"Will Persia as well?" Asystes asked curiously.
"What about Greece?" Marigi immediately turned around and glared, asking defiantly.
Davos looked at them both and said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, "If you live long enough, maybe you'll see it in fifty years."
"Is that an oracle?" Asystes asked excitedly.
Marigi was clearly unconvinced.
Davos smiled and didn't answer. If his butterfly wings were too weak to change the course of history, then in a few decades (he couldn't remember the exact time), Alexander of Macedon would conquer mainland Greece and then destroy Persia. Because the Greeks did not consider the Macedonians from the north to be their own people, in a sense, he conquered the two most powerful forces in the Mediterranean at that time in one fell swoop.
… … … … … … … … … … …
For the next two days, the Greek mercenaries continued their light march.
It wasn't until the third day that Tissaphernes' army appeared.
Currently, the Greek mercenary's fifty-man light cavalry squad was mostly deployed by Davos as reconnaissance cavalry. After all, Persian cavalry were individually strong, and in one-on-one combat, Greek cavalry were no match. So they operated in groups of five, not daring to stray too far from the main force, only moving within a radius of two to three li, and immediately reporting back upon seeing Persian troops from afar.
"The Persians are coming, prepare for defense!"
"Relay Clearchus's order, prepare for defense!"
Orderlies quickly moved around the perimeter of this huge phalanx, relaying commands.
The Greek mercenaries' hollow square formation protected the baggage train in its center, so it was impossible to change formation before engaging the enemy. They simply had the baggage train gather towards the center, while the soldiers, holding shields and spears, remained vigilant, slowed their march, and maintained the integrity of their formation.
Soon, the Persians appeared directly behind their forces. From the high-flying military banners, the soldiers knew Tissaphernes had arrived. The Greek mercenaries had easily routed him in the Battle of Cunaxa, so they didn't pay him much mind.
Then, another force appeared on Tissaphernes' left flank. As the formation advanced, the Greeks' hearts tightened—this was another army of no less than ten thousand men! The emblem on their banner was familiar to everyone: Orontas, the Satrap of Armenia, had arrived, which had been within the leaders' expectations.
Next, another large army appeared on Tissaphernes' right flank, also no less than ten thousand strong, with a raised banner that looked somewhat familiar to everyone.
"Oh, I remember!" Asystes shouted. "That's the army we encountered on the way, said to be led by the Persian king's brother!"
"This army, which should have been marching in the opposite direction to us, has appeared here! It must have been secretly following us all along! Tissaphernes has harbored ill will towards us for a long time!" Philesius said with a solemn expression.
Davos nodded, his movements slightly stiff, gripping the reins tightly with both hands.
Tissaphernes' army also included the remnants of Cyrus the Younger's forces led by Ariaios. The four great armies converged majestically, forming a wedge shape, slowly approaching the Greek army…
The seemingly endless, dense multitude of people was the largest the Greek mercenaries had seen since the Battle of Cunaxa. Last time, they had Cyrus the Younger to rely on, and the mercenaries were only responsible for the right flank. Now, they had to face the entire Persian army, and everyone inevitably felt some tension.
Despite the tension, the Greeks all knew that only through a bloody battle could they survive. Clearchus, who had been watching the enemy's advance distance, saw that they were about to enter the slingers' range. He immediately gave the order: "Slingers, prepare!"
The slingers in the entire rear guard immediately began to swing their slings. At a distance of over three hundred meters, the accuracy and force of the flying stones would be somewhat diminished, but the Persians were so numerous and so dense that almost every stone that landed elicited a cry. The Persian formation in the center became chaotic, and their advance almost halted.
"Your Excellency, the enemy's attack is too fierce! Should we temporarily retreat and let the armies on both flanks advance first?" a subordinate beside Tissaphernes suggested.
Tissaphernes' face was equally grim, but he rejected the idea without hesitation. Although he had been appointed by the king as the overall commander of this plan to expel the Greeks, Orontas was merely assisting, and the king's brother, Sitirius, was only helping out of friendship. But one was a satrap of equal rank to him, and also the king's son-in-law; the other was the king's own brother. If he didn't exert himself to the utmost, how could he expect them to assist him wholeheartedly? Moreover, they had close ties with the king, and if they were to privately tell Artaxerxes about his performance upon their return, the good impression he had painstakingly built in the Persian king's mind would be ruined.
Tissaphernes glared fiercely at his subordinate and immediately ordered: "Speed up, keep pressing forward!" This time, he had concentrated nearly 50,000 total troops. He had plenty of men! Since the Greeks wanted to compete with him in long-range firepower, then so be it. Let's see who shoots more accurately! Let's see who can endure! In any case, he was not planning on engaging the Greeks in close combat. The scene after the Battle of Cunaxa, where the Greek heavy infantry easily broke through the Persian army's left flank, happened right beside him, and it had a profound impact on him.
The Persians screamed and charged forward, Tissaphernes even dispatched his personal guard to supervise the battle, cutting down deserters one by one to warn the entire army. Under these circumstances, the two flanks of the Persian army also quickly converged on the mercenaries. Because the Persians had too many troops and the mercenaries were in a square formation, the Persian army stretched its lines, almost completely encircling the entire mercenary force.
Davos had already dismounted, and his warhorse was led to the baggage train in the center of the phalanx. Facing the approaching enemy, he was no longer as nervous as he had been at first: "Raise the shield wall!"
Asystes and his two orderlies relayed Davos's command throughout the entire left flank.
The four columns of heavy infantry companies began to close in, pressing together, round shield overlapping round shield, quickly erecting a long bronze wall. The Greek heavy infantry's round shields were unique among the infantry of Mediterranean countries. The round shield had a diameter of one meter, a wooden core, and was covered in bronze. Furthermore, it was not held by hand; the entire forearm passed through two grips on the back of the round shield, which saved effort and prevented slipping. Because it was large and hard enough, it was difficult to penetrate with arrows.
The archers, who had been detached behind the heavy infantry, also quickly moved closer to the shield wall to reduce damage from enemy arrows. Because they had previously annihilated Artouchos's six thousand men, the Cretan archers among the mercenaries not only exchanged for Persian recurve bows, but also selected soldiers skilled in archery from the heavy infantry and light shield troops to join the archer ranks, increasing the number of mercenary archers to five hundred. They were dispersed in the rear guard and on both flanks.
When the Persian army approached within a hundred meters, both sides fired arrows almost simultaneously.
"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!…" A series of bowstring sounds, countless arrows flew into the sky, like a large dark cloud, obscuring the blue sky and the blazing sun. The arrows were so dense that many even collided in mid-air. When the main part of the "dark cloud" fell on the mercenary army, there was a series of "Clang! Clang! Clang!…" crisp sounds, occasionally interspersed with one or two cries of pain; when the smaller part of the "dark cloud" fell on the Persian army's side, there were continuous screams of pain…
Both sides exchanged arrows.
The Persians even advanced their line to within fifty meters and then stopped advancing any further. Because the Persians knew very well that any further, and the Greek light shield troops would enter the battle.
… … … … … … … … … …
The archery battle continued for a while.
Except for the relatively clean ground beneath this long, square shield wall, the surrounding area was densely covered with arrows. The Greek archers, whose quivers were empty, had no worries; they simply plucked an "arrow grass" from the ground and shot it back.
Davos had grown accustomed to the sound of arrows striking the round shields. What worried him more were the occasional muffled groans that reached his ears, indicating that someone else had been hit by an arrow. His left arm was also somewhat numb, but he remained motionless, maintaining the same posture, not daring to lower his round shield. Now, both sides were in a test of endurance, to see who could hold out until the very end.
Now, Tissaphernes was in a dilemma. For this attack, he had specially prepared many large shields, but the light infantry under his command accounted for too large a proportion of the force, not even protecting half of them. Moreover, the large number of soldiers led to an overly dense formation, and almost every flying stone and arrow from the mercenaries could achieve a lethal effect. The soldiers could barely maintain their morale under his pressure, but the cavalry's horses were injured, neighing and jumping around, running around, and instead injuring some soldiers and disrupting the formation. By now, most of the cavalry had retreated to the rear.
Tissaphernes looked at his own gradually thinning formation and the groans filling the air, and then looked at the Greek's shield wall, which was no longer as tight as it had been at the beginning. Even with the heavy infantry's strict protection, they could not completely avoid close-range arrow damage. Should he continue? He hesitated: he had paid the price, but had not achieved any obvious results. If he retreated in such a dispirited manner, it would not only affect morale but also attract the dissatisfaction and contempt of other generals. But if he continued the arrow battle, casualties would inevitably increase. Before the Greeks collapsed, his own troops would probably fall into disarray first...
Just then, a messenger arrived: "Governor, Sitirces says he has suffered too many casualties and proposes either to attack immediately or to retreat?"
Tissaphernes breathed a sigh of relief and replied without hesitation: "Retreat!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Greek soldiers, who had been struggling to hold on, couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the Persians retreating like a tide. After waiting for a while, the Persians did not reappear, so they began to cheer...
In this battle, the Persian army suffered more than 4,000 casualties, and the mercenaries also had more than 900 casualties, but most of them were injured, and mostly arrow wounds to the hands and feet.
After experiencing this battle, the soldiers were physically and mentally exhausted. After hastily cleaning up the battlefield, the troops marched north for a while. Before noon, they began to camp and rest...
Inside the tent, Davos and the company officers held an emergency meeting to discuss how to treat the wounded. Because of this war, Davos's troops suffered nineteen deaths and one hundred and eighty-five injuries, completely exceeding the capacity of the medical camp, and it was necessary to mobilize the entire camp to carry out treatment.
Amintas did not think much of this, saying: "There is no need to make such a fuss. We came out to be soldiers and fight, and we have long been prepared to die in battle! Isn't it just an arrow wound? Just deal with it a few times, we used to get by like this."
Davos looked around at the crowd, feeling that not only Amintas had such thoughts, so he said earnestly: "Everyone, we are far away from our families, far away from our hometowns, and go out to fight. Are we only united in battle! In fact, we regard our companions as relatives, and the military camp is our home. Can we watch our comrades struggle in pain and be indifferent! If so, when we are injured, who will be willing to help us! Everyone—" Davos said decisively: "Please remember, the past is the past! Now, as long as it is the military camp where I, Davos, am, we must establish a belief, that is, we will never let go of an enemy, and we will never abandon a comrade, we will live and die together!"
"Well said!!" Philisius couldn't help but praise loudly. The other company officers also applauded enthusiastically.
Davos's words moved them, so the entire camp immediately took action.
First, a large open space was opened up in the center of the camp as the location of the medical camp. Davos divided the wounded into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. The soldiers who helped were divided into four groups: the diligent and hardworking were responsible for the hygiene of the medical camp, cleaning up dirty blood and dirt at any time, and driving away flies, mosquitoes, and flying insects; the physically strong were responsible for carrying and supporting the wounded; the dexterous assisted doctors and nurses in pulling out arrows, cleaning wounds, and bandaging; and another group, who had worked as carpenters in their hometowns, were responsible for felling branches and making stretchers. The severely wounded were sent directly to Herpus, because only he could handle them. After the mildly to moderately wounded underwent arrow removal, wound cleaning, and bandaging, most of the mildly wounded could return to the company, while other wounded remained in the medical camp for observation.
Depending on the situation, consider whether to suture and further treatment.
Under Davos's command, the entire rescue operation was carried out in an orderly and highly efficient manner. By the afternoon, all the wounded in Davos's battalion had been treated.
At this time, Davos's words in the tent were spread to the soldiers' ears under the promotion of Antonios and other interested people. Davos initially rose to prominence under the name of "God's Chosen One". That was the instinctive act of seeking help from the gods in the situation where the soldiers were at a loss; afterwards, Davos killed Mithradates and then Artaozus. He gradually won the soldiers' recognition of his command ability with courage and battle achievements; and this time, his heartfelt words and practical actions finally conquered the hearts of all the soldiers in the camp. Everyone gave him another nickname "The Merciful One", and even began to affectionately call this young leader "Our Davos".
This large-scale rescue operation also alarmed other military camps. First, individual soldiers came here supporting the wounded, asking for help. Davos agreed. But soon, the news spread, and more and more wounded came, and the manpower of the medical camp was obviously insufficient. Helping them would squeeze the resources of their own camp, and the soldiers in Davos's camp were somewhat dissatisfied and began to argue with outsiders.
At this time, Cleannor and Timason arrived after receiving the news. After quickly visiting the medical camp, facing Davos, the two leaders (including Timason, who had always been at odds with Davos) had a little more respect on their faces, because they also believed that such a unique and efficient clinic was obviously not something that ordinary people could make. Before, they had scoffed at the rumors that Davos was "God's Chosen One".
Davos agreed to treat their wounded without hesitation, but because there were too many wounded (as two rear guard units, they suffered the most damage, with more than 500 people injured), they needed to send manpower to assist, and at the same time needed more supplies, such as linen, earthenware pots, wood, tents, etc., and even agreed to send doctors to learn and help. Davos was so generous, of course, with selfish motives. He confidently believed that the medical knowledge he had learned in his previous life was enough to attract doctors to stay and expand his medical camp.
Cleannor and Timason left with gratitude. Afterwards, the remaining leaders also came, and Davos made the same promises and the same requests to them.
On the way back, while Chrysophus's adjutant praised Davos's ability and generosity, Chrysophus was silently thinking about something.
This made the adjutant very strange. Chrysophus said frankly: "I admit that I had prejudice against him before. Davos is indeed an excellent talent! Especially the... medical... medical camp he founded is of great help to the battle. Sparta needs this in order to cope with the upcoming war."
"War? What war?!" The adjutant asked in surprise.
"The war between Persia and Sparta." Chrysophus looked solemn: "Our friendly Cyrus the Younger is dead, and we are involved in the rebellion against the new Persian king. The person in power in Asia Minor is now Tissaphernes, who has conflicts with Sparta. You should know that there are differences in the agreement we signed with Persia regarding Asia Minor, and the new Persian king is likely to attack this... All signs are unfavorable to us."
After listening, the adjutant fell silent. The war between Sparta and Athens lasted for more than 20 years. Sparta finally won, but the losses were equally huge. Now facing Persia, which is even more powerful than Athens, even if he is a brave Spartan, he still feels enormous pressure.
Chrysophus glanced at him and changed the subject: "Do you think Davos will join us?"
"Of course! We are Sparta—the overlord of Greece!" The adjutant said proudly.
"I hope so." Chrysophus nodded.
Herpus focused on treating the sick and wounded and had no time to manage the medical camp or maintain order. Moreover, he wasn't good at management; he preferred to delve into medical skills. Therefore, after everything was running smoothly, Davos had to leave the guard captain, Hilus, behind to temporarily manage the medical camp. However, as Davos' confidant, Hilus was steady and intelligent. Davos intended to cultivate him into a strong right-hand man, so using him as a small medical camp leader was a bit of a waste. He could only find a suitable position for him later.
Davos returned to his large tent, by which time it was already approaching dusk.
Finally free, he began to review the day's battle, analyzing the problems in his command and control, seeking better solutions. At the same time, he compared it with the military knowledge he had from his previous life. This was his daily homework before going to bed, and it was the method he came up with to quickly improve his military command ability. Some people spend their whole lives engaged in war but remain mediocre generals, while others, young as they are, can turn war into art. The most important thing lies in their attitude towards war.
The last battle had shown Davos the limitations of terrain and space on infantry in the age of cold weapons, and how much damage stampedes caused by fear could do to dense formations! And today, it made him understand the weakness of archers against fully armed heavy infantry.
What if javelins were thrown at heavy infantry? Davos thought: the lethality would definitely be stronger than arrows. He had once asked Matonis to throw javelins at discarded armor. At close range, they could completely penetrate heavy armor, and even pierce holes in bronze shields. So why didn't Tissaphernes do this? The answer was obvious: he didn't have strong javelin throwers. However, the Greek mercenaries had nearly three thousand light infantrymen with shields, mostly Thracians, who were the most powerful light infantrymen in the entire Mediterranean, with first-class javelin skills.
He also thought of the javelins used by Roman soldiers later. The front end was very thin, and when stuck on a shield, it would bend, becoming a burden to the enemy's movement, forcing them to drop their shields, thereby effectively reducing the enemy's defense. He even further imagined: what if Tissaphernes also had heavy infantry? After thinking it over, Davos felt that the Greeks would have no choice but to surrender. Because even in the Battle of Cannae in his previous life, when Hannibal faced a numerically superior Roman army, daring to creatively use a thin arc formation against Rome's solid battle formation, the most important prerequisite was that his cavalry was much stronger than Rome's, allowing him to defeat the flanks and complete the encirclement. At this time, the Persian cavalry was dozens of times stronger than the Greeks... …
Davos wrote down his Experience on the papyrus with Chinese characters while continuing to think. This time, he stood in Tissaphernes' position and considered how the Persians would act next... …
At this moment, someone came in: "Leader Davos, someone outside is looking for you."
"Olivus, it's you! Are you fully recovered from your injuries?!" Davos was pleasantly surprised when he realized that the person standing in front of him was Olivus, not noticing his strange expression.
"I'm fine, Herpus let me come back." Olivus reluctantly explained. Actually, he had taken the initiative to leave. Herpus saw that he was fine and, because the medical camp had received too many wounded soldiers today, he let him go.
"You just recovered, you should rest more, why are you here on guard duty? Where's Hilus?" Davos asked with concern. As soon as he spoke, he remembered that Hilus had been left in the medical camp by him.
Olivus hurried out to lead the visitor in.
The visitor wore a flowing chiton, with a himation (cloak) covering her head. The loose linen clothing could not hide her graceful figure.
"Christoya!" Davos blurted out.
The visitor stretched out her snow-white and slender hands, lifted the himation, and revealed her beautiful face. She gracefully saluted: "Leader Davos!"
Olivus winked and retreated.
Davos suddenly remembered that when he was reborn, Olivus had said, 'Christoya is as beautiful as Aphrodite'.
Christoya saw Davos distracted,
and teasingly said: "Leader Davos, are you not happy to see me?"
"Your arrival makes me so happy that I forget what to say, and your beauty makes my mind lose its ability to think!" Davos, with the body of a nineteen-year-old and the mind of a thirty-five-year-old, spoke with some flirtation in his casual praise.
"Leader Davos, you really know how to talk!" Christoya smiled sweetly and said: "These days, I've been hearing everyone in the logistics camp praising your achievements! Mithradates and Artauzus, as far as I know, are capable generals under Cyrus the Younger, and they were both defeated by you. It's enough to dispel anyone's doubts about your ability. I'm congratulating you now, I wonder if it's too late?!"
"Your words are worth more than a thousand words from others!" Davos smiled and said: "You didn't just come to congratulate me, did you?"
"I have a request!" Christoya looked at Davos: "You said, 'I can come to you with any request'."
"Of course! Of course! Please speak."
"I want to go to your medical camp!" Christoya said seriously.
"What?" Davos thought he had misheard: "Is someone in the medical camp treating you badly?"
"Mersis treats me very well." Christoya paused for a moment, carefully considering her words: "But everyone is busy with marching and fighting, and I'm the only one idle... … I've been to the medical camp a few times, and I think I can do what those female slaves do, and I can do it better than them!"
"Are you sure you want to go to the medical camp? There, you will see terrible wounds and scarlet blood every day, you will touch the dirty and smelly bodies of soldiers, comfort patients driven mad by pain, and may even be harassed by them... …"
Davos wanted to persuade Christoya to give up her idea, but she looked determined: "I'm not afraid! In fact, you don't really understand the wounded soldiers in your camp. Not only have they not bullied them, but they have always been grateful to these former female slaves... …" Christoya closed her eyes slightly, as if recalling the scene she had observed at the time.
Davos stared at her, feeling like he was facing a woman in modern society trying hard to do something meaningful to prove her existence.
"Okay, I agree."
"Really?!" Christoya opened her eyes wide in disbelief. The Greek city-states are actually very conservative towards their female citizens. Before marriage, they are under the control of their fathers, after marriage, they are under the control of their husbands, and when they are old, they are under the control of their sons. They basically have no freedom of their own (except for commoner women and courtesans). Christoya lacked a sense of security in her heart, fearing that she would be abandoned by the mercenaries if she had nothing to do, and envied the respect that those female slaves received in the medical camp. Through contact with Davos, she discovered the uniqueness of this young leader, so she tried to make a request, but she didn't expect to get a response so quickly.
In fact, for Davos, he didn't know much about Greek traditions and customs. On the contrary, he was used to the concept of equality between men and women in modern society. There were originally more women in hospitals, and he initially opposed it only because he was worried that Christoya's beauty would cause trouble.
"Really!" Davos said seriously.
Christoya excitedly walked towards him, and he couldn't help but stretch out his arms and embrace her fragrant body. At that moment, lightning struck... …
"Olivus, why aren't you standing guard properly, what are you eavesdropping on by the tent? This is a violation of military regulations, and you will be kicked out of the camp!" Georgis, who came to relieve him, shouted anxiously.
"Shh!" Olivus made a silent gesture and whispered mysteriously: "Come and listen, the battle inside is fierce!"
"Battle?" Georgis was a little confused.
Olivus pulled him over, and then he heard moans that made people's blood boil, and whispers that made people blush... …
"Davos' spring has come!" Olivus' face was full of envy: "This guy is really blessed by the gods, he actually got together with the most beautiful woman in our entire team... …"
The next day's march found Davos on horseback, riding high on the spring breeze, his mind still lingering on the joyful intimacy of the previous night with Christoia. Not only was Christoia beautiful, but her figure was as sensual as it appeared. Her snow-white, smooth skin and the curves of her body were irresistible to him. Coupled with her extremely flexible body, he indulged in her, venting the desires that had accumulated in his young, strong body for nineteen years. They remained entwined until late into the night. If Olivos hadn't been outside covering for him, they would have been interrupted long ago. Therefore, he overlooked Olivos' "crime" of eavesdropping outside.
In the aftermath of their passion, Christoia, lying in his arms, shyly expressed her willingness to be with him. Davos felt the distance between himself and the world seemed to lessen considerably. This attachment also made him think more about where he was going in the future. Davos came from modern society and was an adult. He knew that passion could not last forever. Christoia came from a noble family and had been a concubine of Cyrus the Younger, enjoying a life of luxury. Now, he was just a mercenary, an ordinary commoner in Greek society, not even a citizen, with no fixed abode, wandering from place to place. It might be alright for a short time, but he couldn't guarantee that Christoia wouldn't grow tired of it over time… Of course, he buried this thought in his heart. Now was not the time for deep thought, because the primary issue at the moment was to return to Greece alive.
The appearance of the Persians spoiled his good mood.
This time, Tissaphernes changed his strategy, no longer attacking, but harassing. The Persians followed closely behind the mercenary army, maintaining a safe distance, and from time to time a team of horse archers would rush up, fire a volley of arrows, and immediately retreat. This did little damage to the mercenaries, but it kept their nerves constantly on edge, affecting their marching speed and morale.
The leaders were helpless in the face of this. The only thing they could do was to mix slingers, archers, and heavy infantry, so that when facing the fast-moving Persian horse archers, they could force them to be less arrogant.
At the same time, the Greek mercenaries encountered other difficulties. As they got closer and closer to the Dukoya Mountains, the plains gradually turned into hills, and the terrain became rugged. The Greek army's huge square formation could not maintain its integrity, especially when crossing rivers and traversing narrow mountain roads, the entire formation was completely fragmented. Persian cavalry took advantage of this opportunity, using arrows to cause even greater chaos for the mercenaries.
After discussion, the leaders had to extract the troops of those small mercenary groups who had joined Clearchus from the vanguard (because so far, the Persian attacks had mainly come from the rear and flanks), forming four or five companies, each with about two hundred men, deployed on the inner sides of the flanks and rear guard. Once a large gap appeared in the formation, or it was compressed due to the narrow terrain, they would rush out to form a new rear guard, blocking the Persian cavalry's charge and providing a barrier for the archers and slingers who followed.
In this way, the mercenaries marched while trying their best to deal with the harassing Persian cavalry. This situation lasted for four or five days. When continuous mountain ranges appeared in front, the entire army breathed a sigh of relief, because they all knew that cavalry could not climb mountains.
They trudged up the rugged mountain paths, panting, crossed the first mountain range, and came to the foot of the second mountain range. The troops stopped to rest due to exhaustion.
Most of the soldiers took off their armor, wiped away sweat, and sat down to rest; the guards of the baggage train, in addition to resting, also had to check the injuries and damage to the pack animals and vehicles. The entire army huddled in the narrow area between the two mountains, preparing to rest for a while, and then continue marching after regaining their strength.
The attack came suddenly, with countless arrows and flying stones whistling in, catching the mercenaries off guard: soldiers screamed, women shrieked, pack animals ran wild, and the entire army was in chaos.
The first to react were Clearchus and his eight hundred Spartan warriors, because these Spartan warriors had not discarded their weapons and armor like other soldiers after descending the mountain, and their physical strength was still relatively abundant due to frequent rigorous training.
When Clearchus discovered that the attack was coming from the second mountain range, he immediately and decisively ordered: "Spartans, advance!"
The Spartan warriors immediately followed him, raising their shields and charging towards the top of the mountain.
The Persian light infantry had a very fast rate of fire, and wave after wave of arrows rained down the mountain.
After experiencing the initial chaos, the mercenaries also reacted quickly. After all, they were all veteran warriors who had experienced many battles. They quickly grabbed the round shields beside them and hid themselves behind the shields. Only the personnel of the baggage train, except for the guards, were mostly slaves or looted women, without any combat experience. Driven by fear, most people did not escape, but screamed and ran around, so they were injured a lot under the dense rain of arrows.
At this time, Davos was anxious, because in order to avoid any negative impact, he had not gone to see Christoia for the past few days. Now that the situation was urgent, he did not know if she was safe.
"Assistantes, notify the company officers to form a shield wall and move closer to the baggage train and medical corps!" he shouted loudly.
"Yes, leader!"
In fact, without his order, Philistius, Capys, Antonios, and the others had already led their troops, holding their round shields over their heads, and forming a shield formation to move towards the center.
Olivos and Matonis also immediately raised their shields and rushed forward to protect Davos.
But Davos shouted: "Marij! Marij, are you alright?!"
"I'm alright!" Marij shouted from behind him.
"Quickly protect him, don't let him get hurt!" Davos ordered.
Although Matonis looked down on this Persian, he always executed Davos's orders meticulously.
At this time, he was already the acting captain of the guard. Under his command, Georgias and several others caught up to protect Marij.
Marij stared at Davos's back, without saying a word, his eyes filled with gratitude.
Davos had no time to look at Marij's situation. He knelt on one knee, trying to look towards the baggage train from under his shield, where there was chaos.
He anxiously hurried towards the center. When he saw that a shield formation had also been erected on the medical corps side, he breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid suspicion, he first shouted: "Herpus! Herpus!"
"I'm here!" Herpus's voice came from under the shield formation: "We're all alright!"
Hearing this, Davos completely relaxed. At this time, Xilos came over and briefly explained the situation to him: the doctors and female slaves of the medical corps were safe, thanks to Christoia. When the first wave of arrows came down, she immediately told them to hide under the carts, and then Xilos commanded the more than one hundred wounded soldiers who followed to form a shield formation to protect most of the people's safety.
Xilos greatly praised Christoia's quick and calm reaction in the face of danger, which gave Davos another layer of understanding of this woman. Perhaps this was why she was the only one among Cyrus the Younger's concubines who escaped from the Persian looting.
The baggage train suffered much more. Melsis was not injured under the protection of the guards, but many of the slaves and women were hit by arrows, and several pack animals also died. Faced with Melsis's mournful face, Davos, who was already accustomed to life and death, did not send anyone to protect these non-combatants who had already scattered and ran around. Fortunately, the Persian attack did not last long before it stopped, because the troops led by Clearchus were already about to rush to the top of the mountain.
The Persians would certainly not fight the mercenaries head-on, and they quickly retreated.
Clearchus left the Spartan warriors on the top of the mountain for defense.
After descending the mountain, Clearchus gathered the leaders to discuss countermeasures. He said: "The Persians are all light infantry, we can't catch up with them. Although they have retreated, they are likely to continue to attack us with bows and arrows on the third and fourth mountain ranges. Our army is too large, it is difficult to avoid them."
Speaking of discussion, he had actually already thought of a countermeasure on the way back down the mountain: "I carefully surveyed the top of the mountain just now. These mountain ranges are not high and do not take up much area. We can send a troop to go around to the back of the next mountain range from the right side first, and then I will lead my warriors to be the vanguard in the front. If the Persians want to occupy the high ground again and continue to attack us, we will cut off their retreat."
Clearchus vigorously poked the sketch drawn on the ground with a tree branch: "Then surround and kill them."
"Good idea, but I don't think the Persians have the guts to stay and attack us," Zanthippus said regretfully.
"Yeah, the cowardly Persians are like rabbits." Timason cursed. The deaths and injuries of the soldiers made him angry and helpless.
"Let me lead the soldiers around the mountains!" Xenophon volunteered.
Hieronimus's face changed suddenly. He remembered Xenophon's reckless attack that had previously led to heavy losses among the soldiers.
"I think Xenophon can do it!" Davos immediately agreed.
"We don't have time to delay, we must act immediately, otherwise we may have to spend the night in the mountains!" Cleanor looked up at the weather and said anxiously.
So, Xenophon's request was quickly approved, and the leaders went back to reorganize their troops.
Davos lagged behind, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Chrisopus couldn't help but stop and turn around to ask, "What is Chief Davos thinking about?"
Davos was a little surprised to see Chrisopus, who was usually taciturn, taking the initiative to ask him a question: "I was thinking... um... fortunately, the Persians didn't build defensive camps in the mountains, otherwise our losses would have been great."
"You think too highly of Tissaphernes. Don't be fooled by the speed of the Persian cavalry and archers, their overall marching speed is much slower than ours. These Persian nobles, led by Tissaphernes, can't endure hardship like we Greeks. They bring gorgeous tents, beautiful concubines, dancers, and a large number of slaves when they march and fight. They must wait for the sun to come out every day before they start marching, otherwise it's too cold; and they must camp away from the enemy at dusk because it's too dark. Under their influence, how can the Persian soldiers not be affected by them? I estimate that these Persian soldiers who attacked us just arrived not long ago." Chrisopus analyzed seriously.
Davos understood. He originally thought that the mercenary army was bloated enough, but he didn't expect the Persians to be even worse. He thought for a while and then said, "If the Persians divided these light infantry into several teams and hid them in the mountains behind, on the flanks, and in front of our army, launching attacks in turn, would the effect be better?"
Chrisopus frowned and asked, "You mean..."
"Just like just now, the Persians on the mountains in front launched an attack, and when we drove them away and thought it was safe, the Persians launched an attack from behind... and then... This would not only cause more losses to our army, but also force us to run back and forth, dispersing our forces, and every step forward would be taken with great caution, thus greatly slowing down our army's marching speed."
Chrisopus looked at him in surprise: "You usually think about these things..."
Davos rarely saw such obvious expressions on Chrisopus's face and said a little embarrassedly, "Because I lack experience, I have to study more and think more..."
Chrisopus returned to his serious and rigid expression: "That is indeed a good idea, but it's not something that just anyone can use, because completing such a tactic requires higher courage, training, and ability from the soldiers and generals. Do you think this Persian army can do it?"
Davos shook his head.
Chrisopus looked at him deeply and said, "If you have any ideas in the future, we can discuss them together." After saying that, he strode away.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
One Persian attack caused the mercenaries to suffer more than a thousand casualties, more than half of whom were non-combatants.
Davos's camp suffered more than 150 casualties, and most of the pack animals were also injured by arrows, so he had to order nearly half of the soldiers to help in the baggage camp, carrying supplies and supporting the wounded.
The entire mercenary army was affected by this, and its movement was slower than before, but the vanguard made smooth progress. Because Xenophon led his troops to quickly bypass the mountains, the Persians were very wary, fearing that they would be caught in a pincer attack, so they did not dare to stop them in front.
The mercenaries passed through this mountainous area relatively smoothly.
At dusk, the soldiers discovered a Persian village in front of them. What happened next was the same as before. The mercenaries looted these villages and set up camp. Fortunately, they also found a large amount of supplies collected by these villages in preparation for supplying Tissaphernes's army. After the soldiers enjoyed the rich food, their morale was boosted. And Davos's medical camp became busy again, until late at night... …
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
After the passion, Christoia lay limply on Davos's body. Davos's hands caressed her smooth and elastic skin. The two were still immersed in the previous fierce battle... …
After a long time, Davos said, "Herpus said that you learned very quickly in the medical camp, and you helped him manage those wounded soldiers and female slaves very well. Those wounded soldiers all listen to you very much, and they even gave you a nickname, 'Persephone of the Human World'."
"Hmm." Christoia hummed softly, raised her head slightly, and smiled slyly: "Wouldn't that make me your mistress!"
Davos's eyes swept across her delicate smile, her slender swan neck, and the snow-white skin that was half-hidden in her lining. Suddenly, the desire in his heart rose again, and he couldn't help but press her down again, breathing rapidly, and said, "I just like being with the mistress..."
Christoia pretended to be surprised and giggled, "You are blaspheming the gods."
"I'm not afraid!" Davos pressed closer to her... …
Christoia trembled all over, and tightly hugged Davos's arms.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"Davos."
"Hmm."
"Do you know why those wounded soldiers listen to me?"
"I don't know." In fact, Davos knew.
"I asked Hilos to tell them, 'I am your woman!', and since you now have a high reputation in the mercenary army, they will be more cautious. I also asked Herpus to give the last treatment to a wounded soldier who tried to violate me. His screams didn't stop until the evening. I think this was also a good warning to them!... Davos... Do you think I'm..." Christoia lay weakly on Davos's body, murmuring.
"You did a very good job, better than I imagined!" Davos smelled her black hair and said, "Hilos can't stay in the medical camp all the time, and Herpus is focused on improving his medical skills. I want you to manage the medical camp."
"What?! Let me manage the medical camp?!" Christoia's surprised eyes were mixed with a few hints of surprise.
"Didn't you say before that your father was busy with the political affairs of Miletus, and you always helped him manage the slaves on the farm? Your performance in the medical camp these past few days also shows that you are fully capable of managing this small team."
Davos was used to the tradition of equality between men and women in his previous life and would not restrain women at home like the Greeks of this era. He didn't mind women showing their faces, or even performing better than him: "Of course, Herpus is still the nominal medical officer, after all, we have to consider other people's opinions, but in reality, you are responsible for management. I'll talk to Herpus later."
"Davos!" Christoia hugged him tightly and said excitedly, "It's so good for me to be with you!"
"Don't get excited yet, you still have a task. Try to get the doctors from other military camps who come to help in the medical camp to voluntarily stay, as well as those wounded soldiers." Davos patted her back and said.
"Yes, Chief!" Christoia saluted with a giggle, wearing nothing but a chiton, exuding an indescribable sexiness and temptation. If Davos hadn't been exhausted, he would definitely have done it again.
Seeing Davos's eyes about to spew fire, Christoia hurriedly and lazily put on her chiton: "Davos, I understand that you want to expand the medical camp, because the medical camp is indeed short of manpower now. But why do you want to persuade those wounded soldiers to stay?"
Of course, Davos couldn't say that coming to this strange world, he had a strong sense of insecurity, so the more soldiers he commanded, the more it could dispel the unease in his heart. Facing Christoia's curious gaze, he revealed a hint of his true intention: "The road home is still very long, and I don't know how many difficulties there will be. It's better for the soldiers to be commanded by themselves than by others, so it's safer and they can better exert their abilities!"
Hearing this, Christoia looked at Davos's young face, stunned. In a trance, his face overlapped with that of Cyrus the Younger, which made Christoia feel a little scared. She stepped forward and hugged Davos tightly.
"What's wrong?" Davos sensed the change in her expression.
"…Going back to Greece… What do you want to do?" Christoia asked softly.
"Oh… I haven't really thought about that question…" Davos said, in fact, he had been thinking about it, just not clearly: "But one thing is certain, wherever I go, I will take you with me!"
Christoia pressed her face against Davos' broad shoulder, caressing his rough skin, and said in a firm tone: "Wherever you go, I will follow you!" After saying that, she seemed to remember something and emphasized: "But you better not go back to Asia Minor!"
"Why?" Davos was a little surprised.
"Because it might be a battlefield there." Christoia's words startled Davos: "I heard Cyrus the Younger say—"
Christoia subconsciously glanced at Davos again, and seeing that his expression was normal, she continued: "The Spartans have deep conflicts with Tissaphernes, and the Spartans are also involved in this Persian rebellion. Now that Tissaphernes has returned to Asia Minor, he will definitely not let go of this opportunity to punish Sparta. Because Sparta is now the leader of the Greek city-states, he will inevitably replace Athens as the protector of the Greek city-states in Asia Minor. However, in order to gain the support of the Persians, Sparta reached an agreement, which included Sparta's consent to hand over the Greek city-states in Asia Minor to Persian rule. After the war with Athens ended, Sparta kept dragging its feet on fulfilling this agreement, and… Cyrus the Younger did not urge the Spartans for some reason. So…"
"So, now that the new king is enthroned, Tissaphernes will return to Asia Minor and will definitely represent the Persian king in urging Sparta to fulfill the original agreement!" Davos didn't expect that there was such a secret between Sparta and Persia. Sparta's rogue behavior surprised him, but it was also understandable: If Sparta agreed, the dignified Greek overlord would actually hand over the land of its compatriots to the enemies of the Greeks, which would simply be betrayal and 'treason'! It would undoubtedly greatly damage the prestige it had established after the victory in the Peloponnesian War, and even some city-states might rise up against its hegemony out of dissatisfaction. If it disagreed, it would be a violation of the agreement, and war would probably break out.
Davos covered his chin and fell into deep thought: Could it be that Chirisophus took the initiative to talk to me in order to win me over? As he thought, he suddenly remembered something: "Christoia, if I don't go to Asia Minor, will you still go back to Miletus?"
"Didn't I say I would always follow you!" Christoia said, her expression slightly dimming: "Besides, if I go back now, it will bring disaster to my family."
Davos immediately understood what she meant: As Cyrus the Younger's concubine, she could be considered an important family member of the rebels, and her return would undoubtedly attract the attention of the Persian authorities to her family in Miletus.
Thinking of this, Davos comforted her: "Don't worry, one day, I will let you return home in glory!"
Christoia looked at Davos, whose expression was extremely serious, and the haze on her face gradually disappeared: "I believe you!"
She put the Himation over her head and said, "Since you let me manage the medical camp, then I will start exercising my rights. I want to give those female slaves freedom, so that they will work harder to take care of the wounded."
"That's your right. But I have to tell Melchis first."
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Three days later, the camp was broken and the army marched.
In the afternoon, Tissaphernes led his army to arrive.
After the leaders received the news from the scouts, they quickly led their teams to the nearest village and began to set up camp. Because at this time, many soldiers in the mercenary army could not fight: one was the wounded, the second was the soldiers carrying the wounded, and the third was the soldiers who helped carry the weapons of the wounded and the soldiers carrying the wounded. The large reduction in combat soldiers made it impossible for the mercenaries to fight while marching as before.
When Tissaphernes' army arrived at the village,
The mercenaries found that the flags representing Orontas and Sisamnes were gone, and the generals guessed: Tissaphernes had not appeared before, was he going to see off these two royal nobles? At the same time, they also began to worry about the future journey. They didn't have to worry about the Persian king's brother, but Orontas was the governor of Armenia, and he was likely to intercept the mercenaries on the way to Armenia.
The Persian army, braving the attacks of the mercenary slingers, arrived in front of the mercenary camp and began to fire arrows. The two sides began to stage the daily drama of mutual long-range attacks. However, in this attack mode, the Persian army was already at a disadvantage. Now that the mercenaries had the protection of the camp, the advantage was even more obvious. The leaders did not understand why Tissaphernes, who was so shrewd, would be so rash.
The battle lasted only a dozen minutes before Tissaphernes led his army to retreat. Because there were many cavalry in the Persian army, they were afraid of being attacked at night and causing chaos. The Persian army's camp was ten miles away from the mercenary camp.
After discussion, the leaders decided: to let the soldiers rest at dusk and march before dawn. If the Persian army caught up, they would set up camp. This would not only ensure the safety of the troops, but also not delay the march.
In fact, the leaders' arrangements seemed a bit redundant. The Persian army did not appear for three consecutive days. It was not until the morning of the fourth day that the cavalry scouts who were exploring the front reported: the road ahead was narrow, and there were several mountain peaks on the side of the road. Traces of Persians were found on the shorter mountain. The previous lessons made the leaders extremely cautious about this.
"As before, I will lead a team to bypass the mountain from the right side and drive them away." Xenophon said, his face full of confidence due to the previous success.
At this moment, the reconnaissance cavalry in the rear rushed to report: Tissaphernes' main force was found!
This news immediately made the leaders nervous. Because the combat effectiveness of the mercenaries was not as good as before, there were too many wounded, which made the mercenaries dare not fight with all their strength. Moreover, at this time, the entire army was located in the hilly area, the terrain was narrow, which was not conducive to the deployment of troops, and the personnel were too dense, which would greatly increase casualties under long-range attacks. Obviously, Tissaphernes had carefully planned this time and was preparing to give the mercenaries a big blow.
The situation was urgent! Chirisophus could not care about discussing with other leaders, and said to Xenophon with a serious expression: "You must drive away the Persians occupying the mountains as quickly as possible to ensure our smooth passage. As long as you take the mountains, you can guard the mountain pass, and Tissaphernes will not dare to pursue us again."
"I need some light infantry!" Xenophon immediately made his request.
"Archers and slingers cannot be given to you, only they can fight against Tissaphernes." Chirisophus declared in advance.
"I have five hundred light shield soldiers under my command that can be dispatched to you." Davos said first. At this time, he could not save his strength, and must cooperate to overcome the difficulties.
Xenophon was very grateful to Davos, because Davos had repeatedly expressed his support for him in public.
"I will give you eight hundred Thracian light shield soldiers!" Timasion glanced at Davos and said loudly. Because Timasion's former leader, Clearchus, had used the money Cyrus the Younger gave him to recruit mercenaries in Chersonesus to attack the Thracian forces near the Hellespont for more than a year, he had collected many Thracians, and his camp had the most light shield soldiers among the Greek mercenaries.
After Xenophon expressed his gratitude again, he took two hundred heavy infantry, a total of one thousand five hundred people, and set off quickly.
The leaders also ordered the entire army to increase their vigilance while speeding up their march towards the mountain pass.
When Xenophon led his army to the foot of the mountain, he found that the Persians had indeed occupied a mountain. He was about to order an attack when Epithenes, the captain of the first light shield infantry company under Davos, put forward his own opinion. He pointed to the mountain and said: "Xenophon, look at that mountain next to the Persians. If we attack the Persians directly, they may retreat to that higher mountain again… This will not only delay time, but also make our attack more difficult. It is better to go directly to occupy that higher mountain top first, and then throw javelins and stones at the Persians from a high position, which can easily defeat them."
The light shield infantry captains all said that Epithenes' method was good. Xenophon followed the good advice, so he ordered: let the troops quickly occupy the mountain top!
The Persians had originally prepared defenses against the mercenary army's attack, but later gradually realized that the mercenaries' route was heading towards the adjacent mountains. They were immediately shocked, realizing their mistake, and quickly gathered their troops to march towards the same mountains…
At this time, Tissaphernes' army was already approaching the mountain pass, while the mercenary army formed ranks near the pass. The baggage train and the wounded were concentrated at the rear, very close to the mountain ridge occupied by the Persians. If the Persians unleashed a full volley of arrows from the ridge, they could barely reach the edge of the mercenary formation. But at this moment, both the Persians and Xenophon's troops were simultaneously rushing towards the mountain peak from two directions…
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Raise the shield wall!"
"Skirmishers, prepare!"
"Archers, prepare!"
The leaders, with solemn expressions, loudly issued orders to their troops. In front of the mercenary formation, the Persians advanced like a tide, slowly deploying their ranks…
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Hurry! Hurry! Brothers, hold on! You are racing for your survival! Put in that extra bit of effort now, and we will have an easier march later, avoiding many troublesome battles!" Xenophon encouraged his troops as he led them up the mountain.
By the time they reached the mountainside, the soldiers clearly felt muscle soreness, shortness of breath, and a decrease in speed. However, seeing the Persians on the side of the mountain peak doing the same thing, a sense of urgency spurred them on, preventing them from slacking off.
Although the Persians were closer to the summit, their side of the mountain path was steep, unlike the gentle slope on the back of the mountain that the mercenaries were using.
In this "mountain climbing race" between the two armies, the Greeks had the last laugh. They were the first to reach the summit, and without regard for their fatigue, immediately hurled javelins and stones at the Persians who were still climbing.
The Persians turned and fled, abandoning even their original position, and ran all the way to the foot of the mountain…
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Tissaphernes' ranged attacks continued. Despite the increasing casualties in his ranks, he still did not give the order to retreat, which put a lot of pressure on the mercenaries. Just as they were struggling to hold on, scouting cavalry arrived to report that Xenophon had sent word: they had occupied the mountain ridge and driven away the Persians!
"Retreat!" Chirisophus breathed a sigh of relief.
Thus, the mercenary army began an orderly retreat…
The Persian army pressed closer step by step…
When all the mercenaries had retreated into the mountain pass, the Persians who were still pursuing them entered the range of Xenophon's troops. They were subjected to a powerful barrage of stones and javelins falling from the summit, and only then did they sound the retreat horn…
… … … … … … … … … … … …
The mercenary army finished traversing the mountain pass and entered a plain. There were many villages here, and the mercenaries began to set up camp, treat the wounded, and replenish their supplies, because the guides all said: the Duchaea Mountains were ahead. To this end, the leaders convened an important meeting.
"We Greeks resist the Persians, and the Duchaeans also resist the Persians. According to the guides, the Persians once sent an army of about 100,000 to attack Duchaea, but were defeated and returned. Since we and the Duchaeans both have a grudge against the Persians, then we and the Duchaeans should be able to get along well. Moreover, we are only borrowing the road to Armenia, and will not commit any aggression against the Duchaeans. As long as we send envoys to express our peaceful intentions to them, I believe they will definitely accept!" Xenophon spoke eloquently, becoming more confident after this period of training.
"Get along well? Easier said than done!" Timasion scoffed, somewhat disliking Xenophon's flamboyance. Both Daevas and Xenophon were young and capable, too sharp, arousing jealousy and some dissatisfaction from some older mercenaries such as Cleanor and Timasion: "An army of tens of thousands entering their territory, and an army that has repeatedly defeated the Persians, wouldn't the Duchaeans be nervous?! Wouldn't they be afraid?! I don't believe it! Oh… you say you are just passing through Duchaea,
but what if you launch an attack while passing through the mountain strongholds and settlements? The cost would be too great. Would the Duchaeans dare to take this risk? You must know that the Duchaeans are fierce and barbaric, and even Persia, which has a vast territory and surrounds them, is afraid of them. How could they agree to our request from thousands of miles away?!"
As soon as Timasion finished speaking, Cleanor continued, "A few days ago, my soldiers captured several Duchaean slaves from the Persians. After questioning them, we learned that 'Duchaeans' is just a term used by the Persians to refer to the mountain people living in this mountainous area. In fact, there are many tribes and different races in the Duchaea Mountains, who often fight and kill each other for the benefit of their tribes. Some tribes are even mortal enemies. The problem now is—even if we can get the consent of one tribe, we may be attacked by another tribe as soon as we cross a few mountains. If we have to negotiate with each tribe one by one, it will take too long, and we will starve. You must know that the Duchaea Mountains are a barren area with a lack of food!"
"It seems we can only force our way through!" Hieronimus, who rarely spoke, said forcefully at this moment: "After we enter Duchaea, we will not actively invade others, but if anyone dares to invade us, we will give them a hard time!"
"When the time comes, who knows who will give whom a hard time!" Xantippus said helplessly: "Before, the Persians occupying the mountain ridge caused us a lot of trouble, and that was just a few mountains! After entering Duchaea, it's all mountains. Most of us are heavy infantry, and there is a lot of baggage. It's difficult to march, let alone fight. The Duchaeans are familiar with the terrain, and climbing mountains is a skill they have developed since childhood, while we can only rely on guides. The mountain roads are narrow, and our Team Team can probably only form a long line. The Duchaeans can emerge from anywhere to attack us, and we can't do anything about it…" Xantippus's words plunged everyone into silence.
Xenophon seized the opportunity to say, "So we still have to negotiate with the Duchaeans, right?"
Everyone ignored him and looked at Chirisophus.
Chirisophus, however, looked at Daevas, who had been silent in the corner, and asked, "Leader Daevas, what's your opinion?"
Daevas smiled slightly and said slowly, "After listening to everyone's words, it can actually be summarized into two opinions. One is to negotiate with the Duchaeans. The advantage is safety, but the disadvantage is that it takes too much time, and the Duchaeans may disagree; the second is to force our way through. The advantage is that it saves time, but the disadvantage is that there will be many casualties. So, why don't we combine these two opinions into one method?"
Combine them into one method? Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and Chirisophus was also stunned.
Philesius next to him secretly laughed in his heart when he saw their expressions. In fact, the company officers of Daevas's camp had discussed this matter last night. When Daevas said his method, everyone was surprised by the uniqueness of his idea, but they had to admit that the possibility of realizing this method was very high. Now that he was facing the leaders, he couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority.
Everyone asked in unison, "How to combine them?"
"Find a tribe and cooperate with them, let them lead the way for us!" Daevas said astonishingly.
Everyone was stunned.
Xenophon was the first to react: "Daevas, do you mean… let the Duchaeans fight the Duchaeans?! Is that possible?"
"Benefits, as long as there are benefits, everything is possible!" Daevas said affirmatively.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
During the three days that the mercenaries were encamped, Persian cavalry appeared many times, attacking individual soldiers who had left the unit, plundering grazing livestock, and even attempting to set fire to the village.
After discussing, the leaders believed that Tissaphernes was doing everything in his power to prevent the mercenaries from entering Duchaea, even at the cost of burning the Persian king's territory and people. In order to prevent him from doing anything even more insane, the army had no choice but to enter Duchaea ahead of schedule.
So, on the fourth morning, the mercenaries broke camp and marched north.
Tissaphernes watched from afar as the long line of Greek mercenaries gradually disappeared into the shadows of the mountains…
"Governor, are we really just going to let the Greeks go?" the adjutant asked, unwilling to accept it.
"Let them go?!" Tissaphernes glared at him fiercely: "This is the King's order! I have followed his will and successfully driven the Greek barbarians into Douchia! Do you think they will have an easy time next?!"
Tissaphernes pointed to the vast mountains in front of him and said fiercely: "Steep and narrow mountain roads, snake-infested forests, and the ferocious Douchia mountain people will devour their courage! Even if they barely make it through Douchia, Orontas's army is waiting for them ahead! Even if Orontas can't stop them, they will still encounter the Chalubians, the Carduchians, the Macronians… Let these barbarians fight each other! I wonder how many Greek barbarians will be able to return to Greece in the end?!"
He sneered and said, "We don't need to waste our time and energy here. There are important things to do in Asia Minor. Withdraw the troops! Go back!" he shouted decisively, then turned his horse around, unintentionally catching sight of Ariaeus's expressionless face not far away. He paused slightly and subconsciously looked back again at the rolling mountains: So, capturing the leader of the Greek mercenaries was already a great achievement. Under favorable circumstances, he had new ideas, which resulted in the deaths of Mithradates and Artauzus, and casualties of more than 10,000 soldiers, greatly reducing his achievements. Next, he hoped that the Greeks would be annihilated in the mountains as he wished, to relieve his hatred!
But, can it really be as he wished?
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The mercenaries arrived at the edge of the Douchia mountain area the next day and began to camp. The next action would depend on whether Marige's mission to the Douchia tribe would be successful.
Davos and the other leaders escorted Marige to the mountain pass, accompanied by dozens of soldiers led by Hilos. They drove several pack animals, loaded with armor, shields, and spears that the mercenaries had stripped from the dead Persian soldiers. These were the weapons and equipment that the Douchia mountain people lacked. In addition, there were more than a dozen Douchians, mainly slaves that Davos had initially had Mercis intercept from Persian villages.
"Marige, everything depends on you!" Davos gave him a strong hug, then whispered in his ear: "If things don't look good, get away as soon as possible. Hilos will help you escape back. It doesn't matter if the negotiations fail, we can still force our way through. Your safety is the most important thing."
Marige was stunned, looked at the other leaders behind Davos, and then said loudly: "Don't worry, with these weapons and those Douchians, our negotiations are already half successful! I have traded with the leader of this tribe, Comolo, many times before, and I still understand him relatively well. He has always been very ambitious, trying to make his tribe strong and monopolize the trade route between Armenia, Douchia, and Media. Therefore, he has fought with the surrounding tribes, and I believe our proposal will be very interesting to him!"
"Hopefully." Timason stepped forward and urged in a stiff tone: "You'd better hurry up, don't forget, we can only wait for you here for one day!"
Marige glanced at him and said nothing more.
Davos ignored Timason and went forward to give Hilos an even stronger hug. Davos knew that Hilos's choice was right, because he had strongly demanded to go and had been persuaded many times without success. Only with this most capable confidant as an attendant would Marige fully believe that Davos would not easily abandon them in any situation.
Davos kept his gratitude in his heart and said to Hilos: "Return safely, brother!"
Hilos took a step back and solemnly gave a military salute.
Davos watched them walk into the forest until the dense trees completely obscured their figures…
"It feels really strange that we were driven here by the Persians, but now we have to rely on a Persian to help us escape from danger."
Clianor said in a strange tone.
"Don't think so much, Clianor. We are all hoping that this Persian can succeed now, aren't we?" Zantiparis said lightly.
"Perhaps this is the arrangement of the gods, who enjoy this wonderful collision of fate." Xenophon's eyes were full of expectation: "And now we can only wait patiently."
"Besides waiting, we must also prepare for battle," Chrisophus reminded everyone. After speaking, he turned and returned to the camp.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
On this day, the mercenary leaders forbade all soldiers from going out, to prevent these looting and idle mercenaries from clashing with the Douchia mountain people, thereby affecting their plans. At the same time, they also put the entire army on alert to defend against attacks from the Douchians or the Persians.
But nothing happened this day. Only occasionally, a few Douchia mountain people wearing fur coats and red patterns on their faces, carrying short axes and bows and arrows on their backs, wandered around the camp.
The soldiers watched and commented.
Compared to the soldiers' ease and leisure, the leaders were always nervously worried about whether the plan would be accepted by the Douchians, especially Davos, who did not sleep well all night.
It wasn't until early the next morning that Asistetes broke into the tent and shook him awake: "Marige is back!"
Davos was so excited that he was completely awake.
"Leader, the Douchia tribal leader, Comolo, has listened to my suggestion and is willing to form an alliance with us!" Marige's excited shout came from behind Asistetes.
"Great!" Davos jumped up, grabbed Marige's shoulders with both hands, and said happily: "You have saved the entire mercenary army, all the Greek soldiers will thank you!"
A smile appeared on Marige's face, then he showed a difficult expression: "Hilos and the others failed to return because Comolo wanted to entertain them well."
Davos was stunned. He heard the strangeness in Marige's voice and asked with an ugly face: "Hostages?"
Marige hurriedly explained: "Yes, for safety, because Comolo wants to personally discuss the alliance with all the leaders!"
Davos's expression softened slightly, and he asked urgently: "At what time? What location?"
"Originally, he wanted you to go to the mountain village to negotiate, but I refused. I argued with him, and he even threatened me with a knife several times. Finally, after repeated arguments, it was decided to be at the foot of the mountain forest in front, and the time is this afternoon," Marige emphasized the difficulty of his negotiations.
"This afternoon… at the foot of the mountain in front…" Davos pondered, then smiled and said: "It seems that this Comolo is very eager to form an alliance!"
"Yes, leader!" Marige looked proud.
"Then what are we waiting for! Quickly go and find Chrisophus and the others!" After speaking, Davos strode out.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the afternoon, Chrisophus, Clianor, and Davos, led by Marige, led fifty Spartan warriors to the foot of the mountain. To prevent repeating the mistake of Clearchus and other leaders being wiped out in one fell swoop, the remaining mercenary leaders led their troops to line up at the mountain pass one mile away from the foot of the mountain.
"It's right there." Marige pointed forward: On the grass not far away, there was a tree stump larger than a Greek soldier's round shield, the cut surface was polished smooth and flat, about half a person's height, with several wooden stakes placed around it. Next to the wooden stake was a winding path that extended upwards into the depths of the mountains…
"This Douchia leader is a thoughtful person." As the initiator of this plan, Davos must show his confidence in it, so he was the first to walk over, brush away the dust and fallen leaves on the wooden stake, and sit down.
Chrisophus also sat down calmly.
Clianor looked around before slowly sitting down.
Marige stood directly beside Davos.
At this time, it was already late autumn. When marching in the Tigris River basin before, the climate was still warm. When they arrived in the Douchia mountain area, the weather turned cooler, the grass began to wither and turn yellow, the mountain wind blew, and the leaves kept falling, covering the ground with a thick layer.
Chrisophus looked up at the bare branches and said worriedly: "We must pass through this mountain area as soon as possible, otherwise it will be colder in the mountains when winter comes, and the soldiers don't have thick clothes to keep warm…"
Chrisophus's words reminded Davos. To be honest, he had never thought about this.
While Chrisophus and the other two began to discuss how to cope with the arrival of winter, the Douchia mountain people came: dozens of sturdy adult men, and a strangely dressed old man.