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Bagul, on hearing this, stood up and went to the map prepared by Davos, then he pointed to the pass between the upper reaches of the Lao river and the Cinni river, and said, “The Pyxous once built a camp here, it was mainly to guard against us, and after the Potentians occupied Grumentum, they did not abandon it and had instead strengthened it. According to the report of the reconnaissance team, there are about 200 Potentian warriors stationed in this camp. Although there are not many people, the narrow pass is not favourable to the deployment of troops. Hence why we won’t be able to win it in a short time, on the contrary, it will arouse the vigilance of the Potentians in Grumentum, and if they were to reinforce it quickly, it would become a big trouble for us!

After carefully considering it, Lord Sesta and I decided not to take the mountain pass, but to follow lord Davos’ previous advice, to cross the Lao river directly, then march from the mountain road and attack Grumentum.”

“Although the Lao river is not wide, it has steep cliffs on both sides of the river. Even a Lucanian with powerful climbing ability will take a lot of effort to climb it, so how can you cross the river with thousands of people?” Hemon questioned.

Bagul looked at Davos.

Davos smiled and nodded.

So Bagul said, “Lord Davos asked the men of Heracleides the Younger to follow us for several days and carefully surveyed both sides of the Lao river. They then said that they are able to build a rope bridge on both sides of the Lao river in just one or two days, and it wouldn’t even be a problem for 6,000 soldiers to cross it! Currently, the ropes and planks for the bridge have been prepared and are just waiting for the orders of lord Davos.”

Hemon and Vespa looked at each other, they hadn’t heard a word about this even though they had been trying to mobilise and plan for the tribes outside Grumentum to attack the camp that was defending the mountain pass and open the way for the attacking troops.

When Davos saw that the two of them look unnatural, he immediately and cautiously said, “According to the 《Theonia Military Law》, military plans must be kept secret, and if they are leaked, they will be punished and in serious cases, they may even be executed. It is only because you are a participant in this operation that Bagul told you about the plan. I hope that once you go back, you would keep it a secret and not let it out.”

After hearing these words, Vespa and Hemon released some of the discomfort in their hearts and made immediate assurances.

“From Nerulum to Grumentum, it would take more than a day, and even if the 6,000 troops are hidden, they can be easily found.” Philesius reminded them.

Before Bagul could answer, Hemon said in advance, “If Bagul leads his troops across the river and takes the southern mountain road, then there is nothing to worry….” Hemon’s fingers crossed the Lao river on the map and said confidently, “Because of our efforts during this period of time, the tribes in those settlements in the south of the city of Grumentum are basically willing to become part of Theonia. At that time, I will follow the troops of Bagul and I am sure that the tribes there will not only not reveal our whereabouts, but will also help us reach the city of Grumentum more quickly.”

“If lord Hemon will go, then it would be the greatest help when attacking Grumentum!” Davos smiled in welcome and said, “In order to prevent accidents, I will send Izam’s reconnaissance team to sneak in to the area of Grumentum in advance, and try to block several mountains roads in the south leading to the city and stop those Lucanians that may report, so that once you launch your attack on the city of Grumentum, the enemy will not know anything!”

“The tribes in the city promised us that if we attack, they will gather about 500 men to attack the south gate guarded by Lusau.” Hemon had gotten even more excited from Davos’ praise.

“With the combined efforts of several lords, our attack is now well prepared.” Davos opened his hands with a relaxed smile, looked at Bagul and said with seriousness, “Bagul, you will be the one commanding the frontline, the specific deployment in battle and the cooperation with our allies in the city will be up to you, while I will stay here in Thurii and will not interfere. I just hope that you will try to think about difficulties that you will encounter and have countermeasures in case something unexpected happens!”

Bagul nodded with seriousness, and felt the pressure. Vespa, who was sitting next to him, patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

In Hemon’s eyes, there was both excitement and envy, because this was the first time that a Lucanian would independently lead a battle in Theonia Union. Making Bagul having a brighter future, but he was already married, otherwise, he would marry his daughter to him.

“Anything else you need?” Davos asked again.

Bagul hesitated and said, “I fear that once I take away all the soldiers in Nerulum, the defense of the city will be somewhat empty. So I hope that some of the soldiers in Thurii can temporarily protect the safety of Nerulum.”

While Davos was still pondering, Philesius immediately said, “Milord, I think it’s possible to have Xanticles and his men to go to Nerulum, and-”

“And these mercenaries who came back from Persia together with me have a rich experience in fighting in the mountain.” After being reminded by Philesius, Davos remembered that Thurii had this elite force who does not cultivate farms and are just doing odd jobs in the port, “They can also help you capture Grumentum.”

“With their help, I am more confident in taking Grumentum!” Bagul said excitedly.

Davos stood up and looked at the four men, “Tomorrow, I will propose in the Senate for us to attack Grumentum. And the only thing I hope is that you will work together and get the news of victory as soon as possible.”

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

After more than two days of trekking, a thousand mercenaries led by Xanticles finally walked out of the mountains and reached the Lao fortress.

Due to the need of confidentiality, the Lao fortress has blocked the passage to the north, claiming that there are a group of Lucanians fleeing from Grumentum and are hiding in the mountains and robbing the people and merchants of Nerulum many times, so Nerulum sent troops to search for them. As a result, there are only a few pedestrians on the road leading to Nerulum, and there are no merchants who usually come and go to trade.

“It’s only after getting here can we see flat roads, so the rest of the way should be easier.” Complained Tolmides, “I heard that the road from Nerulum to Thurii has been under construction for over a year now, and I can’t believe that it’s still only up to here!”

“After all, it’s in the mountains, not in the plains. It’s not like you do not know how difficult a mountain road is, and for Davos wanting it to become a flat road, I wouldn’t even think about it if it were me! Therefore, it is normal for the roads to be built here slowly, as long as they can finish it in the end.” Xanticles said to comfort him.

“Ticles, You have only been in Theonia for half a year, and yet you are already speaking up for Davos!” Teased Tolmides.

Xanticles looked at him and said, “Aren’t you also?”

Both of them laughed.

“I hope that this expedition goes well, so that we can all become preparatory citizens of Theonia.” Said Tolmides expectantly. Previously, he followed the first legion to Caulonia, however, Locri sought peace without putting up any fight, which thwarted the mercenaries’ attempt to get credits.

“I am not worried about that. What I am worried about is whether our weapon and equipment change will affect our fighting and increase our casualties!” Xanticles looked back at the sweaty, topless soldiers and said anxiously.

In order to march and fight in the mountains, Davos suggested to Xanticles that the mercenaries should for the time being refrain from wearing the Corinthian helmets, thick and airtight linen armor, bronze gaiter, and heavy round shields, and instead changed into the armors of the Lucanian warriors, leather helmet, short robes and wooden shields(in the battle with the Lucanian tribal alliance and the battle to capture Nerulum, Theonia had captured a large number of weapons and equipment of the Lucanians and left them in Thurii’s weapon storage, which was never been used afterwards). Xanticles, who had experience fighting in the mountain, finally accepted the advice of Davos after thinking about it repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, we have a lot more men than the enemy, not to mention that we have people from the inside, so it will not be a problem. And it is indeed much easier for our brothers to march with the Lucanian equipment. Otherwise, just climbing the mountain alone will be enough to wear us out. But here-” Tolmides pointed to the flat but always rising terrain ahead and said, “We still need to climb all the way up!”

Xanticles knew that Tolmides was right, it was just that he was too old to adapt to the new changes, so he remained silent.

Tolmides approached him and whispered, “Recently, I heard from Agasias that Davos had several discussions with Philesius and the three legatus of the army in preparation for the changing of the weapons and equipment of the Theonian soldiers, in order to make them lighter and more suitable for long-distance marching and mountain battle….”

Xanticles was stunned, and was slightly worried and said, “Is this information true? Without copper on the shield and heavy armor, would it still be a Greek hoplite?!”

“Ticles, don’t forget that the Greek hoplites used bronze armor decades ago! Wasn’t it because it was too heavy to fight that it was finally replaced with the current linen armor?!” Tolmides reminded, “Besides, that is not what you should be concerned about. What you should be thinking about is why Davos wants to improve his soldiers’ equipment!”

Xanticles was not a fool, and he immediately realized it after a reminder, “Davos wants to expand north?!” Changing the equipment of the army of a city-state was certainly not for just one battle or several battles, but to serve the long-term plans of the city-state as a whole. Davos wanted to make the soldiers’ armor light and durable, which is advantageous in the mountains, so when these characteristics were combined and when looking at the surroundings of Theonia, Davos’ intentions became more obvious; only the north of Theonia, in the middle of the Apennine peninsula in the north, will there be more mountains and more mountain races.

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