Chapter 8: Separate Attack (Part I)

"My husband, who has been an Athenian general for twenty years, is my most precious ornament." - Wife of the Athenian general Phosion

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Although they were captives, the two sea generals of Pompey's army were still treated well by Antony, had a fire to keep warm, and also sent chestnuts and wine to satisfy their hunger, and most of the army soldiers brought by Maximus were drowned in the sea because they wore armor and were not familiar with the water, and most of the survivors were oarsmen who were recruited on Rhodes Island, and many of them were familiar with Antony or Lypidaus's subordinates, because they were fellow villagers, so Antony promised them not to kill them without facing Caesar, Once the war is over, they are sent back to their hometowns.

In this sudden hurricane, most of the fleet that Pompey came to intercept was destroyed, and the rest were also in twos and threes, ignoring the battle, and hid in a small sheltered harbor.

Oarsmen and soldiers lit a huge bonfire in Anthony's area, which was a signal to the scattered groups that came ashore everywhere, and in the night the soldiers of the legion, or dozens or hundreds, came in boats and sampans, and waded ashore under strong winds, and suffered a lot, but most of them survived.

But there were always more than a thousand veterans brought by Wentitis, who did not come to the rendezvous, which made Anthony worried, knowing that the number of these veterans was almost equal to one-third of Caesar's current legion, and the quality was even the backbone level. If Pompey's men and horses are discovered and annihilated. That would be a terrible loss.

"Where are we now?" Beachhead. Anthony asked, finding the two captives who were cooking the fire and shaking the ropes.

This was the second time that Malclus had been taken prisoner, and he had surrendered to Libida at the Siege of Marcelia, but he had fled to the east to join Pompey, for he had always been a staunch republican, and when Antony asked him, he was at a loss. Because it was the first time for me to participate in the war with a fleet, I really didn't know.

Maximus, who had been in the sea, replied that the north-westerly wind had been blowing from Brindisi and had reached Apollonia from Brindisi, but since the previous wind had been southwesterly, I had predicted that the present direction might be between Dixaqiang and Apollonia.

When the centurions asked Anthony if he wanted to go deeper southeast to join Caesar's brigade. He refused: "Now we only have men and a small number of weapons left, and even most of the horses have been lost." At this time, it is necessary to gather good men and horses, regardless of the direction, to find the nearest town and get supplies, so that we can better resist Pompey's counterattack, because if this man is right, we are in the area where Pompey and Dicktido are in a staggered position, and we have to guard against the enemy's rangers and cavalry. As for the rendezvous with Dicktido, I have heard that he has stabilized his position for the time being, so it is enough to take it slowly, anyway, we are already in Greece, everyone! Then fight and plunder to your heart's content, and find a new luggage backpack first. ”

The good news came in the early hours of the morning, when Wentitis sent the herald cavalry, his veterans, who not only managed to get ashore safely, but also repulsed Pompey's cavalry garrison in the city of Rishas, and captured the town.

It turned out that after Li Bida used a discordant strategy to let Gabinus "strengthen" the right wing, the fortification of him, Caesar and Kalenus was a slash, so Rabinus changed his tactical plan again, sent cavalry and servant troops, and detoured back to the valley and mountain roads in the north that Caesar's army could not block, constantly encroaching on the local market towns, preparing to make a detour to open the way to Olicum - and Caesar, after the new defeat, also calmed down and took a blind attitude to Rabinus's behavior, One of the newly captured towns was the city of Rishas, six romans from where Antony had landed, and Olicum forty romans to the northwest.

Last night, when Wentitis's men and horses had landed, they were attacked by six hundred Pompey cavalry from Rishas, most of whom had been recruited from Bithynia, and who had first shouted in Latin, saying that they sympathized with the shipwrecked enemy, and promised not to harm them if they were willing to lay down their arms and surrender. Alert, Wendisis thought that since these cavalrymen had braved the darkness of the night, it would be impossible for them to stop without cutting off their heads, so what they said was all a lie, so he gathered hundreds of veterans, first shouted the same words, and then quietly prepared their weapons, and occupied the favorable terrain, and none of them were deceived by the other party's nonsense, and all of them were ready to fight to the death.

But the other two ships of 400 men, all of whom had been regrouped before the expedition, were too timid to waver, and despite the reprimands and persuasions of their officers, they ran to the enemy cavalry and surrendered, only to be brutally killed.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wentitis and his men quietly approached, suddenly struck their shields and weapons, let out a terrifying cry, and launched a short charge against the enemy cavalry, killing dozens of them, seizing many horses and baggage, and the rest turned and fled in fright. Immediately Wentitis, joining up with the rest of the veteran army, determined not to wait for Antony, rushed forward, and at the end of dawn, captured the deserted Rishas, because the cavalry that had been stationed here was frightened, and abandoned the town and fled.

Antony, who was overjoyed, immediately arrived at Rishas with thousands of his men near noon, and set up a position, and continued to meet here after the news of the follow-ups, and about three days later all the legions were assembled, and the men and horses lost by crossing the sea did not exceed a thousand men, more than half of whom were frightened by the enemy's bluff because of timidity, and were captured and killed.

Another market day passed, and the three subsequent legions of Li Bida stationed in Ravenna also landed intact in the cities of Salona and Isa - the Greek theater of operations, Caesar's lone crisis was finally changed, and his strength at hand reached ten legions again, although it was still a cut behind Pompey in terms of completeness, but Caesar's confidence in the decisive battle returned!

In the camp behind the wall, he summoned Li Bida and delivered him the latest military order: the fortifications here have been completed, and Pompey's army cannot be breached for the time being, so you take your men and horses and rush to the army of Rishas and Antony, first seize the time to uproot the city of Olicum, which is still resisting, and then assemble with the three legions (the sixth, thirteenth, and fifteenth legions) that you have crossed the sea further north, and then divide into two, you will sweep through the region of Thessalia in the north with a group, and Antony will go south with a group to join me, Launched a sweep towards the Etolian region in the south.

"When Rabinus tried to flank me from a detour, I returned the way, choking him in the middle of his throat and outflanking him from both wings!" Caesar said fiercely.

"What to do with the capture of Olicum City?" Li Bida asked, and then he said, "Although I personally do not think that there is any benefit in destroying it, it is soon a winter camp, and what the soldiers hope for is a good plunder, so that they can continue to fight." (To be continued......)