Chapter 3542
Seeing the big picture from small details, using the result as bait
...
The importance of this war was already known to everyone before it even began. It was not only about ending past national and personal grievances, but also about substantial benefits, silk from afar, and eternal glory.
Therefore, upon realizing that the army was collapsing due to his mistakes, Iachino disregarded the potential consequences and led his army and his loyal followers to the front lines.
Even though the Roman city-state leaders had not yet arrived, and even though the barbarian experts had not yet arrived, and even though he was facing the risk of dying in a two-on-one battle, Achino did not care.
On the battlefield, it's either the enemy who dies or we who perish.
When you kill the enemy, you must also be prepared to be killed by the enemy, even if you are a commander of the Eagle Banner Regiment!
Therefore, faced with the relentless pressure from Datis and Orvord, Achino chose to go against the tide, not for any other reason than to ensure that the defensive line would not be pushed back. He even tried to launch a counterattack by relying on the talent effects of the Sixth Legion soldiers, attempting to push the war front back.
With the determination to die for their cause and the courage to fight, the soldiers in Achino, having unleashed their full courage, were inspired to launch a counterattack with all their might.
However, it wasn't just Achino, who held a belief in glory, who was determined to die; Orwald and Datis, driven by hatred for their country, national righteousness, and personal grievances, were equally determined to die.
As a result, both sides shared the same idea and attacked with all their might. Since both sides were naturally inclined to be aggressive, the number of casualties on both sides rose at an extremely rapid pace.
However, both Achino and the Parthians ignored the casualties among the soldiers and continued to launch an attack with all their might.
This high-intensity offensive is not only a test of the soldiers' morale, but also a test of their resilience. If a single legion cannot accept high casualties, then the legion will easily collapse.
In terms of the ability to withstand casualties, no matter how hard Achino tried, his Roman citizen legions and the Roman barbarian legions that assisted him were still somewhat lacking in willpower compared to the Parthians who were struggling to survive.
The predicament faced by the left-wing army quickly came into Perennis's view. Looking at the performance of his own left-wing troops, he couldn't help but frown.
Theoretically speaking, the Sixth Legion, Azino, which has an advantage in talent, is facing a situation that is hard to be reassured about.
In contrast, the army attacking from the right flank, led by Marche of the Twelfth Legion, seemed to handle the Parthian army's attack with relative ease.
Even though the Twelfth Legion's own role was not suited for this type of combat, it is undeniable that Marche, with his extremely skilled combat experience, demonstrated a war response approach and offensive rhythm that surpassed Achino in every aspect.
Realizing that the enemy was numerous and possessed a fighting spirit and a willingness to risk their lives, Marche abandoned the option of quickly exchanging pieces, even though the Twelfth Legion was very suitable for this direction. Marche did not hesitate to give up.
While the Twelfth Legion, once its talents are activated and it enters a burst state, can easily wipe out any Parthian soldier who dares to face it, once the burst state is over, the combat power that the entire Twelfth Legion can unleash is essentially rendered useless.
Just considering the distance that could be breached in a burst of speed, and the potential negative consequences of getting lost and trapped in enemy lines, Marche would never do something so foolish. His strategic objective, on the grand scale of the battlefield, is to delay the enemy, allowing reinforcements to arrive and providing an opportunity to annihilate them, not to force a trade of blows against them given his current limited capabilities.
With this understanding of capability, Marque demonstrated exceptional resilience and battlefield judgment when commanding the Twelfth Legion, a force with formidable offensive and explosive capabilities.
The legions led by Atabaros and Male are formidable in terms of individual combat skills and military talent, and their overall capabilities are even more explosive with the enhancement of the Heart Abyss effect.
Legion soldiers not only possess decent offensive capabilities but also considerable defensive abilities, making them versatile in close-quarters combat.
However, having too much comprehensive strength is sometimes not a good thing.
At least against Marche, who chose to defend, they failed to find the weakness they wanted, nor did they create an opening that could completely penetrate the Roman right wing army. Their only result was a slowly advancing battle line after continuous attacks.
However, even this seemingly advancing front was actually an effect deliberately created by Marche.
Only by making the enemy see the results, the progress, and the feedback can we make them more frantic and more desperate.
If we were just a little more ruthless and aggressive, the advance of the front line could be even faster. So, with a little more effort and a little more ruthlessness, wouldn't the situation be completely different? Wouldn't the enemy's defenses be breached?
Once such an idea takes hold, it becomes impossible to resist, especially for a group of Parthians who need to break through and shatter Roman defenses; it is an irresistible temptation.
If the enemy were weak, Marche would never have chosen to do this, because it would be very unrealistic. Any mature and steady commander would have realized that something was wrong.
Given that the enemy's strength is quite good, even formidable, choosing to do this is perfectly reasonable.
After all, with such great strength and overwhelming output, and the enemy having no defensive talents, isn't it normal to push forward the battle line?
But it is precisely this normal way of thinking that makes Marche the target and object of his schemes.
Parthia's army chose to attack the flank, attempting to force a breach in the Roman army's defensive line and thus gain a breakthrough direction, which was a goal that Parthia was bound to achieve.
Based on this objective, if we calculate in the opposite direction, it is easy to succeed in the calculation.
For a normal person, given the choice between a breach that seems easy to break with just a little more effort and a breach that appears to be well-formed and requires additional troops to open, is there really a need to choose which one to attack?
So Marche threw out the bait, and Atabaros and Malé caught it without hesitation. (End of Chapter)