Chapter 211
On the Diónia's side, the middle and the right flank each had 3,000 light infantrymen, including archers, catapults, and javelin throwers. Most of them were freedmen from the port of Turín. Hundreds of veterans from the First and Second Legions served as the team officers.
The 400-odd cavalrymen on the left flank had always been a bystander. According to the plan, they had become the key to the victory of the battle. No wonder Ledes, who had always been calm, was a little impatient. He repeatedly reminded the captains of the cavalrymen to pay attention to the details of the battle.
"I say, Captain, we are very clear. Don't worry!" Sorikos said. The large group of coachmen supported by Cristoya's bank loan not only increased the Alliance's tax revenue, but all of them were also good riders and had enough horses. That was why they became the main targets of recruitment for the cavalry. As citizens, they were duty-bound to go out to battle. Sorikos's age was just above the upper limit of the recruitment age. He was very active. Being an infantryman at the age of 50 was definitely not enough, but he believed that with his experience in the cavalry, he was more than qualified to be a captain.
"Well, then get ready for battle." Ledes nodded.
"We are clear, but what about the people behind us? Don't mess it up when the time comes! "A young captain of the cavalry interjected.
Ledes looked back at him with a smile and said, "Don't worry, Cuccio. They have fought more battles than you have eaten salt. They faced more cavalry in Persia."
The young cavalry captain was not convinced and wanted to say more.
At this time, someone shouted, "Look, our catapults are attacking!"
There was no bugle call, and there was no shouting. The catapults quietly left the formation under the leadership of the veterans and quickly ran to the front of the enemy. They began to swing their catapults at a distance of more than 200 meters. The Crotone soldiers who were still in formation were immediately baptized by the 'stone rain'. Many soldiers did not have time to raise their shields to protect themselves, and many of them were hit in the head and bleeding.
"Shameless Diónia! Cunning Diónia people! Apollo will punish you! " Philadelphus did not expect the enemy to do this. He was caught off guard and immediately cursed.
"Attack! Attack! Attack now! "he shouted angrily.
"Wu! Woo! … "A loud bugle horn sounded.
Alsosis, who had been impatient for a long time, immediately pointed his spear forward. "Cavalry, advance!"
The 800 Crotone Cavalrymen formed an inverted fan formation. They clamped their legs around their horses' abdomens and shook the reins. The War Horse began to trot forward.
Ledes' cavalry formed a loose wedge formation, with two experienced cavalrymen at the top, each holding a red flag that fluttered in the wind. Seeing that the enemy had begun to move, Ledes took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. He gently patted the neck of his beloved horse and stared at the enemy until they were a certain distance away before shouting, "Advance!"
"Go! Hyah! Everyone shouted as they urged the War Horse forward. Unlike the Crotone Cavalrymen, who held the reins in their left hand and held the spear in their right hand, the Diónia Cavalrymen held the reins with both hands, their spears still hanging on the hooks. From a trot to a sprint, the cavalrymen controlled the speed of the horses, not daring to let them run too fast. Otherwise, they would easily fall off their horses before they came into contact with the enemy.
The spring sun at noon was not hot, but the War Horse was spurting like a cloud, galloping forward, grass and mud splashing everywhere, and dust flying in the air. The distance of 500 meters was covered in the blink of an eye.
When they were only 50 or 60 meters away, Ledes, who was behind the flag bearers, shouted, "Turn right!!!"
Sorikos, who was riding on his left, immediately shouted, "Turn left!!!"
The two flag bearers in front quickly split to the left and right.
In a cavalry battle, due to the speed, the cavalrymen at the back might be separated from the formation if they were not careful. The characteristic of the wedge-shaped formation was that it was small at the head and large at the tail, so the cavalrymen at the back could see the direction of the advance of the cavalrymen at the front of the formation. With the addition of the two red flags fluttering in the wind, even on the dusty battlefield, the Diónia Cavalrymen were basically able to move in unison. They successfully divided the wedge-shaped formation into two groups, and then went around the enemy from the front and the outside.
The Crotone Cavalrymen at the front did not expect that the Diónia Cavalrymen would make such a move. They were completely dumbfounded, but they did not dare to stop. Without prior planning and coordination, any rash action would not only disrupt the formation, but also cause them to be knocked down and trampled into meat paste by the cavalrymen at the back. They could only sprint to the end and turn back.
But after crossing paths with the Dionysian cavalry and moving forward, they were shocked to see countless sharp spears protruding from the morning mist, glaring at them with a sinister, cold glint.
"Heavy infantry! There's heavy — "The Crotone Cavalrymen exclaimed. They wanted to rein their horses, but the strong inertia caused them to crash straight into the spears. In an instant, people screamed, horses neighed, spears broke, and blood splattered …
Some of the heavy infantry were directly knocked away by the strong impact, but the other soldiers did not seem to see it. They held on to the spears at the end of their legs, motionless. In front of them, dozens of horses and men were lying in a mess, struggling in a pool of blood …
In this era, there was no real heavy cavalry. Not only the Greek cavalry, but any cavalry from the Mediterranean countries had never dared to charge in the face of a dense formation of spears. The cavalrymen at the back tried to control their War Horses to prevent them from crashing into the spears, but the sensitive and timid War Horses were one step ahead of them. They neighed and suddenly came to a halt. The cavalrymen on the horses were pushed away by the inertia, crashed into the forest of spears, and were pierced through …
Alisolis, who was in the middle of the cavalrymen, finally managed to stop his War Horse. But he saw that his comrades around him were either falling, spinning on the ground, or refusing to move no matter how much he shouted at them. Screams, screams, and neighs intertwined, and the whole cavalrymen were in a mess …
Alisolis knew that he had fallen into the Diónia Cavalrymen's trap. The situation was critical, and he did not have time to think. "Turn left! Turn left! Go out from the side! "
He shouted loudly, and the guards around him followed suit. The chaotic Crotone Cavalrymen soon regained their backbone and order.
Just as they were about to turn their horses around and go around the spear formation in front of them, the two groups of cavalrymen that Diónia had gone around earlier suddenly closed in on them like two human arms.
Shouts and screams rang out all around Alisolis. He suddenly realized that his cavalrymen were surrounded. His cavalrymen were surrounded by infantry and cavalrymen. It was impossible, but it was happening!
"Charge to the left! Let's kill our way out!! "Alisosis shouted in exasperation.
But a louder voice from the front drowned out his shouts. The horn of the heavy infantry was blown.
"Brothers, kill all these Crotone Cavalrymen! Avenge Timason and the rest!" Zantiparis took off his helmet and charged forward with his spear.
More than a thousand mercenaries roared and charged forward with him. The soldiers that were knocked down struggled to get up, drew their swords, and charged forward.
The sturdy 'spear wall' turned into a flowing water that quickly seeped into the chaotic Crotone Cavalrymen. Killing the stationary cavalrymen was a piece of cake for these battle-hardened mercenaries. Most of them even let go of the valuable horses, and used the method of two mercenaries against one cavalryman at the same time. One was responsible for distracting the cavalryman, while the other took the opportunity to quickly approach from the side and thrust his spear upwards. The tip of the spear would pierce through the gap of the armor below the ribs and into the lungs, straight to the heart, killing in one shot. If the cavalryman dodged the stab, the mercenary would sweep his spear downwards, knocking the cavalryman off his horse. Before he could get up, he would receive a heavy kick to the head, and his neck would be broken.
The mercenaries were very efficient in killing. Even the Diónia Cavalrymen subconsciously stayed away from these ferocious creatures.
The battle ended quickly. Other than a few dozen Crotone Cavalrymen who escaped, more than a hundred cavalrymen surrendered, the rest were all dead. Even Alisolis was not among them. Diónia also obtained more than 400 War Horses, and only lost more than 50 cavalrymen and 20 mercenaries. It was a complete victory! The tactics invented by the Devers had succeeded! Ledes listened to his men's report with a smile on his face, but he knew that the battle was not over yet.
He separated 70 cavalrymen to continue chasing the remaining enemies, and urged the rest to rush to the nearby city of Castellón. "Hurry back and get the javelins!"
"Ledes, we'll go with you." Zantiparis and many mercenaries rushed over on captured War Horses.
"You …" Ledes instinctively wanted to refuse, but the mercenaries played a decisive role in this battle, so it was not appropriate for him to say it out loud.
Zantiparis read his mind and said, "You don't have many cavalrymen under you now. Although our horsemanship is not as good, our javelin throwing is better than yours. With more people, we can put more pressure on the Crotone. The sooner we end the battle here, the sooner we can reinforce the Devers! "
Zantiparis' words reminded Ledes. He no longer cared about whether they were cavalrymen or not. "I hope you can keep up with our speed. I won't stop to wait for you."
"Don't worry." Zantiparis smiled.
… …
Philadelphus still did not know that his cavalry was almost completely wiped out. Now, the Light Armor Soldiers in the middle of the road that he led were in trouble.
When the horn to attack was blown, the Light Armor Soldiers rushed forward.
The enemy's stone throwers hurriedly retreated.
They rushed forward again, followed by a rain of arrows … followed by javelins …
After some casualties, the Light Armor Soldiers were very close to the enemy.
At this moment, the enemy's Light Armor Soldiers in the middle all retreated.
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