CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 268 OLUUS’S DECISION

Temagis surveyed the now-calm tribal leaders around him, emphasizing his words, "What we need to do now is lead the warriors to the Segestica village, allow them to rest, regain their morale, and then coordinate with the armies of several other major tribes to attack the territory of the Nix and utterly annihilate them. By then, I want to see if this damned Nix army dares to shout provocations at us again!"

Temagis’s words convinced the tribal leaders of Desitia, while some of the Segestica tribal leaders, who were already like defeated dogs, had even less reason to oppose him. They were eager to leave this place that filled their hearts with dread.

When the Nix team officers saw the Pannonian army on the opposite riverbank stop their standoff and begin marching westward along the river, they were dumbfounded and immediately turned to Pequot in desperation, asking, "Legion Commander, what do we do now? The enemy didn’t take the bait—they’re retreating! Should we just chase them across the river and keep fighting them!?"

"Shut the hell up!" Pequot roared fiercely, silencing everyone around him.

Though his subordinates were anxious, Pequot’s heart was even more troubled. According to his initial plan, they would launch a surprise attack as the enemy crossed the river. The enemy left on the northern riverbank would be caught off guard and suffer defeat, forcing the forces that had already crossed the river to return for reinforcements. At that point, the other part of the Fourth Legion, led by Oluus, would quickly arrive at the southern bank to launch an ambush on the forces remaining there. This way, the Pannonian army would be caught in a pincer attack, trapped in the river. Even if they managed to escape, their casualties would be heavy.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was that once the surprise attack was launched, the situation spiraled out of his control. The enemy on the northern bank proved too weak and collapsed quickly without waiting for reinforcements from the southern bank. This caused the plan to succeed only halfway—and that was a huge problem!

"Quick! Quick! Quick! Start two fires immediately, and they must produce thick smoke!" Pequot barked his urgent instructions to his subordinates.

As two thick plumes of smoke rose into the sky, Pequot could only hope that Oluus saw them and retreated promptly to avoid any losses.

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"Legion Commander, look quickly!" a subordinate called out loudly to Oluus, pointing to the two columns of smoke rising in the distance against the sky.

"I see them," Oluus replied with a grave expression. He and Pequot had previously agreed upon a signal: if the plan succeeded, one fire would be lit, and he would lead his army to flank the enemy; if the plan failed, two fires would be lit, and he would immediately lead his troops back to fortify Westeni.

Due to the formidable Pannonian cavalry, Oluus hadn’t dared to send scouts to assess the battle directly. Instead, early that morning, he had dispatched boats from the Westeni River Port down the Kupa River. These boats were anchored at intervals, with the furthest stationed near the dismantled pontoon bridge to observe the general course of the fight and relay information back. Thus, it was only after learning that Pequot had initiated the assault that Oluus had led his troops out of Westeni. Based on reports from the boat men, Pequot’s forces appeared to have gained the upper hand, prompting Oluus to accelerate his march.

But now, the two plumes of smoke told him: The plan has failed?!

After a brief moment of thought, he quickly realized the likely cause: the main forces of the Pannonian army that had crossed the river never turned back to assist their allies. This meant that if he continued his march, his army might directly collide with the far superior numbers of the Pannonian forces. Without the advantage of terrain or Pequot’s coordinated efforts, facing such an overwhelming enemy head-on would be suicidal.

Confronted with an increasingly dire situation, Oluus took a deep breath and resolutely issued a command: "Speed up the march! We must reach the Segestica village ahead of the enemy!"

He paused for a moment before instructing further, "Notify the nearby boatmen to find Pequot urgently! Tell him that Leader Maximus has already sent a messenger, and his army will soon arrive. We must do everything in our power to pin down the enemy. Before the main force arrives, we cannot let this enemy retreat back into Segestica’s territory or escape to the village ahead!"

"Understood!"

This was why Oluus chose to take the risk of pushing his forces forward.

In fact, Maximus had sent a messenger the day prior, approving the plan he and Pequot were to execute, while warning them to exercise caution and not alert the enemy prematurely.

Earlier that day, after Oluus had already set out with his troops, Maximus sent yet another messenger to find him. The messenger was none other than Cavalry Captain Hagux, delivering the same order—to ensure that they gave no quarter to the enemy. This underscored Maximus’s determination to annihilate the opposing forces entirely.

As Oluus’s troops rushed forward, small recon groups from the Pannonian alliance kept watch from the front. However, rather than engaging, they retreated cautiously, reporting the Roman advance as they fell back.

But by the time Oluus’s forces circled around the village of Anrotas, the Pannonian alliance army was still nowhere to be seen.

Oluus quickly ordered 2,000 soldiers to form a tight square formation about a hundred meters from the village’s eastern gate, effectively blocking the road leading to the village.

Once his soldiers were in position, Oluus raised his voice to deliver a rousing speech: "Brothers! Weren’t you complaining earlier about lacking opportunities to earn merits? Now, the opportunity is here! So long as we hold off the enemy approaching from the front and stop them from reaching the village, it won’t be long before our leader arrives with the main army to wipe them out entirely! When that moment comes, each of you will have achieved great merit, securing your promotions and rewards! Tell me, do you have the confidence to complete this mission?!"

"We have confidence!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. Although they were somewhat fatigued, their morale remained high.

Oluus looked at their excited faces, and his tension eased slightly. He felt comforted that he had insisted the soldiers wear their armor before setting out, even if much of it was still just leather helmets and leather armor. In a phalanx fight, even basic protection could help them hold out longer.

This veteran of the Roman Army, relying on his intuition and adherence to traditional practices, had made a critical decision at this key moment.

Oluus then spoke in a much gentler tone: "Everyone, sit down and take the chance to recover your strength. Wait patiently for the enemy to deliver us our moment of glory!"

The soldiers burst out laughing. Amid the clattering of armor, they all sat themselves down on the ground.

Temagis’s slow marching pace was partly due to the demoralized Segestica troops under his command, who were dragging their feet after a crushing defeat. On the other hand, he had to remain vigilant, wary of another potential Nix ambush across the river.

When word arrived that another enemy force of roughly 2,000 soldiers was advancing toward him, Temagis’s first thought was: My earlier decision was the correct one; otherwise, we’d be in big trouble now.

His second thought was: Good—this enemy couldn’t have arrived at a better time. I need a victory to restore morale!

Before long, he spotted what looked like a "thick wall" blocking the road ahead. Though it appeared the enemy intended to hold their ground, a large detour into the fields on the left could easily bypass this blockade, leading him into the Segestica village.

But Temagis adamantly refused to consider such a move. With no prior assistance provided to their allies, avoiding battle again would disgrace him in the eyes of the Segestica people and deeply disappoint the warriors of his own tribe...

These crafty Nix forces, who had only managed a victory through a sneak attack, now presumed they could win again despite being outnumbered! What a foolish delusion! Glaring at the phalanx arrayed ahead and waiting silently, Temagis felt a surge of irrational anger. However, he restrained himself, and when his army advanced to within 300 meters, he finally gave the order: Halt the march!

He directed 500 cavalrymen to form a line at the front while instructing the Desitia tribal leaders to organize their warriors into overlapping long spear and shield formations. Approximately 5,000 warriors formed a front-facing battle array, while around 2,000 oriented themselves toward the rear to guard against the Nix forces recently located on the northern riverbank.

Between the two infantry formations stood nearly 3,000 Seg warriors from Segestica, temporarily commanded by Cabdes’s son Casinos. Temagis had no intention of letting this allied force fight; he merely instructed Casinos to keep his troops under control and out of his way.

Though mustering his troops and forming ranks took time, Temagis deemed it necessary. Since the enemy had issued a formal challenge, he needed to respond in kind, defeating them decisively to affirm his reputation as the Great Chief of Desitia. This was his first open-field battle against the mysterious Roman Army that had previously defeated Andres. In the earlier engagements, the Nix forces had relied on fortified defenses or ambushes during river crossings; Temagis felt an unshakable sense of humiliation.

"Terles, it’s time to attack!" Temagis called loudly to his younger brother, who commanded the cavalry.

"Cavalry, follow me into battle!" Terles raised his longsword high in his right hand, then jerked the reins with his left hand. His warhorse immediately bolted forward, hooves pounding the ground.

The remaining cavalry followed in quick succession. Initially, they proceeded at a light trot, but their speed gradually increased. Within 100 meters, the warhorses broke into a full gallop, manes flying. The cavalry formation stretched into a long column several dozen meters wide. Led by Terles, the riders roared with fury, brandishing their longswords as they surged toward the left flank of the Nix square formation at breakneck speed, exuding overwhelming determination to break through.

The inexperienced recruits of the Nix Fourth Legion had never witnessed such a spectacle. The pounding of the warhorses’ hooves, like a deafening drumbeat, sent shivers down their spines. The imposing sight of the massive four-legged beasts charging full-speed ahead radiated an almost unstoppable energy. Many couldn’t help but think: If this thing crashes into me head-on, wouldn’t my bones be shattered to pieces!

If not for their hatred of the Pannonians and their burning desire to earn merits and promotions, many might have already turned to flee. Even so, those who remained standing trembled—hands and legs alike—out of sheer fear.