Numb with Victory... My Ass!

"Stay calm! It will take some time to complete the encirclement. What's coming is indeed part of the Persian army. We have time to react!"

Samael stepped forward and patted Pompey on the shoulder. His solemn tone and calm demeanor impressed the military commander, allowing him to methodically adjust his troops and respond.

After a fierce battle, the Roman Legions, with the cooperation of various troop types, wiped out more than 10,000 Persian cavalry and more than 4,000 Undying Army at the cost of nearly 20,000 casualties, managing to wear down the Persian forces to a one-to-one ratio.

At this moment, the Roman Legions numbered no more than 40,000. The remaining thousand or so Undying Army had already rallied together in the chaos and were using the narrow terrain of the valley to defend themselves, thus taking on a tough nut to crack.

If we delay any longer, and allow the 110,000 to 120,000 reinforcements to catch up, we'll be in serious trouble from both sides.

After receiving messages from scouts and repeatedly confirming the enemy's whereabouts and the surrounding situation, Pompey conceived a bold idea.

Boom boom boom boom!

As the Magecraft mines laid out along the southeastern line were stepped on and exploded one after another, a dust storm swept across the howling wilderness, turning everything into a hazy gray. Without the aid of Magecraft, it was even to the point that people could not see anything.

However, along with the fierce storm came not only sand and gravel, but also squads of Roman Soldier with reddened skin, bulging muscles, and boiling blood, like tigers among sheep!

The 60,000-strong Persian army immediately clashed head-on with the 30,000 Roman Soldier who were charging forward.

Due to their rapid march, the Persian army inevitably became disorganized and stretched out. This small sandstorm that suddenly arose from the flat ground made the situation even more chaotic.

Even after the Roman Legions, huddled together in formation, surged upstream and scattered nearly half of the Persian army at the front, these regular soldiers, still disoriented from the sandstorm, were still in a daze.

Before they could react, the Roman Legions, with their skillful and superior military formations, had already cut through the heart of the Persian army like vegetables, crushing their already limited will to resist.

In an instant, amidst the swirling sandstorm, shouts of battle filled the air, and the seemingly random appearance of Romans caused the Persian regular army, whose command had been severed and whose formation broken, to scatter and flee with practiced ease, resulting in nearly ten thousand deaths from infighting or trampling.

If the Persians hadn't suddenly remembered to organize their tough-skinned elephant cavalry, who lay down in a circle, forming three layers of flesh and blood, and stacked and linked together their chariots, baggage, and other supplies to block any gaps for defense, even their last 20,000-plus men would probably have been lost and fled into the windswept wilderness.

However, when the Roman Legions encountered such a force that had built fortifications and formed battle lines on the spot, they did not engage in battle. Instead, they retreated immediately after a brief encounter, swiftly wiping out small groups of scattered Persian soldiers in the vicinity, before disappearing into the gradually subsiding sandstorm.

The remaining 20,000-plus Persian soldiers looked at the desolate wasteland littered with corpses, the scattered supplies, and the city walls full of debris that would take at least half an hour to move. They looked at each other in bewilderment, standing there in disarray in the wind.

Two hours later, the 50,000-strong Persian army, which was more than 20 kilometers away, was also intercepted by the Roman Legions in the sandstorm.

However, due to the Persian Spellcasters maintaining a relatively good Magecraft vision, the effectiveness of this surprise attack was only half that of the last one.

Even so, the Roman Legions, with their superior quality compared to the Persian regular army, braved the Magecraft bombardment, quickly closed the distance, and completely broke through and penetrated. After a series of thunderous and aggressive attacks, the Roman Legions, under the cover of their own Magecraft, triumphantly emerged victorious.

Once the Persians recovered, they hastily gathered their troops, only to be shocked to find that they had only a little over 20,000 men left when they took their head.

In other words, just now, the army suffered heavy casualties and was routed, losing nearly half of its forces!

A rough estimate suggests that the Romans left behind only about two thousand dead soldiers in both locations, and even if the two locations were to clash, the other side would suffer no more than five thousand casualties.

In comparison, the two Persian armies suffered 40,000 casualties in one battle and 20,000 casualties in the other. Before they could even regroup, their combined forces of 110,000 to 120,000 had already shrunk by more than half.

Even worse, even if they could urgently assemble their current 40,000 troops and head to the valley to join up with the remaining thousand or so Undying Army, they would still be helpless against the 30,000-plus Roman Legions, and might even be wiped out.

The two commanders-in-chief were sweating profusely, their necks felt cold, and they felt their heads, which were attached to their necks, were about to fall off. Terrified, they stood still for a moment, hesitant to make any decisions about the march below.

Faced with this group of audacious Romans, the two pale-faced Persian generals wanted to ask a question.

How dare you?!

Yes, how could you dare? Samael also wanted to know the answer to this question.

As Pompey led his army back, he looked at the six or seven hundred black-clad Undying Army rushing out of the valley and the hundreds of Roman Soldiers who were crawling up from the piles of corpses and the sea of blood. His lips were tightly pressed together and his eyes were heavy with anger.

Before he led the army away, he left behind 30 hundred-man squads, but now they can't even muster three hundred-man squads.

After a moment of silence, Pompey ordered his men to gather the wounded soldiers while calming himself down and explaining the reason to the gods beside him.

According to the scouts' reports, the two Persian armies that had come to encircle them were about 20 or 30 yards apart and could not see or support each other. Moreover, based on their marching formations and the appearance of the troops, it could be determined that these were just regular troops, with no Undying Army mixed in.

Moreover, scouts extended along the southeastern border for thirty to forty kilometers without finding any trace of other Persian armies.

When Pompey recalled the strategy the two had discussed earlier—the gecko severing its tail, leaving some men to hold off the Undying Army pursuers, and ensuring the safety of the retreating forces—he suddenly had a bold idea.

Even if a gecko loses its tail, its body remains intact, allowing it to still climb walls, squeeze through crevices, and devour flies and insects.

Therefore, he decisively left three thousand men to desperately block the undead Undying Army, concentrated more than thirty thousand superior troops, squeezed the Magecraft and priests dry, and provided the soldiers with divine magic and Magecraft. Then, under the cover of the sandstorm, he played a brilliant trick of defeating them one by one.

Such a risky tactic yielded astonishing results: not only did they wipe out 20,000 cavalrymen who had concealed 5,000 Undying Army, but they also crippled two Persian encirclement forces.

A rough estimate suggests that the Persian army suffered losses of 100,000 men in the past two days.

Now that Pompey has eliminated the threats on both flanks, the power to fight or retreat has returned to the hands of the Roman Legions.

Now, they can calmly clean up the battlefield, retreat to the Ninth Legion's base, take a nice hot bath, have a sumptuous dinner, and tell their relatives, friends, and comrades about this thrilling and outstanding battle.

Samael wholeheartedly agreed with Pompey's decision to withdraw his troops.

While it's true that the Persians suffered over 100,000 casualties, the 50,000 reinforcements drawn from the vicinity of the royal court, along with the nearly 20,000-strong Tenth Legion, also suffered devastating losses, with only half remaining.

Moreover, the priests and Magecraft, who had been exploited and were exhausted, Roman Legions, who had experienced one battle after another, were pale and unsteady on their feet as the Magecraft and divine arts dissipated, and they were only able to hold on by sheer willpower.

Withdrawing troops for rest and reorganization in preparation for another battle is absolutely the wisest choice.

However, as the legion collected the belongings of their fallen comrades and slowly withdrew from the valley area, Samael still had a question in his mind.

What happened to the remaining 100,000-plus Persian troops and the most elite Undying Army?

Just as the ancient serpent was racking its brains, a violent tremor shook the earth once more, and countless figures surged forth like a black tide.

The bull... the spear entwined with serpents and branches... was the banner of the Roman Tenth Legion!

Pompey and Samael looked at the battle flag that was raised high, feeling relieved. But as they got closer, Samael's Cross Star Pupils, which had been open involuntarily, suddenly contracted, and his expression changed drastically.

Something's wrong! The edges are curled, it's torn, and there's still blood on it...

This is—the spoils of war!

The Tenth Legion is finished...

At this moment, Samael and Pompey, who had reached the same conclusion, looked at each other and smiled bitterly, overwhelmed by a strong sense of absurdity and frustration.

Now, it's obvious what those hundreds of thousands of Persian troops were up to.

Meanwhile, the Roman Legions, having rested and prepared, first annihilated 20,000 Persian cavalry, then seized the opportunity to defeat them one by one, crippling two reinforcements and collapsing three routes in one, achieving a great victory.

Meanwhile, the Persian army split up and circled around to stealthily reach their base. With overwhelming superiority, they advanced straight ahead and removed the Tenth Legion from their vantage point.

In a sense, both sides have won, and they've won to the point of exhaustion.

But the results Taiyi we expected.

Here, the Roman Legions's fortress served as a buffer, and the 30,000 soldiers who were still resting had no way to retreat, making their journey difficult.

Over there, the Persian army's grand strategy of outflanking and encircling on multiple fronts collapsed on three fronts, and the once inescapable net became vulnerable on all sides.

This back-and-forth showdown has made the battlefield situation extremely delicate.

However, as Samael and Pompey looked at the 30,000 soldiers, their steps faltering and their spirits about to collapse, their faces grew even more somber.

Compared to the enemy, the Persians held an absolute advantage and had a much higher margin for error. Their troubles were far more pressing than those of the enemy.

The Roman Legions of today cannot withstand another major war, especially with nearly half of the Undying Army on the other side.

This is a problem, a real hassle...

Samael tightened his grip on the dagger, his gaze dark and his expression shifting.