Chapter 786
When Marcus saw this, he immediately shouted, "Listen to the order! Don't attack indiscriminately!"
"Don't shoot arrows! Don't shoot arrows … "The messenger ran along the wall while conveying Marcus' order.
In Marcus' view, the frontline of the Diónia's siege troops were originally heavy infantry. Arrows posed little threat to them, not to mention that they had wooden planks on top of their heads. In a situation where they could hardly achieve anything, there was no need to waste arrows and consume the strength of the soldiers.
The Diónia soldiers had arrived in front of the trench that was only more than 20 meters away from the city wall. They put down the wooden planks on top of their heads and placed them on the ground in front of the trench.
At this moment, Marcus gave the order to attack and took the lead to throw a javelin. So, the Roman soldiers who were already prepared shot javelins and arrows at the enemy not far below the city wall.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the Diónia soldiers put down the wooden planks, they immediately ran back, causing most of the long-range attacks to miss.
While these heavy infantry ran back, they approached the city wall in a strange formation in the distance.
"Tortoise Shell Formation?!" The Roman soldiers on the city wall were in a commotion. Since the reform of the Roman army in the past ten years, the most practical tactic of sieging a city actually appeared in the enemy's formation. Although they had heard from the citizens who had fought with the Diónia before that 'Diónia's tactics were very similar to those of Rome', when it really appeared in front of Marcus and the Roman soldiers, it still made their hearts palpitate.
When these Diónia heavy infantry came in front of the wooden planks, they quickly dispersed into the Tortoise Shell Formation, and then quickly formed a row of shield walls diagonally facing the city wall. Their movements were so fast that it seemed like they had gone through countless training sessions. Before the Roman soldiers on the city wall could react, they had already completed the formation change.
Then, under the protection of the shield formation, seven or eight unarmored Diónia soldiers squatted on the ground and shouted slogans together. They pushed one end of the wooden planks, trying to push the planks across the five-meter-wide trench so that the other end of the planks could be placed on the other side of the trench to form a simple wooden bridge.
How could the Roman soldiers let them succeed so easily? The rain of arrows and javelins poured down and hit the shield formation. Ding! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Occasionally, a javelin pierced through the shield and stabbed the soldiers' arms. Some arrows passed through the gap between the shields and injured the soldiers' unprotected thighs. However, they still endured the pain and maintained the integrity of the shield formation.
Soon, more than 20 wooden bridges were set up on the trench. The Diónia soldiers helped their injured teammates up and began to retreat. As they retreated, they quickly transformed the shield formation into a Tortoise Shell Formation.
The enemy's ability to change formations skillfully, maintain the stability of the shield formation in the face of strong long-range attacks, retreat quickly, and take care of the injured soldiers … This was definitely an extremely well-trained and experienced team! Marcus knew that he had encountered a strong enemy, but he had no time to feel panic at this moment. "Fire the arrows and burn those wooden bridges!" He pointed to the wooden planks on the trench below the city and hurriedly ordered.
The auxiliary soldiers immediately wrapped tarred cloth strips around the arrowheads and handed them to the archers.
While the Diónia soldiers under the city were retreating, more soldiers formed a larger Tortoise Shell Formation and advanced toward the city wall. Behind these Tortoise Shell Formations were nearly a thousand soldiers without armor. Some of them had bows on their shoulders. They lined up in a looser formation, and they were about to enter the shooting range of the arrows.
"It's the Diónia Light Infantry!" The Roman platoon jarls on the top of the city wall quickly made a judgment and decided to give them a head-on attack to prevent them from approaching the city wall and posing a threat to the defenders.
When the Roman soldiers aimed their arrows at them, the Diónia Light Infantry stopped 150 meters away.
Marcus was a little puzzled when he saw some of the Diónia Light Infantry constantly swinging their arms. Soon, he saw countless black dots whizzing over, and most of them smashed on the wall below the Roman soldiers, creating a series of crackling noises.
"Ah!" A soldier not far from Marcus suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. He was bleeding from his brow bone.
The soldiers picked up the object and handed it to Marcus.
It was a black lead ball that was smaller than an egg. Marcus weighed it in his hand. It was still a little heavy.
Stone throwers! These were the Diónia Stone Throwers that Camillus mentioned! Marcus suddenly remembered the battle report that Camillus made in the Senate.
That's right, these were the Rhode Island Stone Throwers, the unique unit of the First Legion. They were also the only one left in the entire Dionysian Army. After the first throw, they made adjustments according to the landing point. So when they waved the catapult again and threw the lead ball, it was obviously more accurate this time. Most of the lead balls fell on the top of the city wall.
The Roman soldiers hurriedly put their long shields on top of their heads. The archers did not have protective gear, so they could only dodge to the side of the heavy infantry. The section of the city wall where Marcus was located was in a panic.
At this time, the Diónia Tortoiseshell Formation had arrived in front of the wooden bridge. They quickly spread out, revealing two ladders hidden in the formation. Every six soldiers carried a ladder that was 20 meters long. They quickly rushed over the wooden bridge and rushed to the city wall in front of them.
The heavy infantry, with swords and shields in hand, followed closely behind and crossed the trench.
The Roman soldiers on the top of the city wall did not care to avoid the incoming lead balls. They began to throw javelins and fire arrows.
Under such a fierce attack, the Diónia heavy infantry began to suffer casualties, but at this time, they could not care about rescuing their comrades. The soldier carrying the ladder fell down, and the soldier closest to him immediately put down his sword and shield and stepped forward to take his place. Like this, the soldiers quickly raised the ladder high and quickly leaned against the wall. Then, they quickly pulled the ladder down diagonally. The sharp foot of the ladder plunged into the soil, and the curved iron hooks tied at the top hooked onto the battlements. With soldiers on both sides holding the ladder, the ladder stood quite steadily.
The Diónia heavy infantry protected their heads with their left hand and climbed up the ladder with their right hand.
The juvenile soldiers of Rome began to play their role. Some threw stones and logs down, some poured thin oil and threw torches, some poured freshly boiled water down, and some used swords to slash at the joint of the ladder and the iron hooks.
The light infantry of the First Legion of Diónia had also rushed to the bottom of the city wall. They threw arrows and javelins at the top of the wall. The Roman soldiers who attacked from below but exposed their bodies outside the battlements became the focus of their attacks.
"Brothers, you have done a good job. You have steadily attacked the bottom of the wall without suffering many losses!" Amyntas had arrived at the back of the stone throwers, less than two hundred meters away from the city wall. This way, it was convenient for him to observe the situation and give commands. He was very satisfied with the progress of the siege so far, so he said to Printos next to him, "This is all thanks to you!"
The Devers were worried that Amyntas would take too much of a risk and cause the First Legion to suffer too many losses, so they sent Printos because they had a good relationship with each other.
Printos said modestly, "It's mainly because the First Legion that you lead is well-trained, Commander!"
"Yes, the First Legion is the strongest! And the reserve soldiers that were replenished did not embarrass the Turís. They are not any worse than the veterans! It's a pity that His Majesty didn't hand over the siege towers, siege vehicles, and ballistae to the First Legion. Otherwise, the enemies on the walls would have suffered even more! "Amintas complained loudly.
Printos did not answer. Before he came, the Devers had warned him that this time, the First Legion would be the auxiliary attack. The First Legion had suffered a lot in the previous battles, so they did not have to go all out this time. They could be used in the later battles.
As the Deputy Chief of Staff, Printos actually knew that His Majesty the Devers still had a consideration in mind. They could not always let the First Legion be the main force. They had to give the other legions a chance to do so. This was not only a balance, but it was also beneficial to train the other legions, and improve the overall combat power of the Dionysian Army.
"However, even without those siege weapons, the First Legion can still attack Rome before the other legions!" Amyntas said confidently, "Printos, in half an hour, I will send the remaining three brigades to put more pressure on the people of Rome!"
Printos was shocked and tried to persuade him in a euphemistic way, "Commander, the siege has just begun. Should we observe the enemy's defense before making a decision? Besides, it is still uncertain whether the allies of Rome will come to help. We must always pay attention to the reports from the scouts. So, these three brigades are the reserves. It is better not to move for the time being! "
Amyntas' eyes widened. He was about to lose his temper, but he quickly held it back. He had been in the Dionysian Army for so many years, so his mind was much more meticulous than his rough appearance. Before the war, why did His Majesty the Devers send Printos to the First Legion? Was it not His Majesty's order that he said these words?
Amyntas suddenly did not want to speak. He just put his hands on his hips and kept watching the battle in front of him. He no longer looked at Printos.
… …
Scipio The Great stood in the middle of the south wall, which was the closest place to the center of Rome. Because the back of the left and right walls were next to Mount Esquiri and Mount Sirio, even if the people of Diónia broke through the two parts of the wall, it would be impossible for them to quickly advance into the city because of the hills behind them. Therefore, this place would be the focus of the attack of the people of Diónia.
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