Chapter 288
Sorikos breathed a sigh of relief. He knew how powerful the Light Shieldbearers of the Seventh Brigade of the First Legion were. In the narrow mountain path where there was not enough space to dodge, it would be difficult to avoid the javelins thrown by the Light Shieldbearers.
… …
Consul Pachimerus led the soldiers of the Messapi City-State Alliance down from the hills on both sides to attack the Tarantum on the mountain path.
The Puchetti and Igratya soldiers did not join the battle because the scouts reported that the Diónia had also entered the Anlerne Hills.
Tremoni hoped to see them rush to reinforce the Tarantum. Then, even if they had more soldiers than the Puchetti, another ambush would kill them all.
But the news brought by the escaping scouts made his wish come to nothing.
"What?! The Diónia didn't follow the mountain path to us. They disappeared?! " Tremoni jumped up and shouted, "How dare you say you don't know? Don't think that I won't punish you just because you're a Messapi! Where did the Diónia go? You must find out for me! "
"King Puchetti, the Diónia suddenly sent hundreds of cavalrymen to surround our scouts. They were lucky to escape." Consul Timo Grass of Igratya came forward and advised, "The Diónia will definitely come to the rescue of the Tarantum. The key is to know from which direction they come, so that we can intercept them in time. Otherwise, the situation will be very dangerous."
"Send out all the cavalrymen and find them as soon as possible! I don't believe they can hide an army of tens of thousands! " Tremoni shouted angrily. The cunning Diónia obviously came prepared, and Tremoni's previous arrangements were all ruined. Thinking about how the Dionysian Army ignored the bait of the Messapi Alliance and marched straight to Brindisi, Tremoni realized that he had underestimated the Diónia commander.
"What's the name of the young commander of the Diónia?" Tremoni asked seriously.
"I think he's called … Devers," Timo Grass replied.
Tremoni repeated the name several times, and his eyes lit up with excitement …
… …
With the place where the Tarantum people were ambushed as the center, there were cavalry fighting on every mountain path and every hill in the southern half of the fan area. Dyvers seized the time to send out a mountain reconnaissance team to explore the way ahead, and under their guidance, he led the army in the direction of the battle.
However, the Devers did not expect that although the hills here were not very high, they occupied a large area. Sometimes, the hills were connected, and there was no path to pass through. They could only pass through the low parts between the hills. So the original idea was to make a small detour to the east, avoid the ambush of the Maypu Alliance, and quickly rush to the enemy's flank to rescue the Tarantum army. But in reality, this circle was getting bigger and bigger.
The soldiers of Heraclea and Metapontum complained endlessly as the distance they had to travel increased. Although the Diónia soldiers were a little dissatisfied, few of them voiced out their dissatisfaction.
Yumacas was extremely anxious. The report from the scouts and the battle cries from afar shattered his hope of survival. The Mesapi people really had an ambush!
When he remembered the warning given by the Devers, he was extremely regretful. He did not believe in the Devers more firmly, and did not stop Diomiras from acting without authorization. Now, he had tasted the bitter fruit.
At this moment, he pinned all his hopes of rescue on the Devers, but he did not dare to urge them, lest he annoy the young military genius and affect the rescue of the Tarantum army.
The Devers was equally anxious. The long mountain march also made him irritated. He could see the exhaustion of the soldiers. The battlefield should not be far in front of them. The sounds of fighting and screams were getting clearer and clearer. However, he was not sure if there was another difficult hill in front of them, forcing them to take another detour.
"Commander, Y 'zam is back!" Tolmid shouted from the front.
"Quick! Bring him here! "The Devers rushed forward to greet him.
"Commander, in front … there is no need to make a detour, we can go there directly …" Izam panted heavily and saluted. He said eagerly, "We will reach the battlefield after crossing two hills. However, my subordinates found that the enemy is also rushing over here! "
The Devers calmed down. After such a long time, it was normal for the Mesapi Alliance to find out the movements of his army. Moreover, they were on the inside, so there was no regret in intercepting them in front of him. However, the enemy was also rushing over, so it was impossible for them to have any defensive measures. An ambush was even more impossible. In a face-to-face battle, the Legion of Dionysia was not afraid of anyone, as long as they did not have to make a detour!
At his request, Izam used a branch to draw a simple map of the front on the ground.
The Devers pointed out the key points, and after asking in detail, he already had a plan in mind, "Order the entire army to speed up through this hill, then spread out into formation. The First Legion on the left, the Second Legion on the right, and the rest of the troops as reserves! "
"Yes!" Tormid replied excitedly.
… …
In fact, the reinforcements of Diónia had made a big detour, and they were already approaching the exit of the Anlerne Hills, which was equivalent to reaching the rear of the Mesapi Alliance, where the terrain gradually became flat.
The Dionysian Army passed through the path between the hills, and endless hills lay in front of them. Fortunately, these hills were only 30 meters high, easy to climb.
They would reach the battlefield after crossing it! The soldiers of Diónia could clearly hear the sounds of fighting coming from the hills, and seeing more and more aliens appearing on the hills, the fighting spirit in their hearts began to boil …
They finally made it! King Tremoni of Puchetti climbed up the hill and looked down at the endless stream of Greek soldiers, and let out a long sigh.
"Your Majesty, look over there!" A Puchetti general pointed down the hill, and saw a few Greeks wearing brightly crowned helmets galloping along the path in front of the hill, stopping from time to time to point in their direction, as if they were discussing something. They were followed by a group of soldiers, and the one in front was holding a shining golden flag.
"De — Fer — Si!" Tremoni murmured the name, which was a bit hard to pronounce, and took a few steps forward, subconsciously trying to get a better look at his opponent.
"Your Majesty, do you want me to send some archers down to shoot a few arrows at them?" The Puchetti general asked.
"Of course not!" Tremoni refused without hesitation. He glanced at his subordinates, and said with a slightly excited expression, "Let us have a real battle with the young Greek general and the Greek heavy infantry on the hills!"
The Devers carefully controlled the War Horse, galloping back and forth along the mountain path, observing the entire terrain of the battlefield.
"Where do you think is the easiest place for us to break through?" The Devers suddenly asked.
"There!" The two commanders, Capus and Dracos, said in unison, pointing to the same place.
It was the lowest point between the continuous valleys, no more than four to five meters high, and not only was it flat, but it was also wide enough.
The Devers nodded, but reminded them, "The easiest place to pass is often the place where the enemy's defense is the tightest!"
He looked at the two with bright eyes. "Now, the Tarantum army is being ambushed, and time is of the essence. I'm going to let Amyntas' brigade attack there, and strive to break through the enemy's obstruction in the shortest time possible!" Antonios' First Brigade had the strongest comprehensive combat power, but the brigade led by the brave Amyntas had a stronger impact. What the Devers needed the most at this time was time.
Capus nodded to show that he understood. Dracos wanted to say something, but after listening to the Devers, he did not say anything.
"When the legionnaires are ready, you will attack on your own!" The Devers decisively ordered.
Capus and Dracos hurriedly saluted and rode back to their respective legions.
"Let the troops of Heraclea and Metapontum spread out as much as possible on the right side of the second legion. When the second legion attacks, they can attack forward." The Devers continued to order.
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!" Tormid immediately turned to the mountain path behind him with the two messengers.
After the Devers had arranged everything, Umarcas asked in confusion, "Why did Sir Devers arrange the troops of Trifias and Tudepres on the right side? In this way, on the left side of the entire formation, wouldn't the enemy's formation be longer than ours? "
"Every battle has to be arranged according to the actual situation, so that we can grasp the initiative of the battle. Our current goal is to break through the enemy's blockade and rescue the ambushed Tarantum troops. The enemy's goal is to stop us from advancing. My right flank has more troops than the enemy, so it's easier for us to break through the right flank. Even if the enemy stops our left flank, the enemy's attempt will still fail if we break through the right flank … "The Devers had some free time after giving the order, so he patiently explained to Umarcas," Also, didn't you notice that the further to the right, the gentler the terrain is (because it's closer to the edge of the hills). This allows the troops of Heraclea and Metapontum, which are slightly weaker, to unleash their strength more. "
"But the enemy can also see our formation from the top of the mountain, so they will definitely make changes," Umarcas reminded.
The Devers smiled confidently. "They don't have time."
Umarcas was curious and wanted to ask why they didn't come in time, but he heard the Devers shout, "Matonis, why aren't you leading your troops? Why are you here?!"
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