Chapter 286
Both Heraclea and Metapontum had sent troops to participate in the previous siege of Brindisi, so the two archons and Umacas had also learned a painful lesson.
Devers agreed. Although he vaguely felt that something was wrong, he could not tell what it was at the moment. Because there was no trace of the enemy in the direction of Ujentum, at least it ruled out the possibility of another pincer attack by the Mayprussian Alliance.
In order to chase after the enemy, the whole army moved quickly. The supply team was left in the city of Manduria, and at the same time, 3000 Mandurian defenders were taken away, making the total number of Tarantum's army 13000, and the total number of soldiers was as high as 30,000.
The whole army followed the marching order of yesterday and sped up to the north. After traveling for ten miles, they received a report from the cavalry: the Mayprussian Alliance had entered the mountains in the north.
Such a huge army did not go to Brindisi, but instead went into the mountains?! Devers was a little confused. Umacas, who was beside him, pondered for a moment, and looked shocked.
"They may be going through the Anlerne Hills!" Diomiras, who had rushed over after hearing the news, said nervously.
After listening to the two of them, Daves found out that between the East-West Coast Corridor and the East-West Coast Corridor were not covered in thorns, trees, and rugged mountains. Instead, there was a hilly area between the mountains. The road was not too difficult to walk on, and they could pass through it to the east of Tarantum. In the early days, the Mesapi people often attacked the people of Tarantum from there. Later, as the people of Tarantum grew stronger, they built defensive camps and sentry towers near the exit of the hills and strengthened their reconnaissance. This caused the Mesapi people, who were tired from crossing the hills, to be repelled by the people of Tarantum who were waiting for them. Later, the Mesapi people were influenced by the Greeks and gradually became civilized. They were not used to fighting in the mountains, and with the establishment of Manduria, they had a more convenient base to attack Tarantum. In the past few decades, the Mesapi people had never used the Anlerne Hills to break into the territory of Tarantum.
"In other words … the defense camp there has been abandoned?!" The Devers immediately realized this.
"Uh …" Umarcas was still deliberating over his words when Dionyilas said, "The camp was not abandoned. It's just that after Acheta's army was wiped out, the Mesapi – Puchetti coalition army launched a large-scale attack. Most of the people outside the city had already hidden in the city, so the soldiers in the camp had naturally withdrawn. Therefore, the Mesapi people could easily enter our land, destroy our fields that were about to be harvested, burn our villages, and kill the people who had yet to leave! We must catch up to them immediately and stop them! Repel them! "
Diomiras looked agitated, and Umarcas also looked worried. However, Devers was unmoved. He paced back and forth, his brain thinking quickly.
"What are you hesitating for? If we don't act now, we won't be able to catch up! "Diomiras urged loudly.
"Why are you chasing them?!" "Don't forget what you said before. 'If the enemy retreats, we will immediately attack Brindisi and force the Mesapi people to fight us.'" Dyvers stopped in his tracks and reminded him with a serious look on his face.
Diomiras was speechless for a moment. Umarcas quickly explained, "Now the situation is different. The Mesapi army will rush into our territory of Tarantum and wreak havoc. This will cause panic among the people, and they may even attack Tarantum City!"
"Although the Mesapi coalition army has a large number of people, Tarantum City is not easy to attack, but Brindisi can be easily obtained," The Devers pointed to the front and said earnestly, "It will be difficult for the heavy infantry to catch up with the light infantry. Instead of passively chasing after the Mesapi coalition army and being led around by the nose, it is better to take the initiative to attack and take Brindisi. If they still don't come, we will continue to attack Igretia! I don't believe that they won't come to fight! "
Umarcas bit his lip and could not make a decision for a moment. Diomiras still stubbornly shook his head, "No! What the enemy wants to destroy is not the land of your Diónia, so of course you won't feel bad! But that is the land of Tarantum. I would rather attack Brindisi later and drive them out of Tarantum first. "
Hearing this, the Devers also became angry, "Can you blame me for this?! During the discussion, you did not mark it on the map, nor did you explain it. There is also a damn Anlern Hills that can be passed through! I didn't let you go because you said that the roads there are complicated, and the terrain is unfamiliar. If the enemy set up an ambush there — "
At this point, the Devers's brain quivered, and he grasped the flash of inspiration, "I understand! I understand! Because of the cavalry! You said before that the Mesapi cavalry wantonly intercepted the scouts of Tarantum, causing your cavalry to suffer a lot of losses. But this time, we have not been attacked by the Mesapi cavalry since the beginning of the expedition. Why? Could it be that the Mesapi cavalry have all died from the plague? "
The Devers looked around confidently, and said in a serious tone, "No! The Mesapi people want us to know the whereabouts of their army, and they want us to follow them because they must have set up an ambush in the Anlern Hills! So we can't go to the Anlern Hills, and we can't bury the only army that can save Tarantum there! "
These words moved Umarcas, and made Diomiras silent.
"I agree with Sir Devers's opinion! Let's attack Brindisi! "Trifias said loudly.
"I agree too." Tudepres also nodded in agreement.
The clear statements of the two army commanders made it so that the Devers's proposal could be passed.
Diomiras jumped on his horse with a look of unwillingness.
"Sir Diomiras!" The Devers shouted, "Please remember that Diónia is here to help Tarantum, not to be humiliated! As the Consul of Diónia, I have also been elected as the commander-in-chief of this expedition. If there are any bad behaviors of disrespecting the commander-in-chief and disobeying orders, I think there is no need for the Allied Army to exist anymore! "
The Devers's words were loud and clear, and the surroundings suddenly fell into a dead silence. Even Trifias and Tudepres were shocked by the toughness of this seemingly gentle young Consul.
Umarcas had to cough a few times and said, "Sir Diomiras is also worried about —"
The Devers waved his hand to interrupt him, and said coldly, "Why is the Dionysian Army always victorious and never defeated? It is because of discipline and obedience! If there is no unified command for an army of more than 30,000 people, and if they don't obey orders, it will be a mess! Since you already know that it will be a failure, why go to war! "
Under the threat of the Devers, and under the gaze of the crowd, Diomiras's face turned red. Under the invisible pressure, he finally squeezed out a sentence, "Got it."
… …
In the Anlerne Hills, King Pucchetti Tremoni and the Consul of the various Mesapi cities were looking forward to it, but the news reported by the spies extinguished their enthusiasm.
"What did you say?! The Greeks did not come this way, but continue to the east … Brindisi, their goal is Brindisi! " Tremoni exclaimed. He cared more about the coastal city than the Mesapi people, because to the Mesapi Consul, Brindisi was just an ally, but to Tremoni, it was a part of his newly acquired territory, the source of his wealth.
"Don't worry, King Pucchetti." Consul Pahimerus of Urdiae advised, "Our cavalry has already informed Brindisi yesterday. I believe that before the Greeks arrived there, the residents had temporarily left. Even if the Greeks enter the city, they will not get anything. If they dare to move to Brindisi again, we don't mind getting another batch of Greek slaves when we recapture it! I think we should wait a little longer and let the cavalry make the fire that burned the villages on the ground of Tarantum more intense! I don't believe that the people of Tarantum will continue to head east after hearing this news! "
Pachimerus' words calmed Tremoni down. He thought about it and said fiercely, "Kill some of the Greeks captured in Brindisi and throw their bodies on the road. Let's see how the Greeks react!"
… …
"Report! More than a dozen places in the Anlerne Hills have smoke rising, and the entire sky is blackened. There are many bodies of the people of Tarantum along the way, including women and children … "
"I only need you to monitor the enemy's movements and see if the enemy has come out of the hills!" The Devers interrupted the scout's words stiffly, "Go back and tell your captain to send a Diónia cavalry back to report the situation next time!"
The Tarantum scout angrily whipped his horse and left.
The Devers only looked at the silent Umarcas beside him and reminded him again, "The Mesapi people are luring us to the Anlerne Hills. We can't go!"
Umarcas frowned and remained silent.
The Devers did not say anything else. He turned around and whispered to the herald, Tormid, "Inform the team officers at the front to speed up the march and leave that dangerous place as soon as possible."
The mercenaries led by Zantiparis had all become preparatory citizens because of their repeated meritorious deeds. The military officer, Felicius, assigned all of them to the vacant First and Second Legions. Zantiparis served as the acting fifth captain of the Sixth Brigade of the First Legion. For a preparatory citizen, this position was a little high, but most of the team officers and generals in the army were members of the Persia expeditionary force. They felt that Zantiparis's position was too low. After all, he was one of the five leaders back then. So once he became an official citizen, his position would probably be promoted rapidly.
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