On the Daunian side, the center and right wings each consisted of 3,000 light infantry, including archers, slingers, and javelin throwers, mostly freemen from the port of Thurii. Several hundred veterans drawn from the first and second legions served as officers.
The four hundred-plus cavalry on the left wing had always been a sideshow, but according to the plan, this time they became the key to victory in this battle. No wonder even the usually steady Lydes was a bit restless, repeatedly instructing the various cavalry squad leaders on what to pay attention to after the battle began.
"I say, Captain, we're all clear on this, so rest assured!" Sorikos said. The large group of coachmen funded by Christoia Bank loans not only increased the alliance's tax revenue but also made them all skilled riders and drivers, with enough horses, thus becoming the primary targets for cavalry recruitment. As citizens, they were duty-bound to arm themselves and go into battle. Sorikos's age was right at the upper limit of the conscription age, but he was very enthusiastic. At 50 years old, he would definitely struggle as an infantryman, but as a cavalryman, he believed that with his experience, he was more than capable of being a captain.
"Alright, then prepare for battle," Lydes nodded.
"We're clear, but are those guys in the back clear? Don't screw things up when the time comes!" a young cavalry squad leader interjected.
Lydes looked back at him with a smile and said, "Don't worry, Kouchius, they've fought more battles than you've eaten salt. In Persia, they faced far more cavalry than this."
The young cavalry squad leader was unconvinced and wanted to say more.
At this moment, someone shouted, "Look, our slingers are attacking!"
Without an attack horn or loud shouts, the slingers quietly left the formation under the leadership of the veterans, quickly ran to the front of the enemy formation, and began to swing their slings at a distance of more than two hundred meters. The Crotone soldiers, who were still forming their ranks, immediately enjoyed a "stone rain" baptism, and many soldiers were unable to raise their shields in time to protect themselves, and not a few were hit and bleeding from their heads.
"Shameless Daunians! Cunning Daunians! Apollo will surely punish you!" Philadelphus didn't expect the enemy to pull this trick, and was caught off guard, immediately cursing loudly.
"Attack! Attack! Attack immediately!" he shouted in exasperation.
"Ooh! … Ooh! …" The high-pitched attack horn sounded.
Arisosis, who had been impatient for a long time, immediately pointed his spear forward: "Cavalry, advance!"
The 800 Crotone cavalry formed an inverted fan shape, each of them clamping their legs tightly around the horse's belly,
shaking the reins, and the warhorses began to stride forward, slowly trotting.
Lydes's cavalry formed a loose wedge formation, with two experienced cavalrymen at the tip, each holding a red flag fluttering in the wind. Seeing that the enemy had begun to move, Lydes took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, gently patted his beloved horse's neck, which was snorting, and only after watching the enemy cavalry reach a certain distance, did he shout: "Advance!"
"Giddy up! Giddy up! …" The crowd shouted, urging their warhorses forward. Unlike the Crotone cavalry's attacking posture of controlling the reins with their left hand and holding the spear with their right, the Daunian cavalry controlled the reins with both hands, and the spears were still hanging on the hooks. From a trot to acceleration, the cavalrymen controlled the speed of their horses, not daring to let them run at their fastest speed, otherwise they would easily fall off their horses before they even made contact with the enemy.
The midday sun in spring was not scorching, but the warhorses were puffing like clouds, raising their hooves and advancing bravely, with grass and mud splashing and dust flying. The distance of 500 meters arrived in an instant.
When they were only fifty or sixty meters apart, Lydes, behind the standard-bearers, shouted, "Turn right!!!"
Sorikos, who was parallel to his left, immediately shouted, "Turn left!!!"
The two standard-bearers in front quickly separated to the left and right.
In cavalry combat, due to the speed being too fast, the cavalry behind could potentially break away from the formation if they weren't careful. The characteristic of a wedge formation is that the head is small and the tail is large, so the cavalry behind can see the direction of advance of the cavalry in front of the formation. In addition, with those two red flags fluttering in the wind, even in the dust-filled battlefield, the Daunian cavalry basically achieved unified action. They smoothly divided the wedge formation into two, bypassing the oncoming enemy from the outside.
The Crotone cavalry at the front had not expected the Daunians to make such a move, and were completely dumbfounded. However, they did not dare to stop. Without prior planning and coordination, making any rash moves would not only disrupt the formation but also cause them to be knocked down and trampled into mincemeat by the cavalry behind. They could only charge to the end and then turn back.
However, after passing by the Daunian cavalry, they suddenly saw countless sharp spears extending from the morning mist, revealing their ferocious cold light to them.
"Heavy infantry! There are heavy—" The Crotone cavalry exclaimed, wanting to rein in their horses, but the powerful inertia caused them to crash straight into them with their horses, and instantly there were screams of men and neighs of horses, broken spears and splashing blood…
Some heavy infantrymen were directly knocked away by the powerful impact, but the other soldiers acted as if they hadn't seen it, holding the butt ends of their spears with both hands, unmoving. In front of them, dozens of horses and men were lying in disarray, struggling in the pool of blood…
In this era, there was no true heavy cavalry. Not only the Greek cavalry, but the cavalry of any Mediterranean country had never dared to charge head-on against a densely packed phalanx of spears. The cavalry behind, terrified, wanted to control their warhorses to prevent them from crashing into them, but the sensitive and timid warhorses took the lead in neighing, suddenly stopping their rapid advance. The cavalrymen on horseback were thrown out by inertia, crashing into the forest of spears and being pierced through…
Arisosis, who was in the center of the cavalry formation, managed to stop his advancing warhorse, but saw that his comrades around him were either falling, spinning in place, or no matter how much they shouted, their horses wouldn't move. Cries of pain, shouts, and neighs of horses were intertwined, and the entire cavalry formation was in chaos…
Arisosis knew that he had fallen for the Daunians' trick, and the situation was critical, not allowing him to think too much: "Turn left! Turn left! Get out from the side!"
He shouted loudly, and the guards around him also shouted along. The chaotic Crotone cavalry had a backbone and quickly regained order.
Just as they turned their horses, wanting to bypass the spear phalanx in front, the two Daunian cavalry forces that had bypassed earlier suddenly converged like the arms of a person.
The shouts of killing sounded all around Arisosis. He suddenly realized that his cavalry was surrounded: cavalry was actually surrounded by infantry and cavalry, which was simply impossible, but now it was becoming a reality!
"Charge out to the left together! Charge out together!!!" Arisosis shouted hoarsely in exasperation.
But a louder and more powerful voice covered his shouts. The heavy infantry's charge horn sounded.
"Brothers, kill all these Crotone people and avenge Timason and the others!!!" Xanthippus took off his helmet and was the first to charge forward with his spear.
More than a thousand mercenaries roared and followed him forward. The soldiers who had been knocked down earlier also struggled to get up, drew their swords, and went forward to fight.
The previously solid "spear wall" turned into an omnipresent stream, quickly infiltrating the chaotic Crotone cavalry. Killing stationary cavalry was nothing easier for these battle-hardened mercenaries. They even mostly spared the horses, which were valuable targets, and adopted the method of two mercenaries dealing with one cavalryman at the same time: one was responsible for containing and attracting the opponent's attention, while the other took the opportunity to quickly approach from the side and rear, accurately stabbing the spear diagonally upwards, the spearhead piercing into the lungs from the gap in the leather armor under the ribs, reaching the heart, killing with one blow. If they dodged the stab, the mercenaries would use the spear to sweep downwards with force, knocking the cavalryman off his horse. Before he could even get up, his head would be hit heavily, and his neck would be broken directly.
The mercenaries were very efficient at killing, and even the Daunian cavalry, seeing this, instinctively stayed away from these fierce and evil beings.
This battle ended quickly. Except for dozens of Crotone cavalrymen who escaped, more than a hundred cavalrymen surrendered, and the rest were all killed in battle. Arisosis also died in the formation. The Daunians also obtained more than 400 warhorses, with only more than 50 cavalrymen and more than 20 mercenaries killed or wounded. This was a complete victory! Deiphobus's invented tactics were successful! Lydes listened to the reports of the battle results from his subordinates, his face full of smiles, but he knew that the entire battle was far from over.
He split off 70 cavalrymen to continue pursuing the remnants of the enemy, and urged the remaining cavalry to rush to the nearby city of Castrum: "Quickly go back and get javelins!"
"Lydes, we'll go with you," Xanthippus and many mercenaries came riding on captured warhorses.
"You…" Lydes instinctively wanted to refuse, but after all, the mercenaries had played a decisive role in this battle, so he couldn't directly refuse.
Xanthippus saw what he was thinking and said, "You don't have many cavalrymen under your command now. Although our horsemanship is a bit worse, we are better at throwing javelins than you. More people will put more pressure on Crotone. Ending the battle here sooner will also help to reinforce Deiphobus sooner!"
Xanthippus's words reminded Lydes, and he no longer hesitated about whether they were cavalry or not: "I hope you can keep up with our speed. I won't stop to wait for you."
"Don't worry," Xanthippus said with a smile.
… … … … … … … … …
Philadelphus did not yet know that his cavalry had been almost completely wiped out. Now, the light infantry in the center that he was leading was in trouble.
As soon as the attack horn sounded, the light infantry rushed forward.
The enemy slingers retreated in a panic.
They rushed forward again, and then a rain of arrows came… Then came javelins…
After suffering some casualties, the light infantry was very close to the enemy.
At this moment, the enemy's light infantry in the center retreated as a whole.
The light infantry chased again, and the enemy retreated again. The light infantry chased faster, and the enemy retreated faster; the light infantry chased slower, and the enemy retreated slower… The two sides always maintained a distance of several tens of meters.
Although the light infantry were "lightly armored", they still had "armor" after all, and they were also carrying leather shields and spears, so how could they possibly catch up with an enemy in simple clothing. But once they stopped, the enemy's ranged attacks would begin.
Even more worrisome was that the enemies in the center, taking advantage of the light infantry's advance, gradually split into three groups: one group entangled the light infantry in the formation, while the other two groups circled around to the flanks of the light infantry.
As the light infantry advanced, their flanks were attacked by the enemy. If they focused on the front, they couldn't protect the sides; if they focused on the sides, they couldn't defend the front. The Crotonian light infantry, like a wild boar, recklessly charged around, but not only did they fail to harm a single hair on the enemy's head, their own casualties steadily increased…
"Where are the cavalry?! Why aren't the cavalry here yet! What is Alisos doing!" Watching the soldiers fall one by one, Philadelphus' mood became anxious, and he couldn't help but curse loudly. This was probably the first time he had experienced how difficult it was to fight against an enemy composed entirely of light infantry with just regular infantry. They couldn't hit them, they couldn't catch them, and instead, they became the enemy's living targets.
"Retreat to the left! Retreat to the left!" he shouted, and the guards followed suit. If it had been during the previous pursuit, the excited soldiers wouldn't have been able to hear what he was shouting, but now everyone was huddled together, cautiously dodging arrows and stones, and had already begun to feel some fear and fatigue. Philadelphus' order was exactly what they were hoping for, and the light infantry hurriedly retreated in a chaotic manner.
Who knew that the Daunian light infantry would pursue relentlessly like maggots on a bone.
Philadelphus' original intention was to retreat to the left and join up with the heavy infantry on the left flank, so that their presence could protect the flanks of the light infantry and reduce casualties before the cavalry returned victoriously. At this moment, Philadelphus still firmly believed that the Crotonian cavalry would be victorious.
However, he was in the middle of the formation and didn't know that the left-wing heavy infantry, who he thought would be behind him on the left, had actually been lured away by the enemy's right-wing light infantry. They deliberately retreated little by little towards the northwest, causing the slow-moving heavy infantry to unknowingly change from facing north to advancing towards the northwest, resulting in the gap between Croton's center and left wing widening.
The light infantry quickly retreated for a while, but not only did they fail to join up with the left wing, but they also suffered a rapid increase in casualties because they couldn't defend themselves better during the retreat. Now they were forced to turn around again, using their leather shields to protect themselves, slowly retreating, dodging the densely shot arrows, and watching the increasing number of wounded and fallen comrades on the ground being finished off by the enemy with throat slitting. The morale of the light infantry was wavering.
At this moment, they heard the dense sound of horses' hooves behind them. Because they couldn't look back to avoid the arrows, they all breathed a sigh of relief: "Cavalry! Our cavalry is finally here!!"
Philadelphus was puzzled: Why did Alisos' cavalry run to the back?! Didn't I tell him to lead the cavalry to Pincer attack the enemy on the opposite side after defeating the enemy's left wing! He doesn't even have this ability!! Just as he was feeling angry, someone shouted urgently: "Javelins! Watch out for javelins! They are the enemy!!"
Accompanying this exclamation, hundreds of javelins whistled from behind.
Philadelphus, being in the rear of the formation and wearing a brightly colored general's helmet, naturally became the main target, and was immediately hit by three javelins. When Philadelphus fell, he didn't understand until his death: Why would the Crotonian cavalry, who had superior numbers, fail?
The cavalry they had placed high hopes on turned out to be the enemy's! This became the last straw that broke the light infantry's back. They lost their fighting spirit and scattered and fled. The Daunian light infantry and cavalry took advantage of the situation to pursue. The light infantry couldn't possibly outrun these lightly equipped light infantry, let alone the speed of the cavalry. After being caught up, most of the soldiers chose to surrender.
After resolving the Crotonian right-wing cavalry and the light infantry in the center, the Daunians concentrated all their efforts on dealing with the most difficult heavy infantry.
When more than 3,000 Crotonian heavy infantry were surrounded by more than 7,000 Daunian light infantry and cavalry, these heavy infantrymen all understood that their center and left wing were probably in dire straits, especially when Leides raised Philadelphus' head high,
and shouted for them to surrender while circling around the heavy infantry's formation, the blow to the morale of these Crotonians was unimaginable.
The general commanding this heavy infantry was the Crotonian Philos, and the deputy general was the Cyrinian general Pausanias. The two men quarreled over such a bad situation.
Philos believed that the damage caused by the light infantry to them was not too great. As long as they could persist in advancing to the crossing point of the main force ahead and assist the main force in defeating the Daunian army, the final victory would still belong to Croton.
Pausanias, on the other hand, believed that in the situation of being completely surrounded and attacked, the morale of the soldiers was already very low, and the destination was at least six or seven miles away. It was almost impossible for the soldiers to persist in reaching the wading section of the river in the west with their current condition.
Neither side could convince the other, and they finally parted ways. Pausanias led the Cyrinian soldiers and some Thrinas soldiers, a total of 1,700 men, and began to retreat, preparing to return to the south bank of the Trevento River; Philos led 1,400 Crotonian heavy infantry and began to accelerate westward.
The sudden division of Croton's forces caused trouble for several Daunian generals.
Leides and Zipites believed that they should heavily surround the westward-moving heavy infantry and drive away the retreating enemy with a small force.
Epitenes objected, arguing that since the enemy was retreating, it showed that their fighting spirit was not strong. As long as they continued to pursue and attack, they would inevitably surrender, and then re-surround the remaining heavy infantry in order to completely annihilate the enemy, and the next plan would be easier to implement. His opinion was supported by Xanthippus.
The situation was urgent, and there was no time to argue. The Daunian forces were also divided into two. Epitenes and Xanthippus led their troops to pursue the retreating heavy infantry.
The Cyrinians and Thrinas were indeed not strong in fighting spirit. They were not Crotonians, and there was no major conflict of interest with Daunia. Although the Cyrinian citizens suffered many casualties in the Daunian raid half a year ago, their participation in the war was mainly due to the alliance, and to gain some benefits by the way. Revenge for the dead citizens was only secondary. But when the battle situation was bad and threatened their lives, they would certainly not fight hard. They welcomed the division of troops, believing that the Daunian light infantry's attention would be focused on the westward-moving Crotonians, but they did not expect that the Daunians would still pursue them closely, and in large numbers. Panicked, they had just arrived at the wading point in the lower reaches of the Trevento River, and remembered that they had paid a considerable price when crossing the river before. Now that there were more enemies, the attack would be more fierce, and their hearts sank to the bottom.
The Thrinas surrendered first, and then Pausanias led the Cyrinians to surrender.
The Crotonian heavy infantry said they were going to speed up their advance, but in fact, their speed was not much faster than before. Although heavy infantry had good protection, it did not mean that they were not afraid of ranged attacks from bows, javelins, and stones. The impact of stones on helmets would make them dizzy, and their thighs, toes, and hands, which were exposed, had to be careful of arrows, while linen breastplates could not completely block the close-range heavy blows of javelins. Of course, the large round shield with a diameter of one meter and covered with copper skin that they held in their hands could completely withstand frontal attacks, but the enemy was not only in front, but everywhere on the sides and behind. How could they defend?
It was only six miles away from the Crotonian army. It usually took an hour to march normally, but now half an hour had passed, and they had only walked less than a mile… People were constantly being shot by arrows and spears and falling down. They were like a giant beast, constantly being torn and bled by a pack of agile wolves, becoming weaker and weaker, more and more tired. They could not see a glimmer of hope ahead, but the enemy's arrows and javelins were always so plentiful (Davos had the Castronians offer all the arrows and javelins that had been accumulated in the armory for many years, and they were transported to the rear of the battlefield by pack animals), so when Epitenes and Xanthippus led their troops back and threw the captured Cyrinian and Thrinas military flags in front of the Crotonian heavy infantry formation to induce surrender, the morale of the Crotonians, who were surrounded and constantly defending against ranged attacks, and had been so precarious for so long, finally shattered. When they surrendered, less than a thousand soldiers were unscathed.
… … … … … … …
Arsenius, who was a recruit half a year ago, is now a squad leader in the First Legion, in charge of nine soldiers, six of whom are prospective citizens and new recruits.
The Daunian army has expanded so rapidly in the past six months that it is conceivable that there are many problems as well, especially in such a fierce battle, the level of quality of the heavy infantry on both sides gradually becomes apparent over time. A heavy infantryman is not just someone who puts on armor, knows how to use a shield bash, and knows how to stab with a spear. In a battle, the most important thing for a heavy infantryman is trust and tacit understanding.
On a tightly packed line, a heavy infantryman holds a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right. The heavy copper-skinned round shield will cause him to lean his body to the left. The round shield will naturally protect his left chest and the right chest of his comrade on the left, while his right chest is protected by the shield of his comrade on the right. In this way, the shield faces form a line, defending against the enemy's stabs.
He needs to move the round shield back and forth, which consumes physical strength and can easily disrupt the formation. He only needs to focus on two actions: constantly stabbing with his right hand and pushing forward, so trusting his teammates, trusting that he will protect you, is the key to the successful operation of the heavy infantry phalanx.
The citizens of a city-state number at least a few thousand, and at most tens of thousands. They are either neighbors or relatives. They play together from childhood, receive heavy infantry training from elders in their youth, participate in competitions together, study together, work together, and attend gatherings together after adulthood… Although the city-state's public collective military training is not frequent every year, trust stems from their cultivation from childhood. As long as they stand on the battlefield, they will naturally stand together and become a united force.
Unlike the freemen of Daonia, who came from various places and strived for a living, they had developed selfish habits. Before becoming prospective citizens of Daonia, most of them had never received hoplite training from childhood, nor had they been on the battlefield. More than half a year of intensive training could not completely eliminate the habits they had cultivated over a long period. When the enemy's spear thrust towards his right chest, he should have left it to his teammate to defend, and used his own spear to counterattack, forcing the opponent to retreat and relieve the pressure on his side. However, due to an instinctive reaction, he raised his shield to block, resulting in half of his teammate's body being exposed to the enemy's spear... Such a vicious cycle led everyone to only look after themselves, causing the battle line to become less tight. Not only could they not effectively advance together, but they also allowed the Crotoniates to squeeze through the gaps and further disrupt the Daonian battle line using their individual abilities.
The Daonian First Legion was originally the legion with the most veterans and the strongest combat power. It originally had four battalions of veterans, but a large number of veterans were transferred to serve as officers at all levels in the three legions, and Davos also transferred 300 veterans to serve as reserves, forcing them to replenish a large number of recruits. This led to a sharp decline in combat power. Despite occupying a favorable position and seizing the initiative at the start of the battle, not only did no one take the opportunity to drive all the enemies across the river, but after a long period of stalemate, they actually began to retreat slowly under the Crotoniates' frantic counterattack...
Alcinus' squad was located in the second line of the battle line. Several soldiers in the front row had already fallen. He shouted loudly, commanding his soldiers to work together to drive the invading enemies out and replenish the gaps. The long battle made his arms sore and uncomfortable, and commanding these ignorant recruits made him even more exhausted. However, the fierce gaze emanating from the enemies' helmets constantly reminded him: Fight! Keep fighting! Otherwise, all that awaited him was failure and death!
"Leading your soldiers to fight bravely and achieve victory is the responsibility of a captain!" This was the advice given to him by his original squad leader, now platoon leader, Kytips, when he congratulated him on becoming a squad leader. He always kept it in mind. He shouted the name of each soldier loudly, leading by example with brave but flexible combat to remind and teach his subordinates how to apply the skills learned on the training ground to the life-and-death battle.
In the most difficult moments of the battle, these low-level Daonian officers played a vital role as the backbone.
In the hoplite battle, Daonia was at a disadvantage; in the skirmisher battle, Daonia was firmly in the lead. Not only did they have a thousand more skirmishers, but more than half of them were veterans from Asia Minor. The three types of skirmishers they possessed—slingers, archers, and light shield bearers—all came from the famous skirmisher producing areas of the Mediterranean: Rhodes, Crete, and Thrace. How could Croton, which did not value the use of skirmishers, compete with them?
Even with the hoplites of both sides in between, the Crotoniate skirmishers were killed by the accurately launched arrows and stones, forcing them to retreat.
Once the protection of the skirmishers weakened, the rear of the Crotoniate hoplite phalanx was attacked by the Daonian skirmishers. It stood to reason that these soldiers in the rear ranks of the phalanx had not participated in the fighting and should have been full of energy. But on the contrary, most of them were hungry and exhausted because they had been soaked in the river for a long time, and the river water in early spring was icy cold, taking away a lot of heat from their bodies. Therefore, their reactions to the enemy's ranged attacks had become somewhat sluggish. If the hoplites' defenses had not been good enough, their casualties would have been absolutely devastating.
Because both sides had their own difficulties and advantages, they were in a stalemate and engaged in a bitter battle.
Milo was not worried about this situation. Being able to hold on had already achieved his goal. The key to Croton's victory came from the more than 7,000 men who had detoured downstream of the Trimento River. He firmly believed that the final victory would belong to Croton.
Holding the same idea was Davos, the Daonian chief magistrate, but he had already received the good news from the Leides cavalry: the Crotoniate troops downstream of the Trimento River had either been annihilated or surrendered and no longer existed. Leides and Epithenius would lead their troops to rest briefly before crossing the Trimento River and attacking the rear of the Crotoniate army.
Davos was completely relieved and couldn't help but jokingly say to Matonis, who was scratching his head and looking frustrated next to him, "Matonis, is your scalp itchy?"
"Commander!" Matonis complained loudly, "Last time we seized Nium, our First Legion didn't get to fight and missed the triumphal parade! This time I was caught by you to serve as the reserve captain again. We are about to win, and I am still idle here. It's too unfair!"
Davos smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will be your turn to play soon."
Saying that, he issued an order: "Blow the order to change formation, let the soldiers on the front line retreat, and the soldiers on the second line take over!"
"Commander, we are about to win, why bother making such a difficult formation change! Most of them are recruits. If something goes wrong and causes the entire phalanx to..." Although Matonis was eager to fight, he didn't want to see the alliance fail.
"We have trained this formation for so long and have never used it in actual combat. Now that we are about to win, when else will we accumulate experience!" Davos said seriously, "Besides, our retreat will lure all the enemies onto the riverbank, making it even more difficult for them to escape at that time. Matonis, you have been a recruit instructor, you must have confidence in the results of the soldiers' long-term training and in the command of the officers!"
"You are the commander, you have the final say! Next, is it our turn to go to the battlefield?!" Matonis no longer struggled with this issue, but volunteered to fight.
"Lead your men to the right wing of the phalanx, at the junction of the Second Legion and the three reserve battalions. In case the enemy's breakthrough causes them to become chaotic, you need to rush up in time to block the enemy's attack and buy time for the soldiers to reorganize their formation!"
"Understood, I'll go now! Brothers!" Matonis cheered up and began to shout loudly.
........
Alcinus led his soldiers in a bitter fight against the enemy.
At this time, the horn sounded from the rear, which cheered him up. When the second sound rang, he heard that it was the signal for "formation change".
"Brothers, hold on! We'll be able to rest soon!" The officers on the front line, like Alcinus, reminded the soldiers loudly.
At this time, the second line of the formation quickly retreated by company. One company remained in place, while the adjacent company retreated... After a while, the entire phalanx changed from the original dense long snake formation into a staggered "checkerboard" formation (ie, fish scale formation) formed by small company squares. Because some of the front-line soldiers of the entire phalanx did not have the support of the rear soldiers, they began to retreat under the pressure of the enemy, and also under the command of the company drums and flags... Finally, they quickly retreated to the rear through the gaps in the "checkerboard" in the rear.
The drums of Alcinus' company did not sound, so he knew that his company was not so lucky. The rear company did not retreat first, so they could not retreat for the time being.
At this time, platoon leader Kytips shouted loudly: "Brothers, protect our flanks!"
As the neighboring company retreated, the enemy took advantage of the situation to pour in. Because the front row of the Daonian phalanx did not retreat as a whole, the Crotoniate offensive formation became uneven, and the battle lines of the two sides formed an interlocking pattern. Alcinus' company was under the pressure of being surrounded on three sides, but the enemies who poured into the gap were also in this situation. However, the Daonian troops retreated with preparation, and each small square formation in close combat was under the strong control of the company commander. On the contrary, Croton's was unprepared and disordered. As a result, although Daonia was retreating, Croton did not seize the opportunity to cause greater casualties and chaos to Daonia.
At this time, the company's drums sounded, and the 20 × 10 formation formed by the four platoons began to retreat slowly with the rhythmic waving of the central flag... While Alcinus and the others defended against the enemy's attack with their shields and spears, they also began to retreat in an orderly manner as the rear company retreated. When the rear company stopped moving, Alcinus and the others were able to retreat from the gaps between the staggered company squares... After several rounds of retreat, the soldiers on the front line all retreated smoothly to the rear, and the soldiers on the second line rearranged into a dense formation and became the forefront of the entire phalanx.
The reason why the formation was transformed so smoothly without causing major chaos, and Davos' worries did not become a reality, was mainly because the Crotoniates had never seen an army dare to carry out such a bold and peculiar front-to-back transformation of the battle line in a fierce battle, and failed to take effective countermeasures in time; secondly, when fighting in a dense formation, the Crotoniate army was stronger than the Daonian army, which was mostly composed of recruits, but once the dense formations of both sides were split into small squares due to the formation transformation, the targeted training that Daonia had been conducting with platoons and companies as tactical units for a long time came into play. Their command was more efficient and their actions were more flexible. On the other hand, Croton's combat and training were mainly based on large phalanxes. The command system was originally rough, and the soldiers lost effective command and fell into chaos after pouring into one gap after another, and could only fight on their own, which was a disadvantage.
........
Milo, who was soaked in the river, first heard the enemy's horns and drums sounding together, and was still wondering in his heart. Then the formation that had been in a stalemate for a long time began to advance...
"Did we break through? Are Philadelphus and the others here?!" Milon thought with excitement as he eagerly went ashore with the soldiers. But after a while, the troops stopped advancing and were then forced to retreat little by little…
"Hold on, soldiers! Just a little more effort, the enemy is almost done for!" Not knowing what was happening, Milon thought the troops were just lacking in their attack. Knowing that his shouts wouldn't have much effect, he couldn't help but shout loudly, wanting to arouse their fighting spirit.
But the Crotonian army could no longer advance. The front ranks of the Daonian army, having completed their formation shift, were newly replaced soldiers from the second line. Their physical strength was still sufficient, making up for their lack of hoplite experience. On the other hand, the Crotonian soldiers who were fighting them had been exhausted after fighting for more than three hours, and they were struggling to protect themselves, let alone attack.
Just as they were struggling to hold on, a panicked cry suddenly came from the Crotonian light infantry behind them, who had retreated to the other side of the Trionto River: "Enemies! The enemies are attacking!!…"
Although Milon, located in the rear of the center of the phalanx, couldn't hear clearly what they were shouting, the terrified voices made him subconsciously turn his head to look back. This one look stunned him: he saw hundreds of cavalrymen appearing on the riverbank behind them, rushing towards the panicked and fleeing Crotonian light infantry like wolves and tigers. Following behind the cavalry were countless unarmored soldiers, who quickly dispersed their formation, drawing their bows and arrows, holding javelins, their target being his direction. Where did so many enemies come from?! Where is Philadelphus's unit?!… In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his terrified mind, but the only sentence that remained in his heart was: We've lost!!!
In fact, not only did he see the scene on the riverbank behind them, but many Crotonian soldiers also saw it, and the Daonian scouts standing on the high ground on the opposite bank also saw it. Just as Milon was in a state of panic and the morale of the Crotonian soldiers was wavering, Davos gave the order with great enthusiasm: "Full army, attack!!!"
The bugle for the attack sounded, and then the same signal sounded on the opposite bank. Just as the Daonian hoplites began to bravely advance, nearly six thousand Daonian light infantry composed of freemen shot the first volley of arrows, the first volley of stones, and the first volley of javelins at the rear of the Crotonian right wing soldiers…
In front of them were the still fierce hoplites after a long battle, under their feet was the cold river water, and behind them were arrows and javelins constantly shooting and taking their lives. The already exhausted Crotonian soldiers could no longer hold on. First, the right wing collapsed, then the center, and then the left wing. The Crotonian line, which was more than two miles long and more than a dozen ranks thick, quickly collapsed like an avalanche. The soldiers scrambled to run to the south bank. The non-stop ranged attacks of the freemen accelerated their rout, and the Daonian hoplites took advantage of the situation to launch a charge, which made this large-scale rout even more chaotic. What a tragic sight it was for nearly 20,000 people to cross the river and retreat under a two-sided attack?
Zantiparis, who witnessed the entire process on the south bank, couldn't bear to recall it when he later spoke to Anistanos, who wrote "The History of Greater Greece." He recalled: "…The Crotonians were all terrified and shouted, 'Run for your lives! We've been defeated!…' The volume even drowned out our bugle calls. They desperately ran to the south bank, pushing and shoving each other. Some Crotonians, who fell behind and were chased by our soldiers, frantically knocked down and stabbed the people in front of them with their spears in order to escape… Alas… The Trionto River was not deep, but almost all the people who fell into the river could not climb up again, because once they fell, not only would no one help them, but because of the heavy equipment on their bodies and the constant squeezing of others, they would eventually drown in the river… In fact, neither the pursuit of the hoplites nor the casualties caused by the ranged attacks of our light infantry could make up for the damage that the river caused to the Crotonians… It must have been Poseidon's anger! It couldn't help but remind me of the scene when the expeditionary force fought a great battle with the Persians at the Kentrites River… Alas, after the battle ended,
When I returned, I saw the Trionto River filled with the corpses of Crotonians, as if even the river water had been blocked. It was really creepy! It is said that later, about 3,500 corpses were recovered, not counting those that floated into the sea…"
… … … … … … … … …
The Crotonian soldiers who fled back to the south bank had no time to catch their breath. Although the Daonian hoplites were tired, they were still attacking under Davos's urging, continuing to put psychological pressure on the routed soldiers; and the large number of freemen light infantry, without the burden of heavy armor, were the main force in the pursuit. They pounced fiercely from the flanks, almost completely surrounding the entire Crotonian right wing. The Crotonians, who had lost their fighting spirit, were in a desperate situation with blockades in front and pursuers behind, and they surrendered one after another.
After the light infantry handed over these prisoners to the hoplites, they continued to pursue.
At this time, the cavalry became the main force of the pursuit. Nearly three hundred cavalrymen, led by Ledes, spread out and repeatedly crushed the routed soldiers. The Crotonians were either knocked down and injured by the running warhorses, or forced to change their escape routes, and eventually captured by the light infantry who caught up.
The fleeing Crotonian soldiers were in a state of panic all the way. In the end, many of them fell on the road because they were exhausted, or like Tratatus and other soldiers who had been captured once, they simply squatted down and surrendered when they saw that there was no hope of escape… In the end, all the Daonian light infantry became prisoner escorts.
Finally, the Crotonians fled into the swamp area, and many people rushed into dangerous areas in a panic. The Daonian cavalry also followed into the swamp, but because they were not familiar with the terrain, many horses got stuck in the mud, and because it was getting dark, they had to give up the pursuit.
This decisive battle that determined the fate of Daonia and Croton was declared over.
Croton committed about 27,000 men, and ultimately 7,000 were killed or wounded (because it was a defeat, it was almost impossible for the wounded soldiers to escape), about 12,000 were captured, and 8,000 escaped the battlefield. Less than 5,000 people actually escaped back to Crimisa, and more than 3,000 were lost in the forests and swamps. Some managed to escape after a few days, while others never made it out. Milon, under the desperate protection of his guards, was lucky enough to escape back to Crimisa.
Daonia also committed about 24,000 men, and ultimately only suffered more than 4,000 casualties, achieving a brilliant victory.
… … … … … … …
On this day, Amicles, the chief general of Castron City, had been anxiously paying close attention to the development of the entire battle. In order to ensure that the Daonian light infantry had sufficient firepower, Davos had requested Castron City to provide enough arrows and javelins, so Amicles was also responsible for organizing and transporting military materials to the battlefield. When the Crotonian troops wading downstream were annihilated, he received the news even earlier than Davos. At that time, he excitedly told the council members of Castron that Daonia's victory was certain.
Everyone was skeptical. After all, Croton had been strong in Greater Greece for many years, and the city-states had a deep fear of it. In addition, its main force was undamaged, so who knew if it would exert its strength to turn the tide.
It wasn't until an hour later that countless corpses floated down the Trionto River, attracting the whole city to watch at the port. After the guards checked them one by one and confirmed that they were all Crotonians, the uneasy hearts of the Castronians finally calmed down: it was certain that the Daonian Alliance had won! Our Daonian Alliance has won!!
When cheers rang out throughout the city, the shadow that the threat of Croton had cast on the hearts of the Castronians was finally eliminated. The generals and council members looked at each other and showed relieved smiles: their decision to endure the threat of the Crotonians and take the risk of supporting Daonia was indeed the right one!
When Davos led his troops back to Castron, the entire city was brightly lit with candles. Amicles led the council members and the people out of the city to greet him. The momentum was so great that it was somewhat beyond Davos's expectations. He hurriedly dismounted and walked.
"Long live the Daonian Alliance!!!" A landslide-like cheer erupted from the crowd, deafening.
"Congratulations, Lord Davos! It's unbelievable that you have achieved such a brilliant victory!!" Amicles sincerely congratulated Davos.
"This is all thanks to the blessing of Hades! And the full support of you Castronians!" Davos replied modestly.
"After the failure of this battle, Croton is probably no longer able to attack." Amicles wanted to know Davos's next plan in a roundabout way.
Davos, of course, understood the meaning of his words and smiled slightly: "If you don't take the opportunity to hunt down an injured lion, are you waiting for it to recover and take revenge! Tomorrow we will attack Crimisa, take it, and then go straight to Croton!"
Amicles breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and reminded him: "I think Croton may ask for peace talks again, as last time, in order to release these prisoners."
"Peace talks?" Davos sneered a few times, looking at the twelve thousand prisoners who were being escorted past him. His initial thought was to force these prisoners to be the vanguard tomorrow, attacking Crimisa and even Croton. He thought that the Crotonians would inevitably be hesitant when faced with the attack of their own compatriots, so that Daonia could easily capture these two cities. This was one of the common tactics used by the Mongols and Jurchens to conquer the world.
However, Davos, who had been living in this era for a year and a half, thought about it and chose to give up. Because he knew that the Greeks of this era still retained some characteristics of the Archaic period, respecting heroes, advocating strength, and liking head-on battles. Killing enemies in battle was justifiable, but using prisoners to attack cities and gain victory would undoubtedly be chilling and contemptible. Therefore, in previous city-state wars, no one had ever done it.
During the Peloponnesian War, Athens sent a large army to Sicily, but was ultimately defeated by the allied forces of Syracuse and Sparta. Over 6,000 people were captured. At that time, Sparta faced the dilemma of being passively beaten at sea and unable to break through the long walls of Athens on land. They did not enslave these 6,000 prisoners to attack the city of Athens. If Davos did this, it would be setting a precedent, and the words "insidious and brutal" would probably become his label. Not only would the city-states of Greater Greece be secretly wary of him, but even the people of Daunia, who originally respected him, would gradually become estranged from him. This would undoubtedly be a major blow to Davos' prestige. Therefore, he, with lofty goals, would certainly not make the mistake of losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed. Anyway, since victory was already in sight, he didn't mind taking Crimisa a little later.
So, as soon as the battle ended, he ordered a reserve battalion and more than 5,000 free people to escort the prisoners back to Thurii, leaving only two legions and two reserve battalions to garrison Castellum.
Compared to last night, the people of Castellum, who were happy for the victory, were very willing to vacate rooms and prepare a sumptuous dinner, inviting the Daunian soldiers to stay.
Compared with the legion soldiers entering the city of Castellum, the soldiers and free people who were also tired and hungry and had to escort the prisoners back to Thurii on a night road for another hour or two were much more miserable. However, participating in the battle for the first time, and on such a large scale, they were all proud to be participants. Not only did they walk with their heads held high, but even their reprimands to the prisoners were forceful and sonorous. They couldn't wait to return to the city immediately and brag about their heroic deeds to an acquaintance.
The situation of the Crotonians who were prisoners was the most miserable. For fear that they would escape, all their armor and clothing were stripped off, and they were forced to travel naked in the dark night. A sea breeze blew, and they, who had already exhausted their body heat, shivered like they had palsy. Once they walked slowly, the spear shafts of the escorting soldiers would whip their bodies like whips, making the pain unbearable.
Colebus was also one of the prisoners. Although he sighed at his misfortune for being captured again, compared to his comrades who either died in battle or drowned, he was still glad that he could survive. Therefore, he comforted the crying compatriots, saying: "Although the Daunians are hateful, they are trustworthy. As long as we do what they ask, we will definitely be able to return to Croton alive!"
Even in the dark night, the people of Thurii still came out to welcome the triumphant return of the army. After experiencing a day of uneasy waiting, they saw the returning soldiers and the Crotonian prisoners, who were much more numerous than last time. Everyone understood that the Daunian army's victory in the battle was an undeniable fact!
Unlike Castellum, the people of Thurii shouted "Davos" more to celebrate this hard-won victory, because they all knew that it was the Consul who had overruled all opinions in the Senate and triggered this battle in advance, which ultimately led to victory!
The senators were also relieved, especially Philius. As the military chief appointed by Davos to stay in Thurii, he did not have a single soldier in his hand, and he was always worried that the Crotonian fleet would see through the disguise and land in the port. Now, the return of the three reserve battalions and the free people finally gave him confidence. Moreover, with this crushing defeat, Croton would probably be unable to protect itself, let alone dare to land and fight in Daunian territory.
Cunogolata and some Thurii senators asked the soldiers about the entire battle. As Thurians, the Daunian League's defeat of Croton gave them a sense of revenge.
That night, whether they were reserve citizens or free people, all those who participated in the battle were regarded as heroes by the Daunian people, enjoying enthusiastic cheers and generous rewards. While they felt proud, they also strengthened their confidence in becoming Daunian citizens.
… … … … … … …
The chief general of Crimisa, Antaoris, was sleeping soundly at home when he was urgently awakened. Hearing the person who came to report that "the Crotonian army was defeated," he couldn't believe his ears. Yesterday,
he had personally seen the huge Crotonian fleet at the port, with nearly 40,000 soldiers (he included the free people and slaves transporting supplies) - that was such a huge number of troops that Greater Greece had never seen before! It should have swept the Daunian League, but how could Croton be defeated after only one day?! How could Daunia possibly have more soldiers than Croton?! Could Tarentum have joined the war?! ! ! … … "
With countless doubts in his mind, Antaoris hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed to the north gate. Euricpus, Preades and others were already waiting there.
Under the light of the fire, the Crotonians were like stray dogs, running from the north one after another. Their steps were weak, their minds were dazed, their faces were full of panic and exhaustion. Their helmets were gone, their breastplates were thrown away, and they didn't know where they had lost their shields and spears. They staggered into the city gate, lay down on the ground, and shouted weakly: "Is there anything to eat? Is there anything to eat? … … "
Seeing the miserable state of the Crotonians, Antaoris and the others immediately felt worried.
Finally, they waited for Milon, who had retreated back. Although he was also very embarrassed, his mental state was still good.
"General Milon, what should we do next?!" Antaoris asked eagerly. This was the question that the people of Crimisa were most concerned about at the moment.
Milon did not answer immediately, but asked: "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death!"
When Antaoris and the others watched Milon and the fleeing soldiers gobbling up the cold, dry bread, they felt a little contempt in their hearts.
At this time, Milon had no mood to observe what the people of Crimisa were thinking. While eating, he was considering how to appease the people of Crimisa. After wading through the swamp, without the pursuit of the enemy, he gradually regained his composure. On the way back, while regretting the series of mistakes he had made before the battle due to his underestimation of the enemy, which led to the failure of the battle, he was also thinking about how to deal with the victorious Daunians' attack next... Crimisa was undoubtedly the most important link in reversing the defeat!
He wiped the bread crumbs from his mouth with his hand, stood up, and took in the expressions of the people around him: "Everyone... I'm sorry, we were ambushed by the Daunians, and in the battle with them... we suffered a defeat. Although I don't know how many people we lost... it will definitely be a lot..."
Countless soldiers struggling in the water appeared in Milon's mind. He clenched his fists painfully, letting his nails pierce his palms with blood: "And the Daunian soldiers suffered... much fewer casualties than us..."
What?! Everyone was shocked: tens of thousands of troops were sent out, but they only caused minor losses to the Daunian army, and they themselves suffered heavy losses. It was unbelievable! How was this battle fought?!
"Could it be that the Daunians sent out a lot of soldiers, more than ours? Or did Tarentum also join the war?" Antaoris asked anxiously.
Milon smiled bitterly. He didn't want to reveal the truth, but even if he didn't say it, the people of Crimisa would soon find out when the Daunians arrived. Instead, it would be better to be honest and let Crimisa prepare early so that both sides could work together. So, he said truthfully: "Daunia should have dispatched about the same number of people as us, and Tarentum did not participate..."
"Are you Crotonians made of flour?! Why are you always so easily defeated by the Daunians!" Preades shouted angrily.
He shouted out the inner thoughts of the Crimisa leaders: The last failure made it very difficult for Crimisa. The Crimisa envoy finally made a promise: they would no longer be enemies with Crimisa in order to save those prisoners! And this time, Crimisa broke its promise and assisted Croton in attacking Daunia, which had spared Crimisa once. If they failed again, what would Crimisa do?
Milon widened his eyes and glared over. When he was young, he had been a champion in many Olympic Games, and later he had served as Croton's chief general for a long time. The power he possessed made Preades a little frightened. He avoided Milon's sharp gaze and said boldly: "If it weren't for you Crotonians insisting on launching a war against Daunia, saying that 'we will definitely give Daunia a painful lesson!' We Crimisa declared war on Daunia out of trust in our allies (the previous agreement between Croton and Daunia stipulated that Crimisa would exist as a neutral city-state. However, Crimisa was deeply influenced by Croton and considered itself an ally of Croton). Now you have lost, and you have lost so badly! What should we Crimisa do?!"
"That's right, if it weren't for your coercion, how would we dare to provoke Daunia!" someone in the crowd echoed loudly.
What coercion! Didn't you Crimisa people want to follow Croton and gain some benefits from Daunia! Milon sneered in his heart, but he couldn't say these words, otherwise it would only intensify the conflict.
"Then what do you want? To negotiate peace with Daunia?" Milon looked around at the crowd and said solemnly: "Now Daunia has the advantage, and they will only want more. Will Davos slaughter the people of Crimisa after taking the city of Crimisa to avenge his mercenary comrades? Will he turn Crimisa into a sub-state controlled by them, like Niotum?"
After Milon finished speaking, the faces of the people of Crimisa, including Ataros, became ugly.
"What we can do now is to defend the city of Crimisa! Daunia has no fleet, and the sea is in our control. We can use fleets to transport food and more soldiers at any time. The Daunians cannot trap us!" Milon said emotionally.
"Although we of Croton have suffered a defeat, we can still organize another ten to twenty thousand citizen soldiers. If Daonia wants to forcefully attack the city, we will definitely inflict heavy damage on them! By then, Daonia, unable to conquer the city after a long siege, will only be able to request peace talks, at which point we will seize the initiative. Perhaps we can even find some opportunities to attack during the defense of Crimisa and defeat the Daonians!"
After Milon finished speaking, the crowd fell into contemplation.
Euripus said, "So, Crimisa will become a battlefield again."
This sentence awakened the higher-ups of Crimisa, but Milon quickly followed up, "That's right, Castellum is the key to the upcoming war, but it will be defended by Crotonian soldiers. If the people of Castellum feel that it is dangerous here, they can take a boat to Croton to take refuge. We will provide them with good living conditions until the end of the war before they return. If there is any damage to the houses and property in the city, Croton will also provide compensation…"
Milon's plan was very thorough, leaving everyone speechless. Moreover, his words also subtly reminded these people: Castellum is full of Crotonian soldiers, and even if they secretly want to negotiate peace with Daonia, they must ask the Crotonian soldiers with shields and spears for their consent. Provoking Croton will only make the situation worse!
"General Milon, Crimisa will fully support you in fighting Daonia here!" Antaolis quickly made a clear statement on behalf of the council.
… … … … … … … …
The next morning, Davos, with two legions and two reserve battalions, totaling about 16,000 men (this refers to the number of combat soldiers, not including the engineering corps, medical corps, logistics corps, cavalry, buglers, drummers, etc.), marched towards Crimisa.
In the morning, the Daonian army arrived at the swamp area.
Davos left an engineering corps from one legion to investigate the geographical conditions of the swamp, fill the swamp as soon as possible, build roads, and erect bridges over the Lacus Ellis River, so as to facilitate the smooth passage of transport convoys in the future. At the same time, he also had to consider the future construction of the Castellum-Crimisa Avenue. In order to prevent attacks by the Crotonians, he also left two reserve battalions to build a camp here, in addition to protecting the engineering corps and the people of Castellum who participated in the construction, but also to protect this transport line.
Then, Davos took the lead and walked through the swamp area with the soldiers.
In the afternoon, the Daonian army entered the territory of Crimisa.
At this time, more than 5,000 Crotonian soldiers on the walls of Crimisa were ready for battle.
Davos rode his horse near Crimisa and, after observing for a while, gave up the idea of attacking immediately and ordered the camp to be set up.
The captain of the legion's siege corps immediately came to ask Davos about the requirements for the camp. Davos pointed to Crimisa and said, "First surround it from the north."
The captain of the engineering corps understood and immediately led the engineering technicians to inspect the terrain, water source, calculate the area of the camp according to the number of troops… and so on, to select the site for the camp. Before long, he led his men to insert thin wooden poles every 20 meters at a distance of 400 meters from the city…
At the order of the two legion commanders, Capus and Drax, except for the two battalions responsible for guarding and Lydes' cavalry, the rest of the soldiers immediately turned into construction workers, some responsible for felling trees, some responsible for digging trenches, and some responsible for building earth walls… The entire army operated in an orderly manner, and even Davos picked up a pickaxe to participate in digging soil…
Milon noticed from the city wall that the Daonian army did not immediately attack the city, which made him feel disappointed and a little fortunate. But then, the scene of the Daonian army building the camp was so lively and spectacular, and the camp was so close to the city, which was beyond his expectations. He couldn't help but have an idea in his heart: to launch a sneak attack from the city.
However, the two fully armed, well-rested heavy infantry teams of Daonia, as well as the cavalry patrolling under the city, dispelled his idea. He also didn't think that the Crotonian soldiers who had just experienced defeat had the courage to leave the city and engage in a field battle with the numerous Daonians.
He could see that the Daonians wanted to besiege Castellum.
However, as long as it could delay time, he wholeheartedly agreed with the other party's approach.
The Daonians were very efficient in building the camp. By dusk, they had dug a trench three miles long and built an earth wall, surrounding the east, west, and north sides of Castellum. Now, some soldiers were setting up deer fences in front of the trench, while others were building tents inside the earth wall… Originally, the pack animals of the engineering corps had wood that could be quickly disassembled and assembled, which could be used to quickly build camp gates, sentry towers, and fences (this was a "modular" suggestion made by Davos to the engineering corps, which was the result of repeated experiments by engineers and carpenters), because the pack animals were extremely easy to get stuck in the mud in the swamp area, so they could not be transported to Crimisa in time.
Even so, Milon was amazed. Of course, he wouldn't know that the Daonian military training program specifically included "building camps." Seeing the soldiers' more nervous and uneasy expressions, he finally made up his mind.
Late at night, he decided to send 500 soldiers to raid the camp while the Daonians were exhausted from long marches and building the camp and fell into a deep sleep, creating chaos. Even if it was just a small setback for the enemy, it could boost the morale that was at a low ebb.
According to the situation observed by the warships at sea during the day, the northern side of the Daonian camp also had trenches dug. Milon was afraid of landing and attacking from the northern coast of the Daonian camp. Once discovered, he might not be able to return, so he chose the sea-facing side on the southern side of the camp.
As the 500 Crotonian soldiers quietly approached the Daonian camp, they were discovered by the sentry hidden behind the earth wall by the light of the torches inserted on the earth wall as they carefully crossed the deer fence area. He quickly touched back to the camp tent, quietly woke up the squad leader, and then woke up the others in the camp one by one.
"Laris, you did a great job! Now, take my nameplate and rush to the rear camp to notify the cavalry that there is an enemy attack here!" Squad leader Ctippus praised this recruit who was still a reserve citizen, and at the same time handed him a three-headed dog iron statue the size of an egg engraved with the legion, company, and squad number.
"Yes, sir!" Laris turned and ran out.
Ctippus asked his men to continue to notify the other squads and company commander Trottilas, while he led a few soldiers to the wall to check the situation and found that there were not many enemies, so he had an idea.
The Crotonian soldiers crossed the deer fence area one after another, climbed over the trench, and climbed over the earth barrier. Seeing that the enemy camp was still silent, they couldn't help but get excited. They began to light the kindling they carried with them. There was still a distance between the enemy's camp tent and the wall. They carefully continued to speed forward.
Suddenly, the soldier walking in front suddenly felt his foot sink, and the sinking foot was immediately pierced by sharp objects, and he couldn't help but let out a scream. It turned out that the Daonians had also set up an obstacle zone behind the earth barrier, which could slow down the enemy's breakthrough speed when the enemy broke through the camp wall, so as to redeploy defense and counterattack.
Taking advantage of the enemy's panic, the Daonian soldiers ran out from behind the camp tent and threw dense javelins at the Crotonian soldiers. Many people fell screaming, and the rest of the soldiers no longer had the courage to fight. They turned around in horror and fled…
The Daonian soldiers continued to pursue through the safe passage of the obstacle zone.
In the silent night, the sound of fighting was particularly clear. Davos was awakened and quickly dressed and left the tent. Just then, the captain of the guard, Martius, came to report: "Report, Commander, the Crotonians attacked, but were repelled by the Third Battalion of the Second Legion. Lydes' cavalry has already attacked, and I believe the enemy will not be able to escape."
Davos nodded, and the distribution map of the legions, battalions, and companies in the camp immediately appeared in his mind: "The Third Battalion of the Second Legion is Giorgis' battalion, right… I remember that his battalion was stationed on the easternmost side of the camp, near the estuary."
"Yes, Commander."
"Giorgis' battalion performed very well. They strictly implemented the sentry duty system of the Military Law, and reacted quickly after discovering the enemy. They should be rewarded! The sentry who discovered the enemy situation in time should be rewarded even more!" Davos turned to the secretary Aristocrates, who had just arrived, and said.
Aristocrates was busy recording it, and would report it to the military judge tomorrow.
"How is the situation in the other battalions?" Davos asked again.
"All the battalions were notified in time, and there was no major disturbance," Martius replied.
Davos was very satisfied with the smooth communication and order maintained by the troops in the dark. The strict training on weekdays had played a role. He smiled and said, "The Crotonians want to learn from us to launch a sneak attack, but unfortunately we are not Crotonians. Everyone go to sleep and get enough energy. We will be busy tomorrow." After speaking, he turned and entered the tent, and soon fell asleep.
Martius said a few words to the guards guarding the main tent and then left.
Only Aristocrates, who was new to the battlefield, found it difficult to calm down. He stared at the burning brazier in front of the main tent and was in a daze for a while. Setting up a brazier in front of the main tent of the highest commander in the camp at night is a regulation in the Daonian Military Law. According to Davos' explanation: First, it is convenient for reporting the situation at night; second, when unexpected events such as night attacks and camp riots occur, the soldiers in the chaos can find the commander at a glance, which is convenient for stabilizing their morale and reorganizing the troops. In short, the commander is the hope of the entire army. The ability to see the commander's tent anytime and anywhere in the dark helps to eliminate their fear of the darkness.
Listening to Davos' light snoring from the main tent and feeling the heat emanating from the brazier, Aristocrates' nervousness and anxiety quickly dissipated…
Of the 500 people who left the city, only dozens escaped the Daonian cavalry's interception and fled back to the city.
After Milon learned about it, he stood there for a long time. The Daonians' seemingly simple and incomplete camp was so heavily guarded, which was beyond his expectations. This lesson finally made him abandon his last fluke and admit from the bottom of his heart: This Daonian army is a well-trained army!
He decided not to take any more risks and to defend Crimisa with all his might.