Some proposed: The race should start near the Thurii military camp and run to the hot spring swamp. This would have very important commemorative significance (the Great Swamp Annihilation Battle was the foundation of Daonia) and would fully utilize the abilities of the Thurii athletes (the Thurii athletes participating in the marathon are young soldiers from the First and Second Legions, who train near the Thurii military camp year-round and are fully adapted to the terrain).
Others suggested: The race should start near the port of Thurii and run all the way to the inner city of Thurii, which would also have good commemorative significance (Daivos led the mercenaries to land at the port of Thurii and finally established the Daonian kingdom in the city of Thurii), and would also be conducive to the final award ceremony.
Still others suggested: The starting point of the long-distance race should be near the port of Thurii, and the finish line should be set at the foot of Mount Amendolara, which would also have great commemorative significance, after all, King Daivos led his army from the port of Thurii to Magna Graecia and first gained a foothold in Amendolara, and this route would be conducive to the performance of all the contestants.
Croto led the organizing committee to consider repeatedly and finally adopted the third suggestion. The main reason was that this route was flat and open, which could help all the contestants to complete the race smoothly as much as possible. After all, the marathon was held for the first time. If the race was too difficult, many contestants would not be able to complete it, which would not be conducive to future promotion.
Since the start of the Games, the marathon has been highly regarded by the people of Daonia and foreign tourists. Moreover, like the boat race, it is impossible to collect tickets due to the wide range of the competition. Therefore, on the day of the competition, the people of Thurii and its vicinity, including tourists, flocked to both sides of the track, surrounding the route from the port of Thurii to the foot of Mount Amendolara in layers. In order to prevent the competition from being interfered with, Croto even brought in troops to maintain order.
The audience's momentum was huge, and the lineup of contestants was equally large. After the Daonia Games Organizing Committee announced the creation of the marathon two years ago, a saying gradually spread in the Greek world: "Only athletes who can complete the entire marathon can be considered true athletes."
Under the influence of such public opinion, more than 200 athletes signed up to participate in this event.
No preliminaries, no semi-finals, just one race to determine the winner.
After the high-pitched starting whistle sounded, the contestants rushed onto the track in a swarm, slowly running towards the finish line amidst the cheers of the audience.
The finish line of the long-distance race was also crowded with people. The thoughtful Games Organizing Committee set up a VIP stand on a nearby hill, which could overlook the situation of the final leg of the race from a high position. Now, the representatives and envoys from various regions and city-states of the kingdom are successively taking their seats in the VIP stand.
Pelopidas found his seat and found that the Athenian envoy was next to him, and immediately said with a smile: "General Kallistratos,
Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to Athens for taking the lead in the Daonia Games!"
"It's only temporary." Kallistratos modestly waved his hand: "The Games are not over yet, and anything can happen. Besides, we all understand that the so-called first and second place don't mean much. The scores of the various regions of Daonia added together far exceed the sum of all our city-states. Daonia is just comparing its individual regions with our entire city-state."
"So what? Since Daonia chooses to use this method to compare the strength of the athletic ability of each city-state, then if you lose, you must accept it." Penopidas said with confidence: "What's more, the Thurii region of Daonia, whether in terms of population, land area, or prosperity, exceeds our city-state, so being able to win is a manifestation of strength."
"What you said also makes sense." Kallistratos seemed to respond perfunctorily. In fact, that's what he thought in his heart: Nowadays, Athens is far behind Thurii in terms of military strength, population, land area, and trade level, but at least Athens still has an advantage in sports.
"Listening to you two talk, it seems like you've already secured the first place. But I'm telling you, Arcadia and Athens are only two points apart. Maybe after the marathon is over, Arcadia will be able to surpass you, because we have several long-distance running experts." It was Lycomedes who suddenly interjected from the side.
The organizing committee arranged for the envoys of the top city-states on the medal table to sit together, which was really well-intentioned.
"Speaking of long-distance running experts, we also have several in the Boeotian League. Among them, Pantakles also won the championship in the previous 3,000-meter long-distance race. This time, he has also signed up to participate in the marathon. The final champion must belong to him!" Peropidas said with great satisfaction. He had just congratulated Kallistratos, but now he revealed a smug expression of wanting to grab the first place on the medal table.
"Can a 3,000-meter race be compared to a marathon? That's a super-long distance of nearly ten miles!" Kallistratos, who had just been humble, also said without showing weakness at this moment: "The reason why the Daonia Games have this event is because of Athens' glorious battle—Marathon! More than 15 of our registered athletes have been training hard every day for more than a year to bring this glory that should belong to Athens back to Athens!" Heaven's Balance Novel Network
"You're thinking too much, Kallistratos." Lycomedes sneered: "Although the marathon did originate in Athens, can today's Athenian athletes get good results in this event? I'm not optimistic. The marathon requires not only abundant physical strength, but also a strong will to run such a long distance. Can the Athenians, who are accustomed to enjoyment, endure this kind of hardship? I think it's very difficult! On the other hand, we Arcadians, who trek between the mountains every day, are more able to endure hardship."
"The most able to endure hardship are farmers. Do you mean that as long as you send a farmer, you can win the championship in this event?!"
...
Epaminondas watched the three most powerful figures in the Greek mainland city-states arguing about whether their city-state could win the Games' point standings, and couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart: Thinking about the opening ceremony of the Games, they all looked relaxed, full of curiosity and a bit of a watching-a-joke mentality, but now they are completely immersed in it. Not only them, but look at the other city-state envoys around them, it's the same. Although the Daonians are holding the Games for the first time, just like they do other things, it should also be a great success.
Epaminondas thought in his heart and said: "You don't need to argue. I think the champion of this marathon is likely to be won by a Daonian athlete."
"Why?" Pelopidas knew that his close friend didn't like to talk usually, but every time he spoke, he must have a reason.
Epaminondas said seriously: "Based on my understanding of the Daonian army, the Daonian Sacred Kingdom conducts long-term military training for its citizens year after year, and an important part of the training program is armed long-distance running. Almost every 7 days, they have to conduct a long-distance running training of more than 5 miles, so the marching speed of the Daonian army in the war is very fast, and they can continue to fight. This feature has been reflected in multiple battles involving the Daonian army."
Kallistratos, Pelopidas, and Lycomedes looked at each other and suddenly stopped talking.
Although Epaminondas' words made sense, Kallistratos and the others still held on to their luck. After waiting for more than an hour, the contestants finally appeared in their sight. However, no matter how much they widened their eyes and focused their attention, they did not find any familiar figures among the leading contestants. On the contrary, the audience on both sides of the track cheered and even shouted the names of the contestants in unison.
Kallistratos and the others felt frustrated, because the Daonian audience, who accounted for the vast majority, could make such a move, and the leading contestants could only be Daonians, or even very likely Thurians.
Their deduction was correct. The leading contestants were all from the Thurii region, and the contestant in the leading position was named Alsinis. At this moment, after running for a long time, he not only did not feel tired, but became more and more excited.
Compared with the youthfulness of 5 years ago, Alsinis has now become a main force in the First Legion, and was also promoted to squad leader at the beginning of the year. He also married the daughter of a veteran in the army. This year is a year of great joy for him, and two days later will be the anniversary of his biological father's death. He decided to win the marathon championship and then offer this glory to his biological father's tomb to tell this father who died in battle before he was born: His child has grown into a man who stands tall, and he can rest assured in Elysium!
The weather today is rarely cool, and the sea breeze mixed with moisture blows on his face. Listening to the audience shouting his name, which is the same as his biological father's, his feet are getting bigger and bigger, faster and faster...
...
The top three in the marathon were finally won by Daonian athletes, and these three athletes all came from the Daonian First and Second Legions, which made the Daonian Thurii region's Games points surpass Athens in one fell swoop, winning the first place in the point standings.
This dashed the expectations of Kallistratos and others, and also relieved the other city-state envoys. After all, in recent years, influenced by Daonia's strong national power, it is normal for them to have such thoughts: It is a matter of course for Daonia to win the first place in the Games. Why should Athens be on top of us?
During the marathon, nearly half of the participants failed to complete the race, and several even collapsed and fell unconscious midway, requiring emergency hospital treatment, leaving the audience sighing.
That evening, the celebration banquet held at the Palace of Daonia was the final event of the games, in keeping with the tradition of Greek games. However, Daonia made it exceptionally grand, inviting not only the champions of all events but also important envoys from all the friendly city-states participating in the games.
King Davos personally hosted the banquet, and the atmosphere was very lively.
At the banquet, he toasted with Callistratus, Iphicrates, Epaminondas, Agesilaus, and others. Now, high above and holding the power of the entire Greek world, he treated these historical figures of his past life as he would anyone else, showing neither great curiosity nor engaging in excessive conversation, to avoid causing misunderstandings among the envoys of other city-states. This thwarted Agesilaus's desire to raise some requests to King Davos, whom he had finally managed to see.
As the banquet was nearing its end, Davos announced two things: First, in light of the success of this games, the Holy Kingdom of Daonia will host a games every four years in the summer, striving to make it the grandest celebration in the entire Mediterranean world; Second, the Greek Council will convene an important expanded meeting tomorrow, inviting not only the envoys of the Greek city-states participating in this games but also the envoys of other allied states, to discuss important matters.
Important matters?!... The envoys returned to their hotels with various speculations, some unable to sleep well all night.
On the second day, at the Greek League Council meeting, Davos also attended in person and presided over the meeting.
Facing the assembly of envoys and councilors from various city-states, he solemnly proposed the suggestion of "declaring war on Persia and forming an allied army to attack Asia Minor," which startled all attendees.
In fact, King Davos was not the first to propose this suggestion in front of the envoys of the Greek city-states. As early as ten years ago, the Athenian orator Isocrates had repeatedly declared in Greek games and other public occasions that "the Greek city-states should cease all conflicts and internal strife, unite, and while defending against the threat from Daonia in the west, bravely launch an attack against the mortal enemy Persia in the east, completely eliminating this culprit that causes endless internal strife in the Greek mainland, and obtaining land sufficient to support a larger population for the Greeks…"
Although Isocrates's speech was scoffed at by the upper echelons of the Greek city-states, it did have some impact on the Greek people. However, this initiator, after the Greek War, faced rumors within Athens that "if it were not for Isocrates's continuous incitement, Athens would not have joined the anti-Daonia alliance, ultimately leading to the current predicament"… Therefore, a few years ago, he was ostracized by the citizens using pottery shards and exiled to Asia Minor.
Now, after King Davos proposed this suggestion, he immediately announced that regardless of whether the Greek Council agrees or not, the Holy Kingdom of Daonia will dispatch more than 100,000 troops to launch an attack on Persia!
This gave the envoys a great shock.
At the same time, Davos also proposed a suggestion: As long as the allied states send troops to form an allied army, Daonia will divide the spoils equally with them after each victorious battle, and after defeating Persia, it will also allocate a portion of the conquered Persian territory as overseas territories in Asia Minor for each allied state, based on their contribution in the entire war…
As everyone knows, Persia is a wealthy kingdom, and the Persian king is the richest in the world. For the Greek city-states, which are small in land, poor, and financially strapped, being able to earn wealth from Persia and nourish themselves is certainly a good thing.
As for the strong Greek states such as Athens and Thebes, Daonia's control over the Greek League has left them with no room to expand their power. If they could defeat Persia and acquire territories in Asia Minor, it would give them another way to develop their national strength… Therefore, most of Daonia's allied states were moved by Davos's proposal. Moreover, Daonia has some unwavering supporters in the Greek Council, such as Messenia, Arcadia, Zacynthus… So the resolution to "declare war on Persia" was ultimately passed.
Next was to carefully discuss the formation of the Greek allied army and to draft a plan to attack Persia.
A few days later, the news of "Daonia declaring war on Persia" spread throughout the kingdom, and the enthusiasm of the people, which had not completely subsided due to the kingdom's successful hosting of the games, was reignited.
While the people were hotly discussing this major event in the kingdom in the streets and alleys of various towns, Davos, in the Royal Palace Office, summoned Leotychides.
"Did you watch this games?"
"Because many competitions were held simultaneously, I only watched a part of them." Nuwa Bookstore
"What do you think?"
"Although the Greek city-states achieved some good results in traditional athletic events, almost all the champions and second and third place winners in competitions closely related to military affairs were from our kingdom's athletes. This shows that the military quality of Daonian citizens far exceeds that of other allied states."
"You! You!" Davos smiled wryly: "You can't go three sentences without mentioning military affairs."
"Your Majesty, you didn't call me here just to chat with me, did you?" Leotychides asked calmly.
"I can hear it, there's resentment in your words. Could it be that you're still dissatisfied with my transferring you from the First Legion to the Thurii military camp to serve as the chief instructor of the reserve legion commanders?" Davos said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Leotychides remained silent.
The year before last, Davos issued new instructions to the Department of Military Affairs: to establish the position of commander above the legion commanders, as the highest level of front-line officers. Legion commanders who had commanded multiple legions or joint forces and achieved multiple victories could be promoted to this position after passing the examination of the Department of Military Affairs. This was not only a major improvement for Daonian officers in terms of salary and position, but also gave them the honor of directly entering the Senate without being elected. In the event of war, the kingdom could directly appoint these commanders as army commanders.
This was a great incentive for all the kingdom's officers, but Davos knew that transferring those generals with outstanding military exploits and high prestige away from the army during peacetime to take on some idle positions would definitely make generals like Leotychides, who did not care much about position and were wholeheartedly devoted to the army, feel dissatisfied. However, in order to maintain the stability of the royal family and the kingdom in the future, he had to take advantage of his time in power to improve the kingdom's military system and reduce the burden on Crotocatax and his descendants.
Of course, Davos would not reveal these secret thoughts at this time, but coughed lightly a few times, and then said in a gentle tone: "You've heard the news that the kingdom has officially declared war on Persia, haven't you?"
"I already know, Your Majesty. I'm afraid you called me here because of this." Leotychides said with a calm expression.
Davos said slowly: "After discussing with the Department of Military Affairs, I believe that you are the best candidate to command the upcoming allied army. I just don't know what your wishes are?"
Leotychides's wooden face suddenly changed, and he immediately said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to take on this important task!"
A smile flashed across the corner of Davos's mouth. He picked up a booklet on the table and said: "In that case, you will be the commander of the Greek allied army! These are some matters that have been preliminarily determined by the Greek League Council in the past few days. Take a look first."
Leotychides immediately took it and carefully flipped through it. Suddenly, his face changed slightly, and he asked: "Your Majesty, why is there a separate item listed after the item stating that Sparta will send 3,500 troops and 40 tons of wheat… Agesilaus will send 500 Spartan warriors?!"
Davos looked at him and said meaningfully: "That was added after Agesilaus spoke to me separately. Agesilaus will personally lead all the Spartan warriors on the land of Laconia to participate in this military operation. He hopes that after completely defeating Persia, the kingdom can allocate a good territory in western Asia Minor exclusively to the real Spartans…"
"Agesilaus wants all the Spartan people to leave Laconia and colonize Asia Minor?!" The usually calm Leotychides showed some surprise.
"Yes." Davos nodded and said softly: "After Laconia formed a new government, the political situation was relatively stable at first, but as the former Helots gradually became accustomed to their new citizenship status and eliminated their fear of the Spartans, their hatred for the Spartans also increased day by day… Alas, this is also a place where I didn't consider it carefully at the beginning! After all, countless Helots have been persecuted and died at the hands of the Spartans for so many years, and this kind of hatred cannot be easily eliminated!
Although the Helots dare not openly engage in conflict due to the kingdom's regulations, they can suppress the Spartans through the Citizens' Assembly or other political means. After all, their number of citizens accounts for more than half of Laconia, and the Perioeci also have grudges against the Spartans, so the Spartans have not had an easy time for more than a year. Colonizing Asia Minor may be a better choice for them…"
In recent years, Leotychides has deliberately shielded himself from news from Sparta and does not know that the Spartan people are living in dire straits. After hearing Davos's words, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, but at the same time he was also very melancholy: Laconia is, after all, the homeland where the Spartans have lived for hundreds of years. Are they just leaving like this?…
After a moment, he refocused his attention on the roster and raised his own question: "The Spartan warriors are very strong, and I have no objection to them sending troops separately, but why should Agesilaus lead the troops? He is almost 80 years old, can he fight?"
"He insisted on it himself, probably wanting to personally protect the few remaining Spartan citizens. Besides, I think although he is old, he is still quite healthy. If it's just commanding troops, it shouldn't be a big problem." Davos said earnestly, "Moreover, he has fought in Asia Minor for many years and is very familiar with the situation there. He can provide valuable reference opinions for you to lead the allied forces to attack western Asia Minor at any time, so I suggest you communicate with him as much as possible during the war."
Hearing this, Leotychides' wooden expression changed slightly. He was silent for a while, then turned and asked, "Your Majesty, this booklet records the soldiers, food, and ships provided by the allied states, but it doesn't say how many troops the kingdom plans to send?"
Davos smiled and said understandingly, "The Greek allies have sent a total of 30,000 troops. If you don't have enough kingdom troops around you, it will not be conducive to your command of the battle. Therefore, the Ministry of War and I have decided to send the Tenth Legion, the Eleventh Legion, the Twentieth Legion (i.e., the Thessalian Legion), and the Sixth Cavalry Legion (composed of Thessalian cavalry). In addition, the Volsci, Hernici, Sabines, Aequi, and other allied states in Central Greece are also willing to send troops. They have been allied with us for a long time and are on the Italian peninsula, so their relationship is closer and can be regarded as our own people. I will also put the army they formed under your command… In this way, the number of troops provided by the kingdom also exceeds 30,000, and the total force of the allied forces is more than 60,000. Are you satisfied with such an army?"
Leotychides did not respond directly, but continued to ask, "Your Majesty, what about the navy?"
"During the allied forces' landing in Asia Minor, the Fourth Fleet will be temporarily under your command (the Fourth Fleet is mainly composed of Thessalian warships captured by Daonia, with a total of 100 warships. After Daonia annexed Thessaly, it drained and filled the Almyros wetlands and built the Almyros naval port, which became the base of the Fourth Fleet), but after that, it will merge with other fleets to perform important tasks… In addition, more than one hundred Greek warships provided by the allied states, mainly Athens, will also be under your command." Davos explained roughly.
Leotychides' heart moved, and then he asked, "Besides letting me lead the Greek allied forces to attack Persia from Asia Minor, the kingdom should have other offensive plans, right?"
"Of course, even if you didn't ask, I was just about to say it, so that you can understand the entire military plan formulated by the Ministry of War for attacking Persia in detail. Familiarizing yourself with the entire war situation that is about to happen will also help you make correct decisions." Davos asked Henipolis to bring the Eastern Mediterranean map and then pointed to the map and explained seriously: "The kingdom has received news that since the Egyptian successor Pharaoh Djeho died in a storm on his way to Thurii, the Egyptian general Nectanebo, upon receiving the news, launched a rebellion. Tanibu, who was seriously ill in bed, became anxious and fell into a coma. Memphis was in chaos, and perhaps while I am talking to you, Nectanebo has already led his troops to capture Memphis.
In order to fulfill the alliance and punish the rebels,
I have appointed Calcis, commander of the Eighth Legion, as the commander of the reinforcements, and he is stepping up the assembly of several legions in Sicily to rush to Egypt as soon as possible to defeat the rebels and restore stability to the political situation in Egypt. At the same time, the Ministry of War has notified the First and Second Fleets to complete their mobilization as soon as possible, and then rush to the southern bay of the Peloponnese to be stationed. There, they will merge in wartime, with Sekerian serving as the naval commander, looking for an opportunity to engage in a naval battle with the Persian fleet.
The Ministry of War will also mobilize other main legions within the kingdom's territory, led by me personally, and then go to the Eastern Mediterranean… The initial plan is to land in Egypt, but whether there will be changes at that time depends on the development of the war… In the end, the three armies will converge in the Near East region of Persia and advance together into the core hinterland of Persia to fight a decisive battle with the Persian army."
Davos spoke calmly, but Leotychides had already felt the magnificent war scene from his words, and his heart could not help but be a little excited: This is an unprecedented war!
He tried his best to calm his excited mood and asked, "How long do you give these allied states to assemble their troops?"
"Two months, because they need to complete the harvesting of the fields before they can go to war." Davos said calmly, "Although it is a bit slow, from another point of view, this is also a good thing, at least after the allied forces land in Asia Minor, they can raise food locally, reducing their reliance on logistics supplies. Then they will rush to Phile in Thessaly within 15 days to complete the final assembly of the allied forces… This is the requirement I have put forward to all the allied states participating in the Persian campaign, and they have all agreed.
You can first assemble the Tenth and Eleventh Legions and rush to Larissa in Thessaly as soon as possible to prepare for the attack on Asia Minor in advance."
Speaking of this, Davos stood up, looked at this accomplished commander with anticipation, and said solemnly: "Persia is vast, and Asia Minor has complex terrain. The Ministry of War and I will not give specific instructions. After all, three years ago, you led some officers and staff to Asia Minor to support and observe the operations of the Persian rebel army. You are more familiar with the situation there. All military actions are up to you to decide. I believe you will do better than Agesilaus back then!"
Leotychides was invigorated and immediately replied: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely complete the conquest of western Asia Minor as soon as possible and join the main force of the army led by you as soon as possible!" 361 Reading
After sending Leotychides away, Davos said to Henipolis, "Go and call Calcis (commander of the Eighth Legion) in."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After Persia spent several years putting down the rebellion in Asia Minor, its national strength was greatly depleted and it was unable to conquer Egypt again, so it had to withdraw its troops. This caused Artaxerxes II's military operation to attack Egypt for the second time to fail, leading to a further decline in his prestige.
In order to deter his subjects, he listened to Tiribazus's suggestion and thoroughly liquidated the rebellion in Asia Minor. Many Asia Minor officials and local nobles were implicated as a result, with minor offenses resulting in punishment and serious offenses resulting in beheading. A large amount of wealth and land was confiscated and then transferred to Persian nobles in east-central Persia who supported Artaxerxes. In addition, many Persian nobles and officials centered on Susa were transferred to western Asia Minor and given important positions.
Artaxerxes' series of measures won the praise of the Persian nobles. They no longer urged the Persian king to continue preparing for the war against Egypt, but instead focused their energy on the scramble for the fat of western Asia Minor.
Artaxerxes, who had suffered setbacks in several personal expeditions, completely extinguished the idea of acquiring military merits and decided to stay in Babylon with peace of mind and enjoy the rest of his life. Who knew that misfortunes never come singly, and not long after, problems arose in the harem again.
Artaxerxes was old, and a few years ago he began to choose a successor for this vast empire. He had many children, but he unhesitatingly decided to pass the throne to his eldest son, Darius, just like his father had passed the throne to him, and had already allowed Darius to wear the crown symbolizing the Persian king in public.
According to Persian tradition and customs, the heir can publicly ask the parent to grant a favor. As long as it is within the scope of the parent's authority, it must be granted and cannot be arbitrarily refused. Darius proposed the request to "grant Aspasia."
Aspasia was once one of Cyrus the Younger's most beloved concubines, and was later brought into the palace by Artaxerxes. Of course, he was reluctant to part with her, but out of consideration for custom, he perfunctorily declared: Aspasia is already a free person and cannot be forced to go against her will. If she willingly obeys Darius, he would also be happy to make it happen.
To his surprise, Aspasia publicly chose Darius as her lifelong reliance. Artaxerxes could only comply with the provisions of Persian law and hand her over to his son, but his heart was full of anger. Not long after, he took Aspasia away from Darius and sent her to the Temple of Anahita in Ecbatana, dedicating her to the gods to become a priestess. She would have to practice strict chastity for the rest of her life.
Artaxerxes was very proud of himself for punishing the woman who betrayed him in such a gentle way, and also taught his son a lesson. However, he did not know that the kingdom's heir was furious and began to plot a rebellion. Not long after, many people participated in Darius's rebellion. Just as he was about to put it into action, a eunuch who participated in the conspiracy confessed to Artaxerxes out of fear. The Persian king was furious and not only personally killed Darius, but also executed many Persian officials who were implicated. For a time, Babylon was awash in blood.
A secret agent secretly reported to the Persian king that Darius seemed to have sent someone to lobby Tiribazus, and he may have also participated in the rebellion.
However, the intelligence department could not produce any conclusive evidence. The only reason that could be put forward was that Tiribazus and Darius had the same situation.
It turned out that many years ago, in order to win over his confidant and important minister, Artaxerxes had promised to marry his daughter Amestris to Tiribazus, just like he had married his other two daughters to Orontas and Pharnabazus's son respectively. However, the Persian king soon regretted it because he himself married Amestris. So he changed his promise and wanted to marry his youngest daughter Atossa to Tiribazus. But later, he became infatuated with Atossa and could not extricate himself, and he did not fulfill his promise at all. This incident made Tiribazus a laughing stock in the Persian court, but he himself had always behaved very calmly and had never complained. However, the intelligence department believed that he was probably still dissatisfied in his heart, so Darius could not possibly not contact him.
Considering Daonia's significant threat to Persia, Artaxerxes relies heavily on the capable general Teribazus. After much deliberation, he finally issued a strict order to the intelligence department to cease investigating the matter, but to increase surveillance on Teribazus.
One day, while Artaxerxes was still troubled by the instability of the Babylonian political situation, his minister Teribazus rushed into the palace to seek an audience, carrying intelligence that a messenger had just brought back from Egypt.
"Jeho died in a storm on his way to Daonia, and Nectanebo has launched a rebellion and is marching towards Memphis—" Upon seeing this, Artaxerxes swept away the gloom in his heart and exclaimed excitedly: "Egypt is in turmoil! This is a rare opportunity! We should take advantage of this opportunity to send troops and retake Egypt in the name of helping Nectanebo!"
Teribazus tactfully reminded him: "Your Majesty is wise, this is indeed a great opportunity to retake Egypt! It's just that Nectanebo launched the rebellion suddenly without notifying us, obviously harboring other intentions, and is probably wary of us."
"Once the civil strife in Egypt begins, he will be of no use to us." Artaxerxes curled his lip in disdain, and then said solemnly: "What we need to worry about is the Daonian reinforcements. We must send a large army before they reach Egypt. As long as the army crosses the Nile and occupies Memphis, Egypt will be in our hands—"
Artaxerxes paused, then added with emphasis: "Therefore, I have decided to appoint you as the military commander for the attack on Egypt. I hope you can successfully fulfill the kingdom's long-standing regret!"
Facing the Persian king's expectant gaze, Teribazus immediately bowed and said loudly: "Thank you for Your Majesty's trust! I will do my best to fulfill my mission and offer Egypt to Your Majesty!"
"I await your good news!" Artaxerxes thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "If you successfully retake Egypt, I will marry Atossa to you."
Teribazus was stunned. After a long while, he bowed and thanked the king before leaving with complex emotions.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Artaxerxes wanted to take advantage of the civil strife in Egypt and quickly send troops to seize Egypt. The quickest way was to dispatch the Immortals, who were stationed in the Babylonian court. However, in order to protect his own safety, he would not send out this elite force loyal to him, but instead mobilize troops near Babylon.
In this way, it would take a lot of time just to assemble the army, not to mention that the journey from Babylon to Egypt was long and would also take a lot of time.
Teribazus felt that he was doing his best to urge the army to assemble, but he did not know that the Empire Daonia had already made preparations before the civil strife in Egypt occurred. When the Persian king issued the order to him, the Daonian king had already officially appointed the commander of the Eighth Legion, Kalsidis, as the wartime commander of the Egyptian reinforcements.
Only two days later, the four legions from Sicily and the light cavalry legion, which had already assembled and were waiting for orders, boarded ships at the ports of Lilybaeum and Hadrumentum and set off for Egypt.
Perhaps it was Hades' blessing, the Daonian army did not encounter any storms during the voyage and successfully entered the Nile Delta after five days.
At this time, Nectanebo had just captured Memphis and publicly declared that Pharaoh Tanib had died of illness and had issued a decree before his death, allowing him to succeed as Pharaoh.
However, while he proclaimed himself Pharaoh and forcibly married the queen, he also sent people to massacre members of the royal family and confidants of the former Pharaoh. The people in Memphis were in a state of panic, and the entire Nile Delta was in turmoil.
Some city lords announced their support for Nectanebo, the "new Pharaoh", some city lords raised troops to eliminate the rebels, and some city lords watched the situation develop…
Naucratis, located on the western branch of the Nile Delta, was the Egyptian town with the most descendants of Greeks. It was also the town that had benefited the most from the alliance between Egypt and Daonia for nearly 20 years. Not only did the residents have a good impression of Daonia,
but also many Daonians had settled here for a long time, including members of the Daonian Kingdom's intelligence department. They had already persuaded the officials of Naucratis in advance. Therefore, when the fleet loaded with Daonian soldiers approached the sentry post at the mouth of the river, the officials and people of Naucratis, incited by the Daonian intelligence personnel, opened the city gates wide and lined up to welcome them.
When they saw the well-organized and heroic Daonian soldiers entering Naucratis in a mighty manner, the people not only did not feel worried, but were greatly relieved, because only a strong army could guarantee safety in this turbulent period. With the protection of the Daonian army, Naucratis would naturally be able to stay away from the war.
After only one night of rest in Naucratis, Kalsidis led his army south along the river on the second day. Its route was exactly the same as the Daonian army that had come to rescue a few years ago due to the Persian invasion, but the purpose was completely different.
The slogan "The Daonian Allied Forces will eliminate the rebels and help the Egyptian people regain peace and tranquility" quickly spread throughout the Nile Delta with the help of intelligence personnel.
It should be known that the Daonian army had left a very good impression in the hearts of the Egyptian people: they were disciplined, brave in battle, and did not violate the people… In addition, the nearly 40,000 troops led by Kalsidis were so powerful that almost none of the Egyptian towns they passed through offered any resistance and opened their gates to welcome them.
The Daonian army advanced smoothly all the way and soon approached the city of Memphis.
Nectanebo had originally colluded with Persia in order to strengthen his own power so that he could usurp the throne in the future. However, he knew very well that compared to Persia, which was determined to annex Egypt, Daonia, which had been allied with Egypt for more than ten years and had saved Egypt from danger several times, was a better partner.
Therefore, he had originally decided that after usurping the throne and the situation had stabilized slightly, he would immediately send envoys to Daonia to express his friendship, continue to form an alliance with them, and use their power to defend against the Persians.
However, he never expected that the Daonian reinforcements would arrive so quickly. However, he was not too flustered. He believed that he was the only remaining member of the Egyptian royal family and that his succession to the throne was already a fact. If he showed goodwill, Daonia would only recognize him as the next Pharaoh and form an alliance with him, which would be the best result.
Therefore, he sent envoys to the Daonian army that was advancing towards Memphis.
Who knew that Kalsidis, who had already received instructions from King Davos, simply refused to see the envoys he sent and detained them directly.
At first, Nectanebo did not receive a reply and thought that something had happened to the envoys on the way, but after several envoys were sent out, they never returned. He began to feel uneasy.
In the previous war in which Persia invaded Egypt, he had fought alongside the Daonians and had a relatively deep understanding of the Daonian army's combat effectiveness. He did not have much confidence in whether his army could defeat the Daonians. Moreover, he had only just occupied Memphis, and those officials appointed by the former Pharaoh had not completely submitted to him. Once he started a war with the Daonian army, there would likely be big trouble. However, on the other hand, he had been waiting painstakingly for so many years, and it was not easy for him to take advantage of this great opportunity to sit on the throne of Pharaoh. But once he abandoned Memphis and led his army back to his old nest, it would be tantamount to admitting that he was a rebel, which would not only greatly diminish his prestige, but also inevitably lead to the usurpation of the throne by others…
Just as Nectanebo was hesitating, the Daonian army had already quickly approached the city of Memphis. He still wanted to make a final effort, standing on the city wall and shouting loudly to Kalsidis, the Daonian army commander he knew below the city, sincerely expressing his willingness to form an eternal alliance with Daonia.
It was not until this time that Kalsidis made a clear response: "Pharaoh Tanib is a hero of the Egyptian people (referring to his overthrow of Persian rule in Egypt) and the best friend of the Daonian Kingdom. His Majesty Davos has issued an order, 'We must severely punish the rebels and execute the murderers who killed Pharaoh Tanib in order to reassure the Egyptian people and restore peace to Egypt!'"
At this time, Nectanebo finally realized that war between himself and Daonia was inevitable.
At this time, an Egyptian inland fleet originally stationed in Naucratis and a dozen small warships of the Daonian First Fleet also arrived near Memphis one after another.
In this way, the Daonian army basically completed the encirclement of Memphis. It was impossible for Nectanebo to lead his army to retreat from Memphis. He could only hurriedly strengthen the city's defenses and send messengers at the same time, risking breaking through the encirclement to rush to Per-Ramesses (built by Pharaoh Ramesses II, now Nectanebo's residence) for help, and seeking support from the Persians.
Kalsidis did not give Nectanebo any time to buffer. On the second day, he launched an attack on the city of Memphis. Although the siege for several consecutive days caused considerable casualties to the Daonian army, it made the unprepared Egyptian rebels feel even more unsustainable.
Pharaoh Tanib had been in power for 20 years, and the officials and people of Memphis were deeply influenced by him. Nectanebo's usurpation had already made them dissatisfied, and his massacre of members of the royal family and the cruel persecution of officials who had been heavily relied upon by Tanib made everyone harbor hatred. When he was fully commanding the army to defend against the Daonian army's siege and had to weaken his control over the city, some Memphis officials strengthened their private contacts, and they also persuaded the monks of the Ptha Sanctuary in the city.
In the early morning of the sixth day of the siege, while the exhausted rebel soldiers were still asleep, these officials led an army of several hundred people, made up of their own guards and slaves, to raid the west gate of the main city of Memphis. Because the team was mixed with some monks from the Ptha Sanctuary, the rebel soldiers guarding the city gate were at a loss for a while and were quickly taken over the city gate.
When Niktanebos learned of the change within the city and angrily led his troops to reinforce the city gate, the Daonian army had already rushed into the city under the guidance of Memphis officials.
After a day of fierce fighting within the city, the rebels were defeated, Niktanebos was also captured, and the Daonian army entered Memphis.
Immediately afterwards, on the second day, Tapirus, the foreign minister who had come to Egypt with the army following Davos' instructions, began to frequently meet with Memphis officials and the priests of several temples in the city.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
At this time, it was already mid-August, and the news that "the Daonian Sacred Kingdom has officially declared war on Persia and is forming a Greek coalition to attack Asia Minor" had already reached Babylon, shocking Artaxerxes.
This Persian king, who had repeatedly suffered military defeats and accomplished nothing, had, from some unknown time, developed a sense of fear towards that Daonian kingdom in the distant west, which, even when encountering any obstacles, could still continuously achieve victories and expand.
He actually involuntarily said in public: "It has finally come! … … "
Then he suddenly stood up and shouted: "Quickly, bring Teribazus here!"
"Your Majesty, Lord Teribazus has already been sent by you to conquer Egypt!" A minister reminded him.
Artaxerxes then woke up as if from a dream, stood blankly for a moment, and then asked: "Where is he now?"
"He is still in the Syria region gathering troops."
Artaxerxes sat down again, clutching his fist, pondered for a while, and said with a slightly nervous expression: "… … The order to attack Egypt is temporarily cancelled, let him come back first, the most important thing now is to defend against the invasion of the Daonian army! … … Send out all the secret agents to monitor the movements of the Greek mainland at all times … … At the same time, notify the governors of all regions to immediately carry out military mobilization, and the garrisons of all regions should assemble and stand by, waiting for my orders!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Artaxerxes was aware that although Daonia had officially declared war on Persia, it would still take some time for the Greek coalition to complete its formation and invade Persian territory.
But he did not expect that Leo Tychides had already led the Tenth Legion and the Eleventh Legion to Thessaly, and after this Daonian commander had thoroughly understood the enemy's situation on the other side of the Aegean Sea, after repeated consideration, he resolutely decided: Instead of waiting for all the Greek troops to assemble before attacking Asia Minor, he would first send a vanguard to land in Asia Minor while the Persians had not yet completed their defensive preparations, occupy a foothold, and provide security for the subsequent landing operations of the main force.
The Tenth Legion Commander, Stiflos, was the adopted son of Daonian army veteran Amyntas, a friend of Patroclus, and also an old subordinate of Leo Tychides.
He had a deep understanding of his abilities, so he entrusted this task to him.
Stiflos, who was in his prime and eager to make more contributions, took over this important task without hesitation, and after discussing with Leo Tychides, he locked the landing target on the beach in the Mysia region of western Asia Minor.
The reason for choosing this place is very simple: sailing east from the port of Philae in Thessaly, crossing the Aegean Sea, the shortest straight-line distance to western Asia Minor is Mysia, which is also the westernmost region of Persia today, and naturally Persia's control here is also the weakest.
Since Mysia is close to the Greek mainland, there are many colonial towns established by Greeks in the area.
Persia's rule here has always been unstable.
In that great wave of rebellion against Persian rule in Asia Minor, Mysia was also one of them.
Because Artaxerxes issued some decrees during the war that were beneficial to the Greek colonial city-states in Asia Minor, such as granting them more autonomy, reducing some taxes, and having more freedom in religious beliefs…
Therefore, most of the Greek city-states in Asia Minor did not participate in that rebellion, nor did they give support to the rebels.
On the contrary, they gave some cooperation to the Persian army's suppression.
However, after the rebellion was quelled and the new governors of various regions in western Asia Minor took office, many of them did not implement these decrees announced by the Persian king.
The governor of Mysia, Theopompus, was one of them, which aroused dissatisfaction among the Greek city-states within his territory.
This Persian nobleman from Susa obviously did not expect that the Greeks within his jurisdiction would dare to oppose his decisions, and most of the other local races, including the Persians, also watched coldly.
Few people were willing to approach this outsider, resulting in Theopompus's rule over Mysia remaining very weak for more than a year, and the political situation in Mysia was very disordered.
A few days later, the Daonian Tenth Legion, with more than 8,000 soldiers who had made full preparations, boarded troop carriers at the port of Philae, and under the escort of the Fourth Fleet, sailed straight east, and two days later successfully landed on the beach of Mysia.
At the same time, they also quickly occupied the island of Tenedos, which was not far from the landing beach and was undefended.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In September, just as the news that "King Davos will personally lead a large army to attack Persia" was officially announced to the public, the palace's office welcomed several guests.
Davos looked at these guests and asked with feigned surprise: "What is so special about today that you all came to see me together?"
"Your Majesty!" Philius, who had retired for many years, replied respectfully: "We heard that you are going to personally lead an army to attack Persia, so everyone is very excited, and we all agreed to come and see you, hoping that you will allow us to go with you to that land where we once lived and died and fought side by side!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Over the years, I have not been able to forget those comrades who died in battle in Persia.
Back then, because we were eager to escape, we hurriedly buried their bodies, and we didn't even put a copper coin in their mouths… This time I go to Persia, I must transport their remains back to their hometown for a proper burial, so that their souls wandering in a foreign land can smoothly return to the underworld…" Alexis, who had always been relatively calm, also said emotionally.
"Also Croto, Proxenus, Menon, and others, I heard that their heads were sent to Babylon and discarded by the Persians in the garbage dump.
Even if we spend a lot of effort, we may not be able to find them, but… collecting their remains and bringing them back to their hometown is everyone's common wish!"
Immediately afterwards, Hieronimus said seriously, and Tolmid, Agasia, and others immediately echoed loudly.
"Everyone's common wish?" Davos heard something from these words.
"Your Majesty, we are here on behalf of most of the old mercenaries who are still alive and unemployed at home to ask you to allow us to follow you back to Persia!" Epitenes said loudly.
Davos's gaze swept across the faces of these old men with white hair and wrinkles, such as Philius, Alexis, Hieronimus, Tolmid, Marigi, Agasia, Epitenes, Martius, Georgiris… and finally landed on Amyntas.
This Daonian general, who once achieved great military exploits and was exceptionally brave, is now completely unable to stand and can only sit paralyzed in a wooden wheelchair, pushed into the palace by his confidant servant.
Because he had been unable to walk on the ground for a long time, his originally burly body had become very bloated.
While everyone was talking, he actually closed his eyes and began to snore.
Davos couldn't help but say softly: "Amyntas."
"Huh… … "
"Amyntas!"
"Uh? … … "
"Do you also want to go to Persia?"
Under the servant's pushing, Amyntas finally woke up.
He supported himself on the armrests of the wooden chair with both hands, trying his best to sit up, panting heavily and said: "Your Majesty… I would rather die… die on the way to Babylon! … … "
Davos looked around at everyone again and asked with a solemn expression: "Do you also have the same idea?"
Philius looked back at the others, and after receiving their nod of approval, he replied with a serious expression: "Your Majesty, we have won countless victories following you in these decades.
The only regret is that we were chased back to Daonia by the Persians like dogs in Persia.
This time we want to follow you to make up for this regret, even if we die on the way to the expedition, that is the glory of our lifetime of conquest!"
"Your Majesty, I have one more request!" Epitenes shouted from behind: "If I really die on the way, please allow my servant to carry my body into Babylon so that I can see what the Babylonians boast about, the Hanging Gardens!"
Martius immediately complained to him in a low voice with dissatisfaction: "We all agreed in advance, you violated the agreement and suddenly made such a request to His Majesty, it's too much!
What can a dead person see, quickly apologize to His Majesty and withdraw your unreasonable request!"
"I'm happy, I don't think His Majesty will blame me." Epitenes looked indifferent, angering Martius, who grabbed his clothes and wanted to beat him.
"Okay, okay." Davos waved his hand, looked at everyone, and said in a serious tone: "I can allow you to go to Persia with me, but—you are all veterans who have followed me in many years of conquest, and you all know the Daonian military law.
You should understand that this war against Persia will determine the ownership of the entire Mediterranean Sea and is related to the rise and fall of the two countries, so no negligence is allowed.
Therefore, you must have the mindset of 'going to fight, not to play', and you must obey orders and follow commands in everything!
If anyone can't do it, then it's best to withdraw now, otherwise, if someone violates the military law at that time, I will never show mercy!"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we have fought all our lives, and we will never ruin our reputation at the last moment, nor will we allow the younger generations to look down on us!" Philius, Alexis, and others said in unison.
"Good, then it's settled. When the time comes, you will follow me to Persia!" At this moment, Davos finally smiled, looking at the former Minister of Commerce in the crowd, and said, "Marriges, you will soon be able to return to your hometown. You must be very happy, right?"
Marriges calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I have lived here for most of my life and am already a Daonian. The reason I want to follow you to Persia is because I am still relatively familiar with it, and I hope to provide you with some good advice during the conquest."
"That's just lip service," Epitenes chimed in from the side.
Marriges' words reminded Davos, and he immediately asked, "Is Izam also among the people who are going to Persia this time?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, he was one of the most enthusiastic applicants, after all, he can also be considered returning to his hometown." Philius replied with a smile.
Alexius immediately understood the meaning of Davos' words and continued, "He should be at home now. Do you need me to call him here immediately?"
"No hurry, there will be time later." Davos looked at everyone and said with emotion, "It's been a long time since our old brothers have gathered together! Today, don't rush to go back. I'll send someone to call Matonis, Olives, Alpunus, and other old mercenaries in Thurii. I'll set up a banquet in the palace so we can have a good chat, okay?!"
"That's great!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Late at night, Davos returned to his residence on King's Hill after the banquet.
Arriving in the backyard, he found the main building's hall brightly lit with candles, which he found strange. Walking in, he saw that the large living room was occupied by Queen Christoia and Queen Agnes. He asked with a drunken slur, "It's so late, you two… why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Your Majesty, we are waiting for you," Christoia said reproachfully.
"Waiting for me? Uh… what's the matter?" Davos hiccuped.
Agnes immediately went over to help him sit down, then brought him a cup of warm honey water that had been prepared in advance, and asked with concern, "We heard that Your Majesty is going to personally lead the army to attack Persia this time. Is this true?"
Davos held her hand and comforted her softly, "You two don't need to worry. Persia's national strength is obviously declining now, and we are fully capable of defeating it completely, so that it will no longer be a hidden danger to the kingdom… Uh, besides, this time it is a war between Daonia and Persia, two great powers, and almost all the legions of the kingdom will be mobilized. If I don't lead the expedition myself, I won't be at ease!"
Davos gently squeezed Agnes' hand, looked at Christoia, and his tone became even gentler, "Don't worry, this is the last time I will lead the army to fight. After this war is over, I will stay by your side and will not let you two worry anymore!"
"Your Majesty," Christoia said with some emotion, but the expression on her face quickly became serious, "In the past, when you led the army to fight, my sister and I could only wait at home, but this time you are going to Persia, and we have already discussed it. We're going with you!"
"What?!" Davos suddenly sobered up halfway, looked at Christoia, then at Agnes beside him, and asked with some disbelief, "Are you not joking?"
"Your Majesty!" Christoia straightened her chest and said in a more serious tone, "Agnes and I discussed it all day today, and now we are making this request with a very serious attitude, and we hope you will treat it seriously too!"
"Alright." Davos let go of Agnes' hand, sat up straight, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice, "I disagree!"
Seeing Christoia's face darken, Davos continued to explain, "The 'Daonian Military Law' was formulated by me. It is precisely because the army has strictly implemented it that it has been able to achieve victory after victory and have today's powerful kingdom. Article 91 of the Military Law specifically stipulates that 'Generals and soldiers must not bring family members to march or fight, and must not plunder women, violators will be beheaded!' Do you want me to be beheaded?"
"Even if no one dares to do this, but as the formulator of the military law and the commander of the entire army, I have violated the military law myself, then will the following generals and soldiers still abide by it seriously? Once this bad precedent is set, it will eventually lead to the collapse of military discipline. Can the army still win battles?!" … …
Agnes was a little moved, and she looked at Christoia.
However, Christoia remained unmoved, "Does the military law stipulate that the army must not have women following them to march and fight? Then aren't the nurses in the medical camps of each legion women?"
Davos retorted without thinking, "They are not women, they are soldiers. For decades, the soldiers have long ceased to regard them as women. They are already a part of each legion."
Christoia said with a smile, "Speaking of which, the nurses in this medical camp were originally established by me according to Your Majesty's suggestion. I was the captain of the nurses at that time, and now I can be reappointed—"
"That's absolutely impossible!" Davos said in a firm tone, "You two are now the queens of the Daonian Kingdom, the mothers of the nation in the hearts of the people, and you are no longer comparable to what you were decades ago. Going to work in the medical camp will only disrupt the normal order of the medical camp and affect their work efficiency! More importantly, the safety of you two cannot be guaranteed. If something happens to you, how can I command the battle with peace of mind!"
"Your Majesty." Christoia's eyes suddenly turned red, and she said with a slightly choked voice, "I have followed you from Persia to Magna Graecia. I have not returned to my hometown for decades. I once heard people doing business in Asia Minor say that since Persia regarded the kingdom as an enemy, it learned through some channel that I was born in Miletus. Although my father suffered punishment from the Persians for Cyrus' rebellion back then… He passed away 10 years ago, but this time the Persians brutally murdered my father's family… Hundreds of people ah, even including neighbors… They were either killed or enslaved…"
Crystalline tears flowed down her well-maintained white cheeks, but her voice became somewhat shrill, "Your Majesty, I swear in the name of Hades, this time I must personally go to Miletus. All Persians who participated in the massacre of my family and all accomplices in Miletus must be punished! All surviving relatives, I will also try my best to find them, so that they can resettle and live a prosperous life. This is what I owe them! … …
Davos was silent. In fact, five years ago, he had already learned from the information obtained by Aristilas that Christoia's family had been brutally slaughtered. In order not to make his wife sad, he concealed it. He didn't expect that Christoia had already known about it, but had been silently enduring it… If her father was retaliated by the Persian king for being involved in Cyrus' rebellion, it could be said that it had nothing to do with Daonia, but the destruction of her family was indeed caused by Davos. Now that Christoia has sworn in the name of God, it can be seen that her attitude is firm.
If Davos still opposes, it will undoubtedly create a rift in the relationship between the husband and wife for decades, so he hesitated.
At this time, Agnes spoke up to smooth things over, "Your Majesty, how about this? My sister and I will not go to Persia with the army to avoid embarrassing you. When the war goes smoothly, we will follow the supply train…"
"This is still a bit dangerous…" Davos, facing the expectant and pleading eyes of his two wives, finally compromised, "Okay, I'll arrange this… However, Christoia, if you leave, who will be responsible for your Chamber of Commerce? And Agnes, who will preside over the Temple of Hera?"
"Eunice is now able to stand on her own. When I leave, of course she will manage the Chamber of Commerce."
"Let Cynthia preside over the daily sacrifices at the Temple of Hera for me."
"What about Little Chris and the others? Are you willing to leave them alone?" Davos tentatively made a final effort.
Christoia said firmly, "I'm not their mother, so what's there to be reluctant about."
Seeing that his two wives were determined, Davos lowered his head and slowly drank a mouthful of honey water, then said, "How about this… After the entire western Asia Minor is conquered, I will notify the Ministry of Military Affairs to send troops to pick you up to Miletus. After you have dealt with the affairs of Miletus, you two will return, okay?"
"No!" Christoia immediately objected, "If you conquer Persia this time, Agnes and I will go to Babylon with you!"
Davos was stunned, "What are you going to do in Babylon?"
Agnes hesitated and didn't speak, but Christoia was quite direct, "I heard that the Persian king has many women, and we are afraid that you will marry another one, so we have to keep an eye on you!"
Davos was stunned, "What nonsense are you thinking? How could I do such a thing that violates military law! Besides, I'm already this old, how can I still have such thoughts!"
Christoia curled her lips, "Who knows, it is said that the Persian king is also old, and he even married his own daughter. My sister and I are following you, so we can prevent you from making mistakes!"
Davos shook his head helplessly.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Although the Persians in Asia Minor had successively received the news that "Daonia declared war on Persia, formed a Greek coalition, and was going to attack Persia," they also noticed that because the people of the Greek city-states were preparing to harvest the soon-to-be-harvested farmland, they had not begun military mobilization. Therefore, they all believed that the Greek coalition's attack would not come too early, which allowed the Daonian Tenth Legion to successfully land on the beach in the Persian Mysian region on the east coast of the Hellespont.
Of course, even if the governor of Mysia, Theo Pompus, was prepared, he would not be able to stop the landing of the Daonian army, at most he would only create some trouble for the Tenth Legion.
This is because, although Mysia in western Asia Minor is a relatively wealthy region, possessing the fertile plains of Arisbe and holding the shipping trade of the Hellespont, it has enough financial resources and materials to form a strong army to resist the invasion of the Daonian army.
However, Theopompus, who had been in office for more than a year, had obviously not yet unified the entire region, and many towns simply did not respond to his orders, causing him to gather less than 6,000 soldiers four days after the Daonian army landed.
Even though Theopompus knew from the information he had obtained that the number of Daonian landing soldiers was greater than his own army, as an aristocrat from the central region of Persia, facing the "Greeks" whom they regarded as barbarians (Persia and Daonia had been formally at odds for more than 5 years, but many Persian aristocrats still disdained to understand Daonia, even regarding it as part of Greece), he did not hesitate to lead his army west, and a few days later approached the camp built by the Tenth Legion near the coast.
He quickly and surprisingly discovered that the camp built by the Daonian landing army in just a few days did not seem easy to attack.
Just as he was hesitating whether to camp on the spot first and then make plans, the entire Daonian Tenth Legion, which had been prepared, suddenly rushed out of the camp.
The two sides then engaged in a small battle, and the outcome was decided after half an hour.
Due to the frontal attack of the Tenth Legion's light infantry battalion, the long-range attacks of the Persian archers were disrupted, causing no casualties to the Daonian legion soldiers.
The Persian infantry array, without heavy infantry, could not stop the impact of the Daonian legion soldiers.
The Persian cavalry, which attempted to outflank from both wings, was met with a volley of javelins from the two heavy infantry battalions strategically placed on the wings by Stiphrus, suffering considerable casualties, and ultimately the Persian army suffered a major defeat.
After Theopompus fled back to Zeleia, the capital of the Mysia region, he dared not act rashly again, strengthening the defenses of the city while urgently sending messengers to seek reinforcements.
Since Daonia formally declared war on Persia, Daonian intelligence personnel had begun to proclaim among the Greek city-states of Asia Minor: The great King Davos will carry out the oracle of Hatis, returning the century-long bullying of the Greeks by Persia to Persia, and freeing the compatriots of Asia Minor from Persian rule, so that they may regain their rights to freedom and independence!
Many Greek city-states in Asia Minor felt aggrieved by the Persians' breach of contract.
Although this rumor excited them, it also made them uneasy, because Agisilaus's conquest in western Asia Minor had brought several years of turmoil and war to these Greek city-states.
Therefore, even though the Daonian army won this small battle, these city-states still adopted a wait-and-see attitude, not actively approaching the Daonian army that had already gained a foothold in Mysia.
Stiphrus had sent envoys to visit Ilium and Abydos, which were closest to the camp (both city-states were located on the east bank of the Hellespont), but they all refused to receive them.
Stiphrus was not angered by this and did not send troops to attack the city or destroy the villages and towns outside the city.
On the contrary, according to King Davos's instructions, he held a grand sacrificial ceremony on the beach near the city of Ilium, sacrificing to the heroes of the ancient Trojan War, not only Agamemnon and Achilles, but also Hector and Paris.
After the sacrifice, athletic competitions were held, making the entire sacrificial activity grand and attracting many nearby Greek people to watch, creating considerable buzz.
Davos's purpose was achieved.
He wanted to spread this sacrificial activity through these Asia Minor Greeks, conveying a message to the entire western Asia Minor Greek city-states: Daonia treats the Greek city-states on both sides of the Aegean Sea equally.
But why choose to hold the sacrifice near the city of Ilium?
Because, according to legend, the city of Ilium was built on the ruins of Troy.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The messenger from Mysia arrived in Babylon.
Artaxerxes was immediately alarmed when he learned that "the vanguard of the Greek allied forces had landed in Asia Minor."
At the same time, the messenger's mention of the local forces in Mysia not actively responding to the conscription and being suspected of rebellion also aroused his attention.
Tiribazus suggested to him: Appoint the Persian king's son-in-law, the former governor of Phrygia, Pharnabazus, as the temporary military commander of western Asia Minor.
With his former prestige, he might be able to integrate the military forces of western Asia Minor and repel the invading Greek allied forces.
The Persian king hesitated for several days.
After learning that "Theopompus had suffered a defeat in the battle," he finally issued an edict: Let Pharnabazus, who had been transferred to Babylon with great difficulty more than ten years ago, go to western Asia Minor.
The old general Pharnabazus, who was over 60 years old, upon learning of the crisis facing western Asia Minor, traveled day and night to western Asia Minor.
At the same time, in the name of the military commander of western Asia Minor, he sent messengers, demanding that the governors of various regions in western Asia Minor lead their troops to Gurdium, the capital of Phrygia, as soon as possible to gather.
Pharnabazus, who was familiar with the situation in Asia Minor, also wrote letters to the Greek city-states along the coast of western Asia Minor.
In the letters, he argued that the Persian king was very angry that some governors in western Asia Minor had not fulfilled the promises he had made to the Greek city-states before.
This time, sending him to Asia Minor was mainly to urge these governors to fulfill the Persian king's promises.
At the end of the letter, he also swore in the name of Ahura Mazda.
Pharnabazus's reputation in western Asia Minor made his letter work.
Some city-states dissatisfied with the new governor's approach wavered, and some city-states that originally had closer ties with Persia were even more determined to support Persia against the strange kingdom of Daonia from the western Mediterranean.
This ultimately led to the formation of the "Persian Asia Minor Allied Fleet" advocated by Pharnabazus, which had about 400 warships and nearly 60,000 crew members.
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After the Daonian Tenth Legion successfully landed in Asia Minor and defeated the Mysian Persian army, Leotychides was worried that the failure of this small battle would prompt the Persians to step up their reinforcements to Mysia.
The landing force alone, relying on a single legion, would be difficult to sustain independently for a long time, and once defeated, the Greek allied forces would lose a favorable landing site.
Therefore, he decided to send troops to land in Mysia one after another.
Therefore, when the harvest in September ended and the mainland Greek city-states began to gather their armies, Leotychides personally led the Eleventh Legion, the Twentieth Legion, and the Thessalian Cavalry Legion by ship to Mysia to join the Tenth Legion.
At this time, he had already keenly felt the further alienation of nearby city-states such as Ilium, Abydos, and Tenedos from the Daonian army, such as refusing the Daonian army's ships to use their ports to load and unload supplies, prohibiting their merchants from selling supplies to the Daonian army... and so on.
The hostility shown by the Asia Minor Greek city-states made Leotychides vigilant.
In order to reduce the pressure on logistics and to make it easier for the subsequent Greek allied forces to land, he decided to change the strategy previously formulated by the kingdom.
When the Daonian army's envoy once again requested Ilium to open its port and was refused, Leotychides brazenly led his army to besiege Ilium, demanding its surrender to Daonia, but was rejected.
So he issued an order: Attack the city!
In legends, the high walls of Troy hundreds of years ago could not be captured by the Greek allied forces even after 10 years of attack, but at that time, Troy was not only a large city, but also one of the overlords of western Asia Minor, receiving support from many allied states, so it could defend for so long.
Today's Ilium, although it is considered a medium-sized town, is far from being comparable to its predecessor, Troy.
Leotychides has three infantry legions and one cavalry legion under his command, totaling 26,000 to 7,000 men, and the Fourth Fleet is temporarily under his command, surrounding Ilium from the sea to the land.
Moreover, the Daonian army's siege technology is far superior to that of the Greek allied forces hundreds of years ago.
Therefore, on the fifth day after the siege, the Ilians could not stand it anymore and had to surrender to the Daonian army.
Leotychides accepted their surrender and sent some troops to garrison the city of Ilium, thereby controlling this important hub on the Hellespont.
The news that "the city of Ilium was captured" quickly spread to the surrounding areas, causing the neighboring Greek city-states to feel terrified.
They had to send envoys to express their goodwill to the Daonian army.
Leotychides took the opportunity to propose that they provide a certain amount of military food and supplies in exchange for a commitment to ensure the safety of their city-states, which was agreed to.
At the same time, Leotychides also sent troops deep into the inland areas of Mysia to survey the terrain, understand the enemy's situation, and seize wheat fields to increase food reserves.
The governor of Mysia, Theopompus, was unable to stop the Daonian army and had to send messengers to Pharnabazus for help many times.
At this time, Pharnabazus, who was staying in Gurdium, was still waiting for the armies of various regions in Asia Minor to gather, and could only issue orders to the newly formed Asia Minor Allied Fleet, hoping that they could take action to attack or harass the Daonian army's support fleet to alleviate the pressure on land.
Before landing in Asia Minor, Leotychides specifically sent messengers to inform the allied states in mainland Greece, requesting them not to lead their troops to assemble in Thessaly, but to go directly to the landing site opened up by the Daonian army in Mysia by ship.
Therefore, starting from the end of September, the armies formed by the various city-states in mainland Greece successively traveled to Asia Minor by ship, so every few days there was a troop transport fleet crossing the Aegean Sea, not to mention the supply transport fleets that traveled back and forth between the two continents every day.
In early November, the Asia Minor Fleet sailed north in a mighty formation. By the time they reached the waters near the entrance of the Hellespont, the Greek Allied Fleet, having received the news, had already fled. Unwilling to return empty-handed, the Asia Minor Fleet feigned a return south at dusk, but secretly entered the port of Illersus on the island of Lesbos, not far south of the Daonian army's landing site.
Lesbos Island resembles the two large pincers of a crab. The two large pincers are not completely closed, forming a bay in the center, with its entrance facing south, away from the Hellespont Strait, temporarily deceiving the Greek Allied Forces, leading to a transport fleet of 70 cargo ships from the Greek Allied Forces sailing towards the waters near Ilion without any precautions the next day. The Asia Minor Fleet suddenly appeared and attacked them, almost destroying the entire fleet.
As the Asia Minor Fleet's attack neared its end, the Daonian Fourth Fleet hurriedly arrived. The Persian Asia Minor Fleet immediately gathered its warships, formed a battle formation, and prepared to fight.
Given the vast difference in the number of warships, the Daonian Fourth Fleet rationally chose to retreat, while the Persian Asia Minor Fleet, due to the previous back-and-forth pursuit of the scattered Greek cargo ships, had sailors who were somewhat exhausted and unwilling to fight further, and subsequently returned to the port of Illersus.
The next day, the Asia Minor Fleet reappeared in the waters near the entrance of the Hellespont Strait, but found no trace of any Greek Allied Fleet or ships. They patrolled for most of the day, achieving nothing, and eventually returned in disappointment.
On the evening of that day, the senior commanders of the Asia Minor Fleet held a military conference to discuss the question of "whether the fleet should return to Halicarnassus as soon as possible."
Most of the naval commanders from the Greek city-states of Asia Minor believed: "The Greek Allied Forces have learned their lesson from yesterday's defeat. As long as we are still here for one more day, their ships probably won't appear. Moreover, the Asia Minor Fleet has a large number of crew members, and Lesbos Island clearly cannot provide enough supplies, and it is more troublesome to obtain supplies from the nearby coastal city-states of Asia Minor. More importantly, the Asia Minor Fleet has already alerted the enemy, and logistics are very important to the Greek Allied Forces, so the Daonian Kingdom will definitely not abandon them. Don't forget that the Daonians have thousands of warships!"
The Persian naval commanders, however, believed: "Although the Asia Minor Fleet has achieved some victories, it is not enough to boast to Pharnabazus, let alone attract the attention of the Persian King. Even if the Greek Allied Fleet's ships are avoiding the fleet's attacks, which may result in the fleet not achieving any significant victories in the future, as long as the fleet exists in this area for one more day, it will cut off one day's supply to the Greek Allied Forces, making the Greek Allied Forces wary, and providing assistance to the Asia Minor Army that is still being formed.
As for the logistics supply issue, they don't need to worry about it. As long as they ask Pharnabazus for help, he will naturally write letters requesting the nearby regions to actively provide assistance to the entire fleet. So far, there has been no news of other Daonian fleets appearing in the Aegean Sea. Even if they really intend to attack, it cannot be done in the short term. The Asia Minor Fleet can safely stay here for a few more days and gain more military exploits."
Although most of the warships in the Asia Minor Fleet were provided by Greek city-states, the command was in the hands of the Persians. They insisted on their opinion, and the Greek city-state naval commanders naturally could not object. So, the next day, the Asia Minor Fleet continued to patrol in this area, but when they returned to their base at dusk, they received shocking news: a Daonian fleet with an astonishing number of warships had appeared near the waters of Kos Island,
heading north along the western coast of Asia Minor.
Originally, after receiving the order from the Department of Military Affairs, the three Daonian fleet commanders, Sekelian, Midolardes, and Stephacas, after some discussion, decided not to let the fleet go to Crete Island for the time being. After all, the mobilization of thousands of warships would be too high-profile and would inevitably arouse the enemy's vigilance, failing to achieve the effect of luring the enemy out. In addition, the port conditions on Crete Island would also make it difficult to support the long-term stationing of personnel from the three major fleets. Therefore, they decided to let the three major fleets first go to Messenia and Laconia to station. As the most important relay stations between the Daonian Holy Kingdom and mainland Greece, these two vassal territories of the kingdom had vigorously built port facilities during these years, which could fully meet the needs of the fleets and crew members. The fleet was stationed on the southern coast of the Peloponnese, while closely monitoring the movements of the western coast of Asia Minor, and would quickly strike once an opportunity arose.
Davos agreed to their suggestion, so the three major fleets were stationed in Messenia and Laconia. They rarely moved out during peacetime. Occasionally, a small number of warships were dispatched to train and cultivate the tacit understanding between the fleets, and they only did so in the bays.
Since the southern waters of the Peloponnese are now the heart of the Daonian Holy Kingdom's sphere of influence in the eastern Mediterranean, merchant ships from Persia and Asia Minor cannot enter at all. Therefore, the Persians are completely unaware that all the Daonian fleets in the western Mediterranean have moved east.
Compared to Daonia's strict control over the western waters of the eastern Mediterranean, Persia's management of the eastern waters is relatively lax, especially on the western coast of Asia Minor, where Daonia has placed many informants. Therefore, as soon as the Persian Asia Minor Fleet was established, the Daonian Fleet quickly learned about it.
A few days after the Asia Minor Fleet headed north, the three major Daonian fleets set sail together and headed east. Thanks to the vigorous promotion and funding of the improvement of port facilities and the maintenance of sea routes by the Greek allied states in recent years, the Daonian Fleet could not only obtain timely food and water replenishment on the nearby islands when crossing the Aegean Sea, but even travel at night when the weather was good. Therefore, when the Daonian Fleet approached the coast of Asia Minor, the Asia Minor Fleet was still patrolling the Hellespont waters.
After learning this news, the commanders of the Asia Minor Fleet had no confidence in fighting the three major Daonian fleets, which far outnumbered their own warships. They also had no time to help the army and immediately decided to lead the fleet back south. In order to avoid encountering the Daonian Fleet head-on, after passing Chios Island, the Asia Minor Fleet began to move away from the coast, attempting to sail in a southwest direction, making a large circle, so as to avoid the Daonian Fleet.
Who knew that the Daonian fleet commanders, in order to prevent missing the enemy, specially arranged for the Second Fleet to sail close to the coast, the First Fleet to sail far from the coast, and the Third Fleet to connect in the middle, with each fleet widening the front, like a large net spread out to catch the big fish of the Asia Minor Fleet.
It should be said that the Asia Minor Fleet was somewhat lucky. A merchant ship from a western Asia Minor city-state passing by kindly reminded the Asia Minor Fleet that "a Daonian fleet is heading towards them." Upon hearing the news, the Persian commanders were immediately panicked. Faced with the Daonian Fleet's relentless pressure, the Asia Minor Fleet could no longer continue to detour west, otherwise the fleet would go deep into Daonia's sphere of influence in the Aegean Sea and would not receive any supplies, and would soon collapse without a fight. Therefore, they only had one way in front of them, to get the fleet close to the coast of Asia Minor as soon as possible and hide in the port of a town to avoid the fate of being wiped out.
So, the Asia Minor Fleet made an emergency U-turn and sped directly east, passing Samos Island, attempting to enter the port of Ephesus before the Daonian Fleet caught up.
Ephesus is a large city on the western coast of Asia Minor, not only with high walls and thick fortifications, but also with abundant supplies. The Asia Minor Fleet could completely hide inside for a long time until the Daonian Fleet had to leave helplessly.
The Persians had a good idea, but unfortunately the Daonian Fleet was already prepared. The Second Fleet led by Midolardes quickly passed through the narrow Samos Strait, and the warships spread out in a "one" shape in the waters near Ephesus to block the Asia Minor Fleet's escape to the east.
The commanders of the Asia Minor Fleet, having learned the situation ahead through a fast boat, faced a dangerous situation with blockades in front and pursuers behind. Like ants on a hot pot, they were panicked and at a loss. Under duress, they led the fleet in a hasty escape into the nearest port of Samos.
Samos Island is separated from the western mainland of Asia Minor by only a narrow strait, which makes it, like Bosworth Island, actually belong to one of the Ionian Islands. It was once an important member of the Delian League established by Athens. Later, after the Corinthian War, Athens' strength gradually recovered, and it rejoined Athens' maritime alliance. However, Athens was defeated by Daonia. Compared to Daonia, which was far away in the western Mediterranean and felt unfamiliar to Samos, the people of Samos were closer to Persia. Moreover, it was later attracted by some decrees issued by the Persian King in order to win over the Greeks in western Asia Minor and quell the rebellion more quickly, and finally completely sided with Persia.
When the Asia Minor Fleet fled into the port, the three major Daonian fleets quickly arrived. The sentries on the port's lighthouse and watchtower, looking at the endless Daonian warships spread out on the sea outside the port, all felt their scalps tingle.
However, the people of Samos, who had once provided more than a dozen warships to the Asia Minor Fleet, had a fluke in their hearts: although the Daonian Fleet was powerful, they could not launch an attack from the land after all, nor could they stay here for long, and would soon leave helplessly.