Chapter 61 The First Battle Between Dionia and Samonei (1)

Puamot, who was checking the enemy's situation in the city, was very anxious, but he did not dare to send troops out of the city to block it, because the city of Potentia had been surrounded, and the strength of the Samonaites far exceeded the information he had obtained in advance.

Some tribes in the southern Potentia Territory thought that the Samonites were far away from them, and they were careless and did not evacuate in time. As a result, they were either annihilated or captured by the flood of Samonites, or they desperately went further south in horror. Retreat in Grummentum territory.

The panic atmosphere brought by these fleeing Potentia tribes naturally also spread to the tribes in the north of Grummentum Territory. Just when they also began to clamor for their withdrawal to the south, they had already received news from the scout soldiers. Alexis felt that the situation was urgent and decided resolutely: he could no longer wait for the order of the Senate, and immediately led more than 8,000 soldiers who had all returned to the barracks to head north.

In the reform of the legion in recent years, Davos not only equipped each legion with a reconnaissance centenary, but also took into account: fighting in Italy, the mountains and mountains, the light infantry has a sore arm after completing the long-range strike, and it is necessary to assist the heavy infantry to attack The enemy flanks and pursues in a roundabout way, and its physical consumption is no less than that of heavy infantry, but its combat efficiency is reduced. Therefore, after discussing with the generals, he added a light armour brigade to each legion. They wore leather helmets, cowhide breastplates, triangular leather shields, leather greaves, and leather sandals. The combat weapons were 1.2 meters long. The double-edged thick iron sword is specially selected for young and middle-aged citizens who are good at running and climbing mountains, and reserve citizens are selected into the brigade to assist the main force of heavy infantry.

At the same time, Davos also reformed the original light infantry brigade. Since Dionia's excellent slingers mainly came from Rhodes Island (the other Balearic Islands rich in slingers were under the control of the Carthaginians), the scarcity of soldiers made it difficult for the legions established later to recruit. To the slingers, so in addition to the 1st and 2nd corps, which also have slingers, the other corps light infantry battalions are half archers and half javelinmen. In addition, the number of excellent Thracian light shields could no longer meet the speed of the expansion of the Dionian Legion. Therefore, starting from the Fourth Army, there was no light shield in the light infantry brigade, and its functions were mainly composed of javelins. Soldiers and light armored soldiers undertake, so that the formation of the legion is more simplified and more unified.

In addition to the engineering battalion, equipment battalion, cavalry squad, medical battalion and other auxiliary institutions in the legion, the number of a Dionysian legion today is close to 8,700, which can be said to be a large legion with complete functions.

While Alexis was heading north, he also sent someone to inform Bagule to defend the northern territory of Grummentum.

The Lucania region is mainly mountainous, and Potentia is the highest altitude area in this region, with an average altitude of more than 500 meters. Fortunately, most of the soldiers of the Third Legion are Lucanians. They have lived here since childhood and have already adapted to the environment here.

The 3rd Corps trudged through the lowlands and river valleys between mountains in three columns, winding like a long dragon between the mountains and mountains, stretching five or six miles from the head of the team to the tail of the team...

Now on a hill,

Gellny, the son of Veroni, the chief of Shilpini, was closely watching the movement down the mountain.

"Leader, look!" the soldier next to him suddenly shouted.

"Idiot, be quiet!" Gellney kicked him and scolded, "Don't scare the enemy away!"

I saw a little golden light flickering in the distance of the mountain road shaded by trees. After a while, this golden light turned into a big flag held high. The brass statue of Hades holding a double fork on the top of the flag was extremely dazzling under the sunlight. The flag holder was a tall military uniform. Man, he also wears a complete animal fur, so he looks particularly burly (actually, it is the fur of a large hound. Hounds have the meaning of loyalty and bravery. Hades' loyal dog is the three-headed dog Cerpalos. The modern thinking of Firth also does not allow his subordinates to hunt animals wildly because of the needs of decoration).

"Hmph, good-looking is good-looking." A Samona warrior murmured in a low voice, pretending to be disdainful: "I just don't know if I can fight."

Gellney did not speak. He focused on the Dionysian army slowly approaching him. He knew very well: this time, the reason why his father contacted the two tribes of Pentney and Cautini to attack together Portentia, not only because of Syracuse's great support and encouragement, but also because of the oppression of this suddenly rising and powerful neighbor to the south.

At this moment, he has to open his eyes wide and take a good look at what kind of strange and powerful enemy he is about to face?

The flag-bearer followed closely behind the flag-bearer, and the tall black flag held high was embroidered with the letters of "The Third Legion of Dionia" in golden yellow, and fluttered in the wind in mid-air. Originally it was a red flag, which was Davos's influence from the previous life of Rome, but when he became more and more integrated into this era and Hades' beliefs had penetrated deep into the hearts of the people of Dionia, considering Hades He is the lord of darkness, advocating black, so he changed the color of the military flag.

Behind the legion's flag-bearer, followed by the flag-bearer of the first brigade, held aloft the statue of the god of death, which was one size smaller than the statue of Hades. Then came the legionary drum and trumpeter...

Gellney rubbed his slightly tired eyes: Dionia's army looked majestic, but there were too many bells and whistles.

He murmured inwardly, and his eyes widened at the appearance of the Dionian legionnaire: the black bronze helmet, unlike the Corinthian helmets of the Greek soldiers he had seen in Campania, was completely encased The head, leaving only two eye holes, is like an upside-down bowl. The entire face is exposed, and there are cheek guards to block the side of the face. Feather or multicolored ponytail. Black linen breastplate, black greaves, a spear in the right hand, a shield in the left...

This shield...Gearney was surprised to find that the shield held by the Dionian soldiers was very similar to the shields of their Samonite soldiers. It was half human height, rectangular in shape, convex in the center, and concave on both sides. It was a shield. The face is curved. The only difference is that the shields of the Dionian soldiers were all painted black instead of red...

Wasn't Dionia a Greek city-state? Why didn't they use the traditional round bronze shields and Corinthian helmets of the Greeks, so similar to our Samoan? !

Surprised Gellney, of course, did not know that in the past few years, Dionysian Archon Davos finally completed the update of the legion's weapons and equipment, abandoned the bulky Collins helmet and round shield, and changed it to a new type of helmet and long arc. Shaped shield, and such a large shield can't be made of copper, it is just wood, covered with a layer of cowhide, which reduces the mutual weight of the soldiers by at least ten pounds, enhances their mobility, and also brings some New tactical changes.

Except for the occasional person wearing red, white, purple and other crowns on their helmets, which should be team officers and generals, the rest of the Dionian army was almost all black, making the entire team seem to be from hell. The big black snake that came out was filled with the breath of death and coldness.

Gellney took two breaths involuntarily, put on the helmet with a row of multicolored ponytails on the crown, pulled down his cheek pads, and commanded in a low voice: "Inform Abrini on the opposite mountain to get ready. , and when the enemy's former army passes, we will launch an attack and give these ghostly enemies a good look."

"Yes, chief!" The rider waved a red battle flag with a wolf's head on the top of the mountain. The Dionian soldiers at the bottom of the mountain could not see it, and the Samonites on the opposite top of the mountain also waved the flag in response.

The Samonite warriors held their breaths, holding javelins and stones, crouching on the hills and waiting for the Dionians to pass under the hills.

But at this moment, the Dionians stopped advancing, and a general on horseback rushed to the front of the team, seemingly saying something to the soldiers.

After a while, the team started to move forward again, but after taking a few steps, it stopped again, and the general said something to the soldiers.

Three times in a row, stop and go. The Dionysus was almost on the verge of entering the ambush, but dawdling in this short distance wasted too much time.

Gellney felt that his patience was about to run out. He rubbed his numb body with his hands and cursed the Dionysian for being slow.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion on the top of the mountain.

"The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming!..." The soldiers shouted loudly.

"What's going on?!" Gellney couldn't care about ambush at the moment, and hurriedly asked around.

"Leader, the Dionians... The Dionians are coming from the back mountain and want to surround us!" The guards who ran to check the situation hurried to report.

In fact, he didn't need to say more, Gellney had already overlooked the little dark shadows that flashed between the trees on the mountainside behind him.

be cheated! The cunning Dionians have long known that we are in ambush here, deliberately attracting my attention in front, but thinking of surrounding us and annihilating us! A thought flashed through Gellney's mind, but he did not panic, and immediately ordered: "Blow the horn! Since the Dionysians dare to go up the mountain, let them taste the power of our Samonais!"

The low and long horn sounded down the mountain, and Alexis, the commander of the Third Legion, who was riding at the front of the line, immediately looked up.

"Looks like the Samonites have discovered our detour." Lizaru, the captain of the 1st brigade, said in relatively fluent Greek. Since his humiliation at the Isthmus, he has returned to spend a lot of time practicing his Greek. There has been a marked improvement.

"Krigoru, are you sure there are only 1,000 Samonais on the mountains on both sides?" The legion's adjutant confirmed to the reconnaissance captain Krigoru next to him again.