Chapter 419
"The people of Diónia are here! The reinforcements of Diónia are here! " The archers on the sentry tower were shouting the same thing as the wounded Samonese soldiers, but they were shouting in joy, "Our reinforcements are here! Our reinforcements are here! … "
They're finally here! Alexis heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the news.
The soldiers' morale was greatly boosted when they heard the shout. Their weary bodies seemed to be filled with energy again. They roared in unison, trying their best to drive the enemy out of the camp …
Torek, who heard the shout, was still unwilling to believe it. When he turned around and saw the army of Diónia rushing towards them, any stragglers would be swallowed up in an instant. His whole body seemed to be drained of energy. He staggered and fell to the ground. There was only one thought in his mind, It's over! We've fallen into the trap of the Diónia!
The Samonese soldiers, who had been fighting for a long time, were equally exhausted when they saw the menacing soldiers of the Legion of Dionysia coming from behind. Although they panicked, most of the soldiers did not turn around to escape. Instead, they picked up their spears and turned around to resist the enemy's surprise attack. There was only one thought in their minds: Fight!
However, the continuous arrival of new reinforcements and the pincer attack from the front and back made the resistance of the Samonese soldiers futile. On the contrary, it affected them from escaping in time.
As the Samonai people continued to fall, the remaining soldiers finally lost their fighting spirit and began to flee … Some of the soldiers were already exhausted, so they simply abandoned their weapons and surrendered … Thus, after a period of time, the battle was basically over. All that was left was to chase after the defeated soldiers.
… …
In the camp of Diónia, the soldiers of Legio III were either cleaning up the bodies of their comrades, receiving treatment from the medical camp, or leaning against the mud wall and lying on the ground to rest …
Legion Commander Alexis was solemnly listening to the adjutant's report on the casualties of the legion. "According to the preliminary statistics of the medical camp, our legion suffered 412 casualties, 251 were seriously injured, and 537 were lightly injured. A total of 1200 casualties …"
1200 casualties! Alexis clenched her fists in shock. That's 15% of the main force of the legion. This casualty is quite high!
The adjutant saw the commander's pained expression and quickly comforted him. "There's nothing we can do about it. We're facing the ferocious Samnai who outnumber us three to one … "
Alexis sighed and said nothing.
At this moment, the originally quiet camp suddenly boiled over.
Alexis watched as the Devers entered the camp with the guards. As they walked towards the center, they chatted amiably with the soldiers they met.
Alexis hurried over to greet him.
Before he could even get close, Devers caught up to him and gave him a very strong hug. "Well done, Commander Alexis!"
This sentence made most of the sadness, grievance, and dissatisfaction in Alexis' heart dissipate. He saluted and answered, "Reporting to the Supreme Commander, Legio III has completed its combat mission and is currently resting."
"It's more than just completing the mission!" Devers looked around at the soldiers who quickly crowded over. Their faces were covered with dust and bloodstains and were full of exhaustion. He clenched his right fist and hammered heavily on his left chest. "Brothers of Legio III! You've defended your camp and fought hard against an enemy three times your size. You've made a great contribution to the final annihilation of the Samnai! You've saved Potentia! You've removed the danger of our Lucanian territory being invaded! You've changed the entire war situation of Diónia in the north! Not only do I want to thank you, but the entire people of Diónia want to thank you! You're the heroes of Diónia and will be remembered in the Temple of Hades in Turií! Victory to Legio III! "
Devers' passionate words reached the ears of every soldier. Whether they were Lucanians or Greeks, they were so excited that they shed tears.
"Victory to Legio III!!!"
"Victory to Devers!!!"
"Victory to Diónia!!!"
…
Continuous cheers resounded over the camp. When the captive Samnai warriors heard this voice, their faces were filled with unspeakable pain and frustration …
In this battle, Devers besieged the enemy's reinforcements and used Legio III as bait to attract 26,000 to 7,000 Samnai warriors to besiege them. Taking advantage of the fatigue of the veterans, they secretly mobilized more than two legions to encircle and annihilate them … Tens of thousands of Samnai warriors were captured, causing more than 7,000 casualties. Only nearly 3,000 people escaped into the mountains. At the same time, they easily recaptured the city of Poseidonia and obtained a large number of supplies and supplies that were piled up in the city and had yet to be transported to the Samnai camp in Potentia. It could be said to be a complete victory.
… …
On this day, the army of Syracuse, which had broken through the north bank of the Ramato River, was still biding their time. They built a simple camp at the confluence of the Ramato River and the Koerta River, and used dozens of fast boats to build a pontoon bridge across the Koerta River, allowing the supplies and supplies from Hibernian to be delivered smoothly to the camp of Syracuse. The soldiers could finally have a full meal.
To the west of the camp of Syracuse, the Triene people who were close to the Tyrrhenian Sea were still in a state of panic. They sent out a large number of scouts to keep a close eye on the camp of Syracuse, and at the same time, sent messengers to Syracuse while maintaining contact with Kenapetiya.
In Syracuse, even though the number of Crotone's troops had increased to 17000, causing the strength of the allied forces in Syracuse to skyrocket to 30,000 people, the people were still uneasy. Syracuse's main camp was less than 30 miles away from the city of Xiliting. A few hours of marching would be enough to reach the city. Now, all of the Xiliting citizens had abandoned their homes outside the city and brought their families with them to escape into Xiliting.
With regards to Crotone's full support, the leaders of Syracuse, led by Pretinis, could no longer blame them. However, with regards to the pressure of Syracuse's army, the allied forces of Crotone and Syracuse could do nothing about it. The only thing they could do was to send scouts to the south every once in a while to understand the movements of the Legion of Dionysia.
… …
On this day, the Fourth and Fifth Legions of Diónia began to break camp early in the morning. In order to prevent Syracuse from using this abandoned camp, they not only removed the tents, pulled down the wooden fences, but also bulldozed the earth rampart and filled in the trenches. The reason why they spent so much effort was to repay the kindness of the people of Syracuse and to make up for the guilt in their hearts.
Last night, when Felicius informed the people of the news that "the Dionysian Army had to prepare to retreat", although they knew that the situation could not be reversed, Pretinis and the others still did their best to retain the reinforcements that could protect Corrennia's safety.
Felicius could only bear to reject their request.
However, when they were about to leave today, almost all the people of Corrennia came out to see the Dionysian Army off. Not only did they help the soldiers break camp, they also brought along freshly cooked bread, oatmeal, and water, hoping that the soldiers could have a full meal before they left.
The deep friendship of Corrennia and the heartbreaking words of persuasion moved many Diónia soldiers. Due to the military order, they had to go north, but the words of comfort to the people of Corrennia were more or less the same. "Don't worry! As long as you hold the city of Corrennia, we will rendezvous with the other allied forces. Soon, we will defeat Syracuse's army, and then we will come to save you! "
Felicius said the same thing to Phreneres, but in an even more tactful manner.
Phreneres did not seem to hear the uncertainty in Felicius' words. He said with determination, "Corrennia has been besieged by Rockley too many times. No one in Greece is better at defending cities than we are. We will hold the city until you return. I know that the people of Diónia keep their promises!"
Pretinis' words made Felicius feel even more pressured.
When it was almost dusk, the Fourth and Fifth Legions finally arrived at Syracuse. At this time, the Syracuse and Rockley Allied Forces led by the Fasipesas surrounded Corrennia.
… …
In the evening, in the headquarters of the Southern Alliance of Syracuse, Diónia's southern commander Felicius, Senate's envoy Ancitanos, Crotone's general Ascamas, Syracuse's chief general Pretinis, Syracuse's general Asexias, and Triene's envoy Asopias sat around a large wooden table. On the table was a map of the Euthymia Plains.
Asexias stood up with a wooden stick in his hand and explained the current situation to everyone present. "My lords, according to our investigation, the army of Syracuse has set up camp at the confluence of the Ramatho River and the Koerta River."
Asexias pointed at the mark on the map with his stick. "This is the edge of the Euthymia Plains. If you go west, you will only be 15 miles away from Triene —"
"To be precise, only Asopias emphasized loudly.
"Ahem … Lord Asopias naturally knows more about the situation in the west than we do," Asexias corrected him awkwardly. "Syracuse's camp is far from Triene, and the terrain is flat. However, they need to cross the Ramatho River, which is impassable. This is not a small problem for the people of Syracuse —"
"The navy of Syracuse has already occupied the Ramatho River. It will be easy for them to send their army across the Ramatho River!" Asopias emphasized once again.
Asexias was a little angry. "Lord Asopias, if you like to interrupt others so much, why don't you explain it to everyone!"
Asopias shook his head. "I'm just supplementing what you've said. Didn't you say that we, the Trynans, know more about the situation in the west than you do? It's better for us to come up with a more reasonable plan to deal with the situation on the battlefield if everyone here has a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the situation on the battlefield. This war is no longer a matter of Syracuse or Triene, but a crisis that the entire Southern Alliance must face together! "
"Lord Asopias is right! Asexias, don't be hasty. Speak slowly and in more detail. "Pretinis quickly stepped in to smooth things over between the two.
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