Rome Must Fall

The team entered the village in a line, chasing the villagers who were fleeing in front of them, and did not even break into the houses on both sides, because they knew that the villagers here could not still hide in their homes when there was such a big commotion.

After the team chased for a while, the villagers who were fleeing in front had arrived at the center of the village. There was a wide square here. The villagers who entered the square quickly ran to both sides, and immediately fully armed soldiers lined up to meet them, blocking the way forward for the Segestica warriors.

Since Prikas was no longer in the front of the team during the pursuit, he did not see the appearance of the Nix army at first. It was not until the team stopped moving forward and the sound of fighting came from the front that he noticed something was wrong. He immediately squeezed forward and shouted loudly: "Siklas, what happened?!"

The Segestica warrior who rushed to the front screamed as a response, but other soldiers in front shouted in panic: "Chief Prikas, there are many Nix soldiers here, they are blocking us! They are all wearing armor, we can't beat them! Run away!..."

After Prikas heard their shouts clearly, his head was like a heavy punch, buzzing. His first reaction, who was quite experienced in war, was: Oh no, we were ambushed! The Nix people were well prepared, otherwise it would be impossible to gather so many fully armed soldiers at once and accurately block our way forward! Someone must have told the Nix about our sneak attack in advance!

Now he had no time to figure out who the traitor was. The excitement of wanting to slaughter the enemy before also disappeared. He just kept shouting in fear: "Retreat! Retreat immediately!..."

Rufus, the first captain of the first legion, was standing in the square of this village. He didn't pay much attention to the soldiers in front fighting with the attacking enemies, because his soldiers were wearing iron helmets and armor and holding large shields, while most of the enemies were not protected by armor, but only holding round shields and spears. Moreover, they had been running for a long distance, so how could they be the opponents of the soldiers who were waiting for the opportunity.

"Report to the captain." A lightly armed soldier ran breathlessly from another road into the village: "The troops led by Centurion Polycamus have gone around the enemy's rear and completely blocked it!"

"Very good!" This was the issue that Rufus was most concerned about. He decisively ordered: "Blow the bugle and let the soldiers attack!"

"Woo woo woo!..." The high-pitched sound of the trumpet resounded throughout the village, and the Nix soldiers immediately switched from defense to offense.

The Segestica warriors were attacked from both sides, and shouts of killing were heard from all sides. They all understood that they were ambushed. The fear of the Nix people instantly controlled their bodies, including the team leader Prikas, who was urging his men to retreat at this moment. Therefore, no one fought desperately. Everyone pushed down the fences on both sides, trying to pass through the house and find a way to escape.

Who knew that there were also many Nix soldiers ambushing behind the house, and they suddenly rushed out and stabbed the panicked enemies one by one. The Segestica warriors who were surrounded and lost their fighting spirit completely became pigs and sheep to be slaughtered. In the face of no hope of escape, many people chose to kneel down and surrender.

Only Prikas escaped from the village under the desperate protection of the guards. Looking back, he saw that the Nix soldiers were desperately blocked by the guards, and the distance between him and him was getting farther and farther. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then remembered that the 500 soldiers he brought were all trapped in the village, and he was the only one who escaped, but he did not cause any damage to the Nix people... He was so angry that he wanted to cry.

At this moment, he saw a group of Nix cavalrymen coming around from behind the village and galloping towards him.

He was so scared that he ran towards the reed marsh desperately, and he even threw away his sword.

However, how could a man outrun a horse? Soon he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him, a flash of cold light, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then the world was spinning...

"Plop" a head fell to the ground.

Then he saw a man hooking his feet around the horse's belly, holding the reins tightly with his left hand, and his whole body leaning to the right. His right hand stretched out like lightning and grabbed the head on the ground.

This person was the captain of the Nix cavalry, Hagux. Amid the cheers of his men, he took a closer look at the head that was still dripping with blood and said, "This enemy is wearing a helmet and holding a long sword, and there is a group of people covering his escape. He should be the organizer of this sneak attack mentioned in the previous secret report, the former elder of the Segestica tribe and Andres's capable subordinate, Prikas! Brothers, we have made a contribution!"

The cavalry were all excited and then handed the helmet and long sword they picked up to Hagux.

A cavalryman asked reluctantly: "Captain, can you give me this long sword? I'm still not used to using a spear on horseback."

"Have you forgotten the law of our army? The spoils of war must be handed over." Hagux said seriously: "However, infantrymen like to use large shields and short swords. This kind of long sword is still suitable for our cavalry. In the previous battles, our tribe has confiscated a lot of long swords and stored them in the armory of the Ministry of War. They have not been repaired yet... I will apply to the Ministry of War in a while to replace equipment for our cavalry. Long swords are indispensable for you-"

The cavalry cheered.

"When the time comes, I will first test your riding skills. If anyone fails the test, you can only stare at others when they change their equipment. Do you understand?!" Hagux continued to look stern and reminded in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, captain, riding a horse is as easy as eating for me. I can pass the test with my eyes closed." A cavalryman responded immediately, and other cavalrymen also followed suit.

The reason why they have this confidence is that they are all Celts. They have made a living by herding animals since they were young, and they have all developed good riding skills.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense and continue searching quickly. Don't let a Segostika enemy escape!"

"Yes, Captain!!" The cavalry responded in unison, turning their horses' heads and starting to patrol around the village again.

Hagux followed, unconsciously recalling the previous meeting with Chief Maximus.

That time it was because he learned that the army had captured a lot of horses during the attack on the Segestica tribe. He immediately ran to the Ministry of War to ask for them, but Frontinus told him: Chief Maximus had issued an order Without orders, these horses are not allowed to move lightly.

He could only go to Maximus again, but Maximus told him: Those horses cannot be moved for the time being and must first be handed over to Sexippus, the adjutant of the Ministry of Agriculture. He must carefully screen and select the mares. and stallions to breed excellent war horses for the tribe in the future.

Maximus comforted him: Don't worry. After the tribe has enough horses in the future, the cavalry they will form will not be just 100, but thousands. By then, he will no longer be just a cavalryman. The captain, and possibly the commander of the cavalry legion, will lead the powerful Nix cavalry to play a decisive role in future wars.

Commander of the Cavalry Corps! ...Hagux silently recited this noun, feeling that his whole body was full of strength. He looked at the men running in front with a smile. He suddenly felt that he might not only pay attention to the horses in the future, but also pay attention to the riders. A nation with good skills...

"Report to the captain, the battle is over. The enemy has 237 casualties and 264 prisoners. No enemy has escaped so far!" Centurion Polycamus reported the battle situation to Rufus.

"Very good!" After hearing this, Rufus asked, "Where are our casualties?"

"Eight soldiers were slightly injured. The only seriously injured soldier accidentally fell down while chasing the enemy and was pierced by a wooden fence in the thigh. The doctor accompanying the army has bandaged it."

"Obviously it was a battle that was sure to win, but it's still so rough. I hope this injured soldier can learn a lesson." Rufus thought for a while and said solemnly: "This time we can wipe out all the invading enemies. It all depends on the accurate intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Department of the Ministry of War. Your village is an important target for the enemy from the south. You must not relax your vigilance. Send people to explore the area between the reed swamps and the mountains every day. If you continue to If you discover the enemy, remember to follow the method taught by the Ministry of War and light a smoke warning in the square. I will quickly gather soldiers from the surrounding villages and come to help you. "

The reason why Rufus said this is because the Ministry of War dispersed the most capable soldiers of the First Battalion of the First Legion into several villages bordering Gonami Lake. At least 200 soldiers were moved to each village. , and Rufus settled in another village not far to the north. In addition to the legionnaires, the residents of these villages were mostly Skodisci slaves, and there were very few original residents of Segestica.

It's not that the Nyx tribe deliberately moved away the original residents of Segestica for the sake of safety and stability, but because it is at the southern edge of the core area and not far from Broch, and the army was stationed and reorganized late. , most of the original residents of these villages fled to the south early under the encouragement of each other.

"Captain, please rest assured that I will remain vigilant at all times." Policamus said with a smile: "Actually, brothers are all looking forward to the enemy coming again. If they don't come, where can we perform meritorious service?"

"Polycamus, I'm warning you, don't act rashly just thinking about meritorious service. If the time comes, there will be too many casualties. Not only will you not be able to achieve meritorious service, but you will be punished by the Ministry of War." Rufus looked at him with a stern expression. Give a warning to your subordinates.

"Captain, I've been following you for almost two years. Don't you know me yet? I never do anything risky."

"That's true, otherwise I wouldn't suggest to the Ministry of War to place you here." Rufus stood up and patted the dust on his body: "I will leave the aftermath work here to you. I will take the prisoners and The spoils of war will go to Ofidilia, and I will report my merits to you, but don’t have high expectations. This battle is too easy, and the merits you receive may not be as good as those of the Military Intelligence Department.”