Diqin Designer

Chapter 531 Macedonian Phalanx

Hearing that they were about to be sent to the battlefield without any time to rest and recuperate, and were only given a full meal before the battle, the owner of the arrogant voice roared, "This is sending us to our deaths!"

The minister retorted bluntly, "You're all a bunch of damned bastards. If you don't want to, you can refuse."

After a moment of silence, the owner of the arrogant voice compromised again, agreeing that there was still a sliver of hope for survival, but refusing would mean certain death. However, he made one condition: "There must be wine and meat. Even if I'm going to die, I must eat and drink my fill before I die!"

This time, the minister did not refuse, saying only, "I will have someone prepare wine and meat for you," before turning and leaving.

Soon after, prison guards brought wine and meat, and after the serious offenders had eaten and drunk their fill, they were released from the prison.

Upon leaving the prison, the hardened criminals saw a fully armed army, clearly there to prevent them from escaping or launching an attack, and to escort them.

This made the serious criminals realize the gravity of the situation even more. The tyrant sent people to release them from prison and even promised them that they could live if they won a duel. The opponent arranged for them must be no ordinary person.

Nine times out of ten, they deliberately set these conditions because they thought the other side couldn't possibly win. But what exactly were the conditions they were given?
At Bactra Stadium, spectators watched as the stadium was cleared out, but the special performance that was supposed to take place had not yet started, leaving them wondering what kind of special performance it was that required so much preparation.

But seeing that neither Euthydemus I nor the Qin delegation had left, the audience patiently waited on.

After a long while, some audience members had already dozed off when they suddenly heard someone say, "They're here! They're here!" They quickly perked up and looked around. What was coming? Was the show about to start?

Soon, the spectators realized what "They're here!" meant. The east entrance of the stadium opened, and more than two hundred people wearing bracelets and anklets entered the stadium.

These people were thin, pale, with sunken eyes and noticeably hollow cheeks, clearly a result of long-term lack of food.

They were thin, but these people exuded a very intimidating aura; to put it simply, they were fierce and didn't look like easy targets.

Some audience members recognized certain serious offenders, causing a commotion. These were prisoners who had committed serious crimes. How could they have been released?

Did Basellus want these criminals to fight the Qin people in a real battle?

No, Baselus wanted to get revenge and wouldn't let the Qin people fight these serious criminals.

If the Qin people win, it will boost their prestige; if the criminals win and cause casualties among the Qin people, it will affect the relationship between the two countries.

The people of Qin have come from afar on a diplomatic mission, yet they are forced to fight and kill serious criminals. This is not only a lack of hospitality, but if the Qin people are injured or killed, it will also offend the Qin people.

Therefore, those who fight and kill the serious criminals must be their own people.

The convicts were even more confused. What was going on here? Why were there so many people in the stadium today? Were they all here to watch them fight?
The convicts saw Euthydemus I sitting in the audience: Oh, so it is the tyrant who has come. No wonder there are so many people here today. Who are those people sitting with the tyrant?

Strange clothes, strange hairstyles, and different appearances—the convicts were certain they had never seen these people before.

Perhaps the tyrant released them today because of these strange people.

After the convicts entered the stadium, the jailers who came with them removed their shackles and gave them weapons, one short sword for each person.

Looking at the short sword, is this the weapon they were given?

Having a short sword is better than being empty-handed, but they've already arrived. Where is their opponent?
Just then, the west entrance to the stadium opened, and an army of more than two hundred men entered the stadium.

Upon seeing this army of two hundred men, the criminals became solemn, and many of them couldn't help but curse Euthydemus I and the minister's family.

These bastards said they were given a chance to live, what the hell is this chance to live?
Now I finally understand why they were released: it's because they felt there was no way they could survive and win the duel.

This army was small in number, but fully armed, wearing helmets and armor, with some carrying spears and others carrying shields. It consisted of 256 men, a standard Macedonian phalanx company.

Indeed, in order to get revenge on the Qin people, Euthydemus I planned to give the Qin delegation a practical demonstration of the Macedonian phalanx.

This is the battle formation used by the great Alexander the Great to conquer various countries. Even a hundred years after Alexander's death, this battle formation is still powerful and has been used by the Hellenistic countries to subdue other nations.

Seeing this army in square formation appear, Wang Ling and the others finally understood what Euthydemus I wanted to do: he was showing off his strongest battle formation to them in order to save face.

In the minds of some people in later generations, the Macedonian phalanx seemed to consist only of infantry, and the only weapons they used were sarissa spears, round shields, and short swords, without bows and crossbows, making it seem that it could be easily broken.

However, in reality, the Macedonian phalanx was used in conjunction with cavalry and could also be equipped with crossbows.

The main task of the Macedonian phalanx on the battlefield was to become an unshakeable fortress or a stubborn nail, tying down the main force of the enemy and thus creating opportunities for their own cavalry.

This is an excellent tactic for multi-service joint operations.

After Alexander perfected the Macedonian phalanx, he used it to conquer many countries, demonstrating its merits in that era, which led many nations to learn and adopt it.

If we don't learn and adopt it, we will be defeated by others using the Macedonian phalanx.

The Macedonian phalanx disappeared when Rome was rising to power. The Romans found that the Macedonian phalanx was cumbersome and not easy to maneuver. If the cavalry covering the phalanx on the flanks were annihilated, as long as they rushed close to the Macedonian phalanx, the pikemen in the phalanx would basically be doomed.

Another major reason for their disappearance was the increased power of bows and arrows and the emergence of ranged weapons such as catapults, which turned the Macedonian phalanx, which was originally a battlefield fortress and a nail, into a sitting duck.

The enemy didn't need to engage the Macedonian phalanx in close combat; they could launch an attack from a distance. The Macedonian phalanx was also very cumbersome, so if the enemy didn't take the initiative to approach, they would almost always be on the defensive.

Furthermore, the Macedonian phalanx had a significant drawback: it required sufficient space to deploy. A phalanx with few people was not very effective, while a phalanx with many people required a lot of space.

Although the Macedonian phalanx had many shortcomings in hindsight, it was indeed the strongest infantry formation in the West at that time, and was used by most Western countries. Two hundred and fifty-six soldiers formed a Macedonian phalanx and charged towards the criminals. They marched in an orderly and unified manner, carrying round shields in one hand and long spears in the other, pressing close to the criminals.

There's no way to fight here. The stadium is big enough for the 256 soldiers to deploy their Macedonian phalanx, but there's not much space for the serious criminals to escape.

In other words, the soldiers could easily form a square formation, but the serious criminals could not escape, and the soldiers were also wearing helmets and armor.

The convicts glanced at the short sword and round shield they were holding, then cursed the damned Euthydemus I and the minister. These bastards never intended to let them live; they were released only to be killed by these soldiers.

But they had no other choice but to fight. The owner of that arrogant voice was the leader of this group of hardened criminals, who shouted, "Brothers, let's fight them!"

The other serious offenders, their ferocity aroused, decided that even if they were to die, they would take a few down with them.

Wang Ling, watching from the audience, shook his head. "Why are you charging towards that Macedonian phalanx? Aren't you just courting death?"

Charge into the stands and try to kill Euthydemus I! If you can break through, you might have a chance to survive.

Of course, it would be best not to break through, because they were with Euthydemus I and others.

Although they were not at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, the convicts had not eaten well for a long time and were very weak. They were also inferior in terms of weapons and equipment, and they were facing well-trained Bactrian elites.

When the two sides clashed, the convicts were like a swarm of moths flying into a solid, thorny wall. When they got close, they were met with spears thrust out by the soldiers in the square formation. As they were thrust out and pulled out, one of them was stabbed with a bloody hole.

This was not a fair duel, but a one-sided massacre. The soldiers in the Macedonian phalanx showed no mercy to the enemies they had stabbed to death, stepping over the corpses and continuing to advance on the remaining enemy.

The bloody killings continued, but the atmosphere in the stadium was unprecedentedly high. Seeing people being stabbed to death, the audience was not afraid at all, but became quite excited and enthusiastic, shouting loudly.

Some viewers even looked specifically at the seats of the Qin delegation: This is our unbreakable invincible formation, do you see it?

After the "performance" ended, none of the more than two hundred serious criminals who had been brought here survived. Large areas of the stadium ground were stained red with blood, and more than two hundred corpses lay on the ground.

None of the 256 soldiers who made up the Macedonian phalanx died; only a few were wounded. Even after the victory, the 256 soldiers maintained the Macedonian phalanx formation, standing amidst blood and corpses, truly displaying the demeanor of a powerful army.

Euthydemus I addressed the king seated to his right, saying, "This is the battle formation created by the great Alexander. What do you think, envoy?"

This is not a fair fight at all, and you still have the nerve to brag? If you really have the guts, you should provide equal weapons and choose a physically strong and equally well-trained opponent.

Wang Ling muttered a few complaints to himself, but he also knew that Euthydemus I was just trying to show them the Macedonian phalanx and had to win, and win beautifully. How could he possibly cause trouble for himself?
When Euthydemus I boasted to him, Wang Ling did not intend to refute it. The more these people firmly believed that their Macedonian phalanx was powerful and invincible, the better, so that it would be easier for Qin to defeat them in the future.

With the Macedonian phalanx facing the Qin's artillery, wouldn't they be nothing more than sitting ducks?

Wang Ling laughed and said, "Your country's battle formation is indeed extraordinary. On the battlefield, it is like a solid fortress. If the enemy attacks, it is difficult to take it down. But if they do not attack, the fortress will actively attack and kill them. It is truly difficult to deal with. With the cooperation of cavalry, you will surely be invincible on the battlefield!"

Upon hearing Wang Ling's praise, smiles appeared on the faces of Euthydemus I and the others. They had finally regained their lost ground from the Qin people, and now they would certainly not be underestimated by them.

As for the Macedonian phalanx, once the Qin people saw it, they would have learned it. If the Qin people didn't see it from them, wouldn't they have seen it from other countries?
They weren't the only countries that used the Macedonian phalanx.

Moreover, this is not a particularly profound or complex battle formation; the excellent generals among the Qin people could figure it out with just a little thought.

As for the possibility that the Qin people might come up with a way to break the square formation, Euthydemus I was even less concerned. What a joke! The square formation had been passed down for centuries and had never been broken. He did not believe that the Qin people could break it.

This is the invincible battle formation pioneered by the great Alexander the Great!
Since there is no way to break the phalanx, if the armies of two countries use the Macedonian phalanx on the battlefield, a situation often arises where neither phalanx can defeat the other, and the outcome needs to be determined from other aspects.

Euthydemus I laughed and said, "What the envoy said is exactly what makes the phalanx so powerful. Whether we intervene or not, it's a difficult situation. The only one that can rival the phalanx is another phalanx. After that, the two sides will compete to wear each other down and see who can't hold on any longer."

Upon hearing Euthydemus I's words, Wang Ling chuckled inwardly: "That's because you don't know how powerful the Great Qin is, and you don't know that Young Master Li Nian has already devised a way to defeat your formation."

However, Wang Ling was unaware that Li Nian had a solution because he came from the future and could copy the correct answer that had already been verified.

Euthydemus I then asked, "Envoy, does the Qin state possess such a phalanx?"

Wang Ling shook his head and smiled, "No, this is the first time I've ever seen your country's formation!"

There are similar cases, but Wang Ling did not want to inform Euthydemus I, and Qin would be equipped with new weapons such as cannons in the future, so many of the original tactics would have to be changed.

Upon hearing this, Euthydemus I was even more pleased and said with a smile, "Then the envoy should take a closer look."

Euthydemus I was in high spirits, having shaken off his earlier frustration at losing to the Qin in the arms contest. Although the Qin's armor was superior, there were areas where the Qin were inferior to them.

Wang Ling nodded and smiled, "Yes, you should look at it more!"

At this point, Euthydemus I, recalling that the Yuezhi people had been defeated by the Qin people, asked, "I have heard that your country once defeated the Yuezhi people. May I ask, envoy, how did your country defeat the Yuezhi people?"

He knew that the Qin people had defeated the Yuezhi people, but he did not know exactly how the Qin people had defeated the Yuezhi people.

Wang Ling laughed and said, "This is a long story, and the Qin Dynasty has defeated not only the Yuezhi, but also the Donghu."

“At that time, the Donghu envoys and the Yuezhi envoys came to Xianyang to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor. However, during their audience, they were disrespectful to His Majesty the Emperor. In our Great Qin, to insult His Majesty the Emperor is to insult Great Qin. Those who insult Great Qin, no matter how far away, shall be punished.”

"His Majesty the Emperor immediately ordered the Donghu and Yuezhi envoys to be expelled from the country, and ordered Generals Wang Ben and Meng Tian to lead troops to attack them. He also sent Commander Liu Ji as an envoy to Wusun. In one battle, the Donghu and Yuezhi were both defeated!"

(End of this chapter)