Clearchus and his men immediately focused their gazes on the man in the center. Compared to the burly men around him, he appeared somewhat slender, but he wore a short-sleeved leather robe of more vibrant color to compensate for his physique. In addition, he seemed to be wearing a yellowish-brown Persian robe underneath, covering the bare legs favored by the Duchae tribesmen.
When his light brown, piercing eyes locked onto Clearchus and his companions, he raised his right hand, and the Duchae elder shouted, "The great chieftain of the Duchae tribe greets guests from afar!"
The tribesmen struck their wooden shields with short axes, uttering, "Oh la, oh la..."
The high-pitched, beast-like howls made Davers' eardrums ache. Because the old man spoke in the Duchae language, the mercenary leaders were somewhat bewildered. Marigus immediately translated for them in a low voice, and they quickly regained their composure. Davers even curiously admired this primitive form of hospitality.
With the leaders' approval, Marigus also loudly shouted in the Duchae language, "The Spartan inspector Clearchus extends friendly greetings to the great chieftain Komolo!" As soon as he finished speaking, the fifty silent Spartan warriors behind him roared together, "Hey! Ho!" Accompanying the two shouts was the unified thrust of spears into the ground, the opening and closing of round shields, which then returned to silence. In contrast to the opponent's clamor, the Spartan warriors were low-key and restrained, yet they gave off an invisible pressure.
Komolo's expression changed slightly, his eyes fixed on the fifty tall and straight soldiers like pine trees. Each held a round shield with a large "∧" symbol in the center. He muttered, "Sparta..."
For a century, the fame of Spartan warriors had spread throughout the Mediterranean region, and even the people in this remote mountainous area had heard of them. He raised his right hand, and the tribesmen's shouts gradually ceased. "Welcome! Please, sit!" He spoke in fluent Persian.
As a Spartan inspector who often dealt with Persia, Clearchus naturally understood. He replied in Persian, "You too, please sit!"
Negotiations officially began...
...
To Davers and the others' surprise, the seemingly barbaric Duchae people were quite shrewd in negotiations, especially Komolo. The demands they made were practically treating the Greek mercenaries as coolies and thugs. Their reasons were quite sufficient: 'If our tribe becomes an ally of the Greek mercenaries, we will offend the powerful Persia, and at the same time, we will be isolated and rejected by other tribes in Duchae. There must be enough benefits to make the warriors of the entire tribe agree to sign the alliance.'
The Greek negotiating team was equally capable. Clearchus, being sent by Sparta as a liaison with Cyrus the Younger, undoubtedly possessed diplomatic skills. Davers, as the former head of the high-tech development zone in the city in his previous life, had participated in countless business negotiations. In addition, there was Marigus, a merchant familiar with Duchae.
Before coming, the mercenaries had already discussed the bottom line they had to adhere to: the Greek mercenaries' marching route must be decided by themselves and not be manipulated by outsiders. They deliberately showed that they did not value the alliance very much. When the negotiations stalled, Cleonidas repeatedly stated: It doesn't matter if the alliance fails, the soldiers can force their way through.
In this way, the chieftains of the Keso Kant tribe felt a headache. After all, they were the first stumbling block on the mercenaries' way to Armenia. Clearly, there were benefits to be gained, but they had to choose confrontation, and with Greeks who had defeated Persia. Of course, they could choose not to fight head-on, and the mercenaries could do nothing about them, but the mountain village could not be moved away, and houses and supplies might not be preserved. More importantly, this would damage Komolo's prestige and increase the surrounding tribes' covetousness towards the Keso Kant tribe.
After several rounds of confrontation, an alliance was finally reached:
First, the Greek mercenaries and the Duchae tribe will become allies, live in harmony, and not invade each other;
Second,
The Greek mercenaries will decide their own marching route. The tribes near the route will be attacked jointly by the mercenaries and the Keso Kant tribe. Of the materials and wealth obtained, the mercenaries will receive 60%, and the Keso Kant tribe will receive 40%. The captured enemies will be handed over to the Keso Kant tribe for disposal. Without the consent of the Keso Kant tribe, the mercenaries must not kill or plunder indiscriminately;
Third, Clearchus and Komolo will coordinate and command during combat. If there are disagreements that cannot be resolved, the operation will be canceled. (This clause was originally added by Clearchus for fear that Komolo would take some tactics that were detrimental to the mercenaries for the sake of tribal interests, regardless of the mercenaries' lives. In fact, this clause was never implemented in the end, because after tasting the sweetness, Komolo was afraid that the mercenaries would cancel the attack plan, so he would take the initiative to consult with Clearchus to resolve any objections.);
Fourth, if the Keso Kant tribe has a special target to attack that is not near the mercenaries' marching route, they can hire the Greeks to attack, but they need to discuss with the leaders and obtain the consent of the mercenary soldiers. (This clause was mainly Komolo's request, and Clearchus, Davers, and others believed after discussion that if the cooperation between the two sides was smooth, then as long as the target being attacked was relatively close, the mercenaries might as well accept the employment, after all, since Cyrus the Younger died in battle, the soldiers no longer had any salary to take.)… The alliance will be implemented immediately and will end when the Greek mercenaries leave Duchae."
The last procedure for reaching the alliance was sacrifice. Clearchus had already prepared for this. He ordered the slaughter of three white lambs that had been brought, placing the fresh blood food on the tree stump. The Keso Kant tribe also slaughtered a deer.
Then, both sides inserted wooden strips around the tree stump, lit them on fire, and then loudly read the alliance articles written in Persian on two animal skins. There was no priest among the mercenaries, so Clearchus had to do it himself. On the Duchae side, the strangely dressed male witch performed the ceremony.
When the sacrifice was completed and the two sides began to discuss the next action, a mountain breeze swept through, stirring up a ground of fallen leaves and extinguishing the torches around the tree stump. Everyone present changed their expressions. The Greeks, including the silent Spartan warriors, respectfully shouted the name of "Zeus," while the Duchae people knelt down and worshiped their mountain god. Obviously, everyone believed that the gods had manifested and approved of this alliance.
As a result, the attitude of both parties became much more positive. Komolo even sent one of his sons to the mercenaries as a guide.
...
Twenty days later, the mercenaries left the Duchae mountains and entered the plains.
In these twenty days, the mercenaries cooperated with the Keso Kant tribe, broke through four mountain villages, and defeated a joint attack by the Duchae tribe once. The casualties in the battle were not small, but a lot of supplies were seized, and supplies were maintained during the long march in the mountains. The Keso Kant tribe gained even more. Most of the captured mountain people, except for the stubborn ones, were forced to join the Keso Kant tribe. It is not known to what extent the population of the Keso Kant tribe has expanded, but obviously Komolo is satisfied, as can be seen from the fact that he sincerely gave Clearchus a good white wolf skin when they parted.
One afternoon, a few days after the mercenaries marched on the plains, they discovered some villages. So, the mercenaries happily stopped advancing, began to drive away the villagers, plunder supplies, and camp in the villages. Finally, they could have a good night's sleep without worrying about being bitten by snakes and insects.
On the morning of the second day, the mercenaries marched to the Kentrites River, which was the boundary river between Armenia and Duchae, and the river was about sixty meters wide.
The troops followed the guide's instructions to a location with a pontoon bridge, only to find that the pontoon bridge had been burned down.
The leaders looked at the charred marks on the bridge piles on the bank, and their hearts were sinking: the Persians were nearby!
Clearchus immediately ordered Lyedes' cavalry squad to scout the surrounding area (after entering the mountains, the cavalry squad lost many horses, and only five or six were in good condition), and at the same time ordered the soldiers to go down to the river to explore the depth of the water.
After receiving the order, several soldiers with good swimming skills took off their armor and walked into the river. When they quickly walked to the center of the river, staggering every few steps, the river water had reached their chests.
At this time, someone shouted, "Persians!"
There was an immediate commotion in the ranks. On a hill on the opposite bank, many Persian cavalry appeared, and on the plain below the hill, Persian infantry appeared arranged in battle formations, stirring up a sky of dust and moving towards the river bank…
"All troops, form ranks!" the officers shouted.
The soldiers in the river hurriedly retreated, nearly getting swept away by the current.
"There are many large, round, and slippery stones at the bottom of the river, making it difficult to walk!" a soldier reported to the leaders after reaching the shore.
"It seems that with the Persians on the opposite bank, it will be very difficult for us to cross the river here!" Timasion said helplessly, and the other leaders agreed. They stared intently at the opposite bank: the Persians had stopped advancing and were close to the riverbank, their line stretching for more than half a mile, appearing to number no less than twenty thousand.
"It's Orontas's army!" Clearchus said with some surprise.
Xenophon said with some regret, "It seems he beat us to it."
Santiparis pointed to the opposite bank in astonishment and exclaimed, "Look, he has also recruited many Carduchians!"
Carduchians? Davos, unfamiliar with this, turned his head in confusion to look at Philesius.
"The Carduchians are a tribe living in Armenia. I heard they are brave and warlike, and the Persians like to recruit them as heavy infantry," Philesius explained, pointing to the opposite bank: "Look, there they are!"
Following the direction of his finger, Davos saw some Carduchians wearing leather helmets and leather robes, holding long shields in one hand and long spears in the other, standing at the forefront of the Persian formation.
"Orontas seems to be trying every means to stop us, but unfortunately, the Carduchians are no match for us!" Timasion said unwillingly.
"But with this river, everything becomes uncertain," Santiparis said somewhat pessimistically.
"Let the soldiers set up camp and rest first, and send people to scout the river for a better place to cross on foot," Chirisophus said calmly.
The order was passed down, and the troops retreated to a place less than a mile from the Centrites River and began to set up camp.
Before long, Lycus brought back news: no trace of Persians was found on this side of the riverbank, but some Taochians were found spying on them in the nearby mountains. This made the leaders frown.
"Go and call Izam," Chirisophus said.
Izam was the son of Comoloco, the great chieftain of the Coassartian tribe, who had been sent as a guide. As a result, during the twenty days he spent with the Greeks, this energetic young man developed a strong curiosity about distant Greece, and no longer wanted to return to the closed mountain village, but wanted to venture out. After obtaining Comoloco's consent, the mercenaries took him in.
After receiving the message, Izam was first stunned, and then vowed that those Taochians could not possibly have been sent by the Coassartian tribe. He volunteered to investigate.
After obtaining the leaders' consent, Lycus took him. Half an hour later, he returned to report that those people were from several tribes in the mountains who had united to actively attack the Greek mercenaries, and he had even seen some of them before.
After Izam left, Xenophon breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I told you, Comoloco cooperated very well with us before, how could he start plotting against us as soon as we parted ways?"
Clearchus snorted, "Don't trust this Taochian's words too much. How do you know that this Comoloco's son didn't lie? We have all seen what kind of person Comoloco is. Every time after a battle, he has to argue with us for half a day over the ownership of the spoils, not even letting go of a single clay pot. Such a greedy person, now that he sees we are going to fight the Persians again, how could he let go of the good opportunity to pick up cheap gains!"
"Moreover, the alliance has now expired, and there is no restraint on him!" Timasion interjected.
"His son is in our hands!" Xenophon reminded.
"I heard that he has more than a dozen sons, it's no big deal if one dies. And who knows if Comoloco had already made up his mind to let him be an inside agent?!" Clearchus retorted.
Davos, sitting in the corner, felt that the atmosphere in the tent was a bit off.
Xenophon was originally an active-minded and energetic person. Recently, as he became more familiar with the affairs of the mercenaries, he became even more active. In the eyes of some leaders, they felt that he was too flamboyant and would occasionally find opportunities to knock him down a peg. Davos had advised him to restrain himself, and his reply was: "I have not done anything wrong. Hades sent me here not to please someone, but to contribute my strength to save the lives of these ten thousand Greek brothers!"
In comparison, the younger Davos was much more steady. After becoming a leader, in addition to trying his best to perform when he should, winning respect and prestige for himself, he was usually very restrained, and mostly listened during discussions, because he knew that these leaders had been fighting on the battlefield for many years and had rich experience, which was worth learning and thinking about.
"We all know that Comoloco is an ambitious and clever man. Clever people know what to do at what time. The most important thing for the Coassartian tribe to do now is to quickly annex and digest those four tribes, so that they can truly become his strength. That's why he hurriedly broke up with us as soon as he walked out of the mountains. I don't think he will provoke us when the internal situation is still unstable. He knows how powerful our military force is, especially since there are still many enemies around him," Davos said gently and softly. Xenophon had a good relationship with him, and he had to help him out both publicly and privately.
"So, the Taochian mountain people who are spying on us are, as that kid said, people from the few tribes who were defeated by us. They don't go to attack the Coassartian tribe, but dare to provoke the powerful us," Clearchus mocked.
"Just like you said before, they are here to see if there is any cheap gain to be had," Davos replied nimbly.
Chirisophus spoke: "Regardless of whether they are from the Coassartian tribe or not, on the plains, as long as we are prepared, we are not afraid of anyone. The important thing now is—to find a way to cross the river, break through Orontas's obstruction, and enter Armenia. Otherwise, the longer the time drags on, the greater the difficulties will be."
The leaders all fell silent.
A day passed without any discoveries.
The next day, there was still no good news, but there was plenty of bad news: there were more and more Taochian mountain people in the nearby mountains, and Lycus roughly estimated that there were more than a thousand people. The Persian soldiers on the opposite bank also seemed to be increasing, while the felt supplies were rapidly decreasing, and soldiers who went out to collect firewood were occasionally attacked by the Taochians…
The grim situation not only made the soldiers feel anxious and uneasy, but even the leaders began to feel restless. During the leaders' discussion, Xenophon suggested: let Izam return to the tribe and find his father Comoloco to see if he can help the mercenaries drive away these Taochians.
This was met with ridicule from Timasion, and the two even had an argument.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early in the morning of the third day, Xenophon led two young warriors into the tent with their heads held high. It turned out that these two warriors had found a place where they could easily wade across the river.
Hearing this news, the previous conflicts among the leaders disappeared, and they all became excited.
Just to avoid attracting the attention of the Persians on the opposite bank, Chirisophus changed into the guise of an ordinary soldier and walked with the soldiers to the fordable location…
It was not easy to wait for him to return. Seeing Chirisophus's relaxed expression, everyone knew that the river crossing was a success.
"The crossing point is eight miles upstream from our camp. The river is about eighty-five meters wide, with the deepest part reaching waist-high. The riverbed is stony sand, not too slippery and relatively hard. The bank on this side is flat, while the opposite bank is rockier..." Clearchus concisely explained the scouting situation.
"It seems like a very good place to cross! Let's gather the entire army immediately and cross the river quickly!" Timasion said excitedly.
"However, we must consider that Orontas's troops will block us on the opposite bank. If we force a crossing, our soldiers' casualties will increase!" Xanthippus said cautiously.
"The Persians would never expect us to wade across the river so easily! As long as we rush to the opposite bank at top speed, we will surely give them a surprise attack!" Timasion said confidently.
"Don't forget, we still have the Duchaeans behind us! What about our baggage train? Moreover, the Persians have more troops than us, and they also have Carduchians. If they can withstand our assault on the riverbank for a while, we will be in trouble. Who knows how long the sand in the river can support the soldiers!" Xanthippus said with some worry.
Timasion immediately retorted, "Then what good idea do you have?"
Xanthippus said, "So everyone should discuss carefully how to cross the river smoothly while minimizing our losses."
"I thought you had some good idea?" Timasion glanced at him.
"I have a suggestion," Xenophon interjected, "We can detach a portion of soldiers to protect the baggage train. When the main force is preparing to cross the river, this portion of soldiers will lead the baggage train to the original pontoon bridge and pretend to cross there. The Persians will definitely think we are going to cross the river again from there and attack them from the rear, so they will divide their troops to defend. Once the main force defeats the enemies on the other side, this portion of soldiers will escort the baggage train back to the battlefield to cross the river. This will not only disperse the enemy's forces but also protect the baggage train. What do you think?" Xenophon said with a slightly smug look.
It must be said that Xenophon's plan was not bad, and everyone fell into thought. After a while, Cleanor asked, "The baggage train is very large. How many soldiers do you want to detach to protect it? If there are too many, it will affect our time to defeat the Persians. And you want the baggage train and soldiers to march back and forth, which will not only easily lead to their fatigue but also easily be attacked by the Duchaeans. Have you considered this?"
"This..." Xenophon was momentarily speechless. He mumbled, "War is inevitable to have casualties, as long as we can minimize the losses..."
At this time, Davos said, "Inspired by Xenophon, I also came up with a way."
As soon as he spoke, everyone's eyes focused on him, because facts had repeatedly proved that this youngest leader rarely spoke lightly, and his speeches always solved problems.
"We will not cross the river today during the daytime." Davos glanced at the leaders. Seeing that they were slightly surprised but continued to listen quietly, he continued: "At night, after the Persians have all entered their camps and gone to sleep, we can first send a detachment of troops across the river to find a place to hide. When our main force engages the Persians tomorrow, they can suddenly attack the rear of the Persian army formation, which will disrupt the Persian formation, thereby attacking from both the front and the rear. This will not only defeat the Persians but may even annihilate a portion of them, thereby weakening the Persian forces, so that we can reach the Euxine Sea more smoothly after entering Armenia..."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Davos's suggestion was indeed unique and different. In fact, the leaders' thinking was still trapped in the military tradition of frontal assault advocated by the Greeks for hundreds of years, while Davos's river crossing plan was inspired by the strategy of "small-scale troop sneak crossing combined with large-scale troop frontal forced crossing" adopted by that great Red Army in his previous life when liberating Hainan.
"Davos, the soldiers have no experience in crossing the river at night. How many people are you going to send across the river first? If they panic while crossing the river due to fear,
it is easy to cause drowning deaths, and even alarm the Persians, causing our actions to fail, thereby letting the Persians know the river crossing point that we have worked so hard to scout!" Cleanor's tone was much better than before when he spoke to Xenophon, and the problem he was worried about was also an important reason why the mercenaries did not dare to cross at night.
"Also, how to hide after the team lands? When to launch an attack on the Persian rear? These probably need to be considered." Timasion reminded.
Davos said without thinking, "For a troop, the problems you mentioned are not problems!" After speaking, he looked at Clearchus.
Clearchus nodded tacitly.
That night, seven hundred Spartan warriors successfully sneaked across the Kentrites River.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
The next morning, the mercenaries began to break camp and form ranks.
The Persians saw it and quickly assembled on the opposite bank.
The mercenaries slaughtered three lambs, and the leaders sacrificed them to the great river god Oceanus, and the entire army piously sang hymns.
Orontas sensed that the Greeks might be about to cross the river, so he ordered the army to prepare immediately.
After the worship, the mercenaries began to march downstream along the riverbank. After walking for a few miles, they stopped and rested for a while. Then they turned and marched upstream again…
This handsome Armenian governor, who was deeply favored by the Persian king, did not understand where the Greeks were going. He believed that they did not dare to cross the river with the Persian army on the opposite bank and were blindly looking for a way out. Seeing them scurrying around like headless flies, he couldn't help but feel a burst of pride.
The Persian army continued to follow and march on the opposite bank.
The mercenaries finally reached the river crossing point marked by Clearchus, immediately stopped advancing, and then, according to the pre-arranged plan, with the end of the left wing as the axis, the entire team quickly rotated towards the riverbank…
Before Orontas could understand, the mercenaries had already faced the Kentrites River and spread out their formation. The entire team was divided into three parts: the first part was seven thousand soldiers preparing to cross the river and engage the Persian army, standing on the bank in a narrow horizontal row and a thick vertical column (because the section of the river that could be crossed smoothly was not long); the second part was the baggage train, which was closely behind them; the third part was three thousand soldiers, who were behind the baggage train, with their backs to the riverbank, to prevent attacks from the Duchaeans.
Just as the Persian army was slowly adjusting its formation, the mercenaries blew the attack horn, and seven thousand soldiers stepped into the Kentrites River without hesitation…
Orontas changed his expression. He finally understood: the Greeks were preparing to cross the river from here!
Without worrying about the long-range strikes of the mercenary slingers, Orontas shouted urgently, "Quick! Let the infantry block them! Archers! Archers, shoot quickly!" As he shouted, he pinned his hopes on the water of the Kentrites River slowing down the mercenaries' advance, and the arrow strikes causing chaos among the Greeks, leading to the Greeks falling into the water and drowning due to panic and crowding. After that moment of panic, Orontas regained his composure. After all, he had personally tested the depth of this river.
Perhaps this is my chance to make a great contribution! He thought excitedly in his heart.
Davos followed the soldiers in front of him at the rear of the right wing of the army, stepping on the harder river sand and striding forward.
The river water in early winter was already a bit piercing, but at this moment, the soldiers with high morale had no time to feel it. Their hearts were already filled with one thought: rush to the other side as quickly as possible!
Reaching the center of the river, the water depth was indeed only up to the crotch, as Chrisophus had said, which completely reassured the somewhat uneasy soldiers, and their pace quickened.
The Persian army was already some distance from the riverbank, and in their haste, the reefs densely packed along the bank affected their speed.
Meanwhile, the slingers positioned behind the mercenary force used their long range to disrupt the Persian army's formation, causing some confusion.
Before the somewhat disorganized Persian army had fully reached the shore, and before the archers had even shot two rounds of arrows, the mercenaries charged onto the bank.
Orontas, this Persian nobleman who spent most of his time in his tent drinking wine and playing with dancing girls, had never conducted a detailed investigation or understanding of the battlefield surroundings.
Faced with the mercenaries so easily and quickly wading across the river, approaching him fiercely like hungry wolves, he completely panicked.
Fortunately, his adjutant was relatively calm and urged the infantry to quickly step forward and encircle them.
After the first few rows of mercenary soldiers rushed ashore, they had to slow down due to the jagged rocks on the bank, giving the Persian army a moment to breathe.
They finally swarmed over like a tide, gradually enveloping the mercenaries who had landed tightly…
The mercenaries were never afraid of close combat.
Their left-hand round shields protected their own and their teammates' bodies, and their right hands held up their spears, thrusting them over the top of the round shields, fiercely stabbing at the enemies in front.
The soldiers in the back few rows also stretched their spears forward as much as possible, protecting their teammates fighting in the front row while also posing a threat to the enemy.
Although the soldiers behind the formation could not participate in the melee, they were not idle bystanders.
They tried their best to push the soldiers in front forward, hoping to use their strength to push the opponent's line backward, or even break through it…
The valiant Carduchians directly faced the mercenaries' fierce charge, retaliating with their spears without showing any weakness, while the Persians' greater numbers and higher ground also offset some of the Greek hoplites' impact.
The Persian archers behind the army formation and the horse archers further back also dared not show weakness, desperately shooting volleys of sharp arrows to counter the long-range attacks of the Greek slingers and archers.
The two sides engaged in a bloody battle on the north bank of the Centrites River.
If the mercenaries won, they would set foot on Armenian soil and ravage it, which was something Orontas and his Armenian generals and soldiers were extremely unwilling to see; if the mercenaries failed, they would face annihilation.
Therefore, both sides were doing their best.
The mercenaries standing in the river faced the greatest difficulty: on the one hand, the biting river water was gradually sapping their strength; on the other hand, most of the Persians' arrows were landing on them.
This forced them to protect themselves with their round shields while also preventing themselves from being swept away by the river.
Davos watched as a soldier slipped and fell, and when the surrounding soldiers went to rescue him, he was exposed without the protection of the shield, shot by an arrow, and fell into the water.
The not-so-serious injury made it difficult for him to get up because he was wearing heavy armor…
Why haven't the Spartan soldiers appeared yet? Davos anxiously hoped in his heart.
Standing on a high rock, Orontas regained his composure because of the balance of the battle.
Seeing mercenaries struggling and being washed downstream by the Centrites River from time to time, hope began to rise in his heart again.
Of course, he couldn't see, and wouldn't look at, the fact that his soldiers were also constantly falling…
Suddenly, a huge commotion came from the right flank of the army.
"What is Artukhas doing?" Orontas looked to the right with some annoyance, and he saw an astonishing scene: the light infantry and horse archers in the rear of the right flank were fleeing in panic.
Behind these defeated soldiers, hundreds of fully armed Greek soldiers formed a thin line of infantry, driving the defeated soldiers towards the center…
"Greeks! It's the Greeks! Quick! Quick!…" Orontas panicked again, shouting in a flurry.
The adjutant hurriedly led the governor's guards to meet them, trying to stop the routed soldiers and prevent them from disrupting the formation in the center.
Who knew that those Greek soldiers were nothing like ordinary Greek hoplites?
They ran swiftly, chasing down the fleeing soldiers who fell behind,
knocking them unconscious with a swing of their shields and stabbing them with a thrust of their spears.
They were simply efficient killing machines.
The Persians fled frantically as if escaping from hell demons.
The guards were unable to stop them at all and were instantly swept away, fleeing to the left front.
The Persian formation on the right and in the center was completely fragmented…
The mercenaries who had been blocked on the riverbank easily broke through the panicked Carduchian line and began to slaughter wantonly…
It must be said that Spartan warriors, who had been engaged in military training since childhood, had extremely strong tactical literacy.
According to the preliminary plan, they began to consciously drive the routed soldiers towards the riverbank.
Except for a few sober Persians, most of the soldiers did not know the direction and just fled with the crowd.
When they saw the wide Centrites River in front of them, they all burst into desperate cries…
After the guards escorted Orontas to a safe place, Orontas couldn't help but burst into loud sobs when he saw that only a few hundred people were following him out of the original mighty army of more than 20,000.
He knew that with his strength, he could no longer stop the Greek mercenaries from setting foot on Armenian territory.
The mercenary leaders were excited.
Faced with a large number of surrendering Persian soldiers, they quickly made a decision: release the soldiers of other Armenian ethnic groups, such as the Carduchians, and express the Greek mercenaries' goodwill to them; but for the Persians, the leaders, including Davos, chose to massacre!
The Greek hoplites, formed in dense ranks, ignored the bitter pleas of the thousands of Persian soldiers who were already unarmed, using shield walls and spears to drive them into the Centrites River, stabbing them randomly, and using stones and arrows to cause them to panic and push each other in the river.
Those who fell into the water would pull down others around them in order to survive, like crabs in a jar pulling at each other's legs, and no one could escape…
Before long, Davos looked at the river surface densely packed with floating corpses, sighed inwardly, and turned his gaze to the opposite bank: not a trace of the Doukya people could be seen, apparently they were frightened and cowering after seeing the great defeat of the Persian army.
The rearguard of the mercenaries and the baggage train were also able to easily cross the Centrites River, and then the entire army, led by the leaders, occupied Orontas's camp, which was now empty.
The Persians, who had fled in panic, had left behind a large amount of material and supplies, so after the entire army performed sacrifices to Zeus and Oceanus again, they began a joyful celebration of victory.
Because everyone knew that after defeating Orontas, no one in Armenia ahead could stop their advance, and they were even more confident about whether they could return to Greece!