CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 259 ADJUSTING DEPLOYMENT

"Five hundred thousand acres of land..." Tilius quickly calculated with his fingers, his face instantly showing an expression of shock: "We really need that much land—it’s an astonishing figure! We—"

"A bunch of fools!" A familiar voice reached the attendants’ ears: "Our tribe doesn’t have that much land, but the Pannonians do! Once we thoroughly defeat their army and seize the opportunity to attack their territories, will they still have the strength to resist?"

"Brother Akegu!" The five attendants saw the familiar figure and quickly stood up, warmly greeting him.

"You all—don’t you understand your responsibilities? Do you have the luxury of idling here at a time like this? Snap out of it! Keep your eyes wide open, ears sharp, and stay close to the leader at all times, ready to carry out any task he assigns to your utmost ability!" Akegu shouted sternly, his face stiff.

"Yes, Brother Akegu." Since Maximus established the youth team within the Supply Camp, Akegu had been one of its prominent leaders and held considerable authority, so the five youths responded with genuine obedience rather than perfunctory compliance.

Akegu patted the youths on their shoulders to encourage them, then quickly walked toward the cliff top not far away.

The hill occupied by the Nix Army was elevated, yet mostly gentle in slope. Only the easternmost part of the Nix Formation rose abruptly with steep terrain, which is why Maximus and his command center temporarily stationed themselves not in the middle-back of the formation but at the eastern flank. Utilizing this higher position, they carefully observed the enemy below.

"Leader! Lord Quintus! I’ve returned!" Akegu called out loudly as he approached the two men standing ahead.

Maximus turned back to look at him, his face breaking into a smile, but he didn’t say a word, as Akegu still served as a subordinate in the Staff Department and was currently acting under their orders.

"Report your observations in detail," Quintus commanded, and the subordinate next to him immediately spread out a sheet of paper and picked up an ink pen, preparing to take notes.

"I... I made my way to our right flank and stealthily... stealthily approached halfway down the hillside for closer observation of the enemy. I found that they carried flags painted with fish patterns, which likely signify the Brochi Tribe within the Pannonian Army."

The formation stretched eight or nine miles from west to east, its terrain uneven. Despite Akegu’s physical endurance, his sprint left him slightly breathless. Still, he tried his best to speak clearly and steadily: "I counted several times—the Brochi Army numbers approximately fifteen thousand. Among their soldiers, only those in the front rows wore armor; the rest lacked protection. Their formation appeared loose, lacking morale and any notable momentum."

"Hmm, your observations are thorough," Quintus praised him briefly, reaching out a hand to the side.

The subordinate handed over the already-drafted notes, which Quintus placed in front of Maximus: "Leader, I’ve compiled our reconnaissance findings and drawn a preliminary sketch for your review."

It was a schematic battle map of both forces’ formations, represented by squares and lines, annotated with text.

The map showed that the Nix Tribe’s Second Legion occupied the right flank next to the Kolana River, the First Legion was stationed at the center, and the Third Legion controlled the left flank. Correspondingly, the Pannonian Alliance Army’s left wing consisted of approximately 15,000 Brochi soldiers, its center housed about 15,000 soldiers of the Maziyi Army, its right wing held forces commanded by Disone and Perustai—amounting to about 12,000 soldiers—with over 1,000 cavalry stationed at the rear.

Maximus examined the map from above and praised it aloud: "Quintus, you’ve done a great job sketching this—it’s exceptionally clear and concise!"

"We simply followed the methods you suggested, Leader," Quintus replied modestly. His words carried sincerity rather than humility; during initial strategic discussions with the Chief Officers of the Military Department, Maximus had proposed the method. Quintus used wooden infantry figurines to illustrate on the map, and Maximus further suggested distinguishing enemy and allied forces with red and blue colors, using block sizes to represent troop numbers, and drawing clear military diagrams—a task made feasible by the tribe’s access to suitable paper supplies.

"Quintus, now that the enemy is nearing full deployment, do you have any further recommendations?" Maximus asked.

Quintus pointed to the enemy’s right wing on the map and spoke gravely: "Leader, judging from the formation of the four enemy divisions, the forces directly opposing us—Disone and Perustai—have the smallest numbers but are assembling the fastest. Their formation seems tight, and many are armored, suggesting their combat strength surpasses that of the other enemy divisions. This is likely connected to their prolonged conflicts with the northern Boyi people."

Maximus nodded thoughtfully and murmured, "So... we should relocate the Crossbow Soldiers to the right flank to focus our attack on the enemy’s left wing?"

"Correct, Leader. Focusing on their left wing has another significant advantage." Quintus moved his finger to the map’s rear section of the Pannonian right flank and tapped it twice for emphasis: "This cavalry unit likely belongs to the tribes of Disone and Pedestai, both of which have longstanding hostilities with the Boyi people.

If we focus our attack on the Pannonian right wing, our reserve battalion will have ample space for maneuvers. However, the enemy cavalry will also have room to maneuver and will likely charge with full force to prevent us from breaking through their flank, potentially leading to chaotic combat.

Alternatively, attacking their left wing positions us alongside the Kolana River, allowing for direct frontal assaults. Even if their cavalry receives orders to reinforce the left flank, the distance they must traverse will delay their arrival significantly—by then, the collapse of their left wing may be beyond recovery."

"In that case, we’ll concentrate our attack on the enemy’s left wing," Maximus decisively concluded. "Deploy the Crossbow Soldiers there! Additionally, move the reserve unit—the First Battalion from the Third Legion—to that location. From here on, everything rests on the soldiers’ performance!"

"Understood, Leader," Quintus affirmed.

"Summon Commander Camillus," Maximus turned around and instructed Attendant Marcus, then joked to Quintus, "Since the Second Legion will bear the brunt of the offensive while the Third Legion handles defense and distraction, I hope Camillus won’t blame me for this."

Quintus reassured him: "Leader, Camillus is a reasonable man; he wouldn’t bear resentment over this. Moreover, you’ve already clarified that the merit for defeating the enemy and capturing their Great Chief will be credited to the Centurion teams rather than the legions. The officers and soldiers of the Third Legion shouldn’t have much to complain about."

"I hope you’re right," Maximus sighed lightly. "The Twenty Peerage System drives tribesmen to greater valor, but it also makes them prone to disputes over interests. Every system and decree has its pros and cons!"

Quintus refrained from saying more.

Maximus spoke in a low voice, "I’ve decided to reward the Staff Department with a Second-class Merit after defeating the Pannonian Army—an acknowledgment of your contributions to this war!"

Quintus’ eyes widened in surprise, gazing at Maximus.

Maximus smiled faintly, "Let’s go. After meeting Camillus, we’ll need to move to the central rear position to oversee the battle."

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

Valerius originally joined the Crossbow Soldier training with the intention of returning to the battlefield, but he never imagined that his extensive combat experience and swift mastery of crossbow tactics would earn him a place on the list of candidates for Crossbow Soldier Captain, as deliberated by the Military Department.

When the Military Department submitted the list to Maximus for review, he carefully considered the options before appointing Valerius as Crossbow Soldier Captain, putting him in charge of 600 crossbow soldiers. (Thanks to the weapon workshop’s nonstop production, an additional 100 arm crossbows were manufactured before the war, making room for an extra 100 soldiers.)

Upon receiving Maximus’s orders, Valerius immediately led the crossbow soldiers from their station behind the central formation to the right flank.

Though the crossbow soldiers were mostly either older or mildly disabled, they had passed the Military Department’s assessments and undergone rigorous military training recently; covering three to four miles of hilly terrain in quick succession proved manageable.

Upon reaching the right flank, passing through the formation, and arriving at the front lines, Valerius and his soldiers panted slightly from exertion. Despite the fatigue, they pressed further west to a small hill near the Kolana River’s northern bank, where they began deploying into formation.

Valerius divided the crossbow soldiers into two rows of 300 each. To avoid drawing the enemy’s attention, he instructed the front row to hand their crossbows and quivers to their comrades in the rear.

After these preparations, Valerius allowed his soldiers to sit down and rest to regain strength. He, however, remained standing, keeping a close eye on enemy movements while waiting for another temporary allied unit to arrive under his command.

Instead, Second Legion Commander Torrelugo arrived first: "Captain Valerius, hearing the leader deploy your crossbow soldiers to assist us brought me immense relief! With your support, our Second Legion is confident we’ll crush the enemy and claim first honors!"

Torrelugo spoke excitedly, even instinctively going for an embrace, but hesitated upon seeing Valerius’s wrinkled yet stern expression, opting instead for a firm handshake.

"Commander, our crossbow soldiers will give their utmost effort!" Despite his confidence in the unit he led, Valerius’s decades of war experience informed his cautious response.

"If there’s anything you need from us, please don’t hesitate to ask," Torrelugo said enthusiastically.