Chapter 724
"Yes, there has been a change." Leotychides's tone was flat and lacked passion. "Sikaer's harassing troops have defeated Carthage's 40,000 siege troops."
Cypross thought he had misheard and asked in surprise, "Is that true?! You mean the 1,000 Sikaer light infantry with poor equipment?! "
"I never lie in a war." Leotychides stared at Cypross with bright eyes, but his tone was still calm. "I have decided to change my previous plan. I will lead the Eighth Legion to Minoa and face Carthage's men."
"Good! As expected of the commander favored by His Majesty! It's much better than the sh * tty plan you came up with before! "A voice of praise came from outside the door as Admiral Sykerian strode into the meeting room.
Leotychides raised his eyebrows.
Cypross asked in surprise, "You want to lead the army to battle Carthage's men?! That's too risky! Carthage's army has more than 40,000 men. Are you going to gather all the citizens of Diónia in Sicily?! If the battle fails, all the territories of the kingdom in Sicily will be in danger! I think it's safer for you to continue with the previous plan! "
After all, according to the rules, Governor Cypross had the right to participate in the military meeting and raise objections. Therefore, Leotychides had to explain in detail. "The previous plan was based on the assumption that Carthage would send an army of 80,000 to 100,000 men. I didn't expect them to only send 60,000 men, and 20,000 of them went to the north coast. From the information they had received, half of the Carthaginian army of forty thousand was made up of Numibians who had been oppressed by Carthage. Their morale was not high, and the attack of a thousand West Celts was enough to force them to retreat. This showed that the ability of their commander was not good.
According to the information we received, Carthage's commander, Montenegro, is greedy and does not like to participate in the battle personally. He does not like to get close to his soldiers, so he cannot make full use of the advantage of having more soldiers. Even if we have fewer soldiers, but the 8th Army and its reserve troops' fighting strength and morale far surpass the enemy, and we can definitely defeat them.
Furthermore, we can't just watch as this Carthage army slowly conquers our allies one by one by relying on their large numbers. Through battles and victories, they can unify the entire army and increase the fighting spirit and combat strength of the Carthage people … When the Carthage army conquers the south coast, it will be very difficult to fight them again. "
"That's the right way to think. The previous plan was to passively take a beating. I just arrived yesterday and heard about your previous plan. I've been wanting to talk to you about it for a long time, "said Secorian in the tone of a commanding officer talking to his subordinate.
Although as a senator of the Senate, Secorian's qualifications and position in the kingdom were indeed higher than Leotychides's, it still made Leotychides feel a little uncomfortable. But then he remembered that he still had to rely on the navy for future military operations, so he suppressed his emotions and said faintly, "I'm also following the 'Military Law of Diónia'. 'All military plans must be made according to the actual situation.' Since the situation has changed, of course, my plan will have to change accordingly."
Cypross was not like Cornelus who was easily swayed by personal gains and losses. Once he was convinced, he immediately asked, "How many people are you bringing to the battle?"
"The entire 8th Army and 4th Cavalry Regiment, as well as some reserve soldiers, should be around 15000. The rest of the reserve soldiers will be stationed in the main camp. The allied forces of Leotini and Taunis will not be deployed. They still need to guard against Syracuse. "
When Leotychides finished, Cypross was once again surprised. "Lord Prosous, isn't 15000 a little too few?!"
"Not at all." Leotychides said confidently, "I'll ask Lord Kreylu of Hera to organize the Sikere warriors and travel through the mountain roads to Minoa. I'll lead these 15000 soldiers and disembark at the port of Kamalina by sea. We'll march along the south coast all the way to the west, and along the way, we'll incorporate the armies of the friendly city-states along the way. By the time we reach Minoa, I estimate the number of soldiers to be at least 30,000 … "
"Heh, I was so anxious just now that I forgot about the friendly city-states like Kamalina, Gela, and Agrigento." Cypross exposed his own shortcomings, but his face showed a relieved smile. "Lord Prososus, you've made the right decision! Through this direct battle with Carthage, we can show the kingdom's protection to the cities that are close to us. Through this battle, we can deepen our friendship with them! … "
Leotychides did not think as much as Cypross. He only wanted to win, so he turned to Secorian and said, "I hope that the transport fleet, as well as the transport of food and supplies, can receive the protection of your fleet, Lord Secorian!"
"That's the duty of the navy!" Secorian replied readily, but what he said next revealed his true intention. "I can use this opportunity to lure Carthage's fleet into a decisive battle with us!"
… …
When the news that Carthage's army had landed in Sicily and begun to march towards Diónia reached Rome, the senators were excited. Dictator Camillus thought that the time had come, and immediately issued the order to "march towards the Hernici".
Soon, he led an army of more than 40,000 people, consisting of the militia of Rome and the soldiers of the Latin Alliance, out of the city of Rome and marched straight southeast.
The Hernici were the ancient aborigines of central Italy. They mainly lived in the lowlands between Mount Hernici and Mount Lepini, which was a strip of hills and lowlands about 150 miles long and only about 20 miles wide, with the Terreus River flowing in the middle. To the west and south of their living area were the Volsci, who lived next to Mount Lepini, and to the east were the Marsi and Acqui, who lived deep in the mountains. To the north were some Latin city-states, mainly Pellinister.
The Roman army passed through the Latin city of Gabii, and at dusk they camped outside the city of Punieste.
When the Hernici heard the news that the Roman army was coming, they panicked and hurriedly sent people to ask for help from the Volsci.
The next morning, the Roman army continued to march south, passing through Tolerum (Tolerium) of the Latin Alliance, and soon arrived at Signia, a town adjacent to the Hernici and Latin.
This was a small town at the foot of Mount Lepini. It had a small population, but the terrain was relatively dangerous, and it was an important passage for the Hernici tribe who lived in Mount Lepini.
Camillus immediately sent 5,000 men to surround the town and began to build siege equipment. Once everything was ready, they would attack the town.
At the same time, he led 35000 men across the Terreus River and arrived at another important Hernici town, Anagnia, on the east bank of the Terreus River, near the Latin region. Another 10,000 men were sent to surround it.
He led the remaining 25000 men around the city of Anagnia and began to build a camp a few miles south of it, eyeing the central town of the Helniki, Ferentinum.
Previously, the Hernici suffered a crushing defeat in the war with the Volsci against the Latin Alliance of Rome. Not long after that, their strength had not recovered, and they did not have the ability to organize enough soldiers to rescue the besieged towns. They could only hole up in their respective towns and fortify their defenses while waiting for the Volsci to rescue them.
… …
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When the news of the Roman army attacking the territory of the Hernici reached Polevernham, the high-ranking officials of the Volsci Alliance who had gathered there were very nervous. They had just defeated the Romans and were still discussing how to recapture Antium, Villette, and other towns that had been captured by the Romans. They did not expect that the Romans would launch another war to the east of the Volsci so soon.
Amyntas, who was invited to the meeting, was puzzled. He asked in surprise, "According to the information we received, the Romans stationed 10,000 men in Antium, Villette, and Saturnicum respectively? How can the Romans have so many soldiers to attack the Hernici? "
Polefenham's consul, Catemontalos, said helplessly, "The Romans do not have so many young citizens, but they still have many Latin Alliance states and many Etrurian cities that have been conquered by Rome. They are fully capable of launching another war against us! This is the scary thing about the Romans! "
I am afraid that the Romans are going to concentrate all their strength to fight a big war! But our Diónia … Amyntas thought of the First Legion that he had just replenished and sighed to himself. With the combat power of the Roman army, the First Legion with less than 10,000 men was not enough to help the Hernici to repel the attack of the Romans!
Printos saw the troubled look on Amyntas' face and quickly asked, "Why don't you contact the Equis and the Maxi to deal with the Romans together? I heard that these two races are next to the Hernici. I think if the Hernici are destroyed by the Romans, these two races that are also at odds with Rome will also face the threat of the Romans! "
Selshe's consul, Toulus, replied, "The Hernici must have contacted the Equis and the Maxi. The question now is whether we should rescue the Hernici?"
"Of course we should rescue them!" Catemontalos said loudly without hesitation, "Our Fabrateria and Frusinum … are just south of the Hernici's territory. If the Hernici are destroyed, then they will be attacked by the Romans later. It is better to rescue the Hernici now than then!"
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