Heavy infantry is impossible to catch up with light archers, not to mention faster cavalry. And the fully armed heavy infantry charge was impossible to last. When they stopped to rest, the Persian bow and arrow began again.
The Greek heavy infantry hides the body under the round shield, which greatly reduces the chance of injury, but it cannot be said that there is no protection. First of all, the arms and thighs are unprotected, and secondly, the thick breastplate is made of linen, although it can prevent the penetration of bows and arrows, but it is unavoidable. Some flesh wounds.
If you can't get close to the enemy, you can't exert the power of heavy infantry, you can only stand and take arrows. Crianno did not dare to send light infantry up, because the range of the javelin was not as far as that of the bow and arrow, and the protection was not as strong as that of the heavy infantry, which would increase casualties.
At this time, Tima Song sent two hundred Cretan archers to rush to reinforce.
Crianno, who had expectations for them, was quickly disappointed: the Cretan archers who were famous for their bows and arrows in the Greek city-states did not have the long range of the Persian archers who dominated the Mediterranean in the military, but instead shortened the range. , out of the protection of heavy infantry, causing dozens of casualties...
… … … … …
At this time, the entire mercenary team stopped, and the leaders were trying to figure out a way.
Davers was also anxiously listening to the report of the messenger on the left wing. At this time, Thormid came on horseback: "Leader Davos, Kerisopes wants you to send a troop, take a long detour, avoid the enemy's reconnaissance, go behind the enemy, and attack them."
Davers pondered for a moment, and then understood Kerethorpes' plan. He looked at Felixius beside him, and Felixius nodded to him.
"Asisters, hurry up and notify Capps to come here!" Davos ordered.
"Yes!"
Felixus thought that Davos would discuss with him who to send, but he didn't expect him to make a decision directly, and it was the most suitable candidate. It seems that asking him for advice along the way is not just a gesture , The young leader's learning ability is really strong.
… … … … …
When Capps led the heavy infantry squadron to set off, Hieronymus also sent the heavy infantry squadron on the other side, all trying to get behind the Persians, and then cooperate with the frontal Krianno to surround and annihilate them.
However, the experienced Artauzus had been prepared for a long time. The two wings of the geese were Persian cavalry archers, which were widely dispersed. They were also used as reconnaissance cavalry. He soon discovered the abnormality, so he quickly retreated and let the mercenaries. attempt failed.
Seeing that the plan failed, the prudent Capps immediately retreated; and the leader of Hieronymus' side was Xenophon, who took the initiative to fight. He was not reconciled and continued to pursue. Not a single Persian was injured, but dozens of others were injured. If the arrows of the Artauzus army were not exhausted, the loss of the squadron led by Xenophon would not stop there. So upon his return, he was rebuked by Hieronymus.
Without the entanglement of Artauzus, the Greek army accelerated its advance, and finally arrived at the villages mentioned by the guide before sunset. Although most of the villagers had fled, it still refreshed the tired soldiers. Davos had no intention to stop the robbery of the soldiers. He just suggested that Mersis try to capture some Persian slaves and promise them freedom. In exchange for their sincere help, they rushed to the commander's tent.
Before entering the tent, I heard Crianno's complaint: "These Persians are like flies, they can't be hit or driven away. We don't have enough cavalry, and there's nothing we can do about them!"
Davos and Felixius walked into the tent, and everyone nodded to them. Compared with yesterday's alienation, they took the initiative a lot today. Obviously, Davos' performance won everyone's approval, but he was not in the mood to express their enthusiasm because he was worried about Artauzus' attack.
"If the Persians still attack us in the way they did today, what should we do?" Krianno said worriedly, he was the heaviest casualty today.
"What's more worrying is that if we can't quickly find a way to repel the Persians, then the Persians will definitely think that this attack method is the most effective for us, and they will not only continue to use this method, but also the next time they come. It's not a few hundred people, it's thousands of cavalry and archers! I think that will be our disaster!" Xenophon said with a heavy heart, he had suffered a lot today.
The other leaders also looked solemn. They easily won the battle with the King of Persia before, and Tisafonis' patience made them believe in their own strength. But today, a small Persian army composed entirely of archers and cavalrymen is suffering from the heavy infantry they are proud of, and they suddenly realize the shortcomings of their army.
"We've got to have the same range or more range than the Persians—" Kerethorps said word by word.
"Rhode Island Slinger!!" Xenophon suddenly shouted.
Davos frowned. He heard Antonios say: Rhode Islanders in the Greek city-state are good at throwing stones. They can throw stones as far as four or five hundred meters, and the accuracy within 100 meters is extremely high, so the Mediterranean city-states love to hire Rhode Island slingers. , as an important auxiliary force of the army.
The reason why Davos is familiar with the name Rhode Island is not only because of the slinger, but also because of the widely circulated "one of the seven wonders of ancient times" in his previous life - the Colossus of the Sun God of Rhode Island was built on this island, but it seems to be Built after Alexander the Great.
Davos thought to himself: In fact, in the military, the Greek city-states have many unique and elite arms, such as Cretan archers, Thessaly cavalry, Rhodes slingers, Spartan heavy infantry, Athens navy... If Greece is unified, these arms will be united, and they will be able to dominate the Mediterranean! It is a pity that the Greeks who love freedom have always been scattered. The last Athens that wanted to make this effort has been defeated, and the current Greek overlord Sparta, regardless of the historical outcome, just relies on its extremely closed and conservative political system. possible…
When Davos sighed in his heart, Tima Song said regretfully: "It's a pity we don't have Rhode Island slingers!"
"But we have Rhode Islanders!" Xenophon said excitedly: "Everyone, rock throwing is a skill that Rhode Islanders have learned since childhood. They make a living from it, just like the Cretans make a living with bows and arrows. When we recruited mercenaries in Ioria, many Rhode Islanders joined. It was only because of the generosity of the little Cyrus who prepared a lot of weapons and equipment that they abandoned the slings and picked up their own Bucklers and spears that cost a fortune to buy. It's time for them to pick up their slings again!"
"Xenophon is right, we should immediately gather them and form slingers to fight against the Persian archers." Crianno said immediately.
Everyone agreed.
Kerethorpes nodded and said, "Let's do it right away. We have quite a few sheep, slaughter some of them, and use their intestines to make slings."
"In addition, we need cavalry, otherwise when the Persians retreat, we will not be able to catch up with him. I suggest that the battalions gather their excess packhorses and select soldiers who are good at riding to form cavalry teams." Zantiparis said.
"agree!"
"agree!"
…
In times of crisis, the chiefs all band together and come to an agreement quickly.
The whole army took action immediately. Soon, more than 300 Rhode Islanders who were good at throwing stones were organized, and more than 50 pack horses were also gathered. Most of the selected cavalry were from Davos Barracks, and most of the soldiers in his barracks were Sesa. Benefit people.
When Xenophon recommended Lysius the Athenian as the captain of the cavalry squad, Davos objected.
Given that the majority of the cavalry were Thessaly, the chiefs finally agreed.
The next day, instead of continuing the march, the mercenaries took a day off to conduct assault training for the newly formed slinger company and cavalry squad.