Chapter 117: War is not only fought with swords.

Chapter 117: War is not only fought with swords.

Chapter 117: War is not only fought with swords. >

Surenas drove his horse as fast as he could without resting.

He switched to another horse nearby when his horse got tired and shortened the time.

When Surenas arrived at Ctesiphon, he went straight to Orodos.

He demanded an explanation in a confident voice in front of all the nobles.

“Shahanshah clearly entrusted me with full authority in this war. Why did I receive such an order from you?”

Orodos sneered and asked back.

“Do you really not know and ask me? Are you thick-skinned or do you think I’m a fool?”

“I’ve heard the rumors that are spreading among the people. But they are all worthless nonsense. Why would I make a secret deal with Rome?”

“Then what is the reason for not fighting properly with the Romans? Did you get scared because they looked too strong? Is that what you call an excuse!”

Orodos shook the letter that Surenas had sent and yelled angrily.

“That’s why I can explain it to you fully. The reason why I made that choice is...”

Surenas pointed out the dangers he had felt one by one.

But Orodos and the other nobles still looked unhappy.

They understood that fighting against the Roman army could be dangerous.

But there was no such thing as a war that was not dangerous.

They were too proud of their cavalry to avoid combat based on intuition.

“Your words sound like well-crafted excuses. Yes, there may be some truth in what you say. If the Roman army was so thoroughly prepared, even if our army won, the loss would be severe.

Maybe we could even lose. But the genius strategist Surenas I know would have inflicted tremendous damage on the Roman army even if he lost. Then, no matter how strong the Roman army was, they could not continue their expedition.”

“That’s...”

“I can see your thoughts roughly. Even if you inflicted quite a lot of damage on the Romans and brought them to the negotiating table, you thought it would be meaningless if you lost. So you planned to end this war in a way that would maximize your reputation and power.”

In fact, Orodos was not sure that Surenas had made a secret deal with Rome.

He just thought that there was a possibility that Surenas had tried to use this opportunity to his advantage as much as possible, considering his ability.

Even if that was not the case, it did not matter.

If Surenas won against the Roman army, Orodos’s position would shrink in a matter of time.

If he lost the support of the nobles as well, maintaining the throne would be almost impossible.

Whether Surenas was a traitor or not, Orodos could not follow his plan.

It would have been different if strange rumors had not spread in the capital and major cities, but there was only one choice left since the nobles were already shaken.

“Wise Shahanshah! Please listen to my story...”

Orodos raised his hand and cut off Surenas’s words.

Then he looked around the audience with a seemingly solemn expression.

“I think I can no longer entrust the lives of our Parthian army to Surenas. I will strip him of his command and imprison him until all suspicions are cleared. Anyone who has any objections, speak up.”

There were no objections from the nobles who would have opposed him normally.

It seemed that there was no way out for Surenas.

He desperately sent a look of help to the nobles he was close with, but no one opened their mouths.

Rather, some of the nobles turned their heads away from Surenas’s gaze.

Those who envied Surenas’s reputation, including Mutares, expressed their agreement actively.

“It is a wise decision. I think it is impossible to entrust military authority to someone who is suspected. “

Surenas felt a serious sense of crisis at the situation that was turning around.

‘I don’t understand. How can things go like this.’

Everything was going against Surenas in an unnatural way.

He did not expect the situation to turn out like this even though he had planned a strategy that would sacrifice some of Parthia’s losses.

He thought there might be some dissatisfaction, but that was something he could compensate for after the war ended.

‘It’s because of those rumors. They shook the hearts of the nobles.’

No matter how hard he thought, he could not guess how those rumors had spread.

Did someone among the nobles set a trap to slander him?

Surenas stared at Mutares who was smiling bitterly.

But soon he concluded that it was unlikely.

The rumors in the capital accurately predicted what actions Surenas would take.

It seemed impossible for someone like Mutares to plan such a sophisticated slander based on such a precise prediction.

‘The only ones who would be happy if I fell from power are the Roman army. But even if it’s Rome...’

For a moment, the name of the young commander who was leading the Roman army crossed Surenas’s mind.

A remarkable person who rose to the core of Rome’s power at the age of not even thirty.

The Roman army he led showed an unusually calm attitude in this war.

Surenas had tried to lure him into a decisive battle, but he seemed to not care at all.

He could not have failed to see his intention, but why did he not show any sign of impatience?

He did not understand it at the time, but now he knew the reason.

He had prepared a backup plan in advance, so he could wait leisurely for the situation to reverse.

‘It’s a grave mistake to take your eyes off your allies behind you while focusing on the enemy.’

He had made the biggest mistake of assuming that the enemy was the same type of general as himself.

It was an army led by someone who had reached the peak of Rome’s power at the age of thirty.

Antonius spoke on behalf of everyone’s feelings with a trembling voice.

“Did you foresee everything from the beginning, sir?”

There was a moment of silence, and then Marcus’s mouth opened very slowly.

“Of course.”

“Wow!”

A voice of praise erupted from the gap between the commanders.

“You are amazing. You had perfectly controlled all possible scenarios even before the war started.”

“I can’t think of any other way to express it than to say that you have the wisdom of Minerva.”

“I think it’s appropriate to call you Imperator now. We are ashamed that we can’t follow your vision.”

Marcus’s face turned red with embarrassment at the excessive praise from the legionnaires.

He wondered if they were joking, but there was no lie in their expressions.

Marcus tried desperately to suppress his smugness and nodded solemnly.

“It was just a bit of luck. And we haven’t won the war yet, so it’s too early to toast. I’ll accept proper congratulations after the war is over.”

“That’s right. We haven’t even fought with their main force yet, but we were too relaxed.”

“Yes. Remember that arrogance and complacency are the shortcuts to defeat.”

“Yes!”

A spirited voice filled the barracks.

※※※※

The saying that arrogance and complacency are the shortcuts to defeat was one of the truths that applied regardless of time and place.

But the problem was that those who were truly arrogant did not realize that they were arrogant.

Mutares, who took over the command of the Parthian army, insisted loudly that they should fight with the Roman army as soon as possible.

“We have 13,000 archers and 4,000 heavy cavalry. It’s absurd to avoid fighting with such an overwhelming army. The Romans may have more numbers, but most of them are infantry. If we fight in a space where we can maximize our mobility, we can’t lose even if we want to.”

“But didn’t they say that the Romans were well prepared? Surenas had a point. If their weapons are superior to ours, we should be careful when we fight.”

“The lack of weapons cannot be an excuse for defeat! The inferiority of weapons can be compensated by spirit and mobility.”

Karen, who shared command with Mutares, felt a headache.

But surprisingly, this argument resonated with the soldiers.

It wasn’t because Mutares’s argument was really convincing.

It was because the soldiers’ blood had been suppressed to the point of explosion without having a proper fight.

“Mutares, can you be sure that Surenas’s concern is really a misunderstanding?”

“Of course. Surenas was grossly overestimating the enemy. Parthia is a horse-riding nation. It’s absurd not to fight in this vast terrain.”

Mutares took a breath and added passionately.

“The Roman army is weak. They will surely retreat. The fear of their new weapons is too much worry!”

The soldiers agreed with him as if they nodded their heads.

Karen couldn’t dissuade him any more since the soldiers’ morale was so high. Maybe he could win easily unexpectedly.

He hesitated for a while and sighed and nodded his head.

“When the Roman army crosses the plain...let’s gamble on it.”

“Wow!”

A cheer erupted as soon as he finished his sentence.

Some people stood up and clapped their fists.

“Let’s show them the power of our horse-riding nation. Once they taste this properly, they won’t dare to cross this land again.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Mutares’s words.

Karen also thought that he might be able to win easily since the soldiers’ morale was so high.

The Parthian army moved quickly. Since the entire army was composed of cavalry, they could move much faster than the Roman army.

Karen and Mutares stationed their 17,000 cavalry army on the flat plain of Mesopotamia and waited for the enemy to come.

The Roman army led by Marcus soon revealed themselves.

The splendid silk flags and the huge cavalry that seemed to exceed 15,000 of the Parthian army swaying in the distance were truly a spectacle.

If they only looked at the number of cavalry, the Roman army was much less than them, but Marcus secretly rejoiced.

The fact that the Parthian’s main force, the cavalry, was so large meant that their forces were concentrated on this battlefield.

If he defeated them here, he could occupy the region more easily than expected.

The time for the decisive battle came quickly.

The first to move was the Parthian army.

“Brave army of Shahanshah, let us show our strength. Annihilate the barbaric invaders in one breath!”

As soon as Mutares’s order fell, the Parthian cavalry began to charge.

“Wow! Kill the Romans!”

The sound of bloodthirsty shouts and horse hooves filled the plain.

While the heavy cavalry distracted them from the front, the archers spread out and took their positions.

The Parthian army moved in a textbook-like swarm tactic.

Marcus’s eyes flashed coldly as he watched their movement.

His sword, which he slowly drew out, pointed straight at the Parthian army.

“Army, trample down the enemy without a trace of mercy!”

< 117. War is not only done with swords. > The end