Chapter 284

Only then did Tolmides breathe a sigh of relief. He knew the prowess of the peltasts of the Seventh Battalion of the First Legion. In the narrow mountain path without enough space to dodge, it would be difficult to avoid the javelin throws of the peltasts.

***

Pasimelus, the Archon of Rudiae, led the soldiers of the Messapian City-State Alliance charging down from the hills on both sides, attacking the Tarantines in the mountain path from both flanks.

The Peucetian and Egnatian soldiers did not join the battle because scouts reported: The Theonians have also entered the Aleon Hills.

Tremoni hoped to see them rushing to reinforce the Tarantines. Even if their soldiers outnumbered the Peucetians, another ambush would finish them all off.

But the news brought by the fleeing scouts dashed his hopes.

“What?! The Theonians didn’t advance toward us along that mountain path? They disappeared?!” Tremoni stomped his feet and cursed. “You still have the face to say you don’t know? Don’t think that because you are Messapian, I dare not punish you! Where did the Theonians go? You must find out for me!”

“King of the Peucetians, the Theonians suddenly sent hundreds of cavalry to surround and suppress our scouts. It was lucky they could escape.” Timocrates, the Archon of Egnatia, stepped forward to persuade, “The Theonians will definitely come to rescue the Tarantines. The key is to know which direction they are coming from so we can intercept them in time; otherwise, the situation will be very dangerous.”

“Send all the cavalry out! Find them for me as soon as possible! An army of over ten thousand—I don’t believe they can hide!” Tremoni shouted indignantly. The cunning Theonians obviously came prepared, ruining Tremoni’s previous arrangements. Recalling how the Theonian army ignored the coalition’s lure and marched straight toward Brindisi, Tremoni realized: I underestimated that Theonian commander.

“What is the name of that young Theonian commander?” Tremoni asked seriously.

“It seems to be… Davos,” Timocrates replied.

Tremoni repeated the name several times, a gleam of excitement igniting in his eyes…

***

With the place where the Tarantines were ambushed as the center, cavalry were fighting on every mountain path and every low slope of the hills in the southern semi-circular sector. Davos seized the time to scatter the Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion to scout the way ahead. Guided by them, he led the army rapidly toward the direction where the sounds of killing shook the sky.

But Davos hadn’t expected that although the hills here were not too high, they occupied a large area. Sometimes the hills were connected without small paths to pass through, forcing them to pass through the low areas between hills. Therefore, what was originally envisioned as merely a small circle to the east to avoid the coalition’s ambush and quickly arrive at the enemy’s rear flank to rescue the Taranto army turned out to be an increasingly larger circle.

The continuously increasing distance made the soldiers of Heraclea and Metapontum complain incessantly. Although the Theonian soldiers also had some dissatisfaction in their hearts, few spoke it out loud.

Eumachus was extremely anxious. The scouts’ reports and the sky-shaking shouts of killing from afar shattered the surviving luck in his heart—the Messapians indeed had an ambush!

Thinking of the warning Davos had raised earlier, his heart was filled with regret: I didn’t trust Davos more firmly or stop Diomilas’s unauthorized action more resolutely, and now I taste the bitter fruit.

At this moment, he pinned all hope of rescue on Davos but dared not urge him, lest he annoy this young military genius and affect the rescue of the Taranto army.

Davos was equally anxious. The long march in the mountains also made him irritable. He saw the soldiers’ exhaustion. The battlefield should be not far ahead; the killing and screams were becoming clearer. Yet he dared not be sure if there were difficult-to-climb hills ahead, forcing them to detour again.

“Lord Commander-in-Chief, Izam is back!” Tolmides shouted from the front.

“Quick! Bring him here!” Davos walked quickly to meet him.

“Lord Commander-in-Chief, ahead… ahead there’s no need to detour; we can go directly…” Izam gasped for breath, saluted, and said urgently, “Just two more hills and we can reach the battlefield. However, my subordinates found that the enemy is also rushing this way!”

Davos calmed down at this point. After such a long time, it is normal for the Messapian-Peucetian coalition to detect the movement of my army. Moreover, they are on the interior lines, so it is no regret that they rushed ahead to intercept. However, the opponent also rushed here in a hurry; it was impossible to have any defensive measures, let alone an ambush. In a face-to-face fight, the Theonian Legion feared no one, as long as they didn’t have to detour anymore!

At his request, Izam drew a simple map of the front on the ground with a branch.

After Davos pointed to various key points and asked in detail, he had a plan in mind. “Order the whole army to accelerate past this hill, then deploy formation. First Legion on the left, Second Legion on the right, the remaining troops as reserve!”

“Yes!” Tolmides replied excitedly.

***

In fact, the Theonian reinforcements had made a big circle and were approaching the exit of the Aleon Hills, equivalent to reaching the rear of the Messapian-Peucetian coalition. Here, the terrain gradually leveled out.

The Theonian army passed through the path between the hills. Continuous hills lay before them. Fortunately, these hills were at most 30 meters high and easy to climb.

Over this, we reach the battlefield! The Theonian soldiers listened to the sounds of killing from over the hill ringing clearly in their ears. Watching more and more foreigners appearing on the hill, their fighting spirit began to boil…

Finally caught up! The Peucetian King Tremoni climbed up the hill, looked down at the Greek soldiers pouring out of the mountain path ahead, and let out a long breath.

“Great King, look there!” A Peucetian general pointed down the hill. Several Greeks wearing helmets with bright crests were galloping along the path in front of the hill, stopping occasionally to point here and discuss something. A group of soldiers followed closely behind them, the leading one holding high a glittering golden banner.

“Da—vos!” Tremoni murmured this somewhat awkward-sounding name, took a few steps forward, and subconsciously wanted to see his opponent more clearly.

“Great King, should I send some archers down to shoot a few arrows at them?” the Peucetian general asked.

“Of course not!” Tremoni refused without thinking. He glanced at his subordinate and said with a slightly excited expression, “Let us have a real contest with that young Greek famous general and the Greek heavy infantry on the mountain terrain!”

Davos carefully controlled his warhorse, ran back and forth along the mountain path, observing the entire battlefield terrain.

“Where do you think is the easiest place for us to break through?” Davos asked suddenly.

“There!” Legion Commanders Capus and Drakos pointed to the same place in unison.

It was the lowest point between the continuous valleys, only four or five meters high. Not only was it gentle, but it also had sufficient width.

Davos nodded but reminded them, “The easiest place to pass is often the place where the enemy defends most strictly!”

He stared at the two with piercing eyes. “Now, the Taranto army is being ambushed, and time is urgent. I intend to let Amyntas’s battalion attack there, striving to break through the enemy’s obstruction in the shortest time!” Antonios’s First Battalion has the strongest comprehensive combat power, but the battalion led by the fierce Amyntas indeed has stronger impact force. What I need most now is time.

Capus nodded in understanding. Drakos wanted to say something but fell silent after hearing Davos’s words.

“Once the legion soldiers are ready, launch the attack on your own!” Davos issued the order decisively.

Capus and Drakos saluted hurriedly and galloped back to their respective legions.

“Let the armies of Heraclea and Metapontum deploy sequentially on the right side of the Second Legion as much as possible. After the Second Legion launches the attack, they can attack forward,” Davos continued to order.

“Yes, Lord Commander-in-Chief!” Tolmides immediately turned to the mountain path behind him with two messengers.

After Davos finished arranging everything, Eumachus asked doubtfully, “Lord Davos, why arrange the troops of Triphias and Tudepris on the right? In this way, on the left side of the entire formation, won’t the enemy’s formation be longer than ours?”

“Every battle must arrange formation according to the actual situation; only then can we grasp the initiative of the battle. Our current goal is to break through the enemy’s interception and rescue the ambushed Taranto army. The enemy’s goal is to block our advance. My right wing has more troops than the enemy, making it easier to form a breakthrough on the right. Even if the enemy blocks our left wing, if the right wing breaks through, the enemy’s attempt will also fail…” Having finished issuing orders, Davos had some free time and patiently explained to Eumachus. “Moreover, haven’t you noticed? The further right, the gentler the mountain terrain (because it is closer to the edge of the hills), allowing the troops of Heraclea and Metapontum, whose combat power is slightly weaker, to better exert their strength.”

“But the enemy can also see our formation from the top of the hill and will definitely make changes,” Eumachus reminded.

Davos smiled confidently. “They don’t have time.”

Just as Eumachus wanted to ask curiously why there was no time, he heard Davos shout, “Matonis, why aren’t you leading your troops? What are you doing here?!”

“Dav… Oh, Lord Commander-in-Chief!” Seeing Davos’s serious expression, Matonis immediately became nervous. “I… I request… that my battalion attack there.” Matonis pointed to the distance, the breakthrough point mentioned earlier.