Chapter 59 - 58 Training Troops
The soldiers were shocked by the onslaught of the enemy tide and witnessed their comrades, who failed to rejoin the formation, being easily killed by the enemy. Cassinius’s words stirred up their hunger for survival.
At that moment, a massive wave of enemies surged to the front. Cassinius immediately shouted, "Javelins!"
The Roman soldiers roared fiercely as they hurled their heavy spears with all their might.
The advancing wave comprised the Second Battalion of the rebel army led by Cross. Having previously suffered severe losses from a barrage of javelins during a battle against Grabo, they had trained for this. When the Roman soldiers made their throwing motions, the rebel soldiers had already raised their square shields at an angle. Thousands of javelins rained down but caused minimal casualties. However, the lead-tipped heads pierced into the square shields, and the shafts drooped downward, dragging along the ground. This not only added weight to the shields but also hindered movement.
Although Cross was fierce, he was not without a brain. As he charged at the forefront, he immediately gestured and shouted, "Brothers, halt the advance! Fall back! Fall back! Pull out these damned javelins first, then fight again!..."
Among the soldiers in Cross’s Second Battalion, the majority were Gaul gladiators and Gaul slaves. Cross held high prestige within his ranks. With his call, those around him immediately complied, and others followed suit. Some soldiers who had not been hit by javelins stayed and rushed forward with the Third Battalion.
The rain of javelins forced back a large wave of enemies, only to be replaced by another wave charging forward. In the transition between attack and retreat, the enemy displayed some disorder.
Should we shift from defense to offense and let the soldiers seize this opportunity to launch a charge?... A thought instinctively arose in Cassinius’s mind, but he quickly suppressed it. If he were fighting alongside his former comrades, he would not hesitate to do so. But now that he was commanding a group of recruits, without the support of their formation, their morale would quickly crumble under enemy encirclement, leaving them as fragile as chicks...
In the brief moment Cassinius hesitated, the enemy had already surged forward to the formation. With no more javelins available, he shouted, "Prepare to engage!"