Rome Must Fall

Even if Maximus does not believe in God, he can't help but pray secretly in his heart at this moment, and at the same time place his hope in the strong resilience and incomparable trust in him that the rebel soldiers have developed in more than a year of hard work.

In fact, the current changes in the rebel army have begun to deviate from Quintus's previous vision.

In the original plan, the center right wing was the root, and it should stay in place as much as possible, so that the center and left wing could retreat using it as an axis, so that the array would not be separated...

However, in the real battle, the center retreated. In order to prevent their flanks from being exposed to enemy attacks, the right-wing soldiers near the center would naturally retreat to connect with their comrades in the center. Moreover, under the strong pressure of the enemy, the retreat that should have been slow will unconsciously take longer steps... Under this cascading effect, the soldiers at the end of the right wing can no longer fit in with the neighboring soldiers by turning alone. In order to make the entire The array remained intact, so it was forced to retreat...

As a result, the entire formation of the rebel army was continuously retreating as it turned northward. Even if the red flag waving on the hill made the brass horn stop ringing, this retreat continued...

"Chief... don't worry, they can hold on!" Quintus was comforting Maximus, but his voice was trembling slightly.

"I believe they can complete the plan!" Maximus was even calmer at the moment, and he said with confidence: "We finally got here, we finally have new hope, and we will never die halfway!"

Quintus was stunned for a moment, then his old face turned red and he shouted: "Yes, leader, they will definitely be able to withstand the enemy!"

He hesitated for a moment and then asked: "Chief, do you want to inform Pecot and they start taking action now?"

Why did Quintus hesitate?

Because once the rebel army completes its change of formation, it will no longer be able to block the Segostika army, and the Segostika soldiers can bypass the rebel army's flanks. If they are allowed to successfully make a detour, the rebel army's follow-up plan will not be completed. Therefore, after the rebel army completes the change of formation, it must quickly take the next step. However, if the formation cannot be stabilized, hasty action can easily lead to the collapse of the entire army.

If Pequot is notified at this time and the army he leads rushes to the battlefield, but the large army is unable to take the next step because it does not have a stable formation, then the enemies on the roundabout flanks will inevitably discover the existence of Pequot's surprise force. Once they increase their vigilance and take precautions, the entire military plan will be considered a failure.

Therefore, at this moment, Quintus was highly nervous and also felt deeply guilty...

Maximus looked down the mountain. At this time, the battlefield was much closer to them than before. He could even hear the blood-spraying sound of fighting more clearly. The mountain wind blew straight up the mountain wall, blowing He squinted his cheeks, and for some reason he felt calmer than ever before. His voice was calm and full of power: "Follow the plan and inform Pecot! Since everyone unanimously agrees with your adventurous plan, I believe they will work hard to do it." arrive!"

"It's...the leader!" For some reason, Quintus felt his eyes become wet.

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On another hill, Budokaribas' performance was much more intense.

"Ciceliotes, the outsiders...are defeated!"

"They have been able to hold off the Segostikas for so long with such a small force, which is already very good! Besides, they are not defeated yet, they are just forced to retreat."

"Retreat only when you can't stop them. The Segostikas will take advantage of the situation and attack fiercely. They will be defeated soon!"

"Budokaribas, do you think we should immediately send warriors from the tribe to support the outsiders and help them save their defeat? The outsiders are still quite powerful in combat. With them as a barrier, we can take a breather."

"You are crazy! If you go to rescue them at this time, I am afraid that they will be defeated before we arrive. By then, countless defeated troops will rush into our team. Once the pursuing Segestika people take advantage of the chaos, He broke into our village, you...you are the sinner of the tribe! Budokaribas, you must not listen to him!"

…

"Everyone, please stop arguing!" Budokalibas, who was in a irritable mood at the moment, shouted, stopping the quarrel among other leaders, and then solemnly told his subordinates: "You rush back to the village immediately, summon the soldiers to strengthen their vigilance, and at the same time Keep an eye on those prisoners, and if anything goes wrong, kill them all!"

"Yes, chief."

Budokaribas looked at the other leaders and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the situation is urgent now. I hope you can rush back to your tribe, gather the soldiers, and lead the team to my stronghold as soon as possible, just in case! "

"If you don't tell us, we will do the same! By guarding your stronghold, you will protect us all!" Ciceliotes responded simply.

"That's right! Our tribes are all one!..." Other leaders also said one after another.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Budokaribas thanked him repeatedly, and then said: "If these outsiders lose, we will not take the risk of sending reinforcements. The gate of the village will not only be closed tightly, but also nailed, and the soldiers will go up. Wooden wall, ready for defense.

However, we will dispatch ships to the river bank of their camp and rescue them as much as possible, but we must give priority to transferring the supplies in the camp. "

As soon as these words came out, everyone understood it.

After the leaders left, Budokalibas turned his head to look at the battlefield and sighed in his heart: Maximus, don't blame me for being unkind. Who allowed you to take such a risk and fight against such a powerful Segostika army? In the battle, it would be great if you could defend yourself well in the camp! "

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"Military officer, the red flag on the mountain has moved!" the guard reminded urgently.

"I saw it." Frontinus looked solemn: The red flag was waving at this time, indicating that the formation change was in place, but the soldiers couldn't stop retreating. What should I do?

He didn't hesitate and said immediately: "Hagux, go to the temporary camp and inform Pecot!"

"yes!"

Frontinus then eagerly issued an order to his messengers: "Go to Phaesalus quickly!... Go to Toreligo!... Go to Carminus!... Tell them that the reserve team is already on the way, and they must block the enemy as soon as possible, otherwise this battle will be in big trouble! "

In fact, the waving of the flag on the hill was not only noticed by Frontinus, who was responsible for executing the order, but also by the three legion commanders who were following the battle behind their respective teams. They all understood that the situation was urgent and almost took action. took the same measures.

The three legion commanders led their guards, holding shields and swords, and joined the rear of the array, shouting in unison: "The legion commander has an order! Stabilize the array and don't retreat! Stabilize the array and don't retreat!..."

At first, there were only a dozen people shouting, and soon it was hundreds, or thousands... When nearly 9,000 rebel soldiers who had shared the joys and sorrows for more than a year all shouted, the same voice was like a giant thunder that overcame all the noise on the battlefield. , make their blood boil and arouse the strong fighting spirit in their hearts.

Therefore, the soldiers in the front row re-stepped their retreating feet into the soil, used their sore left arm to raise the square shield again, leaned sideways to support the square shield with their shoulders, and stabbed out the dagger in their right hand to relieve the pressure. The comrades behind them withstood one by one, and finally transferred the gathered power to them to withstand the enemy's continuous impact.

The approach of the rebels was actually not in line with the flexible nature of the Roman military formation. It was quite similar to the Greek phalanx. However, at this moment, this method worked. The unified actions of the rebels stabilized the formation and did not cause any damage to the enemy's attack. Continue to retreat.

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When Hagux arrived at the temporary camp, Pequot and his soldiers were already impatient.

As soon as he received the order, Pecot immediately raised his arms and shouted in Illyrian: "Brothers, it's up to us whether we can defeat the Segestica!"

"Roar!!!..." 300 escorts responded in unison, and the 2,000 Skodisci slaves who had just joined the rebel army a few days ago and were armed shouted even more excitedly.

Pecot waved his hand forward vigorously: "Go out and kill the Segestikas!"

He was the first to leave the camp gate, followed closely by the flag bearers. The flag held high was the dragon flag drawn by Maximus that night. The officers of the escort soldiers led Scodis, who was holding a round shield and spear. Everyone filed out...

After leaving the camp, the entire team transformed from a column into a wedge-shaped array as quickly as possible, with Pecot and the dragon flag flying high at the front.

Then the whole team moves towards the battlefield.

Gowes and other Scodisqi who had just joined the rebel army were reorganizing their team not far to the east of the temporary camp. The 100 soldiers dispatched by the escort distributed shields and spears to them.

The temporary leader of this team was a centurion of the escort named Gairning, who was originally a Celtic slave. When he told these Skordisqi people about the next tasks and requirements It was specifically Celtic that made them feel more at home.

The team led by Pecot passed by them and immediately attracted their attention. Gernin took the opportunity to shout loudly: "You see, your compatriots are going to the battlefield. They are going to defeat the Segestica! Very soon! Quick, you must follow me and give the enemy the final blow. Today is a great day for your revenge, so hurry up and make final preparations!"

What he said made the Skordisqi people headed by Gowes excited.

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

This time it was urgent and high-pitched, making Carminus and Aulus feel nervous. They knew that the most critical moment had finally arrived!

When the Third Army was assigned to serve as the left wing, Carminus and Aulus firmly opposed it. The reason given by Maximus was that the Third Army had experience in escaping and could reduce casualties.

Since the establishment of the rebel army led by Maximus, it has not suffered a defeat, except for the time when defeat was turned into victory at the Vaumanus River and the Third Army was defeated... Maximus was certainly not kidding when he said they had experience. But this is only one of the reasons.

There is another reason that is difficult to explain: the First Army and the Second Army are relatively complete in strength, have always had strong combat effectiveness, and are the mainstay of the rebel army. The Third Army Corps has never been fully staffed and currently has less than 2,000 men. Of course, the Third Army Corps must be the main one to take on this dangerous task. It will also be convenient to reorganize this Army Corps in the future.

The trumpets continued to sound, and time was running out. Carminus and Aulus gritted their teeth and shouted: "Left wing changes! Left wing changes!..."

The guards on the left and right and the surrounding soldiers followed suit.

At the same time, they took the lead in breaking away from the formation, and the rear of the entire left wing gradually divided into two parts: the soldiers near the middle quickly merged into the rear of the middle queue, and the soldiers near the tail spread out to temporarily block the enemy who was about to roundabout the flank...

When the brass horn sounded, Staggs felt nervous and kept shouting: "Brothers, get ready to change formations! Get ready to change formations!..."

All the soldiers in the front line were alerted by the reminders of the team officers.

After feeling that the support from behind suddenly weakened, Staggs, whose voice was already hoarse, was still shouting, but the content changed to: "Brothers, hold on for a little longer! Hold on for a little longer!..."

Without the support from the rear, and the soldiers were not focused on defense at the moment, the left wing line began to retreat again under the impact of the Segestikas...

At this moment, Staggs shouted: "Run!" and threw the square shield in his hand towards the enemy on the opposite side.

The opponent did not expect this move, and raised his shield to block in a hurry. Staggs quickly turned around.

Seeing Staggs throw the square shield, the soldiers behind him immediately turned around and ran away...

All the soldiers in the front line adopted Staggs's move one after another. This was a move that had been rehearsed in advance and could buy them a short escape time.

The defense line on the left wing of the rebel army collapsed, but the faces of all the soldiers fleeing towards the temporary camp did not have panic, but only nervousness and excitement...

At this moment, one-third of the defensive dam built by the rebels collapsed after resisting for nearly an hour. Segostika's army poured out like a powerful flood along the gap, and the soldiers were excited. Roaring, venting the pent-up emotions in his heart, waving the sword and spear in his hand, he chased the rebel soldiers who were fleeing in embarrassment...

Maximus on the hill clenched his fists and stared down the hill.

After a moment, I heard Quintus next to me exhale softly: "Chief, as we expected in advance, the Segestica people lack effective organization, and most of them are only focused on chasing us and escaping. soldiers instead of surrounding our center! Look, they have completely dispersed and it is impossible to regroup!"