Rome must fall.

Chapter 451 The inevitable decisive battle

Of course, if the Nyx army remained ignored and the Roman army continued to advance eastward, they would arrive at the city of Bologna. There were not many Nyx soldiers stationed in Bologna. Once the Roman army captured it, Caesar would open up the Via Cania, and Rome's troops and supplies could be transported to Bologna through this avenue, allowing it to gain a foothold in the northern Italian province again.

This is a risky move, but also a clever one.

Many people in the Knicks' military department could not help but suggest that troops should be dispatched immediately to attack the marching Roman army.

Pequot disagreed. He believed that the Roman army was well prepared for this. They were marching along the foothills, more than ten miles away from Piacenza. By the time the army arrived, the Romans would probably have already formed their battle line with their backs to the mountains and forests. At that time, they could only rely on the infantry to fight head-on, and the cavalry would have no room to maneuver, which would be very disadvantageous to the Nyx army.

After thinking about it, Maximus made a decision: do not attack for the time being. If the Roman army ignores Piacenza's existence and continues to move eastward tomorrow, then the Nyx army must follow it in full force, look for opportunities, and force the Roman army to fight a decisive battle in an environment that is favorable to them.

After all, if the Roman army was allowed to enter the hinterland of the eastern part of the northern Italian province, not only would Bologna fall, but the new territory that the Kingdom of Nyx had spent manpower and material resources to manage for more than half a year would also be trampled upon.

Under the surveillance of Nick's scouts, the Roman army set up camp fifteen miles southeast of Piacenza in the afternoon.

At night, Maximus couldn't fall asleep at first. He kept thinking about the Roman army outside the city. Caesar, who was good at making ingenious plans and daring to take risks, was really a headache...

Finally, Maximus fell into a drowsy sleep, and when he opened his eyes again it was already dawn.

When I finished washing and was having breakfast, Pecot came in hurriedly.

Before he could speak, Maximus asked, "Is there any new situation with the Roman army outside the city?"

Pequot responded solemnly: "My king, the Roman army is arrayed outside the city again, but this time it is in the southeast."

"This Caesar is really a thief who has not given up." Maximus put down the spoon in his hand and asked, "How far is it?"

"About eight miles."

"It seems that Caesar has really learned the lesson from the Battle of Aquileia. He arranged his troops so far away from us because he doesn't want us to see his specific deployment from the top of the city!" Maximus smiled and asked, "How is the Roman army's formation?"

"The Romans have just begun to line up their troops. It will take some time before we know the deployment of the Roman army."

"Then we don't need to be too anxious. Let's wait patiently and make a decision after we know the details." Maximus said, picking up the spoon calmly and scooping a spoonful of hot porridge.

"Yes."

About an hour later, Maximus learned the general situation of the Roman army: the Roman army was still in the traditional chessboard formation, with the various groups arranged in a staggered manner, forming a diagonal line from north to south, extending for more than five miles. The westernmost right wing was next to the south bank of the Po River, and the easternmost left wing had two to three thousand cavalry.

"What does your Ministry of War have to say about this?" Maximus asked. His eyes swept across everyone in the Ministry of War, lingered on his son Gandricusi, and finally looked at the Chief of Staff.

"Your Majesty, this time the Roman formation has a wide enough open area outside the left wing for our cavalry to gallop, but their camp is three miles behind their left wing. This requires us to be vigilant!"

Pequot looked back at his subordinates and said solemnly, "After discussion, we all feel that we cannot miss this opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the Roman army! Otherwise, Caesar will see that the battle is hopeless and will most likely lead his army eastward tomorrow. When the Romans approach Bologna, they may not want to fight us anymore and use the camp they have built to block our attack while attacking Bologna. At that time, the battle situation will become more complicated..."

Maximus held his chin, thought for a while, and asked, "How many people are there in Caesar's army?"

Pequot immediately responded: "According to the reconnaissance of the scouts in the past two days, excluding the baggage train, the strength of the Roman army is about 30,000 to 40,000. Since Caesar took the initiative to attack so early and should not have had extra time to form new troops, this Roman army must be from the troops when Caesar fought Pompey.

As early as when Caesar was trapped in Egypt, Onomabaitis's men had investigated his troops thoroughly. In addition to the annihilated Antony's army, he still had seven elite legions and two to three thousand auxiliary cavalry.

In the previous battle with the Gauls, the Roman army must have suffered casualties, so I estimate that the current Roman army has about 40,000 soldiers."

"Forty thousand men... not much different from our strength." Maximus patted the arm of the chair with a mocking smile. "In order to lure our army into a decisive battle, Caesar even made concessions (referring to leaving enough space for the Nix cavalry on the outside of his left wing formation). He really took great pains. We can't refuse his kindness again and again. Since he wants to fight, let's fight and see who will have the last laugh!
Pequot, send someone to inform the whole army to prepare immediately and march out of the city to meet the enemy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Pecot's voice suddenly increased, and everyone in the military department became excited. Less than half an hour later, the whole city of Piacenza was filled with cheers, deafening.

Maximus, who had already put on his armor and was about to leave the temporary residence, couldn't help but smile when he heard the voice, and muttered to himself: "The soldiers have been cooped up in the northern Italian province for several months. It seems that they have been eager to fight this battle for a long time. The morale of the army can be used!"

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

The sun hanging in the sky had begun to move westward, and there was still no movement ahead. Caesar, who had been waiting for news, remained calm. After all, in Greece, he had taken the initiative to challenge Pompey for a decisive battle more than a dozen times, and this was only the second time. He had the patience.

Wait another hour. If the Niccolò still doesn't move, we will withdraw our troops back to the camp and go to Bologna tomorrow... Caesar thought to himself as he looked at the soldiers sitting and resting around him.

It is a taboo in military strategy to leave the rear and go deep into enemy territory, but Caesar not only did not feel afraid, but was excited instead.

At this time, a scout cavalry galloped over and said, "Mr. Archon, the Nix army has left the city! They are marching in our direction!"

"Finally the Nix barbarians have arrived! Dear Caesar, we have to inform the soldiers to get ready!" The legion commander Servius Sulpicius Galba reminded excitedly.

"Don't be in a hurry. Let the soldiers rest for a while and wait until the Knyx people arrive." Caesar shook his head and said slowly.

"Oh fine."

"Haha, I think the leader of the Nyx barbarians is braver than Pompey. He actually dared to come out and fight us so quickly!" Another legion commander, Quintus Petius, said with a smile.

Caesar glanced at Petius. Although he labeled Pompey a traitor for political purposes, in his heart he always regarded Pompey as a Roman hero second only to him. Petius compared Pompey with the leader of the Nix barbarians, which made him a little unhappy, but considering that the battle would begin soon, he resisted the urge to criticize Petius.

"The leader of the Nix barbarians is certainly brave, otherwise he would not have invaded the northern Italian provinces. But he will soon know that offending Rome will come at a heavy price!" said another legion commander, Decimus Junius Brutus, hatefully.

Caesar ignored the noise of his subordinates. He shook the reins lightly, and the horse carried him through the formation and came to the front.

Seeing this, Petius and others hurried to follow.

Today is a sunny day with gentle sunshine and a slight breeze. The horses' hooves tread on the soft grass, and looking up, you can see an endless expanse of green. The open fields allow the sight to reach the sky without obstruction... This is really a good weather and a good place for a battle!

Caesar took a deep breath of the fresh air mixed with the scent of earth and grass, and his excitement gradually calmed down. Although he could not see any trace of the enemy, he had the patience to continue waiting.

"Mr. Archon, the Nyx army is lined up four miles away!" Another cavalry came to report.

The Nixes are quite cautious! ... Caesar was a little surprised: before a battle, both sides usually line up at a distance of more than a mile. The Nixes lined up at such a distance, either because they were afraid of being attacked before they finished lining up, or because they were afraid that they would be seen clearly in the process of lining up and make targeted arrangements...

Caesar's thoughts turned for a while, then he turned around and said to his men, "Stop resting the soldiers and start reorganizing the formation!"

"Yes, Caesar!"

About half an hour later, a few wisps of gray gauze appeared in the distance, floating in the azure sky, gradually gathering and spreading, spreading in all directions like waves, and moving towards Caesar...

As the distance got closer, the veil had turned into thick dust and fog, covering the sky and the sun. It was a gray area, and countless human figures could be vaguely seen in it. The sunlight shone through the dust and fog onto these figures, reflecting dots of light, as if the stars were twinkling...

As the distance got closer, the rumbling of footsteps, the crisp sound of armor colliding, and the high-pitched shouts of officers kept hitting Caesar's eardrums, and the dust and fog surged even more, as if it was about to sweep over...

Caesar remained calm, squinting his eyes slightly, concentrating on the Knicks team that had stopped moving about a mile away...

(End of this chapter)