Having said that, Davos quieted down and listened carefully. It seemed the noise outside had lessened quite a bit. He felt much more at ease and yawned. "It seems the battle is over. You can all go to sleep."
Tolmid and Rodom bid him farewell and left.
"Amintas has such a strong desire for battle. I must try my best to keep him like this until we face Syracuse…" Davos murmured as he drifted off to sleep.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Early the next morning, Puamoates and Poletes came to visit Davos.
After a friendly conversation, the two men left satisfied.
Davos, too, looked pleased. He quickly summoned Alexis, the commander of the Third Legion, and said to him, "Just now, the great chieftain of Potentia came to me and offered to hand over the city of Poseidonia to Daonia."
"This… this is really great!" Alexis said excitedly.
"Yes, I didn't expect him to make such a decisive decision. Many Lucanians despise Puamoates, saying that he is neither as brave as Akapiru nor as clever as Sisinagus, but a coward who only stays at home and sleeps with his wife. But those two men's powers have been destroyed, while Potentia will continue to exist! Only those who can understand the general trend and adapt to it are truly wise. Puamoates is decisive and willing to give up what he must. Amazing!" Davos said with considerable emotion.
He turned to look at Alexis and continued, "I have called you here today because I have an important task for you to do."
Upon hearing this, Alexis immediately sat up straight.
"Although the Samnites have been defeated, nearly 20,000 defeated soldiers are scattered and fleeing. According to the scouts from the mountain rangers, besides three larger groups retreating north, the other defeated soldiers are scattered in the mountains around Potentia, suffering from hunger and disease. But their presence is hindering the plans of the Potentian tribes to return to their settlements. I have decided to leave the Third Legion here, stationed here, to clear out these Samnite stragglers. Poletes will lead Potentian warriors to cooperate with you."
Before Davos could finish speaking, Alexis said eagerly, "Lord, the war with the Samnites is over, and the Syracusan army is attacking our Magna Graecia. We should immediately return to Thurii and concentrate our forces to deal with the Syracusans."
"You don't need to worry about Syracuse. I have my own arrangements. To be honest, I have always felt that the Samnites will be a troublesome opponent when our alliance expands northward in the future. But I didn't expect that this time they would gather a large number of troops and take the initiative to leave their familiar mountainous areas,
launching a large-scale attack on Lucania. Under Hades's protection, the Samnites suffered a crushing defeat, while our losses were not great. Facing an injured beast, what we need to do is seize this good opportunity, kill it while it is weak, rather than let it go and wait for it to recover and cause us trouble again.
Therefore, the Third Legion must eliminate and capture as many of the Samnites stranded here as possible, and not let them escape back north. While completing this task, you can launch tentative offensives into the Samnite mountains to see if there are any further gains. But be careful not to expand the scale of the war and bring in new enemies! You must understand that Daonia's current situation cannot support fighting on two fronts!" Davos solemnly warned.
"I understand. I will try my best to expand our victories!" Alexis said excitedly after understanding Davos's intentions. After all, being able to independently lead an army to conquer an area is the greatest pursuit of any military commander.
"I have also found a capable helper for you." Davos said, calling out to the outside, "Martius, let him in."
Alexis looked curiously towards the door and saw a thin, wiry young man enter.
"Supreme Commander, sir." The young man gave a standard military salute.
"Printoris, company commander of the reconnaissance brigade, the mastermind behind the collapse of the Samnite camp this time!" Davos returned the salute, examining him and praising him incessantly, "Amazing! Really amazing! The victory you created has saved Daonia time, allowing us to concentrate our forces on dealing with Syracuse! I thank you on behalf of the people of Daonia. Your name will be forever remembered in the Hall of Heroes!"
Printoris was both excited and a little embarrassed by Davos's praise, and quickly said modestly, "Lord, this is all thanks to the inspiration I got from your plan to seize the city of Asprustum last time!"
Victorious but not arrogant! Davos nodded, feeling more and more satisfied with this young man. "I will transfer two companies, a total of 400 men, from the mountain reconnaissance brigade to be under your command to assist the Third Legion and the Potentian army in pursuing the Samnite stragglers, while also harassing the neighboring Samnite territories. Can you complete this task well?"
"I can!" Printoris replied confidently.
Davos nodded without showing any emotion and turned to the commander of the Third Legion, saying, "Alexis, are you satisfied with the assistant I have assigned to you?"
"I couldn't be more satisfied!" Alexis said with a smile. "But it also puts more pressure on me. With such a hero assisting me, I would be embarrassed to return to Thurii without any decent achievements."
"It's good that you understand this." Davos continued with a smile, "I hope that you can take Copia if possible."
Copia? Alexis heard this term for the first time.
"That is the Samnite town closest to Potentia, about 40 miles from here," Printoris said to Alexis. As a former member of the reconnaissance team, he had stayed here for almost a day and had some understanding of the surrounding environment.
"This is an expectation of the great chieftain of Potentia! If Copia is captured, Syracuse will be completely under Daonia's protection and will no longer have to worry about Samnite invasions…" Davos further explained. When Puamoates made this request to him in the morning, Davos understood that Potentia had made up its mind to completely depend on the Daonian League.
"Of course, you must also act according to your capabilities and not force yourselves. The battles in the south of the alliance will be very fierce next, and supplies will definitely be very tight. You must pay special attention to this issue and not induce a major war in the north again!" Davos emphasized this sentence again.
Alexis and Printoris exchanged glances and immediately indicated that they understood.
"There is one more thing… Puamoates hopes to build a highway to strengthen the connection with our Lucanian territory. This is a good thing. I have already agreed, and I plan to have Bagulus take over this matter, while having Alexis assist you." Seeing that Alexis wanted to speak, Davos waved his hand and said, "After all, you have served as a construction officer and are very familiar with road construction. At the same time, you have a good relationship with Bagulus, so I believe you can cooperate very well. Now there are tens of thousands of Samnite prisoners as ready-made labor, but don't work them to death. I will have great use for these prisoners in the future."
"I accept this task," Alexis said helplessly.
Seeing that his answer was quite reluctant, Davos had to remind him, "Building this road will not only strengthen the connection with Potentia, but also facilitate our Daonia's expansion into central Apennine in the future. Therefore, road construction and the pursuit of Samnite stragglers are equally important and do not conflict."
"Lord, I understand. I will do my best to help Bagulus and the others build this road!"
… … … … … … … … … … … …
On the same morning, Sesta was heading to the Senate.
The outbreak of this war had a significant impact on the city of Thurii. Most of the First and Second Legions were citizens of Thurii. Then, two new legions were formed, which were also mainly citizens of Thurii, and they trained every day in the military port on the Crati River east of the city of Thurii. Therefore, there were almost no young and middle-aged men to be seen in the urban area. And the elderly and women, out of concern for their relatives, gradually spent less time in the square, and more time staying at home or praying in the temples.
Sesta looked at the empty Victory Square and felt a little melancholy in his heart.
"Lord Sesta!" A shout came from behind him. He turned around and saw Bagiripi, a senator from Bruttium.
"With Lord Sesta accompanying me, I am not afraid even if I am late." Bagiripi said half-jokingly and half-seriously. The petite man was wearing a white Bolton robe with black trim, representing his status as a senator, like a thin bamboo pole hanging a wide cloth robe. Therefore, he tried his best to pull down the drooping hem with both hands, looking quite comical.
But Sesta did not laugh. As a supervisor, he had the function of supervising the performance of the senators during the Senate meetings. Now, because of the treason case of Poluxis and other senators, the senators, at Davos's suggestion, gave the supervisors great power to supervise the senators and the illegal acts of the alliance's public officials.
Because of the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, Sesta had always set an example, but he did not expect to be late once today. He involuntarily explained, "Last night, I was busy sorting out information on supervising the elections in various cities and establishing local councils, so that I could report to everyone at the meeting today. As a result, I was busy until late at night and woke up late today."
"In the current situation where the Syracusan army is pressing down on us, will the elections for the local councils still be held?! You must know that yesterday I heard the news that the Southern Italian Allied Forces are going to fight a decisive battle with the Syracusans in Siris. I couldn't sleep all night!" Bagiripi said uneasily. After all, the Fifth Legion was almost entirely composed of Bruttian citizens, and the Bruttian region was located on the front line of the war. Once the battle was lost, the impact on the Bruttian people would be greater than on the citizens of other cities in the alliance.
Sesta, seeing this, hurriedly advised, "Lord Bagiripi, you don't need to worry too much. Philius is the southern front commander recognized and appointed by Lord Davos. He is also a veteran who has experienced many battles. Moreover, he is honest, and the analysis report on the battle should not be exaggerated. We have a great chance of winning the battle! The wise Ancytanos also acknowledged Philius's analysis in the report he sent together, so let's not worry too much... The local council election may be postponed for a while, but it will still be held after the Syracusans are driven away."
"Yes, yes, you're right."
The two comforted each other and walked up the steps of the Senate's Great Hall.
At this moment, Sesta saw Petarus coming from the other side. He seemed not to see Sesta and walked quickly into the venue.
Of course, Sesta didn't have the habit of enthusiastically greeting unfamiliar people. Instead, Bagiripi sighed, "It seems that Petarus still has some opinions about your review of him last time. It will be fine after a while."
Sesta said coldly, "I'm just fulfilling my duty. Whether others are happy or not has nothing to do with me."
Upon hearing this, Bagiripi had no choice but to remain silent.
......
"Distinguished lords, the Syracusan warships have cut off our Daonian maritime trade routes. Whether it is to the Eastern Mediterranean or other regions of the Western Mediterranean, more than twenty merchant ships of our alliance have been captured and detained by the Syracusan navy, and merchant ships from other city-states trading with our alliance have also been forcibly driven away. Now, almost no merchant ships enter the port of Thurii. Except for the port of Pyxus, which is located in a remote area and can still operate normally, the ports of other cities have stopped operating.
Now, because of the war, the soldiers at the front consume a lot of supplies every day. If this situation continues, we will not be able to obtain supplies through maritime trade, and the grain supply of the entire alliance may become tight! I suggest that the Senate must take measures now to start reminding the public to pay attention to saving food and forcibly control food consumption, such as temporarily closing restaurants and changing the public from three meals a day to two meals..." After Mali Ji finished speaking, the senators were in an uproar.
"Is the situation really that bad?" Cornelus asked nervously.
"Yes, the grain consumption is exceeding our prior estimates!" The agricultural officer Bagiripi added, "Although we have grain reserves, we have already used up the grain from two granaries to supply food to more than 40,000 people in the five legions in the north and south for the first time. Moreover, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Military Affairs, these foods can only supply them for ten days. As you know, we have only built six granaries in the alliance's territory in the past few years. If the war lasts for another two months, I am afraid that the grain reserves will be exhausted!"
The senators present became nervous.
Cunogolata immediately stood up and said, "If the sea is blocked, we can buy from Taranto by land."
Melsis shook his head and said, "Mali Ji and I had already thought of this idea and sent public officials to Taranto to negotiate, but the Taranto Senate said, 'They are also short of food and have no surplus to sell'."
"Damn Taranto! They have forgotten who helped them drive away the Messapians in the first place. They are really ungrateful! We should take the alliance agreement and question them properly!" Scombrus, the administrative officer of Amendolara in this session, cursed loudly upon hearing this.
"Cough... Now is not the time to settle accounts with Taranto. The Syracusans and Samnites are already difficult for us to deal with. Besides, our relationship with Taranto has not been very harmonious in the past two years. If we push Taranto too hard, it will really be like Davos worried... then it will be troublesome!" Cornelus said worriedly.
"What is our fleet doing now?! The alliance spends so much money every year to build warships, and now is the time when the navy is needed!" Tritodemos asked loudly.
"Navy Commander Secilian is fully reorganizing the warships from various alliances and training the new tactics proposed by Lord Davos together with the newly formed legions," Hieronimus replied.
"Lord Davos's new tactics?!" Tritodemos became excited upon hearing this: "Can it defeat the Syracusan navy?!"
"The Thurii military port is now tightly sealed every day, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. I am not clear about their training situation," Hieronimus replied and then remained silent.
"It seems that we can't count on the navy for the time being... I hope that the Southern Italian Allied Forces led by Lord Philius today can contain the Syracusan attack." Although Scombrus is nearly 60 years old, his personality is more radical, but at this time, he also has a cautious attitude towards the upcoming major battle in the south. It can be seen that others also have the same mood of gain and loss. After all, the Southern Italian Allied Forces are not all Daonian troops, and Philius's leadership naturally cannot be compared with the executive officer Davos in the hearts of the senators.
"Is there any latest news? Has Lord Davos already led his troops into battle with the Samnites?" Sedorom asked.
"What I got is still yesterday's news, 'Lord Davos led his troops to enter Elia', today's battle report has not yet been sent."
The answer from the presiding chairman, Cunogolata, disappointed the senators present, and a sigh could be heard from someone in the room: "Our war report transmission is still too slow."
"It's already very fast! You have to remember that the Lucania region is all mountainous. At the previous speed, it would probably take more than four or five days to arrive. Now it has been shortened a lot," Heraclides, who had not been in the Senate for long and rarely spoke, retorted.
"Distinguished sirs!" Cunogolata reminded loudly, "Although according to the analysis of the war report, our allied forces have a great chance of defeating the Syracuseans, we must also prepare for the worst. We must again strictly order Agasia of Asproustoum and Asistes of Knapetia to make full preparations for defending the cities as we discussed yesterday. In case... the battle is lost, we must do everything possible to stop the enemy outside the territory of Daonia! At the same time, we must also prepare to assist Taranto, so that we can defend the defense line of Knapetia - Asproustoum - Taranto, and hold back the enemy until Lord Davos leads the army back!"
"Lord Cunogolata is right, we must have two plans!"
"The allied forces led by Lord Philius have more troops than the enemy, and our legions are the main force, so they should be able to repel the enemy."
"Have the scouts all been sent out? Let them send back the situation of the Battle of Siris in Thurii every half hour!"
… …
The senators in the Senate expressed their opinions one after another, but everyone felt a sense of tension and worry in their hearts… …
… … … … … … … … … … … …
After the meeting, the senators did not disperse. They sat idly in the venue, chatting in twos and threes. They were waiting here for news from the southern battlefield so that they could make decisions quickly, so they even had their servants bring lunch to the Senate at noon.
Cunogolata walked straight to a corner of the venue, where Plessinas and Marigi were talking in low voices.
Seeing Cunogolata coming, the two immediately stopped talking.
"Lord Plessinas, I have heard that there have been some abnormal situations in the Temple of Hades recently," Cunogolata said directly in a low voice.
"Oh, what abnormal situation? Why haven't I heard of it?" Plessinas looked blank.
"Suddenly appearing and disappearing writing, and the statue of the god occasionally makes sounds…" Cunogolata said slowly, his eyes fixed on Plessinas.
Plessinas suddenly understood: "Lord Cunogolata, are you talking about this? This is not an abnormal phenomenon, this is a miracle of Hades! Such things have happened before, but they have only appeared more frequently recently. This just shows that Hades is blessing our alliance!" Plessinas looked pious.
Seeing his expression, Cunogolata hesitated several times, and finally warned solemnly: "Now is the time of crisis for the alliance. We need to ensure the stability of the alliance's internal affairs and work together to deal with the powerful enemy! As the administrative officer of Thurii, I don't want to see major turmoil in the city! I believe Lord Davos doesn't want to see major chaos in the city either!"
Seeing Cunogolata's majestic expression, Plessinas was suffocated.
Marigi next to him immediately interjected: "Lord Cunogolata, I am very curious, what is the 'suddenly appearing and disappearing writing' you just mentioned?"
Cunogolata glanced at him warily and said, "You can ask Plessinas." After speaking, he turned and left. The rumor of "Use my blood as king to protect the alliance's peace" has gradually spread. It is said that it has spread to Amendolara, Bisinia, and Castron, which made Cunogolata feel very uneasy. What he urgently wants to know now is: Is this matter Plessinas's own idea? Or is it from Davos's instruction? If it is the latter, then what should he do?
"He noticed it," Plessinas watched Cunogolata leave and turned to Marigi.
"Anyone with a brain can notice it," Marigi shrugged disdainfully: "But knowing it, what can they do? Just now, Cunogolata didn't even dare to say what 'that writing' was. When things really happen, I'm afraid he will be one of the first to raise his hand in favor. Don't worry, Cunogolata is a smart man!" Marigi's words made Plessinas feel relieved.
"Actually, I hope today's battle fails…" Marigi's next voice was even smaller, but it startled Plessinas again.
"Lord Davos has led the alliance citizens to victory in every battle, and that's why we have such a large territory today! But the people have forgotten the taste of failure, and therefore do not know the value of victory…" Marigi said quietly… …
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Compared to the deserted city of Thurii, the territory of Siris was filled with war clouds on the same morning… …
Tens of thousands of soldiers, in teams, came out of the city of Siris, the city of Trina, the big camp outside the city, and the Syracuse camp, and rushed like a tide to a place five miles north of the Syracuse camp.
This area wasn't exactly flat; the ground was uneven, dotted with small hillocks and thickets. To the west flowed the Lamato River, and to the north, the midstream of the Corace River coursed from northwest to southeast.
Clearly, Phileas had chosen to deploy his forces here, taking into account the formidable nature of the Syracuse cavalry, aiming to use the terrain to limit their maneuverability and effectiveness as much as possible. At the same time, such terrain would undoubtedly favor the more adaptable and flexible infantry of the Daonian legion.
Dionysius, of course, saw the disadvantage this terrain posed to his side, but he still led his army forward.
Over 100,000 soldiers from both sides converged on this area of a dozen square miles, a dense, overwhelming mass, stirring up dust and sand, creating a deafening clamor…
Dionysius squinted, trying to peer ahead. Even with the dust obstructing his vision, the black attire of the Daonian legionnaires was particularly conspicuous, and they were directly opposite Dionysius.
"The Daonians are in the center!" Dionysius felt a surge of confidence, as he had also placed his most elite 15,000 soldiers in the center. These were mercenaries from Campania and mainland Greece, who had followed him in battle across Sicily for many years. Most of the soldiers had been granted citizenship and land by him, becoming new citizens of Syracuse. These were his most loyal and trusted core forces.
"Judging by the Daonians' past battles, their main attack will likely focus on their left flank!" Phibidas warned. "I suggest deploying at least 20,000 soldiers on our right flank to block the enemy's attack!"
Dionysius didn't answer immediately. He tilted his head, looking towards the left front.
He saw the Southern Italian allied forces still forming ranks in the dusty haze, the chaotic noise and commotion stretching beyond his field of vision…
After a moment, he issued an order: "Send all the Syracuse citizen-soldiers to the right flank!"
The messenger acknowledged the order and galloped east.
Dionysius turned to the Spartan, saying in a deep voice, "Phibidas, I appoint you as the commander of the right flank. I hope you can lead the army to block the enemy's attack and buy time for victory. I hope you accept!"
"It is my honor!" Phibidas readily accepted the appointment, showing none of the arrogant self-awareness of "I am a Spartan, you have no right to appoint me." Being able to lead over 20,000 soldiers in this large-scale battle was a first for Phibidas, and likely his last, so the temptation was too great for him to resist.
"Also, in case of difficulty, you have the authority to command the Numidian and Celtic cavalry on the outer edge of the right flank," Dionysius added.
Phibidas felt trusted. He gave Dionysius a rare military salute.
"Asthagaras," Dionysius then called out.
"Here!"
"You will lead the city-state troops of Sicily along with the Hibernian troops to guard the left flank! Remember, I only need you to hold back the enemy, I don't need you to be too aggressive, understand?!" Dionysius issued the order in a stern tone to this brave subordinate.
"Yes, sir!" Asthagaras's heart tightened.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Commander, the Trina troops have arrived at the battlefield. Lord Sippos asked me to tell you that a total of 8,500 soldiers from Trina have arrived!" A messenger rode up and reported to Phileas.
8,500 people! ! Phileas was taken aback by the number. Wouldn't that mean there were only a few hundred soldiers left to guard the city of Trina? Because during yesterday's discussion of today's battle plan, the representative of Trina had stated that they could send up to 6,000 people to participate, but unexpectedly, they had increased the number by 2,500 today. Immediately, Phileas thought of the Trinians' intentions: they were preparing to put everything into this one battle!
Phileas was also greatly encouraged at this moment. He said loudly: "Go and tell Lord Ascesas to move all the Siris troops that were originally to be deployed on the right flank to the left flank to make the hammerhead of the iron hammer thicker!"
"Yes!" A messenger turned his horse and rode away to the east.
"Go and tell Lord Sippos that the Trina troops should be lined up next to the Daonian Legion on the right flank, and the distance between the far end of the phalanx and the Lamato River should not be too great to prevent the enemy's cavalry from flanking and harassing!"
"Yes!" Another messenger received the order and sped away to the west.
Seeing the messengers disappear into the dust, Phileas once again stared at the Daonian soldiers in front of him. Only by watching these well-trained legionnaires skillfully form teams and formations could he feel at ease and dispel the tension and anxiety in his heart.
After watching for a while, he suddenly felt that something was wrong and said: "Immediately notify the two legion commanders, Drakos and Epitenes, to slow down the formation speed of the soldiers and wait for the allied troops on both sides. Don't expose our intentions too early!"
"Yes!" Two more messengers galloped forward.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Phileas is too cautious. With the strength of our legion, there is no need to play these little tricks. Just blow the attack horn and charge over!" Drakos was somewhat dissatisfied when he received Phileas' order.
But he didn't dare not obey the orders of his superiors, so he said to the adjutant: "Go and tell the centurions to slow down the formation speed of the brothers. Don't get excited too early. Slow down a bit and save your energy and spirit for the moment of the charge."
"Understood, Legion Commander!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Oh, if it weren't for Lord Phileas' reminder, I would have almost forgotten about this! Adjutant, quickly tell the brothers to slow down and wait for the Trinians next to us. But, to be honest, it's easy to make them speed up, but how many years have we not practiced slowing down like this… Haha…" Epitenes joked as he issued the order.
The adjutant suppressed his laughter and said, "Understood, Legion Commander!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Hundreds of messenger cavalrymen galloped back and forth in the long lines of both sides, conveying orders. In the chaotic and noisy formations, officers at all levels were also shouting loudly. Two huge phalanxes were slowly taking shape…
The time it took for more than 100,000 people to form a formation was quite long. The Syracuseans completed their formation faster than the Southern Italian Allied forces. After all, most of their troops came from the same city-state and often fought together, unlike the Southern Italian Allied forces, which not only came from multiple city-states, but also cooperated for the first time.
By noon, the huge clamor gradually subsided, and the dust that filled the air gradually dissipated due to the stillness of the soldiers…
The soldiers at the front of the phalanxes on both sides could clearly see the enemies hundreds of meters away. In their eyes, the opponent's dense phalanx was like a thick steel wall extending endlessly to both ends…
The midday sun in early winter was not scorching, but when it shone on the soldiers' shiny armor and weapons, the dazzling light formed a piece, making it impossible to look directly at it. Only when the line of sight fell in front of the Daonian phalanx, the Daonian legionnaires' unique and uniform equipment and clothing naturally attracted the attention of the Syracuse soldiers, and also made them feel palpitation, because black always meant ominous.
The sea breeze blew from the Gulf of Squillace, making the heavily armored soldiers who were covered in sweat after just a while of tossing about feel a little cool…
Large and small military flags fluttered in the wind in the long formations of both sides. The largest flag stood behind Dionysius, not only painted with the traditional Syracuse "three legs" symbol, but also Dionysius's real name was greatly embroidered on the flag. In comparison, Phileas, the commander of the Southern Italian Allied forces as the opponent, was a little shabby. Due to the hasty time of taking office, the military department did not have time to specially make military flags and statues for him. He could only use the legion flag statue and simply add a larger flag.
Phileas didn't care about this. At this time, he was looking in surprise at the military flag representing Dionysius in the opposite army formation slowly moving forward. After a while, the military flag had moved to the front of the formation, and under the military flag was a general in golden helmet and golden armor.
Such gorgeous dress should be Dionysius himself, right? Phileas hesitated for a moment, then also rode forward.
The two met in the center of the battlefield. Dionysius scrutinized Phileas with sharp eyes, and Phileas returned the gaze without showing any weakness.
"Are you the commander of the Southern Italian Allied Forces?"
"Are you the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius?"
"I am Dionysius."
"I am the commander of the Daonian army, the commander of the Southern Italian Allied Forces this time, Phileas!" Under Dionysius's silent gaze, Phileas unconsciously increased his volume.
"Phileas, it seems that your subordinates don't agree with your title of commander," Dionysius turned to look at his sides, a mocking smile on his face, only to see cavalry galloping towards here from both the east and west.
"All the city-states within the Southern Italian Alliance are equal, unlike the Greek city-states of Sicily!" Phileas's face turned slightly red, and he retorted in the tone of his Daonian Senate colleagues during debates.
Dionysius laughed loudly: "In battle, shouldn't the army obey the orders of one person in order to ensure the unity of the entire army's actions? I think your Archon Davos should be very clear about this, didn't he tell you?"
Phileas realized that he was completely no match for Dionysius in terms of eloquence, so he simply remained silent, only staring at him coldly.
Dionysius reined in his smile, revealing a sinister expression: "You said one thing right, the Greek city-states of Sicily are under my sole control! And after this battle, Magna Graecia will also be under my sole control!"
"That will only be known after we fight!" Phileas replied succinctly.
Dionysius nodded slightly, then turned his horse back to the formation.
"Dionysius, stop right there!" Ascamas shouted as he rushed over.
"I have already met with your commander. You subordinate generals are not qualified to speak with me!" Dionysius laughed loudly, urging his horse back to his own formation.
"What did Dionysius say?!" Ascamas asked loudly as he hurried over.
"What else could he say besides declaring war!" Even the good-natured Phericles couldn't help but feel a little angry.
"That cowardly Dionysius didn't even dare to stay a little longer, yet he dares to declare war on us!" Ascamas spat fiercely in the direction of Dionysius.
At this moment, Acesias and Siproes had also arrived.
Phericles's mood had also calmed down. Taking advantage of the valuable opportunity of everyone being together, he looked at the three of them and said solemnly, "Lord Siproes, you must control your army and not focus too much on offense. Just defend steadily. Our Daonian army will guard the right flank together with the Trina soldiers."
"I feel very reassured being with the Daonian legion!" Siproes said with a smile.
Phericles once again gave the final reminder to the commanding general of Siris: "Lord Acesias, please note that the right end of the phalanx you lead must try to maintain the same speed of attack as the Daonian army! As for your left flank… please boldly attack together with the Crotonian army!"
Acesias nodded to indicate his understanding.
Finally, Phericles turned his gaze to the Crotonian general, who seemed to have prejudices against Daonia, and said sincerely, "Lord Ascamas, the victory of the Southern Italian Allied Forces and the peace of the entire Magna Graecia depend on you Crotonians!"
"Rest assured, everyone! Our Crotonian warriors are already prepared and are just waiting for the bugle to sound, then we will launch an attack and defeat the Syracusans in one fell swoop!" Ascamas said with great enthusiasm.
Phericles looked intently at each of the commanding generals, whose faces were a mixture of tension and excitement. He extended his right fist and shouted hopefully, "The gods will bless Magna Graecia!"
"The gods bless Magna Graecia!" The other three responded with fervor. The four fists collided forcefully, and then they each turned their horses and returned to their respective formations.
In the Greek city-states of the Western Mediterranean, two gods were highly revered: one was the sun god Apollo. Apollo was not a powerful main god, but in addition to controlling the sun, literature, and archery,
he also had a luck bonus. During the Great Colonization Era, wooden ships loaded with colonists sailed to the unknown Western Mediterranean. They all hoped to be lucky enough to avoid sea storms, successfully reach land, and find fertile land to settle, and not encounter fierce natives. Once they survived and successfully built a city, they would think it was Apollo's blessing; and what was most important after settling down? Of course, it was to reproduce, grow the population, strengthen the strength, drive away the surrounding natives, and expand the territory. Therefore, another highly revered god was the goddess Hera, who was in charge of marriage, family, and childbirth.
Among the city-states participating in the battle today, Syracuse, Croton, Siris, and Trina all had Apollo as their patron god. Although the armies of each city-state had performed divination to the sun god before heading to the battlefield, the soldiers still prayed to Apollo again before the battle, seeking blessings. However, the prayers came from both sides of the enemy, so how should Apollo choose?
Only the Daonian soldiers sang hymns to the dark lord, who was seen as eerie and terrifying in the hearts of the Greeks.
Aphias, like his other comrades, silently chanted the last verse of the Hymn to Hades: "…Great ruler of the underworld, impartial judge!
May my name shine in Elysium when I die bravely in battle,
May my soul be guided by you to the Elysian Fields that everyone yearns for!"
The soldiers immediately felt all fear disappear, and their bodies were filled with strength.
"Brothers, adjust your equipment, put on your helmets!" the squad leader's voice came.
Aphias immediately placed the thrusting spear and two javelins he was holding in his right hand on the long shield in his left hand, took off the open-faced helmet hanging on his shoulder, put it on, pulled down the leather ear protectors, and tightened it at his chin.
After he finished all this, he saw out of the corner of his eye that his comrades on both sides were also quickly putting on their helmets, and they regained their standing defensive posture. He felt that this new type of helmet was much more convenient. His eyes could see the surrounding situation, and his ears could hear his comrades' words. The old Corinthian helmet was not good. Wearing it would make him feel like his eyes and ears were immediately deaf and blind. He could only see the enemy directly in front of him, and he could only hear the sharp and high-pitched bugle sound, as if he was alone, sealed in the darkness. Only the occasional shaking figures of his companions next to him and the forward-surging power of his comrades behind him could make him feel real.
If a person with a weak heart wears a Corinthian helmet for a long time, he will definitely go crazy! Aphias often thought this way during peacetime training. Therefore, after tasting the benefits of the new helmet, he never wanted to wear the Corinthian helmet again.
Regarding a saying circulating in the legion: the new helmet cannot protect the face well. He scoffed at this: people's reaction to any attack aimed at the face is the fastest. If you can't even avoid this, then you are not a qualified Daonian legion soldier!
Looking at the Syracusan soldiers covered in bronze armor hundreds of meters away, a trace of pity arose in his heart.
The familiar bugle sound, which he had heard countless times on the training ground, sounded at this moment, high-pitched and majestic, but it gave him an unprecedented excitement.
"Advance!" At the squad leader's shout, Aphias held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right hand, and together with his comrades, he slowly advanced to the sound of drums.
Between the small square formations, countless soldiers wearing leather armor rushed out of the passages between the formations and ran towards the enemy.
This magnificent sight was just like during countless training sessions. Aphias knew that the first to engage the enemy would be these light infantry battalion comrades.
He and his heavy infantry comrades skillfully switched a javelin to their right hands, and waited unhurriedly for the moment to throw it.
… … … … … … … … … … …
After two days of pondering and careful preparation, with the sounding of the attack bugle, the tense Phericles suddenly relaxed and murmured, "It's finally starting…"
But he quickly cheered up and told the messengers and scouts to report the progress of the entire battlefield to him at any time!
The battle had just begun, and he had to be 100% focused, like Consul Davos always did on the battlefield, and be ready to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations until the final battle was over and victory arrived.
… … … … … … … … … … …
At this moment, Dionysius's attention was not on the battlefield: "Has the reinforcement set out yet? Where are they now?"
"The fleet led by Lord Leptines set sail from the port of Hibernia half an hour ago, fully loaded with 10,000 soldiers, and may have reached the mouth of the Lamato River now… And another army led by Lord Phasippus set out from the city of Hibernia early in the morning, and it is estimated that they have already crossed the Cortale River…"
The adjutant carefully made his judgment based on the information previously obtained from the scouts.
Just then, a messenger galloped from behind: "Report! Lord Phasippus has led his army into the camp and has specially sent me to ask the commander-in-chief for the next order!"
Dionysius smiled with satisfaction: "It seems that Phasippus's performance this time is really good, it has exceeded your estimate, Damocles."
The adjutant Damocles smiled flatteringly: "Because of your lord's strategy, the Magna Graecians have been completely fooled, and victory is at hand! Phasippus also wants to make contributions earlier, otherwise, if he comes late, the battle will be over, and the victory will be exclusively enjoyed by you, my lord."
Dionysius smiled again and ordered: "Let Phasippus lead his soldiers to rest temporarily in the camp to recover their strength. The battle has just begun."
… … … … … … … … … … …
The two light infantry battalions of the Daonian Fourth and Fifth Legions advanced rapidly, but their attempt to directly attack the Syracusan infantry phalanx failed, because the Syracusans also sent a large number of light infantry, so the outpost battle began with a contest of light infantry.
For a time, arrows flew back and forth, javelins crossed, and people on both sides kept falling with screams. Daonian light infantry were more well-trained, while Syracusan light infantry had more battlefield experience. Because the Fourth and Fifth Legions were formed the latest, especially the Fifth Legion had not participated in a real battle, the two sides were evenly matched.
When the main forces were nearly a hundred meters apart, the Syracusan light infantry retreated, they had to withdraw from the battlefield as early as possible before the heavy infantry of both sides collided, otherwise they would be crushed into blood foam under the impact of huge forces.
However, the Daonian light infantry had not retreated yet. The Daonian Legion's more complex and smoother formation gave them the confidence to quickly withdraw from the battlefield before the heavy infantry of both sides collided, so they quickly fired two more rounds of arrows and javelins.
The arrows flashed with cold light and fell down. Some hit the thick Corinthian helmets and bounced high, making the Syracusan soldiers feel slightly dizzy; some were blocked by round shields, and besides creating small pits on the smooth bronze shields, they would not cause any damage. Only hitting the exposed arms and thighs could make them lose their combat power, but such casualties were too few.
However, the damage of the javelins was much greater. They could not only penetrate the breastplate, but also pierce into the round shield, making it difficult for soldiers to defend themselves by waving their shields.
The screams in the Syracusan formation were like throwing a stone into a big river, completely covered by the rumbling footsteps and the friction of armor and weapons, and could not cause a ripple.
The experienced Syracusan soldiers coldly watched ahead through the narrow eye slits of their helmets. Although they had not yet directly clashed with the Daunians, they knew a larger attack was imminent, so they quickened their pace.
The Daunian light infantry quickly retreated through the gaps between the small square formations, and the infantry square formations in the rear quickly moved forward, soon connecting the entire Daunian line.
At this moment, the enemy had already entered within 50 meters, and there was no need for the officers to give orders. Aifei Aralt and the other heavy infantrymen stepped forward, raised their arms, and threw...
Tens of thousands of javelins flew from the two-mile-long front line of the allied forces in the center, covering the sky and sun as they attacked the Syracusan phalanx. The prepared Syracusan soldiers held their round shields overhead, overlapping them up, down, left, and right, forming a long copper wall. However, the whirlwind of death stirred up by the javelin rain made it impossible to cover up the screams of the Syracusan soldiers, so the Syracusan soldiers began to run faster.
Aifei Aralt and his comrades, who were at the very front of the line, no longer had enough time to throw another javelin, so they unhesitatingly threw away their remaining javelin, held their long shields in front with their left hands, and clenched their thrusting spears in their right hands, accelerating forward together. They had to reach their maximum speed within a short distance of 30 meters.
On one side was a golden giant wall, and on the other side was a black tide.
"Apollo!!!..."
"Hades!!!..."
In the deafening shouts, the two sides crashed together, and at that moment even the earth trembled.
In that instant, Aifei Aralt felt a huge force crash into his shield, almost breaking his shield arm, causing his body to involuntarily lean back. At this moment, the equally powerful force from the rear pushed him back again. His forward-thrusting spear was blocked by the enemy's round shield, and his long shield also blocked the opponent's thrusting spear. Because the force of the two sides rushing forward was too great, both thrusting spears snapped.
Aifei Aralt endured the pain in his right hand and drew the short sword from his waist.
The soldiers on both sides were densely packed together, and the space for each soldier to move was very small. The Daunian soldiers in the front row, regardless of whether the thrusting spear in their hands was broken or not, threw it away and replaced it with a short sword, while many of the Syracusans on the opposite side also picked up curved sabers, and close combat began...
......
In front of the center of the Daunian legion, the Daunians had the advantage in the contest of light infantry, but on the other battle lines, the Syracusan light infantry took full advantage.
Because Croton, Siri, and Trina were not accustomed to having light infantry harassing the enemy while the heavy infantry phalanx advanced.
Therefore, they suffered a lot. Their solution to this was to increase their speed of advance and engage in direct combat with the Syracusan heavy infantry as soon as possible.
Except for the Daunians, all of the allied light infantry were concentrated on the left end of the entire army formation, behind the cavalry. When both sides were fighting together, only this place remained calm.
Felis knew that in terms of cavalry, the allied cavalry was far inferior to the Syracusan cavalry in terms of both quantity and ability. Therefore, he gathered the 500 cavalry led by Soberkos and the cavalry from other city-states, forming a team of 1,500 cavalry to guard the flanks of the allied left wing, preventing the enemy cavalry from detouring around the flanks (because the Lamato River was on the outer side of the allied right wing, Felis believed that it was impossible for the Syracusan cavalry to be deployed on this side), and warned them: Do not move out easily. Once the enemy cavalry attacks, let the nearly 4,000 light infantry behind them use ranged firepower to disperse them, and then supplement with cavalry charges, which should be able to resist the fierce Syracusan cavalry.
Felis's real trump card was on the left wing. The formation he deployed was similar to the strategy used by Davos to defeat the Brutii on the Cosenza Plateau, that is, the weaker troops were deployed on the right wing, relying on the river as a support to ensure the safety of the flanks, while the strengthened left wing was used to win the victory. However, unlike the Battle of Punate, the left wing of the allied forces at this time had weak cavalry and strong infantry. 17,000 Crotonian infantry and tens of thousands of Sirian infantry (a small part of the Sirian infantry was close to the center) formed the left wing, and the depth of the formation alone was more than forty rows.
After Phibidas arrived at the Syracusan right wing, although he did not know the detailed deployment of the enemy opposite, he stood in front of the formation and watched. Just looking at the dense, upright thrusting spears extending backward, the experienced him immediately realized: Once the horn sounded, the enemy's impact would be very amazing!
He quickly made a decision: Thicken the formation of his own side as well!
But in this way, the length of the formation on the right wing, which had fewer troops than the other side, would inevitably be shorter than the other side, making it easy for the other side to outflank it.
Phibidas also made an astonishing decision at the same time. He ordered the soldiers on the right wing to immediately line up in an arc-shaped line, with the convex surface facing outward. In this way, during the fighting, the Syracusan soldiers were located in the inner circle, which naturally made up for the insufficient length of the formation.
......
When the horn sounded, nearly 30,000 infantry on the right wing of the Southern Italian Allied Forces strode forward and marched towards the enemy in a mighty manner.
Among the Crotonian soldiers, there were many citizens like Corlebus who had been captured by the Daunians twice. They bore the blame for the defeat, experienced Croton's decline from glory, and watched the former enemy Daonia rise rapidly. Their hearts were always filled with loss and confusion.
Therefore, today they want to prove themselves with a victory, just like their commanding general Ascamas, to prove Croton's former glory! Although things are different now, Croton's strength is far behind the Daunian city-state alliance, but this is the pride of the Crotonians, the character of the citizens of the sports city!
Therefore, even if the arrows in the sky rained down like raindrops, they could not slow down their advance. While trying to maintain their formation, they gradually increased their pace...
The huge army emitted a terrifying rumble, and the Crotonian soldiers began to charge...
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the approaching enemy, their faces intertwined with tension and excitement, only hoping that the terrible and intoxicating moment would come soon!
"Apollo!!!..." They roared wantonly, and suddenly crashed into the Syracusans.
......
Generally speaking, when the heavy infantry of both sides are pressed together, the advancement of the entire formation from the rear to the front begins to play a role. In order to prevent the other side from pushing them back step by step, and eventually breaking the line and leading to defeat, the rear infantry not only stick close to their comrades in front, trying to extend their thrusting spears forward as much as possible, hoping to help the front-line soldiers increase their threat to the enemy, but also use all their strength to push forward, so that the space occupied by the soldiers at the forefront becomes smaller and smaller.
Aifei Aralt was not worried. Like in his usual training, he lunged forward, squatting slightly, leaning forward, his half-length shield almost protecting his entire leg, torso, and neck. He occasionally used the force from behind to suddenly push the long shield forward, concentrating the force on the copper semi-circular ramming horn in the center of the curved long shield. The force was considerable. If it hit an enemy without sufficient protection, it would be enough to cause his chest to collapse and his bones to fracture, and when it hit the enemy's round shield, it could also cause potholes to appear on the hard copper shield.
Conversely, when the Syracusan soldier's round shield hit the long shield, the round ramming horn of the long shield easily caused the round shield to slip, failing to hit the correct spot. Moreover, the powerful force transmitted by the round shield was diffused to the entire curved shield plate through the round ramming horn, and then transmitted to Aifei Aralt's body, the force was much smaller, which gave Aifei Aralt enough time to catch his breath.
While Aifei Aralt was trying to disrupt the opponent's defense with his long shield, he seized the opportunity with his right hand, tightly gripping the half-meter-long, double-edged, thick-backed short sword, and quickly stabbed in and out from the gap between his and the opponent's shields. Unfortunately, the two Syracusan soldiers next to him seemed to be experienced and had avoided his attacks many times.
The thickness of the Daunian Legion and the Syracusan center troops were about the same. When the forces were almost equal, the squeezing towards the middle became more and more serious.
Aifei Aralt and the enemy opposite him were getting closer and closer. He could even feel the hot air sprayed out from the small slit under the nasal armor in the center of the other's Corinthian helmet.
When he saw the pair of cold eyes suddenly brighten, he instinctively lowered his head and lifted his long shield upward.
"Bang!" The dog-leg saber swung by the opponent was hitting the shield plate. And his lowered head suddenly saw something, and his heart suddenly became excited.
That was the enemy's foot! Although the Greek round shield was large, it was not as long as the long shield after all. The enemy's foot, wearing leather sandals, was exposed under the round shield. If Aifei Aralt had not raised the long shield, it would have been impossible to discover this flaw through the gap below.
He immediately used his long shield to laboriously hold up the opponent's round shield, lowered his head again, bent his waist further down (if he was wearing a Corinthian helmet, he would not be able to make such a large bending and lowering movement), and stabbed his right-hand short sword diagonally forward and downward with force. The sharp tip of the sword directly pierced the instep of the opponent's right foot without any hindrance.
He heard a shrill scream from the enemy opposite. Aifei Aralt did not look at the results of the battle and quickly retracted his short sword. At the same time as he pushed his long shield forward, he took a step forward with his left foot. In the instant when the enemy screamed and fell to the ground and the enemy behind him was about to fill the gap, he squeezed into a small gap in the opponent's shield wall.
No sooner said than done, his blood-stained short sword struck out again to the right like lightning. The enemy next to him was resisting shield to shield with Aifei Aralt's teammate, and had not yet made corresponding preparations because of the fall of his companion. He was suddenly stabbed through the right arm, which was not covered by armor, and screamed in pain, even dropping the dog-leg saber on the ground.
Aifei Aralt quickly retracted his short sword, hiding his body behind his large shield, dodging the thrusts of spears and slashes of sabers from the enemies in the front and rear ranks. His teammate on the right seized the moment when an enemy fell, pushing forward to his side, fighting alongside him, and further breaking the enemy's front shield wall.
In that fleeting moment, Aifei Aralt had already wounded two enemies.
In close-quarters combat, the combination of the Daunian legionary's large shield and short sword proved significantly more dangerous than the Syracusan heavy infantry's round shield and saber. After all, the Greek saber had a certain degree of curvature, making it more suitable for slashing than thrusting, and the round shield did not provide as comprehensive protection as the large shield. The Syracusans had to concentrate even more, as the sharp tip of the sword would occasionally pierce through the gaps between the shields, causing injury if they were not careful.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
On the left wing of the allied forces, the Crotonian citizen soldiers, renowned throughout Greece for their wrestling and boxing skills, continued to unleash their ferocious power.
Although Phibidas had reinforced the Syracusan right wing, he could not increase the number of soldiers he led. Therefore, under the pressure of the Crotonians, the Syracusan right wing gradually retreated, causing the formation's arc to become increasingly curved.
However, Phibidas, following Spartan tradition, stood at the front of the phalanx, fighting the enemy. Even though he sensed the situation was unfavorable, he could not leave the formation to make arrangements to change the situation on the field. He could only hope that the mercenary cavalry would faithfully execute the plan from before the battle. In fact, the Syracusan mercenaries, the mercenary cavalry, had already begun to move.
Faced with such an exciting battle, the more bellicose Numidian and Celtic cavalry were already eager to try.
With a roar from Acherital, about 2,000 Numidian cavalrymen followed him, charging out.
As they galloped, they gradually formed a slender column, quickly passing along the outside of the allied cavalry, emitting strange howls and throwing javelins at the allied cavalry.
The allied light infantry immediately fired arrows at the enemy cavalry.
Because the Numidian cavalry were charging in a single line at an angle, with a loose formation, and were moving quickly, not many were shot down. However, many allied cavalrymen were hit by the javelins.
The allied cavalrymen began to stir. Sopolkos repeatedly urged them to remain calm.
When Acherital led the Numidian cavalry in a wide circle, turning back from the dust cloud, preparing for another round of javelin throws, many allied cavalrymen could no longer restrain themselves and charged forward.
With their lead,
the other cavalrymen followed suit.
Sopolkos could not stop them at all. Although he was the temporary commander of the allied cavalry, the Daunian cavalry did not make up the majority of the entire allied cavalry, only 500 riders. Moreover, in the eyes of the Greeks, cavalry was the privilege of the nobility, a stage to demonstrate personal bravery. Their organization was always loose, so how could they listen to Sopolkos's orders?
Soon, Sopolkos discovered that only the Daunian cavalry and nearly 4,000 allied light infantry remained in place.
Seeing the allied cavalry rushing up, Acherital smiled.
He skillfully manipulated the reins, quickly turning his charging horse to move diagonally forward, then turning east, accelerating his retreat. Because he was at the head of the column, the Numidian cavalry behind him could clearly see his movements and immediately followed suit. The entire Numidian cavalry turned and ran east.
The allied cavalry thought the enemy was fleeing and urged their horses to pursue.
Sopolkos was in a dilemma: should he pursue? Or should he stay behind?
Beyond the hundreds of meters of dust and mist, there seemed to be enemy cavalry observing, but Sopolkos, as the commander of the allied cavalry, felt that if he did not act with the other city-state cavalry, he would be unworthy of Daonia's magnanimity as the leader of the South Italian League, and would be suspected of sitting idly by and not rescuing the allied cavalry.
After much thought, Sopolkos finally made a painful decision. He first gave instructions to the light infantry commander, urging them to watch out for the remaining enemy cavalry. Then, he led 500 Daunian cavalrymen to pursue in the direction of the allied cavalry.
Not long after the Daunian cavalry left, the allied light infantry heard the rumbling of hooves, accompanied by heart-stopping roars, as if thousands of drumsticks were pounding fiercely on a large drum, and the entire ground was shaking.
"Fire arrows! Fire arrows! ! … …" The allied light infantry commander was terrified, shouting anxiously.
The light infantry had never seen cavalry charging out of the dust and mist on such uneven ground at such a high speed, with such a dense wide front, and with such recklessness. That pursuit of extreme speed, that fearless momentum, frightened them, their hands and feet went numb, they hurriedly shot arrows, and turned to flee.
The Celtic cavalry, active in the Po River basin of northern Italy, cut straight into the loose ranks of the allied light infantry like a sharp knife.
All that could be heard was the neighing of horses and the cries of men. Many Celts fell from their abruptly stopped horses, while the allied light infantry were either pierced by spears or knocked away by warhorses, and even more scattered and fled.
How could the bloodthirsty Celts easily let them go? They drove their horses to catch up, stabbing down the fleeing enemies one by one, and then jumped off their horses, according to Celtic battle customs, cutting off the heads of the slain soldiers one by one and hanging them on their horses' backs…
Sopolkos would never have imagined that the 4,000 allied light infantry he had placed so much hope in would be so quickly defeated by only 800 Celtic cavalry. But at this moment, he had no time to think about the situation of the remaining light infantry.
Philistius had originally chosen this battle to limit the performance of the Syracusan cavalry, but now, due to the allied cavalry's rash attack, the terrain had become their constraint. Slowing down and falling from their horses were not big problems. The most dangerous thing was that the Numidian cavalry were much more agile in riding horses on this terrain. They even rode in uneven areas, as if teasing children, and occasionally turned back to throw javelins at the allied cavalry chasing them.
The teammates who were shot down from time to time made the allied cavalry's pursuit formation sparse and began to make them timid.
However, when the Numidian cavalry saw that the allied cavalry was no longer chasing, they instead took the initiative to close in.
Sopolkos, who was rushing forward from behind, used his calmer mind to notice dust rising on both sides of the allied cavalry's chaotic pursuit formation, and immediately felt nervous: the enemy was trying to outflank the allied cavalry!
"Quickly, let them retreat! Go quickly and let them retreat! !" Sopolkos immediately urged the messengers beside him.
Before the messengers could accelerate forward, the allied cavalry had already begun to retreat in panic.
They finally realized that their horsemanship was far inferior to that of these Syracusan mercenary cavalry. If they continued to pursue, they would be in danger of total annihilation.
However, how could the Numidians easily let the prey that was about to fall into the trap escape? Although the net had not yet been fully spread, Acherital still blew the horn.
The Numidian cavalry, disheveled, wearing only simple cloth robes, and with bare horse backs without even saddles, immediately outflanked from three directions at a faster riding speed than the allied cavalry.
The allied cavalry, like birds caught in a net, panicked and ran backwards. Some even fell off their horses directly due to excessive fear, and were trampled into mincemeat by the running warhorses.
This time, the Daunian cavalry were running at the very front of the entire retreat and pursuit.
When Sopolkos led them back to their original garrison point, hoping that the 4,000 allied light infantry stationed there could stop the enemy's pursuit, the scene that fell into their eyes shocked the Daunian cavalry: the allied light infantry, who had originally been arranged in a goose formation, no longer existed. There were only corpses of people and horses everywhere, as well as moaning wounded soldiers. Some naked natives (i.e., Celts) were rummaging through the piles of corpses, occasionally stabbing a living allied wounded soldier, and even cutting off their heads…
Seeing such a tragic scene, even the Daunian cavalry, who were considered to have rich combat experience, felt palpitations.
When the Celts saw the cavalry coming, they all jumped on their horses, preparing to intercept them.
At such a critical moment, Sopolkos had no time to think too much.
"Go north! Go north! … …" Sopolkos waved his spear forward, with only one thought in his mind: to draw these terrifying foreign cavalry away, lest they cause trouble for the entire battle.
Sopolkos took the lead, and the Daunian cavalry led the frightened allied cavalry to retreat towards the Krathis River.
The Krathis River was neither wide nor deep upstream, but when Sopolkos urged his horse to run down the sloping riverbank, his horse's front hooves suddenly slipped, and he, already exhausted, was unable to hold onto the horse's neck and was thrown to the ground by the frightened horse.
"Bang!" Sopolkos fell heavily to the ground, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his leg, which almost made him faint. Already old, he secretly cried out: Bad, my leg is broken!
He supported himself with both hands, trying to stand up, but it was all in vain, and instead, the pain was aggravated.
"Centurion! Centurion! … …" The Daunian cavalry rushed towards him anxiously when they saw Sopolkos fall from his horse.
This change of direction immediately hindered the progress of the cavalry behind, and the Daunian cavalry and the allied cavalry became entangled and crowded together on the riverbank, causing the retreat of the cavalry in this area to almost come to a standstill, with people shouting and horses neighing, in a chaotic mess, and the enemy was rapidly approaching…
Sopolkos endured the severe pain and shouted: "Don't mind me! Go! Go! ! Don't let the banner… the banner fall into the enemy's hands! This is an order! !"
While shouting, he sat on the ground and solemnly placed his right fist on his left chest.
Most of the Daunian cavalry, with tears in their eyes, returned the military salute, then turned their horses and rushed into the Krathis River.
A small number of cavalry still insisted on rushing over, but at this moment, the Numidian cavalry's javelins had already flown over, and several leading cavalrymen immediately rolled off their horses.
"Hurry! Hurry! Disobey orders, and face the… the full force of military law!!" Sorbocus roared, his face a mix of sweat and tears.
The remaining Daunian cavalry finally turned and fled.
Sorbocus seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He fell backward, his right fist still firmly pressed against his chest.
The azure sky, the pristine white clouds, and the dazzling sun, the sunlight warming his body… A faint smile even appeared on Sorbocus's face…
"Daonia… forever victorious…" he murmured, thinking not of Thurii, the city that had given him life and sustenance for decades, but of the Daunian League, only a few years old.
When the enemy's spear pierced his chest, he did not flinch, but closed his eyes. In the depths of his heart, he saw the beautiful Elysian Fields, revealing their full glory to him…
… … … … … … … … … … …
In Trina, there were now only about 500 citizen-soldiers in the city, with no other civilians. It had become almost a ghost town.
Why had this happened?
Because when Siplos proposed at the citizens' assembly that "the maximum number of soldiers be sent to participate in the battle," the citizens questioned him: "If, during the battle, the enemy suddenly attacks the city of Trina, how can we defend this city with so few soldiers?"
His answer was: "Let the civilians temporarily relocate to Knepetia, to be protected by the Daunian League, and return after the victory of the battle…"
In the end, the reason why the citizens' assembly passed his seemingly absurd proposal was because the Syracuse camp was not far away on the riverbank, and the massive Syracuse fleet was lurking in the bay, like a tiger hiding in the grass, constantly watching Trina, causing the citizens to fear day and night. Therefore, they all hoped that the victory of this battle would completely eliminate this great threat.
After obtaining the consent of Asistes, the acting chief administrator of Knepetia, more than 40,000 Trina citizens, carrying their food and belongings, headed north to seek refuge.
After Siplos left with 8,500 soldiers, less than 500 citizen-soldiers remained in the city. They closed the city gates tightly, constantly and nervously monitoring the movements outside the city.
"Look, the Syracuse fleet!" a soldier shouted nervously, pointing to the sea outside the harbor.
For the past two days, Syracuse ships had been coming in and out of the Lamato River estuary, and the people of Trina had become somewhat accustomed to it. But this time, it wasn't just cargo ships that were coming,
There were also warships, and in astonishing numbers, appearing to be no fewer than 200.
"There are soldiers on board!" When the Syracuse fleet sailed into the Lamato River and approached the city of Trina, the soldiers on the city walls could clearly see that the fleet entering the estuary was two ships abreast, with one ship closely following another, and each ship was fully loaded with soldiers.
"This… this is probably no fewer than ten thousand people!"
"With so few of us, it's impossible to defend this city!"
"Maybe we should… retreat now. Anyway, Siplos said, 'If we can't defend it, we can retreat, just like Athens facing the Persian invasion, abandon our homes, and we can come back and rebuild in the future.'"
… …
The Trina soldiers cried out in alarm, but they soon discovered that this large fleet did not anchor near the riverbank of Trina, but sailed directly upstream.
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, but General Brolomatos of Trina, who had been overlooking the two "long dragons" in the Lamato River, looked solemn. A terrible thought rose in his mind.
"Immediately ride a fast horse to the battlefield! Tell the allied commander that tens of thousands of Syracuse soldiers are rushing to the battlefield, hoping that they—" Brolomatos said, then suddenly thought of something, and couldn't continue.
According to the reports from the scouts, the allied forces had already begun to engage in battle with the Syracusans. The various units of the allied forces should now have deployed all their forces. Even if the generals knew this news, what could they use to stop the enemy's reinforcements?
Looking at the equally nervous and uneasy messenger, Brolomatos tried to calm himself: "Go quickly."
"… Yes!" The messenger turned to leave the city wall.
Brolomatos added cautiously: "After delivering the message, stay near the battlefield. Once the battle is over, return immediately and tell us!"
"Faster! Faster!" Leptines stood behind the piper who controlled the rhythm of the sailors' rowing, personally issuing orders.
Under the fast-paced drumbeat, dozens of sailors desperately rowed their oars. This was a fifty-oar warship at the forefront, and it advanced rapidly on the water, naturally driving the speed of the fleet at the stern and on the sides. In addition, the southeast breeze happened to be blowing, so the speed of the entire fleet did not slow down despite going against the current.
Despite the rapid advance of the fleet, Leptines still looked solemn. As the naval commander, the disastrous naval battle with Carthage a few years ago almost cost him the trust of his brother Dionysius. Therefore, since the beginning of this war, he had secretly resolved to wipe out the previous shame and prove his ability to Dionysius and to those Syracusans who mocked him for sitting in this position based on blood ties rather than ability. So this time, he had to arrive in time, and could not disappoint his brother Dionysius again, and shame himself!
"The confluence of the rivers is ahead!" shouted the lookout perched on the mast.
Leptines strode to the bow of the ship. Ahead of him, the calm river surface, several dozen meters wide, forked into two, one to the left and one to the right.
A hint of excitement finally appeared on Leptines's tense face: "Prepare to turn the rudder to the left!"
In fact, he didn't even need to give the order. The experienced helmsman had already adjusted the warship's course.
Watching the warship smoothly turn into the left channel and continue to forge ahead, Leptines finally smiled. According to the map that Dionysius had sent him yesterday, he knew that four miles ahead on the right side of the riverbank was a large stretch of flat beach, which was the landing site he had determined for the fleet.
To ensure a smooth landing, even a single trireme was excluded from his fleet, because triremes were too large and long, which would not only be detrimental to mooring on the beach but also easily hinder the navigation of other ships.
"Enamenas!"
"My lord," replied the leader of the Campanian mercenaries, who was also on the ship.
"Get ready, it will soon be your turn!" Leptines encouraged.
The landing force carried by Leptines's fleet was mostly Campanian mercenaries. Compared to the citizen-soldiers of the city-states, these mercenaries, who had been fighting for years, were experienced and could fight independently without relying on dense phalanxes. This was also the reason why Dionysius chose to have them land and fight. For this great battle, Dionysius had put his heart and soul into it, considering even some minor details.
But what Leptines did not like about these mercenaries, especially the Celts and Numidians, was that he believed that these natives were barbaric, bloody, indiscriminate, plundering, and disobedient. If it were not for the victory of this war, he would not want to be close to them at all.
"Hahaha! The brothers have been eager to kick the butts of the Greeks for a long time. This can be said to be the easiest time we have fought for Lord Dionysius!" Enamenas laughed loudly. He had been holding back, wanting to make great contributions and gain the appreciation of Dionysius. Masias, who also came from Campania and was also a mercenary, but now turned around and became a courtier of Dionysius, was his role model.
"That's right, leader. We only need one charge to make the enemy kneel and surrender!" The mercenaries on the ship were full of confidence.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Dionysius was indeed very considerate. But what he did not expect was that before the battle, he had repeatedly reminded the Numidian cavalry leader and the Celtic cavalry leader to assist the right wing in combat, but these warlike foreigners relapsed and, after defeating the allied cavalry, were busy chasing, killing, and looting spoils of war, and had long forgotten Dionysius's orders.
This caused the right wing led by Phibidas to retreat continuously without support, and the entire right-wing line, which was still struggling, was about to be compressed into a semicircle.
And what Dionysius did not expect was that in the center, the 15,000 Syracuse elite heavy infantry, on whom he had placed the most hope, were also slowly retreating in the confrontation with the Daunian legion soldiers of similar numbers, except for holding out for a while at the beginning. And the retreat in the center also affected the left wing.
After receiving urgent reports from the left, center, and right wings, Dionysius now felt that the entire line was retreating. Yes, the entire line! He no longer had the leisurely mood of being confident of victory when the war began. He ordered his adjutant Damocles and his attendants to stand firmly behind the central line, shouting loudly to the soldiers, encouraging them to cheer up and push back the enemy's attack.
But in the midst of the huge roar, screams, and the clash of spears and shields, the effect was almost negligible, and the center was still slowly retreating.
"What's going on?! Why hasn't Fasipesas's reinforcement arrived yet?!" Dionysius asked loudly in a hurry. His restless mood also infected his warhorse, which kept shaking its head and whimpering.
"My lord, the messenger has already reported that the troops led by Fasipesas are only one mile away from the right wing," Damocles replied immediately.
"You go!" Dionysius pointed at him: "Guide Fasipesas to lead his troops directly and quickly to the right wing and attack the enemy's flank!"
"Yes!"
"Where is Leptines's fleet?"
"It has already passed the position where the left wing is fighting, my lord."
"Then it will soon be landing. Leptines, this guy, is acting very quickly this time!" Hearing the news that reinforcements were about to join the battle, Dionysius's mood relaxed slightly: "Beat the drums, blow the horns, so that the soldiers not only have to hold on, but also have to start preparing to attack!"
Trina's messenger rode at a breakneck pace, forced to detour north in a wide arc because the Lamato River, which lay before him, was too deep to ford.
Having crossed the Lamato River, by the time he reached the deafening battlefield, the skin on the inside of his thighs was chafed raw, staining the horse's belly blood red. He was swaying precariously in the saddle when he saw Daonian scouts approaching. He hoarsely shouted, "I am... I am Trina's envoy! Syracuse's fleet is carrying tens of thousands of soldiers from the Lamato River to reinforce you... Hurry! Go report to your commander!…"
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Phericius was in good spirits. Although the previous defeat of the allied cavalry had worried him, the Syracuse mercenary cavalry were too busy chasing the routed soldiers instead of helping their infantry reverse the decline on their right flank.
Therefore, while feeling fortunate, he also mocked in his heart: the Syracuse cavalry, though powerful, lacked battlefield discipline and a sense of the overall situation.
Now the Daonian left flank was advancing, the center was advancing, and even the right flank was advancing…
Phericius had already ordered the standard bearer to move the erected military flag forward, and now it seemed he had to move it forward again.
Soon! Soon!… Phericius calculated in his mind how long the Syracuseans could hold out. At this moment, he had already determined that victory was like a ripe apple, within easy reach.
But just then, a scout came galloping from the west: "Report, Commander! Syracuse reinforcements are landing on the banks of the Lamato River, possibly tens of thousands!" After receiving the notice from Trina's messenger, they had specifically rushed to the riverbank to confirm, and the sight they saw was alarming.
"What did you say?! Enemy reinforcements of tens of thousands! !" Phericius, who was in high spirits, felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, chilling him from his skin to his heart.
"Yes, Commander, Syracuse reinforcements of tens of thousands! They are landing on the riverbank half a mile behind our right flank!" the scout shouted anxiously, "We must stop them!"
This shocking news caught Phericius off guard. He swept his gaze, slightly panicked, over the surrounding people, who were also watching him nervously. He was the commander of the allied forces, and everyone was waiting for his orders.
Realizing this, Phericius cleared his throat twice, calming his flustered thoughts: "Order! Two units of light infantry and two units of light armor infantry will immediately rush to the riverbank where the enemy is landing, and block them at all costs, preventing them from attacking our rear!"
"Yes!"
"Sound the horns again, urging the Fourth and Fifth Legions to intensify their attack! Immediately go and tell the two legion commanders, as well as Xippos, Asesyas, and Askamas, about our current dangerous situation, and tell them not to hold back, but to attack the enemy with all their might!"
The men immediately went to carry out the orders.
After all the arrangements were made, Phericius finally had time to think: where did the enemy get tens of thousands of reinforcements? Could it be Medma's troops? But the Trinians said that Medma was just a small city, how could it possibly send out tens of thousands of citizen soldiers?…
Phericius had not yet considered the Syracuse troops besieging Caulonia, because the allied scouts had been reporting that more than 40,000 troops of the Siliote League were preparing to attack the city.
Of course, he also couldn't know that, at this time, in order to help the South Italian League, the Ligian army general Phayllus even risked leading his troops to attack Medma, hoping to force the Syracuse army to return and disrupt the Syracuseans' plan.
But from this moment on, the unease in Phericius's heart began to grow…
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From the center of the formation to the coast where the Syracuseans landed was a full six miles. Although the Daonian light infantry and light armor infantry moved quickly, it still took some time.
By the time they reached the riverbank, most of the Campanian mercenaries had landed and were beginning to form ranks.
Although the enemy was numerous, a dark mass occupying the entire beach, the Daonian soldiers, guided by the banners raised by their officers, bravely charged forward according to their usual training.
Two thousand light infantrymen showered the enemy with arrows and javelins, while two thousand light armor infantrymen, wielding leather shields and short swords, charged directly into the loosely formed mercenaries with swift strides.
The Daonian army's assault caught Leptines by surprise. Based on the usual tactics of Greek city-states, he thought that at this point in the battle, both sides should have committed all their forces to seek victory. He did not expect the South Italian League to be able to spare a force to block the Syracuse reinforcements.
Of course, he didn't know that it wasn't that Phericius had prior knowledge of Dionysius's plan, but that the Daonian Military Law stipulated, "As a commander, one should reserve a reserve force during battle, so that it can be committed to the battlefield at a crucial moment to change the course of the battle." Phericius was acting accordingly. The 2,000 light armor infantrymen were his reserve force, and the 2,000 light infantrymen, after completing their initial harassment, retreated to the rear of the formation and also became part of the reserve force.
The sudden impact of these 4,000 Daonian soldiers threw the newly landed Campanian mercenaries into temporary chaos.
In this critical moment, Leptines hurriedly ordered the remaining ships to quickly come ashore. As the commander of the Syracuse navy, his original task was only to transport the reinforcements to land. Leading the reinforcements to attack the enemy was the task of the mercenary leader Ennaemenes, but now that Ennaemenes was lost in the chaotic soldiers, his life or death unknown, Leptines had to take on the responsibility of rescue.
He jumped off the ship and ordered the remaining mercenaries to land immediately.
The mercenaries had already seen the fate of their comrades on the ships, and they were very anxious. Some jumped onto the beach directly before the ships had even docked.
After hastily forming ranks, Leptines led them around the mercenary vanguard, which was being forced back and was on the verge of collapse, and attacked the flank of the Daonian light armor infantry, braving the Daonian light infantry's rain of arrows.
The fierce offensive of the light armor infantry was forced to halt. In fact, the long-distance forced march and the previous swift attack had already consumed much of their strength.
The chaotic mercenary vanguard finally recovered and began to exploit their numerical and heavy armor advantages. The casualties of the Daonian light armor infantry rose sharply. If the light armor infantry of the Daonian First and Second Legions were here, they should be able to hold out for longer, but most of the light armor infantry of the Fourth and Fifth Legions came from Bruttium and Lucania. The mountain people, from childhood, were taught to avoid the enemy when at a disadvantage rather than to fight head-on. Although they had received Daonian military training and discipline in the league for several years, the thought of self-preservation prevailed in adversity…
The Daonian light armor infantry retreated, and without a barrier, the light infantry naturally retreated as well…
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At this moment, in the battle that had been going on for nearly an hour, the soldiers, originally weakened by the exhaustion of their stamina, had reduced their fighting and shouting, but suddenly both sides almost simultaneously sounded their horns and beat their drums, urging them to attack.
The soldiers on both sides had to muster their last bit of strength to speed up their attack and defense.
For Dionysius, he had only one thought at this moment: to withstand the enemy's attack before the reinforcements arrived!
For Phericius, he also had only one belief: to break through the enemy's formation and secure victory before the enemy reinforcements arrived!
Both sides had reached a critical moment to determine victory or defeat.
Epialtes, with several knife wounds on his arms and legs, was now so tired that he couldn't even lift his long shield. The hand holding his short sword was trembling slightly from prolonged overuse, and his panting sounded like a seriously ill patient on the verge of death. The enemy opposite him was even more Unbearable. Because his armor was too heavy, he had thrown away his round shield and was holding his spear with both hands, his whole body swaying.
Epialtes did not despise them in his heart. The Daonian legions had not used their formation's unique characteristic (i.e., the rear formation swapping with the front formation) in the previous battles. He believed that it was because the pressure exerted by the enemy was too strong, pressing too closely, which made the legion commander afraid to easily change formations.
In fact, another main reason for not implementing this formation change was that the Fourth and Fifth Legions were participating in a battle for the first time. Facing a strong enemy, and with allied forces on both the left and right sides, who were also fighting together for the first time, Phericius was afraid that the soldiers would make mistakes under strong pressure if he rashly changed formations. Furthermore, he didn't understand and couldn't coordinate with the allied forces. After all, the rear formation swapping with the front formation required the entire formation to gradually retreat, which could lead to the entire army falling into chaos.
The high-pitched sound of the horns was not only urging the soldiers fighting each other, but also urging other troops, such as the Syracuse mercenary cavalry who had finished chasing the allied cavalry and were leisurely returning, and of course, the two Syracuse reinforcement forces rushing to the battlefield.
If Askamas, the general of Croton, had followed his usual habits, he would have been at the front of the formation, fighting the enemy face to face, but before the battle, Phericius requested that the federal generals sit in the rear and not participate in the fighting, in order to facilitate communication. At the time, Askamas had mocked the Daonians for being greedy for life and afraid of death. Now he should be grateful for Phericius's request, because he heard a horn sound different from the one coming from the opposite side.
The sound of the horns came from the outside of the Croton army, high-pitched and piercing, and getting closer and closer… Then, in his field of vision, countless soldiers in bright armor suddenly appeared…
Syracuse reinforcements?! Askamas panicked and fell off his horse, watching helplessly as they roared like a tide towards the rear formation of the Croton soldiers.
In that terrible instant, only one thought flashed through Askamas's numb brain: Didn't Phericius say that the enemy's reinforcements were on the right flank by the river?!…