Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1194: Chapter 1150: Adapting to Local Conditions

Li Jue was at a loss, he knew these two guys understood. The other side was also an elite legion, just completely countered by them. They had high defense, now it was ultra-high defense, yet Roman Archers with ultra-high firing speed and extended range were utterly defeated by the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.

It could be said that if the Roman Archers had enhanced their attack a bit, it might have been useful, but as they enhanced firing speed, they completely became fodder for the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, a troop type that’s heavy cavalry even without armor. No matter how many came, they were just fodder, even worse than infantry, at least infantry still had a sword.

”It’s just that we consider them a dish. If it were someone else, they would have been overwhelmed to death.” Li Jue looked speechlessly at his two comrades and said.

After shooting ten waves of arrows in a row during the battle, if this had been a normal troop type, they would have been long dead, but the Xiliang Iron Cavalry treated it like drizzle. Anyway, for the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, if the attack doesn’t reach a certain level, it’s directly immune...

”Who made us the strongest cavalry in the world? This is the weakest elite I have ever fought.” Guo Si laughed heartily, never expecting that the first elite legion they encountered outside the radiation sphere of the Han would be a troop type fully countered by their Iron Cavalry. They’ve never seen an elite fully countered by Iron Cavalry in the Central Plains.

In fairness, if the Roman Archers were unfortunate, their original standard of making bows and arrows was average. Their strongest were infantry and Tugi Cavalry, but having fought Parthia for a hundred years, they absorbed the troop type Parthia was best at.

At its peak, Parthia possessed the best bow-making techniques of its time, having the most excellently equipped mounted archers and a formally established group of archers. However, these best combinations actually weren’t the strongest in battle.

At least in the century-long war with Rome, Parthia became more and more miserable. Initially, they could rely on mercenaries to achieve classic annihilations like the Battle of Carlyle, but the more it went on, the more they led themselves to ruin, said to be the small masters of self-destruction among empires.

A powerful Rome knew to absorb Parthia’s refined composite bow technology, copying Parthia’s mounted archer equipment. However, a hundred years went by, and Parthia failed more and more, neither filling the original disadvantages nor maintaining their advantages, which were absorbed by Rome.

If Parthia hadn’t died, it would be strange, especially since Romans also discovered that in Central Asia, having established groups of archers and mounted archers was very effective, so they also set up one after another.

The Romans were indeed adept at adapting to circumstances. They found that covering arrow rain didn’t actually need a high level of shooting skills, enough to kill Parthia’s mounted archers as light cavalry. To pursue speed, light cavalry had poor defense, so very laborious longbows were unnecessary.

Finally, the Roman quartermasters, adapting to circumstances, produced archers so excellent they could kill light cavalry effortlessly, and with such ease, shoot farther than a mounted archer’s range by a tenth with excellent short bows.

Because they were effortless, normal longbowmen fatigued after ten shots could easily shoot out a quiver of arrows, and covering arrow rain, with such out-of-era magnificent weapons, killed countless Parthia’s excellent light cavalry, while their poor military response couldn’t adjust over a hundred years.

Imagine, an elite group of five thousand archers shooting over two hundred thousand arrows in a tea’s worth of time, unless facing heavy infantry or heavy cavalry monsters, they’d surely face annihilation.

Especially on a certain day, the Roman Archers, in constantly pursuing firing speed, realized a certain elite ability before Roman infantry, namely, doubling the firing speed. Shooting ten waves in three breaths, a ruthless elite ability like a ten-burst took form, making Roman Archers truly Rome’s best choice for pressuring the lineup.

However, none of this was effective against the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, who dressed in light cavalry equipment but were undoubtedly heavy cavalry.

It was like shooting at a tank with a rapid-fire gun, totally ineffective. Three breaths to shoot ten waves of arrow rain was indeed remarkable, but without piercing the defense, what’s the use?

Naturally, the Romans, in their disbelief, collapsed utterly, and Li Jue and company conveniently picked up a big bargain when coming over to let Parthia see what the Celestial Army was about.

”Your Majesty!” Florett hastened to greet King Vologases V when he saw him in his king’s robe, holding a royal staff.

”Where did you borrow this reinforcement from?” Vologases V asked his officials as he looked at the fierce army stationed aside.

Though he knew these were reinforcements, still, in Vologases V’s impression, no country nearby could have such an elite, defeating Roman’s formally established archer units as if spanking a son, charging through arrows without seeing a fallen horse.

A dense overcast Cloud Qi and that murderous momentum marked them clearly as the ultimate guard army of Imperial Guard Rank. He couldn’t even conceive which country would send such elite troops for Parthia.

”Your Majesty, this is the Han Army. The Kushan refused to dispatch troops, so I learned from Wusun merchants that the Western Regions sent another Han Army to garrison, so I went to request aid, and the Han General Li said he’d help us,” Florett hastily reported.

”Whatever promises you made to them, don’t hold back, give them all,” Vologases V said without any hesitation, not even asking the Envoy what promises he made to Li Jue, ”Also ask if they will allow us to hire them.”

Money, Parthia didn’t lack; weapons, supplies Parthia didn’t lack either. With favorable weather, food was never an issue. What they lacked were fighting forces, and this elite force from the Han Empire made Vologases V finally understand that the Huns’ defeat was indeed justified.

The Hun mercenaries indeed pressed the Romans, and though it seemed the Huns didn’t go all out, even if they did, looking at the Han Army’s appearance, it felt like they were beating up children. The Romans’ excellent archers had no chance to fight back properly.

This combat power proved the Huns’ defeat was not undeserved, no wonder the Northern Huns, tyrannically ruling the Western Regions, dared not return east to their old homeland of the grasslands, not daring to go back, seeing such terrifying cavalry which could crush anyone with ten thousand troops.

The truth is, Vologases V thought too much. At its peak, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry never numbered ten thousand, and reaching the madness led by Li Jue’s group was even rarer.

”Thank you, Great Han Empire for the assistance.” The Parthian King personally went over and bowed to Li Jue in gratitude.

However, Li Jue and the others couldn’t understand the Parthian King’s words, nor could they recognize this middle-aged man in silk as the Parthian King.

”Your Majesty, they cannot understand our language.” Futlo quickly explained to the King upon seeing Li Jue and the others ignoring their own King.

”Envoy, we’ve settled matters for you, who is this guy?” Guo Si immediately spoke, seeing the Parthian Diplomat.

Futlo, who could be considered a language genius, hurriedly deduced the meaning and pointed at the Parthian King. Then, he took a few steps back, bowed to the King, and speaking in stiff Han language, said ”My Majesty!” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)