As he said this, Publius felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He sighed softly, then loudly proclaimed, "Therefore, the King of Daonia wishes for your surrender!"
The assembly erupted once again, with many senators standing up in anger and shouting at Publius, uttering phrases such as, "Romans would rather die fighting than surrender!" Of course, some senators were also whispering in dismay, "How could even Fidenae and Gabii be occupied by the Daonians?!"
"Is the King of Daonia too confident!" Portius sneered. "Even if what you just said is true, we've experienced Celtic invasions before. And that time, the situation was even worse, yet we still emerged victorious!"
"The Celtic invasion is completely different from the Daonian invasion, and I believe you should be able to sense that, even trapped on this mountain!" Publius retorted loudly. "The Celts burned, killed, and plundered in Etruria and Latium, causing all races to oppose them. Their atrocities were also punished by the gods, who inflicted them with plagues. Only then were they defeated by the united Latins led by Camillus. But now—"
Publius shook his head and pointed his finger towards the foot of the mountain outside the hall's entrance, "Not only have the Etruscan city-states allied with Daonia one after another, but Latin cities like Praeneste and Bovillae have also submitted to Daonia. Even the Roman commoners within the city have almost all become citizens of the Daonian kingdom. Except for this place, Rome has completely become a city of Daonia, and you have become the isolated ones in the Latium region!—"
"Lies! Everything you say is a lie! Daonia is an invader. The city-states of Etruria and Latium could never ally with it; they will only be loyal to Rome!" In the midst of the chaotic assembly, Senator Lucretius roared hysterically.
Publius turned to look at him, his eyes filled only with pity. "I have no need to lie. You can ask Decimus and Domitius about the truth later. It's time to wake up from your beautiful dream!"
Portius, Marrucinensis, Ambustus, Scipio the Elder, and others exchanged glances. Publius's words confirmed their inner anxieties.
Finally, Portius cleared his throat and said, "We already know your purpose. We need to discuss this matter, so please wait outside for our decision."
Publius bowed. As he turned to walk out of the hall, he saw that the faces of his former colleagues lacked their usual arrogance, replaced by more fear and resentment. This filled his heart with indescribable joy. He raised his head and strode purposefully out of the hall. As he left the dark back hall, he also saw Decimus and Domitius being led into the hall by guards.
Several hours later, he was led back into the back hall, where only Ambustus remained.
"Have you made a decision?" Publius asked directly.
"Sit down and talk, Publius," Ambustus said, not answering immediately, but instead pointing to the seat prepared for him nearby.
Publius didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down, crossed his arms, and said, "Knowing the Roman Senate as I do, the decision you've made must be to refuse surrender, right?!"
Ambustus looked at him without speaking.
"I would actually be happy to see you not surrender, because you are all a bunch of selfish, arrogant, and cruel people. It would be best if you died on this mountain!" Publius said mockingly, then changed his tone, "But besides you, there are your families on this mountain, and other people, especially those commoners, who are already lying on the ground, starving, unable to even utter a cry. Can you bear to let them be buried with you? That's thousands of people! Do you really want the Roman nobility to be completely wiped out?!"
Ambustus's face twitched a few times. He didn't respond directly, but said softly, "Publius, Marcus insisted on helping the commoners back then, almost inciting civil strife. The Senate made that decision out of necessity—"
"Facts have proven that what Marcus did was right. If the Senate had passed his suggestions back then, the Roman commoners wouldn't be turning to Daonia today, and you wouldn't be in this predicament!…" Publius loudly vented the dissatisfaction he had been holding in his heart towards the Roman Senate for years.
"Perhaps we have made some wrong decisions over the years…" Ambustus sighed, gazing at him, his tone heavy, "The Manlius clan, as one of the oldest clans in Rome, has lived here for generations. There are many relatives on this mountain who have been married into your family, people who have given you kindness, people you have helped… Can you bear to abandon all of this, including Jupiter and Juno, whom you have worshiped since childhood—"
Publius frowned, interrupting him, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Ambustus looked at him with a sincere face, his expression pained as he said, "We underestimated this war with the Daonians. We originally thought that even if they captured Rome, as long as Camillus's army returned, we could retake Rome. That's why we brought so many people up the mountain. But according to what you said, Camillus's army has been defeated, so the plan to return to Rome is out of reach, and our food supply is already very tight… Alas, the misery of the people, I believe you have already seen it when you came up the mountain. In a few days, they… may starve to death on this mountain because they have no food to eat…"
As he said this, tears welled up in Ambustus's eyes, "You guessed right, we are not prepared to surrender, but we hope to be allowed to let them go down the mountain to surrender, so that they do not become food for crows…"
Publius was stunned. Ambustus's request made him feel very difficult. The Daonians were using the siege of Capitoline Hill and the method of cutting off food supplies to force the Romans on the mountain to surrender. Ambustus hoped to arrange for most of the people who caused their greatest food consumption to go down the mountain, so that they could continue to hold on. The shrewd King of Daonia would never allow the Roman senators' self-proclaimed clever proposal to succeed!
Seeing Publius silent, Ambustus immediately propped his hands on the ground, bent down, and heavily kowtowed, hitting his forehead hard on the ground.
Publius was startled and hurriedly got up to avoid him, "Ambustus, what are you doing?!"
"Please! Save these compatriots of yours!" Ambustus pleaded.
"I… it's useless, King Davos will not agree!" Publius shook his head vigorously.
Ambustus didn't speak, but remained prostrated on the ground.
If Portius or Marrucinensis were to do this, it would only be counterproductive, but Ambustus had a good relationship with Publius in the past. After a long time, he sighed helplessly and finally responded, "Alright, I will try my best to persuade King Davos."
"Thank you, thank you! I thank you on behalf of everyone on this mountain!" Ambustus said gratefully as he sat up.
"There's no need to thank me. I'll be satisfied if you curse me a few less times," Publius said self-deprecatingly.
Ambustus coughed awkwardly a few times.
"However… don't have too much hope. The King of Daonia is very dissatisfied with the Roman nobility, and now you have made this suggestion. Even if they are eventually allowed to go down the mountain, I'm afraid there won't be good results!" Publius warned.
Ambustus smiled bitterly, "Living is hope; we can't ask for more."
Publius was silent.
"By the way, have you seen my little daughter and son-in-law in the city? Are they doing well now?!" Ambustus asked anxiously.
"Your son-in-law and daughter are imprisoned in their own residence, but they have not suffered any harm. King Davos seems to be somewhat interested in Stolo. Yesterday, he even allowed him to meet with the captured Minucius…"
"Minucius has also been captured?!" Ambustus was surprised.
"That's why I came to persuade you to surrender, because you have no hope," Publius took the opportunity to persuade again.
Ambustus didn't speak.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"These are the conditions proposed by those Roman senators?!" Davos stared directly at Publius, neither angry nor pleased.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Publius dared not meet Davos's gaze. He lowered his head and said respectfully, "After I went up the mountain, I patiently persuaded them, and even brought along the Roman nobles who were captured in the previous battles, hoping they could recognize the facts, but they never compromised… I can only bring back their proposal…"
"You have worked hard!" Davos praised, then said in a flat tone, "It seems that these stubborn Roman senators are still unwilling to give up."
Publius felt a tightness in his heart and dared not answer.
Davos paced back and forth in the center of the Senate hall with his hands behind his back, then suddenly asked, "How many Romans are on the mountain?"
"About 6,000 people."
"6,000 people…" Davos pondered for a while, then turned to face him and said decisively, "I agree to their request and allow those Romans to go down the mountain, but they can only be kingdom's slaves, and only 500 people can remain on the mountain."
Upon hearing this, Henipolis, who was standing beside him, hurriedly persuaded, "Your Majesty, this is a Roman trick! They want to—"
"Of course, I understand what they're thinking," Davos said with a confident smile. "They want to become heroes of Rome again, so I'll give them the chance to see if their fantasy can ultimately be realized!"
Hearing this, Hynepolis immediately lost his worries and couldn't wait to write down this scene as important material for his biography.
Publius, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy that he had fulfilled his promise and put his mind at ease. On the other hand, he was impressed by Davos's magnanimity and boldness, and he no longer held any hope for the struggle of the remaining Roman forces.
In fact, what the two of them didn't know was that Davos made this decision mainly because he considered the following factors: First, the Capitoline Hill was located within the city, and there were five or six thousand people on the hill. If they really starved to death due to lack of food, he was afraid that it would cause a plague, which would bring great trouble to the Daonian army, which was in the midst of war, and would also be detrimental to the rapid restoration of Rome's prosperity.
Second, the death of thousands of people in the urban area was too tragic. Not only would Davos himself feel unbearable, but it would also make the Romans who had already surrendered to Daonia feel a sense of sorrow, which would affect their perception of the Kingdom of Daonia and be detrimental to their integration.
Third, he had learned from Publius that most of the families of the aristocratic soldiers in Camillus's army were on the Capitoline Hill. Once he had them, Daonia would be better able to deal with the Roman army that had retreated to Satricum.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After obtaining Davos's consent, Publius went up the mountain again, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.
The next day, the people on the mountain were sent down, and the Roman senators, in accordance with the agreement, allowed a detachment of Daonian soldiers to enter the mountain to supervise the entire process (mainly to see if the Roman senators were abiding by the agreement and had only left 500 people).
The Roman people who came down the mountain were escorted (more often supported) by Daonian soldiers to the designated place for imprisonment. There was sadness on their faces, but more of a sense of relief, after all, the days of starvation were finally over.
The Roman civilians also ran to the square to watch the excitement. When they saw these aristocratic family members whom they once envied, now haggard and dazed, they felt a sense of joy and couldn't help but sigh.
Potitus, Marcius Rutilius Crassus, and the remaining hundreds of Roman citizen soldiers stood on the cliff top, watching their relatives step into the city occupied by the enemy, until the entire Capitoline Hill was once again empty and silent, they still stood like stone statues for a long time… …
After a long time,
The coughs of several old senators broke the deathly silence.
Scipio Africanus shouted loudly to the soldiers: "Citizens, next we must do our best to defend this place! Defend our Roman temples! Wait… wait for the final victory to come!"
"Roar! ! ! … …" The soldiers roared in unison, their roar filled with more of a tragic feeling.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Aquilonia, one of the three major towns of Hirpinia (the other two are Beneventum and Abellinum), is located more than 50 li northwest of Venosa in the Picentia region of the Kingdom of Daonia (this is only a straight-line distance, the actual distance to walk is doubled), and less than 50 li southwest of Asculum in the Daunian region. In the past, it has repeatedly served as a base for the Hirpini to invade the Apulian lowlands (including this time), and it has benefited from this, becoming the strongest tribal joint settlement in the southeastern part of the Hirpinian territory and a strong barrier to the southwest of the Hirpinian tribe.
Its city is built on a hill as high as 500 meters, surrounded by continuous mountains with an average height of about 300 meters. Let alone attacking, it would take a lot of effort just for the army to reach there.
Since Alexios was determined to capture Aquilonia, he had naturally made careful preparations. He transferred light infantry and light armored infantry battalions from the 11th Legion, then added two heavy infantry battalions and light armored infantry and light infantry battalions from the 10th Legion, plus the engineering battalion, medical battalion, baggage train, and mountain reconnaissance squad, totaling more than 6,000 people, and a large number of pack animals, carrying enough food to supply the army for more than ten days, and ten Abellinum people sent by Gellius to serve as guides.
As soon as it dawned, he led his army from Venosa, heading north to the south bank of the Aufidus River, and then proceeded upstream along the Aufidus River valley. The march was relatively smooth along the way, without being harassed by the Samnites.
It is understandable to think that the Samnites suffered serious damage in the previous two battles, and now they are concentrating their main force to attack the Campanian alliance. How many young and middle-aged clan members who can fight are left in the entire territory? Therefore, the smoothness of this march further strengthened Alexios's confidence in taking Aquilonia.
In the afternoon, the Daonian army reached a river bend in the upper reaches of the Aufidus River. This was exactly where the Aufidus River and a larger tributary converged, so the terrain was relatively flat and the area was relatively open. It was also located ten li directly south of Aquilonia, which was also the campsite that Alexios had carefully selected after learning about the surrounding terrain from the Abellinum guides before departure, because the north of this river bend also faced the narrow lowlands between the mountains (the height of this lowland was also tens of meters), through which it could approach the mountains where Aquilonia was located.
Therefore, he ordered the army to seize the time to build a camp on the south bank of this river bend.
All the soldiers immediately began to act quickly according to the prior division of labor: the engineers surveyed the surrounding terrain and determined the area of the main camp; the soldiers used sickles and axes to cut off the weeds in the area, cut down trees, and then level the ground to build a wooden fence… The most important thing was to try to burn the reeds in the swampy area on the shore to drive away the mosquitoes hidden in them. Fortunately, the Aufidus River was not a large river and rarely flooded, so the swampy area of the river bend was very small, but the fire and thick smoke would definitely attract the attention of the surrounding Samnite tribes, but in order to ensure that the soldiers had sufficient rest and health and enough physical strength and energy to cope with the arduous battle ahead, Alexios believed that it was worth it.
In order to initially construct the camp and lay a good foundation for the next step of the attack, at dusk, Alexios also had people light bonfires around the camp to illuminate the soldiers' hard work.
The soldiers also knew that this was not another place. The terrain was unfamiliar and complex. Not only were there often wild animals and snakes in the mountains, but also fierce enemies. Therefore, there was no need for the team officer to urge them. They were building the camp regardless of fatigue, because they knew that only by building a good camp could they sleep well in this dangerous mountain.
After evening, the camp took shape: a wooden fence was built on the periphery, and a simple deer village was tied around the wooden fence. Inside the wooden fence, watchtowers were erected at the four corners of the camp. Inside the camp, rows of rectangular tents were neatly arranged. These tarpaulins sewn from animal skins were not only strong, but also covered a large area, which could completely cover the space inside the tent, not only preventing snake and insect bites, but also blocking wind, frost, rain and snow. Each tent could accommodate a squad of soldiers to rest, just like the legion's barracks in the territory, so that extremely familiar comrades-in-arms could relax and fall asleep quickly in an unfamiliar battlefield environment, and it was also convenient for the squad leader to manage.
A battalion occupied an area within the camp, with a large gap between the tent areas of another battalion. The six battalions were arranged in a ring, surrounding the medical battalion, engineering battalion, and baggage train in the middle (usually because the pack animals in the baggage train had a strong smell and were noisy, they were often arranged on one side of the camp, but this time because the camp was not perfect and the defense was weak, it was extremely vulnerable to attack if placed on the outside of the camp, and in mountain warfare, food transportation was difficult, and pack animals were extremely important). In the very center of the camp was the commander's tent, and a very large brazier was propped up outside the tent, and the continuously burning flames allowed the team officers and soldiers in the camp to find the commander even in the dark.
When the soldiers were all building the camp, Alexios specially arranged for a company to get plenty of rest. When all the soldiers began to sleep, this company began to stand guard, watch, and patrol the camp in the dark.
Lachesis, a Messapian, was the flag-bearing hero at the Thurii carousel two years ago, and is now a company commander. As the chief officer of the company on duty tonight, he asked his four squads to be responsible for guarding and watching in the four directions of the camp: east, west, south, and north. He also solemnly instructed the four squad leaders: "Be sure to keep your eyes open and observe all abnormalities outside the camp. Report immediately if you find anything! If anyone is careless or even lazy and sleeps, I will definitely punish them according to military law, without mercy!"
After arranging the task, he personally followed the first squad to patrol the north side of the camp, because he knew that there was a high possibility of enemies appearing in this direction.
Late at night, the soldiers had already fallen asleep, but the outside of the camp was not quiet. The "woo woo" of wolves in the mountains, the "croak croak" of frogs by the river, the "chirp chirp" of birds in the swamp, the chirping of various insects in the grass, and the gurgling of flowing water… This is nature's most beautiful melody.
But this harmony will soon be broken. Waterfowl flapped their wings in panic, frogs stopped croaking warily, and noisy footsteps sounded on the opposite bank of the river…
"Company commander, there are enemies!" a soldier reminded from the watchtower.
"Don't worry, first see clearly how many enemies there are!" Lachesis said calmly. He couldn't disturb the commander's rest just because a few enemies came to harass him. That would only leave Alexios with an impression of incompetence.
Before long, figures entered the range illuminated by the torches stuck on the wooden fence of the camp. They were dressed in thin clothes, mostly without armor, and carried javelins or bows and arrows, wading towards the camp. A rough glance revealed there were at least a hundred people, and more enemies continued to enter the firelight.
Lakelesis did not dare to be negligent and immediately sent soldiers to notify the central army tent.
Alexis was not asleep at all. After receiving the news of the enemy attack, he immediately sent two light infantry battalions to reinforce.
By the time they gathered and arrived on the south side of the camp, Lakelesis was leading the soldiers of his detachment, protecting themselves with long shields, and retaliating with javelins with some difficulty. Many soldiers had several javelins stuck in their shields.
Due to the hasty circumstances, the army had no time to dig trenches or build earthen walls. A simple wooden fence could only serve as a barrier and could not provide the legion soldiers with a defensive height. Therefore, when the Samnites approached within 20 meters of the camp and both sides engaged in medium- and long-range attacks, the legion soldiers lost their defensive advantage. On the contrary, the Samnites, relying on their numbers, suppressed Lakelesis and his men with javelins, and the Samnite archers behind them took the opportunity to fire rockets into the camp.
According to the "Daonian Military Law", "The construction of a field camp must be in accordance with the requirements, and the tent area must be more than 20 meters away from the enclosure wall." This ensures that the soldiers can pass smoothly during defense and avoids being easily attacked by the enemy from a long range.
Considering that the camp had not been walled, Alexis also increased the distance between the tent area and the wooden fence to 30 meters, but the Samnite archers were too close to the wooden fence, and the rockets they fired still ignited several tents, causing some confusion in the camp, and the soldiers had to get up to put out the fire.
After 2,000 Daonian light infantry arrived, they quickly changed the situation. The Samnites retreated with dozens of dead and wounded clansmen, but they did not go far. Instead, they circled the Daonian camp, making strange roars, occasionally using javelins to attack sentries, or firing rockets into the camp, disturbing the camp all night long.
But by the next morning, they had all disappeared without a trace.
The legion soldiers had been disturbed all night, and many had not rested well. In view of this, Alexis issued an order: all soldiers should continue to build the camp, and must dig trenches and build solid earthen walls before dusk, and erect a few more sentry towers... At the same time, the captains of each battalion should reasonably arrange the rest of the soldiers to ensure that they have plenty of energy.
In this regard, the adjutant Youmatheus had doubts: "Commander, why don't we immediately attack Aquilonia? Spending one more day here will consume one more day's rations, and it will also give the Aquilonians time to prepare their defenses, increasing the difficulty of our attack..."
"Even if Aquilonia has one more day to prepare, it probably won't have a big impact on our attack." Alexis looked at the vast mountains on the other side of the Ofanto River, with a deep light flashing in his eyes: "Compared to a hasty attack, I am more concerned about the state of the soldiers. They all come from the Apulia region. Although they have had mountain warfare training in the barracks, they have never had the experience of living in the mountains. They need some time to quickly adapt and maintain their physical strength and energy in order to cope with the arduous battles that may be encountered next."
"Arduous battle..." Youmatheus carefully pondered the meaning of this unclear sentence.
By dusk, with the joint efforts of more than 6,000 soldiers, a three-meter-high earthen wall and a trench outside the wall were built around the camp. As a result, although there were still Samnites attacking that night, the threat to the camp was almost negligible, and the soldiers slept more peacefully.
At dawn, Alexis left 500 heavy infantrymen to guard the camp, and led 5,500 soldiers and some auxiliary personnel, carrying five days of rations, across the Ofanto River, and headed towards the city of Aquilonia.
Although it was marching in the lowlands between the mountains, this lowland was not low, and the terrain became higher as they went north. The soldiers trudged through the rugged mountain roads, and what they could see when they looked up was the narrow blue sky cut out by the mountains on both sides.
In order to prevent being ambushed or attacked by the Samnites, Alexis sent all 100 soldiers of the mountain reconnaissance team to move in opposite directions to the main force on the mountains on both sides, while scouting for any abnormalities in the surrounding area.
Except for 1,500 heavy infantrymen who did not wear armor, but carried it on their backs, all the other soldiers were fully armed (of course, they did not have much protection on their bodies), even so, before the journey was halfway, most people began to pant.
Fortunately, this mountain road was not uninhabited. On the contrary, the Aquilonians often took this road to the river bend to fish, bathe, draw water, and graze cattle and sheep... Therefore, there were almost no thorny bushes or jagged rocks on the mountain road that caused headaches.
Although it was already June, and the temperature had begun to rise, marching in the mountains not only did not feel very hot, but the further they went, the cooler it became. But for the Putheti and Doni soldiers who grew up in the Apulian plains, this section of the mountain road made them feel like they were suffering: the high and low, winding mountain roads forced them to walk cautiously, which was very physically exhausting; and the bites of mosquitoes and insects and the constant rubbing of trees and weeds soon made them feel itchy all over... The soldiers began to complain.
Lakelesis was concentrating on moving forward. There was a fire in his heart. In the Samnite harassment the night before yesterday, his company had five deaths, 12 injuries, and several tents were burned down... He had been blaming himself, thinking that he had called for reinforcements too late, which led to such a terrible result. In the two previous battles in Asculum and Vinos, the Daonian army easily won a great victory, which gave him the illusion that the Samnites were easy to deal with.
But in the attack the night before, the heavy javelins thrown by the Samnites were fierce and accurate. When the long shield was hit head-on, it could occasionally cause penetration, which was the main reason for the soldiers' deaths and injuries. Although Alexis did not criticize him, he secretly made up his mind: he must capture Aquilonia and avenge the dead and wounded brothers!
Therefore, along the way, he kept cheering the soldiers and encouraging them to move forward. He even took the initiative to help carry the armor for those soldiers who were tired and fell behind.
Aquilonia was no more than ten miles away from the newly built Daonian camp, but the Daonian army had traveled for nearly four hours before finally walking out of the narrow lowlands and entering a small semicircular valley: on the eastern mountains there was a mountain that was shorter, and the westward slope was gentle. Unlike the other lush and verdant mountains, there were few trees on the hillside, but there were some houses scattered in the mountains, and dozens of sheep could be seen grazing leisurely on the mountain.
Sharp-eyed soldiers looked up and could vaguely see the wooden wall on the top of the mountain, which was the city of Aquilonia. Although the mountain it was on was shorter than other mountains, and not steep enough, it was still several hundred meters high! The soldiers felt a little daunted just looking at this height, let alone attacking the city.
Alexis first looked at the mountain where Aquilonia was located for a while, and then carefully observed the valley.
The engineer came over and told him: the ground in the valley was mixed with gravel, but it was still soft.
"Then build a camp." Alexis said lightly.
But when the order was conveyed to the whole army, the soldiers' wails rose and fell.
However, before building the camp, the soldiers had to eat their dry food first, and take a short rest to replenish the physical strength consumed by the march, and then, under the orders of the company officers, they reluctantly picked up their tools and began to dig the ground.
At this time, the captain of the mountain reconnaissance team ran to Alexis breathlessly: "Commander, our reconnaissance soldiers saw thousands of Samnites rushing towards here from the west!"
When Alexis heard this news, not only was he not shocked, but he seemed a little relieved. He asked calmly: "How many people are there specifically? How far away are they from here?"
"Because of the shielding of the mountains, it is impossible to see the whole picture of the enemy's team. It is estimated... it will not be less than 5,000 people. When I came over, they were at least three miles away from here." The reconnaissance captain estimated and replied.
Alexis turned to look at the west side of the valley: the mountains there were not only relatively low and gentle, making them easier to cross, but there was also a mountain road leading to the west between the mountains.
"Commander!" Adjutant Youmatheus reminded: "If the Aquilonian reinforcements arrive, we will be attacked from both sides and should immediately retreat to the camp to avoid fighting the same number of Samnites in the mountains!"
"The Samnites really hid an army in the mountains to lure us into the bait!" Alexis showed a sneer and said to his adjutant: "Youmatheus, do you know why I have been communicating with Zantiparis, Polletes, and Gelnier these days?"
A flash of inspiration flashed in Youmatheus' mind, and he exclaimed: "Could it be—"
"Immediately notify the soldiers to stop building the camp, put on their armor, take their weapons, and prepare for battle!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In fact, the Samnite coalition's abandonment of harassing the Doni region and turning to attack the Campania League was not only to avoid the strong and attack the weak, and to continue to increase troubles for Daonia, but also because several tribal chiefs deeply realized that they could no longer fight the Daonian army on the plains, even if it was only harassment, but should use the Samnites' own advantages to fight them in the mountains.
However, the Daonian army was very cautious and never advanced into the mountains. Therefore, after discussing, they decided to let the coalition army launch a large-scale attack on Campania, and also wanted to achieve another purpose: to give the Daonian army in Doni the illusion that "the main force of the Samnites is in Campania, and the defense in the mountains is empty", and to lure the Daonian army into the mountains.
As soon as Alexis led his army into the mountains, they were spotted by Aquilonian scouts. The Aquilonians immediately dispatched warriors, the most adept at long-distance running in the mountains, to Cautium, located over 10 kilometers to the northwest.
Hidden within the territory of Cautium were 7,000 warriors, the remaining military force concentrated by the Samnite tribal alliance. Their commanding general was none other than Usibius, the great chieftain of the Cautini. He was overjoyed when he received the news yesterday afternoon, seeing it as an opportunity for revenge.
Moreover, the Aquilonian messenger urgently pressed him repeatedly, because there were only about 200 warriors in Aquilonia city. Even with the advantage of the terrain, they probably couldn't hold out for long. Therefore, Usibius quickly gathered these 7,000 warriors and set off to rescue Aquilonia.
They didn't arrive near Aquilonia's territory until noon today.
The warriors led by Usibius came from various tribes of the four major tribes, each led by their own chieftain. During the march, the formation gradually became scattered, with the head and tail of the column separated by more than three li. By the time the middle of Usibius's contingent crested the ridge, their vanguard had already rushed down the valley, launching an attack directly on the Daunian army.
Seeing this situation, Usibius knew he couldn't stop them. He simply allowed the attack to proceed, while ordering the central contingent to slow down, waiting for the rear warriors to catch up, all the while watching the battle ahead.
The main force attacking the Daunian army consisted of over 1,000 Hirpinian warriors, mostly javelin throwers. The Hirpinian tribe had suffered the heaviest losses in this war. These warriors felt both hatred and a bit of fear towards the Daonians. So, after rushing down the hillside, they not only slowed their pace but also completely dispersed their ranks, using the undulations of the hills and the cover of the trees to slowly approach the Daunian army, like lynx stalking their prey.
At this time, the Daunian army occupied a higher position in the valley. 1,500 heavy infantry were deployed in a semi-circular line, each squatting down, forming a shield wall. Behind them were 1,000 archers from two light infantry battalions, drawing their bows and aiming at the approaching enemy. Behind the archers were 1,000 javelin throwers. 1,000 light infantrymen connected with the heavy infantry line, forming the eastern side of the defense, vigilant against enemies who might come from Aquilonia city, making the entire battle formation oval-shaped. The remaining 1,000 light infantrymen were scattered in the open space in the middle of this oval formation.
Alexis stood on a rock, his gaze able to penetrate through the soldiers lined up in front, seeing the approaching enemy. The scene before him made him frown slightly, because at this time, most of the Samnite warriors had entered the archers' range, but they were scattered in twos and threes, front and back, in an area about one li in diameter, 50 meters away from the front of the battle formation, relying on the protection of mounds, rocks, and trees, making the Daunian archers reluctant to launch a volley easily, because that would only result in a very low kill rate.
"Go and inform the two light infantry battalion commanders,"
"Suggest they let the soldiers attack on their own, but be careful to conserve arrows and javelins... because today's battle may last a long time." Alexis gave the order in an uncertain tone.
After the two light infantry battalion commanders relayed the order, the archers, having gained autonomy, became more focused. They picked up the bows hanging at their sides, aiming at the area directly in front of them, but the hidden enemies made them unsure of hitting their targets, so they held back from firing.
The Samnite warriors also did not continue to approach, because the Daunian soldiers had cleared the area 30 to 40 meters in front of the formation, cutting down the overgrown weeds and small trees. Due to limited time, some large trees and rocks were still retained, but the overall field of vision had been greatly widened. In addition, the Daonians were in a high position, so moving forward might increase the risk of being hit.
The two sides suddenly fell into a state of stillness, but the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
"Captain, why aren't they attacking yet?" A heavy infantryman turned his head and whispered to Laikelesius behind him.
"Hold your breath!" Laikelesius reminded in a low voice: "Concentrate! Hide your body well, and grip your shield tightly!"
The attacks of the previous two nights made Alexis and the officers realize the power of the Samnite heavy javelins. After discussion, everyone decided that when defending in place with the shield wall, the soldiers could insert the lower end of the long shield into the ground, pull down tightly on the inside of the long shield with both arms, squat sideways, and try not to let the body come into contact with the shield surface, in order to reduce the damage to the soldiers after the heavy javelins penetrated the long shield.
"I know, I know, Captain, you've said it many times before." The soldier replied a little impatiently.
"Attention! The enemy is coming!" Laikelesius said sternly.
The soldier hurriedly turned around, poked his head out from above the long shield, and looked out: he saw those small red dots dotted in a green expanse gradually began to move towards the direction of the military formation.
Every time the Daunian legion soldiers participated in military camp training, almost every time the first item was to stand in formation on the playground, silent and motionless for at least half an hour. The Samnite warriors obviously did not have this kind of specialized training. After the two sides competed in stillness for only ten minutes, some warriors could not withstand this pressure, and some warriors left their cover and began to continue to approach (because the range of the heavy javelin was within 30 meters), which naturally drove other warriors as well.
Immediately afterwards, the Daunian archers began to shoot at their aimed targets.
The Samnite warriors held a small round wooden shield in their left hand, blocking it above their heads, and held a javelin in their right hand, their bare feet stepping on the uneven grass ground, but they could quickly run out a "zigzag" route, trying to quickly approach the enemy formation.
However, the continuous firing of arrows by the Daunian archers caused great obstacles to the advance of the Samnite warriors. Their wooden shields were too small, and they had almost no protection on their bodies. When dodging arrows, as long as they paused slightly, there might be several arrows coming from several directions at the same time, making it impossible for them to avoid.
In a short period of time, many Samnite warriors fell in the area from 50 meters to 30 meters, and when they were about to break into 30 meters, what greeted them was no longer arrows, but javelins. The thin wooden shields could not resist the amazing power of the javelins at all, and were directly shattered by them.
Some Samnite warriors were lucky enough to dodge the arrows and javelins, and then hastily threw the javelins in their hands, most of which were blocked by the shield wall, and a few flew into the formation, arousing a few screams, but compared to the Samnites' own casualties, it was too slight.
Therefore, the morale of the Samnites was greatly affected, and their momentum of attack quickly weakened. At this time, the sound of the Samnites' retreat horn sounded, and the Samnite warriors, whose fighting spirit had been weakened by the moans of their injured comrades, quickly retreated to 50 meters away from the Daunian military formation.
But they did not go far, but glared fiercely at the Daunian soldiers in front, seemingly ready to launch another attack at any time, which made the Daunian officers dare not order the soldiers to pick up the arrows and javelins.
Usibius led the rear troops to come and join the vanguard. Because the previous attack had caused losses to the Samnites, the commanding chieftains took the initiative to surround Usibius.
"The position where the Daonians are located is too open, we can't attack directly like this, otherwise the losses will be great!"
"Don't attack? What about my dozen injured tribesmen?! They are still lying in front of the Daonians' formation, waiting for our rescue!"
"I think we might as well go around to the rear of the enemy's military formation and launch an attack from there."
"That won't work! Their light infantry can still move to that side to stop our attack."
...
The chieftains argued with each other, Usibius did not stop them, quietly watching them, until everyone was red-faced, and still could not come up with a unified opinion.
An old Hirpinian chieftain finally couldn't help but ask eagerly: "Usibius, you are the commander of the entire team appointed by the great chieftains, you give us an idea, what should we do?!"
His words made the chieftains temporarily stop arguing, and focused their attention on Usibius.
Only then did Usibius say solemnly: "Chieftains, the Daonians have occupied a favorable terrain, lined up their formations, and are waiting for us to attack. Even if we finally rely on a brave attack to break through the Daunian military formation, the casualties suffered by our tribesmen will definitely not be small! The war with the Daonians has progressed to the present, and various tribes and various clans have already suffered considerable casualties, we must not let our brave warriors suffer casualties at will again!"
"Usibius is right!"
"Right my ass, where do battles not have deaths! Did we bring our tribesmen here to bid farewell to the Daonians and see them leave?!"
...
Seeing that the chieftains were about to quarrel again, Usibius immediately said loudly: "Of course we want to bid farewell to the Daonians and see them leave! Because as long as the Daunian army begins to retreat, they must leave their current favorable terrain, and can no longer maintain their current formation, and we can launch continuous attacks on them during their retreat, on both sides of the mountain road, on the mountain ridges, until we finally defeat them! This is the way of fighting we are familiar with! The Daonians were not easily tricked into the mountains by us, fighting in our familiar homeland, we must not let them go!"
"But what if the Daonians don't retreat?" As soon as a chieftain said this, he was ridiculed by other chieftains: "Don't retreat, where will they rest at night? With us watching here, they simply don't dare to build a camp here."
"Uxibique is right, this is our mountain area. When night falls, we are the hunting wolves. The Daonians will only become our prey!"
"That's right, let's do it!"
The leaders agreed one after another and finally reached an agreement.
50 meters away from the Daonian army formation, nearly 7,000 Samnite warriors began to array around its west and north sides in an extremely loose formation, and some warriors even lay down in the grass.
Seeing this situation in the formation, Alexis had no impulse to let the soldiers launch an assault, because he knew that once the soldiers started charging, these seemingly lazy Samnites would run as fast as rabbits, luring the soldiers into the mountains, which would be a disaster.
So, the two sides faced each other like this, tens of meters apart, and time passed little by little.
The Samnites were confident, while the Daonian soldiers became more and more panicked as time went on, after all, this was a strange land to them.
The captains of each battalion asked Alexis one after another whether to retreat.
Alexis firmly refused.
Lieutenant Youmatheus was on the side, and couldn't help but said: "Commander, this is our first time cooperating with the Abenilums, I think—"
"I don't quite trust the Abenilums." Alexis interrupted him and said in a deep voice, "But I trust Pollet more, and what makes me most at ease is that Zantiparis is here. Since he has agreed to this plan, he will definitely do his best to execute it!"
Youmatheus stopped talking. He knew why Alexis said this, because Alexis had fought side by side with Pollet in the South Italian War. More importantly, Alexis and Zantiparis had both been mercenaries in the expedition to Persia and had a deep fighting friendship and trusted each other very much.
However, as the sun in the sky gradually moved westward, the surroundings were still calm, and the expression on Alexis's face gradually became solemn…
Finally, he couldn't help but say to Youmatheus: "Go and call those Abenilums here!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Daonian army's continued defense in place also puzzled the Samnite leaders.
"Aren't these Daonians worried about having no place to sleep after night falls?" Uxibique couldn't help but mutter.
"Perhaps the Daonians think that we will retreat before night falls, so they are competing with us to see who can endure better." A leader laughed.
"I think they are waiting for reinforcements from their army camp in the river bend, but even if more Daonians come, it should be night when they get here, and they will all become our prey." Another leader said confidently.
Reinforcements? Uxibique's heart moved, and he hurriedly asked the leaders of the Hirpini: "Has there been anything unusual in Abenilum these days?"
"Unusual? They are still the same as usual. As soon as they see our clansmen driving cattle and sheep near their territory, they send a team of soldiers to stand on the border to threaten us, but once our warriors rush over, these cowards run away… If we weren't at war with Daonia, we would really want to let Grand Chieftain Liesguk lead us to attack!" A leader from Beneventum said disdainfully.
Another Hirpini leader understood Uxibique's meaning and said: "You don't suspect that Abenilum has defected to Daonia, do you?! Don't worry, even if Gairni is a bastard, he can't possibly throw a javelin at his own clansmen, and he has sworn in the name of Savoni in front of the high priest that he cannot violate it! Besides, Grand Chieftain Liesguk has specially sent scouts to stare outside the territory of Abenilum every day. If there is anything unusual, I'm afraid they would have come to notify us by now."
"That's right, Uxibique, don't worry, even if the Hirpini tribes have conflicts, they won't kill each other." Several Hirpini leaders echoed, and one leader even said sympathetically: "To be honest, the Grand Chieftain is too harsh on Abenilum. Gairni has really had a hard time these years."
The face of the leader from Beneventum was a little ugly, while Uxibique's expression became a little gloomy. He suspected that these Hirpini leaders were secretly mocking Segovani, the Grand Chieftain of the Cautini, for using a trick to lure and kill Quintus and conquer Nakonia a few days ago.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little silent. The leaders of the other two tribes saw that Uxibique's face was ugly and were about to say something to resolve this embarrassment.
Suddenly, a scout ran down from the mountains on the west side in a hurry: "Everyone…leaders, it's not good!…A…a…army has appeared on the south side, there are many, many soldiers, and they are rushing here at a rapid speed!"
The leaders were shocked.
"Where did the army come from?!" Uxibique asked urgently, because the south pointed to by the scout was not the direction of the river bend, but the west side of the river bend, which was the southwest side of this mountain range. As far as he knew, there were no tribes or towns there.
"I…I don't know, because they are wearing neither red (Samnites often wear red tunics) nor black, but black and yellow." The scout said a little guilty. He had only seen it from a distance on the mountain and rushed to report it, and did not rush over to investigate carefully.
"Black and yellow?…" A Hirpini leader suddenly said: "Could it be the Potentians?"
Everyone was shocked again when they heard this. They all knew that there was a plant in the Lucania region that could be used to make yellow dye, so in the past, Lucanian warriors mostly wore yellow costumes to fight. Could it be them?
Since the South Italian War, the Potentians have not participated in any battles. The Samnite leaders' impression of it still remains more than ten years ago when they plundered in the territory of Potentia, almost exterminating it. Since the Lucania region has been incorporated into the Daonian Kingdom, since the beginning of this war, not only the grand chieftains of the tribes, but even they have subconsciously regarded Potentia as a part of Daonia, ignoring that it actually exists independently as a free city.
The situation is urgent! Uxibique had no time to figure out where this army came from. He only knew that this could not be an army of the Samnite tribal alliance.
What to do now?! Retreat immediately?! Uxibique, who was anxious in his heart, looked at the somewhat panicked leaders and looked at the Daonian army surrounded in front, realizing that he had to make a decision quickly.
But before he could make up his mind, a loud bugle sounded in the southwest, followed by a loud horn in the northwest.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"…General, such a large-scale army deployment cannot be concealed from our scouts. Chieftain Gairni will definitely unite with the Potentians and come here—" The Abenilum guide, wearing Daonian clothing, was trying to explain to Alexis when he suddenly heard the bugle sound from the west, followed by the horn sound, and his face suddenly lit up: "Here they come! Our warriors are here!…"
At this moment, Alexis, who heard the bugle sound, didn't listen to him anymore, but immediately said to Youmatheus: "Quickly order the light infantry to attack! The other battalions will launch an attack immediately afterwards!"
Youmatheus was stunned: "Commander, our reinforcements haven't fully arrived yet, should we wait a little longer?"
"If we wait any longer, the enemy will run away!" Alexis said without hesitation.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
By the time the bugle sounded, the Samnite leaders had already realized that they had been fooled by the Daonians. Retreat was undoubtedly the question, but such a large army had to retreat in a unified manner, otherwise it would easily turn from a retreat into a rout. Moreover, which direction to retreat was also a problem: there was a Daonian army in the east, and large numbers of enemies were rushing from the northwest and southwest. Since the mountains on the due north side were steep and difficult to climb, it seemed that only the south side was relatively safe, but the south side led to the Aufidus River. Who knew if the Daonians had ambushed there?
In this urgent situation, the leaders quickly reached an agreement: take advantage of the fact that the enemy's reinforcements had not fully arrived and immediately force a retreat to the due west.
Just as the leaders were about to quickly run back to their teams, the Daonian shield formation suddenly cracked open with many gaps, and 2,000 light infantrymen rushed out, holding leather shields and short swords, and charged towards the Samnite warriors.
The confrontation between the two sides lasted for more than three hours. In particular, the Daonians put on a posture of holding on, gradually eroding the fighting spirit of the Samnite warriors. Many Samnite warriors were already lying on the ground basking in the sun. It was only because they heard the bugle sound from the west that they were called up by their companions. Before their bodies could stretch out, they saw the Daonian soldiers opposite them rushing towards them with ferocious faces like hungry beasts. The distance of more than 50 meters was too short. Many Samnite warriors, who had been relaxed for a long time, did not have time to retreat before the Daonian soldiers rushed in front of them.
It was not until this time that Alexis ordered the bugler to sound the attack bugle.
The Daonian light infantry's assault disrupted the already loose formation of the Samnite coalition forces. Some warriors were retreating, while others were fighting with the Daonian soldiers. The whole scene became somewhat chaotic.
Originally, Uxibique wanted to wait until the leaders had reorganized their teams before retreating together, but now, forced by circumstances, he had no choice but to order the retreat bugle to be sounded.
As soon as the bugle sounded, the remaining fighting spirit of the Samnite warriors was gone.
"Run west! Follow me and run west!…" The leaders shouted hysterically, leading the surrounding warriors to retreat towards the mountains behind them. They wanted to use the Daonian soldiers' disadvantage of not being good at climbing in the mountains to shake off the enemy's pursuit.
Those Samnite warriors who lagged behind were easily caught up with and stabbed down by the Daonian light infantry.
Seeing the Samnite army in full retreat, the Daonian light infantry, originally serving as the second line of attack, also actively broke away from the protection of the heavy infantry, took off running, and quickly caught up with the light infantry, while also gradually expanding the pursuit net in the east.
Polete, who was leading his troops to the foothills west, felt anxious when he heard the sound of the attack horn coming from the east, and loudly issued an order: "Stop forming ranks, immediately get up the mountain and surround the Samnites!"
After giving the order, Polete remembered Xantippus beside him and asked with a slightly apologetic tone, "General Xantippus, what is your opinion?"
The 60-year-old Xantippus, after this non-stop mountain march, was already so tired that his legs were weak, and he was being supported by two guards, panting beside him, barely managing to squeeze out a smile: "Lord Polete... I completely agree... with your decision! ... However, we must hurry... lest we lose to them!" As he spoke, he pointed ahead.
A few hundred meters away, a black and red unit was also climbing up the mountain.
Polete's expression immediately tightened: "You're right, we can't lose to the Samnites!"
He immediately ordered the bugler to continue blowing the attack horn and told his men to urge the soldiers to speed up their ascent up the mountain.
The Potentians were also a mountain people, and their ability to traverse mountains and ridges was equally strong. The soldiers drew out their Daonian short swords (which they had purchased from Daonian weapon merchants with the permission of the military department after receiving Daonian military training). Of course, at this moment, it was not to kill enemies, but to cut down various obstructing branches and thorny bushes along the way up the mountain.
During the soldiers' rapid climb, Polete, reminded by Xantippus, also had the troops behind extend northward, trying not to leave a large gap between them and the Abellinum army.
Although the two forces were racing against each other, exerting all their strength to climb, it still took them more than 20 minutes to reach the mountainside. At this time, they could already hear the shouts and sounds of fighting coming from the opposite side of the mountain ridge, and it became clearer and clearer.
The soldiers immediately perked up, knowing that the enemy was not far from them.
Polete also hurriedly ordered the messengers to inform the soldiers to find a gentle place as soon as possible or stop moving forward, leveling the ground on the spot so that they could gain a firm foothold.
Not only were the Potentians doing this,
The Abellinums were also taking the same measures.
All the soldiers successively stopped moving forward on the mountainside, and from a distance, it looked as if a winding belt had been inlaid on these continuous mountain ranges.
More than ten minutes later, the shouts became clearer, mixed with continuous exclamations and the "rustling" sound of branches rubbing... Although the dense trees obscured their vision, the Lucanian soldiers knew that the enemy had crossed the ridge and was rushing towards them.
Although these mountains looked relatively gentle, the slopes were actually quite steep. As the saying goes, "It's easy to go up a mountain, but difficult to go down," but for these mountain peoples, going down the mountain was much easier than going up. Before long, the Potentian soldiers saw the figures of the enemy.
Logically speaking, in mountain warfare, the side at a lower elevation has a natural disadvantage, but don't forget that the Samnite army was in retreat, so these fleeing soldiers running in the front were actually sliding down. Perhaps they had slipped due to being pushed and shoved by each other in the rout, or perhaps they thought this method would allow them to run faster, but when they saw the enemy in front of them, these Samnite warriors, whose bodies were covered with bloodstains from being scratched by weeds and whose buttocks were almost shaken to pieces, didn't even have the strength to stand up, and could only cry out in terror: "Enemies! Enemies! ..."
As a result, they were either stabbed to death by the Potentian soldiers or automatically became prisoners.
And then came the appearance of large groups of fleeing soldiers. The Samnite soldiers fleeing in the front were adopting the method of running straight down, and in order to restrain their inertia and prevent themselves from falling, they had to hug the trees from time to time, so they often couldn't keep their weapons, either losing their shields or throwing away their spears.
And the last wave of fleeing soldiers adopted the method of running sideways down the mountain. Although the speed was slower, it was stable, and they became the main force impacting the Potentian defense line.
On the Abellinum side, when they saw their compatriots fleeing in panic from the top of the mountain, the warriors' mood was complicated, and Garni was the same. But he knew that since the start of the war between Samnium and Daonia, they had suffered repeated defeats, and coupled with today's failure, the final defeat of the entire Samnite tribal alliance was inevitable. Abellinum could only closely follow Daonia in order to gain a new life after the end of this war, so Garni only hesitated slightly before issuing the order to attack.
The heavy javelins thrown by the warriors stabbed down the Samnite fleeing soldiers one by one.
"Heavens, it's the Abellinums!"
"You dare to collude with outsiders and slaughter your own compatriots, Savonius will surely punish you!"
"Abellinums, we all belong to the Hirpini tribe, please let us leave for the sake of being from the same tribe!"
...
Angry scolding, curses, and pleas came from the mouths of the fleeing soldiers, but the Abellinum warriors' expressions remained unchanged, and they did not stop wielding their weapons. The Samnite tribal alliance's blockade, suppression, and discrimination against Abellinum for more than a decade had borne bitter fruit today. The Abellinums had a deep hatred for the other Samnites, and this gap could not be dissolved with just a few words.
The Samnite fleeing soldiers finally clashed with the Abellinums and Potentians who were intercepting them. In order to escape for their lives, they were inspired with bloody courage, and relying on the terrain, they once pushed the opponent's line back again and again.
However, the Potentian and Abellinum lines were not broken through. After all, Polete had gathered 12,000 soldiers this time, and Garni had also brought 3,000 warriors, making the total force two and a half times that of the enemy.
What's more, the fleeing soldiers were disorganized, ill-equipped, and lacked unity. After a fierce attack failed to work, some fleeing soldiers began to retreat. After all, although they had used their climbing skills to leave the Daonian pursuers behind, they were now being intercepted here by another group of enemies. Once the Daonian pursuers caught up and attacked from both sides, they would have nowhere to escape. Therefore, some fleeing soldiers gave up trying to break through from the front and instead fled from the north and south sides, trying to bypass the enemy's blockade.
Before long, the Samnite coalition's collective retreat completely turned into a scattered rout...
The Daonian, Potentian, and Abellinum armies simultaneously launched a pursuit...
In the end, the Samnite coalition suffered more than 1,500 deaths and injuries, more than 3,000 were captured, and more than 1,000 escaped, while the Daonian coalition suffered fewer than 400 deaths and injuries.
Amid the joyful atmosphere of victory, Xantippus, Polete, and Garni met Alexis, who was still in the valley.
"Xantippus, you're not too late," Alexis said, subtly expressing some dissatisfaction in his heart. After a long wait, he not only doubted whether reinforcements would arrive, but even feared whether he could successfully lead his troops back to camp. Thinking back now, he was still a little scared.
"On the way here, we encountered some problems and were indeed a little late, but it didn't affect our final victory, did it?" Xantippus said with a laugh.
Garni took the initiative to take over the conversation and said apologetically, "The reason we were late was mainly because of me..."
It turned out that after Abellinum turned to Daonia, the military department originally approved Alexis's attack plan to remove this nail in the side of Pucetia and Daonia, Aquilonia, so that the Abellinum, Copsa, and Aquilonia regions would be connected, which would allow the entire southern region of Hirpinia to belong to Daonia, thereby reducing the defense pressure on the kingdom's northern border.
However, in the process of communicating with Garni, the detailed information about the Samnite tribal alliance revealed by Garni attracted the attention of the military department. According to the information provided by Garni and the number of Samnite coalition forces in the previous three battles (including the previous battle with the Cautini), the staff members, after detailed calculations, speculated that the number of existing Samnite coalition forces was probably more than the more than 10,000 Samnite coalition soldiers besieging Naples. So where could these possibly extra thousands of Samnite warriors be? Were the Samnites hiding some conspiracy? ... Military Minister Hilos had to think seriously.
Therefore, after communicating with Alexis via letters, a new offensive plan was formed: Alexis would still lead the eastern troops into the mountains to attack Aquilonia. If the Samnites were indeed unable to send reinforcements, then they would directly capture Aquilonia; if the Samnites really hid thousands of warriors, preparing to lure the Daonian army to fight in the mountains, then Daonia also prepared a backup plan.
This backup plan was Arnilum and Potentia.
Potentia's chief Polete reacted very positively to the joint attack on the Samnite mountains, and he had already gathered 12,000 soldiers. As for Garni, if it were in the past, he would probably have hesitated, but the news that the leader of Niconia, Quinctius, was lured and killed, and the entire Niconia region was occupied by the Samnite coalition, had already spread to the territory of Abellinum. Because Abellinum's north was Beneventum, ruled by Lesguk, its west bordered part of the Niconia territory, and its south bordered Daonia's territory (especially closely adjacent to Copsa), so the Samnite tribal alliance's bloody practice of breaking tradition made him highly vigilant and fearful, and also made him determined to closely follow Daonia in resisting the Samnite tribal alliance.
Gernius used the Niconia incident to declare that he wanted to prevent the invasion of the Samnite Allied Forces. He gathered the tribesmen in the territory and carried out military curfew on a large scale. However, on this agreed day, he only left 1,000 soldiers to guard the territory. He led 3,000 soldiers and quietly entered the territory of Daonia to the south, but did not enter Copsa City, because there were likely to be scouts from the Samnite Allied Forces north of Copsa City. Therefore, the Abellinum army hid in the Potentia territory south of Copsa City to join its troops, and sent some people back to the Samnite mountains to investigate the enemy's situation.
Copsa is located at the uppermost reaches of the Aufidus River and south of Lake Compsa. The terrain in the upper reaches of the Aufidus River is somewhat special. Except for the relatively flat terrain around Copsa and Lake Compsa, the northern bank to the east is full of towering mountains that are difficult to climb, while the southern bank has a relatively gentle terrain. This is why the Samnite Allied Forces had to converge in the Copsa area during the Southern Italy War and invade Potentia from there.
When Alexius led his army into the mountains and camped in Riverbend, he sent messengers westward along the southern bank of the Aufidus River, eventually entering the territory of Potentia to notify Xanthippus, who was responsible for coordinating and commanding the Potentia-Abellinum Allied Forces.
Xanthippus, Poletus, and Gernius, who had been carefully observing the enemy's movements, received a report from scouts the next morning: Six to seven thousand Samnite warriors had appeared in the mountains to the north and were marching southeast.
They immediately led these 15,000 soldiers north into the upper reaches of the Aufidus River, advancing rapidly eastward along the southern bank.
Copsa is more than 30 miles away from Riverbend. More than four hours later, the army arrived at the west side of Riverbend. The terrain on the north bank here was already relatively gentle. Just as Xanthippus was preparing to order the army to cross the Aufidus River and enter the northern bank area, Gernius made a suggestion.
Because he was very familiar with the terrain of Aquilonia, he believed that the Daunian army would lure the Samnite Allied Forces into the valley, but if their army rushed to Aquilonia from the south together, the movement would be too great, which would cause the Samnite Allied Forces to escape earlier from the easier-to-climb northwest direction of the valley. Therefore, he suggested that the Abellinum army should go north first, quietly make a big circle, reach the northwest direction of Aquilonia, launch an attack, and join the Potentia army to encircle the Samnite Allied Forces.
Poletus objected to this, but he did not explain the reason, just winked at Xanthippus. In fact, he was worried about the Abellinum people acting alone, fearing that they would inform the enemy.
However, Xanthippus, after careful consideration, agreed to Gernius's suggestion. After all, it was easy for such a large army to defeat this Samnite Allied Force, but the War Department hoped that if the Samnites really had troops left in the mountains, it would be best to take advantage of their ignorance and make full use of this large Potentia-Abellinum Allied Force to encircle and annihilate the Samnites' remaining strength as much as possible, which would be beneficial to the Daunian army's next attack. Although Xanthippus didn't know Gernius very well, Gernius's suggestion best met the requirements of the War Department, so he decided to take a risk.
Half an hour after the Abellinum army left,
the Potentia troops began to cross the river...
Because of these reasons, this army arrived nearly an hour late.
After listening to the three men's explanations, Alexius's expression softened slightly. After all, the final results did prove that the actions they had taken were correct, so he deliberately looked at the sky and then said directly: "It will soon be dusk. We should immediately lead the army back to the military camp in the south so that the soldiers who have been fighting for a day can have a good rest."
The three men agreed with his opinion. After all, the main force of the Samnites in the mountains had been completely destroyed, but harassment from small groups of enemies or even attacks from wild animals could still exist. It would be safer for several troops to camp together, but it was impossible for such a large army to squeeze into the existing military camp when they arrived at Riverbend. A new camp must be built simply next to it, so it was necessary to seize the time.
At this time, Xanthippus looked at the mountains to the east and asked: "What are the plans for tomorrow? Take Aquilonia first? It doesn't look easy to attack this city."
Alexius curled his lips slightly. Although his voice was not loud, his tone was still full of confidence: "In my opinion, with today's victory, even if we don't occupy Aquilonia, it won't have a big impact on the overall situation. My opinion is that all the troops should march directly to Beneventum tomorrow!"
After observing Aquilonia today, it had been silent. Especially when the Samnite Allied Forces arrived and surrounded the Daunian army, the Aquilonian army did not come down the mountain to take the opportunity to launch a two-pronged attack on Daonia. Alexius judged that there were not many defenders in Aquilonia City.
"I agree with General Alexius's plan!" Poletus, who knew something about the Samnites, loudly expressed his support: "We must take advantage of this victory to expand our advantage and not give the Samnites a chance to breathe. As long as we capture Beneventum, the Hirpini will be finished! Moreover, we can also threaten the central town of the Cautini—Cautium—directly through Beneventum!"
Xanthippus certainly expressed his agreement, but Gernius fell into thought.
"Chief Gernius, are you regretting that you shouldn't have left the Samnite tribal alliance?!" Poletus said sarcastically when he saw this.
Gernius came back to his senses and quickly explained: "I was thinking about whether we can persuade Aquilonia to surrender, because among the Hirpini warriors who were captured before, there were many tribal people from Aquilonia (because it is close to Daonia and Peucetia, so it naturally contributed the most in the previous battle to attack Daonia). Now they have once again witnessed the failure of the Samnite Allied Forces... I know the leader of Aquilonia. He is an old fellow who doesn't value friendship and only values strength—"
Speaking of this, Gernius gritted his teeth: Before the Southern Italy War, the leader of Aquilonia was his father's most loyal supporter. After the Southern Italy War, he immediately sided with Lesguk and fully supported him on the issue of targeting Abellinum.
"Under the current circumstances, there is a high probability that the Aquilonians will choose to surrender," Gernius said finally.
Being able to persuade Aquilonia to surrender could save a lot of trouble, and Alexius would certainly not object. He immediately made a promise: "If Aquilonia is willing to surrender, Daonia can allow it to become a free city of the kingdom."
This was not Alexius making his own decision, but when the War Department simply informed the five rotating chairmen of the attack plan, everyone seriously considered the issue of "what if a Samnite town asks to surrender under the pressure of force." Given that most of the towns in the Samnite mountains have harsh environmental conditions and very limited output, directly incorporating them into the kingdom would instead consume administrative resources. It would be better to let them manage themselves. For example, Aquilonia is located on such high mountains, the transportation is very inconvenient, and it can only rely on grazing for a living. Most Daunian senators and officials would probably refuse to come here to serve as administrative officials and hold public office.
"I will send someone up the mountain to persuade them to surrender now, and there will be results when we arrive at Riverbend," Gernius said, preparing to arrange it.
"Wait a minute!" Poletus called to him and said: "I suggest you better take him, it will be more convincing to the Aquilonians!"
He waved his hand, and his men carried over a corpse.
Gernius took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp. He knew this dead man, Usibyx, the leader of the large tribe of Cautium. He had a high reputation among the Cautini tribe and was once a strong candidate for the leader of Cautium, but he voluntarily gave up the competition with Segovax.
"The prisoners said that he was the commander of this Samnite Allied Force. When they were breaking out of the encirclement, he charged to the front and was finally stabbed to death by my brave men! I think the envoy sent out with him will make the Aquilonians understand their current situation better!" Poletus said loudly, both publicizing his achievements and secretly warning Gernius.
Just as Gernius was silent, Alexius said: "I think this is a good idea."
Gernius immediately wiped away a trace of sadness in his heart and said decisively: "I will immediately have my men carry him up the mountain!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the evening, while the Daunian Allied soldiers were still resting in the Riverbend camp, the envoy sent by Gernius brought back more than a dozen hostages offered by Aquilonia, including a son of its leader—Aquilonia had surrendered.
Alexius was overjoyed and immediately comforted the Aquilonian people and promised: After they go to Thurii, Daonia will soon release the Aquilonian warriors who were captured before.
Although the surrender of Aquilonia made the entire southern Hirpini territory a safe area, Alexius did not relax his vigilance and still ordered the camp's sentries to strengthen their patrols.
The night passed peacefully.
The next day, the 20,000-strong Daunian Allied Force directly pulled out of camp and marched west, along the southern bank of the Aufidus River, first arriving at Copsa.
Here, Alexius separated 2,000 soldiers to escort the prisoners and escort the hostages of Aquilonia back to Thurii. He also discussed the issue of military grain supply and transportation with Copsa Administrative Officer Cexima.
Xanthippus also left the Allied Force at this moment and continued west to Aenona to resume leading the half-reserve legion stationed there, preparing to show his skills in the next battle.
In the afternoon, the Daunian Allied Force left Copsa, bypassed Lake Compsa, and marched northwest, entering the territory of Abellinum at dusk.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
At this time, outside the city of Naples, in the camp of the Samnite Allied Forces, the great leaders of the four tribes were sitting around in the big tent, each with a solemn expression, because they had just received the news that "the army left behind in the mountains had suffered a disastrous defeat."