Chapter 73
The group descended the gentle slope and walked into the river bank. It was much easier to walk here than before. The ground was soft, and the road surface was flat, almost level with the river.
"You just said that the Turís hate this hot spring swamp. Why?" The Asistes still could not forget the previous question.
The guide glanced at him and said, "This swamp has hot springs, and the water temperature is very suitable all year round. Therefore, there are a lot of mosquitoes, and they bite very badly. The Turís are almost unwilling to come here."
The Asistes widened his eyes and looked at the opposite bank. The mist greatly obstructed his vision, adding a bit of mystery to the swamp.
The Devers did not say a word. He stared at the river bank, the Tino River, and the hot spring swamp on the other side, thinking about something.
After walking for about half a mile, they reached the end of the river bank. They had to dismount and walk to walk up the gentle slope because the mud was too slippery for them to ride.
After going up the gentle slope and leaving the river bank, it was a completely uphill road. There were fewer and fewer farmlands, but the trees were more and more dense, until there was no trace of human buildings.
At this time, the Devers and the others had reached an open area on the hillside, but the guide refused to go forward. "Beyond the ridge in front is the Lucaria's camp. It's too dangerous!"
The Devers and the others tried their best to persuade the guide to take them to a distance to have a look.
Standing on the top of the hill, against the cold mountain wind, they looked forward. There was a higher hill in front of them. It should have been a green scene, but a large number of trees had been cut down, and a large area was cleared. Countless tents were densely packed on it, and from a distance, the Lucaria looked as small as ants.
"Wow, there are quite a lot of people!" The Asistes, who had seen thousands of Persia's army, could not help but say.
The Devers did not say anything. After carefully observing for a while, he pointed to somewhere in front and asked, "What is that place?"
The pale guide looked around blankly and asked, "Where?"
"On the right side of the hill, it seems like … there are Lucanian troops coming out from there from time to time …" The Devers pulled the guide over and pointed to the front again.
The guide's eyes widened. After confirming it carefully, he said, "Oh, that's the valley pass. There's a passable mountain path that leads to the Lucanian territory."
"How long is the trail?" the Devers continued to ask.
"I haven't been there. I heard that it's more than 40 li. It doesn't sound too far, but the mountain road is hard to walk. It might take one or two days to walk. Oh … That's right, the Turís army was ambushed and defeated on this mountain path … "The guide said with a fearful expression.
The Devers gazed at the unbroken chain of mountains behind the hill, lost in thought.
"The Turís should build a fortress here. The Lucanians won't be able to break in so easily," Ledes said.
"The Turís originally had a camp here, but nothing major had happened for decades. Coupled with the poor conditions here, not many citizens were willing to be stationed here. I didn't expect the Lucanians to suddenly launch a large-scale attack. In the end … "the guide said dejectedly.
"If the Turís could defend this place, we would have nothing to do with it," the Devers said faintly. "From the fact that the mountains are almost undeveloped, it's obvious that the Turís don't care about this place at all. It would be strange if they could defend it," the Devers said faintly. This was a common problem of the Greeks, a nation that loved to sail and trade. They had no interest in the mountains at all.
Under the constant urging of the guide, the group embarked on their return journey.
Seeing that the Devers and the others were relaxed, the slave, who was regarded as Burcos' confidant, heard from his master that the people around him were experienced warriors, so he could not help but ask, "Chief Devers, do you think we can defeat these Lucanians?"
"We won't know until we fight," the Devers said faintly.
This time, they went east along the right edge of the Sybari Plain. This side was also surrounded by endless forests. Cheerful streams accompanied them all the way east, and finally converged into a river. When the Devers rode along the south bank of the river and saw the soldiers chopping down trees on the other side, he remembered that this was the river that Felicius mentioned. The guide called it the Sybari River.
Seeing that it was already dusk, the Devers gave up on the plan to continue exploring north. He dismounted and crossed the river. Together with the soldiers, they flattened the tree trunks and carried the logs back to camp.
After dinner, after listening to the reports from Felicius and the other team officers, and confirming that the mercenaries were operating well, the Devers sent them away. He calmed down and used a branch to sketch out the terrain that they had scouted during the day on the ground. After repeatedly revising it until he was satisfied, he stared at it for a long time and firmly remembered the combination of the pattern and the scene. Of course, this was only a sketch. Next, he would need to send scouts to further improve it. For example, the approximate area of the Sybari Plain, the width and depth of the Krati River, the area of the river bank, and so on.
Intelligence work was the most important in a war, and terrain reconnaissance was the most important of all intelligence work! More than half a year of fighting had taught Dyvers a lot. Combined with the knowledge from his previous life, he had always believed that being a famous general required ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent talent. There had never been a general who could control the troops and win the war by sitting high up in the court. Therefore, he had been working tirelessly to become a famous general …
… …
The next day, under the guide, the Devers and the group continued exploring north. After crossing the Sybari River, there was about ten miles of land between the forest and the bay. The land in between was even flatter, and it was still a part of the Sybari Plain. The Turií did not plant wheat here, but instead planted olive trees and opened up vineyards.
According to the guide, the wine produced here was famous throughout Greater Greece. This made the Devers think of the luxurious wine baths of the ancient Sybari people in his previous life. It was probably from the wine here.
However, at this time, the vineyards were overgrown with weeds and no one took care of them.
"That's because from time to time, the Lucarians from Amendolara wander around the area. The people are afraid and don't dare to come here …" the guide explained.
"The Turií should send troops to protect their citizens!" Asistes said disdainfully.
"After the last failure, the Turií might not have enough troops. Protecting the city of Turií is their priority, "Devers said.
"Chief Devers is right!" The guide took the opportunity to escape from the awkward situation.
"Didn't you say that there aren't many Lucanians in Amendolara? We can provide protection for the Turií here, but of course, we have to pay some protection fees, "Asistes said jokingly.
"Yasi, in the future, you will also have to lead an army to fight alone. You have to remember one thing, don't scatter your troops easily! " Devers said seriously, "Our main task now is to help the Turií defeat the Lucanians' army. Let's ignore everything else for now. As long as we win, Amendolara won't be a problem at all! "
Asistes and Ledes listened attentively and kept nodding.
The group continued to move forward until a river blocked their way.
"This is the Saraceno River, the border river between Turií and Amendolara," the guide said.
"So, it's Amendolara's territory after this?" Devers pointed in front of them.
"Yes, we might encounter the Lucanians at any time. Let's go back now," the guide said with a fearful expression.
Devers, on the other hand, was obviously interested. "Can we walk across this river?"
Before the guide could answer, Asistes, who could no longer hold back, had already leaped into the river. The river was more than ten meters wide, and they reached the other side in an instant.
"The water is only up to our thighs," Asistes stood in front of the horse and gestured.
"Ledes, Felicius left a hundred soldiers at the logging site as a precaution. Go get them, we'll cross the river and have a look," Devers immediately ordered.
"Yes!" Ledes ran back excitedly.
The guide could only wait helplessly.
Ten minutes later, Ledes hurried over with more than a hundred fully-armed soldiers.
The soldiers were panting, but they were also excited. Seeing them, Devers was even bolder. "Let's cross the river!"
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