Chapter 452: Battle of Piacenza (I)
They all wore iron helmets and armor, held large shields and short swords, and except for the yellow lining, they were no different from the legionnaires; their team was made up of battalions, each of which was a dense phalanx, and the battalions were staggered in an orderly manner. Although the expressions of the Nyx soldiers could not be seen clearly, they were basically able to achieve uniformity from marching to stopping, and their postures were upright and silent, which made the whole array give people an indescribable sense of depression and tension.
Caesar's expression became solemn. He had previously heard from Trebonius that the Nyx infantry had excellent combat effectiveness and was completely different from previous barbarian warriors. Now he saw with his own eyes that this barbarian infantry team was not only well-trained, but also likely experienced in battles for a long time, otherwise how could they have such a compelling murderous aura.
Just as he was secretly frightened, he saw a cavalry of a hundred men rushing out from the enemy's army. The leader rode a tall and majestic warhorse, wearing a dazzling golden helmet and a fur cloak. The cavalrymen beside him held high a large flag with a strange snake painted on it...
This is probably the so-called king of Knicks! It was this man who learned from Rome and spent more than 20 years turning a small tribe into the most powerful force in the Danube Plain, and even made paper that Rome did not have... This man was so bold that he took advantage of the Roman civil war to invade... He completely defeated Pompey and thought he could take over everything in Rome smoothly, but he found that Rome was in great danger. The leader of Knicks was the culprit, and he completely disrupted his plan! ... Caesar stared at the other party with his eyes wide open, humming softly a few times, with a hint of admiration in his tone, but more of resentment.
When the entire Nyx army stopped advancing and began to reorganize their formation, Maximus led Pequot and his men to the front of the formation. They needed to observe the enemy formation carefully and then decide whether to adjust the formation based on what they observed.
Maximus soon noticed the dozen or so mounted officers in front of the Roman army. They all wore tall helmets with vertical red tassels and shiny plate breastplates. Only one of them was different. He was wearing a scarlet toga, and the standard-bearer holding the eagle flag stood respectfully beside him.
Could this person be Caesar, who has been revered by Europeans and Americans for thousands of years? ! ... Maximus's eyes were fixed on the other person, with a little curiosity in his eyes, but more of a desire to replace him.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then one went north along the array and the other went south, and they went their separate ways.
Maximus looked back at Caesar who was going away, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Pequot, I have decided that as long as we win this battle, the merits of the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle will be doubled!"
"My king, this——"
Maximus waved his hand vigorously and said firmly: "This battle is crucial to us, Nix. If we fail, not only will we be in danger of being annihilated, but the kingdom's territory will also be threatened!
You see, the enemy in front of us once conquered Gaul, defeated the Germans, and defeated the powerful Pompey... They are the most elite troops in Rome. Our soldiers must show far greater fighting spirit than ever before and be determined to kill the opponent at all costs, only then can we win this tough battle!
So I have to break the regular laws, make this exception, and give them encouragement! I think I also have this right, everything is for victory! ”
Pequot no longer hesitated. He certainly hoped to double his merits by winning this battle: "My king, I will send someone to notify the entire army!"
As more than a dozen messengers ran back and forth and shouted in front of each battalion, cheers rang out in the square formations of the Knicks battalions one after another, and finally became one, resounding throughout the entire battlefield: "Long live the king!!! Long live the king!!!..."
After more than 20 years of development, although the writing system of the Kingdom of Nyx is still Latin (at the request of Maximus, Kephisophon led some scholars to create Nyx's own writing system), the language has been established as Celtic. After all, the main ethnic group of the Kingdom of Nyx is now the Celts. However, due to the mixture of Illyrian and Germanic, it is different from the Celtic languages in other regions.
Caesar certainly didn't understand what the enemy was yelling, but the earth-shaking volume made him a little nervous. He looked around at his subordinates who were more or less moved, and said calmly: "I originally thought that these Nix barbarian warriors were like our brave soldiers. They were as calm as mountains before the battle, and they would show their ferocity when fighting. I didn't expect that they were like the barbarians we defeated before. They liked to shout before the battle. This is actually a manifestation of lack of confidence, because they always collapsed easily when they encountered setbacks in the battle."
"Caesar, you are right. A biting dog never barks. These barbarians are now wasting their energy shouting and yelling. When the trumpet sounds, I don't know if they will still have the strength to shout for help!" Kulba immediately echoed.
The others burst into laughter. Maximus and his party finally arrived at the right wing (the left wing of the Roman army) amid deafening cheers. He stared at the enemy cavalry with different equipments on the opposite side, identified them for a long time, and said uncertainly: "This is the Roman cavalry... This is the Gallic cavalry... This should be the Thessalian cavalry... Where did those cavalry come from?"
"It should be the Syrian cavalry." Pequot responded: "According to the information we received before, there were five to six thousand cavalry in Pompey's army, some of which were brought by his father-in-law Metellus from the Syrian province. After Pompey was defeated, many of these cavalry surrendered to Caesar, including the Syrian cavalry."
"Look, the Roman cavalry is so mixed, how strong can they be?" Maximus sneered. "Even if Caesar doesn't want to know how Antony was defeated, he saw with his own eyes the strength of our Nix cavalry yesterday. I believe he won't think that these cavalry can be a match for our cavalry."
"Your Majesty, you have explained to us in detail how Caesar won the Battle of Pharsalus. The current situation is very similar to that time. I believe he will repeat the same trick!" Pequot said confidently.
Maximus nodded and said to the cavalry commander carefully: "Hagux, remember! You cavalry must fight according to the pre-war plan! Don't advance rashly!"
Hagux immediately promised: "Don't worry, my king. I have repeatedly reminded those young men before we set out that anyone who gets carried away and disobeys orders will be severely punished by military law! They have all undergone rigorous training and have been through hundreds of battles. They will never make such a mistake!"
When Maximus and his party turned to the left wing for reconnaissance, Caesar led his men to the right wing.
Caesar stared at the majestic Nyx cavalry opposite him, his eyes focused on their feet. Although he could not see clearly due to the distance, it was indeed as the Roman cavalry had said after the previous fight with the Nyx scouts, the Nyx cavalry's feet seemed to be stepping on something, and their feet were slightly spread outwards instead of clamped on the horse's belly. Is this the reason why they can sit more steadily on the horse and move more flexibly?
Caesar turned around with a serious expression and said, "Petius, this time is different from the last time! You see, the Nix cavalry is more united and disciplined than those mixed cavalry of Pompey, so this time you need to be more patient and more cautious. Wait until the opportunity for battle appears. When I give the order, you will lead the troops to attack swiftly and defeat the Nix cavalry in one fell swoop! Whether we can win this battle depends entirely on you!"
Although Caesar's exhortation made Petius feel pressured, it also cheered him up. He responded in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Caesar, don't worry! I will never let you down!"
Caesar looked at the resolute and heroic Petius with a sharp gaze. Although this child of his eldest sister Julia did not have outstanding military talent like Antony, he was diligent and never compromised in executing his orders, which made him feel more at ease than others. After the victory of this battle, perhaps he should give him more opportunities and let him become his real arm. After all, he was the blood of the Ulysses family who was worthy of his trust!
Thinking of this, Caesar reached out and patted Petius's shoulders forcefully a few times, and said with relief: "Good, good."
At 3:00 pm, both sides had basically finished their battle formations:
The right wing of the Roman army was composed of the 11th and 12th legions, commanded by Galba; the center was composed of the 14th and Skylark legions, commanded by Brutus; the left wing was composed of the 7th and 8th legions, with more than 2,000 cavalry on the outside, commanded by Pertius.
Caesar divided the 13th Legion, the strongest and most trusted one, into two parts. Nearly 3,000 soldiers were armed with spears and arranged in an oblique array behind the left end of the left wing. The other 3,000 soldiers served as reserves and stood behind the center.
From this formation, we can see that Caesar copied the tactics of the Battle of Pharsalus. After all, the battlefield was a plain terrain, and the Roman army did not have an absolute advantage in manpower. Instead, the powerful Nyx cavalry posed a great threat to the Roman army. If they wanted to win, this set of proven tactics was the best choice.
Out of political considerations, Caesar did not write up a battle report on his battle with Pompey and send it to the Senate as he did in Gaul, making it known to everyone. Except for a few senior generals who followed him into battle, even all the legion commanders, officers and soldiers who participated in the battle did not know how the entire battle was ultimately won. So Caesar believed that even if the Nyx were shrewd and cunning, it was impossible for them, who had been locked up in the mountains, to know the details of the Battle of Pharsalus, and thus to predict the strangeness in the Roman army and take precautions in advance.
(End of this chapter)
They all wore iron helmets and armor, held large shields and short swords, and except for the yellow lining, they were no different from the legionnaires; their team was made up of battalions, each of which was a dense phalanx, and the battalions were staggered in an orderly manner. Although the expressions of the Nyx soldiers could not be seen clearly, they were basically able to achieve uniformity from marching to stopping, and their postures were upright and silent, which made the whole array give people an indescribable sense of depression and tension.
Caesar's expression became solemn. He had previously heard from Trebonius that the Nyx infantry had excellent combat effectiveness and was completely different from previous barbarian warriors. Now he saw with his own eyes that this barbarian infantry team was not only well-trained, but also likely experienced in battles for a long time, otherwise how could they have such a compelling murderous aura.
Just as he was secretly frightened, he saw a cavalry of a hundred men rushing out from the enemy's army. The leader rode a tall and majestic warhorse, wearing a dazzling golden helmet and a fur cloak. The cavalrymen beside him held high a large flag with a strange snake painted on it...
This is probably the so-called king of Knicks! It was this man who learned from Rome and spent more than 20 years turning a small tribe into the most powerful force in the Danube Plain, and even made paper that Rome did not have... This man was so bold that he took advantage of the Roman civil war to invade... He completely defeated Pompey and thought he could take over everything in Rome smoothly, but he found that Rome was in great danger. The leader of Knicks was the culprit, and he completely disrupted his plan! ... Caesar stared at the other party with his eyes wide open, humming softly a few times, with a hint of admiration in his tone, but more of resentment.
When the entire Nyx army stopped advancing and began to reorganize their formation, Maximus led Pequot and his men to the front of the formation. They needed to observe the enemy formation carefully and then decide whether to adjust the formation based on what they observed.
Maximus soon noticed the dozen or so mounted officers in front of the Roman army. They all wore tall helmets with vertical red tassels and shiny plate breastplates. Only one of them was different. He was wearing a scarlet toga, and the standard-bearer holding the eagle flag stood respectfully beside him.
Could this person be Caesar, who has been revered by Europeans and Americans for thousands of years? ! ... Maximus's eyes were fixed on the other person, with a little curiosity in his eyes, but more of a desire to replace him.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then one went north along the array and the other went south, and they went their separate ways.
Maximus looked back at Caesar who was going away, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Pequot, I have decided that as long as we win this battle, the merits of the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle will be doubled!"
"My king, this——"
Maximus waved his hand vigorously and said firmly: "This battle is crucial to us, Nix. If we fail, not only will we be in danger of being annihilated, but the kingdom's territory will also be threatened!
You see, the enemy in front of us once conquered Gaul, defeated the Germans, and defeated the powerful Pompey... They are the most elite troops in Rome. Our soldiers must show far greater fighting spirit than ever before and be determined to kill the opponent at all costs, only then can we win this tough battle!
So I have to break the regular laws, make this exception, and give them encouragement! I think I also have this right, everything is for victory! ”
Pequot no longer hesitated. He certainly hoped to double his merits by winning this battle: "My king, I will send someone to notify the entire army!"
As more than a dozen messengers ran back and forth and shouted in front of each battalion, cheers rang out in the square formations of the Knicks battalions one after another, and finally became one, resounding throughout the entire battlefield: "Long live the king!!! Long live the king!!!..."
After more than 20 years of development, although the writing system of the Kingdom of Nyx is still Latin (at the request of Maximus, Kephisophon led some scholars to create Nyx's own writing system), the language has been established as Celtic. After all, the main ethnic group of the Kingdom of Nyx is now the Celts. However, due to the mixture of Illyrian and Germanic, it is different from the Celtic languages in other regions.
Caesar certainly didn't understand what the enemy was yelling, but the earth-shaking volume made him a little nervous. He looked around at his subordinates who were more or less moved, and said calmly: "I originally thought that these Nix barbarian warriors were like our brave soldiers. They were as calm as mountains before the battle, and they would show their ferocity when fighting. I didn't expect that they were like the barbarians we defeated before. They liked to shout before the battle. This is actually a manifestation of lack of confidence, because they always collapsed easily when they encountered setbacks in the battle."
"Caesar, you are right. A biting dog never barks. These barbarians are now wasting their energy shouting and yelling. When the trumpet sounds, I don't know if they will still have the strength to shout for help!" Kulba immediately echoed.
The others burst into laughter. Maximus and his party finally arrived at the right wing (the left wing of the Roman army) amid deafening cheers. He stared at the enemy cavalry with different equipments on the opposite side, identified them for a long time, and said uncertainly: "This is the Roman cavalry... This is the Gallic cavalry... This should be the Thessalian cavalry... Where did those cavalry come from?"
"It should be the Syrian cavalry." Pequot responded: "According to the information we received before, there were five to six thousand cavalry in Pompey's army, some of which were brought by his father-in-law Metellus from the Syrian province. After Pompey was defeated, many of these cavalry surrendered to Caesar, including the Syrian cavalry."
"Look, the Roman cavalry is so mixed, how strong can they be?" Maximus sneered. "Even if Caesar doesn't want to know how Antony was defeated, he saw with his own eyes the strength of our Nix cavalry yesterday. I believe he won't think that these cavalry can be a match for our cavalry."
"Your Majesty, you have explained to us in detail how Caesar won the Battle of Pharsalus. The current situation is very similar to that time. I believe he will repeat the same trick!" Pequot said confidently.
Maximus nodded and said to the cavalry commander carefully: "Hagux, remember! You cavalry must fight according to the pre-war plan! Don't advance rashly!"
Hagux immediately promised: "Don't worry, my king. I have repeatedly reminded those young men before we set out that anyone who gets carried away and disobeys orders will be severely punished by military law! They have all undergone rigorous training and have been through hundreds of battles. They will never make such a mistake!"
When Maximus and his party turned to the left wing for reconnaissance, Caesar led his men to the right wing.
Caesar stared at the majestic Nyx cavalry opposite him, his eyes focused on their feet. Although he could not see clearly due to the distance, it was indeed as the Roman cavalry had said after the previous fight with the Nyx scouts, the Nyx cavalry's feet seemed to be stepping on something, and their feet were slightly spread outwards instead of clamped on the horse's belly. Is this the reason why they can sit more steadily on the horse and move more flexibly?
Caesar turned around with a serious expression and said, "Petius, this time is different from the last time! You see, the Nix cavalry is more united and disciplined than those mixed cavalry of Pompey, so this time you need to be more patient and more cautious. Wait until the opportunity for battle appears. When I give the order, you will lead the troops to attack swiftly and defeat the Nix cavalry in one fell swoop! Whether we can win this battle depends entirely on you!"
Although Caesar's exhortation made Petius feel pressured, it also cheered him up. He responded in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Caesar, don't worry! I will never let you down!"
Caesar looked at the resolute and heroic Petius with a sharp gaze. Although this child of his eldest sister Julia did not have outstanding military talent like Antony, he was diligent and never compromised in executing his orders, which made him feel more at ease than others. After the victory of this battle, perhaps he should give him more opportunities and let him become his real arm. After all, he was the blood of the Ulysses family who was worthy of his trust!
Thinking of this, Caesar reached out and patted Petius's shoulders forcefully a few times, and said with relief: "Good, good."
At 3:00 pm, both sides had basically finished their battle formations:
The right wing of the Roman army was composed of the 11th and 12th legions, commanded by Galba; the center was composed of the 14th and Skylark legions, commanded by Brutus; the left wing was composed of the 7th and 8th legions, with more than 2,000 cavalry on the outside, commanded by Pertius.
Caesar divided the 13th Legion, the strongest and most trusted one, into two parts. Nearly 3,000 soldiers were armed with spears and arranged in an oblique array behind the left end of the left wing. The other 3,000 soldiers served as reserves and stood behind the center.
From this formation, we can see that Caesar copied the tactics of the Battle of Pharsalus. After all, the battlefield was a plain terrain, and the Roman army did not have an absolute advantage in manpower. Instead, the powerful Nyx cavalry posed a great threat to the Roman army. If they wanted to win, this set of proven tactics was the best choice.
Out of political considerations, Caesar did not write up a battle report on his battle with Pompey and send it to the Senate as he did in Gaul, making it known to everyone. Except for a few senior generals who followed him into battle, even all the legion commanders, officers and soldiers who participated in the battle did not know how the entire battle was ultimately won. So Caesar believed that even if the Nyx were shrewd and cunning, it was impossible for them, who had been locked up in the mountains, to know the details of the Battle of Pharsalus, and thus to predict the strangeness in the Roman army and take precautions in advance.
(End of this chapter)
