Chapter 1123
The Gauls did not have a navy, and they could not make full use of their numerical advantage by attacking from the land. On the other hand, they had almost run out of food as they rushed over from Florentia.
So, the Gauls sent out tribes to the nearby villages to harvest food. It was not long after the autumn harvest, and the Etruscans had enough food in their homes. Because of the Gauls' ferocious attack, most of the Etruscans fled in panic and did not have the time to bring food with them. So, the Gauls who went around harvesting food had a good harvest, and soon, the shortage of food was alleviated.
Although they did not have to worry about food, the Gaulish leaders had realized that Fauferuna was not Florentia, and it would be difficult to take it down in a short period of time. So, they decided to ignore it for now and attack somewhere else.
But just as they reached an agreement, the Northern Coalition of Diónia appeared.
This time, Patroclus did not adopt the conservative strategy of building a camp first. Instead, he started to get into formation a mile away from the Gauls' camp.
Based on Patroclus's observations, he believed that the Gauls were brave and murderous, and there was a high chance that they would come out to fight.
Sure enough, even though some of the Gauls had not returned to the camp because they had gone out to collect food, under the clamor of the leaders, the Great Chief still decided to lead less than 30,000 Gauls out to fight.
Patroclus also learned from the scouts that some of the Gauls were still collecting food in the nearby villages. He immediately sent out a small part of the Alliance's army to attack and obstruct the Gauls' return. At the same time, he also sent out all the light infantry under his command to attack the Gauls from afar while they were still in formation.
More than half of the Gauls were wearing straight pants and unlined shirts. Some were even topless. Apart from the wooden shields in their hands, they had no other defensive weapons. On the other hand, there were more than 4,000 light infantry soldiers in the Diónia Legion of Dionysia, the main force of which was the 2,000 light infantry soldiers of the Legion of Dionysia were well-trained. Under their leadership, the arrows and javelins they fired were as terrifying as the hailstones of the Alps. The Gallic soldiers were forced to abandon their formation and charge at the enemy.
The Gauls swarmed forward, and the allied light infantry hurriedly retreated. When they quickly withdrew from the gap in the chessboard, the Gauls suddenly found that there was a long and thick "iron wall" in front of them. The enemy behind the wall shouted in unison, and the javelins once again shrouded the Gauls like a dark cloud.
Amidst the continuous screams, the Gauls roared angrily and swung their swords at the enemies hiding behind their shields.
Then they found that their sharp swords were not enough to cut through the enemy's thick shields or break the enemy's sturdy javelins. Even if they could sometimes break through the shields and cut the enemy's body, if they did not use enough strength and accuracy, they would not be able to deal fatal damage to the enemy wearing a neck guard, iron helmet, and double chainmail. The enemy on the other side would quickly pull out a dagger from their waist and stab it, and the strong Gauls would lose the ability to fight.
Only then did the Gauls realize that they were no longer fighting against the Romans of the past. They would not be wearing crude equipment and wielding bronze spears, attacking them like a swarm of bees, and then quickly retreating after suffering a setback.
They were now facing a terrifying enemy armed from head to toe. They were well-equipped and well-trained. Not only did they have a tacit understanding of teamwork, but each soldier also relied on their collective strength to fight. Their individual combat skills were equally outstanding. Most of the javelins and daggers were accurately aimed at the Gauls' vulnerable faces, necks, abdomens, and legs, even though the Gauls did not have much protection.
Moreover, the Gauls were outnumbered by the Diónia coalition army, and this was not a fair fight at all. As long as the main force of the Diónia soldiers, most of whom were Romans and Latins, could get rid of the terrible shadow that the Gauls had cast in their hearts for more than a decade, and could fight calmly under the ferocious faces of the Gauls who were waving their swords and screaming, there was no doubt that they would be victorious in a head-on battle.
Patroclus had led his army to victory in the defense of the encampment, and then led his army to launch a surprise attack on the Gauls' encampment in the early hours of the morning. From this, the coalition army gained confidence, and now the morale of the Diónia soldiers was high. Not only were they not afraid of the Gauls, but they were also eager to gain military merit and be rewarded by the kingdom.
In less than an hour of fierce battle, the Gauls began to show signs of weakness. Patroclus took the opportunity to order some of the coalition army on standby to attack the Gauls' flanks.
At noon, the Gauls were defeated, and the coalition army led by Patroclus won another great victory.
When the news reached Rome and the surrounding areas, the people cheered and even organized their own parades, singing and dancing around the city, and finally climbed Capitoline Mountain, where they offered strong black cattle and sheep to the Temple of Hades and the Temple of Diana, pious sacrifices to the two great gods, thanking them for their protection of the people.
Similar scenes were also happening in the Latin city-states and southern Etruria. The gloom caused by the Gauls' invasion more than a decade ago was finally blown away by the series of glorious victories created by the Diónia coalition army.
After reading the battle report from the front, Asistes could not help but sigh in his heart, "The younger generation will surpass the older! His Majesty has a good eye for talent! "
… …
In the King's Palace in Turií, Cynthia sat alone in the inner courtyard, looking slightly depressed.
After a while, she saw a little boy of about six or seven years old running out of the living room, holding the hand of a little boy of about three or four years old.
"Palpillas, run slower, be careful! Don't let your little brother fall! "
"Grandma, don't worry, I'll take care of my little brother!"
"I told you not to run, but you still ran with your little brother. How can I not worry?" Cristoya reprimanded him gently. At this moment, she did not have the demeanor of the usual decisive leader of the Chamber of Commerce. She was like a traditional Greek noblewoman who was happy to raise her grandson, "Chris, come to grandma!"
"No! I want to play with my brother! "The little boy grabbed Palpillas' hand and shouted stubbornly.
Cristoya's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she was about to lose her temper.
"Sister, don't worry. Let Chris play with Palpyras. The servants will keep an eye on him, so nothing will happen," Aegnis said as she stepped out of the door and comforted Christoya.
Cristoya did not buy it, and said with a sullen face, "We're going to the zoo, not the city's sports field or market. Those beasts don't care who we are, and if we get bitten or injured, it'll be no laughing matter! When that happens, his mother will have something to say, 'I told you not to let Chris leave his parents at such a young age, and now something has happened!' … When that time comes, she might have a reason to bring Chris back to Rome! "
As she said that, she took two steps forward, bent down, and reached out her hand. "Chris, come to Grandma."
"No!" The little boy was rather stubborn.
At this moment, Cynthia stood up and said sternly to her son, "Palpillas, take your little brother and stay close to grandma. Don't run around, do you hear me?"
"Yes, mother." Palpillas quickly responded, pulling Chris' hand and obediently returning to Cristoya's side.
Cristoya quickly grabbed the two children's hands, and only then did she relax. Looking around, she asked, "Where's Eunice?"
Standing at the side, Head of Internal Affairs Molina immediately replied, "Princess Eunice went to the zoo with Princess Avriya early in the morning."
"Grandma, let's go find my sister!" Chris urged, shaking Cristoya's hand hard.
Cristoya frowned, bent down, and said seriously, "Chris, grandma has told you many times, you must remember! Eunice and Avriya are your father's sisters, you should call them auntie, or others will laugh at you! Remember, call them auntie! "
"… Coo … coo …"
"Oh, right, call them that when you see them in the future. If you call them wrong again …" Cristoya deliberately pulled a long face, "Grandma will spank your butt."
"Chris likes grandma, grandma likes Chris, grandma won't spank me," Chris said, still using his little hands to hug Cristoya's thighs tightly.
"You smart little guy." A smile appeared on Cristoya's face, "Alright, grandma won't spank you, but you can't call them wrong again."
Chris nodded his head vigorously.
Cristoya gently pinched his little face affectionately, then turned to Aegnis and said, "Looks like Avriya really likes animals. She's usually a rather introverted child, and Eunice has always forced her to do this and that. It's rare that she's so proactive this time!"
Aegnis said with a smile, "She quite likes animals, but it's mainly because her father told her, 'When she comes of age, let her manage the zoo.' That's why she goes to the zoo whenever she's free, saying that she wants to understand the animals' … habits in detail?"
Cristoya said with a smile, "I think in this aspect, Avriya is like you. Usually, you don't care much about anything other than managing the Temple of Hera, but ever since the zoo was built, you've claimed illness many times, and instead of going to the Temple of Hera, you've gone to the zoo."
Aegnis smiled embarrassedly, "Other than the celebrations, the temple is usually managed by the priests, and the priestesses don't have to go every day, just like Plesinath."
"Haha, that's what I told you before, but how did you reply? 'I'm Hera's priestess, so I should be by her side every day …'" Christoya mimicked Aegnis' tone, putting on an act as she spoke.
Comments