Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1025: Decisive Battle at Selinus (End)

The soldiers tightened their grip on their spears, their desire for battle rekindled.

"Lord Mago, the Theonians have quickened their pace. They look to be preparing to strike first!" Gisco rushed over to warn him.

"Perfect timing. Order the men to accelerate!" Mago replied. He dismounted and gave his horse a hard slap on the rump.

The warhorse whinnied and trotted away.

Mago then turned to his guards. "Bring me a shield and a spear."

Gisco hurriedly stepped forward to intervene. "My lord, you must command from the rear, not—"

"Say no more!" Mago loudly interrupted. "Today, I fight alongside my soldiers!"

The men around him were deeply moved. Bomilcar, the Adjutant, and the young Carthaginian nobles Mago had once mocked as spoiled fops all dismounted. Taking up shields and spears, they took their places at his side.

Mago looked at them and smiled, his heart swelling with pride. "Today, we fight for Carthage together!"

Moreover, with commanders like Mago, Bomilcar, and Gisco marching at the very front of the formation with shields and spears in hand, the soldiers naturally followed with firm, resolute strides. Not even the terrified, wailing routed troops fleeing behind them could shake their fighting spirit.

On the Daionia side, the Roman Reserve Cohort held the center, backed by the forces of Potentia and the Samnite Reinforcements. Both flanks were guarded by cavalry. Davos led over 200 men of the Palace Guard, taking position at the rear of the center formation. Meanwhile, the nearly 10,000 temporarily assembled soldiers were divided equally into two groups, positioned 200 meters behind the cavalry on either flank.

When the attack bugle sounded, all the soldiers accelerated their advance. The flanking cavalry were especially swift, quickly closing in on the Carthaginian army. Hundreds of short javelins tore into the Carthaginian ranks, drawing a chorus of screams.

Since this Carthaginian army possessed very few light infantry, they had no way to launch ranged counterattacks against the Daionian cavalry. The heavy infantry could only rush forward, desperate to close the distance for hand-to-hand combat.

However, the well-trained Daionian cavalry swiftly wheeled their horses around, opening up the distance once more to hurl another volley of javelins.

Heavy infantry could not effectively defend themselves while running. Many were struck down by the javelins, forcing the rest to slow their advance and hunker behind their round shields.

As a result, only the unassailed center of the Carthaginian army continued its relentless stride forward without losing speed.

"Ready javelins!" the officers shouted.

It was the first time the soldiers of the Roman Reserve Cohort had thrown javelins in actual combat, but they showed no sign of hesitation or clumsiness.

A rain of javelins blotted out the sun. Mago only had time to shout, "Defend yourselves!" before hastily ducking behind his round shield.

Then a shrill scream rang out beside him; his Adjutant collapsed onto the grass.

Fury burned in Mago's chest. He raised his spear, glanced back, and roared, "Follow me! Charge!"

Angling his round shield, he charged at the absolute forefront.

The soldiers roared in response, surging closely behind him.

Realizing there was no longer time to hurl a second volley, the soldiers of the Roman Reserve Cohort immediately launched their own charge.

Soon, the two sides collided. One fought for survival, the other for honor. Both gave their all right from the start, igniting a brutally fierce battle.

A few minutes later, having emptied their javelins, the Daionian cavalry wheeled outward and rode clear. Leaving behind hundreds of moaning, wounded soldiers, the Carthaginian flanks resumed their advance and soon engaged in a bloody melee with the surging Daionian Army.

These temporary Daionian soldiers consisted mainly of preparatory citizens and registered freemen yearning to become full kingdom citizens. Though they lacked formal military training and heavy infantry combat skills, their thirst for victory was no weaker than that of the Roman soldiers. Achieving military merit and its ensuing rewards would act as a massive stride toward true citizenship. Driven by this ambition, they fought with exceptional bravery. Bolstered by overwhelming numbers—and facing Carthaginian flankers whose morale had already sagged from the heavy javelin casualties—the Daionian recruits surprisingly gained the upper hand right from the start.

Meanwhile, the Daionian cavalry swiftly reformed their ranks to assist the recruits with a direct assault on the flanks.

They lined up in a long single file, leveled their spears, and urged their horses faster, sweeping past the rear of the Carthaginian flanks. The moment an enemy blocked a spear with a round shield, the cavalryman would quickly release the weapon while wrapping his free arm tightly around his horse's neck to prevent the recoil from throwing him from the saddle.

Even if a Carthaginian soldier managed to block a Daionian cavalryman's spear thrust, the immense impact would send him stumbling. His arm would ache so badly he could scarcely maintain his grip on the shield, leaving him completely exposed to the second spear that invariably followed...

The Daionian cavalry's attacks were relentless, peeling away the enemy ranks like a knife paring an apple. The tactic didn't appear overly ferocious, but its actual lethality was immense.

As time wore on, the bitterly engaged Carthaginian flanks began to crumble. The soldiers' morale plummeted, and deserters started fleeing the battlefield.

The center, however, remained locked in a bloody stalemate.

Having fought for this long, Mago was beginning to flag. Panting heavily, he stared at the enemies opposite him. Those faces, so distinctly different from the Greeks, struck him as familiar—and filled him with mounting confusion and rage. Romans? They were actually Romans! Carthage had been dragged into this war specifically to aid Rome, yet here these former allies stood, blocking his path and snatching away his only hope for victory. Had they forgotten that Daionia had destroyed Rome?! How could they become Daionia's lapdogs!

With a furious roar, Mago mustered his remaining strength. He slammed his round shield violently forward and thrust his spear, striking an enemy square in the chest. Unexpectedly, the wooden shaft shattered with a loud crack, sending the caught-off-guard Mago pitching face-first into the dirt.

"Lord Mago!" The soldiers beside him desperately dragged him to safety, snatching him right out from under the enemy's descending spears.

Mago struggled to his feet. Completely exhausted, his arms throbbed intensely, and his vision blurred.

He forced his head up. The Daionian military banner held aloft behind the enemy lines was so dazzling, and so close! 'Why? Why are we fighting this hard?! Yet we still can't break through the Roman formation to reach the King of Daonia! If my Iberian army were here, we could definitely do it! We would absolutely capture that damned King of Daonia!...'

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in Mago's rear and rapidly spread. Panicked shouts reached his ears: "Gods, it's the Numidian Cavalry!"

In a daze, he instinctively turned his head, only to see a sky full of arrows raining down. An agonizing pain suddenly pierced his cheek...

...

Routed soldiers were scattered everywhere outside the Carthaginian Camp. The soldiers of the Theonia Legion pursued them relentlessly. Coupled with several thousand cavalrymen sweeping back and forth across the field, the routed troops were completely unable to regroup. This not only prevented them from threatening the Daionian Army—whose formations had naturally loosened during the pursuit—but also compelled many Carthaginian soldiers to raise their hands in surrender once they realized escape was impossible.

This time, Davos did not let his army relentlessly pursue the enemy following their victory. As dusk approached, he quickly issued the order to recall the troops and return to the city.

In the battle at Selinus that day, the Daionian Army had joined forces with the Numidian Cavalry. By deliberately feigning defeat inside the city, they had lured the main force of the Carthaginian army into a sustained assault. Then, utilizing inner and outer coordination, they launched a ferocious counterattack. At the cost of just over 2,000 casualties, they thoroughly crushed the Carthaginian army.

On the Carthaginian side, the Numidian Cavalry and the Numidian Army, totaling over 30,000 men, had rebelled in succession. Their remaining forces had endured a siege and two pitched battles, suffering over 6,000 casualties. Nearly 8,000 more were captured while fleeing. The surviving soldiers either fled west into the City of Mazara or north into Segesta. A small fraction panicked and ran the wrong way, enduring a freezing, starving night in the eastern mountains before voluntarily returning to Selinunte the next day to surrender to the Daionian Army.

At dusk, Davos led the Palace Guard into Selinunte. In a rare move, he decided to host a banquet.

Because the prolonged siege and repeated clashes over the city had left it in ruins, the banquet was relocated to the Port District, specifically at the temporary residence of the commander of the Sicilian Fleet.

After hurried preparations, food and wine were laid out on the tables by evening. The Legion Commanders from each legion and the two Staff Officers arrived one after another. To their surprise, they found that the banquet was not being held inside the main hall, but in the large courtyard just past the entrance. Dozens of dining tables were packed tightly into this spacious clearing, with their king seated at the very center table. This layout prevented them from taking their seats according to traditional custom; instead, guided by Martius, they sat in a large circle around Davos.

Davos did not order the feast to begin immediately. Instead, he first asked about the course of the day's battle and the army's casualties.

Aside from the First Legion and Second Legion—which had suffered somewhat heavy casualties while defending the inner walls against the fierce Carthaginian assault at the beginning—the other legions had barely taken any losses. Their spoils, however, were immense. Not only had they captured nearly 10,000 enemy soldiers, but they had also seized the Carthaginian Camp's Supply Camp completely intact. The mountains of grain and massive stockpiles of armaments left the Supply Officers who went to inventory them grinning from ear to ear. Not to mention, they had also captured over 2,000 warhorses... Because of this, every Legion Commander wore a relaxed expression, chatting and laughing merrily.