"What news?" Dom asked, seeing the Centurion squeeze through the lines of Warriors behind Dom towards him. Sun Ce was shouting orders and holding the line as the enemy Players began to flee.
"General Gan Ning has caused enough of a distraction that Xanthippus has broken through the gate. The Persians at the West Gate are in chaos and are retreating from that side. One of their Generals has fallen and the Athenian's are making ground quickly. The General's messenger said that he's now heading to the east to help Centurion Meng Ai!" Centurion Octavian explained, the words flowing from his mouth quickly as he recounted the message. Sun Ce continued trying to keep the formation in place and not chase after the fleeing player forces, both the Athenian, Spartan and Players within the formation trying to push forwards.
"We can't let GeneralSlaughter get away!" Giant Wrangler complained as the Athenian and Spartans wanted to push forwards and chase, as was custom in a battle during this era.
"They can't go anywhere, once we have taken the East Gate, there is no escape!" Dom replied, understanding GiantWrangler's perspective but remembering that regardless, they will still amongst the flames in the enemy camp and still outnumbered. Running through an enemy camp without any support was a risk that he wasn't willing to take.
"Then we head to the East Gate?" GiantWrangler asked as Sun Ce began shouting orders to pull back down the path they had taken. Reversing wasn't the easiest and instead Sun Ce instead had the rear guard turn and become the vanguard whilst his own unit became the new rear guard.
"We head back first, if we head directly to the East Gate now and the Persians on the West retreat from Xanthippus, then we will be caught between enemies on both sides. They will be enemies that will want to kill as many of us as possible. Both to relieve anger and thin our numbers." Sun Ce shouted back, the intelligent General replacing his former rash self. Pericles nodded in response, seeming to understand the logic, whilst Archidamus seemed to understand but want to chase regardless.
"You'll still get your chance." Dom agreed with Sun Ce as they began moving backwards, with Centurion Octavian sliding his way back out to reunite with his own unit.
...
"We will rest here for ten days before heading towards Thebes. They need to pay for the betrayal to the rest of us." Pausanias stated, the other Senior Commanders sat around and listening. Ling Tong wasn't surprised to see that DragonKnight and another Player had been invited to the meeting, having performed well in the battle.
"What of the Persian's?" Aristides the aging Athenian General asked. He seemed to hold a lot of respect from the other city state representatives and was the constant counter to Pausanias.
"We need word sent to the fleet, the last message came this morning that the enemy fleet had been destroyed and they were moving to engage with the remnants and Mount Mycale." Pausanias announced, seeing the smiles and relief on a lot of the other Commanders faces, knowing that the Persians had been cleared from the Greek lands finally.
"I'll write to Xanthippus and have him take the fleet north and cut them off at their crossing after they have finished. A ship should arrive with him by tomorrow." Aristides replied in agreement, whilst Ling Tong and Andrew listened on eagerly at the news of the naval victory. Hearing that the land battle was currently taking place made them both look at each other and nod, agreeing that they would go ahead with their plan today regardless.
"Leotychides can calm the islands and the general populace." Pausanias agreed, a rare moment between the two of them, but they had a lot to celebrate.
"I will praise our new Commanders for their ambush on the retreating forces, whilst we may not have captured their leaders, we have thinned their numbers enough that they will be running scared rather than causing havoc themselves." Aristides commented, looking towards DragonKnight, another Player and Andrew who had led that assault. He then turned to Ling Tong and smiled, "As well as the young General who allowed us entry to the enemy camp."
Ling Tong smiled in response, whilst the two commanders then began to praise different people from across the forces. Some of the smaller City States looked proud to be called out, whilst some of the states that hadn't arrived in time such as Mantineans and Eleans were insulted for their lack of support. The Players were also given praises and Ling Tong wondered what they would do with that praise.
Before the meeting the two Leaders had led sacrifices at the agora to Zeus and other gods, whilst making sure that all captured Greeks had been freed, fed and clothed. The population of Plataea was in celebration with flowers, wine and other rewards being spread among those that had entered the City in Victory.
The Commanders themselves had also had to arrange to the funeral service of the many Warriors that had died from the different City States that had been involved in the battle. A large burial was also being set up for the defeated enemies, some had pushed for the dead commanders that had been found to be treated badly, but Pausanias was against it and said that they should be buried with honour, unlike how the Persians had treated Leonidas's body.
"Then tonight we will feast and then have the men rest and recuperate before we head north to Thebes in ten days." Pausanias commanded, with everyone nodding in response as they began to depart the meeting, knowing that their following days would follow a similar pattern.
Ling Tong and Andrew stayed behind, as did Pausanias and some of the other Spartan Commanders. This hadn't been prearranged, but the two of them didn't complain as it fell in to their plans. DragonKnight had left them with a smile, an understanding that the Battle would soon come to an end and that they may not see each other for a long period of time and next time it may be on different sides of the battle.
"He doesn't have much luck DragonKnight, but it was great to meet him." Andrew had said to Ling Tong the night before, explaining that DragonKnight was quite successful. Ling Tong hadn't understood a lot of what Andrew was talking about, but understood that where ever he was originally from, DragonKnight was well known.
"Do you need us for anything?" Nicomedes, the brother of Pausanias asked, the Spartan Commanders around him looking at Andrew and Ling Tong with some warmth as they had appreciated their involvement in the battle so far, but also some guarding as they weren't Spartan.
"We wanted to speak with General Pausanias about some other opportunities whilst we are resting for the next ten days." Andrew replied politely, a slight look of disdain on Nicomedes face in response.
"The General has other priorities." Nicomedes began responding, before Pausanias put his hand up to stop him.
"I will go with the young General after we have finished talking brother." Pausanias replied, nodding towards Andrew and Ling Tong to leave the meeting and he would join them soon.
....
"Leotychides is through!" Centurion Meng Ai shouted as he met them, Dom's forces now being a slightly smaller third wall in an encirclement within the Persian Camp, with the mountain as their fourth wall. Xanthippus was now through on the west, his forces cutting down the Persian's who were now fiercely fighting against Leotychides to try and escape from the camp.
Leotychides had broken through, but his numbers were higher than originally, with a large number of Ionian's having arrived and joining him. Dom watched as the enemy were cut down, the Players amongst their ranks unable to do anything to support.
"Do you still want to get to GeneralSlaughter?" Dom asked GiantWrangler who was stood beside him, they were on a slightly raised section of the camp with Pericles and Archidamus. The rest of their forces under Sun Ce and Gan Ning had created an impenetrable wall and were helping direct the flow of the battle.
"I do, but it looks like their current position is worse than anything I could have imagined." GiantWrangler replied as he looked at the faces of the Players that were experiencing something that was new to them, they were just lucky they were players and not the Persian forces instead.
"It feels like a waste of life, whilst I understand the need to destroy their forces so they don't invade us again, it's not a battle at this point." Archidamus commented, a surprising tone from the young Spartan.
"Tactically it is the correct choice." Pericles responded in an understanding tone, "I think your grandfather will give them a retreat point soon though."
"Why would he do that?" GiantWrangler asked, looking at the two young Greeks, well aware of their places in history.
"If the Persians are defeated fully, then what comes next?" Pericles responded in a serious tone. "The Spartans are a nation that governs by military might. Our City States have fought amongst each other for centuries, only aligning to destroy our invader. If the Invader is fully gone, then it will not be long until the Cities of Greece are fighting amongst themselves again."
"So why would he let them flee?" GiantWrangler asked, looking at the two of them, as Dom listened on in interest.
"Because if we all fight now, our forces are weakened and tired from a decade of fighting the Persians. We need time to recover, regrow, and let the new Generation come through." Archidamus agreed, "If some Persians escape, then they are still an enemy that needs clearing and monitoring for the time being."
"He won't just let them pass, that would be a loss to his prestige and would cause accusations to flow that he is a traitor." Dom replied, knowing that Leotychides and Pausanias would both receive similar accusations in the future, even if only one of them deserved it.
"He now has Ionian's on his side, I am sure a way will come through those lines." Pericles commented, whilst GiantWrangler looked to Dom with a tinge of excitement.
"Can I borrow some of your Wu Dang Archers?" He asked, looking at Meng Ai and some of his unit. Dom looked at him with a raised eyebrow before he continued, "We can sneak out now and go behind our own lines, we can let the Persian's flee, but if GeneralSlaughter escapes, this is our opportunity!"
"Centurion Meng Ai, it is up to you?" Dom replied, asking his Centurion if he wanted to, their lives were safe regardless and the battle was pretty much won. The fires continued in the centre of the camp and the Greek forces would need to leave it themselves soon.
"I am happy to do that." Meng Ai replied as GiantWrangler grinned and grabbed him by the arm before running off, his unit following him with wry smiles on their faces.
"My father is in trouble." Pericles commented suddenly as Dom looked as some Persians attempted to break out in his direction, the wall of shields from Dom's forces or the press of Persian bodies on the other side of them stopping them from any other route to escape. A large number of Persians seemed to gather and target the position that Xanthippus was at. Xanthippus clearly had the situation under control, but it could turn dangerous quickly.
"Have Sun Ce push and support Xanthippus!" Dom ordered one of his men, who quickly had the message passed on to the General to redirect some of his elites. Dom then turned to Pericles and nodded, "We'll make sure he survives the battle."
"I appreciate it!" Pericles responded seriously, having wanted to get involved in the fight but was enjoying watching how it evolved in front of him.
"The Ionian's are breaking." Archidamus laughed, pointing towards the Eastern Gate that Leotychides had taken, the support forces had split as expected and some of the Persian's now began to push through.
"Your Grandfather is a scary man." Pericles commented, having guessed this would happen, but was still impressed that the Spartan General was looking so far ahead, much further than his own father was looking.