Chapter 1317
"Release!" Under the orders of the officers, the soldiers of Bali Ali threw out the lead pellets in the rope with all their might.
Then, they put the smallest type of lead shot (according to the many tests conducted by the Ministry of Military Affairs, an excellent Balearic catapult could throw this type of lead shot over a distance of about 400 meters) into the rope. Then, they waved the catapult and threw the lead shot again. They repeated the process without stopping.
Even if a lead pellet the size of a red date were to hit someone, it would not cause too much damage. However, when such a lead pellet fell from the sky, it would cause a lot of trouble for the Persian mixed cavalry that was speeding up. No matter if it landed on the cavalry or the warhorses, it would easily cause them to fall over, or even die under the hooves of the cavalry behind them. Especially when the camel cavalry that was running at the front was hit by the lead pellet and fell over, its huge body would become a huge obstacle, tripping over its teammates that were unable to dodge in time.
The Persia mixed cavalry formation on both flanks was originally loose, but after the attack, their formation became even looser. Each of them had a line of defense that was two miles long and nearly one mile thick. The 4,000 lead shot fell from 450 meters to 150 meters. In fact, it did not cause too many casualties to the Persia cavalry, but it continued to fall like hail. From 450 meters to 150 meters, the Balliali Stone Throwers threw five rounds, continuously causing damage to the Persia cavalry. Not only did it make the formation of the Persia cavalry more sparse, but it also forced them to slow down and lower their morale.
"150 meters! 150 meters! " When the observer's voice reached the light infantry in front of the Stone Throwers, nearly 10,000 archers on both sides of the Diónia formation shot their arrows almost at the same time.
At the same time, Cuccio said loudly, "Next, it's our cavalry's turn!"
When the flag bearer next to him heard this, he immediately waved the fluttering flag and pointed it forward.
The Diónia cavalry began to move forward slowly on their War Horses.
The formation of the Diónia cavalry was the opposite of that of the Persia mixed cavalry. The War Horses were very close to each other, and the formation only had two horizontal lines, so the length of the formation was nearly two miles. After receiving the order to attack, the Numibian light cavalry that was originally in a loose formation at the rear quickly moved horizontally to the outermost area with bows and javelins in their hands, revealing the thousands of light armored soldiers that were hiding behind them.
These light armored soldiers, armed with leather shields and short swords, quickly followed the cavalry in front of them.
In order to avoid accidentally injuring their own cavalry, the Diónia archers on both sides only shot two rounds of arrows. But because their number was more than three times that of the Stone Throwers, and the lethality of the arrows was higher than the lead shot, the damage to the Persia cavalry was greater.
The smug Maldonios did not expect the cunning Diónia to ambush the light infantry behind the cavalry. Since he led the cavalry forward, there was a non-stop rain of stones in the air, followed by arrows that blotted out the sky. The cavalry guards around him gradually became sparse, and even he himself was hit by an arrow. Fortunately, his thick scale armor blocked it and did not cause a fatal injury.
With a lingering fear in his heart, he desperately urged the speed of his horse. There was only one thought in his mind: Engage the Diónia cavalry as soon as possible, defeat them, and everything will be safe!
However, when he saw the approaching Diónia cavalry, he was stunned. The Diónia cavalry was one after another, like a fast-moving long wall. He had never seen such a cavalry charge in his decades of military career.
In fact, Diónia's military training occasionally included such a wall charge training, but this was the first time it was used in actual combat, especially in such an important battle. So, Cuccio, who was leading the cavalry forward, was sweating profusely.
The young Diónia cavalry did not think so much. They held a spear in one hand and pulled the reins with the other, leaning forward with their legs constantly putting pressure on the War Horse. "Go!" The rapid speed of the War Horse made their blood boil, and the comrades next to them made them feel at ease. So, in the face of the approaching enemy cavalry, they were fearless.
In a short distance of a hundred meters, the rapid speed of the horses made it difficult for the Diónia cavalry formation to remain compact, but the two armies were already close.
In an instant, the cavalry collided with each other, blood splattered, spears broke, soldiers fell to the ground, and the War Horse wailed. The zigzagging cavalry formation of Diónia disappeared in the blink of an eye. But at the same time, the momentum of the Persia cavalry was also curbed, and the cavalry battlefield basically came to a standstill.
Maldonios, who fell from his horse, staggered to his feet with the help of his guards. He pulled out the sword at his waist and was about to lead his guards to kill the enemy who also fell from their horses. But then, he was horrified to see countless Diónia soldiers in black helmets and black armor, armed with leather shields and daggers, pouring out from the gap between the cavalry and killing them.
The cunning Diónia actually hid their infantry behind the cavalry! Seeing this, Maldonios trembled all over, and his mind went blank.
"My lord, let's go!" The guards hurriedly carried Maldonios on their backs and fled in panic.
The Persia cavalry, who had lost their advantage in speed, was no match for the well-trained Diónia light cavalry in close combat. And the Persia light cavalry, such as the Scythian cavalry, who did not participate in the charge, were pinned down by the Numibian light cavalry and could not provide support. The mixed Persia cavalry was completely at a disadvantage under the attack of the Diónia light cavalry. This was the reason why the Devers asked the Diónia cavalry to attack in such a dense linear formation.
… …
Seeing the enemy approaching cautiously with round shields and bayonets, Arthinis knew that they were the Greek soldiers hired by Persia mentioned by the legion commander.
"Traitors!" He spat contemptuously, then shouted, "Javelins!"
The well-prepared soldiers hurled the only javelin they had left.
This did not cause any damage to the well-prepared Greek mercenaries, but it stopped them temporarily.
"Charge!" Arsinis shouted again.
"Hades!!!" The soldiers roared in unison and rushed toward the enemy 30 meters away.
The infantry of both sides began to fight in the middle, left, and right of the long front line of more than ten miles. The battle was finally in full swing.
Even though the Dionysian Army had a big advantage in close combat, the outcome of the infantry confrontation would not be decided in a short period of time. Moreover, the Persia knew the weakness of their army, so they deliberately made some changes to it. In addition to the Greek mercenaries and the undead army, who were not weak in close combat, they also equipped the tough Caldan, Dukea, and other mountain tribes with iron helmets, chain armors, copper shields, and one-handed hammers, hoping that they could fight against the Diónia soldiers.
Unfortunately, shortly after the battle began, the Dukea and Axokant warriors suddenly retreated under the command of Big Leader Remy and the other leaders. At the same time, they shouted, "We lost, we lost!! … "
The Persia general who was in charge of supervising the troops panicked when he saw this change. He even tried to send the law enforcement team next to him to kill the Dukea warriors who were leading the escape, forcing them to stop running and return to fight.
However, the Xoskant warriors were prepared to retreat. How could the law enforcement team stop the attack of thousands of Dukea warriors? They were quickly defeated, and even the Persia general was cut down.
The retreat of the Xoskant troops caused a gap of nearly 200 meters suddenly appeared in the infantry line of the Persia army's right flank. The soldiers of the 11th Diónia Legion followed closely behind the Dukea soldiers and rushed into the gap. Under the command of the team officers, they quickly moved forward instead of immediately attacking the enemies on both sides of the gap. This allowed the 18th and 19th Legions, who were in reserve, to continue pouring into the gap.
The sudden retreat of the Xoskant warriors also seriously affected the Dukea warriors on both sides, especially when they saw the Diónia soldiers continuously rushing through the gap and appearing behind them. One could imagine the panic in their hearts, and their fighting spirit plummeted rapidly.
Not far behind the formation formed by the Dukea warriors were the Persia archers. They followed their own infantry formation and were originally prepared to use the few arrows they had left to attack the rear of the Diónia infantry formation from afar, providing support to the troops in front. This was the traditional tactic of the Persia army. Now, seeing the Dukea warriors in front of them being routed as soon as the battle began, and even killing the supervising troops, they were all shocked.
At this critical moment, the commander of the archer unit resolutely ordered the archers to draw their daggers and go forward to meet the enemy, in order to block the gap and prevent the collapse of the front line.
Letting the light infantry face the Dukea warriors and the Legion of Dionysia, who were equipped with excellent weapons, was simply a joke with their lives. However, at this time, the archers showed the vigor of the Persia people. They gathered from all directions and launched a fierce battle with the enemy, trying in vain to maintain the front line. At the same time, they also sent messengers to quickly rush back to their own formation to ask for help.
When Artaxerxes learned of the terrible situation on the right flank, he was so scared that his face turned pale.
"Terebasus, now we … what should we do?" He asked his most trusted advisor in panic.
Terebasus was also panicking, but he forced himself to be calm. "Your Majesty … the archers led by General Altaios cannot resist the enemy for long. We must press forward with our reserve troops as soon as possible! Our military strength is strong, as long as we can re-stabilize the front line of the Dukea people, the advantage will still be on our side! "
Artaxerxes regained some confidence after hearing his words. Not only did he immediately issue an order, but he also scolded, "Cursed Dukea people, why did I believe these shameless villains before? Wait until I obtain victory in the battle, I will definitely annihilate them completely!"
… …
"Your Majesty, the Persia's reserve troops have moved!" Felicius, who received the news, reported to the Devers.
As soon as he finished speaking, Tormid shouted excitedly, "Look! The King of Persia has also come up! "
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