The Beginning of the End 32
'Shall I pass by and leave you lying there because of the expedition you led against Greece, or shall I set you up again because of your magnanimity and your virtues in other respects?' - Alexander the Great
--------
-Aerian Highlands, 465 BC-
The Next Day...
Astride a striking black mare was a handsome young man. His hair was groomed and oiled, and his chipped and damaged armor had a falcon forged into the breast piece.
The falcon represented his family, his clan, and his empire. The imperial Shabaz falcon of the Achaemenid clan.
He had khol caked around his eyes, protecting him from the glaring sun in the early morning sky. Various exposed parts of his armor - where one usually see skin - were now covered in bandages from recent battle.
Gone were the naive eyes of youth. Replaced by a firm and resolute gaze, directed toward the armies in the highlands ahead of him. This man was Artaxerxes I, King of Kings, King of the Four Quarters, and King of the World.
Perhaps to preserve troops, or to change the topography of the battlefield, Hystaspes had abandoned his camp overnight and fled to flat and open plains. Bringing us to where Artaxerxes now stood, overviewing his organized army formations from a low slope behind the wide flat plains.
In yesterday's battle, 10,000 men had died. 5,000 from each side. Dragging Artaxerxes numbers from 60,000 men to 55,000. A majority of these casualties had been poorly trained and equipped light infantry, coupled with Artaxerxes' elite cavalry, the Immortals.
In the front of Artaxerxes' army were five phalanxes of light infantry, each comprising 5 thousand men. Flanking the light infantry were two detachments of cavalry, elite due to the stirrup. Behind the frontlines, were 4 phalanxes of elite infantry comprising 3 thousand men each, ready to reinforce the front.
And behind this elite infantry, were 5 spread-out archer divisions, each numbering 1 thousand strong. And lastly, near Artaxerxes elevated vantage point, where 3 thousand Immortals, all infantry. Sadly, his Immortal cavalry had been decimated the previous day.
Hystaspes' army followed a very similar setup to Artaxerxes, except much more light infantry comprised of Scythian barbarians, and less elite infantry and archers. He also had detachments of cavalry defending his flanks.
(A/N: Hystaspes has 35 thousand light infantry, 10 thousand cavalries, 6 thousand elite infantry, 3 thousand archers, and 1 thousand personal guards. Artaxerxes has 25K light infantry, 10 thousand elite cavalries,12 thousand elite infantry, 5 thousand archers, and 3 thousand infantry Immortals. Lmk if u care bout this stuff or I can skip it next time.)
In the arid Aerian highlands, the sun shone brightly in the morning sky while the cool spring breeze created perfect conditions for archer fire.
The two opposing armies measured one another, with a few dozen meters separating them apart. The rain from the night before seemed to have disappeared altogether, as the surface of the earth provided the perfect texture for battle.
Artaxerxes, shaken out of his thought by a throbbing pain, delicately touched his wounded neck. It was now covered in medicinal salves and lotions, expertly bandaged by physicians. "Do you feel well my King?" A man who rode a horse beside Artaxerxes asked.
"I'm fine Themistocles. Just phantom pains." Artaxerxes replied, not wanting to stress his generals with his injury and distract them from the battle ahead.
This interaction, having signaled to Artaxexrxes other aides and generals that it was fine to speak, brought about the discussion for the upcoming battle.
"My King, I have just received word that the army is ready for battle, all that awaits is your command." A high-level advisor said.
Hearing this, Artaxerxes nodded and turned towards the thousands of men on the battlefield below. By their hundreds, banners of the Imperial Falcon loftily swayed in the wind while in the army opposite, newly sown banners of Hystaspes sigil flew the snarling winged lion.
Lion versus falcon. 'Who would come out victorious?' Artaxerxes wondered.
"The falcon of course!" Artaxerxes yelled aloud, startling his generals.
"Falcon, my King?" Themistocles asked.
"It is nothing, I am ready. Sound the horns" Artaxerxes commanded with a resolute expression.
"Yes, my King!" Themistocles responded, immediately signaling to a duo of flagbearers to signal the horns. Shortly after, bronze horns ripped through the tensely quiet plains commencing the battle that would decide who would be King of Kings.
Almost immediately, Artaxerxes archers unleashed their first volley of arrows toward the dense Bactrian frontline. As 5 thousand arrowheads blotted out the sun, Hystaspes simultaneously ordered his archers to fire, while also ordering his infantry to advance.
Arrows pelting the lightly armored men, they could only helplessly raise their whicker shields and pray to Ahuramazda that the next arrow wouldn't find their heart.
Taking note of the Bactrian advance, Artaxerxes ordered, "Signal to the cavalry on the left flank to advance and engage."
Shortly after his command, flags signaled, and horns blew, and the 5 thousand cavalries on the left flank galloped towards the Bactrians.
In response to this, fearful of being encircled on their right flank, Hystaspes sent his cavalry to intercept and engage the 'Persian' cavalry. Artaxerxes' army came from around the empire, his cavalry units largely containing Parthians and Indians. Both peoples greatly excelled on horseback.
The Persian cavalry commander quickly took notice of the Bactrian countercharge, and deftly maneuvered his men to enter a collision course with the opposing cavalry. Shocked by the turn of events, the Bactrian commander questioned the reasoning behind this maneuver, as head-on cavalry collisions tended to be disastrous.
Deciding to bite the bullet, the Bactrian commander committed to his charge and collided with the Persian elite cavalry. Iron pierced flesh, horse mangled horse, and men toppled to the earth as the opposing forces of gravity crashed full speed into one another.
It was disastrous. Thanks to the stirrup, the Persians had a much easier time staying atop their mounts regardless of the impact. So, when the bareback Bactrians collided with the Persians, it was akin to charging into a brick wall as hundreds of men were lanced off their horses and dismounted in the initial charge.
Meanwhile, the Bactrian light infantry had already advanced to the middle of the plains, halfway to the Persians. Seeing this, Artaxerxes ordered, "Advance our light infantry."
Hearing this, many advisors and generals praised the king's decisions.
"Ah, what a splendid tactic!"
"King Artaxerxes is truly a god amongst men."
"By the grace of Ahuramazda, this battle will be over quickly!"
Ignoring the parrots behind them, Themistocles quickly went into action, and soon horns ripped through the battlefield, signaling for the Persian infantry to advance.
Both sides, now aware of the imminent full frontal battle that was up ahead, began to shout war cries to raise morale and shake off any nerves.
"Death to the usurpers!"
"Let's send these rebel sister-lovers to hell!"
"Ahuramazda wills it!"
As the two armies grew closer and closer, they began to pick up speed, like a snowball turning into an avalanche. Turning once lackluster taunts into full-blown screams.
"Charge men!!"
Seeing the whites of each other's eyes and moments before impact, officers shouted at the top of their lungs, "Brace!!"
The men echoed their officer's shouts as they charged upon their foes, crashing into each other with full force. Men screamed as they were pincushioned by an avalanche of spears and blades, shields were used as tools to push the enemy onto the floor and then finish them off with a spear thrust. When one could, they'd remember to raise their whicker shield above them to fend off the endless volleys of archer fire that claimed hundreds of lives with each volley.
Before long, the entire battlefield was alight with the yells of the dying and the living intertwining to create a chorus of chaos.
-----------
-Aerian Highlands, 465 BC-
Hystaspes rode at the forefront of his personal cavalry, watching the battle unfold. Currently, the two armies had just clashed with one another, creating a moshpit of death and wails.
"Our cavalry in the right flank won't be able to hold for long, my King" A hulking man commented, this man was Bol, his hazarpatish and commander of the royal guard.
Turning his attention to the aforementioned cavalry, Hystaspes noticed that the usurper bastards were currently running amok, lancing his cavalry off their saddles with every passing second. Realizing that if the usurpers were able to wipe out his right flank cavalry, his entire army would be exposed, Hystaspes commanded, "Send in the cavalry from the left flank to reinforce."
Hearing this, Bol nodded and said, "As you say, my King. However, with the left flanks cavalry reinforcing the right, our left flank is now exposed to encirclement."
"You are correct Bol, we will ride there at once to guard the left. After Artaxerxes cavalry is destroyed we can go on the offensive." Hystaspes reasoned with his chief advisor.
Finding the plan sound, Bol signaled to the flag bearers and soon horns ripped through the cacophony of battle and the 5 thousand cavalries guarding the left flank went to reinforce the right.
Kicking his horses with his heels, Hystaspes galloped his horse towards the battlefield, ready to stake his life for the possibility of eternal glory.
---------
Artaxerxes soon noticed the shift in Bactrian cavalry, heading to reinforce the ongoing engagement in the left flank.
Pondering as to what action to take, Artaxerxes said, "I'm going in, order the cavalry on the right flank to reinforce our cavalry on the left. I'll lead an assault with my Immortals on the right flank."
Hearing this, Themistocles asked, "Can I come with you, my King?"
"Very well...bring the bannermen with us so we can still communicate with the rest of the army," Artaxerxes said, deciding he could use Themistocles' skill on the battlefield.
"Of course, my King!" Themistocles said, readying his horse and telling the bannermen to mount up.
Ready to go, Artaxerxes rode ahead to his Immortal guards on standby. Arriving in front of the Immortals, Artaxerxes yelled, "The time for battle is now! We are the deciding factor in this war! It is up to us should we win or lose! I, Artaxerxes I, do not plan on losing to a rebel and his barbarian horde, do you?"
Finishing off his speech by unsheathing his blade into the sky, the Immortal guard shouted while raising all their spears,
"Oooooh!!"
Satisfied by the response, Artaxerxes turns his trusty steed around and leads his Immortals into battle.