H25

The Battle of Allante began with a cavalry skirmish, Bolgios' Treverii horsemen, backed by my Companion cavalry against a mixed force of Thessalian cavalry and Macedonian Companions. The Treverii attacked the Thessalians, both flinging javelins at one another, while the Companions charged each other. The Treverii cavalry quickly got the upper hand on the Thessalians, the stirrups and steel equipment proving to be the deciding factor there, as Treverii javelins not only pierced through the linothorax of the Thessalians with ease thanks to their steel heads, but the stirrups allowed them to wheel about and throw three volleys to the Thessalian's one before charging. The Companion fight was likewise won by my men, though it was far more of a slog. As the peltast groups of both armies got within range to throw their javelins, my cavalry began to drive off Demetrios'.

My attention was pulled back to the front lines as the peltasts of each side flung javelins at one another. My own peltasts had steel shields and linothorax, while Demetrios' peltasts made do with wood and linen. It was an odd irony that steel was lighter in terms of weight than an equivalent iron or bronze-reinforced linothorax with better protection to boot. It allowed me to armor even my peltasts enough that they could survive such volleys far better than their opposite numbers. Three of Demetrios' peltasts went down for every one of my own in the initial exchange, a consequence of the differences in drill and armament. Two volleys of javelins were exchanged before Bolgios and his Treverii horsemen charged the enemy peltasts, putting them to flight.

Demetrios' peltasts fled back across the field, right into the advancing phalangites of Demetrios' forces. Those with more than a bare minimum of training withdrew in a more orderly fashion and aimed for the gaps between the phalanx squares the phalangites opened up for them. They were in the minority of the surviving peltasts, however, and two-and-a-half-thousand of the surviving peltasts ran smack into Demetrios' left flank, completely disordering the left nine-most syntagmata as the pike blocks had to slow their movement and negotiate the mass of fleeing men. 

In the time it took them to do that, the Macedonian center and right had kept moving forward, with Demetrios' Hypaspists making contact with my left flank and the phalangites in the center making contact with my center at the same time. From my position in the rear with the reserves, I could spot the gap that had formed between Demetrios' left flank and the rest of his army and was determined to exploit it. I drew my falcata from atop my horse and pointed to the gap before gesturing to my bodyguard horsemen, a formation of some three hundred of the best cavalry I had.

"With me! We strike them there and we'll shatter their knees!" I called out, spurring my mount forward. My bodyguard followed and was soon joined by seven hundred other cavalry of mine, four hundred companions that had returned from the rear to pick up new lances, and three hundred Treverii who had decided against chasing the routing enemy cavalry and peltasts, led by Bolgios himself. Together, our mixed formation of one thousand cavalry bore down on the exposed flank of Demetrios' engaged center and right flank.

As we crashed into his right flank, I found myself once more sinking into the mindset where I could tap Pyrrhus' experience and muscle memory to help me fight. Not a moment too soon either, for my mount bowled over a pair of iron-clad phalangites, stomping and trampling them, and I was forced to defend myself from an attack from a dory armed phalangite in the middle ranks. I parried on my shield and chopped down with my falcata, the steel blade shearing through the weaker bronze of the man's Phrygian helmet and cleaving into the top of his skull before a combination of the force of my charge and my own muscles wrenched it free in a spatter of brains. My bodyguards plunged into the midst of the leftmost syntagmata moments later, lances penetrating through linothorax, splintering even as they drew falcata and charged in. My own mount kept going as I had to defend against blades and spearheads from two sides, parrying a dory with my falcata and a xiphos thrust with my shield, laying into the spear-wielder with a Falcata blow that caught him between his chain hauberk and Boeotian Helmet and slicing a chunk out of the side of his neck. Arterial blood sprayed across my upper calf and thigh as I passed by, my mount kicking out and staving in the chest of the swordsman, bronze breastplate and all.

All along the flank, cavalry poured into the gap, my Bodyguards, Companion cavalry, and Treveri laying about with fury. The leftmost syntagmata just disintegrated under our attack, two hundred-fifty-six phalangites slain in mere moments before we carried on down the line, attempting to capitalize before our charge lost its momentum and the shock wore off. A second, third, and fourth syntagma also disintegrated, though the fourth lost cohesion because they fled more than were killed. The fifth and sixth held their ground for a few moments, bogging us down a little more before they too were swept away. The seventh held firm for longer before dissolving. It was the eighth syntagmata that finally put paid to our momentum, stabilizing the line. By now, however, we had forced some two-thousand-forty-eight men to die, flee, or be wounded. As we broke off our attack to head back to the rear, my own phalangites and thorakitai that had been holding the center and left filled in the gap, wrapping around the right wing of Demetrios' army and encircling them.

As I returned to the reserves I looked out across the field toward Demetrios' tarrying left and saw them retreating. It was probably the smart move, but in doing so, they abandoned Demetrios himself, who was commanding the Hypaspists of the right flank of his army. Now it was only a matter of time before this army was defeated and this battle was won. As it happened, Demetrios' banner fell not two hours later. Shortly afterward, a flag of parlay was raised. I came forth through the lines, my men parting to make way for me, Demetrios' doing the same for their man. The old man I met with doffed his helmet, revealing a face lined with age and a beard starting to go gray. Pyrrhus' memories supplied a name, Telesphorus, an older cousin of Demetrios.

"Hail, Pyrrhus King. I ask you on what terms you will allow the remnants of our army to surrender?" Asked Telesphorus.

"Where is Demetrios? Should not he be asking that?" I asked.

"My cousin bled his last not ten minutes ago from a wound taken by one of your sarrissa piercing his pteuruges and into his thigh. It seems that Philotas decided that rushing to our aid was too costly a venture, damn him to the pits of Tartarus. With my cousin dead, much of the army dead wounded, or routed, and Philotas proving treacherous once more, we must yield. I ask again on what terms you will allow us to surrender?" Responded Telesphorus.

"If you allow any of your men who may wish to do so to join me in restoring my cousin Alexander V to his rightful place on the throne of Macedon, I would gladly have them. Otherwise, I simply ask they swear a sacred oath on the River Styx to return to their homes, and pledge to bear no arms, carry no shields, and wear no armor until this war is done. I require no ransoms or hostages, simply your word with an oath to the gods as surety." I announced.

In the end, only one-thousand-two hundred phalangites chose to join me in restoring Alexander V to power in Pella. The remaining one-thousand-one hundred phalangites and two-thousand hypaspists chose to sit out the rest of the war, swearing oaths on the River Styx to do so in the sight of an altar constructed by the priests of Zeus of the Temple in Allante. The oath-swearing, funerary rights, and counting of those dead wounded or fled took another two weeks. By the end of it, we had lost some two hundred cavalry of all kinds, seven-hundred-fifty peltasts, two hundred phalangites, three hundred thorakitai, and one hundred hypaspits killed or wounded. A total of one thousand-five-hundred-fifty troops in total casualties. The enemy suffered disproportionately, one thousand cavalry dead or wounded, with two thousand fled, two-thousand-two-hundred-fifty peltasts dead or wounded, two-thousand-seven-hundred-fifty fled, three-thousand-two hundred phalangites dead or wounded, two-thousand-five-hundred fled, with one-thousand-two-hundred defected, and one-thousand-one-hundred surrendered but not defected, and two-thousand hypaspists dead or wounded, with two-thousand surrendered but not defected. 

The total number of casualties for them was eight-thousand-four-hundred-fifty killed or wounded, seven-thousand-two-hundred-fifty fled, one-thousand-two-hundred defected, and three-thousand-one-hundred surrendered but not defected. Over six-and-a-half times as many casualties as our own forces, just from killed and wounded. It was an absolute massacre, but a massacre in our favor, which is something I'd take any day. 

Once everything was counted and arranged, we moved north and east to take the Surrender of Sindos by mid-may and reaching Pella by the beginning of June. I had expected to find a city under siege. What I found instead was a city that was blessedly free of any presence from Demetrios' forces. The gates were opened to me and I entered the city with my bodyguard while my army set up camp outside the walls. I was greeted by a group of Phalandites wearing the uniform of the Royal Guard of Macedonia who escorted me and only two of my bodyguards to the palace. When I entered the throne room, it was not, as I had feared, Antigonos Gonatos seated on the throne, but my young cousin, Alexander V.

"Cousin! You made it!" Exclaimed Alexander with all the youthful enthusiasm of a fourteen-year-old.

"I did. May I ask what happened? I had thought to find a city under siege." I asked.

"You happened, Cousin! About two weeks ago, the remnants of Demetrios' Army managed to sort themself out from their cowardice and returned to Antigonos' Siege Force, for about a week, the siege army began hemorrhaging troops to desertion, mostly from people levied in areas your forces liberated and from Thessaly, but also a steady drip of defectors. About five thousand troops defected or deserted over the course of the week. Then at the start of this week, Antigonos struck camp and headed east. Just left us here unguarded." Answered Alexander.

"Just like that?" I questioned.

"Indeed, it was as if the Gods themselves demanded they flee for their lives." Grinned Alexander.

"That still leaves Antigonos with over twenty-two thousand men, Cousin. That is a significant force, even if we could crush them now. Dare I ask where he went?" I pressed.

"I sent your man Menon and those reinforcements he brought to shadow him. His last missive said he had tracked Antigonos' army east to the border with Lysimachus' territory. It appears he's left Macedonia in exchange for a shot at wresting Thrace out of the clutches of its absent King. Either way, he will not trouble us for a long time. Menon and your men should return within the week, then you can return home, with my gratitude, and this." Grinned Alexander, as he gestured for a slave to bring forth a piece of parchment.

I took the parchment and studied it. It had Alexander's Royal Seal affixed to it and was a copy of our arrangement regarding Thessaly, with a signed statement granting the Provinces of Thessaly to Epirus attached as promised for aid rendered. I should have felt elated, it was everything I had wanted out of this endeavor, and I could further grant the Aitolean League their agreed on claims. There was still the niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I hadn't heard the last of Antigonos Gonatos despite his withdrawal from Macedon. My gut told me that he would be back to cause trouble eventually. I told my cousin so, but he simply waved it off.

"If he returns, we'll simply beat him again! How can we lose with you on our side, cousin?" He shrugged.

We feasted that night and for two nights afterward as we waited for Menon to return with the men he had taken with him on the fleet. During that time, I attempted to talk some sense into my cousin. I urged him to prepare for Antigonos' return, possibly with forces from Thrace to add to his own, but he only agreed to drill his army and purchase them new equipment from my forges. No plans on how often they would drill or even on how he would reconstitute lost manpower. By the time Menon returned, I was convinced I would be right back here again years down the road if nothing changed with my cousin. He refused to listen, to me. Instead insisting on feasting us one last time before we left. When we began our march back south to Thessaly and then home to Epirus, I was fully convinced that my cousin would need to be checked up on periodically if I didn't want him to lose his throne when Antigonos came back for round two. 

Apparently, being a puppet in your formative years was not good for one's ability to properly govern. For now, though, I had the treaty to sign with the Aitolean League over Thessaly and then a trip back home to Ambracia to look forward to. I had been away from home for nine months, after all, and it would be at least a month and a half more before I could return.

That was far too long for a man to be parted from his family. . .

XXXX

AN: So here you have it, a crushing victory and the death of Demetrios means Antigonos heads east to try and steal Thrace from Lysimakos, Lysimakos himself would have been set free in exchange for ceding territory he captured from the Thracians in the north last year if things went as per IOTL. With his rivals dealing with troublesome heirs, an Epirote invasion, and both a revolt and an attack by the Mauryans respectively, Lysimakos attempted to hold out for better terms ITTL, thinking he had time to negotiate.

Antigonos' Invasion of Thrace is going to cause both him and his captors to reconsider, however. How that plays out, you'll just have to wait and see.

The defeat of Demetrios actually had several factors involved, most notably the greenness of a lot of his troops. Many of them were fresh levies, including both the majority of his peltasts and some of his phalangites. When green troops rout, they can disrupt formations if they rout back into said formations. The fact that they did rout, and into the formations containing the highest number of green phalangites caused those formations to gum up.

Then Pyrrhus pounced on the opening that was created from that to really begin the massacre. A similar opening was seized in a similar way by Alexandros Megas during his first major battle. The cause was different, but the end result was much the same. Good tactics and good training multiplied by good gear equals utter destruction of the enemy force, simple as.

At any rate, I'll have a map up of the outcome of the war soon enough. Then the next chapter will be the Return to Ambracia and Pyrrhus being a husband and dad for a bit.

Stay tuned. . .