Chapter 607
"That's true. Although His Majesty holds the title of King, he has always been with us through thick and thin. That's why he has won our respect!" One of the captains said sincerely.
"I say, Ctessus, do you still need Patroclus' help? If you had been promoted, you could have gone to Sicily, Mesapi, or Puchetti to be a legion commander a few years ago. Why do you insist on occupying the position of the first captain of the first legion? We can't even have a taste of what it's like to be the first captain! "Another captain said half-jokingly and half-discontentedly. The others felt the same way.
"Isn't it good for me to vacate the position of legion commander to you? You really don't appreciate my kindness!" Ctessus pretended to be angry and turned to look at Patroclus. "When you hold your wedding, you must invite me to attend!"
"I will invite all my brothers to attend the wedding, and I will also bring Cynthia to toast to you!" Patroclus said in a flattering manner, but received the unanimous thanks of the other captains.
… …
In the main tent of Legio IV, after Olivers finished arranging the tasks, he left the fourth captain, Alendas, alone.
Alendas was a citizen of Crotone. Since Crotone voluntarily merged into the Kingdom of Diónia, Crotone had also become the jurisdiction of Legio IV's recruitment. Even the headquarters of Legio IV had been moved from Aspuzlustum to Ciudad Crotone. The citizens of Crotone who had received long-term competitive training were indeed good soldiers. Once they familiarized themselves with the tactics of Diónia, they began to stand out. This greatly improved the combat power of Legio IV, which was originally not very outstanding. It also caused many of the team officers in Legio IV to be held by Crotone citizens.
"How is Adoris doing in your battalion?" Olivers asked with a smile.
Alendas had already expected that Olivers asked him to stay behind to talk about "him". He immediately said, "I didn't expect it! To be honest, I thought he would be a problem, but I didn't expect him to not only have outstanding military skills, but also perform well. He doesn't make himself stand out at all and is very united with his teammates. The other soldiers like to stay with him. He even passed a message to me through his team officer, hoping that his squad can be placed in the first line of battle … "
Olivers listened attentively, and his face was full of smiles as if Alendas was praising his own child. "Adoris's results in the annual military competition exam in Turií School were excellent. Although he was a little impatient, he was generous and easy to make friends. Furthermore, His Majesty was very strict. He and his siblings were no different from the other children in school. Tardiness, noise, and fighting were all punished by the teacher. Adoris was often punished in this regard."
Olivers recalled the past, and his face was full of smiles. "His Majesty arranged for Legio IV to not let Adoris receive special treatment, but —" Olivers' face became serious. "His Majesty can ignore it, but swords and spears don't have eyes on the battlefield. We can't make decisions. If Adoris is injured or even killed, His Majesty may not blame us, but the people of the Kingdom will blame us, Legio IV, for being incompetent and unable to even protect His Majesty's child! In this way, no matter how many merits we, Legio IV, can't compare to Adoris's safety. Do you understand?! "
"I understand." Alendas pulled himself together and said, but there was still a hint of frustration in his tone.
"I understand. It's not just Adoris. You also want your battalion to be able to fight at the forefront of the army. That's why you're a little dissatisfied with my deployment just now, right?" The shrewd Olivers saw through his subordinate's thoughts and reminded him, "Idiot, look further ahead. You can also make contributions at the back of the army! Look at where I've arranged your Fourth Battalion to be at! "
"On the left rear of the army, next to the cavalry," Alendas blurted out.
"Yes, next to the cavalry! Once our cavalry defeats the enemy's cavalry, and your Third Battalion in front of you holds off the enemy, then your Fourth Battalion — "Olivers flattened his palm and made a turning gesture.
"Flank …" Alendas' eyes lit up.
… …
"… Great Lord of the Underworld, the just and strict arbiter!
Hades, you're the King of the Gods, the Guardian of the Kingdom of Diónia!
Under your radiance, the people of the kingdom put on their armor, picked up their shields and spears, and rushed to the battlefield … "
Every time he sang the Hymn of Hades, specially produced by the Temple of Hades for the legions to go to war, Adoris's heart would surge with a sense of sacred pride. After all, his father, Devers, was a recognized descendant of Hades. But the situation today was different from the past. Because he stood in the formation of tens of thousands of soldiers, the magnificent song united him with all the other soldiers.
Although the tightly lined up comrades in front of him blocked his view, he knew that there were also tens of thousands of enemies on the other side of the river. For him, this was the first time he went to war, but there was no fear in his heart. Instead, his body trembled slightly because of excitement.
"Woo! … Woo! … "The sound of the bugle from behind made his blood boil even more, and then he saw all the military flags pointing forward.
"Advance!" The captain's voice rang in his ears.
The huge formation began to move forward slowly.
The drums at the back started beating at the same time, telling the soldiers to move at a steady pace.
As soon as Adoris and the soldiers in front of him stepped into the Orfanto River, the archers from the other side of the river started shooting arrows.
"Raise your shields and defend!" The captain yelled.
The soldiers had already raised their shields. If they were wearing the old-fashioned Greek armor from more than ten years ago, the soldiers would not need to raise their shields to defend themselves, nor would they be afraid of arrows. However, they were wearing open helmets now, and their faces were not covered.
Facing the attack of the archers, the light infantry of the Diónia legions also returned the attack. The ballistae at the back started firing as well. The stone bullets flew across the Orfanto River and crashed into the formation of the Donnies. The soldiers and horses were thrown off their feet, and screams of agony could be heard.
Adoris raised his head and saw the stone bullets flying over his head. He could still hear the screams from the other side of the river. His blood boiled even more.
On their left, under the leadership of Ledes, more than a thousand Dionic cavalrymen crossed the river. Men shouted and horses neighed, splashing water everywhere. They were the first to rush to the other side of the river and engage in close combat with Downey's cavalry.
The Donnies were already afraid of the ballistae. Under the command of their generals, they quickly rushed to the other side of the river to shorten the distance between them and the Diónia. The ballistae did not dare to fire recklessly as the two armies were getting closer.
"Javelins!" The captain's voice echoed in the formation.
Adoris and his teammates quickly stopped in their tracks and drew a javelin from their backs. They positioned themselves and threw the javelin over their heads. He did not have the time to see the result, and he could not see it at all. He immediately threw another javelin.
At this moment, he heard the captain's voice, "Attack!"
An earth-shattering roar came from the formation, "Hades!!! … "
The formation in front of them began to accelerate, but they did not charge forward like they usually did in training. This was because they were in the river, and the bottom of the river was slippery.
Adoris and his teammates followed closely behind them.
After a while, the formation in front of them stopped abruptly. Then, battle cries spread throughout the entire river.
Adoris knew that the two armies had begun to fight head-on. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the javelin in his hands. Unfortunately, they were at the back of the formation and could not help at all. They could not even do the conventional phalanx tactical action of pushing their comrades in front of them. This was because they were in the river, and it was difficult to control their bodies under the influence of external forces. If someone slipped, they might fall. The only thing they could do was to stand firmly in place. If the front line was defeated by the enemy, they could stabilize the formation like a rock.
As the battle continued, Adoris and his teammates began to show signs of anxiety. They could only stay at the back and could not participate in the battle. This made Adoris complain about Uncle Olivers countless times in his heart.
The Downey soldiers guarded the river bank. They took advantage of the fact that the soldiers of the Legion of Dionysia were in the river and could not fully utilize the power of the heavy infantry phalanx. They desperately tried to suppress the Legion of Dionysia in the river.
"Woo! Woo! Woo! " At this time, Adoris heard the sound of a bugle behind him. He turned around in shock and saw that his company's flag was pointing to the left.
"All soldiers, listen up. Turn left!" The captain's voice made him even more confused. However, military orders were absolute. Moreover, the nearby squads had all turned left.
The captain's voice rang out in the phalanx of the Fourth Battalion, and the entire team began to move to the left. At the same time, the rear of the phalanx on the right was doing the same. Soon, the lower left and right corners of the entire Diónia's huge formation seemed to have been cut in half at the same time.
Although it was planned in advance, the Legion of Dionysia's organizational system and the ability of the middle and lower level officers to be able to carry out such a precise movement of troops in the middle of the battle.
When Adoris and his teammates turned right again, there were only a few comrades in front of him, and it was an open field.
Because of his love for military affairs, Adoris had not only received many years of military training, but he also had the courage to ask his adoptive father, who had a glorious record of military affairs. At this moment, he understood the purpose of this movement of troops, and he could not help but be eager to give it a try.
"Move faster!" The young soldiers who had been holding back for a long time roared excitedly and charged forward.
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