After all the leaders left, Budocaribas turned to look at the battlefield, sighing inwardly: Maximus, don’t blame me for being unkind. Why did you recklessly engage in battle with such a powerful Segestica army? If only you had stayed in the camp to defend!
........................
"Military officer, the red flag on the mountain has moved!" The guard urgently reminded.
"I see it." Flanitnus’s face was grave: The red flag waving at this moment indicates a change in formation has been completed, but the soldiers are unable to stop retreating, what should I do?
He did not hesitate and immediately said: "Hagux, hurry to the temporary camp to notify Pequot!"
Flanitnus then urgently ordered his messengers: "You, quickly go find Fesaros! ... You, go find Torrelugo! ... You, go find Camillus! ... Tell them that the reserves are already on their way, they must stop the enemy as quickly as possible, otherwise this battle will be in big trouble!"
In fact, it wasn’t just Flanitnus responsible for executing orders who saw the flags waving on the hill, the three legion commanders at the back of their respective units observing the battlefield also noticed and all understood the urgency of the situation, all taking nearly the same measures.
The three legion commanders led their guards, holding shields and swords, joining the rear of the formation, shouting in unison: "The legion commander orders! Hold the formation, no more retreating! Hold the formation, no retreating!..."
Initially, only a dozen people were shouting, soon it was hundreds, thousands... When nearly 9,000 rebel army soldiers who had shared hardships for over a year all shouted, this unified voice was like a thunderclap in early spring overwhelming all the noise on the battlefield, making their blood boil and awakening their powerful determination.
Thus, the soldiers in the front line dug their retreating feet back into the mud, raised their square shields with their aching left arms, leaned sideways with their shoulders against the shields, and thrust forward with their short swords to relieve the pressure. Their comrades behind them supported each other, ultimately transmitting the pooled strength to resist the enemy’s continuous assault.
The rebel army’s method didn’t actually align with the Roman Formation’s emphasis on flexibility, but rather resembled the Greek phalanx, yet at this moment it worked, the unified action stabilized the formation, preventing further retreat under the enemy’s attack.
.....................
When Hagux reached the temporary camp, Pequot and his soldiers were already impatient with anxiety.
Upon receiving the order, Pequot immediately raised his arm and shouted in Illyrian: "Brothers, whether we can defeat the Segestica people depends on us!"
"Roar!!!..." 300 guards responded in unison, joined by 2,000 Scodisqi slaves who had just joined the rebel army and been armed days earlier, shouting even more fervently.
Pequot forcefully waved forward: "Set out, kill the Segestica people!"
He led his troops out of the gate first, followed closely by the banner carrier. The standards, precisely the Dragon Flag Maximus designed that night, were held high by the guards acting as team officers, leading the Scodisqi people with round shields and long spears in single file...
After leaving the camp, the entire formation quickly shifted from a column into a wedge-shaped array, with Pequot and the soaring Dragon Flag at the forefront.
Then the whole team advanced toward the battlefield.
Gowes and other Scodisqi people who had just joined the rebel army organized their troops not far east of the temporary camp, where 100 soldiers from the guard distributed shields and spears to them.
Temporarily leading this group was a Centurion from the guard named Gaeling, originally a Celtic slave, who specifically spoke in Celtic while explaining the upcoming tasks and requirements to the Scodisqi people, making them feel a strong sense of camaraderie.
The unit commanded by Pequot passed by them, immediately attracting their attention. Gaeling seized the opportunity to shout loudly: "See? Your compatriots are going to the battlefield, they are going to defeat the Segestica people! Soon, you’ll follow me to give the final blow to the enemy, today is a great day to avenge, quickly make your final preparations!"
These words stirred the blood of the Scodisqi people led by Gowes.
"...Woo! Woo! Woo!...Woo! Woo! Woo!..." The sound of the copper horn sounded again.
This time it was urgent and high-pitched, tightening the hearts of Camillus and Oluus, who knew the crucial moment had finally arrived!
Before assigning the Third Legion to the left wing, Camillus and Oluus strongly opposed it, but Maximus’s reason was: The Third Legion has experience in retreating, which can reduce casualties.
Since its formation under Maximus’s leadership, the rebel army had not yet suffered a defeat, except for that time they turned defeat into victory at the Womans River, when the Third Legion suffered a major collapse... Maximus wasn’t mocking them when he said they had experience, but this was only part of the reason.
Another reason was harder to explain: The First Legion and Second Legion had relatively complete forces and consistently strong combat capability, acting as the mainstay of the rebel army. The Third Legion never reached full strength, now numbering less than 2,000, thus it made sense for the Third Legion to undertake this dangerous task for future ease of reorganization.
The horn continued to sound, leaving no time to waste. Camillus and Oluus gritted their teeth and shouted: "Left wing reformation! Left wing reformation!..."
The surrounding guards and soldiers joined in the shouting.
Meanwhile, they were the first to leave the formation, and the entire rear of the left wing gradually split into two sections: the soldiers near the center quickly merged into the back of the central line, while those near the end expanded outward, temporarily blocking the enemy attempting to outflank the side...
When the copper horn sounded, Stags felt a jolt in his heart, shouting endlessly: "Brothers, get ready to reform! Get ready to reform!..."
All the soldiers in the front lines became fully alert under the team officers’ reminders.
Feeling the supporting power from the rear suddenly weaken, Stags, though his voice was hoarse, continued to shout, but the content changed to: "Brothers, hold on a little longer! Hold on a little longer!..."
Without support from the rear, and with the soldiers’ focus not on defense, the left wing’s line began retreating again under the Segestica people’s assault...
At this moment, Stags shouted, "Run!" and threw the square shield in his hand at the enemy opposite.
The opponent hadn’t expected this move, hurriedly raising a shield to block while Stags quickly turned around.
Seeing Stags throw out the square shield, the soldiers behind him immediately turned and fled...
All the soldiers in the front lines used Stags’s tactic, which had been rehearsed in advance to buy a brief moment of escape.
The rebel army’s left wing defenses collapsed, but all the soldiers fleeing towards the temporary camp showed no panic, only tension and excitement...
At this moment, one-third of the defensive dam built by the rebel army had collapsed after holding for nearly an hour, and the Segestica’s army, like a flood building up strength, burst out through the gap, the warriors excitedly shouting, venting the long-repressed emotions in their hearts, wielding their longswords and spears, fiercely pursuing the fleeing rebel soldiers...
On the hill, Maximus clenched his fists tightly, watching intently below.
A moment later, he heard Quintus beside him sigh lightly: "Leader, just as we anticipated, the Segestica people lack effective organization. Most of them are only focused on pursuing our fleeing soldiers instead of encircling our center! Look, they have already completely dispersed now, it is impossible for them to regroup!"