Chapter 518: Unparalleled Achievement 4

"Don't get confused, keep your formation steady! Keep your formation steady!"

The archer commander put down his bow, drew out his iron sword with a "swish" and pointed it at the soldier beside him who was holding the bow and arrow high, with sweat already dripping down his forehead.

Words and swords were their means of intimidation, which could make their soldiers stand firm like a nail, whether out of honor or fear! "That's the enemy's javelin cavalry, hiding behind the shield, hiding behind the shield!"

The barbarian cavalry in front of them were getting closer and closer, their speed was getting faster and faster, and all they could see was their hair fluttering like tassels in the wind. They raised their javelins and aimed at the archers in front of them who were not allowed to avoid them.

"Aim at them! Aim at them!"

Realizing the threat, the commander quickly ordered the soldiers behind him, but just as he pointed at the barbarian cavalry not far away and shouted orders, his voice stopped abruptly.

I only saw a spear piercing his throat. When he opened his mouth, blood gushed out like a fountain. He fell to his knees in pain and lay on the ground twitching.

While the other archers were surprised, countless javelins were already flying towards them. The archers, who had no protection at all, could not block such sharp and deadly javelins.

“Back off! Back off!”

The archers who found it difficult to fight back were killed by javelins one after another. The killing made them dare not stand still and chose to seek shelter behind the shields of the first array.

The scene was in chaos, and the soldiers at the front had to make way for them to pass. In the chaos, apart from the archers who fell under the javelin, no one was seen stepping into the trap while fleeing.

All of this was clearly seen by the barbarian leaders not far away. They knew that the Romans had not set up any traps, so no one could stop them on their way forward! So they could be afraid of a bold attack. Well, it was time to make the Romans suffer! "Tap, tap, tap..."

A large number of archers ran out from behind their infantry and lined up at the front of the army. The huge number made Aetius ashamed.

Archers from more than a dozen tribes gathered together, numbering thousands. In the blink of an eye, they formed a dark lake in front of Aetius.

This huge group of long-range soldiers rushed forward, holding various weapons, including archers and slingers.

Without the suppression of Roman archers and the obstruction of traps along the way, they had a smooth journey and faced the infantry who were suppressed by the cavalry and could not raise their heads.

They pressed forward to a distance of fifty meters. Such a dangerous distance was not a problem for them. The slingers were seen shaking the sling bags made of cowhide in their hands, gradually accelerating. The increasing speed made the stones in the bags become as threatening as bullets.

The Romans thought they could live in peace as long as they hid behind their shields, but they were about to face an unimaginable blow.

“Swish, swish, swish…”

Layer upon layer of stones flew over like raindrops. They were not like the soft stones thrown by hands with a swung ball, which made a "ding-dong" sound when hitting the shield.

"when!"

A small stone hit the shield, causing the soldier holding the shield to sink his entire hand. When he came to his senses, he saw that the shield in his hand was pierced, and the stone that seemed harmless was firmly embedded in the shield.

Looking at this seemingly harmless stone, after being accelerated by the slingshot bag, it actually caused such huge destructive power.

Fortunately, it was a shield. If it had hit the body, it would have been penetrated. It might be more comfortable for those wearing chain mail, but it is possible that it would have been penetrated without armor. Although the wound is not big, no mortal can heal it unless God descends.

I once thought that it was really merciful that Guy, the chief centurion of the 14th Gemini Legion, trained the soldiers and even allowed the barbarians to throw dangerous stones at the defense system composed of Roman soldiers without any responsibility.

“Dangdangdang…”

It was like hail hitting an iron plate supported in mid-air, making a harsh and crisp sound, although the clanging noise made the soldiers tremble behind their shields.

Stones kept penetrating through the seemingly solid shields and hitting the faces and chests of the soldiers hiding behind the shields weakly, like the touch of fingertips or the gentle kiss of a woman.

But even this was enough to scare them. They gritted their teeth and held on, the stones like heavy fists hitting their shields again and again. Some soldiers couldn't bear it and simply dropped their spears and held their shields with both hands.

Stones kept flying in from the cracks, like black beams of light carrying death and pain, piercing through the unprotected waist and chest.

The clanging sounds and screams continued to torture the ears of every soldier on the defense line. Their hands were sore and the shields in their hands were already riddled with holes.

"Don't be afraid! What's past will pass!"

Even the voice of the battle-hardened centurion began to tremble. Under such intensive attacks, no matter whether they were veterans or rookies, all were equal under the fear of death.

“Haha!”

A soldier's shield was broken, and his expression was filled with fear. He stared at the shield in his hand which had already broken into several pieces. He didn't have time to understand what this meant.

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“Squeak, squeak, squeak…”

A dull sound was heard, and a new round of stones pierced through his body, turning a living man into a sieve. The splattering blood dyed the ground and gravel in front of him red.

"Make it up! Make it up!"

The man fell to the ground with a thud. The soldiers behind him rushed over to help, but he was careless and a stone flew and hit him right between the eyebrows. His helmet was knocked off instantly and the unlucky guy fell to the ground with blood all over his face.

Deaths appeared one after another. No one could survive for too long under such dense stones. Death was not scary, but waiting for death was the scariest thing.

The barbarian coalition had no intention of attacking with infantry, they just wanted to use stones or bows and arrows to continuously inflict casualties on the Romans. I believe that the final terror would instantly defeat the proud defense line of the Romans like the advent of Satan.

This attack lasted for more than an hour. The barbarians kept rotating and the fallen Roman soldiers were carried to the rear of the formation, where a human road was soon formed.

"Order the archers to strike back at them at all costs!" Seeing the soldiers dying one after another, Aetius couldn't guarantee when they would collapse. It took half a year or even longer to train a soldier, but the cost of several years of operation could only last for an hour on the battlefield. No one could remain indifferent! He turned around and ordered Tereus, "Strike back at all costs!"

"As you wish, Captain Soldier."

The horn blew, and the invisible sound waves spread to the ears of every soldier present. They understood what it meant.

The archers behind the shield wall signaled the soldiers in the last two rows to put down their shields. They raised their bows and put arrows on the strings, but the barbarians were always one step faster than them.

Before the arrow in his hand was launched into the air, the enemy's arrow had already fallen, with a sharp whistle accompanied by killing, like the god of death wielding a scythe to harvest falling from the sky.

The sickles were swung, and thousands of soldiers fell!

(End of this chapter)