Esopo
Banned
The Streltsy were every bit as professional as the Janissaries, perhaps more so, not being religious brotherhoods. The Muscovite bureaucracy was working absolute wonders given how tiny it was. The Russians, even with the relative poverty of the country and the hostile neighborhood, were in fact so organised they could build fort lines aross hundreds of miles, in mere years. You're basically out to lunch on this one.
Building forts =/= burocratic state/army.
The best counter to horse archers is either forts or horse archers of your own. Which all of their opponents had aplenty. This is ridiculous arrogance, to assume that the countries that BORDERED the nomads for centuries and knew the game were less mentally prepared than the Romans.
In this scenario, we are talking of a combined force (roman-parthia) which had horse archers, superb engineering/forts, professional infantry trained and experienced against heavy and archer cavalry
It was completely dominated by aristocratic families and factional politics! Muscovite Russia had like 100x more meritocracy than Republican Rome. In fact, Imperial Rome had more meritocracy than the Republic.
First, we are not talking of republican rome; second, the meritocracy in the ranks of an army is something different from the high officiality of the army.
The Parthians are just inferior say, Kushans, but the Sassanids are the first Medieval army. Guess who kicked Roman ass all over Syria more?
You didnt answer. Why the partians didnt do what you say the mongold would have easily did to the romans?
And as i have explained, sassanids =/= parthians and sassanids =/= horse archer army.
Then explain to me how Rus (and by extension Lithuania) repeatedly colonised the Steppe within short time periods despite massive invasions (expansion periods: 900-1050s, 1130-1230s, 1380-1480s, 1500-1700s) and the Romans NEVER DID.
It has nothing to do with the issue we are talking about.