Marching at dawn when visibility was low was a real test of the army's discipline and willpower, but this was not a problem for the allied Roman army
These soldiers were already the elite of the legion, and had undergone rigorous training under the command of Centurion Porucus.
As the army approached their destination, dawn had just broken. The fully armed Porucus paused, looking at the sky, and nodded in satisfaction.
This cleanup mobilized all the armed forces in the camp. Except for a small group of soldiers left to guard the camp, the rest of the forces were here.
Two teams of soldiers were left in the woods as a reserve force, and only fifty soldiers actually participated in the camp clearance.
But even with only fifty people, Porucus remained confident.
"May the light of human reason shine upon this land. May this battle be won in return for Lord Arthur."
The pre-war mobilization has already been completed, so there is no need to say more about what to do next.
Porucus led his team forward and soon saw the sculpture monster camp that Tiberius had tracked.
From a military perspective, the camp before him wasn't really a "camp" in Porucus'seyes. There weren't any guards, just a gathering place for a mob.
Of course, Porucus also knew that judging these monsters with his own eyes was too much of an overestimation of them.
The noise caused by so many people approaching the camp was quite loud in the silent forest. Although the monsters weren't smart, they were not completely unsuspecting. Many monsters who heard the noise opened their eyes and looked their way.
But it was obviously too late.
Porucus arranged the formation, with the Roman soldiers armed with rectangular shields and spears standing in the front. He left gaps in the middle, and behind these gaps, soldiers armed with javelins stepped out, ready to throw.
Following Porucus 's order, the soldiers aimed their javelins at the target and threw them hard.
The Roman army's medium- and long-range attack methods were quite lackluster. Archers were not part of the Roman army's structure, and their primary long-range attacks relied on javelins and slings. Only during the Byzantine period did javelins gradually fall into disuse.
Of course, this doesn't mean that javelins are weak. At a certain distance, javelins far surpass bows and arrows in terms of penetration.
The first round of javelins landed, and dust scattered across the open ground of the monster camp. The powerful javelins instantly pierced the monsters' bodies. A few unlucky individuals were even destroyed by the javelins.
This round of javelins completely awakened the quiet camp. Yet it didn't matter because most of the ranged monsters died in the first wave of javelins
The sound of their brethren shattering awakened the ferocity of these monsters, and they rushed towards the allied Roman soldiers at the edge of the camp
In response, Porucus 'sexpression did not change at all.
Likewise, the expressions of the soldiers under his command did not change at all.
Porucus raised his left hand high, and the Roman soldiers around him, except for the vanguard who raised their shields, all took throwing postures again.
Although javelins are very powerful, they are not convenient to carry on the battlefield. Generally speaking, a soldier will only carry two javelins.
After the two javelins were thrown, close combat ensued.
Another round of javelin rain fell, and a dozen of the monsters charging forward fell to the ground, but more monsters pounced on them.
Following Porucus 's command, the Roman soldiers, who had been standing somewhat loosely, instantly gathered in a tight formation. The shield-bearing soldiers walked in front, with the spearmen guarding on both sides.
Rome's military traditions were partly inherited from Greece, and partly from common warfare tactics of their time. This also explains its lack of proficiency with the bow and arrow. After all, the Greeks relied on the phalanx as their primary force, while common warfare of their time was more focused on close combat.
In other words, close combat and melee fighting are what the United Roman soldiers are truly good at.
The compact battle formation remained in place, like a dark and hard reef on the seashore, quietly waiting for the impact of the tide.
The monsters, rushed forward fiercely. In their eyes, their strength was several times greater than those of humans, and as long as they could get in front of them and attack them, they would be able to easily defeat them.
However, when they hit the Rectangular shields and they hit the phalanx, the phalanx did not waver at all.
Instead, the sharp spears extending from both sides of the gaps in the square shields pierced and tore apart the dozen or so monsters that were attacking the square shields.
It looks like a tide is crashing against rocks, but the rocks remain motionless, and it's the waves that are simply broken away.
At this time, the battle formation finally started moving.
With the sound of heavy footsteps, they began to push back the monsters that kept coming.
No monster could stop the advance of the combined Roman phalanx. All that remained was dust.
The monsters' charge didn't slow down, and many continued to rush against the shield wall.
Unfortunately, they encountered a professional army. Their heavy footsteps remained steady until this moment, and beneath their visors and helmets were stern and indifferent expressions.
Slowly the tide began to slow down yet Porucus was sure there were more monsters inside the cave
"That won't do..."
Porucus shook his head. Arthur's order to him was to completely wipe out these monsters to ensure the subsequent agricultural production.
Suddenly, a deafening sound of shattering was heard in the distance, and a large sculpture walked out of the cave.
This sculpture was much larger than the average sculpture, standing nearly 3 meters tall. He wore armor and held a heavy broadsword.
At its roar, the monsters that were originally inside the cave suddenly came out, and the surviving soldiers began to gather towards the position of this strong monster.
"The leader of these monsters? "
Porucus narrowed his eyes slightly.
Although the intelligence obtained by Tiberius mentioned the cave, it did not mention the leader.
Porucus raised the spear in his hand, held it backwards, and held it high.
The monster leader on the other side looked at his subordinates who had suffered heavy casualties, and was shocked and angry. His eyes gradually the glow of his eye increased, and he rushed towards the human closest to him with his broadsword.
But just as it took a step, a sharp sound pierced the air. The metal spearhead pierced directly through the leader's yellow eye on its face.
The range of a javelin is generally only about twenty-five steps, but a skilled soldier can throw it at a distance of forty steps.
Porucus's shot was more than fifty steps away, and the rarest thing was that he killed the target accurately.
After throwing the spear in his hand, Porucus calmly drew the sword from his waist, pointing the tip of the sword straight ahead.
...........................….
There is no suspense in the next battle.
The sculptures, who had gathered together after the appearance of their leader, began to attack. What awaited them were the Rectangular shields and sharp spears of the roman soldiers, Soon, there was no sculptures left standing in the open space.
To make sure there are no monsters left in the forest. Porucus arranged three teams of reserve soldiers in the forest to be used in such situations.
Even after the incident, a few monsters are probably still left... As long as these monsters do not form a large number, individual individuals will definitely not threaten the camp.
The allied Roman soldiers stopped the slaughter and began to clean up the battlefield. They used their spears to pierce the heads of the monsters lying on the ground, finishing them off.
This kind of work was originally assigned to the reserve or auxiliary legions. The main job of the United Roman soldiers was still to fight on the battlefield. But now there were not enough people, so they had to do it themselves.
After completing a round of finishing attacks, the soldiers gathered around Porucus again. There was still one last part to this battle.
Porucus looked at the cave in front of him. The cave was formed naturally. The entrance was about four meters high.
The entrance to the cave is not spacious, only enough for three people to walk side by side.
Porucus called out a small team and led them into the cave.
The dim cave was illuminated by the orange light of the torch, and the cave was filled with an earthy, damp smell.
Seeing the approaching fire and hearing the rustling of armor, a monster suddenly appeared holding a bow, shot at them, the soldiers raised their shields and blocked the attack and attacked with their swords destroying it.
The narrow space of the cave is not suitable for using long weapons, but there is no problem in wielding an iron sword.
Weapons are tools of unknown purpose it may be used to protect or kill, fix or destroy.
When facing alien species and fighting for survival, professional armies will not waver.
Porucus's eyes fell on the pile of dust, and his expression became solemn.
The team continued to move forward, clearing out all the monsters in sight.
The cave was not too deep and became narrower as they went forward, but they soon reached the end.
At the end of the cave, there was a small room.
Porucus's eyes were sharp, and even though the cave was dark, he could still see a small pile of unique "stones" on the floor.
.......................................
Ever since Porucus left the camp to attack the monster camp, Arthur left the lord's mansion and took charge of the military camp.
The military camp was built outside the camp, not far from the farmland. Porucus left before dawn and returned around noon.
Seeing the soldiers returning to the camp, Arthur went to greet them with two guards.
The soldiers setting out to fight the monsters looked slovenly, their armor and weapons were coated in grime and battlefield dust, and after trudging through the forest, yet at the same time, filled with a menacing aura. The only thing that remained unchanged from before they set out was their resolute expressions.
"My lord, I have fulfilled your mission." Porucus saluted Arthur.
Arthur nodded gently: "Thank you for your hard work."
The ingredients were ready, and the camp's skilled culinary craftsmen had been invited to prepare the feast. This was the camp's largest military operation to date, so a reward was inevitable.
Although they had just returned from completing their mission, the operation of the military camp had not changed at all.
The soldiers who stayed behind in the camp took over patrolling the woods from the soldiers who had returned. On the other side of the camp, the soldiers who had returned took turns patrolling and resting.
The army had its own set of rules and regulations, which didn't require Arthur and Porucus to intervene. The two of them went to the barracks, and Porucus reported the specific situation to Arthur.
"The operation went smoothly. No soldiers were killed or seriously injured. Only a few unlucky guys got cuts on the arms by those monsters. But they received proper medical treatment on the spot."
"The monster's camp has been completely destroyed."
"However, I also sent people to clear out the monster camp in the forest. Even if a few escaped the attack, they can no longer pose a threat to our camp."
"Well done, my Centurion."
"Thank you for your praise, my lord." Porucus said, "Also, Lord Arthur, we also obtained some spoils during this raid."
"Huh?" This surprised Arthur.
Can you get useful loot by conquering this kind of monster camp?
"It's some metal ore... and some nugget gold."
"These monsters seem to have a fondness for shiny, special stones."
"I've sent someone to transport it back to the camp."
Arthur was a little surprised. The amount of ore obtained by a monster camp of this size was not much, which was meaningless for the development of the camp.
But if it's ore, it means that there are mineral deposits on this land. And there is a high probability that it exists on the surface, which is convenient for development and excavation.
The camp cannot expand without these natural resources.
"I see. This is a pleasant surprise. Part of the spoils you brought back will be used to reward the soldiers."
There is no point in establishing an economic system in a camp of 600 people. Similarly, precious metals such as gold and silver that can serve as natural currencies cannot reflect their corresponding value.
The current camp is run somewhat like a commune, with unified work and unified distribution of food from warehouses.
This model is now operating without any problems. The six hundred people are all pioneers, loyal in their beliefs, passionate, and will not be passive or negligent in construction.
But as the camp continues to expand and the population increases, this operating system will definitely have to change.
Therefore, although things like gold and silver are useless now, they will definitely be useful in the future.