Chapter 1183
This sentence was not only a compliment to the Diónia warriors in battle, but it was also a way to comfort himself.
That night, he took the risk to sneak into Tegea alone, and through Pausanias, he gathered the councilors closest to Sparta in the city. First, he told them that the entire Greek anti- Diónia alliance was about to be formed, and the Dionysian Army was doomed to fail. Then, he told them that the Sparta army would assist them in regaining the leadership of Tegea. At the same time, he also made a promise: Sparta would not kill a single citizen of Tegea!
Because of his personal risk, the councilors finally agreed to his plan. So, on the second day, the Sparta army suddenly surrounded Tegea. Just as the Tegea soldiers were defending the city, the pro- Sparta faction quietly opened one of the city gates, allowing the Sparta army to rush into the city and massacre the councilors of the anti- Sparta faction.
Since Tegea had always been an oligarchy with the support of Sparta, and the ordinary citizens had no power, the pro- Sparta faction regained control of the city, and soon, the situation in the city was under control. Moreover, they began to pretend to defend and attack the city with the Sparta army. Because the entire city was surrounded and sealed, even if there were citizens who were dissatisfied, they could not spread the news.
And considering that if the battle was lost, Tegea would definitely suffer the revenge of Diónia, so the pro- Sparta faction also made a promise to Agesilaus: they would send all the citizens of Tegea who could fight to attack the Diónia.
Now that the trap that Agesilaus had set for the Dionysian Army had finally succeeded, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He could imagine how the battle would develop next: the scattered soldiers of Diónia on the left would be pincered by the Sparta warriors and the Tegea army. Even if they still had the strength to fight, they would soon be defeated. Then, the Sparta warriors would take advantage of their victory and sweep through the middle, finally winning the entire battle.
Agesilaus did not indulge himself for too long. He knew that the Dionysian Army liked to leave a portion of their troops in reserve during a battle, so he immediately ordered the messenger, "Immediately inform the Thracians, let them follow the original plan and attack the right flank of Diónia!"
Although Agesilaus firmly believed that before the Diónia's reserve troops arrived, Diónia's left flank would be defeated by the two attacks, he was still cautious and was prepared to stab the right flank of Diónia as well, completely disrupting the judgment of the Diónia's commander. This was because he had already received intelligence from the Arcadians that his previous plan had worked. Leotychides had been transferred away, and the new commander of Diónia was actually the son of the Devers King. It was said that this young man, whom the Devers regarded as the heir to the throne, had little experience in commanding. In the face of such a complicated battlefield situation, it would be difficult for him to make a more appropriate response.
He suppressed the joy in his heart and prayed to Zeus, hoping that he could give Sparta a great victory and reverse the current predicament of Sparta.
… …
Mukrut galloped on his horse. Halfway through, he saw smoke and dust billowing in front of him as countless soldiers in black armor rushed over with shields and spears.
Mukrut hurriedly turned his horse to give way, and then sped towards the place where he could vaguely see the rustling of the purple and red helmets. When he got closer, it was indeed the person he was looking for. He quickly shouted, "Commander Tegetinos, where are you going with your troops?!"
"I'm leading the Seventh Legion to the left flank." Tegetinos' tone was still indignant. "Your chief of staff suspects that the Tegea army has rebelled, and wants me to rush to the First Legion's aid immediately!"
"The Tegea army has indeed rebelled. They've already attacked the First Legion's formation from the rear, and the situation is dire!"
"Damn it, Printos was right!" Tegetinos exclaimed, and immediately doubled his volume. "Brothers, the First Legion is in danger, and it's up to us to save them. Pick up your pace, and I'll kick the ass of anyone who's slow!"
"Roar!!!" The soldiers shouted in unison. Their footsteps became louder, and the cloud of dust they kicked up grew larger.
The Mandingian Calisanos looked at the Dionian soldiers who were rushing past him with excited expressions on their faces. Although he had lost all hope for this battle, he seemed to have regained some confidence.
While he was still in a daze, Mukru had already left him in the dust, heading straight for the command center.
Seeing Cloto Catax from afar, who was wearing a black tasseled helmet, Mukru waved and shouted, "Your Highness, the Tegea army has rebelled, and is attacking the First Legion from the rear!"
Although Cloto Catax had been convinced by Printos, he still had a sliver of hope in his heart. Now that it was confirmed, his expression changed instantly, and he felt nervous and uneasy. Still, he tried his best to remain calm, and asked with a trembling voice, "Lord Printos, thanks to your suggestion, we've sent reinforcements in time. Do you think … our left flank can hold?"
In the end, Cloto Catax could not help but ask the question that worried him.
Printos could read his mind, and he immediately comforted him, "Your Highness, there is a strict rule in the 'Military Law of Diónia'. 'When pursuing a defeated army, the heavy infantry must try their best to maintain the formation of squads and detachments, and must not be separated.' The First Legion, as the model of the entire army, has always been firm in enforcing the military law. Even if we are attacked from both sides by the Sparta army, we will still be able to resist the enemy with our own phalanxes. Not only will we not be defeated, but our army is also used to fighting independently in small groups, and we may even have the upper hand in such a chaotic battle! "
"That's good." Cloto Catax was skeptical.
"Your Highness, I have another suggestion."
"Go ahead."
"The Sparta army has set up a trap here to fight us. They are well-prepared, and we are in a more passive position. We cannot be led by the nose by the enemy. We must regain the initiative on the battlefield in order to win the final battle. " After confirming that the First Legion was attacked from both the front and the back, Printos finally made up his mind to implement the plan that he had been brewing for a long time. With a solemn expression, he said in a deep voice, "I suggest that we send three light armor brigades to the north, bypass the left wing, and attack the flanks of the Sparta army. This is to further reinforce the First Legion, and at the same time, to eliminate the strength of the Sparta army as much as possible.
Sparta does not have many young and strong citizens who can fight. For them, every one of them is precious, so in previous battles, they have used their allies and mercenaries. This battle involves the rise and fall of the city-state, so they have sent out so many Sparta soldiers.
If we pretend to attack the right wing with all our strength, the commander of the Sparta army will definitely try his best to rescue them. After the light armor brigades have been sent out for a while, we will send out our last reserve force, the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade, to attack the flank of the left wing of the Sparta army. That way, we can win the battle in one fell swoop! "
Cloto Catax listened attentively, thought for a moment, and said in a firm tone, "Then we will do as you suggest!"
… …..
The Tygea army did not expect that they would meet up with the Sparta soldiers in the Diónia army so quickly. In their original plan, the left wing of the Diónia army would quickly collapse under the ferocious attack of the Tygea army and the Sparta army. Then, the Tygea army would take advantage of the situation to chase after the defeated soldiers and finally win the battle.
However, the reality was beyond their expectations. The left wing of the Diónia army did not collapse. Instead, it shrunk into small phalanxes and continued to fight. At that time, the Tygea army did not think too much about it and rushed into the Diónia army that seemed to be on the verge of collapse. It did not take long for them to realize that they had sunk into a swamp.
Although most of the Tygea soldiers were heavy infantry like the Sparta soldiers, they were different from the Sparta soldiers who had undergone arduous training since they were young. Wearing the Corinth helmet, they were more adept at frontal combat, and in this crowded and narrow space, they appeared to be too clumsy.
To make matters worse, not long after the First Legion pursued the defeated soldiers, they quickly halted their advance due to the ambush of the Tygea army and switched to defense. At this time, the rear of the First Legion did not completely disperse. When they formed their phalanxes, not only were they well-organized, but the distance between each phalanx was also relatively close. This was the basis for the First Legion to execute the phalanx tactic.
Although Ctessus's orders were not decisive at the beginning, he was after all an experienced soldier. He did not panic and lead his followers to hide in a random phalanx. Instead, he found the right direction and led them to a phalanx at the rear of the formation. When the Tygea soldiers rushed in like a tidal wave, he ordered the buglers to blow the bugle incessantly.
Although the nearby phalanx soldiers couldn't clearly see the situation around them, they could hear the familiar bugles. Just like a ship sailing in the night that had spotted a lighthouse, they began to consciously move towards the direction of the bugles. Although every phalanx was moving very slowly, their unified movements made the Tegera soldiers squeezed in between the phalanxes feel that their movements were even more difficult.
Soon, a greater disaster struck. The Seventh Legion led by Tigertinus finally arrived, and they immediately launched a fierce assault on the Tygea soldiers.
The rear of the Tygea army was mainly made up of light-armoured soldiers who could not face heavy infantry in the first place. Moreover, these Legion of Dionysia soldiers were charging in like wolves and tigers, and they were quickly routed. However, the Seventh Legion had already spread out their attack lines and chased them into the dense crowd ahead. Not only did the Tygea army become chaotic, but the already crowded space became even narrower.
Apex
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