Rome must fall.

Chapter 436: Defeat on the Eastern Route
Lucius, who Antony thought of at the moment, was shouting angrily outside the city of Tulsa, "Sound the attack horn again and send the two reserve battalions up! Push everyone forward, I don't believe that we can't capture this damn little city!..."

"General," the staff member reminded, "The siege troops have begun to retreat. I'm afraid it will be difficult to regroup them and attack in a short time!"

"Send the military court to kill those soldiers who escape first! I wonder who dares to escape again!" Lucius waved his sword and spoke sternly, scaring his staff so much that they dared not try to persuade him anymore.

At this moment, a messenger came running: "Report, the city of Volcera has been attacked by barbarians! We urgently hope that the general will come back to help as soon as possible!"

Lucius was shocked: "Barbarians raided the city of Volosela?! Where did they come from? Why didn't we notice it?!"

"The barbarians ran out from the mountains, and when we discovered them, they had already rushed to the city! General, there are more than 10,000 of them. If you can't return to support them in time, the city of Volosela will be finished!" The messenger pleaded anxiously.

Lucius was also panicked. He knew very well that the city of Volosela had been conquered by the barbarians before, causing several large gaps in the city walls. After he recaptured it, he was eager to advance and did not start repairs. He only left a few hundred soldiers to guard the baggage stored in the city. He thought that with his continuous victories, the city of Volosela would be a very safe rear base. He did not expect that the barbarians would come down from the steep mountains. If they were allowed to capture the city of Volosela again, there would be big trouble!

"Hurry up and blow the retreat bugle! I will lead these two battalions to the rescue first, and you gather the other teams and follow as soon as possible!" After Lucius gave the order to his adjutant, he looked towards the city of Tulsatian with reluctance.

He thought that it would be as easy to capture this town as the previous ones, but after three days of continuous attack, the soldiers could not even reach the top of the city. The Roman army had always been accustomed to setting up camp defenses to let the reckless barbarians run into bloody heads, but this time it was completely reversed. Not only did many soldiers die, but even the heavy crossbows specially used for siege were accurately hit by the large stones thrown from the city, and most of them were lost...

Is it true that there is a barbarian army stationed in this city? ! ...Lucius couldn't help but feel suspicious, but at this moment he didn't have time to think too much, so he could only hurriedly lead the reserve troops back to support the city of Volosela.

"...Lord Rufus, the Romans are retreating!" When a hurried military bugle call was heard from under the city, a captain of the Knicks shouted excitedly.

Rufus, former commander of the Sixth Legion of the Kingdom of Nyx and a second-class viscount, retired from active military service three years ago due to his old age, but he felt that he was still in good health, so when Nyx launched a war against Rome this time, he took the initiative to volunteer.

After much consideration, Maximus agreed to Rufus' request and decided to let the mature and prudent Rufus lead most of the reserve legion drawn from the middle reaches of the Kupa River (that is, the reserve troops from the towns of Snotia, Westenni, and Todledo, the area closest to the Roman province of Illyria), totaling nearly 5,000 people, to guard the rear of the Nyx army so that the main force can concentrate all its efforts to fight the Roman army.

Before Rufus led the reserve legion to enter the city of Tulsatian, the First Legion, which had originally captured the city, continued to move southward to capture several towns in the Illyrian province under the order of Maximus. On the one hand, it was to obtain more food and supplies, and on the other hand, it was to create a buffer zone for the city of Tulsatian. Not many troops were stationed in these cities, so Lucius was able to recapture them almost without a fight.

But in the city of Tulsatian, Rufus led the soldiers of the reserve legion to repair defense facilities day and night, strengthen city defense training, and be fully prepared, which inflicted heavy losses on the attacking Roman army.

At this moment, Rufus looked at the Roman army retreating in panic under the city, and said with a happy face: "It seems that Chalcipompus has succeeded in the raid!"

It turned out that there were not only more than 4,000 reserve troops guarding the rear, but also the Nyx Kingdom’s ally, the Aldei tribe.

The reserve legion resisted the attack of the Roman army head-on, while the Ardei tribal army hid in the mountains as a surprise force, seizing the opportunity to raid the rear of the Roman army. This was a military plan that had been made in advance.

"Sir, should we gather the soldiers and go out of the city to pursue the defeated soldiers?!" the subordinate asked excitedly.

"We do need to gather the soldiers, but don't rush to pursue them." Rufus said in a deep voice, "Send a cavalry squad to scout the enemy's movements first. We will follow from a distance until we find that a fire has broken out in the city of Volosela (referring to the Ardei tribe's army burning the Roman army's baggage) and the demoralized Romans are being attacked from both sides by the armies of Chalsipompus and Budokaribas. Then we will launch a fierce attack from behind and completely annihilate the enemy!"

The surprise troops included not only the warriors of the Ardei tribe led by Chalcephemus, but also the tribal armies of Budokaribas, Cicelytes and others who were about to be incorporated into the Kingdom of the Nyx. They did not participate in the raid on the city of Vorothera, but remained hiding in the mountains, waiting for the Roman army to return and fight with the army of Chalcephemus that had captured the city, and then launched an attack from the enemy's flank.

Rufus took into consideration that although the soldiers of the reserve legion fought well in the defensive battle, they still lacked experience in field combat. If they launched an attack first and provoke an all-out counterattack from the Roman army, they might not be able to withstand it. So he decided to wait until the Roman army was caught in a pincer attack before giving it the final blow. The main point was to be steady!
………………………………………………………………………………When the Roman army led by Lucius was defeated, Antony, who was still unaware of the situation, had already led his army to Padua.

This important town in the eastern part of the Northern Italian province no longer had the bustle and prosperity of the past. The city was in ruins, and the streets were unusually deserted. Not a single citizen could be found, let alone merchants and nobles. Instead, some slaves and refugees who had no one to supervise hid in the mansions that had lost their masters, secretly enjoying some of the supplies and food left behind by their masters...

Antony angrily captured all the slaves and refugees, and then distributed the remaining supplies looted in the city as spoils to the incoming troops. The soldiers once again cheered for Antony's generosity.

The cavalry that went out to explore still found no trace of the barbarian army nearby, so the Roman army rested peacefully for a night.

The next morning, after breakfast, the Roman army continued to march eastward and arrived at Tarvisum (Treviso) two hours later. The situation in the city was similar to that in Padua.

The scout came rushing over: "General, the barbarians are attacking Aquileia!"

Anthony's heart moved, and he asked anxiously: "Are you sure? How many people did the enemy send to attack the city?!"

"The barbarians have cavalry patrolling outside. We dare not get too close for fear of alerting the enemy. We can only watch from afar. There are people everywhere on and off the city, and the sound of fighting is very loud!"

Anthony no longer had any doubts. He raised his arms excitedly and shouted, "Messenger! Messenger! --"

"Anthony, don't be too anxious, wait a moment!" Trebonius quickly reminded loudly: "The soldiers have been marching for so long and are a little tired. Let them rest here for a while, recover their strength, and replenish water, so that they will have enough strength to defeat the barbarians in the next battle!
Besides, it is still early now, and the barbarians should have started attacking the city soon. We can wait until they are exhausted and unable to capture the city, and then rush to the city of Aquileia—" Trebonius' eyes flashed, and he suddenly punched forward with his right fist.

Anthony hesitated for a moment, nodded and said: "Your suggestion is not bad, but we can't wait too long. What if the barbarians break through Aquileia because of our delay this time?
In addition, when the soldiers are resting, let them put on their armor first, and we need to arrange the army's formation in advance so that we can quickly start fighting when we arrive at the battlefield and not miss the opportunity to fight! "

Although Trebonius looked down on the rude and dissolute Antony, he had to admire his thoughtfulness, so he nodded and said, "Then do as you say."

However, Antony's plan did not go smoothly, because half an hour later a group of Nyx cavalry appeared near Tarvisum, but they hurried away before the Roman cavalry rushed forward.

In order to prevent the barbarians from giving up the attack on Aquileia after learning that the Roman army had arrived, and retreating to their own camp to prepare for defense, thus letting Antony miss the best opportunity to defeat the barbarians in one fell swoop, he decisively ordered: "The whole army will march to Aquileia immediately!"

Under the shining midday sun, the fully armed Roman soldiers formed six columns, each with at least five thousand men, and the columns were about two or three miles apart. The captain of each column held high the golden eagle flag and the scarlet legion flag. The six columns marched eastward in unison.

Despite the hot weather, the Roman soldiers marched with firm steps and high spirits, because this time they were not going to kill each other, but to be Roman heroes and repel the invading barbarians. At the same time, they were willing to fight bravely for the young general who rode a tall horse, walked at the front of the team, and kept shouting loudly, in return for his generosity.

The six columns are close to the foothills of the Alps in the north and the Adriatic Bay in the south. From south to north, they are:

Caesar's Ninth and Tenth Legions.

(End of this chapter)