Chapter 46
When the leaders rushed to meet up with the Devers, they could not help but feel their scalps go numb when they saw the tragic scene in the canyon. They could not help but look at the Devers in awe. Just as Xenophon said, "… Devers … You … You are indeed … Hades … God's Chosen!"
The Devers also could not calm down. He kept telling himself in his heart, "This is war! This is war! "
"What should we do with these Persia people?" He saw the soldiers collecting the weapons and armor of the surrendered soldiers. He suddenly felt a little soft-hearted and asked Cherisopus.
Cherisopus' answer was unusually cold. "After collecting their weapons and armor, cut off the tendons of their hands and feet, stab their thighs, and then put them back for Tisaphnis to worry about.
The Devers fell silent. Of course, he understood Cherisopus' intention. The mercenaries had no extra food and no extra manpower to watch over them, and Tisaphnis had to allocate manpower to take care of these injured Persia people. Naturally, there were fewer soldiers attacking them.
"Devers, you did well!" Cherisopus looked around and said, "I think the Persia people will be scared out of their wits when they see this scene!"
When the Devers led his troops out of the canyon, the soldiers along the way gave them the loudest cheers. They knew that it was this young leader who led a small number of people to block the path of the large number of Persia people, allowing the mercenaries to achieve a perfect victory.
The young Devers used his actions to win the recognition of the entire army.
… …
In the afternoon, Tisaphnis's army arrived at the canyon.
When Tisaphnis saw the tragic scene in the canyon and the wounded soldiers lying on the ground, he angrily threw his helmet to the ground and then sent a small group of his trusted troops to deal with the aftermath. The other troops were forbidden to enter the canyon, but they went around the mountain and took other paths.
Alreus, who had been following Tisafnir, remained silent. He did not see Altauzus' body, but he was sure that it was among the countless corpses. In the past three days, the two generals who had fought with him for power had died in battle one after another. At this moment, he did not feel the slightest bit of joy. Instead, he felt a sense of coldness …
In this battle, the Persia suffered more than three thousand casualties and more than three thousand wounded. Not a single one escaped; the Greek mercenaries suffered negligible casualties.
Perhaps Kelisopes was right. The people of Persia were scared out of their wits and did not appear again for a few days. This allowed the Greek mercenaries to loot and march their way to Larissa, a city by the Tigris River, with relative ease.
This was a magnificent city. The lower half of the city wall was made of stone, while the upper half was made of mud bricks. The wall was about thirty meters high, eight meters wide, and about ten miles in circumference. The Greek mercenaries had no interest in attacking such a towering city wall. Moreover, compared to the cities they had encountered on the banks of the Tigris River, there were few pedestrians, and most of the fields and cottages outside the city were abandoned. It seemed a little desolate.
"Larissa, it's said that its former name was Kara. It was a big city during the Assyrian period, but it was later taken by the Medes. The great King Cyrus defeated the Medes, but he could not break through the city. In the end, the sun god Mithras used dark clouds to cover the light of Kara, making it as dark as night. The residents of Kara were terrified, thinking that the gods had abandoned them, so they abandoned the city and fled. That was how King Cyrus seized the city … "Marigi said.
Ever since the Devers learned from Kelisopes the importance of "understanding the terrain" for a commander, he had Marigi by his side as a guide. As the adjutant of Hieronymus, Xenophon was busy with many things. It was no longer possible for him to come and chat with the Devers like before. As a businessman, Marigi was not only familiar with the surrounding terrain, but he was also very familiar with the history of the Mesopotamia, which added a lot of fun to the Devers' tense and tiring march.
"Hey, Persia has the sun god, and we have Apollo. Who's more powerful?" Martonis, who was among the guards, suddenly said.
Marigi, who was next to the Devers, glanced behind him and said disdainfully, "Mithras is the master of nature, ensuring that the vegetation is abundant, the land is fertile, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. That's why he's worshipped by all! A mere god can't compare to him! "
"What did you say?! How dare you insult Apollo! "Martonis wanted to beat Marigi up angrily, but he was stopped by Hilos.
Marigi was so frightened that he hid behind the Devers, but the Devers snapped at him, "Martonis's question didn't offend you, but you've insulted the god that we, the Greeks, worship! If you don't apologize immediately, I won't stop them from taking revenge on you! " This Persia man's unintentional sense of superiority was giving him a headache. It was time to teach him a lesson.
Marigi turned around and saw the anger in the soldiers' eyes. He knew that if it wasn't for the Devers, he would have been torn into pieces. As a businessman, it was in his nature to be adaptable. He quickly bowed and apologized sincerely, even slapping himself.
Seeing that Marigi was forgiven, the Devers asked the question that had been bothering him, "Why does this city look so desolate?"
Marigi covered his blushing face with one hand and said vaguely, "Because the residents here are mainly Medes." He stopped talking after that.
The Devers thought about it carefully and came to a realization, "The Persia court doesn't care about this area because it's the core area of Medes and Assyr. They're afraid that they'll reignite their old flame, so they've even taken measures to suppress them. Am I right?"
The Devers saw Marigi looking at him in shock, and he knew that he had guessed the main point. He could not help but say proudly, "Let me guess what methods they've used. For example, they often transfer the people here to join the army? Impose higher taxes? … "
"Chief Devers, if you're really a god's chosen one, you're indeed different from your men who are all brawn and no brains!" Marigi looked at the Devers on the horse in admiration. Because he had been taken advantage of earlier, he said in a low voice, "If you're a Persia and a Persia official, you'll probably do well too!"
The Devers smiled and said, "Although Persia is a big country, I don't like it."
"Because you're a Greek?"
The Devers did not answer. He looked at Larissa not far away and was lost in thought. Was he a Greek? Apart from his body, his soul, and his mind, he still thought of himself as a Chinese from the bottom of his heart. The Greek tradition and culture could not assimilate a 21st-century person, not even have any influence on him. It was only the reality of helplessness and sincere friendship that made him identify with this group. Although he usually said "we're Greeks", it was all to fool these Greeks, boost their morale, and highlight his position as a leader. In short, for survival! Therefore, if Persia was superior to Greece and extended an olive branch to him, he would not hesitate to join them. But he did not think much of Persia, because most of the Greek city-states' political systems were more like 21st-century countries, and even Athens was more democratic than modern society. This had a natural affinity for modern people who advocated freedom …
… …
The next day, they marched to Mespora.
"This is the former capital of the Assyrian Kingdom, Nineveh. It is said that the wife of the last Medes King, Medea, had taken refuge in this city after we, Persia, seized the Medes Kingdom. The great King Cyrus led his army to besiege this city, but because it was the last castle of the Medes, they could not take it down for a long time. Bahram, the war god of the gods, saw that the Persia had suffered too many casualties, so he let out an earth-shattering thunder that shook the whole city, and only then was the city conquered … "Marigi still played the role of guide and 'narrator'.
"Haha, the gods of the Persia are not bad. They even helped in the battle," Matonis mocked from behind. Having learned his lesson yesterday, Marigi ignored him.
The Devers looked at the city that was also located on the bank of the Tigris River. The walls of this former capital of the Assyrian Kingdom were about 17 meters high. Kara was already a majestic city, but it seemed to be only a third of the size of Nineveh. One could imagine how powerful and prosperous the Assyrian Kingdom was when it conquered the western kingdoms! At this time, the capital was already in ruins. The wild grass and countless thorns on the city walls swayed in the wind, as if telling of its current desolation.
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