Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 93: The Battle of the Ramato River (Part 2)

Dionysius nodded slightly, then turned his horse and returned to his own lines.

"Dionysius, stop right there!" shouted Ascamas, who had just arrived.

"I have already met with your commander. You subordinate generals have no right to speak with me!" Dionysius burst into laughter, urging his horse back to his own formation.

"What did Dionysius say?!" asked Ascamas, who had rushed over, in a loud voice.

"What else could it be besides a declaration of war!" Even the good-natured Philistos couldn't help but feel a bit angry.

"That coward Dionysius doesn't even dare stay a moment longer, yet dares to declare war on us!" Ascamas spat fiercely in the direction of Dionysius opposite.

At this moment, Arcesias and Sipros had also arrived.

Philistos's mood had calmed. Seizing this precious opportunity when everyone was gathered, he looked at the three and said solemnly: "Lord Sipros, you must keep your army under control. Do not focus too much on offense; just hold steady. The Daonian army will guard the right wing together with the Trina soldiers."

"Being with the Daonian Army Corps, I am very reassured!" Sipros laughed.

Philistos once again gave a final reminder to the commanding general of Scylletium: "Lord Arcesias, please note that the right end of your phalanx must try to keep the same pace of attack as the Daonian army! As for your left wing... please launch a bold attack together with the Croton army!"

Arcesias nodded to show understanding.

Finally, Philistos turned his gaze to this Croton general who seemed to hold a prejudice against Daonia, and said sincerely: "Lord Ascamas, the victory of the South Italian coalition and the peace of all Magna Graecia depend on you Crotonians!"

"Rest assured, my lords! The warriors of Croton have long been ready, just waiting for the bugle to sound, then we will charge and rout the Syracusans in one go!" Ascamas was full of heroic spirit.

With piercing eyes, Philistos looked at each of the commanding generals whose faces were a mix of tension and excitement. He raised his right fist and shouted with hope: "The gods will bless Magna Graecia!"

"May the gods bless Magna Graecia!" the other three responded with fervor. Four fists struck together forcefully, then each turned their horses and returned to their own formations.

In the Greek city-states of the western Mediterranean, two deities were highly revered: one was the sun god Apollo. Apollo was not a particularly powerful major god, but besides governing the sun, arts, and archery, he also granted good fortune. During the great colonizing era, wooden ships filled with colonists sailed toward the unknown western Mediterranean, all hoping to luckily survive sea storms, reach land successfully, find fertile land to settle, and not encounter fierce indigenous people. Once they survived and successfully founded a city, they considered it Apollo's favor. And after settling, what was most important? Naturally, procreation, growing the population, strengthening power, driving away surrounding natives, and expanding territory. Therefore, another highly revered deity was the queen of the gods, Hera, who presided over marriage, family, and childbirth.

Among the city-states participating in today's battle, Syracuse, Croton, Scylletium, and Trina all had Apollo as their patron deity. Although each city's army had performed divination to the sun god before marching to the battlefield, on the eve of battle, the soldiers once again prayed to Apollo for blessings. But with prayers coming from both enemy and ally, how could Apollo choose?

Only the Daonian soldiers sang a hymn to the dark lord who was considered grim and terrifying in Greek hearts.

Ephialtes, like his comrades, silently sang the final part of the Hymn to Hades: "...Great ruler of the underworld, impartial judge! May my name shine in the Hall of Heroes when I die a heroic death. May my soul be led by you to the Elysium that all desire!"

The soldiers immediately felt their fear vanish and their bodies filled with strength.

"Brothers, prepare your equipment, put on your helmets!" came the squad leader's voice.

Ephialtes immediately placed the spear and two javelins he held in his right hand onto the large shield on his left arm. He took off the open-faced helmet hanging from his shoulder, put it on, pulled down the leather cheek guards, and fastened it under his chin.

When he finished, he saw out of the corner of his eye that his comrades on both sides had also quickly put on their helmets and resumed their standing defensive posture. He felt that this new type of helmet was much more convenient. His eyes could see the surrounding situation, and his ears could hear his comrades' words. The old Corinthian helmet was not like that; wearing it made him feel as if his eyes and ears had immediately gone deaf and blind. He could only see the enemy directly in front, only hear the sharp, high-pitched bugle calls, as if he were sealed alone in darkness. Only the occasional swaying figure of a comrade beside him and the surging force of the soldiers behind him made him feel real.

If a weak-hearted person wore a Corinthian helmet for a long time, he would surely go mad! Ephialtes often thought this during training. Therefore, after experiencing the benefits of the new helmet, he never wanted to wear a Corinthian helmet again.

Regarding a saying circulating in the army corps: the new helmet cannot protect the face well. He scoffed at this: a person reacts fastest to any attack aimed at the face. If one cannot even dodge that, then he is not a qualified Daonian Army Corps soldier!

Looking at the Syracusan soldiers clad in bronze armor a few hundred meters away, he even felt a hint of pity for them.

The familiar bugle call he had heard countless times on the training ground now sounded, high and powerful, but it gave him unprecedented excitement.

"Advance!" At the squad leader's shout, Ephialtes, shield in left hand, spear in right, advanced slowly with his comrades to the beat of the war drums.

Between the small phalanxes, countless soldiers in leather armor rushed out through the passages between formations, charging toward the enemy.

This magnificent scene was exactly like in countless drills. Ephialtes knew that the first to engage the enemy would be these comrades from the light infantry battalion.

And he and his heavy infantry comrades skillfully switched one javelin to their right hands, waiting for the moment to throw while advancing unhurriedly.

...

After two days of deep thought and careful preparation, as the attack bugle blew, the nervous Philistos suddenly relaxed and murmured: "It's finally begun..."

But soon he pulled himself together and told the herald and scout cavalry: report to him at any time on the progress of the entire battlefield!

The battle had only just begun; he must be completely focused, as Archon Davos always did on the battlefield, ready to deal with any unexpected situations until the battle ended and victory came.

At this moment, Dionysius's attention was not on the battlefield: "Have the reinforcements set out? Where are they now?"

"Lord Leptines' fleet set sail half an hour ago with a full ten thousand soldiers from the Hipponion harbor. They may now have reached the mouth of the Lamato River... As for Lord Phasipesas's other army, it set out from Hipponion early in the morning. By now it should be crossing the Corta River..."

The adjutant made his judgment carefully based on information previously received from the scout cavalry.

Just then, a messenger galloped from the rear: "Report! Lord Phasipesas has led his troops into the camp and has sent me to ask the plenipotentiary general for the next order!"

Dionysius smiled in satisfaction: "It seems Phasipesas has performed quite well this time, exceeding your estimate, Damocles."

The adjutant Damocles flattered with a smile: "Because of your plan, the people of Magna Graecia have been completely deceived. Victory is at hand! Lord Phasipesas also wants to earn merit early, otherwise if he arrives late and the battle is over, the victory will be yours alone."

Dionysius smiled again and ordered: "Let Phasipesas have his soldiers rest temporarily in the camp to recover their strength. The battle has only just begun."

The two light infantry battalions of the Daonian Fourth and Fifth Army Corps advanced quickly, but their attempt to directly attack the Syracusan infantry phalanxes did not succeed, because the Syracusans had also dispatched a large number of light infantry. Thus, the skirmish began with a contest of light infantry.

For a time, arrows and javelins flew back and forth, and men on both sides fell screaming. The Daonian light infantry were more disciplined in training, while the Syracusan light infantry had more battlefield experience. Since the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps were the most recently formed, especially the Fifth which had not yet participated in a real battle, the two sides fought to a standoff.

When the main forces were nearly a hundred meters apart, the Syracusan light infantry withdrew. They had to leave the battlefield early before the heavy infantry clashed, otherwise they would be crushed into bloody pulp by the tremendous force of collision.

But the Daonian light infantry did not withdraw yet. The more complex and smoothly flowing formation of the Daonian Army Corps gave them confidence to quickly withdraw from the battlefield before the heavy infantry clashed. So, unafraid of the approaching Syracusan formation, which was like a mountain of mass, they quickly shot two more volleys of arrows and javelins.

The arrows, glinting coldly, fell down. Some struck the thick Corinthian helmets and bounced high, causing the Syracusan soldiers slight dizziness; some were blocked by round shields, leaving only small dents on the smooth bronze shields without causing any harm. Only arrows hitting exposed arms and thighs could potentially disable a soldier, but such casualties were too few.

But javelins did much more damage. They could not only penetrate breastplates, but also stick into round shields, making it difficult for soldiers to defend with their shields.

The screams that arose in the Syracusan ranks were like throwing a stone into a great river—completely drowned out by the rumbling footsteps and the friction of armor and weapons, stirring not a single ripple.