Chapter 421
Felicius did not say a word. In his heart, he more or less felt that there was a chance of victory by forcing Syracuse, who only had half of their military strength, to engage in a battle here. The reason he did not agree was because he had been following the will of the Devers for a long time.
Ancitanos thought for a moment, and slowly said, "According to my understanding of Lord Devers, even if he feels that there is a high chance of failure here, he will still take the initiative to fight this battle."
"Why?" Felicius asked hurriedly.
Ancitanos looked at the Siletinian citizens who were gathering in the distant square with weapons in their hands, and said in a low voice, "Because victory can win the respect of the Greeks, and defeat can also win the hearts of the Greeks. But in a situation like this, where everyone is looking forward to it, if we do nothing, it will only cause the alliance to turn its back on us. We can take back the lost land, but if we lose the hearts of the people, it will be much more difficult to regain it … "
"But … if we lose this battle, Corunna, Triene, and even Siletinian may be in danger." Felicius was still hesitant.
"Didn't Lord Devers already make arrangements?! What are you still worried about?! " Ancitanos looked into the distance with a faint smile, "Perhaps the Devers have already expected this day … Since the people in the room dare to make such a decision, then they must bear the price of failure …"
After saying that, Ancitanos stood up, patted the dust off his body, and no longer looked at the Siletinian citizens in the city. He sighed softly, and said something that Felicius did not quite understand, "This is like burning the barren land to open up new land. Only by burning the weeds and trees can it be suitable to start sowing new seeds … Sigh, this is politics."
… …
The two of them returned to the meeting, and Felicius agreed to the proposal of engaging in a battle with Syracuse, but he made a request: the command of the entire battle belonged to Diónia.
Pretinus, Asessias, and Asopias had no objections. Only Ascamas disagreed. However, be it the number of soldiers or performance, Diónia's Fourth and Fifth Legions were far superior to Crotone's troops which had just joined the battle. Therefore, Felicius was ultimately chosen as the commander of the Southern Alliance.
When Felicius returned to the camp, Dracos and Epicthenis were already waiting for him in the tent.
"Felicius, what's the final decision?" Epthenis asked impatiently.
"Our allied army is preparing to force Syracuse to engage in a decisive battle," Felicius said honestly.
"Yeah, I guessed right!" Epicthenis looked at Dracos excitedly.
"I didn't make that bet with you, because I chose to fight against Syracuse as well," Dracos ignored him and turned to ask Felicius, "Who will command this battle?"
"Do you even need to ask? It will be none other than us! "Epthenis blurted out.
"I will command the allied army," Felicius said with a heavy tone. He could feel the pressure on his shoulders. At the same time, he saw the excitement on the faces of the two Legion of Diónia. He also realized that both the commanders and the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Legions were probably eager to fight against Syracuse. Their morale was high because of their achievements, the victory of the defense of the camp, and the hospitality of the Corrennians. At the same time, the pride and honor of the soldiers of the Legion of Diónia would not allow them to retreat for long. Of course, if the Devers were here, no one would dare to disobey. However, he could not guarantee that he would be the commander.
With that in mind, he felt relieved. He waved at the two and said, "Let's plan how we can win this battle."
When Epicthenis heard this, he stopped joking and asked seriously: "Which city-states are participating in the war? How many are there? How many people from Syracuse might join the battle? "
"Aside from our 17000 Legionnaires, Crotone also has 17000 Legionnaires, 6,000 of which are Heavy Infantrymen. The Siletorians currently have 14000 Legionnaires, 3,000 of which are Heavy Infantrymen. They still want to recruit more citizens. Trena has 7,000 Legionnaires, but they have to defend their city, so they can only send four to five thousand Legionnaires and a thousand Heavy Infantrymen … In total, they have 54000 Legionnaires and 22000 Legionnaires."
When Felicius finished, Epthenis whistled. "Wow, that's a huge army!"
"Not many." Dracos poured cold water on him. "All of Diónia's legionnaires and reserve soldiers combined can easily surpass this number, and the number of heavy infantry far exceeds this Allied Army! Each legion of Diónia has six heavy infantry battalions, and excluding the reserve soldiers, the entire legion has 30,000 heavy infantry! "
A full set of heavy infantry equipment was expensive, and many civilians were unwilling or unable to afford it. However, many Dionians who had just become probationary citizens and official citizens were willing to spend all their money to purchase such equipment. That was because serving in the Dionian Alliance's military service as heavy infantry would bring them more benefits, such as obtaining 'land', taking up public office, participating in local council elections, participating in elections for civil officials … and so on. Moreover, the Cristoia Bank, which was unique to Diónia and could provide low-interest loans in all cities, also gave the new citizens the confidence to buy heavy infantry equipment.
"But not all of our legionnaires are here. Only my Legio IV and your Fifth Legion are here." Although Epthenis was refuting Drakos, his expression was one of excitement. "It's up to us to decide the outcome of this battle!"
Dracos did not say anything, but his eyes were also shining brightly.
"Commanders, according to the intelligence from Sirius, we have to face at least 50,000 soldiers of Syracuse. They were able to defeat Carthage, so I'm afraid they won't be easy to deal with!" Felicius reminded them solemnly. "This battle is of great importance! If we fail, Syracuse's army may approach Diónia's territory, and the other cities in the Southern Alliance may also be conquered. The consequences will be unimaginable! "
"I'm also an elder of Diónia. Of course I understand the importance of this battle!" Epthenis grumbled to express his dissatisfaction at Felicius's belittling of him. He then asked, "Are you sure there are only 50,000 of them? What about the 40,000 that attacked us in Corunna? "
"They're besieging Corunna. The scouts from Sirius have been keeping a close eye on the situation there and reporting back to the Allied Army. " Felicius obviously knew what they were worried about. "To prevent them from suddenly splitting up and heading north, and to strengthen Syracuse's forces in the Sirius camp."
"As long as Syracuse doesn't increase their forces, we have a good chance of winning!" Epthenis looked at Felicius, then at Dracos. He analyzed, "We've already fought against Syracuse. Their cavalry is very strong, but no matter how strong they are, they won't dare to charge into a dense square formation. As long as we're on guard, even if they defeat our cavalry, they won't have much of an advantage. If they dare to approach our formation, our light infantry will deal them a heavy blow."
Felicius and Dracos nodded.
Dracos took over and said loudly, "As for Syracuse's infantry, I believe that since they could defeat Carthage's men, they shouldn't be weak. However, from the battle in Corunna, their morale and fighting spirit don't seem to be very strong. In terms of heavy infantry, Syracuse's army definitely can't compare to our Legion! "
The other two immediately agreed. This wasn't because they were proud, but because the Devers' advanced battle concepts had taught them. The Legion of Dionysia was actually a complex mixed army that could adapt to various situations and execute complex tactics after going through rigorous training. This was why Felicius, Dracos, and Epthenis were so confident.
"Our Legion is very different from the other Allied Armies, be it in terms of tactics, training, or equipment. It's not suitable for us to fight together with other troops. It's easy to cause chaos, which is not good for our Legion," Dracos reminded.
"Dracos is right! I suggest that we gather the Fourth and Fifth Legions together instead of separating them. This way, we can form a strong fighting force. Either side of the formation will be a huge threat to the enemy. After defeating the enemy in front, we can surround the middle and finally win the battle! "Epthenis gestured on the wooden table and voiced his opinion.
"I think so too." Although the two Legion Commanders didn't usually get along well, they reached an agreement when it came to battles.
Felicius put his hands behind his back and took a few steps in the tent. He turned to look at the two and said awkwardly, "I agree with your suggestion, but this isn't a battle that Dionysia is facing alone. There are Triene, Sirium, and Crotone's allies."
"But you're the commander of the entire Allied Army!" Epthenis said anxiously, "You have the right to make the most reasonable arrangement!"
"We think it's reasonable, but they have to think it's reasonable too. Only when everyone has reached an agreement can the entire battle plan be carried out smoothly, "Felicius said helplessly," It's not that easy to be the commander of the Allied Army! "
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