"A few years ago, there was smoke coming out of the top of Mount Etna …" Laodisian was about to tell Antonios about the eruption of Mount Etna when he saw that Antonios was lost in thought. "Naxos! Tell me where the beach is!" Therkian shouted.
"Okay! Okay! "Laodisian quickly ran to the bow of the ship.
Antonios braced himself. This was his first time leading an army into battle alone, and it was also his first time fighting on the sea. Whether or not they could defeat Syracuse depended on the performance of his army. He knew the heavy burden on his shoulders. He was both nervous and excited. "Brothers, put on your armor and pick up your spears and shields. We're about to land! Don't stop after we get ashore. Charge towards Naxos immediately! Take it! Our loved ones are waiting for the news of our victory! It's time to win glory for the 1st Legion and yourselves! … "
Antonios loudly encouraged the soldiers who were resting on the deck.
"Don't worry, Commander. Our brothers have been tired of staying on the ship for the past two days. We've been wanting to fight for a long time. How can a town with wooden walls stop our attack? "Melishanda replied loudly.
Melishanda's unit was assigned to the flagship. This was not a coincidence. It was Antonios's special arrangement. As Felicius's close comrade, he did not mind taking care of Felicius's adopted son under normal circumstances.
"Kid, you better be careful. Don't fall into the sea when you get ashore." Antonios smiled and patted his shoulder a few times.
The soldiers immediately whistled and booed at their young division leader. Melishanda had fallen into the sea twice during the battle of Crotone. This had become a topic of conversation between the soldiers before and after meals. Of course, this did not affect the respect his subordinates had for this commander. Melishanda had always been brave and brave in battle. He had always taken the lead and shared weal and woe with the soldiers.
At this moment, Melishanda glared at them. "If anyone dares to make noise again, I won't let him play the next time we play football!"
Melishanda's threat made the soldiers booed even louder.
Antonios shook his head helplessly at the soldiers' fooling around. He once again turned his attention to the land.
At this moment, the sound of a bugle reverberated through the fleet. Secklian's flagship took the lead and turned left, approaching the bay.
In front of them was a curved bay. On the white sandy beach and azure seawater, a dozen fishing boats were fishing with nets on the calm sea.
Just like that, the fleet barged in aggressively and broke the tranquility of this place.
When the fishermen saw the gigantic object rapidly approaching them — the three-decker warship — they panicked and tried to steer their boats to avoid it, but it was too late. The bronze ram at the bow of the warship easily cut the fishing boat in half like a knife cutting through cheese …
It was not until they were close to the beach that the sailors stopped rowing, and the warship rushed onto the beach due to inertia.
The soldiers immediately stepped on the treads and quickly went down to the beach. Some of the more impatient soldiers jumped onto the bow of the ship, threw their shields, spears, and helmets onto the beach, and directly jumped from the deck to the beach.
Soon, the empty beach was filled with fully armed Diónia soldiers.
"The enemy is here! The enemy was here! The fishermen who were drying their nets and processing their catch on the beach fled into the city in horror.
Before they boarded the warship at Lijim, Antonios had already summoned all the officers of the First Legion for a battle meeting. Therefore, after the soldiers of the First Fleet disembarked, they did not form a unified formation at all. Under the leadership of the division leaders and the guidance of the guides on the warships, they quickly marched towards Naxos.
The current Naxos was not actually a city, but a large village. It all started when Dionysius became the overlord of Syracuse six or seven years ago. In order to accumulate power and counterattack the people of Carthage, he began to conquer the southeast and central part of Sicily. Among them, the only plain in Sicily, the Catania Plain, became the focus of his attack. Therefore, he imposed the most severe punishment on the two city-states that resisted Syracuse most resolutely in this area — Catania and Naxos. The entire city of Naxos was destroyed, its walls torn down, and all the captured people of Naxos were enslaved.
To the south of Naxos, a small city only 25 miles away from Naxos, Sikkuli, was rewarded for surrendering to Syracuse early on. Dionysius handed over the land of Naxos to Sikkuli to govern. The people of Sikuli were naturally overjoyed to get the land of Naxos, which was larger and more fertile than their own. However, the tragic fate of the people of Naxos also frightened the people of Sikuli. They guessed why Dionysius destroyed the city and tore down its walls, but did not dare to ask the overlord directly. So, instead of restoring the old city of Naxos, they moved south to a place two miles away from the ruins and built a town on the north bank of the Alcántara River. To avoid upsetting Dionysius, they did not build a stone wall, but a simple wall made of wooden palisades, and named the new town Mejalo (meaning 'big').
The beach where the First Legion landed was once part of the port of Naxos, but it had now disappeared. The soldiers went up the coast, and after a few steps to the south, they saw a large area near the sea, overgrown with weeds and piles of rocks.
Laodisian stared blankly, tears streaming down his face. That was his former home, the city of Naxos!
"Laodisian, don't stop! Hurry up and run! We still need you to show us the way! "Melisande urged from the front.
Laodisian hurried to keep up. Although he was already middle-aged, he still persisted in training and practicing combat, hoping that one day he could kill his way back to his homeland, so he thought that his physical strength was good. However, after running with the Diónia soldiers for a while, he began to be unable to keep up with the speed of Diónia's advance.
One had to know that these soldiers were fully armed, and their physical strength and speed were terrifying. No wonder the people of Syracuse could not defeat them! Laodisian, who was in awe, did not know that in the military training of the Legion of Dionysia once every five days, there was an armed rapid march. This was different from the "armed long-distance race" in the Olympia, where the contestants only wore helmets and held a round shield, while the Diónia's armed rapid march was fully armed. Therefore, if the people of Diónia were able to participate in the Olympia, they would definitely be able to compete with the people of Sparta in the "armed long-distance race", who were always the champions.
"… That … That is Mejaro …" Laodisian pointed at the vague outline of a town in the distance, panting.
"Alright, you follow behind." Melisande did not have time to wait for him, and commanded the soldiers to rush in that direction.
Although Antonius did not explicitly say it, the divisions naturally began to compete according to the legion's tradition. Who would reach the enemy town first?! Who would reach the enemy town first?!
Therefore, the First Legion did not look like they were marching rapidly, but more like they were participating in a competition. They spread out in a wide front, and sprinted toward the south pole at high speed. Some were ahead, some were behind.
The team in the lead was a team of more than a hundred people. They were able to maintain a relatively complete formation while sprinting at high speed.
"Damn it, which team is that?" Melisande cursed as he looked at the team in front of him.
"Captain, I think it's the First Company of the Fourth Brigade," a soldier replied.
"It's the company of 'Madman'." Melisande curled his lips.
'Madman' was the nickname of Leotychides, because he was famous for the high intensity and high expectations of the soldiers under his command. Of course, the companies he led often won competitions in the military.
"Brothers, hurry up, we can't fall behind!" Melisande shouted, unwilling to be outdone.
Wherever the First Legion passed, the people of Mejalo fled in panic. However, the soldiers did not stab them with their spears. Instead, they drove them to Mejalo.
Although the town of Mejalo only had a wooden wall, because it was near the Alcántara River, a moat was dug outside the town. Only the east and north gates were connected to the outside by a suspension bridge. The Siculans in Mejalo had just received an urgent report from a merchant ship: a fleet of more than a hundred warships was coming from the north. Judging from the pattern on the sails, they seemed to belong to the Diónia Alliance.
The Siculans were shocked. They had just received the news that the Diónia had defeated Syracuse in battle. In the blink of an eye, the Diónia fleet appeared on the east coast of Sicily. They did not think that the Dionysian fleet that had recently defeated Syracuse's navy came with good intentions. However, before they had time to discuss countermeasures, someone had already fled from the coast and shouted in panic, "The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming! … "
The Siculans were frightened by the speed of the Diónia's attack and hurriedly gathered some citizens to rush to defend against the enemy.
At this time, more and more people were fleeing into the town, causing the suspension bridge and the north gate to be congested.
Shelo Finis claimed to be a free citizen. A few months ago, he was hired by a Siculan citizen to help his employer plow the fields. It was now noon. He should have appeared in the riverside fields outside the town, but he was now in the town and stopped a citizen who was fleeing into the town. "Uncle, what happened?"
"There's … an enemy … an enemy … coming from the sea. Hurry up and take your weapons … go …" The man was still in shock.
Shelo Finis interrupted him, "Enemy?! What kind of enemy?! "
There was fear in the eyes of the citizen. "Black! It's all black! Like a devil from hell! "
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