like wild beasts. Apparently, after retreating into the mountains, poverty forced them to revert to primitive hunting and tribal life. Among them are some brave individuals, likely leaders or warriors, who are extremely formidable. The Romans allocated a large amount of resources to these individuals, who constantly threatened the Imperial Army's repeated attacks..."

Chapter 127: Ardabil (28)

This was a letter from General Alan to his superiors, perhaps to be handed over as a report a few days before the Prince Ahmed case.

Many of the key points were described in a vague and ambiguous manner, so as to avoid the commander-in-chief from thinking that this was an act of "exaggerating the enemy and undermining morale" and causing him to be angry and punish.

He thought about the report that had been as tactful as possible, and felt quite emotional.

Stubborn character, not easily shaken, actually means strong and resolute, willing to die rather than surrender;

Working together like wild beasts...actually refers to the fact that the Romans attached great importance to unity and cooperation, and had very strict discipline and organization;

Poverty...tribes...actually refers to the fact that the Romans were not weak in individual combat and were good at martial arts...

As for the threat of the Empire's attack from enemy warriors, that's even simpler.

In fact, according to reports from soldiers returning from the front, there was a type of "elite soldiers" in the Roman defenders who were fully armored. They were incredibly powerful, not to mention their superb martial arts. The protective gear they used was also absolutely excellent. In a terrain like a city wall, two elite warriors rushed into the enemy camp against the counterattack of seven or eight Alan soldiers, and strangled them to death in a few breaths.

This description made him even doubt:

Is it true that barbarians (capable of fighting) emerge from poor mountains and bad waters?

The Romans wouldn't place high-ranking knights on the city walls to defend the city...

This attitude towards "barbarians", where people despise their backwardness but have to admit that they may be "excellent" in some aspects, can also be traced back to the famous Eastern Expedition in history, which almost changed the situation of the Tartarus continent.

At that time, the Asta people were a small mountainous country in the north of the Aegean cities. They had always been regarded as "barbarians" by the truly civilized people in the south, and were not even considered as barbarians of the same civilization. However, they eventually rose up, conquered the east and the west, and established an unprecedented empire.

The Eastern Expedition dealt a heavy blow to the Zoroastrian Empire, which was more developed and civilized than the Aegeans at that time.

These are the words that the Great Emperor uttered in admiration when he saw the magnificent city built by the Zoroastrians on the banks of the river in Babylon.

He then ordered the cavalry to dismount and enter the city, and he himself walked on foot, leading his horse and entering on a red carpet, to show his respect for Babylonia, the "unique" city in the world at that time, and the civilization it represented.

"Barbarism" defeated the Aegean people and the Zoroastrian people who were more advanced than the Aegean people.

This is a question that many Zoroastrian scholars and many rulers have considered, because if civilization should be strong and noble, then it is unacceptable that the second generation Zoroastrian Empire was conquered by the "barbarians" of the West.

Finally they came up with one:

The backwardness of civilization has caused poverty in all aspects. In this case, people can no longer be called human beings, but are more like beasts that cooperate collectively, tribes, and chiefdoms. The view that the Asta people do have unique qualities beyond their brute courage is used to make up for the shameful history.

And now, the general in charge of the siege command

Chapter 218

He had to worry about making no further progress and being beheaded by the commander-in-chief with a casual order. Being the vanguard was a high-risk job in Alan's army. If he won, it would be easy, but if he made no progress, he would easily be severely punished by military law to boost morale.

Therefore, there are usually no important people sitting in this position.

He was also wondering whether the "Asta survivors" in the Helvetic Fortress, who might have the same blood as their former enemies, had really inherited the advantages of their ancestors in these aspects?

Chapter 166: The Mage Legion

Did you know that the Romans turned east only because their westward advance was blocked by the ocean? Did you know that they began their existence with nothing, their homes, their wives, their lands, even their empire, stolen? They were wild dogs without fathers, mothers, or country, born to be a scourge to the world.

—Mithridates VI

In Helvetia the Alans received a powerful counterattack. The Romans were like a huge rock fixed on this barren land, offering tremendous resistance to the Alans who tried to push it down and crush it.

Every fruitless attack made the Alan generals in charge feel that the non-existent noose around their necks was tightening again.

Most of them were military officers from the lower-middle classes who had slowly climbed up through military honors or seniority. There was certainly no problem with their abilities, but the Romans were far more powerful than they had imagined.

During the siege of these few days alone, the strength displayed by the Roman defenders in the city, not to mention field battles, was no weaker than the standing army of the Alan Empire.

It is slightly stronger than the average level of the provincial army.

Especially since there are obviously many elite warriors in the garrison, maybe it is really as they imagined:

Barbaric backwardness will forge a strong physique and bravery.

The city's defenders are estimated to be around 50,000, and there are probably at least a hundred "high-ranking knights" taking orders from them.

Although the founding of Rome was seen by the outside world as just a repeat of the "Mage Kingdom" that happened a hundred years ago, even a giant like Alan did not care about the trivial matter of a group of mages, some of whom might be of Zoroastrian origin and of the Alan Empire, running to their feet and "conquering" Thurso.

They simply didn't bother to pay attention to these things. That place was too poor, and after being isolated from the supernatural power, they couldn't even enjoy themselves. Few people would go there. Many people simply regarded the densely packed mountains in the north of the empire on the map as a "wasteland" and didn't care how many countries were there.

But no matter what the truth of this matter is, it is clear that the oligarchic council of wizards who established and ruled the Roman Empire, or that a wise ruler, following the example of Emperor Asta, kept a low profile and entrusted state affairs to the wizards who protected the country to implement wizard governance...

This "republic" in this wild land is obviously not what many Alan people optimistically, arrogantly, and unfoundedly imagine:

It was a rotten, backward building made of mud and branches.

All they had to do was kick the pile a few times and set it on fire, and the half-naked savages inside would scream and flee in all directions, and they would hunt them like captured wild beasts.

But the reality might be that after they kicked it... a few burly men jumped out of the room that looked really shabby and useless?

They are a complete and sound nation.

The Zoroastrians can be said to be one of the civilizations with the richest experience in warfare in the world - both in beating and being beaten. Although they are proud and often get pushed back a few times when the wind and waves are unstable, they are not stupid.

To judge an enemy, look at his army.

And obviously, the Roman army was very strong.

Fortunately, the opponent of this level is still small in size. If it were bigger, the Northern Expedition Army of 300,000 would not be able to defeat it, and it might even be another Battle of the Yellow Sands.

.......

After several days of fruitless attacks, the commanders were forced to make a "difficult decision" after discussion.

They headed towards the prince's tent in the rear. During the period of camping and siege, the prince himself and the most elite part of the main force of the Northern Expedition Army did not station directly on the front line outside the Helvetic Fortress, but chose a plain dozens of miles to set up camp in the rear, leaving the affairs of the siege to the front-line commander and their 120,000 regular and provincial troops.

This number seemed completely sufficient to the commanders, and even somewhat "overestimated" the strength of the barbarians.

They also sent two detachments, each with two or three thousand-man regiments, to bypass the Helvetic Fortress under the guidance of nomadic servants to remove the obstacles behind them in advance and to deter the barbarians.

Among them, 5,000 elite soldiers from the Parthian Legion, one of the three major armies of the empire, served as the core.

Those who stayed with the prince were mainly the elite of the 30,000 Parthian Legions, supplemented by some regular troops, provincial troops, the private soldiers of the military nobles, and the main force of 90,000 powerful "Yiconong" who came to curry favor with him and take credit for his achievements.

After presenting a detailed analysis of the enemy's situation, the undersigned general stated bluntly to his superior commanders:

If we ignore the casualties of the army, we may be able to achieve significant results in one to two months, but this will also cause the besieging troops to suffer heavy casualties. I hope to ask the advisors to take action. Now, if we want to quickly defeat the enemy, we will inevitably need to use their noble and powerful forces.

This war report was issued

Chapter 219

Afterwards, General Alan, who was responsible for signing, handed over his suicide note and his plans for the family property to his companions who had already divided the blame and responsibility at the discussion meeting.

After nearly ten days of siege, they have realized that without the intervention of extraordinary forces, a "quick victory" is no longer possible.

Unless the prince mobilized the elite of the Parthian Legion and the fearless slave soldiers in the army to capture the city wall, it would inevitably result in huge casualties, which would be unbearable for the empire.

You should know that the issue of sending out three armies to deal with a group of northern barbarians has caused a lot of disputes in the court of Iskhanfa. The nobles and viziers generally believe that it is a waste of talent to send out the Parthian Legion to deal with a group of "semi-civilized" barbarians, which will damage the reputation of the empire.

The last time the Parthian Legion was fully deployed and "cooperated" with the Immortal Army was to regain control of the prosperous and fertile land, the Yellow Sand Kingdom.

But who is the enemy this time?

A group of mountain barbarians who have never been born in history and have never left any country or power?

Of course, they did not know that the King of Kings was secretly plotting with his brothers. The purpose of dispatching the Parthian Legion was to enable the prince to immediately gain the support of one of the three major armies as soon as the situation occurred. Half of the Parthian Legion was under the prince's command. If they supported the prince, the remaining half would naturally follow. In this way, Prince Ahmed would directly have the support of the western military group represented by the Parthian Legion, one of the three major legions of the empire.

Iskhanfa's Immortal Army has always only guarded the Alan Plateau, the core area of ​​Zoroastrians. Even if the throne changes, and the imperial guards and coup plotters kill people in the streets of the imperial city, their support will not be easily shaken. If the Parthian Legion supports the prince and the Grand King endorses the will of the elder brother to succeed the younger brother, then they will definitely not have any objection to this.

The last of the Qiexue Army was far away in Samarkand in the east of the empire, responsible for guarding the Indian countries, and occasionally dealing with the restless Bactrian princes and nobles, as well as the grasslands in the north where nomadic horse thieves swarmed. As long as the empire did not treat them badly, they would not move.

So this is a game of chess. The emperor insisted on the Parthian Legion's destruction in order to ensure the prince's succession to the throne. Naturally, the prince must first be able to win over this legion with a long history of glory.

Chapter 127: Ardabil (29)

Allowing the army to "not lay down their weapons" in Rome was just one rule, because it applied to the entire army.