Chapter 108 No Way to Retreat
The next morning, noisy shouts and shrill horn sounds echoed in the jungle, scaring me so much that I quickly opened my eyes.
My first feeling was that I was attacked. I stood up suddenly, and the pain from the wound on my chest made me completely sober. Ignoring the pain, I looked around and saw soldiers busy around, and scouts riding horses shuttled back and forth among us, shouting loudly: "Get up! Get up!"
I reached out and stopped a scout, asking him what was going on.
"We've found the Burgundians, right ahead. The Franks have spotted them south of the Rhine. It's time to end everything!" The scout seemed very busy. He rode away as soon as he finished speaking and continued to call the soldiers who were still lying on the ground and refused to move.
It's over! I repeated to myself, not knowing whether to tense up again or relax and feel relieved.
"Get up! Get up! Get up!!!"
The scouts shouted until their voices were hoarse.
"die!die!die!"
The soldiers around him roared together, and they stood up one after another. Soon, thousands of people stood up from the bushes. They slowly took out the shields from the cloth bags. The iron sword in the scabbard was pulled out with a "swish" sound, and it would not be put back into the scabbard until everything was over.
"Da-da, da-da, da-da!"
The sound of horse hooves came from far away behind us. Turning around, we saw hundreds of armored cavalrymen wearing scale armor and holding lances galloping past us, leaving us with a cloud of dust.
"Follow them and keep moving forward! Keep moving forward!"
The scouts drove us, and everyone present, from the centurion to the lowest-ranking soldier, took steps, following the choking dust and pushing aside the branches that were in the way. Suddenly, we heard the birds singing in the originally quiet jungle, and flocks of wild birds screamed and fled from the branches, flying hundreds of meters into the sky. Under the trees, there were the sounds of shields colliding, horses' hooves, and chain mail shaking.
"Huha, huha, huha."
"Tap tap tap"
The soldiers were roaring. I wonder where they got the strength from? Tens of thousands of people flattened all the bushes that blocked the way ahead. The beasts had no place to hide and fled in front of the highest and most powerful humans. Nothing dared to block our way, not even God or the evil gods believed in by the barbarians! "Why!"
I was already recovering from my injuries, and wearing a 20-kilogram chain mail, I was out of breath after running just a few dozen steps. I asked Andrew beside me loudly, "Why are we running? Who will have the strength to fight?"
"This can only mean that the enemy is close at hand!" Andrew quickened his pace. This guy, wearing two heavy broad shields, long-sleeved mail over his knees, and a centurion horned helmet, did not slow down his speed despite the heavy equipment. Following this group of murderous people, I also felt that I was becoming murderous, and I couldn't help myself.
Because we were attacking, there was no need for me to hide my identity. I exchanged helmets with Fermiou again. Andrew put a cape on me while running. At this moment, I felt full of strength and the pain in my chest no longer affected me.
I heard the sound of the river flowing, and the further I ran, the clearer the sound became. After just a few minutes, the end of the jungle was in front of me. At that moment, it was as if I saw the light, and the dazzling light flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, the front was suddenly clear.
The vast grassland in the past was a plain formed by the impact of the river. This is a gentle slope. We are on the top of the slope and they are on the bottom. The Rhine River flows quietly through it. This place is too open and can easily accommodate tens of thousands of people. It is no exaggeration to say that a large city can be built here.
I saw the Burgundians, they were on the riverbank. Three days had passed, and they could not cross the river, which was so wide as when they had come.
There were tens of thousands of Burgundians here, and when they saw us rushing out of the jungle behind them, they immediately lost their composure. Women screamed, men roared, livestock wailed, and children cried. I could hear them clearly from hundreds of meters away. At the moment, they were in a mess, and they were not an army at all. Besides, they were not an army, but just a large group of fleeing civilians.
"If you encounter defenseless old men, women, and children on the battlefield, I beg you to let them go. They are innocent!"
At this moment, the old coachman's earnest words from last night echoed in my head. These words were like a tranquilizer, instantly calming my originally turbulent murderous heart.
"Yes, only the infantry are left, poor beggars!"
I don't know who said this in a strange voice. This is a famous saying of the Greek comedian Plaugus, and now it is used to mock the Burgundians who are still hurriedly forming their battle array. Such words can actually make everyone present laugh.
"Go to hell, you bastards!"
"Get into the river, you wild dog of Burgundy!"
"Die! Die!"
The roaring soldiers kept slapping their shields and pulling their swords on their necks towards the Burgundians opposite them, meaning that this would be their fate.
The Burgundians, knowing they had no way to retreat, had no intention of surrendering at this time. They knew the consequences of laying down their arms, which would be nothing more than slavery and massacre.
"stop!"
An order came from behind, which made all of us shut our mouths. The battlefield, which had gathered tens of thousands of people and was noisy, suddenly became silent. The only sound we could hear was the creaking of chain mail on people's bodies when they were shaking.
"it's over!"
The majestic voice behind me sounded again. I turned around with the others and saw a carriage with a man wearing a muscle breastplate and a full helmet of barbarian style standing on it. The protection was so good that I couldn't even see his face. He raised his head high, like a statue. The sun shone on his body, making the brass breastplate gleam. He held a military flag in his right hand. Two angels held hands, also shining brightly in the sunlight. Isn't this the flag of our Gemini Legion? Then this person must be Anthony! "The beasts that once kept us awake, the robbers who only took advantage of the fire, the Burgundians, they are now lingering in front of our eyes!"
As expected of a senator, Antony was truly a gifted orator. His voice was loud and clear, and I could hear every word he said even though I was at the front line.
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"It's over. These despicable people have finally been defeated by the glory and power of the empire, that is, you!"
“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
Those were truly inspiring words. The soldiers behind me raised their spears and swords high and cheered three times. Then they became quiet and everyone listened quietly to Anthony's words.
"But they still have the strength to fight." Anthony pointed to the front, and everyone looked in the direction of his finger. That was the direction of the Burgundians. They had already deployed a defensive formation, but they no longer had the uniform silver chain mail and sharp spears. Only civilians wearing coarse clothes were left. They spontaneously came to the opposite side of us and gathered together with the beggar-like army.
"Don't worry, they will have the help of God!" Anthony sneered, raised his head high, and shouted, "Because the Franks across the river are with us, the sharp arrows and spears in your hands are with us, the hearts of everyone present are with us, and of course, God is with us too!"
"Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!"
The soldiers could hardly hold back any longer, and they slapped their shields, making deafening "clang, clang, clang" sounds.
"Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!"
Many radicals have already started to roar, and everyone is eager for the commander to give the order to attack. But Antony did not do so. I think he thought that this was far from enough! "Go ahead and attack! People of Rome! God is watching you in heaven, and your brothers who died in their hands are also watching you! They also want to see you bravely move forward! Go, push them into the river, and kill them thoroughly!!!"
“Woo!!!”
Dozens of trumpets drowned out Anthony's roar. The soldiers no longer needed the encouragement of this bastard in the Senate. They had completely lost their minds. Even the soldiers behind me were roaring.
"die! die! die!!!"
They shouted until their voices were hoarse, and no longer cared about the formation of the phalanx, but instead rushed towards the Burgundians like a terrifying flood.
On duty, if you have any questions, please raise them! ! !
(End of this chapter)