But the Samians never expected that under the command of commanders like Secilian, about 80% of the Daonian crow warships in the fleet would dock on nearby beaches. Fleet infantry disembarked from the warships, gathering nearly 15,000 men, completely surrounding Samos City.
The Samians on the city walls were shocked to see the densely packed, well-equipped Daonian soldiers outside the city.
At this moment, Secilian sent a messenger into Samos City, who threatened the Samians aggressively in the council hall: immediately submit to Daonia, and if they dared to let the Asia Minor fleet escape, they would be punished even if they surrendered!
The messenger's threat frightened the Samian councilors, reminding them of the rumor that Daonia had destroyed Tegea in the Greek War. Therefore, they did not dare to counter the envoy's arrogance, but politely stated: the council needed time to deliberate on this important issue before making a decision.
After Secilian learned of the Samian council's reaction from the messenger, he discussed it with Mydorades and Stephacas, and then reached a consensus: he would lead the First Fleet and these 15,000 fleet infantry to continue besieging Samos City; while the Second and Third Fleets would immediately head north to Miletus.
Before nightfall, Secilian even made another decision: to drag all the warships onto the beach, only sending fast ships to take turns monitoring the port of Samos.
This was a very bold decision. The Asia Minor fleet could have taken advantage of this favorable opportunity to rush out of the port and quickly escape back to Halicarnassus.
In fact, the generals of the Asia Minor fleet did propose leaving the port to Samos, but the Samian council was still arguing about the Daonian envoy's request during the day, and had not reached a unified opinion. They dared not let the Asia Minor fleet leave, which would bring disaster to themselves, so they made excuses to delay. The generals of the Asia Minor fleet themselves also had differing opinions and did not strongly demand to leave immediately at night, so it was temporarily shelved.
The next morning, Secilian led the First Fleet warships to re-blockade the port, while the army on shore, led by Sesephidorus, the commander of the First Fleet infantry, cut down trees on the island, some to build camps and some to build siege equipment, putting on a posture of being ready to attack the city at any time.
The Samian citizen soldiers on the city walls, seeing all this, felt even more uneasy.
The generals of the Asia Minor fleet were also uneasy. They once again made a request, wanting to quietly leave the port at night, and their attitude was very firm.
Therefore, after the Samians found that they could not get away with it, their attitude also became tough: they refused to open the port sluice and let them leave.
The two sides almost clashed because of this.
Compared to the near riot in the city, Secilian outside the city was also not relaxed, because the crew's rations had been eaten. Dinner was fish soup, made from fish caught by the fleet crew from the nearby sea with great effort these past two days, barely enough to fill their stomachs.
But Secilian was full of confidence in victory. He not only trusted Mydorades and Stephacas, but also fought side by side with Leotychides. He firmly believed that the current commander of the Greek Allied Forces would seize this opportunity and come to support them in time.
To this end, he spent the entire evening visiting various tents, encouraging the crew and fleet infantry to persevere.
Early on the third day, the hungry Daonian sailors still sailed the warships out to sea, blockading the port of Samos. If the Asia Minor fleet had rushed out of the port at this time to fight the Daonian First Fleet to the death, the outcome would have been unknown, but the Asia Minor fleet feared that the enemy's warships outnumbered them, and chose to continue to huddle in the port.
The Samian's procrastination was more like entrusting their fate to the gods. Of course, they were more hoping that Persian reinforcements could arrive in time.
But by noon, a large fleet sailed from the north, completely dashing the Samian's hopes.
Leotychides not only sent a fleet to transport grain, but also had the Second, Third, and Fourth Fleets transport the soldiers of the entire Tenth Legion.
For a time, thousands of warships gathered in the waters near Samos, not only deterring the Asia Minor fleet in the port of Samos, but also showing its powerful naval strength to the nearby coastal city-states such as Ephesus.
8,000 soldiers of the Tenth Legion and the remaining fleet infantry all landed on the island of Samos. Nearly 30,000 Daonian soldiers, just by lining up outside the city, covered most of the mountains and fields of Samos Island, not to mention the impressive ballistae.
The Samians were completely desperate. Since its establishment, it had never faced such a powerful enemy. The Athens that had attacked it before was completely incomparable. Therefore, before the Daonian soldiers even began to attack the city, they quickly made a decision—to surrender.
The generals of the Asia Minor fleet in the port, upon learning that the Samians had betrayed Persia, immediately led the crew to launch a riot in the port, attempting to seize the sluice gate so that the fleet warships could rush out of the port and make a final desperate fight, which was better than being directly captured without a fight.
Who knew that the self-aware Samians, after surrendering to the Daonian army, immediately invited the Daonian army into the city, asking them to personally deal with the tens of thousands of Asia Minor fleet crew entrenched in the port.
Before long, the riot launched by the Asia Minor fleet was crushed by the quickly arriving Daonian Tenth Legion. Thus, the Daonian army and fleet suffered almost no losses, and captured the entire Persian Asia Minor fleet. This was an inspiring complete victory. It not only meant that Daonia had temporarily gained maritime dominance in western Asia Minor, but also changed the situation between Persia and Daonia, whose naval strength was originally roughly equal. Daonia and its allies began to gain the upper hand.
The destruction of the Persian Asia Minor fleet and the surrender of Samos had a great impact on the Greek city-states in western Asia Minor. They suddenly realized that without the protection of the navy, and with most of the Persian garrisons in various regions having gone to Phrygia, the surprisingly powerful Daonian fleet could freely land and attack any coastal city-state in the west. Therefore, Ephesus, Miletus, Chios... and even many Asia Minor Greek city-states including Lesbos, changed their previous aloof attitude and successively sent envoys to the Daonian fleet and the landed Daonian army to express their goodwill. Some even requested that they could release some of the Asia Minor fleet's crew, after all, most of the crew in the Asia Minor fleet came from these Greek city-states.
Leotychides led the allied generals and several Daonian fleet commanders such as Secilian, as well as the Athenian naval commander Chabrias, to hold a military conference in Ilium. After discussion, it was decided that as long as the Greek city-states of Asia Minor regularly provided a certain amount of military grain and supplies to Daonia and the Greek land and sea allied forces, and opened their ports to the allied fleet, then Daonia and its allies would promise not to attack these cities, and release the crew from these cities...
In the announcement given to the envoys of the Asia Minor Greek city-states, there was no requirement for them to submit to Daonia, because Leotychides and Secilian and others were very clear in their hearts: only by completely defeating the land army of Asia Minor could these weather vanes completely fall to Daonia!
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early morning in early January of 364 BC (30th year of the Daonian Kingdom), the people of Thurii, having just celebrated the New Year, got up early to sweep the roads in front of their homes. After eating breakfast, some people flocked to the river port docks in the city, and some waited by the roads near their homes. By the time it was fully light, the avenues from the foot of King's Hill to the inner city docks were already crowded with men, women, old and young.
Just as everyone was eagerly waiting, cheers of "Here they come! Here they come!" came from the front, and the people were immediately excited. Everyone pushed and shoved each other. If there were no soldiers maintaining order by the side of the road, it would probably cause a small riot.
After a while, a team of palace cavalry appeared in the center of the road. They wore black breastplates, purple cloaks, and helmets with red top crowns, riding majestic steeds, each with a heroic bearing, advancing in neat ranks.
After them, Daonian King Davos appeared before the people. He wore a golden crown, a gorgeous armor engraved with a pattern of Hades wielding a double-pronged fork, and a thick woolen cloak over it, riding a black horse. Although his hair was already gray, his back was still straight, and his eyes were sharp, appearing energetic.
Walking alongside him was his eldest son, the current Kingdom Administrator Croto Catakes. His achievements in Thurii in recent years were obvious to all, especially the successful hosting of the Daonian Games last year. His administrative ability had been completely recognized by the people of Thurii, which is why they did not have too much worry when they learned that King Davos was going to personally conquer the great eastern power of Persia.
Following behind the two was King Davos's second son, Apoxis. He was already a famous scholar in the kingdom, and was also promoted to vice president of the Mathematics Academy of the Daonian Academy last year. He was known for his wisdom among the people of Thurii, but because he had been in the academy for a long time, he seemed mysterious in the eyes of ordinary people.
Next to Apoxis was King Davos's third son, Antebris. Among Davos's children, he was the most popular with the people of Thurii, not only because he was a football star, but also because he himself was active, willing to contact civilians, and very down-to-earth.
Next to Antebris was King Davos's second daughter, Eunice (although Cynthia was only Davos's adopted daughter, the gentle and virtuous she was still recognized by the people of Thurii, who regarded her as Davos's eldest daughter). As a woman, she should have traveled by carriage like her mother and sisters, but she insisted on riding a horse. She loved sports competitions and had a personality similar to that of a man, and she was also loved by the people of Thurii, especially for the Thurii merchants, she had taken over the Christoia Chamber of Commerce in recent years, and her capable and decisive style was even more sought after by them.
Avilia, another biological daughter of King Davos, sat in the royal carriage that followed, not showing herself to the public, which made the people of Thurii on the roadside feel a little regretful. Because this Daonian princess was introverted and shy and did not like to appear in public, the people of Thurii did not know much about her at first, until she became the director of the zoo, because she had to take care of the animals and had contact with tourists and children visiting the zoo, everyone realized her kindness and innocence, and thus gained the love of the people.
Christoia, Agnes, Cynthia, Avilia, and the children rode in two royal carriages, followed by two teams of court cavalry.
Compared with his enemy Persia, the Daonian royal family's travel team can be said to be very simple, but the people's support for them is far from what the Persian royal family can compare.
"Long live King Davos!!!"
"Long live Hades. Davos Royal Family!!!"
...
The people expressed their support and support for King Davos and his family with continuous cheers, and expressed their good wishes for the upcoming war.
Mixed in with these more formal cheers were some personal preferences: "May Hades bless the beautiful Princess Eunice!"
"May Hades bless the kind Princess Avilia!"
"Prince Antebris, I love you!"
...
Eunice laughed and joked: "Antebris, did you hear that? Be careful I complain to Ronia!"
"I don't know that woman at all. She might be a rugby fan like you! Don't talk nonsense!" Antebris quickly defended. Ronia is his wife and the daughter of a rugby team owner in Thurii. She has a cheerful and generous personality and loves sports. She has never accepted Antebris's courtship, worrying that she would be restrained after marrying into the royal family. Antebris pursued her persistently, and the two did not marry until after the Games last year, making him the last of Davos's children to marry, which can be regarded as fulfilling a wish of the Davos couple. Because this marriage was hard-won, Antebris cherishes it very much.
"Don't worry, Ante, Eunice won't talk nonsense, she can't bear to lose Ronia, this good friend!" Apox said lightly.
"Apox, you talk too much!" Eunice glared at him dissatisfied. Indeed, Eunice and Ronia have similar personalities and interests. Since Ronia married into the royal family, the two quickly became good friends. In last year's rugby and football games, the two often appeared together in the stands, becoming a beautiful scenery in the game.
Davos smiled and looked around, waving frequently to the cheering people on the roadside, but the steed under his crotch did not slow down at all, and soon the traveling team arrived at the inner city wharf.
The kingdom's administrative hall, the important ministers of various departments, and the elders of the Senate were already waiting here. Seeing the arrival of King Davos, they greeted him in an orderly manner and bowed respectfully.
Davos dismounted and looked at the five assistant ministers who came forward, and said solemnly: "After I go to the Eastern Mediterranean, the affairs of the kingdom will be entrusted to you!"
"Your Majesty does not need to worry. His Royal Highness Croto Catakes is outstanding in ability, and we will definitely assist him with all our strength!" Haka said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, we will do our best to maintain the stability of the kingdom and wait patiently for your triumphant return!" Siplos said earnestly.
"Your Majesty, we will do our best to ensure the logistics supply of the army, and you can rest assured to attack the Persians!" Antaolis also said immediately after.
Davos nodded with a smile, and patted Bagule and Adrianxes, who were resolute in expression, on the shoulders, although they did not speak. Many affairs had been arranged before, and at this moment he no longer needed to say anything more.
He smiled and greeted the ministers and elders who came forward to pay their respects, while slowly walking towards the trestle.
When he walked to the side of the royal double-eyed dragon flagship, he was only accompanied by his family.
He stopped, his eyes softly swept across the faces of each family member, and finally fell on Patrolos, whom he had just specially called from the crowd, and said solemnly: "Patro, the safety of the kingdom and the safety of the royal family are entrusted to you!"
"Your Majesty—" Patrolos had just spoken when he saw Davos's displeased expression, and hurriedly changed his words: "Father, I will definitely assist Croto in maintaining the stability of the kingdom!"
Previously, Davos had ordered the Ministry of Military Affairs to issue an order: to transfer Hasdruba to the position of Commander of the Fourteenth Army and follow him to Persia, and to let Sextus take over as Commander of the Northern Border of the Kingdom.
Then he appointed his most trusted son-in-law, Patrolos, as the commander of the Kingdom Reserve Legion, stationed in the Thurii barracks. The most important mission of this temporary position was that once there was turmoil in the country, especially within the Italian peninsula, he had the right to mobilize reserve troops from any region to quell the rebellion.
Patrolos was initially unwilling to accept. He wanted to participate in this grand war between Daonia and Persia, but after Davos's detailed talks with him and the persuasion of his wife Cynthia, he finally accepted the appointment.
In the past, Davos had personally led troops on many expeditions, but there had never been such an arrangement. Why did he do this this time? That was because Davos believed that because Persia was far away and vast, the war would probably last for a long time, and the Daonian Kingdom had almost exhausted all of its regular legions, and domestic defense would be insufficient. In case of unexpected events, the army would be difficult to return in time for rescue, so a most trusted general was needed to sit in the kingdom, gather the remaining military resources, and maintain the security of the kingdom.
Of course, there was also an important reason that Davos could not say in his heart: Patrolos was still young, had already made great achievements, and enjoyed a great reputation in the army. If he was allowed to return from the Persian War with honors, his prestige in the army would be further enhanced, which would not be conducive to Croto Catakes's rule over the kingdom. Even if he had carefully observed for many years and believed that Patrolos's character was completely trustworthy, he still had to plan ahead to avoid rifts in the royal family in the future and allow the family to always maintain harmony.
Davos nodded and looked at his son, the future king, and said in a deep voice: "Take care of your two mothers and siblings. After I leave, the kingdom will be handed over to you. Do it well!"
After that night's father-son conversation, Croto Catakes certainly understood the true meaning of Davos's words. Feeling this heavy weight, he took a deep breath and replied with an unprecedentedly serious expression: "Yes, Father!"
"Your Majesty, don't forget to notify Agnes and me to go to Miletus when the time comes!" At this time, Christoia suddenly reminded loudly.
Davos stared at the still charming faces of his two wives and smiled gently: "You two just wait for my good news."
"Grandpa, I really want to go to Persia with you too!" Christode couldn't help but said.
Davos bent down with a kind face: "You are still too young now. When you have learned the knowledge of the school and your body has grown taller and stronger, Grandpa will not only take you to Persia, but also take you to Egypt and Greece. Is that okay?"
"Okay!" Christode nodded vigorously.
Davos smiled and gently pinched his small face, and finally boarded the double-headed dragon flagship under the attention of his relatives.
"Your Majesty." Court Secretary Henebolis and former Intelligence Director Aristilas, who were waiting at the entrance, bowed and saluted.
"Your Majesty, you are too slow...cough cough...we have been waiting on the ship for so long that our feet are almost moldy!" It was Amyntas who was complaining, sitting in a wheelchair, while Alexis, Filicius and other old men also came forward to salute Davos.
"Amyntas, you are so old, but you still haven't changed your temperament. You must know that fighting a great power like Persia cannot be rushed." Davos joked while signaling to Henebolis: "Set sail."
Amid cheers and farewells, the double-headed dragon flagship slowly left the pier. As soon as it entered the Krati River, louder cheers rang out around it. It turned out that the banks of the Krati River were also crowded with people. They waved and shouted excitedly at this unique warship in the kingdom.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the people are very enthusiastic about this war!" Filicius said happily.
"Over the years, the people of Thurii have made great sacrifices for the kingdom. I am afraid they hope that the soldiers of the First and Second Legions will be able to return triumphantly more smoothly!" Davos said with emotion.
As soon as he finished speaking, Amyntas suddenly coughed loudly.
Just as the double-headed dragon flagship sailed down the river, soldiers of the First and Second Legions were boarding ships at the port of Thurii, and at the mouth of the Krati River, thousands of warships of the First and Second Fleets were waiting there. They had been ordered to return to the kingdom last month, and had been traveling back and forth between the Italian Peninsula and the southern Gulf of Peloponnese, responsible for ensuring the safety of the sea routes of the troop carriers of the legions in various regions of the kingdom. Protecting the troop carriers of the First and Second Legions and the flagship of King Davos was the last task of these two fleets during this period, and of course, the most important one.
The huge fleet sailed out of the Gulf of Thurii, crossed the Adriatic Sea, passed through the coastal islands of Kerkyra, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, etc., and entered the Gulf of Messenia.
Although Messenia is now a dependency of the Daonian Kingdom, most of its council members have Daonian citizenship, and Messenian citizens of Helot origin are full of gratitude and respect for Daonia. The exchanges between the two sides are very close, and in fact, it is not much different from the kingdom's own territory. At the same time, as a maritime trade relay station between the kingdom and mainland Greece, it has greatly promoted its trade development. In recent years, the port has been continuously expanded and is no longer the simple appearance it was at the beginning, fully capable of accommodating the influx of this huge fleet and meeting the supply needs of the soldiers of the two legions.
For two days, Davos stayed here, receiving members of the Messenian Council and a small number of Messenian citizens, causing a sensation among the people of the entire territory. The leaders of nearby city-states such as Sparta, the Arcadian League, Elis, Argos, and Corinth also rushed to pay their respects, causing Davos to stay for another two days.
Five days later, Davos bid farewell to the welcoming Peloponnesian people, and the fleet sailed southeast, passing Crete. After replenishing ample food and water, they sailed directly south.
The next long voyage of more than 500 li across the open sea was slightly risky, but under the leadership of the Daonian Sacred Kingdom in recent years, it had become one of the busiest sea routes between the western Mediterranean, mainland Greece, and Cyrenaica and Egypt (another route was through Sicily to Carthage, and then along the African coast to Egypt, but due to a storm in the African sea last year that destroyed the Egyptian envoy delegation's fleet, the Daonian fleet chose this route for the safety of the king).
The fleet sailed smoothly and did not encounter any trouble, successfully reaching the coast of Cyrenaica.
Although Cyrenaica was once known as the vassal of a vassal of Sparta, Daonia and Cyrenaica had established a friendly relationship as early as when Dionysius launched a cross-sea expedition to Daonia, and this friendly relationship was constantly strengthened over time. Of course, Cyrenaica also consciously transformed from the initial equal status between the two sides to a respectful attitude of a small state serving a great power.
Since several waves of Daonian troops had passed through Cyrenaica since last year, the Cyrenaeans were not alarmed, and even became quite accustomed to it. However, when the envoys of the Daonian army informed the Cyrenaican leaders that "King Davos is in the army," these Cyrenaican oligarchs hurriedly ordered people to prepare generous gold, silver, and military supplies, and then rushed to the temporary camp by the port to pay their respects.
Davos patiently engaged in friendly conversations with them, and explicitly stated in the talks that Daonia would also fully guarantee the stability of the political situation in Egypt during the war with Persia.
For the Cyrenaeans, who had never suffered foreign invasion, the war between Daonia and Persia had no impact on them. The only things that could affect the security of Cyrenaica were internal strife and famine. Turmoil in Egypt would cause a large number of Libyans living in Egypt to flee west, which would inevitably disrupt the political stability of Cyrenaica. Although the Daonian army helped Egypt quell the rebellion last year, its new Pharaoh had not been selected, which made the Cyrenaican oligarchs always feel uneasy. Now, with the guarantee of the Daonian king, they could return with peace of mind.
The Daonian fleet rested well in the port of Cyrenaica for two days, and then continued to sail east along the African coast, finally arriving at the Egyptian coast in mid-February.
While Davos was leading this fleet on a leisurely journey, the fast ships that had set off from Thurii at the same time, serving as messengers, had arrived in Egypt eight days earlier. Whether it was Aasistes or Tapyrus in Memphis, or Kalsidis in Per-Ramesses, they had all led their officials to the city of Naucratis.
As Davos' flagship smoothly passed the sentry post at the Pelusiac branch of the Nile River and slowly sailed into the port, the Egyptian people who came to greet him burst into deafening cheers, which made Davos, who had not yet disembarked, feel slightly surprised.
After he stepped onto the dock, Aasistes and others immediately greeted him and bowed respectfully.
"You have worked hard during this time. On behalf of the people of the kingdom, I thank you for your contributions to the kingdom!" Davos returned the salute solemnly, then looked around at the densely packed Egyptian people on the periphery and asked curiously, "Did you arrange this?"
"Because of concerns about security, we did not publicize it widely. These are all spontaneous actions on their part," Aasistes explained hurriedly.
"Oh!" Davos looked at the excited faces in the distance and asked with interest, "Do they come from all over Egypt?"
"No,
Your Majesty," Aasistes answered honestly, "Most of them come from this city and the surrounding villages."
Naucratis was a stronghold provided by the Egyptian Pharaoh to Greek mercenaries hundreds of years ago. Later, it gradually developed into the only Hellenized Egyptian town that regularly traded with the Greeks. Most of the residents of this city have Greek ancestry, not to mention that Daonia and Egypt have had closer diplomatic and trade relations in this town for the past 20 years, which has led some Daonian citizens to settle here for a long time.
Because of the uniqueness of Naucratis, it is subject to exclusion and suppression in conservative Egyptian society, like an isolated island in the ocean, with no political influence on Egypt. After the Daonian reinforcements quelled the rebellion in Egypt this time, they stayed for a long time without leaving. Even recently, the decrees issued from Memphis to the towns in the Nile Delta vaguely had the shadow of Daonians. This made the sensitive Naucratis people realize that the political situation in Egypt might have undergone earth-shattering changes, which might be a great opportunity for them to turn over, so there was such a grand welcome scene today. This is the Naucratis people showing their loyalty to the Daonian king.
Davos, of course, thought of this, and he felt slightly disappointed.
At this moment, he heard a voice in his ear: "Your Majesty, the Honorable King, in fact, the people of other towns in Egypt are also very happy about your arrival. It's just that because of the long distance and the short time, they couldn't come here in time to welcome you. When Your Majesty goes to Memphis, I believe you will be able to see the enthusiasm of other Egyptian people with your own eyes." The speaker stood beside Aasistes, with dark skin, a slightly chubby figure, obvious wrinkles on his face, a tuft of gray-white goatee on his chin, a slight bow in his upper body, and a flattering smile, looking at Davos.
Davos saw that he was wearing a pure white short-sleeved linen robe, a golden hat, and holding a slender cane. He had roughly guessed the identity of this person, but he was still surprised and asked, "Who is this?"
"Your Majesty, this is the High Priest of the Temple of Karak, Amunhotep, appointed during the reign of Pharaoh Tanib, who came from Karak Temple. We have received a lot of help from him since we came to Egypt!" Aasistes hurriedly introduced.
Davos smiled: "I am very glad to meet you. Aasistes has mentioned you many times in his letters to me. You have given us tremendous support!"
"Your Majesty, the Honorable King, it is my honor to meet you!" Amunhotep saluted respectfully and said in slightly awkward Greek, "You are the son of Amun, the Lord of Upper and Lower Egypt. It is my honor to serve you, and it is also the honor of the Egyptian people, so you don't have to be surprised that they are gathered here, because in the future, all the people of Egypt will devoutly listen to your teachings!"
Although Davos had learned from Aasistes' letter that this honorable high priest had completely sided with Daonia, his overly flattering attitude still surprised Davos. He couldn't help but wonder in his heart: Did Daonia's powerful force scare these pampered Egyptian priests, so that their knees became so soft!
It should be known that three months ago, the vanguard led by Kalsidis not only eliminated the usurper Nectanebo, but then quickly quelled the rebellions in other towns in the Nile Delta, scaring Thebes (not the Thebes city-state in mainland Greece, but Thebes, the religious center of Upper Egypt), which was also a bit turbulent, and it quickly stabilized. Subsequently, starting in December last year, other legions in the Daonian Kingdom successively arrived in Egypt. Counting the First and Second Legions that arrived today, there were nearly 20 Daonian legions (including cavalry legions) in Egypt, a huge force of hundreds of thousands of people, plus their strong combat power, was enough to destroy the entire Egypt. How could Amunhotep not feel trembling!
Most of the people in the port of Naucratis understood Greek. When they heard High Priest Amunhotep loudly say the title "Son of Amun, King of Upper and Lower Egypt," there was first a commotion, then cheers erupted, followed by kneeling down and shouting the name of "Great and Noble Pharaoh Davos" in unison.
Faced with the cheers of the Egyptian people, Davos did not get carried away. He knew very well that Amunhotep's respectful address to him was actually a test for him, so he said with a smile: "I am very grateful to the great Amun for giving me such an important mission, but Daonia has a vast territory, and my energy is limited. I hope that the servants of the god Amun can assist me in managing this ancient country together, so that the Egyptian people can once again bathe in the benevolent glory of the god Amun."
Davos' direct and clear answer greatly relieved Amunhotep, and he immediately stated loudly: "All the servants of Amun are willing to dedicate all their loyalty to Your Majesty, the great Pharaoh!"
The agreement reached by Tapyrus and the Egyptian Amun monks after several negotiations in the past few months was promised by Davos and Amunhotep at this moment, and the cooperation between the two sides was officially established.
Then, Davos came to the kneeling people, motioned them to get up, and said loudly: "Egyptian subjects, in recent years, the Persians in the north have repeatedly sent troops to attack Egypt, trying to occupy the land of the Nile, and then turn you into slaves, forcing you to abandon your faith in Amun and instead convert to Ahura Mazda. The rebellion of Nectanebo was instigated by the Persians behind the scenes. The situation in Egypt is already very dangerous!
Therefore, the great god Amun has made me the new master of this land, and I have brought brave and fearless soldiers who will guard Egypt, defeat Persia, and allow you to enjoy lasting peace and tranquility! Guarantee that Egypt will always be the Egypt of the Egyptians!
Amidst the cheers of the Egyptian populace, Davos boarded a carriage and entered the city lord's mansion of Naucratis.
The next day, Davos led the Second and First Legions northwards. Upon the advice of Asistes and Amenhotep, he did not travel by warship but instead took the land route, riding in a magnificent carriage. Led by a group of Egyptian priests headed by Amenhotep, they advanced along the southern bank of a Nile tributary in a grand and popular fashion.
For other regions of the Mediterranean, it was now the sowing season, but in Egypt, sowing was already over. As the Nile floodwaters, which had surged in August and September of the previous year, receded, the large pools temporarily built by farmers to prevent the water from flowing away too quickly were almost dry. In their place, lush green wheat seedlings covered the banks of the Nile. Furthermore, the banks of the Nile and its tributaries were also overgrown with flourishing green papyrus, making the entire Nile Delta resemble a green sea. Within this refreshing green sea, small patches of yellow could occasionally be seen, marking the mud-brick villages built by the Egyptian people.
However, beyond this vast oasis lay an extremely dry, dusty, and boundless desert.
Davos sat in his carriage, traveling between the yellow and green world, and felt a sense of wonder.
As he led his army towards Memphis, his speech at the port of Naucratis, through the intentional efforts of some, had grown wings and quickly spread along the banks of the Nile. The Egyptians gleaned three main points from his words: first, Davos intended to become the new Pharaoh of Egypt; second, the vast army of Daonia stationed in Egypt was not there to continue inciting war but to protect Egypt's peace by attacking Persia; and third, Daonia would not seize Egyptian lands, and Egypt would still be governed by Egyptians.
The Egyptians knew that Daonia had always kept its promises. Even when it was at war with mainland Greece, it still sent a sizable army to help Egypt resist Persia. Moreover, this was a public speech given by the King of Daonia in front of the Egyptian people, making the possibility of breaking his promise very small.
Since the Daonian army had quelled the Egyptian rebellion, it had remained in the country. For the past month, rumors had circulated that "Daonia intended to annex Egypt." Now that the King of Daonia had personally admitted that he wanted to be the Pharaoh of Egypt and had also received the support of the priests of the Temple of Amun, many Egyptian officials and local powers felt conflicted. At the same time, they breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to meet the new Pharaoh in person or sent envoys in the hope of leaving a good impression.
For the common Egyptian people, land, faith, and peace were what they craved most. Since Davos had already made a promise in public, most people were not only not angry that a foreigner was about to become the Pharaoh of Egypt but also showed a certain degree of enthusiasm. They were eager to know what the king of the Daonian army, which could contend with the fierce Persians, looked like.
This season was a temporary lull in agricultural activity for the Egyptian people. Usually, when they had nothing to do, they would make mud bricks, catch birds, or fish. Now, they brought their elders and children to the roadside to welcome the new Pharaoh.
At Amenhotep's suggestion, Davos changed his attire within the city of Naucratis. He formally donned the Red and White Crowns representing the rule of Upper and Lower Egypt, and he also wore the false beard representing the Pharaoh's identity. Then, he put on golden full-body armor, sat in a magnificent carriage, and maintained a solemn and unsmiling demeanor throughout the journey.
The Egyptian people, who had always revered the gods and feared power, saw the new Pharaoh sitting high in the magnificent carriage, dazzling in golden light, and could not help but feel awe, shouting "Long live the Pharaoh!" The towns they passed also opened their gates to welcome him, and the officials vied to show their loyalty.
Davos reassured them along the way, so the team's progress was not fast. He even briefly toured the pyramids of Giza before finally arriving in Memphis after more than ten days.
Memphis was located south of the Nile Delta and north of Upper Egypt, placing it precisely between Upper and Lower Egypt.
Therefore, it was known as the "Scale of the Two Lands." In the early days of Egypt, the capital was in Thebes, but from the Middle Kingdom onwards, more pharaohs chose to locate the capital in Memphis because it was more conducive to ruling Upper and Lower Egypt.
When Davos entered the city of Memphis, he immediately understood why Calcidius had been able to easily capture the Egyptian capital, which had been occupied by the rebels. Unlike other Mediterranean city-states, it did not surround the entire Memphis urban area with thick city walls. Instead, it only built walls around three places: the Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Osiris, and the Pharaoh's palace and the residential area for the nobles. It was almost impossible to resist the Daonian army's siege with such a small urban area and scarce troops, especially given its internal instability.
Memphis was famous throughout Egypt for its handicrafts and metalworking industries. Half of the Memphis urban area was occupied by handicraft workshops and their residential areas. Therefore, Ptah and Osiris, the patron deities of these two industries, were highly revered here. The people not only worshiped the Triad of Memphis—Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertum—but also revered Osiris, the god of the underworld. The priests even regarded the Apis bull as a sacred object and worshiped it in the temple.
In fact, Davos had also considered making Osiris the Egyptian incarnation of Hades, replacing Amun and becoming the supreme faith of all Egyptians, but it was clear that this would be a very long process.
Among the officials who came to welcome him were, of course, the priests of the Temples of Ptah and Osiris. Davos promised them that he would take the time to worship them, which made them leave satisfied.
After pacifying the officials of Memphis, Davos did not immediately go to the palace but instead went to the Daonian military camp outside the city to comfort the soldiers. To do so, he specifically removed the false beard and the Red and White Crowns, put on a golden crown, and entered the camp as the King of Daonia.
At dusk, he drove into the Memphis Palace. The palace guards quickly took over the palace's defense, while Henipolis took over the internal affairs of the entire palace and had the chefs who had come with him prepare a safe and delicious dinner.
Davos invited Asistes, Tapirus, Calcidius, and the legion commanders who had subsequently arrived in Egypt with their troops to thank them for their efforts during this period.
The atmosphere of the banquet was not very lively because Davos did not allow drinking.
After the banquet, Davos kept them behind and convened a meeting.
"Now that all of our troops have entered Egypt, it will be difficult to fully meet the needs of such a large number of soldiers by relying solely on logistical supplies from our distant kingdom. Is Egypt capable of providing long-term and sufficient logistical support for the army? Asistes, you have been in charge of Egyptian administrative affairs for the past few months and have a sufficient understanding of the situation in Egypt. What are your thoughts?" As soon as Davos spoke, he raised the issue that he was most concerned about. After all, his true purpose in personally leading the army this time was to defeat Persia, and annexing Egypt was just a convenient side effect.
"Your Majesty," Asistes had been prepared for this and replied seriously, "If we rely solely on the grain reserves of the Nile Delta region, it will indeed be difficult to meet the needs of the entire army. You must know that the military grain that was supplied to Commander Calcidius's troops some time ago has already emptied the granaries of the towns in the Nile Delta, and it is still two or three months before the grain harvest…"
"Isn't Egypt known as the granary of the Mediterranean, with more grain than they can eat?!" Matonis, the commander of the First Legion, interjected.
"This is because Nicotanippus launched a rebellion a few months ago, which led to instability in Lower Egypt. In order to protect themselves, the towns had to urgently recruit troops, which greatly increased grain consumption. If Commander Calcidius hadn't acted quickly and quelled the unrest in Egypt in a relatively short period of time, the subsequent troops would have had to rely entirely on the kingdom's logistical supplies." While explaining, Asistes also praised Calcidius, as the two had cooperated well for the past few months as the Daonian military and political leaders in Egypt.
Calcidius smiled at Asistes to show his gratitude.
Davos saw this and was not too disgusted. He had always emphasized the idea that only unity could lead to victory in foreign wars. He asked calmly, "Asistes, although you make it sound very difficult, you don't seem worried at all. It seems you must have a way to solve the problem of grain supply."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Asistes smiled and said calmly, "Egypt has always been dominated by agriculture, so it attaches great importance to grain planting and storage. Like the kingdom, it has granaries in large towns to store the grain collected in preparation for famine years (the Egyptian term for famine years refers to the period between June and July when the Nile floods are too small, so the cultivated area is significantly reduced when the floods recede, leading to a significant reduction in grain production), or to sell it when grain prices in the Mediterranean rise…"
"In addition, there is another force in Egypt that stores large amounts of grain, and that is the temples. The monks of the Egyptian temples own large amounts of land and slaves, especially in the Upper Egypt region. These monks do not assume administrative responsibilities, but only take out a small amount of grain to share with the believers during temple festivals, so their grain reserves far exceed the granaries of the towns…"
"It is precisely because the monks of Egypt are too wealthy and have too much power that Jha Ho issued a decree to suppress the power of the monks when he was in power." Although Asistes had to cooperate with the Egyptian monks led by Amenhotep in order for Daonia to smoothly annex Egypt, as an administrative official, he could not stand these monks dominating Egypt and couldn't help but say an extra word.
Of course, Asistes was well aware that the kingdom's focus was still on the smooth transfer of power in Egypt and the war against Persia, so he continued, "It is precisely because the Egyptian priests have suffered a lot over the past year that when we express goodwill to them, they quickly gravitate towards us, not only actively helping us promote the legitimacy of the kingdom's rule over Egypt, but also taking out some of their grain reserves to help us solve the supply of military rations."
In addition, Amonhotep also proposed on behalf of the temple priests that they are willing to continue to provide military rations for the kingdom's army attacking Persia, as long as we give them a portion of the spoils of war—"
"This request must not be granted!" Matonis loudly protested: "The spoils of war obtained by the army are exchanged for by the soldiers' blood. One-third must be turned over to the national treasury, one-third must be turned over to the military affairs department, and one-third belongs to the soldiers themselves. The soldiers don't get much to begin with. It would be good enough if we didn't wipe out these fat-headed Egyptian priests; how dare they compete with us for food!"
"Silence!" Davos, seeing that most of the legion commanders were looking angry under Matonis's lead, had to put on a stern face and warn in a deep voice: "Don't say these things casually in the future! Persia is the richest country in the world, and the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years is countless. As long as we defeat Persia, the spoils of war that the soldiers can obtain will far exceed those of the past. Giving a portion to the Egyptian temples will not be too much of a loss.
On the contrary, you should be well aware that for the kingdom's army fighting in a foreign land far from home, the most important thing is not the spoils of war, but food! During wartime, food is more precious than gold, and you can't buy it even if you have money. If there is a shortage of military rations, even the bravest soldiers will easily collapse! We are only paying a little bit of the spoils of war that we may obtain in the future, but we can exchange it for the sufficient food that the Egyptian temples can provide immediately. This deal is simply too profitable for us!"
Speaking of this, Davos looked at Asistes and asked again, "If I agree to their request, how long can the food they provide supply all of our troops?"
Asistes carefully estimated for a moment, and then replied: "According to the situation Amonhotep told me, it can probably guarantee the kingdom's army in Egypt for more than two months, and after more than two months, Egypt will enter the harvest season, and the grain harvested in the Nile Delta can continue to provide security for the army…"
Davos looked around at the generals: "Gentlemen, have you all heard? Now it is up to you to decide whether or not to accept the demands of the Egyptian priests!"
Matonis's face was slightly red, but his tone was very firm: "As long as it can reduce the burden on the kingdom and benefit the army's operations, it is worth it for the soldiers to lose a little bit of the spoils of war. Of course we will agree!"
Matonis's words were immediately recognized by the other generals.
Davos nodded with a smile, but the corner of his eye caught Calsedonis hesitating to speak, and immediately asked: "Calsedonis, do you have anything to add?"
"Your Majesty," Calsedonis had no choice but to tell the truth: "According to my understanding, the Egyptian priests' request is not because they are greedy, but because they originally had such a tradition. In the past, after the Egyptian army went on expeditions and won victories, they would offer the spoils of war to the temples, and the temples would also donate military rations to the army during the expeditions…"
I am thinking… after we defeat Persia, the kingdom may station troops in Egypt or nearby areas to consolidate these conquered areas. If these troops also follow this Egyptian tradition, then when they go out to fight, relying solely on Egypt may be enough to solve their military rations supply, which will greatly reduce the burden on the kingdom."
"Well, your idea is not bad!" Davos felt a little surprised in his heart. He did not expect that the temporary commander of the Egyptian army he had personally appointed would consider things so far-reaching while focusing on combat. While casting an approving look at Calsedonis, he said, "Heni, write down this suggestion and discuss it after the war is over."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Davos did not praise Calsedonis any further.
After all, his qualifications were not high among the generals present, and he was from Sicily. Showing too much importance to him would probably arouse the jealousy of some generals, so Davos immediately changed the subject: "Asistes, since Amonhotep is so sincerely cooperating with your work and supporting the kingdom's rule in Egypt, then I will follow your suggestion in the letter and appoint him as the governor of the Egyptian region… Uh, what do the Egyptians call it?"
"Vizier, which means prime minister," Asistes responded.
"Yes, appoint Amonhotep as Vizier, responsible for the administrative affairs of Upper Egypt." Davos said solemnly: "And you are also a Vizier, responsible for governing Lower Egypt. I will not appoint a grand minister. The kingdom's Ministry of Finance will soon send tax officials to centrally manage Egypt's finances and taxes. In addition, although Amonhotep is the Vizier of Upper Egypt, his office must be in Memphis… Tapirus, you must make these things clear to Amonhotep!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Tapirus responded: "They did this during the reign of Pharaoh Tanis. Our kingdom is even more powerful. Only making these demands to Amonhotep, he will definitely agree happily."
As the founding monarch of Daonia, allowing an Egyptian subject to simultaneously hold the positions of High Priest of Egypt and Vizier is actually equivalent to giving up the jurisdiction over Upper Egypt. Although this is only temporary, it also made the consistently tough Davos somewhat unwilling. He emphasized his tone and said: "Although I made a promise not to immigrate to Egypt, the assimilation and integration of Egypt is still the top priority for you, Asistes, in governing Lower Egypt. I hope you can come up with good ideas!"
"I understand, Your Majesty." Asistes, who had rich experience in governing foreign races, confidently replied: "There is a characteristic in Egypt. After the governor of a town becomes pharaoh, the people of this town will receive a lot of promotion and reuse. And many Egyptians believe that Daonia was able to occupy Egypt because of Naucratis played a big role in it, so we can naturally reuse a large number of Naucratis people who are close to us in blood, culture, and are more willing to be close to us, so as to accelerate and consolidate our rule in Lower Egypt.
I have already appointed the former city lord of Naucratis, Eulilos, as my assistant, and have also transferred many young officials from Naucratis to Memphis to serve as translators and scribes. After confirming their abilities and loyalty, I will send them to various towns to serve in important positions;
I have decided to open all the coastal towns of Egypt to strengthen trade with the kingdom's mainland, thereby breaking the closed state of Egypt and allowing Egyptians to have more exchanges with us Daonians;
I hope to send the noble children of Lower Egypt to Thurii to study, and also want to establish many schools in Egypt, so that the kingdom can send enough teachers to teach, so that the next generation of Egyptians can recognize the strength and prosperity of the kingdom, identify with the kingdom's culture, gradually regard themselves as Daonian citizens, and be proud of it…"
Davos listened carefully, pondered for a while, and then nodded in satisfaction and said: "Very good, write down all your thoughts, I want to read them carefully. Asi, I can completely rest assured that you are governing Egypt! But you must pay attention to the fact that Naucratis is not only of great help to us in governing Lower Egypt, but its strategic position is also very important to the kingdom! Once turmoil occurs in Egypt, as long as Naucratis is still loyal to the kingdom, reinforcements from the kingdom can easily land on the western coast of Egypt, thereby quickly quelling the rebellion. Therefore, there must be a garrison of the kingdom in Naucratis in the future!"
"I remember, Your Majesty." Asistes responded solemnly.
Davos glanced at the generals who were listening drowsily and said loudly: "Calsedonis, you know more about the Egyptian army, tell me, how is their combat effectiveness?"
Calsedonis was startled and hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, the Egyptian army is not strong in combat. Although their soldiers do not lack the courage to fight, most of their soldiers do not wear armor and have no heavy infantry. There are not many cavalry either. The slightly better ones are only archers, but their archers do not have the good offensive awareness and tactics of our light infantry. They usually hide behind the infantry's shield wall and attack the enemy from a distance. It is said that this tactic was learned from the Persians. The tactics are relatively rigid, and the only advantage may be that they run fast…"
The generals burst into laughter.
"What about their chariots?" Davos's tone was still calm.
"The Egyptian chariots are used to carry archers. They look scary, but they are far less impactful than the Gaulish chariots. Instead, because the targets are too large, they are easily attacked by our light infantry."
Davos listened thoughtfully: "It seems that the Egyptian army is of no help to our attack on Persia, but will become a burden…"
"Your Majesty, the Egyptians are not without any help to us. They are hardworking, easy to obey, and very suitable for serving as servants for the army." Calsedonis suggested.
"Since you led the army to Egypt, what has been the movement of the Persians in the north?" Davos asked again.
This question made the generals shake off their drowsiness and perk up.
"I think it may be because the Persians did not expect that we would send troops to Egypt so quickly. They lacked preparation, so they neither gathered troops in time to threaten the Egyptian border, nor did they directly lead troops to invade Egypt… Until last month, I led the main force of the army to move to Per-Ramesses, east of the Nile Delta, and some troops even moved forward to Daphnae, the city closest to the eastern border, which aroused the attention of the Egyptians, and they reinforced troops to Gaza City."
Kalcidis thought for a moment, then said, "Also, I learned from the Naukratis merchants who trade with Cyprus that they were recently expelled by the Cypriots, who forbade their merchant ships from entering Cypriot waters again. Furthermore, some time ago, people often saw a large number of warships appearing in the eastern waters of Cyprus… After our analysis, we believe that the Persians have likely concentrated most of their fleet in the eastern ports of Cyprus…"
Davos was still pondering after hearing this, but Matonis said loudly, "It seems that the Persians are gathering their land and sea forces, preparing to respond to our offensive from Egypt!"
Davos did not respond, but looked at Kalcidis again: "Next, we will launch an attack on Persia. What suggestions do you have?"
Kalcidis' expression became serious. He pondered for a while before saying softly, "Your Majesty, the military plan previously formulated by the Ministry of Military Affairs to attack Persia from Egypt… I think it may need to be revised…"
"Oh?" Davos looked at the slightly nervous Kalcidis, tapped the wooden chair gently, and said in an encouraging tone, "We have no experience in combat in Egypt. You have the most say. Can you tell us in detail why the plan needs to be revised?"
As soon as Davos said this, the other generals also became serious. After Davos signaled Hynepolis to place the military's wooden map of Egypt and Persia in the center of the hall, everyone gathered around.
"Your Majesty, Honorable Legion Commanders!" Kalcidis took a deep breath in the face of everyone's gaze, pointed to the icon of Daphnae city on the map, and said in a slightly trembling voice, but with a forceful tone, "Daphnae is a fortress built by the Egyptians on the easternmost side of the Nile Delta to defend against Persian invasions. From Daphnae eastward to the Egyptian border is about two hundred li. The entire area is desert, with no inhabitants and no supply points. According to the speed of the kingdom's army marching in this terrain, it will take at least three to four days to pass through…"
As he spoke, Kalcidis' words became more fluent. He gestured on the map with his fingers, tracing the marching route, and finally stopped at a circular icon, which was marked with the word "Gaza": "Less than twenty li from the Egyptian border is the fortress built by the Persians—the city of Gaza. It is said that there are usually 1,500 Persian soldiers stationed in the city, and now it may have increased to 4,000."
"4,000 people is not many. Our army is going north, it should be easy to take it down," Second Legion Commander Lizalu interjected.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy." Kalcidis said solemnly, "Gaza was originally just a forward supply town for the Persians to invade Egypt, but since we reinforced Egypt last time and repelled the Persians, the Persians may be worried that we will use Egypt to attack them in turn. Therefore, two years ago, they conscripted Jews and Phoenicians to build Gaza into a fortress. According to the information we have obtained, although the city is not large, the walls are high and thick, and it has sufficient military supplies. It will not be easy to capture it.
Moreover, the name 'Gaza' comes from the Canaanite language, meaning that it is surrounded by sand. It is a fortress built on gravel. The nearest Canaanite oasis is at least twenty or thirty li away, which means that we cannot obtain any resources from the vicinity of Gaza to build large siege equipment such as siege towers, mobile towers, and siege vehicles. Even building siege platforms and causeways will be difficult, because there is only sand there, no soil, and it is not easy to solidify, but these are not the biggest difficulties—
Kalcidis looked around at the generals, and finally looked at Davos, emphasizing, "The biggest impact on us is the desert! I once led an army to try to march east from Daphnae, and I suffered a lot! Marching in the desert, it is scorching hot during the day, with strong winds and sand, and the ground is soft, so the soldiers wear armor, which is very difficult to walk in and easily fatigued.
Normally, a legion can march at least 50 li a day, but marching in the desert, I am afraid that even half of the distance cannot be reached in a day.
Moreover, at night, the desert becomes very cold, and soldiers cannot fall asleep unless they wrap themselves in blankets. The guides say that we are lucky it is spring. If it were summer, the entire desert would be like a large furnace, and few people would dare to walk on it, and there are only three months left until summer arrives…"
"I have been leading the legion here for 10 days, and I obviously feel that the climate in Egypt is much hotter than in Magna Graecia. Is the reason why the Egyptian soldiers do not wear armor also because it is too hot?" Fourth Legion Commander Melisanda asked curiously.
"I haven't asked the Egyptians about this." Kalcidis said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty and Honorable Legion Commanders, please pay attention! If we are to lead our troops through the desert to capture Gaza, the biggest threat to us is water! There are no water sources in this long march of nearly 400 li, and the soldiers are very prone to thirst when marching in the desert and need to drink a lot of water. Even if we bring a lot of water when we set off, we will still face the danger of water shortage if we cannot successfully capture Gaza in a short time!…"
After listening to Kalcidis' words, the faces of the generals became serious.
Davos gasped, suddenly recalling the historical example of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, established by the Crusades in the Middle Ages in Western Europe, rashly assembling a large army and entering the desert to attack Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, only to collapse almost without a fight due to lack of water…
"Gaza City is also built in the desert. Don't the Persians lack water?" Troilus, the commander of the Third Legion, asked.
"Gaza City should have wells, and the number of Persian soldiers is not large. Unlike us, we have as many as 200,000 people, plus a large number of laborers, horses, and livestock. Just digging a few wells will not meet the demand. Moreover, it is very difficult to dig underground water in the desert, and it may not be successful."
"Perhaps we can march east along the coast, with the fleet following, ready to dock and provide us with water and other supplies…" Matonis said hesitantly.
"I once had such an idea, but after careful consideration, I found that this method is not very appropriate, because to supply such a huge army, it also requires a huge fleet. Egypt, where maritime trade is underdeveloped, cannot meet the needs at all. It can only be recruited from mainland Greece and the kingdom, which will take a lot of time, and the more ships, the more crew members are needed, which in itself will consume more supplies. In addition, the process of the fleet docking every day to load and unload food and water will take a lot of time, which will seriously delay the army's marching speed and prolong the time we spend crossing the desert…"
Speaking of this, Calcidius moved his hand pointing to the map upwards: "You should have noticed that the coast where we are marching is not too far from Cyprus and the Phoenician coast. These two regions are the main naval bases of Persia, with a large number of warships. I said before that the Persians are likely to have assembled a fleet in the military port of Cyprus, and they are likely to attack our fleet.
And if we let the navy escort, but there are no ports along the long coast from Naucratis to Gaza to dock and replenish, the fleet will not get good rest, the warships will not be maintained, and when the Persian fleet attacks, we must also consider protecting the fleet. The whole battle will not be very favorable to our navy…"
Calcidius had obviously thought carefully, and he patiently listed the difficulties one by one. The legion commanders frowned and fell into contemplation.
Davos sighed and said, "It seems that I and the Ministry of Military Affairs have made the mistake of armchair strategizing. We have underestimated the difficulties of fighting in the desert. If it weren't for your timely discovery, Calcidius, we might have suffered a lot of trouble! Since you can discover the problem, you must have come up with a solution. Tell us in detail how you want to modify the battle plan!"
Facing Davos' encouraging gaze, Calcidius cheered up and said loudly: "I think our primary target should not be Gaza, but here—Cyprus!"
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on the icon on his finger.
"Attacking it has three purposes." Calcidius revealed the plan he had thought out: "First, Cyprus is a large island with large lakes and rivers, and there are also large plains in the north. The population is large, and the reserves of food and materials are relatively sufficient. It also has several well-equipped military ports. It is also easy to land and fight. As long as we occupy it, it can be used to park our fleet and support our army operations nearby.
Secondly, Cyprus is a barrier to the Persian Near East coast. If we occupy it, we can land to the north and attack the Gulf of Issus, attack the Syrian region and Phoenicia to the east, and threaten Canaan to the southeast… The entire Near East coast is under our threat, so that we can have more initiative in the war—"
"Since Cyprus is so important to Persia, the Persians must also attach great importance to it. You also mentioned just now that Phoenicia and Cyprus are the main sources of the Persian navy, and they are also gathering their warships. Looking at the map, Phoenicia is very close to Cyprus. They can send a fleet in time to intercept our transport fleet!" Lizalu interrupted Calcidius and keenly raised the question.
Calcidius said calmly: "This is the third purpose I want to mention! We travel thousands of miles to launch an attack on Persia. The long transportation line is the biggest weakness of our army, but as long as we control the dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean, this is not a problem. Therefore, the military plan formulated by His Majesty and the Ministry of Military Affairs considered eliminating the Persian fleet first. Therefore, the Greek coalition forces first landed in Asia Minor, trying to lure the Persian fleet to the north, but the effect was not ideal. In the end, only the Persian Asia Minor fleet was annihilated, and the main force of the Persian fleet remained in the Near East waters! But if we attack Cyprus, the Persian fleet will have to come out in full force. I think this is what we expect!"
Speaking of this, Calcidius looked at Davos.
Davos folded his arms and stared at the map, still thinking.
At this moment, Melissanda asked, "Looking at this map, the distance from Egypt to Cyprus seems farther than the distance from Crete to Cyrenaica. With such a long sea journey, and no place to stop and rest or replenish food and water along the way, can the troop transport fleet really arrive smoothly? After our fleet arrives in the waters near Cyprus, will it still have the ability to fight?"
Kalcidis replied seriously, "I specifically and carefully inquired with those Greek merchants in Naucratis who often trade with Cyprus. They all told me that in this season, there are no storms in the Near East sea area. As long as sufficient food and water are prepared on the ships and they sail day and night without stopping, they can reach Cyprus in just three or four days (one important reason why ships travel faster than land armies is that as long as they identify the route and use sails, they can sail non-stop for 24 hours). Moreover, we can hire these Naucratis merchants as guides to lead us."
As for the navy... I still remember that they once made a long-distance raid from Sicily to Carthage and ultimately defeated the Carthaginian fleet. They should be very experienced in this area. Of course, this still requires them to make their own judgment."
"What about the defenses on the island of Cyprus? How many troops are there?" Matonis asked with some interest, his tone becoming eager.
"Decades ago, Cyprus was just a dependency of Persia. The King of Cyprus had several times joined forces with the Greek city-states of Asia Minor, wanting to gain independence. Persia had a hard time suppressing them. Since then, the Persians have learned their lesson, abolished the King of Cyprus, divided Cyprus into multiple city-states, and do not allow them to build tall and thick city walls, otherwise, it would be seen as harboring disloyal intentions towards Persia."
Although I don't know exactly how many troops Cyprus can muster to fight against us, it is clear that their defensive capabilities are not strong, and their largest city-state, Nicosia, is located in the center of the plain, making it easy to capture... Moreover, just now you all felt that attacking Cyprus from the sea would be more difficult. Since we all have this idea, the Cypriots will not think of this, and our surprise attack will definitely succeed!"
After Kalcidis finished speaking, the legion commanders' eyes lit up.
Davos cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the generals, and then said thoughtfully, "Attacking Cyprus from the sea is indeed a good idea, but this is more to gain maritime dominance, not our main route for attacking the Persian Near East region. After all, except for the Gulf of Issus, other areas do not have the conditions for large-scale landings..."
According to intelligence, the Persians have already gathered a large number of troops in the Mesopotamia region. Once we capture Cyprus, it will inevitably arouse the Persians' vigilance. They will definitely strengthen the defense of the Issus coast. It would undoubtedly be a great risk for our main force to carry out landing operations in the Near East region. Therefore, the focus of our attack should still be on land.
As long as we occupy Cyprus and destroy the Persian fleet, the transport fleet can boldly sail along the coast, providing supplies to the land-marching troops at any time.
Even with the guarantee of maritime transport, our army can completely bypass Gaza and advance directly north—"
Davos looked down at the small, narrow coastal area north of the city of Gaza on the map, his expression somewhat complicated: "Kalcidis, do you know anything about Jerusalem in Canaan?"
"Your Majesty, I have inquired with people before. The Jews living in Jerusalem are a weak nation. They were once massacred by the Assyrians, and the survivors were imprisoned in Babylon. Although the Persians later released them and allowed them to return to their homeland, decades have passed, and their numbers are still small..."
I heard that in recent years, they even sent people to plead with the Persian king, hoping to allocate some money to rebuild their dilapidated temple. The Persian king agreed to their request and even appointed his trusted cupbearer, Nehemiah, who was also a Jew, as the governor of Jerusalem, specifically responsible for this matter.
As a result, after Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he had conflicts with Sanballat, the governor of Samaria to the east, and conflicts continue to this day... Therefore, the weak Jews are simply unable to stop our army. We can even occupy this place—" Kalcidis pointed to an icon on the map: "The port town of Jaffa in the Jerusalem area, for our fleet to dock..."
"Very good!" Davos took his eyes off the map, looked around at everyone, and said solemnly: "Gentlemen, I see that everyone agrees with the suggestion put forward by Kalcidis, so next I will summon Sekrian, Midolades, and Stephacas as soon as possible for another military meeting to discuss the feasibility of attacking Cyprus and annihilating the main force of the Persian fleet..."
No matter what the outcome of the next military meeting, the attack on Persia will be launched in a short period of time. I only hope that you will use this time to let the soldiers of each legion learn and adapt to marching, camping, and fighting in the desert as soon as possible!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone responded in unison.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The next day, Davos took Asistes and High Priest Amenhotep to the Temple of Ptah and Osiris for sacrifices, and was warmly welcomed by the priests of the temple. He also had close contact with the sacred bull Apis raised in the temple.
The fat bull, which was all black except for a white star spot on its forehead, was very friendly to him. It wagged its tail and quickly finished the fodder he handed over, causing the priests of Ptah and Osiris to exclaim loudly (Apis was first considered to be the incarnation of the creator god Ptah, and later evolved into the incarnation of Osiris): "Pharaoh Davos is indeed the son of Amun, even the leisurely sacred bull dares not slack off!"
Then, Davos went to the Temple of the Goddess Neith, the goddess of wisdom and war, to offer sacrifices. He even promised Amenhotep that he would take the time to go to the Karnak Temple in Thebes to worship, but he rejected another suggestion from the Egyptian High Priest: to go to the Temple of Amun in the Siwa Oasis to obtain an oracle.
The Siwa Oasis is located in the vast desert of western Egypt. The Temple of Amun there is quite ancient and highly respected. Its oracles are well-known, not only are Egyptians frequent pilgrims, but even Greeks are also admirers, especially in Thessaly and Macedonia in northern Greece.
The reason why Davos refused was not because it was very difficult to go to the Siwa Oasis. Although he remembered that Alexander in his previous life had gone to the Siwa Oasis Temple to worship after conquering Egypt, and encountered great danger on the way, Amenhotep repeatedly explained that although the Siwa Oasis is located in the desert, the journey is very safe because people often go there for pilgrimage.
The problem Davos considered was that many Greeks who went to the Siwa Oasis to worship regarded Amun in that temple as the incarnation of Zeus in Egypt. Historically, Alexander declared himself to be the son of Zeus, so of course he had to go to worship, but Davos, as a descendant of Hades, was obviously not suitable.
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At the same time that King Davos arrived in Egypt, the Central Italian Allied Forces led by Volsci, Hernici, and Sabines also landed in Asia Minor. By this time, the Greek Allied Forces commanded by Leotychides had all gathered.
During this period when the Greek Allied Forces arrived one after another, he did not wait quietly, but remained in an active offensive posture, not only continuously forcing the towns near the Hellespont to surrender, but also using the influence of the victory in the Battle of Samos to lead the main force away from the coastline and deep into the inland of Mysia, while also sending part of the army south into Lydia.
Because the Persian army was unable to resist, the Greek Allied Forces gained great momentum for a time. Not only did the coastal Greek city-states, such as Bosporus and Chios, surrender one after another, but even some towns in the inland of Mysia and Lydia submitted to them.
During this period, an interesting thing happened. Stephilus, the commander of the Tenth Legion, made a request to Leotychides: hoping to allow him to lead a troop across the strait to force Byzantium to surrender.
Thirty years ago, the predecessor of the Daonian army—the Persian mercenaries—were humiliated in Byzantium, including King Davos. Leotychides had heard about this. He knew in his heart that this request was probably not Stephilus's own wish, but from his father, Amyntas, and perhaps even the collective instruction of many veteran generals.
Leotychides would certainly not refuse. Moreover, since there was no major military pressure at the moment, he generously approved: Stephilus could lead the entire Tenth Legion to go.
Stephilus led the army to land on the beach near Byzantium. As soon as they had set up camp, the Byzantine envoys arrived, humbly expressing to him: Byzantium is willing to serve the Empire Daonia as its master!
That incident decades ago had long been forgotten by Byzantium, which had almost changed a generation, but the Byzantines knew that Athens and Sparta, to which they had successively attached themselves, and even the entire Greek mainland, were prostrate at the feet of Daonia. Before Daonia's power had not yet affected the Euchine Sea, the Byzantines could pretend not to know. Now that the other party's army was so close, they immediately softened, as they always knew how to seize the opportunity.
Of course, Stephilus would not take the initiative to bring up the embarrassing things of the past, but put forward some harsh demands, such as providing a large amount of grain, tribute, and also providing fleets and labor to provide assistance to the army... Byzantium accepted everything.
The Byzantines were so sensible, of course Stephilus could not make trouble unreasonably, so he led 8,000 fully armed soldiers in a parade around the city of Byzantium, and finally demanded that the Byzantine government build a commemorative column in the port, at the top of which must be inlaid a statue of King Davos riding a horse and waving a sword.
As the new year arrived, the Persian army gradually converged in the Phrygia region. When some of its forces had already advanced to the eastern border of Mysia, Leotychides felt some pressure and began to gather his scattered troops.
In early February, the Persian-Asia Minor allied forces held an important military conference in Phrygian capital, with the western commander Pharnabazus presiding.
The attendees were all governors from various regions, with only one exception: the former Tagus of Thessaly, Jason.
Five years prior, after Jason's army was defeated by the Daonian forces, he fled to Persia alone.
Unlike many exiled celebrities from mainland Greece who preferred to stay in western Asia Minor, he went directly to the Syrian region to seek an audience with the Persian King.
At the time, Artaxerxes was originally preparing to personally lead an expedition to Persia, but unexpectedly, a fire broke out in his backyard, and a major rebellion occurred in the Asia Minor region, forcing him to return and quell the unrest.
Jason unified Thessaly, became Tagus, and served as the main force in the anti-Daonian Greek alliance, once holding the advantage in the war…
These deeds had long been conveyed to the Persian King through Datis's words.
Considering that there were many Greek mercenaries in the rebel army and that Persia lacked heavy infantry, while Jason was an excellent Greek general, Artaxerxes not only warmly received Jason but also made a promise: as long as he was willing to serve Persia and remain loyal to him, he would fund his return to Thessaly and reclaim the throne of Tagus when Persia went to war with Daonia in the future.
Jason, of course, couldn't ask for more and immediately accepted Artaxerxes's appointment as the commander of the Greek mercenaries under Persian command.
With ample financial support from Persia, Jason quickly recruited nearly ten thousand Greek soldiers from western Asia Minor and even the Ionian Islands, training and fighting simultaneously.
Throughout Persia's suppression of the rebellion, he gained considerable merit and earned Artaxerxes's trust.
By the end of the war, the number of mercenaries under Jason's command had increased to 15,000.
Artaxerxes did not ask him to reduce the number of soldiers but instead allowed him to lead the mercenaries to garrison Cilicia.
Cilicia, located in the south-central part of Asia Minor, had an exceptionally fertile plain.
The population there was small, but the people were very wealthy, and a kingdom had been established long ago.
During Persian King Darius's westward conquest, Cilicia was originally difficult to capture due to the surrounding mountains serving as barriers, but the King of Cilicia took the initiative to submit, and therefore his throne was preserved.
At the beginning of Artaxerxes's reign, the King and Queen of Cilicia had actively sponsored Cyrus the Younger's bid for the throne.
Ultimately, Cyrus the Younger was defeated and killed, but at the time, Artaxerxes feared causing turmoil in Asia Minor and did not dare to punish the regional governors and kings who had colluded with Cyrus the Younger.
Instead, he quietly weakened their power until this time, when he completely quelled the rebellion in Asia Minor, he finally completely eliminated the Cilician royal family, seized this fertile land into his own hands, not only sending his trusted subordinates to serve as governors but also sending the capable and warlike Jason to be stationed in Cilicia, fearing that it would cause resistance from the local people.
Of course, Artaxerxes had a deeper consideration: Cilicia's wealth was sufficient to support the Greek mercenaries, reducing the burden on Persian finances, and if rebellions occurred in other regions of Asia Minor, Jason could also rush to rescue them in time.
However, several years passed, and no rebellion occurred, but instead, the invasion of the Greek allied forces arrived.
When Pharnabazus took office as the military commander of western Asia Minor, he had requested the Persian King to send Greek mercenaries to assist in the battle because Jason's army was directly under the Persian King and was not under the command of any local governor.
Artaxerxes agreed, and Pharnabazus quickly sent a conscription order to Jason.
However, Jason, who had lived in Persia for several years, was no longer as eager to prove himself as he was initially.
He worried that if he went to Phrygia too early, he would be used as cannon fodder by the Persians and sent to the front lines to fight first, so he made various excuses to delay, eventually becoming one of the last troops to arrive in Phrygia, which made Pharnabazus somewhat displeased.
At this military conference, most of the governors had roughly the same opinion: given that the number of their own troops was as high as 80,000, far exceeding the number of Greek allied forces detected by scouts, they should boldly lead their troops westward, engage in a decisive battle with the Greeks, and completely defeat them, and they could no longer wait, because Greek troops were constantly landing in Asia Minor, and the number of enemy troops was constantly increasing.
Iason raised an objection, arguing that, based on his understanding of Daonia and the mainland Greek city-states, their current invasion of Asia Minor would undoubtedly involve the most elite soldiers from each city-state. Since the Persian infantry was not strong and had consistently been at a disadvantage in previous wars against the Greeks, a direct confrontation with the Greek coalition now would likely result in defeat, which would severely worsen the situation in Asia Minor. Conversely, instead of rushing into a battle with the Greek coalition, the army should proactively retreat, removing or destroying all resources that the Greeks could utilize, luring the Greek coalition deep inland. Then, leveraging their familiarity with the terrain and their superior cavalry, they could continuously harass the enemy, ambush their supply lines, and thereby wear down the Greek coalition. Once the Greek coalition was weakened, they could seek an opportunity for a decisive battle, significantly increasing their chances of victory.
Iason's suggestion was vehemently opposed by the vast majority of Persian governors. These nobles from the Persian heartland lacked experience fighting Greeks and, deep down, still regarded the Greeks as barbarians. Their inherent pride would never allow the Persian army to adopt such cowardly tactics against the Greeks they despised. The governors of Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia strongly demanded a swift resolution, as they were unwilling to see their territories ravaged by the Greeks.
Some governors even launched personal attacks against Iason, accusing him of ingratitude. They argued that the Persian king, in his generosity, had not scorned him for his refugee status but had instead valued and heavily relied on him. Yet, instead of repaying the king's trust, he was now, at this critical moment, One Heart wanting to delay the war. What were his true intentions?
Someone even pointed out that Iason had not immediately led his fully-manned Greek mercenary force to Phrygia after receiving the summons, but had delayed until the very end, likely harboring ulterior motives. To prevent him from suddenly siding with the Greeks in battle, it would be best to first strip him of his military authority and interrogate him.
Although Iason felt a bit guilty, his fiery temper led him to argue with those governors.
Under the atmosphere of governors unanimously demanding a swift defeat of the Greek army, Pharnabazus ultimately had no choice but to adopt their suggestion and actively seek a decisive battle with the Greek coalition.
After the meeting, he kept Iason behind separately to appease him, explicitly expressing his trust in him and promising to report his merits to the Persian king if he performed outstandingly in the upcoming battle. He also pledged to assist him in returning to Thessaly in the future.
As a veteran Persian commander in Asia Minor, Pharnabazus had not only experienced the humiliation of besieging the Greek expeditionary force but ultimately allowing them to escape, but had also suffered the pain of being beaten badly by Agesilaus' army. He deeply understood the prowess of the Greek army, so he agreed with Iason's view. However, with so many governors unanimously demanding a quick resolution, he had to reluctantly agree. Although he was the newly appointed military commander of western Asia Minor and the son-in-law of Artaxerxes, his origin as a noble from Asia Minor meant that the trust he received from the Persian king was still less than that of some Persian governors present. A secret letter from anyone could deepen the suspicious Persian king's doubts about him.
Despite his apprehension about the Greek coalition's combat power, he believed that the army under his command had gathered the elite forces of the entire western Asia Minor, not only exceeding the Greek coalition in number but also having the assistance of battle-hardened Greek mercenaries. There was a high probability of winning a decisive battle. Therefore, he confidently led the western Asia Minor coalition, left Phrygia, entered Mysia, and marched mightily towards the Greek coalition's location.
Upon hearing this news, Leotychides sighed in his heart: That old fellow was right!
Originally, after the various units of the Greek coalition converged, the coalition commander Leotychides convened a military meeting of the army generals.
At the meeting, Epaminondas, Lycomedes, Iphicrates, and other allied generals unanimously believed that the coalition forces were strong and should seize the time, lead the army eastward, and seek a decisive battle with the main force of the Persian army. As long as they achieved victory, the entire western Asia Minor would be unable to stop the Greek coalition's advance.
However, some people were worried because they had learned that Pharnabazus had been appointed by the Persian king as the military commander of Asia Minor. This was an experienced veteran who might choose to avoid battle, and the Greek coalition, being far from the coast and deep in an unfamiliar inland environment, might encounter many troubles.
The elderly Agesilaus confidently told the generals: "You don't need to worry at all that the Persians will avoid battle, nor do you need to actively seek a decisive battle with the Persians, because the Persian army will actively come to the coalition for a decisive battle!
Because the people of western Asia Minor originally resented officials from Persia, and from the recent news, the people of western Asia Minor have a great deal of distrust towards the new Persian governors. If these governors lead their troops not to fight but to retreat, allowing the coalition to destroy farmland and villages, then the people here will be full of resentment for the governors' indifference, which is very detrimental to their future rule. Those arrogant Persians generally would not make such a choice.
As for the Persian military commander Pharnabazus... I have a deep understanding of him. He is indeed a capable Persian general, and he also has a considerable reputation in western Asia Minor. If he decides to retreat, the soldiers may obey and the people may accept it, but this person is smooth in his dealings, good at making friends, and generous, so when he served as the governor of western Asia Minor, he got along well with his surrounding colleagues, subordinates, and even the local people, but he lacks decisiveness in his actions and is too emotional, which is precisely a major taboo as a commander. I believe he will find it difficult to refuse the requests of the governors and abandon the people of Mysia and Phrygia to retreat!"