Several bloody wounds marked Sekelian's broad back. What caught Miltiades' attention most was the stark white pallor of his usually sun-darkened skin, a sight that made his heart clench.
"How is he?" Miltiades asked the doctor who was preparing medicine nearby, his voice laced with worry.
The doctor looked up at him, hesitated, and then said in a low, serious tone, "...Not good. He's taken multiple arrows, lost a lot of blood, and been in the sea for too long..."
Miltiades' heart leaped with alarm. He was about to ask more when a weak, feeble voice sounded in his ear: "...Milti... you've come... What's the situation?"
Miltiades followed the sound and saw Sekelian, who had been motionless, now turning his head to look at him with vacant eyes.
"Doctor, he... he's awake!" Miltiades said with joy.
"He woke up not long after being brought here and has been asking about the naval battle..." The doctor sighed and said, "Go and tell him quickly, so he doesn't keep worrying about it and hinder his recovery."
Miltiades walked to the bedside, crouched down, thought for a moment, and then knelt on one knee, making it easier for both him and Sekelian to speak.
But before he could speak, Sekelian laughed first: "...Not easy, ah, to make the proud Second Fleet Captain kneel. It seems I'll have to get injured more often in the future..."
Miltiades looked at Sekelian's unusually parched lips and said in a deep voice, "If I were you, I would calm down and listen carefully now, so your body can recover faster."
Sekelian rolled his eyes and stopped talking.
Only then did Miltiades say in a solemn voice, "According to a rough post-battle estimate, we sank over 160 warships and captured nearly 350. The Persian fleet suffered heavy losses. Of course, we also paid a considerable price, with a total of 218 warships sunk... Thanks to you leading that small detachment of warships to hold the line near the coast, buying us time and wearing down the enemy's strength and morale, we won relatively easily. Now the Persian fleet has been completely defeated, and we will control the dominance of the entire Near East waters!"
Sekelian revealed a relieved expression: "...We finally didn't fail His Majesty's expectations... It's a real shame that I couldn't witness the outcome of this great naval battle with my own eyes... Alas, I, Sekelian, have always been accustomed to attacking... This is the first time I've conducted a defensive operation... and I suffered a defeat... In this regard, I'm still not as good as you..."
Miltiades said earnestly, "I just said that it was precisely because you resolutely chose to hold the line against a Persian fleet several times your size that we achieved a great victory. This glorious victory was achieved under your command! Because of this victory, the powerful Daonian fleet will no longer have any chance for defensive operations from now on!"
Sekelian stared blankly at his colleague. After a long while, a hint of fear actually appeared on his pale face: "...Milti, am I getting old?... Back when I fought the Syracuse navy... my flagship was also sunk... I fell into the sea, and I also took an arrow in the shoulder... But I only needed to rest for a dozen days to recover... But now... but now... other than being able to move my head... I... I... can't feel the existence of my hands and feet at all..."
Hearing this, Miltiades wanted to comfort him, but in his anxiety, he didn't know what to say. Then he heard the doctor behind him reminding, "General, I need to apply medicine to the patient. To avoid affecting the treatment, please go back first and visit him later."
"Rest well, you will get better!" Miltiades had no choice but to stand up, grab one of Sekelian's hands, and squeeze it hard, wanting to give him encouragement, but the coldness of the other's palm shocked him.
Sekelian couldn't raise his head to look at him and could only say softly, "Milti... I'm entrusting the fleet to you... Take care of the brothers..."
"Don't worry, I will!" Miltiades responded solemnly.
As he left the bedside and saw the doctors and nurses swarming around, completely blocking Sekelian's figure, an unspeakable sorrow arose in his heart...
..................
The vast majority of the Daonian army that landed in Egypt had already moved to the territories of Per-Ramesses and Daphne, with only the First Legion still stationed in Memphis because King Davos remained there.
As the commander of the entire army, Davos should have stayed with the main force, as he had always done in the past. But this time was different. The Daonian kingdom had just annexed Egypt. Although Asistes had been appointed to govern Egypt, having the Daonian king sit in this place would undoubtedly make the handling of various government affairs smoother and more conducive to Egypt's smooth transition. Therefore, Davos seized this break in the war to help Asistes solve some difficult problems. At the same time, he appointed Alexis to go to Daphne to temporarily manage the army for him, and he also had Philius, Epitenes, and others assist him in managing military affairs, planning, and preparing for the implementation of the raid on Cyprus. This group of retired veterans who had originally only accompanied him to Persia were once again entrusted with important tasks.
After the military operation to raid Cyprus began, waiting for its outcome was an agonizing process, especially for such a major military operation, so Davos had not slept well these days.
On this day, at Henipolis' strong request, Davos took a walk in the garden after dinner to relax.
The garden of the Tarib Pharaoh's Palace was vast, and in the center, a large artificial lake had been dug, drawing water from the Nile. Various aquatic plants such as lotus and water lilies were planted in the lake, and various wild ducks and geese with clipped wings were released, and even rare hippos were present... Around the artificial lake were planted various rare trees and flowers, and even some ostriches were released.
It was spring, and the garden was filled with blooming flowers, colorful and vibrant, with the sounds of birds and insects, making it exceptionally lively. Strolling along the flat path by the lake, breathing in the moist air with the fragrance of plants and trees, made one feel refreshed and free from worries.
Davos couldn't help but exclaim, "This is truly a good place! I should let Christoia and Ag Nice stay here for a while!"
"Your Majesty, hasn't General Prossos led the Greek allied forces to completely defeat the Persian Asia Minor army? I believe that it will soon be possible to force Miletus to surrender. You can first let the two queens come to Memphis for a while, and then go to Miletus..." As Davos' court secretary and his personally authorized biographer, Henipolis was relatively familiar with Davos' family affairs.
Davos shook his head: "We have not yet defeated the Persian fleet and have not fully grasped the dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean. They cannot come for the time being. It is not safe."
Henipolis secretly hated himself for being talkative, unintentionally reminding His Majesty the King of the current war. He was thinking of ways to divert the King's attention when he heard Davos shout, "Don't stop it, let it come over!"
It turned out that an ostrich, perhaps out of curiosity, had boldly walked towards Davos. The guards stepped forward to drive it away but were stopped by Davos.
The ostrich was still a chick, but its height was already comparable to that of an adult. It walked straight to Davos on its slender legs, its big eyes fluttering, curiously looking at the new King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Its appearance looked very cute but made the surrounding guards and attendants feel nervous.
Great Davos couldn't help but reach out his hand to it, and it immediately retreated warily.
Davos smiled and said softly, "Don't be afraid."
The ostrich seemed to understand, stopped retreating, tilted its head to the left, tilted its head to the right, and then cautiously walked up, gently pecking Davos' palm with its long beak. Seeing that Davos did not react, it pecked hard several times in a row.
The guards immediately shouted loudly, and the ostrich felt scared and immediately turned and ran away.
"It's just a bird, what's there to worry about? It just made my hand itch." Davos complained with lingering interest.
"Your Majesty, should I have the guards catch an ostrich for you?" Henipolis quickly asked.
Davos waved his hand: "Don't do that. It's more interesting to watch them frolic and run freely in this garden! Thanks to your suggestion, it's really interesting to stroll in this garden! — —"
Davos was talking when suddenly the smile on his face froze because he saw a guard running hurriedly from the direction of the palace.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, a battle report urgently sent from Naucratis!"
Davos immediately took the papyrus scroll tied with black rope, eagerly opened it, and after reading it, his face was uncertain.
"Your Majesty, this is — —" Henipolis felt nervous.
"Our fleet has defeated the Persian fleet, and the army has successfully landed on Cyprus."
"This is a great happy event! But... Your Majesty, you don't seem very happy..."
"The battle report says that Sekelian was seriously injured, has become completely paralyzed, and cannot move..." Davos said in a low voice.
The soldiers and attendants who had originally cheered upon hearing the news of victory immediately fell silent. Everyone silently followed Davos, walking on the path by the lake.
After a long while, Davos stopped and said, "Heni, get ready to record."
"Yes!" The attendants immediately offered paper and pen to Henipolis and brought wooden stools. Then the guards led the attendants to retreat to a very far distance and set up a cordon.
"Notify Miltiades that after Sekelian's condition stabilizes, he should be safely sent back to Thurii as soon as possible, and all the doctors in the Thurii hospital should do their best to treat him, hoping... he can recover!" Davos sighed lightly: "At the same time, write to the Ministry of Military Affairs and let Olives, Plintor, and others discuss the possibility of erecting a statue of Sekelian in front of the Ministry of Military Affairs building and naming the First Fleet as the Sekelian Fleet."
The pen, which was writing rapidly, paused, and Henippolis gasped: erecting a statue in front of the administrative building was already a great honor. Since the establishment of Daonia, only Mersis had received this honor, and it was erected after his death. Daonia's rapid rise in just a few decades mainly relied on its powerful military. The star-studded generals were the pillars supporting this powerful force, but naming legions or fleets after individuals had never happened before. If the First Fleet could be successfully named, Secilian would undoubtedly be the foremost figure in the Daonian army. Even if he were to die immediately, he might accept it gladly...…
As Henippolis was distracted, Davos continued: "Appoint Midolades as the temporary commander of the First Fleet, Stefarkas as the wartime commander of the Second Fleet, and Lamarcas, the commander of the First Sub-Fleet of the First Fleet, has made outstanding military achievements. This time, he assisted Secilian in stubbornly defending against the Persian fleet's attack. He is specially appointed as the wartime commander of the Third Fleet. Midolades will fully command the three major fleets, continue to suppress the Persian fleet, completely control the sea dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean, ensure the transportation safety of various fleets, and provide assistance for the army's attack on Persia!"
Henippolis kept writing, but in his heart, he was thinking: calling it a temporary takeover was just to make Secilian and the crew of the First Fleet feel better. His Majesty probably didn't think Secilian could recover at all. Fortunately, Lamarcas of the First Fleet was promoted, which should make the crew of the First Fleet feel better.
"Write a letter to Alexis, telling him to notify the troops to prepare for the attack! Write a letter to the administrative officer of Naucratis, asking him to arrange the transport fleet and prepare to depart east at any time!"
Davos stared at the ostriches running through the bushes in front of him. After a moment, he turned back to look down at Henippolis and said loudly, "Heni, are you ready? We are going to Persia!"
Henippolis immediately said excitedly, "Your Majesty, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. The most glorious chapter in my biography is there!"
His left hand pointed forcefully to the east.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In March, after the news of the Greek Allied Forces defeating the Persian Asia Minor army spread, it caused a huge shock to the people of western Asia Minor. Many towns that had been in a wait-and-see state broke out in riots, driving away the local Persian garrisons and openly declaring their support for Daonia.
Leotychides, while accepting their surrender, demanded that they provide food and supplies. At the same time, after a short rest, he quickly advanced towards Phrygia, the main base of the Persian army.
The Persian Asia Minor army was originally a temporary patchwork army. After suffering a disastrous defeat, some demoralized regional troops refused to continue fighting, and some even led their remnants back to their respective regions without asking Pharnabazus for instructions.
With his forces drastically reduced, Pharnabazus, facing the rapid approach of the Greek Allied Forces,
did not try to defend by all means, but after conspiring with his colleagues, he arrested Iason in the name of a traitor.
Iason, who had finally escaped back to Phrygia, was executed before he could even defend himself. In the war report written to the Persian king, Pharnabazus claimed that in the battle with the Greek Allied Forces, the Greek mercenaries who had been entrusted with important tasks suddenly turned against them, which was the main reason for the failure of the battle.
The Persian commanders and generals used Iason as a scapegoat, trying to escape responsibility for the defeat, but this made the fleeing Greek mercenaries feel terrified. Several mercenary officers launched a rebellion under the banner of "avenging General Iason." Although this further confirmed the unreliability of the Greek mercenaries, it caused the situation in Phrygia to completely lose control, forcing Pharnabazus to lead the remnants to continue their hasty retreat.
The Greek Allied Forces successfully occupied Gordium, the center of Phrygia. Leotychides did not continue to advance eastward and penetrate inland, but after collecting a lot of supplies locally, he left a force to garrison the area, and the main force turned south, heading straight for Lydia. They did not encounter any effective resistance along the way, and by the end of May, the Greek Allied Forces had quickly entered the surrounding areas of Sardis, an important town in Lydia.
Leotychides' rapid march frustrated the Persian garrison's attempt to transfer the region's wealth, and the Greek Allied Forces' powerful military also frightened the Sardis defenders, who actively surrendered the city.
After occupying Sardis, the Greek Allied Forces did not continue to advance, but instead carried out repairs in the area. At the same time, Leotychides was also waiting for the arrival of the personnel he had requested from King Davos.
In early June, Leotychides led the allied generals and some officials from the original Lydia out of the city to welcome the Daonian envoy.
The Daonian envoy was not one person, but a group of people. The leader was an old man, although he was gray-haired and looked old, his expression was firm, and his gestures were quite dignified.
"Lord Prossos, I'm really sorry, I'm a little late!" Knowing Leotychides' eccentric personality, the old man took the initiative to say after seeing him, "More than two months ago, I received His Majesty's order to come to Asia Minor to take over the conquered areas. However, due to waiting for a group of officials selected by the Royal Palace Administrative Office to go here to set off together, it took some time. Originally, we planned to land in Ilion, but we heard that you had already occupied Gordium and were marching south, so we changed our route to land in Eritrea (a coastal Greek city-state east of Chios, which sided with Daonia after the Greek Allied Forces defeated the Persian army). We hurried all the way. Although we encountered a little trouble, we finally saw you in time...…"
After listening, Leotychides just said dryly: "Thank you for your hard work. Asia Minor is indeed vast, and marching and fighting here takes much longer than in Italy or Greece—"
Staff Officer Moclus quickly interjected: "Lord Capus, we have been looking forward to your arrival for a long time! With you in the rear, the Greek Allied Forces have no worries at all and can boldly continue to advance east!"
Capus was originally a person who didn't like to talk too much, but after serving as the regional administrative officer for many years, he has changed a lot. In addition, he is old and has a more peaceful attitude. He is more than capable of dealing with such occasions. He said modestly: "I am new here and completely unfamiliar with everything here. It will take some time to get familiar with it, and I also need your help and support. But I can assure you that I and the officials behind me have come here from thousands of miles away, not to enjoy ourselves, but to follow His Majesty's instructions and do our best to ensure the stability of the conquered areas and ensure your logistical supply so that you can fully attack Persia! Because defeating Persia is our common wish, don't you think?"
The last question was asked by Capus as he turned to the administrative officials who had followed him.
"Lord Capus is right, defeating Persia is the common wish of our Daonia and its allies!" The officials responded in unison.
Leotychides rarely showed a smile and said: "Lord Capus, please allow me to introduce you—this is Ipamillonda, the military commander of the Pioxia League."
"Is that General Ipamillonda who commanded the Theban Allied Forces to defeat Sparta in the Battle of Leuctra?! Oh, I'm honored to meet you!"
"I heard that Lord Capus was a hero who expeditioned to Persia back then. The reason why we dare to launch an attack on Persia today is also inspired by your heroic deeds!"
"Ashamed! Ashamed! I was just a soldier following His Majesty back then. If it weren't for His Majesty's superb command, I would have become a pile of white bones buried in this foreign land."
"… … This is General Iphicrates of Athens."
"Is that the famous Athenian general Iphicrates who pioneered the light infantry tactics in Greece and repeatedly defeated the Spartan army in the Corinthian War?! I'm honored to meet you!"
"Lord Capus, you flatter me too much! I heard that you had already begun to use light infantry tactics to fight the Persians when you were fighting in Persia. I also learned from the tactics of your Daonian army."
"Back then, His Majesty forced us to start practicing light infantry tactics. We were unwilling at first, but later we found that the effect was very good after we became proficient! You are able to abandon the inherent Greek military tradition, actively learn, and be able to create a light infantry tactic unique to Athens based on the actual situation in Greece, amazing!"
"… … This is — —"
"This one doesn't need to be introduced, I know him, Lycomedes, the chief general of the Arcadia League! When I returned to the Senate to report on my duties 4 years ago, he happened to be visiting Thurii, and we even attended His Majesty's banquet together."
"Lord Capus, I happened to be listening to your report in the Senate at that time, and I was very surprised! A large number of fierce and barbaric Gauls live in northern Italy. Lord Capus has served as the administrative officer there for many years, not only keeping those areas stable, but also making those backward Gauls actively learn Greek civilization and actively integrate into Daonia. This shows Lord Capus's ability!"
"Lord Lycomedes, you flatter me too much. There are many regional administrative officers in Daonia who can integrate the local aborigines into Daonia like me, such as Lord Silos in Thessaly and Lord Asistes in Egypt. They all have outstanding talents in this area. May Hades bless that the people here can cooperate well with us, jointly overthrow the tyranny of Persia, and create a better future together!"
… …
After everyone introduced each other, Moclus led everyone back to the city, and Leotychides and Capus walked in the front.
At this moment, Kapus whispered to him, "Are you planning to lead the army east along the coast next?"
"That's right, because this can ensure the safety and convenience of the logistics supply line, reduce the Persian threat to the flanks of the allied forces, and also ensure that the army conquers Asia Minor at a faster pace."
"Uh… While I was returning to Thurii from the Po River region and waiting to depart, Princess Christoia summoned me. She asked me to bring you a message, hoping that you can conquer or subdue Miletus as soon as possible."
"Miletus?"
"You don't know?" Seeing Leotychides' confusion, Kapus reminded him, "Princess Christoia is from Miletus, but since following His Majesty, she has not been able to return to Miletus for decades. I heard that this time His Majesty promised the Princess that after Miletus submits to the kingdom, she will be allowed to return to her hometown and visit her relatives."
Hearing this, Leotychides stopped and fell into thought.
Kapus did not urge him to move forward, and also stopped, looking at the Sardis city gate standing directly in front. Even he, who had experienced countless storms, could not help but feel a slight excitement at this moment: More than 30 years ago, he had been here under the leadership of Menon, but the Sardis people strictly forbade them from entering the city, and even designated a small area five miles away, allowing the mercenaries to only build camps in this area, and not to move around, guarding against them like thieves… But today, he can not only enter the city with his head held high, but also become the master of this land and its people!
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
With Kapus leading administrative officials to manage the conquered rear, Leotychides could focus all his energy on military affairs.
At the end of June, the allied forces advanced east to the coast of Ephesus. The people of the city had already launched a riot, overthrowing the pro-Persian oligarchy and going out of the city for more than ten miles to welcome the arrival of the Greek allied forces.
In mid-July, the Greek allied forces approached Miletus. The Miletus oligarchic government sent envoys to meet with Leotychides, claiming that Miletus would remain neutral and not participate in Daonia's war with Persia.
Leotychides refused without hesitation and strongly demanded that Miletus must surrender unconditionally.
Just as the Miletus oligarchic government was arguing about this, the Greek allied forces surrounded the entire city, and the Daonian Fourth Fleet also rushed to blockade the port, causing the people of Miletus to panic.
At the same time, Daonian intelligence personnel lurking in the city of Miletus began to spread rumors. The people were surprised to learn that in the Empire Daonia, there was a Princess Christoia who was deeply loved by the King of Daonia.
She was from Miletus, and she had always looked forward to returning to her hometown. The current Miletus oligarchic government actually knew about this situation, but the reason why they refused to surrender was because most of them were the culprits who persecuted the Christoia family back then. As long as they were arrested and handed over to the Daonian army, and they surrendered to the Daonian army, Princess Christoia, out of gratitude to them and nostalgia for her hometown, would definitely protect the city from the ravages of war…
This rumor was so vivid that the people were skeptical. Some people specifically investigated the people and events mentioned in the rumor and found that it was actually true, which immediately caused a great uproar among the people. Therefore, people who were dissatisfied with the Miletus oligarchic group began to run around and collude, instigating the people to overthrow them and submit to Daonia.
The Miletus government felt that the situation was not good and prepared to send troops to suppress it. Who knew that the Daonian army outside the city launched an attack at this time.
Although the city walls of Miletus were tall and strong, it was obviously not enough to defend the entire city relying solely on the military strength of Miletus, not to mention that it had been completely surrounded and there could be no reinforcements. Therefore, under the containment of the Daonian army, the oligarchy could not deploy more troops to suppress the unrest in the city, and the patrols they sent out to arrest and capture people in the city quickly aroused the anger of the people. In the end, the people launched a riot and assisted the Daonian army in easily capturing the city of Miletus, which resulted in very few casualties on both sides, thereby achieving Leotychides' goal—to give a good explanation to Princess Christoia, who was respected by the people of Daonia.
After Miletus surrendered, the Greek allied forces did not encounter any more battles and went smoothly all the way. The towns they passed all opened their gates and surrendered until they reached the city of Halicarnassus, the capital of the Caria region.
Like most coastal city-states in western Asia Minor, the coastal city-states in the Caria region were once Greek colonies. They not only maintained close ties with mainland Greece, but also gradually educated and integrated the natives of the Caria region over hundreds of years. Not only did most of the towns in the region look like mainland Greek cities, but Greek also became the common language in the region. Although Caria was eventually conquered by the Persian Empire and became one of its provinces, the region was still relatively independent like other regions in western Asia Minor. Even most of the towns in the region were united around a neighboring alliance centered on the Temple of Zeus in Lagina. Of course, it was only a religious group, not a political entity.
After Agesilaus led his army to stir up western Asia Minor and Tissaphernes was executed by the Persian Queen Mother for his crimes, Hecatomnus, a Carian nobleman, took advantage of the turbulent situation to establish rule in the Caria region. At this time, because the Persian king not only made peace with Sparta, but also supported Sparta's hegemony in mainland Greece, this aroused great dissatisfaction among the nobles and people of western Asia Minor. In order to appease them, Artaxerxes, while marrying a daughter to Pharnabazus' son, also temporarily appointed Hecatomnus as the governor of Caria.
Hecatomnus was a very shrewd man, and so was his son Mausolus. They had always paid tribute to the Persian treasury on time, showing their allegiance to the Persian king. Five years ago, when almost all the governors in western Asia Minor rebelled, Mausolus, who succeeded his father as the governor of Caria, had also wavered. He first remained neutral, and then sided with the Persian king when the rebels were at a disadvantage, and assisted the Persian army in completely suppressing the rebellion. Therefore, after the war ended, his governorship was retained. And during this turbulent period, his power in Caria was further strengthened. He was not only the governor of Caria officially appointed by Persia, but also the common tyrant of many cities in the Caria region.
Moreover, Mausolus also moved the governor's residence from Mylasa to Halicarnassus, not only spending huge sums of money to rebuild the city of Halicarnassus, but also expanding the port, building a solid castle and two military ports on the small island of Zephyrion outside the city, and spending huge sums of money to build a fleet. The ambitious he obviously wanted to develop Caria into a maritime power.
Because he was worried that the landing of the Greek allied forces would interrupt his ongoing plan, this time he actively supported Pharnabazus, not only providing a considerable number of troops, but also becoming one of the main advocates of forming the Asia Minor fleet. He generously provided 1/4 of the warships, and of course he was also planning how to control the command of the Asia Minor fleet in his own hands after the end of this war.
Unfortunately, the Asia Minor fleet was completely annihilated by the Daonian fleet at Samos, giving him a heavy blow. Then the Greek allied forces defeated the Persian army, which made him feel extremely uneasy. He immediately carried out military mobilization in the Caria region and strengthened the defense of Halicarnassus.
His prediction was correct. Next, the Greek allied forces went all the way like a hot knife through butter, advancing east along the coast and entering the Caria region.
Mausolus immediately used his old trick again, sending envoys to meet with Leotychides, proposing to him that Caria was willing to remain neutral in this war, and even willing to provide some wealth to the Greek allied forces and provide some convenience for the Greek allied forces to pass through the Caria region, as long as the Greek allied forces no longer regarded Caria as an enemy.
Mausolus' idea was very good, but Leotychides had learned some information about Caria in detail, and was not at ease with the cunning and changeable Mausolus. Moreover, the Caria region was not weak, and he was not at ease to leave such a hidden danger untreated and place it behind the army. Therefore, he did not accept Mausolus' request, but proposed that the Caria region must surrender to Daonia!
This was of course unacceptable to the ambitious Mausolus, so the negotiations failed and the war began.
Mausolus knew very well that the Greek allied forces were in high spirits and strong, and that a field battle with them could only end in a Failure. Therefore, he withdrew his troops into the city and defended with all his strength in order to delay time and wait for the situation to change.
Hecatomnus and his son Mausolus had been managing the Caria region for more than 20 years. The opposition had been suppressed for a long time and had little influence, and the people basically recognized the rule of this family. Therefore, it was impossible for it to experience unrest and riots like Ephesus and Miletus when the army was pressing down on the border. Therefore, the Greek allied forces had no other means but to attack by force.
However, under the city of Halicarnassus, which had high walls and strong defenses, the Greek allied forces' several strong attacks were defeated, causing the complacency of the Greek allied forces' generals due to the previous smooth offensive to be swept away, and they had to patiently start a fierce battle with Mausolus.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
At the end of April, Davos led a large army eastward from Daphnae. A huge convoy of supplies sailed along the coast. After a long journey of 6 days, they crossed the desert and bypassed the city of Gaza, entering the Canaan region. Then they easily captured the port of Jaffa, making it a supply port for the army's supplies.
Before the Daonian army could fully surround Jerusalem, the high priest of Judaism took the initiative to go to the Daonian camp and humbly expressed to King Davos the willingness of the Jews to submit to the Daonian Kingdom.
Davos was more cautious about this special race in the Mediterranean world that believed in the one and only God. He quickly accepted the surrender of the Jews and made promises and admonitions: As long as the Jews are loyal to the Daonian Empire, they can have the right to live according to their own laws and religion, but at the same time, the Jews must not affect the living rights of other races under the rule of the Daonian Empire because of their customs and habits, otherwise Daonia will definitely intervene!
The next day, King Davos was greeted at the gate of Jerusalem by the high priest in a crimson robe and tens of thousands of Jerusalemites he led. Davos imitated Cyrus of that year and once again read his promises and admonitions in public.
The people cheered. At the same time, the Jewish priests also tied up Nehemiah, the governor of Canaan appointed by Artaxerxes, who had worked hard for the reconstruction of the Canaan area, and his subordinates, and pushed them to Davos to be dealt with by him.
Davos did not severely punish this Persian governor, who was also a Jew, in public. Instead, after taking him back to the camp, he asked Nehemiah in a kind manner: If he was willing to work for the Daonian Kingdom, after he was familiar with the Daonian polity and legal system, he would send him to govern the Canaan area again.
The Jews are lively and not conservative and stubborn. Nehemiah obviously inherited this characteristic. Surrendering to Daonia could not only save his life, but also make it possible to fulfill his long-cherished wish to rebuild Jerusalem and take revenge on those Jewish priests who betrayed him, so he gladly knelt down in front of Davos.
With Nehemiah as a guide, the Daonian army quickly conquered the entire Canaan area, and then, under his leadership, successfully invaded the Samaria area east of Jerusalem, quickly occupied many towns, and also captured the governor of the area, Sanballat, which was considered a great relief for Nehemiah.
The successive conquests of Canaan and Samaria by Daonia made Gaza a Persian exclave isolated from the outside world.
The Persian garrison was panicked. They were eager to leave this dangerous place and return to their hometown.
Under the strong demands of the soldiers, the garrison commander had no choice but to let the soldiers take sufficient food and water and quietly leave Gaza City, heading northeast, trying to bypass the area occupied by the Daonian army and go to Damascus through the commercial road on the edge of the eastern desert.
Who knew that the Daonian army had been closely monitoring the movements of Gaza City and soon discovered the Persian garrison's attempt.
On the second day, the four cavalry legions of Daonia and the Numidian light cavalry legion caught up with the Persian garrison that was marching. The light cavalry legion harassed them with bows and arrows and javelins.
The cavalry legions launched an assault and quickly defeated the Gaza garrison, and Gaza City smoothly fell into the control of the Daonian army.
After completely stabilizing the rear, Davos led the army to continue north and soon entered the Phoenician region.
It can be said that among these areas affiliated to Persia, the Phoenicians were the first to be enemies with Daonia. When the Phoenicians made the decision to send a fleet thousands of miles away to support Carthage, I am afraid they never thought that one day the Daonian army would be under their city, and the first city that the Daonian army would attack was the advocate of that year—Tyre.
After Phoenicia surrendered to Persia, the Persian kings promised that as long as Phoenicia paid a certain share of gold and silver every year and their fleet was at their disposal at any time, the Phoenicians would be allowed to live in their original way.
For a hundred years, the Persian kings have indeed rarely interfered in the administrative affairs of the Phoenicians. One important reason is that the high mountains of Lebanon separate Phoenicia from inland Persia, and land transportation is very inconvenient. This terrain also has a great impact on Phoenicia. They do not have vast fertile farmland and cannot support more people. They can only devote all their efforts to developing on the sea, so they become rich and prosperous because of maritime trade. However, due to the commercial interests of the Phoenician city-states, although they established a Phoenician city-state alliance very early, they have never been able to form a unified country.
Therefore, the Persian king was more satisfied with the state of the Phoenician city-states, and the Phoenician city-states also used Persia's long-standing favor to earn a lot of profits in trade with the inland, so they were more loyal to Persia.
Tyre is the strongest of the Phoenician city-states, and its city is built on a small island about eight miles from the coast, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the history of the previous life, Alexander, the king of Macedonia, who had a smooth journey in attacking Persia, encountered setbacks here and spent a full half a year. It was because of this memory that Davos was very cautious when he led his army near Tyre, preparing to lead the generals to take warships to carefully survey the defense of Tyre before considering whether to attack the city directly or first force it to surrender through a long-term siege.
But before he set off, the envoy of Tyre arrived first.
The envoy of Tyre was still an acquaintance—the former Carthaginian Suffete, Tepanlaco.
After seeing Davos, not only did he not show the arrogance and hostility towards Daonia that he had shown in the past, but he was even a little flattering, so the atmosphere of the entire meeting was relatively relaxed.
Davos asked about the recent situation of Hanno and others, and Tepanlaco's expression became a little heavy.
It turned out that after Daonia forced Carthage to expel Hanno's faction, most people chose to settle in Tyre, the former motherland. Tyre also accepted them, but Hanno and others could not only reproduce the power they had in Carthage, but the Tyre high-level officials also intended to suppress them, making it difficult for them to obtain some power. The people of Tyre used to envy the wealth and power of Carthage, but now they often despise these bereaved dogs. Although they have no worries about food and clothing (Oclitus, who defected to Daonia, out of guilt, persuaded the Carthaginian parliament to allow them to take away part of their property), they live a more depressed life, especially Hanno. He, who used to be able to get a response from everyone, could not bear such loneliness at all, and died of depression in a few years.
However, since Daonia declared war on Persia, the Tyre high-level officials began to pay attention to Tepanlaco and others. Not only did they often ask them about the situation of Daonia, but they also elected Tepanlaco and several others to become members of parliament and discuss together in the parliament how to deal with the attack of the Daonian army.
The reason why Tepanlaco was sent as an envoy was also because he was familiar with the Daonians and was more easily accepted by the Daonians.
The purpose of Tepanlaco's mission was to represent Tyre in surrendering to Daonia.
Davos did not seem happy about this good news, but was rather cautious, because in his memory, when Alexander led his army to Tyre, the Tyrians also took the initiative to soften, but when Alexander proposed to go to the Melkart Temple in Tyre to worship Heracles, Tyre immediately refused, it turned out that they were just choosing to feign surrender in the face of military pressure, wanting to wait for Alexander's army to have a final contest with the Persian army before making a final decision.
So Davos made the same request, Tepanlaco said that he could not make a decision and needed to ask the Tyre Council for their opinion before he could reply.
After he left by boat, Davos immediately reminded the generals: Be prepared for battle, do not be deceived by the Tyrians' surrender.
Who knew that in the afternoon, Tepanlaco came to the Daonian camp again and sincerely expressed to Davos that the Tyre Council was ready and welcome King Davos to visit at any time.
Davos did not refuse, and the next day he led a group of elite soldiers to the island, and the Tyrians respectfully welcomed them.
In the Daonian Empire, Heracles is one of the most popular gods among the people, so Davos solemnly worshiped his statue here. During the entire sacrificial process, the Tyrians were very well-behaved, which made Davos believe in their sincerity.
Davos analyzed the reasons why the Tyrians made a choice that was completely opposite to the history of the previous life based on the situation he observed in Tyre.
That was because Alexander in the previous life, although he won consecutive victories in land battles, his navy was very weak, and he even disbanded his already weak fleet at one point, causing the Persian fleet to harass his conquered rear many times, creating no small trouble for him. Alexander could only gradually gain dominance over the eastern Mediterranean by successively capturing Persian towns along the Mediterranean coast. This was a last resort. It was precisely because of this that the Tyrians bullied him for not having a navy and made it difficult to conquer their city in the sea, so they dared to delay time by feigning surrender. In fact, Alexander did encounter great difficulties in attacking Tyre due to a lack of navy. Even after the surrender of Cyprus provided him with a fleet, it took him more than seven months to conquer Tyre, which was time-consuming and laborious.
But the Daonian Empire is different. It has a strong navy, and it has defeated the Persian fleet twice in Samos and Cyprus, not only establishing absolute maritime superiority, but also completely controlling the Near East waters. Not long ago, the army that landed on Cyprus had conquered the entire island, and the First and Second Fleets had been stationed in the Cyprus military port, which was very close to Tyre and could block and attack Tyre at any time, posing a great threat to Tyre.
In addition, although the Macedonian army in the previous life was very powerful, its number was only 40,000 to 50,000, which was too disparate compared to the Persian army, so the Tyrians were not confident that Macedonia could ultimately defeat Persia.
Meanwhile, the Tyrians also learned that King Davos himself was leading an army of over 100,000 soldiers, and there was also a Greek allied force of 60,000 to 70,000 men in Asia Minor, totaling a formidable army of over 200,000. They had repeatedly defeated the Persian army with irresistible momentum. The Persian army might have been larger in number, but in terms of combat effectiveness, it seemed no match for the mighty, well-organized Daonian army, according to Tyrian generals who had repeatedly fought alongside the Persian army.
More importantly, many Tyrians had become prisoners of Daonia during the naval battle of Cyprus and were still being held there.
Tyre's surrender greatly pleased Davos. He immediately dispatched messengers to consult with the three legions that had previously landed in Cyprus and the Daonian First and Second Fleets to formulate a military plan to land in the Gulf of Syria and capture Milandrus as soon as possible.
At the same time, Tyre's surrender had a huge impact on other Phoenician city-states. They were not as powerful as Tyre, nor did they have cities built in the sea for defense, and they dared not confront Daonia. Therefore, Sidon, Adulas, and other city-states quickly surrendered, and the Daonian army smoothly conquered the Phoenician region.
Davos did not immediately lead his army north. He waited until the army in Cyprus had successfully landed in the Gulf of Syria before issuing the order to advance north. However, the route of march was no longer along the coast, because the Lebanon Mountains formed a barrier along the northern Near Eastern coast from north to south. The further north they went, the more difficult the terrain became, especially for a large army like Daonia's.
Davos also did not choose to bypass the Lebanon Mountains and take the edge of the desert to the east. Firstly, the journey would be longer, and secondly, the climate there was hot, the population was sparse, and the supply of food and water would be difficult. There were no major towns except for Damascus, which was located at its southern end, very close to the Phoenician region.
Perhaps in future historical developments, Damascus would become a strategic location in the Near East, but at this time, Davos really didn't think much of it. Although it was a sizable town, it had no Persian garrison and had not shown any hostility towards the Daonian army. Instead, it sent envoys to express its neutrality to Davos.
Therefore, Davos did not spend time attacking Damascus. He only ordered the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade to closely monitor Damascus' movements, while he led the main army out of the Phoenician region and into the Lebanon Mountains to the east.
In northern Syria, the snowmelt from the Amanus Mountains formed a river—the Orontes River—which flowed from north to south, through the Lebanon Mountains, and finally into northern Phoenicia. As a result, a relatively wide, narrow plain was formed in the center of the mountains—the Amik Plain, which was the route of march for the Daonian army to the north.
Fearing that the Persians would heavily intercept them in the north, Davos specifically ordered the army in Cyprus to land in Syria first to ensure the smooth northward advance of the main force.
But in reality, Davos was overly worried. Not long ago, part of the garrison in the Syrian region had been transferred by the Persian king to Pharnabazus in Asia Minor,
resulting in a depleted force here, unable to intercept the Daonian main force, or even provide adequate defense for the region.
The Cypriot army easily landed on the Syrian coast, quickly captured Milandrus, and then rapidly advanced eastward, besieging Sochi, a town at the northern entrance of the Amik Plain.
By the time the Daonian main force arrived near Sochi, the town had already been captured.
After Davos led the army through Sochi and into the Syrian region, he stopped advancing and began to camp and rest.
The camp being built stretched from the foot of the Amanus Mountains in the north to the foothills of the Lebanon Mountains in the south, bordering the Orontes River to the east and backed by the bay to the west, occupying a very good defensive position.
Davos also sent out a large number of scouts across the Orontes River to the east to investigate the movements of the Persian army.
At the same time, he sent part of his army to attack the coastal pass to the northwest—the Syrian Gate. Once captured, they would continue to attack westward, successively capturing Issus, Castabala, and Phirotas, opening up the coastal passage from Asia Minor to quickly meet up with the Greek allied forces. After the two armies joined forces, they would attack eastward together. This was Davos' next plan.
But what Davos didn't know was that the Greek allied forces, which had been advancing rapidly, were now encountering some trouble.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After the Greek allied forces were frustrated in their attack on Halicarnassus, Leotychides decided, in order not to waste time and reduce casualties, to leave a portion of the troops to besiege the city while the main force continued eastward.
However, after passing through Caria and entering the Lycia region, the Greek allied forces could no longer advance along the coast, because Lycia and the adjacent Pisidia region were both mountainous, and the roads were difficult. The army could only bypass Lycia and Pisidia to the north, and then pass through the pass in the Taurus Mountains in the Cappadocia region to enter the fertile Cilicia region. Most of the road to be traveled was the direct road built by the Persian court to control the empire and lead to western Asia Minor. Although this road was easier to travel, it had to enter the interior of Asia Minor.
During this time, Pharnabazus, the Persian military commander of Asia Minor, reorganized some of the defeated troops and received some reinforcements from the royal court (after Pharnabazus's war report was sent to Artaxerxes, the Persian king believed what was said in the letter that "the reason for the defeat in the battle was the sudden rebellion of the Persian mercenaries", so he did not remove him from his post, but instead sent reinforcements, ordering him to do everything possible to intercept the Greek allied forces in Asia Minor). His strength was partially restored, but ironically, Pharnabazus did not dare to confront the Greek allied forces head-on this time. Instead, he decided to implement the suggestion of Iason, whom he had killed: to clear the fields and at the same time send small groups of troops to continuously harass the Greek allied forces' supply lines, taking advantage of the terrain.
The governors of Asia Minor, who had already tasted the power of the Greek allied forces, did not strongly oppose this time, so this strategy could be implemented.
Because the Greek allied forces failed to capture Halicarnassus, a major town with a large port, the Greek allied forces' grain convoys could only land at the port of Miletus, lengthening the supply line, and Pharnabazus's defensive tactics posed a huge threat to this long supply line. The Greek allied forces, which had entered the interior, could neither collect grain locally nor had to send heavy troops to protect the supply line, which severely slowed down the eastward advance.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In September, the advance troops sent by Davos captured Issus, took Castabala, and even advanced west to Maras, separated from the fertile Cilicia by only the Aleian Plain.
But the Greek allied forces had not even passed through Pisidia and reached the Cappadocia region, and the two sides were far apart.
During this time, the scouts sent to the east reported one after another that they had discovered a huge Persian military camp near the city of Thapsacus (located on the banks of the Euphrates River, more than two hundred miles from the Orontes River), and that Persian troops were constantly coming from the east… …
The Persian army was finally coming! … … Whether it was Davos or his generals, they immediately perked up, not only ordering their soldiers to strengthen the camp and defenses, but also sending messengers to the Aleian Plain to notify the troops preparing to meet the Greek allied forces there to return immediately.
Soon, many Persian cavalry appeared on the east bank of the Orontes River, trying to cross the river to spy on the Daonian military camp.
The Daonian cavalry drove them away, and there were many small-scale skirmishes, but the main forces of both sides, one staying in Syria and the other stationed near Thapsacus, remained inactive, confronting each other for more than a month.
One day at dusk, a guest was welcomed into Davos's tent.
"Izam, you're finally back! I haven't received any information from you for so long, I thought you were homesick and didn't want to return to Daonia, hahaha… …" Although Davos was joking, he was very excited. He strode forward and gave Izam a strong hug.
"Your Majesty, to be honest, when I returned to Dookia and saw my brothers speaking familiar words, wearing familiar clothes, and eating familiar food… … I would always feel inexplicably scared—" Izam said with a relieved expression: "Scared that my decades of experience in Daonia were just a dream! Now that I see Your Majesty, I am completely relieved!"
Then he said with a slightly guilty expression: "I found that I can no longer leave the prosperous life of Daonia, and I am completely unable to adapt to the poverty of Dookia… …"
Davos comforted him and said: "Under conditional circumstances, people are willing to enjoy happiness and will not take the initiative to endure pain. But Dookia's poverty is mainly caused by the cruel oppression of the Persians. As long as we defeat the Persians, I believe that the bad situation of the Dookia people will gradually improve! Oh, right, you rushed back all the way, haven't you eaten yet?"
"Your Majesty, before I came to see you, I first went to see Lord Mariji and had something to eat there. This time, if it wasn't for Lord Mariji finding a Persian caravan to provide cover for my actions, I wouldn't have been able to reach Dookia so smoothly!"
Davos looked at Mariji next to Izam, who had a calm expression, and said with a smile: "You probably don't know yet, but Mariji used to be Prince Cyrus's personal merchant. He has a lot of connections among the merchants in western Persia. As early as more than ten years ago, after defeating Carthage, considering that Persia would become the kingdom's biggest enemy, he secretly supported several trustworthy friends in Persia with the assistance of the intelligence department. These friends of the kingdom have secretly sold weapons and grain prohibited by Persia to Dookia several times… …"
"I heard my tribesmen specifically mention these things. My eldest brother even said gratefully, 'If it weren't for their help, his tribe would not have become the largest in Dukeya!' Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Lord Marigis!" Izam sincerely bowed to both of them.
Marigis quickly avoided it, saying in a calm tone, "It's nothing. Everything is for the kingdom!"
"Izam, after going to Dukeya, you've become unlike yourself." Davos joked, "Don't say any more words of thanks. What I want to hear now is a detailed account of your adventure to Dukeya! Come, sit down, let's chat slowly."
The guards brought wooden chairs, and after everyone sat down, Izam began to narrate: "...After I followed Kalsedonis' vanguard to Egypt, I boarded an Egyptian merchant ship in Naucratis, arranged by Lord Marigis and actually belonging to his Persian friend. I took it to the port of Issus, and then followed a caravan pre-arranged by this Persian merchant to the Mesopotamian plain—"
"Your Majesty, this Persian merchant is Mazayas, whom I mentioned to you before," Marigis interjected.
"After we arrived here, did you send someone to contact him?" Davos asked with interest.
"Your Majesty, I sent someone to Issus to look for him... but unfortunately, he wasn't home. According to his family's servants, he was still doing business near Babylon and hadn't returned..."
Davos noticed a hint of hesitation in Marigis's answer, so he said in a gentle tone, "After all, Persia is his motherland. It's understandable that he's unwilling to completely side with us, but we must not forget the help he has provided. We will definitely reward him after the victory!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Marigis breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed his gratitude.
"Izam, continue."
"...I followed Mazayas's caravan eastward along the north bank of the Euphrates River. At first, it went relatively smoothly, but later, it was said that the news of 'our army entering Egypt and some Greek allied forces landing in Asia Minor' had spread to Babylon. The Persian king issued a military mobilization order, and the order in the towns along the Euphrates River became somewhat chaotic. The newly formed army wanted to detain the goods carried by the caravan under various pretexts. Although Mazayas had some tricks, he was eventually able to get them to let go. However, after discussing with me, he decided to replenish enough food and water in the city of Corsote and then head north in advance.
Who knew that the order on the Mesopotamian plain was even more chaotic? The caravan I was in was not only robbed, but also several people were killed or injured. I had to pretend to be an envoy sent by the Dukeya people, claiming that the goods carried by the caravan were used by Dukeya to form reinforcements... Perhaps the prestige established by our Dukeya people's great defeat of the Persian king's army that year made the Persians afraid.
After that, the caravan was no longer harassed by the garrison troops in those towns. We passed through Gaine, Larissa, Mespila relatively smoothly... and successfully arrived in the Dukeya mountains—"
Speaking of this, Izam seemed quite proud. Then his tone became low: "When I saw my tribesmen, I learned that my father had passed away as early as 10 years ago. My eldest brother and several other brothers died in the war against the Persians... Now the tribe is managed by my second brother, Remy. Although he was surprised by my sudden appearance, he was not very surprised. According to him, his tribe has been in close contact with several caravans such as Mazayas over the years, and through them, he has learned about Daonian and even knows that not only am I not dead, but I have also become a high-ranking official in the kingdom... Because Lord Marigis has been helping the tribe through these caravans, my second brother has a good impression of the kingdom. He is very happy that I can come in time, otherwise he doesn't know what to do next.
Because the Persian king has sent envoys to Dukeya, requesting the tribes to send warriors to participate in the war against the kingdom. More than half of the tribes have expressed their agreement, but some tribes, led by our tribe, have not expressed their position because of my second brother's opposition, which has led to the Dukeya tribal conference failing to make a final decision for several days—"
"Didn't Dukeya win the war with Persia! How can the Persians still arbitrarily direct Dukeya like this?" Davos was a little puzzled.
Izam hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, I heard Remy say that although Dukeya won that war, Dukeya also suffered heavy losses. Moreover, the Persians made concessions afterwards, such as reducing the annual tribute and assigning some disputed areas to the Dukeya people for management... So the Dukeya tribes were still willing to depend on Persia in the end. Moreover, because the Persians' oppression of Dukeya has been reduced in the past few years, the tense relationship between the two sides has improved a lot. This time, in order to get Dukeya to participate in the war, the Persians also promised some benefits, which made many tribes tempted...
However, because the Keso Kont tribe is now the most powerful tribe in the Dukeya mountains, my second brother expressed his opposition, and it is difficult for the entire Dukeya tribal alliance to reach a unified opinion. The Persian envoy persuaded Remy for several days with several tribal leaders, and even threatened in the end, 'Even if the Keso Kont tribe refuses to participate in the war, other tribes will participate, but after the war, Persia will treat the Keso Kont tribe differently!' This put Remy under great pressure.
I relayed your Majesty's plan to Remy. Although he was somewhat tempted by your Majesty's promise (allowing Dukeya to be independent after the victory, and even the kingdom will fully support him to become the king of Dukeya), he still had considerable concerns. I also gave him a detailed analysis of the military strength of Daonian and Persia and the current situation in the Mediterranean, and he reluctantly agreed and decided to agree to the Persian envoy's request to lead troops to participate in the war."
"Did your second brother persuade other Dukeya tribes to participate in this plan together?" Marigis interjected.
"I also raised this question to him, but he was very cautious. He told me that among these tribes in Dukeya, there are two large tribes that have a bad relationship with the Keso Kont tribe. If he rashly contacts other tribes in secret, it is difficult to guarantee that the news will not be leaked. Once the Persians know about it, the Keso Kont tribe will be in danger, so he will not take this risk. However, he has gathered all the young and middle-aged tribesmen in the tribe, more than 5,000 people, to participate in this war. This force is crucial in the Dukeya tribes. When the time comes, he only needs to secretly persuade the tribes that are close to the Keso Kont tribe to act together, and I believe it will definitely have a great impact on the battle situation!" Izam said confidently.
Davos smiled and praised: "Very good, your second brother is calm and considerate, which makes me believe that our cooperation with the Keso Kont tribe will definitely succeed! Isam, did you later go to Tabosacus with your tribesmen?"
"Your Majesty, after the Dukeya tribal conference reached an agreement, the tribes successively formed armies and went to Mesopotamia. Although the warriors led by Remy were the most numerous, they were the first to set off. I disguised myself as a Keso Kont tribal warrior and followed my second brother all the time.
We left the Dukeya mountains and went south along the Tigris River. The towns along the way should have received orders to provide us with a certain amount of food supplies. After we arrived in Opis, the Persians did not allow us to go further south, so we stationed near Opis, waiting for other Dukeya tribal armies to come and join us.
During this period, troops summoned from various towns upstream of the Tigris River went to Sitak, further south of Opis, to join forces—"
When Izam said this, Davos suddenly sighed softly and said with some emotion: "Opis... Sitak... We also went there back then..."
Marigis immediately interjected: "Your Majesty, this time you have plenty of time to revisit these familiar Persian towns."
Davos looked at him and said with a nostalgic tone: "Marigis, the first time I met you was in the Media region, right?"
Marigis said excitedly: "Your Majesty, it has been more than 30 years, and you still remember it so clearly! Thanks to Hades' blessing, I met you when I was in danger, which has made my life have earth-shaking changes! I only hate myself for not meeting you earlier and serving you earlier!"
Listening to Marigis's sincere and flattering words, Davos nodded slowly and said softly: "Being able to get the help of you and Melsis is also my greatest luck! You, take care of your health. I am still waiting for you to take me to visit the entire Persia after this war is over!"
"Yes... yes... Your Majesty, I will be a good guide..." Marigis's trembling voice was slightly choked.
Davos suppressed the emotions surging in his heart and then asked: "Izam, how long did you stay in Opis?"
"All the Dukeya tribal armies stayed there for more than two months. The reason why they didn't act for such a long time was said to be mainly because the Persian king wanted to wait for the Persian army and Indians coming from the distant eastern region. During this period, I also saw armies from Armenia, Tauchia, and even Cardans..."
Speaking of this, Izam's expression became a little solemn: "Later, the largest section of the two rivers closest to each other was full of military camps and soldiers, and there were countless troops... My relatives also wavered about whether to continue supporting Daonian because of this. Fortunately, during this period, the Greek allied forces defeated the Persian army in Asia Minor, our fleet defeated the Persian fleet, and your Majesty personally led the army to conquer Canaan... These news came one after another, plus my persuasion, and they regained their confidence!... "
In July, the Persian king finally ordered us to break camp and advance westward. Due to the immense size of the army, our marching speed was slow, and it took us two months to reach Thapsacus. By this time, Your Majesty, you had already led the army to conquer the Syrian region, so the Persians ordered us to build a camp near Thapsacus.
To facilitate my secret departure and future communication, the Keso-Cont tribe chose the northern outskirts of Thapsacus as their garrison, not far from Mount Amanus. So, one evening half a month ago, I secretly left the camp and ventured north into the mountains. I wasn't discovered along the way, and after making a large detour, I finally returned here… …
Izam, this time you risked your life, penetrated deep into the Persian heartland, successfully contacted the Keso-Cont tribe, and persuaded them to support Daonia, rendering a great service to the kingdom. I, on behalf of all the soldiers, express my gratitude to you!
Davos solemnly bowed to him, startling Izam, who quickly stood up, waving his hands repeatedly, not daring to accept the honor: "Your Majesty, as a Daonian citizen and a Senator, this is my duty! Moreover, although I have retired, as a former member of the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade, this is my responsibility! I am unworthy of the gratitude of Your Majesty and all the soldiers!"
These words were spoken with great propriety. Marigi blinked his eyes. One must know that when Izam first began to follow Davos, he was a barbarian who didn't understand the etiquette of rank. After decades of cultivation in Daonia, especially the life he has lived in recent years since his retirement, his temperament has completely changed.
"Very well, since you still regard yourself as a Daonian soldier, then I will follow the army's reward and punishment system, and first record a great merit for you, and give you a reward after the war is over." Davos was satisfied with Izam's performance, a smile appearing on his face. He then asked, "You have been there for so long, do you know how many people are in the Persian army? What is the composition of their army? How is their combat effectiveness?"
As the former captain of the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade, reconnaissance of the enemy was Izam's forte. So, after a little thought, he immediately replied: "Your Majesty, according to my observations during this period, the Persian army stationed in Thapsacus is about 350,000 people, of which the Persian army is about 200,000 people, and the rest… … Like the Dukeya army, there are 30,000 people, Taucia about 10,000 people, Armenia about 30,000 people, Arabs about 10,000 people, Scythians about 5,000 people, Cardans about 10,000 people, Indians about 10,000 people… … Oh, they also have more than 20,000 Greek mercenaries.
Among so many troops, the 50-60,000 Persian troops guarding the Persian king should be the most combat-effective. Among them, in addition to the Immortals stationed in Babylon, the others are from the eastern Susa and Persepolis regions—"
"Artaxerxes personally led the army to expedition?!" Davos interrupted him, asking with some surprise.
Izam quickly responded: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I forgot to say just now that the Persian king only arrived at Thapsacus with the Immortals at the end of last month,
After arriving, he stayed in the city and did not show his face."
"Hmm… …" Davos nodded: "Continue."
"In addition to these 50-60,000 Persian troops, the Persian army has an advantage over us in that it has a large cavalry force, including the cavalry from the affiliated areas, about 30,000 people. In addition, it also has as many as 50,000 archers. But they don't have strong heavy infantry! This is the biggest weakness of the Persian army, but the Dukeya tribal army, Cardans, Greek mercenaries… … The combat effectiveness of these troops' infantry is still acceptable, and they may be placed on the front line by the Persians in battle, confronting our legionnaires.
In addition, there are some special arms in the Persian army that need to be brought to our attention. One is the scythed chariot. It is said that the reason why Artaxerxes arrived in Thapsacus so late was to prepare these more than 200 chariots. I have seen this thing from a distance. Its axles are equipped with long and sharp double-edged blades. When the chariot is running, the blades will rotate continuously with the wheels, which is very terrifying for charging the formation.
In addition, there are war elephants, brought by the Indians, with a total of more than 50. Although I have admired elephants many times in the Thurii Zoo, it is the first time I have seen someone use them to fight. The Indians placed a small wooden tower on the back of the elephant. The tower can seat two people, one is the mahout and the other is the archer. The elephant is huge, and using it to charge the formation should pose a certain threat to our infantry formation.
There are also Arab camel soldiers. Camels are tall but slow. At first, the Arab camp was very close to the Armenian camp, but the Armenian warhorses became restless because of these camels. The Persians let the Arabs move away from the main force and build their own camp, but they don't have many camels, probably only about 500… …"
Izam paused for a moment, and seeing Davos' silence, he hurriedly added in a more emphatic tone: "Your Majesty, although the Persian army is large in number, its source is too complicated. Apart from those tens of thousands of main troops, I have found that most of the other troops are undisciplined, lack fighting spirit, and lack effective organization. Even the languages between the various troops are different, making it difficult to cooperate well.
I deeply realized this point during the march with the Dukeya tribe's army from Opis to Thapsacus. The various units lost control less than an hour after advancing according to the marching route stipulated by the Persians. They were mixed together and scattered across the entire plain... Therefore, every day just after noon, the entire Persian army had to stop advancing, and then each unit regrouped its soldiers, which took at least two hours. This was also the case with the Dukeya tribe's army, and they often had conflicts with other units because of this...
Such a Persian army without fighting spirit, discipline, and unity cannot compete with our army, even if we are at a disadvantage in numbers. However, the Persians also realized this. After the main force arrived at Thapsacus, they began to reorganize all the troops—"
"How did the Persians reorganize?" Davos asked seriously.
"For some units with small numbers, such as the Cardanians and Arabs, they merged them into the Persian army; for units with larger numbers, such as the Dukeya and Armenians, they sent some Persian generals to their armies, on the one hand, to convey the Persian king's orders, and on the other hand, to supervise the unit's execution of orders. At the same time, these generals were also responsible for training these troops to cooperate with the Persian army... So these days, the Persian army has been seizing the time to train on the plains near Thapsacus. Before I left, I felt that the state of the Persian army was better than when it first arrived at Thakusacus.
Your Majesty, if the Persians continue to do this, even if we can eventually win, we will pay a considerable price, so—" Izam solemnly requested loudly: "Your Majesty, we should take advantage of the fact that this Persian army is still relatively loose and has not been kneaded together, and launch an attack on it as soon as possible!"
Davos pondered and did not immediately express his position.
Seeing this situation, Mali G immediately changed the subject: "Izam, you have stayed in the Mesopotamian Plain for so long, how do you feel about the attitude of the people there towards the entire Persian army?"
"Of course it won't be too good!" Izam replied with a look of disdain: "The Persian army is not like our Daonian army, which has strict military laws to restrain it. Their affiliated troops come from different regions and different races. Not only is military discipline lax, but some also have grudges against the Persians. For example, the Dukeya tribe's army, coming to such a rich place as Mesopotamia, looting, destruction, and even rape and murder happen every day. The Persians have also organized a large number of military law teams to specifically deal with these violations of discipline, and even had several minor conflicts with the affiliated troops because of this.
But even their own Persian soldiers are doing these disgusting things. Therefore, those towns along the way close their gates as soon as they hear that an army is coming, refusing to let the soldiers enter, even the Persian army... I heard some rumors that some Mesopotamian nobles have intercepted the Persian king's carriage several times on the road to complain about the Persian army, but the Persian king does not seem to have made any punishment..."
Hearing this, Davos asked Mali G with interest: "The residents of the Mesopotamian Plain seem to be somewhat dissatisfied with Persian rule?"
"Your Majesty!" Mali G replied with slight excitement: "Although Persia has ruled the Mesopotamian Plain for more than a hundred years and has always regarded it as a core area for operation, Persian residents still do not account for the majority in the Mesopotamian Plain. The main ethnic groups on this plain are still Babylonians and Medes, but they have always been obedient to Persia, and Persia treats them almost equally. Outsiders also regard them as a part of true Persia.
But in fact, there are still differences between the two! Especially the Babylonians, who have been ruled by several foreign races for hundreds of years, they have become accustomed to it, and they are indifferent to wars between countries. As long as their interests are not violated, they can accept whoever rules the Mesopotamian Plain. Therefore, when Cyrus the Younger led his army from Asia Minor into the Mesopotamian Plain, almost approaching Babylon, he was not hindered along the way, which may be an important reason.
I don't know if Artaxerxes has ever felt resentment about this, but the information obtained from Mazayas shows that he obviously trusts the Persian nobles of Susa and Persepolis more, who gave him great support during that turbulent period, and later gave them more power and preferential treatment, and even rewarded them with some land on the Mesopotamian Plain. These Persian nobles wantonly expanded their land in Mesopotamia, which once caused tension between the nobles and residents of Mesopotamia and the Persians. Although Artaxerxes later realized this problem and mediated it, the dissatisfaction of the Mesopotamians with the Persians will certainly not be eliminated.
Your Majesty, as long as our army does not commit any crimes against the Mesopotamian people after defeating the Persian army, and also promises to give them some benefits, they will definitely regard us as the masters of this land and open the city gates to welcome us!