On the Dionian side, there were 3,000 light infantry on the center and 3,000 on the right flank, including archers, slingers, and javelinmen, mostly freedmen from the port of Turiyi, and hundreds of veterans of the light infantry brigades drawn from the 1st and 2nd Legions served as officers.

The more than 400 cavalry on the left flank have always played soy sauce, and according to the plan, this time it has become the key to winning this battle, no wonder Rydes, who has always been steady, is a little uncontrollable, and repeatedly told the leaders of each cavalry squad to wait for the matters that need to be paid attention to after the battle is launched.

"I said Captain, we are all very clear, don't worry!" Soricos said. This large group of coachmen, financed by the loan from the Kristoa Bank, not only increased the tax revenue of the alliance, but also became the focus of the cavalry recruitment, and as citizens, they were all obliged to go into battle. Sorikos's age is just above the upper limit of the conscription age, and he is personally very positive, 50 years old is certainly enough to be an infantryman, but the cavalryman thinks that with his experience, he is more than enough to be a captain.

"Alright, then get ready for battle." Ryders nodded.

"We're clear, but are the people behind us clear? Don't mess it up then! A young cavalry squad leader interjected.

Ryders looked back at him with a smile on his face and said, "Don't worry, Kuchius, they have fought more battles than you have eaten salt, and in Persia they have faced far more cavalry than that." ”

The young cavalry squad leader was not convinced, and wanted to say more.

At this time, someone shouted: "Look, our slingers are attacking!" ”

There was no horn for attack, and there was no loud shouting, the slingers quietly broke away from the array under the leadership of the veterans, quickly ran to the front of the enemy formation, and began to wave the slings at a distance of more than two hundred meters.

"Shameless Ionians! Cunning Ionians! Apollo will punish you! Philadelphius did not expect the enemy to come to this hand, and was taken by surprise, and immediately cursed.

"Attack! Offensive! Attack now! He shouted angrily.

"Woo! …… Woo! ......" the high-pitched horn of attack sounded.

Alisosis, who had been impatient for a long time, immediately pointed his spear forward: "Cavalry advance!" ”

The 800 Crotone cavalrymen fanned themselves in an inverted fan, their legs clamped between their horses' bellies, and their reins shook as their horses began to trot forward with their hooves open.

Ryders' cavalry formed a loose wedge-shaped formation, topped by two seasoned cavalrymen, each holding a red flag waving in the wind. Seeing that the enemy had begun to move, Ryders took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, patted the neck of his beloved horse with a loud nose, and watched that the enemy horse had reached a certain distance before shouting: "Forward!" ”

"Drive! Drive! ......" the crowd shouted, urging the horses forward. Unlike the Crotone cavalry, which controlled the reins with their left hand and their spears in their right hand, the Dionian cavalry controlled the reins with both hands and their spears still hung on the hooks, and from trotting to accelerating, the cavalry controlled the speed of their horses and did not dare to let them run as fast as possible, otherwise they would easily fall off their horses before they made contact with the enemy.

The noon sun in spring is not scorching, but the war horses are like clouds, raising their hooves and forging ahead, the grass and mud are splashed, the dust is flying, and the distance of 500 meters is coming in an instant.

At a distance of only fifty or sixty meters, Rydes, who was behind the flag bearer, shouted: "Turn right!! ”

Sorikos, who was parallel to his left, immediately shouted: "Turn left!! ”

The two flag bearers in front quickly split to the left and right.

In cavalry combat, the speed is too fast, and the cavalry in the rear may break out of formation if you are not careful. The wedge formation is characterized by a small head and a large tail, so the cavalry behind can see the direction of the cavalry in front of the formation, coupled with the two red flags waving in the wind, even in the dusty battlefield, the Dionian cavalry basically did the same action, they successfully divided the wedge formation into two, divided into two groups, and bypassed the oncoming enemy from the front and outside.

The cavalry at the forefront of Crotone did not expect such a move from the Dionians, and were completely dumbfounded, but they did not dare to stop, and without prior planning and coordination, any rash move would not only disrupt the formation, but also be knocked down by the cavalry behind, trampled into flesh, and could only sprint to the end and turn back.

But after staggering past the Ionian cavalry, further on, they saw a myriad of sharp spears sticking out of the morning mist, revealing a hideous cold glow to them.

"Heavy infantry! There's a weight—" The Crotone cavalry exclaimed, trying to rein in their horses, but the strong inertia caused them to crash straight into them with men and horses, and in an instant the horses neighed, and the spears broke and blood splattered......

Some of the heavy infantry were directly knocked out by the powerful momentum, but the other soldiers were stunned, holding on to the bayonet spears at the end of the ground with motionless hands, and dozens of horses and men were lying in front of them, struggling in pools of blood......

In this era, there was no real heavy cavalry, not only the Greek cavalry, but also the cavalry of any Mediterranean country had never dared to face a direct charge in the face of a closely packed spear array. The cavalry behind was frightened and wanted to control the war horse to prevent it from colliding with it, but the sensitive and timid war horses took the first step and neighed, and suddenly braked the rapidly advancing body, and the cavalry on the horse was pushed out by inertia, crashed into the spear forest, and was pierced......

Alisosis, who was in the center of the cavalry ranks, finally stopped the advancing horses, but saw that some of his comrades around him fell, some spun in place, some shouted, and the horses did not go, and the screams, shouts, and neighing of horses were intertwined, and the whole cavalry team was in chaos......

Arisosis knew that he had fallen for the tricks of the Dionians, and that his situation was critical, and he could not think much about it: "Turn left!" Left! Get out from the side! ”

He shouted, and the guards around him also shouted, and the chaotic Crotone cavalry had a backbone, and soon there was order.

Just as they turned their horses' heads to bypass the japyan-lance phalanx in front of them, the two groups of cavalry that Dionya had bypassed before suddenly closed together like human arms.

Shouts of murder rang out all around Alisosis, and he suddenly understood that his cavalry was surrounded: the cavalry was surrounded by infantry and cavalry, which was simply impossible, but now it was becoming a reality!

"Let's go to the left side together! Let's kill it together!! Alisosis shouted in a dejected hissed voice.

But a higher-pitched voice in front of him drowned out his shouts, and the trumpets of the heavy infantry blew their horns.

"Brothers, kill all these Crotoneans and avenge them for Timason!!" Zantiparis took off his helmet and was the first to rush forward with a bayonet in hand.

More than a thousand mercenaries roared and charged forward after him, and the soldiers who had been knocked down before also struggled to get up, drew their sabers, and stepped forward to fight.

The previously sturdy "wall of spears" turned into a pervasive stream of water, quickly seeping into the chaotic Crotone cavalry. Killing stationary cavalry couldn't be easier for these battle-hardened mercenaries. Most of them even let go of the valuable target of horses, and adopted the method of two mercenaries to deal with one cavalry at the same time: one was responsible for pinning down and attracting the attention of the other party, and the other saw the opportunity, quickly approached from the side and back, and accurately stabbed the bayonet diagonally upward, and the tip of the spear pierced the lungs through the gap between the leather armor under the ribs, and went straight to the heart, killing him with one blow. If they dodged the stabbing attack, the mercenary would sweep the spear down with force, knocking the cavalry off their horses, and before they could get up, they would be kicked in the head and their necks would be broken.

The mercenaries are very efficient in killing, and even the Dionian cavalry subconsciously stayed away from these fierce gods when they saw it.

The battle ended quickly, except for a few dozen Crotone cavalry who fled, and more than a hundred cavalry surrendered, all the rest were killed, and Alisosis was not in the battle. The Dionicians also gained more than 400 horses and suffered only more than 50 cavalry and more than 20 mercenaries, which was a complete victory! The tactics invented by Davers succeeded! Ryders listened to his men's report on the results of the battle, and smiled, but he knew that the whole battle was not over yet.

He sent 70 cavalry to continue the pursuit of the remnants of the enemy, urging the rest of the cavalry to rush to the nearby city of Castron: "Hurry back and get the javelins!" ”

"Ryders, we'll go with you." Zantiparis and a number of mercenaries arrived on captured horses.

"You ......" Ryders instinctively wanted to refuse, but after all, the mercenaries played a decisive role in this battle, and it was difficult to speak directly.

Zantiparis saw what he was thinking, and said, "You don't have many cavalry under your command now, and although we are poorly ridden, we are better at throwing javelins than you, and the more people there are, the more pressure we can put on Crotone." The sooner the battle is over here, and the sooner Davers is reinforced! ”

Zantiparis's words reminded Ryders, who no longer dwelled on the question of whether it was cavalry or not: "I hope you can keep up with us, I will not stop and wait for you." ”

"Don't worry." Zantiparis laughed.

………………………

Unbeknownst to Philadeforth, his cavalry had been almost completely wiped out, and that the light armoured men in the middle he led were now in trouble.

As soon as the horn of attack sounded, the light armor soldiers rushed forward.

The enemy slingers hurriedly retreated.

Rush again, and then the rain of arrows hit...... And then there's the javelin......

After paying some casualties, the light armor soldiers were very close to the enemy.

At this moment, the light infantry in the center of the enemy retreated as a whole.

The light armor pursues again, and the enemy retreats again. The faster the light armor chases, the faster the enemy retreats; The slower the light armor chases, the slower the enemy retreats...... The two sides always maintained a distance of several tens of meters.