Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Despite the tactful tone of Hennepolis's translation, Davos listened with both eyebrows raised, grunted heavily, and said angrily, "Go back and tell Altaxerxes that I accept his letter of war--"

"Your Majesty!" Alexis cut him off urgently, "No promises! The reason why the Persians dared to issue a letter of war must have already been prepared.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Felicius then advised: "Although the letter must have boasted of 'an army of a million', the Persian army does outnumber us by a wide margin, and we should not rush into battle. -"

"Nonsense!" Lizarus stood up and retorted: "The Persian army is large in numbers, but they are timid and fearful in battle; although our army is small in numbers, it is brave and aggressive. Therefore, we should take advantage of the high morale of our soldiers to fight the Persian army instead of just defending it, otherwise the pressure on logistics will increase ......".

"Lizarou was right! We are deep in enemy territory, and only by moving forward with courage can we achieve final victory! If you hesitate, you will only put the entire army in jeopardy! ...... "Martonius also expressed his opinion loudly.

Dozens of generals were divided into two factions, supporting or opposing the battle, and both sides argued endlessly, making it difficult to reach an agreement.

Trebarsus witnessed King Deionian's several attempts to stop the battle, but none of them worked until the guards beside him banged a drum hard enough for the crowd to stop.

Davos stood up and said loudly, somewhat shamefacedly, "Stop arguing, all of you, I've made up my mind! Persians, go back and tell your king that the battle will be fought in two days' time!"

Terebasus walked out of the Dionysian camp with a light step and a relaxed mood, for he had not only accomplished the task assigned to him by the Persian king and succeeded in getting the Dionysian king to take the war, but he had also learned the truth about the Dionysian army from this mission: they were not as warlike as they were said to be, the soldiers were tired and battle-weary, the generals were arrogant and untamed, and the Dionysian king was not as tough as he was said to be, and he could not even completely subdue and drive his generals .......

Terebasus, deeply convinced that the deficiencies of the Dionysian army would increase their chances of victory, was pleased that his risky expedition to the Dionysian camp had been worthwhile.

He was eager to return to his quarters and report his findings to the Persian king, but he did not notice the smug smile on the face of Hyneppolis standing at the entrance to the camp.

After the Persian ambassador had moved away from the tent, the tent was once again crowded.

"How was my performance just now?"

"Martonis, what a surprise, you could totally be an actor at the Thurii Grand Theatre!"

"Haha, being an actor is out of the question, I only care if the Persians will fall for it, after all we have urgently mobilized so many people and spent so much energy on this play, it can't be wasted!"

"I've just been watching that Persian messenger, and every time we speak, his expression changes a little, and he probably understands Greek, which just shows that he's keeping an eye on our camp."

"So as cunning as the Persians are, they cannot escape your Majesty's plans!"

......

After a heated discussion, Davos coughed, and the whole tent fell silent, a far cry from the time when the Persian ambassadors were present.

The whole tent fell silent as compared to the previous time when the Persian ambassador was there. Davos looked around and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, let us now discuss the strategy of the decisive battle with Persia.

........................................................................

Early in the morning of November 3, 364 B.C. (the 30th year of the Kingdom of Dionysia), the shrill sound of a bugle suddenly rang out, and the quiet Dionysian camp soon came to life.

"Brothers, stop sleeping and get up! The cooks of the supply battalions of the various regiments were already preparing breakfast for the soldiers as the captains woke up their men. .......

When the bugle sounded, Devers also immediately woke up from his sleep, and the first thing he asked when he saw the guards entering the tent was, "How is the weather outside?"

"Your Majesty, it's a beautiful day, it's not raining, and there's no wind."

"It's a beautiful day for battle!" Davos sighed.

The seasons had become somewhat distinct since the Dionysian army had entered the Mesopotamian plains, where the early autumn temperatures were somewhat cooler and the air drier, with more sunny days and less rain, all of which were favorable to the mainly heavy infantry of the Dionysian army, the only bad thing being the constant wind.

After washing up, the guards brought breakfast: a bowl of sticky oatmeal porridge, a bowl of hot Bustard donkey soup, half a piece of steamed sturgeon meat, and two pieces of large bread with cheese .......

When Hernipolis entered the tent, he saw Devers staring at his plate and immediately said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the soldiers' breakfast is just like yours! To meet your requirements, yesterday the supply lines fished all day on the Euphrates River and the light cavalry ran north for hundreds of miles before catching some beasts ......".

"The main thing that determines the outcome of a battle is the careful preparation before the battle." Davos picked up a piece of bread and said seriously, "I'm afraid this battle today will be a long one, and the soldiers must eat enough food to have enough strength to sustain themselves. Considering that the formation alone may last until noon, Felicius had informed the supply battalion yesterday to prepare more bread for the soldiers to carry to the battlefield and to refuel before the battle."

"Hearing this from your majesty, I am even more confident of winning this battle, for the king of Persia could not have prepared such an abundance of food for his vast army as we did." Hernipolis flattered, then sat down on the wooden chair next to him, hesitated, and said: "...... I have heard that the people here forbid the capture of this fish, saying that it is a sacred animal that angers the gods. ...... "

"The angrier the enemy deity, the happier the great Hades." Davos said nonchalantly, taking a big bite of fish, chewing a few times and spitting out the spines, "Have you finished your breakfast?"

"I was so excited that I didn't sleep all night. I was so excited that I didn't sleep all night, but I got up early today.

Look at me, my eyes are still black." "You, you ......", Davos laughed at the funny look on his face as he fingered his eyes.

After he had finished his breakfast and had chatted with Hernipolis for a while, the captain of the palace guard came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the legions have begun to file out of camp.

Just then Davos put on his armor and walked out of the tent, where the guards had brought his horse.

It was a strong Lusitania stallion, fat and strong, with smooth, brownish-yellow fur, and unusually tall. He kept digging the earth with his front hooves, and shook his head and neck, as if he did not want to be led, but when Devers came to him, he immediately quieted down, lowered his head, leaned close to Devers, and whinnied in a low voice.

Davos tapped its face, smiled and said, "Hey, Nikki, you're going to be fighting with me again."

Nikki seemed to understand, rubbed against Davos's hand, then lifted its head and hissed happily.

This was the fifth horse Davos had ridden since his arrival in this world, and most likely the last.

Davos patted the horse's back with some emotion, then turned his horse over and, escorted by 1,000 heavily armed palace guards, went out of the inner camp.

There were dozens of people gathered at the exit, and when they saw Devers coming, someone couldn't help but shout, "Your Majesty, we've been waiting for almost half an hour, why did you just come out?

Despite the fact that the man lying in the wagon was a bit offensive, Davos did not get angry and smiled, "Amintas, you haven't changed in your old age with your quick temper. Don't worry, the battle won't begin until we're there."

"Sire!" Hieronymus, Epithenius, Giorgis, and Martius immediately came forward to salute them.

Davos looked at them and asked, "Brothers, are you ready to fight?"

Thirty years ago, when Devers became a mercenary leader and had earned the trust of the mercenaries, he would often say these words before a battle, but the veterans had mixed feelings in their ears.

Davos waved his right hand forward with great force, "Then let's go!"

After meeting up with the veterans, the entire group passed through the spacious passageways of the camp and soon exited the main camp.

..............................................................................

The Dionysian army was not assembled together before departing, but rather each legion, led by its captain, left its own camp and proceeded directly to the intended battlefield, so that more than 20 teams marched eastward almost side by side.

The soldiers joked and chatted among themselves, and the officers did not forbid them to do so; they even took the initiative to start a conversation.

After an hour or so, the teams left Tapsacus and the surrounding area, which had been burned by the Persians, and set foot on the green and yellow plains.

After a little more walking, the command came from the army commanders: "Halt your advance and rest in place!"

"Is this where the battle will take place? I don't see anything special."

"I have heard that the Persian army's camp is twenty-five miles away from ours, and I have just silently calculated that it is about eleven or twelve miles away from the camp, right in the middle of it, which is the battlefield, isn't it?"