Chapter 331
Defeat came so quickly that Pienlen still could not believe it, because he felt that victory was so close to him. "Attack! Continue to attack! The enemy is about to lose! " He shouted hysterically, trying to stop the soldiers around him from escaping, but he was almost pushed down.
"Great Leader, run! If you don't leave now, you won't be able to! "The guards forcefully pulled him back.
… …
"Commander, we have won this battle!" Tormid came to report with a face full of joy. "The enemy is completely routed!"
This result was expected by Devers. He said calmly, "This battle is not over yet. It's not enough to just repel the enemy. We have to see what the final result is!"
Usually, in a head-on battle, the losing side rarely lost more than 10% of its soldiers. After the enemy fled, if the pursuit was appropriate, it would often increase the casualty rate of the losing side. This was because the defeated soldiers had no fighting spirit and no intention to fight back.
Therefore, Devers kept the bugle blowing for the attack.
The Diónia soldiers simply threw away their heavy bronze shields and helmets, held their spears with both hands, and continued to pursue the enemy regardless of their exhaustion. They cooperated with the reinforcements rushing from the side to surround the enemy.
The Abyssinia soldiers, the light infantry and freedmen led by Eptenis and Cspit, and the mountain scouts led by Izamu formed a "big net" from the right to the middle of the Bruti army. Although this "net" was not very strong and the mesh was too big, it was enough to deter the Bruti who only wanted to escape.
In the midst of the battle cries of the Diónia, some of the defeated soldiers simply threw away their weapons and sat on the ground.
The Ledes Cavalry Brigade, on the other hand, was extremely scattered and wide in two horizontal lines to pursue the fleeing enemy. The cavalry at full horsepower was like a thick hedge, sweeping the dead leaves back and forth …
Near dusk, the Diónia cavalry stopped their pursuit. When they returned from the Cosenza Plateau that was full of defeated soldiers, all of them were covered in blood. It was a frightening sight. Later, the meddlesome soldiers gave them the nickname "Blood Cavalry", which eventually became their official name.
At this time, the battle was over. At the cost of 1500 casualties, Diónia caused the Bruti Alliance to suffer nearly 5000 casualties and more than 5000 prisoners.
Ledes excitedly came to see Devers, only to be told that the commander had gone to the crematorium.
Walking on the corpse-strewn battlefield, the joy of Devers' victory had long disappeared.
The soldiers placed their fallen comrades neatly on the grass. At first glance, they couldn't even see the end of them. They carefully stuck two Opol on the dead man's eyes, and at the same time, they prayed to Hades with tears in their eyes.
Looking at the pale faces that seemed familiar, Devers' footsteps were a little heavy. Finally, he stopped. A dozen soldiers were crying around a corpse on the side of the road in front of him. He happened to know the leader of the group. It was Septimus, the company captain of the Second Legion.
Devers' heart skipped a beat. He stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Who is the dead?"
"Commander!" The officer and the soldiers hurriedly saluted when they saw him.
Through the gap, he saw the face of the dead man. It was a face that could not be more familiar. Arsinis, a passionate and cheerful young man from Amendola. He was a hero of the Second Crotone War and a standard-bearer during the triumphal parade. During the final attack of the battle, Arsinis, as the platoon leader, rushed to the front. As a result, he was stabbed in the chest by a daring enemy who was not in a hurry to escape.
Hearing Septimus' words of grief, Devers took two Opals from the soldiers and placed them on Arsinis' closed eyelids. A year ago, this brave young man had dared to compete with him in swimming. Now, his body was as cold as a stone. At this moment, Devers hoped that Hades really existed in this world. Based on Diónia's reverence for the Pluto, they would definitely give these soldiers of Diónia preferential treatment in hell.
After coming out of the group of soldiers, Devers walked forward for a while. Then, he stopped and looked gloomily at the burning incineration furnaces in the distance.
After a long time, he said to Tormid, who had been silently following behind him, "Do you think … Diónia's war against Bruti … was it right or wrong?"
"Uh …" Tormid did not know how to answer for a moment.
However, Devers's expression quickly became firm. He answered himself in a firm tone, "Of course it was right! In this era, it's either we destroy others or others destroy us. There's no other way but to strengthen ourselves! "
Tormid agreed with Devers. In the eastern Mediterranean, he had seen the oppression of the weak races by the Persia, and the tyranny of the Sparta in Ionia and Asia Minor. After coming to the western Mediterranean, he had also heard of the strength of Carthage and the tyranny of Syracuse. What he did not expect was that at this moment, what Devers was worried about was a Latin city-state in central Italy that he had never heard of — Rome.
… …
"Commander, the brothers of the First Legion and the soldiers of the reserve team … are seizing the time to rest. They're too tired! They almost fell asleep as soon as they fell to the ground. They didn't even have time to take off their breastplates, "Capus said with some heartache.
"In this battle … whether it's the First Legion, the Second Legion or the other teams, they've all put in their best efforts. The battle was very difficult!" Devers said with a sigh, but he still reminded Capus, "However, it's autumn now. I heard that the nights in the mountains are much colder than in Turií. After the fierce battle, the brothers will fall asleep when they're sweating all over. Be careful not to catch a cold! Now our medical camp is overcrowded. I don't want any unnecessary increase in the number of injured and sick! "
Next to Devers was Antonio Rios. He was once again the military officer of the army in this expedition. Obviously, he was somewhat familiar with this position. At this time, he suggested, "I think we can let the auxiliary soldiers in the supply camp take out the blankets carried by the soldiers of the First Legion and cover themselves."
Devers nodded in agreement. He looked at Dracos again. The commander of the Second Legion had his head slightly lowered, his hands behind his back, and his left leg was trembling slightly.
Devers looked at him carefully and asked, "Can our camp be built by night?"
"The brothers of the Second Legion are taking the prisoners to speed up the construction. At the same time, the Mountain Brigade, the soldiers of Abyssinia, and the allied forces led by Sir Trifias and Sir Gorkis (the general of Castellón) are also building the camp under the guidance of the engineers … It will definitely be built before night falls!"
Trifias and Gorkis nodded after Dracos mentioned their names.
Devers expressed his gratitude to them and then asked, "How are the Bruti prisoners doing?"
"We severely punished more than a dozen prisoners who dared to resist. With the Abyssinia as an example, they're quite obedient."
Devers nodded. He paced back and forth a few steps and said in a low voice, "Don't torture them! If you find that the Bruti can't carry on working, allow them to stop and rest … Oh, you know the specifics yourself. "
"Yes."
"What's with the injury on your right hand?" Dracos was only thinking about how to complete the task given by Devers and did not notice that Devers had walked behind him.
He hurriedly retracted his hand, took two steps back, shook his head and said, "No … It's nothing. I was accidentally injured by a soldier's spear …"
He shook his head, and a bloody groove under his lower jaw was reflected in Devers's eyes. Devers, who was respected by Herpes as his teacher, knew that the wound was near the vital carotid artery. One could imagine the thrill of the situation and Dracos's luck at that time.
At this moment, Devers's face darkened. "You rushed to the front again, didn't you? How many times have I told you? You are the commander of more than 7,000 soldiers, not an ordinary soldier. If you die in battle, do you know how much impact it will have on the entire battle? Diónia's military law is just child's play to you, isn't it? If you don't want to abide by it, then don't! … "
Devers scolded Dracos. He hung his head and did not dare to say a word.
In the eyes of outsiders, a young man scolding a strong man in his thirties like a father scolding a child was a somewhat comical scene. But the senior generals and important figures of Diónia around them all looked serious and tried to hold their breath. This showed the power of Devers.
"Temporarily hand over the command of the Second Legion to Adrianx. You immediately go to Stesicordas (the head of the medical camp of the expeditionary troops and one of Herpes's right-hand men), bandage your wound, and go to the military judge to receive punishment!"
As soon as Devers finished speaking, Dracos repeatedly answered yes and ran away as if he had been pardoned.
"Commander, actually … during the last attack, the soldiers were very tired. Dracos also wanted to use this method to encourage the soldiers …" Antonio and the other four explained on behalf of Dracos in a low voice.
"You should all know Arsinis. After the second victory against Crotone, he was the flag bearer at the triumphal parade. Now he is a platoon leader of the Second Legion, a very promising young officer! " Dyvers let out a long sigh. "I've just paid the crossing fee to Garon for him … Whatever the Legion Commander does, the lower-ranked officers will follow suit. I don't want to see the positions of the Second Legion's officers always empty. This Dracos who does not care about his life in battle needs to be taught a lesson! "
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