Chapter 410
"Sobokos, what happened?" Felicius asked when he saw the serious look on Sobokos' face.
"Commander." Sobokos, who was already in his fifties, was still agile and had a loud voice. He saluted without hesitation. "My scouts have reported that there are about 500 cavalrymen coming from the south. They're approaching the camp."
"Are they from Syracuse?" Felicius asked in a low voice.
"I think so … Those cavalrymen don't have any protection, and they're good at throwing javelins. They're very different from the Greek cavalrymen," Sobokos answered seriously.
"Then what are you waiting for? Send out your cavalrymen and chase these Syracuse people away! Don't let them interfere with the construction of the camp, "Dracos said immediately.
Sobokos was a little embarrassed. He said in a low voice, "Our cavalrymen might not be their match … According to the scouts, they're very good at controlling their horses, and their javelins are also very accurate. Ten of our cavalrymen were chased by them, and when they were 50 meters away, they managed to close the distance. They threw a round of javelins, and we lost … five of our men …"
"Are the Syracuse cavalrymen that strong?!" Epicthenis was a little surprised. He knew the strength of the Diónia cavalrymen. Due to regular training, he felt that they were much stronger than the cavalrymen of the Greek city-states in terms of horsemanship, combat skills, and tactical execution.
"They might be the cavalrymen hired by Syracuse. When Syracuse fought against Carthage, it's said that they hired Celtic and Numibian cavalrymen. They're all races that grew up on horseback, so it's normal that they're better at horsemanship than us … Master Devers even reminded me before I came, "Felicius said with a serious expression.
"Then let's send our 5th Corps' light infantry and Sobkos' cavalry out to chase away these cavalrymen!" Drakos made a prompt decision and suggested.
Felicius nodded in agreement.
… …
Dionysius continued to lead his men forward. When they were about to reach the city of Corunya, they saw a magnificent sight hundreds of meters away. Thousands of men were digging trenches, moving soil, and building barricades on the vast, flat land. Some were building wooden fences and watchtowers … Everybody was busy, but everything seemed to be in order. This was not the only construction site in front of them. It kept extending to the east and west, and seemed to be blocking the passage to the coast on this side of the mountain range.
Dionysius, Phoebidas, Fasipesas, and Astagras fell silent.
After a while, Dionysius pointed at the Diónia camp that was under construction and said to Fasipesas and Astagras in a reproachful tone, "Look at them, and then look at the army you're leading!"
Fasipesas and Astagras were ashamed. They understood what Dionysius meant. Both of them had arrived in a hurry, but the Diónia could work hard to build their camp despite their fatigue, while the camp of Syracuse's army could not be called a camp at all. It was disorderly and messy, and the soldiers slept peacefully in the tents that were built carelessly …
"Sir, the Diónia army is building their camp to defend against our attack. No one dares to attack our army, so —" Just as Astagras was about to explain, he was interrupted by Dionysius, "So your army can sleep peacefully and wait for the Greeks to surrender!"
Dionysius was furious because he had been learning from the Dionysian Army's strengths based on the information he received from Diónia over the past few years. On the other hand, the problems that arose during the battle between Syracuse and Carthage prompted him to reform the Syracuse army. He clearly divided the heavy infantry, cavalry, infantry, cavalry, siege troops, and navy into separate units. They would fight together under a unified and effective command. To allow the generals and soldiers to master the new tactics, he also learned from Diónia and increased the number of military training sessions for the citizens. He also formulated stricter military rules to ensure that the army could carry out the new rules. After this reform, Syracuse always had the upper hand in the second war against Carthage. However, the scene in front of him made him feel the gap between his army and the Diónia soldiers in terms of willpower and order execution. Therefore, this anger originated from his jealousy and anxiety. Astagras was just a tool for him to vent his anger.
This was indeed a little unfair to Astagras, but when he wanted to defend himself with a few words, another important general of Syracuse, Fasipesas, secretly tugged at his clothes and said respectfully, "Sir, don't worry, we'll go back and gather the army and let them rebuild the camp."
Only then did Dionysius's expression lighten a little.
At this time, the leader of the Numibian mercenaries, Akhilita, stepped forward and said as if to claim credit, "Sir, the enemy is now building their camp. It's a good opportunity for a sneak attack. Let me lead my people over and fight for a while."
Before Dionysius could answer, Phoebidas, who had been closely observing the Diónia camp, said, "Don't rush, the army of Diónia is coming."
A few squads of cavalry and infantrymen rushed out of the tunnels left by the Dionysia Camp that was under construction. They quickly got into formation in front of the camp, with cavalry on both sides and light infantrymen in the middle. Then, they marched towards Dionysius and the others without hesitation.
"It's useless no matter how many Diónia soldiers there are. Sir, please allow me to lead my people to attack. I'll let my warriors go around their flank first, attack their cavalry, and disrupt their formation. Then, we'll take advantage of the chaos to attack the light infantry in the middle and let them have a taste of the power of the Numibian cavalry! "
"We should go back!" Phoebidas suddenly said, a little panic in his voice.
Dionysius looked at him in surprise. It was the first time he saw the indifferent and straightforward Sparta man lose his composure since they set off from Syracuse. However, as the commander of the army, he had more important things to do. There was no need to tangle with the enemy's small troops at this time. So, he listened to Phoebidas and ordered the retreat.
Although Akhilita was unruly, he was still full of respect for his employer who did not show his emotions. He reluctantly called back the eager Numibian cavalry and followed behind Dionysius.
When Felicius learned of the enemy's retreat, he said to the two commanders seriously, "You've seen it, the army of Syracuse will attack soon. We must build the camp as soon as possible!"
This time, Epicthenis had no objections.
… …
On the way back to Locri, Dionysius asked, "Phoebidas, now that the Diónia have built a camp in Corunna, it's obvious that they're trying to defend against our attack from the north. What do you think we should do next?"
"We must not let the Diónia build a strong camp here and use the narrow terrain to offset our advantage in numbers, thus wasting our time! We must invade the territory of Triene and Siletina as soon as possible. The terrain there is wide and conducive for our army to fight. We can force them to fight us head-on, then defeat them and occupy their cities! This way, the Diónia will have no helpers, and the main force is still trapped in Potentia. It's a good opportunity for us to destroy them! "When he said the last sentence, Phoebidas's expression was even a little ferocious.
Dionysius looked at him curiously. Although he did not understand why Phoebidas suddenly had a bad impression of the Diónia, this was exactly what he wanted.
Therefore, after thinking for a long time, he made up his mind. He summoned the commanders and gave an order in a low voice, "Astagras, Fasipesas, go back and immediately reorganize the army. Tomorrow! I want to attack Corunna and Triene tomorrow! "
"Yes, sir!"
Phoebidas listened to their conversation and was happy to see that Dionysius had arranged according to his suggestion. However, his mind was still replaying the scene he saw just now. Be it the cavalry or the light infantry, the Diónia were all dressed in black. He could even vaguely see the same pattern on the leather shields of their cavalry. Although he did not see the heavy infantry of Diónia, since the light infantry and cavalry were the same, the heavy infantry's attire must be quite uniform.
Dionysius had received detailed information about the Dionysian Army in advance, so he was not too surprised. But for the Sparta Phoebidas, through the uniform of the Diónia and the oppressive black, he saw something deeper.
When the citizens of Athens, Corinth, Thebes, and other city-states showed off their rich and colorful artistic taste and entertainment, and even painted all kinds of exquisite patterns on their dusty round shields to show off their personality and taste, the Sparta soldiers were secretly laughing. Because since the regent of Sparta came to Kugu to carry out the reform, they had been trained under whips and sticks since childhood. After a hundred years of war, they had already summed up the essence of war, which was to not care about any means, only for the final victory!
The Sparta claimed to be the descendants of Hercules, but in fact, they worshipped wolves more. Their army fought like a pack of wolves, emphasizing discipline, unity, and psychological deterrence. Even if each of them was strong in combat, they would never allow anyone to fight alone.
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