Chapter 334: "·Roman Army·Next"

do you understand? Those I can't see. In that infinitely spreading city, there is everything, but there is no end. There is no end at all. What I cannot see is the end of all this, the end of the world.
-Giuseppe Tornadore (upstart director of the Italian realist film genre)
In response to the Gaul invasion, the Romans improved their legions; only the traditional Greek phalanx tactics, which were shapeless and boneless, were changed to the original three-column arrangement, which is the most famous Roman legion. Three-line battle front.
Whenever the first-line troops are frustrated or their physical strength declines in the battle, the second- and third-line troops will be replaced one after another; the youngest recruits with the least experience are located on the frontline of the army, not the one set by Bai Feng. Roman light infantry.
They were obviously unable to equip themselves with Greek-style equipment, so they adopted lighter short spears and square shields; the main force behind them was also prepared in the same way, but they were better in personal armor. The third-line reserve veterans were still a full set. Greek equipment.
Such a three-line battle formation was replaced by the arms of the Rome Total War, that is, the first line was composed of the Roman Youth Army with the worst combat, the second line was composed of the powerful Roman heavy infantry, and the third line was composed of long-guns. Composed of elite Roman infantry.
It was with such a legion that the Romans expanded step by step on the Apennine Peninsula and gradually conquered the southern Italian region where the Greeks gathered; as emerging powers, they soon broke out with the native North African powerhouse Carthage. A Punic War.
After a long battle, the original three-line army finally defeated the Carthage army, which was dominated by mercenaries, and won a strategic victory. The Roman army in this era left the army of swords and shields that we are familiar with. It's far away.
Also in the first Punic War, soldiers of the Roman legion encountered a large number of Spanish infantry in the Carthage army; these mountain infantry were indispensable sword and shield configurations, and their excellent Spanish short swords were The Romans took a look.
After the war, Roman soldiers replaced a large amount of this kind of short swords more suitable for melee, replacing the original wax-type short swords; after completing the dressing, the Roman legion, and then drove to the northern part of the Apennine peninsula in large numbers, to deal with the local entrenched Celtics.
In the face of the traditional Celtic gambling charge, the Roman army’s three-line layout well blocked and consumed the opponent’s physical strength and attack momentum; while in the flexible maneuvering and rapid deployment of the troops, the Romans began to gradually It is used to throwing out the light spear in his hand, and then pulling out his waist dagger to fight fiercely with the enemy.
In the long run, Roman soldiers in the northern region have spontaneously tended to draw swords. In Rome at that time, strict training among citizens was paid great attention. Therefore, swordsmanship, which has high requirements for soldiers, was greatly improved. Promotion.
At this time, the Roman legionary, only the elite reserve veteran in name, was still equipped with Greek spears; the youth army and the strong soldiers in front of them had been developed to use short sword melee combat, supplemented by spear throwing habit.
However, when the legion commander judged that the Sword and Shield forces could not stop the Celtic barbarian charge, the last reliance of these Roman troops would still use spears and shields to form a tight shield wall at the forefront of the troops to face the enemy. Army's sharp offensive.
It can be seen that even if the Roman legion became a sword and shield-based force, the Romans still needed the traditional pikemen to perform their tasks; desperately, the Roman pikemen were weaker than the Greek and Macedonian pikemen. All in one.
When the Roman legions were accustomed to fighting asymmetrically with the Celtic barbarians, the second Punic War suddenly started; Hannibal, the father of Western strategy, carried troops of tens of thousands of North African, Spanish and Gauls Killed into Rome.
Hannibal not only possessed extremely strong campaign organization and command capabilities, but also the famous Spartan military adviser in the Greek world to plan the deployment of the battlefield; he was used to the Roman legion in the wind, and in the face of new threats, Fiasco to lose helmet to remove armor.
In addition to being absolutely disadvantaged in command deployment, the combat habits of Roman soldiers with dagger shields also put them at a disadvantage to a large extent; North African heavy infantry, Gauls and Greek-style mercenaries in the Hannibal Army , Use traditional phalanx battles.
When the Romans' short swords and the opponent's spears were in close combat, it was inevitable that they would suffer a bit at the beginning of the battle. In addition, the cavalry in the Hannibal troops repeatedly won and rushed to take out the assault; the Romans repeatedly engaged in close combat, Was completely defeated.
But the proud Romans were not ready to immediately improve their tactics, because they found a new weapon from the Spanish soldiers on the opposite side, that is, the offensive weapon from the Spanish barbarian-heavy javelin!
The famous Roman general Marcelas was the earliest Roman general who began to pay attention to the special heavy javelin in the hands of Spanish opponents; the Romans, which were prepared by the same method, also made new improvements in the original weapon form, so that their combat effectiveness was further improved.
The improvement of the Romans is that the center of gravity of the javelin is concentrated on the front end of the weapon, which is convenient for enhancing the killing effect after throwing; the slender metal rod in the front of the javelin is also made of wrought iron, which is very easy to bend to prevent the other party from picking up the javelin again. use.
Starting from General Marcelas’s army, the heavy javelin quickly became popular among Roman armies everywhere; after a few years, the heavy javelin completely replaced the short spear in the hands of Roman soldiers and became the most standard weapon of the Roman legionaries One of the equipment.
When the Punic War ended with the Roman expeditionary army of the Roman general Sipiah, in the basic soil of Carthage in North Africa; the first and second line soldiers in the Roman legion were equipped with the re-mating javelin, Spanish dagger and Latin-style square shield.
In the battle of Zama, the Romans succeeded in revenge in World War I, and the myth of Hannibal's invincibility was completely destroyed.
In the years that followed, the Roman legions that experienced the second Punic war began to point to the east; they encountered enemies using the famous Macedonian phalanx several times in Greece and Asia Minor Asia. Phalanx pikemen.
The Kingdom of Macedonia and the ancient Seleucid empire of the heirs of Alexander the Great were defeated by the Romans under fierce attacks; these seemingly glorious moments of victory have largely covered the hands of the Romans and have been mistaken. Misguided equipment configuration.
Although they were able to blood-wash the rifle phalanx troops in Goutou Mountain, Onsen Pass, Magnesia, and Pidena, they could not change the frontal confrontation. The sword and shield forces of the Roman legion could not resist the amazing power of the lance phalanx. status quo.
Many times, the Romans were frustrated in the initial confrontation, and their teams or the whole army were defeated; when they used a heavy javelin to replace the traditional spear in the phalanx battle at the hot springs, the disadvantages were obvious, and the cost of casualties was even more heavy. And tragedy.
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