Chapter 764
Will Carthage's people agree to this? You've firmly rejected their request to ransom the captive Carthage's Sacred Legion soldiers! Mukelu only dared to bury this doubt in his heart.
"We still have to take down Salinus as soon as possible!" Leotychides muttered. Whether it was from the strategic point of view of attacking western Sicily, or from the point of view of facilitating the transportation of food and supplies … or even from the point of view of having a safer place to hold so many captives, taking down Salinus was a top priority.
Mukelu hurriedly reminded him, "Commander, the soldiers were busy last night and are quite tired. They no longer have the strength to attack the city today. Besides, Carthage's people also transported a few thousand soldiers into Salinus yesterday. Their defense has been strengthened. Besides — "
"Besides, we've lost the Sicilian fleet and can no longer seal off the port. Carthage's people can send reinforcements from the sea at any time!" Leotychides took over the conversation and said solemnly. This was what he was most worried about. The loss of the Dionysian Army's naval superiority in Sicily would make it much more difficult for them to attack on land. This was because the further west the army attacked, the closer they would be to Carthage, and the stronger the reinforcements from the sea would be. The Dionysian Army, who had lost their fleet, could not stop them. They could only hope that after the news of the destruction of the Sicilian fleet reached Turií, His Majesty would send the Third or Fourth Fleet to retake Sicily's naval superiority.
Just as Leotychides was deep in thought, a guard came in and reported, "The captain of the Diocasis Company, who is patrolling by the coast, requests an audience. He said he has an urgent military report."
… …
"You're saying that 42 of our three-oared warships are still in Salinus' port?!" Even though Leotychides had always been indifferent, he couldn't help but be moved when he heard the news.
"Yes, Lord Commander." Diocasis also said excitedly, "When the storm arrived, the Second Squadron of the First Fleet was attacking Carthage's fleet outside Selinus Harbor. The commander of the Second Squadron, Stefakas, urgently led the surrounding warships to break into Selinus Harbor and successfully went ashore. They occupied the southwest corner of the harbor. They originally planned to send a clipper ship to inform us last night after the storm subsided, but the shipwrecks caused by the storm blocked the harbor, making it dangerous for ships to sail at night. Therefore, they only took the risk of opening a passage through the harbor this morning and sent a clipper ship to inform us."
In fact, the port of Serinus was the same as the other ports of the Greek city-states. It had a breakwater and a water gate at the entrance that could be locked down with iron chains. There were also towers built on the breakwater to attack enemy ships. However, when Carthage's fleet entered the harbor yesterday, due to panic, they blocked the water gate, making it impossible for the people of Serinus to seal off the harbor. Coupled with the storm, the people in the harbor only wanted to go home to hide, causing the port's defenses to slacken. This allowed the warships of Diónia to easily break into the harbor and successfully go ashore.
Leotychides quickly calmed down and asked calmly, "How many people do they have now? Can they withstand the enemy's attack? "
"According to the messenger, Stefakas, the commander of the B Fleet, is very confident. Because 30 of the 42 warships that entered the harbor are raven warships, they have about 1,200 fully-armed fleet infantrymen and nearly 7,000 sailors. They have sunk many Carthage's troop transports. After they went ashore, they even robbed Carthage's grain transports and even looted the armor and weapons of many drowned Carthage soldiers. From this, they obtained more than 400 sets of heavy infantry equipment and more than 30 bows and arrows. They also had some sailors sharpen one end of a wooden oar to use as a lengthened wooden spear. Their warships also control the sea in the harbor … According to the messenger, when he left the harbor, the people of Carthage did not attack them …"
"After several sieges, I'm afraid that there are less than 2,000 people defending Serinus. Even if there are reinforcements this time, there won't be more than 5,000 people. If the people of Carthage attack with all their might, it will cause a lot of trouble for the navy in the harbor. However, it seems that the commander of Carthage's garrison is not bold enough. He's worried that we'll take advantage of the situation to attack the city, so he didn't take action immediately …" After listening to Diocasis' narration, Leotychides analyzed and said. He already realized that this was a great opportunity. He asked Mukelu in a slightly excited tone, "What time is it now?"
"About eight in the morning."
"Mukelu, immediately inform the 8th Army Corps and the reserve troops to rest in the tents. I'll only give them four hours to sleep and recover. They must wake up at noon. After lunch, we'll immediately attack the city!" Leotychides decisively gave the order.
"Yes, Commander. I'll convey the message immediately."
"Diocasis, go and call the messenger in. I want to ask for more details." Leotychides said. Out of caution, he first wanted to confirm the authenticity of the news. Secondly, he wanted to further understand the situation of both sides in the city.
At noon, Leotychides led his army to attack the city.
He had already made contact with the remaining Sicilian fleet at the harbor. They immediately responded and attacked the city from the harbor.
Carthage's garrison was attacked from two sides. They were in a difficult situation.
The battle lasted until the afternoon. Milefio led a few cavalrymen and escaped from the south gate. The garrison of Serinus opened the gate and surrendered.
… …
March was a rainy season in the southwestern region of Latin. The morning mist and drizzle were the weather that the sentries hated the most. They could not lean against the wall for a long sleep, and the slightly damp temperature made the sentries hungry again. The serious nature of the Rome people and strict military law made them not dare to leave their posts easily. They could only slowly patrol the walls of Antium while praying that the time would pass quickly so that the next batch of comrades could arrive.
"Listen, what's that sound?" a sentinel suddenly asked nervously.
Another sentinel immediately pricked up his ears.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The light but continuous sound was different from the sound of the tide. It had a metallic texture.
The sentinel's expression changed. There was an army outside the city, and a lot of them.
Are they enemies?! The sentinel looked up. It was drizzling outside the empty city, and there was no one in sight.
The garrison of Antium was Paulus Valerius Potitus. Not long ago, he was the military governor of Rome. But after Camillus was appointed as the dictator, the six military governors of Rome naturally stepped down. Because Paulus had always been cautious and steady, the Senate appointed him as the garrison of the newly occupied town of Antium. They hoped that he could guard the southwestern border and coast of Rome and the Latin Alliance to ensure the complete conquest of the Hellenigi by Rome.
The sentinel's report quickly caught his attention. He immediately sent a team of scouts out of the city to investigate.
Soon, the team of scouts fled back in disarray. They were attacked by many black-armored cavalrymen not long after they left the city. They were almost wiped out.
It's the Diónia! Paulus became nervous. Are they going to attack Antium?!
He immediately summoned the troops in the city and began to set up defenses, ready to resist the attack of the Diónia.
The soldiers of Rome stood on top of the city wall, nervously watching the outside of the city.
He stood there for more than an hour. The mist dispersed, the drizzle stopped, and the sky was bright again. However, he did not see any Dionian troops outside the city. Even the 'huala, huala' noises from before were gone.
Paulus was puzzled. He decided to send out scouts again to find out the enemy's movements.
As a result, the scouts were intercepted again. According to the scouts who escaped, there were Diónia cavalrymen patrolling in all directions a mile away from the city of Antium. They could not break through the interception and find out the Diónia's movements.
Paulus was confused and nervous. Before he figured out the Dionysian Army's movements, he did not dare to send troops out of the city. After all, the army of Rome was still attacking the Hellenigi in the east. The Latin region was empty. His task was to defend Antium and stop the enemy's attack from the south together with the garrison of Villette and Saturnicum.
While Paulus was biding his time, the garrison of Saturnicum in the north encountered the same situation. They also adopted the same response. In order to ensure the safety of their territory and the Latin Alliance, the Senate of Rome sent cautious and prudent generals to the two newly occupied towns. This made them not dare to send out their troops immediately and take the initiative to launch a probing attack. From there, they might be able to find out the Dionysian Army's movements.
In fact, the First Legion of Diónia, Legio III, the First Cavalry Legion, and part of the Second Cavalry Legion formed a large army of nearly 20000 soldiers. They were arranged in eight columns. The Cavalry Legion guarded the two flanks of the marching column. There were no supply caravans following them. They set off from Setia's barracks in the wee hours of the morning and marched north. By morning, they had reached the border between Latin and Wolsey.
Amyntas ordered the two Cavalry Legions to block the way out of Antium and Saturnicum respectively. They would rob and kill the scouts to ensure that the main force passed through the area between Antium and Saturnicum quickly and stealthily. They would then continue to march northwest.
Not far to the north of Antium, Adrea was an ancient Latin city-state. It was also one of the few coastal towns in the Latin city-state. It had a close relationship with Rome. Twenty years ago, Camillus was dissatisfied with the verdict of the Senate of Rome and lived in seclusion in Adrea. More than ten years ago, the Celts captured Rome and plundered the Latin region. With the support of the citizens of Adrea, Camillus was the first to raise the flag of resistance and finally recovered Rome. After that, Rome and Adrea established a stronger alliance.
Comments