Chapter 948
In the past, even in an important military conference like this, the atmosphere would still be lively to ensure that everyone could express their opinions without restraint. But today, the atmosphere of the conference was quite solemn, and even the coughing was suppressed as much as possible. Only Brereu's voice echoed clearly in the hall.
The commander in his fifties was standing in the middle of the hall, his head lowered in dejection, and his face expressionless as he recounted the battle two days ago.
Brereu led 4,000 soldiers to reinforce Paragonia. Although they initially defeated the enemies who tried to stop them, it did not take long for them to be surrounded by the Iberian army that rushed over from Agillion. He urgently arranged the army into a circular formation and tenaciously defended.
The battle lasted for more than forty minutes, and when it seemed that they could not hold on any longer, Leotychides arrived with 10,000 soldiers, but they were soon surrounded by Carthage's army.
After fighting for a while, Carthage's attack on them suddenly weakened. Later, they found out that it was because their ally, Leotychides, had also sent 4,000 reinforcements. Taking advantage of the fact that Carthage's defensive troops were attracted to the north to fight the Diónia reinforcements, they quickly attacked Carthage's siege troops from the east. Carthage, who received the news, hurriedly sent troops to intercept them, thus giving the Dionysian Army a chance to breathe, allowing them to persevere in the battle until evening.
Cypross saw that the troops that went out of the city had not returned for a long time, and he decisively ordered the defending general to follow the plan that Leotychides had prepared for contingencies. He led the second wave of 6,000 reinforcements formed by most of the remaining troops in Katanai and the new barracks to rush to the battlefield and attack the Iberian army, causing a certain amount of chaos.
Leotychides took the opportunity to issue an order to break out of the encirclement. Due to the darkness, the power of the Carthage cavalry was greatly reduced, allowing the Dionysian Army to finally retreat to Katanai …
After listening to Bream's account, Devers's face was still solemn. He turned to Leotychides beside him and asked, "Is what he said true?"
As the commander of a theater of operations, his rank was higher than that of a legion commander. Therefore, Leotychides, the junior high-ranking general of Diónia, sat at the head of the table with Cyprolos, the governor of Sicily, and Cecelian, the commander of the Sicilian fleet. Facing the strange gazes of the other generals, his expression did not change. He answered indifferently, "True."
Devers then asked, "How many casualties were there?"
Leotychides thought for a moment and said, "As of yesterday, a total of about 6,000 soldiers have not returned …"
Everyone's heart trembled.
Devers sighed. "6,000 people! Perhaps more than half of them were only injured, but because of your defeat, they became Carthage's captives! "
At this point, he looked at Brereu with a sharp gaze. "Tell me, why did you disobey orders and lead the army out on your own?"
Brereu moved his lips but did not answer in the end.
Devers stared at him for a while without blinking, his right hand began to tap on the back of the chair. He said coldly, "As a legion commander, you may have thought that it was necessary to rescue the legionnaires who were alone in the city of Paragonia … Perhaps the previous few attacks were relatively smooth, so you were confident that you would succeed this time too … Therefore, you ignored the orders of your superiors, ignored the abnormal changes on the battlefield, and rashly led the army out on your own. Not only did you put the Seventh Legion in a dangerous situation, but you also forced Prososus to lead the army out to rescue you. Because as a new commander, if he did not move and let you and the soldiers of the Seventh Legion die on the battlefield, even if he had a reason, it would be a stain on his military career. Not only would it make his colleagues unhappy, he would also have to endure the abuse of the citizens, and I'm afraid that he would not be able to stand in the army in the future!"
Hearing this, Leotychides was a little touched. Not only did the King of Devers fully understand his situation at that time, but he also explained to the generals on his behalf why he had to take the risk of leaving the city to rescue Brereu, because these were things that Leotychides could not say directly.
"Fortunately, Prososus responded appropriately, and the army was eventually able to retreat back to the city. But the disappearance of 6,000 people and the burning of the new barracks … This is still a considerable loss!" Devers tapped on the back of the chair harder and harder. He had originally led the army to Sicily with great ambitions, but he did not expect to receive this bad news as soon as he landed. It was as if a can of cold water had been poured on his head, and every time he thought about it, he would be angry and unable to calm down.
"Tormid, according to the military law, disobeying military orders and causing heavy losses, what punishment should be given?" Devers suddenly asked loudly.
Tormid's heart tightened. He looked at Brereu, who had his head lowered, and said hesitantly, "According to … according to the Military Law of Diónia, disobeying military orders and causing defeat in battle … a light punishment will be dismissal, and a heavy punishment … will be death …"
Amyntas, Matonis, and the other generals broke out in cold sweat for Brereu. Although he was a Bruti, he had been leading the army for more than a decade, and with his honest and hospitable nature, he got along well with these mercenary elders, be it in the army or in the Senate.
"Then first dismiss Brereu from his position as the commander of the Seventh Legion. A more detailed punishment will have to wait until after the war is over, and the Ministry of Military Affairs will make a ruling based on the losses caused in this war."
Although Devers's tone was cold, Tormid heaved a sigh of relief.
Devers chose the lightest punishment. Although he wanted the Ministry of Military Affairs to make a detailed ruling and punishment after the war, how could the Ministry of Military Affairs dare to make a harsher ruling on a Senate elder, a representative of the Bruti? Therefore, Devers raised his club high and hit Brereu lightly.
However, to Amyntas, Matonis, and the other commanders, being stripped of their positions was undoubtedly the greatest punishment. Therefore, they felt sorry for Brereu, but no one dared to defend him when Devers was furious.
"Brereu, do you accept this punishment?" Devers asked coldly.
"I … accept." Brereu raised his head, gritted his teeth, and said, "But I beg Your Majesty to allow me to continue to participate in the war against the Carthage as a soldier!"
Hearing his answer, Devers's expression softened a little. "Forget about being a soldier. The Seventh Legion needs a new commander. You can temporarily be the second adjutant of the Seventh Legion and help the new commander to better command the Seventh Legion. Are you willing?"
Although Brereu was a little disappointed to be demoted from a commander to a second adjutant with no real power, to be able to continue fighting with the soldiers of the Seventh Legion was already an extravagant hope for him now. Therefore, he immediately replied, "I am willing!"
"Before the new commander arrives, you will temporarily act as the acting commander of the Seventh Legion, so you can return to your seat and continue to participate in today's meeting."
"Yes, Your Majesty." As Brereu returned to his seat, everyone gave him comforting looks. He nodded in acknowledgment, but he did not feel regret in his heart. In addition to the two reasons given by the king, there was another important reason why he disobeyed orders and fought without permission. Back then, when the Battle of the Ramator River failed, in order to cover the retreat of the soldiers, Legio IV's commander, Dracos, led the First Brigade to stop the pursuers. In the end, they were surrounded by the enemy, and they were either killed or captured. Dracos also died in humiliation under the city, and Brereu was lucky enough to be rescued in the end. But over the past ten years, the scene of despair when they were surrounded by the enemy appeared in his dreams countless times. Countless times he thought, 'If there were reinforcements at that time, Sir Dracos and the First Brigade would not …' This became a knot in his heart. Therefore, when the First Brigade of the Seventh Legion under his command was trapped in the city of Paragonia and faced a desperate situation, no matter how dangerous it was, he would never let himself stand by and watch.
At this moment, the Devers did not care about what Brereu was thinking. He looked around at the crowd with a serious expression and said in a cold voice, "Everyone, in the upcoming war between us and Carthage, the winner will become the overlord of the Western Mediterranean, gaining vast lands and more wealth, while the loser will not only be greatly weakened, but may even face annihilation. Therefore, whether it is Carthage or us, Diónia, we have to go all out. This will be a long and costly war. Whether it is us, or Carthage, the number of people involved in the war will exceed 100,000!
100,000 people! This was not just a huge number, it meant that the scale of the war would increase dramatically! It meant that the consumption of the war would increase dramatically! It meant that the difficulty of controlling the army would increase! It meant that the difficulty of commanding the army would increase! Therefore, in order to ensure the final victory of the Kingdom, to avoid the prolongation of the war, and to increase the burden on the Kingdom and the people, I request that everyone here … "
The Devers's sharp gaze swept across the faces of the generals with distinctive personalities such as Amyntas and Martonis, and he suddenly raised his voice, "During the military conference, we can discuss, but once a decision is made, even if there are objections, we must execute it meticulously! Only in this way can we ensure the smooth operation of the entire army. If anyone disobeys orders, or does not do their best to execute orders, I can guarantee that the punishment they will receive will be heavier than Brereu's! "
The last sentence of the Devers that was filled with murderous intent made everyone's heart tighten. Even the arrogant Amyntas subconsciously did not dare to make eye contact with the Devers at this moment.
Suddenly, the hall fell silent.
The Devers touched his chin and said in a gentle tone, "Tormid, send a letter to the Ministry of Military Affairs and immediately summon Zanti Paris to Catanai as the commander of the Seventh Legion. He has worked hard to establish the Lucania Reserve Legion, and previously defeated the Samonians in Campania. He has made brilliant achievements. It is time to give him an official appointment! At the same time, let the Ministry of Military Affairs inform the Lockley Barracks to organize reserve soldiers to Catanai as soon as possible to replenish the number of people in the Seventh Legion. "
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Comments