ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 128 Football Game

The training time of the team did not last long. With the help of Ktipes, Alsinis quickly integrated into the team.

Then the detachment is integrated into the company and further training is conducted. Alcides and the others will begin to become familiar with more complex tactical instructions and flags: What rhythm of drums and what speed to march?What kind of bugle call is marching?What kind of bugle call is retreat?What bugle call is a charge?
Also, under the sound of different drums and bugles, they also pay attention to the direction of the team flag.If the team flag points forward in a certain direction, it means marching, rushing or charging in that direction; if the team flag points backward in a certain direction, it means retreating, slowing down or retreating in that direction; if the team flag keeps making circles, it means stopping on the spot. , rest, alert or prepare... They also need to learn to quickly change from column to horizontal, form a dense square formation, and then quickly split the square formation into columns and march quickly; there are also some complex tactical actions, such as the middle of the second and third teams Defense, flank attack of the first and fourth detachments...

Next, we entered the joint training of the team. At this time, there were no longer those complicated tactical instructions, but more formation changes, such as: Fish Scale Formation (Davos’s name is actually the Roman checkerboard formation) During the march, it quickly turned into a closely connected large square array, and the large square array returned to the fish scale array; the front row retreated, and the rear row topped up to form a new large square array; there are also square arrays that maintain a tight array. , rotate left and right, etc.

Finally, there is the general training of the whole army.Not only does it have the front array conversion, but it also increases coordination with other brigades and arms.For example: when advancing, the light infantry brigade at the rear quickly passes through the gaps in the fish scale array, rushes to the front of the array, forms a skirmish line, performs throwing and shooting movements, and then quickly retreats from the gaps in the array to the rear. The fish scale array quickly merges into a large formation. When the sharp bugle sounded urgently, it was a request for the cavalry on both wings to launch an attack (although there are only a few dozen cavalry now, but Davos still specially prepared a tactical space for them), who had retreated before The light shield soldiers in the light infantry group behind the square formation (i.e. the seventh group) quickly turned behind the cavalry. When the cavalry attacked with spears, they held wooden shields and long-handled reverse-edged knives, and formed a loose array. Following closely behind, the heavy infantry phalanx slowly pressed forward...

There were many novel offensive and defensive methods that Alsinis had never seen before, which opened his eyes. At the same time, he was also troubled by the constantly changing flag commands. However, under the constant reminders of squad leader Ktippus and his comrades, he , so that Alcinis would not make a big mistake, and the same was true for other recruits. Gradually, they were able to keep up with the pace of training.

........................

When the training ended, it was still early because it was May and it got dark late.

At this time, Archon Davos stepped onto the makeshift command podium.

The tired soldiers began to get excited.

Davos said straight to the point: "Brothers, what are we going to do next?!"

"football!!!"

"After the last practice, are you familiar with all the rules?"

"Familiar!!!"

“Let’s get started!!!”

"Then it's the same as last time, first set up the four venues, and still start with the first division of the first company of the first brigade VS the first division of the first company of the seventh brigade, and the first division of the first company of the second brigade VS the third brigade The first team of the first company... There are only four hourglasses in a game, the one with the most points wins, the loser is eliminated, and the winning team is ready to enter the next round of the game..."

While the soldiers were waiting for the Archon to say "Start preparations", Davos continued: "Now I announce a new rule. The participating teams must add five Lucanian slaves."

The soldiers were in an uproar.

Capps, Drakos, Hieronymus... and other senior team officers had been notified by Davos in advance and knew that this was an effort made by the consul to integrate the Lucanians.

No one dared to refuse Davos's order, so Bagule and other forty Lucanian slaves were brought to the training ground.

Originally, Bagule and the others were polishing stones. Alexis suddenly gathered them together, then named the 40 people headed by Bagule, and said: They are the forty best performers among the slaves working today, as a reward. , will have them play a rugby game with the Citizens of Amendolara.

Since most Lucarians could not understand Greek, it was Bagule who did the translation.The slaves were restless, worried that this was a Greek conspiracy to harm the 40 people.

Alexis swore to God: He would bring them back before dark!

Bagule and the others were then brought into the training camp uneasily and stood in front of the Greek soldiers.

And when most of the soldiers were also at a loss for a while, Olivers, the captain of the first unit of the first company of the first brigade, took the first shot. He quickly picked Bagule and the other four strong Lucanias. Slaves, the others reacted at this moment, and in an instant, the forty slaves were all divided among the teams participating in the first round.

Davos spent a short time telling them the rules of the game, and of course Bagule was the translator.Then the five of them, Bagule, who seemed to understand, were merged into Olivers' team.

The rugby field is a flat grass field about 100 meters long and 50 meters wide that is outlined with lime powder on all sides. White lines are drawn every ten meters. In order to prevent the lime powder from being erased during intense sports, resulting in unclear boundaries, Therefore, wooden poles are inserted at the intersection points of the white lines on both sides.

According to Davers' requirements, the company captain can only serve as his own coach, while the squad leader must serve as the team's quarterback, because the coach has to arrange tactics based on the strengths and weaknesses of his own team and the opponent, while the quarterback is the team's leader on the field. core.He has to change tactics in time according to the changes on the field and lead the players to victory.Davers wanted to train the leadership skills of the team officers, because he believed that in the modern competition of the previous life, rugby was a game very similar to the ancient cold weapon combat. The confrontation in the middle, the assault on the wings... not only It can exercise the strength, speed and agility of soldiers, and can also cultivate the unity and cooperation of the whole team and enhance cohesion. It can also train company captains and squad leaders to think calmly and make correct responses quickly in fierce competitions.This is very beneficial to the entire army, because the systematic and complex multi-arms (temporarily lacking cavalry) combined army created by Davos relies heavily on the abilities of middle and low-level officers in order to exert its real power.

First, the two sides draw lots to determine the order of attack.

Olivers was lucky enough to get the first attack, and "Coach" Antonios began to arrange tactics for the team: "Bagule, you have just arrived and are not familiar with this game. You should watch and learn from the field first."

Bagule nodded: It seems like he is really playing a game.

The serious expressions of the surrounding soldiers all affected these Lucanian slaves.

"You, you, you, you... you go first. After the opponent kicks off, pay attention to receiving the ball. After receiving the ball, don't hesitate and pass the ball to Olivers immediately. Olivers, pass the ball to the big man and let him hold on. Run the ball and test the opponent's strength. Others should pay attention to fend off the opponent for him!..." Antonios is arranging tactics for the players on the field.

At this time, the whistle sounded, and referee Drax urged the players from both sides to come on.According to regulations, the captain serves as the referee, and there are four referees in total. Since Epithenes, the captain of the seventh group, is also the captain of the first company, the captain of the cavalry, Ledes, takes over.

The soldiers took off all metal clothing such as helmets, greaves, and swords, and only wore linen breastplates to prevent injuries. At the same time, both sides wrapped prepared linen strips dyed red and blue around their upper bodies and tied them tightly to distinguish them. Two teams.A team of players plus five slaves totaled 55 people, and only 11 people were required to play at one time. However, rugby was a very physically demanding sport, and the soldiers were already a little tired due to training, so they had to rely on constant substitutions to maintain combat effectiveness.

Dracos gave the order and the game began.

The hourglass also started counting.

The Epithenes team kicked the ball into the opponent's half and immediately rushed towards the opponent.

Antonios discovered that the opponent sent five slaves at the beginning of the game: Could it be that the slaves had more physical strength than the soldiers to hinder their own attack.Antonios decided to look at the game first before making adjustments.

A soldier jumped up and as soon as he caught the ball, the opponent was almost in front of him.

Although he was also wearing a linen breastplate, his appearance turned out to be that of a Lucarian.

The soldier holding the ball was stunned. This distraction was immediately tackled by the opponent. Fortunately, he fell down in time to suppress the ball under him.

The Antonios team members off the court made sounds of regret, while the other team cheered loudly. Several players excitedly stepped forward to pat the Lucanian to encourage him.

An offensive opportunity was wasted.According to the rules set by Davers, the offensive team has three opportunities. During this period, it must advance the distance of a wooden pole (about ten meters) in the opponent's half. After advancing, it will get three more offensive opportunities. Otherwise, it is the opponent's turn to attack.

Olivers was not in a hurry, he said jokingly: "Xenotimas, did you exercise too much with your wife last night, so your hands and feet are so weak that you can't even pass the ball?!"

The players laughed.

"Okay, brothers, this attack must show them the power of the strongest unit in the entire army!" (According to Davos's provisions in the "Military Law", the "one" in the army number is not just a person. Number, and it is a reflection of ability and honor. The First Battalion is the strongest team in the entire army. By analogy, the first detachment of the First Battalion is also not only the strongest among the detachments of its own brigade, but also the strongest among all the detachments in the entire army. )
The soldiers roared and braced themselves.

The two sides formed a formation on the marking line where the ball was stopped just now. The corners of the two sides were close together in the middle. On both sides, one side was ready to catch the ball and sprint, and the other side was ready to block.

The whistle sounded.

(End of this chapter)