Chapter 1084
"The way I see it, Patroclus will make more use of the 500 Mountain Reconnaissance soldiers he has. They are the key to victory."
… …
The spectating officers discussed in low voices. The two protagonists were still staring at the map, deep in thought.
At this time, Tormid said again, "I hereby announce the start of the tactical assessment!"
Clang! A crisp bell rang. The two protagonists stood up and took a few steps back. Ten soldiers carried a few wide wooden boards into the field and erected them on the wooden boards, blocking the two protagonists' vision of the entire map. Of course, Sextus had the advantage of defense, so he could see a larger area of the map, while Patroclus' vision was limited to the southwest corner of the map.
Several tactical executors also held tactical chess pieces and stood beside the two protagonists. These tactical chess pieces were small wooden sculptures of heavy infantry, light infantry, javelin throwers, cavalry, and so on. When they were placed on the map, it made the serious tactical assessment a little fun.
At this time, Matonis picked up two dice and threw a '7'. After the referees checked the table, they said loudly, "Day 1, heavy rain!"
After hearing this, the two protagonists thought about it and used a white pen to write down the measures they would take on the first day. Then, the executors brought their wooden boards to the referees' table.
After the referees looked at the orders on the wooden boards, they decided that it was feasible.
Therefore, the executors started to place the tactical chess pieces on the map according to the orders on the wooden boards.
Matonis threw the dice again, then looked at Patroclus and said loudly, "Day 2, heavy rain!"
There was a small commotion among the spectating officers, but Patroclus' expression didn't change. After thinking for a while, he wrote down his decision again.
… …
While most of the officers in the Turís barracks were gathered in the tactical training room to watch the two protagonists take the assessment, the King of Devers arrived at the Turís barracks accompanied by Minister of Military Affairs Alexis.
Upon receiving the news, First Legion Commander Leotychides hurried over to welcome them.
After learning that there was a tactical assessment going on in the barracks, the Devers told Leotychides not to inform them for the time being. He took the guards to the military conference room to wait.
"Prosoeus, who do you think will win?" Devers chatted with Leotychides since he had nothing to do.
"Patroclus was quick in mind and bold in action; Sextus, careful and self-possessed, were both excellent officers. According to the information I received, in this assessment, Sextus will be in charge of defense, and Patroclus will be in charge of offense. This arrangement is in line with their fighting style. However, fighting in the mountains, defense is more advantageous. If Patroclus wants to win, I'm afraid he will need some luck. "
"Yes, luck is an important factor in the outcome of a war, and it's up to the gods to decide. But in the assessment, it depends on the luck of the referee who rolls the dice … "Dyvers said jokingly, then changed the topic." What do you think about the matter of sending the legion to the border to build a defensive fortress? "
"Your Majesty, I think it's not a problem to send each legion to the border in rotation for more than half a year. In fact, each legion doesn't stay at the border for too long, and there are nearly 20 legions in the kingdom. It would take at least a few years for them to take turns. Besides, these legions have many slaves, and their families have enough labor to take care of the household chores … "Leotychides answered without hesitation.
Hennepolis pursed his lips and thought to himself, 'Of course you, Prososus, would say that. Is there anything else in your eyes other than military affairs? Ever since you became the Legion Commander of the First Legion, the citizens of the entire Tuliyi Region have been complaining about you. They've even given you the nickname "Iron Man" …
Devers listened attentively and nodded from time to time.
After chatting for a while, Devers seemed to remember something and asked, "Prosoeus, you haven't been home for the past six months, have you?"
Leotychides was stunned and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I just took over the First Legion and want to familiarize myself with it as soon as possible, so …"
Devers waved his hand and advised with concern, "Don't be too anxious. Judging from the current situation, there won't be any major wars in the kingdom in a short period of time, and the First Legion won't be sent to the battlefield anytime soon. You have all the time in the world to familiarize yourself with the First Legion. You should take some time to go back and accompany your family! Your home is in the city of Turín, and it's not too far away, but you haven't gone back even once in the past six months. Your family has already gone to the Ministry of Military Affairs! Those who don't understand the situation might think that I, Devers, have imprisoned you here. I don't want to be wronged like this! "
Dyvers said jokingly. He then patted Leotizides on the shoulder and said in a gentle but irresistible tone, "Tomorrow, you can go home and rest for a few days. Let yourself relax, and let the soldiers relax, okay?"
Leotychides hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"That's right. You should know how to strike a balance between work and rest!" Devers laughed.
Heniboris's lips curled up slightly.
As the two were talking, the chief of the palace guards, Martius, walked into the military conference room. "Your Majesty, the tactical assessment has ended."
"Who won?" Heniboris asked curiously.
"Sextus won." Martius reported to the Devers, who were equally curious. "Patroclus was unlucky. It rained heavily for a few days before the battle began, which prevented his army from crossing the river. However, he still insisted on building a bridge to attract Sextus's army on the other side of the river. He secretly sent some of his army to build rafts upstream and take the risk of crossing the river by force.
Although Sextus had arranged many scouts to monitor the upstream bank, he discovered this situation and quickly sent his army to stop it. However, the referee ruled that due to the distance, Sextus's army could not arrive in time.
Although Patroclus's army succeeded in crossing the river, many soldiers drowned because of the rising water. Sextus decisively led his army to retreat back to the mountains. Patroclus immediately set up a defensive camp on the other side of the river. It took the whole army a few days to cross the river. During the march to the mountains, his army was constantly harassed by Sextus's Samonite light infantry, which slowed down their marching speed.
During this time, Sextus built a simple defensive fort on a dangerous terrain along the way and hoarded a large number of soldiers. The two sides launched a fierce offensive and defensive battle. Due to the narrow mountain road, Patroclus could not fully deploy his superior forces. Moreover, at critical moments, the heavy rain was thrown many times, which seriously affected Patroclus's attack. Therefore, when the time was up, his army still could not break through the blockade.
However, he secretly sent 1,000 soldiers mainly composed of mountain scouts to attack the main camp of Sextus's army by climbing the mountain and taking detours. But because Sextus's main force was still there, and Patroclus's army had run out of food, the referee ruled that Sextus was the winner. However, based on the performance of both sides, the referee unanimously ruled that both of them passed the tactical assessment. "
After listening carefully, Devers said emotionally, "Although it was just an armchair strategy, it also made them realize the difficulty of fighting in the mountains! However, since this tactical assessment was set in the Samonite Mountains, did the referee consider that the troops should avoid the rainy season in spring? "
"I asked Tormid, and he said that the time of the battle was set in summer. Therefore, when designing the table, only two of the 12 weather options were related to rain. They were light rain and heavy rain. However, in the assessment, they threw the worst option many times."
After Martius finished speaking, Devers was a little surprised. After a moment, he shrugged and said, "This just shows that the capriciousness of war is beyond our control. I think today's tactical assessment was very good. It taught them a good lesson …"
As Devers spoke, noisy footsteps came from outside the door.
Devers did not speak anymore. He took his exclusive helmet from Heniboris and put it on his head.
Military Minister Alexis led Chief of Staff Tormid, Second Legion Commander Matonis, and other generals into the meeting room. After saluting to Devers, they stood to the side in turn.
Then Patroclus and Sextus walked in. They already knew what was going to happen next, so they were very excited. After saluting to Devers, they stood ramrod straight.
Devers looked around the room and said solemnly, "Let's begin."
Military Minister Alexis stepped forward and unfolded the papyrus scroll tied with black cloth. He read aloud, "In view of Patroclus and Sextus' outstanding military achievements and excellent results in passing the general assessment, after discussion between His Majesty the Devers and the Ministry of Military Affairs, the two of them have been promoted to Legion Commander!"
As soon as his voice paused, there were cheers all around. Patroclus and Sextus' nervous faces also had smiles on them.
Alexis continued, "In addition, Patroclus will be appointed as Legion Commander of the 14th Legion (mainly in the Latin region) and Sextus will be appointed as Legion Commander of the 18th Legion (southern Iberia region) immediately without delay!"
At the side, Felicius and the others were a little surprised. It was reasonable for the two to be promoted to Legion Commander, but it was rare for them to immediately be given actual positions after being promoted!
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