Chapter 207: Battle of Trionto River (III)

On the side of Theonia, there are 3,000 light infantries on both the center and on the right wing, which includes arches, slingers and peltast. Most of them are freemen from the port of Thurii, while hundreds of them are veterans and are drawn from the original first, second and light infantry brigade, and served as officers.

The more than 400 cavalry on the left wing has always been just an extra, but according to the current plan, this time, they will play an important key to win this war. It is no wonder that Ledes, who has always been serious, has become out of breath due to him repeatedly ordering each cavalry squad captain to the things that they should pay attention to once the battle starts.

"Captain, we are already clear what to do, so you don't have to worry so much!" Said Solikos. This large group of coachmen that was financed by the Cheiristoya's bank had not only increased the taxes of the union, but had also made a group that are good at horse riding and have enough horses. Therefore, they have become the main targets of the cavalry recruitments. As citizens, they are duty bound to put on their armor and fight. Though the age of Solikos is just above the age limit for conscription, he is still very active, at the age of 50 it might have been tough for him to be an infantry soldier, but he thinks that with his experience, he is more than capable enough to be a captain.

"Is that so, then prepare to fight." Nodded Ledes.

"We are clear about it, but do the people behind us understand it? Won't they screw it up!" Said by a young cavalry squad captain.

Ledes looked back at him and said, "Don't worry, Cleitus and the others have fought more battles than the salts that you have ever eaten, and in Persia, they have even faced more cavalry!"

The young cavalry squad captain was not convinced and had wanted to say more, but suddenly, someone had shouted out, "Look, our slingers are starting to attack!"

There was no sound of salpinx or shouting when the slingers, under the leadership of the veterans, slipped out of the formation and quickly ran to the frontline. They then started to brandished their slings at a distance of more than 200 meters, and the soldiers of Crotone, who were still in formation, immediately enjoyed the baptism of the "rain of stones", and many of their soldiers did not even have the time to raise their shield for protection, and had gotten their head struck.

"Shameless Theonians! Deceitful Theonians! Apollo will punish you!" Philederus did not expect the enemy to attack in this way, so he was caught off guard and could only curse at them.

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK THEM NOW!" He shouted angrily.

Then a salpinx that signals the attack was blown.

Alexias, who was waiting for a long time, pointed his spear forward, "Cavalry! Advance!!"

The 800 cavalry of Crotone were in an inverted fan-shaped formation, their legs clamped on their horse's belly and shook their reins, then the horses began to gallop forward.

While the cavalry of Ledes formed a loose wedge-shaped formation with two experienced riders at the front, each holding a red flag and brandishing it in the wind. Seeing that the enemy had begun to move, Ledes then took a deep breath in order to restrain his excitement, then patted the neck of his horse, and watched as the enemy's horse reached a certain distance before shouting, "Forward!"

"Go! Go!...." Everyone yelled and urged their horses to move forward. Different from the cavalries of Crotone who had held the reins with their left hands and the spears with their right hand, the cavalries of Theonia held the reins with both hands, and their spears are still hung on their straps. The cavalries controlled the speed of their horses and did not dare to let them gallop as fast as possible. Otherwise, they would easily fall down before they could get closer to the enemy.

The sun at noon in the spring is not hot, but the horses are puffing clouds of dust everytime they raise their hooves, and soon they cross the distance of 500 meters in a flash.

When the distance was only 50 meters left, Ledes shouted at the flag bearer that was right besides him, "Turn right!!!"

Solikos, who was parallel on his left, had also immediately shouted, "Turn left!!!"

The two flag bearers in the front had quickly separated to the left and right.

During combats between cavalry, because the cavalry's speed is too fast, the one in the rear may break away from the formation if they do not pay attention, due to this, the wedge-shaped formation is characterized by a small front and a large rear, so the cavalry at the back can see the forward direction. In addition, with the red flag waving in the wind on both sides, even during the dusty battlefield, the Theonian cavalry can still basically follow the flag bearers. Therefore, they managed to successfully divide the wedge-shaped formation into two parts, and bypassed the incoming enemy from the front.

The cavalry of Crotone did not expect that the Theonians would make such a move. They were completely dumbfounded, but they did not dare to stop nor make any other move without prior planning and coordination, because not only will they disrupt the formation, they will also end up getting knocked down by the cavalry at their back and getting trampled together with the mud, so the only thing they can do is to continue galloping and then turn around.

But after passing the Theonian cavalry, they saw, with astonishment, an innumerable sharp spears protruding from the morning mist, revealing a ferocious chill to them.

"Hoplites! Hopl-" Exclaimed by the Crotonian cavalryman, while trying to pull the reins of his horse, but his strong inertia had made him unable to stop, and he ended up getting slammed into the spears. In an instant, the spear was broken and blood splashed.

Some of the hoplites were hit and flew out due to the powerful impact, but the other soldiers did not see it and still kept on holding their spears with the spear's butt at the ground, and in front of them were dozens of horses and people falling in a row, struggling in the river of blood...

There is no real heavy cavalry in this era, due to this, it's not just the cavalries of the Greeks, but also the cavalries of any Mediterranean country has never faced a tight formation of spears and dared to charge towards it. The cavalries at the back had tried to control their horses in order to prevent them from colliding with the forest of spears, but the sensitive and timid horses neighed and suddenly stopped their fast galloping body, and due to the inertia, the riders flew straight into the forest of spears and was then skewered....

Amidst the cavalries, Alexias managed to stop his galloping horse. However, some of his comrades have fallen down, some of them are going around in circles, some of them are shouting, and some of them have their horses stopped moving. Their wails, shouts and the neigh of the horses have mingled together, and the whole cavalry of Crotone was in a mess....

Knowing that he was caught in the scheme of the Theonians, Alexias was in a dire situation, and he was unable to think carefully, so he could only order, "Turn left! Turn left! Get out from the side!"

Alexias shouted loudly, and the escorts that were around him have shouted as well. The chaotic Crotonian cavalry had finally got a pillar of support, and soon, there was order.

Just as they managed to turn their horse and tried to dodge the spear formation that was in front them, the two cavalry units of the Theonians had suddenly closed like human arms.

Soon, there were wails all around Alexias, he now realized that his troops were surrounded: A cavalry unit being surrounded by both infantry and cavalry, which should've been impossible, but it has now become a reality!

"Slaughter your way to the left! Slaughter them!" Alexias shouted in anger.

But a more powerful voice which had covered his shouts had come from the front, and the salpinx that signals the hoplites to charge was then blown.

"Brothers, kill all these Crotonians and avenge Timasion and the others!" Xanticles took off his helmet and is the first to rush with a spear.

Then more than a thousand mercenaries roared and followed him forward. The soldiers who had been knocked down and were struggling to get up, had hurriedly drawn out their swords and joined the battle.

The previously solid "spear wall" has suddenly turned into a pervasive water that penetrated into the Crotonian cavalries who were in a mess. It was easy for these experienced mercenaries to kill the stationary cavalries, and had adopted the method of two mercenaries fighting one cavalry: One is responsible for restraining and attracting the attention of their opponent, while the other will take the opportunity and quickly approaches from either the side and the rear, and accurately stabs their spears upward, and the spear tip penetrates into the lung through the space between the armor under the ribs, and reached the heart and kills the target. If they avoid the stab, the mercenary will sweep down their spear and knock down the cavalryman, and before they can get up, they will get a heavy kick on their head and neck.

The efficiency of the mercenaries in killing is very high, and the Theonian cavalrymen have subconsciously kept away from these fiends.

The battle had ended quickly. Besides the dozens of Crotonian cavalries who have managed to escape and the more than 100 cavalries that have surrendered, all the others have died. The Theonians has also managed to obtain more than 400 horses, with only 50 cavalrymen and 20 mercenaries injured and killed. This is a complete victory! The strategy that Davos has conceived has worked! Ledes kept on smiling as he listened to his men's report, but he knew that the whole battle was not yet over.

He then assigned 70 cavalries to continue pursuing the enemy and then urged the rest of the cavalries to go to the nearby city of Roscianum, "Hurry up and retrieve your javelins!"

"Ledes, we will go with you." Xanticles and a number of mercenaries came riding on the captured horses.

"You...." Ledes instinctively wanted to refuse, but the mercenaries have played a decisive role in the battle.

Xanticles saw through his thoughts and said, "You currently don't have many cavalries. Although we are not good at horse riding, we are better at throwing javelins than you, and the more people means the more pressure we can put on the Crotonians and it's better to end this battle earlier in order to reinforce Davos as soon as possible!"

The words of Xanticles have reminded Ledes and have made him no longer obsessed with the question of whether they are a cavalrymen or not, "I hope that you can keep up with us, because I won't stop to wait for you."

"Rest Assured." Laughed Xanticles.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Philederus did not know that his cavalries was almost destroyed, and now the light armored soldiers that he led in the center were in trouble.

As soon as the salpinx was blown, the light armored soldiers advanced.

While the enemies' slingers retreated in a hurry.

Then the arrow rain came...and then the javelins....

After paying some casualties, the light armored soldiers manage to get closer to the enemy.

Suddenly, the light infantries in the center retreated as a whole.

The light armored soldiers began to pursue them again, and the enemy retreated again. If the light armored soldiers pursue them faster, the enemy retreats faster; If the light armored soldiers pursue them slowly, the enemy will retreat slowly...the two sides have always maintained a distance of only tens of meters.