Rome must fall.

Chapter 441: Battle of Aquileia (IV)

Trebonius's escape further accelerated the complete collapse of the already shaky left wing formation.

……

Although Antony was young, he had rich experience in war. He had fought in Syria, Egypt, Gaul and Greece, and had competed with the infantry of several major Mediterranean powers. He always believed that although the Greek heavy infantry had a tight formation and thick armor, they were afraid of close combat. Once the formation was disrupted, they would be lambs to be slaughtered.

The infantry of Eastern countries such as Parthia and Egypt also had strict discipline, were well-trained, and fought bravely, but their armor was thin and their equipment was inadequate, making it difficult for them to withstand the frontal impact of heavy infantry.

The barbarian warriors like the Gauls and Germans were strong and fierce, with great individual combat power, but their weapons and equipment were simple, they had no discipline, lacked training, and did not understand strategy and tactics. As long as they could withstand their initial fierce attack, they would often be the ones who were defeated in the end... Therefore, Anthony had always proudly believed that the Roman legionnaires were the best soldiers in the Mediterranean!
He fully expected that facing the impact of the most powerful Roman 9th and 10th Legions, the barbarian soldiers who were confronting them head-on would not be able to hold out for long and would be defeated. However, after some time had passed in the battle, the two sides were still in a stalemate, and even his own line could not advance more than a few meters.

In order to better understand the battle situation, the confused Anthony simply rode his horse close to the rear of the front-line soldiers and watched the battle between the two sides from a high vantage point.

He found that these barbarian soldiers were not wearing Roman weapons and armor for show. They were very skilled in using large shields for defense and daggers for stabbing, and were not afraid of close combat with Roman veterans. But at the same time, they did not rely too much on their personal bravery, and paid great attention to cooperation with their teammates to keep the basic integrity of the entire formation. Even if a barbarian soldier was surrounded and killed by Roman veterans because of his excessive advance, the gap in the queue behind him would be filled in time by the soldiers in the back row... This is why the battle-hardened Ninth Legion has not been able to gain the upper hand so far. If it were not for the different appearance, Anthony would even think that the opponent was simply an excellent Roman legion!
No, not one! But two! Even... Anthony not only watched the battle of the Ninth Legion carefully, but also paid attention to the battle of the Tenth Legion. He was in a very bad mood: If the combat effectiveness of all the teams of this barbarian army is so strong, then we are in big trouble! Because the combat effectiveness of the left wing is not good, although they have stopped attacking and adopted a defensive posture, if the barbarians take the initiative to attack, can the left wing resist? !

Antony remembered the reminder Caesar had given him before he left, and felt very regretful for underestimating the enemy. However, the battle had already begun. How could he save the situation, save the army, and even win?

Anthony felt very conflicted:

If the third-line soldiers of the 9th and 10th legions were drawn to reinforce the left wing (the Roman legions were in the traditional three-line fish-scale formation before the battle. When the battle started, the first and second lines were combined into an offensive formation, and the third line was on standby in the rear, ready to rotate with the first two lines at any time. Even though Antony attacked on all fronts, he still habitually adopted the usual offensive tactics after discovering that the enemy was ready for battle), perhaps the left wing could be stabilized, but the army on the right wing had not rested much after a long march before being thrown into battle. If there were no new forces to rotate and rest, even if their morale was high, they would not be able to sustain a long battle due to fatigue. At that time, the 9th and 10th legions, which were originally the main force, would not only fail to defeat the enemy and win, but would be at a disadvantage due to the weakening of their strength, which would not be worth the loss;
But if we don’t reinforce the left wing, the enemy on the right wing is quite strong, and it will be difficult for the Ninth and Tenth Corps to defeat them in a short period of time. During this period, if the left wing cannot withstand the enemy’s attack and collapses, the entire army will be in danger…

What should I do? ... Anthony hesitated until the scout came and told him in panic that the cavalry on the left wing had been defeated by a large number of barbarian cavalry, and the barbarian cavalry began to attack the flank of the left wing.

Anthony finally made up his mind: urgently mobilize all the third-line soldiers in the center to reinforce the left wing!

Although Anthony knew very well that the situation in the middle was not much different from that on the right wing, he now had no choice.

The unfavorable situation of the war did not make Anthony nervous. On the contrary, he looked determined and full of fighting spirit.

He sent all the messengers to issue an order to the captains of the right wing, "Let the second-line soldiers move forward immediately and fight in rotation." Then he jumped off his horse, took the big shield and dagger from his followers, led the guards to the center of the three-line formation on the right wing, and shouted to the surrounding soldiers: "Brothers, those who are brave follow me closely! Those who are not brave, get out of the way. Today I will fight the barbarians to the death!..."

The guards shouted in unison: "Fight to the death with Anthony! Fight to the death!!..."

The guards' shouts boosted the morale of the surrounding soldiers, and the shouts of the surrounding soldiers also motivated the other third-line soldiers.

The sound of the trumpet from the Roman right wing and the shouts of the officers intertwined. The soldiers in the front row stopped fighting and slowly retreated under the protection of the big shields, while the soldiers in the third row widened the gaps in the queue and slowly moved forward...

The changes on the battlefield were clearly seen by Maximus and Pequot, who were on the tower of the west wall of Aquileia. After the left wing of the Roman army was defeated, they left the north wall and came to the west where the fighting was most intense.

"My lord, the Romans have sent out their third line of troops ahead of time. It seems that they are preparing for a final fight. We should also send out the third line of troops accordingly so that the soldiers with more physical strength can better suppress the enemy's dying struggle!"

Maximus stared at Antony, who was walking at the front of the Roman three-line formation. His tall and sturdy figure and the towering brightly colored feathered helmet were the most conspicuous features. The soldiers surrounding him held their heads high and their morale was obviously higher.

Maximus tapped the battlement and said, "Just as you said, notify the First and Second Legions to change their formation immediately and put an end to the Romans' delusions! Also, notify Doreen to have the crossbowmen take off their leather armor and put on short swords. Once the Roman army is defeated, immediately chase them with light equipment!"

"Yes." "When will the cavalry arrive?"

"Don't be anxious, my king. After all, the distance from the left wing to the right wing is more than ten miles, and they have to save horsepower. It will definitely take some time, but I think it should be soon."

"Ah."

........................................................................

The first to arrive at the right wing of the Roman army was Trebonius's messenger, but unfortunately Antony was already fighting on the front line and was unable to convey the news that "the left wing had been defeated" to him.

But the orders Anthony gave to the center were faithfully executed.

Decitas was a brother of Antony who used to hang out with him in Rome. When the internal turmoil in Rome broke out and Antony was ordered to stay in Rome, he took the initiative to join him and work for him. Later, he followed Antony to cross the sea to Greece to reinforce Caesar... Antony trusted him very much and promoted him many times. This time, he also let him stay in the center.

Therefore, even though Decitas knew that the situation on the left wing was precarious, he still faithfully carried out Antony's orders and dispatched the third line of troops to rescue the left wing.

When the rescue troops were arranged in a marching column and marched northward, a large number of the driven left-wing fleeing soldiers came like a tide, and the reinforcements were caught off guard and soon their ranks were disrupted. The soldiers were also swept up and joined the fleeing crowd, which also made the Roman army's center completely unable to stop the fleeing soldiers...

After defeating the Roman cavalry, the cavalry led by Ibiger killed the light infantry and made them flee in all directions. Then he gathered his troops, marched towards the southwest, made a big circle, and quietly came to the rear of the Roman right wing.

At this time, the soldiers of the First and Second Roman Legions who were replaced from the front line were too tired, so most of them sat on the ground to rest, with their shields and short swords aside, and some even took off their helmets...

Ibiger led the cavalry in a surprise attack, and the Roman soldiers who responded hastily were quickly dispersed. Already exhausted physically and mentally, and without Antony to stabilize the morale of the army, the soldiers quickly collapsed in the face of the swift charge of the Nyx cavalry, and turned to flee.

And the direction they were running towards was exactly their teammates who were still fighting hard...

As the sun set, the battle in Aquileia finally ended and the Knicks won a glorious victory.

Except for some light infantry, very few cavalry and heavy infantry who escaped, the rest of the Roman soldiers were either killed in battle or captured, while the Nicholas army suffered only more than a thousand casualties.

The reason why Knysnes won such a brilliant victory was mainly because the Roman army fell into Knysnes' trap of luring the enemy and launched an attack eagerly after a long march, which over-consumed the soldiers' physical strength and exposed their own weaknesses.

The Knicks army used its powerful cavalry advantage to defeat the Roman cavalry and outflank the Roman left wing, causing the Roman left wing to collapse. Then it attacked the Roman right wing, causing its collapse. Then the cavalry on both sides cooperated with the infantry to press the Roman fleeing soldiers to the center, thus forming a large encirclement... The Knicks' military planning before the war was finally perfectly presented.

At this moment, Maximus stood in front of a pile of Roman soldiers' corpses. Antony, lying in the middle, was shot by several arrows and covered in blood. Even in death, his eyes were still wide open.

The captain of the First Legion, Akeguo, introduced in a heavy tone: "...This Roman general was very fierce and killed and injured several of our soldiers. The Roman soldiers around him also fought desperately under his leadership, causing our formation to be unable to hold on. Fortunately, the Roman army was defeated later, and we recovered.

But this group of people still did not collapse under the leadership of this Roman general. Even when we surrounded them, they still used the tortoise shell formation to resist. Then I called in the crossbowmen and killed them all..."

(End of this chapter)