Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1301: Izam's Persian Experience

"I've heard my tribesmen mention this specifically," Izam said, offering them each a sincere bow. "My eldest brother even said with gratitude that without their help, our tribe would never have become the largest in Ducetia! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Lord Marigi!"

Marigi quickly stepped aside to avoid the bow. "It was nothing," he said calmly. "Everything is for the kingdom."

"Izam, you take one trip to Ducetia and come back sounding like someone else," Davos teased. "No more words of thanks. What I want to hear right now is a detailed account of your venture to Ducetia! Come, sit down. Let's take our time."

Guards brought over wooden chairs. Once everyone was seated, Izam began his tale. "...After I arrived in Egypt with Chalcides' vanguard forces, I boarded an Egyptian merchant ship in the City of Naucratis. Lord Marigi had arranged the vessel, which actually belonged to a Persian friend of his. I sailed it into the port of Issus, then joined a trade caravan pre-arranged by this Persian merchant and headed toward the Mesopotamian Plain—"

"Your Majesty, this Persian merchant is the Mazaeus I mentioned to you before," Marigi interjected.

"Once we arrived here, did you send anyone to contact him?" Davos asked with interest.

"Your Majesty, I sent men to look for him in Issus... but unfortunately, he wasn't home. According to his servants, he's still doing business near Babylon and hasn't returned..."

Davos noticed the slight hesitation in Marigi's answer and said gently, "Persia is his homeland, after all. It's understandable that he wouldn't want to completely side with us. But we cannot forget the help he has provided. Once we secure victory, he will certainly be rewarded!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Marigi said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"...I followed Mazaeus's caravan east along the northern bank of the Euphrates river. It went smoothly at first. Later, however, word spread that our army had entered Egypt and elements of the Greek expeditionary army had landed in Asia Minor—news that had already reached Babylon. The King of Persia issued orders for military mobilization, and the towns along the Euphrates river fell into chaos. Our caravan was intercepted at town checkpoints several times. Those hastily assembled troops tried to seize our cargo under all sorts of pretexts. Though Mazaeus had the means to secure our release every time, he discussed the situation with me, and we decided to replenish our food and water in Corsote City and head north earlier than planned.

"Unexpectedly, the situation on the Mesopotamian Plain was even more chaotic. Our caravan was robbed, leaving several people dead or wounded. I had to pose as an envoy sent by the Ducetians, claiming our cargo was meant to equip the reinforcements Ducetia was raising... Perhaps the prestige our Ducetians established that year by soundly defeating the King of Persia's royal army made the Persians apprehensive. After that, the caravan faced no further harassment from the local garrisons. We passed relatively smoothly through Caenae, Larissa, and Mespila... and safely reached the mountains of Ducetia—"

Izam looked rather proud as he said this, but then his tone turned somber. "It wasn't until I met my tribesmen that I learned my father had died ten years ago. My eldest brother and several of my other brothers had fallen in that war against the Persians... The one leading the tribe now is my second elder brother, Remi. He was taken aback by my sudden appearance, but not entirely surprised. According to him, our tribe has maintained relatively close ties with Mazaeus and a few other merchant caravans over the years. Through them, he learned things about Daionia and even discovered that I wasn't dead, but rather serving as a high-ranking official in the kingdom... Because Lord Marigi had those caravans consistently provide assistance to our tribe, my brother held a very favorable view of the kingdom. He was incredibly relieved I arrived when I did, as he didn't know what to do next.

"The King of Persia had already sent envoys to Ducetia, demanding the various tribes supply warriors to participate in the war against our kingdom. More than half the tribes had agreed. Only a few, led by our tribe, withheld their support due to my brother's opposition. As a result, the Ducetian tribal assembly went on for several days without reaching a final resolution—"

"Didn't Ducetia win the war against Persia? How can the Persians still order Ducetia around so casually?" Davos asked, slightly puzzled.

Izam hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I heard from Remi that although Ducetia won that war, they suffered heavy losses. Furthermore, the Persians made concessions afterward, such as reducing the annual tribute and turning over the administration of some disputed territories to the Ducetians... Therefore, the various Ducetian tribes were ultimately still willing to remain vassals of Persia. Besides, because the Persians lessened their oppression of Ducetia in the following years, the tension between the two sides actually improved significantly. This time, in order to get Ducetia to join the war, the Persians promised several benefits, which tempted quite a few tribes...

"However, since the Ksocont Tribe is now the most powerful tribe in the Ducetia mountains, my brother's opposition made it very difficult for the entire Ducetian tribal alliance to reach a unified consensus. That Persian envoy brought several tribal chiefs along to persuade Remi for days, finally threatening him: 'Even if the Ksocont Tribe refuses to join the war, the other tribes will still participate. But after the war ends, Persia will treat the Ksocont Tribe very differently!' This put Remi under immense pressure.

"I relayed Your Majesty's plans to Remi. Although he was somewhat tempted by your promises—that Ducetia would be allowed independence after we won the war, and that the kingdom would even fully support him in becoming the King of Ducetia—he still harbored significant concerns. I then gave him a detailed analysis of the military strength of Daionia and Persia, as well as the current situation in the Mediterranean Sea. Only then did he reluctantly agree to accept the Persian envoy's demands and lead his troops into the war."

"Did your brother convince the other Ducetian tribes to join this plan?" Marigi interjected.

"I brought that question up to him as well, but he was very cautious. He told me that two of the large tribes in Ducetia have a hostile relationship with the Ksocont Tribe. If he rashly tried to contact other tribes in secret, it would be almost impossible to guarantee the news wouldn't leak. Once the Persians found out, the Ksocont Tribe would be plunged into a dangerous situation, so he refused to take that risk. However, he has already rallied all the able-bodied young men in the tribe—over five thousand warriors—to participate in this war. This force carries significant weight among the Ducetian tribes. When the critical moment arrives, he will only need to secretly persuade the tribes that have close ties with the Ksocont Tribe to act together. I believe this will definitely have a massive impact on the battle!" Izam said confidently.

Davos smiled and praised him. "Excellent. Your brother acts calmly and thinks things through thoroughly. This only makes me more confident that our coordination with the Ksocont Tribe will be a success! Izam, did you then travel with your tribesmen to Thapsacus?"

"Your Majesty, after the Ducetian tribal assembly reached a consensus, the various tribes successively formed their armies and set out for Mesopotamia. Although the warriors commanded by Remi were the most numerous, they were the first to depart. I disguised myself as a Ksocont warrior and stayed by my brother's side the entire time.

"We left the mountains of Ducetia and headed south along the Tigris River. The towns along the way had likely received orders, as they provided us with a set amount of food supplies. Once we reached the City of Opis, the Persians refused to let us travel any further south. So, we set up camp near the City of Opis to wait for the other Ducetian tribal armies to converge.

"During this period, armies levied from various towns upstream of the Tigris River passed by every day, heading to Sittace, further south of the City of Opis, to assemble—"

As Izam spoke, Davos suddenly let out a soft sigh. "Opis... Sittace..." he said with a hint of nostalgia. "We went there in the past as well..."

Marigi immediately chimed in, "Your Majesty, this time you will have ample opportunity to stroll through these familiar Persian towns once again."

Davos looked at him, his voice laced with reminiscence. "Marigi, the first time I met you was in the region of Media, wasn't it?"

"Your Majesty, over thirty years have passed, yet you still remember it so clearly!" Marigi said, visibly moved. "Thanks to the blessing of Hades, I met you when I was in such great peril! It brought an earth-shattering change to the rest of my life! My only regret is that I didn't meet you even earlier, so I could have served you sooner!"

Listening to Marigi's earnest, somewhat flattering words, Davos nodded slowly and spoke softly. "Securing the help of you and Mersis was also my greatest fortune! You must take good care of your health. I am still waiting for you to guide me on a proper tour across all of Persia once this war is over!"

"Yes... yes... Your Majesty, I will be a good guide..." Marigi said, his trembling voice choking with emotion.

Suppressing the emotions welling up in his chest, Davos then asked, "Izam, how long did you stay in Opis?"

"All the Ducetian tribal armies stayed there for over two months. The reason we didn't move for so long, from what I heard, was primarily because the King of Persia was waiting for the Persian armies and the Indians arriving from the distant eastern regions. During this period, I also saw armies arriving from Ameria, Taochia, and even the Cardans..."

At this point, Izam's expression turned somewhat grave. "Later on, that massive stretch of land where the two rivers are closest to each other was completely covered in military camps. There were soldiers everywhere; it was impossible to count how many armies there were... My family's resolve to continue supporting Daionia even wavered because of this. Fortunately, news continuously trickled in during that time—that the Greek expeditionary army had soundly defeated the Persian army in Asia Minor, that our fleet had crushed the Persian Fleet, and that Your Majesty had personally led the army to conquer Canaan... With these updates and my own persuasion, their confidence was solidified once again!..."