The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

The Dionysian side had 3,000 light infantry each in the center and right wing, including archers, slingers, and javelin throwers. Most of them were freedmen from the port of Thurii. Several hundred veterans of the light infantry cohorts drawn from the First and Second Legions served as officers.

The 400-plus cavalry on the left wing had always been a bystander, but according to plan, this time they became the key to victory. No wonder the usually steady Ledes became a little impatient, repeatedly instructing the cavalry captains on the important matters to be aware of once the battle began.

"Captain, we're all clear, don't worry!" Thorikos said.

This large group of chariot drivers, financed by loans from the Crystal Bank, not only increased the alliance's tax revenue, but were also skilled riders with sufficient horses, making them a prime target for cavalry recruitment. As citizens, they felt a sense of duty to take up arms and fight.

Thorikos was right at the upper limit of conscription age, and personally, he was very motivated. While serving as an infantryman at 50 was certainly a stretch, he felt his experience made him more than qualified for a cavalry captainship.

"Alright, then, prepare for battle," Rhedes nodded.

"We understand, but do those guys back there understand? Don't let them mess it up!" a young cavalry captain interjected.

Rhedes glanced back at him with a smile and said, "Don't worry, Curcius. They've fought more battles than you've ever tasted salt. They faced far more cavalry in Persia."

The young cavalry captain remained unconvinced and wanted to continue.

At that moment, someone shouted, "Look! Our slingers are attacking!"

Without a call to arms or shouting, the slingers, led by veterans, quietly broke away from the enemy lines and sprinted to the front. From a distance of over two hundred meters, they began swinging their slings.

The Crotone soldiers, still forming their battle formation, were immediately met with a hail of stones. Many soldiers, unable to raise their shields for protection, were struck, leaving many with bloody heads.

"Shameless Dionysians! Cunning Dionysians! Apollo will punish you!" Philadephus, caught off guard by this tactic, erupted in curses.

"Attack! Attack! Attack now!" he cried in exasperation.

"Woo!...Woo!..." The high-pitched attack horn blew.

Impatient, Arsossis thrust his spear forward and shouted, "Cavalry, advance!"

The 800 Crotone cavalrymen formed an inverted fan, their legs clamped to their horses' bellies, their reins shaken, and their horses broke into a slow trot.

Ledes' cavalry formed a loose wedge formation, surmounted by two experienced cavalrymen, each holding a red banner fluttering in the wind. Seeing the enemy begin their advance, Ledes took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and gently patted the neck of his snorting horse.

Only after watching the enemy cavalry close enough did he shout, "Forward!"

"Gee! Gee!" The crowd shouted, urging their horses forward.

Unlike the Crotone cavalry, who attacked with their left hand holding the reins and their right hand holding their spears, the Dionysian cavalry held the reins with both hands, their spears still hanging from their hooks.

From a trot to a sprint, the cavalry controlled their horses' speed, refusing to push their maximum speed, as this would easily cause them to fall before reaching the enemy.

The midday spring sun wasn't blazing, but the horses were still puffing like clouds, their hooves surging forward, sending grass and mud flying and dust billowing. The 500-meter distance was covered in a flash.

When they were only fifty or sixty meters apart, Ledes, behind the standard-bearer, shouted, "Turn right!"

Thorikos, standing 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 sheer speed, the rear cavalry could easily lose their formation if they weren't careful.

The characteristic of a wedge formation is that it's small at the front and large at the rear, allowing the rear cavalry to see the direction of the cavalry in front. Coupled with the two red flags fluttering in the wind, the Dionysian cavalry maintained a largely coordinated movement, even in the dusty and foggy battlefield.

They successfully split the wedge in two, splitting into two groups and circumventing the oncoming enemy from the front and outside.

The Crotone cavalry at the front had completely unexpected the Dionysian move and were completely stunned. However, they dared not stop.

Without prior planning and coordination, any rash action would not only disrupt their formation, but also risk being run over and trampled to a pulp by the cavalry behind them.

They had no choice but to charge to the end and then turn back.

However, after crossing paths with the Dionysian cavalry and moving forward, they were shocked to see countless sharp spears extending from the morning mist, flashing a ferocious cold light at them.

"Heavy infantry! There are heavy—" the Crotone cavalrymen cried out, trying to rein in their horses, but the strong inertia made them crash straight forward with their horses.

In an instant, people screamed and horses neighed, spears broke and blood splattered...

Some heavy infantrymen were directly knocked away by the powerful impact, but the other soldiers seemed not to see it, and held the end of the spears that were defending the ground with their hands motionless.

In front of them, dozens of horses and people fell in a mess, struggling in a pool of blood...

There was no real heavy cavalry in this era. Not only the Greek cavalry, but the cavalry of any Mediterranean country had never dared to charge head-on into a tightly arranged spear formation.

The cavalrymen behind panicked and tried to rein in their horses to avoid a collision, but the sensitive, timid horses neighed and abruptly stopped their rapid advance.

The cavalrymen, propelled by inertia, flew forward, crashing into the forest of spears and being pierced through.

Arsosis, in the center of the cavalry, finally managed to stop his horse, only to see his comrades around him fall, spin in circles, and even refuse to move despite calls.

A cacophony of cries, shouts, and neighs mingled, and the entire cavalry was in chaos.

Arsosis knew they had fallen into a Dionysian trap. The situation was dire, leaving no time for reflection.

"Turn left! Turn left! Exit to the side!" he shouted, and his guards followed suit.

The chaotic Crotone cavalry found a rallying point, and order quickly returned.

Just as they turned their horses to bypass the spear-firing phalanx ahead, the two groups of cavalry that the Dionysians had previously circumvented suddenly closed in on them like human arms.

All around Arsosiss, shouts of killing erupted. He suddenly realized his cavalry was surrounded: cavalry surrounded by infantry and cavalry—it was simply impossible, but now it was happening!

"Charge to the left! Charge together!" Arsosiss screamed in exasperation.

But a louder, more powerful voice from the front drowned out his shouts: the heavy infantry's charge horn blew.

"Brothers, kill these Crotonites! Avenge Timason and his men!" Xantiparis, removing his helmet, was the first to charge forward, lance in hand.

Over a thousand mercenaries roared, following his lead.

Those who had been knocked down earlier struggled to their feet, sabers drawn, and charged forward.

The previously solid "spear wall" transformed into an all-permeating stream, rapidly seeping into the chaotic Crotone cavalry.

Killing stationary cavalrymen was easy for these battle-hardened mercenaries. Many even overlooked the valuable target of the horse, employing a strategy of two mercenaries simultaneously against each cavalryman: one manning the position to distract the enemy while the other, seizing an opportunity, swiftly closed in from the side and rear, delivering a precise upward thrust of the spear.

The tip of the spear penetrated the gap between the ribs and the leather armor, piercing the lungs and piercing the heart, killing the cavalryman instantly.

If the cavalryman dodged the thrust, the mercenary would sweep the spear downward, knocking the cavalryman off his horse. Before they could even rise, they were met with a powerful kick to the head, breaking their necks.

The mercenaries' killing efficiency was so high that even the Dionysian cavalry instinctively avoided these vicious creatures.

The battle ended swiftly. A few dozen Crotone cavalrymen escaped, over a hundred surrendered, and the rest were all killed. Arisos was also missing.

The Dionysians also captured over 400 war horses, with only around 50 cavalrymen and 20 mercenaries killed or wounded.

It was a resounding victory! Davos's tactics had succeeded!

Rhodes beamed as he listened to his men's reports of the results, but he knew the battle was far from over.

He assigned 70 cavalrymen to pursue the remaining enemy and urged the rest to the nearby city of Castellon, "Hurry back and fetch your javelins!"

"Rhodes, we'll go with you," Xantiparis and several mercenaries arrived, riding captured horses.

"You..." Rhodes instinctively wanted to refuse, but the mercenaries had played such a decisive role in the battle that he couldn't speak directly.

Xantiparis saw his thoughts and said, "You don't have many cavalry at the moment. While our horsemanship may be inferior, we're better javelin throwers. More men will put more pressure on Crotone. Let's end this battle quickly so we can reinforce Davos!"

Xantiparis' words reminded Ledes, and he stopped dwelling on the question of whether it was cavalry.

"I hope you can keep up with our pace. I won't stop to wait for you."

"Don't worry," Xantiparis smiled.

............…

Philadephos hadn't yet realized that his cavalry had been nearly annihilated, and the light infantry in his center were now in dire straits.

At the sound of the attack horn, the light infantry charged forward.

The enemy slingers retreated in panic.

Another charge, followed by a hail of arrows... and then javelins...

After suffering some casualties, the light infantry in the enemy's center retreated en masse.

The light infantry pursued again, and the enemy retreated again.

The faster the light-armored soldiers chased, the faster the enemy retreated; the slower the light-armored soldiers chased, the slower the enemy retreated...

The two sides always maintained a distance of dozens of meters.