Chapter 92: The Battle of the Great River (III)

For a time, there was chaos in the camp, and Gennat and the others weren’t able to gather up enough warriors to fight back the revolt caused by Vergae…

“Captain, look!” The mercenary cavalry that was outside the camp of the Lucanians, exclaimed excitedly.

Ledes was upset that he wasn’t able to stop all the warriors from going back. Unexpectedly, the enemy’s camp was suddenly lit on fire, and then saw the people inside began fighting each other, and couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Captain, they have an internal struggle! The enemy is in conflict!!” The cavalryman continued to shout excitedly.

Ledes suppressed his excitement and observed for a while. After confirming it, he then said, “Come! Let’s go back and tell leader Davos that there is a serious internal struggle in the enemy camp and they have no ability to send reinforcements for the time being!”

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Davos was worried about the situation as he didn’t know about the internal struggle in the camp of the Lucanians.

Although the Lucanian warriors were ill equipped and were already lacking in stamina, they were still like the tides in the sea that continuously pounds the Greek defensive line one after another, and their blood boils with the screams of their compatriots. If they were stabbed by a spear, they will hold on the spear tightly, and if they are knocked down by a shield, they will try their best to grab the feet of the Greek soldiers before sliding down the slope…

The Greek defensive line on the north was crumbling.

“Report, leader Drakos is down!”

“What?!” Davos was surprised. He had already felt the commotions of the mercenaries at the front even though he was at the rear of the hoplite row, and it was now spreading.

“Have Archytas select 300 of his men to aid the north!” Urged Davos.

“Leader, you have already gave this order not too long ago. Taranto has no soldiers that they could send and they are also in a difficult situation!” Prompted Asistes.

“Right.” Davos kneaded his face, as this is his first time to independently command such a huge battle and it is relevant to his future fate and of his soldiers, which made him a bit nervous. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself down, and then decisively ordered, “Give the command to the slave troops and the peltast units to join the battle!”

He then looked back at Martius and said, “It’s time for us to also join!”

“Hooo!” Martius excitedly beat his round shield with his kopis, while the other guards drop their spears and drew out their kopis, and roared loudly. Those that are experienced knew that in such a crowded battlefield, longer weapons are no longer effective.

Davos took the lead in the charge, and the guard team of Martius followed closely and quickly protected him, while Asistes held the flag high behind Davos.

The waving flag made the mercenaries that was about to disperse, hesitate. While it also allowed the Lucanians to find their target, as they gradually get closer to Davos, which relieved the pressure on the other defensive line. However, the pressure on Davos suddenly increase…

At this time, the salpinx rang out.

Although the peltast soldiers’s hands and feet were already numb due to their frequent throwing of javelins, they did not hesitate in raising their leather shields and Rhomphaia* under the leadership of Epiphanes and Cid, and rushed to close the gap on the defensive line. (T/L note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhomphaia)

And the slave soldiers couldn’t wait anymore, for Davos had promised them that they would be free as long as they win this battle. Therefore, as soon as they receive the order, they chanted, “FOR FREEDOM!!!”

With a lot of energy and high morale, they forced some of the enemies that manage to breach the defensive line, down slope even though they don’t have any combat skills. At the same time, some of the enemies were also pushed down by the mercenaries…

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

Another group that were also shouting “For Freedom”, was the team led by Mersis. Under the leadership of the veterans of the mercenaries, the 1,000 slaves have not only manage to quickly arrive at the location of Philesius, but also manage to bypass the two sides that are in the middle of a tangled warfare, and hit the flank and rear of the enemy like a hammer.

Akpir and the other two chieftains, who were worrying about the war situation at the rear, were the first to bear the brunt of the attack, and the small number of guards around them could not hold back the fierce assault of the excited slaves.

“Why?! Why hasn’t Cincinnag arrived yet?!” Akpir shouted angrily.

“Leader, leave here quickly or you won’t be able to escape anymore!” His subordinates urged him anxiously.

Withdraw? Leaving nearly 10,000 warriors here?! How could Akpir just give up, he still wants to hold his ground, but he then heard a mournful cry not far away, “Chief! Chief!…”

Wudlei, the Chieftain of Nerulum, have numerous spear wounds in his body and fell to the ground.

Akpir finally stopped hesitating, and under the desperate protection of his subordinates, Akpir and the chieftain of Laos, Tula, fled westward with a few dozens of people in panic. While the remaining 500 Lucanian warriors were wrapped up like dumplings.

At this time, the cavalry team of Ledes had just rushed back to the battlefield and shouted, “There is an infighting at the camp of the enemy, and their reinforcements will not come for the time being!”

This good news greatly boosted the morale of the mercenaries, while the warriors who could understand the Greek language among the Lucanians were shocked (as the neighbors of Greek city-states, although the Lucanians are hostile with them, they also conducted trades and many of them knew Greek). In addition, their leader had fled and so their morale plummeted…

500 Lucanian warriors were either killed or have fled. While the mixed troops did not rest, as Philesius ordered the slave soldiers of Mersis and the mercenaries to reinforce the western defensive line.

At this time, the situation of the western defensive line was even worse than that of the northern defensive line. The troops led by Kapus were limited and are stretched. The thin defensive line was breached by the surging flow of the Lucanians.

Kapus, Antonios, and Alexius joined the battle and fought the Lucanian warriors with their shields and spears. (according to the military law formulated by Davos: without any special circumstances, the captains are not allowed to battle with the enemy in person, so as to prevent the troops from being out of control.)

At this time of crisis, Philesius had finally manage to lead his troops to arrive quickly, and nearly 2,000 soldiers joined in, which finally secured the defensive line…

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The battle lasted more than an hour, and the assault of the Lucanian alliance on the defensive line began to weaken…

The whole shoal area is full of warriors wounded by stabbing, grabbing, arrows, rocks, and even getting trampled by their own people. There were endless groaning, shouting and crying, as the sound gets louder and louder, the number of tribal warriors who are still fighting is getting lesser and lesser…

Seeing that there is no longer any hope in breaking through, an increasingly number of warriors stepped into the river Tiro and fled to the hot spring swamp. As a result, they were either washed away by the river or their feet getting stuck in the muddy swamp and couldn’t move…

At this moment, Davos took this opportunity and resolutely issued the order to attack.

The salpinx sounded in a high and rapid way. Stimulated by the impending victory, the soldiers of the Greek army, led by their strategoi Davos, Archytas and Philesius, launched a final attack from the east, west, and north to the almost defenseless enemy at the foot of the slope. The Lucanian warriors were unable to resist and retreated in succession…In the end, except for a small number of warriors that have surrendered, the rest were killed, either by getting forced into the river Tiro and the hot spring swamp, dying from arrows, and getting struck by a javelin…

The first major battle that Davos independently conducted during his long military career: The battle of the Great River (later, it will also be known as the hot spring swamp war of annihilation), with about 7,500 mixed troops (including slaves) against more than 9,000 Lucanian warriors. And the final result with the Greek army only losing more than a thousand people(half of them were slaves) and the Lucanian alliance with more than 9,000 warriors getting annihilated, except for the 400 warriors that have surrendered. Davos won a great victory.

And the whole river shoal is covered with numerous corpses and rivers of blood….

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The efforts of Cincinnag, Gennat and the others were in vain. The defeat of Pyxous was irreversible, as they could only fled the camp with more than 200 people, and watch as the flame burned their camp into ashes miles away…

And their sworn enemy – the Vergaen, under the leadership of Sedrum, entered the mountain path on the west and set foot on their way back home.

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