"They all acknowledge the strength of the Dionian legion, but because we are strong, they all want us to be able to sit in the middle and connect the two wings, so that they can attack with confidence and boldness." Phellisius looked at the two of them and said frankly, "Although I had the same thoughts as you before, but...... I'm also worried about whether the middle and other flanks of the three non-subordinate city-states of Trina, Siritin, and Crotone will not be routed by the enemy before we can defeat the enemy in front of us...... If they were defeated, the whole situation could be a scuffle, and the cavalry of Syracuse would have a chance to exert their strength...... On the contrary, if we hold the middle lane, we can control the rhythm of our attack and defense, find holes in the flanks at any time, and send reinforcements in time......"

"In this way, it will become a competition between us and the Syracuse people for defense and attrition, and the battle will probably last for a long time!" Epitenis, a light shield soldier, did not like this way of fighting.

"Isn't this what our legion's heavy infantry is best at!" Dracos, on the contrary, appeared confident: "Even if the legion is placed in the middle, I believe that our legion can still pierce the enemy's midlane!" ”

"Now that you've made a battle plan in the meeting, why are you asking for our opinion! Just give the order and let us carry it out! Epitenis's words were filled with resentment.

"That's just a rough plan." Philicius said honestly and emotionally, "I need your experience and wisdom to perfect this battle plan and give us more chances of victory, this is for Dionia!" ”

Epitenis and Drax looked at each other, then leaned over to Pherisius......

……………………………

After two days of effort, the Samonai-Hirpini expanded their camp and surrounded the city of Pothenia tightly, except to the south, where there was a Basento river. Gilpine's chieftain, Villani, had only sent a few improvised watchtowers on the other side of the river to observe the movements in the city, and he did not fear that the Pothenians would cross the river and run away when the pontoon bridge had been burned, but if the Pothenians abandoned the fortified fortress and chose to flee across the river, it would be what he wanted.

However, in the river that Villani fantasized about stopping the Pothenians from escaping, there were people swimming in the dark......

Half an hour later, Vale, the leader in charge of defending the city, arrived at the mansion of the Grand Chief.

How could Puamot fall asleep peacefully, as soon as he heard that Vale was coming, and thought that the Pothenians had made some great movement outside the city, he immediately met Valle in the living room, and then listened to the chief's excited report: "The messenger of Dionya asks to see you!" ”

"Captain Printors of the Dionian Mountain Brigade meets the Grand Leader of Puamot!" When the wet Printos saluted Poamt, the great chief asked, "Lord Davers is in Poseidonia...... ...... in Poseidonia How...... What do you think?! ”

"This morning, Lord Davers has led the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Legions to annihilate Samonai's reinforcements and defenders!" Printors replied dryly.

"Great! It's so nice!! Puamot was so excited that he eagerly asked, "Will Lord Davers be able to lead the army to Pothenia tomorrow?" ”

Instead of answering directly, Printors took a small waterproof leather cylinder from his neck and pulled out a scroll of paper from it: "This is the letter that Lord Davers asked me to hand over to you to the Grand Chief." ”

Puammut hurriedly took it, unfolded it and looked at it, and then his expression became solemn: "Go and call Paulette!" ”

Polette, who had been in the backyard all day and was in a panic, heard the news of the victory of the Dionian army over the Samonai in Poseidonia, and then saw Davers's secret letter, his reaction was different from that of Puamott, and he was already eager to try: "Lord Davers, let us cooperate with your mountain reconnaissance team to disrupt the enemy camp tonight, in order to prepare for the arrival of the army tomorrow!" ”

On the contrary, Printors looked calm, and said with blazing eyes: "Before going up the mountain, I specially observed the camp of Samonai, and the rout soldiers who kept fleeing in made the camp quite chaotic, and half of my brothers pretended to be rout soldiers and mixed in...... Now, I have a better idea! ”

…………………………………

The Hippinians had everything they needed for the siege ready to wait for the army that had gone to Poseidonia to return and work together to eat the fish in the net of Pothenia.

That night, Villani fell asleep early.

"Father! Father!! ......" Gherney burst into the tent and woke him up.

"What's wrong?" Villani opened her sparse eyes and looked at her son standing in front of her in a daze. Then I heard him say in a panic: "Something is wrong!" The reinforcements we sent to Poseidonia were ...... Annihilated by the Dionians!! ”

"What ?!!" Villani's sleepiness was all scared away: "How is this possible?!! We sent more than 20,000 Pentney and Kautini warriors, and Torek and Quinduk were all experienced generals! …… Unless...... Unless......" He thought of a possibility, and his breath suddenly became short.

"Dionys' reinforcements from Turiai have already arrived in Poseidonia, but they have quietly laid an ambush...... "Gairney told his father what he had heard from the fleeing warriors.

After listening to his son's words, Villani suddenly felt a chill in his hands and feet, and he sat back on the bed, his mind in a mess.

After a few moments, he suddenly raised his head and asked, "Did Torek and Quinnduk escape back?" ”

"I heard that the Great Chief of Torek had died in battle, but there is no news from Queduink...... "Gherney looked depressed.

A sense of sorrow suddenly rose in Villani's heart, but this was not the time for sadness, and he immediately asked, "How many warriors have Penteni and Cautini fled back?" ”

"How can you count in the night? Anyway, there are constantly fighters fleeing into the camp from several directions......" After finishing speaking, Gherney asked anxiously: "Father, what should we do now?!" ”

The bad news came too suddenly, and for a moment and a half, Villani's mind was in turmoil, how could he come up with any way. Just as he bowed his head in contemplation, there was a commotion outside the tent, and the noise became louder and louder, and it was exceptionally clear in the night.

"The reinforcements we sent to Poseidonia have been defeated!"

"Dionya reinforcements are coming, there are fifty or sixty thousand people, and we are going to be surrounded!"

"Run, Hippine's brothers!"

……

"Not good!" Villani jumped up in astonishment, and hurried out of the tent: he saw that the camp, which should have been quiet at night, was now boiling, and the warriors were at a loss, and one by one, naked and came out of the tent one after another, and began to follow the panic and shouting of others, and walked around......

Villani saw the camp full of people...... It was the first time that the Samonai had organized such a large army, and it was the first time that they had fought a war that lasted so long (counting from the time of the build-up of troops), so Villani had not experienced such a large chaotic scene, and of course he did not know what a "camp roar" was, but he instinctively sensed the danger, and immediately criticized Geirny harshly: "When these defeated soldiers flee back, you should isolate them so as not to affect the morale of our soldiers!" Now you go back to your tribe at once, maintain order in your tribe, and let the warriors stay in the tent and not come out! ”

Gherney hurried away.

Villani urgently summoned his guards, armed with torches, to inform the leaders of Lesguc, Lucini, and so on, and strictly ordered them to do everything in their power to restrain their troops.

It was only then that Villani realized that the camp had not been well planned before, the distances between the tribes were long, and the tents were too dense and disorderly, and the passages between them were narrow and crooked, which was fine during the day, but easy to cause blockages at night when panicked......

He could only stay outside the tent, surrounded by hundreds of guards, hoping that the tribal leaders would play their role, and when the commotion in the camp had subsided a little, he would put the guards into the camp to maintain order, and he suspected that the camp was mixed with the enemy to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble.

……………………………

At this time, outside the lively Samonai camp, under the hill where the city of Pothenia was located, Poret led a thousand soldiers and lurked quietly......

"Can we attack?" Paulette looked at the Samonai camp close at hand, and his heart was itching, and he eagerly whispered to Printors beside him.

The company commander of the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade and the executor who had skillfully captured Aspraustum was unusually calm at the moment, and said in a deep voice: "Wait a little longer. ”

"Wait! What are you waiting for?! "If it weren't for the fact that the speaker was a Dionian officer with a Davers Secret Order, Pollette would have acted a long time ago.

Printors, however, did not seem to hear the urging and irritation in Polette's words, and kept looking intently at the camp in front of him, and said softly: "Wait for the fire to start." ”

……………………………

Standing in the tent, Villani saw the pitch-black camp lit with torches, and it seemed that the tribal leaders had begun to act.

But he observed for a while and found that the situation was not well contained.

At night, the strong mountain wind did not hide the noise of the camp, but blew him cold, and when he wanted to go back to the tent and put on a wolfskin robe, the camp once again set off a louder noise: "It's on fire!" It's on fire!! ……”

Fire! Villani's heart shuddered, and he looked forward, it was still dark in front of him, but his heart sank, and then he turned back: there was a fire in the distance directly behind the Great Tent, where the Samonai had stored their grain baggage!