The slingers placed lead bullets into the leather pouch in the center of their slings, and began to rotate their right arms. The slings whirred faster and faster, creating a "whoosh, whoosh" sound.
Through the hazy dust, the Romans could see the newly appeared enemy a few hundred meters away. Although they were somewhat nervous, they had no choice but to advance.
Just then, hundreds of lead bullets fell like hailstones from the sky, accurately landing in the dense Roman formation, and cries of agony immediately rang out.
Except for the heavily armored infantry in the center who suffered minor injuries, the lightly armored infantry, with almost no protection, were smashed with bloody heads. The Roman cavalry on both sides were also affected. Horses hit by the lead bullets screamed and jumped, throwing the unprepared cavalry from their backs, and almost disrupting the Roman ranks.
It was the first time the Romans had encountered an attack by slingers, and they were somewhat stunned by the unprepared assault.
But the Daunian cavalry were prepared. Taking advantage of the temporary confusion of the Romans, they immediately spurred their horses towards the enemy, throwing the few remaining short javelins, and another wave of screams rang out. The fallen soldiers were far from suffering mere scratches.
When the Roman light infantry picked up their bows and arrows and javelins, preparing to attack the retreating Daunian cavalry, another volley of lead bullets rained down.
The continuous blows caused the Roman light infantry to complain endlessly. These soldiers, mainly from the Latin League, fell into chaos and their morale plummeted.
The Roman heavy infantry in the center of the formation remained calm, shouting in unison, "Charge! Kill them!"
The Roman cavalry was the first to act, hastily gathering over a hundred riders, recklessly charging forward. The warhorses' hooves flew, striking the solid ground with a rumble, as if the earth itself was trembling.
Satyrus remained calm, raising his right hand again: "Second Company, prepare!"
The archers on the wings of the wedge formation drew their bows and nocked their arrows, while the Daunian cavalry kept pace with the recklessly charging Roman cavalry.
When the Romans were less than a hundred meters from the Seventh Battalion, 350 Daunian archers fired in unison.
The almost horizontal arrows shot from both wings towards the center, forming a crossfire. The rapidly advancing Roman cavalry, although holding up their shields, found it difficult to defend. Men screamed and horses neighed, falling to the ground and hindering the progress of the cavalry behind.
Just then, a second volley of arrows struck again, inflicting even greater casualties on the Roman cavalry.
A small number of Roman cavalry, who were at the front and dodged the arrow attack, were about to approach the Daunian slingers, when they were attacked by javelins from the Third Company, which rushed out of the formation, leaving few survivors.
The Daunian cavalry also took the opportunity to attack the Roman cavalry from the flanks, who were in disarray on the way due to the arrow attacks.
This well-coordinated series of attacks almost completely wiped out the charging Roman cavalry.
At this time, the Roman heavy infantry were still struggling forward, protecting the light infantry. Seeing the tragic scene in front of them, they all felt sorrowful. At this moment, they heard unfamiliar military horns from afar.
Enemy reinforcements are here! Roman morale plummeted.
Just then, "Wooo! Woo!! Woo!!!..." a louder, more resonant military horn sounded from afar.
Our reinforcements are here! Our reinforcements are here!!..." Hearing the familiar military horn, the Romans finally became excited.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Report, Commander, the Roman army in the camp has moved out! Approximately eight or nine thousand men!" A scout hurriedly arrived to report to Amyntas.
"So fast?!" The Romans' swift reaction surprised Amyntas. He had originally intended to have the Seventh and Eighth Battalions and the cavalry continue to besiege, but not annihilate, this part of the enemy, in order to lure out the Romans in the camp. At the same time, he could allow the six heavy infantry battalions that had just arrived to rest for a while and recover some strength. He did not expect the Roman army to arrive so quickly. A large force of eight or nine thousand men was clearly beyond the ability of the Daunian light infantry, light armor infantry, and cavalry to stop.
Amyntas looked at the Daunian soldiers in front of him, dripping with sweat. Although they were exhausted, very few of them were sitting or lying down. Instead, they put down their weapons and gathered in small groups, walking slowly and chatting, because they knew there would be fighting next. Lying down would intensify the soreness of their muscles, making their bodies feel lazy and unwilling to move.
Amyntas immediately summoned the six heavy infantry battalion commanders and said with a serious expression, "Our plan to lure the enemy has succeeded. The main force of the enemy has left the camp. I hope you can overcome your fatigue, seize them, and defeat them!"
"Commander, rest assured! Now that the Romans have come out, they can forget about running back!" The words of First Battalion Commander Ctesippus were agreed upon by the other battalion commanders.
"Then prepare to depart!" Amyntas immediately ordered.
Just as the battalion commanders were going to gather their soldiers, Amyntas ordered the messenger, "Immediately go to Setia and Pollevnam and inform the Volsci in the city that the main force of the Romans has left the camp. Ask them to participate in the battle."
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
After guessing the Daunians' intentions, Camillus did not hesitate and immediately assembled nine thousand heavy infantry, leaving only 3,000 to defend the camp.
Originally, Furius requested to lead the troops forward, leaving the elderly Camillus to guard the camp.
But Camillus refused. His dispatch of troops was only to rescue the soldiers trapped outside, and he had no intention of fighting a deadly battle with the Daunians. But if he let the young and vigorous Furius lead the troops, it was very likely to lead to such a result.
Camillus led more than 70 Roman heavy infantry centuries and advanced rapidly towards the west, as scouted by the scouts, because he knew that the Daunian army would also be heading in this direction. He had to quickly extract the trapped soldiers, and then quickly return to the camp.
Camillus did not know much about the Daunian army. In his impression, the surrounding forces, even the Greeks of Campania, fought in the form of bloated phalanxes. Only the Roman army, which he led in reforming, used the century as the main combat force, making both formation and combat more flexible. Therefore, he believed that even if the Daunian main force arrived, they would need to reorganize their formation, and he would have plenty of time to organize a retreat.
When Camillus arrived at the battlefield, the Daunian Seventh and Eighth Battalions and the cavalry had already taken the initiative to retreat. The scene before him shocked him: the ground was covered with corpses, dead horses, and groaning, struggling wounded soldiers. The nearly 3,000 men (cavalry and light infantry) who had been ordered to come to the rescue had lost nearly a third of their number, and the surviving soldiers were disheveled, with dejected expressions, some with bruised noses and swollen faces, and bloody heads…
Through the brief narrative of the trapped officer Cammius, Camillus understood the entire battle process, and could not help but be surprised by the lethality of the Daunian light infantry and cavalry, as well as their close cooperation.
This is a well-trained army! Camillus labeled the Daunians in his heart, so he urged the soldiers to take the wounded and retreat immediately.
"What about our fallen citizens?" The light infantry general from the allied states demanded that the corpses also be taken back.
Camillus, who had always loved his soldiers like sons, hardened his heart at this moment and said, "Leave them here for now, and we will deal with them later. Now we must seize the time and return immediately!"
The allied general was dissatisfied with this decision and wanted to say more.
At this time, a scout hurriedly arrived: "Military Tribune Camillus, there are about six or seven thousand black soldiers coming from the south!"
Camillus's heart tightened. He spurred his horse out of the formation (according to Roman military tradition, Roman leading generals must only walk with the soldiers, to show that there is no difference between the two, and that they share weal and woe, but Camillus was too old and had limited physical strength, so the Roman Senate specially approved him to ride a horse). He looked south and saw dust billowing in the distance…
Based on his experience, he judged that the enemy was already less than a mile away.
He immediately returned to the formation and issued an order: "Line up in the formation before engagement and begin to retreat!"
The formation before engagement that he spoke of was a large fish-scale formation arranged in staggered rows of 120-man Roman century squares. Because the gaps between the centuries were relatively large, the movement was flexible, and retreat was also relatively fast. And once retreat was impossible, he could switch to an offensive formation at any time. Due to some unease in his heart, Camillus adopted this cautious approach.
However, how could the Daunian light infantry, surrounding the perimeter, easily allow the Romans to complete their retreat? The slingers once again swung their slings and threw lead bullets at the Romans, while the archers even boldly approached the outer edge of the Roman army and took up shooting stances…
Camillus had to move the Roman light infantry to this side as a defense.
But the Daunian cavalry galloped in teams around the perimeter of the Roman army, occasionally breaking into the formation to within 20 meters of the Roman soldiers, posing a threat to attack.
Although the messengers sent by Camillus repeatedly warned the Roman soldiers not to pay attention to the harassment of the Daunians, the Roman soldiers' formation speed was still significantly affected.
At this time, the Daunian army was advancing rapidly, already closing to within 300 meters of the Roman army. The Roman soldiers could already see the raised, golden banners shining in the hazy dust, hear the strong rhythm of the military drums, and see rows of seemingly overwhelming black soldiers pressing down on them in relatively orderly steps…
Just as the soldiers were attracted and shocked by the momentum of the Daunian army, Camillus was even more surprised. He discovered that the Daunian army's advancing formation was very similar to the tactical formation of the Roman army after the reform. This made him suddenly realize that the Daunians might not need to spend much time arranging their formation and could directly launch an attack on him. If he forcibly retreated here, he would likely be pursued by the opponent, leading to chaos in the ranks and a crushing defeat.
After much deliberation, Camillus finally made up his mind: first repel the enemy in front, then retreat!
Having made the decision, Camillus immediately acted. He sent out messengers to convey his orders: the Roman army, facing the attacking enemy, was to immediately arrange itself into a three-line formation. Ten cohorts of Roman Hastati, totaling 1200 men, formed the front line; behind them, the middle line consisted of six cohorts of Roman Principes, totaling 660 men; and the last line was composed of six cohorts of Roman Triarii, also totaling 660 men. This central force alone consisted of over 2500 heavy infantry. He arranged the left and right flanks in the same manner.
The Romans had been constantly engaged in warfare using the new tactics for the past decade, and they were very familiar with them. Moreover, they had already arranged themselves into formations to receive the enemy, based on cohorts. Therefore, they only needed to interlock, converge, and piece together the small squares formed by each cohort. It didn't take long for them to form a massive three-line formation stretching for a mile.
Camillus brought a total of 9,000 troops, all heavy infantry, comprising 75 cohorts. Adding the three besieged cohorts, there were a total of 78 cohorts, including 40 Hastati cohorts, 25 Principes cohorts, and 13 Triarii cohorts. During the formation, when there weren't enough Triarii cohorts, he substituted them with Principes cohorts. When the formation was complete, a total of 7,600 Roman heavy infantry were deployed.
At this time, he still had 12 cohorts under his command, mostly composed of Hastati. He arranged them in a fourth line behind him, as a reserve force, to protect the wounded and to guard against the Daunian cavalry and light infantry lurking in the rear.
He also positioned the remaining 500 or so Roman cavalry on both sides of the formation's rear, and dispersed over 1,500 light infantry among the fourth-line reserves, mainly to defend against the enemy's cavalry and light infantry.
While the Romans were forming their battle lines, the Daunian First Legion's advance slowed. When they were 200 meters from the enemy, the entire army halted and quickly adjusted its formation according to the opponent's arrangement.
Amyntas placed the First, Second, and Third Battalions in the front line, and the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Battalions in the rear. The length of the entire formation was almost the same as that of the Romans.
The two sides completed their formations almost simultaneously.
At a distance of 200 meters, the soldiers on both sides curiously gazed and sized each other up.
The Daunian common soldiers were dressed in black, wearing bowl-shaped Montefortino helmets with cheek guards. The helmets had crests, some without plumes, others with varying amounts of black plumes. (This was determined by the legionary's years of service; the longer the service, the denser the plumes, indicating veterans, many of whom were squad leaders.) They wore black single-layer linen cuirasses, covered with a layer of chainmail (a gradual change implemented after the establishment of the kingdom; compared to the initial multi-layered glued linen cuirasses, the weight was about the same, but the hardness of the defense was increased, and it was easier to remove during marches), black leather greaves on their legs, leather sandals on their feet, a half-man-high convex shield in their left hand, a two-meter-long thrusting spear in their right hand, a sharp short sword hanging from their waist, and two javelins stuck in their backs.
The Roman soldiers also wore Montefortino helmets with cheek guards. The helmets had two colored feathers on either side of the top, and the centurions had a horsehair-style red plume in the middle. The soldiers wore red short-sleeved tunics, with chainmail over them. Only the centurions wore bronze breastplates, bronze greaves on their shins, and leather sandals on their feet. They carried a half-man-high convex shield in their left hand, and a two-meter-long spear in their right hand, with a short sword at their waist.
In the Roman formation,
besides the standard-bearers of the left, center, and right wings, each holding aloft a red military banner embroidered with a soaring eagle, there were no other flags. In the Daunian army, the squad flags, company flags, and battalion flags were orderly distributed in each small square, fluttering in the wind around the central legion flag. The statues of deities on top of the flags shone with golden light, like stars in the night sky, making for a spectacular sight.
After both sides completed their formations, the entire battlefield was half black and half red. The soldiers on both sides stood like majestic statues, their spears arranged into a dense forest, and their erected shields formed a towering wall…
Both sides remained silent, but the thick killing intent permeating the battlefield was dispelling the lingering dust…
Amyntas, who was usually bold in attack, did not immediately issue the order to attack. On the one hand, he wanted to give the soldiers who had been traveling all the way a chance to catch their breath and recover their strength. On the other hand, he also wanted to delay the time as much as possible, waiting for the arrival of the Volsci, after all, compared to the opponent, the First Legion was several thousand men short in heavy infantry, and the opponent was able to quickly arrange a formation similar to that of Daonia, he felt that this opponent was very different from the enemies of the past, so he acted more cautiously.
But he could wait, Camillus could not. He could roughly guess the reason why the Daunian army had pursued them here but stopped advancing. Therefore, after waiting for the Roman soldiers to form their battle lines and stabilize, he immediately issued the order: "The entire army attacks!"
"Ooh!…" The military horns blared.
The Roman soldiers raised their shields and held their spears, advancing slowly. The four lines basically maintained a relatively orderly formation, pressing towards the Daunian army.
Camillus rode his horse in the center rear of the formation, occasionally looking back at the Daunian cavalry lurking on the flanks behind the Roman army.
At this time, Lydes had already ridden his horse to Amyntas' side.
"Thank you for your hard work, old friend!" Amyntas nodded in thanks.
"To stop the Romans, my legion has suffered more than 300 casualties!" Lydes said with a grave expression.
Amyntas was silent for a while, and asked: "Can your cavalry fight again?"
Lydes shook his head: "The horses have been running back and forth and are very tired, and the cavalry have used up all their javelins. They need to recover their strength now. They can only be used again when the Romans rout. However… the enemy you are facing is not simple!"
"Don't worry, it's just a joke that the Romans want to defeat the teacher by using the tactics they stole from us!" Amyntas said confidently while paying attention to the battle situation in front. If Davos heard this, he might feel a little ashamed.
Lydes glanced at the only reserve force behind him, consisting of a light infantry battalion, and felt a little uneasy, but he said nothing more.
Styphlos (Amyntas' adopted son), the company commander whose company was at the front, clearly saw that the Roman soldiers had stopped one after another when they advanced to within 50 meters. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he shouted loudly: "Brothers, javelins ready!"
"Javelins ready!…" The shouts of the Daunian army's company officers rose and fell.
The soldiers had already grasped the javelins in their hands.
"Mars!!!…" A deafening roar erupted from the Roman army. The Roman Hastati in their twenties, at the peak of their strength, were still full of energy even after just having rushed over. They strode forward and charged.
Styphlos, however, watched carefully. The Romans did not tilt their shields upwards, obviously they did not understand the characteristics of Daunian heavy infantry combat, and a sneer appeared on his face.
As their pace quickened, the Roman soldiers' charging speed rapidly increased, generating a powerful and unstoppable momentum.
The Daunian First Legion soldiers stood like mountains, unmoved.
Until the Romans had charged within 30 meters, "Javelins!…" At the shouts of the officers, the front and rear lines of the Daunians simultaneously threw the javelins in their hands. On the battlefield, it was as if a hurricane had risen. The forward momentum of the Roman Hastati charging at the front came to an abrupt halt. The dense heavy javelins flew over a distance of more than 20 meters and fell into the Roman Hastati formation, which was ten ranks deep, easily piercing through their chainmail and knocking them to the ground. The heavy javelins that hit the wooden shields were deeply embedded in the shield surface, the spearheads bent and dragged on the ground.
At this time, most of the Roman Hastati, who lacked combat experience, did not continue to charge forward, but subconsciously went to pull up their struggling teammates on the ground or tried to pull out the javelins on their shields. This provided the Daunian soldiers with ample time to prepare for the second round of javelin throws, so when the second round of javelins was thrown, even more Roman soldiers fell.
Camillus, who had always been calm and wise in battle, saw the scene on the battlefield and cried out in pain several times. He never expected that Daunian heavy infantry could also throw javelins, and the unprepared Roman Hastati suffered a great blow. Of course, he would not have imagined that "heavy infantry throwing javelins before engagement" was originally a characteristic tactic of the Roman legions, but in the historical past, the establishment of this tactic was because in the war between Rome and the Samnites, the Samnites, who were good at using javelins, caused the Romans a lot of suffering, and they began to learn from their opponents, improving their own tactics, so that the almost single-armed Roman heavy infantry had mid-range strike capability.
Just as the Romans were suddenly attacked and temporarily fell into chaos, all the military flags in the Daunian army pointed forward, and the soldiers shouted the name of "Hades" and pounced fiercely on the enemy.
"Fight! Fight!…" The uninjured Roman centurions and squad leaders shouted and took the lead in rushing to the front to fill the broken gaps in the line. The Hastati in the rear also rushed to the front without hesitation, they wanted to avenge their injured comrades.
However, before the Roman front line could be completely filled, the Daunian soldiers' charge had already arrived.
The front-line troops of the left, center, and right wings of both sides collided one after another. Although the thickness of the front-line troops on both sides was ten ranks, compared with the fully equipped Daunian First Legion's First, Second, and Third Battalions, the Roman Hastati troops, who had just suffered a javelin attack and whose formation was broken, were obviously unable to compete with them in strength.
Especially in the first rank, after the Daunian soldiers used the force of their charge to break through the enemy's shield defense, the thrusting spear in their right hand would stab out like lightning. If a Roman soldier dodged this thrust, another thrusting spear would come from the side... Due to the numerical disparity, the Roman recruits often faced a dangerous situation of being outnumbered two to one. Therefore, despite their courageous fighting, casualties gradually increased, and the formation continuously retreated. At the same time, shrill screams constantly echoed in the formation, mostly from wounded soldiers who had been struck by javelins and lay on the ground. They were repeatedly trampled by retreating Roman comrades, their wails gradually fading into silence, which further increased the panic in the recruits' hearts...
Riding his horse in the rear of the central route, Camillus watched the front line constantly retreating. He frowned and quickly made a judgment: not only was the central route like this, but the left and right wings must be the same. The Daunians' initial javelin attack and well-timed swift charge disrupted the courage and composure of the recruits.
"Immediately sound the horns and change the formation!" Camillus ordered without hesitation.
Out of trust in their commander, the horn blowers sounded the curved bronze horns without hesitation.
Lucius, who was beside his father, questioned him: "Although the front line soldiers' formation is unstable, they are still fighting tenaciously. If we let them retreat at this time, it will easily increase their casualties. It would be better to... wait until the battle situation stabilizes slightly before making the change."
"The later we issue the order, the greater the losses will be!" Camillus's face showed a hint of self-reproach: "I didn't expect to encounter the Daunian army in Volsci. I should have learned more about their combat characteristics beforehand!"
Lucius wanted to comfort him by saying, "Even if you wanted to understand, no Roman knows." But looking at Camillus's serious expression, he didn't say these words.
Hearing the sound of the horns, the veteran cohort formations of the third line began to move forward. When they were about to reach the gaps between the stout cohort formations of the second line, they did not immediately squeeze in and form a complete new line, but stopped there, leaving gaps large enough to fit a cohort formation.
Hearing the horns repeatedly sounding, the Roman recruits who were struggling to resist the Daunian attack felt a sigh of relief, but under the reminders of the centurions and officers, they still had to try their best to support the line while slowly retreating.
However, under the pressure of the Daunian soldiers' attack, some Roman formations had already begun to collapse. However, the second line cohorts were not far behind them, and the two sides soon came into contact. With the stout cohorts supporting them from the rear, the recruit cohorts in the front had a little more confidence. The recruits who did not have cohort support in the rear accelerated their retreat into the gaps, and then slipped away through the gaps on both sides of the veteran cohorts.
The Daunian soldiers who had been fighting face to face would also squeeze into this gap, and they would face a situation of being surrounded on three sides.
Of course, the remaining recruits and stout cohorts also faced the same situation. Therefore, the formations of both sides were like jagged teeth, tightly meshed together. But as the stout cohort formations continued to retreat, the recruits would eventually retreat completely to the rear, and the stout and veteran cohorts would eventually form a new line.
At the rear of the Daunian army's central formation, Amyntas had already learned from the cavalry scouting around the Roman army that the Romans were changing their formation. Having fought in Daonia for more than ten years, and facing a Roman army with similar tactics, how could he not understand what the Romans were going to do next?
"General, we should sound the horns and let the fourth, fifth, and sixth cohorts advance." While Amyntas was still thinking, Printores suggested from the side.
Amyntas hesitated for a moment. He understood why Printores made this suggestion. He must have considered that the Daunian soldiers on the front line had the advantage in the offensive. If they could continue to strengthen their offensive, then the Romans' change of formation would not be easy to achieve, and instead would cause more casualties due to the chaos. But judging from the current battle situation, the frontline soldiers had not been able to do so. This may be because the swift offensive just now had exhausted the excess energy accumulated by the frontline soldiers. Otherwise, according to the past combat characteristics of the First Legion, they would have seized the opportunity of the enemy's chaos to attack fiercely, so that the enemy's front line soldiers would likely evolve into a rout while retreating. But now the soldiers' attack speed is constantly slowing down...
Amyntas stared at the battle situation in front of him. He knew clearly that once the Romans completed their formation change, the soldiers of the first, second, and third cohorts, who were short of physical strength, would face the Romans' well-prepared new formation, and the ones who would suffer would likely be their own soldiers.
Although he longed for the soldiers to be brave and kill the enemy, he did not want them to encounter difficulties and affect the outcome of the battle, so he finally adopted Printores's suggestion.
The Daunian horns sounded, and the officers and soldiers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth cohorts were not surprised when they heard the order, because they had seen the performance of their comrades in front.
The officers and soldiers who were fighting breathed a sigh of relief. Many of them were so tired that they were panting. Fortunately, the enemy had been retreating, otherwise, some soldiers would have fallen to the ground due to weak legs.
Therefore, the panicked Roman recruits saw a strange scene: the enemies who were chasing them fiercely suddenly began to retreat...
..................
Hearing from the scouts that the enemy was also retreating and changing formations, Camillus did not escape the misfortune. The Daunian general's calmness and the determination of his soldiers to carry out orders made him frown even more.
At this time, the battle lines of both sides had been pulled apart by nearly twenty meters. The battlefield, which had just been filled with shouts of killing, had become somewhat silent, leaving only the dead bodies lying crisscrossed in the middle of the open space, and a few wounded soldiers crawling on the ground and groaning. The vast majority of those killed were Roman soldiers.
However, the Roman stout and veteran soldiers, who were not far from them, were holding weapons and staring at the enemy in front of them. No one went up to rescue the wounded soldiers.
Camillus understood that the Daunians could afford to spend time with impunity, but his army could not wait. Therefore, he ordered again: intensify the attack!
Under the shouts of the centurions, the newly arrived Roman soldiers were more cautious. They used their large shields to protect their upper bodies and moved forward steadily. Obviously, the previous javelin attack had taught them a lesson.
But in fact, the Daunian soldiers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth cohorts, who had already thrown all their javelins, felt a little amused when they saw the opponents' cautious appearance.
But when the two armies approached and began fighting again, the Daunian soldiers could no longer laugh.
The Roman soldiers were skilled in the combined use of shields and spears. The spear thrusts were accurate and ruthless, and the cooperation of the shield formations between soldiers was also very tacit. Their overall combat effectiveness was not weaker than that of the Daunian legions, which really surprised the Daunian officers on the battlefield.
If the Daunian generals understood Rome, they would know that these newly replaced Roman soldiers had served for more than eight years and participated in many foreign battles, and many soldiers had even won the Civic Crown. They might not be surprised (the Civic Crown is a commendation from the Roman Senate to Roman citizens who have shown bravery in multiple battles. In public, all Roman citizens, including senators, would show respect to citizens who attended with the Civic Crown, and even their fathers would be treated with courtesy. This is an honor, and there is no material reward, but Roman citizens are extremely respected and want to have it. It can be seen that the Romans are also a race that advocates martial virtue and has a strong martial spirit).
For a time, the front-line soldiers of both sides were in a stalemate in the fierce fighting.
Camillus would certainly not be satisfied with merely maintaining a stalemate in the front-line battle with the Daunians. He had to seize the time to defeat the enemy.
Therefore, he ordered again: let the 12 Roman cohorts (including ten recruit cohorts and two stout cohorts) as reserves be divided into two groups, bypass the front-line formations on both wings, and attack the enemy's flanks.
After giving the order, Camillus turned around and asked, "Have our casualties been tallied?"
"There are about... more than 400 citizens killed or wounded..." Lucius shuddered in his heart when he reported: the initial battle did not last long, but in this short 20-minute engagement, they lost the number of four cohorts, which had never been encountered in the battles of the last ten years.
Although Camillus was equally heartbroken at this time, the order he gave was very firm: "Let the retreated cohorts be reorganized immediately, wait for my order, and then attack the enemy! The shame they suffered before needs to be washed away with victory!"
At the same time, Amyntas was also asking his adjutant, "What's the situation on the Volsci side?"
Aristonoös glanced at the record board and said, "The messenger reports that they have set out in formation! Setia has sent 1,000 men, and Pollentia has sent 7,000 men, and they are heading this way!"
Amyntas's heart was settled, and he continued to pay attention to the battle situation in front.
At this time, a scout galloped up and said, "Report General, the enemy has sent more than 700 heavy infantry, who are bypassing our left wing to the rear!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another scout galloped up and said, "Report General, about seven or eight hundred enemy heavy infantry have been found bypassing our flanks on the right wing!"
Amyntas's face changed slightly. He said loudly without hesitation: "Let the First Cohort rush to protect the left wing! The Second Cohort protects the right wing! The Third Cohort..."
Amyntas paused. Printolos promptly reminded him from the side, "Don't forget the Roman soldiers who just retreated!"
Adjutant Aristonos said with a hint of disdain, "Do those defeated soldiers still have the courage to fight?"
"Don't underestimate the enemy." Despite saying this, Amyntas didn't really believe that the retreating Roman soldiers could reorganize so quickly, but he still remained cautious: "Have the Third Battalion provide central support!"
After issuing the order, he glanced back at the soldiers of the Eighth Battalion resting not far behind him.
If only they were also heavy infantry! Amyntas surprisingly had such a thought at this moment, which shows the psychological pressure the Roman's proactive attack had caused him.
"Immediately send someone to urge the Volsci to speed up their advance!" Amyntas no longer had the relaxed mood he had before.
After Stiphilus led his company back from the front line, they basically maintained their original formation, but most of the soldiers were sitting on the ground, panting heavily.
The soldiers had just caught their breath when Battalion Commander Ctesius issued an order: "Brothers of the First Battalion, according to the current formation order, immediately turn to the left flank and meet the attacking enemy!"
The soldiers cursed and used their spears to prop up their sore legs, picked up their shields that felt heavy, and under the command of Company Commander Stiphilus and the squad leaders, followed the other company soldiers to rotate the entire First Battalion's square formation to the left, and then marched forward in large strides.
Just as they reached the edge of the left flank, the soldiers saw that the Romans were not far from them.
And these Roman soldiers who rushed over quickly, seeing that enemy reinforcements had arrived in front of them, did not stop to reorganize their ranks and form a large square formation to engage, but instead used small square formations formed by individual centuries to launch an attack on the First Battalion's newly established formation.
Seeing this kind of offensive tactic, which was often seen in the training of the Daonian army, appearing on the enemy's side, Stiphilus felt both absurd and nervous.
"Shield wall defense!" He issued this order because he had no choice. The soldiers were exhausted and unable to launch an offensive to offset the enemy's charge.
While the Daonian soldiers in the front row raised their long shields with their entire left arm, braced themselves, and took a firm stance, the squad leaders were also loudly reminding them: "Switch to short swords! Switch to short swords!…"
When the soldiers are physically exhausted and their muscles are sore, using spears will not only reduce the accuracy of thrusting, but also cause the spear to slip backward when the opponent collides forcefully, thereby scratching the palm and affecting the use of the weapon. Short swords are easier to control, especially when the enemy wants to use force to get close and crush them, it is even more useful. This is the experience summed up in countless battles and compiled into the "Military Law" by the Daonian Military Department, so the officers can use it in a timely manner.
The six Roman centuries rushing towards them were all composed of young soldiers. They ran vigorously and roared like thunder.
In fact, most of the soldiers of the First Legion were also in their mid-twenties, which was the peak of their physical strength. However, they had been traveling from Sershe in the morning until now without much rest, consuming too much physical strength, so naturally they could not compare with the enemy now.
The Roman centuries successively crashed into the Daonian shield wall, like boulders hitting a city wall,
causing the shield wall to appear with indentations.
The Roman soldiers used the strong kinetic energy of their charge to break open the opponent's shield defense and thrust their spears at the staggering enemies.
The Daonian soldiers, on the other hand, used all their strength to first resist the enemy's charge, and then slowly retreated with the soldiers behind them to relieve the opponent's strong offensive. While protecting their whole body with their long shields, their right hands' short swords occasionally pierced out from the gaps, inflicting damage on the enemies who dared to get close and attack fiercely.
The Roman's attack was fierce, the soldiers in the front row were stabbed and fell, and the soldiers in the rear row stepped over the wounded and continued to attack.
The Daonians also defended stubbornly, constantly stepping forward to fill the gaps that were opened, and striving to maintain the integrity of the front line of defense.
The battle entered a feverish state from the very beginning.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
At this moment, Amyntas once again received terrible news from the scouts: "Report, Legion Commander, there are more than 2,000 Roman heavy infantry rapidly moving towards our right flank!"
Hearing this news, Amyntas's face was very ugly: The Romans still have so many troops?! Did they reorganize the previous rout so quickly?!
Time did not allow him to think more. He looked back at the light infantrymen who were still resting and issued an order: "Let the Third Battalion quickly go to the right flank to organize a defense. After engaging the enemy, let the Eighth Battalion quickly bypass the enemy's flank and rear to carry out a pincer attack!"
"Legion Commander," Printolos reminded from the side, "Since the Roman's tactics are similar to ours, I am afraid they will not be afraid of being attacked on the flank. On the contrary, when the enemy's morale is strong, letting the light infantry fight with the heavy infantry will probably not be their match… Uh, we are not trying to defeat the enemy now, but to defend and delay time…"
Printolos's reminder made Amyntas ponder for a while: Indeed, since the Romans are fighting based on centuries of more than a hundred people, when the light infantry move to the side and rear of its formation, its rear century only needs to turn flexibly to form a face-to-face battle…
Soon, he changed his order: "Let the Third Battalion reduce the thickness of the formation, extend the length of the formation, and completely block the enemy's attack! Let the Eighth Battalion go to the rear of the Third Battalion to increase the thickness of the entire formation and resist the enemy's impact!"
"Yes!" The messenger ran away.
At this time, Amyntas was no longer as calm as before, and Printolos was the same. The atmosphere became a little dignified.
Lydes hesitated for a moment and said, "Um, should I let my cavalry attack the enemy reinforcements from the flank to reduce some pressure on the First Legion?"
Amyntas's eyes lit up, and then he shook his head: "Lydes, thank you! My First Legion can resist the enemy's attack. Let your cavalry rest well. I don't want the cavalry to be unable to pursue when the enemy routs because they have exhausted their strength."
"Okay." Although Lydes's expression showed regret, Amyntas's words actually relieved him.
"Send another messenger to urge the Volsci!!!" Amyntas's next anxious words made everyone around him understand that this legion commander was not as confident as he said.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In fact, Camillus did not send all the heavy infantry out. He left three newly formed centuries in the rear to protect the light infantry and cavalry, preventing them from being raided by the enemy's cavalry.
Although the number of light infantry in the Roman alliance was greater than that of the Daonian light infantry, they were afraid of the slingers and dared not launch an attack on the Daonian light infantry.
In fact, the number of lead bullets carried by the Daonian slingers was not much, but they put on a posture of attacking at any time, so that the two sides maintained a stalemate.
Camillus closely watched the progress of the battle ahead.
The new line formed by the veteran soldiers and the prime soldiers not only blocked the enemy's attack, but also began to force the enemy to retreat, but their advance was very slow, which could not satisfy Camillus, because he knew very well: The number of Daonian heavy infantry was less than them, and after a long march, their physical strength was not as good as theirs. They were even able to maintain a general stalemate with the second line of soldiers with stronger combat effectiveness after defeating his first line of defense. This could not help but surprise him.
Therefore, in order to defeat the enemy as soon as possible, Camillus did not retain the third line of reserves, and almost put all of them into the attack on the enemy's flank. Now all the measures that can be used have been used, and all the available troops have been pressed up. He only had anxious waiting and praying to the gods left.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Battalion Commander Patroclus, who was behind the Sixth Battalion's formation, was also surprised. This was the first time since he enlisted that he had encountered such a difficult enemy.
These Roman soldiers used constant shield strikes and thrusts to consume the physical strength of the Daonian soldiers, but rarely used brute force to ram the shield wall, avoiding going too deep into the line of defense. Therefore, they could basically maintain a relatively continuous line of attack.
Under such circumstances, it was difficult for the Daonian soldiers to exert the power of their short swords, because actively getting close to the enemy would undoubtedly consume more of their tired physical strength.
Therefore, under the Roman's steady and continuous attack, the Daonian line of defense was forced to retreat slowly.
However, on the flank of the army formation, the attack of the Roman young soldiers was much more violent, especially the more than 2,000 Roman young soldiers who were sent into the battle last. In order to wash away the shame of the previous defeat, they attacked completely without regard for their physical strength. Some soldiers who were blinded by the killing even engaged in a desperate fight, which put the Third Battalion of the First Daonian Legion, which was resisting their attack, under great pressure.
Comius was one of these 2,000 people. His century had previously been harassed by the Daonian cavalry, and then defeated by the Daonian heavy infantry's javelin attack. The soldiers had long been holding back their anger. After reorganizing their ranks, they were sent to attack the enemy's flank and charged at the forefront.
From the rear of the century, Comius personally watched several soldiers being stabbed in the chest by the enemy's short swords, but they did not fall down immediately. Instead, they used their last strength to tightly grab the other side's short sword and refused to let go, providing an opportunity for their teammates behind them to kill the opponent.
The soldiers' heroic performance also made Comius, a veteran of many years, feel his blood boil. Seeing a general with a white plume on his helmet constantly shouting loudly behind the enemy's formation, he didn't think much about it and threw the spear in his hand forcefully. Then he saw the general fall down, but the enemy's formation was not disrupted, as if nothing had happened. The Daonians were still stubbornly defending against the soldiers' attack.
Before long, most of his soldiers had been killed or wounded, turning Camillus's rear guard into the front line. But when he looked at the enemy facing him, he was stunned. It was the officer with the white plume he had struck with his spear.
At this moment, there was a large hole in the enemy's right shoulder pauldron, still oozing blood. His right hand hung limply, and he glared at Camillus with his left hand holding his shield.
Camillus, without his spear, drew the sword at his waist to fight. The meter-long sword was good for hacking, but the narrow space and the opponent's well-defended shield hindered its effectiveness. Experienced, he used his strength to repeatedly slam against the opponent's shield.
The already seriously injured enemy clearly couldn't withstand such powerful blows, his face showing a painful expression, and finally he knelt to the ground, unable to hold on.
Camillus stepped forward again, towering over him, and swung his sword down, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg. A short sword had pierced his calf.
It turned out that although the enemy's right shoulder was severely injured, his right hand still held a short sword, which he had hidden behind his shield, feigning weakness and inability to hold a weapon. He seized the opportunity when Camillus relaxed his vigilance and struck successfully. Then, he forcefully pulled it outwards, the sharp blade immediately severing the tendon.
Camillus screamed, his forward-leaning body unbalanced, and he fell forward, knocking the enemy and his shield to the ground.
The enemy also grimaced in pain, but his right hand continued to wield the short sword, wounding the ankle of a teammate advancing beside Camillus, until a soldier behind Camillus pierced the enemy's chest with a long spear, and he spat out blood, cried out "Hades," and died with a relieved expression...
...
Although the Third Battalion of the First Legion fought bravely, the number of Roman recruits facing them was more than double. Under their fierce attack, several gaps appeared in the Third Battalion's line. The lightly armored soldiers in the rear did not hesitate to fill them in time, bravely resisting the attack of the heavily armored Roman heavy infantry...
The battle continued fiercely, and scouts constantly relayed messages back and forth.
"Report, Legion Commander, the Second Company Commander of the Fourth Battalion is wounded!"
"Report, Legion Commander, the Third Company Commander of the First Battalion is dead!"
"Report, the First Company Commander of the Third Battalion is injured! ... The Third Company Commander is dead! ... The Fifth Company Commander is dead! ..."
According to the usual tactics of the Daonian Legion, company commanders rarely personally engaged in combat. When a company commander personally takes the field, it only means that the company has suffered heavy casualties.
Listening to the reports of one scout after another, Amyntas's face was as gloomy as a sky covered with dark clouds.
At this moment, another scout galloped over: "Report, Legion Commander, Hytbarus, the Battalion Commander of the Third Battalion, requests reinforcements! The Third Battalion has suffered heavy casualties, and the Battalion Commander has personally taken the field!"
"Go back and tell Hytbarus that I have no reinforcements, and I don't want to hear any casualty figures, but he must hold the line there and block the Roman attack! If he dies in battle, I'll take over!" Amyntas said sternly, his face ashen.
The scout galloped away.
Amyntas glanced at the guards behind him and said loudly, "We're going to the rear of the Eighth Battalion!"
Amyntas spoke with an imposing manner.
Printors opened his mouth, intending to persuade him, but finally gave up.
At this time, Lydes said, "I'll send the cavalry over to flank the enemy and relieve the pressure on the Third Battalion."
Amyntas glanced at him and nodded this time without refusing.
...
The movement of the Daonian cavalry could not be concealed from the eyes of the Roman scouts. Now, the flank of Daonia's right wing was the area where the Roman attack was progressing the fastest. Where would the Daonian cavalry go? Of course, it was easy to understand.
Camillus immediately said to Lucius: "You immediately lead all the cavalry and three heavy infantry cohorts to the enemy's right wing. After repelling the enemy's cavalry, lead them to continue strengthening the attack on the enemy's flank! Completely defeat the enemy!"
Lucius hesitated for a moment: "But Father, your safety—"
"The more intense your attack, the safer I am! Go! Go!" Urged by Camillus, Lucius led his troops away.
The old military officer was left with only more than 1,400 light infantry soldiers. He summoned several allied generals and said sincerely, "Next, this old man's life will be entrusted to you."
Camillus not only had high prestige in Rome, but was also well-known throughout the Latin League. People respected him very much because he led the army to repel the Celts who ravaged the Latium region.
Several Roman allied generals immediately made a commitment: "Lord Camillus, rest assured, if the enemy wants to harm you, they will have to step over our corpses!"
As soon as they returned and had not yet deployed their defenses, the lead bullets of the Daonian slingers smashed over.
After seeing the cavalry and heavy infantry leave the enemy's rear, the Seventh Battalion of the First Legion also began to attack the position where the Roman military flag was erected, attempting to capture and kill the enemy commander in one fell swoop and reverse the battle.
...
The heavy infantry and light infantry were fighting on the front and flanks, and the cavalry and light infantry were fighting on the periphery... The Roman and Daonian armies were fully engaged.
After nearly two hours of fierce fighting, the battle had entered its final contest.
The Romans had already gained a clear advantage. The entire Daonian line was compressed into a semicircle, especially the rightmost defense line, which was crumbling. If Legion Commander Amyntas had not personally held up his shield, held his spear, and fought the enemy, and the legion flag had been erected behind them, the Third Battalion and the light infantry would probably have retreated, but now they were just fighting with their last breath, barely supporting themselves.
Lydes's First Cavalry Legion was also desperately blocking the enemy's cavalry and heavy infantry reinforcements.
Although the Roman cavalry was brave, their numbers were small and their lethality was not strong. But their heavy infantry caused the Daonian cavalry to suffer a lot of casualties.
Although Lydes was heartbroken, he knew that the First Cavalry Legion could not avoid it, otherwise, although these reinforcements were not many, the consequences would be unimaginable if they joined the battle.
Just when Lydes was anxious about being unable to stop the advance of the Roman heavy infantry, a cavalryman shouted: "Legion Commander, look!"
In the thick dust, Lydes turned his head and looked south, only to see a large black shadow appearing in the distance, rapidly approaching this side.
The Volsci! Lydes was immediately refreshed and shouted loudly: "Brothers, hold on for a while! Our reinforcements are here! Our reinforcements are here! !"
...
The first to arrive at the battlefield were more than a thousand Volscian warriors led by Corunnas, the governor of Antium, followed by a thousand Volscian warriors from Setia. The Antium warriors who set out from Pollefrnum arrived even earlier than the Volscian warriors who set out from Setia, which shows how strong their desire to avenge the Romans was.
They rushed to the battlefield and launched a fierce attack on the red Roman soldiers almost without stopping.
The Roman cavalry was first defeated.
Then, the three Roman heavy infantry cohorts that were being blocked by the Daonian cavalry were also attacked. Just as they turned to resist, the warriors of Setia also arrived and surrounded them.
The equipment of the Roman heavy infantry was not comparable to that of the Volscian warriors who only carried spears, shields, and helmets without breastplates, but their numbers were too small, and they had been fighting with the Daonians for so long, and their physical strength was greatly depleted, so they were quickly overwhelmed by the Volscian tide.
Just as the Volscian troops arrived at the battlefield one after another, and the vanguard Antium warriors and Setia warriors continued to rush towards the Roman recruits who were fighting fiercely with the Daonian Third Battalion and light infantry, an urgent retreat signal sounded from the rear of the Roman army...
...
When the warriors of Antium attacked the three Roman cohorts, Camillus received an emergency report from the scout. The news that "a large number of Volscian warriors appeared on the battlefield" hit him hard, and it took him a while to recover.
At this time, regret and self-blame intertwined in his heart. He originally thought that relying on the army's large number of soldiers and good physical strength, he wanted to defeat the Daonians first and then retreat, which would be the safest, but he did not expect the Daonians to be so difficult to deal with! The battle had lasted so long, and not only had he not repelled the Daonians, but he had also welcomed the Volsci...
"Sound the retreat signal!" Camillus suppressed the regret in his heart and immediately issued the order without hesitation.
"Military Officer Camillus, wait a little longer! We will be able to defeat the Daonians soon!" The adjutant urged in a hurry: "The Volsci have just arrived, maybe there are not many of them, our soldiers will be able to stop them—"
"Sound the retreat!" Camillus still said firmly and loudly: "Sound the retreat!"
Camillus, who had been in the battlefield for a long time, never had any luck in war. If he was defeated, he would try to save the lives of his soldiers as much as possible.
The retreat signal sounded continuously, and the first reaction of all the Roman cohort commanders who heard the signal was disbelief, because what they saw was that the troops under their command were now in an advantageous position, and some cohort commanders had already felt that the enemies opposite them were somewhat unable to support themselves, but out of absolute trust in the commander Camillus, they still issued orders to their soldiers to retreat.
The veteran and middle-aged soldiers in the front attack formations on the left, center, and right wings quickly began to retreat, distancing themselves from the enemies opposite them, and then quickly and orderly turned and retreated.
Patroclus, who had already picked up his shield and spear and fought side by side with the soldiers, of course knew what the ultimate combat purpose of Legion Commander Amyntas in having them rush here from the place where the camp was being built was. Therefore, the sudden retreat of the enemies opposite him immediately relieved the defense pressure on his battalion. He breathed a sigh of relief and immediately realized: the enemy is going to escape! Could it be that the Volsci are here?!
It wasn't just him; the fourth and fifth battalion commanders, along with other company commanders, quickly made a decision: to have the soldiers rush up and entangle the enemy, preventing them from escaping!
However, the Daunian legionaries, already exhausted, stumbled as they chased, only widening the distance between themselves and the Roman soldiers.
As for the Roman recruits on both flanks, their earlier attacks had been too fierce, and the formations were already intertwined, too close to easily disengage. In particular, nearly half of the 2,000-plus Roman recruits who had attacked from the right rear flank of the Daunian formation were bloodthirsty, focused solely on attacking, and ignoring the bugle calls and shouts from the outside.
Just then, over 2,000 Volsci from Antium and Setia quickly arrived, joining forces with the Third Battalion of the First Legion and the light infantry to attack these Roman recruits from both sides, managing to surround a large portion of them.
But for a moment, the Roman soldiers didn't panic. The rear centuries turned to resist the Volsci's attack, while the soldiers in the front ranks attacked even more desperately, nearly causing the Third Battalion and the light infantry's formation to collapse. Fortunately, knowing that reinforcements were arriving, they strengthened their resolve to hold their ground.
At the same time, Amyntas urgently transferred soldiers from the Second Battalion, which was close to the Third Battalion, to reinforce the line.
When the other Volsci reinforcements arrived on the battlefield, they saw that the entire Roman army was already in retreat, so they immediately began to pursue.
The Daunian heavy infantry were already exhausted and could only run for a short while before faltering. Only the light infantry and cavalry continued the chase.
The Seventh Battalion, composed entirely of light infantry, was the fittest in the First Legion. They ran as hard as they could, trying to circle around and intercept the six Roman recruit centuries that had been attacking the left flank.
Unexpectedly, these Roman centuries, unaware of the Volsci reinforcements' arrival on the left flank, were merely retreating in response to orders, not routed, and their morale was still good. Moreover, their retreat was somewhat similar to the Daunian army's approach; they retreated as entire centuries, rather than scattering and running haphazardly, allowing them to quickly regroup and counterattack.
After suffering some losses, the Seventh Battalion no longer dared to stand in their way, but instead followed them, attacking with javelins and arrows, achieving some success.
The Daunian cavalry's pursuit was more direct, charging through the enemy centuries from the rear, scattering them, and then spearing the isolated enemies one by one. However, this method was too taxing on the tired horses, so the cavalry only used it a few times at the beginning of the chase, and afterwards only attacked isolated stragglers.
The battlefield was only four or five li away from the Roman camp. Camillus led the majority of the able-bodied and veteran centuries, as well as the light infantry,
and retreated to the outside of the north gate of the camp without much resistance.
Furius had already received the news and had opened the camp gates wide, ready to receive Camillus.
Camillus did not immediately enter the camp, but instead reminded Furius to guard the camp well, preventing the enemy from taking the opportunity to attack, and ordered the light infantry to quickly take positions on the wooden walls and climb the watchtowers, attacking any enemy who dared to approach the camp. At the same time, he led the 3,000-plus able-bodied and veteran troops, forming a line a hundred meters from the camp, and launched a swift attack on the Volsci who soon arrived.
The Volsci, focused only on pursuing the routed troops, had long since scattered their formation and lost their organization, and were quickly defeated by Camillus's troops.
After repeatedly defeating several Volsci pursuit units and ensuring the safety of the retreating Roman soldiers, Camillus did not launch a counter-pursuit, but instead led his troops to steadily retreat, taking a position 50 meters from the north gate of the camp, guarding the escape route of the routed soldiers under the protection of the light infantry's arrows and javelins.
By the time the Volsci had to gather all the pursuing warriors and reorganize into a large army approaching the Roman camp, Camillus had already led his troops into the camp.
Seeing the Roman soldiers densely packed on the wooden walls, the Volsci finally abandoned the idea of taking advantage of the situation to attack the Roman camp.
By this time, this arduous battle had finally come to an end.
Although the battle was won, Amyntas could not be happy looking at the wounded soldiers all over the ground. A rough casualty count had already come out: the First Legion had suffered more than 2,400 casualties, which was already 1/4 of the entire legion's strength, especially the Third Battalion and the light infantry battalion, which had lost more than half of their men. Although some of the wounded only had minor injuries and could recover after bandaging, treatment, and recuperation, it had already hurt the First Legion badly.
Lydes next to him was also sighing: the First Cavalry Legion had hindered the Roman supply-gathering troops from retreating at the beginning, and then blocked the reinforcements of Roman heavy infantry and cavalry at the end, so it paid a great price, and the final casualty figure was as high as more than 700 people, which was close to half of the legion's strength, especially the loss of horses was very serious, and the warhorses would probably need a period of recovery before they could return to the battlefield.
"This battle was a big loss!" Lydes lamented from the side, his voice loud enough for Amyntas to hear. Although he had tried his best to assist Amyntas in the battle, this did not prevent him from venting his grievances after the battle.
Amyntas did not refute, and in fact he was not in the mood to refute now. While ordering the messengers to quickly notify the medical camp to come and treat the wounded soldiers, he also ordered the guards who were still able to help the wounded bandage their wounds and provide initial treatment (soldiers had received training in this area during peacetime military training).
At this time, the soldiers of the First Legion were so tired that they did not even have time to take off their helmets and breastplates, and they lay down on the ground and slept soundly, even if someone stepped on them, they did not react, and were repeatedly mistaken for corpses by the guards. They were really too tired.
Amyntas walked among the soldiers, his steps cautious, for fear of waking them up, but his mood was heavy: as the commander of the First Legion for nine years, he was very familiar with all the soldiers and officers in the army. Now, watching these soldiers and officers, who he usually spent time with and fought side by side under his command in wartime, fall one by one in the bloodbath, how could he not feel sorry for them!
At the same time, he was also blaming himself: although King Davos had repeatedly told him to pay attention to the Roman army before the trip, he still underestimated the Romans, otherwise he would not have ordered the legion soldiers to attack an enemy that outnumbered them after experiencing a long march. He treated the Romans as the Messapians, Peucetians, and Daunians that the Daunian Legion had fought against in the past. But the facts proved that King Davos's worries were correct. This army, whose organizational form and tactics were somewhat similar to Daonia's, was indeed more combat-effective than Daonia's previous enemies! ... If the First Legion had more energy and more numbers, it would never have been so passive! Rome ... Rome ...
As Amyntas walked and thought, Hete Balrus staggered to his feet in front of him. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, and there was a long bloodstain on his forehead. He could only barely salute with his left hand: "Legion ... Legion Commander ..."
"Lie down quickly, Hete Balrus!" Amyntas said hurriedly, showing a rare gentle and caring smile to the commander of the Third Battalion.
"Legion Commander, the brothers of the Third Battalion ..." Hete Balrus looked sad, and before he could finish speaking, his eyes were already filled with tears.
Amyntas's smile froze on his face, and he could only say in a deep voice: "Thanks to your Third Battalion and Eighth Battalion for stubbornly blocking the enemy's attack, we won this victory! The medical camp will do its best to treat the soldiers under your command! You must also receive treatment and recover as soon as possible. The First Legion cannot do without you!"
After speaking, Amyntas left in a hurry.
At this time, the adjutant Aristonous approached and said in a low voice: "Legion Commander, Stiphilus suffered some minor injuries, but there is nothing serious." These children of the old Daunian veterans were relatively familiar with each other.
"His injuries are too light!" Amyntas's sigh stunned Aristonous.
...................
Inside the Roman camp's main tent, Camillus briefly described the course of the battle to Furius.
After listening, Furius couldn't help but gasp: "Camillus, are you saying ... the Daunian army marched all the way from Serschae to the south of our camp, without stopping in the middle, and launched an attack on our grain-gathering troops, and then ... also resisted the continuous attack of our 9,000-plus heavy infantry, and finally waited for the arrival of the Volsci reinforcements?! ..."
"Yes!" Camillus sighed and said with a solemn expression: "The key is that we have a lot more people than them. 9,000-plus heavy infantry plus 2,000 light infantry and 700 cavalry, the troops I led had nearly 12,000 people, while the Daunians ... after multiple reports from the scouts, they have about 10,000 people, but there may only be six or seven thousand heavy infantry, but with such an army that is less physically fit than us and has fewer people than us, our Roman soldiers fought fiercely for more than two hours and still failed to defeat them!"
Over the years, the Roman army has been invincible in the Latium and Etruria regions, and Furius, who is used to victory, finds it difficult to accept the fact that the Roman army is not as good as the Daunian army for a while. Of course, he understands Camillus and does not think that this highly respected veteran will distort the facts in order to clear himself of the crime of losing the battle, so he couldn't help but ask again: "Is the Daunian army really that strong?!"
"Let's not talk about the Daunian cavalry for now, you already know the previous situation. As for the light infantry, we don't pay much attention to it and let the allies provide them, so they are undisciplined, lack training and coordination, but the Daunian light infantry have slingers who can throw lead bullets at a distance, archers and javelin throwers, they cooperate well with each other and are well trained, so before I led the army to arrive, their light infantry, which only had about a thousand people, could suppress our 2,000 light infantry and 700 cavalry ..."
Camillus analyzed earnestly, "More importantly, their heavy infantry isn't much different from ours in terms of equipment. They even resemble us in formation and tactics. However, their heavy infantry can throw javelins. At the start of the engagement, our young soldiers were routed by the enemy's javelin attacks! I also noticed that there are many flags in the Daonian army formation. They use not only bugles to convey orders, but also drums and flags. Therefore, the connection between Daonian squadrons is closer, and the speed of executing orders is faster than ours…"
Furius listened, his expression somewhat dejected, yet slightly skeptical. He said, "In this case, our army is inferior to the Daonians in every way?! Perhaps… maybe, this unit is the strongest in Daonia, and the other units might… not have such strong combat power and morale!"
Camillus didn't harbor any illusions. He said frankly, "Judging from the organizational ability and combat level displayed by this Daonian army, I'm afraid the other Daonian armies won't be too weak either. Otherwise, Daonia wouldn't have become a powerful kingdom in just a few years. Moreover, the Kingdom of Daonia possesses the entire territory of Southern Italy, and their number of soldiers is greater than ours… Provoking such a powerful opponent will be a big trouble for Rome!" Saying this, Camillus looked worried.
Furius suddenly thought of something, cheering himself and Camillus up, "Don't forget, we also have a powerful ally, Carthage! They have already promised that as long as Daonia dares to declare war on us, they will declare war on Daonia! With Carthage attacking from the south, Daonia cannot send more troops here. Fighting on Latinium, which belongs to us, Rome has the advantage!"
Camillus hesitated.
At this moment, the adjutant walked into the tent with a solemn expression, "Two military tribunes, the casualty statistics have been compiled. 4460 of our heavy infantry are missing, 4 cavalry are missing, and 740 light infantry are missing. A total of 5250 people have not returned to camp…"
"5250 people! That's already half of the number who left the camp!" Furius' surprised expression was somewhat exaggerated. He immediately realized that Camillus was beside him, and hurriedly added, "In reality, there may not be so many casualties and captured soldiers. Some soldiers may have scattered, and they will return after the enemy retreats, so the camp sentries should pay attention to identification, and arrange the troops to be ready to help them return to the camp at any time…"
Although Camillus had expected it, the huge number still made him feel unbearable. He couldn't help coughing repeatedly, and the adjutant hurried forward to pat his back.
After a while, Camillus recovered. His face was gloomy, and his tone was low as he said, "This battle caused such heavy casualties to the soldiers, all due to my command errors! I will write to the Senate, requesting punishment! …And I must also remind them to be vigilant against the Daonian army and use troops cautiously!"
Hearing Camillus' words, Furius breathed a sigh of relief. Although he respected Camillus, it didn't mean he wanted to bear the failure together with Camillus. He didn't want this fiasco to affect his future career in Rome, but he still pretended to be righteous, saying, "Camillus, how can this be your sole responsibility?! You and I are both commanders of this army, and the decision to leave the camp to rescue was made jointly by you and me—"
Camillus waved his hand, "Don't say anymore, it's all my fault! I underestimated the Daonians, otherwise, after receiving the grain-collecting troops, I should have immediately led the troops back…"
"War cannot be based on luck!" Camillus sighed deeply with regret, then reminded, "We not only lost so many soldiers, but also some soldiers were injured and cannot fight in battle for a short time. The number of soldiers who can fight in the camp has been greatly reduced. Furius, I suggest that you strengthen the camp defenses tomorrow. No matter how the enemy provokes us, absolutely do not leave the camp to fight!"
No matter how young and vigorous Furius was, the performance of the Daonian army had indeed shocked him. How dare he risk his career and the lives of his soldiers? He nodded, "You are right, Camillus, we should hold the camp until Quintus and the others arrive with their troops!"
… … … … … … … … … … … …
For the Volsci, this was a rare victory against Rome in ten years, even though the main force in the battle was not them. When the Romans, despairing of breaking through, finally had to surrender to the Volscian warriors, or when the Volscian warriors injured and captured the lagging Romans during the pursuit, these Volsci who escorted the Romans back were filled with the pride of victory.
However, the Volscian high-ranking officials were very clear about who had brought this victory. Under the leadership of the Volscian consul Tullus and the Pollevnian consul Catamontaros, they found Amyntas, who was rescuing the wounded soldiers.
"General Amyntas, I really didn't expect that you led the army to Volsci only recently, and the next day you brought us a rare victory! It can be seen that Daonia is sincerely helping us! Thank you very much! Thank you very much!" Tullus said sincerely.
Catamontaros immediately took over the conversation and expressed his apology excitedly, "Please forgive my previous prejudice. When Tullus told me 'Daonia only sent an army of 10,000 people,' I complained, 'What can only 10,000 reinforcements do when tens of thousands of Roman troops invade!' But you and your soldiers have proved the strength of the Daonian army with your heroic performance. Please accept my respect for you!"
The consul of this important Volscian town immediately paid Amyntas the most honorable Volscian salute.
Amyntas hurriedly helped him up, saying with rare modesty, "I am just a soldier, following the orders of the kingdom and fighting the enemy is my duty! You should thank King Davos, who sent us here!"
"The most correct thing we Volsci have done in these years is to ally with the great Daonia. We are honored to fight side by side with the warriors of Daonia! To defeat the Romans together!" Corinnas, the former consul of Antium, said loudly.
"That's right! That's right! … …" The other Volscian high-ranking officials also echoed loudly.
Hearing these sincere words and looking at their excited expressions one by one, Amyntas suddenly realized: The victory gained by the First Legion at such a great sacrifice is of great significance!
At this time, Catamontaros made a sincere request to the legion commander of the Daonian First Legion: "General Amyntas, since the Romans have suffered this defeat, they don't have many troops in the camp anymore. We have decided to attack the Roman camp next to completely eliminate this enemy force. We hope to get your help!"
Amyntas was stunned, then shook his head, and said frankly, "I don't think the decision to attack the Roman camp now is a good idea!"
Regardless of whether the Volsci's expressions were good-looking, he continued to analyze earnestly, "I carefully inspected the Roman camp today, and their defenses are quite tight. Moreover, after today's battle, I found that the Romans are very strong in combat. Even if we rely on numbers, we can eventually take this camp, but our losses will definitely be great. Can you bear such losses now?! It is said that the Romans have another army with even more people, and they will arrive soon. Then, what will we use to resist them when our numbers are sharply reduced due to continuous fighting?! … …"
Amyntas' words were like pouring a bucket of cold water on the Volscian high-ranking officials present, temporarily calming them down from the ecstasy of just winning.
Tullus, who originally disagreed with attacking the Roman camp, took the opportunity to ask, "General Amyntas, what suggestions do you have for the next battle?"
Amyntas thought for a while and said, "We should adopt a defensive strategy, relying on defending the towns to kill and injure a large number of Roman soldiers."
"Defense?! That will only allow the Romans to take our towns one by one. The loss of Velitrae is clear evidence. The Romans now have very strong siege capabilities!" Catamontaros expressed his doubts and worries about this.
Amyntas, who was usually irritable, did not get angry at this moment. He patiently explained, "When I marched through Setia before, I observed this town. Its defensive facilities are too simple, so of course it is easy to be breached. If you can use the victory of this battle and the spare time before the other Roman troops arrive to speed up the improvement and fortification of the city's defenses, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Roman siege!"
"General Amyntas, how should we improve the town's defenses?" Tullus immediately asked humbly.
"First of all, the moats must be dug deeper and wider, and sharp wood must be buried deep at the bottom of the moats, making it difficult for Roman siege soldiers to pass through it. Set up dense deer fences between the moat and the city walls, so that even if the Romans pass through the moat, it will take them a lot of time to reach the city with siege equipment. Our arrows, javelins, and stones… can kill and injure the enemy as much as possible. Outside the moat, we must also set up traps, and the setting of traps is exquisite…" Amyntas explained in detail while carving on the ground with a short sword, surrounded by a circle of Volscian high-ranking officials who were listening carefully.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
When the First Legion sailed to the Latinium region, Carthage, having received the news, of course had to send troops according to its previous promise to declare war on Daonia. However, in the Carthaginian Senate, the debate on this issue was very intense.