Chapter 69
Septimus looked left and right. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Matonis's expression, he immediately shut his mouth. If Matonis was angered, he would really use his fists to beat someone up. Of course, his shielding of his own people was famous throughout the army. Cripps sullenly raised his tools and dug into the ground …
Matonis couldn't be bothered with him anymore. He picked up a wooden basket filled with soil, climbed up the wooden ladder, and poured the soil onto the wall that he was going to build in the trench. He observed his team's progress and found that it wasn't bad. But when he looked at Olivers's team, he immediately became anxious. He stood by the trench and shouted, "Brothers, let's work harder. We'll be the first to finish and get the reward promised by the leader! If anyone doesn't take it seriously and drags us down, I won't let him off, understand?! "
"Roar!" The veterans howled, while the new soldiers responded weakly …
… …
"Leader, when we build the camp this time, not only do we have to dig trenches, build walls, and build watchtowers, we also have to build wooden palisades on top of the walls, build walkways behind the palisades, dig pits in front of the trench, and bury sharp wooden stakes … The requirements for this camp are too complicated! And the workload is much higher than before. The soldiers are complaining. Is it really necessary?! "Asistes asked in confusion.
Devers kept an eye on the progress of the camp and answered with certainty, "Of course it's necessary! Burcos said that there were at least ten thousand Lucanian warriors who attacked the Turís last year! Unlike the Turís, we don't have tall and thick walls to protect us. If we don't build a fortified camp, how can we defend against the Lucanians? When we're surrounded by the Lucanians, will the Turís come to our rescue?! "
Asistes shook his head.
"So, building such a complicated camp is tiring, but with it, the soldiers can rest and sleep in peace, and the enemy can't do anything to us! And it's not like they're building it in a day. They can finish it in a few days. " Seeing that Asistes understood, Devers continued, "Didn't I ask you to gather the soldiers who have done carpentry before and form an engineering battalion? Let them lead the soldiers and try to build wooden fences, sentry towers, and walkways. With this experience, we can do the same when we build camps in the future. "
Asistes said from the bottom of his heart, "Leader, you are so thoughtful!"
Devers smiled. This was just an effective method that the Rome army had summed up through hundreds of years of war in history. He directly borrowed it and strongly promoted it. He hoped that the military tradition of the Rome Legion, which was to build a fortified camp no matter where they went, would become a habit for his army.
"Leader, Felicius is back." Asistes saw Felicius rushing over from the north.
Devers hurried over and asked, "How's the situation?"
"Burcos is right. There's a small river about ten miles to the north, and there's a forest on the other side of the river."
"Is it easy to cross the river?"
"The river is very shallow, but we found Lucarian spies. According to the guide, they might be from the city of Amendolara."
This news made Devers think for a while. He said decisively, "Burcos said that the only Lucanian army left in the north of Turís doesn't have many people. I'll give you five hundred soldiers and a hundred strong slaves. Lead them to the forest and let some of them chop wood. The rest will be responsible for keeping watch. If possible, go north to investigate the situation around Amendolara."
"Okay."
… …
On a big rock a hundred meters away from the Devers' camp, Dracos and the other two leaders stopped and looked around.
"What are these guys trying to do? Do they need to make a camp so complicated?! How is this building a camp? This is obviously building a city! Do the Turís allow them to do this?! "One of the leaders said sarcastically.
"Adrianx, you have to admit that if such a complicated camp is built, it will be very difficult for the Lucarians to attack it! On the contrary, look at our camp. It's much simpler in comparison! I heard from the Turís that the Lucarians are gathering their forces in Laos. Once they attack south, I'm afraid we will be the first to suffer! Shouldn't we consider refortifying our camp? "Another leader suggested.
"Sesta, it's not like you don't know what our soldiers are like. They are very proactive when they ask you for money, but once you ask them to work, they all slack off!" Adrianx said helplessly.
"Yes, that's what I'm curious about. They — "Sesta pointed at the soldiers who were working hard in the distance and said curiously," They don't look like mercenaries at all. Even some of the city's militias aren't as good as them. It's a bit like Sparta's style! But judging from their accents, Thessaly, Rhodes, Thrace, Crete, Kersonis, Cayos... they have accents from all over the world, just like us! 'She thought. But why is there such a big difference?! "
"Don't overthink it. Although we fought with them, they didn't mean us any harm. They even volunteered to help us treat the wounded. We just don't provoke them in the future. Besides, it's a good thing that they are strong. With them by our side, we can be at ease! " After saying that, Adrianx jumped off the rock and said, "Let's go. Don't stand here for too long. They might think we are up to something again!"
Adrianx could feel how scary this mercenary army was. He couldn't help but want to stay as far away from them as possible.
"I think we should still give it a try. Let the soldiers refortify the camp's defenses!" Sesta also jumped off the rock.
"Alright, let's go back and discuss it with the soldiers." Adrianx shrugged helplessly. After taking a few steps, he remembered something and turned around to shout, "Dracos, let's go!"
Dracos grimaced. His swollen chin hurt when he moved it. He took a deep look at the Devers' camp and followed the two.
Soon after returning to the camp, the wounded who had been treated also came back, and from them the mercenaries, who were mainly from Ionia and Asia Minor (for Burkos had recruited them in Miletus), learned that the ones who had fought with them were the Greek mercenaries who had accompanied Cyrus the Younger on his expedition to Persia. After the Devers arrived at the Yoke Galaxy, when the merchant ships of the Yoke Galaxy went to Greece, Asia Minor, and Ionia to trade, the merchants and sailors in the taverns and inns would exaggerate and exaggerate the Greek mercenaries' experience of fighting in Persia. As a result, while the Devers were still marching along the coast of the Yoke Galaxy, their reputation had already spread throughout Ionia. After the mercenaries learned about their plight, they envied their experience and regarded them as heroes. After all, there had never been a Greek army that had traveled so far into the hinterland of Persia.
Now that they learned that the people who had beaten them up were part of the Persia expeditionary army, the mercenaries' resentment disappeared. They even sighed from the bottom of their hearts. No wonder they fought so fiercely. It turned out that they were Greek mercenaries who had returned from the Persia expedition. And now, they are right beside us!
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