Chapter 558
Masias pointed at the three-storey consul's mansion that stood tens of meters away and said coldly, "Don't worry about hurting our soldiers, because that's our target."
Not only was the towering roof an easy target for the ballista cannons, it could also crush the Diónia light infantry that were launching long-range attacks from above, eliminating the damage they had caused to the Syracuse army's dense formation. Moreover, Masias could sense that the commander of the Syracuse army was right above. Bombarding the building would lower the morale of the Diónia soldiers. This was killing three birds with one stone! The adjutant quickly understood this point and immediately exclaimed in admiration, "General, you're right! A messenger! A messenger! Quickly inform the ballista troops outside the town to bring the ballista here immediately! … "
Masias looked at the building in front of him. He could almost feel the enemy's commander looking down at him. He admitted that he had underestimated the combat power of the Dionysian Army. They had caused a lot of casualties to the Syracuse coalition army. However, the trouble they had planned would end here. The Syracuse coalition army had surrounded them on this unprotected flat ground with twice the number of soldiers. As long as they continued to attack, victory would eventually come!
Masias was very confident of this …
Just as the two armies were engaged in a fierce battle, a loud shout came from behind Masias and the other generals who were supervising the battle. "Sir General Hibagris! Sir General Hibagris! … "
From the corner of Masias's eyes, the bodyguard of the tyrant Siculi hurriedly brought that person over.
"Sir General, this is bad! There's a riot in Siculi City and the port! "The person shouted in panic as soon as he saw Hibagris.
The surrounding people were all shocked.
Hibagris grabbed his chest tightly and asked anxiously, "What nonsense are you talking about?! When I left Siculi yesterday, everything in the city was very calm. There's no riot! "
"It's true, Sir!" The person cried and said in panic, "This morning, the freedmen and slaves in the port rioted and attacked Siculi City. When Sir Celtas was about to lead the soldiers to defend, some citizens suddenly attacked them from behind and opened the city gate. Sir Celtas had no choice but to lead the troops to defend the city. Sir, your family has also hidden in the city … Now, only Sir can lead the troops back and defeat those rioters. Only then can we save our Siculi City!"
Hearing this, Hibagris shouted anxiously, "Callilatus, quickly recall our soldiers. we have to return to Siculi immediately!"
"Yes, Sir!" A Siculi general hurriedly ran to the front.
"Wait!" Masias hurriedly shouted: "Lord Hibagris, we don't know if the news of Sicily being attacked is true or false. Why don't we send scouts to investigate first, and it won't be too late to send troops after confirming it?" It was not easy for the coalition forces to start attacking again and gain a slight upper hand. Masias did not want this good momentum to be interrupted, so he wanted to stall for time first.
Unexpectedly, Hibagris saw through Masias's intentions. He pointed at the messenger and said with a serious expression, "Dillas is my slave butler and has followed me for decades. You don't have to doubt his words! I'm sorry, Sir Masias. I have to rush back immediately and eliminate those rioters, not only to save my family, but also for the dozens of tons of grain stored in the city for the army to eat! "
With Hibagris's reminder, Masias's expression changed drastically. He did not stop Hibagris from leaving. Instead, he said, "After eliminating the enemies here, I will immediately lead the troops to Siculi to assist you!"
There were only about 1,000 soldiers participating in the battle in Siculi. Considering that their combat power was not strong, Masias did not arrange for them to be at the front of the enemy, so it was easier for them to retreat. Looking at Hibagris hurriedly leading the troops away, Masias felt a little uneasy, so he ordered, "Blow the bugle again and urge the soldiers to step up the attack!"
"I've said long ago that this Hibagris is an incompetent fellow. Sir Dionysius should have eliminated Siculi back then and let us mercenaries manage that small city. Then, there wouldn't have been such trouble …" Beside him, Pavlos, who used to be a mercenary leader and had now become the tyrant of Katanai, mocked him without any scruples, causing the expressions of the generals of the other cities to change.
Masias warned him in a low voice with a displeased expression, "Don't talk nonsense!"
The officer in charge of the ballistae rushed over. "Sir, the ballistae have been carried here!"
The report of the ballistae officer made Masias perk up. "Find a place to set up your ballistae and bombard that house!" Masias said in high spirits as he pointed at the consul's residence.
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard someone shouting from behind, "Sir Pavlos, bad news! Katanai has been occupied by thugs! "
Masias was shocked when he heard that. The tyrant of Katanai, who had made sarcastic remarks previously, had already run to the back anxiously, while the generals of the other cities were whispering to each other.
Pavlos quickly came to Masias and said anxiously, "Masias, I have to bring my brothers back immediately!"
Masias forced himself to calm down. He did not play any tricks on his comrades who were in the same trench. Instead, he analyzed the situation seriously. "Pavlos, Katanai has already been lost. If you rush back now, even if you recapture it, it will have already been damaged. And if you leave now, you will ruin this battle that we have put in a lot of effort and are about to win. You have also seen how powerful these Diónia soldiers are. Once they escape, they will create more trouble for us! "
Masias could let the Siculi leave, but he could not let the troops of Katanai leave, because their 3,000 mercenaries were one of the main forces of this battle.
Pavlos listened to his advice and hesitated. His tone was not as resolute as before. "I'm afraid this battle will continue until dusk before a winner can be decided … Even if we return to Katanai, I'm afraid we can only attack tomorrow … In such a long time, those thugs will strengthen their defenses, and it will be very difficult for us to attack the city! And … And if my brothers know that I did not lead them to recapture their homeland in time, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold this position for long … "
"With the support of Sir Dionysius, what are you afraid of!" Masias encouraged him. "As for the losses of our brothers, Syracuse will compensate them!"
While Pavlos was still hesitating, another messenger arrived on horseback and shouted anxiously, "General Vlaotais, bad news! Leontini … "
The tyrants and generals of the allied states beside Masias were already in an uproar. Those who could sit in this position were not fools: Siculi riot! Katanai riot! Leontini riot! … This was no longer an isolated riot. It was very likely to be a storm of resistance against Syracuse that had been set off in the southeast of Sicily!
The people here had been dissatisfied with Syracuse for a long time! Everyone present was well aware of this, because they had all benefited from Dionysius's rule over Sicily. At this moment, they no longer cared about the face of the leader of the alliance. They all expressed to Masias that they wanted to bring their troops back to the city to stabilize the situation!
They did not wait for Masias's reply and went straight to their own city armies. Previously, Masias was able to make these nobles of the alliance bow their heads and obey his orders because of the power of Syracuse. Now that a disaster was upon them, how could they still be willing to listen to the orders of a mercenary?
Masias tried to persuade them but still could not stop them from acting on their own. Just when he was at a loss, Pavlos said coldly beside him, "Masias, I also want to bring my troops back. I advise you to immediately withdraw your troops as well. Riots have appeared in our cities. Do you think Syracuse can avoid it? Don't forget, Lord Dionysius and you have removed the defense forces of Syracuse. It's quite empty there! "
Masias was shocked when he heard this. He only wanted to destroy the enemy in front of him, but he had forgotten the most important responsibility that he shouldered! His heart was in a mess as he watched Pavlos command his men to rush towards the phalanx formed by Katanai's army. His heart sank. He knew that this battle was over …
He looked up at the consul's mansion in front of him as if he could see the enemy's commander sneering at them. For a large-scale riot to appear in Sicily at this time, it was definitely caused by the people of Diónia!
Thinking of this, anger rose in his heart and he shouted angrily, "Ballista, bombard that house immediately!"
… …
"Lord Commander, the enemy seems to have begun to retreat!" The adjutant shouted excitedly.
There was no need for him to remind him. In Antonios's field of vision, he saw generals wearing gorgeous crowns rushing to various positions in the enemy's formation, shouting something loudly. Then, there was a commotion in the enemy's formation. Then, groups of soldiers withdrew from the formation and were led by those generals to retreat to the west. There were many gaps in the thick circular formation that had originally tightly surrounded the First Legion and the exiled soldiers. Their retreat had also seriously affected the soldiers of Syracuse. They no longer attacked, but looked around and shouted at each other, conveying the uneasiness in their hearts to the other soldiers. Soon, the entire circular formation fell into chaos …
Could it be that the news of the riots led by Andraporis and the others had already reached the enemy?! Antonios subconsciously looked at Shero Finnis.
"Lord Commander, I think we can take this opportunity to launch an attack!" The adjutant's words pulled him back from his thoughts, but he saw a few stone bullets flying towards them from afar.
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