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“I promise that my soldiers would slaughter them in the shortest possible time!” After remembering the purpose of his coming here, Matonis gathered his courage and said it loudly.

Davos’ face sank, “Nonsense! Do you think that this is a rugby game that you can do whatever you want?! Hurry back to command your brigade. If it affects the attack of the whole army, the military law will not spare you!”

After seeing Matonis left with resentment, Davos turned to Tolmides and said, “Tell Amintas that Matonis has asked to replace his brigade on the grounds that the third brigade of Matonis can do a better job, and at the same time, tell him to figure it out himself.”

Tolmides immediately understood the intention of Davos and rode away.

Umakas had mixed feelings when he saw that Davos commanded his strategoi and soldiers like his arms, not at all comparable to the strategoi temporarily appointed by Taranto.

“Lord Umakas, Let’s go up the hill.” Said Davos as he led his guards to the hill behind them.

“Eh?” Umakas asked in amazement, “Lord Davos, aren’t we going to take part in the battle?”

“If I take part in the attack, who will direct the battle?” Laughed Davos.

“Do you still need to command after the battle begins?” Umakas, who had also taken part in many battles when he was young, could not understand how an archon could “hide” behind his troops instead of taking the lead. However, he could clearly see that the soldiers behind Davos looked as though it was natural and did not think their archon was a coward.

Umakas could only follow with doubts.

“Lord commander, I…what should my brigade do?” Izam rushed up to him and asked him directly. Now his men have completed the task of scouting the road and are returning from various directions.

“Your brigade…” Davos turned to look at the reconnaissance men gathering not far away, and he had almost forgotten about this vital force. He thought about it and said, “For the time being, they will act as a reserve and have them first hide in the mountain path we came from and rest.”

“Ah…as reserves?!” Izam was not satisfied after hearing it.

“Don’t worry, fighting in the mountain is your speciality, so after the battle begins, you are all indispensable.” Comforted Davos.

Izam laughed.

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

“How did it go? I told you that you would fail! You still don’t understand Davos even after you have been with him for so long. Once the battle starts, he is completely like a different person, and no matter how close you are with him, he will strictly required you to obey orders; otherwise…hmph…” Olivos saw the dejected Matonis returning, so he comforted him while making a joke.

Matonis ignored him and went straight to the military banner of his brigade.

“Strategos, all centuria have formed up!” His adjutant came forward to report.

“Gather all the centurions. There is something I need to say!” Said Matonis with a calm expression.

Soon after, five centurions arrived.

“All of you listen. I have only one request, and that is for all the soldiers to attack with all their might and for our third brigade be the first to break through the enemy lines!” Matonis looked straight at them and said decisively, “Which centuria, which platoon, which squad, which soldiers not performing well, will not only get a scolding from me!”

“Roger!!” The centurions answered loudly without feeling the pressure; on the contrary, all of them looked excited.

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

“Brothers, listen, take off your helmets!” A squad leader gave the order.

Although the soldiers took off their heavy Corinthian helmets as ordered, some of the recruits were surprised, “War is about to begin, so why do we have to take off our helmets instead? Wouldn’t that make it easier to get hurt?”

The veterans who have gone through the expedition in Persia and had fought in many mountain battles told them, “We have to climb up and fight with our heads up; the helmets are too heavy and tend to make us fall. Moreover, the eyehole of the helmet is small, and when we tilt our heads, the helmets will slide backwards and tend to block our view, which is not good during battles…”

“But without the protection of helmets, we would easily get wounded!” The recruits are still worried.

“You still have a shield.” The old soldiers posed, holding his shield above his head and lean his body forward, “See! The round shield and the slope would protect you from injury!” At this point, he sighed, “It’s a pity that we couldn’t wear our new helmets this time; otherwise, it would be no problem to climb and fight with them on!”

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

“King, look at the right-wing of the enemy!” The Peucetian general, Pulo, pointed down the hill: Behind the “phalanx” formation of the Greeks, there was a steady stream of troops moving towards the far-right…

“They clearly have more people on the right than on the left! We don’t have that many troops on our side, so if we want to form a formation as long as theirs, we’d have to thin our formation, which would weaken the defence, but if we don’t do anything, their soldiers would go around the outside of our left-wing and attack our flank…”

Telemani frowned as he watches the changes at the foot of the hill. He understood the enemy’s intention and saw that the enemy had only formed “small phalanxes” one after another and did not form a large phalanx formation, hence why he thought that there was still enough time for them to adjust.

The Peucetian troops were on the top of the hill, so Davos could not see the approximate number of the Messapi-Peucetis. As a matter of fact, the army of Telemani is less than 12,000, together with the more than 3,000 Messapian soldiers of Alytia, which totalled about 15,000. In comparison, Theonia alone has about 14,000 men in the two legions, plus a thousand mountain reconnaissance brigade, and a combined 3,000 men from Heraclea and Metapontum, a full 3,000 more men than the Messapi-Peucetis alliance that are in front of them.

With Telemani being outnumbered, his greatest strength was the hill, and he must not lose this advantage. So he made an immediate decision, “Pulo, quickly take 1,500 men to reinforce our left-wing!”

Just as the Peucetians began to deploy their troops to the left in a panic, the salpinx suddenly sounded at the foot of the hill.

Telemani was greatly shocked, ‘The Greeks were in a hurry that they would even attack before they could complete their phalanx?’

To his puzzled gaze, the “small phalanxes” formed by the Theonians had begun to move slowly forward. When he turned to look at his own army, although the Peucetians did not have tightly arrange phalanxes like the Greeks, they also have a neat and orderly formation, but due to deploying his troops, his soldiers are now in a mess.

“Pulo, stop the deployment!” He hurriedly ordered.

“Understood! But what about the left-wing?”

Telemani thought for a moment and said, “Go and tell Timogeras to bring all the cavalries that are idle to help our left-wing!”

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

Teriphias likewise did not expect the Theonians to start attacking so soon, while his army was still on its way to the right-wing.

“Milord, what shall we do?!” Asked his subordinate anxiously.

“Let’s go to our position first.” Said Teriphias while striving to maintain his composure.

Fortunately, because of the advance of the Theonian army, the path became less narrow and more convenient for them to march.

When Davos heard the salpinx, he couldn’t help but praise, “The first legion sure move fast!”

Then the salpinx on the right sounded.

He nodded, “The second legion is not slow either!”

“Lord commander!” Tolmides came rushing from the foot of the hill and said while panting, “The troops of Heraclea and Metapontum have not still arrived at their predetermined positions and cannot launch an attack.”

“No need to fret, as it is better for us for their attack to be delayed.” Said Davos calmly, as if everything was under control.

Tolmides was intelligent, so he understood what Davos meant after getting a reminder. If the soldiers of Heraclea and Metanpontum, who are weak, were to attack at the same time, they will be at a disadvantage against the fierce Messapi-Peucetis alliance and will probably suffer a loss and become a drag for the whole army. Therefore, their late arrival will put the enemy at a loss and make the enemy engage the second legion, making the late arrival of Teriphias and his 3,000 men an extra surprise on the battlefield!

Umakas, on the other hand, could not be as relaxed as Davos. His heart began to beat as fast as the sound of the salpinx, and his gazes moved with the movement of the troops at the foot of the hill. The battle of nearly 40,000 men was about to begin, and the victor of this battle would decide the fate of the Tarantine army…

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

The Tarantine army, whose fate was about to be decided, is not far from the battlefield. On the narrow winding mountain path, their 3-kilometre long column was ambushed by the Messapians and thrown into confusion and panic, completely disorganised and out of command, and left to fight on their own.

Diaomilas did not have the time to regret not listening to Davos, as he shouted loudly to cheer up the soldiers around him to fight bravely for survival. But on the heated battlefield, his voice is like a stone thrown into a torrent, making no difference.

The Messapians attack from both sides, gradually compressing them into the mountain path, making it difficult for them even to swing their spears.

Diaomilas was in despair as his ears were filled with the shrill cries of the soldiers…

At this moment,  a commotion arises from both sides of the battlefield…

“Salpinx! It’s the salpinx! Our reinforcements are coming!” The soldiers’ cheers burst into the numb ears of Diaomilas, making him perk up and listen carefully.

The noises that filled the whole sky could not cover the sharp salpinx, which has broken through many obstacles and faintly echoes in the valley where the noise of battle was so loud…

The image of Davos immediately came to Diaomilas mind, but at this moment, instead of disgust, he exclaimed with delight, “Citizens, hold on! The Theonians are coming!”

Needless to say, the soldiers who have seen the hope to live had naturally had their morale rise. And the Messapians stepped up their attacks…

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