"I guarantee that my soldiers will be killed in the shortest possible time!" As soon as he remembered the purpose of his visit, Matonis plucked up his courage and spoke aloud.

Davers's face sank: "Nonsense! You think it's a game of rugby, you can do whatever you want?! Hurry back and command your brigade, if it affects the attack of the entire legion, military law will not spare you! ”

When Davers saw Matonis leave in a huff, he turned to Tormid and said, "Go and tell Amintas that Matonis has asked for his replacement on the grounds that the third team can do better, let him watch it." ”

Tolmid immediately understood what Davers meant, and rode away.

Seeing that Davers commanded the generals and soldiers like an arm, which was not at all comparable to the generals appointed by Tarantum temporarily, his heart was quite complicated.

"Master Eumacus, let's go up to the hills." Davers led the convoy towards the hill behind him.

"Huh?" Amacas asked in astonishment, "Lord Davers, aren't we going to take part in the attack?" ”

"If I'm on the offensive, who's going to direct the battle?" Davers laughed.

"After the battle begins, do you still need to command?" As a young man, Eumarcus could not understand that an archon did not take the lead but "hidden" behind the troops, but he could see the expressions of the soldiers behind Davers on their faces, and obviously did not think that their consul was a coward.

Eumacus had no choice but to follow with a stomach full of doubts.

"My lord, I ...... What are the combat missions of my brigade? Izzam rushed up and went directly to Davers to ask, now that his men had completed their mission of exploring the way, they were returning from everywhere.

"Your brigade ......" Davers turned his head to look at the mountain reconnaissance team that was gathering not far away, almost forgetting this important force, he thought for a moment and said, "For the time being, as a reserve, let them hide in the pass where we came." ”

"Ah...... Reserves?! When Izzam heard this, he was a little dissatisfied.

"Don't worry, mountain combat is your specialty, and you will be indispensable when the battle begins." Davers reassured him.

Izzam laughed.

………………………

"How? I'll just say you're going to fail! After following Davers for so long, you still don't know him, once you start a fight, it's like a different person, no matter how good you usually have a good relationship with him, you will be strictly required to obey orders, otherwise...... Hmph......" Oliver said half-jokingly, half-comfortingly, when he saw the dejected Mattonis return.

Ignoring him, Matonis walked straight to his own brigade's flag.

"Captain, the companies have been lined up!" The adjutant stepped forward to report.

"Call the captains of the company, I have something to say!" Mattonis said with a calm face.

Soon, five company commanders arrived.

"Listen, I have only one request, all the soldiers must attack with all their might, and our third brigade must be the first to break through the enemy's line!" Matonis looked directly at them and said categorically: "Which company, which detachment, which squad, which soldier behaves badly, I will not only scold him!" And don't want to see my good face in the future! ”

"Understood!!" The company commanders replied loudly, and instead of feeling pressure, they all looked excited.

…………………………

"Brothers, listen up, take off your helmets!" The detachment leader gave the order.

Although the soldiers complied with the order and took off their heavy Corinthian helmets, some of the recruits wondered: "Why take off your helmets instead when the war is about to start?" Isn't it easy to get hurt that way? ”

Veterans of the Persian expedition and many mountain battles would tell them: "We have to climb upwards and attack with our heads up, the helmets are too heavy and easy for us to fall, and the helmets have small eyeholes, and when we look up, the helmets slide backwards, which is easy to block our view and is not conducive to the ...... of battle."

"But without the protection of a helmet, we are prone to injury!" The recruits were still a little worried.

"Isn't there a round shield?" The veteran made a pose, put the round shield on top of his head, and leaned forward at a great angle: "See! There are round shields and ramps to protect your body from injury! Speaking of this, he sighed: "It's a pity that our new helmet can't be worn this time, otherwise if you wear it, you will have no problem climbing mountains and fighting!" ”

…………………………

"Great King, look at the right flank of the enemy!" Pucciti's general, Purgotti, pointed down the mountain: behind the Greek arrays of "squares", there was a constant stream of troops moving to the far end of the right flank......

"They are significantly more on the right than on the left! We don't have that many troops on our side, and in order to form an array as long as theirs, we must thin the thickness of the formation, so that the strength of the defense will be weakened, but if we don't, their soldiers will detour from the outside of our left flank and attack our flank......"

Tremoni frowned, watching the changes at the bottom of the mountain, he understood the enemy's intentions, and looked at the enemy who had only initially formed "small squares" one by one, and had not yet joined together to form a large phalanx, so he thought that there was still enough time to adjust.

Pucetti's army was all on top of a hill, and Davers was unable to discern the approximate number of Maecheti's combined forces. In fact, Tremani's army was less than 12,000 men, plus more than 3,000 Mesapi soldiers led by Igratia, bringing the total number to 15,000. As for the Dionian reinforcements, there are 14,000 people in the two Dionian legions alone, plus 1,000 people in a mountain reconnaissance brigade, and 3,000 people in Heraclia and Metapontum, which is 3,000 more than the Meppu coalition army in front of them.

Tremoni had fewer enemies, and the greatest advantage was the hills, and he must not lose his superiority. So, he immediately decided: "Pullo, you quickly bring 1,500 people over to strengthen the left wing!" ”

Just as the Puchetti people began to draw their forces in a panic and prepare to rush to the left flank, the trumpet suddenly sounded at the foot of the mountain.

Trimoni was very surprised: the Greeks had not yet lined up the phalanx and rushed to attack?

In his puzzled eyes, the "small squares" formed by the Dionians had begun to move forward slowly, and then turned his head to look at his army, although the Pucetti did not have a closely arranged phalanx like Greece, but they also had a neat and orderly formation, but at this moment, because of the withdrawal of troops, the soldiers were completely in a mess.

"Pullo, stop the troop transfer!" He hurriedly ordered.

"Yes! But what about the left? ”

Tremoni thought for a moment and said, "Go and tell Timoglas at once, and ask him to transfer all the cavalry that is idle in the back and assist our left flank!" ”

………………………

Trifias also did not expect the Dioonians to attack so quickly, while his own army was still on its way to the right flank.

"My lord, what are we going to do?!" The subordinate asked anxiously.

"Let's get to our place first." Trifias forced his composure.

Fortunately, because of the advance of the Dionian army, the pass became less narrow and easier for their march.

When Davers heard the sound of the military horn, he couldn't help but praise: "The First Legion moves quickly!" ”

Then, a bugle sounded on the right.

He nodded: "The Second Legion is not slow either!" ”

"Lord Commander-in-Chief!" Tormide came from the bottom of the hill and said breathlessly, "The troops of Heraclia and Metapongtum have not yet arrived at their intended position and cannot attack. ”

"Don't worry, it's better for them to attack later." Davers said unhurriedly, as if everything was under control.

Tolmid is also a smart man, and as soon as Davers reminded him, he immediately understood: the soldiers of Heraclia and Metapontum were weak in combat, and if they attacked at the same time, they would be at a disadvantage in the face of the fierce Meppu coalition army and the disadvantage of attacking from the back, and they were likely to suffer defeat and become a drag on the whole army. Their late arrival will confuse the enemy on the opposite side, and they will likely participate in the battle with the Second Legion, making the late arrival of Trifias and their 3,000 men a superfluous force on the battlefield!

Eumacus could not be as easy as Davers, as soon as the trumpet sounded, his heart began to beat faster, and his eyes moved with the movement of the army down the mountain, and the battle of nearly 40,000 men was about to begin, and the outcome of this battle would determine the fate of Tarantum's army......

………………………

The fate of the Tarantum army was not far from this battlefield, and in the narrow and winding valley passes, their six-mile-long marching column was ambushed by the Damesapi, and fell into confusion and panic, completely deprived of organization and command, and had to fight on their own.

Deomilas had no time to regret that he had not listened to Davers, and he shouted loudly to cheer up the soldiers around him and fight bravely for survival. But on the boiling battlefield, his voice was like a pebble thrown into a rapids and did not make any difference.

The Mesapi's flanking blows gradually pressed them tightly into the pass, making it difficult for them to even swing their spears.

Theomilas' ears filled his ears with the screams of the soldiers, and he grew to feel hopeless......

At this moment, on the battlefield, regardless of whether they are friends or enemies, there is a small commotion.

"The sound of the trumpet! It's the sound of a military trumpet! Our reinforcements are coming!! The cheers of the soldiers burst into Diomiras' somewhat numb ears, and he listened attentively.

The hustle and bustle of the sky could not stop the sharp sound of the military horn, it broke through the resistance, and faintly echoed in the valley where the sound of killing was earth-shattering......

The image of Davers immediately appeared in Dionylas's mind, but instead of disgust, he shouted with joy: "Citizens, hold on! The Dioonians are coming! ……”

Needless to say, the soldiers have already seen the hope of life, and naturally their morale has risen. The Mesapi, on the other hand, are stepping up their attacks......