Chapter 904
However, he also knew that Alenia wasn't an easy city to attack. According to the information he obtained from the intelligence department, there were more than 3,000 militia in the city, and it had a 67-meter-tall city wall. Once a battle broke out, the Third Fleet, which only had 6,000 infantrymen, would have to pay a hefty price to attack Alenia.
Moreover, Midolades was good at sea battles and had no experience in land battles.
Midolades knew his own strength, so he didn't act blindly. Instead, he gathered his subordinates for a discussion.
The commander of the fleet's infantrymen, Maontid, gave his suggestion: lure the Alenian soldiers out of the city and eliminate them. This would weaken their defensive power, and it would be easier to attack the city. (There were four commanders of infantrymen in the Dionysian Army. They belonged to each of the four main fleets, and they were the second-in-command of each fleet. They had to listen to the command of the fleet commander, and they had the power to manage and train all the infantrymen in the fleet. In times of war, they could command the infantrymen to land on the coast and attack the enemy's territory. The number of infantrymen in the commander's fleet wasn't fixed, and it depended on the number of Raven Warships in the commander's fleet.) The way to lure them out was to disguise themselves as Etruscan pirates and attack Alenia's silver mines.
For the past century, the two most famous pirate groups in the Italian Peninsula were the Illyrians from the Adriatic Sea, and the Etruscans from the West Coast. Unlike the Illyrians who became pirates for the sake of survival, the Etruscan pirates were initially formed privately by the Etruscan city-states in order to fight against the Greeks who were constantly colonizing the Italian peninsula and began to threaten the Etruscan hegemony in central and northern Italy. As the wave of Greek colonization in the western Mediterranean weakened and the final sphere of influence between the two sides was determined, the Etruscan pirates decreased significantly.
However, 30 years ago, the number of Etruscan pirates increased again. This time, it wasn't because of the government, but because the Celts in northern Italy began to invade the south and took over the Etruscan lands. This was especially so when the Celtic army swept through the entire Etruscan territory more than ten years ago and even captured Rome. Many Etruscans fled to the sea and became pirates. Even after the Gauls were defeated, there were still some Etruscans who had tasted the sweetness of reaping without sowing and wanted to continue plundering the west coast of Italy.
However, during this period, due to the establishment of the Third Fleet of Diónia, which strengthened the patrolling of the coast of the Kingdom of Diónia and its allies, the number of Etrurian pirates who were frequently attacked was greatly reduced again. They could only hole up in the north of the west coast of Italy, not daring to go south. Although Carthage had once formed an alliance with Etruria and still maintained a tacit understanding of not attacking each other, Alenia had been attacked by Etrurian pirates many times in the past.
After Maontide's suggestion was accepted, Midolades began to make meticulous preparations. He even went to the newly conquered Etruscan city of Kestrera to learn about the Etruscan pirates in detail. He even borrowed a few Etruscan cargo ships and the armors and weapons of its soldiers.
Two days later, dozens of warships of the Third Fleet were fully loaded with fleet soldiers. They quietly approached the beach between Alenia and the Etruscan town of Mariana in the north at night. Four thousand infantrymen of the fleet landed on the shore and snuck into the mountains.
On the second day, a few Etruscan ships suddenly broke into the coastal waters of Alenia and approached the northern beach of Alenia. More than two hundred "Etruscan pirates" landed on the shore and charged towards a famous silver mine in the mountainous area northwest of Alenia.
Ever since the Diónia army landed in the Latin region, the Alenians had been on tenterhooks. However, after one or two months, the Diónia army didn't land on Corsica's soil. They didn't even see a trace of Diónia's warships in the coastal waters. The Alenians were temporarily relieved. They thought that the Dionysian Army was still stuck in the war with Rome and couldn't get out of it. They didn't expect the despicable Etruscan pirates to appear at this time, and they wanted to rob a large silver mine in Alenia, which was an important source of income for Alenia's treasury.
After a detailed investigation by the fast ships, they didn't find anything unusual in the coastal waters. Considering how troublesome the Etruscan pirates were, for safety's sake, Alenian Judge Carthage decided to get rid of them as soon as possible. So, he urged the city hall to quickly gather 800 Alenian citizen soldiers. He led this army out of the city and quickly headed towards the silver mine.
When they attacked the Etruscan pirates who were robbing the silver mine, 4,000 fleet infantrymen suddenly appeared behind them and surrounded them.
The Alenian army was quickly defeated. Judge Carthage died in battle, and the soldiers were either killed or captured.
The fleet infantrymen first separated the captives and interrogated them separately. Then, they gathered them together and escorted them to the beach. Along the way, the Alenian captives who were at the front of the convoy suddenly started a riot. They knocked down the soldiers who were escorting them, and these captives, whose faces were covered in blood and dirt, turned around to save their companions.
Suddenly, the entire convoy fell into chaos. Many Alenians seized this opportunity to escape. When the fleet infantrymen calmed down the riot, more than 200 captives had already escaped to Alenia City.
So, the fleet soldiers started to chase after them.
The captives ignored their fatigue and ran as fast as they could. When they reached the bottom of the city, they shouted hysterically, "Open the gate! The Diónia army is here! Open the gate! … "
For the past 100 years, the Alenians had lived a peaceful life under the protection of Carthage. Other than fighting against the pirates, the Alenians had been living a peaceful life. When they suddenly heard the news that the Diónia army was here, the guards on the top of the city wall were at a loss of what to do. They saw their compatriots who looked disheveled and disheveled, and the people who were shouting were all familiar faces. Smoke billowed in the distance, and it was obvious that the enemies were approaching quickly.
So, they opened the city gate without hesitation and urged the deserters to hurry in.
As soon as the captives ran into the city, dozens of fleet infantrymen hidden among them took out the short swords that were tied to their backs. These short swords were hidden by the loose inner clothes, and they stabbed at the captives beside them.
The city gate was instantly plunged into chaos. The gate was blocked, and the gate couldn't be closed immediately.
The main force of the fleet infantrymen arrived and took advantage of the situation to charge into the city …
After a period of fighting in the city, Alenia fell.
… …
At dusk, a deep and heavy bugle sounded outside the city of Saturnicum, and the Diónia soldiers who were attacking the city retreated like the tide.
In a large tent in the barracks, Tormid was reporting to the Devers, "Your Majesty, we have been attacking Saturnicum for the past few days. The Rome's defense is very tenacious, and we haven't been able to make any progress. The casualties of the soldiers are close to 3,000, and the continuous hard fighting has made the soldiers tired, and their morale is low."
"Tormid, you are wrong. The morale of our brothers is still very high, and they are eager to attack the city and avenge their dead comrades! Besides, we have casualties, and the Rome army has also suffered a lot of casualties. They have fewer people than us, and if we attack for a few more days, they won't be able to hold on! "Amyntas retorted loudly.
Tormid didn't argue, and he just looked at the Devers.
The Devers's expression was solemn, and he tapped his fingers on the table.
After a while, he said, "The Rome army is different from other enemies. They are well-disciplined and have a tenacious fighting spirit, and they are not inferior to our soldiers. Besides, their commander, Camillus, is very strong. These days, they have made several sudden attacks during the defense, and they have created a lot of trouble for us.
For an army with a tenacious fighting spirit, the fiercer our attack, the fiercer the resistance will be. Besides, Tormid is right. Ever since our soldiers landed in Latin, we have fought many big battles in the past few months, including sieges, surprise attacks, and pursuit battles … In just a few months, we have defeated the Rome army and conquered such a large territory. It's time to slow down! The soldiers are made of flesh, not iron. Even if they are iron, they will bend after repeated collisions … So, I have decided to stop attacking the city tomorrow and continue to besiege Saturnicum.
I think … the last football game in Rome was very popular with the soldiers, so we can continue to play football and football games in the camp. We can expand the scope of the games. First, we will play between the battalions of the legions, and the winning team will participate in the competition between the legions. Whether it is the winning team within the legion or the champion team between the legions, they will get a generous reward. Let the soldiers relax and be happy. "
When it came to the soldiers' favorite sport, the legion commanders all smiled and said yes.
According to the military concept of the people of Rome, war was the most important event related to the survival of the city. The citizens gathered for the battle, killed the enemy, and returned with all their strength. There had never been a game in the camp. But since the last game, Sextus had been fascinated by this new game. At this moment, his face was full of joy, and he asked, "Your Majesty, will you still bring us to the game this time?!" (According to Sextus' military position, he was not supposed to appear in the military meeting of the Dionysian Army. However, now that the reserve force of Rome had become a force to be reckoned with in the Dionysian Army, Tormid had to inform him every time the Devers held a military meeting.)
"Absolutely not!" Matonis objected loudly, and his attitude was extremely firm. "Your Majesty, you cannot participate in the game. Otherwise, the other legions will not be able to take the game seriously!"
"Don't worry. This time, I will only be a spectator." The Devers smiled at the anxious Matonis and then looked at the slightly disappointed Sextus. "However, the soldiers of the reserve force really don't know how to play football, let alone football. It is not very fair for your legion to compete with them …"
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