Roman Sino War

In the year 119 AD during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, a massive and unprecedant Han Chinese invasion of the Roman empire took place. The war which to be known as the Roman Sino war was the largest the ancient world had ever seen.

The war began when a 400,000 man Chinese army led by Han Di entered Roman territory in Mesopotamia. The army ravaged the area burning down towns and cities that resisted. Upon learning of this the Roman governor of Syria Caius Batiatus led three legions and 25 auxilliary cohorts into Mesopotamia to repel the Chinese army. The Roman army amounted to no more than 30 thousand men and was massively outnumbered. In the Battle of Babylon, the Roman army was surrounded and completely destroyed. Caius Batiatus is said to have died fighting over a heap of corpses.

In the aftermath of this battle, panic struck the Roman empire as the cities of the eastern provinces were besieged and devestated. Immediately upon recieving news of this disaster, the Emperor Hadrian called for legions from Gaul, Spain, Germania, Dacia and Britannia to assemble in northern Italy. After two moths of preparation Hadrian had managed to gather 16 legions, i.e 80,000 men, as well as an equivalent number of auxiliaries. And with this army of 160,000 men he set out for the east.

Upon reaching Greece, his army was further augmented with four legions and auxilliaries and thus reaching the size of 200,000 men. He immediately crossed into Asia minor. Upon reaching Pergamum, he recieved news that the Chinese army was near Sardis. Without delay, Hadrian advanced to meet the Chinese army which outnumbered his force two to one. The two armies met at what came to be known as the Battle of the Phyrgian Plains.

At the onset of the battle the battle hardened legionares pushed back the Chinese infantry making short work of their more lightly armed foes. However a large Chinese cavalry contingent had managed to outmanouvre the Roman cavalry and struck the left flank of the Roman infantry. This nearly destroyed the left flank had it not been for the swift intervention of the Roman cavalry which charged and routed the Chinese cavalry.

However things were not going to well in the cavalry battle on the right flank. The Roman cavalry contingent were taking casulties from the much larger Chinese cavalry contingent. Recognizing this threat, Hadrian himself led his bodyguard in a determined charge against the Chinese cavalry. The emperor's prescence raised morale and the Romans despite being outnumbered managed to cut down the Chinese cavalry.

Safe on both flanks, the Roman legions pummeled the Chinese infantry and put them to rout. Once the rout began, the Roman cavalry managed to easily cut down the fleeing Chinese infantry. The Chinese emperor himself was killed by a Roman javelin which struck his neck. By the end of the day almost all of the Chinese army was destroyed. Hadrian returned to Rome to a triumph. He ordered that four legions be stationed in Mesopotamia as well as the building of large fortresses across the Euphrates.

This was the only time that a Chinese army had attempted to invade Roman territory. The victory of the Romans is seen by many historians as an assurance that western civilization would continue to flourish. Today a 60 foot tall marble statue of Hadrian stands at the sight of the battle in celebration of his great victory.