Chapter 891
Carthage was not Rome. The many years of war with Syracuse had given his army rich experience in sieging cities, and he had sufficient technical capabilities to carry out the siege plan. Margo saw that the effects of the ballista attacks were not obvious. After some thought, he ordered the construction of a wall a hundred meters away from Serinus. Not only did it have to completely surround Serinus, but its height must also not be lower than Serinus' city walls. This way, not only could it prevent a surprise attack from Diónia, but it could also suppress the enemy's long-range attacks, which would be beneficial for the next attack.
Under Margo's command, the entire barracks of nearly a hundred thousand soldiers and countless laborers transporting supplies began to move under the guidance of the engineers.
The defenders of Diónia discovered the enemy's intentions. They had launched several surprise attacks outside the city, but were repelled by the well-prepared Carthage.
Three days later, the prototype of a mud wall surrounding Serinus rose from the ground.
While the soldiers of Diónia were still in shock, in the residence of the governor of Serinus, the commander of the Kingdom of Diónia, Leotychides, met with the commander of the Sicilian Fleet, Miltias.
Ever since Leotychides incorporated the crew of the Sicilian Fleet into his army without the approval of the Ministry of Military Affairs, violating the interests of the Diónia Navy and was discovered by the newly appointed Miltias, the two sides fell out. Miltias moved to the port and did not meet with Leotychides again. The reason why he came to the city to discuss this time was because he had no other choice.
As Miltias was worried about the occurrence of a storm, he stopped the warships patrolling the western waters of Sicily, allowing Carthage's army to easily land in Sicily. This was a huge military mistake. If Leotychides were to add insult to injury and report to the Ministry of Military Affairs, saying that he had repeatedly reminded the Sicilian fleet not to stop the blockade of the western sea because of the bad weather, but the commander of the Sicilian fleet stubbornly refused to listen, which led to a drastic change in the war situation in Sicily … This would not only increase the ill will of the King of Devers and the Ministry of Military Affairs towards Miltias, but it could also ruin his military career in the future. That was why Miltias had come with the mentality of admitting defeat.
When Leotychides saw him, he did not mention anything about the Carthage army landing. Instead, he said directly, "Miltias, I'm preparing to attack the Carthage camp at night. I need your navy's help."
Upon hearing that, Miltias' mind raced, and he hesitantly said, "… A night raid on Carthage's camp? Are you preparing to launch a surprise attack from the sea? The Carthage have placed many sentries along the coast of Serinus. They are prepared … It is said that there are more than a hundred thousand people in the camp! How many soldiers do we have to send to launch a surprise attack to cause chaos in the Carthage camp? If we don't succeed, there is a risk of total annihilation! "
Leotychides could hear the hint of excitement in Miltias' hesitation. In order to convince this colleague of his, he had to spend some time and patiently explained, "I won't let the soldiers land on the coast nearby. That would make it easier for the Carthage to discover us. The location I chose is here."
Leotychides pointed at a rough sketch on the table that depicted the surroundings of Serinus City and the Carthage camp.
Miltias hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Leotychides. Upon a closer look, he realized that the spot he was pointing at was right between Serinus and Germe.
Ever since he became the commander of the Sicilian fleet, Miltias had been commanding the flagship to cruise along the south coast of Sicily to familiarize himself with the environment. This was also a skill that high-ranking Diolyan generals had to possess. At this moment, a rough image of the location appeared in his mind. There was indeed a small beach there, which was easy to land on. However, he reminded, "The coast from Germe to Serinus is uneven. It's not easy to travel during the day, and I'm afraid it will be even more difficult at night!"
"This is the reason why I chose to land here." Leotychides said confidently, "The coastal environment there is complicated. In addition, the Carthage have just landed in Sicily, and they are still unfamiliar with the coast towards Germe. This way, we can avoid being discovered by the enemy. I've asked the fishermen at the port. Tonight will be a full moon. After landing, the soldiers can use the moonlight to sneak into the forest near the coast. After about two hours of marching, they can approach the Carthage camp. "
Leotychides' finger moved to the pattern of the Carthage camp and continued, "According to my careful observation at the top of the city, as well as the reports from the soldiers who left the city for a surprise attack, I think that the Iberian army led by Margo should be to the north of us, and the army from Carthage is to the east and west of us. Most of their soldiers should be Numibians, and they are also the main force in building the wall these few days. They must be very tired after working hard during the day, and will fall asleep at night.
And these days, the Carthage army has focused their entire defense on protecting the wall that is being built, and I'm afraid they have neglected to guard the rear of their camp. The possibility of our surprise attack is very high … When the time comes, I will also gather 10,000 heavy infantry in the city. When the surprise attack causes chaos in the Carthage camp, we will immediately rush out of the city, break through the wall, and attack the Carthage camp to receive them back to the city. If the situation is very favorable to us, we can continue to attack … "
"What if the surprise attack fails?" Miltias suddenly interrupted him.
Leotychides had already thought about it. He said unhurriedly, "I will let them escape east into the mountains, and finally return through Minoa."
Miltias did not speak. He knew that there were allies in the mountains to the east, the Sikells. As long as they escaped into the mountains, the possibility of safe return was very high.
He carefully looked at the sketch on the table, his eyes focused on the target of the night attack, which was located at the east of Selinus City, the Carthage camp. Perhaps because the Carthage had a strong military force, the camp was built a mile away from the city. Standing at the top of the city, one could roughly see the Carthage camp, so Leotychides was able to infer the general layout of the Carthage camp. He did not have much doubt.
At this time, Leotychides said, "I will send the 8th Legion's light armor brigade and 1000 reserve soldiers to carry out this surprise attack. I hope that the Sicilian fleet's infantry can also participate in this operation."
"No …" Miltias instinctively wanted to refuse, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized that it would be a good thing for him if the fleet's infantrymen were to participate in this night raid. It would make up for his previous mistakes, and he immediately changed his mind. "Of course, that's not a problem. Our fleet's infantrymen are best at landing raids. I'll have them all join this raid!"
Previously, the 4th Fleet that Miltias led had 40 three-oared warships, 30 of which were raven warships. Thus, there were 1,200 infantrymen, and in addition to those who survived the storm, he had about 3,000 infantrymen under his command. This way, the number of soldiers participating in the surprise attack would reach 5000.
Leotychides was satisfied. This was one of the main reasons he called Miltias over.
And with the participation of the infantry in this night attack, Miltias also became more proactive. He spent a long time perfecting the surprise attack plan with Leotychides.
… …
Margo was awakened from his sleep. He was shocked to hear the news of "Diónia attacking the camp".
At this time, faint sounds of fighting reached his ears. He hurried out of the tent and asked anxiously, "Which camp is under attack?! How many enemies are there?! "
"It should be in the middle of the East Camp. I don't know how many enemies there are …" The adjutant replied hurriedly.
Margo walked out of the tent. The sounds of fighting and screams became clearer, and there were constant exclamations. The night attack of the Diónia had begun to alarm the soldiers in the other camps.
Margo looked to the east. Even with the moonlight shining, the camp of nearly 100,000 troops stretched for more than ten miles. Just the central camp alone was a few miles away from the scene of the incident. At a glance, it was dark and he could not see anything at all.
Margo listened carefully for a while. Although the shouts and screams were getting louder, he did not panic. During the conquest of southern Iberia, he had encountered too many night attacks and was already very experienced. He immediately decisively said to his adjutant: "Send messengers to the camps and inform the generals to control the soldiers in their camps and prepare for defense. Without my orders, no one is allowed to lead troops to rescue without my orders! If anyone disobeys my orders, I will crucify him! "
The reason why Margo was so harsh was because the eastern camp was mainly garrisoned with the army formed by Carthage, and most of its generals were nobles of Carthage. Margo had left Carthage for more than 10 years, and some people might ignore his existence and act without authorization.
The messengers rushed away, and the generals of the central camp quickly rushed to the big tent after receiving the urgent summons.
Margo once again directly ordered them, "Immediately gather your soldiers. Except for Tarka who will lead his troops to defend the camp, the rest of the army will follow me to rescue the attacked camp."
Before Margo's voice died away, a deafening roar suddenly came from outside the tent. Some people in the tent heard it and their expressions changed.
The adjutant rushed in and shouted eagerly, "Sir, the Diónia sent troops from the city and attacked the camp in the east!"
Margo looked calm and even showed a smile, "Listening to this sound, I'm afraid the Diónia sent a lot of soldiers. That's great! We can catch them all in one fell swoop, and then it will be much easier to attack Serinus City! "
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