Chapter 1181
Cloto Catax's unintentional words were like a ray of light that flashed across Printos' mind. He suddenly widened his eyes and punched his thigh. "Mercenaries do not have the ability to carry out such a large-scale feigned defeat, but there is a city-state in Greece that often uses this tactic to win!"
Cloto Catax, who had been in the General Staff before, had no lack of military knowledge. He blurted out, "You mean the Sparta?!"
"That's right, the Sparta! We've been tricked by Agesilaus! " Printos said angrily. "No wonder their left wing hasn't performed well so far. They're not Sparta warriors at all. They're just wearing Sparta's attire. The real Sparta warriors are still on their right wing, which they're most familiar with. Agesilaus used this trick to confuse us!"
Cloto Catax understood. He tried his best to suppress the anxiety in his heart, but his anxiety still seeped into his words. "Quick … Quick, send a messenger to inform … Kti … Commander Ctessus! Tell him that the Sparta warriors are feigning defeat! Don't chase after them! Be careful of their counterattack! "
"Send another messenger to inform Commander Trotiras and Commander Olivers respectively. Let them seize the opportunity when the Sparta warriors feigned defeat and their formation is not in order. Let's increase the intensity of their attack. They might be able to find a breakthrough in our middle and right wing!"
Printos' suggestion was quickly accepted by Cloto Catax. At the same time, he gradually calmed down and said, "Lord Printos, thank you for discovering the Sparta's conspiracy in time! Now, it seems that as long as we respond in time, the Sparta's feigned defeat will turn the tide of the battle in our favor, right? "
Cloto Catax's words stunned Printos again. With Agesilaus' ability, taking such a huge risk without getting any benefits, was it worth it?
He suddenly thought of something and shouted, "Bring me the map of the battlefield!"
Taking the wooden board from the staff officer, Printos's sharp eyes quickly scanned the map, and finally focused on the blue vertical bar at the corner. Below it was a line of small words: 4000-5000 Tegea allied forces.
Printos finally understood the source of his unease. "We received news that Tegea was attacked by Sparta's army and suffered heavy casualties. If we don't send reinforcements soon, I'm afraid the city will fall … But how could Tegea send so many soldiers to fight in such a terrible situation?!"
Cloto Catax's heart skipped a beat. He immediately had a terrifying thought, and he could not help but shiver. "You mean … the Tegea lied to us, and they were actually acting with the Sparta, but those corpses …"
"Your Highness, we don't have time to pursue the details!" Printos pointed at the map and said anxiously. "Now that the Tegea army has appeared behind the First Legion, I can be sure that they will join forces with the Sparta army to attack the First Legion from the front and back. This is Agesilaus' true plot, we must send reinforcements immediately!"
"Ah … Yes, rescue …" Cloto Catax's mind went blank when he thought of the possible consequences.
"Quick, inform the Seventh Legion to rush to the left flank and rescue the First Legion!" Printos anxiously ordered on his behalf.
The messenger who received the order subconsciously looked at Cloto Catax.
Cloto Catax waved his hand and said anxiously, "Execute the order given by Chief Staff Officer Printos!"
The messenger turned his horse around and galloped to the rear.
Who knew that not long after, Tegetinos would rush over on his horse and ask, "We haven't received any news of the Tegea attacking the First Legion. This is just your conjecture. If the Tegea didn't rebel at all, wouldn't our Seventh Legion have made a wasted trip? If there are any abnormalities elsewhere, the Seventh Legion won't be able to send reinforcements in time! "
"If we receive news of the Tegea attacking the First Legion before sending reinforcements, it'll be too late! If anything goes wrong, I'm willing to take responsibility! "Printos replied without backing down.
"I'm the one who gave the order." Cloto Catax stared at Tegetinos. Although his voice was not loud, it left no room for refusal. "Execute it immediately, Commander Tegetinos."
Tegetinos did not have much else to say. He glared at Printos and hurriedly saluted. "Yes, Commander. May the Hades watch over us!"
He then whipped his horse and rode back, his roar still audible from afar. "Brothers, your chance to render meritorious service is here! Stay alert and follow me, we'll speed towards the left flank! "
"Roar! Roar! Roar! … "
Looking at the billowing dust stirred up by the soldiers of the Seventh Legion, Cloto Catax calmed down a little and said seriously, "Lord Printos, I believe in your judgment!"
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness!" Printos smiled bitterly and said softly, "I do hope that my judgment is wrong."
… …
"Congratulations, Commander. Our First Legion has defeated the enemy's right flank!" The guard captain congratulated Ctessus excitedly.
Although Ctessus was excited, he was also a little doubtful. "That's strange. Previously, we felt that the enemy on the other side was not simple. The First Legion would probably encounter a bitter battle. There were no obvious signs, and victory suddenly came. Putris, what do you think is the reason? "
Ctessus was asking his advisor.
"Corps Commander, I think … we should inform the companies not to chase after the defeated enemy. Instead, we should first control our soldiers, maintain formation, and cautiously chase after the enemy to prevent any accidents!" Puteris suggested cautiously.
Ctessus hesitated. After all, it was not easy to defeat a strong enemy. If they did not take advantage of the victory and instead slowed down the pace of the pursuit, it would give the defeated enemy a chance to breathe, and the previous battle would be in vain …
At this moment, the scouts of the First Legion hurried over to report, "Reporting to Commander, the Tegea army is quickly approaching us!"
"These shameless Tegeans! They didn't come out to help us when we were fighting hard, but now that the enemy has been defeated, they come out to take credit! Bah! " Ctessus spat on the ground as he looked disdainfully at the back where the bugles were blaring incessantly. Through the dusky dust cloud, he could already see the Tegea flag and the dense mass of people. Furthermore, the front of the troops was rapidly extending to both sides … ….
Ctessus, who had been on the battlefield for decades, suddenly had a very bad feeling, and could not help but shout, "The Tegeans are too close to us! Go tell them immediately, don't follow behind us, and go somewhere else to fight the Sparta army! "
After the messenger received the order and left, Ctessus was still a little uneasy as he muttered. "The situation isn't right. Looking at the stance of the Tegeans, it doesn't look like they're here to take advantage of us, but to charge …"
"Commander, you still have to be careful. Although the Tegeans are already our allies, we don't understand them at all, and we've never fought together before." Puteris was a little worried as he reminded Ctessus.
After listening to the advisor's words, Ctessus finally stopped hesitating and immediately issued an order. "Inform the companies at the back of the army to immediately stop advancing, get into formation, and prepare for defense!"
Five or six messengers spurred their horses forward at the same time, rushing to the front to give orders to the companies that were still running.
"Commander, some of the soldiers are on defense, and some are still chasing … If that's the case, the strength of our First Legion will be scattered, why don't we just stop advancing?" Puteris suggested again.
Ctessus did not expect to be faced with such a difficult choice in his first battle as a Legion Commander. Part of the army on defense, and part of the army chasing. Not only could it prevent danger, but it would also cause the strength of the army to be scattered, which was very risky. If the entire army stopped chasing and defended, what if the Tegeans had no ill intentions towards the First Legion? Then the victory that was already in their grasp would fly away, what a pity …
This was one of the reasons why Ctessus had always been unwilling to be a Legion Commander: making a choice was too troublesome!
But soon, he didn't have to worry about it anymore, because he saw with his own eyes that the messenger who was blocking the Tegean army suddenly turned over and fell to the ground, motionless, with a javelin stuck in his body.
"The Tegeans are the enemy! Immediately blow the bugle, and the entire army will stop advancing! "Ctessus urgently shouted.
Originally, he and his advisor had led the guards, scouts, mountain scouts, messengers, and buglers … to closely follow the First Legion. But now that the situation was critical, they had to rush forward with all their might, otherwise the First Legion's command center would directly face the Tegean army's attack.
"Wuwu! Wuwu! " At the same time as the bugle of the First Legion was blown, the Tegeans also let out a deafening roar and accelerated forward. At this time, they were less than 200 meters away from the First Legion's companies that were lagging behind.
After receiving Ctessus's order, the officers of these companies and divisions seized the time to gather the scattered soldiers and reorganize their formation. There was no time to form a unified defense line. Countless Tegeans surged over like a tide, rushing into the First Legion's sieve, seemingly wanting to drown all the soldiers of Diónia.
"Shield formation, defend!"
"Brothers, don't panic! Persevere in defense, our reinforcements will soon arrive! "
But in the midst of this chaos, the hysterical shouts of the officers of the First Legion resounded unceasingly. The small phalanxes stood erect like rocks in the tide.
Apex
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