Tigranes accepted all the flattery from the so-called kings and tribal chiefs.
With an army of 330,000 men at his disposal, he felt that there was no country he could not conquer.
Furthermore, the Romans were attacking his capital, which prevented him from remaining impassive any longer.
If the capital fell, it would be a matter of national importance that would shake the very foundations of the kingdom, so Tigranes became increasingly inclined to engage in a decisive battle with Septimus.
"Your Majesty, many of our soldiers have only been in the army for barely a month. They do not have basic protective equipment and have not received systematic training. Many do not even understand the orders clearly, nor can they communicate with each other. I believe we should give them more time to train together and equip the army with more military equipment before facing Septimus in a decisive battle," Nexus said seriously as he stood up.
"Bah, coward! Are you afraid just because Septimus defeated you? My men are elite warriors among the best; each one can face at least ten Romans. If those Romans dare to come, I will make sure they do not leave alive," shouted a barbarian chief disdainfully.
"That's right, those from Pontus were terrified of the Romans a long time ago!"
"Idiots who have become so frightened that they fear the Romans."
"..."
All kinds of insults came from the mouths of the barbarian chiefs. Although Nexus did not understand some of their words, from their eyes it was obvious that they were insults or offensive words.
Nexus was furious. What did those barbarians know? They were nothing more than a group of brutes.
"Very well, everyone, stop talking. Nexus had good intentions," said Tigranis. After all, Nexus represented Mithriades, so they still had to give him a certain amount of dignity.
"Furthermore, Septimus is incredibly audacious for daring to attack my capital. The day after tomorrow, we will depart with our army and march on the capital," said Tigranis with great pride.
"His Majesty is unrivaled."
"Kill those dwarf Romans!"
"..."
As he watched the chiefs and the king celebrating victory, Nexus slightly shook his head.
He had little confidence in the battle, so he decided to write a letter to Mithriades, advising him not to come and join them.
---
Ataksata, the royal city of Armenia, is situated on the banks of the Araks River and is a famous fortress.
After Hannibal's defeat at the hands of Rome, Hannibal fled to Armenia, where he not only offered various suggestions to enrich the country and strengthen its army, but also helped design this fortress.
The fortress is surrounded on two sides by a winding river, so it is only necessary to defend the two walls.
After a long period of preparation, the clone army began the siege.
The clone army used various siege machines against the city wall.
Dozens of wooden towers were pushed against the city walls, and hundreds of clone legionaries carried enormous ladders while protecting themselves from the arrows and rocks falling from the wall.
The Armenian soldiers stationed on the city wall watched in horror as the Romans gathered beneath the wall like a black tide.
At that moment, Ariamnis and many other men, who had refused to hand over the grain and had been captured by the Roman army, had been living in extreme misery, since the Romans only gave them a small piece of black bread and a scarce amount of water each day, leaving them dizzy and weak from hunger.
They fought countless times over a little food.
Ariamnis was relatively lucky because he had to herd sheep and cattle for the Roman army, which allowed him to secretly drink sheep's and cow's milk. Even so, he often felt hungry.
At that moment, some Roman soldiers brought out buckets of black bread and water. Upon seeing them, almost all the Arabs and Armenians became excited, and their stomachs rumbled with excitement. It was far too tempting. If the Romans had not been wielding short swords, they would already have thrown themselves at the buckets and fought over the food.
"Gentlemen, today will be the day Atal'Xa'za falls. We need to select a group of warriors from among you to be the first to assault the city after its fall. If any of you wish to participate, you will receive two black breads and plenty of water," shouted a clone centurion in a serious voice.
"Yes."
"Yes."
"..."
Both Arabs and Armenians expressed their opinions, including Ariamnis.
Making a person go hungry for one day is nothing; what is terrifying is subjecting someone to a state of constant hunger for months.
Hunger had long been the obsession of the prisoners; they would do anything as long as they were given something to eat.
"Very well. Whoever wants bread, come forward and take it. Then you may choose whichever weapon you prefer, among swords, knives, spears, or clubs," said the clone centurion with a smile on his face.
Septimus planned to obtain the maximum benefit from the prisoners, and using them to besiege the enemy city's walls served the purpose of avoiding casualties.
Although Septimus had the ability to generate thousands of clones, he preferred to use prisoners or allied troops for the most dangerous and arduous tasks.
The Arabs and Armenians subjected to inhuman treatment and forced to perform the most dangerous task for two pieces of black bread were willing and slightly excited to have the opportunity to fill their stomachs.
The piece of black bread was more important.
The prisoners lined up in orderly rows under the whips of the clone soldiers and then began to receive black bread and water.
Almost everyone who received the black bread devoured it as if it were the most delicious food they could imagine.
With two large pieces of black bread to fill their stomachs, they felt a little stronger, but it was still not enough to satisfy their needs.
Every cell in their bodies constantly transmitted the same message to them: hunger.
However, the clone legionaries told them that once they captured the capital, they could eat as much as they wanted, which caused euphoria among the starving prisoners.
"From now on, you will follow my instructions. If we remain united, we will have a greater chance of surviving," Ariamnis said to his men.