This is a tit-for-tat battle.
Antigonus racked his brains and transformed more than three million Cretan militiamen into archer troops.
Using the city fortifications and patches of woods as cover, Antigonus deployed his archers in a stair-step configuration, allowing them to cover an area of hundreds of meters in front and behind.
Agamemnon's soldiers had to brave dozens of arrows and cross rugged terrain that was extremely unfavorable for the attackers in order to get a chance to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Cretan militia.
However, the Spartan and Achaean heavy infantry were indeed iron-blooded warriors.
Despite such harsh geographical conditions, several enemy forces arrived in front of the Cretan militia in the afternoon of the first day alone.
If Antigonus had not arranged 50,000 old subordinates in advance, especially 10,000 Stobi warriors, as a reserve force to fight head-on.
I’m afraid that the Cretan militia’s defense line will collapse before dark.
Finally, they held on until dark and the bloody battle between the two sides came to an end.
Antigonus ordered the entire army to retreat to the second line of defense under the cover of night.
He set up five such lines of defense!
The first day of battle gave Antigonus a new appreciation for the powerful Peloponnesian League. In particular, the Spartan heavy infantry, known as the best in the world, lived up to their reputation!
Despite forcing their way through the continuous rain of arrows and having their formation disrupted by the platform and the woods, the Spartan heavy infantry did not suffer heavy losses.
They were all battle-hardened soldiers. Taking advantage of the various existing conditions on the battlefield, dodging arrows was ingrained in the Spartan heavy infantry.
The early bow and arrow attacks were far less effective than Antigonus had expected.
Fortunately, we also have a very tough army, namely the Stoby warriors and his 50,000 old subordinates.
Needless to say, there are 50,000 old subordinates.
They were all the Silver Shield Spearmen and Macedonian Guard Heavy Cavalry who once roamed the Great North.
Although their weapons and equipment are a bit worn out now, their combat experience has reached a higher level.
With the cooperation of archers in the rear, it is possible to hold off the enemy one-on-one.
Even more powerful are King Stobi’s 10,000 personal soldiers.
The fighting power of this group of people was so great that Antigonus was shocked.
Each of them is full of confidence, and their equipment and combat skills are top-notch.
What was even more strange was that the Spartan heavy infantry, who were supposed to be invincible, showed inexplicable fear when they saw King Stobi's personal soldiers.
As one side gained strength while the other lost, King Stroby's personal soldiers were able to achieve a casualty ratio of more than one to two when facing the enemy's strongest Spartan heavy infantry.
This terrifying fighting power left a deep impression on Antigonus.
He couldn't help but secretly rejoice that he had finally caught the last train of King Stobi's sweeping across the world.
If the entire main force of Stoby had this kind of combat effectiveness.
There is no doubt that a superpower that has never existed in history will attract the attention of the whole world.
Compared to that, the current Battle of Knossos is not worth mentioning.
Unlike Antigonus who was extremely excited, Agamemnon was in a bad mood.
The next morning, Agamemnon was furious when he saw the enemy troops already lined up at the second line of defense.
So scary!
Yesterday we lost more than 100,000 elite soldiers and only managed to barely occupy the enemy's first line of defense.
If the war continues at this pace, wouldn't it cost him 600,000 to 700,000 elite soldiers to break through the five lines of defense built by this motley crowd of Cretans?
He only has one million people under his command.
What’s the point of winning if you lose 600,000 or 700,000 yuan?
No, we still have to let the Egyptians who have just arrived at the battlefield take over quickly!
Thinking of this, Agamemnon immediately sent someone to invite Ptolemy, who had just arrived yesterday afternoon, to come and discuss the plan together.
At the same time, Xia Zhe and Antigonus also received secret signals from the Egyptian envoys.
The code signified that Ptolemy, King of Egypt, had accepted the agreement between the two parties. Moreover, the Egyptian army had already arrived at the rear of Agamemnon's army.
Seeing this, Xia Zhe quickly asked someone to reply to the message.
Pointing out that the Cretan militia had kept their promise and had decimated 100,000 enemy troops, it was now time for the Egyptians to fulfill their promise.
The demands of both parties were once again placed on Ptolemy's table at the same time. This time, he was in a dilemma.
Last time, Agamemnon and King Stobi had the same demands, so the Egyptian army could easily go along with it and satisfy both parties.
But this time, the demands of the two sides are completely opposite.
The Egyptian Legion will no longer be able to remain ambiguous and needs to make a clear statement.
What should we do?
Although he arrived late yesterday, the fierce fighting on the front line still left a deep impression on Ptolemy.
What he saw from afar was the fight between the Spartan heavy infantry and King Stobi's personal soldiers.
The strength of the warriors on both sides is simply not comparable to that of the Egyptian Legion!
What's even more terrifying is that Ptolemy never expected that King Stroby had troops under his command that were stronger than the Spartan heavy infantry.
He suddenly realized that his plan of using the Cretan mob to slowly consume Agamemnon and then launching a counterattack himself was not reasonable.
In fact, the Egyptian Legion was the weakest of the three parties.
Not only could he not defeat Agamemnon, he couldn't defeat King Stobi either.
If they turn against us and attack from behind at this moment, the Egyptians themselves will be the ones who will suffer.
Because they did not have warriors like King Stobi's personal soldiers. As long as the Spartan heavy infantry broke through, the Egyptian army would collapse immediately.
However, Ptolemy did not dare to send his men to help Agamemnon attack the enemy.
The Cretan army's defense was so solid that even the world-famous Spartan heavy infantry found it difficult to defeat them.
Even if he went back on his word and helped Agamemnon deal with King Stobi, he would still suffer heavy losses.
If his own men went up, not to mention how many would be needed to defeat one enemy, he might not even be able to reach the enemy under the hail of arrows.
I can't afford to offend either side, but both sides have to express their own stance. What should I do?
"The entire army retreats fifty kilometers. Let's see what happens!" Ptolemy gave the order without much hesitation.
Upon hearing such an order, the generals, who had already known that Egypt and the Peloponnesian League were not on good terms, understood what was going on and immediately began to carry it out.
Only the envoy who had once met with King Stobi became anxious and rushed straight into Ptolemy's tent.
"My king! How can you order the troops to retreat? I have already promised King Stobi that as long as they can annihilate 100,000 enemy troops, our army will send troops to cooperate. You also agreed to this matter with your own mouth! Why do you suddenly change your mind now? Isn't that a breach of trust?" said the messenger.
Breaking one’s promise?
Hearing these four words, Ptolemy's eyes twitched.
How can you, a civilian who knows nothing about military affairs, know how to plan and strategize? How dare you speak nonsense here?
What covenant, what promise, it all depends on how the situation develops!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
