Chapter 690
Although it was called a food requisition, it was actually a robbery. As Rome and its allies often fought together, they already had a professional logistical support system. They had specialized quartermasters to prepare food. The main source of food came from the Senate's unified allocation and the alliance's provision of a certain amount of grain according to the treaty. However, the Roman army often requisitioned food from the enemy-occupied areas to weaken the enemy and strengthen themselves.
But now, Camillus realized that the scattered infantry platoons were likely to become the targets of the Diónia cavalry. "Frius, we better get the light infantry ready. Once they discover that the Diónia cavalry has circled to the north of our camp to attack our returning soldiers, we will immediately send the light infantry platoons to chase the enemy away and pick up the returning lads."
Frius said disapprovingly, "The Diónia cavalry is likely coming from Selce, and it is nearly 40 miles from here. No matter how powerful the Diónia cavalry is, after such a long journey, they will not have the strength to harass our soldiers further north."
"We don't understand the Diónia, but we must not underestimate them! It's always good to be prepared in advance, "Camillus reminded patiently.
"Alright, I will arrange it," Frius said with a shrug.
He was about to turn around and leave the tent when a guard hurried in. "My Lords, there are a lot of black cavalry appearing in the south of the camp!"
Camillus and Frius' hearts tightened, and they hurried out of the tent.
In the camp, the news of the cavalry being attacked by unknown cavalry was spreading, causing a commotion among the soldiers. Many of them were whispering to each other about the matter, and they even asked Camillus and Frius who were passing by.
How could they answer them? They hurried to the south wall of the camp, and the walkway on the wall was already filled with soldiers. They looked curiously outside the camp and whispered to each other.
The two climbed up the sentry tower and looked out. There were hundreds of black cavalry a few hundred meters away, lined up in a neat formation. In the middle of them were a few large flags, the tips of which were emitting a dazzling golden light. They stood there quietly. Although there were only a hundred of them, they gave off a feeling that they could not be underestimated.
"I heard that the flag of the Dionysian Army has a golden statue of their god. It seems like they are Diónia's cavalry!" Frius said with a solemn expression.
Camillus did not say anything. His eyes were fixed on the few generals with bright tassels on their helmets in the middle of the Diónia cavalry, trying to guess the purpose of the Diónia soldiers appearing in front of the barracks.
… …
At this moment, Amyntas was among the cavalrymen, carefully observing the layout of the Rome barracks.
"A little further forward." Amyntas said as he urged his horse forward. The cavalry had no choice but to follow.
An uproar broke out in the Rome camp.
"Commander, you can't go any further!" Lala, the adjutant, reminded him loudly.
"Aristos, you are the son of Scombras (Although Scombras was the oldest in the Senate, he often criticized those who opposed him. He was nicknamed 'The Roar'). You have inherited his bravery. " Amyntas joked in a relaxed manner, "Have you lost your courage after staying in the General Staff for a while?"
Printos, who was next to him, did not show any reaction on his face.
Aristos was not in the mood to joke around. He said anxiously, "Commander, I am worried about your safety!"
"We are still far from the enemy's camp. Besides, we are all riding horses." Amyntas smiled and turned his head to the side. "If the enemy's cavalry rushes out, Ledes, your cavalry will protect me, right?"
The commander of the First Cavalry, Ledes, said seriously, "Based on our previous battle with the Rome cavalry, their cavalry is far inferior to ours. So, don't worry. No matter how many cavalry they send out, I can guarantee that I will send you back to the camp safely."
"Haha, I have been waiting for you to say that! Our cavalry has the upper hand. This is good news! "Amyntas laughed as he observed the barracks in Rome.
It did not take long for the smile on his face to disappear. Although the Rome soldiers had a great advantage in the battle with the Woersi, they did not let their guard down. Their camp was not built hastily. There were deer abatis densely arranged under the walls, trenches surrounding the entire camp, and towering watchtowers every twenty to thirty meters behind the walls. There were also earthen barricades and wooden walls that stood tall. Amyntas could not see the situation inside the camp at all.
Other than not knowing if there were traps outside the camp, Amyntas could feel that the defense of the Rome camp was not to be underestimated. He frowned and whispered, "This camp is not easy to attack."
At this time, Printos said seriously, "Commander, there is one more thing that we need to pay attention to! In a short period of time before we arrived at the camp, it was already filled with soldiers. " Printos pointed at the dense but orderly Rome soldiers on the wooden wall in front of them and reminded Amyntas, "This means that the Rome army is well-trained! If we want to attack their camp and destroy this Rome army before their troops meet up, it will be very difficult! The casualties of the First Legion will not be low! "
Amyntas was silent for a while and said, "Then we will fight them!"
"Amyntas, I am afraid that the Rome soldiers already know that our army is coming. Will they dare to come out of the camp and fight us and the Woersi?" Ledes reminded him in a euphemistic way.
"We have to give it a try!" Amyntas said, but in his heart, he did not think that the possibility was too high. They had already circled around the Rome camp and found that every place was basically the same. There were no obvious flaws. Through the observation of the camp, he had a preliminary understanding of the characteristics and style of the Rome army and its generals. This was an army that did things cautiously and seriously!
Could it be that they could only stay in the camp and defend against the attack of the Rome army after they met up? Amyntas was not willing to give up.
Just as he was about to turn his horse and return to the place where he was going to build the camp, a cavalry scout came from the northwest, "Commander Ledes, we found several Rome troops in the Woersi village in front of us. They are looting the food. Captain Agoris asked if we should eliminate them? (According to the Diónia's cavalry, a cavalry legion has 2,000 people, and there are four brigades. Each brigade has 500 people. A brigade has five companies, and each company has 100 people. A company has 10 small teams, and each small team has 10 people.)
"How many enemies are there?" Ledes asked.
"About 200 enemies," the cavalry scout replied.
"There is a fat piece of meat right in front of his mouth, but he still refuses to eat it. Is Agoris stupid?" Ledes immediately said, "Tell your captain to eliminate them as much as possible!"
"Yes!" The cavalry scout turned his horse and was about to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Amyntas shouted to stop him, "Did you only see the 200 enemies? Or are there only 200 enemies outside the camp? "
Amyntas' question was a little roundabout, but the cavalryman understood. He pointed to the northwest and said, "Commander Amyntas, our brigade is in this direction. We have not searched the other places."
Amyntas immediately turned to look at Ledes, "My old friend, I need your help! Send out the cavalrymen behind you and find out how many Roman soldiers are plundering food in this area. Report back to me as soon as possible! "
"Okay." Ledes did not refuse. He immediately turned around and issued the task to the cavalrymen.
"Commander Amyntas, are you trying to use these Rome soldiers to lure their main force out?" Printos' brain reacted quickly, and he roughly guessed Amyntas' intention.
Amyntas looked at him and said with a little excitement, "We can't just do nothing and watch the Rome soldiers gather. When the 50,000 soldiers come, the First Legion will not be able to stop them no matter how powerful they are!"
Under his gaze, Printos nodded and agreed with his opinion.
"Aristonos!" Amyntas turned around and said to his adjutant, "Send a cavalry scout to inform our brothers in the First Legion. Tell them to stop building the camp, put on their armor and weapons, and march to the Rome camp in formation. Wait for my order."
"Yes!" Aristonos answered excitedly.
At this time, Ledes had already sent out some of the cavalrymen. After hearing Amyntas' order, he had to remind him, "The situation is not completely clear yet. Don't make such a big move just yet. What if there are only about 200 enemies? What if the Rome soldiers in the camp do not leave the camp at all? Not only will your efforts be in vain, but you will also be blamed by the soldiers!"
"How dare they!" Amyntas' eyes widened, and then he said in a firm tone, "If we wait until we understand everything, I'm afraid it will be too late to make preparations! I'm afraid this is our only chance to let the Rome soldiers fight us in the field! "
"I agree with Commander Amyntas. We have to give it a try. If the final situation is not what we think it is, we can just let the soldiers stay in Polevernam tonight and continue building the camp tomorrow. " Printos said. He had discovered a characteristic of Amyntas. This commander had a strong desire to fight, and he would not let go of any small opportunity.
He continued, "In addition, we also need to remind the Volsci troops in Polevernam and Satia in advance. Once the Rome soldiers in the camp come out, we need to join forces with them to defeat them."
"I will only be responsible for fighting the Rome soldiers. You will be responsible for the other trivial matters. What do you think?" Amyntas asked directly.
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