Chapter 325
However, the captain was strict with his soldiers on two things. Firstly, during a battle, the soldiers were only allowed to advance and not retreat. Otherwise, he would kick the cowardly soldiers out of the battalion. Secondly, they were not allowed to lose to Olivers's Sixth Battalion in any matter.
This kind of battle spirit was a little funny, but in the army of Diónia, it was not uncommon to see such competition between companies, battalions, battalions, and legions. Moreover, the generals of all levels did not forbid such competition. Instead, they strongly encouraged it. Tug-of-war, rugby, soccer … These popular sports and competitions in the barracks were all team battles between teams, squads, and squads. It was a fierce competition for victory.
Leotychides felt that it was precisely because the generals of all levels valued victory that these Diónia militia, who used to be farmers, fishermen, merchants, and so on, quickly developed a sense of honor for their units. That was why they fought bravely in battle! … …
"Prososus, I heard that the Lagos and Sparta are enemies. Have you fought with the Sparta before?" Het Barus was a chatterbox. After a moment of silence, he started talking again.
After the incident on the ship and the fierce battle with the Puchetti, his friendship with his teammates, especially with Het Barus, had become quite friendly. When Leotychides heard this, to hide the unnatural expression on his face, he did not raise his head. Instead, he bent down and continued to dig. He said softly, "Yes, I have fought."
Het Barus' interest was piqued. He leaned closer and asked, "Do you think the Sparta are stronger, or we are?"
Leotizides did not expect him to ask this question. He was stunned.
The other teammates seemed to be interested as well. They all gathered around, but Captain Sitarsis did not reprimand them.
In fact, Het Barus asked the right person. Leotychides was indeed the best person to answer this question. He was a Sparta, and he had been in the Dionysian Army for half a year. He had even participated in a battle, so he had a good understanding of the military situation between the two forces.
Faced with the curious gazes of his comrades, Leotizides found it hard to refuse them. However, he did not know what to say at the moment. He put down the pickaxe and patted the dirt on his hands. After pondering for a while, he finally said, "Spartans receive cruel Agog combat training from the age of six. Other than learning how to read for a short period of time, they've been living in the barracks until they reach adulthood. The rite of adulthood is to kill any Black Rogues that they encounter alone …"
"Oh, that's too cruel!" One of his teammates shouted.
Leotychides was unmoved. He continued, "After they reach adulthood, the Sparta do nothing but fight and fight until they die … That's why the Sparta are the best warriors in the world. They are familiar with every detail of battle. Killing the enemy is as easy as drinking water for them!" At this point, his pride as a Sparta appeared again.
Some of his teammates hissed in dissatisfaction.
"Prososus, how can you praise the Sparta like that? Are you really a Lagos?!" Someone complained.
Leotychides was shocked. He had been getting along well with his teammates recently, so he had slightly let his guard down. He quickly said, "However, the Sparta warriors are too few. The number of their young citizens is only slightly more than half of a legion of Diónia. Even if we include the Pytheas, there are only more than 10,000 of them. The soldiers of Diónia are the best among all the city-states that I know of that don't fight for a living! Also, your military system is very unique and well-developed. I personally think that some of the systems are even better than those of Sparta! Most importantly, Diónia has a lot of soldiers. After defeating the Bruti, I'm afraid that the number of soldiers will continue to increase … "
"I understand what you mean, Prososus. We can't defeat the Sparta warriors in a one-on-one fight, but in a real battle, the Sparta warriors can't defeat us because they have too few people, right?!" Het Barus interrupted.
"The Legion of Dionysia has always emphasized teamwork and teamwork. No matter how strong a Sparta warrior is, he can't defeat four to five soldiers of the Legion of Dionysia who work closely together! "Percials continued.
"That's right! It's like a running back in a football game. No matter how good he is, he can't score without the help of his teammates! "Another teammate shouted.
Leotychides knew him. He was a citizen candidate of Diónia. He had violated the rules many times in the boot camp and was punished. During the battle against the Puchetti, one of the soldiers in Leotychides's team was seriously injured. That was why he was added to the team. However, he was now a qualified soldier of the legion. This was the terrifying thing about the military system of Diónia. It could train the undisciplined Greeks into qualified soldiers in a short period of time through various methods such as training, sports, and competitions.
The Sparta, who established their country on the basis of military force, had discovered a truth in their long campaigns: the strength of an individual was only secondary to the strength of a city-state's army. What was important was strict discipline, unconditional obedience, and persistent training. Most Greek city-states could neither understand nor implement this, but the newly established Diónia required this from the very beginning. It was said that this was the work of the Archon Devers who had been blessed by the gods. It seemed that compared to Diónia and Sparta, the truly terrifying one was this young man!
Leotychides did not want his teammates to think that Sparta was weak, so he reminded them, "Sparta may have few soldiers, but Sparta rarely fights alone. Don't forget, it's the leader of the Peloponnesus Alliance, and now it's the overlord of Greece. Countless soldiers from its alliance fight for it. Most of the generals in Sparta are qualified commanders … "
"Hey, I'm just comparing Sparta to our Diónia. If we're talking about allies, we have allies in Dionysia as well. Laos, Castron … "Heit Barrus said unhappily.
"And Heraclea … Southern Alliance, Crotone, Siletina, Triene, and …"
"Corunna."
Leotychides felt a little emotional. Many city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean would turn pale at the mention of Sparta. Even big states like Athens and Corinth were afraid of Sparta soldiers. However, these Diónia soldiers were fearlessly discussing who was stronger between Diónia and Sparta. It was not that they were ignorant, but their repeated victories had given them confidence.
Their shouts finally caught the attention of Parmanius, who was not far away. He was furious. "Why are you gossiping instead of digging the trenches! Aren't you afraid of military law?! "
His teammates quickly dispersed and went about their own business.
Squad Leader Sitarsis came over and said in a low voice, "Prososus, you're right! But next time, remember to change the 'you' to 'we'. "
When Leotychides heard this, he could not help but feel embarrassed. Deep down, he had not truly integrated into Diónia and saw himself as a citizen of Diónia …
… …
While the soldiers of the First Legion were busy, the Devers were talking to Trifias, the commander of the Allied Forces in Heraclea.
"You want to invite our engineers to Heraclea to build bridges?"
"Yes, Sir Devers. I've heard in Heraclea that Diónia's bridge building skills are very good. This time, I've brought my troops here and passed through the two wooden bridges in Turií and gained a deeper understanding. I'm sure you know that there are many rivers in Heraclea's territory. The main city of Heraclea is built on a delta surrounded by the Agri River and its tributaries. The rainy season in March and April every year is the most difficult season for us people in Heraclea. " Trifias sighed and said helplessly, "When the river rises, the pontoon bridges are often washed away. We even have to sail out to sea every day and dock at the shore before we can rush to our farms. So, we urgently need a few real, sturdy bridges, just like the wooden bridges on the Clati River!"
After listening to Trifias's request, the Devers gladly promised, "Heraclea is an ally of Diónia. We're happy to provide such help!"
"I heard that Young Heraclea is a master of building bridges, but he also serves as a public official in Diónia's road management. We, Heraclea, are willing to donate 50 tons of wheat to Diónia to thank Young Heraclea and his team for providing us with help in their spare time," Trifias said sincerely.
The Devers did not decline. Diónia was currently short of food, and Trifias's offer was a timely help. This made the Devers look at him in a higher light. Although Heraclea had a dense water network and fertile land, 50 tons of wheat was by no means a small amount. This gift from Heraclea was definitely not just a reward for building the bridge, but also an expression of Heraclea's attitude. The Devers engraved this in their hearts.
With this agreement, the conversation between the Devers and Trifias became more intimate and casual.
The Devers even happily said that he did not expect the Cosenza region to have such a good pasture that could be used to breed War Horses.
Just as the two of them were chatting happily, the messenger Tormid rushed over with a nervous look on his face. "Commander, Ledes urgently reported, 'Bruti's troops are marching here!'"
"How many are there?" The Devers immediately asked.
"According to the judgment of the scouts, there may be 20,000 of them!"
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