"Oh, wait, wait, I remember you just said that Daonia was only established a year ago, and it became the overlord of Magna Graecia in less than two years?! This is simply… is… "
"You want to say 'miracle,' right? I heard that Daonia's Archon is Hades' 'Chosen One,' very young, but the battles he commands have never been lost. Lucanians, Crotonians, Locrians… have all been defeated by him one after another. Perhaps there really is a miracle!"
"According to you, Daonia is so powerful in Magna Graecia that Corinth had better not sour its relationship with them over this small matter of the arena…"
"That's Corinth's business, Iavones."
"Alright, Hipparchus, tell me about Ligium. You are on the land of Magna Graecia, why haven't you allied with the powerful Daonia?"
"We Ligium people have no intention of competing for the hegemony of Magna Graecia, we just want to live our own lives."
"Everyone thinks that way. But Hipparchus, the gods are capricious, and one day they might drag Ligium into the conflicts of the Greater Greek city-states. Rather than being passive, it's better to actively seek powerful allies…"
...
Since that farce, everyone has been talking about that foreigner and the strange city-state alliance, Daonia. The name of Daonia began to be known by more Greeks on the Greek mainland. But that's a story for later.
At this time, in the stands of the arena, many people were inquiring about the origin of Daonia.
Among the audience were two young men from Thebes. After listening to the conversation between Hipparchus and Iavones, one of the young men said excitedly: "Daonia, this is really a peculiar city-state alliance! What do you think, Epaminondas?"
The other young man sighed: "To be able to dominate Magna Graecia in such a short period of time is not just the ability of the Archon. The political system of the Daionian League must have its unique aspects!"
"You think the same as me, I've decided!" The young man said loudly, "Next year, when I finish my studies, I will go to Daonia to see. Will you come with me?"
Epaminondas shook his head: "I'm sorry, Pelopidas! You also know that in the past few years my teacher Lysis has been promoting the teachings of the Pythagorean school in Corinth. I don't need to run to Taranto anymore. I can study with him nearby and also help him with some affairs, so I can't go to such a distant place, lest I delay my time."
The young man named Pelopidas grabbed Epaminondas' arm: "Didn't that person just say that Daonia's central city is in Thurii, which is just across the Gulf of Taranto? It only takes two or three days by boat from the Corinthian Gulf, it's not far at all. Besides, you are my best friend, how can you bear to let me go on a long journey alone."
...
Corinth imprisoned Adriankes and Lizalu. The rest of the Daionian athletes' delegation had no intention of participating in the competition and hurriedly sent people back to Thurii to report the news.
The Senate held a meeting to discuss this matter. A minority of senators, led by Poluxis, believed that Lizalu's recklessness had damaged Daonia's image, and Adriankes, as the head of the delegation, had not managed the team well, so that Daonia had become a laughing stock for all of Greece. They should all be punished by the League!
Davos firmly opposed it. He believed that there was nothing wrong with the behavior of Adriankes and Lizalu. The fault lay with the conservative Corinthians, whose narrow nationalistic views rejected the Daionians, who were composed of multiple ethnic groups such as Lucanians and Thracians! Since those self-proclaimed orthodox Greeks refused to allow Daionian citizens, composed of races such as Lucanians and Thracians, to participate in the quadrennial games, then the Daionians didn't need to participate in the quadrennial games!
Davos's speech was supported by most of the senators, especially Vesbas, Hermon, Batulus, Marigi, Epithenius, and others who actively responded.
However, the Senate had no more ways to make Corinth release Lizalu and Adriankes. After all, Corinth was an old Greek power and would not take the newly rising Daionian League seriously, and Daonia's current power could not affect Corinth. Therefore, the only way was to send an envoy to apologize to Corinth and donate a certain amount of gold and silver to Corinth's Temple of Poseidon, so that the delegation members could return safely.
Everyone except Mercis agreed. For Davos, the most important thing for Daonia now was to concentrate all its efforts on dealing with Bruttium, and he could not afford to create additional problems, so although he was unwilling to accept the Senate's decision, he could only endure it this time.
...
During the autumn harvest, the citizens were busy harvesting.
Davos was not idle either. He quietly went to Aspruzatum to try out the valley road to Ambarnia several times, and carefully observed the river conditions on the north bank of the upper reaches of the Crati River, as well as the position and environment of Bithynia on the opposite bank. He also went to Laos to survey the mountainous road leading to the Vigue region, accompanied by Little Heraclides, Mentotikers, Mercis and others. Wherever they went, they had to calculate the river's flow rate and depth, and consider the possibilities of building roads, bridges, and grain transportation.
After returning, Davos also repeatedly discussed the attack plan with Felicius, Carpus, Dracos and other senior military officials.
At the end of September, before the autumn harvest was completely over, Trina sent news that some Bruttians had broken into Trina's territory and were captured!
In fact, the real situation was that after Antaolis's mission to Cosenza, the Bruttian tribal alliance accelerated its attacks and annexation of tribes that refused to be incorporated, forcing some Bruttians who were unwilling to join the alliance to flee the mountains.
Davos, however, seized the opportunity to let Aristilas send his secret agents to spread rumors in the cities of Thurii, Amendolara, and Crimisa: The Bruttians are unifying the tribes, and after establishing a powerful tribal alliance, they will launch an attack on Daonia. Now it is just a tentative attack by the Bruttians…
At the same time, they also reminded the people: Don't forget the bloody debts that the Bruttians have committed in repeatedly plundering the city-states of Magna Graecia!
Daonia's cities were quickly shrouded in a tense atmosphere, and the citizens were even more indignant, strongly demanding: to launch a war against the Bruttians, to avenge the blood debts, and to eliminate the hidden dangers!
In early October, the autumn harvest ended, and the voice of war was heard throughout Daonia. The time to use force against Bruttium had matured.
After several rounds of discussions, the Senate announced to the citizens: The Bruttians ignored Daonia's peaceful suggestions and warnings, and wantonly destroyed Daonia's ally, the Siru tribe. Based on the alliance and morality, Daonia declared war on the Bruttians!
Thus, the Bruttian War officially began!
In the Aspruzatum city square, soldiers from the Fourth Legion from Crimisa and Aspruzatum are gathering…
In the Thurii Victory Square, soldiers from the First and Second Legions from Thurii and Amendolara are gathering…
In the Niotum square, some soldiers from the Third Legion are gathering…
Grumetum is extremely important in stabilizing the situation in the Lucanian region, so the citizens of the Third Legion in the city cannot move lightly.
Just as the pre-war preparations were proceeding in an orderly manner, Davos received Hegesistratus, the leader of the Siru tribe survivors, again in his mansion.
"Daonia has declared war on the Bruttians. I believe it won't be long before you can hear the news of victory. The Bruttians ignored our warnings and continued to slaughter our Greek compatriots. They will be punished!" Davos solemnly promised.
Hegesistratus's eyes were filled with tears, and he said gratefully: "Lord Davos, thank you! Thank you so much for selflessly helping our weak tribe! You are truly worthy of being Hades' Chosen One! The guardian of fairness and justice in Magna Graecia! All of us surviving Siru people will pray to Hades at all times, wishing you health and peace! And also wish the Daionian citizens an early victory and return! At the same time, I also have a small request that I would like to ask you to agree to."
"Oh, what request?"
"My people and I hope to join your army and fight alongside you to avenge the Bruttians!" Hegesistratus said excitedly.
"I can understand your feelings, but the Daionian army has undergone arduous training and has strict discipline. Violating military regulations, even the most serious ones, can result in beheading! Your joining may not only fail to increase our strength, but may also affect our combat, because once you violate military law, do you want me to punish you or not? So I cannot agree to your request." Davos refused euphemistically but firmly.
Hegesistratus looked disappointed, and he said unwillingly: "Then… then we can… be guides!"
"Only two or three guides are needed." Seeing that he was very disappointed, Davos felt that the time was ripe, so he said: "However, there is one thing you can do. If you do it well, it can give the Bruttian tribal alliance the greatest blow!"
"What is it?!" Hegesistratus asked urgently.
"Last time, I heard you say that some tribes in the Bruttian region are not willing to merge, but have to submit because of the strength of the Bruttian tribal alliance… I hope you can sneak back to Bruttium and wait for the news of the Daionian army killing into the Bruttian mountains, and then you will persuade these tribes to rise up against this alliance. At that time, defeating the Bruttian tribal alliance will be very easy!" Davos said here, looking at him with a slight apology: "However, for you, it is more dangerous to go back after just escaping from Bruttium—"
"We are willing to do anything as long as we can defeat Cosentia!" Hegesias exclaimed, his face radiant.
… … … … … … … … …
The news of Daonia's declaration of war against the Brettians quickly spread throughout Magna Graecia. Castron immediately sent someone to the Daionian Senate to express their willingness to send one thousand light and heavy infantry and fifty cavalry to participate in the war.
Laos also sent people to actively express their desire to send 3,000 light and heavy infantry to participate in the war.
Even Heraclea, which had just joined the Daionian League, was unwilling to be outdone: they were willing to send 500 infantry and 100 cavalry to participate in the war.
Davos gladly accepted. Although the number and combat effectiveness of these troops were far from comparable to Daonia's four legions, the participation of the allied states demonstrated the solidarity of the Daionian League. Moreover, only in joint battles could the friendship with the allied city-states be deepened, and their military systems gradually influenced and assimilated.
Although the Tarentum Senate had learned of the conflict between Daonia and the Brettians in advance (originating from Tolmides's leak), when the news of the outbreak of war came, everyone felt complicated: if Daonia won, the gap between Tarentum and Daonia would only widen; but if Daonia suffered heavy losses, the Messapians and Peucetians, who had just signed a peace treaty, might have new ideas. Tarentum's manpower and resources were now invested in the recovery of the war-torn Tarentum territory, and they were really unable to assist Daonia. However, not long ago, Daonia had just fulfilled its alliance obligations and rescued Tarentum from its plight, so Tarentum could not help but make some gestures.
Therefore, the Tarentum Senate sent an envoy, Polydorus, to Thurii, politely asking Davos: "What assistance do you need from Tarentum?"
Davos, of course, saw Polydorus's embarrassment. He immediately expressed his gratitude for Tarentum's concern and said just as politely: "Daonia does not need Tarentum's help for the time being."
But Davos's politeness showed confidence, which made Polydorus breathe a sigh of relief while also feeling slightly guilty.
… … … … … … … … …
The people of Croton also felt complicated. In fact, most people hoped that Daonia's war would suffer a disastrous defeat. However, Sybaris, Terina, and Caulonia had all sent envoys, so Croton naturally had to make some gestures, after all, they belonged to the Southern Italy League.
However, the Daionian Senate politely declined their request to participate in the war, on the grounds that these city-states had just experienced war and still needed to guard against Locri. At the same time, they put forward their own request: hoping that they could provide some military rations and allow Daonia's army to pass through their territory, and take the opportunity to attack Brettia from the Terina side.
The envoys from Croton and other city-states immediately agreed.
The envoy from Sybaris even boasted that the city-state was willing to provide free food to the Daionian army attacking from the Terina side until the end of the war.
The envoy from Terina, who spoke very little during the meeting, actually understood very well: the Daionian Senate had long had a secret agreement with Hippos to jointly attack Cnapeția! Coming here with the other envoys this time was just a smokescreen.
… … … … … … … … …
"Father, it seems the Viges were right, Daonia has really declared war on the Brettians! We—" Gennaneus said excitedly.
Sinnaces interrupted his son with a sneer: "We what? … Declare war on Daonia too?! We do have a grudge against the Daonians, but don't forget that that old bastard Sedulum hasn't slaughtered our people either! If it weren't for Elia, that Viges envoy would never have left Pyxous!" Sinnaces said angrily.
Since losing Grumentum, which allowed the Daonians' power to enter the central area of Lucania, those independent Lucanian tribes, like flies to dung, have successively defected to the Daonians. Although the Daonians have not taken further action in Grumentum, the people of Pyxous already feel the pressure. Although the envoy of Pyxous went to Thurii and brought back the peace promise of the Daionian Consul, how could the always cunning Sinnaces easily believe that thin sheet of papyrus!
Especially when the news came that the Elians had announced their joining the Daionian League, it caused a huge sensation in Pyxous, like a resounding bell. This meant that the people of Pyxous not only dared not regard Elia as a piece of fat and plunder its territory every year as before, but also that the city of Pyxous was now surrounded by Daonia and its allies. It is believed that Potentia also felt the danger, so after the Brettian envoy arrived, under his matchmaking, the two Lucanian tribes and towns, which had just formed a feud not long ago, finally decided to unite to fight against Daonia for survival.
"We can't rush now, we have to wait patiently!" Sinnaces said to his son.
"Wait until when?"
"Wait until Daonia and the Brettians have both fought to exhaustion! Wait for Potentia to take action first!" Sinnaces's narrow eyes flashed with cold light.
… … … … … … … … …
In the council hall of Cosentia, the great chieftains of the Brettian tribal alliance were urgently discussing the news brought back by the scouts.
"Yesterday, Davos led what they call the First Legion and the Second Legion out of the city of Thurii and headed west, apparently preparing to pass through the mountains to Laos… In Aspurustum… Well, the Fourth Legion has also begun to move south… Gentlemen, the Daonians' attack is coming!" Pianren said with a solemn expression.
"It's coming at the right time! We have made careful preparations, let these arrogant Daonians taste the power of our Brettians!" Nicurulu waved his fist excitedly.
"It seems that Daonia's main attack is on Vige! Because their Consul Davos personally leads the First and Second Legions, plus the Third Legion of Niumetum, and the troops from Laos, the number of soldiers they lead may be as high as 20,000! Although the city of Vige has strengthened its defenses and built several defensive camps on the mountain roads… However, the number of soldiers is at most only 4,000, and I am afraid it will be difficult to resist the attack of so many Daionian soldiers!" Sedulum looked at the others and said with a worried expression.
"Sedulum, you coward! The war hasn't even started, and you're already starting to be afraid!" Nicurulu mocked.
"It is normal for Daonia to focus its attack on Vige, and Vige alone cannot withstand the attack. Just like the Daionian Fourth Legion going south, it must be attacking north from the city of Terina. Together with the troops from Terina, the number of soldiers is probably more than 10,000, while the soldiers in the city of Cnapeția are only 2,000. You must have reinforcements so that Cnapeția can be defended!" Pangeru was defending Sedulum and himself.
Sedulum nodded gratefully to him.
"Now Brettia is a unified tribal alliance. But just after unification, we encountered a strong enemy. This is the test of the goddess Amara and the god Brutus for us! Under the protection of the gods, we must unite closely and defeat the enemy in order to forge the future glory of our Brettians!" High Priest Philotarus said with a solemn expression. The Brettians boast to the outside world that they are the descendants of Brutus, and Brutus is the son of the mighty Hercules and the Brettian queen Valentia, the legendary ancient hero, demigod, and patron saint of the Brettian tribe.
"The High Priest is right!" Pianren looked around and said, "I will lead 10,000 Cosentian warriors with Petarus to reinforce Vige!"
Ten thousand warriors were almost all of Cosentia's troops, so Sedulum hurriedly saluted and said with great gratitude: "Thank you, Great Chieftain, for your full assistance!"
"This is what I should do. We are now comrades in the same alliance. If the city of Vige cannot be defended, can Cosentia be preserved?! If Cosentia is occupied, what way out will Bysinnia and Ambalia have?!" Pianren said these words as if to comfort Sedulum, but in fact, he was reminding Bergam and Nicurulu.
"Ambalia only has a narrow river valley in the southeast leading to Aspurustum. The Daonians dare not attack from here, because once discovered, our warriors do not need to fight. Just standing on top of the valley and throwing stones down is enough to cause heavy casualties. Therefore, I am willing to lead 3,000 warriors to reinforce Cnapeția!" Bergam immediately stated his position.
Nicurulu was unwilling to be outdone and said loudly: "The situation in Bysinnia is similar to that in Ambalia. With high mountains as a barrier and a large river as an obstacle, the Daonians cannot enter my territory at all. I am willing to lead 2,000 warriors to help Pangeru repel those Daonians!"
Pangeru also expressed his gratitude to the two great chieftains.
"Brutus is above, we should be like this, we should be like this! As long as we Brettians unite and cooperate, no matter how many Greeks there are, they cannot defeat us!" Philotarus chanted the name of the god in a low voice and praised repeatedly with great comfort.
"Although Ambalia and Bysinnia occupy geographical advantages, they must also be vigilant at all times to prevent the Daonians from sneaking attacks! You must know that the Daionian Consul is a very cunning person. Croton was defeated by his tricks twice, and Niumetum and Grumentum were also lost because he led troops to attack!" Pianren solemnly warned the two great chieftains, hoping that they would take it seriously and strengthen their defenses.
"Don't worry, we have sentries on every mountain top in the valley. As soon as the Daonians move, we will know." Bergam said seriously.
"The riverbank path from Thurii to Bysinnia has long been blocked by the solid defensive camps built by us Bysinnians. If the Daonians attack, they will only be annihilated by us!" Nicurulu said with a confident look.
.....
Building roads in the winding and rugged mountains is a huge and complex project. It not only consumes a lot of manpower and material resources, but also tests a country's engineering and technical level. The Turii-Laos Avenue started construction as early as last year. Laos, Turii, and Niutum have invested a lot of manpower, but it has not yet been completed. Therefore, Davos led an army of 20,000 and a huge supply team to travel in the mountains for five days before reaching the Lara Fortress.
Hilos led the Fourth Legion to the outside of Trina. The generals of Trina and the members of the council came out of the city to greet them. Sipros introduced them to Hilos one by one, and the atmosphere was very friendly.
Hilos declined the Trina people's invitation to enter the city for a banquet, insisting on staying with the soldiers, which won the praise of a group of dignitaries.
He led the army to camp on the coast ten miles northwest of Trina, which is the exit of the seaside pass and only eleven or twelve miles away from Knapetia.
After Hilos arranged the camp construction, he immediately took the guards and Sipros to approach the outside of Knapetia.
On the left is a cliff, and on the right is a mountain. This seaside road leading to the Cosenza Plateau is not wide, and the location of Knapetia is even narrower. It seems that the length of the city does not exceed 200 meters, but it completely blocks the passage in and out; the city is not big, but it is cut from bluestone; the city wall is only four meters high, but the terrain of the entire city is high. From where Hilos is, the road slopes upwards and becomes narrower and narrower...
The soldiers only need to march to the city,
It takes a lot of effort, not to mention having to avoid the enemy's arrows and javelins. Fortunately, the geographical environment of Asproustum is somewhat similar, and the soldiers usually have experience in this area during training.
Hilos observed the road conditions, wondering whether the two siege weapons just equipped in the Third Legion could be pushed to the city.
Seeing Hilos staring at Knapetia City for a long time without saying a word, Sipros thought he was frightened by the difficulty of the siege, so he reminded him: "There are still a few small roads in the nearby mountains that can bypass Knapetia and go north to Cosenza."
"Really?!" Hilos suddenly turned his head.
"Yes, otherwise how could the Siru people and those tribesmen who resisted Cosenza escape from Bruti."
"Then do the people here know?" Hilos pointed to Knapetia City in front.
Sipros understood what he meant, and he said with certainty: "Of course they know."
Hilos had no luck, but he decided to send someone to scout it out after he went back.
"I heard that Knapetia has a port." Hilos asked again.
"There is indeed a port, but the port is not big." Sipros said, turning over and dismounting, and walking towards the cliff.
Hilos did not try to be brave, and followed him down the horse. He didn't think he had very good horsemanship. In case the horse under his crotch was frightened by the cliff, the Fourth Legion might have to lose a legion commander before the war even started.
"There!" Sipros pointed forward, his voice a little ethereal in the strong sea breeze.
Hilos fixed his eyes and looked. On this cliff protruding from the land, relying on the height difference of nearly 100 meters from the sea, his sight could reach the coast a few miles north of Knapetia City. There he saw a flat land with a small beach with simple docks and a few dozen ships moored...
Sipros introduced: "According to the information from the Siru people and the observations of our ships that often pass through Knapetia, the port of Knapetia is built at the mouth of the Savuto River—"
"Savuto River?"
"The Savuto River is a large river in the territory of Knapetia. Don't look at the mountains or the sea around the city in front of us. It seems very barren. In fact, not far to the north, there is a small plain surrounding the Savuto River, and along the Savuto River Valley, you can smoothly reach Cosenza." Speaking of this, Sipros showed a hint of contemptuous smile: "It is said that the Bruti people initially built Knapetia City here because they were worried that we would destroy and plunder their farmland and pastures on the Savuto Plain, but we Trina people can't even finish cultivating the fertile land on the Ofemeia Plain. Why would we covet its small plain? On the contrary, their city is ten miles away from the Savuto River, and it is very inconvenient to work, so they had to build a small town on the bank of the Savuto River—"
"How is the defense of this town?" Hilos suddenly interrupted Sipros.
"I heard that this town has no walls."
Hilos breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to spend a lot of effort to capture Knapetia, and then spend more effort to seize the town before he could completely occupy this piece of Bruti territory.
"In the past, Knapetia was not productive, its shipbuilding technology was poor, and it had no contact with other Italian city-states, so even though it had a port, it actually had almost no maritime trade, but..." Sipros said worriedly: "Now that the Bruti tribal alliance has been established, this is the only port for the Bruti people, and I believe it will develop quickly..."
Hilos nodded, but the two of them did not know that the Bruti people had already broken through the Daonian blockade through this simple dock and formed an alliance with Picossis and Potentia.
"Legion Commander, look!" At this time, the guard reminded loudly.
I saw the city gate of Knapetia wide open, and a team of people rushed out.
"Let's go!" Hilos gave an order, and the whole team returned to the camp without panic.
"Did you see that, the Daonian people are all cowards!" Nicuru held a spear and laughed presumptuously.
.....
Davos arrived at the Lara Fortress, and Sesta and Hieronymus, who had received the news, were already waiting there.
"Your Excellency Governor, the people of Niutum have been mobilized and are following the arrangements of the city hall to transport grain and supplies for our troops, build camps, transport the wounded..." Sesta took the initiative to report.
"Do those Lucanian tribes have any objections?"
"On the contrary, they are very happy to see the Bruti people conquered. The stronger Daonia is, the safer they are, and in the future, it will not only be the non-Greek race of Lucania that belongs to Daonia. They are also willing to provide garrisons for the legion, but in that case, our soldiers have to be careful of Lucanian women breaking into their tents at night, you know, Daonian Greek citizens are very popular now!" Sesta joked.
Davos found it interesting and laughed. He looked at Sesta and said with some emotion: "Sir Sesta, I think you, as a mercenary, should never have had the experience of holding a public office in a city-state, or even managing a city."
Sesta shook his head: "In the past, I risked my life just to have a piece of bread to eat. How could I have imagined that I would have today? It is all thanks to you, sir, for bringing us unimaginable changes!"
"Providing opportunities also requires the ability to seize them. And you, as a mercenary with no experience in city-state management, resolutely chose to leave the familiar army and come to this strange land, facing the then still hostile Lucanians, not afraid of difficulties, working hard, and boldly solving problems. To this day, I can say that Niutum is completely Daonian territory! Sesta, your work is excellent! Not only do I think so, but the other members of the Senate also think so! You are now the most administratively experienced Senator in our mercenary army! When your term expires next year, I think the Senate will definitely give you more important tasks!" Davos did not hesitate to express his appreciation for Sesta.
Sesta was proud and excited after hearing this, but he still maintained some sobriety: "Sir, you are the most administratively experienced person in our mercenary army!"
"Me?" Davos looked around and said: "That doesn't count, don't you all say that I am a godsend? That's all Hades' credit!"
Everyone laughed.
"Sir." Hieronymus couldn't help but said: "What is the mission of our Third Legion in this war?" The Third Legion did not participate in the last reinforcement of Taranto, and no specific instructions were given to the Third Legion for this war mobilization, so Hieronymus was inevitably a little anxious.
Davos looked at the legion commander who simply moved his family to Niutum in order to facilitate the training and command of the Third Legion, and even did not attend the usual meetings of the Senate. He was equally emotional: If Sesta has political ambitions, then this silent man considers the barracks as his home, so although he is a Greek, the Third Legion he leads is mostly Lucanian, and those Lucanian warriors who once hated the Greeks are very convinced of him, and the reason lies in this.
Although Davos was in a good mood, he didn't joke with this serious man, but said earnestly, "Your Third Legion is stationed in the two towns of Nium and Grumentum, which are important forces for stabilizing the Lucanian region. Now that Daonia is at war with the Brutii, will Picentia and Potentia take the opportunity to provoke war and recapture Grumentum?"
Davos's words made Sesta and Hieronymus think.
After a while, Hieronymus said dejectedly, "Your Excellency, do you mean to keep the Third Legion stationed in place to prevent the invasion of Picentia and Potentia?"
"Not just to defend." Davos smiled slightly and said in a deep voice, "If they dare to tear up the peace agreement, then Daonia dares to conquer Picentia and Potentia while conquering Brutium!"
Fight on two fronts?! Sesta and Hieronymus looked at each other, amazed by the superhuman courage of this young consul, but also inevitably worried.
"Don't forget Helia," Davos reminded.
"What can Helia's strength do?" Sesta disagreed.
However, Hieronymus, who had been through many battles, suddenly thought of something in Davos's smile, and his spirits lifted: "Your Excellency, I will discuss with Batale how to lure them."
"When I see Avinogis, I will also ask him to use their port, and I believe he will agree," Davos said with a smile.
… … … … … … … … …
"Lord Avinogis, it's only been two months, but you seem to have gained a lot of weight." Davos said half-jokingly to the ruler of Laos who came to greet him.
Avinogis smiled and patted his obviously protruding belly: "Who told Daonia to be so powerful! With your protection, Laos is developing very well, and I don't need to worry about anything. The only thing that worries me is what new food your wife's restaurant has made, and whether I can be the first to taste it!"
Davos looked at his trembling fat face and couldn't help but remind him: "I suggest you don't eat too much food every meal and try to lose some weight, which will be good for your health."
Avinogis remembered something, patted his head with his right hand, and said, "Oh, I almost forgot that you are still a magical doctor! Since you said so, then I will try to control my weight gain."
"Thank you for your trust in me." Davos heard the meaning of his words. He was going to control his weight rather than lose it, which obviously meant he didn't care much about his body.
Thinking of when he first met Avinogis, his strong body has now increased by a circle, but all that has increased is fat. Looking at Arolobamas next to him, his body is thinner than a year ago. It is said that Avinogis has entrusted most of the city-state's administrative affairs to his brother. Once people lose their sense of urgency, lose their fighting goals, and learn to indulge in pleasure, it is difficult to cheer up again… Davos sighed in his heart.
"Lord Davos, this… this Daonia's Second Legion seems… seems a little different!" Arolobamas said loudly with a puzzled look, staring at the army marching past them with banners raised high.
"Brother, I heard that Daonia's army is currently replacing new weapons and equipment, so of course it is different from before!" Avinogis interrupted Arolobamas and ordered his brother: "The war with Brutium is about to begin. You immediately go to block the port and all the passages outside the city, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving!…"
Davos nodded repeatedly. Avinogis was still the leader of the Sybaris descendants who had accurately seized the opportunity to unite with Daonia and overthrow the Lucanian rule. Although his body had changed significantly, his mind was still clear, and he had a very keen military sense and extremely quick political reaction. Almost without Davos's request, he completed all the deployments.
… … … … … … … … …
The rapid sound of the bugle rang out, and the soldiers quickly retreated down the hillside. Stones and wood chased them down, and when a soldier was unfortunately hit, nearby teammates quickly stepped forward to help him, and screams rang out from time to time…
Kapus, who saw this scene at the foot of the mountain, looked gloomy and couldn't help but sigh: "This kind of terrain is too unfavorable for us. The advantage of the legion cannot be brought into play at all."
"The attacks these days have not been in vain. At least we have captured an enemy camp and pushed our offensive line to here," Antonios comforted him.
"That was not captured by us, but voluntarily evacuated by the Brutii. We haven't even seen the enemy's face yet, but the brothers under our command have already been killed or injured by more than 300 people!" Kapus said with heartache.
"Most of them are external injuries and fractures. After treatment by the medical camp, most of them can recover normally, and there are not many deaths. This is already very good. There is no war without death. Like when we were in Persia…" Antonios continued to comfort him.
"But, the brothers didn't die in battle with the enemy. This kind of death is too suffocating! The guide said that Vigos is still five or six miles away from here! Five or six miles! It's always been such a difficult mountain road! I'm afraid that by the time we reach Vigos, our people will be almost dead!" Amyntas roared irritably: "When will the Second Legion take action?! There's been no movement for so long! If I had known it would be like this, Kapus, you should have strongly demanded that our First Legion carry out that mission!"
"Who told our First Legion to be so famous? If we don't attack here, how can the Brutii believe that this is the focus of our attack? Only in this way can we attract the main force of the Brutii!" Alexis said calmly and admiringly: "Only the commander dares to do this! Who would have thought that we would risk sacrificing the precious lives of citizens to attack Vigos, just to mobilize the enemy!"
"Shh!" Kapus made a gesture of vigilance, looked left and right, and said in a low voice: "I hope the Second Legion can successfully complete the mission and not let our brothers sacrifice in vain!"
… … … … … … … … …
"Chief, the Greeks have retreated!"
Hearing the excited report from his subordinates, Salu was not only not happy, but also a little disappointed: "The Daonians ran as fast as rabbits. If they had crossed that ridge, and we had pushed all the stones stored on the mountain road down together, they wouldn't have been able to escape, and more of them would have died!"
"Don't worry, as long as they are still preparing to continue attacking Vigos, there will be many more opportunities like this!" Sedorum stood up and praised: "We have resisted the enemy for three days! Daonia sent their so-called 'strongest army', the First Legion, to attack, but not only did they not make any progress, but they also killed and injured many soldiers! Salu, you did a good job!"
"If the situation continues to develop like this, we can completely prevent the Daonians from reaching the city of Vigos within a month!" Salu said confidently: "Great Chief, I think we can handle these Greeks ourselves. Let the Cosentians go back. They occupy our houses, eat our food, and don't have to participate in the battle. The warriors are very angry!"
"The Cosentians mainly eat the food they bring themselves. We and the Cosentians have now united together, and there will be many more opportunities to fight together in the future. You must start to get used to it and persuade our warriors not to have too many complaints." Sedorum said to him patiently: "What's more, judging from the current situation, the Daonians have not used their full strength. They should still be adapting to the terrain here. You must know that they have a unit composed of Lucanians, and also the Laos unit. Now we have not seen their figures, so we cannot underestimate the enemy! Have you forgotten how the Lucanian tribal alliance attacked our city back then!"
"I haven't forgotten!" Salu clenched his fists.
"Yesterday, news came from Knapetia that the Greeks there attempted to attack from a trail, but fortunately they were discovered in time and repelled. We must also be vigilant against the Lucanians bypassing from the mountains. However, precisely because the Cosentian army is guarding the city, we can rest assured and boldly fight the enemy here." Sedorum continued to persuade.
Salu nodded silently.
"The later the Daonians arrive at Vigos, the faster their morale will decline, and the greater their food consumption will be. The more opportunities we will have to defeat them! By then, the glory of the Brutii will come!…" Originally, it was to persuade and encourage Salu, but as he spoke, Sedorum himself couldn't help but get excited.
… … … … … … … … …
The setting sun was about to fall behind the mountains, and the earth gradually plunged into darkness.
The herding mountain people had already driven their cattle and sheep home early, and the children who had been running wild in the mountains during the day were also called home by their parents, because in the darkness, the mountains were the world of wild animals.
The wilderness outside the city of Bisinia was already uninhabited. Occasionally, the howling of wolves could be heard. After roaring for a day, the waves of the Crati River seemed even grander in the silent dusk. This had been the case for thousands of years, and the residents of the city of Bisinia had long been accustomed to it, and they felt that the louder the waves, the more it showed the Crati River's protection of them, so they all peacefully fell asleep with the sound of the waves as their pillow.
What they did not know was that on the opposite bank of the river, in the dense forest, thousands of Daonian soldiers were marching. The sound of the river, "Wow, Wow… …", covered up all the sounds they made.
The banks of the Crati River upstream are cliffs and steep walls, but not all of them are like this. In front of the mountain depression where the city of Bisinia is located, there is a river beach about ten meters long, where the Bisinia people often fetch water and wash clothes. And 40 meters upstream on the opposite bank of this river beach, there is a gentle slope that can lead down to the river. The jagged rocks on the river bank can accommodate ten people.
At that moment, a winch, like the one used at the mouth of a well, was firmly fixed amidst the pile of rocks. The winch was wound with a rope as thick as a wrist, the other end of which was tied around the waist of a burly man. His bare body was adorned only with a cape made from several inflated lamb stomachs.
Born and raised by the Krathis River, the Thurian depended on it for sustenance. Yet, standing on the bank of this roaring river, the thunderous roar assaulting his ears, his very soul trembled. He could see the legion commander and his teammates speaking, but couldn't hear a single word. Ahead lay the Krathis River. In the meager light of the setting sun, he could see the turbulent water throwing up sprays several meters high, and the soul-snatching whirlpools on the surface…
An ordinary person, faced with such sights and sounds, would have been terrified, their limbs weak, unable even to stand. But he and his comrades, before becoming citizens of Daonia, were sailors through and through, accustomed to making a living at sea, battling gales and monstrous waves. Therefore, he firmly believed that his own abilities and experience would allow him to successfully complete this mission, securing a bright future for himself and his family!
When the sheep, its spirit frightened by the rushing river, was brought out, it trembled, unable to bleat.
Dracos severed the lamb's head with a single stroke, placing it squarely on the reef, and smeared the blood on the faces of each warrior. Each person devoutly prayed to the river god Akhelóios.
Then, the burly man stood up, saluted Dracos, and then stood on the riverbank. He gazed at the opposite bank to his left, his destination. Subconsciously, he felt the rope, confirming it was securely fastened. He took a deep breath, roared, and dove into the water like a merman. In an instant, the spray he kicked up concealed his form…
The dark, swirling river rushed forward, making it impossible to find his trace. Only the winch creaked and groaned as it spun rapidly…
Dracos's gaze followed the rope as it stretched further and further into the water, his anxiety growing…
Previously, after Davos surveyed the terrain around the Bruttian mountains, he suggested that the best breakthrough point for this war was near Bisinia. When he revealed his plan, Phylissius and the legion commanders were stunned: to have a man swim across a hundred meters of turbulent waves, carrying dozens of pounds of weight (the weight of the rope and the force of the river), and without being discovered by the enemy sentries – it was too risky!
However, Davos produced compelling evidence: Maticollis of the Academy of Mathematics had specifically gone to the entry point and, after releasing tree trunks several times, discovered that the river mostly pushed them to the shallows on the opposite bank downstream. He also calculated the river's speed and direction at this point, believing that a person should be able to reach the other side.
Davos also had an attendant (actually Antra Polis) who had accompanied Anta Oris on a mission to Bruttium, recount his findings: the Bisinians had built defensive camps and watchtowers in front of the small path along the river to the south, and checkpoints on the road to Kosenza in the north.
Only the riverbank was without dedicated sentries. Perhaps because the city of Bisinia was just ahead, or perhaps this roaring, unnavigable stretch of river gave the Bisinians confidence.
As a general, no one wants to be caught in a long and arduous war of attrition with the enemy, but the war with Bruttium was likely to result in such a situation. In the end, the Daonian legion commanders agreed to Davos's risky plan.
In the blink of an eye, the hundred-meter rope reached its limit, stretched taut. A tremendous force tugged at the winch. If several soldiers hadn't used all their strength to hold it, the entire bearing would have been dragged into the river.
Dracos's disappointment was palpable. The first soldier to go into the water had obviously failed, otherwise the rope wouldn't be so tight. But he signaled to the soldiers to hold on a little longer, hoping that the soldier could untie the rope from his body. With the buoyancy of the lamb-stomach cape, there were a dozen ships waiting with nets in the midstream of the Krathis River, and he might be rescued.
But the rope remained taut, and the soldiers continued to wrestle with the great river, eventually exhausting their strength.
Dracos decisively drew his military knife, ready to cut the rope. Unexpectedly, the soldiers were already exhausted. The winch flew up with a "whoosh." If Dracos hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been seriously injured, if not killed.
The rope and winch plunged into the river, not even creating a splash.
The people on the shore stood motionless for a long while, sadness and fear beginning to envelop everyone.
Dracos quickly regained his composure. As the legion commander of the Second Legion, he was the core of the legion, and he couldn't panic. First and foremost.
He immediately signaled the soldiers to quickly climb up the slope and bring down the new winch and rope.
The rope was so sturdy, the all ship chandlers of Thurii had worked day and night for several days to produce just three sets. This meant that the Second Legion had a maximum of only three chances.
"Who's going first?!" Dracos looked at the remaining two selected soldiers and gestured.
Faced with the terrifying power of nature, coupled with the previous tragedy, the two good swimmers shrank back. They looked at each other, then lowered their heads under Dracos's expectant gaze.
A surge of anger ignited in Dracos's heart, and he was about to curse.
"Let me go!" At this moment, someone walked up from the side.
Dracos focused his eyes and saw that it was someone recommended by the newly established Daonian Navy. It was said that he was the fastest swimmer in the navy, but because he wasn't strong enough, Davos and the others thought it would be difficult for him to swim a hundred meters across the turbulent rapids while carrying a load, so they had only listed him as an alternate. But at this critical moment, his courage to face the challenge cheered Dracos up.
Dracos didn't say anything more, personally put on the lamb-stomach cape for him, tied the rope, and then solemnly said, "Hades will protect you!" The failure of the previous soldier made Dracos subconsciously abandon the river god Akhelóios and replace him with the deep king he trusted most.
"Don't worry, I, Sekelian, am destined to have my name etched in the Elysian Fields!" The sailor said confidently, striding to the forefront of the reef. The last rays of the setting sun cast a few wisps of warm light on his slender, streamlined body.
As he plunged into the water, Dracos's heart was once again in his throat: how could he not be nervous! If they failed again, those two cowards would probably be even more afraid to go! If they couldn't swim to the shallows on the other side, the troops wouldn't be able to reach the other side safely, let alone capture the city of Bisinia. The planned operation would be impossible to implement, and they would have to resort to the second plan… This meant that the time, effort, and military rations that had already been consumed would make this war against Bruttium even more difficult!
"Legion Commander, it's… it's at the end!"
Without the soldiers' anxious shouts, Dracos had already seen the winch stop turning.
Had they failed again? Dracos's heart sank. He was unwilling to give up, and shouted, "Hold the rope tight!"
As he shouted, he stepped forward to help. The rough rope rubbed back and forth in his palm as the forces pulled against each other, creating streaks of blood… But Dracos felt that this force was not as great as the last time, and he cheered up again: "Brothers, hold on! Hold on!…"
He encouraged the soldiers beside him, and the pulling force of the pure rope gradually weakened, and eventually it slackened.
Had they succeeded?! Dracos looked incredulously at the blurred opposite bank in his field of vision, feeling as if all the strength in his body had been drained. He sat down on the reef, and the soldiers beside him cheered softly.
The rope tightened again, little by little… stopped… moved… stopped… moved…
He didn't know how long had passed, but just as Dracos felt that the time was too long, the rope finally tightened again, and three weak vibrations were transmitted, and after a while, there were three more vibrations…
Dracos confirmed the code, suppressed his extremely excited mood, and shouted to the soldiers, "Quick! Quickly tie it to the big tree! Quick! Quick!"
In the evening, a long rope spanned the Krathis River, connecting the two banks.
A Second Legion soldier wrapped his feet around the rope, gripped it tightly with both hands, and moved forward alternately, his entire body suspended upside down in mid-air. At the lowest point, his body was no more than two meters above the river. The spray from the river could wet his whole body, and even more terrifying was the roar of the river, like a dragon moaning in his ears, coupled with the constantly swaying rope…
Although the soldiers had received special training in recent days, the actual scene required them to have even greater courage. Obviously, this soldier had enough courage, and his rope-climbing skills were also quite fast, so he was arranged to be the first to pass through this "rope bridge." In addition, in order to pass quickly and ensure the safety of the rope and climbing, the soldiers crossing the river did not wear helmets, breastplates, or greaves, or carry copper shields, but instead tightly strapped a spear and a small wooden shield to their backs. Of course, the first soldier crossing the river also had another rope tied to his body.
When he finally climbed to a big tree near the riverbank on the opposite side, Sekelian was waiting under the tree. His chest was covered in blood, obviously injured.
It turned out that the strong current of the river had wrapped him and rushed him past the riverbank, slamming him hard against the reef, almost causing him to faint from the pain. But the desire to survive made him endure the severe pain of having his chest pierced by the sharp stone edges, and he tightly hugged the reef with his arms. It was at this moment that Dracos and the others fully pulled the rope, giving him a chance to breathe. He used all his strength, laboriously climbed onto the reef, and finally moved carefully, step by step, onto the riverbank…
With the joint efforts of Sekelian and that soldier, the second "rope bridge" connecting the two banks was established, and the soldiers of the First Battalion of the Second Legion began to cross the river in turn.
Even with two "rope bridges," the soldiers' speed of crossing the river was still very slow, because only after the current soldier reached the opposite bank could the next soldier begin to grab the rope and climb. After all, hanging two or more people on the same rope, whether it was for the rope that had been painstakingly connected to the two banks or for the big tree that served as the "rope bridge" pillar, would be a great burden, and Dracos did not dare to take the risk.
For the soldiers to successfully climb across this rope bridge in the dark and reach the other side, they needed not only courage but also skill. Although it was only about a hundred meters, it was actually very time-consuming. When clumsy soldiers were encountered, the speed of crossing the river was like a snail's pace. The comrades behind were anxious but dared not speak, because several companions had carelessly fallen into the river and disappeared.
It was already late at night, and one-third of the First Battalion had not yet crossed. Dracোস felt that time was pressing, and he could not wait here. So he ordered the company commander of the First Battalion, who had not yet crossed the river, to organize the soldiers behind to cross, and reminded Adrianacs, the battalion commander of the First Battalion who had already crossed: when dawn broke, immediately lead the First Battalion to raid the defensive camp along the river, seize it, and ensure the Second Legion smoothly entered the territory of Bysinnia, and then jointly capture the city of Bysinnia.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Most of the soldiers who had crossed the river were lying quietly and orderly on the river beach under the command of their respective squad leaders and platoon leaders, seizing the time to rest, calming their nervous emotions, and restoring their physical strength and energy, so that they could cope with the upcoming battle in a better state. A small number of soldiers in better condition sneaked into the woods, using the tools they brought to saw down small trees and cut off branches as quietly as possible to make simple wooden ladders.
As the battalion commander, Adrianacs took several guards and crawled not far from the defensive camp, using the faint firelight of the camp to observe the layout of the camp.
At this moment, he felt someone patting his back. Looking back, it was the first squad leader.
He hurriedly followed him back, and only sat up when he was far away from the camp: "What's the matter?"
"The warrior who swam across the Clati River has an urgent matter and wants to see you."
"What urgent matter could he have? Is he dying?!" Adrianacs said impatiently.
In recent days, he had been in a rather irritable mood. You should know that in order to organize a delegation to participate in the Isthmian Games, he even sought Davos's approval and did not follow the Second Legion to participate in the reinforcement of Taranto. As a result, the expeditionary force returned with honor, while the Games delegation he led became a laughing stock throughout Greece. After returning, a few senators in the Senate criticized him for this matter. Although he was not severely blamed with the protection of Davos and the former mercenary senators, he felt very aggrieved in his own heart.
Just as the Bruttian War broke out, his old friend Dracোস, who understood him, approved his First Battalion, which he was in charge of, to cross the river first, taking on the important task of occupying the defensive camp and receiving the entire legion, giving him a good opportunity to prove himself and wash away his shame, so he had been holding back a lot of energy.
Adrianacs hesitated for a moment, considering the merits of Secilian, he decided to take the time to meet him.
At this moment,
Secilian was being treated by the doctors who had crossed the river. In addition to skin trauma, his most serious injury was two broken ribs on the left side, and his left lung was somewhat damaged. The doctor reset and fixed the broken bones, and bandaged his wounds at the same time.
Seeing Adrianacs, he struggled to stand up, but was stopped by the doctor.
"You should lie down!" Adrianacs saw that his injury was serious, and his tone became a little gentler: "I heard you have something to ask me?"
"Yes… Battalion Commander…" As soon as Secilian spoke, he pulled at his lungs, and the pain distorted his face. His voice was like a broken bellows, hissing. He struggled to say: "I heard you gave the order that at dawn… only then… will you attack the enemy's defensive camp on the east side…"
"Yes, this is the legion commander's order." Adrianacs thought he was asking to fight, so he said: "You need to rest well now and don't need to participate in the next battle."
"If… if we attack the defensive camp first… the enemies in the city will know… we are here… and will defend with all their strength… If we want to take Bysinnia… it will increase the difficulty, and the casualties of our brothers will also increase… Why… why not directly attack the city of Bysinnia?!… I swam across this river… I know they will never think of… us…" Secilian said anxiously, panting even more severely. The doctor quickly told him not to speak anymore and to rest well.
Although his voice was intermittent and his pronunciation was a little unclear, Adrianacs already understood what he meant: The city of Bysinnia is unprepared, we should attack and take it by surprise!
Adrianacs's eyes lit up: Being able to lead a battalion to independently capture a city would undoubtedly wash away the previous humiliation! And regarding the surprise attack on the city, Dionia has had many successful experiences in this regard, capturing Amendolara, capturing Niootoum, capturing Grumentum. The key is that the action must be sudden, the attack must be fierce, and the advance must be rapid, giving the enemy the greatest blow in the shortest time, causing them to fall into chaos. This has been summarized by Davos and written into the tactics section of the "Dionian Military Law".
Adrianacs still remembered a sentence that Davos repeatedly emphasized: Be bold in taking risks, but also plan carefully.
Now, he had made up his mind: Not only to take the defensive camp, but also to attack the city of Bysinnia by surprise! Therefore, he had to think carefully about the situation of the city of Bysinnia.
Davos once wrote a booklet about the city of Bysinnia (actually, it was the credit of Antrapolis). The company officers of the Second Legion could recite it fluently. Adrianacs closed his eyes, and the internal sketch of the city could appear in his mind: The city of Bysinnia is a small city. The city wall is not made of stone, but a double-layered wooden wall (the Bruttian region is surrounded by Greek city-states, and is greatly influenced by the Greeks. The city walls of various cities vary according to their economic strength and the degree of threat they face. Cnapeia, Cosenza, and Vigge are all stone walls, Bysinnia is a wooden wall, and Albania is just a simple wooden fence). There are about 3,000 soldiers in the city. According to the continuous observation and reconnaissance on the opposite bank in the past few days, the city of Bysinnia has sent no less than 2,000 troops westward, and has not returned so far. Therefore, the remaining strength of the city of Bysinnia, including the defensive camp, should be similar to that of the First Battalion. With preparation against unpreparedness, and with intention against unintentional, the possibility of independently capturing the city of Bysinnia is very high!
Adrianacs had not thought about it before because he was accustomed to obeying the orders of his superiors. Now, after repeated consideration, he decided to send 300 people to attack the defensive camp, and lead 700 people himself to attack the city of Bysinnia by surprise.
He immediately called the company commanders and squad leaders to re-discuss the attack plan, and sent more soldiers into the forest to make more wooden ladders. Their movements were naturally louder than before, but the darkness and the rushing river provided the best cover for their actions. The Bysinnian people, who had been safe for a hundred years, did not build post towers outside the city. The few sentries on the wooden wall had also fallen into a dream early. The city of Bysinnia was still silent… …
… … … … … … … … … … …
Time passed by second by second, which was too difficult for Adrianacs. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
But the night will eventually pass. When a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, he turned over and sat up, patted the messenger beside him awake, and said softly: "Notify the company commanders to start the action!"
The messenger notified the company commanders, the company commanders notified the squad leaders, the squad leaders notified the platoon leaders, and the platoon leaders woke up their soldiers one by one.
The soldiers yawned, picked up their wooden shields and spears, and carried the wooden ladders with several people, and began to follow the company officers forward with staggering steps.
There was no drum sound, nor military horn sound, everything was carried out in silence. The soldiers' eyes were drowsily staring at the swaying of the military flag in front, and as the team moved slowly, the scattered formation gradually became neat and orderly, and the haziness on the soldiers' faces had been replaced by sobriety.
150 meters… 100 meters… 50 meters… The team had approached the moat of the city. There was still no movement on the city wall.
Countless sharpened wooden stakes were erected in the three-meter-wide and three-meter-deep moat. The soldiers could not cross it with their bare hands, and there was no open space on the other side of the moat, directly facing the towering wooden wall.
The wooden ladder was put up, one end plunged into the soil, supported by the soldiers, and the other end was not long enough to reach the top of the wall, it didn't matter. When the soldier climbed to the far end of the wooden ladder, he stretched his hands up as much as possible, grabbed the top of the wall, and supported himself with force, and climbed over the top of the wall.
The sentry wrapped in fur on the walkway was sleeping soundly against the top of the wall. The vibration and noise of the parapet made him wake up alertly, but it was too late. A dozen wooden ladders were set up on the wall, and a dozen soldiers climbed over the wall at a time, and soon filled the walkway. The sentry did not understand what was going on. Either he died under the spear, or he became a prisoner.
Then, the soldiers on the top of the wall quickly opened the city gate. The company commanders immediately led the soldiers into the city according to the pre-arranged plan, dividing their soldiers into three groups and advancing quickly along the streets.
Success! Adrianacs waved his hand excitedly: "Blow the horn!"
The military horn and the military drum sounded together at this time, and the soldiers took the opportunity to shout. The city was immediately in chaos as if an earthquake had occurred. Whether they were naked and came out to check the situation, or hastily picked up weapons and rushed out of the door, they were met by the soldiers marching along the street, and they stabbed them with their spears without saying a word. For a time, screams rang out… The bloody slaughter frightened the Bysinnian people, and they simply hid in their houses, daring not to make any movement.
Although the city of Bysinnia was built in the mountains, it is located in a valley, and it is actually a flat city. Therefore, the First Battalion advanced very quickly. The front is the mansion of the great chief in the center of the city, which is also where the council hall is located.
Such a big movement in the city, of course, alarmed Canaru, who was still sleeping. He had just sat up with sleepy eyes when his men broke in: "Chief, no… it's not good! The enemy has invaded the city!"
"What?!" Canaru couldn't believe his ears. The shock completely banished his sleepiness, and the sounds of fighting outside clearly entered his ears: "Enemies?! Where did the enemies come from?! Are they Cosentians?!" The sudden change of events left him at a loss. There was a reason why he subconsciously identified the enemies as Cosentians. Because of the terrain, the Greeks had never entered the territory of Bithynia, but Cosentia had fought with them many times. To defend against Cosentia, Bithynia had also built a small fortress on the western side leading to the Cosentian Plateau. However, because the Bruttians had unified last year, Niccolo had removed the fortress to show Bithynia's sincerity, leaving only a guard post. Canaru had even argued with his father about this.
His subordinate's ignorance enraged Canaru: "Get out! Find out what's going on and report back! Don't..."
"Someone! Inform Chief Bagirippi and Chief Brim, and have them bring their people to the council hall!"
"Blow the horn and have all the people come here!"
"Have everyone take up arms and come out with me to drive away the enemies!"
Canaru's orders were decisive, but they were difficult to execute. The Bithynians had never encountered such a disaster, and lacked the means to respond. The people in the residence were panicked and in chaos.
Canaru managed to organize dozens of his people and rushed out the door, only to run head-on into the fierce enemies.
Canaru roared and charged forward, waving the iron bar in his hand. With one blow, he knocked down the enemy in front of him, and even the wooden shield was shattered, demonstrating his great strength.
"Don't fight him head-on, go around him, deal with the others first!" Adrianks ordered decisively when he saw this.
Greeks! Only now did Canaru carefully examine the enemies in front of him, and he was extremely surprised. But at this moment, he had no time to think about how the Daonians had invaded Bithynia.
Adrianks' command made him think that he was the Greek general, and he immediately charged towards Adrianks.
The experienced Adrianks calmly directed the surrounding soldiers to retreat quickly, avoiding direct engagement with Canaru.
Canaru was anxious and pursued closely, but he did not know that the people behind him were blocked by Daonian soldiers, creating a distance between them.
Canaru was annoyed by Adrianks' constant avoidance of battle, until the miserable screams of his people awakened him. He looked back and saw that his people had been scattered by the Greeks, and he had to turn back to rescue them.
Adrianks then ordered the soldiers to chase after him and continue to entangle him.
At this time, two other teams also arrived from other blocks one after another.
Seeing that there were many enemies, Canaru did not dare to fight again and led the surviving people back to the mansion. In the process, he was hit by a javelin and his cheek was pierced, but he desperately forced back the Daonian soldiers who were trying to take the opportunity to break into the mansion.
After retreating into the mansion and closing the door, Canaru immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.
The people were shocked to see this.
"Report, Captain, Bithynian leader Brim has been injured and captured!" The first squad leader of the first battalion reported to Adrianks.
Adrianks divided the 700 soldiers who entered the city of Bithynia into three teams for a reason. Through information, he knew that there were three tribes in the city of Bithynia. After having Adepigis interrogate the prisoners to find out the residences of the three leaders, he immediately began to implement the "beheading operation". Now it seemed that everything was going smoothly.
Brim's residence was closest to the city gate, and he should not have been prepared when he was raided, but why did another team of soldiers arrive so quickly?
The second squad leader gave the answer: "We haven't started the attack yet, and this Bithynian leader led his people out to surrender!"
To surrender voluntarily! Adrianks did not expect this to happen. He remembered that this leader should be called Bagirippi, who had tried his best to assist the Bithynian chief for more than ten years and was quite prestigious among the Bithynian people. Remembering Davos's instructions, Adrianks hurriedly asked his men to invite Bagirippi.
Bagirippi, who was over 50 years old, was already gray-haired and looked old. Seeing that Adrianks spoke to him in a gentle manner, his originally uneasy mood calmed down, and he immediately agreed: he was willing to persuade the people in the chief's residence for Daonia.
Bagirippi was good at assessing the situation. When the Niccolo tribe was strong, he, as one of the candidates for the chief, gave up the election and fully supported Niccolo to serve as the Bithynian chief. Therefore, he had won Niccolo's trust for many years, and his tribe had benefited a lot from it. At the beginning of the war between Brutti and Daonia, taking advantage of the fact that Bithynia City was only a river away from Thurii, he took great pains to understand the powerful neighbors. He felt that the Bruttians could not defeat the Daonian League, but relying on the terrain, they might be able to force a reconciliation. But when the city was in chaos, the people panicked and told him that 'the invaders might be Greeks' based on the appearance of the enemies. After thinking calmly, he felt that the Bruttians' defeat was already set, because the terrain was lost, so he immediately ordered his people to take the initiative to lay down their weapons and surrender. As a tribal leader for 30 years, most people obeyed, but a few opposed, and he ordered them to be taken down on the spot.
His surrender quickly reduced the resistance in the city.
Now, he stood in front of the chief's residence and shouted to the people in the courtyard. The Bruttians who were lying on the courtyard wall and peeking out could imagine the shock they felt when they saw that even Bagirippi had surrendered to the Greeks.
Only Canaru, after learning of Bagirippi's betrayal, lay on his sickbed, cursing loudly, and vowing that after the Greeks were eliminated, he would tear Bagirippi into pieces!
Canaru endured the pain and ordered his men to gather everyone in the courtyard to defend stubbornly, but he was greeted with cold eyes.
Not long after Bagirippi shouted, the courtyard door opened, and Canaru's people carried Canaru's body out to surrender. According to them, Canaru died of serious injuries.
… … … … … … … … …
The 300-man team of the First Battalion responsible for raiding the camp was relatively smooth at the beginning. After all, the establishment of the camp was mainly aimed at the riverside path in the east, and all the defense facilities were in the east. They did not expect the enemy to attack from the west. For a time, they were unprepared and the Daonian soldiers easily broke into the camp.
However, because it was during the war and this was the front line of Bithynia against the enemy, the soldiers were more vigilant and quickly organized to resist. In particular, the four towering watchtowers in the camp were originally used for cross-shooting the riverside path, remotely attacking the middle and rear of the enemy to destroy the enemy's continuous attack ability, but now they used the condescending advantage to use arrows to delay the fierce attack of the Daonian soldiers. Because the soldiers of the Second Legion were not wearing armor, they suffered certain casualties.
The Bithynians resisted desperately, and although the Daonian soldiers were more numerous, they could not completely seize the camp for a while.
The battle lasted for a while until the Bithynian soldiers saw the fire in the city, and gradually lost their fighting spirit.
When the main force of the Second Legion had trudged along the riverside path and arrived at the Bithynian defensive fortress, the battle had subsided and the troops had successfully entered Bithynian territory.
When Legion Commander Drakos heard the news that Adrianks was leading his troops to attack the city of Bithynia, he ignored his fatigue and led his troops to support him anxiously.
As soon as he arrived in front of the city gate of Bithynia, he saw Adrianks standing there with a smile on his face. Drakos did not understand that the city had changed hands.
"You Adrianks, you are so brave! You didn't leave us any battles!" Drakos pointed at his friend, both angry and annoyed, and didn't know what to say.
"Legion Commander, please enter the city!" Adrianks' gloom dissipated after capturing the defensive camp and the city of Bithynia with one battalion at the same time, achieving such brilliant results. He smiled and made an inviting gesture.
Drakos waved his hand and said with a serious expression: "The Bruttians will definitely send a large army to try to recapture it after they know that we have occupied the city of Bithynia! If they can't do it, they will probably build another defensive camp on the west side to prevent us from entering the Cosentian Plateau! Now we don't have time to rest, we must quickly build a defensive fortress on its west side before the Bruttians come to attack us to prevent the enemy from entering Bithynia, so as to welcome Lord Davos to lead the main force!"
Adrianks' heart trembled. This was originally a part of the plan, but he was too proud because of the victory. Fortunately, Drakos was still sober!
"Quickly call Adepigis here!" Adrianks ordered his men to call the Daonian freeman from Brutti to serve as the guide for the troops.
Drakos then notified the entire army not to enter the city and continue north to build the camp.
The already somewhat tired soldiers complained a lot, but they still obeyed the orders and marched west without slowing down.
As the representative of the surrendered side of Bithynia, Bagirippi was also at the forefront of the team welcoming the city. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but sigh secretly.
At this time, Drakos walked towards him.
Bagirippi had already learned from Adrianks about the identity of the person who came - Drakos, the legion commander of the Second Legion. He, who had a deeper understanding of Daonia, knew that the entire Daonian League had only four legions, with seven or eight thousand people in one legion, which was more than twice the total number of Bithynian soldiers. Drakos held heavy troops, and the lives of himself and his people were in his hands. Therefore, Bagirippi had to give a respectful salute.
Drakos hurriedly stepped forward to help: "Leader of Bithynia, thank you! Because of your help, our soldiers and the Bithynians have reduced casualties. When this war is over, Brutti may become a part of Daonia. When the Senate re-elects new Bruttian senators, I will be very happy to cast a vote for you!"