Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire
Chapter 220: Night Raid (2)

Chapter 220: Night Raid (2)

The initial raid was successful and we’d managed to deal a significant blow to our foes, morale as well as take a decent number of prisoners as well.

The legions had retreated after less than an hour of fighting and the greecians had resisted heavily to pursue our forces as we fell back.

This was but the first blow to give our enemy a bloody nose but it would not be the last.

We would give our men a short rest as they camped in the darkness of the grasslands, while others would slowly slip around in the darkness.

The greecians would certainly be posting more sentries towards the front of their camp wary about another night raid, so our cohorts would move to strike at their weakened rear, and then when the guard was down looking back we’d once more attack from the front.

The greecian army will be killed off by a death of a thousand tiny cuts, as their strength and will to fight drops minute by minute.

The legionairres however were raring to go, their training was prepared them to fight for hours on end so to break every so often was new to them, but with their discipline they obeyed the orders of their commanders and generals.

The forces of romanus would become spectres of the night.

The greecian who managed to escape here today would forever spread fear within their ranks as they tell story about the nightmare forces they were fighting against.

Time and again our legions attacked their encampment chipping away at their manpower, their reasources, and their sanity.

By the time dawn was breaking we had pulled back our forces and from our fortified position, the dawns first light gave way to our view of the devastated Greecian camp.

While it had only been partially constructed before night fell, now it looked from a distance to be an abandoned camp, as the pike wall was all but collapsed, burn marks scorched the earth as tents and wagons had been burned during out raids.

Our own men were happily resting, many with smiles on their faces.

We had captured thousands in the night, hundreds were slain, and best of all we’d managed to steal a good deal of supplies by capturing whole carts full of weapons, and food stocks.

The newly captured we’re enslaved as prisioners of war and sent to reside with their fellow pow’s given meals and rest, before being put to work alongside the other prisioners.

Our recently arrive companions meanwhile awoke to the sight of a practically defeated enemy.

King Leonidas was impressed at our efficiency though he did still sneer at our apparent lack of honor for a straight up fight...

Oh well this is not Sparta’s war any longer, this now is the conquest of the Greecians by the Romanus army.

So after dealing with the Spartan’s complaints for a while the whole of our Legions assembled and began our march into the field of battle.

Once more our superior fortification was emptied of almost all but the prisioners who thanks to the slavery binding could not rebel against their masters.

This allowed us to lead our backs to them, as the rank and file formed up, the Spartan contingent joined us, due to their own limited number the King had joined me at the rear of the formation.

Once our full lines had formed up, the horns blew out signaling our advance.

In the distance the sentries and surviving members of the Greecian arny were scrmbling.

Many had been unable to sleep throughout the night due to our repeated attacks, others were only just now getting to sleep now that the safety of the sun’s light had come up, only to have this belief shattered by the calling of our horns.

Our pace was not fast, just a standard walking pace, but each step closer was like the footsteps of hell approaching to our enemy.

From the distance we could plainly see many had taken up the call of cowardice and began running in a rout before the days first battle could even begin.

Weak minded fools.

Our battle lines came to a half some hundred yards from the enemy encampment.

Following their own custom the legions sent forth approximately 100 of our strongest fighters who walked to the mid point standing in direct challenge against the enemy force.

The Greecian’s who were armed within their camp appeared to be confused they had been harrased by an honorless foe throughout the night but now they faced off against an honorable army...

Could it be they were under attack by mulitple armies?

Julius’s legions were all infantry, and his co-commander Yuri was once more missing from the field of battle, she had been given a mission behind enemy lines, as Julius had theorized that many in the enemy camp would choose to retreat back to the captured city rather than face this new foe disadvantaged as they were.

In doing so the limited cavalry would get their greatest chance to once more lower the enemies numbers, and possibly even increase the number of their slave captives.

On the greecian front however not one man stepped from their camp to face this new threat.

Instead Julius from atop his horse rode slowly through his Legion’s lines as they moved in sequence out of his path, Leonidas and his spartans followed closely behind.

He continued on until he’d passed his own standing advanced guard coming closer to the enemy camp, from this distance he could see the look of pain, horror, and exhasution upon the trembling forces.

"My name is Julius Aquitania, Supreme General of the Armies of Romanus, Ally to the Spartan Kingdom, send out you’re champions per the traditions of your ancesstors, disgrace my men further and we shall be forced to treat you all as Heathens." <Julius>

Heathens, just like refering to Visigoth’s as bird eaters was a hidden phrase from the game that would rile up all the peoples of the Greecian peninsula.

Many in the camp looked ready to charge out and accept the challenge, however they were stopped by the others, it was not until an old man with white hair and a beard that reached his chest walked out wearing a flowing set of clothes did the animostiy in the air finally cease.

The man walked alone to meet Julius who still was atop his horse surrounded by the spartans with King Leonidas standing to his right.

The man stopped when he was only a short distance away, first his eyes landed on Julius but a moment later they wandered to the King.

To have a king walk while another rode?

His face spoke out at how he was confused, had the spartan kingdom become subservient to another nation in exchange for their help in repelling the allied invaision?

"King Leonidas." <Agrosian>

The old man offered up a bow and greeting to the Spartan King.

"XXXXX, fancy seeing you here." <King Leonidas>

The king responded to the greeting, neither side seemed to want to recognize my presence.

However after their own conversation came to an end the old man’s eyes turned to look back at me once more.

"General Julius? Our name is XXXXX we serve as the commander of the Argosian army you see before you." <XXXXX>

I left a pause after he spoke to allow his words to sink in, before i focused on him and replied.

"Are you the chosen champion for your people then?" <Julius>

"Champion? Oh no surely not General. Perhaps you are not aware but our forces have already been fighting for their lives all night and as such are not ready to take to the field so soon." <XXXXX>

"Oh? So what? You request my men to stand down and wait till you’ve all had your rest so a true battle can take place? If so then i must refuse, where is the honor in such a battle, for the invading forces to be making such demands must mean you have something to offer in exchange yes?" <Julius>

The old man paled at my words for he knew i was right, the allies had been the agressors, and now they came begging practically on their knees for respite to recover, worse yet because he had nothing to offer this young commander in exchange for such a break in hostilities.

"No... er you see." <XXXXX>

So a fight on the fields it shall be, if you’re champions do not come out within 15 minutes we shall take it as a slight on the rules of engagement per the customs of the greecian peoples and my army shall attack in full force instead.

"Gulp... as you wish i shall inform my people." <XXXXX

The old man scurried hurriedly back to the camp.

It was not even a moment later that the men who’d been held back before started coming forth, so i fell back and all but 3 of the spartans did the same, of course Leonidas remained as champion himself.

However less than a third of our chosen were given champions to face off against, so in their free time they began casting jeers against the cowering greecians.

Internally strife was taking place as the defenders began to visibly fracture into to very different groups.

From the distance it was apparent that with each of their champions being felled the Hawk faction was being emboldened as their blood boiled, while others could be seem slipping away from the front and joining up with others who’d likewise fallen back.

The champions battles ended after only a few minutes and no further men came forth, so those who’d won fell back with their captives, the rest acted as the rear guard and slowly feel back into lines.

It was then that the final thread seemed to snap as the Bloodshot Hawk faction soldiers charged out screaming at the top of their lungs running head long towards our battle lines.

At the direct center of our formation was the spartan phalanx protected on both sides by the Romanus legions.

But Julius did not issue a command his men instead in one motion drove their shields into the earth as a shield wall was deployed the issuance of the centurions at the front, the legions thenselve began to undergo a change from within.

The fierce blood drunk greecians did not notice and simply did not care.

As shield crashed upon shield, bodies were skewered by spear and sword, the 3rd and 4th rows had begun their formation change as the men jogged forward with their shield and within minutes the thousands of Greecians who’d charge forward found themselves completly encircled. Meanwhile a new front line was formed facing the Greecian camp to protect the battling forces from possible rear assault by the argosians who’d abandoned their camps wall.

But much to the horror of the men whose blood which once ran so hot, it now ran cold as they were slaughtered from every direction many did not even get the chance to consider surrender for by the time their minds had returned to see reason their time on this earth had already passed.

However once the battle was over no cheers sounded from the Romanus ranks, they just hurriedly formed up once more rejoining the newest front.

From wihtin the enemy camp it was clear another battle was simply inevitable as the mass of men within the camp as one began to march towards the army.

But upon reaching their own camp’s walls these men without ceasing their march as one raised their hands to the sky, not one of them was armed.

They marched into the open before the armed host before kneeling down as a sign of submission.

At their head was the old man from before.