Sonopiùdifrequenteperlapaternità, lapaternitàèpersonapiùfedeledelpaese (the one who serves me the most diligently, is the most loyal one who serves the country)

- Homer (ancient Greek blind poet, author of the Homeric epics)

Twenty consecutive rounds of arrow rain and mixed stone throwing caused heavy casualties among the Hamaka regiments, and at least more than half of the militia fell to the ground; Although not many died on the spot, the screams of the wounded militiamen were even more frightening. Even more unfortunate was the not-so-large number of deaths, including Hamaca, the commander of the Hamaka Corps.

The tragedy is that he was not killed by an arrow or a stone, but was trampled to death by the panicked militiamen after being thrown off the horse by a frightened war horse! After Hamaka's death, the militia, already panicked by the rain of arrows, walked out of the barracks, but no one stepped forward to lead them; Seeing a rare opportunity, Gumos immediately ordered the trumpeter to blow a low horn of attack.

The Cretan black-clad Spartan hoplites, the same style as the red-clad Spartan hoplites, let out the same roar, and the only sound on the entire battlefield was the roar of this group of powerful infantry! “thisissparta!” It has become the only main theme on the battlefield! Every Spartan hoplite was transformed into a black death in this roar, harvesting heads one by one!

Before the Greek pikemen could touch the enemy, all the militiamen were already on their knees and surrendered! As soon as the powerful Spartan heavy infantry appeared, they dominated the entire battlefield with unparalleled power and became the only protagonist on the battlefield! Even the 1,500 peasants who did not come out of the barracks at all surrendered under the might of the Spartan heavy infantry! All this reminded Oscar of the Spartan hoplites in real history.

To talk about the Spartan hoplites, we have to mention one of the great city-states of the Greek city-states - the Spartan city-state! The city of Sparta is located in the southern part of the Central Laconian Plain, on the western bank of the Eurotas River. Sparta is located in the Laconian Plain in the southern part of the Greek peninsula. Laconia is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a small plain in the middle that guards the Tegetus Mountains. Sparta was known for its harsh discipline, dictatorship, and militarism.

During the conquest of Laconia, the Spartans turned their original inhabitants into slaves, known as the Helots. In the 8th century B.C., the Spartans waged a 10-year war against their neighbor Messenia, eventually conquering Messenia, enslaving most of the Messenians and the Hilots. The Helo were fixed to the land, engaged in hard agricultural labor, paid more than half of their harvest to slave owners each year, and lived a life of half-starvation, half-starvation, and cattle and horses.

The Spartans often waged wars against foreign countries, so the burden of military service on the Helots was very heavy. During the Greco-Persian Wars, the Spartans levied 3 at once. 50,000 Helots marched with the army. They are forced to take the lead, using their lives to find out the reality of the enemy and reduce the enemy's combat effectiveness. The Helots could not stand the brutal exploitation and brutality of the Spartans, and often staged armed uprisings. Coupled with the fact that the Helots were much more numerically outnumbered than the Spartans, the Spartans used a method called "Kripti" to persecute and exterminate the Helots. Kripti means covert operation.

The Helots were the common property of all Spartans, and individual Spartans had no right to buy or sell the Helots but could harm the Helots at will. During the festival, the Spartans often drunk the Helots with strong liquor and dragged them to public places to insult them. The Shilots were flogged once a year, even if they were not at fault, in order to make the Shilots remember their slave status. In order to maintain the oppression and exploitation of the Helots and suppress the revolt of the Helots, the Spartans needed a strong army.

From this, the Spartans developed a unique political system, the whole society lived a militarized life, and the children were educated from an early age to military training. In order to prevent the Spartans from dividing the rich and the poor within themselves, the Spartans were not allowed to engage in industry and commerce, and instead of gold and silver as currency, they used cheap iron coins. The Spartans were not allowed to engage in any other livelihood except the military.

The Spartans admired the spirit of force, and the entire Spartan society was a large military camp with strict management. Sparta valued fertility and strictly forbade homosexuality. When the Spartan baby croaked to the ground, he was carried to the elders for examination, and if the elders thought he was unhealthy, he was thrown into a deserted infant farm in the wilderness; The mother bathed the baby with strong liquor, and if he had convulsions or lost consciousness, it proved that he was not physically strong, and let him die, because he could not grow into a good warrior.

Boys are raised by their parents until they are 7 years old. From an early age, parents pay attention to cultivating their habits of not crying, not picky eaters, not noisy, not afraid of darkness, and not afraid of loneliness. After the age of 7, the boy was integrated into the team to lead a collective military life. They demanded absolute obedience to their chief, increased courage, physical strength, and cruelty, and they practiced running, discus throwing, boxing, fencing, and fighting, among others. In order to train the children in obedience and patience, they are whipped once a year during the festival worship. They knelt before the temple, their fiery whips raining down, but they were not allowed to beg for mercy, to shout, or even to make a sound.

In parallel with military training, the Spartans instilled in their children the idea that the Spartans were noble and the Helots were inferior. Instructors often insult and whip the Shilo in front of the children, and even take them to "kripti" activities to slaughter the Shilo directly. Boys reach the age of 12 and are integrated into the junior team. Their lives were harsher, they were not allowed to wear shoes, they wore only one coat in winter and summer, and they slept on straw. They don't use knives, but pull the grass by the lake with their hands and weave it with their own hands.

Usually there is little food, but they are encouraged to go outside and steal food to eat. If he is discovered, he will be severely beaten when he comes back, because he is not very good at stealing. Legend has it that there was a boy who stole a fox and hid it in his chest, and the fox bit him inside his clothes, and in order not to be discovered, he remained silent until he was bitten to death by the fox.

After reaching the age of 20, the young Spartan man officially became a soldier. They got married at the age of 30, but they still have to participate in military training every day. Discharged from the army at the age of 60, but still a reservist. Spartan girls remained at home at the age of 7, but instead of weaving all day and doing household chores, they engaged in physical exercises, learning to run, race walk, throw discus, fight, etc. The Spartans believed that only a strong mother could give birth to a strong warrior.

Spartan women were brave and strong, and they were not afraid to see their sons wounded or killed on the battlefield. When a Spartan mother sent her son to battle, instead of wishing him a safe return, she gave him a shield and said, "Either take it or lie down on it." This means that either you will return with a glorious shield or you will die a glorious battle and be carried back with a shield.

All this came together to shape the Spartan hoplite. The Spartan heavy infantry is a legend in the history of wars through the ages, it is the first fully professional army in history, every Spartan is a natural warrior, with a tenacious will and strict discipline, throughout Greek history, the Spartan heavy infantry has always been a strong and invincible representative, excellent attack ability makes the Spartan warriors invincible, in this point even the later Macedonian phalanx can not be compared.

In the Boloponnesian Civil War, the blockade of 90,000 Spartan hoplites almost strangled the Athenian side at the beginning of the war, so that the Athenians could only retreat into the city for several years, and in the earlier Greco-Persian Wars, Leonidas's 500 Spartan soldiers with 3,000 Greek troops fought a fierce battle with 100,000 Persian troops, and finally Persia relied on the guidance of Greek traitors to win a narrow victory.

A year later, in the decisive battle of Plataea, the 30,000 Greek coalition forces with the Spartan heavy infantry as the main force defeated the 80,000 main forces of the Persian elite and completed the glorious revenge. To put it mildly, with the same number or a slight disadvantage, the Spartan heavy infantry can completely destroy the world's ** teams at a very small cost.

Yes, this is Sparta, and its very existence is a kind of legend! In those years, when Oscar struggled in the all-out war of Rome, every time he chose the Greek city-states, he was fighting to the death in Syracuse and Blue Luo; This is a mistake in terms of overall strategy, but just for the sake of Syracuse's ability to produce Spartan heavy infantry in the future, it is worth Oscar's desperate efforts to defend it!

The Spartan hoplites were also Oscar's favorite Roman Total War unit, and there was no one! Now, in reality, there is such a Spartan heavy infantry army under his command; For himself, this may be Lao Luo's greatest gift to himself; Of course, this is the richest legacy left by the ancestors of the Augustan family to their descendants!

Without further thoughts, Oscar led the Cretan archers and slingers behind him from the flank of the barracks to the battlefield; At this time, the sun has slowly risen from the east, and it seems that the sky and the earth are only one step away. The blood on the battlefield did not make Oscar feel sick or frightened, and now Oscar is just immersed in the glory that belongs to Sparta.

The task of cleaning up the battlefield was left to the bloodless Greek pikemen, and the Spartans, led by Gumus, stood by and watched the militia and peasants move slowly. All the captives trembled under the gaze of Sparta, and even the wounded captives did not dare to moan a little louder, for fear of angering the group of killing gods.

Oscar, who came to the battlefield, didn't say much, just made eye contact with Gumos and nodded to Gumos; At this time, the barracks that had belonged to the Hamarca regiment half an hour ago had become a prisoner camp for Oscar's army. After leaving Gumos to lead his army to guard the captives, Oscar led the Spartans to kill Calaris.