Volume 3: The First Croton War, Chapter 16: Legions and the Presentation of the Flag (Part 1)

With Capus's promotion leaving the company commander position vacant, Davos proposed that the twenty platoon leaders from the five companies of the First Battalion be put forward as candidates, with the soldiers holding an election. When the results came out, Davos was somewhat surprised: Matonis was elected. The reasons: first, he was protective of his men, which made the soldiers fond of him; second, he fought fiercely and was respected by them.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion were made up of mercenaries brought by Drakos, Sestas, and Adrianx. Since Drakos had brought the most mercenaries and fought with great courage and tenacity, the three usually deferred to him in battle. Therefore, Drakos was appointed as the battalion commander. Sestas and Adrianx became the company commanders of the First and Second Companies of the Second Battalion, respectively.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion were composed of the original Sixth and Seventh Heavy Infantry Companies of Davos's mercenary force (mainly soldiers of the expeditionary army who joined in Byzantium), former citizens of Amendolara, freemen transferred from the baggage camp's slaves, and a small number of mercenaries from Drakos's group. The battalion commander was Hieronymus, who had previously served as a mercenary leader in Persia, so this was essentially a return to his former post. The First Company Commander of the Third Battalion was Agasia.

Next was the Seventh Battalion, the Light Infantry Battalion, with Epithenis as battalion commander and also serving as the First Company Commander. The Second Company Commander was Tsipet, and the Third Company Commander was Alpuens, totaling over six hundred men.

In addition, there was a cavalry unit led by Laedes.

Davos also imposed strict regulations on the helmets of officers at all levels: platoon leaders must have white plumes on the crest of their helmets, company commanders must have red plumes, battalion commanders must have purple plumes, and the corps commander's crest must have a mix of red, white, and purple. He also stipulated that the plumes on officer crests must be arranged from front to back, for uniformity and ease in battle. Of course, Davos only made the regulations; the treasury had no money to help officers uniformly refit their helmets—they had to rely on themselves.

But as soon as the regulations were issued, the officers immediately dug into their own pockets, finding ways to get their helmets modified at weapon shops in Heraclea or Thurii (at this time, Amendolara was in ruins and had no such shops), because this was a matter of military honor. In his previous life, when Davos watched movies and TV, he always thought that the tall plumes on the helmets of ancient Western generals were just for decoration and to show off their status—flashy but impractical. After more than half a year of campaigning, Davos deeply realized the necessity of this adornment: during intense pitched battles, as time wore on, formations easily fell into chaos. Once soldiers broke ranks and lost their organization, amid the dense forest of bobbing heads, they could look not only for the military standards but also for the tall, ornate plumes to locate their officers and automatically rally to them, thus re-forming their ranks and restoring combat effectiveness. Furthermore, heralds could easily find where the officers and commanders were to promptly convey new orders from above. It was like the later rank insignia system; but in the era of cold weapons, if you tried to mount rank insignia on officers' shoulders, in a battlefield clouded with dust and filled with the din of battle, even the sharpest-eyed soldier couldn't see them.

...

At dawn, the citizens of Amendolara, along with the freemen, came fully armed to the square.

The freemen had just been freed from slavery and originally had no money to purchase weapons and equipment.

But after the defeat in the Battle of Thurii last time, in order for Davos's mercenaries to continue defending the Sybaris Plain and containing the Lucanians, Thurii had gifted the mercenaries over a thousand complete sets of weapons and armor. And after annihilating the Lucanian allied forces, the mercenaries stripped nearly ten thousand sets of shields, spears, and armor from the tens of thousands of corpses (including the burned ruins of the Lucanian camp). Of course, these weapons and equipment belonged to the entire mercenary force and should not be added to Amendolara's weapon warehouses.

There was a heated discussion among the officers on how to distribute these spoils. The most common opinion was to sell the booty and divide the money equally among all soldiers. Davos then put forward his own suggestion: have the wounded and disabled soldiers set up a weapon shop in Amendolara's market, specializing in repairing and selling captured weapons and equipment, with the profits used to subsidize the living expenses of soldiers who were injured or disabled in battle, both now and in the future.

This suggestion immediately received unanimous approval from the officers. Later, when the soldiers learned of it, they were all deeply grateful to Davos—after all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't be wounded in future battles, and having these "disability subsidies" made them less hesitant about fighting.

Thus, a very large weapon shop quickly opened in the market, with its own signboard "Legion." The shop had a large space and many weapons. Considering that a full set of heavy infantry equipment was worth between four hundred and six hundred drachmas, which was expensive, they also allowed rentals. Even the rental fee was no small amount, but the freemen were still willing to rent because they knew that only by joining the army and participating in combat could they, along with Hetushu, quickly become citizens and obtain land! At the same time, soldiering was the glory of citizens and the best way for freemen to rapidly improve their standing in the polis!

But where would the money for the rent come from? The freemen didn't worry for long. They soon discovered a bank opened in the market called "Cheiristoya," with extremely low interest (compared to the loan interest rates of Greek city-states at the time). It was well known that Cheiristoya was the wife of Magistrate Davos, and these freemen, who had accompanied the mercenaries on their long journey through the provinces, knew Davos's character. They resolutely went to this bank to take out loans. This also became the first loan of Cheiristoya's bank.

Now, the soldiers arrived at the square, found their own squads, and began, under the leadership of their squad leaders, to merge into the platoon formations, then into the companies, forming small phalanxes, and finally proceeding in order to their designated battalion areas. The whole process, though somewhat slow, was not chaotic, and in the end, three large phalanxes stood in orderly array.

Only the Third Battalion was still organizing...

Philistos, seeing Davos slightly furrow his brow on the platform, quickly said, "Sir, the soldiers of the Third Battalion have the most complex origins, especially those freemen who have never received military training before, and the former citizens of Amendolara haven't undergone rigorous training either, so—"

Davos interrupted him: "I understand. That's why Hieronymus has a heavy responsibility. I heard he took quite a few veterans from the First Battalion, even easygoing Capus got angry with him."

"Yes, sir. Hieronymus is anxious too. He is a very responsible man!" Philistos explained tactfully.

Davos smiled. "Soldiers should have that kind of earnest, unyielding spirit. I believe Hieronymus will quickly get the Third Battalion up to speed!"

Then he asked again, "Have those Lucanians come?"

"They've arrived." Philistos pointed to a small slope at the southeast corner outside the square, and said worriedly, "Sir, there are eight or nine hundred of them. If they start a riot—"

"Then that's perfect!" Davos said dismissively. "The soldiers on the square can annihilate them right on the spot. I don't think Vespa and his son would be so foolish. Besides, many of the women from their tribe have become the wives of our citizens, and most of them are also here outside today to cheer for their husbands..."

Davos looked at the distant slope and ordered, "Beat the drums."

The drummer swung his drumsticks and began rhythmically striking the large drum before him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..." Hearing the drumbeats, the soldiers in the square began to march in place, continuing to adjust their formations. When all four phalanxes were aligned, and the footsteps became one, "Thump! Thump! Thump!..." The majestic sound of marching startled mountain birds into disarray and sent beasts fleeing, like thunder from the sky, shaking the very hills...

Cornelius and the older citizens were stunned, their faces losing color, murmuring, "This... this is the army that terrified Persia and annihilated the Lucanians! Truly... truly extraordinary!"

The Lucanians, witnessing this scene, mostly turned pale and fell into a dead silence.

The women and children outside the square cheered excitedly.

Davos felt the trembling of the hills and quickly waved his hand, signaling a stop.

The drummer struck the drumhead twice heavily, then stopped. The square quickly became silent, as if the tremendous sound had never happened. A freeman felt a tickle in his throat and coughed, only to be glared back fiercely by the veteran squad leader beside him.

Davos took two steps forward on the platform. "Brothers!"

The crowd shouted in unison: "Davos!!!"

"Have you been enjoying the good life these past few days?!"

"Yes!!!"

"I'm just afraid that the good life has made your feet weak and your shields and spears too heavy to wield!"

The soldiers burst into ambiguous laughter.

"Many of you once campaigned with me in Persia, winning great renown! Then you came with me to Magna Graecia, defeated the Lucanian allied forces, and earned dazzling achievements! Now you are all citizens of Amendolara. This is a new beginning! From now on, you will guard Amendolara, develop Amendolara, expand Amendolara, and create immortal glory for your descendants!" Davos spoke with passionate fervor.

The soldiers raised their spears up and down, shouting in unison with overwhelming excitement.

"Hail!"

"Hail!!"

"Hail!!!"

"You're not a soldier, so what are you so happy about?" Strombopoli said to the Anticles beside him, who was raising his remaining left hand and cheering along with the excited crowd.

"This is a true army! This is the army we in Amendolara have longed for for so long!" Anticles said excitedly. Then his gaze fell on his missing right arm, and his expression dimmed. "It's a pity I can no longer follow them into battle..."

Strombopoli, after all, was an old neighbor of Anticles and had a good relationship with him. He didn't continue with his sarcastic remarks, but instead asked with concern, "Weren't you angry before that these outsiders took away your patrol captain position?"