Chapter 1150: Adapting to Local Conditions

Li Jue was helpless; he knew that the two men had understood. The opposing force was an elite army, but they were completely countered by his own troops. The Xiliang Cavalry was a high-defense unit, and now, their defense had become impenetrable. The Roman archers, with their high firing speed and extended range, were no match for the Xiliang Cavalry, who utterly countered them.

If the Roman archers had enhanced their attack power, they might have been more effective. But with their focus on firing speed, they were nothing more than easy targets for the Xiliang Cavalry, who, even without wearing heavy armor, were effectively heavy cavalry. The Roman archers were even easier to defeat than infantry, who at least carried swords.

"It's only because they're facing us. Any other army would have been wiped out by now," Li Jue said, somewhat speechless, looking at his two comrades.

The Roman archers had fired ten volleys of arrows during the charge. Any regular army would have been obliterated, but for the Xiliang Cavalry, it was no different from light rain. After all, for the Xiliang Cavalry, if an attack didn't reach a certain level of power, it was completely nullified.

"We're the strongest cavalry in the world. This is the weakest elite army I've ever fought," Guo Si laughed heartily. He hadn't expected that the first elite unit they encountered outside the Han Empire's influence would be so completely countered by their own cavalry. They had never faced an elite unit so vulnerable to the Xiliang Cavalry back in the Central Plains.

To be fair, the Roman archers were unlucky. Their archery skills were only mediocre; their strength lay in their infantry and cavalry. After a century of fighting with the Parthians, they had absorbed the tactics of Parthia's best combat units.

At its peak, Parthia had the best archery techniques of its era, with highly skilled mounted archers and well-equipped archery units. But somehow, despite these formidable forces, they had never been able to achieve consistent victories.

During their century-long war with Rome, Parthia gradually weakened. They started strong, managing to win decisive victories like the Battle of Carrhae using mercenaries, but over time, their poor strategic decisions led to more defeats, making them infamous for their missteps.

Rome, on the other hand, learned from Parthia's strengths, adopting the superior composite bow technology and equipping their cavalry with it. Parthia, meanwhile, failed to adapt, losing their early advantages, and ultimately, even their strengths were absorbed by Rome.

Given all this, it was no surprise that Parthia's decline seemed inevitable. Rome had also discovered that massed archers, even without exceptional skill, could be highly effective. They didn't need longbows to pierce through the lightly armored Parthian cavalry; regular short bows with longer range sufficed.

As a result, the Roman military, adapting to local conditions, developed archers equipped with efficient short bows. These short bows were light and easy to use, allowing archers to fire multiple volleys quickly. They could shoot far enough to kill Parthian light cavalry, who, in their pursuit of speed, had sacrificed defense. Longbows, which required more effort, were unnecessary.

Thus, Roman quartermasters equipped their soldiers with short bows, which were more suited to the needs of the battlefield. Their rapid firing rate allowed for continuous volleys of arrows, devastating Parthian light cavalry. Parthia’s slow adaptation over a century led to repeated losses.

Imagine an elite force of 5,000 archers firing over 200,000 arrows in just a short period. Unless the enemy was heavily armored infantry or cavalry, they would be completely wiped out.

At one point, Roman archers, in their pursuit of firing speed, even unlocked an elite ability: their firing speed doubled, allowing them to shoot ten volleys in the span of three breaths. This deadly rapid-fire capability made Roman archers the backbone of their military formations.

However, all of this was useless against the Xiliang Cavalry, who, despite their light cavalry equipment, were essentially heavy cavalry.

It was like trying to shoot a tank with a machine gun—it was completely ineffective. Shooting ten volleys in three breaths was impressive, but if it couldn’t penetrate the defense, what was the point?

Naturally, the Roman soldiers were utterly demoralized, and their formation collapsed. Li Jue and his men took advantage of this, showing Parthia what a true elite force looked like.

"Your Majesty!" Fronto hurried to meet Vologases V, who was wearing his royal robes and holding his scepter.

"Where did you find these reinforcements?" Vologases V asked his minister, eyeing the fierce army that had come to their aid.

Although he knew they were allies, Vologases V couldn't imagine any nation nearby possessing such an elite force. These soldiers had crushed Rome’s archer battalions, plowing through their volleys of arrows without even flinching.

The oppressive dark clouds of qi and the murderous aura clearly marked them as an elite guard unit of the highest order. He couldn’t fathom which country would send such formidable troops to aid Parthia.

"Your Majesty, these are Han troops. When the Kushan Empire refused to send reinforcements, I heard from Wusun merchants that another Han army had been stationed in the Western Regions. So, I went to seek their aid, and General Li agreed to help us," Fronto hurriedly explained.

"Whatever you promised them, give it all to them. Leave nothing out," Vologases V ordered without hesitation. He didn’t even ask what the envoy had promised Li Jue. "And ask them if they’re willing to accept further employment."

Parthia had plenty of money. They also had ample weapons and supplies. With their lands flourishing, they never faced food shortages. What they lacked were capable fighters, and this elite Han army made Vologases V realize that the Xiongnu’s defeat wasn’t surprising at all.

The Xiongnu mercenaries had indeed held the upper hand against the Romans in their previous battles, even though it was clear they hadn't been fighting at full strength. But even if they had, comparing them to the Han army that had just arrived was like night and day. The Roman archers, once considered elite, stood no chance.

With such a display of power, it was no wonder that the Northern Xiongnu, who had been tyrants in the Western Regions, never dared return eastward to their old grasslands. They were clearly too afraid to face such a terrifying cavalry force, one that could obliterate entire armies with ease.

Of course, Vologases V was overestimating the situation. The Xiliang Cavalry had never numbered more than 100,000 at their peak, and the number of men who could match the ferocity of Li Jue’s current force was even smaller.

"Thank you to the Han Empire for your assistance," the Parthian king personally approached Li Jue to bow and express his gratitude.

However, Li Jue and his men couldn’t understand a word the king said, nor did they recognize that the middle-aged man in silk robes was the Parthian king.

"Your Majesty, they don’t understand our language," Fronto quickly explained to the king when he saw Li Jue and his men completely ignoring him.

"Envoy, we’ve settled things for you. Who is this guy?" Guo Si asked when he saw the Parthian envoy approach.

Fronto, who had proven to be something of a linguistic prodigy, had managed to decipher enough of their speech to understand the question. He pointed at the Parthian king, then stepped back and respectfully bowed, awkwardly speaking in stiff Han language, "My lord, this is my king!"

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