Chapter 1310
The reason was simple: the Dionysian Army must firmly control the pontoon bridge over the Euphrates River to ensure the smooth transportation route.
When the army began to build the camp, the soldiers found a problem: the area was a continuous plain covered with withered yellow grass. Clusters of bushes and reeds could be seen from time to time, but not a single tree could be seen.
Unable to make wooden fences, the soldiers had to dig more soil to make earthen walls.
Of course, there were also things that pleased the soldiers. For example, the terrain here was unusually open, and the camps of the legions could be completely spread out. Unlike in Canaan and Syria, where the narrow terrain forced them to huddle together, there was little room to maneuver, let alone in Phoenicia.
Another thing that excited the soldiers was that there were many animals living on the plains north of the city of Tabosacus. Wild donkeys, antelopes, bustards, and even ostriches, they foraged in groups on the wide plains. Even when they saw strangers from afar, they did not panic and ran away, because their running limbs or wings were good enough for them to evade human pursuit.
While the Dionysian Army was building the camp, they sent out the Numibian Light Cavalry Regiment, which was best at hunting on the plains. Thousands of Numibian Light Cavalry used tactics to surround wild donkeys and antelopes, shooting the bustards and ostriches with bows and arrows during the chase. In just two days, they provided a lot of fresh meat for the soldiers.
In addition, the chefs in the supply camp also used fishing nets to catch a lot of big sturgeon in the Euphrates River.
Donkey mutton was nourishing, the bustards fresh and tender, the sturgeon delicious, only ostrich meat was relatively coarse. Since the Dionysian Army left Egypt and fought all the way, the original reserve of dried meat had long been used up, especially after entering the inland, their daily food was drinking hot water and eating bread. The soldiers did not expect to eat such delicious food in the ruins of the city of Tabosacus. Not only did they feel tired, but they also had the energy to work.
Two days later, the Numibian Light Cavalry, who had killed all the animals near the camp, had to move eastward in search of new prey.
One of the cavalry, while chasing wild donkeys, even entered the territory of Nisephonia. Then they were shocked to see an endless thick fog of dust rolling toward them, and the whole sky was dimmed.
The Persia army had arrived! Before they could run back to the camp in panic, the scouts had already sent the news back to the king's tent.
On one hand, the Devers ordered the legions to be on alert. On the other hand, they asked the scouts to pay close attention to the movements of the Persia army and report back at any time.
In the afternoon, the Devers received news again: the Persia army stopped advancing 20 miles away from the Diónia camp and began to set up camp to rest. At the same time, they sent a team of less than 10 messengers to meet the King of Diónia.
… …
Terebassus came to the Diónia camp under the "escort" of the Diónia cavalry. He stopped and looked into the distance: the Diónia camp in front of him was very simple, with only a long ditch and a soil wall more than a meter high. It was completely incomparable to the camp in Syria, but to be able to build the basic defense of the camp in just two days, the people of Diónia were really good at building fortifications.
Terebassus was secretly glad that his army arrived in time. At the same time, he thought about how his army should attack this simple camp if the Dionysian Army still held their ground.
He thought as he walked and soon came to the gate of the camp.
It was said to be the camp gate, but it was actually just a gap in the earth fence. Four heavily armed palace guards and the clerk, Henipolis, stood at the gap.
"Welcome, messenger of Persia." Henipolis said welcome, but there was not a trace of enthusiasm on his face. Instead, he looked cold.
Terebassus showed a blank look, and Henipolis immediately realized that the other party did not understand Greek. The palace clerk, who was proficient in many languages, immediately repeated it in Persia.
Only then did Terebassus understand. He raised his head and replied, "I'm here to meet your king on the king's orders."
"His Majesty knows your purpose and agreed to meet you. Come with me." Henipolis directly interrupted him, waved his hand and gestured for him to follow, then turned around and walked back.
Terebassus' face twitched a few times. He suppressed the displeasure in his heart and quickly followed Henipolis into the camp. He immediately gathered his thoughts and began to carefully observe his surroundings.
As far as he could see, the camp was a little messy. Not only were the tents built crookedly, but they were also not neatly arranged, causing the paths between the tents to be crooked. Many soldiers in unlined clothes wandered between the tents. Some were even shirtless, lying on their backs by the side of the path to bask in the sun. Even when they saw Terebassus and Henipolis, they did not move. They only moved away reluctantly under Henipolis' scolding.
Terebassus could clearly hear their grumbling. "I've been building the camp for the past few days. I'm exhausted! It's not easy for me to lie down and rest for a while, but they still come to disturb me. How annoying! "
"Isn't he just a lowly official writing documents for His Majesty? How dare he yell at me! If he annoys me, I'll slap him to the ground! "
"If it's not marching, then it's building the camp. There's no end to it! We've already obtained enough wealth. Why do we still need to advance east? We might as well retreat! "
…
Terebassus could understand Greek, but he pretended not to understand. He wanted to use it to find out more about the Diónia camp. He saw the Diónia official's face becoming more and more unpleasant, but he had to force himself to endure it. In the end, he simply stopped ordering the idle soldiers to make way for them. This also slowed down their progress.
Terebassus remained silent, but his face deliberately put on an impatient expression.
After much difficulty, they finally passed through a camp. There was a commotion in front of them. Dozens of soldiers gathered together. First, they were cursing, and then they started to fight. Not long after, a heavily armed patrol team arrived and waved their sticks to disperse them.
"What happened?" Terebassus asked curiously.
Henipolis hid the embarrassment on his face and said perfunctorily, "Nothing, nothing. Uh … a group of energetic soldiers had a wrestling match in private, and it turned out to be too much …"
Terebassus did not ask further, but in fact, he had heard it very clearly: the two groups of soldiers fought over the prey they had caught.
Finally, they arrived at the Dionysian Army's main tent. Terebassus heard quarreling coming from inside the tent. He listened carefully: it seemed like they were arguing over whether to continue marching east.
"Your Majesty, the envoy from Persia has arrived!" Henipolis shouted, and the tent quickly regained its silence. A deep and powerful voice came from inside. "Bring him in!"
When Terebassus entered the tent, he saw twenty to thirty Diónia generals in armor and bright helmets. They turned their heads to look at the tent, and in the middle of the tent sat an old man in the same armor, but with a crown on his head. His expression was solemn and dignified.
Terebassus took two steps forward, bowed slightly, and said with his head held high, "The Lord of Persia, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Arabia, India … Persia, Mesopotamia, Armenia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Arabia, India … The King of Kings, the son of Ahura Mazda, the Great King Artaxerxes has sent me to bring you, the noble King of Diónia, a letter in his own handwriting, and looks forward to your reply!"
When Terebassus finished, Henipolis immediately translated it in Greek.
The Devers laughed. "What you said just now is wrong. Your king is deceiving himself. He should know that he is no longer the master of Egypt, and now Canaan, Phoenicia, Syria, and most of Asia Minor no longer belong to Persia."
After listening to Henipolis's translation, Terebassus responded calmly, "The war has just begun, and it is still uncertain who will win or lose. Perhaps in the end, King Artaxerxes will still become the master of Diónia!"
After listening to the translation, the Devers's expression changed slightly.
Before he could speak, a general suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, "Damn Persia, how dare you come here and talk nonsense, aren't you afraid that I will cut off your head and kick it like a ball!"
The Devers waved his hand. "Sit down, Martonis! It is a tradition not to hurt envoys when two armies fight. Don't let the Persia laugh at us Diónia for not understanding etiquette. "
Martonis did not listen to him and continued to glare at Terebassus.
"Sit down!" The Devers's expression was a little ugly. After shouting a few times, Martonis finally sat down resentfully.
Terebassus saw the scene unfold before his eyes.
After a moment, the Devers calmed down and said, "Yes, the war has just begun, and the outcome is not yet decided. Perhaps in the end, the whole of Persia will belong to Diónia! Where is the letter that Artaxerxes wrote to me? "
Terebassus immediately took out the letter from his pocket.
The Devers looked around and then smiled disdainfully. "Letter, I won't read it. Why don't you read it out loud so that we can all hear what the king of Persia, who has always been defeated, would say in the face of our powerful elite army?"
The generals burst into laughter.
Terebassus listened to the translation and did not retort. The fierce gaze of the Diónia general still made his heart palpitate. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he opened the letter as if he did not hear anything and read it aloud with a serious expression. "From the Lord of the Eastern Mediterranean, the King of Kings, to the King of Diónia in the Western Mediterranean, a few decades ago, Diónia was just a small state, but they were brave and aggressive. They had never stopped invading other countries, relying on plundering and annexation to strengthen themselves, threatening and seducing other states to control them, causing the surrounding city-states to feel threatened.
All along, Persia has been responsible for maintaining order in the Mediterranean, and has long wanted to teach Diónia a lesson and return peace to the Mediterranean. But I did not expect Diónia to brazenly invade Persia, occupy our territory, and kill our people. Our people are terrified, and the gods are furious! Today, I will lead a million-strong army of vengeance to the east of the territory of Tabosakus and fight with Diónia to settle the grudge between the two countries. Do you dare to come?! "
Teri Bassus emphasized the last sentence and enunciated it word by word.
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