Chapter 557
Masias did not expect the Diónia soldiers to set up traps in the town of Mejaro. This caused a lot of trouble for the attacking troops. He could only let the light infantry catch up and assist the heavy infantry in chasing away the 'rats'. At the same time, he urged the reinforcements to join the battle as soon as possible.
Of course, it was impossible for the soldiers of the First Legion to set up traps in the entire town, especially in the area where they and the refugees were staying. As time passed, the soldiers of Syracuse had already entered this area.
At this time, the soldiers of the First Legion who had been waiting for a long time immediately went forward to intercept the soldiers of Syracuse in the narrow streets, engaging them in direct combat.
The soldiers of Syracuse advanced continuously. Once they were blocked in front, they would attempt to go around the streets on both sides. However, the other units of the First Legion would intercept them in a new street. The attack of the soldiers of Syracuse was like water. Once they were blocked, the soldiers at the back would make a detour around them. On the other hand, the soldiers of Diónia were like stones, blocking every path that the enemy could take.
As the battle progressed, the attacking troops of Syracuse had actually made a detour to the back of the First Legion from both sides.
Among the 5,000 soldiers of the First Legion, there were more than 1,000 light infantry and light armoured soldiers. Their military strength was stretched to the limit. If not for the 3,000 refugees who returned immediately after escorting their families and blocked the attack of the soldiers of Syracuse from the back, the First Legion would have been caught in a pincer attack.
Now, the First Legion and the refugees were engaged in a fierce battle with the allied forces of Syracuse in various streets. Gradually, a circular defensive circle was formed with Antonios' small command center as the center.
Beside Antonios, his adjutant, 20 guards, and messengers, the rest of his troops had been sent out. Although he looked calm and composed as he sat on the rooftop of the three-storey building that once belonged to the Consul of Mejaro, he was actually feeling uneasy. The First Legion had been surrounded by the enemy. There was no way out other than to fight to the death! Furthermore, he no longer had any reserve troops. Once a street was breached by the enemy, it would be a disaster for the entire First Legion!
Therefore, not only did Antonios place his spear and shield beside him, he also ordered his adjutant, guards, and some messengers to be fully armed. If there was any danger, he would personally lead the troops into battle.
Thud! Thud! Thud! A messenger panted as he ran up to the roof. "Reporting to Commander, the east … our allies are defending the east side very well. There are no signs of them being forced to retreat."
"It seems like these exiles are just as they said. They've been fighting against the Sikere people, mercenaries, and sometimes even wild beasts. Their courage, fighting spirit, and fighting skills aren't weak. We can relax for now," the aide-de-camp said in relief.
Antonius heaved a sigh of relief. He was most worried about the performance of these exiled soldiers. That was why he had specially sent messengers to keep an eye on them and report the situation. At this moment, he said, "Our brothers are responsible for the defense of three sides. They have more than 3,000 people and are only responsible for the east side. It is only natural that they can resist the enemy's attack."
"Commander, do you think we should transfer some of their soldiers to form a new reserve team?" The adjutant suggested.
Antonius was slightly tempted. He looked up at the sky. The sun had already begun to move to the west. He looked ahead. On every street, the soldiers of the First Legion were fighting bravely. They were outnumbered by the enemy, and not only were they able to resist the enemy's attack, but they also seemed to have caused some chaos.
"The real battle has just begun. Don't be hasty. Let's wait for a while …" Antonius muttered.
Due to the continuous bombardment of the ballistae for more than a day, the streets of Mejaro were filled with rubble and debris. Occasionally, large boulders would appear in the middle of the road. This caused the Syracuse soldiers to be unable to spread out on the streets. Due to these reasons, the dense formation of the infantrymen was split apart. They were unable to effectively form a combined force to push the Diónia soldiers. Instead, the Diónia soldiers were able to squeeze through the gaps in the formation caused by the terrain and engage in close combat. In such close combat, the long shields and short swords of the Diónia soldiers were able to display their might.
At the same time, the soldiers of the First Legion did not throw the two javelins in their hands before the battle began. Instead, they handed the javelins to their comrades at the back. They would stand on the boulders and throw the javelins from above, or throw them through the gaps between their comrades when the enemy was slipping and unprotected. This was the main reason why the First Legion was able to resist the enemy's attack and even gain the upper hand despite having fewer soldiers than the Syracuse soldiers on every street.
After Masias understood the situation in front of him, he was shocked by the combat strength of the Diónia soldiers. At the same time, he was also anxious that he could not make use of his advantage in numbers. After some thought, he ordered the soldiers who were stuck at the back to carry scaling ladders and climb up from the houses on the streets. This was to provide support to the soldiers who were trapped in the streets, forcing the Diónia soldiers to split up.
Originally, Masias had prepared these scaling ladders out of habit before he attacked a city. Since he had so many ballista cannons, he had never thought of using them this time. Now, it was the perfect time to put them to use.
The soldiers carried the ladders and started climbing from a place far away from the battle.
The houses of the Greeks, be it the rich or the commoners, basically had four walls and a roof, with an open courtyard in the middle. Hence, the Syracuse soldiers climbed in and out of the dilapidated houses. Sometimes, they even had to fight with the Diónia light infantry hiding in the houses. It was a difficult and dangerous journey.
After more than half an hour, Antonios received urgent reports from messengers. "Sir, the First Platoon Leader Giogris said that the enemy has infiltrated from the houses and is threatening the flank of his troops. He does not have more soldiers to stop them, so he requests for a retreat!"
"Sir, the Second Platoon Leader Zantiparis …"
…
"Retreat. Let all the Platoons and the refugees retreat to the designated area according to the pre-battle deployment. Get into formation and defend! Inform Cspit to gather all the light infantry here! "
"Yes, sir!"
Before the battle, Antonios and the platoon leaders had already considered the worst case scenario and had come up with a remedy. However, he did not expect to be forced to this step so quickly. "This Syracuse general is not simple!"
Antonius sighed inwardly. He looked up at the sky and turned to ask Lorfinis, "The rebellion you planned should have begun, right?"
Shero Finnis, of course, knew that the First Platoon was in a precarious situation. He answered without hesitation, "Based on my understanding of Andraporis, since he dared to make a request to you, he must have made ample preparations. And judging from the time now, I'm afraid it's already over. "
Shero Finnis' words made Antonios feel slightly relieved. He said in a low voice, "If that's the case, let the First Platoon and Syracuse fight the last battle here!"
The soldiers of the First Platoon slowly retreated in an orderly manner.
Due to the restrictions of the terrain and the fear of javelins from the enemy's formation, the Syracuse soldiers did not attack fiercely. Instead, they cautiously closed in, allowing the companies and squads of the First Platoon to successfully retreat from the streets.
The refugees, on the other hand, did not fare as well. They lacked training and experience during the retreat, so they panicked a little. The Syracuse soldiers took advantage of the situation to strengthen their attacks, causing the chaos to worsen. Fortunately, Syracuse had the fewest soldiers in this direction. The refugees were only responsible for defending the east side, and they had enough soldiers. Moreover, they had a deep grudge against the Syracuse soldiers, so even if the chaos caused more casualties, they would not turn around and run away. In the end, they retreated from the streets as well.
Antonio's Consul Mansion was the administrative center of Mealor, and it was not adjacent to other residential buildings. Due to the preparations made in advance, the First Brigade and the exiled soldiers were able to surround it smoothly, forming a thick and dense circular formation.
On the other hand, the Syracuse soldiers who followed the enemy to gather in front of the formation were not too prepared. There was chaos and gaps between the troops that came out from the streets.
The First Platoon did not completely stand on the defensive. Instead, they seized the opportunity to counterattack. They launched short, orderly charges from company to company.
When a company launched its charge, the soldiers of the Seventh Platoon on the roof of the Consul's residence immediately threw javelins and arrows into the area despite the numbness in their arms.
The First Platoon's tactic caused the Syracuse soldiers in front of them to fall into chaos …
Masias, who had hurried to the rear of the troops, saw the situation and hurriedly asked the bugler to blow the bugle to attack. At the same time, he ordered the hundreds of mercenaries under him to form a line and chase the retreating soldiers back. If they did not obey, they would be executed on the spot. He also asked Sicouli, Katanai, and Leontini, who were following him, to rush forward to pacify their somewhat restless troops.
Because he was worried that the refugees would not be able to cooperate well, and he was also worried that the First Platoon's forces would be surrounded by the enemy after leaving the formation. Furthermore, he trusted Shelo Finnis' words, so the cautious Andonrios did not choose to launch an all-out attack. This gave the Syracuse Coalition a chance to breathe. The chaos was recovering, and the generals were commanding the soldiers to regroup …
At this moment, Masias ordered, "Bring in a few ballistae from outside the town."
Comments