Chapter 1309
Furthermore, the Devers once had a worry – how would they cross the wide Euphrates River under the heavy defenses of the Persia army? However, with the retreat of the Persia army, this worry was no longer a problem.
In the past few days, the engineering battalion had built three wooden bridges across the Orontes River in front of the camp. The 150,000 soldiers crossed the Orontes River in an orderly manner and marched eastward in a grandiose manner.
Six days later, the vanguard troops were approaching Thabosakus.
The Euphrates River, which flowed out of the mountains in the eastern part of Asia Minor, flowed from north to south through the westernmost part of the Mesopotamian Plain, and converged with many other rivers to form a series of wide lakes. When it reached Thabosakus, it turned eastward, causing the river to narrow suddenly. Thabosakus became the best crossing point for the upper reaches of the Euphrates River. The royal road of the Persia Kingdom to Asia Minor passed through here, and this was the reason why the city of Thabosakus thrived.
When the Diónia vanguard troops arrived at the west bank of the Euphrates River, they were surprised to find that the Persia army did not burn the pontoon bridge when they retreated. The pontoon bridge was very wide, and it could accommodate ten soldiers walking side by side at the same time. This saved the Engineering Battalion the trouble of building another pontoon bridge.
The next day, the Devers followed the main army to the west bank of the Euphrates River. He stopped by the pontoon bridge, his eyes fixed on the soldiers in unlined clothes, carrying weapons and armor on their backs. There was a look of longing on their faces as they stepped firmly onto the pontoon bridge, crossed the wide Euphrates River, and set foot on the unfamiliar Mesopotamian Plain …
The Devers on horseback ignored the fatigue. He straightened his upper body, placed his right fist on his left chest, and looked solemn. The palace guards who followed him also saluted the soldiers.
The soldiers who passed by the bridgehead were at first astonished, before becoming immeasurably excited. However, the long queue that rolled forward did not allow anyone to stop, while the heavy bags on their shoulders prevented them from doing anything. Hence, the young soldiers who were mostly born in Dionia and grew up under the influence of countless victories and glory gazed with immeasurable reverence at the kingdom's founder, the supreme commander of the kingdom who had created many military miracles. "Long live Your Majesty!" they shouted excitedly.
"Victory to Your Majesty! … Victory to His Majesty! … Long live His Majesty! In the beginning, the scattered shouts soon converged into one, echoing across the bridgehead and quickly spreading to the front and back of the troops. The soldiers who heard the news seemed to have been injected with stimulants, forgetting the exhaustion of the long journey and quickening their pace …
Looking at this exciting scene, Epicthenis could not help but sigh. "30 years ago, we were also here. Just like these little guys, we stepped on this pontoon bridge full of hope and entered the fertile Mesopotamian plains ahead …"
"Don't forget, when Menon led us as the vanguard of the entire army, we were the first to enter the Mesopotamian Plains!" Amyntas, who was half-lying on the carriage, said proudly.
His lower limbs were paralyzed and he could not walk. Originally, he was carried by the servants in wooden palanquins, but the speed was too slow to keep up with the main army. Therefore, the Devers allowed him to ride in small open carriages. Ever since the army landed in Egypt, his physical condition had been poor due to the lack of acclimatization, but when the army re-embarked on the route of Cyrus the Younger's march to Babylon, his spirit became better.
"Amyntas, how dare you say that!" Agathia, who used to belong to another mercenary team, said disdainfully. "Back then, Menon rushed to be the vanguard, saying that he wanted to scout the way for the army, but everyone knew that he just wanted to be the first to rush to the Mesopotamian plains to loot, so Cyrus the Younger agreed to his request and then issued an order to the entire army to prohibit looting on the Mesopotamian plains. Were you disappointed at that time?"
"What's there for me to be disappointed about —" Amyntas was about to refute when he suddenly thought of something and deliberately said loudly, "Hieronymus, did you just say 'we'? Don't forget, His Majesty was also one of 'us' back then! "As he said that, he also pointed to the Devers standing solemnly in front of him.
Hearing this, Agathia, who had always kept a low profile among the old generals, was a little flustered at this time. He hurriedly explained, "Don't talk nonsense, I … I —"
"Actually, the reason why we joined the mercenary team and served Cyrus the Younger was also to survive." Hieronymus, who used to be the leader of another mercenary team, spoke in time, dispelling Agathia's embarrassment. "In fact, even Cyrus the Younger allowed us to loot the Asia Minor many times to solve the shortage of military funds. The reason why he didn't allow us to loot Mesopotamia was probably because he thought that after he won the throne, Mesopotamia would be the core area under his rule, so he didn't want the people here to resent him."
Alexis let out a long sigh. "Asia Minor is a part of Persia, but neither Cyrus the Younger nor Artaxerxes cherished that vast land. Instead, they treated the people there as foreigners and took whatever they wanted. How could the people of Asia Minor not rebel! How could the people in other parts of Persia be truly loyal to Persia! "
"We should thank the people of Persia for doing this. Because they didn't treat other races as their own, we had the opportunity to invade this vast land and finally defeat this powerful enemy!" Matonis pointed at the soldiers of the first legion who were crossing the river and said proudly, "These little guys are luckier than us. We were just tools in the hands of the people of Persia. We died in this foreign land for the sake of the royal family of Persia for no reason. Although they are marching along the same route as us, they are fighting for themselves and for the kingdom. They will create an unprecedented great victory!"
"Well said, Matonis." Amyntas leaned back on the seat of the carriage and said with a hint of mockery, "Although you weren't in my team back then, I've heard of you. A strong, brave, but ill-tempered recruit who gave the commander a lot of headaches … No one would have thought that after a few decades, you would become the commander of tens of thousands of soldiers, and speak so logically …"
"Lord Amyntas, I've also heard of you back then." Matonis retorted rudely, "Do you know why I didn't want to go to the 100-man team you commanded back then? Because everyone called you a mad dog under Menon. Although you often led the team to charge at the front, there were no tactics to speak of, and there were many casualties every time … But I'm afraid the mercenaries who died with you back then would never have thought that you would become an important minister of a powerful kingdom and a famous general praised by the people a few decades later. "
Matonis' harsh words touched Amyntas' heartstrings. He did not refute, but fell silent for a moment with a pained expression. Then he said in a deep voice, "We came to Persia this time not only to take revenge on the king of Persia and wash away the humiliation of the past, but more importantly to find the bones of our comrades and bring them home …"
As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere became a little heavy.
Henipolis, who had been listening and collecting information for his future biography, could not help but ask in a low voice, "My lords, you have said so much just now, can you … briefly talk about His Majesty at that time? He should have been a young recruit at that time, right? "
Alexis, Felicius, Tormid, and the others began to talk to each other as if they did not hear Henipolis' words.
Even Amyntas and Epitenis, who usually spoke without restraint, were afraid of being pestered by the annoying Henipolis at this moment, so they simply closed their eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Matonis, who was in the same squad as the Devers back then and was very familiar with him, even pulled Giogris away from the crowd with the excuse of "urging the soldiers to speed up the march".
It was not because too much time had passed and they could not remember how the King of the Devers behaved back then. On the contrary, the two of them clearly remembered that when the mercenaries arrived at the bank of the Euphrates River, the young Devers were shocked by the abnormally wide river. When he stepped on the pontoon bridge, his legs actually turned to jelly, and it was almost Matonis who supported him the whole way to the other side of the river …
If they truthfully told the truth about these embarrassing incidents of the Devers back then, how big of an impact would it have on the people of the kingdom today? Moreover, today, 30 years later, they revisited the old place and looked back at the past, feeling even more emotional. Compared to their companions who died in battle here, they were so lucky! Not only did they escape from the encirclement and pursuit of the Persia army, but they were also able to kill their way back while they were still alive, trampling the once invincible enemy under their feet, washing away the shame! All of this was because of the person standing in front of them. It was under his leadership that the impossible became possible, creating an unprecedented miracle!
At this moment, their hearts were filled with gratitude and respect for the Devers.
After some time, the Devers turned around and said in high spirits, "Brothers, it's time to cross the river!"
The men replied in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
… …
When the Devers crossed the Euphrates River, they found that the situation was just as the scouts had said. The originally golden fields had been burned black, and there were villages in ruins everywhere. The largest of the ruins was the city of Tabosakus. Not only were the residences in the city burned down, but even the city walls were completely destroyed. This made the soldiers of the legion, who originally wanted to save themselves the hard work of building a camp, furious. All of them scolded the Persia people for being cowards.
Although the surrounding environment had become a little harsh, the Devers still ordered the whole army to build a camp near the city of Tabosakus.
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