Chapter 57
"The place to cross the river is about eight miles upstream from our camp. The river is about eighty-five meters wide, and the deepest part of the river reaches our waist. The bottom of the river is made of stone sand, so it's not too slippery, but it's also quite hard. This side of the river is flat, while the other side has more rocks …" Cherisops explained the situation of the exploration in a concise manner.
"Looks like this is a very good place to cross the river! Let's gather the entire army and quickly cross the river! "Timason said excitedly.
"But we have to consider that Orontas' troops will intercept us on the other side of the river. If we forcefully cross the river, our casualties will increase!" Zantiparis said cautiously.
"The Persia will never think that we will cross the river so easily! As long as we rush to the other side of the river as fast as possible, we will definitely be able to give them a surprise attack! "Timason said confidently.
"Don't forget, we still have the Dukayas behind us! What about our supply camp? Moreover, the Persia have more troops than us, and they also have the Kaldan. As long as they can withstand our attacks for a period of time, we will be in trouble. Who knows how long the sand in the river can support the soldiers! "Zantiparis said with slight worry.
Timason immediately asked in reply, "Then what good idea do you have?"
Zantiparis said, "So we have to discuss how to cross the river smoothly and minimize our losses?"
"I thought you had a good idea?" Timason glanced at him.
"I have a suggestion," Xenophon interrupted. "We can divide a portion of the soldiers to protect the supply camp. When the main army is preparing to cross the river, this portion of the soldiers will lead the supply camp to the original pontoon bridge and pretend to cross the river. The Persia will definitely think that we are going to cross the river again from here and attack them from the rear. They will divide their troops to defend, and when the main army defeats the enemy on the other side, this portion of the soldiers will protect the supply camp and return to the place where the main army is fighting to cross the river. This way, the troops will be divided, and the supply camp will be protected. What do you think? "Xenophon said with some satisfaction.
It had to be said that Xenophon's plan was not bad. Everyone fell into deep thought. After a while, Kristiano asked, "The supply camp is very large. How many soldiers are you going to send to protect it? If there are too many of them, it will affect the time we have to defeat the Persia. Moreover, if you make the supply camp and the soldiers march back and forth, not only will it easily cause them to be exhausted, it will also make them vulnerable to the attacks of the Ducaya people. Have you considered this aspect? "
"This …" Xenophon was speechless for a moment. He wriggled and said, "Casualties are inevitable in war. As long as we can minimize the losses …"
At this moment, Devers said, "Inspired by Xenophon, I've also come up with an idea."
As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone's gazes focused on him. This was because it had been proven many times that this youngest leader never spoke lightly, and his words always solved the problem.
"We will not cross the river for the time being during the day." Devers glanced at the leaders and saw that although they were slightly surprised, they continued to listen quietly. "At night, after the Persia people have entered the camp to sleep, we can first send a unit to cross the river and find a place to hide. When our main forces fight with the Persia tomorrow, they can suddenly attack the rear of the Persia army. This will disrupt the Persia's formation, and thus attack from the front and rear. Not only will they be able to defeat the Persia, they may even annihilate a part of them, thereby weakening the strength of the Persia. This will allow us to enter Armenia and reach Yoke Star Sea more smoothly …"
Everyone's eyes lit up. Devers's suggestion was indeed original and different from the rest. In fact, it was still the leaders' thinking that was trapped in the military tradition of frontal assault advocated by the Greeks for hundreds of years. And Devers's plan to cross the river was inspired by the strategy adopted by the great Red Army in his previous life, which was "a combination of smuggling of small units and frontal assault of large units" when they liberated Hainan.
"Devers, the soldiers do not have the experience of crossing the river at night. How many people do you want to send to cross the river first? If they riot out of fear when crossing the river, they can easily drown and even alert the Persia, causing our operation to fail. Then, the Persia will know the crossing point that we have painstakingly found! " Creano's tone was much better than when he was talking to Xenophon. The problem he was worried about was also an important reason why the mercenaries did not dare to cross the river at night.
"Also, how will the troops hide after reaching the shore? When will we attack the rear of the Persia army? I'm afraid we have to consider all of these, "Timason reminded.
Devers said without hesitation, "For a unit, these problems are not problems at all!" He then looked at Charlesthorpes.
Charlesthorpes nodded in agreement.
That night, seven hundred Sparta soldiers successfully sneaked across the Kentrit River.
… …
The next morning, the mercenaries began to set up camp.
The Persia saw this and quickly gathered on the other side of the river.
The mercenaries slaughtered three lambs, and the leaders sacrificed them to Oceanus, the god of the ocean and rivers. The whole army sang piously.
Orjontas had a premonition that the Greeks might cross the river, so he ordered the army to prepare immediately.
After the worship, the mercenaries began to march downstream along the river bank. After a few miles, they stopped and rested for a while. Then, they turned and marched upstream …
The handsome Armenian governor, who was deeply favored by the king of Persia, did not know where the Greeks were going. He thought that they did not dare to cross the river with the Persia army on the other side, so they were looking for a way out. Seeing them running around like headless chickens, he could not help but feel proud.
The Persia army continued to march on the other side of the river.
The mercenaries finally arrived at the crossing point marked by Charlesthorpes and immediately stopped moving. Then, according to the previous plan, with the end of the left wing as the axis, the whole army quickly rotated towards the river bank …
Before Orjontas could understand, the mercenaries had already spread out in formation towards the Kentrit River. The whole army was divided into three parts: the first part was for the 7,000 soldiers who were preparing to cross the river and fight the Persia army. They were standing on the bank in a narrow horizontal and thick column formation (because the river crossing was not long); the second part was for the supply camp, which was closely behind them; and the third part was for the 3,000 soldiers, who were behind the supply camp, with their backs to the river bank to prevent the attack of the Ducians.
Just as the Persia army slowly adjusted their formation, the mercenaries blew the bugle to attack, and the 7,000 soldiers stepped into the Kentrit River without hesitation …
Orjontas' expression changed. He finally understood: the Greeks were preparing to cross the river from here!
Without worrying about the long-range attacks of the mercenaries, Orjontas hurriedly shouted, "Quick! Let the infantry block the way! Archers! Archers, release the arrows! " As he shouted, he hoped that the Kentrit River would slow down the advance of the mercenaries, and that the arrows would cause chaos among the Greeks, causing them to panic and drown. After a moment of panic, Orjontas regained his composure. After all, he had personally tested the depth of the river.
Maybe this is my chance to make a great contribution! He thought excitedly.
The Devers followed the soldiers in front of them at the rear of the right wing of the army, stepping on the harder river sand and striding forward.
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