BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83: Retreat
“Strategos Friis, we are defeated! We lost!! What should we do? What should we do?!…” Kunogelata, a strategos who is usually quick witted and eloquent in the city hall, is now in a panic.
“What else can we do!” Friis smiled bitterly and said regretfully, “It\'s my fault that I couldn\'t hold on to my own suggestion! It\'s my fault that I looked down on the enemy! It\'s my fault that I was too stubborn and failed to listen to the suggestion of the others! Thurii\'s defeat today lies with me!”
He looked at the fleeing soldiers that run past him, and his expression became very firm, “You all go back to Thurii, and have the citizens to prepare for defense! And I will buy time for Thurii to repent to Apollo!” As he said this, he took up his shield and spear with his dried-up arm, and pushed away the fleeing troops and faced the surging enemy. The guards, slaves, and men that are around him shouted, “For Thurii!” Hundreds of people gathered around the old strategos and went against the flow. Wherever he went, had infected some of the citizens of Thurii and they stopped running, and joined him.
Kunogelata hesitated for a moment, and finally set off with his horse to escape, running and comforting himself at the same time: Friis said it well, if everyone here died, then who will protect Thurii!
Friis, who is a 60-year old strategos, faced the enemy and led 800 men, and shouted, “Apollo!” As he took the lead in killing the enemy, and launched a counter charge with them. The soldiers bravely killed the enemy without fearing their death. To their surprise, the warriors of Grumentum who were scattered due to their pursuit have almost exposed their formation, and had forced Grumentum to gather up their warriors and encircle this small group of extremely brave and tenacious soldiers of Thurii…
The most tragic scene of the battle finally came to an end. 800 Thurians led by Friis have all died in this battle, and none escaped.
Kunogelata was eager to hurry back to Thurii, and was almost knocked down on his horse by some of the fleeing soldiers several times on his way to escape. He was worried about the safety of the city and regretted a bit that he joined in the battle in order to gain fame…
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The city of Thurii is only a few kilo-meters away from the battlefield, and the people in the city are all paying attention to this war, which is related to the fate of the city. Every family prays for the soldiers either at their home or in the square.
When the scout rode back to the city in a panic, and shouted, “WE LOST! WE LOST!” At this time, the news quickly spread all over the city like a thunderbolt, which made the people felt like the sky is about to collapse. Those that are timid have fainted immediately, while those that are suspicious thought that the scouts are just spreading rumors and they wanted to drag him off the horse and beat him. Those that are pessimistic claimed that Thurii will perish, and have everyone quickly flee the city. Those rogues took this opportunity to stir up trouble and fish in troubled waters in order to take advantage of this chaos to get some benefits…the whole city, specially in the square can hear sounds of crying and it is extremely chaotic.
The two of the most important leaders of the “Nine Strategoi” are on the battlefield. Fortunately, they have experience in dealing with the defeat from last year, and at this critical moment, several of the strategoi led by Nianses stood up and have first sent out guards to maintain the order of the city, and then called on the public in the square to take up arms to defend their homes, whether they are men, women, old and young. He then led these people and the slaves to the city wall.
At this time, several nobles on horseback headed by Kunogelata rushed across the drawbridge and into the city.
The people who heard the news immediately surrounded them and inquired about their relatives. Kunogelata, who knew that the situation was urgent, didn\'t hear them out, and anxiously shouted, “The Lucanians are coming soon! Close the gate! CLOSE THE GATE!! DON\'T LET THEM COME IN!! OTHERWISE THURII WILL BE FINISH!!!”
Nianses frowned and said, “If the gate is closed, then the soldiers will not be able to enter the city!”
“Have them go around the walls and jump into the river Crati. We will then pick them up by boat! The Lucanians could not swim!” Kunogelata had already worked out a countermeasures while on the road.
At this time of crisis and everyone panicking, the appearance of Kunogelata and his suggestion immediately gave the people a backbone. They discussed it and as soon as they found that it is feasible, they immediately pulled up the drawbridge, closed the gate of the city and began shouting to the soldiers that are running towards the city, “Jump into the river, there are boats waiting to pick you up! JUMP INTO THE RIVER…”
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Davos sent Asistes back to the camp first to report the situation of the war. He then led his troops to retreat to the camp quickly. Beside him is Ledes, who held up the flag in order to guide the whole troops.
The warriors of Pyxous were attacked by the peltast previously, and so the distance between them and the mercenaries widened. And Grumentum received the counterattack of Friis, which delayed their pursuit. So the retreat of the mercenaries was smooth without risking too much. However, along their way, the fleeing soldiers rushed into their ranks, and the mercenaries knocked them down with their shields, but due to the organized retreat of the mercenaries of Davos, and their neat military had appeared had cause them to naturally attract the panic-stricken soldiers. And even if the mercenaries treated them violently, they just let them swear and beat them up, as they continue to follow them like tamed dogs…
When the troops passed through the city of Thurii, the troops of Davos became a bit bloated, but he didn\'t care as he looked at the countless troops in the distance under the city of Thurii, and then looked back at the movement of their pursuers. He then took the flag and handed it to Asistes and said to Ledes, “Go to the city of Thurii and tell the soldiers that the Lucanians will arrive soon. Our camp\'s defense is very strong and have them come to our camp first in order for them to evade the enemy.” (T/L Note: Didn\'t Asistes went ahead?)
Ledes left following the order.
“EVERYONE, TO THE RIGHT!” Shouted Davos, the red flag waving in the wind guiding the soldiers, but not directly to the west gate of the camp, but towards the south gate.
The warriors of Pyxous led by Gennat, chased the mercenaries. Since the time he became a warrior, he had participated in dozens of battles, and had never been so timid or had even nearly lost his life. However, these Greeks, after wantonly killing his people, wanted to escape, which made him angry. Therefore, in his eyes, there is only this mercenary: To catch up to them and slaughter them!!!
He doesn\'t care about those defeated soldiers under the city of Thurii, even if they are closer to him. As a result, the Pyxous troops collided with the warriors of Grumentum, who were chasing the defeated soldiers, and when the two armies finally separated, the mercenaries of Davos had already entered their camp.
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The strategoi of Thurii led by Kunogelata, have little experience on the battlefield (the only one with rich experience has died in the battle), and so they could only think about the problem simply.
It is true that some people left the gate and jumped into the river Crati because of their shouting, but some of the soldiers didn\'t want to leave. After all, the gate is in front of them, and they were already exhausted that they didn\'t want to go around a long way to just jump into the cold river Crati. They were begging and swearing under the city, and due to this moment of delay, the warriors of Grumentum arrived. They begun chasing and killing them, and the defeated soldiers who were unwilling to jump into the river, have no other choice but to jump. But due to their panic and the time being short, they didn\'t manage to remove their armors and many of them immediately sank into the river and drowned alive…
The people in the city watched their relatives get killed or drowned. They loudly cried and some women even jumped out of the city wall, smashing their bodies in order to accompany their dead husbands to hell…
The ferocious appearance of the Lucanian warriors and this bloody and tragic scene became the nightmare of the Thurians that they could never get rid throughout their life…
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The Lucanians failed to catch up in time, which relieved Davos. However, they didn\'t directly enter the west gate, but went around towards the south gate, and so he was worried that the soldiers would enter the camp slowly. However, his fears did not disappear, as it is even worse than what he had expected, as the panicking soldiers disturbed the order of his troops entering the camp.
Davos had no time to regret. He rushed to the wooden wall and directly ordered his soldiers to knock-off more than a dozen defeated soldiers, which shocked and terrified them and made his troops enter the camp smoothly.