Chapter 156 Confrontation between the two armies

In the early morning of the second day, after all the soldiers had had breakfast, Andres led the army to set off.

It is strange to say that the weather has been relatively hot in the past few days, but today it is crisp and clear, and the team is marching briskly. This reminds Andres of what he asked the priest Hermigas to do before setting off from the main stronghold of Segestica. Divination.

Hermigas practiced the method of horse accounting, gathering together the few war horses in the clan, and observing their movements without disturbing them. As a result, the war horse Andres often rode was the first to neigh, and the other war horses They also shouted for joy, and Hermicas immediately judged: This is a good omen, and the great leader's expedition will be a great victory.

Combined with today's good weather, this good omen is gradually coming true... Andres's mood becomes happy.

At this time, Tan Ma rushed back from the front: "Report to the chief, the enemies are gathering in front of their camp!"

What? Won't they hold the camp? ! ...This situation is somewhat beyond Andres' expectations, but he has already found out that the number of enemies in this group is only about 10,000.

"Continue to closely observe the enemy's movements and report back to me at any time!"

"Yes, big leader." Tan Ma galloped forward.

It would be a good thing if the enemy did not stick to the camp. Although I had prepared some means in advance, attacking the stronghold would always cause more casualties than fighting in the field, and it would be more difficult to win... However, the number of enemies was far less than mine, but they dared to Are you overconfident when you go out to fight? Or have other ideas? ...Andres looked at the hills and riverside plains not far ahead, which was where Voorris was defeated before. A sudden thought came to his mind: Could it be that the enemy wanted to stop him on the west bank of the Korana River? !

"Let Pulikas lead the soldiers to speed up and cross the Korana River as soon as possible!" Andres ordered hurriedly.

It was already the end of September, and the water volume in the rivers had further reduced, especially in this section of the Korana River. The deepest part was only knee-deep.

Andres had already received another report from the scouting horse. The enemy had already lined up and marched in this direction. However, when he arrived at the ford of the river, he saw no trace of the enemy on the other side, and most of the tension in his heart suddenly disappeared.

As soon as the large army crossed the river, Tan Ma rushed back: "Big leader, the enemy has begun to form a formation one mile ahead!"

Andres sat on the horse, stretched his neck and looked forward, his eyes passing over the heads of the soldiers, and he could only see the dust mist rising in the distance...

It seems that the enemy wants to fight me here! ...Andres was a little nervous when he thought of this. He didn't want the enemy to rush over after the formation was completed, but his side was still in chaos, so he issued an order: "Notify, hurry up and form the formation here!"

After saying that, he began to personally direct his main troops to form an array.

This main force has a total of more than 6,000 people. It is composed of warriors from various tribes in the river plain where Segesti Kasi Village and Xizhai are located. These tribes occupy the fertile land along the Sava River, with abundant products and a large population. . Moreover, after Antles took office, he would convene people from surrounding tribes for military training every year during the harvest season in September, gradually becoming his most trustworthy force.

Originally, the main force numbered close to 20,000 people. A few years ago, Andres separated more than half of the warriors from it to expand westward. Although there were some losses, as long as they occupied the land along the Kupa River and attracted Pannoni The power in his hands will be greatly enhanced within five or six years by the refugees from other tribes. But who knew that the enemy suddenly appeared in front of him and devoured more than 7,000 of his most elite soldiers in one day, teaching him how not to hate!

Andres personally led the main force and sat in the center of the army, and asked his other capable subordinate Gilikos to command more than 5,000 warriors from the Segostika East Village and the tribes in the river plain where the East Village is located. His left wing. The land where the warriors of these tribes live is also flat and fertile, and most of them are blood relatives of the leader's family. However, because of this, their lives have been relatively comfortable in recent years, with fewer battles and weak combat effectiveness.

Andres sent his uncle Cabudes to command 5,000 men on his right wing. These warriors on the right come from tribes along the upper reaches of the Sava River. These tribes are not as prosperous as other tribes, but their environment is not very safe (there are Yabods and Norikis), so their combat effectiveness is not weak. Since they only sent about 3,500 men, Andres transferred another 1,500 men from his main force to join the right wing.

Counting the 2,200 Skodisci male slaves who were being driven to the front by the Segostika warriors, the total number of the army led by Andres was actually about 18,500, exceeding the previous number of Haguk The estimated number of people investigated by Sri Lanka is as many as 3,500.

This is partly due to the deviation of the exploration, and partly because Andres has indeed incorporated the more than 1,000 civilians who transported the supplies into the team. Now the person stationed at the nearby stockade and guarding the supplies is the leader of Amrotas who was urgently sent over. of 600 soldiers.

Andres will focus all his efforts on this battle.

However, the two men he sent said they were commanding the left and right wings, but in fact they could only be regarded as coordination.

Because these Segostika warriors are each commanded by the tribal leader to whom they belong or the agent designated by the tribal leader, and these leaders subdivide the power of commanding troops to the nobles below them, and the nobles each command the warriors. The numbers are all different, so you can see them shouting, beating and scolding, trying their best to get their soldiers to line up.

At the same time, there were conflicts between nobles and even tribal leaders over competing for positions in the formation. At this time, Kabdus and Pulikas needed to step forward to coordinate. Their prestige among the tribes could make the tribal leaders They obey for now.

As soon as the Segestica people started to form their formation, the scene was very chaotic, and the huge noise from tens of thousands of people enveloped the entire area... Andres was used to this, but he didn't know that it was several miles away. , there is a group of people on the hill facing here looking towards this side.

"Chief, the Segestika people have been in formation for so long, and they are still in a loose formation, but it still looks very chaotic. It shows that their organizational skills are very poor, so although they have a lot of people, if they want to break through Our dense phalanx is almost impossible," Master Kuntu pointed forward and said confidently.

They were standing on a large rock on the top of a hill, looking forward, with a very wide view. Moreover, the weather was very good today, and they could have a panoramic view of the scenery miles away. Although the Segostika warriors on the river bank at the foot of the mountain were as small as ants, the overall situation could still be seen clearly.

Maximus's eyes were focused on the front of the Segestica array. He was both excited and slightly worried and said: "They have indeed sent out a lot of Skodisci slaves this time. I hope we can method can work.”

"Don't worry, leader. Judging from the composition of their troops and the situation of their array, although they have just experienced a defeat, they have not changed their tactics. The plan we formulated should be able to work."

Quintus confidently said with relief: "And did you see the flash at the front of the Segestica formation? It should be their heavy armored sword infantry. They sent a lot of them this time, but their Not moving fast will buy us a little more time for those Skordisqi slaves."

"But the enemy sent so many heavy infantry this time, it becomes more difficult for the soldiers to block their attack for a long time." Maximus was still a little worried.

"Chief, please rest assured. The heavy infantry of the Segostika people has better personal defense. Their long swords look scary, but several legion commanders and team officers have asked the soldiers to carry out these tasks in the past few days. Targeted training.

It is impossible for their long swords to break through the soldiers' square shield defense. Instead, the long swords are too heavy and too long. Holding them with one hand will not only consume energy too quickly, but also easily expose empty holes. It is far inferior to our short swords for stabbing. There is a threat.

In fact, they would be more threatening if they slashed with swords with both hands, but then their defense capabilities would be reduced... More importantly, although they hold large shields, they have not yet learned to rely on collective defense..."

Although this was the second time Maximus participated in the battle, this battle was a matter of life and death. At the end, he could not help but feel a little nervous, especially when the Third Army was defeated at the end of the Battle of Navomanus River. At that moment, his heart almost stopped, but Quintus' patient and detailed explanation made him feel a lot of relief.

"Chief, the formation of the Segestica people is almost over. I think we can let the team move forward." Quintus reminded.

Maximus nodded, turned around and shouted: "Argo!"

Akguo immediately raised a flag and waved it back and forth. The red flag fluttered in the wind, which was extremely conspicuous.

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There were also several people standing on another hill not far from Maximus and the others, but they were several Ardei tribe elders such as Budokaribas and Ciceliotus.

Because of the promise made by the great leader Akupagos, yesterday Budokaribas agreed to the request of the rebel army and brought thousands of Segostika prisoner prisoners back to the stronghold for custody. At the same time, it was known that The news of "the incoming Segostika army", whether it was out of curiosity about the combat effectiveness of the rebels or concerns about the outcome of the war, he and the elders of the neighboring villages had to come to witness the outcome of the war with their own eyes.

But when several people went up the mountain and saw it, they were all shocked.

"Budokaribas, there are so many people from Segestica, I don't think there are fewer people than in the big battle with us a few years ago! That Andres won't be the one who will bring all his warriors." Send them all! In comparison, the number of outsiders is much smaller, can they beat them?" An elder said with a worried look.

"Are these outsiders too confident?! Since they are not as strong as the Segestika people, they should stick to the camp! They actually came out to fight with them. If they are defeated, our previous work will be in vain! "Another elder complained.

"The fight hasn't started yet, don't jump to conclusions, take a look first before you say anything." Budokalibas advised. In fact, he was also beating a drum in his heart: Could it be that the Segostikas dispatched such a huge army just to Just to eliminate this group of outsiders? Will they come to attack my stronghold again?

A few days ago, he was still happy that the rebel army had become a barrier for his tribe, but at this moment, he suddenly felt regretful.

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"Woo!...Woo!...Woo!..." The brass horn sounded.

"Brothers, move forward!..." The shouts of the team officers were quickly drowned in the noise caused by the footsteps of the soldiers, the collision of weapons, and the friction of armor.

The 9,000 fully armed soldiers of the rebel army were organized into 9 dense phalanxes in large groups, showing a staggered arrangement of five in front and four in back. The overall length was about one mile, and they all advanced towards the Korana River at a slow speed. …

"Big boss, the enemy is coming towards us!"

After hearing Tan Ma's words, Andres frowned slightly: "Hurry up and tell Cabudus and Pulikas to arrange the queue quickly!"

After giving the order, Andres stared into the distance: The weather is dry in autumn, and dust easily rises from the ground when people move around. At this moment, the sky in the distance is covered by a large cloud of smoke, which is slowly drifting towards this side, completely Can't see clearly the people or things on the ground.

Andres paid attention to the moving speed of the smoke and estimated the distance between the enemy and himself. He was not in a hurry to give orders. He stood still in front of the team, letting the restless soldiers behind gradually calm down.

When the smoke cloud was about a mile away from the Segestica army, it stopped moving.

Andres waited for a while, but did not see him continue to move forward. Instead, due to the long stay, the dust and fog slowly dissipated, and the enemy appeared...

The uniform long red shields, helmets, armors, and the tight and dense array...are indeed the same as what Kabudez said before, but why are their formations piece by piece and uneven? …

Andres had never dealt with the Roman army, so he naturally did not understand Roman tactics. He squinted his eyes and rode back and forth in front of the formation. After observing for a while, he could not think of such a sequence in a short time. What impact will the formation method have on your own army?

However, he noticed that there were swamps on both sides of the enemy's formation. Apparently the opponent wanted to use the special terrain of the narrowing of the plains in front of the swamps on both sides to make up for his weak side with few soldiers, so he formed a formation there to block it. attack by one's own army.

But can it be stopped? ... Andres sneered in his heart. He raised the big sword in his hand and swung it a few times, then pointed forward: "Fighters, follow me!"

After speaking, he urged the horse to move forward slowly.

The team behind him followed him forward, and the Skodisqi male slaves in front also began to advance amidst the shouts and curses of a group of Segostika warriors supervising them, and then led the entire Chinese army to advance. The actions of the Chinese army continued again. Spread to both wings... It took nearly 10 minutes until all the more than 18,000 soldiers of Segestica's army moved forward.