That evening, Christoia came to Davos's tent. After hearing about the day's events, she said, based on her understanding of Davos, "You want to annex those mercenaries?"
"I really want to help them," Davos said earnestly.
"Really?" Christoia giggled, her full breasts pressing against Davos's strong chest. She looked up, her sexy red lips looking luscious.
"Really," Davos said. He lowered his head and suddenly captured those soft, moist lips, sucking on them forcefully.
That kiss ignited the fire of desire between them. Davos reached out and scooped up Christoia…
Just then, Martius's voice came from outside the tent: "Chief, Mercis and Mariji want to see you."
Davos cursed under his breath, his face displeased. He was about to say, "I won't see them!"
Christoia slapped him playfully and said, "For Mercis and Mariji, who are a bit at odds with each other, to come see you together, it must be something important!"
Davos knew she was right. He reluctantly put Christoia down, unwillingly kissing her lips twice.
Christoia pushed him away.
Mercis and Mariji entered the tent one after another. They didn't care at all that Christoia was in the tent. Davos and Christoia's close relationship was already an open secret in the entire army. Then, they directly explained their intentions to Davos.
It turned out that while the soldiers were building the camp, Mercis and the others weren't idle. No, it should be said that the Thuriians weren't idle. Although Thurii forbade mercenaries from entering the city, the Greeks were known for their business acumen. As soon as they heard that more mercenaries were coming, merchants and peddlers ran towards the old city of Subaris to see if there were any business opportunities. In addition to the food provided by Thurii, the mercenaries, of course, needed other daily necessities, so the two sides hit it off.
Trade started as one-way. The Thuriians were the sellers, and the mercenaries were the buyers. But soon, Mercis discovered that these Thurii merchants were very interested in certain things in the baggage camp. When the mercenaries were on their way back, they didn't just rob women and slaves. They also plundered a large number of gold and silver utensils and some works of art, such as peculiar spice wood carvings, exquisite gold statues, and exotic ivory carvings, etc. They were originally prepared to bring them back home in the future, which could be used as decorations and also as souvenirs and evidence for boasting. Although they lost a lot due to the constant battles along the way, they still retained some.
For the Thurii merchants who were thousands of miles away from Persia, these objects from the heart of Persia and some unheard-of races were extremely exotic, making them feel very novel. They immediately realized that these things were very valuable and expressed to Mercis that they wanted to buy them.
Mercis wasn't a fool. Of course, he couldn't sell them cheaply. Besides, some things didn't belong to him, but were deposited in the baggage camp by the soldiers. He thought about it and decided to go to Mariji first, because only Mariji, who was also a Persian, could explain the origin of these things, as well as their cultural meaning and value.
Mariji gave him a suggestion: Why not set up a market, managed by the mercenaries, to trade with the Great Greeks? Maybe you can also collect taxes.
Collect taxes on the land of another country?! Mercis thought this idea was too crazy, but he couldn't resist the temptation of money, so he simply came to Davos with Mariji.
Build a market? Davos thought this idea was good. It could not only meet the needs of the mercenaries, but also be a place to expand the mercenaries' influence. He could also understand the market conditions of Greater Greece, cultivate the mercenaries' business team, and also collect intelligence and search for talents… etc. Standing from the perspective of the mercenary leader, Davos, who had the goal of establishing a foothold in Greater Greece, naturally thought about the problem more comprehensively and deeply than Mercis and the others.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was wonderful. He immediately nodded and said, "Building a market is possible.
Tomorrow, I will have the soldiers build a market outside the camp, on the eastern side between the camp and the coast. Mariji will be responsible for the construction of the market, but we don't have much time, so don't build it too complicated, just make it usable. After it is built, its management and operation will also be your responsibility, Mariji…" As Davos said this, Mariji looked excited.
Davos reminded him, "My requirement is—the market can be simple, but it must be orderly, ensure the fairness of transactions, and be clean and tidy. Expand the reputation of the market as much as possible to attract more merchants from other city-states to trade here. As for collecting taxes, don't even think about it. I don't want to make the Thuriians unhappy, but you can think of ways in other areas, such as letting slaves help carry goods, providing cheap slurry… etc. Even in the future, when the market is prosperous, you can also charge shop fees."
Mariji nodded repeatedly and sincerely praised, "Chief, I didn't expect that your wisdom in business is also amazing!"
Davos smiled slightly. These ideas were already commonplace in the industrial age. However, since he gave Mariji a promise, this guy has entered the state very quickly. Does he really want to be a commercial officer?
Davos turned to the somewhat depressed Mercis: "As for our trade with the Great Greeks, it will be your responsibility, Mercis."
"Okay! Okay!" Mercis became happy again.
"Don't mess with the things that the soldiers deposited in the baggage camp, unless they are willing to sell them. You must sign an agreement with them. In addition to charging a small handling fee… um, you have to negotiate this with the owner, but it is best not to exceed one-fiftieth of the sold property, and the rest must be returned to the owner. Don't hide or embezzle! Mariji, you are responsible for supervision!" Davos solemnly instructed Mercis.
"Davos, you are too biased! One-fiftieth is too little, at least one-twentieth! It's not that easy for us to sell things. We stand in the sun for half a day and spend a lot of words…" Mercis complained aggrievedly.
"One-twentieth is too much, at most no more than one thirty-fifth, that's it!" Davos was too lazy to continue arguing with him: "Instead of earning the soldiers' money, you might as well think of ways to increase your trade items and expand your financial resources!"
Hearing this, Mercis fell into thought. Soon, a smile appeared on his fat face: "The * * in the baggage camp come from some races in Persia and Armenia, and many people have also learned the massage skills of the medical camp. For the men of Greater Greece, it is definitely a novel experience. We can set high prices…" Mercis's excited voice was interrupted by Christoia's cough.
Discussing flesh and blood business in front of women, this guy… Davos said with a wry smile: "I can give you an idea. The medical skills of our medical camp doctors are very high. And now there are no major injuries or illnesses in the military camp, so they are idle. Why not let them open a clinic in the market being built and charge for seeing patients? You can discuss the details with Christoia." Originally, there were eight doctors in the medical camp. Two left when they left Byzantium, while the six doctors headed by Herpus were strongly attracted by the so-called mysterious medical knowledge from Hades's inspiration (actually the basic medical knowledge of modern times in his previous life) taught by Davos from time to time, and continued to stay in the medical camp.
Hearing Christoia's name, Mercis, who had also been glowing with excitement, showed a bitter look.
Christoia didn't embarrass Mercis. This fat man looked easy to bully, but Christoia understood his importance to Davos, so she seriously discussed with him the opening of a clinic and how to distribute the consultation fees, etc., but made a request: she hoped that Mercis would not force the women in the baggage camp to be prostituted
Mercis cried out in injustice and said, "Most of the women in the baggage camp were robbed by the soldiers on their way back to Greece, and a small part are slaves in the baggage camp who need to take care of the pack animals and manage the items. Only a dozen are real w****s They are already used to earning money in this… this way."
"I'm afraid it's more than just these w****s," Mariji interjected from the side.
"Persian, shut up! When your wife and children were in the supply camp, I didn't mistreat them!" Melsis said angrily.
"Melsis, did you really just let those dozen or so prostitutes receive... receive guests...?" Christoya asked seriously, her face flushed.
Melsis knew he couldn't hide it, so he had to say, "There are also some women whose soldier husbands died in battle. They lost their support and didn't want to do dirty or hard work. Influenced by those w*****s, they thought it was easy to make money this way. After all, our food is prioritized for the soldiers, and they're just trying to survive..."
"Then why don't you let them go?" Christoya questioned.
"Let them go? Where can they go? They're already hundreds, even thousands of miles away from their hometowns! They can't go back. Instead of being captured by city-states and tribes along the way and becoming slaves anyway, it's better for them to stay in our military camp, at least they can live a little better..." Melsis said, feigning compassion.
"These are all the sins committed by the soldiers!" Davos sighed and put his arm around the saddened Christoya, saying, "Melsis, you don't need to force them anymore... I think we should provide them with food for free, and when we find a place to settle down in Greater Greece, we'll marry them off to the soldiers... In the future, our soldiers will no longer plunder, because we will no longer be mercenaries!"
"Leader, you are truly benevolent!" Melsis quickly praised before hurrying away, not wanting to face Christoya's blaming gaze any longer.
......
As time passed, the news from the west became more worrying day by day. The Lucanian camp in the western mountain pass grew larger every day, while the Turii people working on the Sybaris Plain north of the Crati River became increasingly sparse... Until, more than ten days later, Lucanian scouts appeared on the outskirts of Thurii, causing panic among the city's residents. The generals in the city hall knew that the Lucanian attack was imminent, and they had to prepare.
Therefore, Bulkos, entrusted with a mission, took a boat and landed at the simple pier at the mouth of the Crati River (Greeks have a bad habit: if they can travel by boat, they will never walk).
Once ashore, Bulkos found that this place was clearly more popular than other parts of the Sybaris Plain. Groups of two or three people walked on a solid, wide dirt road, which led to a large earthen enclosure.
"What is that?" Bulkos asked Moras.
"It's the market built by the mercenaries that I told you about last time."
When Moras told him about it before, he didn't pay attention. Now, he was interested. Anyway, he had to pass through this market to get to the mercenary camp, and it wouldn't take much time to go in and take a look.
Before even reaching the market entrance, the bustling voices inside filled his ears. Two gorgeously dressed and pretty women stood at the entrance, graceful and elegant. Judging by their faces, they were not Greeks, but they spoke gentle and pleasant Greek: "Honorable guest, welcome! Is this your first time here?"
Moras couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
"If you are here to sell something, there is a wooden house after entering the gate, which is our market management office. You can find the person in charge inside to select a stall for you, but there will be a small fee."
"How much is the fee?" Bulkos asked urgently.
"One obol per day."
The price was very cheap, but these mercenaries were actually making money from the land of Thurii! Bulkos was a little angry.
"But now the stalls are all full, you can only come again tomorrow."
This broken place is so popular! Bulkos was shocked and tentatively said, "If I pay more money, can you squeeze a stall out for me?"
"Honorable guest, we charge this small fee not to make money. We are maintaining the order of this market. The help we provide you is far more valuable than one obol.
We only hope that the stall owners can make good use of the value of the stall and earn far more than one obol every day!"
A modern person would find these words very familiar, but Bulkos and Moras were completely dumbfounded.
The woman continued: "If you are here to buy something, there is a wooden sign hanging on the door of the market management office, which lists our market's little requirements for every customer. We hope you can abide by them. If you encounter fraud or disputes during the transaction, you can go to the market management office for help, and they will enthusiastically help you solve it..."
Bulkos and Moras could be considered well-traveled and knowledgeable, but at this moment, they were somewhat dizzy by the woman's words. In the Greek city-states they had been to, they had never heard of a market that was so considerate of merchants and customers. With strong curiosity, they came to the market management office.
This was a simple wooden house with a large window facing the market. Several people sat at the window, politely answering questions from customers who came to inquire.
"Hello! Is there any problem you need us to solve?" A dark-skinned, thin Egyptian asked Moras politely, who was peering into the room through the window.
Moras was about to say a few perfunctory words when someone in the room shouted, "Lord Bulkos, welcome!" A middle-aged man with brown hair, a long beard, and a hooked nose opened the door and greeted him warmly.
"You are?" Bulkos looked at him, feeling that he looked familiar.
"Business officer under Leader Davos, my name is Marigi." Marigi unceremoniously bestowed upon himself the official position that Davos had promised him.
Bulkos didn't pay attention to what he was saying. He first corrected him, saying, "No! Please don't call me 'Lord'! I am just an ordinary citizen of Thurii." Then, he asked curiously, "Are you Persian?"
"Yes." Marigi not only didn't avoid it, but was rather proud of it.
"You have people of all races here!" Bulkos said with a sigh, then pointed to the things placed on the "window" and asked curiously, "What are these weighing instruments here for?"
"If a customer feels that the amount of something they bought is insufficient, such as olive oil and sea fish... etc., they can bring them here to weigh. Once it is found to be true, the administrator will find the seller and punish them. In severe cases, their stall will be revoked, and they will no longer be allowed to enter the market."
"Well, not bad, very thoughtful. Has this kind of thing happened before?" Bulkos said lightly. Although he felt that the mercenaries had no right to punish anyone on the land of Thurii, he thought it was best to talk to their leader about this matter.
"Only once. After the punishment, nothing similar has happened again." Marigi looked at him and said cautiously.
"Why do you emphasize these things written on this wooden board: 'No spitting, no littering, buyers must keep the stalls clean'! All the city-states' markets I have been to don't have such requirements, including the Agora of Athens!" This was what Bulkos was most interested in.
"This is Leader Davos's suggestion. He said, 'The market is a place with a dense flow of people, and it is also a place where garbage and sewage are rampant. Too much garbage not only stinks and makes people uncomfortable, but it will also attract a large number of flies and mosquitoes, which will affect everyone's mood for buying and selling things, and most importantly, it will lead to the occurrence of epidemics!'" Marigi said solemnly.
"Is it that serious?!" Bulkos was a little surprised.
"The leader is a favored one of Hades, so his words cannot be ignored! We not only remind customers, but we also have ten slaves dedicated to cleaning the entire market non-stop. I can say that although our market is simple, its cleanliness is cleaner than any city's market! We have put in so much sweat and effort, so we charge such a small fee." Marigi subtly made some explanations for himself here.
Bulkos breathed the still-fresh air, looked down at the flat ground, and was thoughtful.
"I really admire Chief Davos. He not only commands battles, but also has great ideas about doing business! He has put forward many valuable suggestions. For example, at the entrance of the market, I originally planned to use two fully armed soldiers to guard it, but the chief said, 'That won't work. It will scare away customers who come to buy and sell. We have to consider the feelings of the customers.' So it became what you see now. It seems that the customers' reactions are very good… Haha… Oh, right, including these weighing instruments, they were also his suggestion. There are many other suggestions like this. The main reason why this market has become so lively in just twenty days is due to his efforts! I think even if he doesn't become a mercenary, with his talent, he will definitely become a great merchant!" These words from Mariji were heartfelt.
"Yes, it's really unexpected," Bulkos responded perfunctorily, thinking about something in his heart.
He turned and walked into the market. Mariji hurriedly followed, acting as a guide.
Walking forward with the crowded flow of people, the first stall was naturally the mercenaries' own, so it was very large, with many strange objects and exquisite gold and silverware displayed in different categories… Many people stopped here, watched, and asked for prices.
"Mersis!" Mariji shouted.
The fat man who was directing the slaves to carry goods behind the stall looked back and immediately said arrogantly, "Mariji, are you here to congratulate me?! I've sold a lot of goods today!"
Before Mariji could answer, he saw Bulkos, and a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Bulkos, are you here to buy something too? Great, I have a good thing here. Guess what it is?" As he spoke, he raised the thing in his hand, and it shone with golden light, dazzling to the eyes: It was a thin silver rope, with small gold flakes as thin as cicada wings attached in the middle, forming an inverted triangle, with another silver rope extending from the top…
Mariji's eyes narrowed, and he heard Mersis shout, "Mariji, don't speak!"
"What is this thing?" Moras asked curiously.
Seeing that everyone was curiously gathering around, Mersis put on a wretched smile and said mysteriously, "This is a gift from Little Cyrus to his most beautiful concubine. It was specially made by the best Persian goldsmiths for Little Cyrus to provide pleasure in that area! Guess where Little Cyrus's concubine would wear it?"
"Could it be… below…?" someone shouted uncertainly.
"You guessed it, it seems you have a lot of experience!" Mersis said, and there was a burst of ambiguous laughter around.
"It is said that Little Cyrus's concubine wore it every night and was with Little Cyrus… um… When Little Cyrus was killed in battle, his concubine was captured by the Persian king, and this thing was left in the military camp and picked up by our soldiers." Mersis held up the gold chain and waved it in front of everyone: "Smell it… there may still be the fragrance of Little Cyrus's concubine on it! I originally wanted to keep it for myself, but unfortunately I don't have a wife yet. Think about it, everyone, if you buy it home, you can experience the life of the Persian royal family with your wife or lover!"
After hearing this, Bulkos was actually a little tempted.
A person next to him had already shouted: "How much money? I'll buy it!"
Bulkos looked over and recognized him as a merchant from the city-state of Scylletium.
"Not expensive, not expensive. Look, how exquisite this thing is made! Moreover, these are all made of pure gold, and the weight is not light!" Mersis shook the gold chain in his hand, making a low "clatter, clatter" sound: "The lowest price is… um… fifty Daric gold coins."
"I'll offer fifty-five gold coins, this thing is mine!" the Scylletium merchant shouted.
"I'll offer sixty gold coins!" someone shouted.
"Hey, I was the first to buy it!"
"But my offer is higher than yours!"
"Sixty-five Daric gold coins!"
… …
Mariji didn't expect that Mersis would make such a profit by fabricating the rare household items of Persian nobles into royal items.
However, he didn't want to remind Mersis that if Christoya heard about this, she probably wouldn't have a good impression of him.
Seeing Bulkos squeezing out of the crowd, he hurried to follow.
"I see that you also have merchants from other city-states coming here to buy and sell," Bulkos said.
"There are quite a few. There are city-states like Tarentum, Scylletium, Caulonia, and Croton."
Hearing Croton, Bulkos's eyelids twitched.
At this time, Moras pointed to the dozen or so strong men in front and said, "These people are all soldiers from your military camp, right?"
Mariji looked at them and replied, "They may be warriors from the mercenary camp next door."
"It seems to me that there are quite a few soldiers in this market buying things. It seems that your soldiers are very rich," Bulkos said jokingly.
Mariji smiled perfunctorily and said, "Mercenaries, once today is over, they don't even know if there will be a tomorrow. Of course, if they have money, they have to enjoy it."
Hearing this, Bulkos's expression darkened slightly, and he sighed: "Yes, it's not easy for anyone to live in this chaotic world."
Mariji didn't speak. In fact, the soldiers in Davos's military camp were not in this state of mind at all. Davos inherited and carried forward Menon's approach, and he strengthened the role of the logistics camp. In wartime, the soldiers would hand over most of their property to the logistics camp for deposit, and even write clearly on the registration form of the logistics camp who would inherit their property in the event of misfortune, so that their belongings could be handed over to the heirs after their death… and so on. Moreover, when soldiers urgently needed money but didn't have enough, they could borrow money from the mercenary leader Davos. As long as the request was reasonable, Mersis of the logistics camp would deduct the debt after borrowing money from their monthly salary, and there was no interest… These practices in the military camp not only reduced the soldiers' worries and allowed them to fight with all their strength, but also reduced gambling, high-interest loans, and reckless spending, and other bad habits in the army.
Mariji was sure that most of the soldiers squandering money in the market were definitely not from Davos's military camp, and the number of soldiers leaving the camp every day was limited, with only two spots for each squad, and they had to return to the camp on time, otherwise they would be punished according to military law.
Mariji had personally witnessed the efforts Davos had made to change this army, how many accusations he had faced, and even almost disbanded the army, but he did not back down and eventually persevered. Now these soldiers can act according to military regulations, and most of the time they are either on the training ground, building camp facilities, or going to the logistics camp to check how much their money has increased. You can feel from their fiery yet calm eyes that this is no longer an ordinary mercenary army.
Mariji had seen the Spartan army led by Chrisopus, a group of disciplined killing machines, but lacking passion for life other than fighting. He had also seen the Persian army, which, despite its large numbers, was lax in discipline and lacked faith, especially the auxiliary army. And Davos's army not only had the bravery and discipline of the Spartans, but also the belief in fighting to the death for a better survival, not to mention they also had a magical commander. What if Davos had not two thousand, but twenty thousand or thirty thousand men? This beautiful idea was one of the reasons that attracted Mariji to stay…
"I found that you have everything for sale in this market!" Bulkos's voice interrupted Mariji's thoughts.
"There's even a blacksmith shop!"
"That's just a small shop that takes orders. Thurii doesn't allow us to enter the city, but our weapons still need to be repaired and purchased, right?" Mariji explained.
"Then what about this pottery jar seller?"
"We can't use our hands to drink water and cook soup, can we?"
"Cloth shop?"
"The soldiers' clothes haven't been changed for half a year. We can't let them wear armor even when they're not fighting, can we?"
"Then what about this stone shop?"
"Our camp can't just use trees. The key positions still need to be fortified with stones."
"What about this ship chandler?!" Bulkos's face gathered anger, and he shouted loudly: "Don't tell me that your mercenary army is going to build a fleet! You are robbing! You are robbing Thurii's market and stealing Thurii's wealth!"
Mariji lowered his head and whispered in defense, "The quantity of goods bought and sold is not large—"
"That's because there's only one small pier here!" Bulkos's chest heaved with anger. He had sensed it earlier, and now, having almost finished walking through the market, he finally understood: the reason for the wide variety of goods being traded here wasn't the needs of the mercenaries, but the needs of the merchants and the surrounding residents. The Krati River, no matter how wide, was still not as vast as the sea. When there were too many merchant ships, it took time to wait to enter the port of Thurii, and trading after entering the market also incurred taxes. But now, the mercenaries had built a market directly near the coast. Ships could unload their cargo as soon as they reached the pier, and entering the market only cost one obol (practically nothing), and there were no taxes. As for buyers, Thurii wasn't far from here, and a large number of sailors, fishermen… and so on, mainly freemen, not citizens of Thurii, were willing to walk a few more steps to buy cheaper goods than in the Thurii market (because there were no taxes, so it was cheaper). Moreover, there were also merchants from various city-states attracted by the exotic goods sold by the mercenaries.
Looking at Maliji with his head lowered, appearing to accept criticism, Bulkos, though still angry, didn't want to say more: "Forget it, I'll talk to Davos about this! You can't make the decision anyway, you're just a Persian slave."
Hearing this, Maliji trembled, almost bursting out in a torrent of abuse: You're the Persian slave! Your whole family are Persian slaves! You Greek barbarian, do you have any sense! I used to be a merchant serving the Persian royal family!!
Fortunately, he finally restrained himself, but didn't want to say any more, falling behind Bulkos and the others.
Approaching the west gate of the market, Bulkos noticed that this area was separated by a half-person-high earthen wall. Inside, there was a large wooden shed. Compared to the noisy stalls in front, this place was relatively quiet, but there was a long queue at the entrance…
"This is…" Bulkos asked, puzzled.
Despite his inner complaints, Maliji had to explain for the sake of promotion: "This is the clinic. Our camp's doctors have been studying with Chief Davos for a long time and have superb medical skills. Many Thurii residents who have suffered from long-term illnesses have improved after their treatment, so it is now very popular. Often, even when it's dusk and the market is about to close, patients are reluctant to leave."
"That powerful?!" Bulkos was somewhat surprised. Morax whispered in his ear: "Master, the old lady's illness can be looked at here, maybe they really have a way to cure it."
Bulkos looked at the "long dragon" queuing in front of the shed, nodded, and suddenly remembered something, asking: "You said these doctors learned their medical skills from Davos? Davos can also treat illnesses?!"
"Of course! The chief is favored by Hades, so he naturally has some understanding of the mysteries of diseases that bring death," Maliji said proudly.
Bulkos remained noncommittal. After leaving the market and saying goodbye to Maliji, Morax asked: "Master, is there really someone in this world who is both good at commanding battles, good at business, and can also treat illnesses well?"
"Isn't Davos? He's also a favored one of Hades," Bulkos said calmly.
Walking a few hundred meters further west, Davos's camp came into view. Rather than a camp, it was more accurate to call it a fortress: a three-meter-wide and three-meter-deep trench, with a three-meter-high earthen rampart topped with a two-meter-high wooden fence for protection. Sentries could be seen patrolling behind the wooden wall, so it could be judged that there were walkways on the wooden wall. There were multiple watchtowers inside the wall, as high as six meters, which could overlook the trench and the blind spots under the wooden wall. The exit in the center of the wooden wall was fitted with a wooden door, and a simple gate tower was built above it…
Bulkos and Morax carefully walked along the straight path in front of the camp gate, because several large wooden signs were inserted on the roadside with the reminder: "Traps, please stay on the main road!"
Morax, while observing the faint metallic glints reflected in the half-person-high weeds on the roadside, guessing what traps there might be, said with admiration: "Master, our Thurii's defense facilities don't seem as complicated as this."
Bulkos, however, appeared somewhat gloomy.
He had been worried about one question: The mercenaries have built this place like a city, what will the Crotone people think when they see it?
The guards at the camp gate asked the two men their purpose and immediately sent someone inside to report.
Soon, Asistestes came out and led the two inside.
The weeds and rubble in the camp were all cleared away, the ground was flat and clean. Behind the wooden wall, wooden walkways were indeed laid out, so that the wooden wall extending beyond the walkway could just block the soldiers' chests. Several wide wooden ladders allowed access to the walkway. The tents were also set up neatly and orderly, with a wide open space between the tents and the wooden wall. A wide passage separated every four or five tents, leading directly to the center of the camp, where another ring-shaped wooden fence was built.
Seeing Bulkos's confusion, Asistestes explained: "The inside is usually the supply camp and the medical camp, as well as the residences of the chief and the officers. When in battle, if the outer perimeter is breached by the enemy, we can retreat inside and continue to defend."
"This is truly the most complex and well-considered military camp I have ever seen!" Even with some reservations about the mercenaries, Bulkos couldn't help but admire it at this moment.
Asistestes smiled smugly: "Chief Davos said that this is still the most basic camp construction, and we don't need anything more complicated right now. He said, 'War has never been without defeats, a solid camp can provide protection for soldiers in times of failure, reduce casualties, and reorganize morale. So even if it's hard work, you have to be patient and careful to build it well. Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in war…'"
"Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in war…" Bulkos murmured these words. He suddenly realized that he was about to meet a mercenary leader with extensive experience in war. The generals of Thurii had made a plan in advance without discussing it with Davos and his men, and demanded that he follow it. Was this appropriate?
At this moment, Morax asked in confusion: "Why? I only see a few soldiers in the camp?"
"The brothers are all in the back participating in the 'tug-of-war' competition."
"Tug-of-war?" Hearing this unfamiliar word, the two were curious.
In fact, there was already a huge roar coming from the front. Asistestes simply took the two of them, bypassed the central ring-shaped wooden fence, and walked into a wide field. What was displayed in front of them was a dense crowd of people. Thousands of soldiers formed five or six large circles, each soldier with a flushed face and excited expression, shouting and clenching their fists towards the inside of the circle.
"Go, Second Squad, First Company!"
"Go, Fourth Squad, Fifth Company!"
"Go! Go! Give it another push!"
"Oh, won! !"
… …
Bulkos had only seen such a lively and exciting scene at sports meets. Now, without even seeing the actual scene, just hearing the shouts was already making his blood boil.
Asistestes saw through their thoughts and deliberately squeezed into a circle, letting the two of them go in to watch, while he went to call the chief first.
In the center of the circle, there was a rope about forty meters long on the ground, which should have been made by twisting several ship ropes together, as thick as a fist.
At this time, someone in the central open space called out: "Next round, Third Squad of Second Company VS First Squad of Seventh Company, please enter!"
Soon, more than a hundred strong men walked into the circle. After confirming the number of people and their names, the person said: "Please get ready."
So, both sides picked up the rope.
Only then did Bulkos discover that a red rope was tied in the center of the rope, and a heavy object was hung at the end of the rope, pointing directly at a white line on the ground, and there was a white line on each side of this white line.
The person who Bulkos thought was similar to a sports meet referee loudly announced: "The competition begins!"
The hundred strong men on both sides tried their best to pull the rope towards their side. The surrounding cheers and shouts also rose like a tsunami…
The red rope could be seen swinging back and forth to the left and right… After a period of stalemate, it moved significantly to the left… The cheers also reached their peak because of this.
Finally, the red rope reached the white line on the left.
The referee waved to indicate: The game is over!
Cheers and sighs sounded at the same time…
Just as Bulkos and the others were watching with great interest, Asistestes found them, and they reluctantly left.
"Bulkos, long time no see! I thought you had forgotten your old friend!" Davos greeted him with a smile.
"How could I forget! It's just that after returning, there were many accumulated matters that needed urgent attention, and I couldn't spare the time," Bulkos explained.
"Oh, so you're finally done being busy?" Davos said jokingly.
"Not done," Bulkos said seriously, "However, the Thurii city hall has an important order for me to convey to you."
"Oh, what important order? The bigwigs of Thurii have finally remembered our mercenaries," Davos said sarcastically.
"Do you want me to say it here?" Bulkos glanced around.
"Sorry, it was my oversight. Let's go to my main tent." Davos apologized while leading them towards the center of the camp.
"Did this 'tug-of-war' game come from Persia?" Bulkos asked.
"I came up with it. Mainly, I was worried that the soldiers would be idle for too long in the camp, which could lead to some unexpected situations. Therefore, I let them participate in sports competitions, which can both consume their energy and exercise their bodies, as well as cultivate teamwork skills. In fact, there is a reward for the final champion of this competition. I took out a lot of money myself."
"You manage these mercenaries very well!" Bulkos praised, then changed the subject: "But you don't have to worry anymore, you will have something to do soon."
Davos was not surprised: "The Lucanians are already at our doorstep. If Thurii doesn't take action, I would have thought you were ready to give them the land outside the city."
Hearing the resentment in Davos's words, Bulkos was thinking about how to respond when the corner of his eye caught sight of a four-meter-high stone wall inside the wooden wall on the right. He said in surprise, "Are you planning to build another stone wall?"
Davos blinked: "The ground near that wooden wall is relatively damp, so it's not strong enough. Therefore, another section of stone wall was built inside using those waste stones to prevent it from being breached."
"You and your soldiers are really amazing, you've actually built the camp into a city!" Bulkos criticized subtly.
"We have no choice. There are too few of us. If we don't build the camp stronger, if Thurii is besieged, there will still be our mercenaries to rescue it. If we are besieged, who will rescue us? So everything has to rely on ourselves!" Davos said frankly.
"Is the market outside also related to the defense of the camp?" Bulkos retorted.
"At first, I just wanted to rely on the market to buy and sell some things to meet daily needs. I didn't expect it to become like this… But don't worry, once the Lucanians are driven back, everything will return to normal." Davos assured him.
Bulkos just wanted to gain some psychological advantage in the following conversation. After all, only the city hall and the council could decide whether to force the mercenaries to close the market, so he didn't continue to pursue the matter. Instead, he decided to report back to Phereas. After entering Davos's main tent, he said directly: "According to the reconnaissance, the Lucanian army may attack Thurii within two days. After discussion, the generals decided to meet the enemy and require you to participate in the battle at that time."
"Please tell me, what is the plan of the great generals of Thurii?" Davos said sarcastically. In fact, he felt very helpless. As a participant in a major battle, he didn't even have the right to participate in the pre-war discussion, which was really strange. He didn't know if the Greek mercenaries under Cyrus the Younger were like this at the time, but at that time, the mercenaries accounted for half of the total number of troops and were very powerful. Cyrus the Younger relied heavily on them. In addition, he had deceived the mercenaries beforehand and concealed the fact of the rebellion, so he would discuss with Clearchus and others when there were excessive demands… When Davos traveled through time, Cyrus the Younger had already died in battle, and everything was up to the mercenaries themselves, so everything was discussed by everyone. Now, Davos has returned to experiencing the terrible feeling of everything being decided by others and not being able to control his fate when he first arrived in this world.
Bulkos was also very helpless. In fact, Phereas had suggested that the mercenary leaders participate in the discussion and planning of this battle together. Cunogolata and others resolutely refused, saying that they wanted to prevent a similar Dionysius incident from happening (Dionysius was the tyrant of Syracuse at this time. He was once overthrown by the democrats leading the people, and later secretly introduced mercenaries into the city, brutally suppressed the democrats, and thus secured his position as the dictator of Syracuse). Hiring mercenaries was a suggestion made by Phereas, discussed by the generals, and approved by the council, and entrusted to Bulkos, who was recommended by Phereas, to recruit them, so he had to avoid suspicion.
"According to the scouts, the Lucanian coalition has more than 10,000 people. On our side, you have more than 2,000 soldiers, Dracos and his men also have more than 2,000, the Tarentum reinforcements have 1,500 people, Thurii can send 4,000 people, and we also have 200 cavalry, so the total number of people is close to 10,000…"
After Bulkos introduced the strength of both sides, he picked up a branch and gestured on the ground: "The generals' plan is that the Tarentum reinforcements will be on the right wing when forming the formation. Given that they have the fewest troops, 1,000 people from Adrianx and Sesta will be added to them; the central route is our Thurii's troops. Due to the last defeat, the number of young and middle-aged citizens of Thurii has been greatly reduced, so more than half of these 4,000 people are citizens over the age of 40, so 1,000 people from Dracos will be added to the central route; and… Because your troops have rich combat experience and are the strongest, the left wing will be your troops, and there will also be 100 cavalry. The other 100 Tarentum cavalry will be assigned to the right wing. Of course, this is just a plan. When it comes to the battlefield, there may be changes depending on the enemy's situation…" Bulkos finished speaking and focused on the expression on Davos's face.
Davos rested his chin in one hand, looked at the pattern on the ground, and fell into deep thought, without saying a word for a long time.
Bulkos began to feel nervous.
"Want to hear my opinion?" Davos raised his head, pointed to the sketch on the ground, and said calmly: "Thurii's troop deployment should be relatively balanced. Obviously, the generals' intention is to defeat the enemy's attack through sustained resistance and using our defense."
Bulkos nodded: Phereas said similar things when explaining to him why he wanted to deploy the troops in this way. Davos was indeed well-deserved. Just looking at the sketch, he could deduce the intentions of the generals.
"Although I have never fought against the Lucanians, I have fought against many mountain tribes in Persia, and their combat characteristics should be similar: fierce, loosely organized, and poorly equipped. Perhaps this is where your generals dare to use fewer troops to fight more and adopt this formation with confidence. However, there are a few issues that need to be reminded to your generals —" Davos changed the subject, raised his voice, and said:
"Last year, more than 10,000 people from Thurii died in the battle with the Lucanians, which also means that nearly 10,000 sets of excellent Greek hoplite equipment fell into the hands of the Lucanians. They can completely use it to update their crude equipment. I encountered this situation when I was scouting in Amendolara. Secondly, according to my scouts, the Lucanian coalition has at least 13,000 people, which is more than 3,000 more than us. This means that their formation will be thicker than ours, and the formation will be longer than ours. Not only is the impact and pushing force greater than ours, but the threat of flanking is also greater, and they have just won a big victory, so their morale will definitely be very high when facing us. And according to my observation, you Thurii people are afraid of the Lucanians in your hearts, so it is really hard to say who will collapse first in a long battle." Davos pointed to the pattern on the ground representing the central route of Thurii with a branch: "Don't forget, there are still half of the 'old people' in there."
Bulkos's confidence, which was originally instilled with the idea that "Greek hoplites are not afraid of barbarians in frontal combat," was shaken by Davos's words.
"Want to hear my plan?" At this time, Davos said.
"Please, speak!" Boolkos said quickly.
"I'm on the left wing, Tarentum is on the right wing, and Thurii is in the center, this order remains unchanged. However, send the two thousand mercenaries from Adrianx, Adras, and Sesta, along with the two hundred cavalry, all to the left wing under my command. I will lead more than four thousand infantry and two hundred cavalry to defeat the enemy's right wing in the shortest possible time, and then cooperate with the center to sandwich the enemy's center. Achieving victory in the entire battle will only be a matter of time!" Davos said with confidence.
"Are you sure that after giving you command of these two thousand mercenaries and two hundred cavalry, you can defeat the enemy in the shortest possible time?!" Boolkos asked, slightly tempted.
"There are too many unexpected factors in battle. I can't be sure before officially engaging the enemy. However, in my opinion, this plan has a much higher chance of success than the one you gave!" Davos tried his best to persuade Boolkos.
Boolkos was silent for a long time, then said in a low voice: "But in the generals' minds, their plan has a greater chance of success… In any case, I will report your suggestion to General Phayllus, and the General's Executive Committee will decide whether to adopt it."
Davos understood the implied meaning in Boolkos' words, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. But he quickly cheered up: "If you can't give me the two thousand mercenaries, you can at least give me the two hundred cavalry, right."
Boolkos shook his head: "Dividing the cavalry between the two wings is a military tradition, you should know that better than me. What's more, a hundred of the cavalry are from Tarentum, they can't abandon their compatriots to help you on the left wing."
Davos was helpless, thought for a while, and said: "What is the fighting strength of the Tarentum reinforcements?"
"They should be very strong. Archytas once led them to repel the Messapians twice, and the Messapians are a race as strong as the Lucanians," Boolkos said affirmatively.
"Archytas…" Davos murmured the name, then resolutely said: "In that case, send all two hundred cavalry to the right wing."
"Are you sure you're not just saying that out of spite?" Boolkos asked in surprise.
"To me, war is the most important thing that determines the rise and fall of a city-state and the fate of countless lives! Therefore, even for this war that is not closely related to me, I am wholeheartedly invested in it, without any selfishness or carelessness! But, it's hard to say for the generals of Thurii. Have they gone to understand the composition of the Lucanian League's forces in detail? Have they unified and trained all the troops in advance to ensure tacit cooperation during battle?…"
Davos' dissatisfaction finally vented through a series of questions, making Boolkos ashamed. He felt that Davos was truly invested in this battle, and he hesitated to speak several times, but finally resolutely said: "Davos, don't worry. After I go to Dracos' camp, I will immediately return and convey your suggestion to Phayllus, and implore him to seriously consider it!"
After Boolkos left, Davos immediately called for Asistes: "How is the brothers' practice of climbing the stone wall with rope hooks going?"
"They can already climb the stone wall very easily. Chief, the rope hook you designed is really a good tool for climbing!"
"That's great!" A trace of a smile finally appeared on Davos' face: "Go to the market immediately and tell Mariji that I want to order twenty more sets of rope hooks, and urge the blacksmith shop to make them as soon as possible within two days!"
"Okay, I'll go right away."
… … … … … … … … … … … …
One early morning at the end of April, 399 BC, just like any other day, the weather was warm, the sun was shining, and wildflowers were in full bloom all over the mountains and plains, making it a good day for an outing.
However, on the Sybaris Plain, scouts were patrolling everywhere, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere of war.
The mercenary leader's tent was full of officers. Davos looked around at everyone: among them were old comrades who had been following him, such as Hilos, Antonios, Kapus, etc.; there were also acquaintances who had just joined not long ago, such as Hieronimos, Agasia, etc. Now everyone had a solemn expression, as if facing a formidable enemy, waiting for his instructions.
"The Lucanian army has already advanced towards Thurii, and Thurii has sent someone to inform us to immediately leave the camp and join them. Brothers!" Davos said with confidence, smiling: "Let these ignorant and arrogant Thurians see the true power of our Greek Expeditionary Force soldiers!"
"Hoo!!!" The officers were full of fighting spirit.
"According to the previous deployment, the Fifth Heavy Infantry Company led by Hilos and the Third Light Infantry Company led by Arpunes (which is composed of mercenaries who joined during the Byzantine era, with archers and slingers, a total of more than two hundred people) will stay behind in the camp to prevent the enemy from Amendolara from sneaking up. The rest of the troops will leave the camp in order."
"Yes!!!"
… … … … … … … … … … …
When the Thurii army left the city, they saw Davos' mercenaries waiting outside the city early on.
"This is the Greek Expeditionary Force?! I think it's just exaggerated. Look at these soldiers, they are either squatting or lying down, and their spears and shields are thrown aside, they don't look like soldiers at all!" Kunogorata looked heartbroken, as if he had spent a high price but bought inferior goods.
Phayllus was worried about the upcoming war at this moment, and had no intention of arguing with Kunogorata about this common military knowledge.
At this time, a young man next to him spoke without hesitation: "The messenger we sent to inform them should have just returned, and this army is already standing here waiting for us, which shows that this army has a strong mobilization ability and ability to execute orders! As for lying down and squatting, that is to conserve physical strength before the war, and it also shows that they are experienced and can still relax so much when the war is coming! I now have some confidence that they have the ability to support the left wing on their own!"
Kunogorata snorted lightly. After all, this young man was a distinguished guest of Thurii, so he had to shut up.
At this time, Davos, led by Boolkos, galloped towards them.
"General Phayllus, mercenary leader Davos pays his respects to you!" Davos solemnly saluted on horseback.
"Although I have heard Boolkos say it, your youth still surprises me! Young leader, thank you for your help to Thurii, let us fight side by side today!" Phayllus also solemnly saluted in response.
"As you wish, General Phayllus." Davos agreed, then turned to Kunogorata, because with Boolkos' guidance, he could of course accurately call out his name: "Greetings to you, General Kunogorata!"
"Leader Davos, your proposal is very bold, and to be honest, it makes me very tempted, but the generals believe after discussion that it is too risky, so it was not adopted, I hope you don't mind!" Kunogorata said apologetically, and specially explained this, and drove his horse forward to pat Davos on the shoulder to show his closeness.
"Pre-war discussions are for brainstorming, and once a decision is made, the order must be resolutely executed. Don't worry, I am a soldier, and it is my natural duty to execute orders!"
"What a good saying, 'It is a soldier's natural duty to execute orders'!" The young man exclaimed, and took the initiative to introduce himself: "Leader Davos, hello! I am Archytas of Tarentum. I have always heard the legendary stories of your Greek Expeditionary Force. Seeing you today has not disappointed me!"
Davos fixed his eyes and looked over. Although the young man in front of him was wearing military uniform, he looked gentle and refined, and the bright eyes on his face with a sincere smile were slightly deep: "General Archytas (Tarentum has a dual consul system, and there is no 'general' position, this is just a respectful title), the mathematical and military genius of Tarentum, it is my honor to fight alongside you!"
Davos returned the salute friendly, and continued: "I think mathematics and military affairs are inevitably related. Each soldier in the array is a point, and countless points form straight lines and squares. The basic condition for victory is how to make each point fully play its role…"
"You are so right!" Archytas became happy and asked kindly: "Leader Davos, do you also have research on mathematics?"
"I don't know much about mathematics, but I am full of respect for the Pythagorean school!" Davos said seriously.
Archytas saw that his words were sincere, and he immediately felt a great liking for him, and was about to say something more.
Phayllus interrupted: "The leaders of the other mercenary groups are on their way, now let us clarify our respective responsibilities together and unify the command."
The signal for attack and retreat was roughly the same for all the Greek city-states. Furthermore, the military deployment of Thurii hadn't changed much from before, except that all two hundred cavalrymen had been assigned to Archytas, which made Archytas feel even more favorably towards Davos, thanking him repeatedly.
Bulkos stood not far away, watching the group discuss. He also had a favorable impression of Davos but didn't understand why Davos would sing praises of the Pythagorean school at this time. He hadn't heard him mention it before! Didn't he know that in Magna Graecia, except for Tarentum, no city-state had a favorable impression of the Pythagorean school, making it difficult for this mysterious group to survive in Magna Graecia? His attitude might affect how Pherias, Kunogorata, and the others viewed him!
Just as Bulkos was worrying about Davos, this pre-battle meeting quickly ended. Davos jumped on his horse and slowly rode towards his own troops, observing the two teams that would soon be fighting side by side as they passed him: The Tarentine auxiliary soldiers led by Archytas were all strong young men in their twenties and thirties, full of energy, carrying round shields on their left shoulders, spears resting on their right shoulders, helmets dangling, chatting with their companions as they marched, their expressions relatively relaxed; while the citizen soldiers of Thurii mostly looked solemn, with many already having gray hair and slightly hunched backs…
As he watched, Davos frowned. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He pointed to the rear of the formation and said to Bulkos, who was following beside him, "What's going on? Why are there soldiers wearing leather armor? … Wait… there are even some who are half-naked. There are quite a few of these soldiers… Something's not right. You have more than four thousand men!"
Bulkos replied, "Those are all freemen and foreigners living in Thurii. The Thurii Assembly, after discussion, passed a resolution: 'All freemen and foreigners who participate in this war will become citizens of Thurii after the war is won.' To be honest, your suggestion reminded us. Now the number of troops in Thurii is about six thousand." Bulkos looked slightly pleased.
This slightly eased the unease in Davos's heart. He exclaimed, "I didn't expect there to be so many freemen in Thurii!"
"Actually, this is only a small part. Most of the freemen are still watching and haven't joined this battle." Bulkos's words surprised Davos and made him thoughtful.
The Thurii allied forces were divided into left, center, and right columns, forming a long dragon on the Sybaris plain, slowly advancing westward along the Crathis River. Scout cavalry constantly went back and forth, reporting the movements of the Lucanians.
… … … … … … … …
A messenger came and said to Chief Davos, "General Pherias orders you to stop advancing and form your ranks here!"
"Understood," Davos nodded in response, then immediately said to the trumpeter beside him, "Sound the horn, stop advancing!"
The trumpet sounded, and the mercenary troops quickly stopped advancing.
"Order, form ranks!" Davos ordered again.
The trumpeter sounded the circular bronze horn again.
Immediately, the head of the mercenary column shifted to the right, and the tail swung forward. Davos's army used squads as the basic unit of combat (platoons only served a management role and could not operate independently). When forming a column, they were arranged in four rows per squad, one after another. Therefore, when the entire 'long dragon' swung around to face west, the formation was basically completed, and the speed was very fast.
Davos placed the First Heavy Infantry Company at the far right, because this side was to connect with the center of Thurii. Therefore, the steady Captain Capys of the First Heavy Infantry Company controlled the pace of the army's advance and retreat, preventing it from becoming detached from the center. The far left was the Third Heavy Infantry Company led by Amyntas. Considering the large number of enemies, the left flank might be encircled. A company commander who dared to fight would keep the morale of the soldiers high. In fact, Davos felt that Hieronimus, who was equally brave but had more combat experience, was more suitable for this important task, but this former expeditionary officer who had just joined him had too many new recruits (who joined the ranks in Byzantium).
Davos was not very confident. Fortunately, Amyntas had the support of two light shield infantry companies behind him, and he believed that stabilizing the defense line would not be a problem at all. Traditionally, the depth of a Greek phalanx was at least eight rows, but Davos's troops only had four rows, because they had fewer soldiers and had to ensure the length of the line, so the depth could only be thinner. But Davos believed that the experienced mercenaries could completely resist the large number of enemies.
The left wing had already completed its formation, and the center was still slowly unfolding. The shouts of the officers, the orders of the messengers, the mutual reminders of the soldiers, all kinds of sounds intertwined, it was like a noisy market… Pherias placed Drakos's one thousand mercenaries at the forefront of the line, with the Thurii citizen soldiers in the middle and the freemen in the rear, with a depth of more than a dozen rows…
The right wing also formed ranks relatively quickly. Archytas placed the Tarentine citizen soldiers in front and the mercenaries in the rear. At the far right were two hundred cavalrymen. His phalanx also had a depth of eight rows.
Finally, the center also completed its formation, and the lines of the left, center, and right wings were connected into one line. The priests of Thurii carried the statue of Thurii's patron god—Apollo, the sun god—to the front of the phalanx and began to chant hymns, then offered blood sacrifices to pray for victory in the war. The soldiers also began to silently pray to Apollo, seeking his protection; the soldiers of Tarentum were also praying, but not to the sun god. Their city-state had its own patron god, Poseidon, and even the legendary demigod hero Phalanthus; while most of the mercenaries worshiped Ares, the god of war, and Zeus, the chief god. However, Davos's soldiers were different. In the past, they also worshiped Ares, but after Davos led them to one victory after another and created many miracles, they began to worship Hades, the god of the underworld…
While the entire army was immersed in prayer to the gods, the scouts also returned one after another, bringing news that the Lucanian allied forces were about to arrive. The Lucanian scouts also appeared in front of the Greek allied forces and were quickly forced back by the numerous Greek cavalry.
"The Lucanians are less than three miles away from us… We should tell the whole army to prepare!" Kunogorata said nervously.
Pherias waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, the Lucanians won't attack so quickly. Their army hasn't appeared yet. Even if they do, it will take some time to set up their battle formation."
Kunogorata retreated somewhat dejectedly.
After a while, a golden light lit up on the distant wilderness, covering the mountains and plains, like a golden torrent rolling eastward.
Kunogorata gasped and said nervously, "Just like that young leader of the mercenaries said, the Lucanians have indeed changed into our weapons and armor, which is a bit troublesome!"
"Don't worry, even if the Lucanians change their equipment, they won't be able to learn our Greek battle formations in such a short time, but they have abandoned their own strengths, which may be a good thing instead," Pherias reassured him calmly, then turned to the messenger and said, "Go and inform the officers of each unit to not be anxious and let the soldiers continue to rest."
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Damn it, we are facing the sun. The sunlight is shining on them, making my eyes very uncomfortable. It will affect Epithenes and Zpitaris when they throw their javelins in a while!" Matoris felt a little uneasy.
"What can we do? Who told us to be located in the east? Isn't Apollo the patron god of Thurii? Why don't we let them pray to Apollo so that he doesn't have to come out today," Olivos joked.
"It's better to find our leader Davos and let Hades turn day into night directly, so we don't have to fight this battle," Epithenes also quipped.
The Lucanian tribal coalition stopped two miles away from the Greek army and began to form their ranks.
The Greek army simply waited, without taking the opportunity to attack. This was not surprising, as Thurii hoped to change its passive situation with a single battle, and the Lucanians also hoped to use this battle to completely eliminate Thurii's remaining forces. Therefore, a decisive battle was the common desire of both sides.
If the Greek army attacked at this time, the Lucanian tribal coalition would have to retreat without completing its formation. It would be difficult for infantry to catch up with infantry over a distance of one thousand meters, which would only postpone the time of the decisive battle. This was unacceptable to the Thurii generals who had made careful preparations. The citizens would also find it unacceptable, as it would mean they would have to live in fear for a longer period of time.
The Greek army gave the Lucanian tribal coalition ample time to form their ranks, and the Lucanians made full use of this time. As scouts had already reported the general situation of the Greek army's formation to the leaders of the tribal coalition, the coalition leaders quickly decided on the positions of each unit in the formation after an emergency discussion: Akpibilu, the chief of Grumentum, led his tribal warriors, numbering six thousand, in the center; warriors from Neetum and Laos, totaling four thousand five hundred, were on the left wing; and Cincinnatus, the chief of Picentia, another powerful tribal union in the Lucanian region and Grumentum's main ally, led four thousand men, plus fifteen hundred warriors from Vibo in the Bruttium region, totaling five thousand five hundred, on the right wing. The Lucanian tribal coalition had a total force of sixteen thousand men, with no cavalry.
Grumentum had been at war for the past two years, and its chief, Akpibilu, could be considered experienced in military affairs. Before the war, he had sent many spies disguised into the port of Thurii (where there were the most freedmen, a mixed bag, and not easily discovered), and obtained a lot of information. Combining this with the scouts' reports today, he had already made up his mind: the Thurii citizen soldiers in the center of the Greek army, although many were older, were numerous and not to be underestimated, so he would deal with them personally; the Greek army's right wing was the Tarentine reinforcements, and it was said that this force had repeatedly repelled the Messapians in Tarentum, so their combat effectiveness was probably not bad. Neetum and Laos were sister cities, and their coordination was not a problem, so four thousand five hundred men would be more than enough to deal with them; and the Greek army's left wing had the fewest men. The scouts could almost immediately see the difference in numbers between it and the other two wings, because it had so few men. It was said that this Greek mercenary force had once marched on Persia, but after Akpibilu heard those stories about them, he thought the rumors about this force were exaggerated. Weren't they just defeated in Persia and ran back? The Greek merchants always loved to brag. He had no concept of the distant eastern power of Persia, and believed that even a strong force of two thousand men was limited, and the Picentine warriors were no less brave than those of Grumentum, and their chief Cincinnatus was also no less capable, and his son Gnaeus (who was also Akpibilu's son-in-law), was the bravest in the tribe. Four thousand warriors plus fifteen hundred Bruttian warriors were almost three times the enemy's force, and could completely crush the Greek army's left wing in one fell swoop. Therefore, he pinned his hopes on his right wing.
The Lucanians formed their ranks relatively quickly, because their formation was not as tight as the Greek army's. The loose formation made the already large army appear even larger.
As several long blasts of the ox horn sounded, this surprisingly large army slowly pressed towards the Greek army like a landslide…
The decisive battle was about to begin! Phayllus's somewhat cloudy old eyes could already see the shadows of the enemies opposite him. He took a deep breath, puffed out his somewhat withered chest, dismounted, and ordered his attendant slave: "Bring me my weapons and helmet!"
Just then, he heard a commotion from the soldiers in front.
"What happened?" he asked in confusion, as were the people around him. He had no choice but to remount and stare ahead, but there was no change in front of him. But following the direction of the soldiers' commotion, he saw hundreds of soldiers on the left wing rushing out of the phalanx,
running towards the Lucanians opposite…
What were they doing? Were they going to surrender to the enemy?… The thought sent a chill down Phayllus's spine: Could it be true, as some people said, 'Mercenaries without a sense of belonging are unreliable'!
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Epithenius and Zopyrtus led more than six hundred light infantry out of the formation and rushed towards the right wing of the black mass of the Lucanian tribal coalition. Of course, they were not going to surrender, but were executing a new tactic that they had been practicing according to the instructions of Chief Davos: that is, before the two armies met, use light infantry to give the enemy a ranged attack first, to frustrate their morale and disrupt their formation.
Faced with a large number of enemies, the few hundred soldiers were like small trees in a storm, at risk of being blown down at any time. This psychological pressure and fear would cause cowards to collapse, but these soldiers had been tempered by hundreds or thousands of battles during the Persian expedition, and their spirits were extremely resilient. Their formation was scattered but not chaotic, and their forward speed was accelerating.
When they were less than four hundred meters away from the enemy, Epithenius and Zopyrtus shouted almost simultaneously: "Slingers, prepare!"
The slingers stopped and began to untie the slings wrapped around their waists; while the remaining soldiers continued to advance, and when they were close to one hundred meters away from the enemy, the archers stopped; while the four hundred light shield bearers were still running forward…
Why was Gnaeus of Picentia loved by the tribal warriors? It was because he took the lead in every battle, charging into the front line. Seeing these Greeks in leather armor lined up in two very loose skirmish lines, rushing straight towards them, he was initially a little puzzled. Picentia was north of the Greek city-state of Velia, and Picentia had invaded its territory many times, and the two sides fought frequently. Gnaeus was relatively familiar with the Greek fighting style, but he had never seen such a strange move. But soon, when the Greeks raised their cold, gleaming spearheads, took a big step, and made a preparatory throwing motion, he was shocked: "Careful of the javelins!! Defend!!"
Hundreds of javelins came whistling with fierce wind.
The experienced light shield bearers did not throw in a straight line, but threw diagonally forward. Although the Lucanians were fully equipped with Greek hoplite equipment, they had not learned the Greek hoplite principle of "I protect others, and others protect me". They hurriedly held their round shields tightly to protect themselves, leaving larger gaps in the already slightly loose line. These javelins, which Davos had deliberately weighted the spearheads, pierced diagonally through the gaps between the shields, and most of them pierced into the ribs of the tribal warriors, which were protected by layers of laminated linen armor. Cries rang out, and a group fell.
Gnaeus reacted quickly and used his shield to block the thrown javelin, but the javelin pierced through the copper skin covering the round shield and nailed itself to the shield. Just as he was about to pull out the javelin, someone next to him shouted: "Careful of the arrows!!"
Arrows and stones rained down…
Gnaeus was hit on the head by a stone, and although he was protected by a helmet, it made him dizzy for a while and he almost fell.
This wave of mercenary archers' flying stone attacks did not cause much damage to the Lucanians, but it caused chaos in the front rows in the center of the Lucanian right wing, but the Greek light shield bearers took the opportunity to throw a second round of javelins, which greatly increased the javelin's lethality…
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Phayllus and Cunobelus were dumbfounded when they saw this scene on horseback. They had speculated about the combat effectiveness of Davos's mercenaries, but they never thought it would be such a novel tactic, and the effect was so amazing!
Seeing that a part of the front line of the enemy's right wing was almost fragmented, Cunobelus excitedly said loudly: "If we had known that these mercenaries were so powerful, we should have learned from them earlier and adopted this tactic!"
Phayllus shook his head: "Our light infantry would not be so bold as to leave the phalanx hundreds of meters away and take the initiative to attack a large number of enemies. Only these battle-hardened mercenaries would dare to use it like this. Perhaps this is a tactic they learned from Persia." Phayllus said this, but he still had a trace of regret in his heart: Before the formal engagement, the combat effectiveness of Davos's mercenaries had exceeded his expectations. Perhaps he should have followed the advice of that young mercenary leader and allocated the other two thousand mercenaries to him…
Phayllus suppressed this thought: Since the initial plan had been implemented, it was best to implement it to the end! This was the experience he had gained from many years in the army.
"Quickly prepare for battle, the enemy is about to attack!" He reminded the surrounding soldiers while dismounting and starting to put on his helmet.
"Oh, these brothers are amazing! No wonder they are heroes who can fight to Persia and back!"
"Look at those slingers, they are all my fellow countrymen, Rhodians!"
"And our Thracians, look how accurate their javelins are! I really want to take off this heavy armor, pick up a javelin, and join them!"
...
Dracos heard the praise and envy from the soldiers around him, and he clenched the leather strap behind his round shield: "Come on, natives, come and taste our power!" At this moment, his fighting spirit was raging.
...
The confident chief of Pykoesis, Sincinnagus, absolutely did not expect that his troops would suffer a blow before they even formally engaged in battle. What frustrated him even more was that the traditional weapons of the Lucanians were javelins, spears, and short swords, and javelins were also their strength. However, in order to better combat the Greeks, most of them had switched to heavy equipment, with only a few javelin soldiers in the rear. The enemy's arrows and flying stones had already reached the rear. The javelin soldiers, while dodging attacks, could only fight back with a few people. However, they could not see the enemy, and the enemy's numbers were small and scattered, so the results were naturally few. Fortunately, there were not many enemy light infantry, and the two ends of the right-wing phalanx were less affected. Therefore, Sincinnagus had no choice but to urge the two ends to accelerate their squeeze towards the center, trying to surround or disperse these annoying and terrifying enemies…
The Lucanians in the center and left wings, seeing the tragic situation of the right wing, were afraid of suffering the same fate. Both the warriors and the chiefs subconsciously increased their speed, hoping to make contact with the Greek army as soon as possible.
Tens of thousands of warriors strode forward, and the earth trembled.
Archytas, Phereas, Dracos… and so on, every general and leader began to shout: "Shield wall!"
At the forefront of the phalanx, the soldiers stepped forward with their left feet slightly bent, their right feet pushing off the ground behind them, their round shields protecting their left front, their thrusting spears raised high, and their spear tips pointing forward and downward. The rear rows of soldiers stacked one on top of another, resisting the backs of the soldiers in front, their thrusting spears probing forward, shields connected to shields… The entire phalanx was like a giant metal monster covered in thorns.
With a charge of hundreds of meters and a slightly higher terrain (although the Sybaris Plain is flat, the terrain gradually rises westward), the Lucanian warriors, with strong momentum, crashed straight into the Greek infantry phalanx.
With a loud bang, on this day at the end of April in 399 BC, the battle between Thurii and the Lucanian tribal coalition officially began…
For both sides, this was a life-and-death battle, but in the eyes of the powerful countries in the Mediterranean, it was so insignificant: Carthage and Syracuse would not notice it, because both sides were accumulating power, preparing for a new round of confrontation to compete for the dominance of Sicily; Rome would not notice it, because they were busy besieging and attacking Veii, a large Etruscan state upstream of the Tiber River; Sparta and Persia would not notice it, because both sides were making their own preparations in Asia Minor for the upcoming war; Athens would not notice it, because their energy was focused on how to quickly restore the national strength that had been devastated by years of war, while also forcibly enduring Sparta's domineering behavior; Macedonia would not notice it, because at this time its kingdom was divided, the king was frequently replaced, and the Macedonians, plagued by internal and external troubles, were perhaps hoping for a strong monarch to save them from the abyss… Hundreds of kingdoms, city-states, and races in the Mediterranean were either busy surviving or busy invading, with no mind or ability to understand the struggle between two unknown forces in southern Italy. However, this battle (later known as the Battle of Thurii) unveiled the most magnificent and glorious new chapter in the magnificent ancient history of the Mediterranean.
The Lucanians were mountain tribes, passionate and easily impulsive. During the rapid sprint, their fighting spirit continued to rise. Therefore, when they saw the thrusting spear shield wall in front of them, some warriors did not think of the shield impact emphasized by the chiefs before. Their brains, already filled with high fighting spirit, jumped directly into it.
Especially the Grumentum, long-term warfare had produced a large number of warriors who lived by fighting. Therefore, there were quite a few people who took this "reckless" action. Although it was easier to be stabbed, it disrupted the Greek army's defensive formation.
Especially the Thurii citizen soldiers in the center and Dracos' mercenaries, because they had not trained together before, their cooperation was not very tacit, and the connection between the horizontal rows of the formation was not very tight. In addition, Dracos had never seen this kind of impact method of mountain people, and lacked the means to deal with it. Therefore, the center of the Greek army fell into a bitter battle from the beginning…
The Tarantum citizen soldiers on the right wing of the Greek army were obviously much more experienced in dealing with the impact of the Lucanian warriors, and the Neetum and Laos warriors were far less fierce than the Grumentum, and did not cause much impact on the right wing of the Greek army. The two sides collided shield to shield, spears coming and going, and began to push and kill… Two hundred cavalry also rode forward, occasionally impacting the flank of the Lucanian left wing. As long as the Lucanian warriors stepped forward to block, they would immediately withdraw. The Greek cavalry were still flowers in a greenhouse. They were far less skilled in horsemanship than the Numidians, and not as sturdy as the Gauls and Germanic cavalry. They could only play a harassing role. But even so, it made the Lucanian left wing wary and dare not fully invest in the attack. Therefore, even though they outnumbered the Greek right wing and the phalanx was thicker, the two sides were still in a stalemate…
When the left and center of the Lucanian coalition had already begun fighting, the right wing was still moving forward slowly. The mercenary light infantry fought and retreated, successfully slowing down the enemy's advance. When the two armies were less than fifty meters apart, some of the light infantry withdrew from the battlefield from the front and outer sides of the phalanx, and some passed through the gaps left by the phalanx and retreated to the rear.
At this time, the formation of the right wing of the Lucanian coalition had become a crescent shape, with both ends protruding and the middle recessed. Sincinnagus, in the center of the formation, had lost control of the army and could no longer reorganize the formation. The only thing he could do was to order the horn players to sound the charge, and the only fifty meters would become the final sprint bonus for the warriors. Just as the horn sounded, a rhythmic bronze horn sound came from the opposite side, which made Sincinnagus suddenly vigilant, nervously guessing what the next action of this powerful enemy would be. Gnaet, who was at the forefront of the line and had also been injured in many places, clearly saw the Greek heavy infantry on the opposite side raising their right arms back, leaning their bodies back, and taking two steps forward with their legs. This action… Gnaet, who was already a frightened bird, shrank his whole body under his round shield with extreme speed.
Thousands of javelins instantly flew tens of meters, falling into the Lucanian formation that was about to charge, and the waves they set off were no longer like the Blossoming waves before, but a tide of death. In an instant, hundreds of people were killed or injured, almost cutting off the Lucanian team's forward speed…
At this moment, the terrifying bronze horn sounded again urgently, and the Greek mercenaries immediately shouted: "Hades!!!" Holding shields and spears, they charged forward.
The mercenaries' charge was not a full-army rush. The far right end did not go forward because of the connection with the center, while the soldiers in the center and left end completely ignored the thinness of their own formation and the large number of enemies, and charged towards the enemy with high fighting spirit, like a dragon swinging its tail powerfully.
The front row of Lucanians had not yet recovered from the javelin attack just now, and their formation was chaotic. At this moment, the mercenaries' charge followed, and the soldiers used the kinetic energy transformed by the sprinting speed extremely skillfully, using their shields to hit the opponent's defense, and then the thrusting spear in their right hand pierced the enemy's throat or face quickly and accurately like a viper spitting out its letter. The front row of Lucanians fell down in unison…
Such terrifying attack efficiency and compelling momentum frightened the Lucanians in the back row, and even they, who prided themselves on being brave, could not help but begin to retreat… The mercenaries pressed forward step by step, and the Lucanians retreated step by step… The collapse of the right end of the right wing of the Lucanian coalition was imminent.