"Crotonians, speak quickly! Let us hear how big Crotonians' appetite is, wanting to take advantage of our Daonian!" Amyntas, Skombrus, and some other elders began to shout, and the emotions that had been somewhat guilty just now suddenly turned into a shared hatred of the enemy.
Lysias glanced at Davos: This young man is not to be underestimated!
He cleared his throat and said loudly with a normal expression: "The Crotonian League and Krimisa demand that Daonia compensate Krimisa five hundred talents to compensate for the huge losses suffered by Krimisa in this battle—"
"What! Five hundred talents! ! You're crazy about money! ! !" Melsis exclaimed.
Lysias ignored him, looked around at the crowd, and continued: "Secondly, in order to prevent the aggressive Daonia from invading neighboring city-states again, we demand that Daonia dissolve the alliance, allow Amendolara and Niotum to become independent, and abolish the alliance!"
"What? ! Did I hear you right? ! What right does Croton have to dictate to us!"
"We will never agree, this is an insult to Daonia!"
"Get out! You must be crazy to say such a thing in the Daonian Senate!"
"Only a fool would agree to such a request! And only a fool would make such a request!"
… …
The venue exploded, and the elders cursed, and the irritable ones like Amyntas and Skombrus even wanted to go up and beat Lysias, but were stopped by Kunogolata, Cornelius and others, and it became a mess.
Lysias and Antaolis looked at all this indifferently like outsiders, as if the chaos was not caused by them, until Davos stepped forward and said: "Did you hear that! This is our answer!"
He said loudly, word by word: "No—Agree!"
"That means war, because you violated the agreement first." Lysias said sternly.
"Then let's go to war, isn't this the real intention of you coming here." Davos had seen through their methods and was too lazy to argue with them. If you want to condemn someone, you can always find an excuse.
His nonchalant attitude prevented Lysias from seeing the expected reaction, as if he had punched into the air, and he subconsciously said again: "War! I'm talking about war between Croton and Daonia!"
Davos smiled slightly and turned back and said, "Are we afraid of going to war with Croton?"
"Great! Finally we can fight again!"
"I can't wait to beat Croton hard!"
"We defeated Croton once, and we can defeat it a second time! This time we will burn down Croton!"
… …
Faced with the high-spirited elders, Lysias unexpectedly felt a little uneasy.
"Kunogolata, please write down Croton's request just now, it will be useful for the next negotiation." Davos said suddenly.
"The next negotiation?" Lysias felt Confuse.
"Yes, after the war is over!"
Lysias's heart trembled, he saw the fighting spirit burning in Davos's eyes… …
… … … … … … … …
After sending away the envoy, the atmosphere in the venue was still warm. Compared with the former mercenary elders who were full of fighting spirit, the elders of Amendolara and Thurii expressed more worries about the upcoming war.
Kunogolata's words are very representative: "Governor, are we confident in fighting Croton? For decades, Croton has always been a strong state in Greater Greece, and it also has a strong alliance. It can organize an army of thirty to forty thousand people! And it also has twenty-five trireme warships, but we don't even have a single warship. Once the war starts, Croton can easily block our ports. This time, I'm afraid it won't make the mistake of underestimating the enemy like last time… …"
Davos listened carefully, looking at the people in front of him, he could feel their fear of Croton, especially the Thurii people, that was the power accumulated in their hearts by Croton's three destructions of the city.
He thought for a while, and just as he was about to answer, a voice suddenly interjected: "I said long ago to drive away those damned mercenaries, but you didn't listen, and now Croton's revenge is coming! We should first investigate the responsibilities of some people for condoning them!" The speaker was Poluxis.
Agasia and the others glared at him.
"Am I wrong!" Poluxis retorted unwillingly.
"Now that the war has broken out, it is meaningless to argue about this matter. All of us should unite to overcome the difficulties together, and not create differences and weaken our strength!" Burkos persuaded his friend.
"It is precisely because this incident led to the war that the matter must be investigated clearly, so as to avoid similar incidents from happening in the future!" Poluxis stubbornly retorted.
At this time, Antonios stood up and said: "As the inspector, recently many people have reported to me that when rebuilding the city of Thurii, elders such as Burkos and Plesinas often went to the homes of the people to express their condolences, expressing their apologies, but some people who were the main assistants of Neon Sis at the beginning were largely responsible for the destruction of Thurii, but they swaggered in and out of the Senate every day without any remorse for the people of Thurii, and demanded that we conduct a thorough investigation to avoid similar incidents from happening again… …"
Poluxis's face changed drastically.
Davos happened to ask: "Poluxis, do you think this matter should be investigated clearly?"
"I…I…" Poluxis trembled slightly under Davos's sharp gaze.
"Antonios, just as Burkos said, now we should unite to deal with this life-and-death war, and other matters should be put on hold for the time being." Davos's calm voice penetrated into Poluxis's ears, and he was pardoned, and suddenly relaxed, slumped on the stone bench.
Antonios glanced at Poluxis with disdain, and turned back and said: "Okay, Governor."
Davos said with a relaxed expression: "Sorry, I was interrupted just now. What I want to say is, everyone, you have been busy with your own affairs during this period, and I am afraid that you do not know much about the military strength of the alliance today. Skombrus, do you think the number of citizen soldiers in our alliance is still the original five thousand?"
Skombrus, the stubborn old man, stroked his beard and smiled: "Definitely more than that! Now there are more than 6,000 citizens in Amendolara alone, and I mean including reserve citizens. I don't know much about the others, but there must be many."
"Let the military officer Ferisius tell us exactly how many citizen soldiers there are." After Davos finished speaking, Ferisius stood up: "Everyone, the numbers I am announcing below are the number of people from Thurii, Amendolara, and Niotum who participated in military training and were incorporated into the army. This number is lower than the total number of registered households of Lord Rafias, because citizens over the age of forty-five and some special industries, citizens who are heavily protected by the city-state, such as doctors, engineers, scholars, etc., have not been added to the citizen soldier military training system."
The elders nodded and turned their attention to Ferisius.
"There are about 5,500 Amendolara citizens who have participated in military training for more than three months, about 4,300 from Niotum, and the most from Thurii, as many as 14,800." Looking at the surprised expressions of the elders, Ferisius continued to explain in detail: "Among them, there are 7,000 official citizens, and the rest are all reserve citizens. At the end of December last year, the Governor ordered me to conduct a preliminary reorganization of them, forming a total of three legions.
The first legion is mainly composed of Amendolara's veterans and reserve citizens, and is the most powerful force. The legion commander is Kapus.
The second legion is mainly composed of Thurii citizens and reserve citizens, and the legion commander is Drax.
The third legion is mainly composed of Niotum citizens and reserve citizens, and the legion commander is Hironimus, and the first battalion commander is Bagules.
The current number of regular combat soldiers in each legion is 7,000, and the three legions have a total of 21,000. In addition, there is a reserve team of 3,600 people, totaling approximately 24,600 people. In addition, there is a cavalry team of 300 people, led by Rydes… …"
"Ferisius did not mention the freemen who have registered households. In fact, we can also organize 10,000 to 20,000 trained freemen to fight as light infantry. In addition, Laos can provide us with 2,000 to 3,000 reinforcements, and Castron can provide limited troops, but at least there are 50 cavalry… …" Davos looked at everyone and said in an impassioned voice: "If the entire army is deployed, we can send out nearly 50,000 troops at least! Considering that the ports of Niotum and Thurii need to be guarded, the actual number of troops sent will definitely be far less than this number, but it is already not much different from the strength of Croton! Everyone, please rest assured that since the establishment of the alliance, the situation of fighting more with less will no longer occur. We have the ability to compete with Croton on land!" Davos's words cheered up the elders, and Amyntas and the others shouted confidently: "When there were fewer people before, we were not afraid of Croton, and now Croton is even less of an opponent for us!"
"As for the sea." Davos looked at Kunogolata and said, "We really can't do anything about Croton, but besides blocking our ports, what else can Croton's fleet do? As long as it dares to enter the mouth of the Corati River, we will wipe it out completely! Moreover, our cavalry will monitor the beaches from Amendolara to Castron at any time to prevent the Crotonians from landing quietly. I believe that as long as the Crotonians are sane, they will not do such a risky thing. Daonia and Croton are so close, the victory or defeat can only be determined by land battles!"
Cunogolata's solemn expression relaxed a lot. He pondered and said, "Our war with Croton is unlikely to be resolved in a few days. Therefore, how to solve the food supply for tens of thousands of soldiers is a key issue we should consider."
Marriges immediately chimed in, "I will rush to the market now, suspend all wheat transactions, and immediately purchase all the flour and other food on the market to prevent merchants from maliciously speculating and raising food prices after receiving news of the outbreak of war. I also suggest immediately going to Heraclea to buy grain as a reserve…"
Davos nodded in agreement. Although Mercis wore a mournful face, he still cooperated and took Marriges to the national treasury to collect money.
At this time, Burcus stood up and said, "Now is the season for sowing wheat. Most citizens are going to participate in the war, which will seriously affect this year's agricultural harvest. I suggest suspending mining and organizing those thousands of city-state slaves to cultivate the citizens' land. At the same time, we should give some preferential treatment to the free people of the alliance to encourage them to assist us. This way, our fields will not lack labor."
"Burcus, you have considered everything very thoroughly," Davos said solemnly. "Cornelius, Cunogolata, and—" (Niu Tium was relatively far away. Under normal circumstances, Sesta would be stationed in the city and could not attend the Senate meetings every time.) He shifted his gaze to the rear of the venue: "Vespa, Hermon (Hermon had been sent to Grumentum many times, successfully signing a peace agreement with Sinnages and repeatedly persuading the Lucanian tribes to submit to the alliance. His influence among the Lucanians was stronger than Vespa's). You and Burcus should discuss and formulate a feasible plan as soon as possible to ensure that our grain planting and grazing will not be affected by the war."
"Okay," several people replied.
"Philoxenus, you immediately issue a war mobilization order to all cities within the alliance! In addition, send someone to notify Laos and Castrum to provide reinforcements… Oh… and… um… tell Castrum to strengthen the city's defenses and burn the pontoon bridge over the Trionto River!"
Philoxenus was stunned for a moment. He wanted to say that there was no bridge on the Trionto River and that it could be forded, but out of trust and obedience to Davos, he immediately saluted and said, "I will send someone to do it immediately."
"Pleasinas," Davos said with an apologetic expression, "We have to suspend the construction of the temple and invest all the income of the national treasury in this war!"
"I understand, I agree!" Pleasinas replied.
Davos nodded with satisfaction and looked around at the senators in the venue. He clenched his fist, raised his right arm, and said loudly, "My lords, Croton has destroyed the cities on the Sybaris Plain three times! After we defeat it, it will definitely be very jealous of Daonia! Why? Because it is afraid that Daonia will grow stronger and take revenge on it. It will try every means to strangle the growing Daonia in its cradle. Therefore, this war is not something we can avoid! The war has come, and we must unite to defeat this powerful enemy again, avenge the burning of the city, and open up a broader world for the future of the Daonian League!"
"Declare war! Declare war! We can defeat Croton once, and we can defeat it a second time!" Capus, Antonios, Amyntas, and other mercenary senators raised their arms and shouted.
"Fight Croton to the death!!" Scombrus, Proxilaus, and other Amendolara senators responded positively.
"Thurii must not be destroyed again! We will do everything we can to fight Croton!" Burcus, Ancytanus, and other Thurii senators also expressed their support indignantly.
"We Lucanians are also citizens of the alliance and will do our best to defend the Daonian League!" Vespa and Hermon, the two Lucanian senators, of course supported Davos's decision.
In an excited chorus of "Declare war!"
Cunogolata and Cornelius, the two administrators who were still a little hesitant, also decisively stated that they would lead the officials and people in their respective cities to make all preparations for the war.
"Dong!!!!…" While Marriges led his men to the market to snap up grain, the great bell originally cast for the Temple of Hades was temporarily placed in front of the Great Council Hall because the temple had not been built. Today, it was rung for the first time. Immediately, cavalry galloped out, heading towards Amendolara, Niu Tium, Laos, and Castrum!
When the people heard the bell ringing throughout the city, most of them were still a little dazed.
At this time, patrolmen ran through the streets and alleys of the city, constantly shouting loudly, "Citizens, please pay attention! Citizens, please pay attention! War has broken out! War has broken out! Citizens who have participated in military training, please assemble in the square immediately! Assemble in the square immediately!…"
On the vast Sybaris Plain, the dispatched cavalry were also shouting the same words in every newly built village.
War came so suddenly. It was only natural that the people were confused and panicked, but the strict military training over the past six months had taught the citizens and reservists discipline and obedience. They put down their housework, stopped working, prayed to the idols enshrined in their homes, hugged and bid farewell to their families, and gathered in Victory Square in Thurii from all directions with all their weapons, equipment, and rations…
Thurii City's obvious actions naturally fell into the eyes of Teratus, who wrote in a secret letter: Thurii issued a war mobilization order, they are snapping up grain in the market, and there was a riot in the port, but it has been brought under control. The situation in other cities is temporarily unknown.
After sending out the secret letter, Trattus saw freemen with worried faces heading towards their simple shacks on his way back from the port. A sense of guilt arose in his heart: after staying here for more than half a year, he had gradually come to like this vibrant city. He had ridden in carriages as fast as the wind, eaten mouth-watering hot pot with beef and mutton, and watched exciting and intense rugby games... He admitted that life in Thurii was more interesting and more humane than in Croton. If he wasn't from Croton, he would have been willing to live here for a few years, and then strive to become a citizen of Daonia. But alas...
… … … … … … … …
The passenger ship carrying Lysias left the Krati River and did not directly return to Croton along the coastline. He first went to Kastron.
At this time, Kastron was unaware that Daonia and Croton had broken out into war. Out of courtesy, they received Lysias.
When Lysias told them the news that "Croton and the Daonian League have started a war," the generals and high-level council members of Kastron were stunned.
Lysias threatened them, saying: "The 40,000 troops assembled by Croton are about to arrive! This is the largest army in the history of Magna Graecia! Only by Kastron breaking away from the Daonian Alliance and joining Croton's side can it be preserved, otherwise it will only be destroyed!"
The Kastron Council went through a fierce debate. Although they were indeed afraid of Croton's attack, the benefits brought to them since joining the Daonian Alliance were too numerous: convenient transportation, convenient trade, and increased income for both the people and the treasury, and the status of the city-state had also been improved. So far, Daonia has never discriminated against Kastron. It has truly followed the alliance agreement, never asking it for a single bit of tribute, nor has it asked them to do anything against their will. On the contrary, they are invited to participate in any important celebrations... The people of Kastron's goodwill towards Daonia is growing day by day, and they seem to have found the feeling of happy and stable life under the protection of Sybaris a hundred years ago.
In the end, Kastron reluctantly rejected Lysias's request. Chief General Amicles said very tactfully: "According to the Daonian Alliance treaty, we have no right to sign any treaties or agreements with other city-states, so I'm very sorry! ..."
Lysias left the port helplessly.
At this time, the Daonian cavalry had arrived and told the Kastron Council: The alliance is gathering troops, and soon as many as 20,000 troops will arrive here to help defend Kastron.
Amicles and others were completely relieved. They began to reinforce the city walls, collect food, burn the pontoon bridge, and close the port according to Daonia's instructions...
Lysias saw the billowing smoke on the Trionto River from the ship, which made him understand Kastron's determination. At the same time, he was also surprised by the strength of Daonia's influence, and he was even more determined to agree with Croton's determination to strike hard against Daonia.
The passenger ship he was riding on quickly headed south. After passing Krimisa, the Croton fleet, which had been waiting there, received the news of the "outbreak of war" from Lysias and immediately eagerly raised its sails and sailed towards the Daonian League...
At this moment, under the reminder of Kunogolata, Davos sent Presinas to Taranto to request the allied state with forty trireme warships to provide Daonia with maritime assistance to prevent the Croton fleet from blockading the port of Thurii.
However, after fierce discussions in the Taranto Senate, under the strong opposition of Dao Melas, they told Presinas with regret: Daonia's request came too late, because after the New Year, the Messapians came to harass the territory of Taranto again, and Dao Melas led his army to repel them. The Senate believes that the Messapians must be given a heavy lesson to eliminate their arrogant arrogance, so Dao Melas will once again be ordered to lead a large army to attack the Messapian fortress — Manduria. Taranto's warships have also rushed to the Adriatic Sea to harass the hinterland of Messapia and interfere with its reinforcements to Manduria, so it cannot provide assistance to Daonia, but Taranto can provide Daonia with affordable food aid, just go to Heraclea to buy it.
Pleisthenes indeed did not see the usual squadrons of Tarentine warships patrolling the coast when entering the great port of Tarentum. Nevertheless, he brazenly continued to request the Tarentine Senate to send even just a few warships to Thurii.
He had a little plan in mind: Croton, being at war with Daonia, would definitely not dare to provoke Tarentum again. Therefore, even if only a few Tarentine warships patrolled the east coast of Daonia as a facade, it could serve as a deterrent, thus ensuring the basic security of Daonia's coastline.
However, no matter how Pleisthenes tried to persuade them, the Tarentine Senate firmly refused, leaving the brazen Pleisthenes empty-handed.
As soon as Pleisthenes returned to the port of Thurii, the Crotonian fleet arrived, immediately cutting off Thurii's maritime trade routes, plunging the port into panic.
Olivos arrived with a large number of patrolmen to help Marigus maintain order.
After Davos learned of Tarentum's decision, he pondered for a moment and said to his secretary, Aristocrates: "I seem to remember that the Spartan envoy once went to Tarentum?"
"Yes, Aristilas reported at the time, 'The Spartans hope that Tarentum will abolish its alliance with us and take the lead in opposing us, but this was rejected by the Tarentine Senate.'"
"But it still worked." Davos sighed and then sneered: Tarentum wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight! Very well, this war will ultimately depend on ourselves!
"Go and tell Aristilas that the Crotonian spy can be caught."
"Yes!"
… … … … … … … …
The Daonians closed the port, which was within Teratus's expectations. He had already discussed with the Crotonian fast ship that would pick him up: to obtain his intelligence every night on a specific beach at the mouth of the Crati River.
Just as he was starting to write a secret letter again, the door was suddenly kicked open, and four or five people poured in.
In a panic, he subconsciously grabbed the papyrus scroll in his hand and just shouted: "Who are you—" when he was pressed to the ground by the people who rushed in. His clenched hand was also pried open, and the papyrus that had not yet been torn was also taken away, and his face changed drastically.
"This afternoon, about 10,000 people from Thurii fully armed entered the barracks, and 1,000 hoplites were stationed at the port. It is said that the Amendolara citizen soldiers are already on their way to Thurii, Nium—" A clear voice sounded above his head: "Teratus, I must admit that your observation and arithmetic skills are really good. The intelligence written to Croton is very consistent with the facts. No wonder the Crotonians sent you to Thurii and stayed here for half a year. I wonder what your impression of this place is?"
Hearing this, Teratus's heart sank. He already understood that his whereabouts were already under the control of the Daonians.
When he was lifted up, he saw a slender middle-aged man with a refined appearance standing in front of him, looking at him with great interest.
"What do you want to do to me?" Teratus asked in a low voice with a dry throat.
The slender man didn't speak, took something from someone else's hand, and brought it to Teratus's face: it was a small wooden knife carved very crudely.
Teratus suddenly widened his eyes, his expression horrified, and struggled hard, shouting: "What did you do to my child?! You caught my child, didn't you?! He is only seven years old! Hera above, please spare him!! Spare him!! I will do anything!! … …" He pleaded bitterly, and finally sobbed.
The slender man said with a cold expression: "Your wife and children are still in the city of Croton, but under the surveillance of our people. Let me introduce myself, my name is Aristilas, the intelligence officer of Governor Davos (although Davos promised him this position, he is still a freeman and not yet an official). I will give you a choice, to work for Daonia. If you refuse, not only will you die, but your sick wife will die because she has no money, and your son will become a slave; but if you agree, you will become a Daonian probationary citizen, and we will try our best to rescue your wife and children, and let the doctors of the alliance treat your wife's illness. You know that our alliance's medical skills are stronger than Croton's!" Aristilas paused, seeing Teratus lowering his head, his face uncertain, and then said in a deep voice: "Life or death, you choose yourself."
… … … … … … … … …
At dusk, Croton's chief general, Milo, received a secret report from Thurii: This afternoon, Thurii began to assemble citizen soldiers. It is reported that about 4,000 citizens in the city gathered in Victory Square, and the villages outside the city are still being mobilized. No large number of citizens have been seen entering the city of Thurii. Thurii has sent about 1,000 soldiers to garrison the port and sent many cavalry to patrol the coast. Amendolara and Nium have not yet seen troops arrive.
Croton has learned about Daonia through Teratus's intelligence and the information obtained from the released soldiers over the past six months. Chief General Milo is aware of Daonia and is very vigilant about it. Therefore, he had made preparations in advance and immediately carried out war mobilization after helping Crimisa eliminate the mercenaries. This time, in order to completely defeat Daonia, Croton and its affiliated Aspru Tum gathered all the troops they could gather: 20,000 from Croton and 3,000 from Aspru Tum; Siris, Croton's ally, was originally a large city, but it suffered the most severe losses in the Daonian League's raid last time. But for revenge, it still squeezed out 2,000 troops; Trina, which is close to the Brutii, also sent 1,000 people. This time Croton did not refuse; only Caulonia, Croton refused its reinforcements, because the south of Caulonia is the Locri alliance, Croton's enemy. Although it has not made any major moves in recent years, Croton knows that Locri has always been eyeing the north. If Locri suddenly attacks when it is at war with Daonia and occupies Caulonia, then it can smoothly take Siris, which lacks troops, and directly threaten the empty Croton in the rear… Therefore, vigilance and defense against Locri must not be relaxed.
At the same time, the decisive battle with Daonia must also begin as soon as possible, and we cannot wait for all the Daonian troops to arrive before attacking. Therefore, Croton reversed the usual procrastination of Greek city-states in pre-war preparations. This time, it was particularly efficient, not only completing the assembly in one day, but also urging the allied reinforcements to hurry on their way.
In fact, Locri was overjoyed when it learned that Croton and Daonia had broken out in war. After deliberation, its council sent envoys to Daonia. However, Croton not only blocked the road to the north on land, but also Crotonian warships constantly patrolled the sea off the east coast of Greater Greece, north of Cape Alice, forcing the Locrian envoys to change their course, planning to have the passenger ship turn to Sicily in the southwest, and then turn northeast to Tarentum to disembark and take a long detour by land.
… … … … … … … …
Davos was analyzing Croton's military intelligence with the legion's generals, discussing countermeasures. Aristocrates came in, whispered a few words to him, and Davos nodded and said: "Let them both in."
He turned to the generals and said: "Brothers, Zanteparis and Tormides are here."
The living room, which was still arguing, was suddenly silent.
Zanteparis and Tormides walked in hurriedly with worried faces. They did not expect that there would be so many people in the living room, and they were stunned at the time.
At this time, Davos said with a smile: "I was just about to call you two, but I didn't expect you to come first. We are about to start discussing how to deal with the Crotonians. Come in and tell us your opinions."
Zanteparis and Tormides looked at each other, then knelt down on one knee and said with apologetic expressions: "Lord Davos… and… comrades, we are really… sorry for you! We have brought war to Daonia and also brought trouble to you! Timason and Crianor have been in frequent contact with mercenaries for some time, and have repeatedly asked for our opinions. We have always thought that they just wanted to leave here, but we didn't expect… we—"
"Timason's affairs have nothing to do with you!" Davos interrupted them, his expression serious and earnest, and said: "Everyone has their own ideas and the life they like to live. You and other mercenaries chose to stay instead of leaving, which shows that you agree with Daonia's system, like living here, and are willing to become Daonian citizens. Then come, fight with us! In the face of the Crotonian army, your time to be tested has come! Use your heroic performance to counter the doubts of others and prove to the Daonian people that we did not misjudge people at the beginning, and also prove your determination to defend Daonia to the death, so that the Daonian people will voluntarily open their arms to welcome you!"
"Davos is right! Zanteparis, Tormides, let us fight together and defeat the Crotonians! Avenge Timason and them!"
"Great, we can finally fight together again!"
… …
Amintas, Antonios, and others expressed their warm welcome to Zanteparis and Tormides, which relieved them.
The next morning, the reinforcements from Sybaris and Terina arrived, and Croton also received intelligence from Thurii: Amendolara had about four thousand reinforcements arriving in Thurii, and the citizens of Daonia in the Sybaris Plain successively entered the square to assemble. It is reported that there were about eight thousand people, who then stationed in the military camp north of Thurii. There was no progressive action, and Daonia seemed to be waiting for reinforcements from Nium and Laos.
This news prompted Milon to decide to take immediate action. With his active promotion, the council passed a resolution to attack Thurii, with Chief General Milon serving as the commander of the army, and General Philadelphus, who had the ability to command the army, serving as his deputy, leading about 27,000 soldiers, including 20,000 heavy infantry and 6,500 light infantry. Among these 6,500 light infantry, 4,000 were light armor soldiers wearing leather armor and holding leather shields and spears, and did not have the ability to project. There were also 800 cavalrymen. In addition to the regular army, there were also a large number of slaves and freemen transporting supplies, making the actual number of the entire army as high as 40,000.
To this end, Croton organized a huge fleet in the port, and it took nearly three hours just to load supplies and let the soldiers board the ship. It was not until noon that the troop transport fleet sailed north under the escort of the Croton fleet. When passing through Crimisa, another 500 soldiers joined, bringing the number of combat troops to 27,500.
Because the whole process of boarding the ship at the port of Croton was cumbersome and protracted, and the scene was quite chaotic, Milon was worried that the situation would be worse when landing on the beach. He and Philadelphus were quite concerned about what Tratus's intelligence said earlier: "The coastline of Daonia is monitored by cavalry." For the sake of prudence, they did not dare to land on the coast north of Castellon, but immediately docked after passing the swamp. The place where the ship was docked was the beach where Timaeus's mercenaries had landed a few days ago.
Milon first let the cavalry disembark and expand the alert range to two miles, and after confirming that there was no enemy, he began a large-scale landing. Countless soldiers carried weapons and equipment, and some even led war horses, jumped off the cargo ship, waded through the sea, and reached the shore. Because there was no pier, slaves and freemen had to carry grain, tents and other supplies to the shore...
Looking at the entire beach, it was full of dark heads, a mess, people shouting and horses neighing, and the team officers were in a hurry; and the supplies were piled up here and there, which affected the soldiers' formation. Philadelphus beat and scolded the slaves... It took a long time to rectify the entire landing force and straighten out the affairs. After this tossing, people were tired and horses were exhausted, and the sky was already dusk.
After determining the campsite nearby, Milon issued an order, strictly demanding: Each team should build a strong camp, set up post posts, and there must be no negligence!
The defeat of Melanxius is a lesson from the past. This time, Croton has an absolute advantage and has the advantage. It only needs to move forward steadily, and victory is just around the corner.
Tomorrow, we will first capture Castellon and make it a forward base for Croton's army and fleet... Milon conceived the next military action plan in his mind,
Gradually entered dreamland.
… … … … … … … …
In the big tent of the Thurii military camp, Davos, Military Officer Philicius, First Legion Commander Capus, Second Legion Commander Drax, and Cavalry Captain Ledes were conducting enemy analysis.
On the wooden table in the center was a smooth wooden board two meters square, on which was drawn a detailed map of Greater Greece. Philicius held a wooden stick and pointed to the map on the wooden board and said: "Everyone, just received intelligence from the front that Croton has sent about 30,000 soldiers and has landed here—on the coast south of Castellon. It is estimated that they will be able to attack Castellon tomorrow!"
"Thirty thousand people?!" Cavalry Captain Ledes took a breath of cold air: "In order to deal with us, Croton is afraid that all the citizens of the city-state have been sent out!"
"What are thirty thousand people!" Drax retorted unconvincedly: "If the Third Army can arrive in time, plus those conscripted freemen, our troops will exceed thirty thousand! And even if there are not thirty thousand people, Croton is not our opponent!"
"But Croton's soldiers are all citizen soldiers!" Capus looked at Davos with some worry: "Your Excellency, are we really not waiting for the Third Legion to arrive and go directly to Castellon?!"
Davos said calmly: "There is no time. Croton is determined to eliminate Daonia this time, so they have made preparations early, and the speed of their advance is so fast! If we wait, it means giving up Castellon, which will not only damage the reputation of Daonia, which has just been established, but also allow the enemy to enter the Sybaris Plain, which also violates the promises we made before! We are not sure of winning against Croton's citizen soldiers on the plain, and relying on the defense of the city wall will take too long, which is not conducive to our new alliance!" Davos took the wooden stick from Philicius and pointed to the curve marked as the Trionto River on the map, and said in a deep voice: "So we must make full use of this river!"
Everyone present was very clear about Davos's plan. Philicius opened his mouth, but finally asked the question: "Lord Davos, will the Croton people rashly lead a large army across the Trionto River?! I heard that their commander Milon is a general with rich combat experience."
Davos smiled and said seriously: "No plan can guarantee complete implementation, but Milon is confused by the false news I released. Seeing that he is so eager to assemble the army and wants to approach the city before we complete the assembly, it is very likely that he will be fooled. Of course, if he is not fooled, we can also withdraw to Thurii and fight a long defensive battle with the Croton people!"
"He will be fooled!" Drax said the expectations of the generals present. They also did not want the Croton people to set foot on the land of Daonia.
"How many cavalry do they have?" Ledes asked an important question.
"About eight hundred people," Philicius replied.
Ledes clenched his fist. Whether it was the number of people or experience, his cavalry did not have the upper hand. It only depended on whether Lord Davos's wonderful tactics could work.
"Brothers!" Davos looked at these generals who had lived and died together and were eager to try at this moment. He knew that there was no need to mobilize them at all, and their fighting spirit would inevitably be high, so he said calmly: "It's already late, you immediately return to your respective teams and act according to the previous plan! Hades will bless us, and everything will go smoothly tomorrow!"
"Yes!"
… … … … … … … …
The Croton camp was safe and sound that night.
The next morning, the sky was clear and rainless. Milon woke up, feeling refreshed, and the intelligence from Thurii was also delivered in time: the reinforcements from Laos and Nium had not yet arrived, and three thousand people from Thurii were rushing to Castellon in the afternoon.
This secret letter should have been sent out last night. At the same time, the Croton warships patrolling the coast of Thurii in the morning did not find any traces of large-scale troop movements on the Thurii-Castellon Avenue... Milon thought: The Daonians should already know about the arrival of the Croton army, but they only sent three thousand reinforcements while they were still in the process of war mobilization. But with these three thousand people, they want to defend Castellon?! As far as he knows, even with the soldiers in Castellon, there are no more than four thousand people, and the city of Castellon, which is less than four meters high, cannot stop the Croton army from crossing the Trionto River and capturing Castellon. Milon even hoped that Castellon would send all its troops to stop him from crossing the river, so that he could inflict the greatest damage on them in the wild and more easily capture the city of Castellon. The weather and the enemy's situation are all favorable to Croton. This is the blessing of Apollo! Croton must seize the opportunity when the Daonian alliance has not completed war mobilization and the army has not assembled and arrived, quickly cross the Trionto River, take Castellon as soon as possible, and then fight a decisive battle with the Daonian army!
Milon immediately discussed with Philadelphus and formulated a river crossing plan.
At Milon's urging, the army quickly assembled. Among them, 22,000 soldiers were led by Milon and marched to the northwest; another 4,500 soldiers and 500 cavalry were led by Philadelphus and marched to the north.
There are two ideal wading locations on the Trionto River: one is located in the middle reaches, which is not only shallow and has a flat river beach, but also has a wading section of more than two miles long. Davos originally crossed the river from here to attack Melanxius; the other is located in the lower reaches, west of the city of Castellon, where the river section is short and the water is deeper.
The Croton people's river crossing plan is: the 5,000 people led by Philadelphus contain and attract the enemy, but do not cross the river immediately, while Milon's army fully crosses the wide river section in the middle reaches.
The Croton army led by Milon was in eight columns, forming a long dragon that was four or five miles long.
The ears of Milon, who was riding a horse in the center of the team, were filled with the noisy sound of footsteps and the sound of armor colliding... But he felt unusually pleasant. The huge force gave him sufficient confidence. He even had the leisure to think: Castellon City and Crimisa City were both built on the north bank of the river. This is because they were originally the sub-states of Sybaris, pro-Sybaris, and were prepared for Croton. After this war, they must be forced to move the city to the south bank! As for Thurii... If everything goes smoothly, he doesn't mind destroying it for the fourth time!
"Report to the general, the reconnaissance cavalry crossing the river was blocked by the enemy's cavalry. Four died and two escaped back."
"What did they find?"
"They saw that the enemy had several thousand people marching along the north bank."
Several thousand people? Are they following us? Milon thought for a while and said, "Has Philadelphus reached his destination?"
"Not yet."
"Notify the front to slow down the marching speed. At the same time, have Philadelphus make more noise to attract the enemy's attention. Also… have Arisosist (the Croton cavalry captain) pull back the scouting cavalry. Now that the situation is clear, there's no need to waste our cavalry!"
"Yes!"
After issuing the orders, Milon's gaze turned to the woods ahead. He was quite familiar with this place, because beyond it, further west, was where Melanchus's army had been ambushed. After the peace agreement with Daonia was signed, Milon personally led a team to carry out thousands of corpses from there, some from the allied states, some from Croton… The tragic scene haunted him for a long time!
Milon tightened his reins: This time, Croton would wash away its shame and avenge them!
The troops emerged from the woods, and ahead lay a flat and relatively high wilderness. The Trionto River narrowed here, making the water too deep to ford, which was why Melanchus had camped here.
"Enemies! Look, enemies!!" The soldiers near the riverbank became agitated.
A fully armed Daonian force appeared ahead of the column, on the opposite bank of the Trionto River, marching quickly westward along the bank.
It seemed the Daonians had scouted their movements and were preparing to stop them from crossing the river. Milon wasn't too worried. Although he couldn't see the full picture of the enemy on the opposite bank, he felt that the number of troops wasn't too large. Just as the secret letter had said, the Daonian vanguard sent to Castron was less than four thousand men, and they still had to defend against Philadelphus. How many enemies could be left to block his army from crossing the river!
In its upper reaches, the Trionto River rushed through a narrow valley between the mountains until it burst out of the gorge, only to encounter a flat lowland. Like a child freed from restraint, it joyfully expanded its territory to both sides, widening the river to thirty or forty meters, slowing the current and reducing the depth. After flowing gently for more than two miles, the river narrowed and deepened again due to the rising terrain…
At this moment, on the south bank of the Trionto River, Milon arrayed his 22,000 soldiers (including 2,000 light infantry) into a formation ten ranks deep, with a column stretching for more than two miles, curving and covering the entire fording section of the river. This was because the approximately five thousand enemies on the opposite bank had also arrayed themselves in a formation as long as Croton's, but not only was the depth obviously thinner, but the formation was also very loose. Milon firmly believed that even with the help of the Trionto River, the Daonian army, with its far smaller numbers, could not withstand the advance of the Croton army. Their thin line would inevitably be broken by the heavy Croton army!
"Attack!" Milon, located in the rear of the center, commanded the bugler with great pride.
The high-pitched bugle call resounded over the quietly flowing Trionto River. Except for the two thousand men personally led by Milon in the rear of the center, who remained in place because he felt that his forces far outnumbered the enemy and there was no need to commit all of them to battle, the entire square began to move slowly towards the riverbank…
Colebus was one of these twenty thousand soldiers. After being captured by the Daonians last time, he had spent half a year building roads under guard, suffering greatly. Moreover, his family had incurred a large debt to redeem him. This time, he was conscripted by the city-state to fight against Daonia again. In addition to harboring a strong desire for revenge, he also hoped to defeat the Daonians, obtain considerable spoils of war, and pay off his debts. The river beach here was not soft sand, but covered with cobblestones of various shapes and sizes. The ground was hard, but easy to trip over, so Colebus and the others walked slowly and steadily…
The Trionto River was ahead. Through the narrow eyeholes of his Corinthian helmet, Colebus, in the front row, saw many people rushing out of the enemy's formation on the opposite bank. Before the squad officer could remind him, he quickly raised his round shield and held it in front of his chest.
"Ding!" A Daonian arrow struck his bronze shield, making a harsh sound, but it could not damage it in the slightest. His right foot had already stepped into the river.
"Watch out overhead!!" The squad officer's shout echoed weakly and distantly in the tight helmet.
He subconsciously looked up and saw countless black dots falling rapidly from the sky.
"Damn, it's a volley!" He hurriedly raised his shield to protect his head.
At this moment, he heard the squad officer shouting urgently: "Watch out in front!!"
However, the hearing and vision of the heavily armored soldiers were severely weakened, causing them to react more slowly than ordinary people. Many people couldn't quickly attend to both front and back, including Colebus. He felt as if he had been lightly punched in the chest, followed by a slight pain. An arrow was stuck in his left chest. It should have penetrated the several layers of densely woven and glued linen armor, but it had already exhausted its kinetic energy, and the arrowhead had only just touched his skin. The experienced Colebus knew that the injury was actually not serious.
However, his teammate next to him was shot in the unarmored thigh, screamed, and fell into the river. Blood immediately stained the river water red. Watching his teammate struggling in the water, Colebus wanted to help him, but he was unable to do so. The cunning Daonians used both volleys and direct shots to make them unable to take care of themselves. Watching his teammate, who had finally stopped struggling, float on the river, Colebus felt a little sorrow in his heart…
"Step forward! Step forward!…" The squad officers shouted and urged the soldiers to speed up and cross the river.
The river water was indeed not deep, only just past the knees, but there were many cobblestones on the riverbed, and some were slippery, so Colebus and the others squatted down, shielding their heads and chests with their round shields at an angle, and the river water blocked their legs, greatly reducing the chance of being hit by arrows. It was just that the speed of advance was not fast. After experiencing the initial panic, the soldiers gradually calmed down, slowly moving forward while protecting themselves from arrows, and at the same time readjusting the somewhat chaotic formation in the process of advancing.
Almost to the center of the river, the water depth did not increase much, and even Colebus on the right wing of the square did not feel any rush of water because the long line on the left blocked the river. At this time, he observed that some people rushed out of the enemy's formation on the opposite bank, almost running to the riverbank, less than twenty meters away from them, and the spear tips in their hands shone coldly in the sunlight… Colebus's heart pounded wildly. He instinctively sat down, almost immersing his entire body in the water.
"Watch out for javelins!!…" The squad officers' voices were obviously much louder, because javelins clearly caused more damage to heavy infantry than arrows.
Colebus heard a whistling sound in his ear, followed by a loud "thump!" A piercing scream came from his teammate behind him. A javelin was stuck straight in the round shield, the spear tip piercing the copper skin, shattering the wooden board, and directly nailing his left arm. Moreover, the strong impact pushed him backward, knocking down the soldiers behind him. If it hadn't been for the timely help of the teammates next to him, these heavily armored soldiers would have been infiltrated into their mouths and noses by this seemingly gentle and harmless river water, causing choking coughs and eventually suffocation. It could be seen that the power of the enemy's javelin throw was so great that it caused another wave of panic in the front ranks of the Croton army.
At this time, the light infantry in the rear formation also followed closely, and they could finally start fighting back. The arrows they launched like raindrops fell on the river beach on the opposite bank, forcing the enemy's javelin throwers to dare not attack the front ranks at close range.
The casualties of the Croton people were only a drop in the bucket compared to this huge army. Although Milon felt a little heartache, he didn't take it too seriously. He was only surprised that nearly half of the five thousand enemies on the opposite bank were light infantry, and that these light infantry were skilled in cooperation, tactical, and ruthless and precise in attack, which he had never seen in previous battles, which aroused his vigilance. But the outcome of this battle was beyond doubt, because—
"General! Our army has landed! We have landed!…" The subordinates beside him cheered.
Previously, Milon had thought that crossing the Trionto River would be very easy, but looking at the corpses floating on the river, and looking at the relieved expressions of his subordinates, it all showed that the opponent's light infantry was more powerful than they had expected.
"Beat the war drums! Don't let them escape!" Riding on his horse, Milon could vaguely see that when the leading soldiers of his team stepped onto the river beach, the enemy's light infantry had quickly passed through the gaps in their formation and retreated to the rear.
"Yes, General!" As soon as the adjutant's voice fell, he heard a high-pitched bugle call from the opposite bank, a deafening sound that would require at least ten buglers to blow at the same time to achieve.
Milon could not hide the shock in his heart. Could it be that the Daonian force sent to Castron was more than the five or six thousand people in front?! This shocking thought flashed through the minds of Milon and his subordinates at the same time, and their eyes were fixed on the rear of the river beach on the opposite bank.
The war drums of "Boom! Boom! Boom!…" were quickly beaten, reaching the ears of Colebus, who had landed on the shore, making him feel invigorated.
"Attack! Attack!…" Without the attacks of bows and arrows and javelins, the orders of the squad officers were also full of excitement.
The Croton soldiers shouted the name of the god "Apollo", took big steps, and charged towards the enemies in front of them.
But a louder shout came from the opposite side. A scarlet military flag suddenly rose from the rear of the river beach, followed by an endless stream of closely arranged soldiers. In the same Passionate drumbeat, they quickly rushed towards their comrades who were serving as bait in front. The military flags that were successively erected and fluttered in the wind evoked the painful memories of the Croton soldiers who had served as prisoners like Colebus.
Fooled! Ambush! Similar thoughts flashed through the minds of every Croton soldier in an instant, and this thought was rapidly devouring their high morale, causing them to hesitate and wander on the shore, shrinking back, and watching helplessly as the Daonian army joined forces with the previous troops and began to reorganize their formation…
Not only the soldiers, but at the moment when the Daonian army appeared, Milon's mind was also blank. He trembled all over and his face was pale. He knew he had been deceived! Deceived by the cunning Daonians! Thinking that there were too few enemies, he rashly allowed his army to cross the river in front of the enemy's equally large army. For any qualified general, this was an extremely wrong military action! But now it was too late to retreat. Retreating in front of the enemy, and having to turn back and cross the river again, was a taboo for the city-state citizen soldiers who did not have much training. That meant a complete rout without fighting, and the Daonians could easily attack, turning the seemingly gentle Trionto River into the tomb of Crotonian citizen soldiers.
Milon didn't expect that the battle between Croton and Daonia would suddenly unfold here and now, but in the face of this decisive battle that concerned the life and death of the city-state, he tried hard to calm himself down, throwing guilt and fear behind him, and focusing on the battle in front of him: "Blow all the horns! Beat all the war drums! Let the soldiers rush up! Bravely cross the river! That's our only hope of winning!" He anxiously waved his arms and shouted.
The orderlies jumped into the river on horseback and shouted loudly.
The suddenly enhanced sound of horns and war drums urged the army to move forward, and the squadron officers in the formation also knew that the situation was dangerous, and took the lead to move forward.
The Crotonian army began to accelerate its advance, but the Daonian army quickly reorganized its formation and was already pressing up. Because of the cobblestones all over the ground, neither side charged like in previous heavy infantry battles, but steadily approached...
When the two sides were only twenty meters apart, Colebus saw that the enemies on the opposite side suddenly stopped advancing amidst the shouts of the squadron officers. The front row of enemies squatted slightly, and countless cold lights appeared in the back row of the enemy formation. The opponent's actions made him immediately understand what was about to happen, and he hurriedly squatted down.
Only hearing "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..." continuous whistling sounds, it was like a gust of wind suddenly blowing, accompanied by the screams rising one after another. In the blink of an eye, the front row of soldiers in the entire Crotonian army fell down, not only interrupting the Crotonian soldiers' advance, but also making the formation of the front row of their army somewhat fragmented.
The Daonians did not stop there, and immediately threw another round of javelins. At such a close distance, the lethality of heavy javelins was quite amazing.
Just when the Crotonian soldiers were scrambling to avoid the javelins and rescue their comrades, causing their formation to be chaotic, the Daonians took the opportunity to advance in big strides, hitting the terrified Crotonians with their round shields, and two or three spears stabbed at the enemies who had just survived the javelins...
If the back row had not filled in time, the front line of Crotonian would have almost collapsed. But it also prevented the Crotonian army from being blocked on the river bank. Milon's carefully prepared battle formation of more than 20 rows was now a problem. On most of the river sections, half of them were on the river bank and half were in the river. In heavy infantry battles, in addition to face-to-face fighting, pushing the opponent in a tug-of-war-like manner with the thickness of the formation to achieve a breakthrough is also another effective way to attack, but the Crotonians' current situation not only prevents them from effectively forming a unified force, but also slowly retreats under the opponent's powerful push.
.........
When the javelins covering the sky and sun flew into the Crotonian formation, Milon felt that his heart was about to stop beating.
The Daonian heavy infantry could actually throw javelins! Milon now regretted that he was too careless and did not learn more about the tactical characteristics of the Daonian army, and see their light infantry and heavy infantry. This was obviously a well-trained unit with unique tactics!
Just when Milon was heartbroken by the deaths and injuries of the soldiers and regretted his negligence, his subordinates stared at the fighting on the opposite bank and shouted anxiously: "Damn Daonians actually have so many heavy infantry! It must be that their Neutum and Laos reinforcements have arrived!"
Indeed, according to the reports from the adjutants on the left and right wings,
The Daonians' army formation had almost the same length, and could force the retreat of their own formation. Despite the convenience of the terrain, its thickness was probably not much thinner than their own formation. Could it be that the current Daonians also had about 20,000 people? Listening to his subordinates' scolding, it was like a lightning flashed through Milon's mind. He, who was determined to take revenge, had always carefully studied the secret reports sent back by Thurii, so he also had some understanding of the Daonian League.
He remembered that the secret report once said: It would take at least three days to get from Thurii to Neutum, and the same time to Laos. Then, even if the cavalry's mobilization order was sent to Neutum and Laos, and the troops were immediately assembled and set off to Thurii, it would take six days for the round trip. After all, the Thurii-Neutum-Laos Avenue had just begun to be built, and only four days had passed since the declaration of war. Unless Daonia had summoned the troops in advance. However, three days ago, those mercenaries had not yet attacked Krimisa. He had severely tortured several prisoners, including Krianos and Tolikos, who all unanimously admitted that they had concealed it from Davos and decided to seize Krimisa on their own. Therefore, the reinforcements from Neutum and Laos should still be on their way to Thurii, so where did so many Daonian heavy infantry come from?
The citizens of Thurii and Amendolara didn't have so many. Milon could be sure of this. He suddenly remembered something: ... Free people?! They are those so-called registered free people of Daonia!!
Milon suddenly remembered that the previous secret report also mentioned that Daonia frequently organized their free people for military training. Milon also remembered that many members of the Crotonian Council ridiculed Daonia for being indiscriminate in their food choices, turning the crude free people into city-state citizens, which was simply nonsense! But everything in front of him showed that Daonia's method was still effective. The armor and shields held by these previously poor free people were probably all from the last time the Crotonian army was killed or captured!
Although Milon was angry, he was more clearly aware that Thurii had sent even these free people to the battlefield, and was probably doing everything they could. Then, did they have any extra troops!!
Milon looked at the battlefield in front of him, where the shouts of killing shook the sky, but his spirit was invigorated: "Eutidemus!"
"General, what is it?" The subordinate who had been shouting just now responded.
"You immediately lead these two thousand soldiers to the east and hand them over to Philadelphus to lead."
"What?! Didn't you want to send this unit forward to strengthen the middle?" Eutidemus asked in confusion.
"Execute the order!" Milon glared. This friend's son was hardworking, but he was too lively by nature: "You tell General Philadelphus that there won't be too many enemies on the opposite bank. Let him cross the river as soon as possible at the cost of casualties. After defeating the enemy, rush over to flank the Daonian army! The victory or defeat of this battle depends on his actions!" Milon instructed solemnly.
"Understood!" Eutidemus was reminded by Milon, saw where the opportunity for victory lay, and excitedly went to execute the order.
Milon then jumped off his horse, holding a shield and spear, led the guard down the river, joined the battle formation, and kept shouting, urging the soldiers to fight bravely.
Since most of the Daonian heavy infantry were composed of reserve citizens, he did not believe that these novices who were still free people half a year ago and had never had any heavy infantry combat experience could master the essence of heavy infantry combat in half a year. This was where his confidence lay. He firmly believed that even if the Crotonian soldiers were in dire straits, they could still hold on until the arrival of Philadelphus's army.
.........
In the rear of the central part of the Daonian army formation, a large flag was erected high, with a statue of Hades, the king of the underworld, inlaid at the top, but the size was obviously larger than the legion's flag, and the flag surface was also larger, with very large golden letters of "Davos" embroidered on it.
The Daonian League currently has three legions. Davos, of course, had to abdicate and return to his original position. According to the old tradition, the Archon originally served concurrently as the commander of the city-state army. Therefore, Davos's highest position in the League army was the Commander-in-Chief of the Daonian League Army (i.e., the Supreme Commander).
At this moment, Davos was also paying attention to the movements of the enemy on the opposite bank.
"Commander, the enemy has troops going downstream!" Aristocrates reminded loudly. As a talent that Davos valued, Davos intended to cultivate him comprehensively like Asistes, so he also allowed him to follow during battles, but after all, he was only a free man, so he could only temporarily be given the title of clerk.
Davos had been waiting for this moment: "Tolmid!"
"Commander, please give the order!" Tolmid's answer came from the bottom of his heart with respect.
The rapid advance of the Crotonian army greatly exceeded the expectations of the generals. With the troops of Neutum and Laos unable to arrive in time, the strength of the two sides was somewhat different. During the military conference, many people suggested: Give up reinforcing Castron, hold Thurii, and wait for reinforcements to arrive before engaging in a decisive battle. But Davos overruled all objections and insisted on pushing the front line to Castron. Due to the prestige he had established over a long period of time, everyone was finally persuaded by him.
He conscripted all the citizens and registered free people in Thurii and Amendolara who had participated in training and were able to fight, and even some of the free people who had just arrived in Thurii. This was indeed a great risk. It should be known that at this time, the Daonian army was concentrated in Castron, and Thurii and Amendolara in the rear had almost no defensive power except for a small number of troops in the port. If the Crotonian fleet landed on the coast of the Sybaris Plain, then Daonia would not be able to resist it for a while, but Davos dared to make such a bold move.
As Davos had predicted, the Crotonian army was crossing the river at this very spot, allowing the ambushing Daonian army to catch them head-on. The Daonian army, composed of many new recruits, held the advantage of terrain and employed novel tactics, inflicting considerable casualties on the Crotonian army, renowned for its bravery in Greater Greece, and gaining the upper hand for a time.
During his time in Persia, Davos was known in the expeditionary force for his skill in annihilating enemies, fighting clever battles, and minimizing casualties. However, Tolmid, as the army's messenger and coordinator of the entire mercenary force, only caught glimpses of Davos' military capabilities, as Davos' camp was always the most strictly managed. After arriving in Thurii and hearing about Davos' many victories with smaller forces, he had been itching to see it for himself. In this military operation, Tolmid, as the acting messenger (because he was still a freeman), participated throughout and witnessed Davos single-handedly devising a military plan he had never seen before, and directing all departments of the alliance to act around this plan as if it were an extension of his own limbs: having the elderly and women wear armor and walk around the port to confuse the enemy fleet; meticulously arranging the night march so that even inexperienced recruits and freemen could successfully reach Castron City; enforcing strict discipline in the army, tightly sealing off Castron City to prevent information from leaking out; sending Izam's mountain reconnaissance team to scout the enemy's movements across the river and report back at any time, while also dispatching cavalry to intercept the enemy's river-crossing scouts, keeping the enemy completely ignorant of the situation on the opposite bank of the Trionto River; leading the army silently and quickly to this location before dawn to lie in ambush, and setting up bait (referring to the four thousand soldiers) on the forward riverbank, while concealing the main force; and deliberately deploying more than a thousand men in the shallow river sections of the Trionto and its lower reaches to deter the Crotonians from risking heavy casualties and choosing the safer middle section of the river…
Throughout the entire military operation, Davos's strategies were fully displayed: deception, rapid marching, reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, ambush, enticement… perfectly combined to successfully maneuver the enemy, achieve the objective, and broaden Tolmid's horizons. In this era, wars between city-states mostly involved both sides gathering soldiers for a battle in a mutually agreed-upon location, or when one side was strong, the other would stubbornly defend until reinforcements arrived and then counterattack. Generals focused their attention on the tactics used during the battle (which the Spartans excelled at). Who would have thought that Davos would start by formulating a plan based on the situation and then carry out a series of complex and meticulous actions around this plan to achieve his goals, essentially sculpting the bloody battle into a work of art similar to a delicate and beautiful Athenian pottery vase, just as Davos himself said, "War concerns the survival of the city-state and must be approached with utmost caution, deliberation, and thought before taking action."
This is why Davos can become the chief magistrate of a powerful alliance, while Timason died in battle in a small city! Tolmid mused.
"Tolmid, hurry to the east and notify Zantiparis, Epitenes, Zipyte, and Lydes that the enemy will cross the river soon. Tell them to prepare and act according to the plan," Davos ordered.
"Yes!" Tolmid turned and mounted his horse, galloping eastward. Although the tactics employed in the east would be even more bizarre, he already had confidence in Davos.
… … … … … … … … …
Philadelphus was genuinely startled when he learned from Euthydemos that Milon had led his army across the river, encountered the Daonian army, and was now engaged in a bitter battle. The Daonians had actually ambushed nearly 20,000 troops on the opposite bank of the upper Trionto River, completely unexpected!
Could there also be an ambush here? He looked at the thousand or so Daonian light infantry stationed on the opposite bank and couldn't help but wonder: Originally, he had hoped that Milon would cross the river and come to help him drive back the enemy on the other side to reduce the casualties of his soldiers, but now he had to lead his troops to help Milon. The situation was critical, and he couldn't afford to think too much.
The shallow river section here could not accommodate more than 6,000 soldiers crossing at the same time.
He quickly divided his troops into three sections: front, middle, and rear. At the very front were more than 3,000 heavy infantry, whose solid protection could reduce casualties and allow them to reach the opposite bank smoothly and disperse the enemy under a barrage of enemy arrows and javelins. Following closely behind were 500 cavalrymen, who could pursue and defeat the enemy's light infantry. Finally, there were nearly 3,000 light armor infantry.
After enduring the Daonian ranged attacks and suffering some casualties, the Crotonian heavy infantry reached the riverbank. Without them needing to pursue, the Daonian light infantry had already fled far away. Philadelphus successfully led all of his troops across the river.
"General, should we pursue?" the cavalry captain, Arisosis, asked for instructions.
Philadelphus shook his head and said cautiously, "Now we must immediately rush to help Milon. Your cavalry should guard the perimeter of the column and not attack rashly."
Philadelphus had just led his team to turn west when a loud bugle call came from due north.
Philadelphus's heart tightened: There really was an ambush!
At this moment, Arisosis also quickly arrived, his expression slightly strange, and said, "General, an enemy force has been spotted to the north, heading towards us. They number about six or seven thousand, all archers, slingers, and light shield bearers, with a few hundred cavalrymen."
Philadelphus was stunned: "No heavy infantry?"
"No!" Arisosis nodded firmly.
Although Philadelphus was a little puzzled, he was clearly relieved. He decisively issued the order: "The entire army forms a line to the north!" Since the attacking Daonian army had no heavy infantry and lacked the ability to engage in direct assaults, Philadelphus did not mind defeating them before continuing his march to reduce harassment.
"Arisosis, how many enemy cavalry are there?"
"More than four hundred cavalry."
"Good, we have twice as many cavalry as they do." Philadelphus looked even more relaxed. He said, "Arisosis, your cavalry is especially important in the battle against light infantry. I need you to lead the cavalry to defeat the enemy cavalry and then, as much as possible, avoid pursuing and instead attack the flanks of the enemy's center, understand?!"
"Understood!" Arisosis turned his horse and left.
The Daonian army advanced very quickly. Before long, their figures appeared in Philadelphus's field of vision. When he roughly saw what the enemy looked like, he couldn't help but be shocked: Because the enemy's light infantry was too lightly equipped. Whether they were archers or javelin throwers, they all wore thin linen clothing. Even the cavalry was partly armored and partly in single layers, extremely shabby.
Could these people all be freemen temporarily recruited from the port of Thurii? Philadelphus couldn't help but smile: Milon's guess was indeed correct. Daonia had few citizens and a tight source of troops. He could even sweep them away with just light armor infantry and cavalry!
The Daonian army stopped more than 500 meters away and began to reorganize its formation.
"I think the Crotonians will be very surprised to see us. They must think we are just here to harass them, but they never imagined that we let them cross the river with the intention of annihilating them all here," Tolmid said with emotion.
"This battle will prove to the Greeks that light infantry is as important as heavy infantry. As long as the strategy is right, light infantry can easily defeat heavy infantry!" Epitenes said confidently.
"The key is whether Lydes and Zantiparis can annihilate the enemy cavalry first," Tolmid was still a little worried.
"Don't worry, that is a plan carefully designed by our Hades's favored one, Lord Davos! He is Hades's favored one!" Zipyte said with a face full of admiration: "You and I didn't expect it, let alone the enemy, they will definitely fall for it!" As he spoke, Epitenes had already jumped off his horse and walked into the ranks, ordering the soldiers to widen the gaps, making the formation more sparse, which would facilitate throwing and running.
Zipyte also rushed to the right wing and issued the same order, while the cavalry formation on the left wing of Lydes was also sparse. In this way, the entire left, middle, and right wings of the Daonian army were like leavened bread, and the area occupied, whether horizontally or vertically, was almost doubled.
As for Philadelphus, it was the first time he had encountered this situation. He hesitated for a while, and finally decided to thin out his formation, but the arrangement between the soldiers was still as dense as usual, because he felt that although neither the heavy infantry nor the light armor infantry had the ability to project, as close-combat units with strong impact and fierce combat power, dense formations were their magic weapon for defeating the enemy. At this moment, the inertia of traditional thinking imprisoned Philadelphus's brain, and the result was that the length of the entire Crotonian array was only comparable to the length of the Daonian center, making the Daonian army array faintly encircle the Crotonian army in a semi-arc.
But Philadelphus was not worried. He knew that the number of people on both sides was actually not much different. As long as the Crotonian soldiers came into contact with the enemy, then victory would come. His greatest guarantee of confidence came from twice as many cavalry as the enemy. Because the opponent's array was too long, in order to facilitate the battle, he ordered Arisosis's cavalry to break away from the connection with the center and directly face the enemy's cavalry.
The Crotonian center was 3,000 light armor infantry. Their speed was faster than that of the heavy infantry. When the cavalry defeated the enemy and flanked the center, the speed of the light armor infantry could cooperate with it to defeat the enemy center together. As for the more than 3,000 heavy infantry on the left wing, Philadelphus of course understood that the clumsy speed of the heavy infantry could not catch up with the light infantry. They only needed to advance slowly, protect themselves, and at the same time pin down the enemy's right wing so that they could not reinforce the center.