He said that he foresaw the sun rising after the end of a mighty battle, the field smeared with the blood of the ox.
"There will be a victory."
Young wives and smiling mothers learned how to weep for the first time as they wished their men the best of luck. Some issued stern, spartan warnings that they ought to come back with their shield or not at all, and then giggled and kissed their young husbands, unable to maintain the joke, holding them close. Then the army departed, leaving the city by the south gate, and marching onto the road.
This entire segment is the greek equivalent of announcing your retirement and displaying a picture of your family.
Metapontion greeted the Eretrians with curiosity and fanfare, and with its position further away from the frontier, was more inquisitive than afraid of the barbaroi. Citizens streamed out of the city to speak to and fraternize with their Eretrian allies, and the army of Metapontion and its strategos Lykos Demetrion met them with much happiness. Herodion and Lykos spoke about a common strategy, and in his understanding and authoritative way of speaking Herodion greatly impressed Lykos, who listened to his every word with rapt audience. However, many of the Metapontine generals were less happy, and were frustrated with Lykos' interest in Herodion's authority, attacking his expertise or questioning his claimed successes. They said that every word from an Eretrian's mouth was questionable, and they cited the Battle of the Fifty Masts as evidence. Lykos apologized for their behavior, but still they persisted, causing Herodion to break out into a tremendous speech that citizens gathered around to hear, explaining the victories of Eretria. Still, however, the generals sneered, and Kallias, who was with the camp, informed Herodion that there was vicious political competition in Metapontion for the post of strategos, and that the reigning Proboulos had opposed Lykos, who was claimed to be an inexperienced and populist commander, better with speech than spear.
It must be emphasized that this isn't even the city as a whole. It's just a single-digit number of assholes fucking around for political gain. Well, they chose the wrong horse for their chariot,
Herodion allowed Harpos to unleash the Peuketii against them, however, and they were soon dispatched, their cavalry and skirmishers inferior to that of the Peuketii. Lykos was much impressed again, and spoke briefly with Harpos, who happily granted him audience and discussed military matters in fluent Ionian Greek.
Hah, behold the superiority of the Ionian! Even our Barabaroi are better than yours!
Unprepared for a direct attack, the Krotonian and Lokrian cavalry began to retreat back, and when the fast horses of the Peuketii caught up them, began to die in large numbers. Others scattered off the field. However, this mattered little to Krotone or Lokri, who maintained their attack in the thought that the cavalry battle was a sideshow. They would be wrong.
And thus cav dominance is achieved.
At the same time, the Ekdromoi led up the left flank, the Hoplites in the center. Antipater was confident, but Eutropios moreso, and he pushed the Ekdromoi ahead of the Hoplites in order to immediately pressure and push the Krotonians back. The lines crashed, and the Krotonians were taken aback by the speed and mobility of the Ekdromoi, who quickly began to encircle their flank and attack their weak side. Elite warriors, the Ekdromoi despite their less intimidating and armored appearance performed extraordinarily, keeping the heavy hoplites back with their longer and lighter spears and inflicting casualties on the brash Krotonians who tried to rush ahead and stab the less armored Ekdromoi.
Krotone: "WHY DOES YOUR INFANTRY HAVE THAT CHARGE BONUS?"
Antipater would not return home a hero, he would not be among friends. Instead, because of the cruelty of war, the cruelty of men, he would die.
Like I said, retirment and family photo.
On one hand, this gave us a 2 to 1 casualty ratio. On the other, the people of these cities may well be less willing to rout in the future, knowing what awaits them.
After the battle it would be revealed that a Metapontine general had ignored the request and sent the messenger back. With no reinforcements and a growing demoralization, the Eretrian line buckled and then gave way under the Krotonians. They were beginning to rout.
WOW. Even while I agree that their city as a whole cannot be blamed, a general just literally BETRAYED HIS OWN TROOPS HERE. If they are willing to risk alienating their allies and causing a battle to which thousands of their own citizens are committed to end in a rout for their side all to embarrass an elected leader, then holy shit they are desperate.
For once it had been heard that Antipater had been killed, a wailing cry broke out among the Kleos Exoria and the Ekdromoi, and they committed themselves to avenging him upon the enemy with such brutality as had been visited upon the barbaroi. Even once the Metapontines stopped, and Rhegion stopped, Eretria continued, running down the enemy, trampling them beneath their hooves, spears and goring soldiers who tried to run. The terror was much noted afterwards, and Eretria was feared and hated in Krotone and Lokri.
On one hand, 2 to 1 casualty/captive ratio. On the other, good luck breaking these guys again now they know what happens if they lose.
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
Metapontion failed AFTER Antipater died. That said, I do think it's important to have a decent number of votes blaming the Metapontion generals, because I can't see what happened after that as anything other than a blatant attempt to have us disgraced and killed.
