Originally, Timaras suggested, seeing that there were too many supplies, that some of the spoils be loaded onto ships and transported back to Croton ahead of time.
This was rejected by Melanxios, who reasoned that Castron and Krimisa were joining the Croton alliance for the first time, and they needed to be shown the results of conquering Thurii and the serious consequences of opposing Croton!
In fact, he had another reason in his heart that he didn't want to say: he was afraid that the supplies transported back by ship would be secretly divided up by the people in the city hall, and then the wealth he would get would be much less.
As for why the pontoon bridge wasn't burned down? Davos's worries were completely unnecessary. Melanxios simply didn't take Amendolara seriously. He believed that with the destruction of Thurii, there was no longer any force in northern Magna Graecia that could threaten Croton. Furthermore, the pontoon bridge was preserved for the convenience of the Crotonians' upcoming move to Sybaris.
The Crotonian marching column was more than ten miles long, most of which was loaded with pack animals, so the march was extremely slow. By dusk, the vanguard had just arrived at the city of Castron.
The people of Castron were indeed fearful. Chief General Amyclis led the city-state's high-ranking officials with smiling faces, opening the city to welcome the victorious Melanxios, and wanting to hold a grand victory banquet for him, while also inviting the Crotonian officers. At the same time, they subtly said to Melanxios that Castron was small and could not accommodate such a large army, and if so many supplies were kept in the city, it would be bad if anything was lost or conflicts arose.
They also stated that Castron had prepared a large amount of fine wine and food for the Crotonian soldiers to celebrate their victory and make up for Castron's inability to let them enter the city.
Melanxios was not a person who could think for the soldiers. Seeing that the people of Castron were so thoughtful, he readily agreed and led Timaras and a dozen other senior officers into the city with Amyclis.
On the way into the city, Melanxios heard the scout report that the people of Amendolara had rushed to the Sybaris plain to help the Thurians. He immediately laughed and said, "Amendolara's efforts are in vain. We will be back soon, and the Sybaris plain will only belong to Croton!"
The Crotonian soldiers, hearing that there was wine to drink and meat to eat, immediately quickened their pace. It was late, and they only began to set up camp, hastily pitching their tents, and then impatiently began to drink wine and eat meat, celebrating their victory. They made noise until late at night, when their exhausted bodies could no longer resist the invasion of the god of sleep, and they fell into a deep sleep...
........
Ancitanos did not write in his book that on this day, the citizens of Amendolara reversed their usual training habits, roughly setting up tents and simply constructing the camp, and then all began to sleep. In fact, those who were outside helping the Thurians in the afternoon were mainly the women, teenagers, and old people of Amendolara...
Amendolara had mobilized almost the entire city for this battle.
That night, Davos did not allow the Thurian people to enter the newly built camp to stay, and the exhausted Thurian people fell into a deep sleep in the open air. At this time, the Amendolara citizen soldiers in the camp were being woken up one by one by the officers. In their sleepy eyes, they silently began to eat the prepared freshly baked bread, drink the hot mutton soup, and also had a small amount of mutton and cheese. Although they had already eaten dinner a few hours ago, these foods would store more protein and calories for their upcoming long march and fighting. Then, they began to put on the breastplates and greaves taken out of the pack animals, and checked their spears, sabers, and round shields.
At this time, several torches were erected in an open space in the center of the camp. Davos and the captains of the various brigades, companies, and squads were carefully observing a simple clay model of the Crotonian camp terrain, based on the information obtained by Izam and the others, by the dim torchlight.
"Melanxios is still a bit cautious. He had his troops cross the Trionto River and camp south of the city of Castron, thinking that with Castron blocking them, they would be very safe, but this will only make his soldiers more careless."
Davos pointed to the model of the Trionto River separating Castron and the Crotonian camp with a wooden stick: "But Izam led people to repeatedly try different sections of this river, and he said that there is a section where it is completely possible to wade across. Because the location is in the middle reaches, it is far from the Crotonian camp and will not be discovered. Moreover, he also sent people back to report that 'the Crotonians were drinking and reveling in the camp all night', I believe that when we attack tomorrow, they will still be sleeping like dead pigs."
Davos's words caused everyone to chuckle knowingly.
"They didn't dig trenches, didn't set up fences or caltrops. I'm afraid that by tomorrow morning, there won't even be sentries. Do they think they are strolling in their own backyard? How relaxed!" The officers, listening to Davos's introduction of the situation, not only did not find it funny, but were angered. They secretly vowed not to let these arrogant Crotonians go.
"The only trouble is that their tents are built very scattered, with relatively large intervals. The southern part protrudes outward a large area, because the materials they robbed are concentrated here." Davos drew a large circle above the camp model with a wooden stick, and said cautiously: "Our citizen soldiers plus Bagules' Lucanian brigade only have about five thousand people (Artemis sent people to the eastern Mediterranean to recruit some Thracian, Rhodian, and Cretan freemen, about five hundred people, making the seventh brigade's organization closer to complete), in order to completely surround the Crotonian camp, our attack formation can only have single-row soldiers."
"Legion Commander, don't worry, one row is enough! Dealing with people is more troublesome, but dealing with a group of sleeping pigs is not easy!" Amyntas's words made everyone cover their mouths and chuckle again.
Davos smiled slightly and said to Kapus beside him: "The south side of the camp is handed over to your First Brigade. You will launch the first attack. Since the southern area is large, and there are many pack animals and materials blocking the advance, you and your subordinates should discuss a way to solve these problems. I only have one requirement, whether the First Brigade can become the first in the entire army depends on whether you can keep up with the attack speed of the other brigades, or even be faster than them!"
The usually steady Kapus was also excited at this moment: "Legion Commander, the First Brigade will never let you down!"
Davos nodded and turned to Drax: "The Second Brigade will go to the east side of the camp. After the First Brigade launches the attack, you can start the attack immediately. The east side of the camp is close to the city of Castron. The first thing the panicked enemies will think of is to escape into the city, so you must use the most violent attack to dispel this idea!"
Drax glanced at Kapus and said, "Legion Commander, our Second Brigade will prove with action that we are no worse than the First Brigade!"
"Good, that's the kind of confidence you should have!" Davos praised, then turned to Hieronimus: "The Third Brigade will attack from the west. Although most of you are recruits, I believe the Third Brigade will have an excellent performance."
Hieronimus clenched his fists and said, "Don't worry!"
"Epi-tenes."
"Present."
"You and Zipetes will lead the light shield soldiers of the Seventh Brigade to attack from the north."
"Legion Commander, are we attacking with fewer people?" Epi-tenes immediately asked.
"Don't worry. Has Bagules arrived?" Davos asked.
"I am here!" Bagules said from the back of the crowd.
"Come forward quickly." Davos beckoned him to come closer, and then said in a deep voice: "The Lucanian brigade you lead will join the attack from the north, and the commander will be Epi-tenes."
Bagules glanced at Epi-tenes with slight hesitation. Epi-tenes smiled at him friendly. He lowered his head and said, "Okay."
"Light shield soldiers are good at close combat, and your Lucanian warriors' charge is also very powerful, and the enemy may not consider running to the north at first, because the Trionto River is blocking them. I am not worried about your attack, I am only worried that you lack cooperation and rush too fiercely, which will lead to gaps. Therefore, you must communicate well with each other to solve the problem of how to improve cooperation and control the pace of the attack."
"There is also a more important point!" Davos increased his tone and said solemnly: "Bagules, I have already told you before, and I want to emphasize it again, before the battle, whether marching or lurking, you must remain quiet and not disturb the enemy! You must warn your people well and control their mouths. If anyone disobeys the order and affects this operation, the serious ones will be executed according to the Amendolara Military Law!"
"I know." Bagules was secretly startled and decided to discuss with Yasistes immediately after returning: how to prevent his people from making mistakes.
"Legion Commander, aren't our archers and slingers participating in this operation?" Alpuens couldn't help but ask anxiously when he saw that there was no place for him in the camp attack deployment.
"Of course you are indispensable." Davos smiled: "Alpuens, you will lead the archers and slingers to ambush on the road leading to the city of Castron on the east side of the camp. Once someone comes out of the city to rescue them, inflict the greatest damage on them!"
"Yes!"
"According to Izam's intelligence, the soldiers of Castron who followed Croton in the battle did not return to the city because they were celebrating the victory in the camp. There should not be many soldiers in the city who can fight, and their combat effectiveness should not be strong. Oh... there are also those Crotonian generals who are having fun in the city. It is estimated that their legs will be weak by tomorrow morning, and they will not be able to hold weapons..." After Davos finished speaking, everyone laughed ambiguously.
"After you go down, deploy your subordinate companies in the positions on the attack line, but please remember—there must be no gaps in the attack line between squads, between companies, and between brigades!"
Davos stood up, looked around at everyone, and said in a low and powerful voice: "Tomorrow at dawn, a battle will determine the ownership of the Sibari Plain! It will determine the future of us, the citizens of Amendolara! When the battle begins, there will be no horns, and no shouting! We must be fierce! We must be violent! We must be fast! We will eliminate the enemy in their sleep at the fastest speed! We will advance to the center at the fastest speed! The faster we advance, the tighter and thicker our formation will be, and the more panicked the enemy will be. We will be able to surround them in the center and force them to surrender! Brothers, the Crotoniates are now like a pot of fragrant barley porridge. I want to see which battalion eats the fastest and the best!"
The crowd didn't say anything, but their wide eyes were burning with fierce fighting spirit…
…
In early summer in southern Apennines, the weather was still relatively cool, but unfortunately, there was no moon or stars in the dark sky.
The Amendolara troops began to set off, starting with the first squad of the first company of the first battalion, in order. Each company's vanguard held a burning torch to light the way. The 5,000-strong army advanced quietly and in good order. The sound of rushing river water, the chirping of insects and frogs, and even the howls of wild animals in the distance masked the sound of the troops' footsteps and the clashing of armor. From a distance, only the faint flickering of torches every few hundred meters could be seen.
Crossing the pontoon bridge at night was the biggest problem for this march. The troops advanced in two columns to ensure enough space on the bridge and to provide mutual support. Fortunately, most of the soldiers in the first battalion, who were walking in front, had participated in the Persian expedition and had a lot of experience walking at night. They successfully crossed the first pontoon bridge, and then the second. Their good performance gave confidence to the follow-up troops.
The second battalion also successfully reached the other side.
When it came to the third battalion, the speed of crossing the bridge began to slow down. Arcinisius stepped on the undulating planks, looked at the dark river flowing under the pontoon bridge, imagined its depth, and his body involuntarily swayed with the bridge. Seeing that his body was about to lean outward, a hand grabbed his arm forcefully.
"Don't panic, look ahead, don't look down!" It was the voice of his squad leader, Cratipus, who was walking alongside him. He stabilized his emotions and did as the squad leader said, and it really got much better.
After only a few steps, he heard a thumping sound behind him, followed by cries for help.
Someone fell into the water! He was shocked.
"Don't look back, keep moving forward!" The usually talkative Cratipus's voice was unusually calm at this time.
Arcinisius finally stepped onto the triangular area in the middle of the confluence of the two rivers. With experience, crossing the second pontoon bridge was much easier.
Epithenius came up with a trick to help the Lucanians cross the river smoothly: let a Greek walk side by side with a Lucanian on the pontoon bridge. With the help of these veterans, most of the Lucanians also crossed the river smoothly.
When he reached the south bank of the Crati River and stepped on solid ground, Arcinisius's tense mood finally subsided. Then he asked the squad leader: "What about the comrades who fell into the water?"
"The legion commander has asked the military officer, Phileas, to arrange some rescuers on both sides of the river. As long as they throw away their round shields, spears, and helmets, they should be able to swim to the shore, of course, that depends on whether they usually train hard in swimming. Now you realize the importance of training, right? Every item should be completed seriously, because you may use it one day in the future." Cratipus seized every opportunity to educate the new recruits.
Arcinisius nodded seriously.
Two hours later, the troops approached the city of Castrum and extinguished all the torches. Led by the Izam squad, they came to the middle reaches of the Trionto River (Castrum is at the mouth of the Trionto River), formed eight columns, and the soldiers pulled each other's spears (because the round shields were hanging on their shoulders and the helmets were hanging on their necks) and waded through the river. Although this section of the river was the widest, the water depth was still less than the waist, and the current was not rapid. Except for the many pebbles on the river beach, it did not cause any trouble to the soldiers.
They crossed the Trionto River.
The Crotoniate camp was not far away.
It was still very late at night, and the sky was not yet bright. Led by the Mountain Squad, the battalions quietly and unhurriedly entered their predetermined positions and began to lie down to rest in order to recover their strength. The officers sneaked close to observe the Crotoniate camp and, according to the previous map, began to adjust and arrange the attack positions of their subordinates.
As soon as a sliver of light appeared in the eastern sky, the officers began to wake up the resting soldiers. While they were sorting out their weapons and equipment, the squad leaders whispered pre-war mobilization: For the veterans, it was enough to ignite their anger by simply saying things like 'These arrogant Crotoniates dare to insult our Lord Davos and burn our houses. Now we will make them pay the price in blood with our shields and spears'; and for the new recruits, in addition to encouragement, they also needed to remind them of some details to pay attention to in battle, such as 'Don't just rush forward on your own, advance with the whole team. When the spear is stuck in the enemy's body and cannot be pulled out, don't waste time trying to pull it out, draw your saber and continue to slash', and so on.
Arcinisius began to form a horizontal line with his comrades, and then put on the heavy Corinthian helmet, but he did not have the usual feeling of loneliness of being isolated from the world. Although he could not feel the pushing force of his teammates behind him (because it was a single line), through the eyeholes of the helmet, he saw not only the Crotoniate's haphazardly built tents a hundred meters away, but also the thin line formed by his Amendolara comrades reflected in the corner of his eye, extending infinitely along the terrain, encircling the camp in an arc, until beyond his sight…
Arcinisius moved forward lightly, approaching the nearest Crotoniate tent to less than 40 meters. The front was still deathly silent.
Arcinisius was both excited and a little disappointed. He really wanted to fight a sober Crotoniate to show off his growing skills.
At this moment, a large area of screams came from the front on the right, which was particularly harsh in the silent camp. It was the first battalion that had begun to attack.
Cratipus whispered: "Advance!"
Everyone began to stride forward, the round shields rubbing against each other, making a low, muffled "clang, clang" sound. Their leather-sandaled feet stepped on the dew-soaked mud, leaving rows of clear footprints.
Arcinisius had long aimed at several enemies sleeping soundly outside the tent, but when he stood in front of the enemy, he became hesitant again.
"Do it!" A teammate urged him, while stabbing a spear into an enemy's throat. The man suddenly opened his eyes wide, grabbed his throat with both hands, trying to scream but unable to make a sound. His expression was extremely painful, and his entire face was distorted and deformed.
The teammate pulled out the spear, and blood shot out of the wound like a fountain. The injured enemy began to pant heavily, which startled another enemy in his sleep.
"Still not doing it!" The teammate shouted again. Arcinisius finally stopped hesitating and quickly stabbed a spear, piercing the enemy's chest.
The teammate turned his head and nodded to Arcinisius, although he couldn't see the expression on his face because of the helmet, Arcinisius could guess that it must be a satisfied smile. Encouraged, he suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and continued to advance, clearing out the enemies sleeping soundly outside the tent.
Ahead, a tent blocked the advance of Cratipus's squad. Cratipus made a gesture, and ten soldiers surrounded the tent and stabbed ten spears into it, stabbing wildly. Accompanied by screams, blood splattered on the curtain.
"Arcinisius!" Cratipus shouted.
Arcinisius immediately held up his round shield, bent over and crawled into the tent, and quickly came out, saying: "There are four people, two… … Ugh… … two seriously injured, the others… … Ugh… … all dead."
"Never mind them, keep moving forward!" Cratipus waved his hand, then looked at Arcinisius and said in a deep voice: "Even if you vomit, don't stop moving forward."
Arcinisius and the others advanced for a long time before they saw enemies emerging from the tents in twos and threes. They were wearing short-sleeved linen clothes, some even naked. Most of them had no weapons in their hands and did not seem to have fully woken up from their drunkenness and sleepiness. They stared blankly at Arcinisius and the others, not yet understanding what was going on, until they saw Arcinisius and the others stab down some of them, and the screams startled them, but they did not rush up to fight, but cried out in panic: "There are enemies! There are enemies!… …" Under the pressure of Arcinisius and the others, they fled in all directions, their panicked and embarrassed appearance reminding Arcinisius of the flock of sheep he had seen being chased by hungry wolves when he went up the mountain with his father to graze when he was a child.
…
Colebus's ancestors were the earliest immigrants to Croton, so they were allocated a not small and fertile "share land". The whole family lived a relatively prosperous farming and pastoral life. However, with the passage of time and the rise of trade, many citizens engaged in business gained amazing wealth, and used the wealth they earned to gain considerable power in Croton's political arena, and they became the new nobles of Croton. Colebus's grandfather was an ambitious man who envied these merchants and was no longer satisfied with farming for a living. He was determined to invest in the commercial tide and win a brighter future for the family. He mortgaged the land, borrowed a large sum of money, bought several ships, and began to engage in port transshipment trade, carrying goods, sailing between the Iberian Peninsula's Greek city-state of Saguntum, Gaul's Massilia, Italy's west coast of Neapolis, and his own Croton.
At first, everything went smoothly and he made a lot of money. Then, once again, fully loaded with goods, when passing through the Strait of Messina, he was caught in the Charybdis whirlpool, and the ship was destroyed and the people were killed. The Colebus family began to decline from then on. By the time he grew up, life had become impoverished. Apart from having the status of a Crotonian citizen, he was as destitute as a freeman from a foreign country, but what distinguished him from a freeman was that he could participate in the Citizens' Assembly to vote and enlist in the army to fight.
This time, following Melanthus on the campaign, I didn't expect it to be so smooth. They easily captured Thurii, and Corebus also seized a lot of spoils. No wonder many people say that Melanthus is the darling of the goddess of fortune. Moreover, he had also heard that the Croton city hall was preparing to immigrate to the Sybaris plain, so he was planning: After returning to Croton, first turn the spoils into cash, save money to marry a wife, and then join the Croton immigration team. The land in the Sybaris plain is flatter and wider than the Croton plain in Croton, and he should be able to get a large piece of land.
That night, Corebus was having a sweet dream when he was awakened by pain. He opened his eyes and saw his comrades in the tent running out like a disturbed hornet's nest. He, who was sleeping by the tent door, had already been trampled on several times.
"Watch it!" he shouted angrily.
"Enemy attack! Come out and fight!" his teammate shouted as he rushed out of the tent.
"Enemy attack? Where did the enemy come from?" Corebus was still a little dazed.
At this moment, screams came one after another, and he shuddered, propped himself up with both hands, and barely stood up. He had drunk a lot of wine last night, and it was undiluted, so the after-effects were strong. His head was dizzy, and his body was a little out of control. He almost fell, and he didn't have time to put on his armor. He grabbed a spear from the ground and staggered out of the tent. In his sleepy eyes, he saw heavily armed infantrymen arranged in a tight line quickly approaching them. Two companions rushed up with spears, and were quickly stabbed down by the enemy. The tacit cooperation and concise and skilled fighting completely frightened Corebus awake. Fear instantly occupied his whole body. He threw away the spear, turned and ran.
"Run! Get out of here!" Corebus held a strong desire to survive in his heart. He ran while looking at the position of the sun in the sky. He was determined to escape to the east, because the east was Castron.
After running for a while, he saw some people running towards him, shouting in horror: "There are enemies, run away!…"
There are also enemies in the east?! Corebus panicked when he heard this, so he had to follow them and run.
Next, he bumped around like a headless fly. There were more and more people around, and even many pack animals were running around and bumping into each other, injuring many people, but he still couldn't run out.
At this time, no matter how panicked Corebus's mind was, he understood that they were surrounded, and the encirclement was constantly shrinking…
… … … … … … … …
Davos's legion headquarters was located behind the Second Battalion, between the Clytia camp and the city of Castron. Thirty guards were on high alert, and their attention was mainly focused on the east. Captain Martius raised the legion banner. Davos was carefully listening to Lydes's report on the latest battle situation from his subordinate cavalry team.
"The First Battalion has begun to attack!"
"The Second Battalion has begun to attack!"
"The Third Battalion has begun to attack!"
"The Seventh Battalion and the Lucanian Battalion have begun to attack!"
"The First Battalion's assault was successful. The enemy did not resist!"
"The Second Battalion's assault was smooth!"
"The First Battalion has crossed the supply area and continues to advance!"
"So fast?!" Davos was a little surprised and asked, "How did they do it?"
Lydes replied from the side: "Those staying around the supply area are all Thurii freemen and slaves who have defected to Croton. As soon as they saw us attacking, they all ran away. Capys and the others directly bypassed this area, leaving a detachment to slowly clear it, and the other troops continued to advance."
"Well, Capys made the right choice!" Davos nodded in appreciation.
At this moment, another cavalryman came to report: "The Second Battalion has become two horizontal lines!"
"The First Battalion has become two horizontal lines!"
… …
"Legion Commander, our attack is very smooth, and the encirclement is rapidly shrinking!" Asystes looked excited.
"Yes, it's smoother than I expected!" Davos exhaled to relieve the tension in his heart, and then asked Lydes: "Is there still no movement from Castron?"
"No."
"It seems that the enemy's vigilance and reaction to danger are very slow.
Alpines won't get a chance to fight this time." Davos was in the mood to joke at this time: "When that Olympic champion wakes up from his dream, he will definitely be surprised, 'Where have all his troops gone?'"
Everyone around burst into laughter.
… … … … … … …
In fact, Davos's judgment was still wrong. The sentries of Castron had noticed the abnormality of the Croton camp. Although the Croton camp was about three miles away from the city of Castron, because of the obstruction of the forest and river, even standing on the city wall could not see the outline of the camp, but the huge noise mixed with the screams and exclamations of tens of thousands of soldiers could be vaguely heard by the sentries.
So, the sentry reported this abnormality to the captain. The captain thought: The Croton camp should be very safe! The Brutii in the west are blocked by the mountains and cannot come over at all. Thurii in the north has been burned down, and there is also the Trionto River to protect it. Crimisa in the south has also defected to Croton. We, Castron, are blocking the northeast. There will be no enemies in Croton at this moment. Could it be that these arrogant Crotonians got up early in the morning and are celebrating again?
Out of professional habit, he still symbolically sent a few cavalrymen to see what was going on. As a result, when the cavalrymen passed through the forest, they were ambushed by Alpines's archers and were all annihilated.
… … … … … … … … …
As the encirclement further shrank, some companies even had to change to three columns due to the overly tight attack line, and the surrounded Croton army became more and more crowded due to the shrinking space.
Melanthus and other senior officers were invited to the city for a banquet and revelry and failed to return, but the centurions were still there, especially the officers sleeping in the center of the camp. As soon as they realized that something was wrong, they began to laboriously call on their subordinates to put on their armor and pick up their weapons (because most of them were drunk) to prepare for battle. It's just that the Amendolara's attack speed was too fast, and there were deserters scurrying everywhere, disrupting the hastily organized team. But now, when the compression of space prevented the deserters from scurrying around, the centurions with brightly colored helmet plumes became their backbone.
"We are surrounded. We can only survive by rushing out to the east! Rush out to the east!…" The centurions shouted in unison, attracting the attention of the surrounding people. Under their leadership, they began to rush towards the direction of the sun one after another. The Amendolara army also ushered in the most severe test since the surprise attack.
Dracos was not flustered at all when he saw the dark mass of enemies surging towards him. This was not the first time the Second Battalion had encountered this situation. Last time, they had blocked the fierce Lucanian food attack. After several months of training, they were more confident in blocking these enemies who were not wearing armor, had incomplete weapons, and were even naked.
"Order, defend in place!" Dracos ordered the drummers (each battalion was equipped with five drummers, in addition to conveying orders, they could also adjust the pace of the soldiers with the sound of drums during marching, maintain uniform formation, and also boost morale).
The rhythmic sound of drums sounded, and the company flag bearers waved the company flags. In fact, the platoon leaders had already begun to order the soldiers to stop advancing and prepare for defense based on their own judgment.
The Croton charge was like a row of big waves, although majestic, but the power was scattered. The Second Battalion's defense was like an iron wall, although thin, but very strong.
The two armies collided. One had been maintaining an offensive posture and consumed a lot of energy; the other had been fleeing from the beginning and was exhausted. One was fully armed, and the other was not fully equipped. One had few people, and the other had many people. The outcome of the close combat between the two sides was obvious. But the Crotonians finally showed their courage at this critical moment: if they didn't have weapons, they would use their bodies to bump and kick; if they were stabbed by a spear, they would grab it tightly with both hands and not let go…
For a time, the Second Battalion was caught in a bitter battle.
Davos got the news immediately and immediately ordered: "The remaining battalions speed up their attack and can recruit the enemy!"
At the same time, he asked Lydes to quickly call Alpines to lead the light infantry back to assist the Second Battalion in the attack, while he led the guard to the front.
When the legion banner appeared behind the Second Battalion's defense line, and the high-up bronze statue of the Underworld King shone golden in the morning light, the soldiers of the Second Battalion, who were struggling to support themselves, were immediately greatly encouraged.
"Dracos, can you still hold on?" Davos deliberately asked loudly to the Second Battalion Commander who was commanding from the rear.
"Legion Commander, we will soon be able to drive the enemy back!" Dracos gritted his teeth and shouted back to the drummers: "Beat the drums of attack! We must attack!"
Under the gaze of the commander and in the sound of the drums of attack, the soldiers shook their spirits. Although the formation of only three columns seemed thin compared to the enemy, they began to counterattack, forcefully waving their round shields forward, and forcefully stabbing the spears into the exposed gaps. If the enemy grabbed the spears, they would pull out their sabers and slash. Originally, the battle between Greek infantrymen was annoying. The muffled sound of metal colliding with metal, the crisp sound of spears piercing armor, the ear-piercing sound of sabers slashing against each other, and the fighting for a long time might not be able to defeat the opponent. But now, every swing, every stab, and every slash could hear the enemy's painful groans, the tearing sound of metal piercing flesh and blood, and the strings of blood beads brought up by the sabers…
The Second Battalion's swift counterattack blocked the enemy's impact, causing the courage of these Crotonians, most of whom were not wearing armor or even had weapons, to quickly diminish before the copper wall and iron wall.
The light infantry who arrived quickly threw arrows and flying stones to attack the rear of the Crotonians' impact line, preventing their follow-up forces from keeping up and forming a combined force.
The last weight thrown on the scales of war was the fierce attack of the other three battalions. The encirclement was rapidly shrinking, and the central Croton army was almost crowded together, making it difficult to even turn around, let alone break through.
Nearly ten thousand people were tightly surrounded in this large circle of less than a mile in radius. Arrows and flying stones kept falling from the sky, and shouts of surrender and no killing kept ringing around. People kept falling down screaming, and panic and fear quickly spread among the enemies…
The freemen and slaves were the first to kneel down and surrender.
This was followed by the soldiers of Siris, Crimisa, and Castron.
Finally, the exhausted Crotonians lowered their proud heads…
The captain of the Castron city defense force had been waiting a long time for the cavalry to return, and the clamor from the Croton camp seemed to have disappeared. Filled with doubt, he personally led ten cavalrymen out of the south gate, crossed the pontoon bridge, and headed west through the small forest. Everything seemed normal (Alpunes' light infantry had already hidden the bodies of the earlier scouts, eliminating any traces), until they rounded the bend of the Trionto River, struggled up the high slope, and the scene before them was shocking: the wide plain where the Crotonians had been encamped was a complete mess, with collapsed tents, scattered weapons, horses and pack animals running around and wailing, and even more terrifying, dense masses of corpses, heavily wounded soldiers struggling in pain, and blood-soaked red earth. In the center of the camp were many fully armed soldiers, surrounding even more disheveled people, and constantly escorting rows of prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs, strung together in a line…
A huge fear gripped the patrol captain's heart: had the Crotonians been defeated?!
Taking advantage of the fact that these terrifying and unfamiliar enemies had not yet discovered them, the captain hurriedly turned his horse around and galloped back towards Castron city…
"Legate, the Castron cavalry have already returned to the city," Lydes reported, hurrying over.
"Asystes, notify the Seventh Battalion and the Lucanian Battalion to ambush in the forest. It's very likely that Castron city… no, Melanthius will probably send us a big gift! Lydes, you continue to closely monitor the movements of Castron city!" Davos issued the order.
"Yes!" Lydes acknowledged and left, and Asystes sent messengers north.
After a while, Davos asked Asystes again, "How long has Melcis' cavalry been gone?"
"About half an hour… Legate, there are too many supplies in the baggage area! Because some of the pack animals were injured during the attack, and some ran off, we now lack enough livestock to carry those supplies," Asystes said with some concern.
Davos smiled slightly, pointing to the prisoners squatting on the ground not far away, under the duress of swords and spears: "Aren't those ready-made 'pack animals'? Let them carry the supplies and transport them all the way back to Thurii. It doesn't matter if they walk slowly, anyway, it will exhaust their strength. These Crotonians, who have undergone long-term athletic training, can still be of some use."
"Oh, how did I not think of that! Legate, you always come up with good ideas!" Asystes exclaimed loudly with exaggerated gestures.
"Asy, if your ability to do things could be as strong as your ability to say nice things, that would be great!" After the great victory, Davos was also in a good mood, joking with Asystes for a while, and then said: "Let's go, let's go see the soldiers, they are the heroes of this victory!"
Thus, in the terrified and sorrowful eyes of the prisoners, in the distance, a golden banner was slowly approaching. Under the banner, a general wearing a distinctive purple, white, and red crested helmet appeared on the battlefield, and those cruel, ruthless, and fierce-looking enemies immediately let out thunderous cheers:
"Davos!!"
"Davos!!!"
"Victory!!"
"Victory!!!"
The clever people among the Crotonian prisoners immediately realized that this general was likely Davos, the Archon of Amendolara, whom they had insulted under the walls of Amendolara, and that these enemies were the owners of those buildings they had burned under the walls of Amendolara. At that time, they had mocked the Amendolara citizens for their cowardice, but now they were trembling under the spears of these "cowardly" enemies…
… … … … … … … … …
Amicles, the chief general of Castron, received the emergency report from the city defense captain and was greatly surprised. He immediately sent someone to notify Melanthius and his subordinates.
Melanthius was sound asleep in the hotel, embracing a high-class prostitute. He was forcibly woken up and was extremely dissatisfied. After hearing the anxious report from his subordinate, he was immediately startled awake. He said with a glimmer of hope, "Maybe the enemy broke into our camp and were captured by our soldiers…"
Timas shook his head with great concern: "The Castronians said, 'Although the flags held by those fully armed soldiers look blurry from a distance, their shape and style are unique and definitely not Crotonian flags!' Melanthius, we must go and rescue them!"
"…Ah…Ah, you're right, you're right…" Melanthius never expected that when he was complacent and returning in triumph, he would suffer a sudden blow. He couldn't suppress his panic: "Quick! Quickly go with me to find Amicles and have him send all the citizens of Castron to rescue them with us immediately!"
Amicles certainly couldn't completely agree to Melanthius' request. He had to ensure the safety of Castron city first, but he didn't dare refuse Melanthius' request and offend Croton, especially since there were also Castronian soldiers trapped in the camp. So, he hastily gathered seven hundred citizen-soldiers, led by Melanthius and his subordinates, to go to the rescue.
Melanthius marched rapidly towards the camp, burning with anxiety. Timas advised him to be more cautious, but he said: "According to the Castronian's intelligence, the enemy is fewer in number than us. The reason they were able to win is probably because they relied on a sneak attack. Now they are still in the same place, trying to turn all our soldiers into prisoners. Our sudden attack will surely take them by surprise, and at the same time, it will arouse the resistance of the surrendered soldiers. With internal and external attacks, the enemy will be defeated by us instead! I will make these thugs who dare to invade Croton pay a heavy price!" Melanthius was like a gambler who had lost his shirt, hoping to bet big one last time and win back everything he had lost before.
As his troops passed through the forest in a marching column, they were fiercely attacked by the Amendolara light infantry who had been lying in ambush there. Epitenes led the light infantry to shower them with arrows, stones, and javelins, causing heavy casualties. While the morale of the Castronian soldiers, which was already low, was in chaos, the Lucanians, wielding Greek swords like tigers pouncing on sheep, charged into the enemy ranks…
… … … … … … … …
"Legate, the Crotonian reinforcements have been defeated! Except for a few who escaped back to Castron city, the others were either killed or captured!" Lydes reported excitedly upon his return.
Davos nodded, not showing much joy. This was a well-prepared ambush, and victory was easy.
Seeing his calm expression, Lydes added: "The Lucanians also captured the two Crotonian generals, Melanthius and Timas!"
"Oh!" Davos smiled slightly, not because he had captured the enemy's commanders: "The Lucanians have made another great contribution, and they can reduce their sentences by another six months."
… … … … … … … … …
When the Lucanians cut the Castronian column into several sections, Melanthius' years of military experience told him that defeat was inevitable.
He immediately turned and ran away, but the Lucanians seemed determined to catch him. After suffering a few casualties, they pinned him down and eventually dragged him in front of Davos.
"Melanthius, we finally meet," a young voice with a calm tone sounded in his ear.
Melanthius struggled to raise his head, his handsome face scratched with wounds from the sand and stones he had been dragged through, and blood blurred his vision. He blinked hard: a strange, young face appeared before him.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Davos, the Archon of Amendolara."
"Amendolara? Davos?" Melanthius, whose head had been constantly bumped, was a little slow to react. Suddenly, his eyes widened: "Amendolara?! Amendolara!! You are too despicable! You launched a sneak attack on us without declaring war! You have violated the traditions of the Greek city-states and tarnished the honor of the Greeks! The Great Greek city-states will surely punish Amendolara!"
"Champion of Olympia, you are too self-centered!" Davos sneered: "When your army entered the territory of Amendolara without permission and burned our buildings, the war had already begun. As for the sneak attack, I vaguely remember an athlete's motto, 'The victor proves his strength with action, the loser can only use excuses to cover up his weakness.' I wonder if I'm right?"
Melanthius lowered his head in despair, and after a long silence, he whispered, "I hope you can treat me and the soldiers well. Croton will pay Amendolara enough ransom."
"The matter of treating you well is not up to me to decide."
"Then…who does it depend on?"
"The surviving people of Thurii!"
… … … … … … … … …
When Melsis arrived at the Crotonian camp and saw the mountain of supplies, he beamed with joy. But he quickly became troubled, because these pack animals could not ford the river.
Davos said confidently, "That's easy, we'll cross the river at the ford."
And so, the soldiers of Amendolara and the people who had come gathered up everything of value in the Crotonian camp (including the weapons, armor, and linen shirts worn by the dead enemies), formed a long line, and marched east, through the forest, where they could see the city of Kastron on the north bank of the Trionto River.
Davos could even hear the panicked shouts of the enemy on the city walls, and he joked to Melsis, "Didn't you say there weren't enough pack animals? You can go borrow some from the Kastronians."
Melsis actually sent someone to borrow pack animals.
The chief general of Kastron, Amyclas, and others saw from the city walls: heavily armed Greek hoplites swaggering past on the south bank, prisoners dejectedly carrying heavy loads, covered in blood and staggering under the escort of their shields and spears, as well as gleeful civilians in plain clothes, and a pack train laden with supplies... This long line bypassed the city and headed straight for the ford. Every Kastronian looked both nervous and puzzled, but there was no anger or greed, because the Kastronian citizen soldiers had suffered heavy losses, and the defensive forces within the city were now insufficient, so they dared not provoke this terrifying army.
"Where... where did they come from?" a member of the council asked nervously.
Amyclas looked at the direction the army was marching below the city and said uncertainly, "They're going north, it's likely... the Amendolarans."
"Could it be those mercenaries who defeated the Lucanians?!" General Gorgias widened his eyes.
"Very likely!" Amyclas, after hearing Gorgias' words, became even more convinced of his guess: "Perhaps only they would dare to defeat the mighty Crotonians!"
"They... they've sent someone!" someone shouted, his voice trembling.
The people on the city walls, from the soldiers to the generals, became nervous.
"We are citizens of Amendolara, and Archon Davos has asked me to borrow a hundred pack animals from you. We will return them to you after we have transported our goods!"
The messenger's voice clearly reached the city walls, and the people looked at each other in dismay.
Davos! The hero who saved Thurii in the legends! The Archon of Amendolara! Amyclas showed a wry smile: he could be considered to have saved the Thurians for the second time, but it had also caused the Kastronians to suffer.
On the city walls of Kastron, the generals and council members, after a brief consultation, actually agreed. It was not because of Davos's reputation for keeping his promises, but because, according to Amyclas, the Amendolarans had annihilated and captured Croton's massive army, and the situation in northern Magna Graecia would inevitably undergo great changes. We need to act cautiously. Moreover, many Kastronian citizens may have become prisoners of the Amendolarans. It would be good to leave a good impression on the Amendolarans so that we can negotiate with them in the future.
...
In the early morning, a few Thurians who had already woken up saw the Amendolara citizens who had previously helped them gathering and beginning to cross the pontoon bridge, heading south, and they felt surprised and uneasy: Did the Amendolarans want to abandon them?
By noon, all the Thurians who had woken up, some freemen, and even slaves were facing an empty camp, and the helplessness and despair in their hearts reached the extreme. They prostrated themselves on the ground and wailed loudly. They completely refused to believe the words of Cornelius and Strongboli, and a few others, who tried to persuade them that 'Amendolara is at war with the Crotonian army and has already won.' Some people even flew into a rage and cursed.
Just then, someone shouted in horror: "Look! Look! An army is coming!"
The Thurians looked back in a panic, only to see a mighty and magnificent army, led by a unique military banner they had never seen before, striding across the pontoon bridge and heading in their direction.
"That's our army! The Amendolara army! They have returned in triumph!" Cornelius, the city administrator of Amendolara, had not supported going to war with Croton at the previous Senate meeting, and although the resolution had passed, he had been harboring unease in his heart. At this moment, he cheered as joyfully as a child.
Cunogolata stared blankly at the Amendolara army coming towards him. At this moment, only one voice was echoing repeatedly in his mind: "The Amendolarans have won! They actually won! They defeated the mighty Crotonian army!!!"
The Thurians were skeptical.
Soon, when the vanguard of the army stepped onto the north bank of the Crati River and approached them, they saw that under that unique military banner, at the head of the team, was none other than Davos, the young and gentle Archon of Amendolara! At this moment, he was fully armed, but without a helmet, waving to them with a smile on his face. The scorching sunlight shone on his bright armor, emitting the most dazzling light, like a god.
At this time, some sharp-eyed people discovered: Following closely behind Davos' horse was a pedestrian, with his hands tied behind his back, naked, and staggering forward while being pulled along. Once he walked too slowly, the guards' spears would leave a wound on his body. Why did this person look so much like Melansius, the demon who ordered the burning of Thurii?! Could it be that the Crotonian army was really defeated by Amendolara?!
The fact was beyond doubt. Behind the advance team, they saw Amendolara soldiers holding spears, escorting young and middle-aged men, also naked and carrying heavy loads, staggering along, their line extending south, seemingly without end...
The Thurians looked at this incredible scene, tears welling up in their eyes. They cried, laughed, and shouted, throwing debris at the Crotonian soldiers. Some people even went forward to fight, each one like a madman...
...
Davos stood on a makeshift wooden platform, watching the Thurians, young and old, quickly gather around. His expression was solemn but his emotions were impassioned as he said loudly: "People of Thurii, in these past few days, the Crotonians have invaded your homes, you have lost your relatives, lost your homes, and cried helplessly in the ruins! But the gods have not abandoned you. They have allowed your neighbor, the valiant Amendolarans, to defeat those demons who destroyed Thurii without fear of powerful enemies! They have allowed the kind Amendolarans to selflessly help you who lack food and clothing! The night will surely pass, and the light is just ahead! Without a home, we can build new and more comfortable houses! Without a city, we can rebuild a stronger city! Without a temple, we can rebuild a more magnificent temple! Thurians, wipe away your tears, stand up straight, and join hands with the Amendolarans, let us build a better home together without foreign invasion!
The tears of the Thurians welled up again, they cheered, worshiping Davos, the hero who had saved Thurii twice, as if he were a god.
Davos ordered that the captured Crotonian senior officers, led by Melansius and Timas, be brought to the wooden platform and handed over to the Thurians to decide their life and death.
The cheers of the Thurians reached their peak. They swarmed up, venting their anger with stones, wooden sticks, fists, and teeth. Soon the Crotonians became a bloody mess, a horrible sight, but the Thurians still did not stop, even though their enemies had fallen to the ground, on the verge of death...
Ansitano, watching this bloody scene from the side, sighed, "From now on, Thurii will probably be different..."
Cunogolata pointed to Davos, who was standing on the side of the wooden platform, watching the Thurians execute the prisoners, and said with a solemn expression: "Not probably, but Thurii will definitely be different!"
Ansitano was silent...