Beside the Pinarus River, the autumn wind was bleak.
A group of Persian deserters, faces filled with panic, were driven into the cold, rushing waters by the black-clad, black-armored Undead Army.
Driven by the instinct to survive, the soldiers attempted to flee, struggle, and resist.
The sturdy old Persian general looked at the faces twisted by fear and coldly ordered:
"True God Ahura above, your cowardice shames the Empire; only through death can this disgrace be cleansed!"
As the aged arm swung down, the black-clad Undead Army standing by the riverside like statues drew the crescent blades from their waists.
"Swish swish swish swish!"
Cold arcs slashed down, and amidst the violently tearing air, came the ghostly wailing and howling.
As the chill passed by, blood splattered, dozens of deserters who tried to resist and escape were cleaved apart by the sharp force, becoming broken corpses that fell into the cold, rushing waters.
Watching the crimson river surface, the old Persian general nodded with satisfaction, turned back to the soldiers from various tribes behind him, and sinisterly reminded:
"Listen, if anyone dares to flee without receiving a retreat order again, these cowards will be your fate!"
Although the Persian Empire has vast territories and a large population, it is essentially a federated state and not strongly binding on various regions.
The conscripted auxiliary armies from different regions often have a weak fighting force and loose discipline.
When faced with intense siege battles, they often show reluctance to advance and flee the battlefield.
The inability of the first three assaults to succeed largely resulted from these cowardly auxiliary armies causing the entire force to collapse.
Therefore, to ensure effective execution of military orders, necessary deterrent measures must be taken.
For example, execute a group of deserters as a warning.
Smelling the thick scent of blood in the air, the soldiers from various tribes watching the execution felt a chill in their hearts, visibly gaining some respect.
At the moment, the tall, fair-skinned Darius III stepped forward and soothed with a gentle voice:
"Enough, the execution ends here. For the Empire’s glory, pick up your weapons and make sure to capture this pass before nightfall."
The soldiers hurriedly nodded and, under the summons of the old Persian general, mustered the courage to launch another attack on the Roman Legion on the hilltop.
Hundreds of armored Persian elephant soldiers, stepping heavily, came forth and charged up the gentle slope.
The defensive charms deployed by the Roman Legion on the outskirts shattered after several impacts.
Following that, these Persian war elephants, like heavy tanks, continued their advance, closely followed by the mixed forces of auxiliary soldiers, Persian Secret Masters, while the Undead Army oversaw the battlefield, constantly encroaching and compressing the Roman Legion’s maneuvering space.
"Imperial Guard, form ranks!"
Caesar saw the formation starting to deform and immediately issued a hysterical roar.
Amid the deafening beating reminiscent of war drums, over 1,000 Roman soldiers, clad in bronze-colored armor, towering and burly, holding long spears and shields, braved arrows, cursed bullets, and falling stones, stood at the front.
The light patterns on the overlapping shields coalesced into an unbreakable Iron Wall.
These Roman soldiers filling the gaps relied on each other, muscles knotted on their arms, divine patterns shimmering on their bodies, using every ounce of strength to hold their shields single-handedly, forcibly repelling the Persians’ offensive outside.
The foremost Persian soldiers either flew up by the long spears or were hammered into minced meat by the shields.
A guards unit composed of demigods.
This was one of the few cards Caesar could play.
Thrusting the spear, stab...
Thrusting the spear, stab...
Thrusting the spear, stab...
The fully armored Roman Imperial Guard, like emotionless killing machines, mechanically and precisely repeated this monotonous yet practical action.
The waves of bronze gleam, like layered ocean waves, caused the seemingly thin defensive line to exude the chill of death.
One by one, the Persian soldiers crashing into it were mercilessly cleaved apart by shields and armor, tearing their flesh.
Enhanced by Divine Blood, this Imperial Guard, relying on terrain for full-defense, exhibited terrifying combat power, like a spinning meat grinder, crushing wave after wave of attacking enemies into pulp.
Gradually, the corpses of the fallen almost piled into small hills at the front line, and the flowing blood solidified on the ground into scarlet chunks.
Facing this Roman phalanx that had devoured thousands of lives, the auxiliary soldiers from various tribes driven forward Turned pale again, showing signs of collapse.
Caesar was unapologetic too, immediately commanding the Roman Legion to use the Imperial Guard as the spearhead to push forward, intending to pierce through the opponent’s formation in one fell swoop.
However, as the soldiers on both wings just stepped out of the cover, a sharp sound of piercing the sky came.
Like meteors from the extreme sky, a rain of arrows shredded the overcast clouds, whistling as they fell upon the entrenched front lines.
Swish swish swish swish!
Amidst the dull tearing of cloth, the Persian auxiliary soldiers and Roman soldiers alike were nailed to the ground by the arrows, and crimson blood wantonly splashed and flowed.
"Defensive formation!"
The Centurion, a central force within the Roman Legion, shouted field commands, and the soldiers huddled together in hundreds, raised tower shields, connecting and covering each other, blocking wave upon wave of arrow rain.
But even so, the force behind these arrows penetrated stone and gold.
Even the all-metal armor and shields seemed to be made of paper before these arrows.