Chapter 33
Mobilization The further we walked, the more Roman soldiers passed by us. Some were busy moving stones, and some were carrying huge pottery jars filled with oil. As we walked further, we saw neat square formations, with soldiers in them fully equipped and looking forward.
When they saw the towering siege tower and the crude siege cones built temporarily, there was a commotion in the team. Everyone had no time to catch their breath when they arrived at their destination. Now they had to face the real test. They also realized that they could not escape their fate and became cannon fodder for Aetius.
"Medius!"
Aetius's carriage stopped. He looked back at the old governor who was following behind the carriage with a lazy look in his eyes, as if the old governor Medius was just a chess piece in his hand, which he played with casually in the big hand of his spiritual world.
"Yes, sir, what do you want?"
The old governor Medius quickly responded and stood in front of us. Although he buried his head, the beads of sweat oozing from his forehead were still very eye-catching.
"Medius, you are old now. I wonder if you still have the courage to follow Count Boniface (the confidant of the former Regent Queen Placidia, the mainstay of the empire, and defeated Aetius, but died of his injuries, which allowed Aetius to return to the pinnacle of power in the empire)?"
"Yes! I have it!" Medius puffed out his chest, his face flushed, and there was a hint of pride and arrogance in his wide eyes.
"Very good!" Aetius applauded, and then said, "Then you will lead the first formation. I hope you can use the same ruthlessness you showed when following Boniface to deal with those Burgundy bastards!"
The meaning of this was much more obvious. The old warlord Medius had to lead the charge and face the rain of arrows on the walls of Ludinan. The old warlord was stunned for a moment after hearing this, but he had already proved to Aetius that he could still do it, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet!
After pondering for a long time, the old commander put his right hand on the hilt of the sword, as if he had made a very important decision, and turned around to look at us.
"So, boys, are you ready?"
Swear to follow you till death, or to be with you! This may be what the old governor wants to hear the most, but he has to be disappointed. The only 500 people in front of him are panting, and they can't be called mercenaries. Strictly speaking, they are just civilians who covet the 75 denarii. They stood there without saying a word. This is the only way to Ludinan. Their eyes are not on the old governor Medius, but on the soldiers around who are constantly transporting stones up and transporting the wounded and the dead.
The blood of the dead and wounded had dyed the ground red. The wailing came from all around, passing through the eardrums and shaking everyone's heart. Yes, everyone was trembling, knowing that if they stepped forward, their fate would not be much better than those who cried.
"The purses around your waists are filled with denarii given to you by the Empire. You also swore to fight for the Empire. What, do you want to break your promise?"
The old commander roared and drew out his iron sword. The five phalanxes of mercenaries looked at each other, and no one dared to make a decision.
"Let's go, Andrew."
I whispered to him.
"What? Luka, are you crazy?"
Andrew looked very unbelievable. He stared at me with wide eyes. "This is really fatal, Luca, I'm serious. There's no way back once you go up there!"
"Are we going to wait here for Aetius to kill a few people before we go up?"
I nodded and motioned for Andrew to look at Aetius, whose face was already very ugly. For such a commander of the imperial army, who was also a tough guy who had lived with the Huns, it was normal for him to use a knife.
Finally, despite Andrew's dissuasion, I walked out of the army and came to the old governor Medius. If you ask me if I was afraid at this time, I was afraid! Of course I was afraid, who is not afraid of pain, who is not afraid of death? But I really had no idea. As the saying goes: take money from others, and help them get rid of disasters. From the moment I accepted the 75 denarii, more than a thousand of us were doomed to be in danger.
"You made a wise decision, young man."
The old commander smiled and patted my shoulder, then looked at the others. At this time, Andrew seemed to have convinced himself. He cursed softly, "Damn it!" and walked up with the military flag in his arms.
"Oh, Medius, I didn't expect you to make a military flag." Aetius suddenly looked at the military flag in Andrew's hand with interest. "This thing is really familiar. I once had one like this, but it was lost in the Battle of Narbonne. It's a pity."
"That's right, Marshal Aetius!" Andrew could no longer restrain himself. He ran towards the chariot where Aetius was sitting. If the guards in front hadn't blocked his way with spears, he would have even hugged Aetius. "Yes, yes, yes, Marshal Aetius." Andrew waved the flag in his hand desperately from a safe distance. "Marshal, this is the flag you lost, the flag of the 7th Gemina Legion!"
"Oh, kid, calm down."
Andrew's excitement frightened Aetius so much that he quickly stretched out his hand to signal Andrew to calm down. He stood up and leaned forward slightly, as if he wanted to take a closer look at the military flag from top to bottom.
"Oh, yes, this is indeed the standard of the Gemina Regiment, son, can you tell me where it came from?"
"I was originally a soldier of the Gemina Legion, and I am lucky to be a survivor of the Battle of Narpan!" Andrew looked very serious, and it seemed that he was ready to bet everything to get the recognition of Aetius.
"So kid, can you show me your military badge?"
"I'm sorry, sir, I lost it."
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"Ah, this is very sad news, my child." Aetius smiled and looked approachable, but that was not the case.
"But Marshal, I know our legion commander is called Litorius! He is your confidant!" Andrew still refused to give in, he was so eager to prove himself. "Also, Marshal Aetius, my name is Andrew, Orius Andrew, I really belong to the Gemina Legion, Marshal, everything I said is true!"
"Enough." Aetius opened his hands to signal to Andrew that he didn't want to listen anymore. "Orius, Andrew," he said slowly, "I will verify what you said, really, you can trust me." Aetius' smile was really kind, and he stared into Andrew's eyes.
"Yes, Marshal, I believe you!" Andrew's eyes lit up. He really placed his hopes on Aetius alone.
"But we are in trouble now, Mr. Andrew." Aetius pointed at Ludinan not far away and shouted to all the soldiers: "See that city? Take it! Everyone who survives will get the rank of an imperial soldier recognized by me! Enjoy the generous treatment given to soldiers by the empire. After retirement, you will get your own land, house, and woman. You no longer need to fight for your life, and you no longer need to live in fear! And now, all you need is to conquer this small city. Tell me, do you have the confidence?"
"Long live Rome!!!"
Andrew seemed to be brainwashed, holding up the flag and yelling. I think his head is full of glory now.
"What are you standing there for? Come on! Did you see all those things while standing?"
The old warlord yelled at everyone below.
"Go ahead! Fight!"
The soldiers of each phalanx encouraged each other privately, and soon, whether they were courageous or not, they all took steps and slowly advanced towards the solid walls of Ludinan!
(End of this chapter)