In the messenger’s exaggerated narrative:

One type of siege engine could hurl round stones the size of clay jars hundreds of meters away, accurately hitting the city walls. The powerful impact caused damage to the walls, and prolonged bombardment could even cause them to collapse.

Another weapon was like a mobile watchtower, built higher than the city walls. Archers atop the tower could easily attack the defenders on the ramparts. Once it closed in and lowered its drawbridge, enemies could rush onto the wall with ease…

The combination of these two siege engines was simply a nightmare for any city, and unfortunately, Theonia possessed both!

Pianlun worried not only about Clampetia but even more about Consentia. Originally, in his worst-case scenario plan, he could retreat to Consentia and use its sturdy walls to resist the Theonian attack until the enemy ran out of food and withdrew. However, the messenger’s account shook his resolve. He did not want to be trapped in the city, with Theonians using a dozen or dozens of such siege engines to hurl stones incessantly onto his head…

Therefore, Clampetia had to be held. Otherwise, once it was taken by Theonia, Consentia would face enemies from two sides.

But at this moment, with the natural barrier lost and Theonia holding a massive advantage in strength, the Bruttian League was in a dire predicament. Relying solely on defense was too passive, and the likelihood of failure was too high. Thus, Pianlun leaned more towards a risky offensive. As long as he could defeat Theonia’s main force, all difficulties would be solved!

His gaze turned toward the surrendered Besidiae. Since it was closest to Theonia’s center—Thurii—the Theonian main force would surely attack from there.

After repeated deliberation, he finally made his decision: dispatch two thousand reinforcements to Clampetia, convince Bergum to return to Ambalia, and send a messenger to Vergae, hoping that Elders Bergum and Sedorum could bring as many warriors as possible to support the Bruttian League in its battle against Theonia.

***

To wait for the arrival of supplies and meet operational needs, Davos waited two more days in Besidiae.

Although Besidiae was very close to Thurii, transportation was difficult due to road limitations. To facilitate future transport and learning from past lessons, Davos ordered each soldier to carry five days’ rations again.

Early on the third day, Davos led the First Legion, Second Legion, Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion, Cavalry Battalion, Heraclean allies, Castellum allies, Besidiae warriors, Legion Reserves, and two thousand freedmen… aside from a small portion of the Legion Reserves garrisoning Besidiae city, the total number of troops marching on Consentia was approximately 24,000. Formed into a long dragon, they marched majestically westward along the mountain road.

It was approaching noon when Pianlun received the scout’s report: The Theonian grand army has entered the Consentia Plateau, and the distinctive military standard of the Theonian Archon has been sighted.

This news made Pianlun unable to sit still. He immediately convened an emergency meeting. Aside from Petaru and Philotaru, Bergum and Sedorum—who had arrived with troops just last night—were present. Pangeru was still bitterly resisting the enemy attack in Clampetia, and Nycou had died in battle. The “Council of Seven Elders” actually only had five members present, inevitably evoking a sense of desolation among those in the hall.

“I estimate that after the Theonians approach Consentia city this afternoon, they will camp in this area.” Pianlun pointed to a circle he drew on the map about three kilometers east of the Consentia icon, speaking passionately. “With Amara’s protection, we should take advantage of the discomfort they will experience after entering Consentia. We will strike while they are building their camp and force a decisive battle!”

Sedorum understood what Pianlun meant by “discomfort.” Because the area where Consentia was located was at a high altitude, outsiders arriving here would have no problem with normal activities. However, once engaged in strenuous exercise for a prolonged period, they would easily become fatigued and suffer breathing difficulties. Bruttian warriors, especially Consentians, had adapted to this environment since childhood and would experience no abnormalities in their actions.

Furthermore, knowing the situation in Clampetia, he didn’t hold much hope for a stubborn defense of the city.

He and Bergum looked at each other, their expressions grave. Ultimately, both expressed their agreement.

Thus, they each returned to gather their troops, nervously awaiting the arrival of the Theonian grand army.

But only half an hour later, Pianlun urgently sent someone to summon them again.

“Elders, I just received news that the Theonians halted near the Punat River and have begun setting up camp!” Pianlun said anxiously.

The Punat River! Sedorum and Bergum hurriedly looked at the map placed in the center of the hall.

The Punat River, though called a river, was more like a stream. It eventually flowed into the upper reaches of the Crati River. The area it flowed through was relatively flat, but the key point was that it was situated almost halfway between Besidiae and Consentia.

“It’s so far from Consentia, and still so early in the day. They’re stopping to rest?!” Bergum muttered to himself in confusion.

“Those traitors of Besidiae! The Great God Amara will punish them!” Philotaru said with a face full of anger.

Sedorum understood the reason for the High Priest’s anger. In his memory, the terrain at the Punat River wasn’t as high as here, so the effect on people would be less obvious.

He hurried looked at Pianlun and asked, “Great Chief, what do you plan to do?”

Pianlun cursed along with the High Priest. He also believed that the Theonians’ move must be due to the Besidiae people leaking secrets, ruining his pre-designed plan.

He thought for a moment, then looked at everyone, speaking with a serious expression. “Right now, Clampetia is under fierce enemy attack every day and could fall to the Theonians at any moment! On our side, do we let the enemy advance slowly, gradually adapting to and becoming familiar with the weather and environment here? Or do we make up our minds and concentrate all our strength to attack them?! The choice is yours!”

Sedorum and Bergum looked at each other again, determination gradually shining in their eyes. “Do we have a choice?!”

“The Great God Amara will surely bless us, the descendants of Brutus!” Philotaru chanted loudly…

***

Davos chose to camp near Punat indeed out of caution.

When Bagilipi reminded him that ‘outsiders entering the Consentia region will experience some discomfort,’ a term immediately surfaced in his mind—altitude sickness. The higher the altitude, the thinner the air and the lower the oxygen content, causing fatigue due to hypoxia. Of course, compared to Tibet in the distant East, the height of the Consentia Plateau was nothing. However, in fierce combat, it could very well become a decisive factor.

Davos now held the advantage. There was no need for him to take risks. He only needed to advance steadily toward Consentia, allowing his soldiers to gradually adapt to the altitude sickness and familiarize themselves with the geographical environment. At the same time, this would exert gradual pressure on Consentia, making them dare not divide their forces to reinforce Clampetia.

Although he couldn’t grasp the battlefield dynamics of Clampetia in real-time, out of trust in Hylos and the Fourth Legion armed with two types of siege engines, he believed: In Clampetia, the Fourth Legion holds absolute superiority. Once Clampetia falls, the Theonian armies will advance from east and west. Not only will our advantage soar, but it will shock the entire Bruttian region, possibly leading directly to the disintegration of the Bruttian League. We might force the Bruttians to submit without even fighting!

Although the vision was beautiful, Davos did not relax his vigilance. According to the regulations for camp construction in combat zones in the Theonian Military Code, he did not commit all soldiers to the busy work of building the camp. instead, he only had the soldiers of the First Legion and the Reserves begin laboring, assisted by the freedmen, while the Second Legion and its allies, along with the Besidiae warriors, were responsible for guarding.

“Why are we the ones building the camp first this time? We are Theonia’s First Legion!” Hataebalus stared dead ahead at the Second Legion soldiers sitting and resting, complaining indignantly as he dug.

“Maybe because the Second Legion just finished fighting the Bruttians the day before yesterday, so the Lord Commander is giving them a reward!” Pesias guessed.

Leotychides listened to his teammates’ conversation from the side, his thoughts drifting. Although Spartans also placed importance on marching and camping, they didn’t value it to a degree he considered paranoid like the Theonians. When troops arrived at a key location, the first consideration was how to build an extremely sturdy camp. There were even engineers to measure and inspect it, and failure to meet standards meant punishment… Even though he had practiced many times in the recruit training camp and practically applied it in Tarentum, he was still a bit unaccustomed to it.

“If the First Legion had attacked Besidiae instead of the Second Legion, we would have done it better! Isn’t it just because the Lord Commander is unfair and gave this key task to the Second Legion? Meanwhile, he commands our First Legion to either climb mountains or march. I don’t know how much distance we’ve walked these past few days; I have blisters on the soles of my feet!…”

Hataebalus chattered on, venting his depression, until his head was lightly slapped.

“Hataebalus, stop talking nonsense and work hard! If your delay slows down our battalion’s camp construction progress and we lose to Olivas’s battalion, Chiliarch Matonis will not let you off lightly!” Captain Sitalkes scolded.

At the mention of Matonis, Hataebalus dared not speak again.

Leotychides felt somewhat moved. Matonis, this fierce-looking chiliarch, cared deeply for his soldiers, to the point of being extremely protective. Leotychides had seen him argue several times with the military judges—whom the soldiers considered “terrifying”—because his soldiers were about to be punished by military law for disciplinary breaches. Once, he even argued all the way to Davos. Coupled with his amazing strength and superb skills, the soldiers loved and respected him.