Chapter 767
"Let's wait for Pantius to arrive. If the Diónia army has not changed too much, maybe we can fight them …" Paulus said with uncertainty.
It did not take long for Villette's army to arrive.
After listening to Paulus's brief introduction of the situation, Pantius, who was also a former military officer and older than Paulus, seemed a little impatient. "What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the Diónia army to land, destroy the surrounding towns, and attack Rome? This is our only chance to defeat the Diónia army! We must not miss it! Attack! We must attack now! "
Paulus and Mejus did not object. If they did not want to bear the heavy responsibility, this was indeed their only chance!
Even though there were more than 25000 Dionysian soldiers arrayed on the distant coast, Antium had 7,500 soldiers, Saturnicum had 8,000 soldiers, and Villette had 10,000 soldiers. The Roman army's total strength was also more than 25000 soldiers. They could definitely fight against the Dionysian army.
They could not allow the Diónia to increase their army. They had to seize the time to fight! After the three reached a consensus, they immediately began to move. The troops of Antium and Saturnicum had already lined up, while Villette's troops quickly lined up on the right side of Saturnicum's troops. Soon, the huge Roman army began to advance.
… …
The Roman army had finally arrived! Standing in front of the army, Amyntas finally smiled when he saw the dust in the distance. He even joked, "If I knew that the Roman army would arrive so late, I wouldn't have let the second legion appear in the formation."
"Do you think the Roman army is stupid? We have been on land for so long, but there are less than 20,000 soldiers here? Everyone knows that there must be an ambush! "Martonis immediately retorted.
"Finally, I can officially fight against the Rome people!" Lizaru's eyes sparkled with excitement. He had heard that the Ministry of Military Affairs had always attached great importance to this Latin city-state in central Italy. He did not feel anything special when he led his army to launch a sneak attack from the coast last time. However, after talking with Amyntas for the past two days, he learned that the combat power of the Rome people was indeed not weak, and their tactics were quite similar to the Legion of Dionysia. Therefore, he was very much looking forward to fighting with the Rome people.
"We should go back and prepare for battle!" Ledes reminded as he looked at the long red line vaguely appearing in the dust in the distance.
Amyntas immediately saluted the others and said solemnly, "With the blessing of the Hades, victory belongs to the Kingdom!"
"Victory belongs to Diónia!"
"We will win!"
Martonis, the commander of the Second Legion, Lizaru, the commander of Legio III, Ledes, the commander of the First Cavalry Legion, and Cuccius, the commander of the Second Cavalry Legion, also saluted in response. Then, they rode their horses and returned to their own formation, informing their officers to regroup and prepare for battle.
The First Legion of Diónia was in the middle, and the Second Legion and Legio III were on its left and right sides. The First and Second Cavalry Legions were on the flanks and rear respectively. The total force was about 27000, and the entire formation was four miles long. This was the most common formation, and it showed the confidence the commanders had in their soldiers. They believed that their side was superior to the other side in terms of numbers, morale, and combat power. There was no need for them to come up with any tricks to reduce the gap.
Amyntas was at the rear of his legion, watching the soldiers make the final preparations for battle. The messenger hurried over, "Commander, His Majesty is here!"
Amyntas hurriedly turned his horse around, and saw more than two hundred riders galloping from behind. The Devers in front wore golden armor and a black cloak, and a golden helmet with black feathers fluttering in the wind.
Behind him were two extremely strong riders on both sides, each holding a large flag.
One of them was a silver-white double-pronged fork wrapped with a black ribbon, and the fork slanted open at the top was tightly held by a gold crown made of poplar branches. This was the scepter of the king of the Devers.
The other flag was much larger. At the top of it was a golden statue of the Hades, and below it was a horizontal bar with small golden statues of Thanatos, the Three Judges of Hades, the Goddess of Vengeance, the Cerberus, and Charon. They were all subordinates of the Hades, and at the same time, they were the symbols of their respective legions. For example, the statue at the top of the military flag held by the legion was the God of Death, and the statue at the top of the flag was the Goddess of Vengeance … There was a longer horizontal bar below the flagpole, and there were no statues on it, but some small golden round plates. There were portraits of the heroes of the Kingdom of Diónia enshrined in the Valhalla of the Turií Hades, such as Dracos, Cspit, and Soberkos … This was the military flag of the Kingdom of Diónia. It looked like a small tree made of gold, and as it moved forward, the golden discs collided with each other and made a melodious sound, as if the spirits were murmuring …
Amyntas immediately urged his horse forward and saluted respectfully, "Your Majesty!"
The Devers returned the salute, and then said in a calm tone, "We are here to be spectators, and we will not interfere with your command."
Amyntas thought he had heard it wrong, but when he saw the serious expression on the Devers' face, he quickly said happily, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!" Before the battle, the legion commanders had discussed and unanimously elected Amyntas, who was the most senior, to be the commander-in-chief of the battle. This was the first time Amyntas had independently commanded a battle composed of multiple troops in the 30 years he had been a soldier. He was both excited and nervous, and he was afraid that the Devers would not let him command.
The Devers smiled. He had already heard Printos's report on the way here. In the situation where they had more soldiers and cavalry than the Rome, even with the influence of his previous life's history, he did not think that the Rome army would win.
When the Devers and his team arrived at the back of the formation, Matonis, Lizaru, Ledes, and Cuccius came to greet them after hearing the news. The Devers encouraged them one by one.
The surrounding soldiers were very excited when they learned that the King of the Devers had arrived. Due to the military law, they could not leave their positions, so they turned around and saluted him and cheered.
Soon, the cheers spread throughout the formation. "Long live the King of the Devers!"
"Long live the King of the Devers!"
…
In the midst of the tide-like cheers, Patroclus, the First Legion's commander, looked back repeatedly. He could be considered a veteran on the battlefield, and he actually had an urge to immediately start fighting so that his esteemed father-in-law could personally witness his abilities.
On the other hand, Adoris, who was in the 2nd Legion's formation, felt nervous when he heard his adoptive father's arrival.
One mile away, Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius, who were commanding the Rome soldiers to advance, suddenly heard the thunderous cheers from the Diónia army. They could not help but worry about the enemy's high morale.
As they got closer, the Rome nobles like Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius, who had received higher education in Greece since childhood, could vaguely hear the content of the cheers. "Long live the King of the Devers …"
Everyone's expression changed at the same time. The King of Diónia is here?! The invincible King of Diónia?!
During this period of time, due to the war between Rome and Diónia, the people of Rome began to seriously learn about the Kingdom of Diónia. Of course, most of them were rumors about the King of Diónia. Ever since this mercenary king came to Greece more than ten years ago, he had defeated the strong many times and led only a little more than a thousand mercenaries to establish the powerful Kingdom of Diónia today. This was simply a miracle! Now that the person who created this miracle might be in front of them, how could these Rome generals not feel nervous?
Especially Mejus, who was in the front of the army. He could clearly see the two raised golden flags behind the enemy's formation. They were extremely dazzling under the sun. He even felt a little weak in his legs.
But the army had already spread out and the soldiers were advancing. How could they retreat at this critical moment? Moreover, the previous victories of Diónia did not come from Rome. These three Rome generals who had not fought with the Dionysian Army before believed that the brave Roman soldiers were different from the warriors of the city-states and races who had lost to the Dionysian Army in the past. And they had to believe so at this moment.
So, the bugle was blown again.
The high-pitched bugle not only excited the soldiers, but also drove away the uneasiness in the generals' hearts.
Devers stood quietly at the back of the army formation and looked at the Rome army in front of him. His heart was stirred. Although the Rome army was different from the Rome army that he had seen on TV and in the movies in his previous life, this was the first time he saw the Rome army in this life. These Rome soldiers who had conquered the entire Mediterranean Sea in his previous life were holding long shields and spears. The whole army was like a burning fire, sweeping towards the Diónia army at high speed. On the other hand, the Diónia army stood still like a towering mountain. The color of their armors and shields was as cold as the night, sending chills down people's spines. The colors of red and black were so distinct that the bloody and heroic sparks would be created when they collided on this piece of land.
Devers subconsciously touched his chin with his hand.
As the Rome army approached, their shouts were thunderous, and the ground was trembling. Even the War Horses under the Devers and the people who accompanied them to watch the battle began to feel uneasy. They swayed their limbs and kept snorting.
… …
Cloto Catax, who was about to witness the first large-scale battle in his life, clenched his fists tightly. He looked nervous, but he still tried his best to open his eyes wide and look at the Rome army that gave him a lot of psychological pressure.
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