Chapter 1213
The people of Peleus shut the city gates tightly and were forced to pick up their weapons. When they climbed up the city walls, they trembled when they saw the Dionysian Army surging towards them like a tidal wave.
However, the Second Legion did not attack the city of Peleus. They went around the small city and went straight to the valley pass.
The people of Peleus looked at the fleeing enemies in shock. Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Look! More enemies are coming ashore! "
Thousands of soldiers in black were seen surging on the beach not far away. They landed on the beach, reorganized themselves, and quickly ran towards Peleus.
Just when the people of Peleus felt that they would not be able to escape this time, the Dionysian Army went around the city again and entered the valley pass.
Martonis, who was fully armed, was old after all. After running with the soldiers for a while, his stamina could no longer keep up. Even when he had to stop to catch his breath, he did not forget to ask his adjutant to urge the soldiers to move forward on his behalf.
After all, among the few landing sites chosen by the Ministry of Military Affairs, Peleus had the best geographical conditions and location. The only worry was that the people of Thessaly would send troops to block the valley pass after receiving the news. Therefore, the Second Legion had to seize every second to open up this passage to the hinterland of Thessaly.
Although the soldiers of the Second Legion had been conserving their energy on the ship, they were still wearing armor and holding weapons after disembarking. Anyone would feel tired after running non-stop for a long time, but they gritted their teeth and persevered. This was because there was a belief in their hearts that supported them.
Before the operation, Martonis mobilized all the soldiers and said passionately, "This landing operation is an unprecedented military operation. It will definitely be recorded in the history of the Kingdom of Diónia and be remembered by future generations. It is precisely because the Ministry of Military Affairs thinks that the Second Legion is the best among the participating legions that they have assigned us to take on the most important assault mission in this landing operation!
The success of the landing operation mainly depends on whether we can occupy the pass in time. Haven't we always been competing with the First Legion?! 'Back in the day, they marched more than ten miles at Wolsey and defeated the Roman army' has always been bragging about it. Tomorrow, we will use our victory to tell them that marching more than ten miles is nothing. The strongest legion in the kingdom will only be us, the Second Legion! … "
This unyielding belief supported the soldiers of the Second Legion to keep moving forward. In the past two years, the Peleus people had built a flat road through the valley in order to better communicate with the city of Thessaly, which was located at the south of the mountain range. This had also helped the Second Legion in their rapid march.
Finally, the Light Armor Battalion of the Second Army Division, which was running at the front, saw the exit of the valley and the defensive camp at the exit.
However, in the eyes of the soldiers, the camp was too simple. There was no trench in front of the camp, and there might not be any traps. The camp's walls were wooden fences, no more than three meters high, and there were only two sentry towers. Most importantly, there were only a few defenders on the wooden walls. They screamed in panic when they saw the soldiers coming.
In order to show their sincerity to the people of Peleus, Iazon asked the people of Larissa to dismantle the sentry posts at the entrance of the valley. Some time ago, Iazon was reminded by Iphicrates, so he sent a messenger back to Thessaly to ask the city-states to strengthen their vigilance to prevent a surprise landing by the Dionysian Army. Although the people of Larissa did not believe that the Dionysian Army would land on the remote and narrow coast of Peleus, they still built a defensive camp at the entrance of the valley to be prepared. However, due to the lack of time, they built it carelessly just to feel at ease.
Now, the only mercenary force in Thessaly was led by Polydorus, stationed outside the city of Phylai, mainly to ensure the safety of Phylai and the coast of Almiros. It was unrealistic for Larissa to send citizen soldiers to guard the camp in the valley for a long time. Therefore, the method they adopted was to send a small number of citizens to guard the camp every few days. Once they learned that the Dionysian Army had landed on the coast of Peleus, they would send a large force to guard the camp.
Who knew that not long after Peleus' urgent messenger arrived at the camp, the Dionysian army would appear in front of them like a celestial army descending from the sky. This speed was way too fast. The messenger who went to deliver the news might not even have reached Larissa City yet!
Could it be that the people of Peleus deliberately delayed the time of reporting the news? The panicked defenders could not help but have such doubts, but the grim situation outside the camp did not allow them to think too much about it.
As soon as the Light Armor Brigade of Diónia stood still outside the camp, the Light Infantry Brigade responsible for carrying the siege ladders arrived. After handing the wooden ladders to the Light Armor Brigade, they began to spread out and approached the camp.
The sparse arrows shot by the defenders did not cause any damage to the Diónia soldiers. On the contrary, it was a rain of arrows that covered the sky. Amidst the screams of the defenders, the Light Armor Brigade put wooden ladders on the wooden wall and quickly captured the camp in the valley.
The news of the victory was quickly spread from one end of the valley to the other, accompanied by cheers. Matonis was relieved when he heard the news and called for the messenger. "Go and inform Commander Lizaru immediately. Tell him that the valley pass has been opened, and he can lead the army to land on the coast of Peleus!"
"Yes, sir!"
There were two fleets that landed on the north side of Thessaly. One was led by Matonis with the Second Legion, Fifth Legion, and Second Cavalry Legion to land on the coast of Peleus. The other was led by Lizaru with the Third Legion and Ninth Legion to land on the coast south of the Macedonian town of Dion further north. They would cross the mountains south and enter the territory of Thessaly.
As the journey of Lizaru's army would be longer and more difficult, and they might even encounter some native tribes living in the mountains, Patroclus stayed in Sparta for a few days. After carefully questioning the people of Sparta who had fought in Macedonia, he learned more information. After careful consideration, he decided to modify the landing plan formulated by the Ministry of Military Affairs and let Lizaru's fleet temporarily stop near the coast of Peleus. Once it was confirmed that Matonis's army had successfully launched a surprise attack, Lizaru could also lead his army to enter Thessaly through the valley pass without taking the long way around. However, if Matonis failed, the two armies could continue north and land in the territory of Macedonia. They could then take care of each other as they crossed the mountains.
Therefore, when Lizaru received the news that the Second Legion had passed the mountain pass and entered the hinterland of Thessaly, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered the fleet to approach the coast of Peleus.
Wave after wave of the Dionysian Army landed on the coast and quickly rushed into the valley pass … The citizens of Peleus watched this scene repeat itself, and their initial panic gradually turned into numbness. When the last three companies of the Ninth Legion reached the coast, they no longer hurriedly went around the city of Peleus. Instead, under the leadership of their captain, they carried siege ladders and went straight to Peleus.
Behind the army was an old man with an extraordinary bearing, as well as a group of administrative officials.
With the road leading to the hinterland of Thessaly open, the Dionysian Army finally slowed down their advance and attacked the city of Peleus. After all, after conquering the city, the ships carrying supplies could enter the port, and the army's logistical supplies would no longer be a problem.
But just as the Dionysian Army was getting into position and preparing to attack the city, the gates of Peleus opened.
The citizens of Peleus were terrified by the sheer number of enemies they had witnessed since the beginning of the Dionysian Army's arrival. Moreover, there were no young citizens in the city who could be the main force to fight. They had long lost their will to fight, and surrender was to be expected.
When the officials of Peleus begged the Dionysian army not to harm the citizens in the city in fear and trepidation, the old man in the lead said amiably, "Don't worry. As long as you cooperate fully and do not do anything hostile, we will definitely ensure your safety and the safety of your property!"
At this point, the old man looked at the still uneasy officials of Peleus and said meaningfully, "Let me tell you a secret. This is the hometown of our great King Devers. He grew up in Derix …"
The officials of Peleus were shocked and at a loss. After a while, an old man of Peleus said softly, "Derix … That's a village near the border of Macedonia. It was destroyed by the Macedonians decades ago …"
With the old man's reminder, the officials suddenly remembered the existence of such a village. At that time, Peleus was ostracized by the other city-states of Thessaly, but it was unwilling to be confined to this small and narrow land. Taking advantage of the time when the Macedonians were involved in the Peloponnesus War, it quietly built villages along the coast to the north to expand its territory. But after the Peloponnesus War ended, the Macedonians quickly sent troops to destroy the villages and loot the citizens. Peleus had no choice but to be humiliated and sue for peace …
This was more than 30 years ago. The ruins of Derix were covered with weeds, and there were no signs of people living there. Many people of Peleus had also forgotten this painful memory. They never expected that a king would come from that remote little village!
"Before I came here, His Majesty the King had warned me that as long as the people of Peleus surrendered sincerely, he would not allow any harm to come to them, because that is his hometown, and the people there are his compatriots!"
The old man said solemnly. Not only did the officials of Peleus dispel their worries, but they also led the Dionysian Army into the city with joy. It was as if they were not forced to surrender, but were welcoming friendly troops.
But in fact, the King Devers did not say such words at all. The old man still clearly remembered the conversation the King of Devers had with him that day. "Hilos, I heard that you have been very busy recently, and you come home late every day?"
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