Chapter 13: Counterattack (Part II)
By this time, the entire northern line of defense had been defeated, and the cavalry of Rabinus had occupied all the key points of the passage like lightning, and the infantry was clearing the remnants of Caesar who were still resisting like grates, and many of the officers and men of the Ninth or Eleventh Legions, who had lost their souls, did not have the courage to stand behind the wooden fence to continue resisting, but jumped from the gaps in the collapsed walls of the ten-foot-high Roman camp, with the result that only a third of them were able to keep their feet intact, but they were also caught up and killed by the enemy's cavalry as they ran to the outer streets of the camp.
The chief brigade of Kalenus also arrived at this time, he saw the tragic scene in front of him, was stunned for a while, and then instantly judged that it was pointless to go to the rescue at this time, but he did not retreat, this resolute commander was promoted from the old ranks, surprisingly bold, and without panic, he took a thousand Caesar soldiers, covered the shield painted with a special emblem with a cloth cover, and removed the exaggerated feathers that he liked to carry during the Gallic War, in the melee of the battle line, Running in a tight formation, it seemed that they were also part of Pompey's army, so Callernus unknowingly passed through the destroyed camps of the two legions, and also passed through the Macedonian Third Legion that Pompey's army had rushed from the seashore, and it was just dawn at this time.
Even, when the opponent's Third Army Corps passed shoulder to shoulder, they also beat their shields and saluted their own side, and everyone was vying to loot and make meritorious contributions, and they didn't even ask for passwords.
So, just three hundred paces from the sea, Karenus discovered an abandoned old battalion that had been built here by the Ninth Legion. This old battalion seems to have been first set up by Pompey's army, with its back to the woods and facing the sea. Later, when the Ninth Army came here. Then this small camp was the core. The surrounding fortifications were enlarged to accommodate a legion, and a corridor was built for water. However, soon after the construction was completed, Caesar ordered the blockade of the two legions to move forward by five stadias, and Dicias abandoned the battalion.
But Karenus had now gone in, and then he ordered all his soldiers to take off their shields and take up the ground of the camp with a loud cry. Many of Pompey's soldiers were fighting to get water by the river, and before they could react, they were killed by the soldiers of Callenus with their throwing spears.
"How can there still be enemies!" The one-eyed general Rilias, who was chasing the north on the front line, said angrily, and then he just casually sent four brigades to besiege the old battalion, and then took more of the main force, about fifteen brigades, of which the chief brigades of the first, second, and third legions were in his hands, and continued to chase in the direction of the crossing of the Gimmons River.
Because according to Labinus's plan in advance, it was necessary to annihilate Caesar's northern defense line defenders, and then counterattack. Defeat Caesar's eastern and southern legions one by one until they are all driven into the River Gemons to feed the fish.
And at this time. The personnel of the Ninth and Eleventh Legions, who had been captured, screened out the centurions, the captains, the tens, etc., about a dozen people, and were specially sent to the camp commanded by Rabinus in the rear according to the requirements.
"Fellows." Seeing these people, Rabinus first said such a name, so these captured people began to feel ashamed and uneasy when they thought of their panicked embarrassment when they lost the war, and then Rabinus continued, "Just now the military slaves sent you the team logo and the camp flag, a total of thirty-two. ”
Then Rabinus got up from his seat, and the dozen or so people did not know what to answer him, but thought to themselves, since the other party still called himself "comrade", how could he also have affection in it, and finally came from the city of Capua, the knight who had always had the best relationship with Rabinus during the Gallic Wars, and said, "This is because your command is particularly exquisite, and we fought hard to resist, but we still could not control the defeat of our subordinates." ”
"Puos, how many years have you followed me and Caesar in Gaul?" Rabinus stood across from him and asked word for word.
It didn't take much effort for the knight, named Puos, to report the figure of four years, and it seems that he remembers it very clearly.
"Then you should know that a veteran like you is not allowed to abandon the team flag on the battlefield, and if you run away, you should guard it until you die, this is the rule of the military order." Rabinus said coldly.
Puos laughed awkwardly, and he was ready to say something to ease the atmosphere to bypass the heavy subject, but Rabinus drew his saber and stabbed him straight into the abdomen, and Puos looked so shocked that he grabbed the shoulders of his stocky former comrade and said with the last of his strength, "We were," and then he was thrust down on the trunk by Rabinus, and the hula belt overturned many boxes, and lay dead in the process.
Then, beside him, the two noble brothers of the Gallic nobles, who had rebelled before, nested in the corner of the tent, trembling, and watched as Rabinus, whom they no longer recognized, turned into a devil of slaughter, and he and the sword in his hand shook rapidly, with the screams of his fellow captives and the splashing of blood, and in a short time, all the captives were scattered on the spot, and Rabinus stood in the middle with his sword, covered in blood, without saying a word.
With a "clang," he finally put his sword on the table, then took water and a towel from the trembling slaves, slowly washed the blood stains on his hands and bodies, and then said to the brothers, "I tortured and tortured them, for I am now the most hostile to Caesar, for I have not hesitated to kill my comrades who were once born and died." ”
After explaining this superfluous remark, Rabinus put on a new armor and cloak, and said thoughtfully, "In today's battle, I am not facing the real Ninth Legion at all, this legion, which was once under the leadership of General Koda, fought against the 300,000 Helvetians of Mount Tijon without falling behind, but now from the officers down to the soldiers, they have all degenerated into escapees, and the legions do not look at the flags, but at the people. ”
While Rabinus was muttering to himself, a herald cavalry ran in in great panic and said, "There is a new enemy on the battlefield." ”
Rabinus, who was buttoning his cloak, was shocked, then lowered his head and said in a deeper tone: "I have indeed been deceived by Lybidaeus, he has already come, he has come to this battlefield, he was not in Dixihaqiang before. Then he snatched his sword, hung it on his shoulder strap, and said to the herald, "Go ahead with your duty and report on what is new on the battlefield!" ”
"Yes, yes." When the herald saw the dead bodies all over the ground, and settled his mind, "suddenly in front of him there were many large groups of the enemy, occupying the hillside, and it seemed that there was as many as one legion. In addition, another force of 1,000 men, from nowhere, rushed into the old camp and blocked the advance of our army. (To be continued......)