Chapter 219 Conflict

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Time is never enough for those who have the opportunity. The same is true for Luca. He only let the soldiers rest for three days in the military camp of Syracuse. He did not even meet the officers guarding the city of Syracuse before he set off in a hurry.

Although the soldiers had complaints, no one dared to say no in the face of military orders. It was just rumored that the highest commander of the corps was eager to take revenge because he had suffered a setback in the previous battle. Of course, it was just a rumor. Except for the highest-level officers, no one could prove that what they said was true.

The huge army was divided into two groups outside the city of Syracuse. Luca specifically requested an auxiliary army to go north to garrison the Strait of Messina. This army had a total of 3,000 people. The commander of the army was a nobleman named Marenius. He followed Luca from Athens. His armor was in line with his noble status. He was in his early thirties, and the years had left him with wrinkles that could not be concealed. He did not like to wear a helmet, letting his naturally curly and black hair sway in the wind. He always inadvertently revealed a hint of contempt in his eyes when he looked at Luca. For Luca, he was unfamiliar, did not understand, and had no other choice. Who made these people belong to the earliest batch of soldiers in this army before Luca took office? Luca had the attitude of trusting people when he employed them and not employing people who were doubted.

"Then Messina is left to you, my friend!" Luca said, patting Marenius' shoulder heavily.

Although Marenius was full of distrust towards the young man who was much younger than him, every time he thought of the extremely risky landing that day, which had suffered huge losses, Marenius was full of distrust towards the young man in front of him. Of course, this was not just Marenius's idea. Everyone present had such an idea to some extent. How could a commander who could not lead them to victory lead them? Marenius did not respond much, but just said "Oh" coldly, and then turned around to greet his soldiers.

"You..." Such a rude response made Andrew very angry. He was about to lose his temper, but was stopped by Luga.

"Stop it, Andrew!" Luga stopped Andrew's anger and responded calmly, "He is just dissatisfied with me. This is not surprising. We just lack great military achievements. Let's go. If we win, his attitude will naturally change."

Riding forward, the army of nearly ten thousand people stretched for several miles. Luca looked back. He may have never thought that he would ascend so quickly before. All his boasting became reality. This was a gift given to him by Augustus of the Eastern Empire, but it was also a heavy burden.

"Luka, we really have no way out this time!" Andrew rode beside Luka, his tone was very calm, but his calm tone explained a revealing fact. "If we lose, then all of us who are with us will not be able to come back."

"I know that we are isolated and helpless this time!" Luga stopped his horse and stood on a high ground. Soldiers passed by him and looked at him. In their bright eyes, there were active souls beating. They were all living beings.

"Ten thousand lives, living, fleeting lives!" Luga murmured secretly. The action he had planned became the reason that kept him awake all night and tossing and turning.

"Is this plan feasible?" Late at night, Luca was lying on a camp bed, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black top of the tent. He began to wonder, and asked himself in the darkness: "What should I do if I fail? Run and live a miserable life, or don't run and face death calmly!" Only then did he realize his hesitation under his lofty ambitions. The doubts and fears in his heart made it difficult for him to move forward, like a long rope that tied him up and made him unable to move.

"Gaiseric is not an ordinary barbarian. He will definitely send scouts everywhere. What if such a large army is discovered by the Vandals, and then Gaiseric's army turns south to fight me? I can't retreat. If I retreat, Palermo will be captured by the Vandals. If I don't retreat, it's good if I can succeed, but if I can't win, I'm afraid the gallows will be my final destination."

"To hell with the wish, why is it so difficult!" Luga couldn't sleep anymore. He put on his clothes, got up and walked out of the tent. The tent was brightly lit. What Luga didn't expect was that his soldiers were still busy so late.

Luca never expected that he would see Andrew in the military camp, although it was just a back view. Andrew had his back to him and was busy directing the busy soldiers to work back and forth.

"Andrew, why don't you rest yet?" Lu Jia asked him in surprise. Andrew turned around and looked at Lu Jia reluctantly. It was conceivable that his expression was as surprised as Lu Jia's. Andrew asked in surprise: "Lu Jia, why don't you rest yet so late?"

"Uh, should I ask you first?" Luca was speechless.

"Oh, look at me, I am too energetic, and the price is that I am easy to forget. This must be a prank of God!" Andrew held his forehead and smiled at Luca with apology. Luca saw the fatigue on Andrew's face through the firelight.

Andrew pointed at the busy soldier and said to Luca, "I didn't disturb you because you were too busy and needed a rest. These are the soldiers who arrived late. I must arrange a suitable place for them to settle down and rest in your name, and the soldiers' sentry and patrol must be done strictly. By the way, the nobles and the military in Syracuse have sent scouts to patrol ahead of us to cooperate with our actions, and give us the latest intelligence after you fall asleep." Andrew said, handing the parchment in his hand to Luca. That should be the information Andrew mentioned.

"Since this information is in your hands, I believe you have read it. So, is there any news from the Vandals?" Luca was no longer sleepy and asked.

"According to the intelligence provided by Syracuse's scouts," Andrew said, retracting his hand and continuing, "This generation still belongs to Syracuse's sphere of influence. The Vandals retreated very cleanly this time and retreated all the way back to Trapani, where they regrouped their forces. Now Gaiseric has not made any moves, and we don't know whether they will go north or continue to attack Syracuse."

"so……"

"So my suggestion is that we stay here for a while and send out scouts to gather information."

"Yes, yes!" Luga agreed with Andrew's idea very much. This would at least allow him to calm down for two days and think carefully about the current situation, combine it with reality, and then improve the next military deployment.

"Order the scouts to pay attention to the Vandal army. Their gathering must mean new actions. And Gaiseric knows that we have a legion in Syracuse, so he won't act rashly. But they don't know how many of us are coming this time. I don't think Gaiseric will take such a big risk to come back. So order the scouts to focus on the dynamics of the northern region and see if the Vandal scouts will come here. Our whereabouts must not be exposed."

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This is not an easy matter after all, but Andrew hesitated for a moment before nodding and agreeing, saying, "I will now notify all the light cavalry to set off early tomorrow morning. Perhaps they can bring us good news."

"I hope so!" Luca patted Andrew's shoulder, turned back to his tent, lit the oil lamp, spread out the map of Sicily, and then he had work to do!

(End of this chapter)