Chapter 216 Negotiation (Part 1)

Only the barbarians could launch such a powerful attack. They used their brute force and flesh and blood to tear open the Roman army.

"Archer, where are the archers!"

Luca desperately shouted behind him, and then, only the sound of bowstrings being stretched was heard, and five hundred flaming arrows poured down like a fierce rain of fire into the Vandal army, and many unlucky people who did not hold shields or had no time to block were shot and fell to the ground. Such rains of fire poured down one after another, but the Vandals did not seem to care about their casualties. Many soldiers did not fall down even after being shot by several arrows, and continued to attack with bows and arrows. This offensive method of disregarding life and death was a big blow to these Roman soldiers who had just stepped onto the battlefield. They gradually began to be unable to resist and began to waver, but Luca was there, relying on his high-raised Labran flag, which made the soldiers feel a little relieved and continued to resist on the front line, but the Vandal offensive became more and more fierce, and the originally straight front line was turned into an arc by the Vandal attack, and it was about to be forced onto the beach. More and more people fell. The ground beneath their feet had been dyed red with blood and was covered with corpses and damaged weapons. The Vandals became more violent because of the blood, and Luga and his troops were about to collapse.

"Don't be afraid, hold on! Hold on!"

Luca was still trying his best to encourage his soldiers, even though he knew that if the next batch of reinforcements did not arrive, he would really be pushed into the sea by the Vandals. Anxious, of course he was anxious. Although he was still fighting back, he was already like an ant on a hot pot. He really wanted to grow wings and fly back to ask Hermanus what was going on. Where were the reinforcements? Was he deliberately setting him up to die here?

"Gaiseric knew that if we annihilated the landing Roman troops, we would have to change location or return directly to Athens!" Not only Luca, but even Hermanus who was watching the battle on the flagship was equally anxious. The warships transporting archers had just left the beach, and now the offshore area was in chaos due to the rush, and there was no chance for the next batch of warships to approach and land.

"Luga will surely die if this goes on! He is Augustus's adopted son. If he dies here, not only will Great Sicily be lost, but even my life may be lost!" Hermanus paced back and forth on the flagship, thinking hard about what to do. He was also anxious, and he wished he could grow a pair of huge hands to forcibly push away the warships blocking the offshore, so that the next warships could land and give Luga enough support! "Father, don't we still have catapults and ballistas?" Belia stayed behind Hermanus and asked, "Why are you so reluctant to order them to support Luga? He really can't hold on!"

"Do you think I don't want to?" Hermanus turned around and shouted at Belia in a reprimanding tone: "Catapults and catapults are weapons that can cause large-scale casualties after all. Once they are thrown, you don't know where they will land. If they fail to hurt the enemy and instead hurt our own troops or even Luca, how can we explain it when we go back? Augustus will really chop off my head!"

"Fuck it, back off, back off!"

After nearly half an hour of fierce fighting, Luca was exhausted. He was covered in blood, and his right hand was so sore that he could hardly hold the iron sword that was also covered in blood and flesh, and was full of cracks. He gave up and had to pessimistically admit that reinforcements would not come. Looking back, he saw warships crowded together, and even Hermanus' flagship was invisible. He actually began to sympathize with Hermanus, because he knew that Hermanus tried his best, but he couldn't figure out why Hermanus didn't use long-range weapons to support him.

He led the remaining soldiers to retreat to the beach, which was now densely packed with people, including Romans and Vandals.

Luga dragged the iron sword and led all the soldiers around him, who were stained with blood, to retreat step by step.

"General, I'm scared!"

The centurion who fought alongside Luca finally couldn't hide his panic and began to retreat. Although he fought back as hard as he could and killed several Vandals, the imminent threat of death made such a grown man cry. Tears flowed from his eyes and slid down his bloody face in two clear tracks. He held the broken iron sword and trembled constantly. It was hard to imagine whether he could withstand the next round of attack.

They were still facing the water, but unlike the last time, this time they were facing the ocean, with no way to retreat. It was as if the scene was repeated, except that there was no fire, a fire that was soaring into the sky and could devour everything. Looking at his own team, half of them had been killed, and there was almost nothing left in the first formation.

"It's okay, don't be afraid." While Luca comforted the centurion with words, he was thinking hard about the next countermeasures. He had to stay calm, at least in this situation where the army's morale was shaken after the defeat, as a commander he had to stay calm enough to influence the soldiers around him so that they would not waver. He even wondered if he had done something wrong. Was it really true that the plan could not keep up with the changes?

The Vandals' offensive suddenly stopped. They kept a distance of three meters from the Romans and stared at them. They also needed a short rest before they could continue to kill the enemy happily. This gave both sides a precious and short confrontation time.

"Negotiate! Negotiate!"

Somehow, Luca used up the last of his strength, raised the flag in his hand and shouted loudly to the Vandals.

The soldiers were stunned by the sudden sound. They looked towards the center of the army at the same time, staring with wide eyes as Luca pushed away the soldiers blocking his way and walked to the Vandals with the Laban flag held high.

This move caught the Vandals by surprise. They all looked at Luca at the same time. Luca was not afraid of his red eyes and ferocious expression. He did not plan to do this for a long time, but he shouted without realizing it.

The Vandals could still understand Latin, and they did not seem to be averse to negotiations. Although victory was within reach, they were probably still wary of the Roman fleet that stretched as far as the eye could see on the sea behind Luca.

"Negotiate, I am the supreme commander of the Ninth Legion of the Roman Empire! I demand negotiation with your leader!" Luga raised his hands high, although he held the Laban flag and iron sword respectively.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

The Vandals looked at the gorgeous armor and cloak and naturally would not question Luca's identity. They were waiting, and everything depended on the decision of their leader.

I wish my readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

(End of this chapter)