The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

While the light armored troops were "lightly armored," they still had armor, and they also carried leather shields and spears. How could they possibly catch up to the lightly clothed enemy? But if they stopped, the enemy's ranged attacks would begin.

Even more worrying was the fact that the enemy in the center, taking advantage of the light armored troops' advance, gradually split into three groups: one group pulled the light armored troops within the formation, while the other two groups circled around the light armored troops on either side.

As the light armored troops advanced, their flanks were attacked. Looking forward meant they couldn't protect their left and right, and looking left and right meant they couldn't protect their front. The Crotone light armored troops recklessly charged forward like wild boars, not only failing to inflict a single blow on the enemy, but their own casualties steadily increased...

"Where's the cavalry?! Why haven't the cavalry arrived yet? What is Arsosius doing?!" Watching his soldiers fall one by one, Philadephos grew impatient, unable to contain his curses. For the first time, he experienced the sheer difficulty of fighting an enemy entirely composed of light infantry with only infantry. Unable to strike or catch up, they became sitting ducks for the enemy.

"Retreat to the left! Retreat to the left!" he shouted, and the guards followed suit. During the previous pursuit, the excited soldiers wouldn't have been able to hear what he was shouting. Now, everyone huddled together, carefully dodging arrows and stones. They were beginning to feel a little fearful and exhausted. Philadephos's order was exactly what they had been waiting for, and the light infantry hurriedly retreated.

Unexpectedly, the Dionysian light infantry pursued them relentlessly, like a leech.

Philadephos's original intention was to retreat to the left and join the heavy infantry on the left wing. This way, they could protect the light infantry's flank and reduce casualties before the cavalry returned victorious. At this moment, Philadephos still firmly believed that the Crotone cavalry would win.

However, he remained in the midst of the battle, unaware that the heavy infantry on the left wing, which he had assumed would be behind him, had actually been diverted by the enemy's light infantry on the right. They had deliberately retreated northwestward, causing the slower-moving heavy infantry to unnoticed to shift their direction from north to northwest. Consequently, the gap between Crotone's center and its left wing widened.

The light infantry had retreated rapidly, but not only did they fail to link up with the left wing, but their retreat, unable to provide adequate protection, led to a rapid increase in casualties. Now they were forced to turn again, shielded by leather shields, and slowly retreat, dodging the barrage of arrows. Seeing the increasing number of wounded comrades lying on the ground ahead, their throats slashed by enemy blows, their morale wavered.

Then, behind them, they heard the clatter of horses' hooves. Unable to look back due to the arrows, they all breathed a sigh of relief: "Cavalry! Our cavalry has finally arrived!"

Philadephos wondered: How had Arsosius's cavalry gone so far back? Hadn't we told him to lead the cavalry to flank the enemy after crushing the enemy's left wing? He hadn't even got the nerve to do that! Just as he was furious, someone shouted, "Javelins! Watch out for javelins! They're the enemy!"

With that cry, hundreds of javelins whistled down from behind.

Philadephos, at the rear of the formation and wearing a brightly colored general's helmet, naturally became a prime target, struck by three javelins. As he fell, Philadephos never understood: Why had the superior Crotone cavalry been defeated? The cavalry they had so much hope for turned out to be the enemy!

This was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Their morale was shattered, and they fled in all directions. The Dionysian light infantry and cavalry pursued them, but the light armor couldn't outrun the poorly equipped light infantry, let alone the cavalry's speed. After being overtaken, most of the soldiers surrendered.

After defeating the Crotone cavalry on the right wing and the light armor in the center, the Dionysians focused their efforts on the most formidable heavy infantry.

Surrounded by over 7,000 Dionysian light infantry and cavalry, the Crotone heavy infantry realized their center and left flank were in imminent danger. The Ledes cavalry, holding the head of Philadephos aloft, circled the heavy infantry formation, shouting for surrender. The devastating blow to the Crotones can be imagined.

The Crotone heavy infantry was commanded by Philos, a Crotone general, and his lieutenant, Pausaleius, a general of the Cilicium. Faced with this dire situation, the two engaged in a dispute.

Philos argued that the light infantry were inflicting minimal damage. As long as they could advance to the river crossing where the main force was located, and aid the main force in defeating the Dionysian army, victory would remain Crotone's.

Pausalius argued that under complete encirclement and attack, the soldiers' morale was already low, and with their destination at least six or seven miles away, it was practically impossible for them to reach the western reaches of the Buche River in their current condition.

Neither side could convince the other, and they eventually parted ways. Pausalius, with 1,700 of his Cilician and Trina soldiers, began retreating to the south bank of the Trivento River. Philos, with 1,400 Crotone heavy infantry, accelerated westward.

The Crotones' sudden division troubled several Dionysian generals.

Laides and Tsipit suggested encircling the westward-moving heavy infantry with a large force, while using a smaller force to drive back the retreating enemy.

Epithenes objected, arguing that the enemy's retreat indicated a weakened fighting spirit. A continued pursuit and attack would inevitably lead to their surrender. Then, by encircling the remaining heavy infantry, they could be completely annihilated, making the next plan much easier to implement. His opinion was supported by Xantiparis.

The situation was urgent, leaving no time for debate. The Dionysian forces were divided, with Epithenes and Xantiparis leading their forces in pursuit of the retreating heavy infantry.

The Cilytine and Trinaeans were indeed weak in fighting spirit. They were not Crotonians, and their interests with Dionysia were not greatly in conflict. Although the citizens of Cilytine had suffered heavy casualties in the Dionysian raid six months earlier, they had joined the war primarily out of an alliance, seeking to profit from the situation, and avenging their fallen citizens was secondary. But when the situation became dire and their lives were threatened, they certainly wouldn't fight head-on.

They welcomed the split, believing the Dionysian light infantry would focus on the westward-moving Crotonians. However, they hadn't expected the Dionysians to pursue them relentlessly, and in large numbers. Panicked, they had just reached the ford of the lower Trivento River, remembering the heavy price they had paid in their previous crossing. Now, with the enemy in greater numbers and a fiercer attack, their hearts sank.

The Trinae surrendered first, followed by Pausalius and the Cilicia.

The Crotone heavy infantry claimed to be accelerating their advance, but in reality, their speed was not much faster than before. While heavily armored, heavy infantrymen were not immune to long-range attacks from arrows, javelins, and stones. The impact of stones on their helmets could cause dizziness, and their exposed thighs, toes, and hands required careful attention from arrows. Their linen breastplates could not fully protect against close-range javelin strikes.

Of course, their large, copper-clad, one-meter-diameter round shields were sufficient to withstand frontal attacks, but the enemy was not only in front, but also on the sides and rear. How could they defend themselves?

The distance to the Crotone army was only six miles, a normal march of an hour, but now, half an hour had passed, and they had only covered less than a mile... Men were constantly falling, shot and stabbed. Like a giant beast, they were being tormented and bled by the nimble wolves, growing weaker and more exhausted.

There was no hope ahead, while the enemy's arrows and javelins were always plentiful (Davos had the Castellons donate all the arrows and javelins stored in their armory for years, and transported them to the rear of the battlefield by pack animals).

So when Epithenes and Xantiparis returned with their captured banners of Cyritium and Trina before the Crotone heavy infantry, urging them to surrender, the Crotones, under siege and constantly defending against long-range attacks, finally saw their morale, which had been shaky for so long, finally shattered. At the time of their surrender, fewer than a thousand soldiers remained intact.

Alcines, a rookie just six months ago, is now a squad leader in the First Legion, commanding nine soldiers, six of whom are prospective citizens and new recruits.

The Dionysian army's rapid expansion over the past six months is understandable, but this has also brought with it numerous challenges. Especially in such a brutal battle, the differences in the quality of the heavy infantry on both sides gradually became apparent over time.

A qualified heavy infantryman isn't simply about wearing armor, using a shield, and wielding a spear. Trust and rapport are paramount in a battle. In a tightly packed formation, a heavy infantryman held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right. The heavy copper round shield would tilt his body to the left, naturally protecting his left chest and the right chest of his comrade on his left. His right chest, in turn, was protected by the shield of his comrade on his right.

This way, the shields formed a straight line, defending against enemy thrusts. He had to maneuver his round shield back and forth, a movement that was both physically demanding and easily disrupted the formation. He only needed to focus on two actions: the constant thrusting with his right hand and the forward push. Therefore, trust in one's teammates, trust in their protection, was the key to the successful operation of the heavy infantry phalanx.

A city-state could have at least a few thousand citizens, sometimes tens of thousands. They were neighbors or close relatives, having played together since childhood, received heavy infantry training from their elders in youth, participated in competitions and studies together, and as adults, worked and attended parties together. Although the city-states held few public collective military training sessions each year, the trust cultivated from childhood naturally united them, forming a united force whenever they faced the battlefield.