Amyntas glanced at the slave and nodded. "Don't worry, sir. Leave these people to me." "Okay, be careful and don't get too addicted to it." "My Lord...I really have no interest in men." "Ah, it's okay, it's okay. I got it, I got it." Hilde patted Amyntas's strong arm. "We have to keep an eye on the outside for the next few days. If the Thracians take any action, we must launch a counterattack immediately!" "Yes! I understand." Having these slave soldiers will be a great improvement for the current Byzantine city. At the same time, Hilde also asked the craftsmen in Byzantium to start making things like axes. Fortunately, Byzantium had lifted the blockade, and Hilde also bought a lot of iron during this period, which could be used to produce things like arrowheads, axes, and spearheads. As for the soldiers' armor, Byzantium was also very poor at the moment, and the expensive bronze and linen armor could not be produced or purchased for the time being, and could only be purchased when there was money in the future. Agricultural production outside the city also made rapid progress. The wheat fields sprouted quickly. The farmers cultivated carefully and the wheat fields grew very well. Seeing the wheat sprout, everyone's hanging hearts were put down. Now, they just need to protect these lands and hold on until the first harvest, so that the food supply of Byzantium City next year can be guaranteed. At the same time, the recruited slaves worked hard to train in order to gain freedom in the subsequent battles. The main content of their training is axe throwing.
Tune 4, Section 4: Arriving at a Thracian Village These axes are specially made. They don't need to be durable, but only need to be powerful enough after being thrown. Therefore, the design of the axe is also quite particular. It is a double-edged axe with a handle three feet long and a double-edged blade. The blade of the axe is not very sharp, because this kind of axe must ensure that after being thrown, it will directly smash the opponent's wooden shield. At the same time, the thrown axe has an impact force that no one can resist. If the body is hit directly, it will definitely be fatal. Throwing these axes was very simple. You just had to hold the axe handle with both hands, raise it high, and then throw it hard. The range was only about ten meters, but within this ten meters, one hundred slaves could throw one hundred axes, enough to knock the enemy off their feet. A slave carried three axes, and after throwing all of them, he would retreat behind the heavy infantry, and then wait for the troops to enter the melee, and then attack the enemy from the flank. In fact, there are now a total of one thousand people in the city of Byzantium. Logically speaking, so many people were facing only 400 Thracians. It is an absolute victory. But Hilde had to reduce the casualties on her side. If there were too many casualties, the Byzantine city, which had no intention of fighting, might completely give up armed resistance. At that time, Hilde would fail. Therefore, Hilde had to reduce casualties as much as possible, and it would be best if no one died and defeated the Thracians. Therefore, all the choices made now were actually for this purpose. Of course, if these slaves died in the battle, it would not be a big problem. At the same time, Amyntas's worries became a reality. When the people in the city learned about the generous conditions that Hilde gave to the slaves, they were very dissatisfied, especially the rich and nobles who owned slaves. However, nearly 90% of the civilians in the city now stood on Hilde's side. Even if the nobles opposed, they dared not speak out in front of the civilians who had obtained the land and were grateful to Hilde. Therefore, they could only give up and watch those strong and expensive slaves working hard to train the technique of throwing axes. Some more days passed. The farmland outside the city has become green and lush. Several villages have resumed basic production. Hilde rode a white horse and galloped across the vast Byzantine plains with ten scouts. "My lord! My lord!" At this time, Amyntas rode his horse to Hilde's side, pointed to the distance and said, "The Thracians are about ten kilometers ahead. There is a temporary small military camp there. Our scouts have seen their location through the rising smoke." "Come with me!" Hilde looked up and saw the smoke that was almost invisible to the naked eye. Now, the Thracians should be cooking. Hilde herself could not ride a horse, but it was probably Athena's memory that allowed Hilde to quickly learn how to control a horse. However, the horses of this era did not have high-bridge saddles or stirrups, so riding a horse was a very difficult thing. Only a piece of cowhide could be placed on the horse's back, and then the horse's belly could be clamped with legs to maintain stability. In this state, it was difficult for people to make thrusts and volleys on horseback. This also shows why chariots are still the main form of horse warfare today. The group rode their horses for more than ten minutes and arrived at the location of the smoke. "A Thracian, my lord."
At this time, Hilde and his group were hiding in the woods, observing the Thracian stronghold less than 500 meters ahead. This is a Thracian village with a population of about 1,600 people. However, compared to the Greek village, the Thracian village has no defenses and the farmland is also very crude. In such a village, Hilde roughly estimated that there are 800 women, and the remaining 800 people, after removing the old, weak, sick and disabled, the combat effectiveness is indeed only about 400 people. At the same time, Hilde can also see some Thracian soldiers walking around. They only wear Thracian helmets on their heads, wear simple clothes, and hold long swords, spears and round shields. But Hilde knew very well that these were very dangerous warriors. "Can we take the initiative?" Seeing that the other party was unprepared, Amyntas knew that this was a great opportunity. "I think it's okay." "My lord, what are you going to do?" "If possible, we should prepare enough bows and arrows, bring fire, and then launch an attack at night. Our crossbows can set fire to the enemy's houses and force all the Thracians in the village out. The heavy infantry brigade will focus on blocking the south side of the village, and the crossbowmen will be concentrated on the other three sides. The slave soldiers will wait for an opportunity to move. If the enemy reacts and rushes out with shield soldiers, we will use axes to knock down the shield soldiers. Then the heavy infantry will maintain the line while the crossbowmen will continue to kill the enemy." Chapter 4, Section 5: The Exciting Speech Before the War “I think this plan is feasible!” Amyntas was very satisfied with this. Rather than bringing the war to their own farmland, it is better to directly destroy the enemy's village and uproot the enemy's stronghold near the Byzantine city. In this way, the Thracians who have lost their strongholds should not be able to pose any threat to the Byzantine city in a short period of time. And this short period of time will greatly promote the agricultural development of the Byzantine city. With food and money, more weapons can be purchased. After finalizing the plan, Hilde asked the cartographer to draw a map of the village, and then left with his men. When they returned to Byzantium, it was almost evening. When Hilde arrived at the city gate, he saw Sophia standing at the gate, waiting for him. She seemed a little anxious, so Hilde got off the horse and walked quickly to Sophia. "Sophia, what happened?" "Ah...Xixi, you are finally back." Sophia ran over quickly and hugged Hilde. "I thought something happened to you." "I...how could anything happen to me?" Hilde sighed with a wry smile, then patted Sophia's head. "Don't worry too much, I'm just taking people to scout the enemy and determine our strategic deployment. It's not a dangerous period. Besides, isn't Amyntas by my side? As long as he's here, my safety will be guaranteed." "Yes, I was reckless." Sophia lowered her head in embarrassment. "You don't need to blame yourself for this." "Thank you...Xixi, go back quickly, you must be hungry." “That’s true…” Hilde looked at Sophia's shy face and knew that Sophia must want to be eaten. These days, Hilde has been busy with the affairs of the city-state. Hilde's mind is full of reforms and he has not thought about eating at all. After all, Hilde does not need much sleep, nor does he need to rely on food to maintain his condition. He eats purely for the sake of deliciousness. However, Sophia took the initiative to ask for it because she was worried about Hilde. Or is it just that she wants this? Hilde was a little puzzled. She didn't know whether sucking blood was addictive. "Then go back and wait for me..."
Hilde put his lips close to Sophia's ear and said with a smile: "We'll take a bath together tonight." "Yes, I will serve you well." After saying that, Sophia turned around and left reluctantly. At this time, Amyntas noticed that the two had finished their conversation, so he walked over quickly and said to Hilde: "Sir, since our next battle plan has been determined, we should prepare to go out of the city to fight today, and the citizens in the city also need to know about this matter." "Yes, that's what I meant." Hilde smiled in response. "Notify the city to gather at the city gate." "Yes, my lord." Hilde did not go back for the time being, but came to the wall of Byzantium. Soon, the citizens summoned by Hilde, whether commoners or nobles, gathered under the wall. They raised their heads and looked at Hilde who was high above them. Suddenly, they had an illusion in their hearts. Could this oracle, the governor of Byzantium, really be a god descended to earth? "Citizens of Byzantium!" Hilde's elegant and loud voice was like a goddess descending to earth, and the people below could hear it clearly. "Today, we have officially identified the Thracian camp around Byzantium, a large village. In order to prevent your farmland from being trampled by war, I have decided to lead the army tomorrow to attack the Thracians at night and annihilate them in one fell swoop. If this battle is successful, the citizens of Byzantium will no longer have to endure the pain of hiding in the city. The iron ore, forests, farmland, and rivers outside the city will all be ours!" Hilde drew out his sword and held it high. "Long live Byzantium!" "Long live Byzantium!!!" The soldiers also raised their weapons and shouted in unison. In this atmosphere, both commoners and nobles were deeply shocked. When people have been suppressed for a long time and finally have a place to vent, the joy of releasing pressure can make people feel ecstatic, making the whole city of Byzantium boil. For Hilde, this must-win battle will be the beginning of her legendary life and the beginning of changes in the entire Greek region. This is a game for the strong. The curtain will also be raised at this time. Chapter 4, Section 6: The army surrounded the village (I encountered some problems these two days, so the update is slow. I hope everyone can bear with me.) Early the next morning, Hilde led his troops out. Although Sophia clearly expressed her opposition and did not want Hilde to participate in this matter, the matter had already been decided. Hilde was determined and Sophia could not stop him. So, Hilde sucked blood fiercely at night, and early the next morning, he left Sophia who was still in a coma and prepared to go to the battlefield. Today's weather was clear and dry, which was very suitable for launching a fire attack. So Hilde's army prepared all the fires according to the plan. This was the first time that the Byzantine Empire sent out troops. For many of the Byzantine soldiers, this was a first. Hilde now knew that it was impossible to expect these Byzantines to fight the enemy with all their might. They lacked sufficient military traditions, training, and were not professional soldiers. Therefore, Hilde had a plan in mind. After this battle, when his position was more stable, he could replace the current situation with a professional army. At least, in the entire ancient Greek era, a professional army that had experienced many battles was the greatest guarantee. It took a full ten hours to travel from Byzantium to the Thracian camp. Before setting off, Hilde had already deployed scouts.
They closely monitored the situation in the village to prevent these people from escaping or being noticed. If the Thracians noticed, they would not flee directly, but would definitely launch a fearless attack. Many Greek colonists' armies were defeated by such attacks, so Hilde had to prevent the enemy from discovering them. Fortunately, when night fell, Hilde's army arrived at the destination, and the Thracians did not notice anything wrong. "They were asleep." Standing on the slope, Hilde looked at the village a few hundred meters away. "The lights are out." "Sir, shall we attack now?" Amyntas had already raised his shield. He was in charge of the largest exit of the village. He would lead 100 heavy infantry and 100 slave soldiers to defend against the enemy's attack. Hilde looked around and saw that the village had been completely surrounded by Hilde's army. In the whole village, except for the dog that noticed something was wrong and started howling, the people didn't notice anything at all. Even the sentinels and patrols didn't notice anything. Isn't this just giving it away for free? Hilde couldn't help but think so. "Get ready." Hilde raised her hand slightly, and the archer behind her also put an arrow on the string. "put!" At this time, a rocket rose from the sky and flew towards the defenseless Thracian village. This was like a signal flare. All the archers around lit their rockets and fired violently at the village. These villages were crudely built, all made of wheat straw, so they became natural fuel. After the kerosene-soaked arrows landed on the buildings, they directly ignited the straw on the roof. Suddenly, with sparks, the whole village began to burn. Each crossbowman has a total of three rockets. But it was enough to burn down the village. "what--!!!" “It’s on fire!!” With screams and cries, the Thracians were horrified to find that their houses were engulfed in flames, so they hurriedly ran out of their houses. But what greeted them was the shooting from the crossbowmen. The village was lit up by flames. The Thracians, illuminated by the flames, became the best targets for the crossbowmen. In a moment, more than a dozen Thracian men were shot to the ground, but at this time, the Thracians quickly reacted. "It's the Greeks!" "Don't be afraid! Fight back!!!" One of the oldest men immediately calmed the people around him. With his efforts, the adult soldiers in the village all picked up their weapons. They realized that the enemy was coming from all directions, no matter which direction the village was in. So, no matter which direction they fled, they had to face the enemy. So in order to survive, they had to break out from the south where the fire was the smallest. Seeing this scene, Hilde couldn't help but smile. Everything was within his expectations. Barbarians are indeed barbarians. They didn't realize at all that the so-called smallest fire was actually a trap. The fourth chapter, the seventh chapter, the unbearable urge to bloodthirst Hilde remembered this sentence: When you are besieging an enemy, you must leave a corner open to show a way out, so that the enemy will not fight hard, and the city can be captured and the army can be defeated. The law says: There must be a gap in the siege. This means that when you are surrounding the enemy, you cannot completely block the enemy, but you must leave a gap in the encirclement. In this way, the enemy will definitely break through this gap. At the same time, because there is a gap, the enemy will have a fluke mentality and will not easily fall into a state of trapped beast fighting. So Hilde gave the order: "Heavy infantry, forward." Under Hilde's command, the heavy infantry led by Amyntas had formed a square formation, relying on a tight formation and three-meter-long spears, and began to advance towards the Thracian village. For most people here, this was the first battle in their lives, and many heavy infantrymen had sweat in their palms. They were afraid, nervous, and excited at the same time.
Although the advantages are now on my side. But they still lacked confidence in the ensuing melee. Soon, the first group of Thracian soldiers rushed out.