Chapter 53: Learning in Battle

Chapter 53: Learning in Battle

“Don’t be impatient,” Maximus calmly said to the three of them. “The main purpose of our outing this time is to apply what our brothers have learned in their regular training to real combat. We can’t just rush in like before.”

Tolerugo was straightforward in his response, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead. Just give the order.”

Maximus turned around and shouted: “Ready the ballistae!”

Ten ballista operators at the rear immediately lifted two ballistae from the wagon and placed them at the forefront of the formation. Under the guidance of the military advisor group, they quickly assembled the siege weapons.

“The target is the wooden gate of the farm!” After Maximus gave the command, two lead projectiles were shot out, hitting the walls near the wooden gate and leaving two dents, causing the enemies inside the courtyard to shout in alarm.

Then two more rounds of lead projectiles were fired, still failing to hit the wooden gate, but causing several cracks in the nearby walls.

“These ballistae sound intimidating, but their power is not that great. It’s better to let our brothers launch a direct attack!” Tolerugo couldn’t help but shout.

Before Maximus could speak, a member of the military advisor group beside him spoke up, “They haven’t trained for long, so it’s normal for their aim to be off. How about this, let us take over.”

“No need, we have plenty of time. If we don’t train them properly now, how can we expect them to be useful in a major battle in the future!” Maximus deliberately said loudly.

The ballistae operators who heard him became more focused and serious. In the next two rounds of bombardment, they not only hit the wooden gate but also brought down the adjacent wall, creating a large breach in the front of the estate.

Ignoring the chaos inside the farm, Maximus gave his orders earnestly, “Phaselus, lead the first platoon and attack the main gate.”

“Understood!” Phaselus responded excitedly.

“Wait a moment!” Maximus continued, “If you approach the breach and the enemies keep throwing javelins from the courtyard walls, what will you do?”

After thinking for a moment, Phaselus replied, “We will form a tortoise formation and charge in.”

“That’s the plan then. I want to see how proficient your first platoon is with the tortoise formation.” After Maximus finished speaking, he looked at Tolerugo and Carminus, “Soldiers of the second and third platoons, go to the wagons and get the long ladders. When the first platoon attracts the enemy’s attention with their attack, the second platoon will climb up the front wall of the farm, and the third platoon will attack from behind. Tolerugo, since you’re still injured, stay behind and command. Don’t go into battle.”

Maximus calmly said, “But they still have to allocate manpower to defend, right? One hundred soldiers are not many. It’s impossible for them to fully defend the city walls of the entire small town. I will first use light ballistae to bombard the city walls, undermining the enemy’s morale. Then we will attack the city gate and wall from the front with siege vehicles and towers, distracting the enemy. The remaining soldiers will use ladders and tunnels to attack the city. At the same time, we can utilize secret tunnels... Can the enemy withstand such a full-scale assault?”

Frontinus fell silent for a moment and said, “You’re committing all your forces. What if the enemy has reinforcements?”

“Look at you, always making things more difficult for me. Originally, it was just an attack on a small city, but now with reinforcements, who knows, my supply route might be cut off later... With you as the enemy’s insider, how can I possibly win?” Maximus jokingly replied.

Frontinus spoke seriously, “I think you have learned quite well. What you lack is experience.”

“You, as an instructor, rarely praise people. It makes me a little proud,” Maximus laughed and waved his hand. “Let’s go inside the farm and enjoy the fruits of victory. Vorenus, you go in first and count the supplies.”

“Understood.” Vorenus headed towards the farmhouse, followed by Akgo, Cassius, Marcus, and several other young boys. These children listened to Maximus’ lectures every night and practiced in the warehouse during the day. Their arithmetic skills had improved rapidly, and they could now provide some assistance to the logistics camp.

“We should go and do our job.”

Maximus’ next task was to publicly interrogate the captives in front of these newly liberated slaves. Those found guilty would be handed over to the slaves for punishment, often resulting in angry slaves killing them. As a result, the majority of the slaves would willingly join the uprising, and some of them, due to their favorable impression of the logistics camp, would actively request to be assigned to the team.

Maximus had been following this approach during the recent raids, and it had proven to be very effective.

After the interrogation was over and Vorenus finished counting the supplies, Maximus frowned and said, “Such a large farm, so many people, and they only have this little amount of food?!”

“It’s normal,” Vorenus, knowledgeable in agriculture, said. “The wheat outside is already ripe. It can be harvested soon, providing new food. They don’t need to store much of the old grain.”

Maximus pondered for a moment and said, “Should we stay here for another day? Let the soldiers and the liberated slaves harvest these wheat fields and transport the grain back after it’s threshed.”

The reason the guards of the logistics camp were allowed to participate in looting in recent days was due to the rapid increase in the number of rebels, leading to a shortage of food. All the teams were dispatched to intensify the collection of provisions.

“We’re too far from the camp. What if the enemy attacks while the soldiers are harvesting?” Vorenus expressed his concern.