Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1291: The Battle of Asia Minor (2)

The predicament of the light infantry at the front had somewhat affected the soldiers of the Greek expeditionary army in the rear. However, capable generals like Agesilaus, Epaminondas, and Iphicrates shared much the same mindset as Leotychides. They kept a firm grip on their respective troops, holding them firmly in place without yielding an inch.

A minor commotion stirred among the allied forces from central Italy, but having been subordinate to the Kingdom of Daunia for over a decade, their long history of close contact and military cooperation meant they were well accustomed to obeying the orders of the Daunian Supreme Commander. Without an explicit command to attack, they would never rashly charge into battle.

On the other hand, the troops from certain Greek city-states grew restless. Seeing the light infantry constantly falling at the front agitated both their generals and soldiers. Fortunately, Leotychides dispatched more than a dozen messengers to gallop across the rear of the entire right wing, shouting his orders forbidding any advance, which barely managed to keep the army under control.

In contrast, upon learning that the enemy cavalry had suddenly appeared on his right wing, Pharnabazus worried that the Greek expeditionary army might use them to ambush his overextended Persian archers and reverse their current disadvantage. He swiftly issued an order for the entire army to advance, hoping to close the massive gap between his main force and the archers to provide them with support and protection.

Pharnabazus had a sound plan, but when an army of 80,000 men stretching for seven or eight li began to move forward, the overall situation slipped entirely out of his control.

Some of the Persian generals commanding the cavalry had long grown impatient with the prolonged standoff. Ignoring Pharnabazus's orders to merely advance, they directly commanded their riders to launch an attack on the enemy opposite them.

Their unauthorized action naturally spurred on the rest of the Persian cavalry. Soon, the riders on both flanks of the Persian formation accelerated, galloping fiercely toward the two wings of the Greek expeditionary army.

Upon receiving this news, Pharnabazus, no matter how furious he was, had no choice but to order the buglers to sound the attack.

Watching from his horse on high ground, Leotychides saw the rapidly approaching Persian forces and immediately ordered his own buglers to sound their horns.

The retreat of the entire light infantry of the Greek expeditionary army undoubtedly provided the Persian archers with an excellent opportunity to attack. Yet, the Persian archers did not press their advantage; instead, they retreated even before the enemy light infantry. Because the Persian infantry maintained a relatively dense formation, if the archers waited until the advancing infantry reached them before withdrawing, it would inevitably throw their lines into chaos. And if the Greek expeditionary army—already in close proximity—were to suddenly launch an attack at that exact moment, the entire Persian army would face disastrous consequences.

The archers, having finally managed to pull back behind the Persian lines, closely followed the advancing infantry. In contrast, once the Daonian Light Infantry Battalion retreated to the rear, they swiftly rushed toward the left wing of their entire formation. At this moment, the far left flank of the Greek expeditionary army lacked cavalry, but three Daonian Light Armor Battalions were deployed there in a relatively loose formation, standing perpendicular to the left wing to guard the flank.

The Epirote Peltasts, whose numbers had fallen below a thousand men, did not follow the light infantry battalions in running toward the left wing. Instead, led by a Daionian officer, they moved to support the cavalry positioned on the right wing.

...

On the main battlefield, facing the increasingly close Persian infantry, the Greek expeditionary army remained standing firmly in place, but the allied cavalry finally made their move.

While the Persian infantry were still halfway to their destination, the Persian cavalry had already charged to the bottom of the slope. At this time, the cavalry of the Greek expeditionary army, positioned on the far right of the right wing, was deployed in a square formation. Standing at the forefront of the center, the Legion Commander of the Thessalian Cavalry Legion immediately issued the order to attack. The standard-bearer waved the pegasus banner, bringing it down with a forceful thrust forward.

The cavalrymen squeezed their horses' flanks and snapped their reins. The warhorses surged forward, breaking into a gallop...

Charging downhill, they gathered speed with terrifying swiftness. First came the Cavalry of Thessaly, closely followed by the Macedonian Cavalry, and finally the cavalry from the various Greek city-states. They merged into a singular, mighty force, roaring toward the Persian cavalry at the foot of the hill like a torrential flash flood accompanied by deafening thunder.

The majority of the Persian riders were light cavalry. Armed with either javelins or bows, close-quarters melee combat was far from their strong suit.

In contrast, although the central regions of Thessaly and Macedonia were relatively flat, their borderlands were dominated by hills. Their primary adversaries had always been the indigenous tribes from the surrounding mountains. Galloping across hilly terrain made it impossible for riders to maintain a stable posture to throw javelins or fire arrows; instead, it made them vulnerable to being caught by the locals. This forced the cavalrymen to hone their close-quarters combat skills. Therefore, the vast majority of Thessalian and Macedonian riders were melee cavalry.

In fact, this was not unique to them; the cavalry of Gaul and Lusitania in the western Mediterranean shared similar traits. Only the Numidians, raised in the vast, flat interior of Africa, had truly perfected the arts of horse archery and mounted javelin throwing.

After Daionia incorporated the Cavalry of Thessaly into their legions, they equipped them with full sets of leather armor, along with three-meter lances and sabers specially forged for cavalry. This bolstered their melee lethality without compromising their balance and agility in the saddle.

The Persian cavalry had originally intended to close in on the two wings of the Greek expeditionary army and inflict casualties upon their cavalry and infantry using javelins and arrows, thereby throwing the enemy lines into disarray. They maintained a loose formation and possessed great speed, but their momentum naturally faltered as they charged uphill.

Yet right at that moment, the previously motionless cavalry of the Greek expeditionary army suddenly hurtled down toward them. Striking as fast as lightning, they closed the distance in an instant. Unable to dodge in time, the Persian riders had no choice but to brace themselves and meet the charge head-on, relying solely on their superior numbers.

If the entire cavalry force of the Greek expeditionary army was a swiftly thrusting dagger, the Cavalry of Thessaly was its razor-sharp edge. Though their galloping speed made even their own hearts race, they kept their eyes wide and locked on the front. Clinging tightly to their horses' necks with their left hands and gripping their lances firmly with their right, they released their weapons the very instant they impaled their foes, preventing the massive shock of the impact from throwing them from their saddles.

Despite the countless charge drills the Thessalian riders had undergone over the years, quite a few were still thrown from their mounts. Of course, far more Persian riders were knocked from their horses, left either dead or grievously wounded.

What was even more terrifying was that, owing to the immense kinetic energy of their downhill charge, the allied cavalry simply could not rein in their horses. They watched helplessly as their mounts violently rammed into the Persian cavalry ahead, sending the enemy flying but also suffering severe injuries themselves. The subsequent waves of allied cavalry trampled over the wounded men and horses littering the ground, swiftly carving straight through the Persian formation.

The devastating charge of the cavalry of the Greek expeditionary army not only halted the Persian advance but also compressed the majority of them into a tight, chaotic cluster. Amid the neighing of horses and the screams of men, the entire formation was plunged into pandemonium, rendering it impossible to quickly restore a unified chain of command.

Meanwhile, those Thessalian cavalrymen who had been thrown from their horses scrambled up from the dirt, immediately drew the sabers at their waists, and indiscriminately hacked at the surrounding enemies and their warhorses, plunging the battlefield into even greater chaos.

Having pierced clean through the enemy lines, the allied cavalry quickly wheeled around and launched yet another charge into the disorganized ranks of the Persian riders...

...

The four thousand cavalry on the right wing of the Persian army had successfully closed in on the left wing of the Greek expeditionary army. However, with the Daonian Light Armor Battalions guarding their flank and rear, the volleys of arrows and javelins the Persians unleashed, while causing some casualties among the light armor troops, entirely failed to disrupt the main formation.

Soon after, the light infantry arrived in succession. Their bows and javelins possessed superior range and laid down a much steadier, more accurate barrage. This posed a massive threat to the Persian cavalry, forcing them to retreat to a greater distance and effectively relieving the pressure on the light armor troops.

At the same time, the soldiers of the Persian army had gradually stepped onto the gentle slope and begun their ascent.

When the serpentine Persian lines were roughly fifty to sixty meters away from the main body of the Greek expeditionary army, and the Persian archers in their rear had just begun to draw their bows, the Daionian soldiers in the center and left wing of the Greek expeditionary army suddenly took a synchronized stride forward, hurling their javelins with explosive force.

Earlier, when the light infantry had found themselves at a disadvantage in their fierce skirmish against the Persian archers, the legionaries had refrained from stepping forward to assist their comrades under the strict orders of their officers. This was the exact moment they had been waiting for.

The Persian army possessed little understanding of the tactical doctrines of the Theonia Legion. Although Jason had heard rumors in the past, he had never actually fought a pitched battle against the Daionian Army. Coupled with the earlier silence of the soldiers of the Theonia Legion, both the Persian infantry and the Greek mercenaries had relaxed their guard. As a result, when the sky-blotting volley of javelins rained down upon them, their hasty attempts to defend themselves came far too late.

Because the Daionian soldiers held the high ground, the javelins they threw carried far more lethal force. After just a single volley, a massive swath of men collapsed, either dead or gravely wounded.

While the Persian army was still reeling in shock, a second volley of javelins followed immediately after. Sweeping through like a gale, it instantly tore the front lines of the Persian center and right wing to pieces.

"Ooo! ... Ooo! ..." Right at that moment, the attack horns of the Greek expeditionary army sounded.

Whether they were Daionian soldiers, Greek soldiers, or troops from the Italian allied states, they all let out a thunderous roar in unison. One after another, they launched their charge. The battle line, stretching for six or seven li, cascaded downward with the world-shaking momentum of a landslide, projecting an awe-inspiring presence.

The Persian archers pulled their bowstrings with all their might, desperate to unleash a cloud of arrows thick enough to blunt the enemy charge. However, the majority of the arrows struck the heavy helmets and thick armor of the heavy infantry, causing virtually no damage. Thus, when the two armies crashed together head-on, it became an almost entirely one-sided battle. The left, center, and right wings of the Persian formation were all left scrambling to fend off the enemy's relentless assault. Buckling beneath the overwhelming pressure, their entire battle line was forced to slowly give ground...