He briefly explained his plan, and Philius looked at him in astonishment.
"Will it work?!" Davos urged.
Philius thought carefully for a moment and said hesitantly, "...It should work, but it's not guaranteed to succeed."
"No plan can guarantee one hundred percent success, but without trying, there's no chance at all!" Davos decisively summoned the Hiillos guard and explained his plan to them in detail. Because of their trust in Davos, they agreed to this risky plan without hesitation.
Unexpectedly, Davos added one last sentence: "This time, I'm going with you!"
"No! Davos, you're the leader, you can't take the risk!" Philius immediately objected.
"It's only a hundred meters back and forth, a blink of an eye, and we'll be back. What danger is there!
Besides, I am still the 'Favored by the Gods,' with Hades' protection. If I die, wouldn't that just prove that this 'Favored by the Gods' is not reliable!" Davos said with a determined and carefree smile, then pointed to Hiillos and said, "You are my good brothers. Now, I join this raid as a member of the Hiillos squad!" This made Hiillos and the others swallow the words of dissuasion they wanted to say.
"Good, let us brothers live and die together!" Matonis shouted excitedly.
"Yes, let the others see the courage of the Thessalian warriors!" Olivos, who had been silent, also shouted excitedly at this moment.
At this time, a messenger rushed over: "Mithradates has circled around to the side of Timason and is shouting... Only three soldiers have surrendered to the Persians!" This is Clearchus's ability to command an army, even his death still affecting his soldiers.
"Mithradates is coming soon! There's no time to delay! Philius, you hold the fort here for me!" Davos said anxiously.
"Alright," Philius agreed helplessly.
"Asistetes, you immediately go and notify each squadron leader to be ready at that time..."
"Understood!" Asistetes said excitedly.
"Hiillos squad, follow me to the front!"
"Roar!!!..." The crowd roared in unison, attracting curious glances from the other soldiers.
......................
"Report, Inspector, Mithradates has circled around to Davos's troops!"
After listening to Tolmides' report, Chrysophus couldn't help but look towards his side and rear.
Even the troops led by respected leaders like Cleanor and Timason have seen defections. Can this inexperienced young man stabilize his soldiers? Chrysophus's heart was filled with worry.
"Tolmides, you immediately go and find Timason and have him send Cretan archers to follow and attack Mithradates." He finally made a decision.
"Yes!" Tolmides immediately turned his horse and hurried back.
Young man, you must hold on!
......................
Davos and the Hiillos squad, who had changed into ordinary helmets, were now standing in the first row, the javelins behind them hidden below their shoulders, like the other soldiers, facing west, full of vigilance, nervously watching the rear of the formation.
Suddenly, someone squeezed in beside him. Before Davos could turn his head to see who it was, he heard Asistetes say, "Leader, I have already conveyed your orders to each squadron leader. I am your messenger, now please allow me to fight alongside you!" Asistetes requested solemnly.
Davos nodded.
"Leader, they're here!" Hiillos whispered a reminder.
The sound of hooves came from behind, gradually becoming clearer...
Soon, thirty light cavalry appeared in front of them. The leader wore shiny scale armor that covered his knees, that must be Mithradates.
Davos widened his eyes and gripped the bronze shield in his hand.
"Damn coward," Matonis cursed in a low voice.
"Greek warriors, I am Mithradates, Little Cyrus's good friend!" Mithradates reined in his horse about two hundred meters diagonally in front of Davos and stopped.
He shouted a sentence, and his cavalry repeated it in unison in Greek.
"Moreover, I am also Menon's good friend! I have always been friendly to you Greeks, especially you, Menon's soldiers, I have visited your camps many times! Please believe me, Clearchus was punished for violating the agreement, but you were not! The peace agreement is still valid for you! Come, come to our side! I swear by the god of my family—the war god Bahram! I have no malice towards you, we will safely send you back to Asia Minor! At the same time, Governor Tissaphernes is also preparing to hire you again, because Asia Minor has not yet been pacified, and he needs your help. For this, he has prepared generous rewards..."
"Honey-tongued Persian, don't think we'll be fooled!" Asistetes spat.
At this time, Davos said in a low voice, "Prepare—begin!"
The Hiillos squad immediately began to shout loudly: "Is it true that you can let us go home?"
"Really won't hurt us?"
"How much reward is Tissaphernes going to give to hire us?"
... ...
After a commotion, they shouted in unison: "We surrender! Surrender!..." As they said this, they threw down the shields and spears in their hands and ran towards Mithradates.
"We surrender too!" Another heavy infantry squad near the Hiillos squad also threw down their weapons and followed closely behind, soon merging with the Hiillos squad.
"General, look! This time, quite a few people have surrendered!" A cavalryman said happily to Mithradates.
"That's for sure! Who told Menon to have the best relationship with Ariaeus! I think we can continue shouting here!" Mithradates said triumphantly. Just as he started shouting, such a great result was produced, which greatly increased his confidence.
While running, Davos kept a close eye on the movements of the opposite Mithradates cavalry. At this time, two Persian cavalrymen ran towards him, making his heart tighten.
"Run to the right! Run to the right!..." They shouted in fluent Greek while gesturing, turning their horses' heads and leading the way, signaling them to follow.
"Ignore them! Speed up!" Davos shouted urgently in a low voice.
The Greek soldiers, ignoring the instructions, suddenly accelerated and ran in their direction, arousing Mithradates' suspicion.
At this moment, the cavalryman beside him shouted in panic: "Not good! They... they have javelins on their backs!"
The reason he could see clearly was because the distance to the Greek soldiers was now close to thirty meters.
"Prepare!!!" Hiillos shouted loudly. The squad members quickly drew the javelins from their backs and took a big step forward.
"Damn it!!" Mithradates hurriedly pulled the horse's reins to the side and clamped the horse's belly hard, trying to turn the horse's head and retreat.
However, it was too late. After Matonis and the others threw the javelins with all their might, they even fell down due to the powerful inertia.
In the Persian cavalry's screams, ten javelins flew towards Mithradates together. He didn't have time to dodge at all and was immediately hit by several spears. His horse was also pierced through the neck, wailing and falling down with him.
Just as the Persian cavalry was in a panic, the Hiillos squad, who had quickly climbed up, threw the second round of javelins, and two more cavalrymen rolled down.
...
Antonios, who was closely watching the front, shouted excitedly: "Success! They succeeded!!"
The soldiers cheered.
"Quickly go and meet Leader Davos!" Capus shouted calmly and urgently.
...
Just as the two squads were about to retreat, Mithradates, who had just fallen to the ground, suddenly moved, struggling to pull out his right leg that was being crushed by the horse. Obviously, his thick armor had protected his vitals.
Now, he was only twenty meters away, and the escaped Persian cavalry were watching not far away. The situation was urgent. Davos didn't have time to think: "Kill him!!" Davos was the first to rush up.
The soldiers followed him without hesitation. They picked up the javelins and spears on the ground.
Matonis threw a spear with all his might, shooting down another Persian cavalryman who wanted to come to the rescue, scaring the remaining cavalry away again.
Mithradates shook his head and raised his face, covered in dust. Looking up at Davos who was rushing over, he smiled miserably, revealing a mouth full of blood: "...You...can't escape..."
Davos didn't speak and directly plunged the tip of the spear into his neck.
"Run! Quick, run!!" Hiilos grabbed him and ran back. With him taking the lead, the soldiers immediately retreated.
The Persian cavalry, holding their riding bows, approached again. Several of them lifted Mithridates' body, while the rest chased after the Greek soldiers. This time, they had learned their lesson, splitting into two groups to outflank Devers and the others on both sides.
"Watch out for the arrows!" Hiilos shouted, waving his hand to signal the soldiers to scatter.
In the center of the formation, the inexperienced Devers hesitated for a moment and was tackled from behind, followed by a painful groan.
"Olyphus!" Devers recognized him from his face, twisted in pain, but there was no time for him to think. Matonis and Georgelis quickly grabbed both of them, running forward in a curve.
"Swish! Swish!…" More than a dozen arrows flew again, followed by two screams of agony.
At this moment, the responding troops had arrived. The light infantry squadron running in front threw javelins at the Persian cavalry, then, holding their leather shields, continued to charge forward. The heavy infantry who followed raised their shields, forming a shield wall to block the incoming arrows.
With only twenty-odd men, the Persian cavalry dared not engage in a prolonged battle, and quickly fled with Mithridates' body.
Only then did Devers have a chance to check on Olyphus's injuries.
Seeing Devers arrive, Olyphus shook off Georgelis's support.
"Chief… I… I—" Before he could finish, Devers gave him a strong hug: "Good brother, thank you!!"
Hearing this, the gloomy look that had been on Olyphus's face recently turned into a smile. He relaxed completely, then a wave of pain hit him: "Ouch!" he cried out.
Devers thought he had touched his wound and hurriedly let go.
"Hey, Olyphus, lucky for you the arrow hit your butt. If it had hit the front, who knows what kind of screams we would have heard!" Matonis mocked.
"Damn Matonis, you think you're so brave. You try taking an arrow next time!" Olyphus retorted, touching the arrow in his butt with one hand.
The noise returned to Hiilos's squad.
Besides Olyphus, one soldier was shot in the thigh, and another was shot in the back, but only suffered a flesh wound due to his thick breastplate.
"Georgelis, take Olyphus and the others to Herpus and ask him to treat them well!" Devers said, patting Olyphus on the shoulder: "Get well soon and come back to fight with us!"
"Yes, Chief!" Olyphus replied loudly.
"A very excellent raid! I didn't expect you to actually succeed. We were all worried about you just now!"
"Yeah, you killed Mithridates, which is also avenging Menon and the others to some extent. The entire mercenary army should thank you!"
"Before, Timason and the others said we were crazy to choose a leader randomly. Let's see what they say now?"
Felicius, along with the squadron leaders Antonius and Kapus, came over to congratulate Devers, and Amintas saluted him directly.
The clever Asistes led over the horse for Devers to mount.
The soldiers consciously made way, shouting victories and welcoming him back to the main camp…
… … … … … … … … …
"What did you say?! Devers killed Mithridates?!" After listening to the messenger's words, Timason looked incredulous: "This is a time of war. Spreading false information is punishable!"
… … … … … … … … …
"Devers killed Mithridates!" Xenophon exclaimed: "He came up with a bold plan and actually succeeded!"
"Great!" Hieronimus breathed a sigh of relief and said bitterly: "Let's see who else wants to run away this time! Now that Mithridates is dead, the Persians will definitely vent their anger on those deserters!"
… … … … … … … … …
Kelsosopus listened carefully to Tolmides's account.
Although he didn't like the young man very much, he had to admit that he had done a pretty good job this time, even saving the entire army. Because he knew very well that a mercenary army with lax discipline and loose management was not afraid of enemy attacks. The fiercer the enemy's attack, the more united the mercenaries would be. On the contrary, Mithridates' approach, over time, would erode the soldiers' morale and collapse the entire team.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said loudly to Tolmides: "Please tell Chief Devers, thank him for his efforts for the entire army! And remind him to be careful, the enemy's attack may be coming soon."
… … … … … … … … …
"What?! Mithridates is dead?!" Ariaios couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes, General, his body is outside the tent!" the guard said.
Ariaios hurriedly walked out of the tent, followed closely by a confidant sent by Artozus and Tissaphernes.
Mithridates's body had been simply processed, but it was still horrible to look at, with four or five wounds on his body, and a fist-sized blood hole in his neck that was still oozing blood.
Ariaios bent down and was about to examine it carefully, when Artozus couldn't help but roar at the Persian cavalry who had fled back: "Who did it?! Who did it?!"
"It was… Menon's soldiers, they…" The Persian cavalry stuttered as they described the whole process.
"A bunch of idiots! To be defeated by the subordinates of that useless Menon! You didn't protect Mithridates well, each of you will receive thirty lashes of military law, and then be punished to serve as servants in the baggage camp," Artozus roared angrily.
"General, spare us! General, spare us!!" The Persian cavalry kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Although Ariaios regretted these cavalrymen who were proficient in Greek, he had no intention of stopping Artozus. He instructed the guards to take these cavalrymen away, and then said: "Bring a few of the Greeks who escaped over, I want to inquire in detail."
"What's there to ask! Kill them all! Then lead the army to attack the Greek barbarians!" Artozus shouted impatiently.
"After Clearchus and the others were captured by us, the mercenaries must have elected a new leader. We must first understand who they are before we can take the next step," Ariaios patiently persuaded.
"You can ask if you want, I'm going to avenge Mithridates first!" Artozus stormed off.
Ariaios shrugged at Tissaphernes's confidant, feigning helplessness. In name, he was the commander of this army after Cyrus the Younger's death, but in reality, Mithridates and Artozus each controlled an army, and the two were also friends, secretly and openly opposing Ariaios, making Ariaios often constrained. Now that Mithridates was killed in battle, Ariaios was actually secretly happy. Compared to the slick Mithridates, the impulsive Artozus was much easier to deal with…
… … … … … … … … … …
Although Artozus was impulsive, he was not confused in battle. He knew that Persian infantry could not stand against Greek heavy infantry, so he only selected two hundred archer cavalry and two hundred archers, and hurriedly led them to chase after the direction of the Greek army's march.
Since Artozus's army was either light cavalry or archers, their mobility was very strong. By the afternoon, the large column of Greeks had entered his sight.
"Order the troops to spread out in a V-formation and quickly press on!" Artozus's eyes flashed with bloodthirsty coldness as he excitedly issued the order.
The Persian army faced the rearguard of Krianos. They had long anticipated the Persians' return and thought that the approaching enemy was not numerous, and that they were preparing to shout again as before, so although they were prepared, they did not take it too seriously.
But they saw the Persians quickly spread out and quickly approach, and in the blink of an eye, they were less than a hundred meters away.
Krianos felt uneasy and shouted: "Prepare for defense!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Persian arrows had already struck, most of them hitting the soldiers' round shields like raindrops. Since the Greek soldiers' formation was tight, and the light and heavy infantry were close together, some people were injured immediately, mainly the light infantry.
"Disperse the formation, heavy infantry charge up!" Krianos anxiously conveyed the order.
The arrows struck again, and someone screamed and fell again. At this time, the team was a little chaotic, especially the baggage camp behind him. The guards and servants hurriedly pulled the screaming cattle and horses to the north side, away from the rearguard, to avoid being affected.
Three heavy infantry squadrons, holding round shields, charged forward through the rain of arrows.
The Persians immediately retreated.
Heavy infantry could never catch lightly equipped archers, especially with faster cavalry present. Furthermore, a fully armored heavy infantry charge couldn't last long. When they stopped to rest, the Persian arrows would start raining down again.
The Greek heavy infantry hid their bodies behind their round shields, greatly reducing the chance of injury, but not eliminating it entirely. Firstly, their arms and legs were unprotected. Secondly, the thick breastplates were made of linen, which could prevent arrows from penetrating but couldn't prevent some flesh wounds.
Unable to get close to the enemy, the heavy infantry couldn't unleash their power and could only stand there and take the arrows. Clearchus didn't dare send in light infantry because javelins didn't have the range of arrows, and they didn't have the protection of the heavy infantry, which would only increase casualties.
At this time, Timasion sent two hundred Cretan archers, hurrying to reinforce them.
Clearchus, who had high expectations for them, was quickly disappointed: the Cretan archers, known for their archery in the Greek city-states, didn't have the range of the Persian archers, who dominated the Mediterranean with their archery for military purposes. Instead, in order to close the range, they left the protection of the heavy infantry, resulting in dozens of casualties…
… … … … … … … … … … …
At this time, the entire mercenary army stopped, and the leaders were trying to figure out a solution.
Davos, also anxious, listened to the reports from the messengers on the left flank. At this time, Tolmides rode over on horseback: "Leader Davos, Chirisophus wants you to send a unit to take a detour, avoid the enemy's scouts, and go around to attack them from behind."
Davos thought for a moment and understood Chirisophus's plan. He looked at Philistius beside him, who nodded in agreement.
"Assistates, go quickly and inform Capys to come over!" Davos ordered.
"Yes!"
Philistius originally thought that Davos would discuss with him who to send, but he didn't expect him to make a decision directly, and it was the most suitable choice. It seemed that his inquiries along the way were not just a formality; this young leader was truly a quick learner.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
When Capys led the heavy infantry squadron to set off, Hieronimus also sent out a heavy infantry squadron on the other side, both attempting to go around behind the Persians and then cooperate with Clearchus in front to encircle and annihilate them.
However, the experienced Artaxerxes was prepared. The two wings of the wedge formation were Persian horse archers, spread out very wide, and also used as scouts. They quickly discovered the anomaly and quickly retreated, foiling the mercenaries' attempt.
The steady Capys immediately withdrew when he saw the plan fail; while the leader on Hieronimus's side, Xenophon, who had actively sought battle, was unwilling to give up and continued to pursue. As a result, in the stop-and-go pursuit, he not only failed to injure a single Persian but also caused dozens of injuries. If Artaxerxes's army hadn't run out of arrows, the losses of Xenophon's squadron would have been more than just that. Therefore, after returning, he was reprimanded by Hieronimus.
Without Artaxerxes's entanglement, the Greek army accelerated its advance and finally reached the villages the guide had mentioned before sunset. Although most of the villagers had already fled, it still reinvigorated the exhausted soldiers. Davos had no intention of stopping the soldiers from looting; he only suggested that Melsis try to capture some Persian slaves, promising them freedom in exchange for their sincere help, and then rushed to the commander's tent.
Before entering the tent, he heard Clearchus's complaint: "These Persians are like flies, you can't hit them and you can't drive them away. We don't have enough cavalry to deal with them!"
Davos and Philistius walked into the tent, and everyone nodded to them, much more proactive than they had been yesterday. Obviously, Davos's performance had won everyone's approval, but they were too worried about Artaxerxes's attack to express their enthusiasm.
"If the Persians attack us tomorrow in the same way as today, what should we do?" Clearchus said worriedly.
He had suffered the heaviest losses today.
"What's even more worrying is that if we can't quickly find a way to defeat the Persians, then the Persians will definitely think that this method of attack is the most effective for us. They will not only continue to use this method, but next time it won't be hundreds of people, but thousands upon thousands of horse archers and archers! I think that will be our disaster!" Xenophon said heavily, having suffered greatly today.
The other leaders also looked solemn. In the previous great battle with the Persian king, they had easily won, and Tissaphernes's forbearance had further strengthened their belief in their own strength. But today, a small Persian army composed entirely of archers and horse archers had made their proud heavy infantry suffer greatly, and they suddenly realized the shortcomings of their own army.
"We must have something with the same range as the Persians, or even a longer range…" Chirisophus said slowly.
"Rhodian slingers!!" Xenophon suddenly shouted.
Davos's eyebrows jumped. He had heard Antonios say that the Rhodians in the Greek city-states were good at slinging, and the stones they threw could reach four or five hundred meters, with extremely high accuracy within a hundred meters. Therefore, the various city-states in the Mediterranean liked to hire Rhodian slingers as an important auxiliary force in their armies.
Davos was familiar with the name Rhodes not only because of the slingers but also because of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" that were widely circulated in his previous life—the Colossus of Rhodes, which was built on this island, but it seemed to have been built after Alexander the Great.
Davos thought to himself: In fact, the Greek city-states had many unique and elite arms in military terms, such as Cretan archers, Thessalian cavalry, Rhodian slingers, Spartan heavy infantry, Athenian navy… If Greece were unified and these arms were united, they would definitely be able to dominate the Mediterranean! Unfortunately, the freedom-loving Greeks have always been a mess. Athens, the last one to try to make this effort, has already been defeated, and the current Greek hegemon, Sparta, judging by its extremely closed and conservative political system, is impossible, regardless of the historical outcome…
While Davos was sighing in his heart, Timasion said regretfully: "Unfortunately, we don't have any Rhodian slingers!"
"But we have Rhodians!" Xenophon said excitedly: "Everyone, slinging is a skill that Rhodians have practiced since childhood. They make a living from it, just like Cretans make a living from archery! When we recruited mercenaries in Aeolia, many Rhodians joined, but because Cyrus the Younger was generous and prepared a lot of weapons and equipment, they abandoned their slings and picked up the round shields and spears that they would have to spend a lot of money to buy themselves. Now it's time for them to pick up their slings again!"
"Xenophon is right, we should immediately gather them together and form a slinger unit to fight against the Persian archers," Clearchus added.
Everyone agreed.
Chirisophus nodded and said: "Then let's do it right away. We have a lot of sheep, let's slaughter some of them and use the intestines to make slings."
"In addition, we also need cavalry, otherwise, we won't be able to catch up with the Persians when they retreat. I suggest that each camp gather the extra packhorses and select soldiers who are good at riding to form a cavalry unit," Zantippus interjected.
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
… …
In the face of crisis, the leaders united and quickly reached an agreement.
The entire army immediately took action. Soon, more than three hundred Rhodians who were skilled in slinging were organized, and more than fifty packhorses were also gathered. Most of the selected cavalry came from Davos's camp, because most of the soldiers in his camp were Thessalians.
When Xenophon recommended the Athenian Lysias as the captain of this cavalry squad, Davos expressed his disagreement. He believed that Lydes, a Thessalian from his own camp (recommended by Philistius), was more suitable.
Given that most of the cavalry were Thessalians, the leaders ultimately agreed.
The next day, the mercenary army did not continue marching but rested for a day, conducting intensive training for the newly formed slinger company and cavalry squad.
But the Persians weren't idle on this day either.
After Artagerses' successful harassment, he returned to the camp, triumphantly showing Ariaeus his achievements and proposing that Ariaeus put all the horse archers and archers under his command, so he could defeat the Greeks in one fell swoop.
Ariaeus first congratulated him, and then began to make excuses to fob Artagerses off.
After all, after Cyrus the Younger's army was defeated in the battle with the Persian king, only a little over seven thousand men remained after he gathered them together; if they did as Artagerses said, Ariaeus would only have three thousand men left under his command.
As the nominal commander of this army, how could he command the entire army if the troops under his command were fewer than those of his subordinates?
Moreover, a Persian army without archers would not be a Persian army.
Therefore, the cautious and stingy Ariaeus did not approve of this gambling tactic.
Artagerses was furious when he saw that Ariaeus did not agree.
He believed that Ariaeus was jealous of him and didn't want to see him succeed.
So, in a fit of anger, he ran directly to Tissaphernes' camp.
… … … … … … … … … …
"As long as I give you enough horse archers and archers, you can defeat the Greeks?!" Tissaphernes asked with some doubt.
"Governor, because of Cyrus the Younger, I have had many contacts with the Greek mercenaries and understand the situation of their army.
Most of their soldiers are heavy infantry, and they are clumsy in their movements.
As long as we don't engage them in close combat, they can't exert any strength at all, and they have very few archers, which are no match for us.
Therefore, I only took 400 cavalry and archers to attack them, and without losing a single soldier, I caused about 500 casualties to the Greeks (this is obviously an exaggeration).
If the arrows hadn't run out, the Greek casualties would have been even greater!"
Artagerses said respectfully, "Therefore, I want to increase the number of horse archers and archers, increase the long-range strikes against the Greeks, increase their casualties, and hope to defeat them as soon as possible, so as to solve these Greek barbarians for you and the Great King!"
Then he changed the subject, "But Ariaeus rejected my proposal, so I can only come to you, Governor!"
Tissaphernes did not directly answer, but said with a painful expression, "I am very sad and surprised by the death of Mithradates!"
"At the same time, his death may also give the Greeks, who have lost their leader, confidence!"
Tissaphernes' expression turned solemn, "I heard that the Spartan overseer Clearchus has become the new leader of this army, is that right?"
"Yes, Governor.
That's what the Greek soldiers who escaped said," Artagerses said.
"We must not let him successfully take over this Greek army and gain prestige!"
Tissaphernes said in a cold and firm tone, "We must constantly attack them, let them keep fleeing, cry for death, and wail for hunger!
Artagerses, since your method works, then continue to use this tactic to attack the Greeks!
I will give you two thousand archers and five hundred horse archers, and also Ariaeus—"
Tissaphernes turned to Sostratus, who was standing aside, and said, "I have to trouble you to go there first.
Since Ariaeus doesn't dare to fight the Greeks, then hand over the soldiers to someone who is capable of commanding them!
Otherwise, I don't mind discussing with him what he did during Cyrus the Younger's rebellion!"
Sostratus smiled indifferently, "Governor, don't be so angry.
I believe Ariaeus is a sensible person."
"He better be!" A trace of cold light flashed in Tissaphernes' eyes.
"Thank you for your trust, Governor, I will bring you news of victory!" Artagerses said excitedly.
"When you win, you will be my adjutant," Tissaphernes promised.
Watching Artagerses excitedly walk out of the tent with Sostratus, Orontas said with some worry, "Can this Artagerses really succeed?"
"Since he has already achieved a perfect victory once,
why can't there be a second time?
If we can get rid of the Greeks once and for all, I am willing to take a gamble!" Tissaphernes said firmly.
"I didn't expect the Spartan overseer to be in this mercenary army!
It seems that Cyrus the Younger's rebellion must also have received the support of the Spartans!" Orontas said with hatred.
As the son-in-law of King Artaxerxes, he was naturally wary of anyone who might be an accomplice of Cyrus the Younger.
"The Greeks hate us, and it has been so for decades.
I opposed funding Sparta to fight against Athens back then, but unfortunately His Majesty Darius was deceived by Cyrus the Younger, removed me from my position, and reused Cyrus the Younger to support Sparta!" Tissaphernes said resentfully, "What was the result!
Sparta supported Cyrus the Younger's rebellion in order to profit from it!
We should have let Sparta and Athens continue to fight, and we should not have helped Sparta win, which is in our Persian interests!"
"You're right, Tissaphernes!
When things here are over, I will definitely suggest to the Great King to reconsider our relationship with Sparta."
"Yes, that's why I want to quickly resolve these Greeks.
Artagerses will bring us good news, he definitely will!"
… … … … … … … … … … …
That evening, the leaders gathered again in the military conference tent.
"The slingers company has one sling per person.
After a day of intensive training, they are proficient in using it and can already go into battle to kill the enemy!" Clearchus reported to everyone.
Because his troops were the rearguard and suffered the most losses in yesterday's battle, this newly formed company was temporarily under his command at his strong request.
Then, Daphidas also reported: "There is no problem with the cavalry going into battle to kill the enemy."
Because most of the cavalry came from his camp, and he was on the flank, the cavalry was temporarily under his jurisdiction.
Daphidas spoke briefly.
After watching the cavalry training for a day, he also roughly understood the attack methods of the cavalry in this era: horse collision, spear thrust, javelin throw, and arrow shooting.
Because there were no stirrups, they didn't dare to run at full speed, nor did they dare to fight with all their strength, otherwise they would easily fall off their horses.
The newly built cavalry was only equipped with one type of weapon—the thrusting spear, so their best way to attack was to chase fleeing enemies.
At this time, Clearchus said, "Everyone, today I took a guide out of the camp to explore the route and surrounding terrain for tomorrow's march—"
"That's too dangerous!
Now Persian scouts are wandering around our camp.
It would be troublesome if we ran into them!" Timasion shouted.
"I was prepared for this, and with the protection of Zeus, I didn't run into the Persians," Clearchus nodded to Timasion, expressing his gratitude for his concern, "Instead, I made an important discovery."
"What important discovery?!" Cleanor asked urgently.
"I found several high mountains about four miles ahead, and only one canyon can be passed through, otherwise we would have to take a very long detour," Clearchus said, while gesturing on the grass with a stick, "This canyon can accommodate about twenty people side by side."
"Do you mean... you're afraid that the Persians will attack us when we pass through the canyon!" Xanthippus asked worriedly.
"That is indeed a problem.
However, it can be completely solved.
We can set off through the mountain gorge before dawn, the Persians would never have thought of it," Xenophon said with a flash of inspiration.
"That's a good idea!
The Persians are afraid of the dark, especially their cavalry, who can't see the road under their feet in the dark and can easily fall off their horses.
So when Cyrus the Younger was around, when marching with the Persians, they always had to wait until it was completely bright before leaving the camp, and Mithradates only caught up with us a long time after dawn the day before yesterday.
If it is like this tomorrow, we will have passed through the canyon long ago," Cleanor agreed, and others also expressed their agreement one after another, and then turned their attention to Clearchus, who had the final say.
Clearchus glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I have a plan.
Since the Persians are chasing us so closely, we can use this canyon to crush them!"
"Are you suggesting…" Zanthippus asked thoughtfully, "that we deploy our formation immediately after passing through the canyon and fight the pursuing Persians?"
"Moreover, the road through the canyon isn't wide, which will slow down their retreat, making it easier for us to catch up. The more Persians that come after us, the slower their retreat from the canyon will be, and the more damage we can inflict!" Timasion said excitedly.
"But the Persians aren't fools. If they see we're prepared, why would they risk passing through the canyon?" Xenophon's question gave everyone pause.
Cheirisophus said confidently, "That's why we won't attack near the canyon entrance. We'll attack whenever the Persians catch up to us! We'll lure them into chasing us!"
"That's right! Anyway, the Persians don't dare to fight us head-on. Plus, we have slingers and cavalry. We can definitely give the Persians a surprise! When the time comes, we'll attack together and drive them towards the canyon entrance. The narrowness of the entrance will slow their retreat, making it easier for us to catch up!…"
Everyone chimed in, and they quickly refined the plan.
At that moment, someone suddenly said, "Why don't we set up an ambush force on this side of the canyon? Once the enemy passes through, we can immediately block the canyon."
Everyone was stunned and turned around abruptly. It was Davos, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, listening intently to their conversation.
"…You want to eliminate them all?!" Cheirisophus looked at Davos, trying to suppress the surprise in his heart, and said slowly.
Davos extended the five fingers of his left hand, then clenched them into a fist and waved it forcefully. "Of course! Just defeating them isn't enough. After they escape and regroup, they'll still come to attack us. Only by surrounding and annihilating them can we deliver the greatest deterrent to the Persians!"
The Greeks revered strength and favored frontal assaults, a characteristic further emphasized by the composition of their armies, which primarily consisted of heavy infantry. Even the Spartans, who were most skilled in battle, were no exception. The Battle of Marathon, the Battle of Plataea… not to mention that these major battles were won by the Greeks through brute force in frontal engagements, countless smaller skirmishes also rarely saw maneuvers like flanking, encirclement, ambush, or surprise attacks… These military terms, well-known even to the average person in later generations, seemed simple, but in the military history of the Greek city-states of this era, where heavy infantry was the main fighting force, they were almost entirely absent. Of course, similar battles occasionally occurred, but few people paid attention to them or summarized them. It wasn't until centuries later, when the Carthaginian general Hannibal repeatedly annihilated Roman armies, killing half the men in Rome, that Rome—the Mediterranean hegemon—began to learn from their enemies, finally elevating classical Western military tactics to a new level.
Davos, whose soul came from later generations, was naturally not bound by the limitations of this era. Although his military experience was still immature, his military thinking was two thousand years ahead of its time. What he was thinking at this moment was a saying often used by Chairman Mao in later generations: 'It is better to sever one finger than to wound all ten.'
Cheirisophus looked calmly at this young man with a youthful face, but was shocked by his ambition and vision. He admitted that Davos's proposal was tempting and had a certain degree of feasibility, but he still asked cautiously, "There are dense forests not far from this side of the valley, but if you ambush too many soldiers, the Persian scout cavalry will easily discover them. If you have too few soldiers, how will you be able to stop their retreat if too many Persians come? Also, what if the Persians don't come to chase us tomorrow? Remember, they didn't come today."
Davos had already considered this carefully. He replied earnestly, "No plan in the world is perfect, and any military action involves risk, so we must consider all possibilities as thoroughly as possible. First, I want to ask you, Cheirisophus, how far is this forest from the canyon entrance?"
"About three li," Cheirisophus blurted out, as if the terrain was imprinted in his mind.
This made Davos very admiring. Surveying the terrain was an essential skill for a qualified commander, and he still had a lot to learn!
At the same time, Cheirisophus's words dispelled his greatest concern about the plan. He confidently analyzed, "According to what was said earlier, the entire army will set off before dawn. By the time the hidden troops reach the forest, the enemy's scout cavalry should still be sleeping. We only need to ambush three or four hundred soldiers, and the possibility of being discovered is very small. Secondly, if many Persians come to chase us, the ambushing troops don't necessarily have to annihilate them all. They only need to leave a gap in the blockade for the Persians to escape, and then intercept them from the side. The Persians will be focused on escaping and won't have time to organize a counterattack. In this way, although we can't completely annihilate the enemy, the results we obtain won't be too bad!"
Surround on three sides and leave one open! Sun Tzu, the first military strategist to theorize and elevate ancient warfare to a strategic level, should have lived in the same era! A sense of pride inexplicably rose in Davos's heart, making him even more composed: "As for the Persians not coming, there's even less to worry about. If the enemy hasn't appeared by noon, the ambushing troops can take the initiative to withdraw. They don't have any supplies, so they can move quickly, while our main force will be waiting at the canyon entrance. Then there won't be any major problems…"
Davos's careful thinking ultimately convinced the leaders present, and they all agreed with Davos's suggestion: to add an ambushing force.
Cheirisophus, who had always disliked Davos because of his youth, couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his talent. And the Spartan way of caring for younger generations was unique: "Davos, are you willing to lead this ambushing force?"
Davos was stunned. In Cheirisophus's eyes, he saw trust and expectation. He thought carefully, ignoring Philesius's objections, and met the complex gazes of the crowd with a firm nod: "I can!"
… … … … … … … … … …
The next day, before dawn, the Greeks were awakened by the bugle calls, packed their luggage, gathered their equipment, and set off groggily.
They reached the canyon entrance just as a sliver of light appeared on the horizon.
Davos led three heavy infantry companies, a light shield infantry company, and separated from the main force. The leaders all offered their blessings.
"Zeus be with you!" These were Cheirisophus's words.
"May Ares grant you strength!" These were Timasion's words.
"May Athena give you luck!" These were Xenophon's words.
… …
In order to fight the Persians with all their might, the entire army was united.
"Leader, take care! Return safely!" Philesius said solemnly.
"Don't worry, Philesius, we'll take good care of the leader!" Antonios interjected.
"You take care too!" Davos said, giving Philesius a strong embrace. Then, under the gazes of the remaining soldiers and company officers, which had begun to turn somewhat reverent, he led his troops along the foot of the mountain and rushed towards the forest on the left…
… … … … … … … … … …
In fact, Artaxerxes's actions were even earlier than the day before, because his army had become larger, with about 4,500 archers and 1,500 horse archers, which made him more confident and eager to defeat the Greek army as soon as possible in order to obtain the position of lieutenant promised by Tissaphernes.
Scouts reported that the Greeks had already broken camp, passed through the canyon, and were twenty li away from the Persian army.
He naturally assumed that the Greeks were trying to avoid his attack, which was why they were moving so quickly. Thinking of the oath he had made to Tissaphernes, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious: He must not let them run too far, and he must defeat them today!
Therefore, he urged the troops to speed up their march. When passing through the canyon, he didn't stop, because the scouts had told him that the Greeks were five or six li away from the canyon exit.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"The Persians have entered the canyon, Leader Davos!" Asistes ran back to the forest in a puff of smoke to report to Davos.
"How many people?" Antonios asked from the side.
"Their line is very long, probably several thousand!" Asistes said, panting.
"This is really netting a big fish!" Amyntas whistled softly.
"Then immediately execute the second plan we discussed last night," Davos said, although he was nervous, he controlled his facial expressions well.
"Brothers, let's start working quickly!" Kappus said in a deep voice.
"Report! The Persians have left the canyon and are in pursuit!"
"Excellent. How many men?"
"Approximately six or seven thousand, mostly archers and mounted archers, it seems!"
"Damn Persians! They must be foolishly thinking they can rout us all with arrows!"
"All the better! The more they come, the more we'll kill!"
"Can Davos hold them back there?"
"Therefore, our attack must be swift and courageous!" Chrysophus stated firmly, "Gentlemen, please return to your command positions immediately, deploy your formations at once, and let's press forward!"
"Roar!!..." The leaders, eager for battle, began to move.
… … … … … … … … … … …
After exiting the canyon, Artauzos couldn't wait to deploy his battle formation, just like the day before, with archers in the center and cavalry on the flanks.
Having only advanced two miles from the canyon mouth, a scout returned with a report: "The Greeks are coming straight towards us!"
Although Artauzos was in a state of excitement, he was still an experienced fighter. He knew that such harassing tactics required room to maneuver, and he didn't want to be confined to the canyon mouth. Therefore, he immediately ordered the entire force to move to the left.
Both mounted archers and archers were considered highly mobile troops, but with a force of seven thousand men already in battle formation, changing that formation would take time, and the Greeks didn't give him that time.
Not long after Artauzos issued the order, the figures of the Greeks appeared in sight. He immediately became tense, knowing full well that attempting to change formation with the enemy advancing was a suicidal move.
He reissued the order to restore the battle formation, his mind quickly calculating: after firing two volleys of arrows to disrupt the enemy's advance, he would immediately move rapidly to the left, break contact with the Greeks, and seek a new opportunity to attack.
However, his expression soon changed, because the Greek line opposite him was very long, far exceeding his own flanks, and it was constantly extending towards the flanks as it advanced.
Artauzos understood the traditional Greek phalanx. They often stacked their ranks very densely, usually seven or eight ranks deep, using powerful impact to crush the enemy. But now, the enemy's formation was so thin, probably only two or three ranks deep. Why would they dare to do this? Artauzos immediately understood: because his side was entirely light cavalry and archers, the Greeks didn't need to rely on numerical superiority to win decisively.
The Greeks were trying to encircle him! He had been careless! Artauzos felt somewhat flustered, his expression shifting uncertainly. He wanted to retreat immediately, but he felt that the formation had already been deployed, and to retreat in such a disorganized manner would not only affect morale but, more importantly, waste time.
He had made a promise to at least fire one volley of arrows. He thought to himself: seven thousand arrows could disrupt their formation, perhaps even cause confusion, and even if it didn't, there would still be time to retreat.
With this in mind, Artauzos decided to take a risk. He quickly summoned his subordinate generals, instructing them to remember the order of retreat...
Once everything was arranged, he felt much more at ease. Watching the Greeks approaching step by step, he decided to wait until the two sides were about a hundred meters apart before ordering the arrows to be fired.
Come on, Greek barbarians, come to die! He grinned. However, when the distance was about two hundred meters, a copper horn sounded from the opposite side, and the Greeks actually stopped advancing! Anxious, he didn't want his troops to press forward, as switching from attack to retreat was prone to causing chaos, and Artauzos just wanted to retreat smoothly. He decided to continue waiting for the Greeks to attack, now feeling that having too many troops also had the disadvantage of unclear command.
Then, he was shocked to see countless arms stretching out from behind the Greek hoplites opposite him, starting to circle above their heads.
Slingers!! Artauzos shuddered in fright. He remembered that there were no slingers in the Greek mercenary army. How did they suddenly appear?!
At this moment, there was no time for him to think. Countless fist-sized stones rained down densely,
striking the center of the Persian army. The Persian archers, who were drawing their bows, were instantly hit, their heads bleeding from the impact, as they had no armor to protect them. Some were even knocked unconscious...
The center of the Persian army was immediately thrown into chaos.
The slingers fired rapidly, and in an instant, another volley of stones was thrown from the enemy formation, obscuring the sky...
Artauzos, his eyes red with anxiety, shouted hoarsely: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!!..."
Just as the horn blower was preparing to sound the horn, the high-pitched sound of a copper horn rang out first from the opposite side. The Greek hoplites, who had been standing still, roared: "Ares!!!" and began to stride towards the Persians. The entire Greek line was like a surging tide, fearless of the reefs and shallows ahead, vowing to engulf the land. It was an indomitable and powerful momentum, enough to crush the already weak morale of the Persians. Even a gap opened in the front ranks of the Greek army, and dozens of cavalry charged ahead towards the enemy Persians.
The Persians completely collapsed! They completely ignored the orders of their officers, even being swept along by them, and ran wildly backward. The pre-arranged order of retreat could not be executed at all. Cavalry, archers, the right flank, the left flank, the center, all rushed towards the canyon mouth like a swarm of bees. They had only one thought in their minds: to get away from those terrifying Greeks!
Defeated! Defeated! They were defeated without even firing an arrow!! Artauzos had previously participated in the Battle of Cunaxa. As an ally, he had cheered when the Greeks easily defeated the Persian king's army. But now, when he personally faced the Greek charge, he felt the terror of the Greek hoplites. At this moment, his mind was blank, and he simply hugged his horse's neck tightly, surrounded by his attendants, and rushed towards the canyon mouth. Because he was in the rear of the center formation, closest to the canyon mouth, he and his attendant cavalry were almost running at the very front of the Persian army.
The canyon mouth was just ahead, where the vast space suddenly narrowed, and the steep, continuous peaks meant that air could only flow through the canyon mouth, causing Artauzos, who had just entered the canyon mouth, to be almost blinded by the fierce mountain wind.
"Giddy up!" He squeezed his horse's belly, knowing very well that the faster he passed through the canyon, the fewer men he would lose!
The road through the canyon was not a straight line but a winding "S" shape. For the Persian cavalry, who had been riding on the battlefield for many years, this was not a difficult problem. They controlled their horses well, and even if there was a bend ahead, they did not slow down much.
Just as they quickly rounded the foot of the mountain, a wall of stones and wood, simply stacked half a man's height, suddenly appeared in front of them. Artauzos and his attendant cavalry were unable to rein in their horses in time and crashed straight into it, and immediately, there were shouts, neighs, and screams...
Artauzos was thrown out. The last thing he saw was the rapidly enlarging mountain wall in front of him...
The Persian routed soldiers entered the canyon like a raging torrent, filling the canyon to the brim, pushing forward...
When the remaining cavalry in front stopped in horror, the soldiers behind were still running forward desperately...
Thus, an even more tragic scene occurred: the soldiers in front were pushed down, and before they could get up, they were trampled by the soldiers rushing in from behind, and those who struggled desperately tripped the advancing soldiers, and the routed soldiers behind were still pouring in madly in order to escape the slaughter of the Greeks...
Inside the canyon, people kept falling, being trampled, falling, being trampled... Behind the stone wall, the Persians piled up layer upon layer, extending all the way to the canyon mouth. Some soldiers had already been trampled into meat paste, while others were still struggling, wailing in the streams of blood... It was simply a living hell!
"Raise shield wall!"
"Javelins ready!"
Seeing the Persian soldiers crowded in front of the stone wall, Davos, although a little nervous, still clearly and distinctly issued orders in order!
The Persians who struggled to climb over the stone wall were first subjected to a volley of javelins from the light shield soldiers led by Epithenes, and then the Greek hoplites, arranged in a dense formation, formed a shield wall, blocking their way. The soldiers in the first four rows pressed their chests against the backs of the soldiers in front, giving the first row of soldiers strength support, and their spears could also extend in front of the first row of soldiers, jointly forming a spear wall, blocking the passage tightly, easily stabbing down the panicked, disorganized Persians.
Davos had the soldiers carry stones and wood to simply pile up this stone wall, originally intended to prevent the impact of the Persian cavalry, because once the horses ran madly, even if the hoplites were arranged in many rows, they might not be able to stop them, and they would suffer heavy losses, so road barriers were used to slow down the speed of the Persian cavalry. He did not expect that the effect of the stone wall far exceeded expectations. It and the mountains of corpses blocked the canyon, so that the power of the routed soldiers could not gather together to impact the defense line organized by Davos.
The battle did not last too long. Under the terrible circumstances of pursuers behind, no way to go ahead, and hell in the middle, the Persians completely collapsed mentally and surrendered one after another...
When the chieftains excitedly rushed to meet with Davos, they couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle at the tragic scene in the valley. The way they looked at Davos couldn't help but carry a bit more awe. Just as Xenophon had said: "…Davos…you…you are indeed…a chosen one of Hades!"
Davos was similarly shaken. He continuously consoled himself in his heart: This is war! This is war!
"What should be done with these Persians?" He saw the soldiers collecting the weapons and armor of the surrendered soldiers, and suddenly felt a little soft-hearted, asking Clearchus.
Clearchus's reply was exceptionally cold: "After collecting their weapons and armor, we'll cut their hand and foot tendons, stab their thighs, and send them back to give Tissaphernes a headache."
Davos was silent. He of course understood Clearchus's intention in doing so: the mercenaries didn't have extra food, nor did they have extra manpower to watch over them, while Tissaphernes would have to allocate manpower to take care of these wounded Persians, naturally reducing the soldiers attacking them.
"Davos, you did very well!" Clearchus looked around and said, "I think the Persians will be scared out of their wits when they see the scene here!"
When Davos led his troops out of the valley, the soldiers along the way gave them, covered in blood, the greatest cheers, because they knew: it was this young leader who led a small number of people to block the path of the large number of Persians, enabling the mercenaries to obtain a perfect victory.
The young Davos won the approval of the entire army with his practical actions.
… … … … … … … … … …
In the afternoon, Tissaphernes's army finally arrived at the valley late.
When Tissaphernes saw the tragic scene in the valley and the wounded soldiers lying all over the ground, struggling and wailing, he angrily threw his helmet to the ground, and then sent a small portion of his trusted troops to handle the aftermath, while the other troops were prohibited from entering the valley, instead bypassing the mountain peaks and taking other roads.
Ariaeus, who followed Tissaphernes, remained silent throughout. He didn't see the corpse of Artauzus, but it must be among the countless corpses. In these three days, the two generals who had been fighting with him for power had both died in battle one after another, but at this moment he didn't have a trace of joy, instead having a feeling of shared peril…
In this battle, the Persians had more than three thousand deaths and more than three thousand injuries, with no one escaping; the casualties on the Greek mercenary side were negligible.
Perhaps, Clearchus was right, the Persians were scared out of their wits, and didn't appear again for several days. This allowed the Greek mercenaries to plunder and march along the way with relative ease, arriving at a city beside the Tigris River—Larissa.
This was a magnificent city. The lower half of its city walls was made of stone, while the upper half was made of mud bricks. The walls were about thirty meters high, about eight meters wide, and the circumference was about ten miles. Such majestic city walls made the Greek mercenaries have no interest in conquering it at all, and compared to the cities encountered before on the banks of the Tigris River, this city had few pedestrians, and the fields and villages outside the city were mostly deserted, appearing somewhat desolate.
"Larissa, it is said that its former name was Cala, and it was originally a large city in the Assyrian period, later taken away by the Medes. The great King Cyrus defeated the Medes, but he was never able to conquer this city. In the end, the sun god Mithra used dark clouds to cover the light of Cala, making its day as dark as night, and the residents of Cala were terrified, believing that the gods had abandoned them, so they abandoned the city and fled, and King Cyrus then seized the city…" Marius said.
Ever since Davos learned from Clearchus about the importance of 'understanding the terrain' to a military general, he had taken Marius as a guide to accompany him. Xenophon, as Hieronimus's adjutant, was entangled in all sorts of affairs, and it was no longer possible for him to run over and chat with Davos as easily as before. And Marius, as a merchant, was not only familiar with the surrounding terrain, but also knew some historical anecdotes of Mesopotamia like the back of his hand,
adding a lot of fun to Davos's tense and tiring march.
"Hey, your Persians have a sun god, and we also have Apollo, who is more powerful?" Matonis in the guard suddenly said.
Marius, who was beside Davos, glanced back and said disdainfully: "Mithra is the master of nature, guaranteeing the abundance of vegetation, fertile land, and the people living and working in peace, therefore worshiped by all things! Not something a mere small god can compare to!"
"What did you say?! You dare to insult Apollo!!!" Matonis angrily wanted to go forward and beat Marius, but was pulled back by Hilus.
Marius was so frightened that he hid behind Davos, but Davos sternly said to him: "Matonis's question did not offend you, but you insulted the gods worshiped by us Greeks! If you don't apologize immediately, I won't stop them from their angry revenge!" This Persian's inadvertent sense of superiority was giving him a headache, and it was time to teach him a lesson.
Marius turned his head and saw the fire of anger in the soldiers' eyes, and he knew that if it weren't for Davos, he would have been torn to pieces. As a merchant, being well-versed in expediency was his nature, and he quickly bent down and lowered his head, sincerely apologizing, and even slapped himself.
Seeing that Marius had obtained forgiveness, Davos then asked the question that he had been wondering about: "Why does this city look so desolate?"
Marius covered his reddened cheek with one hand and said vaguely: "Because the residents here are mainly Medes." After saying that, he closed his mouth and said nothing.
Davos thought carefully and suddenly realized: "The Persian court doesn't value this area, because this is the core area of the former Medes and Assyria, afraid that their old flames will reignite, and even take suppressive policies, right?"
Seeing Marius looking at him in surprise, Davos knew that he had guessed the key point, and couldn't help but say with some pride: "Let me guess again what methods were used. For example, frequently transferring people from here to join the army and fight? Levying higher taxes?…"
"Leader Davos, if you really are the so-called chosen one of the gods, you are indeed completely different from your subordinates who only have muscles and no brains!" Marius looked up at Davos on horseback with admiration, because he had just suffered a loss, he said in a low voice: "If you were a Persian, and a Persian official, you could probably develop very well!"
Davos smiled and said: "Although Persia is a great country, unfortunately, I don't like it."
"Because you are a Greek?"
Davos did not answer. He looked at Larissa not far away, and was lost in thought: Was he a Greek? Apart from this body, his soul, his thoughts, until now, he still thought of himself as a Chinese from the 21st century, Greek traditions and culture could not assimilate a person from the 21st century, and even had no influence on him, only the helplessness of reality and sincere comradeship in arms made him identify with this group. Don't look at him usually saying "We Greeks this and that…" that was all to fool these Greeks, boost morale, highlight his position as the leader, in a word—for survival! Therefore, if Persia was more superior than Greece, and extended an olive branch to him, he would not hesitate to defect, but he looked down on Persia, because the political systems of most Greek city-states were more like countries in the 21st century, and even Athens was more democratic than modern society, which had a natural affinity for modern people who advocate freedom…
… … … … … … … … … … …
The next day, they marched to Mespila.
"This is the former capital of the Assyrian kingdom—Nineveh. It is said that the wife of the last Median king, Medea, took refuge in this city after our Persians seized the kingdom of the Medes. The great King Cyrus led his army to besiege this city, because it was the last castle of the Medes, it was not captured for a long time. Bakhram, the god of war among the gods, saw that too many Persians had died and were injured, so he issued a earth-shattering thunder, shaking the whole city, and it was conquered…" Marius still served as a guide and "narrator."
"Hehe, the Persian gods are really good, they even help with the battle." Matonis mocked from behind, but having learned his lesson yesterday, Marius ignored him.
Davos looked at this city, also located on the banks of the Tigris River, on horseback. The wall base of this former capital of the Assyrian kingdom alone was about seventeen meters high. Cala was already considered a magnificent city, but it seemed to be only one-third the size of Nineveh. One can imagine the power and prosperity of this Assyrian kingdom, which was founded on military affairs, when it swept across the western kingdoms! But at this time, the capital city was desolate and dilapidated, and the rampant weeds and countless thorn bushes on the city walls swayed in the river breeze, seeming to tell of its current desolation.
A sense of historical vicissitudes naturally floated to his heart, causing Davos to naturally think of the famous line "I do not see the ancients before me, nor the newcomers after me. Thinking of the boundlessness of Heaven and Earth, I weep alone in my sorrow." He sighed: "Even the most powerful country has a time of destruction!"