Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1309: The Battle of Thapsacus (1)

"But why isn't there a single Persian in sight?"

"I heard those Persians only know how to bully their subjugated peoples. They're all lazy. They're probably still sleeping in their camp, haha—"

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The chatting and laughing soldiers paused as their comrades, who had been resting on the grass, suddenly rolled over and pressed their ears to the ground. A moment later, they shouted, "The Persians are here!"

Prompted by their comrades, the soldiers looked down in surprise, noticing that the dry clumps of dirt beneath their feet were faintly trembling.

Soon after, the Daionian soldiers began to hear a faint rumbling from the far distance. It sounded like muffled thunder rolling across the clouds on the horizon, steadily growing clearer.

Then, a brownish-yellow cloud appeared where the earth met the sky, slowly drifting toward the Daionian Army. What started as a tiny plume of smoke gradually swelled into a billowing dust storm that blotted out the sun, stretching for over a dozen li across the plains.

Under the morning sun, countless points of light glittered from within the thick, gray dust, overlapping like stars in the night sky. From that massive, all-encompassing cloud came the shouts of men, the neighing of horses, the thud of marching feet, the clatter of armor and weapons, and even the roars of beasts. The myriad sounds wove together like the beating of ten thousand war drums, shaking the heavens and the earth, leaving everyone restless and on edge.

As the dust cloud drew closer, the sharp-eyed Daionian soldiers could finally peer through the flying dirt and make out the scene within. It was a true sea of humanity. Tens of thousands of soldiers wearing various garments, wielding an array of weapons, and speaking different languages marched in a dense, endless expanse. Like a vast ocean, they surged forward, bringing a crushing, suffocating pressure that made it hard to even breathe...

Just then, First Legion Commander Matonis laughed loudly. "The Persian army is the same as always. Don't be fooled by their numbers—they are all flash and no substance! Think back to when we helped the Persian prince, Cyrus the Younger, fight for the throne. We fought a massive battle against the Persians at Cunaxa, just a few hundred li ahead. The commander of that Persian army was none other than today's King of Persia, and their numbers back then were about the same as today, far outnumbering Cyrus the Younger's forces.

"But the moment the battle began, our right wing, made entirely of Greek Heavy Infantry, shattered the Persian left wing with a single charge! If Cyrus the Younger hadn't been so reckless and gotten himself killed by charging straight into enemy lines, the Persian throne would have changed hands long ago!

"Today, our numbers far exceed what Cyrus the Younger had back then. Our army is better trained than those Greek mercenaries, our unit types are far more complete, and our tactics are far more advanced! We will easily crush this seemingly mighty but utterly weak Persian army!"

Matonis's words greatly boosted the morale of the First Legion's soldiers.

At the same time, Trotidis and the other veteran generals in the army were delivering similar speeches to the men under their command.

Seeing the soldiers return to normal, the Legion Commanders issued their orders one after another: "Fall in! Prepare to form ranks!"

By the time Davos arrived, the Daionian Army's side was also blanketed in flying dust.

"Your Majesty!" Alexis, Matonis, Lizarus, Philesius, and Tolmides hurried over on horseback.

Davos glanced at the legions ahead, which were still organized in their marching columns. He returned their salute and asked, "You haven't begun forming ranks yet?"

Alexis answered, "The Persian army is incredibly massive, but they are far too chaotic. It will probably take them quite a while just to get a rough formation going. So, after discussing it among ourselves, we decided to let the soldiers rest for now. At the sluggish pace the Persians are moving, we'll have more than enough time to figure out where their center is before we deploy our own ranks."

Davos nodded slowly. He was just about to speak when Amyntas shouted from behind him, "If the Persian army is so huge and disorganized, why don't we seize this opportunity to attack?!"

Davos coughed heavily and said in a deep voice, "The eyes of the entire world are on this battle. If we attack before the enemy finishes forming their ranks, even if we win, we'll be mocked by the people of other nations. I want a fair, magnificent victory that will awe the Persians into submission! Furthermore, I need to inflict devastating casualties on the main Persian force in this battle, leaving them powerless to oppose us in the future. If we attack early, it will only force the Persians to retreat prematurely, and we won't deal them a decisive blow!"

Amyntas stood there, too embarrassed to speak.

Davos had no mind to worry about Amyntas's feelings at the moment. He continued, "Come, let's go up to the front and take a look!"

With that, he spurred his horse forward. The Palace Guard immediately moved up to escort him in the center. Alexis, Philesius, Matonis, Lizarus, and Tolmides didn't have time to stop him and had no choice but to follow. As for Amyntas, Hieronymus, and the others, they currently held no official military duties and could only remain where they were.

Davos rode through the gaps between the legions to the front of the lines and gazed eastward. The massive Persian army had halted just a li away. Though the dust was still billowing, the flat, expansive plains offered an unobstructed view, allowing him to see their situation rather clearly. He could even hear the shouts of the Persian generals.

The Persian forces stretched for over a dozen li from north to south. To get a comprehensive understanding of their deployment, Davos rode along the vanguard of the Daionian Army, traveling from south to north and observing the enemy's lines as he went.

However, upon seeing their beloved King pass by the front lines, the Daionian soldiers were overcome with excitement and wildly cheered, "Victory to Your Majesty!!! Victory to Your Majesty!!!..."

The news quickly spread through the entire army, and the cheering swelled even louder. It sounded like peals of winter thunder, completely drowning out the noise coming from the enemy lines. This forced Davos to turn what was meant to be a simple reconnaissance into a pre-battle military inspection, which inevitably aroused the curiosity of the Persians.

"What is happening?" Hearing that thunderous roar from the rear of his army, Artaxerxes, the King of Persia, couldn't help but ask Pesitidai, the commander of the Immortals at the front.

The scouts quickly brought back news: "Reporting to the Great King! It is the King of Daonia inspecting his troops."

"The outcome of a battle isn't decided by who shouts the loudest," Artaxerxes remarked with a sneer. In truth, he knew perfectly well that if he were to inspect the Persian army himself, it would be extremely difficult to elicit such sustained, unbroken cheering. This wasn't just because of the subjugated auxiliary troops, but also because he lacked sufficient prestige among his own Persian soldiers. Driven by this jealousy, he impatiently turned to Tiribazus beside him and said, "Urge all units to finish forming their ranks as quickly as possible! Defeat the enemy sooner, and end this racket sooner!"

With the Persian army spanning over a dozen li from north to south, the Daionian Army, though not yet deployed in formation, was also distributed almost evenly across that same distance. To save his horse's strength, Davos had no choice but to ride at a slow walk, smiling and waving to the soldiers as he went.

It was more than half an hour later before he reached the northern edge and began his return journey south.

"Your Majesty, look! That should be Artaxerxes!" Alexis suddenly shouted, pointing eastward.

In the midst of the opposing Persian army sat a magnificently opulent chariot pulled by four pure white stallions. A man stood upon the chariot dressed in extravagant robes that caught the sunlight, making him exceptionally dazzling.

Davos reined in his warhorse, somewhat curious to get a good look at the appearance of this opponent who claimed the title King of Kings.

Artaxerxes was similarly staring intently ahead at the crown-wearing King of Daonia.

The two men locked eyes from over a li away for a moment before Davos shifted his gaze to the vanguard stationed in front of the King of Persia. Dense formations, thick round shields, helmets that completely covered their cheeks... It was actually Greek Heavy Infantry!

Davos wasn't too surprised. He had already learned from Leotychides's battle reports in Asia Minor that there was a substantial number of Greek mercenaries in the Persian army.

He also carefully noted the forest of spears standing upright directly in front of the Persian king's chariot, proving their infantry columns were incredibly deep. Behind those upright spears, there were even longer pikes. Peering through the shifting gaps of the Greek Heavy Infantry, he spotted bearded soldiers wearing long robes overlaid with golden armor, wielding long spears and large shields. It matched the intelligence he had gathered perfectly, and he understood at once: these were the Persian Immortals.

He immediately pointed toward the Persian king's chariot and said with absolute certainty, "The Persian center is right there!"

In truth, there was no need for Davos to point it out; Alexis had already come to the same conclusion himself. And so, the moment Davos returned to the rear of the lines, the entire Daionian Army began to deploy.

A Staff Officer of the First Legion hurried to the front of their lines and instructed the bearer of the pegasus banner, "Lead the troops and follow me. We are heading to the First Legion's deployment position."

Hearing this, the standard bearer waved the massive banner. The resting soldiers of the First Legion immediately stood up and swiftly fell into line.

Led by the Staff Officer, the 6,000 heavy infantrymen of the First Legion bypassed several of their brother units and arrived at a position directly facing the Persian king's chariot.

"Form open ranks!" The Staff Officer at the front had barely shouted the order when the six heavy infantry battalion commanders began directing their respective battalions. They deployed into a formation three battalions wide and two battalions deep, each widening the gaps between them. Immediately after, the company commanders directed their soldiers to swiftly form up into squares, which were then divided by the squad leaders into four smaller squares arranged in a checkered pattern...

In less than ten minutes, the soldiers of the First Legion had completely formed their ranks. The reason Matonis hadn't directed them personally was that, for this battle, he wasn't just the First Legion Commander—Davos had also appointed him as the commander of the center. He still needed to go and issue orders to the other legions.

With the First Legion serving as the anchor for the entire formation, all the other legions sprang into action. Unlike the Persians, the generals and officers didn't rely on shouting to command their men; instead, they guided them using flag signals. The soldiers strictly obeyed their orders, with no idle chatting or laughing as they fell into formation. Within the swirling dust, the only sounds that rang out were the rhythmic clatter of marching feet and the clash of weapons and armor. There were almost no human voices to be heard at all.