Chapter 429
The area was not very flat. The ground was uneven, with small mounds and thorny bushes everywhere. To the west was the Ramato River, while to the north was the middle reaches of the Colache River, which flowed from northwest to southeast.
Obviously, Felicius had chosen to set up his formation here because he had considered the strength of the Syracuse cavalry. He wanted to use the terrain to the greatest extent to limit the cavalry's maneuverability and detour. At the same time, such a terrain was undoubtedly more advantageous for the Legion of Dionysia's infantry, who had better adaptability and agility.
Of course, Dionysius could see that the terrain was disadvantageous to his side, but he still led his army forward.
More than a hundred thousand people from both sides had gathered on this land with a radius of more than ten miles. They were densely packed, like mountains and seas, stirring up dust and sand into the air.
Dionysius squinted, trying his best to look forward. Even though his vision was obstructed by the dust, the black attire of the Legion of Dionysia was particularly eye-catching. Moreover, they were right in front of Dionysius.
"The Diónia army is in the middle!" Dionysius was reassured. He had also invested his most elite 15000 soldiers in the middle. They were all mercenaries from Campania and Greece, and had followed him to conquer Sicily for many years. More than half of them had been granted citizenship and land, becoming new citizens of Syracuse. They were his most loyal and trustworthy core strength.
"Based on the past battles of the Diónia, their focus of attack is on their left flank!" Phoebidas reminded. "I suggest we deploy at least twenty thousand soldiers on our right flank to block the enemy's attack!"
Dionysius did not reply immediately. He tilted his head and looked to the left.
What he saw was the flickering silhouettes of the Southern Italian army in formation amidst the dust. The noise and commotion extended beyond his line of sight.
A moment later, he ordered, "Send all the Syracuse militia to the right flank!"
The messenger received the order and galloped towards the east.
Dionysius turned to Sparta and said in a deep voice, "Phoebidas, I appoint you as the commander of the right wing. I hope you can lead the army to stop the enemy's attack and buy time for victory. I hope you can accept this!"
"It's my pleasure!" Phoebidas gladly accepted his fate. He did not have the arrogance to say, "I'm from Sparta, you don't have the right to order me around." It was Phoebidas's first and last time leading more than 20,000 soldiers to participate in such a large-scale battle. The temptation was too great for him to refuse.
"Also, if you run into trouble, you have the authority to order the Numibian and Celtic cavalry on the outside of the right flank," Dionysius emphasized.
Phoebidas felt a sense of trust and gave Dionysius a rare military salute.
"Astagras," Dionysius shouted.
"Here!"
"Lead the Sicilian city-state army and defend the left flank together with the Hibernian army! Remember, I only need you to hold the enemy back. You don't need to advance too recklessly, understand?! "Dionysius sternly ordered his brave subordinate.
"Yes, sir!" Astagras' heart skipped a beat.
… …
"Commander, Triene's army has arrived at the battlefield. Sir Cypross asked me to inform you that Trillas's army has a total of 8,500 soldiers! "The messenger arrived on horseback and reported to Felicius.
8,500!! Felicius was shocked to hear this number. Did this not mean that there were only a few hundred soldiers left to defend Triene? When they were discussing the plan for today's battle yesterday, the Triene representative had said that they could send up to 6,000 soldiers to participate in the battle. He did not expect that there would be an additional 2,500 soldiers today. Immediately, Felicius thought of the Triene's intention. They were preparing to go all out in this battle!
At this moment, Felicius was also greatly encouraged. He said loudly, "Go and tell Lord Asessias to move the portion of the Xilidian army that was supposed to be stationed at the right flank to the left, so that the hammer's head will be even thicker!"
"Yes, sir!" A messenger turned his horse around and rode east.
"Go tell Sir Cypross that the Triene army is to stay close to the Legion of Dionysia on the right flank. The distance between the far end of the phalanx and the Ramato River should not be too large. This is to prevent the enemy's cavalry from taking a detour and harassing them!"
"Yes, sir!" Another messenger rode west after receiving the order.
Seeing the messenger disappear into the dust, Felicius once again looked at the Diónia soldiers in front of him. Only by watching these well-trained soldiers skillfully form their troops and get into formation could he feel at ease and dispel the anxiety and frustration in his heart.
After watching for a while, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He said, "Immediately inform the two Legion Commanders, Dracos and Epthenis. Tell them to slow down the formation of the soldiers and wait for the allied armies on both sides. Don't expose our intentions too early!"
"Yes, sir!" The other two messengers rode forward.
… …
"Felicius is too cautious. With the strength of our army, there is no need to play such tricks. Just blow the horn and charge straight in! "Dracos was a little dissatisfied after receiving Felicius' order.
However, he did not dare to disobey his superior's order. Thus, he said to his adjutant, "Go tell the officers to slow down and get into formation. Don't get excited too early. Slow down and save your energy and spirit for the moment of the charge."
"Understood, Legion Commander!"
… …
"Aiya, if it wasn't for Lord Felicius' reminder, I almost forgot about this! Adjutant, hurry up and tell the brothers to slow down and wait for the Triene next to them. However, to be honest, it's easy to get them to speed up, but to slow them down, we haven't practiced this for many years … Haha … "Epthenis teased as he gave the order.
The adjutant held back his laughter and said, "Understood, Legion Commander!"
… …
In the long formation of both sides, hundreds of messengers rode back and forth to deliver orders. Amidst the noisy and chaotic formation, the officers of various ranks were also shouting loudly. Two huge square formations were slowly taking shape …
It took a long time for more than a hundred thousand people to get into formation. The speed at which Syracuse completed the formation was faster than the Southern Legion. After all, most of their troops came from the same city-state and often fought together, unlike the Southern Legion, which not only came from multiple city-states, but also fought together for the first time.
By noon, the loud noise gradually died down, and the dust that filled the air gradually dissipated due to the soldiers' stillness …
The soldiers at the front of the two phalanxes could clearly see the enemy hundreds of meters away. In their eyes, the opponent's dense phalanxes were like a thick steel wall that stretched endlessly to both ends …
The midday sun of early winter was not scorching, but when it shone on the soldiers' shiny armors and weapons, the dazzling light was so bright that it was impossible to look at them directly. Only when their eyes fell on the Diónia phalanxes, the distinctive uniform of the Legion of Dionysia naturally attracted the attention of the Syracuse soldiers, and made their hearts palpitate, because black always meant something bad.
The sea breeze blew from Squalache Bay, cooling the sweaty, heavily-armoured soldiers who had just gone through a torment …
Military flags of various sizes fluttered in the wind in the long formation of both sides. The largest flag was erected behind Dionysius, and not only was it painted with the traditional 'three-legged' symbol of Syracuse, Dionysius's real name was also embroidered on the flag. In comparison, the enemy commander of the Southern Legion, Felicius, was a little shabbier. Due to the short time he took office, as the commander of two legions, the Ministry of Military Affairs did not have the time to specially make a military flag statue for him, and could only use a military flag statue and a simple flag.
Felicius did not care about this. At this moment, he was watching in shock as the military flag representing Dionysius slowly moved forward. After a while, the military flag had moved to the front of the formation, and a general in golden armor followed closely behind the military flag.
With such a gorgeous outfit, it should be Dionysius himself, right? Felicius hesitated for a moment, and then spurred his horse forward.
The two met in the middle of the battlefield. Dionysius sized up Felicius with a sharp gaze, and Felicius returned the stare without showing any weakness.
"You are the commander of the Southern Legion?"
"You are the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius?"
"I am Dionysius."
"I am the commander of the Dionysian Army, the commander of the Southern Legion, Felicius!" Under Dionysius's silent gaze, Felicius subconsciously raised his voice.
"Felicius, it seems that your subordinates do not agree with your title of commander." Dionysius turned to look at both sides of him, a mocking smile on his face. He saw cavalry galloping towards him from both east and west.
"The city-states of the Southern Legion are treated equally, unlike the Greek city-states of Sicily!" Felicius blushed slightly as he retorted, mimicking the tone of his colleague in the Senate of Diónia during a debate.
Dionysius laughed heartily, "In a battle, shouldn't an army follow the orders of one person to ensure unity? I think your Archon Devers should be very clear about this. Didn't he tell you? "
Felicius realized that he was no match for Dionysius in terms of eloquence, so he simply remained silent and stared coldly at him.
Dionysius's smile faded, and a sinister expression appeared on his face, "You are right about one thing. I alone have the final say in the Greek city-states of Sicily! And after this battle, Greece will also be under my control! "
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