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Volume 2: Set Sail Chapter 178: Failure on the verge of success

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    Chapter 178 Failure

    Aldashir is a little nervous, but more excited. So far, the other party's reaction has been in his calculations. Although Awad has not sent back any news, the Romans have almost moved in full force and almost stayed.  Let him hit the next empty camp with one blow. Now the plan to attack the Han army's camp from front to back has been realized as scheduled. Even if he cannot break through the Han army's camp and kill its general, it can be regarded as more than half of the success.

    The rest depends on whether we can achieve a satisfactory victory in this tough battle and burn down the oil tanks of the Han army.

    Ardashir stared intently at the fierce battle of the Han army camp, and instinctively clenched his fists. Over the years, except for the decisive battle with the Parthian King Artabanus V in Hormizdagan, he had  I've never been so nervous.  That time, he destroyed Artabanus V's army in one go, and killed Artabanus V on the battlefield, officially announcing the end of the Parthian Empire's 400-year-old foundation and the rise of Sasanian Persia.

    Today, can he defeat a powerful enemy again and push Sasanian Persia to a new peak?

    Everything depends on the outcome of today¡¯s battle.

    The Han army's camp is divided into five parts. In the front is the camp of Shu army guard Li Yan, behind is the camp of Yue Navy right general Chen Hai, and on the left is the camp of Hanting cavalry general Cao Zhang and Wei general Cao Zhi.  The main camp, on the right is the main camp of the Sheba Bedouins, northern barbarians and Tianzhu mercenaries led by Xia Hourong. The central army is the headquarters of the Crown Prince Sun Feng, led by the Yue General Lu Xun and the Red Sea Commander Zhuge Zhi.  It was composed of a large army, and a guard battalion composed of Teutons was also among them.  Now Chen Hai from the rear camp was fighting fiercely with the Sasanians who had captured the Roman camp, and Li Yan from the front camp was also ready.

    The Sassanids who rushed out of the city gate saw countless torches lit up in the Han army camp. They knew that the opponent was already prepared and did not leave them a chance to sneak attack. However, they ignored it and ran wildly under the cover of night, holding up their  With the shield and the sword in his hand, he went straight to the Han army camp.  Although torches were lit at the top of the city and in the camp, the stretch of road in the middle was still shadowy. The Sasanians fell to the ground from time to time, but they didn't care about it at all. The soldiers didn't even look at the fallen Paoze.  , approaching the Han army camp as quickly as possible.

    Getting closer and closer to the camp, and they could gradually see the road in front of them clearly. The Sasanians roared in unison, raised their swords high, and rushed forward in a loose formation.

    Zongyu stood in the military formation, looking at the shadowy Sassanid people outside the camp who had entered the shooting range, and suddenly shouted: "Launch!"

    "Fire!" "Fire!" shouted several times from near to far. The gunners who had been prepared raised their wooden hammers high and struck hard.  With a loud "clang" sound, the heavy counterweight sank suddenly, and the long connecting rod of the ballista began to slide rapidly, throwing the oil tank in the basket into the sky.

    "Whoosh¡ª¡ª" "Whoosh¡ª¡ª" There were more than ten sounds in succession, and the first batch of oil tanks flew through the air, flying over a distance of three to four hundred steps, and directly smashed into the Sassanid formation. Several Sasanian people  When he was hit, he didn't even grunt, he was knocked upside down and fell to the ground with a "bang".

    "Keep moving forward¡ª¡ª" a captain shouted sharply.  He participated in today's daytime battle and knew how powerful these oil tanks were. Although their current formation was relatively loose, if they could not quickly pass through this area and engage the Han people in close combat, it would be a disaster to greet them.

    Sure enough, while the oil tanks were flying and cracking among the Sassanid people one after another, and the grease inside flowed freely, rockets flew up from the Han army camp, with an ominous roar, and headed towards the rushing people.  Sasanians.  The Sasanians did not dare to neglect, and they quickly raised their shields. On the one hand, they were to prevent being hit by arrows. On the other hand, they would rather be hit by rockets than let the rockets ignite the grease on the ground, otherwise they would die.  It would be worse to be shot to death.  They held their breath and ran while staring at the rockets flying in the sky. Once they found a rocket falling near them, they rushed to put it out and try to delay the fire.

    However, as more and more oil tanks and rockets became available, the fire burned uncontrollably and spread rapidly.  Seeing this scene, the Sasanians did not dare to neglect, and used all their strength to move towards the camp as quickly as possible.  They rushed over and quickly gathered a lot of people in front of the camp gate. They quickly organized and attacked the camp gate.

    Li Yan's face was sullen, and his serious face was illuminated by the sparks in front of him, making him look even more gloomy. With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth on the general's platform in the camp, looking coldly at Sasan who was attacking frantically in front of the camp gate.  People, there is a trace of confusion in their hearts.  It stands to reason that Ardashir mobilized the Romans by attacking in the east and attacked in the west, and then captured the Roman camp with superior force. He had already gained a great advantage. Why did he not give up before the good was done? Instead, he attacked from the front two  Attack the Han army camp from all directions.  Han Army GrandThere are nearly 60,000 people, and the five battalions cooperate with each other. Even if the Sasanians are dispatched in full and bring siege equipment, they may not be able to take advantage. What's more, they attack suddenly now and do not bring any large equipment.  , are they going to conquer the camp by force of flesh and blood?

    " Using one's own shortcomings to attack others' strong points is not what a wise man does. Could it be that Ardashir was so stimulated by the heavy defeat during the day that he became dizzy?

    "Hit me hard." Li Yan shouted coldly, waved his hand, and said to Ma Zhong.  Ma Zhong nodded, waved the command flag, and conveyed Li Yan's order to Zong Yu in the formation.  In fact, he didn't need to say anything, and Zong Yu didn't hold back. When the Sasanians attacked the Roman camp, Li Yan ordered preparations. They pushed the repeating crossbows to the camp fence and set up the crossbows.  , arrows and oil cans were shot together, mercilessly ravaging the Sasanians in front of the camp.  The oil tanks were smashed one after another, and were ignited by rockets one after another, igniting a raging fire, which illuminated the front of the camp as bright as day. The fierce figures of the Sasanians were unable to hide under the light of the fire, and became  The best target for the crossbowmen. Following the bursts of heart-wrenching sound of machine springs, a hail of arrows shot out, mowing down row after row of Sassanids like grass.  Shot to the ground.

    Li Yan is very strict in managing the army. Even when he is not paying accounts, his men never stop practicing, and their physical fitness and skills have always been maintained in a very good state.  Although they had a fierce battle during the day, in general, their morale was still very good. Now that their offense and defense have fallen apart, the Sasanians took the initiative to attack. It was they who had demonstrated their siege capabilities and showed off their strength.  When looking at their defensive ability, with the tall fence as a support, they played methodically and orderly.

    The Sasanians did not have large-scale equipment. Facing the Han people who were armed to the teeth, they could only advance with bloody courage and swords and bucklers in their hands, trying to break through the camp gate and pour into the camp to fight with the Han army.  They huddled together and formed a circle with wooden shields to resist the sharp arrows of the Han people. They rushed to the camp gate, slashed with knives, kicked with their feet, and hit with their bodies. They banged the camp gate with a roar, and the inner circle  The taxi soldiers used bows and arrows for cover.  The Han soldiers blocked the attack from inside the camp and on the tower. Less than ten steps away, arrows from both sides flew at each other and they killed each other.

    After paying the lives of dozens of people, the Sasanians finally cut open the camp door. They shouted excitedly and poured in.

    "Squeeze them out!" Li Yan saw the situation at the camp gate, but was not worried. He ordered and turned his attention to Taixi Fengcheng in the distance.  Although he could not see Ardashir at the top of Ctesiphon, he saw the fire on the tower and estimated that Ardashir should be standing at the top of the city.  He glanced at the Sasanians in front of the camp, estimated the numbers, and felt even more suspicious. There were only ten thousand people here at most. Do you think Ardashir thought that just these ten thousand people could break through my camp?  Or did he leave the most elite infantry at the end to deliver the fatal blow?

    The Sasanians who rushed into the camp had not had time to rejoice for a long time when they were horrified to find that they were greeted by more than a dozen ballistae in a semicircle, but instead of ballistae firing oil cans or masonry, they were equipped with a row of ballistae.  The rowing crossbows and murderous arrows glowed coldly under the light of the torches.

    "Kill!" The Sassanids had no way to retreat, so they had to hold their bucklers in front of them to protect their vital points, while fighting for their lives and charging forward.

    "Shoot!" Zong Yu gave the order coldly.

    "Buzz¡ª¡ª" A canopy of arrows flew out almost at the same time, reaching a distance of less than ten steps in an instant. The powerful rain of arrows penetrated the Sassanid leather shields, and carried the Sassanid who was rushing forward with them.  The shield shot over and fell on his back.

    Seven or eight Sasanians fell at once.

    More than a dozen crossbows fired nearly a thousand arrows almost instantly, knocking down most of the Sasanians who rushed into the camp. They were like a thick bamboo shoot that had been stripped of its thick bamboo coat.  Only the tender core of the bamboo shoots remains.  The Sasanians were confused and stood at the gate of the camp not knowing whether to advance or retreat.  Zong Yu didn't hesitate at all. With a wave of his hand, the spearmen and shield-hands cooperated with each other. They swarmed up and slashed with swords and spears. They killed all the remaining dozens of Sasanians and closed the camp again.  Door.

    At the entrance of the camp, blood flowed into a river. The Sassanids who were seriously injured but not dead fell in the pool of blood, wailing miserably.  The Han soldiers turned a deaf ear and stepped forward and cut off their heads one by one with a knife. Then they threw the headless corpses from the camp fence and threw them into the Sasanian crowd.

    The front camp and the rear camp were fighting fiercely. The left camp, right camp and middle camp also lit torches. The soldiers lined up in the camp and were ready to attack.  Accompanied by Lu Xun, Sun Feng climbed to the highest command platform in the camp. He used his clairvoyance to check the battles in the front and rear camps, and then looked at the city of Ctesiphon. After a long time, he put down his clairvoyance.  He sighed with emotion: "The Greek philosopher was right. If a god wants to destroy it, he must first make it crazy. I think Ardashir is really crazy, desperate to fight for his life."

      "If he doesn't fight for his life, he won't have much chance." Lu Xun also put down his clairvoyance and turned to look at Sun Feng: "Prince, I think he seems to have other sources of support. The front camp has ten thousand people, but the rear camp has 10,000 people.  It seems like there are a lot of people, but I'm afraid there is a lot of bluffing, and the maximum number is only ten thousand people. He used twenty thousand people to attack our camp, which is beyond the comparison of madness."

    "What other plans does uncle think he has?" Sun Feng asked with a smile.

    "Tonight, he first attacked Little Gordian's camp, luring the Romans to risk rescue, and then sacked the Roman camp. Now he is taking it one step further and attacking our Han camp from both sides. I'm afraid it's just a lie.  He has other evil intentions." Lu Xun pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said: "Prince, send someone to the supply camp immediately. I think his purpose should still be the supply camp. There are not only our grain and grass, but also oil tanks. That is as long as  A few people and a fire can pretty much destroy it."

    Sun Feng nodded, "This is indeed possible. However, I have already sent Nicholas and the others there. As long as the Sasanian camp does not attack, just a few small steps will not have any effect. Yang Dezu has always been shrewd, I'm sorry.  He will leave no chance to the Sasanians."

    Lu Xun smiled slightly: "Since the prince has already made arrangements, I think Aldashir's chances are really limited."

    In the transport camp, Yang Xiu was leaning comfortably on a high-backed chair, reading by an oil lamp. There were several dishes of side dishes on the table next to him, and a pot of wine was exuding an alluring aroma.  He praised him from time to time, then picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the wine. Nicholas, who had just been ordered to arrive, quickly poured the wine for him respectfully, with the admiration in his eyes clearly revealed.

    When Nicholas rushed into the baggage camp, ten Sasanian craftsmen had been tied up by Yang Xiu'an. The baggage camp was quiet, and there was no sign of panic. Yang Xiu'an drank wine calmly and watched.  Book, as if nothing happened outside.  He looked at them for a long time, but he couldn't see any flaws in those Sassanian masterpieces. Yang Xiu said, you can tell by pulling open their chests and taking a look. As a result, as soon as Nikolai pulled open those exquisite clothes, he saw exactly the same thing.  flame pattern.

    Nikolai knew these flame patterns. They once captured a master, but they couldn't find out the result after exhausting torture. They only found this kind of flame pattern on his body. Later, they heard that this kind of flame pattern was Sassanid.  The temple's unique tattoos are made by the most loyal Sassanid nobles. Three years of such fine work is more meritorious than three years of fighting in the army.  These people have all sworn in front of Ahura that they will never betray Sassanid. Of course, they dare not. Once it is found out, not only will their lives be in danger, but their families will also be implicated. The price is too high.  .

    He didn¡¯t expect that Aldashir would send ten such craftsmen to sneak into the supply camp at once. What he didn¡¯t expect even more was that none of these ten craftsmen would be caught by Yang Xiu.  He had been to the baggage camp several times, and he had met the ten people in the camp several times. The first ones should have entered the camp before Damascus, but he had never found anything wrong with these people.  In his opinion, these Sasanian craftsmen looked similar to Syrians and Armenians, they were both humble and hard-working.

    "My lord, how did you find out?" Nicholas asked humbly with a smile on his face.

    "If the heart is not right, the spirit is not right." Yang Xiu stretched out two fingers with some arrogance and pointed at his eyes: "Their flaws are all in Ah Jian."

    Nicholas is the most diligent among the Thirteen Knights, and he studies Chinese diligently. Yang Xiu¡¯s common sayings didn¡¯t stop him. He blinked and quickly understood what Yang Xiu meant.

    "Could it be that the king named you the head of the Thirteen Knights? You are indeed a child to teach." Yang Xiu laughed, glanced at the Teutonic warriors following Nicholas, waved his hand and said: "Please repay the prince, just say  The baggage camp is safe and sound. You'd better take these fine works and leave quickly, I'm worried that the anger of you Teutons will ignite the oil tanks here."

    Nicholas laughed, no longer delayed, and asked people to drag these ten craftsmen out of the supply camp and rush to report to Sun Feng.

    Sun Feng and Lu Xun looked at these ten frustrated people and smiled at each other.  Sun Feng twirled his fingers and said hesitantly: "Uncle, do you want to"

    "I think it's better to wait." Lu Xun looked at the city, "There is a long way to go, and the opportunity now is not the best."

    Sun Feng thought for a moment: "Well, just listen to my uncle."

    Aldashir stood at the top of the city, becoming more and more nervous as he watched, his heart sinking uncontrollably. The two-way flanking attack tactic had been implemented, but the victory he was most looking forward to never came. Seeing the attack on the front camp  The soldiers could no longer hold on any longer. If they continued to fight, they might all fall under the arrow array of the Han people. If they didn't withdraw, they would have no chance.  He looked at the sky. The east had already turned white, the night was about to pass, and the dawn was coming.?A ray of sunshine will shine on the earth.  Once the Han people find that there are only 20,000 people outside the camp, they will definitely come out of the camp to fight back, and people from other battalions will also participate in the action. These 20,000 hard-working and meritorious soldiers will have little chance of survival.

    "Withdraw!" Ardashir gave the order with some reluctance.

    Finally, when the horn of retreat was heard, the Sasanians, who had been fighting hard for more than half an hour, finally breathed a sigh of relief, covered each other and withdrew from the battle formation, returning to the camp.  It was still dark at this time, so Sun Feng and others did not leave the camp to pursue them, and allowed the Sasanians to retreat.  At the same time, after repeatedly attacking the Roman battle formation without success, Awad also gave up his plan to continue the attack and led his cavalry to flee far away.

    The sky was bright, and Quintus looked at the messy camp, wanting to cry without tears.  In today's battle, the Romans suffered the most losses. Little Gordian was attacked by Avad and lost nearly 3,000 men. Later, the two armies fought fiercely and lost nearly 3,000 more people. Now it is even worse. The camp  They were actually burned by the Sasanians, and more than half of the remaining legion was lost, with a total strength of nearly 10,000 people.

    Just when everyone was depressed, Momia appeared in front of them. She encouraged them and said that although the loss was not small this time, we still defeated the Sasanians on the frontal battlefield.  This loss is nothing. As long as Ctesiphon is conquered, these losses can be replenished exponentially. It is not terrible to lose things. As long as the army is still there and your courage is still there, we have nothing to fear.

    With just a few words, everyone was encouraged again. Momia struck while the iron was hot and took the initiative to discuss with the Prince of Yue to borrow some supplies to alleviate the current predicament of the Romans.  The soldiers fought bloody battles with the Sasanians. She was a woman and could not go into battle. She did her best to do this task. Who knew that Philip and Sun Feng were brothers?

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