Rome Must Perish-Chapter 288 - 179 Brochi’s Messenger_2

Moreover, the camp was burned down, and all the supplies inside were destroyed. Although you stored most of the grain in the village to the east, avoiding significant losses, all the long spears and wooden shields stored in the camp were burned. Our tools for preparing long ladder logs, such as axes, hammers, saws, were also incinerated. Additionally, tents, cloth blankets, carriages, and other military supplies were consumed by fire, and not a few warhorses tied outside the camp have gone missing as well... Andres, this battle has cost us dearly—"

"No matter how great the losses are, we must keep fighting until we utterly destroy these mercenaries!" Andres replied firmly. "I will have the tribe quickly prepare and send the lost supplies. In the meantime, the warriors can take this opportunity to rest and regain their morale. Once everything is ready, we will attack immediately—there is no room for delay!"

"Andres, don’t forget that more than 2,000 mercenaries attacked us last night. If you also count the mercenaries who attacked the transport convoy earlier, the enemy’s numbers outside are now roughly equal to the warriors guarding the village and protecting the grain route. How can we ensure the safety of the transport teams?"

Temagis’ reminder caused Andres’ expression to change. He had been solely focused on annihilating the enemies within the camp, neglecting the safety of the grain route. Thinking about Pulikas’ report from a few days ago, their efforts had merely driven that group of enemies into Aldean territory without inflicting any real damage. Now, with an additional 2,000 enemies roaming outside, the situation had indeed become a major headache!

Feeling irritated, Andres tried his best to regain his composure and thought about strategies from past experiences of exterminating remnants of the Skodisqi who escaped into the mountains. He hoped to quickly find a solution to this problem.

At that moment, he saw the two commanders of the Brochi and Mazi reinforcements hurrying toward him.

Another problem... Andres sighed softly in his heart, temporarily shelving the matter of the roaming mercenaries. He readied himself mentally to deal with the coming challenges and to persuade them.

Unexpectedly, Brochi commander Elix, upon seeing him, did not mention last night’s raid. Instead, with an exceptionally solemn tone, he said, "Andres Chief, I just met the messenger sent by my tribe’s Great Chief. Now, I will ask him to speak with you directly."

After Elix finished speaking, he stepped aside, allowing someone to walk forward from behind.

Andres froze for a moment, recognizing this person—Curius, the eldest son of Bricks and likely the next Great Chief of Brochi. This man in his thirties was dressed as a rider, with a haggard appearance suggesting he had been rushing tirelessly. This brought Andres an uneasy feeling.

"Andres Chief! Temagis Chief!" Curius greeted the two with a bow, and before they could return the courtesy, he immediately continued, "In recent days, enemies have successively attacked several tribes in the western part of my Brochi Territory. Many tribesmen have been killed, a significant amount of supplies looted, and many Skodisqi slaves have joined their ranks... The situation is extremely dire. Therefore, my father sent me here overnight to inform Elder Elix to immediately lead troops back to eliminate the enemies and safeguard the territory!"

Andres felt a sharp pain in his head again. Frustrated, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Does your tribe not have other warriors? Why must you withdraw the troops stationed here?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"After the last tribal alliance meeting, my father honored his commitment by sending 15,000 reinforcements to Andizeti and another 10,000 reinforcements to you here. Not many warriors remain in the territory."

"Moreover, the initial enemy forces were reported to number several thousand. Now, with those damned Skodisqi slaves joining them, their numbers likely exceed 10,000. If we don’t withdraw troops soon, the entire territory might fall into chaos, making the situation even harder to resolve!" Curius explained in a worried tone, deliberately concealing the fact that due to the oversight of their commanders, more than 1,000 reinforcements sent to save the attacked tribes had been ambushed and suffered a disastrous defeat.

What Curius said was reasonable, but Andres was unwilling to let the Brochi reinforcements leave at this critical moment. He couldn’t help but ask again, "Why not withdraw the reinforcements stationed in Andizeti? The number of Brochi warriors is greater there, and the route back is flatter and easier to traverse."

Andres’ questioning tone visibly annoyed Curius, who dropped his expression and coldly replied, "The safety of Andizeti concerns the survival of our entire Pannonian Race, whereas the troubles here are merely the mess you Segestica stirred up in newly occupied lands. Andres, as the Great Chief, surely you can tell which matters are more consequential."

"You—"

Curius let out a mocking laugh and, having spoken plainly, didn’t bother holding back anymore. "Andres, your tribe faced danger, and our Brochi generously allocated 10,000 reinforcements for you. Yet, despite leading a large army here, not only have you failed to annihilate the enemy forces smaller in number than yours, you’ve suffered significant losses. Just from the Brochi reinforcements alone, over 2,000 have died or been wounded. Upon returning, it will be difficult enough for us to explain this to the families of the casualties."

"And now you want me to disregard our homeland’s peril and allow these warriors to continue fighting here? Even if I agreed to such a request, the warriors would undoubtedly revolt, and at that point, you would face an even greater disaster!"

"Curius, Andres does not intend to forcibly retain the Brochi warriors here," Temagis quickly stepped in to appease the situation and shifted the focus. "Where did the enemies within your territory originate?"

"It’s unclear for now. It could be the Aldeans, but for the past few years, they’ve been cowering along the Kolana River. I don’t believe they suddenly acquired the courage and strength to offend us Brochi."

"The more likely culprits are the mercenaries here. I heard your transport convoy was attacked previously, and last night your camp was raided again. Obviously, they could also dispatch a force west to stir up trouble in my Brochi Territory."

Andres seized the opportunity and loudly said, "That’s why these mercenaries are our biggest trouble. We should first eliminate the main force of mercenaries in the camp, then divide our troops to hunt down the remaining enemies outside. Only then will our territories truly be secure!"

Curius glanced at him, then said in a deep voice, "I am here merely to deliver the message. I still need to urge the warriors to pack their belongings and assist the wounded. Time is tight, so I’ll take my leave now."

With that, he turned around and left, Elix following closely behind.

Andres wanted to call out to them multiple times, but ultimately held back. He stood there, dazed, with only one thought in his mind: What should we do after the Brochi reinforcements leave?

The 10,000-strong Brochi reinforcements, including over 2,000 wounded, made up one-third of the Alliance Army’s total forces. Once they depart, and with 3,000 troops already sent to the rear to guard the grain route and thousands of injured soldiers accounted for, Andres would only have about 12,000 to 13,000 combat-ready warriors left. Would this meager force be enough to take the entire camp?

"Andres Chief," Mazi’s commander Saromis spoke up. "I regret to say that, like Elix, I too must lead my warriors back home today."

"You—" Andres felt a surge of anger hit him. He turned his glare to Saromis and snarled, "Are you Mazi going to violate the alliance agreement as well?!"

"Andres Chief, what kind of talk is that!" Saromis retorted indignantly, "After the alliance meeting, Great Chief Maitilis immediately ordered me to lead 10,000 reinforcements to assist you in battle here.

The Mazi warriors have been away from home for over a month now. They’ve fought numerous bitter battles and suffered over 2,000 casualties. In the end, they succeeded in capturing the mercenaries’ outer camp, showing those enemies the strength of Pannonians... The Mazi have done more than enough for you Segestica! I believe we’ve already fulfilled the agreement, and now it’s time to return home!"