The Claws of Destiny - A Makedonian AAR

[Arkeolog4]

CHAPTER II - THE GREEKS - DECEPTION

After a few months in Athenai, Antigonos had to leave because of his planned "Spartan Campaign". He had ressuplied his army, and was ready to continue his conquests and this time to unite the Peloponessos. The arrangements for a garrisonned allied state were still being made though. Of course a government couldn't set itself up, so he was going to call Krateros there to make the arrangements instead. But it all went wrong. Again.

He received news that Korinthos was under siege... Now he had to defeat a Spartan army in open terrain, and they were on the defensive. He thought it couldn't be worse.



But that was until a few days later. As he was finishing his preparations to relieve Korinthos, a messenger came and told him Pella itself was besieged by Alexandros Aikiades, Pyrrhos' son. Then he lost his temper. "You two now don't even have the guts to fight me on your own, now, do you! You're plotting against me secretly now!?" But he knew he wouldn't reach Pella in time, he had to trust Alkyoneus; so he had to help Korinthos.



What if his son could not protect Pella? What we would he do? He would die attempting and so Antigonos would lose his -only- son. Alkyoneus was his only heir and one of the few people that truly mattered to him in this world. But thoughts wouldn't help. All he could do now was go relieve Korinthos. Then he would take Sparta to unite the Peloponessos.

He arrived at near Korinthos a few months later. He deployed his troops and prepared for battle; he had hired a few Galatoi Mistophoroi this time. He wondered whether or not they would be able to make up to his expectations.



Krateros and his garrison were on the way, but it would take them a long time to reach the battlefield. That day the sunrays had drawn a reddish line around the battlefield, as if a sign of all the blood that was going to be spilled.



He knew a general shouldn't take unnecessary risks. But the knews of the siege of Pella had shaken him and today he was ready to put his hetairoi bodyguard to use if need be. No one managed to talk him out of it. He was pushed out of his thoughts when he heard the voice of one of his hetairoi:
-Basileus, if I may?
-Of course, Philippos, what are the news?
-Basileus, our scouts report that the Spartans are gettting close and they've hired Mistophoroi Phalangitai to help them.
-Those phalangitai can be a problem. But I seriously doubt that the Spartans know how to use a Sarissa Phalangitai properly.
-Oh, and Krateros and his garrison are on their way , but as you suspected, they probably won't make it here in time.
-Thank you Philippos.(He turned to his troops) Phalangitai, get in formation! Let's show them what we Makedonians are made of!

Mercenary Phalanx

After 10 minutes he was in the heat of the battle. The left flank was holding and the phalangitai were doing their job; but the Galatoi were surrounded by hoplitai and they were getting slaughtered. There was nothing he could do but wait. Only when the Lonchoporoi Hippeis managed to send off the screening skirmishers he managed to surround and slaughter their mercenary phalanx. Now one of his phalagitai was freed up and he sent it to support the Galatoi. But they were flanked on their way.



As expected, they had to leave their formation and fight them with their swords. But now no one could help them. No one of course. Except for his hetairoi. Now he had to help his phalangitai, else he knew the battle would be lost. So he didn't hesitate, he rode his horse behind the flanking hoplitai and shouted "HETAIROI, CHAAAAARGE!"



His bodyguard totally crushed the hoplitai and routed them. Now his phalangitai were back on their way.



The Galatoi mercenaries were taking a beating and unfortunately they routed before the phalangitai could reach them. The Hippeis were busy keeping skirmishers away, and the Akontistai only had so many javelins. So he had to help again. He was starting to like this anyway. After routing the hoplitai on the left flank thanks to a charge and a bit of "encouragement" with kopises, he decided to take care of the Spartiatai hoplitai that were tied by his phalangitai. "HETAIROI, LET'S CRUSH THOSE SPARTIATAAIIIIIII!" he shouted. He was amused to see the Spartiatai routing with more than half of their men left. "What hapenned to Termopylae, you cowards! You don't even deserve your name!"
The Spartiates General was among the hoplitai, and he was killed while fleeing, just like his Athenaios "friend". After that all the rest of the Spartiates army routed.

"Keep fleeing you cowards!", a triumphant Antigonos

About five minutes later Krateros arrived with reinforcements. He was surprised to see all of the Spartiatai routing and his brothers' army in formation.




And that's when the people started to really respect him.

After sending Krateros to deal with the government issues in Athenai, he quickly took his army to the gates of Sparta and besieged it.



Meanwhile, up north, Alexandros Aikiades had decided to assault Pella. Alkyoneus knew he was hugely outnumbered, but he knew he had to prove himself. His father was old and he alone couldn't complete Alexandros' conquests. He had more time and if he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, he had to stay alive, and that meant winning, no matter what! He put his phalangitai in front of the western gate and of the weakest western wall. He sent his Sphendonetai to the northern gate to flank them after they were under the gate. He was encouraging his men when he heard they were coming. "They're coming! The Epeirotes are coming!" shouted the phalangitai captain.



The gate and the wall were soon destroyed and hundreds of Illyrioi flowed only to be stopped by the sharp pikes, many couldn't cross and died trying. About two minutes later the Sphendonetai arrived to provide support.



He knew the support was valuable, but he feared routing infantry would stop to kill them, so as soon as they fled, he sent his phalangitai running outside and form a phalanx outside the gate to prevent the Epeirotai under the gate from running.



He rode his horse to kill the running infantry along with his hetairoi.



That's when Alexandros Aikiades and his Molosson Agema decided to stop Alkyoneus.



It was a glorious moment when the two generals clashed, but in the end the Sphendonetai proved to be fatal for Alexandros' bodyguards. It was awful, you could hear the sounds of breaking bones and screaming horses. They were all slaughtered, along with Alexandros.
After that, the Epeirotai on the gates decided to run like hell. But they were horrified when they saw another phalangitai waiting for them outside.



After the battle, Alkyoneus called all his men in front of the gates and thanked them, starting with the Sphendonetai. It was a victory worthy of a heir of Megas Alexandros.



After 2 months without news from Alkyoneus, Antigonos thought he was dead and decided to avenge him by assaulting Sparta, he was angry, yes he was, but he knew he couldn't let revenge get in the way of his commanding abilities. But he knew all of those Spartan cowards wanted to die like their ancestor Leonidas died in the Battle of Termopylae. He was disgusted at the routing Spartans at the battle near Korinthos. "How can a people abandon centuries of history of courage like that? They're really not worth their name anymore..." he thought. He called Philippos, his hetairos."Philippos, I want everyone to make preparations for an assault. We're taking Sparta tomorrow!" Next morning he made a speech to his troops:

" Today we face the Spartiatai, my dear companions. I know they have a reputation for being brave and being superb warriors. But you saw how they fled the battlefield like girls near Korinthos! I think they don't deserve the name Spartiates anymore! From now on I will call them cowards, not Spartiatai! They all dream of a heroic end like their ancestors at Termopylae! I say why not give them what they want! We take Sparte today. Give everything you have, for even cowards can be brave out of desperation! Now, take your positions, we're going in! "

Sparte today...

His troops assaulted two segments of wall and the northern gate at the same time. He needed to keep the Spartiatai busy with his haploi while his phalangitai were getting into formation. After a few complications because of the narrowness of the street and heavy losses to the hoplitai, the phalangitai were in formation.



He immediately withdrew his hoplitai and marched his phalangitai. He tied the hordes of Spartiatai up and flanked them with hoplitai haploi and akontistai.



Unfortunately the akontistai weren't up to task and were quickly slaughtered by the Spartiatai, now all he could do was use his hetairoi, he took position behind the Spartiatai by using the broken wall and managed to charge them, as expected those Spartiatai cowards went running for the town square.



After that he changed the places of the two phalangitai squads since the ones who fought were exhausted.



The fighting continued in a courtyard near the town square with Antigonos and his hetairoi slaughtering them one by one.



After an hour of fighting in the courtyard, Antigonos took the fight to the town square, there weren't many Spartiatai left, so he took care of them personally.



After taking the town square he shouted that this would teach them to plot against him. After securing the city he learned from his favourite hetairos -Philippos of course- that all of the patrolling Hippeis had been slaughtered by roving Spartiatai peasants. He was saddened, his son first and his hippeis next. The assault of Sparta had satisfied his lust for blood after the death of his son. It was a long, bloody fight but it was a victory, and the Chremonidean threat was no more. The Rhodioi were left but alone they wouldn't be able to do much.



He made arrangements for a garrisoned allied state after installing a temporary military government. He was shocked when he learned that there was almost no economic infrastructure in Lakonike. He immediately ordered the building of the most basic economic infrastructure and dedicated a small temple to Hermes.



After a month in Sparta, he received news that his son had slaughtered the Epeirotai and killed Alexandros in a heroic defense. He was so surprised that he almost fainted but managed to arrange for a feast in that evening nonetheless. Everyone ate happily and they all raised their cups to the future of the Antigonid Basileon, or dare I say, future Arche?

Now it's your turn, Pyrrhos, Antigonos thought, just be stay there, I'm coming for you!