Chapter 214
Did they break through? Did Philadelphus and the others arrive? Myron, who could not wait to go ashore with the soldiers, was excited. But after a while, the troops stopped moving forward, and were forced to retreat bit by bit …
"Hang in there, soldiers! Put in a little more effort, the enemy is about to die! " Myron, who did not know what was going on, thought that the troops' attack was weak. He knew that his shouts would not have much effect, but he could not help but shout, trying to rouse their fighting spirit.
But the Crotone troops could not move forward. The Dionysian Army, who had completed their formation change, was led by the original second-line soldiers. They were still full of energy, making up for the lack of experience of the heavy infantry. The Crotone soldiers were exhausted after fighting for more than three hours. They could not even protect themselves, let alone attack.
Just as they were struggling to hold on, the Crotone light infantry behind them, who had retreated to the other side of the Trionto River, suddenly shouted in panic, "Enemy! The enemy is coming! … "
Although Myron, who was in the middle of the rear of the phalanx, could not hear what they were shouting, but the sound of panic made him turn his head subconsciously. What he saw shocked him: hundreds of cavalrymen had appeared on the riverbank behind him, and they were pouncing on the fleeing Crotone light infantry like wolves and tigers. Behind the cavalrymen were countless unarmored soldiers. They quickly spread out in formation, nocked arrows, and held javelins, aiming in his direction. Where did so many enemies come from?! Where are Philadelphus' troops?!! At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through his terrified mind, and finally, there was only one sentence in his heart: We lost!!!
In fact, he was not the only one who saw the scene on the riverbank behind him. Many of the Crotone soldiers saw it too, and the Diónia scouts standing on the high ground on the other side of the river also saw it. Just as Myron was panicking and the Crotone soldiers' morale was wavering, the Devers gave the order with great enthusiasm, "All troops, attack!!!"
The bugle of the attack was blown, and the same bugle sounded on the other side of the river. Just as the Diónia heavy infantry began to attack, nearly 6,000 Free Diónia light infantry fired the first round of arrows, stones, and javelins at the rear of the Crotone right flank …
The exhausted Crotone soldiers could no longer hold on. First, the right flank collapsed, followed by the middle, and then the left flank. The Crotone front line that was more than two miles long and more than a dozen rows thick collapsed like an avalanche. The soldiers scrambled to the south bank. The non-stop long-range firepower of the Free Citizens accelerated their retreat. The Diónia heavy infantry took advantage of the situation and launched a charge, which made the large-scale retreat even more chaotic. Nearly 20,000 people were attacked from both sides, crossing the river and retreating. What kind of tragic scene was that?
Zantiparis, who witnessed the whole process from the south bank, could not bear to look back when he talked about the Crotone's defeat to Ansitanos, who wrote the "History of Magna Graecia". He recalled, "The Crotone people were shouting in horror, 'Run for your lives! We've lost! ' The volume even drowned out the sound of our bugles. They ran for their lives towards the south bank, pushing and shoving each other. The Crotone who were left behind and chased by our warriors knocked down the people in front of them with their shields and spears in order to escape … Sigh … The Trionto River is not deep, but those who fell into the river did not get up again. Because once they fell, not only did no one help them up, but they also drowned because of the heavy equipment they were wearing. In fact, neither the heavy infantry's pursuit nor the long-range attacks of our light infantry could make up for the damage the river caused to the Crotone people … That must be the wrath of Poseidon! I can't help but recall the scene when the expeditionary army fought against the Persia at the Kentrit River … Sigh, after the battle, when I returned, I saw the Trionto River was filled with Crotone corpses. It was as if the river had been blocked. That was really creepy! It was said that there were more than 3,500 corpses that were fished out, and that did not include those that had drifted into the sea … "
… …
The Crotone soldiers who fled back to the south bank did not even have time to catch their breath. Even though the Diónia heavy infantry were exhausted, they continued to attack under the Devers' urging, continuing to put psychological pressure on the routed soldiers. The large number of light infantry who were not burdened by the heavy armor were the main force of the pursuit. They pounced on the Crotone's flank and almost surrounded the entire right flank. The demoralized Crotone soldiers surrendered under the barricade in front and pursuit from behind.
After the light infantry handed the captives to the heavy infantry, they continued their pursuit.
At this time, the cavalry became the main force of the pursuit. Nearly three hundred cavalrymen spread out under the leadership of Ledes, crushing the routed soldiers back and forth. The Crotone soldiers were either knocked down by the galloping War Horses and could not get up, or forced to change their escape route. In the end, the light infantry caught up to them and captured them.
The fleeing Crotone soldiers were apprehensive along the way. In the end, many of them collapsed on the road due to exhaustion, or like the soldiers who had been captured once like Tratus, when they saw that there was no hope of escape, they simply squatted down and surrendered … In the end, all the light infantry of Diónia took up the task of escorting the captives.
In the end, the Crotone soldiers fled into the swamp area. Many of them rushed into the dangerous area in panic. The Diónia cavalry followed them into the swamp, but because they were unfamiliar with the terrain, many horses got stuck in the mud, and because the sky was getting dark, they had to give up the pursuit.
The battle that decided the fate of Diónia and Crotone came to an end.
The Crotone side invested about 27000 soldiers, but in the end, 7,000 were killed or wounded (because it was a defeat, it was almost impossible for the injured soldiers to escape). About 12000 were captured, and 8,000 fled the battlefield. Only less than 5,000 managed to escape back to Crimissa. More than 3,000 were lost in the forest and swamp. Some managed to escape after a few days, while others never made it out. Under the protection of his guards, Myron was lucky enough to escape back to Crimissa.
The Diónia side also invested about 24000 soldiers, but in the end, they only suffered more than 4,000 casualties. It was a glorious victory.
… …
On this day, the chief general of the city of Castellón, Amicles, had been watching the development of the entire battle anxiously. In order to ensure that the Diónia light infantry had sufficient firepower, the Devers had asked the city of Castellón to provide enough arrows and javelins. Therefore, Amicles was also responsible for organizing and transporting the army to the battlefield. When the Crotone troops were annihilated downstream, he received the news even earlier than the Devers. At that time, he excitedly told the members of the council of Castellón that Diónia's victory was set in stone.
After all, Crotone had been tyrannical in Greece for many years, and the city-states were deeply afraid of it. In addition, its main force was still intact, who knew if it would try to turn the tables.
It was not until an hour later that countless bodies floated down the Trionto River, attracting the attention of the people of the city at the port. After the guards checked them one by one, they confirmed that they were Crotone soldiers. When the news spread, the uneasy hearts of the people of Castellón finally calmed down. There was no doubt that the Diónia Alliance had won! The Diónia Alliance had won!!
When the cheers resounded throughout the city, the shadow that Crotone's threat had cast in the hearts of the people of Castellón was finally removed. The general and the members of the council looked at each other with gratified smiles on their faces. Their decision to endure the threat of Crotone and take the risk to support Diónia was indeed the right decision!
When the Devers led the army back to Castellón, the whole city was illuminated by candles. Amicles led the members of the council and the people out of the city to welcome them. The Devers were somewhat surprised by the grandeur of the scene. He hurriedly dismounted from his horse and walked on foot.
"Victory! The Diónia Alliance!!!" The crowd burst into deafening cheers like a tsunami.
"Congratulations, Lord Devers! It's unbelievable! You've achieved a glorious victory!! "Amicles congratulated the Devers from the bottom of his heart.
"It's all thanks to the blessing of the Hades! And all of you, the people of Castellón, did your best to help me! "The Devers replied humbly.
"After this defeat, I'm afraid that Crotone will not be able to attack again." Amicles wanted to know what the Devers's next move was.
The Devers, of course, understood the hidden meaning in his words. He smiled and said, "If we don't take the opportunity to kill the injured lion, are we going to wait for it to recover before taking revenge? Tomorrow, we'll attack Crimissa, take it down, and go straight for Crotone! "
Amicles heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He then reminded the Devers, "I think Crotone will ask for peace talks like the last time in exchange for the release of these captives."
"Peace talks?" The Devers sneered as he looked at the 12,000 captives being escorted past him. Initially, he wanted to force these captives to be the vanguard tomorrow to attack Crimissa or even Crotone. He thought that the people of Crotone would definitely be cautious when faced with the attack of their own people. This would allow Diónia to easily take over these two cities. This was one of the common tactics used by the Mongols and Jurchens to conquer the world.
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