Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

The earth embankments built by the Romans were not structurally made of piles of earth.

They used logs or wooden strips to build a platform, then laid a layer of soil on top of the platform, and then placed a layer of wood on top of the soil. This was repeated until the earth embankment reached the appropriate height.

Apparently the Parphis used something very flammable in the tunnel. Just as the Roman soldiers were shocked by the sudden loud noise and collapse, thick smoke rose from the tunnel and the fire quickly spread to the wood. , it got out of hand in just a few minutes.

Seeing that the earth embankment that had been built with countless blood and sweat over the past three weeks and even the lives of many comrades collapsed, the morale of the soldiers reached its lowest point.

This was a well-planned operation. The Roman soldiers were still stunned on the spot, but a large number of soldiers poured out from the city gate, shouting and rushing towards the dilapidated Roman position.

Most of the centurions reacted and called their men to form a defense, but many soldiers were frightened and ran away in a hurry.

The surrounding terrain was leveled by the Romans themselves, making it quite open and suitable for a large number of troops to deploy. The centurions also knew that they could not stay in this position for long, but the target of the rebels was not their soldiers at all, but the battering rams next to the embankment. They held torches high in their hands, trying to light these extremely threatening instruments.

It was impossible for the Romans to let them get what they wanted, so they could only stand where they were, surrounding the siege ram and resisting the enemy.

The siege army has been rotating attacks recently. Reserves and guards have been organized to prepare for the rescue of the battering ram. The scorpion crossbows installed on the second city wall have also begun to fire, but it is a drop in the bucket. More troops have to be assembled from the camp. Transfer over.

After a while, the troops on the position were really difficult to maintain. There was no choice but to order the withdrawal of the troops. A group of people fought and retreated in front of the enemy, preparing to return to the city wall to guard the second city wall.

No matter how many of the Parphi troops were already on the attack, they started to bite the Roman army again after completely igniting the battering ram.

Seeing that the army was at risk of collapse, Tiya personally led the army to the side of the battlefield.

"The cavalry follows its captain and attacks the flanks in charging formation, quick!!"

The addition of Tiya brought the battle balance to a balance, but the defenders in the city still showed surprising courage. They did not collapse due to the arrival of the cavalry. Instead, they became more and more courageous as they fought. The two lines were close to the enemy. Fight.

They know that their chances are dwindling and this may be their last chance.

After the initial chaos, the soldiers soon discovered that their legion commanders were fighting on the front line, which greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers. Even the defeated soldiers spontaneously returned to the battlefield and picked up shields and daggers. Join the seemingly shaky formation and fight alongside your comrades.

Tia likes to charge into battle personally, which has many disadvantages, but it is very effective in boosting morale.

The two sides remained in a stalemate for a long time, and finally the main forces of other legions gradually rushed to the battlefield, and the balance of the war tilted again.

Cold weapon warfare attaches great importance to morale. The forces of both sides have waxed and waned twice. Now the Parfis are gradually losing their numerical advantage. After the opponent's main force arrives, the Parfis have to start retreating.

——

The atmosphere in the camp was heavy and everyone felt depressed.

Tiya casually dropped the blunt sword on the ground, and the clanging sound was like a hammer hitting everyone's heart.

"Who will analyze our losses?"

Antonis, the most senior governor of Egypt, spoke: "Two battering rams were burned, and the earth embankment on one side was completely burned and needs to be rebuilt. It is roughly estimated that it will take more than ten days. In addition, the number of casualties among soldiers is..."

Lin Linzongzong talked for a while, and Tiya's face became more and more gloomy.

After Antonis' report was over, Tiya asked everyone: "We are the only professional army in the Mediterranean, and we have always been deeply proud of being the best soldiers. Now you are defeated by a group of bandits, if I hadn't been in time If I don't arrive in time, the battle line may collapse. How many times has this happened? As a soldier, you turn around and run away. Your men are either the elite of each province, or they are battle-hardened. Why does this happen to the border troops again and again?

You may be far superior to your opponents in training, but your courage is not even comparable to those in the city. They dare to go out of the city to face the intensive shooting of scorpion crossbows and trebuchets without enough food and weapons! Is our nation not as good as theirs? Is our training not as hard as theirs? They are determined to face death. I don't ask everyone to have this determination. I only ask that everyone under your command can obey the command.

After I return, I will find all the deserters and deal with them according to military law. "

She ordered her subordinates a little tiredly. Normally Tiya would have been furious, but today she really didn't have the energy to get angry again.

After the others responded a few times, they quickly exited the camp. For fear of offending the commander-in-chief, Orville pulled up a chair and sat three or four meters away from her.

"What do you want to do next?"

Tiya rolled her eyes, picked up the kettle and started pouring water. She had been injured for most of the day and had not even taken a sip of water. Her mouth was dry and her voice was hoarse when she just spoke.

After she finished drinking, she wiped her mouth and replied to Orville: "What else can we do? Rebuild the earthen embankment, rebuild the battering ram, and start all over again."

"This will take another three weeks."

"There is no way. It was unexpected. I didn't expect them to build a tunnel."

"This may not be done by them. Guess what I found in the tunnel they dug?"

"Don't keep me in suspense. If you have something to say, just say it." Tia was impatient.

"Okay," Orville shrugged, "I found asphalt and resin. These things may not be hoarded by the locals in advance. Especially recently, I found that there seem to be more and more Persian weapons seized on the battlefield."

Tia was not stupid either. She understood it at the time: "Are the Parthians involved?"

"We don't usually need to buy weapons. Even if we do, we buy weapons produced in Egypt and Syria. Parthian goods are very rare. Occasionally, it's acceptable, but this number is too much, too much to be normal."

"I understand. Do you think they will launch an attack? Now is a good time. We are already very tired."

"No," Orville said firmly, "When the border defense was the most empty, the Parthians did not dare to take advantage of it. Now it is even more impossible. The Syrian Governor Mucinus helps us keep an eye on the border. Although he has only three legions, the Parthians may not win even if they send out 50,000 or more people. Father Wei can stabilize the situation. They dare not risk a full-scale war to help the Parfi people fight."