"The persian catastrophe is coming!!" Matonis laughed happily, as if the Greeks would really do it.
"It seems that the Persians really want to send us away!" Hiros said with understanding.
Or maybe Tisafonis just wants you to think so. Davos thought to himself, without saying it, he always felt that Tisafonis was by no means simple. After all, his ideas were different from those of the Greeks of this era. Based on his in-depth contact with Greek soldiers during this period, he found that most of these Greeks grew up listening to their parents’ stories about how to beat the Persians, advocating strength, and liked to fight face-to-face. Even if they use tricks, they are mostly conspiracy. In terms of coping with conspiracy and tricks, their brains are indeed a few twists and turns less than Persians.
It was precisely because Davos knew that Tisafonis was a shrewd politician that he was always disturbed in his heart: "Xenophon, do you know our marching route?"
"I'm not sure, it was decided by Tisafonis, Clearkus, Arreus and the others. However, it's definitely not the way to come. Because you know—" Xenophon shrugged: "Your leader Menon took the lead and collected a lot of good things along the way, the local Persians have hatred for us... Rest assured, we will go back!"
collect? I think it's a robbery! I am afraid that in the eyes of the Persians, we are invaders! It's a robber! Hearing this, Davos was always a little irritable in his heart. He sighed secretly to try to calm down as much as possible: "Do you know anything about the mountains, rivers, cities, and roads in Persia?"
"Davos, it's my first time to go deep into Persia, except I know a few famous cities in the book, such as Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, etc., but I don't know where they are. "…" Xenophon raised a stack of papyrus in his hand and said excitedly: "However, I have briefly recorded what I see every day, and when I go back, I will write them down so that the Greeks can I can understand the situation in Persia!"
Davers smiled wryly: Well, I know you will write a book called "The Long March" in the future, but it can't solve the urgent problems now.
Where can I find someone familiar with Persian geography? Davos thought worriedly...
… … … … … …
Over time, the Greek mercenaries and the Persian army camped close together, but when they went to the river to fetch water and collect firewood, soldiers from both sides would meet each other. .
A few days later, reaching the Phiscos River, he encountered an army led by another brother of the Persian king Artaxerxes. He came to aid the king, but after arriving, the war was over, and he had to return with his troops.
Clearkus, fearing an accident, ordered the whole army to be fully armed, with the baggage guarded in the center, and to keep the battle column marching westward. And this Persian army, not surprised by the presence of the Greeks, may have been notified by Tisafonis, and they continued to march east. The distance between the two armies was only a few tens of meters away. At a glance, one could even see the appearance and expression of the other side, and the level of tension could be imagined.
However, it also allowed Davos to see the whole picture of the Persian army for the first time: the two-man chariot and the four-man chariot were at the forefront, pulled by two horses and four horses respectively. One of the chariots was a fighter, who was responsible for driving the chariot, and the other one or two soldiers should be in charge of combat. You could see spears, shields, and bows and arrows hanging on the chariot. There are only about a dozen chariots, and I haven't seen the legendary chariot with long sickle (that is, the long sharp blade of the wheel shaft), but after thinking about it, I understand that this long sickle must be disassembled, otherwise it will be easy to march in peacetime. hurt yourself.
The cavalry followed behind the chariot. Most of the war horses are about 1.4 meters in height, which is obviously a little short compared to the racehorses that Davos saw in the Olympic Games in his previous life. They have bridles, but no saddles, and certainly no stirrups, just a thick blanket over their backs. The cavalry on horseback, some wore helmets, some only soft hats, without leather armor and heavy shields, all wore short robes. The weapons in their hands are varied: the horse archers are the most, followed by the javelin cavalry, then the spear cavalry, and a few with short hammers...
Hundreds of cavalry galloped past, and a huge team of infantrymen appeared in front of them. After watching for a while, Davos found that the marching team of the Persian infantry was mixed: a large shield man, whose shield was as high as the shoulders and wide enough to hide people, followed by a spearman, followed by six or seven archers, and then repeat.
This is very similar to the battle sequence of the Persian infantry mentioned by Antonios: when the enemy is approached, the large shield hands are the first column, and the shield wall is erected to protect the formation. The spearmen resisted the enemy who came to fight, preventing them from chasing the shield wall. The archers in the back used their bows and arrows to kill the enemy in large numbers. Whether it is a large shield, a spear, or an archer, they all have a common feature, light armor or even no armor, plus the previous cavalry, all in all, Davos can easily make a judgment: The Persian Army is a unit with excellent long-range lethality, strong mobility, but weak melee combat effectiveness. No wonder they were always defeated by the Greeks in battles, because in the face-to-face fight, their infantry, under the impact of the Greek heavy infantry, were no match at all. The characteristics of the Persian army are more suitable for close-range long-range killing and harassment, and even more roundabout maneuvering operations.
The two armies crossed each other, nothing happened, a false alarm.
After this little episode, the troops soon entered Media. This land once nurtured the sturdy Medians, and the Median kingdom they founded was once a nightmare for the people of the Mesopotamia. However, hundreds of years later, the glory has disappeared. This land under the jurisdiction of Persia is due to certain The reason is that it has become a bit desolate, and the terrain has begun to rise and fall.
Due to the reduction of market supply, when the two armies camped, the fighting for resources began to increase.
"Davers, you made this... tie... leggings really work! I walked another day today. If I used to, my calf would be so swollen that I couldn't walk in the afternoon, but now I don't have to worry about it. !" Hiros sat in the tent, unbuttoning his leggings, and sighed in admiration.
"Of course, we Davos are 'God's favored ones'! With the blessing of Pluto, can the method he came up with not work! Now, many companions in other teams are also learning to use leggings!" Olivers is proud said.
Davos didn't speak. He was even a little numb when he heard so many good words now. He knew very well that these little tricks he knew in his previous life were just used to improve the soldiers' marching conditions and increase his influence in Menon's barracks, but they would not change the situation of the entire Greek mercenary army.
"Davos, it has been rumored in the team these days that the Persians are going to attack us, capture us and give them to the Persian king as slaves. Do you think... this is true?!" Augris' voice.
This is exactly what Davers has been thinking about. Although there have always been suspicions between the two armies before, such rumors can quickly spread within a day or two and become known to everyone. Based on the experience of his previous life, it is impossible to have no one behind it.
Is it Persian? Or ourselves? Why spread this rumor? Let the Hippo deal fall apart? Make the Greeks nervous to the point of collapse? ... Davos had no clue for a while, facing everyone's concerned eyes, he smiled bitterly in his heart, but said calmly: "Don't be so nervous, we just need to be vigilant, these days have not been passed safely. !"
Just as he was talking, a person got into the tent.
"Martonis, you went out to fight again!" Seeing the bruises on Matonis' face, Hiros said with a slight reproach.
Matonis spat out a mouthful of blood, and said excitedly: "Don't look at the Persians who can't fight, they're not weak in fighting, and it took a lot of effort for me and Martius and other more than a dozen people to fight more than 20 of them. Just beat them away!"
He said, sitting on his bunk, rubbing his cheeks, pretending to be mysterious and saying, "Not only did I go to fight, I also heard a piece of news."
"What news?" Hiros asked.
Matonis glanced at the crowd and said loudly: "Further ahead is the fief of little Cyrus and his mother. I heard that there are many villages there, and they are relatively wealthy!"
"So we can have something good to eat!" cried Olivers happily.
Others were also a little excited. The supplies were insufficient these days, and everyone was not full.