ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 49 Race against time
The Persians were originally prepared to defend against the mercenary attack, but later they gradually discovered that the route the mercenaries were running was to the nearby mountain peak. They were immediately shocked and realized that they had made a mistake. Then they gathered their troops and marched towards the nearby mountain peak. …

At this time, Tissaphernes' army was approaching the mountain pass, and the mercenaries were arrayed near the mountain pass. The baggage camp and the wounded were concentrated in the rear, very close to the mountain ridge occupied by the Persians.If the Persians shot arrows with all their strength on the mountains, they could barely hit the edge of their army formation.But at this moment, these Persians and Xenophon's troops are rushing towards the mountain peak from two directions at the same time...

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"Put up the shield!"

"Slingers prepare!"

"Archer ready!"

The leaders looked solemn and loudly issued orders to their troops.In front of the mercenary formation, the Persians slowly spread out their formation as they approached like a tide...

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"Quick! Quick! Brothers, hold on, you are competing for your survival! Applying more strength at this moment will make our march easier in the future and avoid a lot of troublesome battles!" Xenophon took the lead while leading While the troops were climbing the mountain, they were encouraged.

When they reached the mountainside, the soldiers obviously felt muscle soreness, shortness of breath, and slowed down. But when they saw the Persians on the side of the mountain doing the same thing, a sense of urgency prevented them from relaxing.

Although the Persians were closer to the top of the mountain, the mountain road on their side was steep, unlike the mercenaries who walked on the gentle slope of the back mountain.

In the "mountain climbing competition" between the two armies, the Greeks had the last laugh.They climbed to the top of the mountain first, and regardless of fatigue, they immediately threw javelins and stones at the climbing Persians.

The Persians turned and fled, abandoning even their original position, and ran as far as the foot of the mountain...

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Tissaphernes' long-range attacks continued. Although the casualties of his troops continued to increase, he still did not issue an order to retreat. This made the mercenaries feel a lot of pressure. Just as they were struggling to support themselves, the scout cavalry arrived. The report said: Xenophon sent a message that they had occupied the mountains and driven away the Persians!

"Retreat!" Cleethorpes breathed a sigh of relief.

As a result, the mercenaries began to retreat in an orderly manner...

The Persian army pressed forward step by step...

When all the mercenaries retreated into the mountain road, the Persians who were still following entered the attack range of Xenophon's troops and were hit hard by rocks and javelins falling sharply from the mountain top. They just blew the horn of retreat... …

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The mercenaries walked through the mountain road and entered a plain.There are many villages here, and mercenaries have begun to set up camp, treat the wounded, and replenish a large amount of supplies, because the guides all said: The Dukeya Mountains are just ahead.To this end, the leaders held an important meeting.

"We Greeks rebelled against Persia, and the Dukeys also rebelled against Persia. According to the guides, the Persians once sent about 10 troops to attack Dukeya, but they were defeated. Since we and the Dukeyans are both If we have enmity with Persia, then we should be able to get along well with the Dukeya people, and we will only go to Armenia by way, and will not infringe on the Dukeyya people, as long as we send envoys to express our peace wishes to them, I believe They will definitely accept it!..." Xenophon talked eloquently, and after this period of training, he became more confident.

"Being friendly? That's easy to say!" Timasong sneered. He couldn't stand Xenophon's arrogance. Both Davos and Xenophon were young and capable. Their sharp edges were too revealing, which attracted some people like Kerry. The jealousy and dissatisfaction of the old mercenaries such as Annuo and Timasong: "Tens of thousands of troops have entered their territory, and they have defeated the Persian army many times. Will the Dukyan people be nervous?! Aren't they afraid? ?! I don’t believe it! Oh... You said you were only passing through Dukiya, but if you launch an attack while passing through the mountain stronghold and settlement, the price will be too high. Do the Dukiya people dare to take this risk? You know The Dukyans are so ferocious and barbaric that they even fear Persia, which has a vast territory and surrounds it. How could they agree to our request from thousands of miles away?!"

As soon as Timasun finished speaking, Crisano continued: "A few days ago, my soldiers captured several Persian Dukyan slaves. After questioning, we learned that the 'Dukyans' are just Persian slaves. A name for the mountain people who live in this mountainous area. In fact, there are many tribes and different races in the Dukya Mountains. They often fight and kill each other for the benefit of the tribe. Some tribes are even mortal enemies. The question now is - —Even if we can get the consent of one tribe, we may be attacked by another tribe just after we have climbed a few mountains. If we have to negotiate one tribe after another, if it takes too long, we will starve. Yes. You must know that the Dukeya Mountains are a barren land and lack of food!"

"It seems that the only way to break in is by force!" Hieronymus, who rarely spoke at this moment, said in a strong tone: "After we enter Dukiya, we will not take the initiative to invade others, but if someone dares to invade us, then we must give him a sharp!"

"At that time, we still don't know who is showing off to whom!" Zantiparis said helplessly: "The Persians caused us a lot of trouble when they occupied the mountains before, and they were just a few mountains! Entering Du There are mountains behind Kya. We are mostly heavy infantry and have a lot of baggage. It is difficult to march, let alone fight. The Dukyan people are familiar with the terrain, and mountain climbing is a skill they have practiced since childhood, but we can only Rely on a guide. The mountain road is narrow, and our team may only be able to line up in a long way. The Dukyans can come out from anywhere to attack us, but we have nothing to do against them..." Zantiparis said The words made everyone fall into silence.

Xenophon took the opportunity to say: "So we still have to negotiate with the Dukians?"

Everyone ignored him and looked at Cleethorpes.

Chrysops looked at Davos, who had been silent in the corner, and asked, "Chief Davos, what do you think?"

Davos smiled slightly and said slowly: "After listening to everyone's words just now, there are actually two opinions. One is to negotiate with the Dukiya people. The advantage is safety, but the disadvantage is that it takes too much time. The Dukiya people may You may disagree; the second is to break in forcefully. The advantage is that it saves time, but the disadvantage is that there are high casualties. So, why don’t we combine these two opinions into one solution? "

Become a solution?Everyone looked at each other, and Kerisopus was also confused.

Felicius, who was next to him, saw their expressions and was secretly amused: In fact, the officers at Davos's camp discussed this matter last night. When Davos said his method, everyone was shocked at his thoughts. Although it is strange, we have to admit that this method is very likely to be realized.Now that he was facing the leaders, he couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority in his heart.

Everyone asked in unison: "How to change?"

"Find a tribe, cooperate with them, and let them open the way for us!" Davos said surprisingly.

Everyone was stunned.

Xenophon reacted first: "Davos, you mean... let the Dukians fight the Dukians?! Is this possible?"

"Interests, as long as there are interests, everything is possible!" Davos said with certainty.

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During the three days that the mercenaries camped, the Persian cavalry appeared many times, attacked individual soldiers who had separated from the army, captured the grazing livestock, and attempted to set fire to the village.

After deliberation, the chiefs concluded that Tissaphernes was doing all he could to prevent the mercenaries from entering Ducia, even at the expense of burning the territory and people of the Persian king.In order to prevent him from doing something even more crazy, the army could only enter Dukeya in advance.

So in the early morning of the fourth day, the mercenaries broke out of camp and marched north.

Tissaphernes watched the long line of Greek mercenaries from a distance, gradually shrouded in the shadow of the mountains...

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(End of this chapter)