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- Lucius Junius Brutus (First Consul of the Roman Republic)

Anyone who really knows Hannibal knows that Hannibal is a true patriot and a genius tactician, and it is not an exaggeration to call him the god of war; But dig a little deeper, and you'll know that Hannibal was also a genius cavalry master, and he was passionate about using cavalry, and he used cavalry as a class of troops with great skill.

Similarly, Hannibal's own fondness for cavalry is extraordinary; For Hannibal, cavalry was the most important and powerful branch of his heart. In particular, the 4,000 cavalry under the command of Hush Duba followed Hannibal from the Iberian Peninsula to Sicily, and then to Carthage and back to Sicily; Its place in Hannibal's heart can be imagined!

Huskiduba was able to serve as the commander of this cavalry, and his position in Hannibal's heart was obvious; Conversely, Hush Douba himself was well known for his loyalty to Hannibal. For the Hushdouba, Messina was nothing more than a city of occupation; And the 4,000 cavalry is Hannibal's hard work, which of the two is more important, do you need to compare?

After Oscar and others forced the Husduba and the cavalry in the city away from Messina by this method, they did not continue this senseless bombardment; After all, there were not many artillery shells and crossbow arrows brought by Luquis this time, and in order to use ballista more valuable in the next attack, Oscar had to suspend this extravagant bombardment behavior immediately after completing the set goal.

After ceasing this strategically purposeful tentative attack, Oscar returned to the barracks with all his troops; Huskiduba watched Oscar lead his army back to the camp, but instead of returning to Messina, he patrolled outside the city with his four thousand cavalry.

Oscar knew that the Huskiduba would eventually re-enter Messina with these cavalry, but this had already made a strong impression on the Huskiduba. The next time the Augustus family attacked Messina, the Huskiduba would take the initiative to lead the cavalry troops out of the city first, and this was the method that Oscar and Luquis discussed.

After returning to the barracks, Oscar returned directly to his military tent with the generals, and discussed with them the specific plan of attack on Messina. After all the generals had already sat down on both sides, Oscar took the lead in analyzing:

"The effect of the tentative attack today is evident, and we have succeeded in getting Hushduba to leave Messina with his cavalry troops; In this way, we can officially begin the offensive against Messina tomorrow. However, before attacking Messina, we still have to discuss the exact distribution of forces; Do you have any opinions on each of you? ”

In the face of Oscar's question, Raqqa, who was not the first time to participate in the battle, immediately stood up impatiently and recommended himself: "Leader, I am willing to lead the three thousand soldiers of the First Auxiliary Legion as the vanguard, and take Messina for the family in one fell swoop tomorrow!" ”

Raqqa's self-recommendation made Antio, who originally wanted to stand up and seize the pioneer mission, not speak directly; Although Raqqa's position is only the deputy general of the First Legion and the commander of the First Auxiliary Legion, his identity is a member of the Augustus family and Oscar's younger brother.

However, Oscar ignored Raqqa's self-recommendation, and instead said bluntly: "Raqqa, it's good that you have the spirit of dedication to the family, but you should consider the actual situation." Your 1st Auxiliary Legion, a thousand cavalry simply cannot be wasted on siege, and the remaining five hundred archers and five hundred slingers can attack? Can a thousand of your light infantry take Messina? ”

Oscar's words, directly embarrassed, Laka's face was flushed and he stopped talking; After Raqqa returned to his seat, Oscar ordered directly to the generals present:

"Generals, since you don't stand up and say it yourself, then I will give the order directly. Luquis, you will lead the seven brigades of the First Army tomorrow, and be responsible for the three hundred meters behind the battlefield; As soon as the Huskiduba leads the cavalry to attack, you immediately lead the hoplites to stop the Huskiduba's cavalry!

Antio, tomorrow you will lead all the soldiers of the Samonai Legion to attack Messina using siege towers, siege cones, ladders and other siege facilities after the attack of ballistas and catapults is over. Raqqa, your First Auxiliary Legion, the cavalry is directly under my command, and you lead the remaining 2,000 soldiers to provide an auxiliary attack for General Antio.

Nuss, your task is to lead the guards and cavalry to follow me, and we are the reserve of the whole battlefield; As soon as reinforcements are needed for a siege, or if the enemy's cavalry is tangled with Luquis's hoplites, I need you to lead your army into battle. Generals, tomorrow's battle, please! ”

After Oscar gave the order, he solemnly said a word of please; In the face of Oscar's sincerity, the two naturally stood up and expressed their vows to Oscar to complete the task! When the military meeting was over, the generals left their tents for the battle of tomorrow, leaving only Oscar and Mary.

Compared to the hectic Augustan army camp, the defenders of Messina were miserable; Although Oscar did not really attack Messina just now, the fierce attack of forty-eight ballistae and twelve stone crossbows still caused the defenders on the city wall to pay quite heavy casualties.

Of the 8,000 defenders who were on the city walls, not many were killed directly, less than 200, but more than 500 were wounded; More importantly, such an attack was too great a blow to the morale of the defenders. Whether it's those veterans of a hundred battles under Hannibal, or those new recruits; In the face of the artillery shells and rocks coming from afar, everyone was terrified.

Especially after the attack, the wounded and screaming caused extremely serious damage to the morale of the defenders; However, there is nothing Hush Douba can do about it. After all, Huskidduba is just a fierce general on the battlefield; He is still extremely bad at these morale-calming and inspiring things.

Of course, the wounded who should be treated, Hus Douba still have to be treated well; But this still did not change the gloomy morale of the defenders.

At the end of the day's preparation and rest, the next morning, the Augustus family once again sounded in the barracks of the Augustusian family; This time, Oscar is not a small fight like yesterday, and the soldiers in the barracks have all been assembled, and the big war is finally here!

As the sound of the military horn changed, the door of the barracks was also opened, and the first to walk out of the barracks was the First Legion led by Luquis, followed by the Samonai Legion and the Instrument Brigade of Antio, and finally the First Auxiliary Legion of Raqqa. After all these troops were in their intended positions, Oscar personally walked out of the barracks with his guards and a thousand cavalry.

At this time, Antio led the soldiers of the Samonai Legion, carrying ladders, pushing siege ladders and siege cones, neatly arranged about two hundred meters from the walls of Messina; On the left flank were the 48 ballistae of the Instrument Brigade, and on the right flank were 2,000 soldiers led by Raqqa. As for the twelve stone catapults, they were directly behind the Samonai legion.

After that, it was the main force of the First Army led by Luquis himself; The phalanx of 3,600 hoplites on standby looked so intimidating that it was terrifying from afar. The guards and cavalry led by Oscar himself came from the center between the First Army and the Samonai Army, commanding the entire army on the battlefield.

As the trumpets sounded again, forty-eight ballistae and twelve stone catapults, as well as five hundred Cretan archers, began to shoot at the defenders on the city walls at the same time! This momentum was even more shocking than yesterday, and the defenders on the city walls were even more frightened.

Forty-eight ballistas fired twenty-four rounds, firing eight hundred and sixty-four shells and two hundred and eighty-eight bolts; The twelve stone catapults fired sixteen rounds, firing one hundred and ninety-two stones. This kind of continuous firing directly consumed all the artillery shells and crossbow arrows brought by Luquis; But the effect is just as obvious, and the battered walls of Messina prove it all!

Coupled with the aid of thirty volleys of five hundred Cretan archers, the defenders of the city walls suffered far more losses than Oscar had imagined; If the defenders were really Hannibal's elite infantry, they would not have suffered such heavy casualties. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are newly recruited recruits; In the face of such an attack, the losses suffered can be imagined.

Just as the catapult began to fire a volley, Huskiduba had already left Messina with his cavalry, and everything was going according to Oscar's prediction. With the end of the catapult shooting, all long-range strikes are officially over; Immediately afterward, another trumpet sounded, and Antio immediately began to attack with the soldiers of the Samonai Legion!

The crazy and fierce soldiers of the Samonai Legion rushed towards the city wall with a ladder, but the defenders on the city wall were still immersed in the "sky falling apart" just now and had not yet come to their senses; In the blink of an eye, the ladders of the soldiers of the Samonai Legion had already set up the city walls, and the brave warriors began to climb up the ladders.

The Huskid Douba, who led the cavalry to evacuate Messina, was originally intended to sneak up on the back while the Augustus army was attacking the city walls; But he had no choice but to find the First Army that was waiting for him. With 4,000 cavalry, he stormed the line of nearly 4,000 hoplites; Coupled with the fact that the hoplites still had a considerable number of reserves, the Huskiduba had no choice but to retreat.

But he could not retreat into Messina; Because the defenders on the city walls could not resist the attack of the brave and skilled soldiers of the Samonai Legion. In the face of the fierce soldiers of the Samonai Legion, the defenders on the city wall could not even organize an effective counterattack, so how could they hold the city wall? At this time, Messina was already in the pocket of the Augustan family! (To be continued.) )