Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 86: The Battle of the Anleen Hills (Part 5)

The Peucetii had sent their request for aid long before reaching the battlefield where they were ambushing Tarentum, but the messenger could not secure an audience with Pasimelus and the other Messapian magistrates, for everyone was fully occupied with the encirclement and annihilation of the Tarentine army…

Greek heavy infantry had strong defenses, which were even stronger in close combat, and a heavy infantry force focused solely on defense was like a hard turtle shell; it took time and effort to crack it open.

The Messapians' initial ambush had cut the Tarentine marching column, which stretched like a snake, into a dozen segments. When surrounding each segment, the number of Messapian soldiers proved insufficient. But as the battle progressed and Tarentine casualties mounted, each pocket of encirclement grew smaller.

If not for the sound of the Daonian war trumpets, the Tarentines might have already abandoned the fight. Now, the only thing sustaining their resolve was the will to survive. Yet, as one small pocket after another was gradually wiped out, the noose around the necks of the remaining soldiers tightened ever further…

…

Haitbarus had heard that Prosous performed exceptionally well in the recruit training camp, but he never expected that on a real battlefield, Prosous would kill without hesitation, showing no signs of a first battle (which it wasn't). His round shield defense, shield bash, and spear thrusts were seamlessly and skillfully linked; his spear never swung wildly, but whenever he struck, it drew a scream from the enemy—truly fierce and precise. Prosous's ruthlessness even instilled fear in the fierce Peucetii, who instinctively gave way to his assault.

Under Prosous's lead, his comrades vied to be the first to charge, and the Peucetii line was on the verge of collapse…

Matonis, overseeing the battle from the center of the battalion, saw this scene below and was overjoyed. He shouted excitedly, "Who is that brave warrior charging at the front?!"

Platoon leader Parmenion, positioned in the small phalanx formation ahead, quickly replied, "Prosous!"

"It's Prosous!!" his comrades answered eagerly.

"Supreme Commander, Matonis's Third Battalion has broken through the enemy line!"

"Amyntas's Fourth Battalion has also broken through!"

"Epithenis and Tsipet's light infantry battalions have routed the enemy's flank!"

"Izam's mountain reconnaissance battalion, together with the forces from Heraclea and Metapontum, have also routed the enemy's flank!"

Good news came one after another. As Tolmides reported it to Davos, Eumachus, standing nearby, could not help but exclaim excitedly, "Excellent! We've finally won!"

Davos let out a relieved smile. "Orders: sound the advance horn again and crush the enemy in one decisive blow!"

"…Re—treat…" Trellemoni said with a desolate expression, though he remained relatively calm. After all, he was no stranger to defeat; he had survived the last war against the Daunians, in which he had lost considerable territory.

In truth, he didn't even need to give the order—the entire army had already collapsed, with Peucetii warriors scrambling to flee…

Before leaving, Trellemoni couldn't help but glance back at the opposite hilltop, as if to etch that dazzling banner deep in his memory.

"Your Majesty, should we inform the Messapians?" Purlo reminded him.

Trellemoni was too dejected to say much, but seeing the rout spreading over the mountains, the Messapians would know soon enough anyway. It would be better to do them a favor. He sighed. "Send word to them: the Daonians attacked fiercely, and we… could not hold. Whether they withdraw or continue fighting, let them decide for themselves…"

Soldiers fell one after another beside Diomilas, and he himself was wounded in many places. He felt that this time he might be crossing over to the underworld. Then, the Messapians surrounding them suddenly stirred.

He heard the enemy shouting something loudly, but unfortunately he didn't understand the Messapian language. Still, some of his soldiers, with weary voices, cried out excitedly, "The Messapians say the Peucetii have been defeated! The Daonians have won! We're saved!!"

The despairing soldiers, upon hearing this, immediately regained their spirits, shouting the news of victory to each other, until it converged into one voice: "Hold on! Hold on!! The Daonian reinforcements are almost here!!!…"

The minutes passed agonizingly slowly. The Messapian attacks gradually weakened, and finally, they lifted the siege and withdrew.

Faced with the Messapian retreat, Diomilas had no heart to pursue. In truth, at that moment he couldn't command a single soldier. All the Tarentine soldiers were like him—after more than two hours of continuous defense, their strength and energy were depleted to the limit.

He slumped to the ground, unwilling to stand. The joy of surviving a calamity was dampened by the sight of corpses everywhere and wounded groaning on the ground; no one could muster any cheer…

In this battle, the Messapians suffered 1,200 casualties, mainly from the near-annihilation of their relief cavalry and the casualties among the Igrathian heavy infantry.

The Peucetii suffered fewer than 600 casualties. The reason for their relatively light losses was that in pitched infantry battles, frontal engagements often resulted in modest casualties; the main losses occurred during the rout. In the second battle between Daonia and Croton, the light infantry and cavalry managed to corral most of the fleeing Crotonian heavy infantry, but such an opportunity did not present itself in this mountain battle. The Peucetii were familiar with the hills and wore light equipment, which made it impossible for Daonia's heavy or light infantry to catch them as they scattered. Furthermore, Daonia's cavalry had not entered the fray; even if they appeared on the battlefield, they could do little against the fleeing Peucetii in the hills.

On the other side, Tarentum suffered over 4,000 casualties, nearly one-third of its army, with the majority being killed in action. Daonia suffered 600 casualties, most of them wounded, many from falls down slopes. Heraclea and Metapontum suffered over 800 casualties. Thus, although the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces eventually withdrew, the Greek alliance actually suffered heavier losses. However, the Messapians and Peucetii lost a large number of cavalry, and Daonia gained nearly 400 high-quality warhorses.

When Davos met Diomilas, he did not assume a savior's posture but treated him with his usual demeanor. He also actively directed the medical teams to aid the Tarentine wounded, which made Diomilas deeply ashamed.

The Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces retreated from the Anle'ern Hills, entered Tarentine territory, and soon withdrew northward.

The Greek alliance, exhausted and burdened with many wounded, was unable to pursue. They encamped in several nearby villages to rest and reorganize, while sending messengers to the city of Tarentum to report the battle situation and escort the wounded back to camp.

That same day, the Daonian Senate received a visitor.

His name was Mitrobates. He had come to seek aid from Daonia, but he was not from any allied city-state of Daonia; rather, he came from the Sylu tribe within Bruttian territory.

It turned out that the Bruttian Tribal Alliance of Cosentia, in the process of unifying, had begun accelerating the absorption and consolidation of tribes both large and small within their domain. Under the irresistible trend and armed coercion, most tribes had chosen to submit. However, a minority of tribes, led by the Sylu tribe, refused to integrate.

According to Mitrobates, they were Greeks—mostly descendants of those who had fled into the mountains to escape disaster when Sybaris was destroyed. They had Greek pride; how could they allow themselves to be incorporated by barbarians and truly live a savage life?

The envoys of the Bruttians of Cosentia had visited the Sylu tribe several times. After failed persuasion, they fell silent, and the Sylu people thought the matter had passed. Yet, months later, after Cosentia had secured authority over most Bruttian tribes and begun effective administration, they sent envoys again to Sylu.

This time, the envoys made an outright demand: the Sylu tribe must immediately submit and fully accept the governance of the tribal alliance; otherwise, a great army would be sent to annihilate them!

Only then did the Sylu tribe panic and hastily dispatch Mitrobates to seek aid from Trina.

Trina deemed itself incapable of intervening in the matter, but fortunately Sipros had already informed Davos, the magistrate of Daonia, of the situation. So Trina directed Mitrobates to turn to Daonia for help.

That day, the rotating chairman of the Senate was Cornelius. He looked at this envoy, who claimed to be Greek but whose appearance was not at all Greek, and showed suspicion.

Mitrobates noticed the senators’ doubts and explained, "I inherited my appearance from my Bruttian mother. Because I don't look Greek, the Sylu chief chose me—only then would it not arouse suspicion among the surrounding Bruttians."

Cornelius muttered to himself: Before setting out on the campaign, Davos had once mentioned the Bruttian issue, but they had not yet held in-depth discussions before it was interrupted by Tarentum's plea for help.

At this point, Polyxides stood up and said, "What can Daonia do now? Send a protest to the Bruttians, asking them not to annex this small tribe?! I doubt the esteemed senators here believe that a mere word from us could stop the Bruttians from an action they have long prepared. If the Bruttians refuse us, what then?! If we simply give up, it will only harm Daonia's prestige as Davos's most powerful alliance! But if we wish to take further action, I can think of no other measure beyond war.

"However, this year the citizens of Daonia have already experienced enough war! Now our magistrate is leading our citizen soldiers in Tarentum, fighting against the powerful Messapians and Peucetii!" Polyxides pointed at Mitrobates, adopting a compassionate expression, and said in a grave tone, "And look at this envoy from Sylu. He says they resist the Bruttians because they are Greek, but who knows if that's true! Are we willing to send our citizens once again to a strange and bloody battlefield to fight the fierce Bruttians, for a people who don't even look Greek?!"