CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 262 CAVALRY RESCUE

The Nix Army occupied the high ground, and the Pannonian Alliance Army attacked from below, unable to fully exploit their numerical advantage or consolidate their forces to break the opponent’s tight phalanx through a charge.

Once the battle began, in close combat, the Nix Army, with superior protection, better teamwork, and the advantage of short swords in close-quarters fighting, caused most of the screams to come from the Pannonian Soldiers.

The Nix Army strictly adhered to the predetermined plan, adopting a defensive stance, and the Soldiers would never easily break formation to pursue wounded enemies.

Of course, this was also related to Maximus altering the standards for military achievements and promotions, as Soldiers now knew: collecting as many enemy ears as possible was useless; only when the entire army achieved victory could individuals gain merit.

The Nix Soldiers did not press the attack, allowing most wounded Pannonian Soldiers to retreat from the loose formation with the help of their comrades; they had enough warriors to replace them and maintain the offensive stance.

Several Pannonian Chiefs had initially believed that the long, dense formation of the Nix Army on the uneven hills, with the continuation of the battle, would eventually become untenable, or that their assumptions had already been realized before the battle began because the Nix Formation appeared continuous from a distance but was actually interwoven by hundreds of smaller formations. So long as the Soldiers in each Centurion strictly adhered to discipline, they could relatively easily maintain the small phalanx formation during the battle.

The Pannonian Soldiers who charged the hill naturally discovered the secret of the Nix Formation, struggling through the gaps between the two hundred-man formations under the crowding of their comrades to maneuver behind the enemy and launch attacks.

However, this posed no threat to the Nix Soldiers because each Centurion was surrounded by a shield wall like sturdy turtle shells, unlikely to be broken unless the Soldiers inside lost morale. Furthermore, every Nix Soldier was eager to win the battle, and even surrounded, their morale remained high, relentlessly defending and fiercely striking back against the enemy’s ferocious charges.

Instead, the Pannonian Army’s forces became dispersed by this peculiar formation of the Nix Army. As the battle went on, and with more Soldiers pressing at the rear, the gaps between the Nix Hundred-man Formations became crowded. It was difficult to evade the short swords incessantly thrusting out from between the square shields, leading to high casualties among the Pannonian Soldiers, with injuries and bodies gradually clogging the gaps, intimidating the warriors who followed.

The true threat to the Nix Army came from the right wing of the Pannonian Alliance Army where the warriors from Disone and Perustai, unlike their compatriots from the other two major tribes, charged not with loose formations but formed tightly knit small phalanxes, instructed by their tribal leaders with dozens or hundreds of warriors before marching up the hill.

The warriors held their wooden shields in their left hand in front, which were slightly larger and longer than those of the other two tribes. Their long spears pointed obliquely forward, and with slow steps, they ascend the hill in a more orderly formation.

From the hilltop, the right wing of the Pannonian Alliance Army resembled a tidal wave during its initial surge, layers upon layers moving towards the hill.

If it weren’t for the fact that most Pannonian Soldiers downhill were not wearing armor, it would give the illusion that they were a replica of the Nix Formation.

In reality, Disao and Perustai’s armies initially shared the same tactics as Mazi and Brochi, but after years of conflict with the Boyi, they were forced to train a more well-organized and dense spear and shield formation to combat the Boyi’s superior cavalry, allowing them to hold their ground on the northern bank of the Delaware River and contend with the Boyi without falling behind.

As they approached the Nix’s Third Legion, they did not rush forward with high morale but maintained formation, approaching the enemy at a slower pace while cautiously thrusting their long spears from behind their wooden shields.

Faced with the spear and shield formation of the Pannonian right wing, the Nix Centurions initially maintained a defensive stance, only to discover that the Pannonian Soldiers were using the advantage of the spear’s length for attacks while the Nix Soldiers found it difficult to reach the enemy.

Just defending and getting hit won’t work!

The Nix Centurions gave successive orders for their formations to advance, with Soldiers proactively closing in on the enemy, bashing with their shields, and slashing with short swords in close combat...

The slope of the hills here was steep, putting the Pannonians at a disadvantage, often on the defensive in battle. However, if their formation quickly retreated, the Nix Soldiers, upon their Centurions’ reminder, would also cease pursuit, maintaining their formations to brace for the next attack.

Seeing the attack falter, Decikas and Pagiras, the two Chiefs, after deliberation, dispatched some forces to quickly advance eastward, attempting to bypass the Nix formation at its far eastern end, flanking and ascending the hill for a front and back assault...

.....................

On the far left wing of the Panoni Alliance Army, the Brochi warriors faced encirclement from both front and back. Although aware of their dangerous situation, their hatred only fueled their ferocity in resisting. With large numbers and under pressure from both sides, their formations became thicker, and the attacking Nix’s Second Legion Soldiers found it difficult to break through momentarily.

Eorokus did not lead his battalion into battle since he spotted the enemy’s reinforcements approaching.

The Crossbow Soldiers led by Valerius had already advanced in front of the Third Legion’s First Battalion’s formation in two horizontal lines. When the enemy came into range, the first line of Crossbow Soldiers immediately fired crossbow bolts.

A wave of arrows fell, but few enemies fell, failing to match previous successes because this time, the enemies were heavy armor infantry. Despite the strong tension of the crossbows and sharp arrowheads, they could only cause minor injuries even if they pierced the iron armor, failing to incapacitate the enemies completely.

Valerius, somewhat unwilling, ordered another round of shooting.

This wave of crossbow arrows inflicted even fewer injuries as the opposing side strengthened their shield defenses.

Valerius did not order another round, instead decisively commanding his troops to retreat.

Eorokus quickly ordered his entire battalion to advance: four Centurions in the middle charged from the front while three Centurions on each flank maneuvered to enclose the enemy’s side.

In reality, Bricks’ Guard hadn’t even formed their formations properly, lacking a proper flank. They rushed to assist, not expecting an enemy unit to be poised here. First came the crossbow barrage, followed by infantry charges. The Guard Soldiers faced combat without even a moment to catch their breath and reorganize formations. Facing the perilous situation of being outnumbered, their pride did not allow them to retreat. Amid cries tinged with despair, they bravely charged forward, swinging their longswords ferociously at the enemy.

Shield clashed with shield, sword against sword, Nix Soldiers engaged fiercely from the front while the flank units quickly completed the encirclement. With tightly packed shield formations from all directions, the less than three hundred Brochi Heavy Armor Warriors without proper formation found it hard to withstand the overwhelming force, soon clustered into a mass with no space to move, unable even to raise shields or swing swords.

Numerous Nix Soldiers’ short swords came down, piercing the unarmored necks and arms mercilessly. Amid their unwilling screams, these Brochi Heavy Armor Warriors fell one by one...

As the Third Legion’s First Battalion fought, the Crossbow Soldiers didn’t idle either. Valerius led his men to line up with crossbows beyond their allied army to prevent further enemy reinforcements from arriving.

Valerius’s caution paid off; as the battle between the two sides neared its end, a sharp-eyed Crossbow Soldier suddenly shouted, "Cavalry! The enemy cavalry is here!"

Valerius’s heart tightened as he quickly saw numerous Pannonian Cavalry figures appear in his view.

Bricks sent a messenger to request reinforcements from the other three Chiefs. Mazi’s forces were engaged in a fierce battle, like Brochi’s, hard to spare. Maitilis had a Guard of two hundred nearby, mostly light infantry with wooden shields and spears, but he unhesitatingly dispatched them all for rescue.

Following the tactics of Disone and Perustai, some forces could have been dispatched to assist the left wing. Still, as the two Chiefs were directing the army to encircle the enemy on the hill from front and rear, they were unwilling to abandon the attack. However, with the left in danger and needing support, it was decided to dispatch the cavalry, which had yet to contribute.

1,100 cavalry charged westward from the right wing. Despite choosing the lower ground between the hills, the path was uneven. They were in a hurry, and warhorse hooves occasionally stumbled along the way. They just managed to arrive at the left wing before Mazi’s Guard, only to see Brochi’s forces either under siege or surrounded...

The cavalry leaders quickly decided to attack the Third Legion’s First Battalion first, partly because these enemies were besieging the precarious Brochi warriors, and partly because these enemies occupied an advantageous position for cavalry reinforcement of beleaguered allies.

The urgency of the situation, coupled with Brick’s self-interest, prevented him from fully disclosing to the other three Chiefs that "the enemy’s crossbows were formidable!" Thus, the cavalry was oblivious, and from a distance, they only saw the Nix Crossbow Soldiers guarding the attack targets without armor or shields, wielding what appeared to be mere short wooden sticks. Mistaking them for a group of expendable slaves as in their own force’s previous battles, they paid no heed.