Chapter 146
Initially, Timaras saw that there were too many supplies and suggested to load some of the spoils of war onto the ships and ship them back to Crotone in advance.
Melantius refused. His reason was that Castellón and Crimissa had joined the Crotone Alliance for the first time. We needed to show them the results of the conquest of Turín and the serious consequences of going against Crotone!
In fact, he had another reason in his mind that he did not say it out loud. He was afraid that the supplies that were shipped back would be divided up by the people in the city hall. Then, his share of the wealth would be much smaller.
As for why he did not burn the pontoon bridge? The Devers' worries were completely unnecessary. Melantius did not take Amendolara seriously at all. He believed that with the destruction of Turín, the northern part of Greater Greece no longer had any power that could threaten Crotone. He kept the pontoon bridge for the convenience of the Crotone's migration to Sybari.
The Crotone's march was more than ten miles long. Most of them were loaded wagons, so the march was extremely slow. By dusk, the vanguard had just arrived at the city of Castellón.
The people of Castellón were indeed afraid. Chief General Amicles led the city's higher-ups with smiles on their faces. They opened the city to welcome the victorious Melantius and held a grand victory feast for him. At the same time, they invited the generals of Crotone. At the same time, they tactfully told Melantius that the city of Castellón was too small to accommodate such a large army. Moreover, with so many supplies in the city, it would not be good if they were lost and there was a conflict.
They also said that the city of Castellón had prepared a large amount of wine and food for the soldiers of Crotone to celebrate their victory and make up for Castellón's inability to let them into the city.
Melantius was not a man who could think for the soldiers. Seeing that the people of Castellón were so thoughtful, he readily agreed and led Timaras and a dozen other senior officers into the city with Amicles.
On the way into the city, Melantius heard a report from a spy. The people of Amendarra rushed to the Xubari Plain to rescue the Turií. He laughed and said, "Amendolara is wasting his time. We will be back soon. The Xubari Plains can only belong to Crotone!"
When the Crotone soldiers heard that there was wine to drink and meat to eat, they immediately increased their marching speed. It was already late at night when they started to set up camp. After setting up their tents, they couldn't wait to start drinking and eating meat to celebrate their victory. It was not until late at night that their tired bodies couldn't resist the invasion of sleep and fell into a deep sleep …
… …
Ancitanos didn't mention in his book that the citizens of Amendolan went against their usual training habits. They roughly pitched their tents and built a simple camp before going to bed. In fact, most of the people who helped the Turís in the afternoon were the women, teenagers, and the elderly of Amendarra.
For this battle, the entire city of Amendolara was mobilized.
That night, the Devers did not allow the Turís to enter the newly built camp. The exhausted Turís fell into a deep sleep under the canopy. At the same time, the Amendolan Militia in the camp were woken up by their officers one by one. They quietly ate the freshly baked bread and drank hot mutton soup with a little lamb and cheese in their sleepy eyes. Although they had already eaten dinner a few hours ago, this food would provide them with more protein and calories for the long march and slaughter that was to come. Then, they put on the breastplates and greaves they took out from the pack-carts, checked their bayonets, knives, and shields.
At that moment, a few torches were set up in an open space in the middle of the camp. The Devers and the captains, company captains, and sub-captains were carefully observing the terrain model of Crotone's camp that was made out of mud.
"Melantius is quite cautious. He let his troops cross the Trionto River and set up camp in the south of Castellón. He thought they would be safe with Castellón in the way, but that just made his soldiers more relaxed." The Devers used a wooden stick to point at the Trionto River model that separated Castellón and Crotone's camp. "But Izam and his men have repeatedly tried different sections of the river. He said that one section of the river is completely walkable because it's in the middle of the river, far from Crotone's camp, so they won't be discovered. He also sent someone to report that 'the Crotone have been drinking and partying in the camp all night'. I believe that when we attack tomorrow, they will still be sleeping like pigs. "The Devers's words made everyone chuckle knowingly.
"They didn't dig trenches, set up fences, or set up stables. I'm afraid there won't even be any sentries tomorrow morning. Do they think they're taking a stroll in their own backyard? So easy! " The officers listened to the Devers's explanation. Not only did they not find it funny, they were enraged. They secretly swore that they would not let these arrogant Crotone people go.
"The only problem is that their tents are very scattered and spaced far apart. The southern part of the tents protrudes outwards because the supplies they looted are all concentrated here." The Devers drew a large circle on the camp model with a wooden stick and said cautiously, "Our militia and the Lucanian brigade led by Bagoule only have about five thousand men (Artenis sent people to the Eastern Mediterranean to recruit about five hundred freemen from Thrace, Rhodes and Crete, making the seventh brigade more complete). In order to completely surround Crotone's camp, our attack formation can only have a single row of soldiers."
"Don't worry, Commander, one row is enough! It's more troublesome to deal with people, but it's easy to deal with a bunch of sleeping pigs! "Amyntas' words made everyone cover their mouths and chuckle again.
The Devers smiled and said to Capus, who was next to him, "I'll leave the south of the camp to your first brigade. You'll attack first. As the south area is larger, and there are many pack carts and supplies blocking the way, you and your subordinates will discuss how to solve these problems. I only have one request. Whether or not the first brigade can become the first in the army depends on whether you can keep up with the attack speed of the other brigades, or even be faster than them! "
The usually calm Capus was also excited at this moment. "Rest assured, Commander, the first brigade will not let you down!"
The Devers nodded and turned to Drax. "The second brigade will go to the east of the camp. After the first brigade attacks, you can start the attack. The east of the camp is close to the city of Castellón. When the enemy is attacked and panicked, the first thing they will think of is to escape into the city, so you have to use the fiercest attack to make them give up on this idea! "
Drax looked at Capus and said, "Commander, the second brigade will use our actions to prove that we are not inferior to the first brigade!"
"Good, you have to have this kind of confidence!" The Devers praised, then turned to Hieronymus. "The third brigade will attack from the west. Although most of you are new recruits, I believe that the third brigade will perform well."
Hieronymus clenched his fists and said, "Don't worry!"
"Epicthenis."
"Yes."
"You and Cspit will lead the light shieldmen of the seventh brigade and attack from the north."
"Commander, aren't we lacking in numbers?" Epicthenis immediately asked.
"Don't worry. Is Bagoule here? "The Devers asked.
"I'm here!" Bagoule said from the back of the crowd.
"Come to the front." The Devers beckoned him closer, then said in a deep voice, "You will lead the Lucanian brigade and join the attack from the north. Epicthenis will be the commander."
Bagoule looked hesitantly at Epicthenis, who gave him a friendly smile. He lowered his head and said, "Alright."
"The light shieldmen are good at close combat, and the charge of the Lucanian warriors is also very powerful. The enemy might not even consider escaping to the north at first because of the Trionto River. I'm not worried about your attack. I'm only worried about your lack of teamwork and that there will be gaps in your advance. So, when you come down, you must discuss how to improve your teamwork and control the rhythm of the attack.
"There's something more important!" Dyvers emphasized his tone and said solemnly, "Bagul, I've already told you before, and I'll emphasize it again. Before the battle, no matter if you're marching or hiding, you must maintain silence. You must not alarm the enemy! You must warn your tribesmen to watch their mouths. If anyone disobeys orders and affects this operation, they will be executed according to the 'Amendola Military Law'! "
"Got it." Bagoule was secretly shocked. He decided to go back and discuss with the Asistes how to prevent his people from making mistakes.
"Commander, are our archers and catapults not participating in the operation?" Alpines asked anxiously when he saw that there was no place for him in the attack plan.
"Of course you'll be there." The Devers smiled. "Alpines, lead the archers and catapults to the east of the camp and set up an ambush on the road leading to Castellón City. Once someone comes out of the city to help, deal the most damage to them!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"According to Izam's intelligence, the Crotone soldiers in Castellón are celebrating the victory at the camp, so they didn't return to the city. There shouldn't be many soldiers in the city who can participate in the battle, and they shouldn't be strong either. Oh … and the Crotone generals who are having fun in the city. I bet their legs will be weak by tomorrow morning, and they won't be able to hold their weapons … "The Devers said.
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