ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 210 The Battle of Trionto River (End)
Breakthrough?Philadephos and the others have arrived? !Milon, who couldn't wait to go ashore with the soldiers, felt excited.But after a while, the troops stopped advancing, and then were forced to retreat bit by bit...

"Hold on, soldiers! Try harder, the enemy is almost dead!" Milon, who didn't know what was going on, thought it was because the troops were weak in attack. Knowing that his shouting would not have much effect, he still couldn't help shouting. , trying to arouse their fighting spirit.

But the Crotone army never advanced further.At the forefront of the Dionian army that has completed the array conversion are the newly replaced soldiers from the original second line. Their physical strength is quite sufficient, which makes up for their lack of heavy infantry experience, while the opposing Crotone soldiers are After fighting for more than three hours, they were exhausted, self-protection was difficult, and the attack was naturally powerless.

While they were struggling to hold on, the Crotone light infantry who retreated to the other side of the Trionto River behind them suddenly shouted in panic: "The enemy! The enemy is coming!!..."

Although Milon, who was in the center and back of the formation, couldn't quite hear what they were shouting, the frightened voice made him subconsciously turn his head and look back. He was shocked when he saw hundreds of people appearing on the river beach behind him. The cavalry pounced on the panicked Crotone light infantry like wolves and tigers. Following the cavalry were countless unarmored soldiers. They quickly spread out their formations, bows and arrows, and javelins in hand. The target was exactly own this direction.Where did all these enemies come from? !Where is Philadephos and his troops? ! ! ...At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through his horrified mind, and only one sentence remained in his mind: We lost! ! !
In fact, not only did he see the scene on the river bank behind him, but many Crotone soldiers also saw it, and the Dionian scouts standing on the heights on the opposite bank also saw it. Just when Miron was panicking and Crotone When the morale of the soldiers inside was fluctuating, Davos issued the order with great enthusiasm: "Attack with the entire army!!!"

The bugle of the attack sounded, and then the same bugle sounded from the other side.Just as the Dionian heavy infantry began to advance bravely, nearly six thousand Dionian light infantry composed of free people fired the first round of arrows and the first round of flying stones at the rear of Crotone's right-wing soldiers. , the first round of javelin...

In front of them were the heavy infantry who were still vigorous after a long battle, with the cold river under their feet, and in the rear there were no arrows or javelins to take away their lives. The exhausted Crotone soldiers could no longer hold on. First, they attacked the right wing. The front line in Crotone, which was more than two miles long and more than a dozen columns thick, quickly collapsed like an avalanche. The soldiers rushed to the south bank, and the free people continued to attack from long range. It accelerated their retreat, and the charge launched by the Dionian heavy infantry made this large-scale rout even more chaotic. With nearly 2 people under attack from both sides, what kind of tragic retreat across the river was it? picture?
Xantiparis, who witnessed the entire process on the south bank, later talked about the defeat of Crotone to Ansitanos, who wrote "History of Magna Graecia", and he could not bear to look back. He recalled: "...Crotone Everyone shouted in terror, "Run for your lives! We are defeated!..." The volume even overshadowed the sound of our bugles. They ran desperately to the south bank, pushing each other, and even fell behind and were beaten by us. In order to escape for their lives, the Crotones pursued by the warriors frantically knocked down those in front with their shields and stabbed them with spears... Alas... The water in the Trionto River was not deep, but almost no one fell in the river. Can you get up again, because once you fall, not only will there be no one to help you, but because of the heavy equipment and the constant jostling of others, you will eventually drown in the river... In fact, whether it is the heavy infantry chasing or The casualties caused by our light infantry's long-range attacks cannot make up for the damage caused by the river to the Crotones... That must be the wrath of Poseidon! I can't help but think of the expeditionary force in Kentley. The scene of the battle between the Trivento River and the Persians... Well, after the battle was over, when I returned, I saw the corpses of the Crotones floating on the Trivento River. It seemed that even the river was blocked. It was really disappointing. My scalp is numb! It is said that there were more than 3500 corpses recovered later, not counting those that floated into the sea..."

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The Crotone soldiers who fled back to the south bank had no time to breathe.Although the Dionian heavy infantry was tired, under the urging of Davos, they were still attacking and continued to put psychological pressure on the defeated troops; while the large number of free people's light infantry did not have the burden of heavy armor and were in pursuit. The main force, they swooped up from the flanks and almost covered the entire right wing of Crotone. The Crotones, who had lost their fighting spirit, surrendered one after another in the desperate situation of being intercepted in front and pursued by troops behind.

After the light infantry handed these prisoners over to the heavy infantry, they continued to pursue forward.

At this time, the cavalry became the main force in the pursuit. Nearly three hundred cavalry spread out under the leadership of Ledes, crushing the defeated troops back and forth. The Crotones were not injured because they were knocked down by the running horses. He was forced to change his escape route and was eventually captured by the light infantry who caught up.

The escaping Crotone soldiers were shaken along the way, and many of them fell down on the road due to exhaustion. Or, like soldiers like Tratus who had been captured once, seeing that there was no hope of escape, they simply squatted down and surrendered... In the end, The Dionian light infantry all set up to escort the prisoners.

In the end, the Crotones fled into the swamp area, and many people rushed into dangerous areas in a panic.The Dionian cavalry also followed into the swamp, but because the terrain was unfamiliar, the horses got stuck in the mud many times, and because the sky was getting dark, they finally had to give up the pursuit.

The battle that decided the fate of Dionia and Crotone came to an end.

The Crotone side invested about 27000 people, and eventually suffered 7000 casualties (because it was a defeat, it was almost impossible for injured soldiers to escape), about 12000 people were captured, and 8000 people fled the battlefield. Only those who actually escaped back to Crimesa There were less than 5000 people, and more than 3000 people were lost in the forests and swamps. Some were able to escape after a few days, while others never came out again.Milon was lucky enough to escape back to Crimesa under the desperate protection of his guards.

The Dionia side also invested about 24000 people, and in the end there were only more than 4000 casualties, and they won a brilliant victory.

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On this day, the chief general of Castellon City, Amycles, had been nervously paying close attention to the development of the entire battle. In order to ensure that the firepower of the Dionia light infantry was sufficient, Davos had asked Castellon City to provide sufficient firepower. of arrows and javelins, so Amycles also shouldered the important task of organizing and transporting army supplies to the battlefield.When the Crotone troops walking downstream were annihilated, he got the news even earlier than Daves. At that time, he excitedly told the members of the Castellon Council that the victory in Dionia was over. Certainly.

Everyone was doubtful. After all, Crotone had been tyrannical in Magna Graecia for many years, and the city-states were deeply afraid of it. In addition, its main force was still intact, who knew whether it would use its strength to regain the victory.

It was not until an hour later that countless corpses floated down the upper reaches of the Trionto River, attracting the whole city to watch at the port. After the guards inspected them one by one, they determined that they were all Crotones.When this news came out, the uneasy hearts of the Castellon people finally fell: it is certain that the Dionian Alliance has won!Our Dionia Alliance has won! !

As cheers rang throughout the city, the shadow cast by the threat of Crotone in the minds of the Castellonites was finally lifted.The generals and members of the council looked at each other and smiled with relief: they endured the threat of the Crotones and took the risk to support Dionia. It was indeed the right decision!
When Davos led his army back to Castellon, the entire city was already illuminated by candlelight.Amicles led the council members and the people out of the city to greet him. The momentum was so loud that it was somewhat beyond Davos' expectations. He hurriedly dismounted and walked.

"Victory, Dionia Alliance!!!" Cheers like landslides and tsunamis erupted from the crowd, deafening.

"Congratulations, Lord Davos! It's unbelievable, you have achieved a brilliant victory!!" Amycles sincerely congratulated Davos.

"This all depends on the blessing of Hades! And the full help of you, the Castellon people!" Davos replied humbly.

"After Crotone's defeat in this battle, I'm afraid it won't be able to attack anymore." Amycles tactfully wanted to know Davos's next plan.

Of course, Davos heard the implication of his words and smiled slightly: "If you don't take the opportunity to hunt the injured lion, how can you wait for it to recover and then take revenge! Tomorrow we will attack Crimesa, capture it, and then go straight to Ke Rotone!”

Amicles breathed a sigh of relief and reminded: "I think Crotone may ask for peace talks to release these prisoners like last time."

"Peace talks?" Davos sneered a few times and looked at the 1 prisoners being escorted past. He initially wanted to force these prisoners to serve as vanguards to attack Crimesa or even Croto tomorrow. Inside, I think the Crotones will inevitably shrink their hands when facing the attack of their compatriots, allowing Dionia to easily seize these two cities. This is one of the common tactics used by the Mongols and Jurchens to seize the world.

However, Davers, who had been living in this era for a year and a half, had a second thought and chose to give up.Because he knew that the Greeks of this era still retained some characteristics of the ancient era, respecting heroes, advocating strength, and liking frontal fighting.There is nothing wrong with killing the enemy in battle, but using prisoners to attack the city and win victory will undoubtedly be cold-blooded and despise.Therefore, no one has ever done this in previous city-state wars.

　Thanks to Vanishing Maple and A$ "卐" Sand Boat "Xian Kong" for the reward!Your support is my biggest motivation for writing! !

　　Football tonight, updated in advance!
　　Happy Valentine’s Day, brothers and sisters! ! !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)