Rome Must Perish-Chapter 248 - 159 Great Victory_2

"It’s the Great Chief of the Segestica people!" A Scodisqi new soldier recognized him, and his blood surged as he charged forward with his spear.

Andres lightly pulled the reins, and the warhorse turned sideways. As the spear grazed past him, he swung his large sword, severing the opponent’s spear along with half of a head. The recoil made him lean back, but fortunately, the four-horned saddle provided enough support for his waist and hips, preventing him from falling backward.

However, before he could sit back up, another Scodisqi new soldier stood in his way. He didn’t have time to control the warhorse, so he gripped its flanks tightly. The horse charged forward, knocking the soldier down, but was slowed by the obstacle.

Pequot seized the moment and charged from the side.

Andres struck down with one sword.

Pequot was prepared, raised his shield over his head at an angle, and there was a resounding "clang." The longsword struck the metal ridge, creating a large dent.

Pequot endured the shock pain in his left hand and stabbed fiercely with his right hand’s short sword, plunging it deep into the horse’s belly.

The warhorse reared and whinnied tragically.

Andres hurriedly tightened his grip on the reins to avoid falling, making it impossible to slash at the enemy.

Pequot followed with a shield bash.

The warhorse neighed loudly and toppled to the right.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Andres tried to jump off the horse. However, the four-horned saddle gripped his hips too tightly, and he couldn’t free himself, causing both him and the horse to fall to the ground.

The entire weight of the horse heavily crushed his right leg, causing intense pain that almost made him faint.

The Scodisqi new soldiers surged forward, eager to kill their greatest enemy.

Fortunately, the Segestica cavalry and light infantry arrived, desperately holding them back and saving Andres.

Supported by his personal guard, Andres saw more and more enemies approaching, threatening to encircle him and his men. Yet, he insisted on not retreating and even ordered his personal guard to gather other warriors to resist and prevent the center from being surrounded by the enemy.

Pequot noticed the enemy’s tenacity, hindering his ability to fully attack their flanks, and felt anxious.

At this moment, a circular object rolled to his feet. He looked down intently and recognized it as the helmet of the Segestica Great Leader mentioned by the new soldiers earlier. Suddenly, a plan came to mind. He had his subordinates raise the helmet with a long spear and shouted in unison: "Great Chief Andres is dead!!! Great Chief Andres is dead!!!..."

Upon hearing the cries, the Segestica warriors instinctively looked toward the noise and saw a golden antler helmet held high in the air. In the Segestica tribe, everyone knew it belonged exclusively to the Great Chief. This sight filled them with panic: Could the enemy be telling the truth? Could the Great Chief really be dead, or why else would his helmet be in enemy hands?!

Meanwhile, the rebel army’s frontal attack was in full swing. Only now did the Segestica warriors realize that the enemy before them was not only formidable in defense but also fearsome in attack:

The enemy approached their side, relying on large shields, and engaged in close combat. Their own longswords and spears couldn’t exert any power, while the enemy’s short swords moved with ease. Compounding the situation, most of their light infantry, initially amassed in the rear, had pursued the enemy, and they could no longer utilize numbers to charge the enemy. Thus, they had to slowly retreat to relieve the pressure.

However, trouble arose on the right side of the Segestica formation’s center, as they were attacked by enemy reinforcements from the flanks, preventing them from retreating directly. Clustered together under relentless enemy attacks, the warriors had no room to wield their shields and longswords. Even when seeing an enemy’s short sword approaching, they couldn’t dodge it...

Listening to the constant cries of their comrades and seeing the swaying Great Chief’s helmet in the air, the Segestica warriors on the center right panicked. They did not want to be slaughtered like sheep crowded in a pen, so their only option was to flee!

Seeing the warriors’ morale wavering, Andres anxiously shouted: "I’m here! I’m still alive! I’m here! I’m still alive!..."

But his and his personal guards’ voices were drowned out by the rebel soldiers’ roars, not causing even a ripple.

He could only have a cavalryman offer his horse. Supported by his guards and enduring the intense pain in his right leg, he tried to mount his horse. Sitting into the four-horned saddle required some skill, which was difficult given his injury and anxiety. Despite multiple attempts, he not only failed to sit properly but also injured his lower body.

By the time he painfully settled into the saddle, the warriors had already begun to flee...

Riding on horseback, Andres frantically waved his arm and shouted: "I, Andres, am still alive! I order you to continue fighting! Continue fighting!..."

The soldiers who saw him again might temporarily halt their retreat, but under the fierce double flank attacks from the rebel soldiers, the Segestica troops, who already had deserters, would only see more desertions...

When Andres saw more and more Segestica warriors running past him, ignoring his rage, he finally stopped his howling. His face was bewildered; he couldn’t understand: He had clearly seen victory, so how did it all turn into defeat in an instant?

"Great Chief, we need to leave quickly, or it will be too late!" urged the Personal Guard Captain.

Looking at the already crumbling right-wing line, Andres sighed deeply and waved his arm again: "Retreat! Retreat! Follow me in the retreat!..."

Andres and the cavalry tried to lead their scattered troops eastward. But as he moved straight east from the rear end of the center right and neared the left end, he hurriedly reined in his galloping warhorse, because up ahead blocked a force, precisely the Skodisqi male slaves who had bypassed the rebel right-wing, attempting to intercept enemies fleeing east.

They recognized Andres. Despite the temporary team officers’ desperate attempts to stop them, many Skodisqi slaves rushed towards Andres.

Andres had to urge his horse to detour, and the Skodisqi slaves naturally could not catch up. But even after crossing the Kolana River, the Skodisqi slaves continued the chase, preventing him from stopping.

The formation of the First and Second Legions attacked from south to north, while Pequot, leading the Skodisiqi new soldiers, assaulted the enemy’s flank from west to east. Meanwhile, led by Gowes, the Skodisqi male slaves intercepted from the east... For the Segestica people, the only safe retreat direction was north. But this was precisely the purpose of Quintus’s military plan, for not far north lay the Validosi Swamp.

On the battlefield, filled with dust and deafening roars of battle, most Segestica warriors, resembling hunted beasts after their defeat, were terrified, bewildered, and ignorant. They could no longer distinguish north, south, east, and west. They could only blindly follow other escaping comrades, fleeing towards directions free of enemies and obstacles.

By the time they realized a swamp lay ahead, it was already too late. The pursuers were already upon them, and even those not wanting to enter the swamp were pushed in by their comrades.

Once in the swamp, some warriors did not stop running, soon stumbling into mud. Upon struggling to rise, they were trampled again by panicked comrades, drowning after repeated stampedes. Others suddenly sank while walking, unable to break free regardless of others’ pulling, eventually being engulfed by the mud...

As such tragedies kept occurring around them, despair gradually engulfed the Segestica scattered troops. What choices were left when facing the predatory swamp ahead and waiting enemies on the riverbank behind?

............

"Leader, we lost 454 soldiers in battle this confrontation, with 637 wounded. As for the Segestica people—"

"Wait a minute." Maximus interrupted Flanitnus’s report: "You forgot to report the number of seriously injured."

"There are no serious injuries."

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