Tomorrow will be a decisive battle.
The future of Ionia depends on this battle.
When the sun rises the next day.
The soldiers of the Byzantine Empire have all gotten up, packed their weapons and supplies, and are ready to go to the battlefield.
Hilde returned to the barracks from the outpost. When she walked in the barracks, the soldiers around her seemed to be quite relaxed, as if they didn't need to worry about the next battle. Hilde was not particularly satisfied with this situation.
Chapter 1: A strong army
After many victories, the Byzantine army, with the mysterious Hilde in charge, would certainly become arrogant and think that the enemy in front of them was not worth mentioning. But Hilde knew that the enemy's army had the Oracle Golgopas, and it was still unknown what kind of ability this guy had and how much trouble he could cause to himself and his army.
Hilde was very cautious. Although she was very strong now, she knew that there were always people better than her. She might encounter someone beyond her knowledge at any time. If she underestimated the enemy, she might even ruin her chance of escape, just like Cleopatra.
If one army has an oracle.
Indeed, the balance of this battle has tilted.
But this time, the opponent in this battle also has an oracle.
All Hilde could do was to mediate with the other party when he began to show his power, and then the battlefield would be handed over to the armies of both sides. Unless Hilde could defeat Golgopas in a short time, the battle on the battlefield would probably not end in a short time.
Hilde was not clear about the fighting power of the Abydos army, but he felt that since the enemy was ready for battle, he could not think that he could be easily defeated and must make all possible preparations. Hilde was relatively confident in his troops, knowing that even if they might look down on the Abydos army, they would not relax their preparations and slack off.
"Your Majesty, all troops are ready."
Amyntas looked very energetic.
You must have had a good rest last night.
"This time we are facing the army of Abydos. Our goal is not to slaughter them all, but to defeat them and make them willing to cooperate with us and return to the Ionian Alliance. But having said that, we must be prepared to fight to the last minute in this war. If we fail in this battle, all our previous efforts will be overturned, so... do you understand what I mean?"
Hilde's words.
This made Amyntas stand up straight immediately.
"Yes, I understand!"
"The enemy's army also has an oracle. After the battle begins, you must lead your troops carefully and never fall into the enemy's trap. As far as I know, the enemy's oracle is the oracle of Dionysus. His specific ability is not yet clear. I will find out how capable the enemy is. When the time is right, you will lead the army and be ready to attack at any time."
"Yes!!!"
Amyntas knew it.
This war.
It will be another contest between oracles.
As long as there are oracles on the battlefield, the focus of the war will be on the confrontation between oracles. All the soldiers and generals on the battlefield will become the embellishment of this battle. This is the sorrow of mortals, because their life and death depend on the will of the oracle. Amyntas also knew that in this battle, although Hilde said that she had to act cautiously, in fact, if Hilde took action herself, I am afraid that this matter would be well resolved.
Hilde had no idea what Amyntas was thinking, because she had already focused all her attention on the next battle.
She looked up at the sky.
It is a nice sunny day now.
Obviously, today was a very suitable day for fighting. The better the weather, the better the fighting power of the troops. Hilde did not dislike such good weather. She breathed a sigh of relief and then ordered the troops led by Amyntas to rush to the battlefield.
The allied troops accompanying the Byzantine army also began to assemble under Hilde's orders. Of course, Hilde would not focus on these allied troops in this war, because their combat capabilities were really worrying. Hilde only hoped that they could guard the rear of the Byzantine army to avoid any unexpected situations.
Also serves as a reserve team.
Once there is any problem on the front line.
Subsequent Allied troops immediately replaced them.
To the south of Gysion is a very open plain, which is a very suitable place for fighting. If Hilde's army wants to capture Gysion, this plain is the only way to go. And if the army of Abydos wants to resist the attack, this plain is almost the only battlefield to choose. As a city-state in Ionia, Gysion's terrain is naturally dominated by mountains and hills. Therefore, affected by the terrain, the place where this battle takes place will inevitably be on this open plain.
The army of the Byzantine Kingdom was well-equipped and had high morale. The First Legion was the earliest legion established by the Byzantine Kingdom. Although it was not equipped with steel armor like the Guards, almost all the heavy infantry wore bronze breastplates, and their arms, legs and lower body were also protected by special armor. At the same time, they held round shields and their steel spears stretched straight out, reaching an astonishing length of five meters. As the backbone of the Byzantine Kingdom's legions, the phalanx infantry was almost indestructible and was deployed in the center of the army.
On the right wing of the army, the barbarians and heavy infantry of the First Legion were deployed.
After a series of reforms.
A series of changes took place in the Byzantine Empire's barbarians and heavy infantry.
The barbarian troops, mainly Thracians, used to wear light armor, and their weapons changed from bronze axes to steel ones. In addition, these barbarian troops were equipped with blunt weapons such as hammers and flails, which were very lethal when facing the enemy's heavy infantry, and became the killer of the Byzantine Kingdom to break through the enemy's heavy infantry defense line.
This is even more true for the heavy infantry. The heavy infantry of the Byzantine Empire put down their spears and transformed their weapons into more powerful swords. The heavy infantry were almost all Greeks. Their role was similar to that of the barbarian troops. They were also responsible for breaking into the enemy's formation and disintegrating the enemy. At the same time, when charging, they would charge ahead of the barbarian troops and use their shields to block the opponent's projectile weapons.
Afterwards, these two types of infantry will charge into the enemy formation one after the other.
Use the powerful weapons in your hands.
Chapter 1: The Ever-Changing Battlefield
Completely destroy the opponent's defense.
The cavalry deployed with these heavy infantry were the pride of the Byzantine Kingdom and the troops that Hildesh valued the most. The horses these cavalry rode were originally native Greek horses, which had big problems with height and physical fitness, and were not very effective in combat.
But later, Hilde imported a large number of high-quality military horses from Persia and Thrace, and the earliest military horses bred have now entered the army. Compared with the cavalry of Abydos, the cavalry of the Byzantine Kingdom is not only larger in size, but the cavalry on horseback also has a higher vision than other cavalry in Greece.
Thanks to the use of Takahashi saddle and stirrups.
The Byzantine cavalry could easily wield their weapons on their horses. The taller horses gave them an advantage over the enemy cavalry, allowing them to easily knock the enemy cavalry off their horses with their spears or swords. At the same time, because their bodies were more stable, it was possible to charge on horseback.
Although the number of cavalry is small, their power is enormous.
This made cavalry the most powerful weapon used by the Byzantine Empire in subsequent battles.
On the left wing of the army, light infantry, archers and crossbowmen were deployed.
The weapons and equipment of these soldiers have also made great progress compared to two years ago.
In terms of bows, the Byzantine Empire borrowed from the Scythian horse bows and made a series of improvements. Since the Scythians used a simple composite bow, which was naturally superior to the single bows in ancient Greece, it was suitable for horseback archery but not for walking archers. Therefore, the Byzantine Empire strengthened the bows, replanned the composition of the materials, used animal horns as materials, and added high-quality oak to make very delicate horn bows.
This type of bow uses animal horns, wood, and animal tendons as materials. It has a much greater energy storage and power than a single bow, and is far superior to the simple composite bows of the Scythians. Of course, the cost of making this type of bow is very high. The Byzantine Kingdom is rich, has a vast territory, and has sufficient raw materials. This is why it was able to produce thousands of bows before sending troops to Ionia and provide them to Hild's army.
It can be said.
The current Byzantine Army.
We are armed to the teeth.
When facing the Abydos army equipped with bronze weapons, the Byzantine First Legion, equipped with steel weapons, composite bows and heavy crossbows, was like an army that had traveled from ten centuries later. Facing such an army, the Abydos army that appeared in the direction of Gysion looked much more shabby.
The army of Abydos was cobbled together from several city-states. Their armor-wearing rate was so low that at least one-third of the heavy infantry had no protective gear. The spears in their hands were also made of bronze, and rust was commonplace.
However, they did not slack off.
If a weapon is rusty, just sharpen it again.
Make these weapons sharp again.
If you don't have weapons, you can take farm tools to the battlefield. If a wooden stick is sharpened, it can also become a powerful weapon.
Thirty thousand people marched towards the battlefield in a mighty force, and formed up in the most standard Greek formation.
Row after row, row after row, countless heavy infantry were lined up.
It presents a chilling sense of oppression.
Knowing that the enemy in front of them was very scary, they still stepped onto the battlefield without hesitation. Perhaps this was human courage. Hilde also felt ironic. Was she such a scary existence in the eyes of others? These soldiers were obviously ready to die on the battlefield, just for the last moment.
In order to finally defeat Hilde.
"Humph……"
Hilde snorted coldly, then came to the front of the army.
Hilde rode on her white horse, dressed in military uniform, with her spear pointed straight at the sky. On top of her spear was the flag of the Byzantine Empire. When all the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire saw Hilde, their morale suddenly soared, and they were full of confidence in the upcoming battle. At this time, Hilde held her spear high, with the red double-headed eagle fluttering in the wind. She looked at the soldiers in front of her and shouted:
"Everyone!!! March! To the high ground ahead!"
"For His Majesty--!!!"
The army of the Byzantine Empire also began to take action.
The phalanx infantry slowly advanced towards the high ground in front of them. It was almost the only high ground on the battlefield. Although it was just a dirt slope, it played a vital role when the infantry of both sides were fighting. Hilde led the cavalry and had advanced thousands of meters to the highest peak of the high ground.
When we got here, we could see tens of thousands of Abydos troops in the distance, pressing towards here.
"His Majesty!"
Amyntas looked at the army in front of him.
"You intend to ..."
"I won't use my divine power yet."
"……Yes!"
Hilde couldn't abuse her ability. At least, if the opponent's Golgopas didn't make a move, Hilde couldn't make a move. Otherwise, if she lost her ability once the opponent made a move, there would be a big problem. But compared to these, Hilde raised her head and looked at the sky.
The sky above Hilde's head now looked very gloomy. The originally clear sky had now become much darker, and dark clouds were gradually gathering above his head. This kind of sudden weather change was quite common in Greece. After all, it was a coastal area, and if it was going to rain, it would often rain suddenly.
Is it going to rain...
Hilde frowned slightly.
She always felt that the situation was becoming more and more tense.
Now, Golgopas doesn't know how to attack, and Hilde can only wait patiently to see what the opponent's level is.
And here in Abydos.
Golgopas rode on his horse, drinking wine, and marched with the army.
"Lord Golgopas!"
At this time, the general rode up and said nervously:
"There are already Byzantine cavalry on the top of the opposite high ground!"
"What are you panicking about?"
Golgopas swallowed his drink and looked at the soldiers around him.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"But……"
“Lord Dionysus…” Golgopas poured the wine in the pot directly onto the ground, his expression suddenly becoming serious. “The fine wine you love is now flowing on this land. If you don’t want the blood of those who respect you to be wasted like this fine wine…”
Chapter 1, Chapter 7: The beginning of war
Along with Golgopas's prayer, an indescribable power flowed through the crowd. It was a kind of power that made people feel close. It did not make people afraid, but made people's hearts active with the rhythm of power. This inspiring power made all the soldiers feel the arrival of courage. They held their weapons tightly and then focused their eyes on the high ground, in the direction of the sun.
Now, the dark clouds overhead are slowly gathering.
However, all the soldiers could still see the terrifying scene.
The forest of spears, like a dense forest, appeared in their sight. The heavily armored phalanx infantry lined up in neat rows and came to the top of the high ground. Then, they continued to move forward, reached the slope of the high ground, and stopped. The Byzantine phalanx infantry, looking down from above, raised the super-long spears in their hands to form an impenetrable line of spears.
The spear flashed with a cold light. A closer look revealed that it was a completely different weapon from the bronze spears in their hands. It looked extremely sharp and could easily break through the bronze armor on their bodies. Moreover, these soldiers were in a tight formation and well-trained. The entire army even breathed in unison. This was a very amazing situation.
In addition, the left and right wings of the Byzantine Empire protected both sides of the high ground. The cavalry and heavy infantry on the right wing were eager to fight, while the light infantry and archers on the left wing were also ready to go. Although the enemy's number was less than half of the Abydos coalition army, they gave people the impression that they could match the number of a hundred thousand troops.
Originally, the people of Abydos were afraid.
But now they have calmed down.
There is no need to be afraid anymore.
They all tightened their weapons and, inspired by Golgopas, began to advance towards the high ground. Row after row of Abydos heavy infantry, lined up in neat formations, began to advance towards the Byzantine army. At the same time, two thousand light cavalry also began to make a detour, preparing to find an opportunity to attack the rear of the Byzantine army. The light infantry, slingers and archers were now also preparing themselves. Although the next battle would be a bloody one, they were not afraid.
"Everyone, forward!"
Golgopas remained calm and composed.
He just rode on his horse and watched the advancing troops quietly.
The soldiers of Abydos marched across farmlands and meadows toward the Byzantine army on the high ground.
Hilde saw this and raised the spear in his hand.
"All cavalry, follow me."
"Yes--!"
Hilde was the first to ride, her white horse neighing, and then she rushed down the slope of the highland. Behind her were more than a thousand Byzantine cavalrymen. These cavalrymen wore bronze breastplates and Chalcidic cavalry helmets with crests. The bright red crests looked very flamboyant. Looking around, more than a thousand cavalrymen galloped on their horses and rushed down the slope. In just a few hundred meters, they accelerated to an extremely fast speed.
