Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1181: Battle of Tegea (7)

In the end, the Tegean soldiers found themselves packed so tightly they couldn't even swing their spears. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the First Legion, sheltered behind the shield walls of their individual formations, freely thrust their short swords outward. Continuous screams deepened the Tegeans' panic. With their retreat cut off, they frantically shoved against their allies in front of them—the Spartans.

...

The soldiers braced their long shields against endless impacts, thrusting outward with their short swords until their shoulders and arms grew numb and heavy.

Max shouted until his voice went hoarse, desperately trying to keep morale high. He had lost track of time when the relentless assault on their Tortoise Formation suddenly weakened.

Peering through the gaps between their shields, the soldiers could just make out the Spartans falling back. They breathed a collective sigh of relief and briefly rolled their aching arms to ease the strain.

Just then, two heavy thuds pounded the top of their formation. The rear-rank soldiers holding their long shields overhead felt an impact like falling boulders. The sheer force nearly snapped their raised arms, wringing sharp cries of pain from their lips.

Two figures plummeted through the broken roof. Before the soldiers of the Theonia Legion could react, the intruders forcefully shoved the men around them outward.

The Theonians had focused entirely on weathering the onslaught from the outside; they never expected their Tortoise Formation to be breached from within. Caught completely off guard, several soldiers were shoved right out of the formation.

Fully prepared, the Spartan Warriors swarmed in from all sides. Before Max's men could even attempt to close the gap, the surging tide of enemies shattered their lines, forcing the scattered survivors to fight for themselves.

The Spartan Warriors had initially charged into the seemingly broken Theonian lines, only to realize their foes were not in disarray at all. The Theonians had clustered into peculiar, compact squares, putting up a stubborn defense. Despite relentless assaults, the Spartan Warriors had failed to crack these formations, suffering numerous injuries in the process.

Forced to adapt, the highly tactical Spartans sought an alternative method to break their enemies. They quickly realized that while the sides of these small Theonian formations were fiercely defended, their roofs presented a vulnerability.

Two volunteers, hoisted by their comrades, vaulted onto the top of the Tortoise Formation and smashed the shield roof, tearing the entire formation wide open.

Faced with the overwhelming numbers of the Spartan Warriors, the detachment's resistance quickly crumbled. A spear pierced Max's thigh and sent him crashing to the ground, but he did not stop fighting. Shielding his upper body with his long shield, he slashed at the enemies' legs with his short sword. He fought on until another spear impaled his right hand, finally forcing the heavily chipped blade to slip from his grasp...

Employing the same tactic, the Spartan Warriors dismantled several frontline Theonian formations. They were just preparing to press their advantage when their vanguard was violently shoved from behind by the terrified Tegeans. This sudden surge not only halted their assault on the Theonians but also put the Spartans themselves in danger. Unable to shout down the panicked Tegeans, the Spartans leveled their spears at their allies. Complete chaos erupted.

Not long after, a commotion ripped through the rear of the Spartan army. Unburdened by heavy armor, the Daionian light infantry naturally outpaced the heavy infantry during the forced march. Three Daonian Light Armor Battalions swiftly swept around the entire army's left wing. Without pausing to rest, they immediately launched an attack on the Spartan army's flank. This ferocious strike hit the Spartans exactly where they were weakest.

Of the 7,000 soldiers dispatched from Spartan territory, only about 1,500 were true Spartan Warriors. The rest comprised over 1,000 elderly Spartan citizens, nearly 2,000 perioikoi, and over 2,000 helots. To ensure Agesilaus's plan was executed smoothly, Archidamus had placed the Spartan Warriors in the vanguard, followed by the perioikoi, with the mixed ranks of elderly Spartan Warriors and helots bringing up the rear.

When the battle began, this mixed unit of elderly Spartan Warriors and helots was not thrown directly into the fray. Instead, they maintained a distance from the engaged forces. Agesilaus feared that the helots, utterly untrained in feigned retreat tactics, would become a stumbling block. It was only after the Spartan Warriors wheeled around to counterattack that the elderly Spartan Warriors led the helots forward in a supporting charge. They were meant to add weight and depth to the offensive, aiming to completely shatter the Daionian left wing in a single stroke.

But reality proved otherwise: the Daionian left wing had not been routed. The helots, trailing closely behind the main Spartan force, suddenly found themselves as the prime targets for the Daonian Light Armor Battalions.

The Council of Elders had already promised the participating helots that, upon victory in the war, they would become registered freemen in Sparta.

However, the helots faintly understood that the Spartans were already in a precarious state, making them less than enthusiastic about the offer. Out of a deep-seated fear of the Spartans, they feigned obedience and put on a show of effort. Yet, facing the ferocious assault of the Daionian soldiers, these unarmored helots—clad only in thin tunics and wielding simple spears—broke and fled almost immediately. Their sudden rout inevitably swept up a number of the elderly Spartan Warriors who were still trying to fight.

...

Agesilaus anxiously awaited news of victory from the right wing. Yet, time and again, his returning guards brought back the exact same report: the Spartan Warriors on the right wing were still locked in combat.

Agesilaus prided himself on his deep understanding of the Daionian Army. He never imagined that the Daionian soldiers—affected by the Spartan feigned retreat and then caught in a vicious pincer attack—could actually keep fighting for this long!

Astounded by the sheer tenacity of the Daionian soldiers, he regretted relying solely on word-of-mouth rumors. His understanding of the Daionian Army's true capabilities was woefully shallow.

Restless anxiety now gnawed at him. He knew that if they did not crush the Daionian left wing quickly, a protracted battle would expose the Spartan Coalition's own glaring weakness: the Tegean Army. The Daionian Army famously never fought without a reserve, and they would inevitably deploy it to attack the Tegeans and relieve their embattled left wing.

Therefore, Agesilaus hurriedly dispatched a messenger to intercept the Thracians, who were currently marching south. He intended to redirect them north, bypassing the Spartan army, to reinforce the Tegeans.

However, just as the thousands of Thracian peltasts jogged past his rear, a scout came sprinting back. "King Agesilaus, terrible news!" the scout cried. "Our flank is under attack by the Theonians!"

Agesilaus was stunned. He had always believed the enemy commander would deploy his reserves against the closer Tegeans first to alleviate the pressure on the left. Instead, the Daionian Army had completely bypassed the left wing to strike directly at the Spartan army's flank! Assuming the Daionian commander had not lost his mind, this could only mean one thing: the Theonians possessed a substantial reserve force, large enough to launch simultaneous offensives on both fronts.

Only moments ago, Agesilaus had secretly laughed at the young Daionian commander's inexperience, mocking him for falling so easily into the trap. Now, he could not help but marvel at the man's sheer audacity.

However, the situation was far too critical to dwell on it. He immediately barked his orders: "Notify the Thracians at once! Redirect them to the right wing to repel the Theonians and protect the Spartan army's flank!"

The Thracian column had not marched far from Agesilaus's position, so the urgent orders reached them quickly. Hailing from north of Macedonia, these men cared little for Agesilaus's towering reputation; they were notorious for their belligerence and explosive tempers. They had initially force-marched south on his orders, nearly reaching their destination before being abruptly yanked back to execute another command. That wasted trek had already left them simmering with resentment. Now, their orders were being changed again. Even though they were heading back in the same direction—to a closer target—the Thracians finally boiled over. Bitter curses and loud complaints rippled through their ranks, drifting directly to Agesilaus's ears: "Does that crippled old Spartan even know how to command? Issuing orders blindly—has he lost his mind?!"

"The Spartans really must be useless if they're putting a half-dead geezer in charge!"

"Once this battle is over, let's take our pay and leave. I'm not putting up with this garbage anymore!"

...

In normal times, hearing such blatant insults about his lameness would have sent Agesilaus into a furious rage. Now, he could only swallow the humiliation, silently praying that the Thracians would speed up once they finished venting.

Even as the Thracians finally vanished from his sight, the anxiety in his heart did not dissipate; instead, it only grew heavier.

At this point, any hopes of achieving victory in this battle had evaporated. Now, he only hoped for a stalemate against the Daionian Army without the Spartan Warriors suffering heavy casualties. He had already decided to alter his next strategic move: the moment this battle concluded, he would immediately dismiss the mercenaries and march the Spartan Warriors straight back. They would defend against the Theonians' offensive for as long as possible, securing Spartan territory while waiting for the situation to change.

But just then, another guard came sprinting desperately from the south. "Nearly a thousand Theonian soldiers have appeared behind the right wing!" the man gasped. "They've launched an attack on the mercenaries' flank!"

Hearing this, Agesilaus reeled as if struck by a heavy blow. His entire body turned ice-cold.

Seeing Agesilaus standing rigidly like a clay statue, his nearby guards rushed forward in concern. "King Agesilaus, are you alright?!"