Chapter 700
Camillus analyzed seriously, "More importantly, their heavy infantry is not much different from ours in terms of equipment. Even their formation and tactics are very similar to ours. However, their heavy infantry can invest in javelins. At the beginning of the battle, our young soldiers were defeated by the enemy's javelin attack! I also noticed that there are many flags in the Diónia army. They not only use bugles, but also drums and flags to convey orders. Therefore, the platoons of Diónia are more closely connected, and the speed at which they carry out orders is faster than us … "
After listening to this, Frius looked a little depressed, and said with a little doubt, "It seems that our army is not as good as the Diónia army in every aspect?! Maybe … Maybe this army is the strongest in Diónia. The other armies may not have such strong fighting strength and fighting spirit! "
Camillus did not have any illusions. He said frankly, "Judging from the organizational ability and fighting level of this Dionysian Army, I'm afraid that the other Dionysian Army is not too weak. Otherwise, Diónia would not have become a powerful kingdom in just a few years. Besides, the Kingdom of Diónia owns the entire southern land, and they have more soldiers than us … Provoking such a powerful opponent will be a big problem for Rome!" At this point, Camillus looked worried.
Frius suddenly thought of something and encouraged himself and Camillus, "Don't forget, we still have a powerful ally, Carthage! They have promised that if Diónia dares to declare war on us, they will declare war on Diónia! With Carthage attacking from the south, it is impossible for Diónia to send more troops here. We, Rome, have the advantage in fighting in Latin, which belongs to us! "
Camillus wanted to say something but did not.
At this time, the adjutant walked into the big tent with a solemn face, "My lords, the casualties of the army are out. A total of 4,460 heavy infantry soldiers are missing, 423 cavalry soldiers are missing, and 740 light infantry soldiers are missing. A total of 5,623 soldiers did not return to the camp … "
"5,623! That's half of the soldiers who left the camp! " Frius' surprised expression was a little exaggerated. He then realized that Camillus was beside him, and quickly said, "In fact, there may not be so many casualties and captured soldiers. Some soldiers may have run away, and when the enemy retreats, they will return. So, the sentries in the camp must pay attention to screening, and at the same time, arrange the troops and be ready to help them return to the camp at any time … "
Although Camillus had already expected this, this huge number was still unbearable for him. He could not help but cough repeatedly, and his adjutant hurriedly stepped forward to massage his back.
After a long while, Camilus finally recovered. His face was gloomy, and he said in a low voice, "This battle caused so many casualties among the soldiers, and it was all because of my mistakes in commanding! I will write a letter to the Senate and ask for punishment! I also want to remind them to be more vigilant against the Dionysian Army, and to use their troops cautiously! "
Hearing Camillus's words, Frius heaved a sigh of relief. Although he respected Camillus, it did not mean that he wanted to bear the responsibility of this failure with Camillus. He did not want this failure to affect his future career in Rome, but he still pretended to be loyal and said, "Camillus, how can this be your responsibility alone?! You and I are both commanders of this army, and the decision to leave the camp to rescue the enemy was made by both of us — "
Camillus waved his hand, "Don't say anymore, this is all my fault! I have underestimated the Diónia, otherwise, I would have immediately led the soldiers back after receiving the food supply team … "
"You can't rely on luck in war!" Camillus sighed deeply with remorse, then reminded him, "Not only did we lose so many soldiers, but some of them are also injured and won't be able to fight the enemy for a while. The number of soldiers who can fight in the camp is greatly reduced. Frius, I suggest that you strengthen the camp's defenses tomorrow. No matter how the enemy provokes you, do not leave the camp to fight the enemy! "
No matter how young Frius was, the performance of the Dionysian Army had shocked him. He did not dare to risk his career and the lives of his soldiers, so he nodded and said, "You are right, Camillus. We should hold the camp until Quintus arrives with his troops!"
… …
For the Volsci, this was a rare victory against Rome in ten years, even though they were not the main force in the battle. When the Roman soldiers, who had no hope of breaking out of the encirclement, finally surrendered to the Volsci warriors, or when the Volsci warriors injured and captured the lagging Roman soldiers in the process of pursuing them, the Volsci soldiers who escorted the Roman soldiers back were filled with pride of victory.
But the Volsci leaders knew very well who brought this victory. Under the lead of Consul Toulus of Selce and Consul Cataemontalos of Polevernham, they found Amyntas, who was treating the wounded soldiers.
"General Amyntas, I didn't expect you to bring us such a rare victory the day after you led your army to Volsci! It is clear that Diónia is sincerely helping us! Thank you very much! Thank you very much! "Toulus said with a sincere expression.
Katai Montalos immediately took over the conversation and expressed his apology excitedly, "Please forgive my previous prejudice. When Toulouse told me that 'Dionia only sent ten thousand troops', I even complained, 'Only ten thousand reinforcements? What can they do when the Roman army is invading with tens of thousands of troops?! But you and your soldiers have proved the strength of the Dionysian Army with your heroic performance. Please accept my respect for you! "
The consul of an important Volsci town immediately greeted Amyntas with the most honorable Volsci etiquette.
Amyntas hurriedly helped him up and said humbly, "I'm just a warrior. My mission is to follow the orders of the kingdom and fight the enemy! If you want to thank someone, you should thank His Majesty the Devers who sent us here! "
"The best thing we, Volsci, have done in recent years is to ally with the great Diónia. We are honored to fight side by side with the brave warriors of Diónia! Let's defeat the Roman soldiers together! "Corlenus, the former consul of Antium, said loudly.
"Yes! That's right! " The other high-ranking Volsci officials also echoed loudly.
Hearing these sincere words and looking at their excited expressions, Amyntas suddenly realized that the First Legion had made such a huge sacrifice to obtain this victory was very important!
At this time, Cataemontalos made a sincere request to the commander of the First Legion of Diónia, "General Amyntas, since the Roman soldiers have suffered this defeat, they don't have many soldiers left in their camp. We have decided to attack the Roman camp and completely destroy the enemy. I hope you can help us!"
Amyntas was stunned. He then shook his head and said bluntly, "I don't think it's a good idea to attack the Roman camp now!"
He did not care whether the Volsci people looked happy or not. He continued to analyze the situation seriously, "I have carefully inspected the Roman camp today. Their defense is very tight. And after today's battle, I found that the Roman soldiers are very strong. Even if we can rely on our numbers to take down the camp in the end, we will definitely suffer a great loss. Can you bear such a loss now? It is said that the Roman soldiers have another more powerful army, and they will arrive soon. When that time comes, our numbers will be greatly reduced because of the continuous battles. What can we do to resist them? " "…"
Amyntas' words were like a can of cold water poured on the high-ranking Volsci officials, temporarily calming them down from the ecstasy of victory.
Toulus, who originally did not agree to attack the Roman camp, took the opportunity to ask, "General Amyntas, do you have any suggestions for the next battle?"
Amyntas thought for a moment and said, "We should adopt a defensive strategy and rely on defending the towns to kill a large number of the Roman soldiers."
"Defense? That will only allow the Roman soldiers to take our towns one by one. The loss of Villette City is proof of that. The Roman soldiers now have a very strong ability to attack cities! "Katai Montalos expressed his doubts and concerns.
Amyntas, who was usually hot-tempered, did not get angry at this moment. He patiently explained, "When the army marched through Satia, I observed the town. Its defense facilities are too simple, so it is easy to break through. If you can take advantage of the victory of this battle and the time before the arrival of the other Roman army, you can speed up the improvement and reinforcement of the city's defenses. It will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Romans when they attack the city! "
"General Amyntas, how should we improve the defense of the town?" Toulus immediately asked humbly.
"First of all, dig the trench deeper and wider. Bury sharp wooden spikes at the bottom of the trench so that it will be difficult for the Roman soldiers to pass through it. Set up densely packed antlers between the trench and the city wall. Even if the Roman soldiers pass through the trench, it will take them a lot of time to bring their siege weapons to the city. Our arrows, javelins, and stones … will be able to kill the enemy as much as possible. We have to set up traps outside the trench, and there's a lot of details to how to set up the traps … "Amintas explained in detail as he drew on the ground with his dagger. The higher-ups of Wolsey were listening attentively to him.
… …
When the First Legion sailed to the Latin region, Carthage, who had received the news, sent out his army to declare war on Diónia as promised. However, in Carthage's Senate, there was a heated debate about this issue.
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