Chapter 1311
Even though Heniboris translated in a gentle tone, the Devers still frowned after hearing it. He snorted heavily and said angrily, "Go back and tell Artaxerxes that I have accepted his letter of challenge —"
"Your Majesty!" Alexis interrupted him anxiously. "You cannot agree to it! The reason why the Persia dared to issue a letter of challenge is because they are already prepared. We cannot agree to it rashly. We must consider it carefully to avoid falling into their trap! "
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Felicius also persuaded. "Even though the letter says that they have an army of a million is definitely an exaggeration, the number of Persia's army is far greater than ours. We cannot rashly engage in a battle. We should first defend our camp and then look for an opportunity —"
"Nonsense!" Lizaru stood up and retorted. "Even though the Persia army has a large number of people, they are timid and afraid to fight. Even though we have fewer people, we are advancing bravely. Therefore, we should take advantage of the morale of our soldiers to engage the Persia army in a battle. We cannot blindly defend. Otherwise, the pressure on our logistics will increase … "
"Lizaru is right! We are deep in the enemy's territory. Only by advancing bravely can we obtain the final victory! Once we hesitate, the entire army will be in trouble! " Matonis also expressed his opinion loudly.
Not long after, the entire tent became lively. The situation seemed to be no different from what Terebasus had heard from outside the tent. Dozens of generals were divided into two factions. They supported or opposed the battle. Both sides were arguing endlessly, and it was difficult for them to reach an agreement.
Terebasus saw with his own eyes that the King of Diónia tried to stop them several times, but it was to no avail. It was only when the guards beside him beat a drum forcefully that the crowd stopped arguing.
The Devers stood up and said loudly with some embarrassment, "Stop arguing, all of you. I have already decided! People of Persia, go back and tell your king that the battle will take place in two days! "
When Terebasus walked out of the Diónia camp, his footsteps were light and his mood relaxed. Not only did he complete the task given by the King of Persia and successfully got the King of Diónia to accept the letter of challenge, he also learned the truth about the Dionysian Army. They were not as good at fighting as the rumors said. The soldiers were tired and the generals were arrogant and difficult to tame. The King of Diónia was not as strong as the rumors said. He could not even completely control and command his generals …
Terebassus felt that the weakness of the Dionysian army would greatly increase the odds of victory for the Persians, and he was pleased that the risk he had taken to the Dionysian camp was well worth it.
He hurriedly mounted his warhorse, wishing that he could return to the encampment immediately and report his findings to the King of Persia. However, he did not notice the smug smile on Heniboris's face as he stood at the entrance of the camp.
After the Persia envoy left the tent, the tent became lively again.
"How was my performance just now?"
"Martonis, I really didn't know that you could be an actor in the Turií Theater!"
"Haha, forget about being an actor. I only care if the Persia people will be fooled. After all, we have urgently mobilized so many people and spent so much energy to put on this show. We can't let it go to waste!"
"I have been observing the Persia envoy just now. Every time we speak, his expression changes a little. He probably understands Greek, which means he is paying attention to the situation in our camp."
"So no matter how cunning the Persia people are, they can't escape from His Majesty's plan!"
…
After the generals discussed enthusiastically for a while, the Devers coughed softly, and the whole tent suddenly quieted down. Compared to the time when the Persia envoy was here, it was a world of difference.
The Devers looked around and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, now let us discuss the strategy for the decisive battle with Persia."
… …
On the morning of the 3rd of November, 364 BC (Year 30 of the Kingdom of Diónia), a sharp bugle suddenly sounded, and the originally quiet Diónia camp quickly became lively.
"Brothers, don't sleep in, wake up quickly!" Just as the captains woke up their soldiers, the chefs in the supply camp had already begun to prepare breakfast for the soldiers.
When the bugle sounded, the Devers immediately woke up from his sleep. When he saw the guards entering the tent, the first thing he asked was, "How is the weather outside?"
"Your Majesty, the weather is good, there is no rain, and there is no wind."
"Good weather for a battle!" The Devers sighed.
After the Dionysian Army entered the Mesopotamian Plains, the four seasons became more distinct. The temperature in early autumn here was a little low, the air was relatively dry, and there were more sunny days than rainy days. These were all advantageous for the Dionysian Army, which mainly consisted of heavy infantry. The only downside was that it was often windy.
After washing up, the guards brought breakfast: a bowl of sticky oatmeal, a bowl of hot broth, a large piece of steamed sturgeon, two large pieces of bread with cheese …
When Heniboris entered the tent, he saw the Devers staring at the plate, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, the soldiers' breakfast is similar to yours! In order to meet your requirements, yesterday the supply camp fished on the Euphrates River for a whole day, and the light cavalry ran hundreds of miles north, only to catch some beasts … "
"The main thing that determines the outcome of a battle is the careful preparation before the battle." The Devers picked up a piece of bread and said seriously, "I'm afraid that today's battle will be very long, the soldiers must eat enough to have enough strength to support themselves. Considering that the formation alone may last until noon, Felicius has already informed the supply camp to prepare more bread for the soldiers to bring to the battlefield, so that they can eat more before the battle. "
"Hearing this, Your Majesty, I am even more confident that we will win this battle, because the King of Persia will not be able to prepare such rich food for his huge army like we do." Heniboris flattered, then sat on the wooden chair beside him, hesitated for a moment, and said again, "… I heard that the people here forbid the catching of this fish, saying that it is a divine creature that will anger the gods …"
"The angrier the enemy gods are, the happier the great Hades will be," the Devers said unhurriedly. He took a big bite of the fish, chewed a few times, and spat out the fish bones. "Have you finished your breakfast?"
"I've eaten long ago." Heniboris complained. "Your Majesty, I'm not like you, who can treat a big battle as normal. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep last night, and I got up early today. Look at me, there are still dark circles under my eyes."
"You, you …" The Devers looked at his funny expression as he pointed at his eyes and laughed.
After he finished his breakfast, he chatted with Heniboris for a while, and the captain of the palace guards came in to report, "Your Majesty, the legions have begun to line up and leave the camp."
The Devers put on his armor and walked out of the tent. The guards had already brought his War Horse.
It was a strong Lusitanian stallion, fat and strong, with smooth, brownish-yellow fur, and unusually tall. It kept digging the soil with its front hooves and shook its neck, as if it did not want to be led, but when the Devers walked in front of it, it immediately quieted down, lowered its head, and approached the Devers, humming softly.
The Devers patted its face and said with a smile, "Hey, Nicky, you're going to fight with me again."
Nicky seemed to understand. It rubbed against the Devers's hand, then raised its head and neighed happily.
Since coming to this world, this was the fifth War Horse that the Devers had ridden, and it was very likely to be the last.
The Devers patted the horse's back with some emotion, then turned over and mounted it. Under the protection of 1,000 fully armed palace guards, they left the inner camp.
There were dozens of people gathered at the exit. When they saw the Devers, someone could not help but shout, "Your Majesty, we've been waiting for almost half an hour. Why are you only coming out now? The soldiers have already left the camp!"
Although the man lying on the carriage had spoken rudely, the Devers was not angry. He said with a smile, "Amyntas, your temper has not changed even in your old age. Don't worry, the battle will not start before we arrive. "
"Your Majesty!" Hieronymus, Epicthenis, Giogris, Martius and the others immediately came forward to greet him.
The Devers looked at them and asked, "Brothers, are you ready to fight?"
Thirty years ago, after the Devers became the leader of the mercenaries and completely won the trust of the mercenaries, he often said such words before the battle. At this moment, the old generals had mixed feelings when they heard it. After a moment, they shouted excitedly, "Ready!!"
The Devers waved his right hand forward. "Then let's go!"
After meeting up with the old generals, the whole team passed through the spacious camp passage and quickly left the main camp.
… …
The Dionysian Army did not gather together before setting off. Instead, each corps was led by the corps commander. After leaving their own camps, they went directly to the predetermined battlefield. More than 20 teams marched eastward almost side by side.
Because they had just eaten breakfast, and in order not to waste energy, the teams moved very slowly. The soldiers chatted and joked in the team, and the officers did not stop them. They even took the initiative to start a conversation. If people who did not know the inside story saw them, they would think that they were going for an outing instead of a life-and-death battle.
More than an hour later, the teams walked out of Tabosakus and the surrounding areas that had been burned by the Persia and set foot on the green and yellow plains.
After walking for a while, the corps commanders ordered, "Stop moving forward and rest here!"
"Is this the place where the battle will take place? I don't see anything special. "
"I heard that the Persia army camp is 25 miles away from our camp. I just silently counted. This place is about 11 or 12 miles away from the camp, right in the middle. Isn't this the battlefield?"
Comments