Chapter 511
The messenger did not answer but emphasized again, "This is an order from the King of Devers!"
Martonis was speechless. He ordered angrily, "Tell all the captains to retreat with your brothers. Retreat very slowly! … "
For the experienced commanders, they did not need more detailed instructions from the Devers. They all knew how to deal with the incoming cavalry. They sent the seventh battalion of the legion to the front.
When the Numibian cavalry and Celtic cavalry chased the Diónia cavalry to the front of the Diónia formation, they saw the long infantry formation retreating. Behind the heavy infantry was a line of light infantry. The light infantry shot arrows at the enemy, preventing the Numibian cavalry from getting close to the formation and throwing their javelins.
Although these foreigners were fierce, they would not be stupid enough to attack such a huge formation. They stopped the pursuit and kept a safe distance from the Dionysian Army …
… …
"What did you say?! The Diónia are retreating! " Dionysius, who had just crossed the east bank of the Tachinadi River, heard Akhilita's report and became even more anxious. He was afraid that the Diónia would realize that they were tricked and retreat quickly. If they retreated to the north bank of the Neto River before he arrived with his army, then all the efforts of the past two days would be in vain.
"Order the troops to speed up. Don't let the enemy escape!"
"Yes!"
"Wait!" Phoebidas suddenly shouted.
Although Dionysius was unhappy that he interrupted his order, he also knew that there must be a reason for this quiet Sparta man to speak at this critical moment.
"You just said that the 'formation' of the Diónia is at the back. You used the word 'formation'. Why?" Phoebidas asked Akhilita directly.
Akhilita hated Phoebidas's rude tone, but he knew that the Sparta people were not to be trifled with. He said impatiently, "Yes, I said 'formation' because the Diónia are retreating in formation."
Dionysius's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
"What kind of array?" Phoebidas asked.
Akhilita thought for a while and drew a horizontal line on the ground with the tip of his foot, "Like this, it's very long …"
Phoebidas bent down and looked at the ground before asking, "Which direction are we in?"
"Here." Akili Rita used the tip of his toe to point in front of the "horizontal line".
Phoebidas's guess was confirmed. He raised his head and looked at Dionysius. He said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid that the new king of Diónia is already prepared for our plan. He's laying out a huge net, waiting for us to rush into it. By that time, your soldiers will be exhausted and will not have a complete formation. They will not be a match for the Diónia at all. What awaits you is only failure. "
Dionysius looked down at the ground that Akhilita had just brushed with his foot and fell into deep thought. Although he did not want to believe that the young man of Diónia had seen through the baiting plan that he had painstakingly carried out, and he was being lured by the other party, Phoebidas's words were like a slap in the face, making his face burn. Fortunately, this war was a matter of life and death, so he did not have the mood to care about this. He just coughed a few times and said, "So what do you think we should do now?"
"Stop moving forward immediately, arrange the formation, and press forward at a normal speed!" Phoebidas used his foot to draw another "horizontal line" in front of the "horizontal line".
"If we do this, it will take too long, and the Diónia people may escape," Dionysius said worriedly.
As a bystander, Phoebidas was able to maintain a calm state of mind, "It's better to let them escape than to be defeated by them."
Dionysius was silent after hearing this. He was indeed worried about the gains and losses in his heart, and he was extremely conflicted.
He turned his head back and looked at the dust that was stirred up by the huge, hurriedly marching troops behind him …
Then he looked at the densely packed soldiers quickly passing in front of his escorts. Although the armors, shields, and spears were still on their shoulders, the linings had been soaked with sweat, and the rapid breathing sounds were mixed together, even a little deafening …
Looking ahead again, the vast Croton Plain was unusually quiet, except for the occasional mercenary cavalry galloping, but the army of Diónia might be waiting for them in a place where he could not see …
Dionysius hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind, "Phoebidas, do as you say, I've decided that you will arrange the formation."
Phoebidas did not refuse, and looked excited. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Do I need to call all my men back?" Akhilita asked.
"You and Garba's cavalry continue to repel the enemy cavalry, to prevent them from spying on our formation, and at the same time, you have to keep a close eye on the enemy's movements." Phoebidas began to give orders, "Also … tell me the details of the formation that Diónia has arranged …"
… …
It was already past noon, and there was still no sign of the Syracuse army. The Devers were puzzled. Fortunately, although the Diónia cavalry was suppressed and could not observe the enemy, the Dionysian fleet was running amok on the sea. They had already circled to the coast of the Southern Plains of Croton. As they did not find the Syracuse army that was supposed to be retreating, the puzzled Midolades decisively sent a clipper to quietly land on a secluded beach, and sent sailors ashore to investigate. It did not take long for them to discover the secret of the Syracuse army.
It turned out that the Syracuse army was arranging the formation! When they received the news from the clipper, the Devers had mixed feelings. They could not tell if it was regret or anticipation.
He whispered to himself, "It seems that you, Dionysius, are still cautious. Since you are not coming, I will go over. Let us have a fair battle!"
"Command, turn around and march south!" The Devers suddenly gave the order in a loud voice.
"Why are we going south again?!" Many soldiers were puzzled and dissatisfied with the repeated orders.
However, the commanders and senior team officers had a premonition that the battle was approaching. Battle enthusiasts such as Amyntas and Matonis were already excited.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, 5,000 reinforcements from Crotone and Triene have arrived!"
When the Devers heard this, they were excited. "That's great! Who is the commander? "
"Triene is Cypross, Crotone is Myron."
The Devers was stunned. "Myron? The Myron who was banished by Crotone? "
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have confirmed it. It is him! After the outbreak of this war, he was recalled by Crotone. After the fall of Ciudad Crotone, he was urgently elected as a general by the people of Citadel. "Tormid knew that the Devers would have questions, so he did some research beforehand.
The two generals were old acquaintances! After the second Crotone War, the Devers had some understanding of Myron's commanding ability. They had frequent contact with Cypross. The Devers even thought that he was a broad-minded, quick-witted politician who could see the big picture the best in the city-state of the Southern Alliance.
Both of them were capable. The Devers felt relieved. He asked again, "Are the reinforcements led by them all heavy infantry?"
"Only 300 light infantry. The rest are heavy infantry," Tormid replied.
"If that is the case …" The Devers thought for a moment and said, "Let them line up at the left end of the first legion and march with the main army."
"Line up at the far left end?" Tormid, who knew the Devers's battle plan, asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, that may be the main point of the enemy's attack. Can they stop the enemy?"
"The people of Syracuse took over their city and slaughtered their families. Their hatred for Syracuse is far greater than ours. Their fighting spirit is stronger than our soldiers! I believe that they will not retreat even if they have to fight to the last man! "The Devers said slowly and firmly.
"I understand." Tormid did not hesitate anymore. He turned around and was about to gallop towards the messengers, but was stopped by the Devers again. "Tell Myron and Cypross personally that due to the urgency of the situation, I can't go and greet them. The war is coming. I hope they are fully prepared and work together to take revenge on the people of Syracuse who invaded our homeland and slaughtered our people! "
"Yes, Your Majesty." Tormid saluted excitedly.
… …
The army of Crotone and Triene went down the hill and made a detour to the north gate of the city. Along the way, they saw nothing but ruins and ruins, which increased the anger in the soldiers' hearts. Myron and Cypross finally managed to control the small number of Numibian cavalry that came to harass them, and finally caught up with the army of Diónia that was marching south. After receiving the orders from Tormid, Myron and Cypross were relieved.
As their troops came from the east, they were at the far left end of the entire Diónia army formation. They only needed to spread out and connect with the first legion of Diónia. They did not need to waste any more energy. After all, the soldiers were panting from the journey.
Seeing that the two generals were a little relaxed, Tormid could not help but remind them, "Sirs, according to His Majesty's analysis before the war, our left wing will be the focus of the enemy's attack. You must be vigilant!"
"Why?" Myron and Cypross asked in unison.
Comments