Mythical Three Kingdoms

Calculating victory or defeat beforehand is not just a Chinese habit; many excellent and experienced generals do it as well. Therefore, both Legion Leaders decided to establish a formal camp between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.

Although doing so might result in missing opportunities for decisive victory, unlike Gilea, who needs achievements to build his reputation, these two have long passed that age. They are very clear about their most important duties.

In fact, if they truly followed Gilea’s suggestion, a surprise attack might still be feasible.

Of course, that’s under normal circumstances, whereas this time, the situation is completely abnormal. Even if Gilea convinced everyone to march through Armenia, he would inevitably run into Vologases V, leading seven with Inner Qi Manifestation and eight elite legions.

The Romans are entirely unaware of how much the Parthians have wagered this time. While Vologases V has many flaws, he certainly lacks nothing in boldness. If Gilea marched through Armenia, neither side would quickly gain the upper hand.

With Vologases V’s determination, he would absolutely not allow these Romans to retreat, nor would he care about the Armenian King’s fate. He would tightly grip the Roman Legion, leaving them no chance to withdraw.

If such a situation arises, the Eastern Roman territories would likely fall significantly. The advancing Parthian Army would duplicate everything Rome once did in Taysi Sealed against Rome. At that extent, even if Gilea survives, he would still face the judgment of the Roman Parliament.

Thus, under the orders of Legion Leader Dirina of the Fifteenth Eagle Banner Legion, Legion Leader Benito of the Fourteenth Eagle Banner Legion, and Legion Leader Gilea of the Thirteenth Eagle Banner Legion, the legions stationed in Eastern Rome slowly advanced eastward, pushing their front line beyond the Two Rivers before Parthia’s arrival.

Currently, Rome has a total of twenty-four Eagle Banner Legions. After the complete destruction of the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth, they have yet to be rebuilt, and their banners were directly revoked.

Among these twenty-four legions, the combat power of the first three Eagle Banner Legions is extremely fierce, and even without their Eagle Banners, their combat power equals that of a Super Elite Legion. However, they have now been deployed by Severus, along with two Military Spirit Legions, to England to fight barbarians.

Not long ago, Rome was severely humiliated by Europe’s Three Great Barbarians. If not for the cautious Guard Officer, another Eagle Banner number might have been lost in that encounter. Thus, a desperate Severus dispatched the Military Spirit Legions and four Super Elite Legions.

Ordinarily, these three Eagle Banner Legions and the Military Spirit Legions are rarely mobilized, with standard operations usually undertaken by legions following the Fourth Eagle Banner, among which there are some particularly formidable ones.

The Fifth Eagle Banner Legion, whose combat power is on par with the first three legions; the Ninth Eagle Banner Legion, once commanded by the post-triumvirate Anthony; the Thirteenth Eagle Banner Legion, once commanded by Augustus; the Thirteenth Eagle Banner Legion, once commanded by Caesar.

These three legions are also exceptionally strong in combat, matching the combat power of the first three legions. They were all essentially born in the same era. After the restoration of Heaven and Earth Essence, these three legions almost simultaneously reached the level of Dual Talent Super Elite alongside the first three Eagle Banner Legions.

This is one of the key reasons why Gilea leads the Thirteenth Eagle Banner Legion. His family had produced Roman Emperors, and his ancestor Lucius Aurelius Cotta was Caesar’s grandfather. This legion is considered an important supporter of their lineage.

”Rome’s response is quite fast, even seizing the advantageous terrain before us,” Lyu Meng exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the map of Rome’s defensive areas.

”In this regard, there’s not much Parthia can do, since these places were originally occupied by Rome. We cannot act as freely as Rome,” Zhuge Liang sighed, acknowledging that the opposing side already held an advantage.

”Hey, how about we test them out?” Li Jue eagerly suggested, with both Guo Si and Fan Chou sharing his sentiment. It had been a long time since they last engaged in combat, and they felt an inexplicable urge to fight upon seeing the enemy.

”No, let’s not test them,” Zhuge Liang directly rejected Li Jue’s proposal. This was the judgment made by the collective decision of their group, minimizing the chance of error.

Since they’re probing with such a large scale, and the camp setup isn’t as cautious as expected, Zhuge Liang and others had basically determined that rather than probing, these guys were more inclined to engage in a battle to see if there were any advantages to gain.

Zhuge Liang and others have even sent envoys further west to check for a secondary Roman camp, as their assessment suggested that the Romans were only here to see if there was any opportunity for easy gains.

”So are we just going to stand here doing nothing? We came to witness the world, but standing here without taking any action doesn’t seem right,” Li Jue said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

”We will definitely take action, but we need to observe the situation. Besides, the Parthians won’t let us act first,” Zhuge Liang replied with a smile. ”They won’t allow us to intervene in the first battle, as they are the main force, and we are the Allied Army, so we can’t move first.”

Li Jue looked disappointed and helpless. He was indeed itching for a fight, and to be precise, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry relies heavily on combat to maintain its strength, as a significant part of their training can only be conducted on the battlefield.

”We should assist the Parthians in readying the array, to avoid any Roman trickery,” Zhuge Liang suggested with a smile. ”From what I know recently, in the past hundred years of warfare between Rome and Parthia, there’s no record of Parthia winning a direct confrontation with Rome.”

”Though it’s largely due to factors beyond just strategies and leadership, rigid and doctrinaire combat methods also contributed. The Parthians have now altered their combat style, but it may take a while to fully adapt,” Zhuge Liang explained to Li Jue, confident that he would understand.

”In other words, if Parthia can’t defeat Rome, we help them withstand, but if they can, then that’s a different story,” Li Jue retorted with dissatisfaction.

”Yes, that’s about the situation,” Zhuge Liang nodded. In fact, after meeting the Parthian generals, Zhuge Liang felt more at ease. Although the Parthian generals were somewhat arrogant, their capabilities were reliable.

Indeed, this route to attack Mesopotamia involves thirteen with Inner Qi Manifestation, nine elite legions, along with well-trained soldiers ready for battle, abundant resources, and high morale. The old general of Sassanid Fars, seemingly haughty but tactically cautious, left Zhuge Liang no reason to doubt Parthian victory.

Indeed, Zhuge Liang’s assessment was accurate. The haughty demeanor of the old general of Sassanid Fars was a strategical move to bolster the confidence of Parthian soldiers, while his cautious march and dispatch aimed at finding the right battle opportunity. He was indeed a formidable veteran general.

By the way, this veteran general’s grandson, Ardashir, was the general who destroyed Kushan and established the Sasanian Persian Dynasty. Notably, the dynasty was named Sasanian in honor of this veteran general presently before them.

This general, promoted by Vologases V to the position of Commander-in-chief, paved the way to their family’s glory. His son and grandson’s efforts led their lineage to flourish, eventually possessing strength comparable to Rome, allowing them to overthrow Kushan.

Most importantly, their family absorbed Parthian resources earlier than Rome, suffering minimal losses, and established the Sasanian Persian Dynasty amidst the collapsed Parthian lands.

Although by then Kushan had completely fragmented, the cause of the division was due to an earlier Central Asian figure who forcibly split off the Western Kushan Dynasty with Khorasan and Khwarezm. However, it didn’t take long for them to be annihilated, ultimately forcing the Kushan King to send an envoy to Parthia to surrender.