When Bagul heard this, he stood up, walked over to the map prepared by Davers, pointed to the pass between the upper reaches of the La and Sini rivers, and said, "The Picosis once set up a camp here, mainly to guard against us. After the Pothenians occupied Grumentum, they did not abandon it, but strengthened it. According to the report of the reconnaissance team, there are about two hundred Pothenian warriors stationed in this camp, although there are not many people, but the pass is narrow, which is not conducive to the deployment of troops, and it is impossible for us to take it in a very short time, but it will arouse the alarm of the Pothenians of Grummentum, if they come quickly to reinforce it, it will be a big problem for us!

After careful consideration, Lord Sesta and I have decided not to take the pass, but to follow your previous advice and cross the La River directly to the north bank, and march through the mountain road to the south to attack Grummentum. ”

"Although the river is not wide, but there are steep cliffs on both sides, and the Lucanians with strong climbing ability have to climb through it with great difficulty, and you have to take thousands of people across the river, how do you cross it?" Hmon questioned.

Bagul looked at Davers.

Davers smiled and nodded.

So Bagul said: "Master Davers sent his men to follow us for several days, carefully surveying both sides of the river, and they thought that they could build a rope bridge over both sides of the river in a day or two, and cross 6,000 warriors without any problem!" Now that the ropes and planks used to build the bridge have been made, it's up to you to give your orders, Lord Davers. ”

Hmon and Vesbah looked at each other, they had not heard a word about this, and they had been trying to mobilize and plan the tribes outside Grumentum to attack the camp holding the pass, opening the way for the attacking troops.

Seeing that the two of them had wrong faces, Davers said with a cautious expression: "According to the "Ionian Military Law", military plans must be kept secret, and if they are leaked, they will be punished, and in serious cases, they will even be executed. It's just that because you are the participants in this operation, Bagul has told you about the military plan of action, and I hope that you will keep it a secret when you return. ”

When Veesba and Hemon heard this, they relieved some of the unhappiness in their hearts and immediately made reassurances.

"It will take more than a day to get from Nioutum to Grummentum, and the 6,000-strong troops will be easily spotted even if they are hidden." Pherisius reminded.

Before Bagul could answer, Hmon preemptively said: "If Bagul leads his troops across the river and takes the mountain road to the south, don't worry...... Hemon's finger crossed the La River on the map, and said confidently: "Because of our efforts during this period of time, the tribes in those settlements outside Grumentum City to the south are basically willing to paint our Dionia." When the time comes, I will set out with Bagul's troops, confident that the tribes there will not only not reveal our whereabouts, but will also help us reach the city of Grummentum faster. ”

"If Lord Hermon can go, it will be the greatest help to attack Grumentum!" Davers greeted with a smile, and at the same time said: "In order to prevent accidents, I will send Izzam's reconnaissance team to infiltrate the Grumentum area in advance, and try to block the several mountain roads leading to the city in the south, and intercept those Lucanians who may report to the city, so as to ensure that when you launch a surprise attack on Grumentum City, the enemy will not know about it!" ”

"The tribes in the city promised us that if we attacked, they would gather about 500 people and attack the southern gate, which was guarded by Lusau." Complimented by Davers, Hermon seemed even more excited.

"With the joint efforts of several adults, this operation has been well prepared." Davos opened his hands, showed a relaxed smile, looked at Bagul, and said seriously: "Bagul, you are the front-line commander, the specific combat deployment and cooperation with the allies in the city are up to you, I will not intervene in Turiyi, I just hope that you try to think more about the difficulties, and once an unexpected situation occurs, you must have corresponding measures." ”

Bagul nodded solemnly, feeling the pressure. Wesbah, who was sitting next to him, patted him on the shoulder and gave him encouragement.

There was excitement and envy in Hermon's eyes: this was the first time that the Lucanians had led an army in the Dionian League independently, and Bagul had a bright future, but it was a pity that he was already married, otherwise he would have married a daughter to him.

"What more could you ask for?" Davers asked again.

Bagul hesitated for a moment and said, "I have taken all the soldiers of Niutum City, the defense there is a little empty, and I hope to send some soldiers from Turiyi to temporarily protect the safety of Niutum City." ”

While Davers was still thinking about it, Phellisius immediately said, "My lord, I think I can let Zantiparis and them go and garrison Niutum, and—"

"And these mercenaries who have returned from Persia with me have more experience in fighting in the mountains." Davos was reminded by Pherisius that he remembered that Turiyi still had this elite force that did not have to cultivate the fields and did odd jobs in the port: "They can also help you capture Grummentum." ”

"With their help, I have more confidence in capturing Grummentum!" Bagul said with some excitement.

Davers stood up and looked around at the four of them: "Tomorrow I will propose to the Senate - attack Grummentum, I hope you will unite and cooperate, and the news of victory will come as soon as possible!" ”

………………………

After more than two days of trekking, a thousand mercenaries led by Zantiparis finally walked out of the mountains and arrived at the fortress of the La River.

For the sake of secrecy, the fortress of Rahe had blocked the passage to the north, and declared that there was a group of Lucanians who had fled from Grumentum, hiding in the mountains and forests, and had repeatedly robbed the people and merchants of Neutum, and that Neutum was sending troops to search for it. As a result, the road to Niutum is sparsely populated with pedestrians, and there are no traders who come and go to trade.

"When I got here, I saw a flat avenue, and the next road should be easier." Tormide complained: "I heard that the road from Niutum to Turii has been built for more than a year, and it is only here!" ”

"After all, this is in the mountains, not on flat land. You don't know how difficult the mountain road we just walked was, and you don't know that Davers actually wants to turn it into a smooth road, if I can't even think of it! It's normal to be slow to build roads here, as long as they can be repaired eventually. Zantiparis said with relief.

"Paris, you've only been in Dionya for half a year, and you've already started to speak for Davers!" Tolmid teased.

Zantiparis glanced at him, "Aren't you?" ”

The two laughed.

"I hope this expedition goes smoothly and will allow us all to become prospective citizens of Dionia!" Tolmid said expectantly. He had followed the First Legion to Coronia, but Lockley sued for peace without fighting, frustrating the mercenaries' attempts to take credit.

"I'm not worried about this, what I'm worried about is that the brothers have changed their weapons and equipment, will it affect their battle and increase casualties!" Zantiparis looked back at the shirtless, sweaty soldiers, and said worriedly.

Because of the need to march and fight in the mountains, Davos advised Zantiparis to ask the mercenaries not to wear Corinthian helmets, thick and airtight linen cuirass, bronze shins, and round shields of astonishing weight, but to change into Lucanian warrior attire, fur hats, short robes, and wooden shields (during the general battle with the Lucalian tribal alliance and the capture of Niutum, Dioonia captured a large amount of Lucanian weapons and equipment, which was thrown in the arsenal of Turiyi and never used), Zantiparis, who had experience in mountain warfare, finally accepted Davers's suggestion after much thought.

"Don't worry, our offensive forces are much more than the enemy, not to mention the internal response, it will not be a problem to take Niutum easily. And the brothers changed into the equipment of the Lucalians, and the march was indeed much easier. Otherwise, just climbing a mountain is enough to exhaust us. But here—" Tolmid pointed to the gentle, but ever-increasing terrain ahead, "and has been climbing the mountain all along!" ”

Zantiparis knew that Tolmid had a point, he was just too old to adapt to this new change, so he remained silent.

Tormide leaned in close to him and whispered, "I've heard from Agacia recently that Davers has had several discussions with Felicius and the three corps commanders to prepare to modify the weapons and equipment of the Dionian soldiers to make them lighter and more suitable for long-range and mountain warfare......"

Zantiparis was stunned for a moment, and said with a little worry: "Is this news true?" If there were no bronze shields and heavy armor, would it still be Greek heavy infantry?! ”

"Paris, don't forget that decades ago, the Greek hoplites still used bronze cuirass! It's not because it's too heavy and not conducive to combat, so it was finally replaced with the current linen cuirass! "It's not something you should be concerned about, it's why Davers wants to improve the soldier's equipment," Tolmidd reminded. ”

Zantiparis is not a fool, and after his reminder, he immediately understood: "Davers wants to expand north?!" "Changing the equipment of the city-state's army, of course, is not just for one battle or a few battles, it must serve the long-term plan of the entire city-state, Davers wants to make the soldier's armor light and durable, good for the mountains, these characteristics are combined, and then look at the environment around Dionia, his intention is more obvious, only the north of Dionia, the north-central part of the Apennine Peninsula, will there be more mountains, more mountain races.