Chapter 3: Rebirth

 "Brothers, brought you some food." Xellos burrowed into the short tent.

 The quiet military tent was suddenly bustling with activity. Several of the men who had been lying down, rolled over and rose up, hungry wolves quickly snatching food from Xilos' arms.

 "Xilos, if you don't come, I'm going to starve to death." Martonius chewed on the half-baked horse meat, the meat that he usually looked down upon was indescribably delicious in his mouth at the moment.

 "I claimed them from Antonios. Menon had them specialize in forming a team to haul back dead and wounded horses from the battlefield at the risk of a possible Persian attack." Xellos sighed and looked at the man still lying at the far end of the tent and asked with concern, "How is Davos? Awake yet?"

 "Awake. But has been fidgeting and not saying a word to anyone who talks to him as if he didn't recognize him. Seems to be asleep now." Giorgis replied grimly.

 "I think he may have accidentally fallen into the Oblivion River while sitting on Kharron's boat and now has amnesia." Oliverus said.

 "Shut up!" Matonis reached for Oliveros' head and was pushed away.

 Xellos separated the two men with force and chided, "We all came from the same town in Thessaly, in a land thousands of miles from home, surrounded by enemies, and if we don't stick together, I'm afraid we won't be able to get back."

 Silence fell over the tent.

 Sensing the heaviness of the atmosphere, Xilos added reassuringly, "I've seen a few warriors with heavy head injuries that were disoriented at first as well, and they'll be normal after some rest. Maybe by tomorrow morning Davos will be able to greet everyone with a smile."

 "Davos is kind of a veteran warrior to fall down in the middle of a chase!" Oliverus annoyingly just said two words, and immediately shut his mouth when he saw Martonius' gaze glaring at him again.

 "Xylos, did young Cyrus defeat or was he defeated?" The momentary silence caused Georghis to resist the urge to bring out the question that everyone was most concerned about, yet most afraid to face.

 Earlier, when they returned to the battlefield after pursuing the fleeing enemy, they only found the Persian army still there, while the troops of Cyrus the Younger were nowhere to be found. Because it was getting late, neither army had any desire to continue the battle, and after facing each other for a while, the Persian army retreated.

 It was only then that the Greek mercenaries realized that their camp had been ransacked. The soldiers were tired and hungry and certainly did not have the energy to think and ask this very important question.

 "Little Cyrus is leading a cavalry, and whether they are victorious or defeated, he can easily leave the battlefield and wait until tomorrow to rejoin us. Another battle with the King of Persia is all." Xilos said easily.

 "But the King of Persia's army was already much larger than ours, and if Little Cyrus is defeated, there will be even fewer troops to join forces with us tomorrow." Giorgis said worriedly.

 "What are you afraid of! We have more than ten thousand men in our heavy infantry! The Persians are as timid as rabbits! They won't dare to fight us even if they have more men! I haven't had enough of killing today, so it's perfect to fight again tomorrow!" As soon as Matonis heard this, he cheered everyone in his way.

 "Even if Little Cyrus is defeated, we have routed their left flank and killed many of them. Tomorrow, the number of their soldiers will only be less than today!" Xilos was equally confident.

 "These damned Persians have destroyed our camp, taken our food, and stolen quite a few of my silver coins! Tomorrow we will defeat them and take back what is ours!" Martonis said angrily.

 "That's right!" Everyone was on the same page, "Not only do we have to take back what's ours, but we have to take what's theirs as well."

 "Oh!" Oliverus remembered something, said excitedly: "I heard that all the women of little Cyrus were also robbed, just one escaped back. It's that Miletus woman who was ... beautiful like Aphrodite that I told you about last time, and I heard that she was led into his tent by Clilicus, so he's going to have a good time tonight! ... "Oliverus gulped and said lewdly.

 "Don't talk nonsense!" Xellos warned him.

 "Oliverus, if you're up to it, go and defeat the King of Persia tomorrow and snatch one of his women too."

 "Oh, that's a good idea! Martonis, you're smart for once in your life."

 "Damn it Olivers, you want to get your ass kicked again!"

 While several people were joking, a hoarse voice came out from the innermost part of the tent, "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that little Cyrus was not only defeated! He was also killed!"

 ...............

 Tissaphernes rushed to the tent of the king of Persia, and the eunuch Massabadi was already waiting at the door, "The king is waiting for you, go in!"

 As Tissaphernes relieved his sword to the royal guard next to him, he noticed that the Persian king's most trusted eunuch looked a little melancholy, and his mind wondered: had His Majesty been badly hurt?

 The aroma of rich frankincense filled the tent with a few hints of herbs.

 Artaxerxes lay on his side on a reclining couch, draped in a gorgeous scarlet robe, his bare chest was wrapped in white cloth, and red blood could be faintly seen oozing out. A beautiful maid was gently rubbing his shoulders, and at the head of the room stood Ctesia, the healer.

 Seeing Tissaphernes enter, Ctesia immediately excused herself to the King of Persia.

 Artaxerxes told him to wait outside the door of the tent, in case there was a change in the injury, so that he could be summoned at once.

 Tissaphernes watched the Greek physician exit the tent before he half-kneeled, bowed his head, and said, "My lord, I have lost the battle, and have come to ask your majesty to punish me!"

 Artaxerxes didn't say anything, and Tissaphernes began to get a little restless, kneeling even more still.

 It was a long time before Artaxerxes was heard to speak, "You are fighting a losing battle, Tissaphonius. But at least had the courage to attack. I heard that you led your cavalry around the heavy Greek infantry lines to attack their rear, only to be defeated by their light shields and narrowly escaping being hit by a Greek javelin."

 "Yes, Great King. You know everything!" Tissaphernes was secretly relieved.

 "You're much braver than those who run away before they can fight! Get up!" Artaxerxes, still a bit upset about the performance of the Persian army's left flank yesterday, then raised his volume, "I was not as lucky as you. Cyrus' spear pierced me, but fortunately my armor was strong enough. It enabled me to take the opportunity to stab him under the horse!"

 Wasn't little Cyrus struck by the throwing spear of his guard, Miseridadi? Tissaphernes was surprised in his heart, but did not show it, instead he said with admiration in his excitement, "My lord, everyone used to say that Cyrus was brave. Yesterday on the battlefield, when we were about to suffer a defeat, Your Majesty, you took a huge risk that a king shouldn't take, stepped forward, and personally killed Cyrus, a rebel! Giving us an incredible victory! Your Majesty, you are worthy of being the King of Kings! You are the one who was born brave!"

 Massabadi and Ketaiyya also immediately expressed their admiration for the valor of the Persian king.

 Artaxerxes flushed and said indignantly, "Cyrus grew up to be competitive. As an elder brother, I have always yielded to him. Last time at the throne ceremony, he attempted to assassinate me, and for the sake of my mother, I forgave him! I didn't expect that my kindness would be perceived as weakness by him, and he dared to start a rebellion! For the sake of the country's stability, even if he is my own brother, I am forced to execute him!"

 "The Great King's benevolence is well known to all the people of the country! Cyrus, who knows no mercy, seduces outsiders and invades the country, deserves what he gets! ..." said Tissaphernes, impassioned.

 Artaxerxes nodded and couldn't help but cough a few times, the words he had just spoken had consumed a lot of his energy, "My Governor, you have repeatedly exposed Cyrus' plots to me, and you have always shown excellent governance of Asia Minor! I will reward you properly when this counter-insurgency is over!"

 "Your Majesty, as the governor of Asia Minor, this is my due diligence!" Tissaphernes said with a dignified look.

 Tissaphernes nodded his head, and with his left hand he pointed to a large tiled jar placed on the wooden table in front of his couch, his face showing a complex expression, "In this is the head and hands of Cyrus cut off by Massabadius; take it to the camp of the Greeks, and tell them to surrender at once!!!"

 Note: Two parties left accounts of the Battle of Kunasak, one being Xenophon. The other was Ctesia, the Persian imperial physician, whose account was quoted by Plutarch in his biography of Artaxerxes during the time of the Roman Empire, in which the defeat of the Persian right flank by Greek heavy infantry was far from easy as Xenophon wrote. I chose Xenophon's account for my novel, and while his portrayal is a bit exaggerated, it just goes to show some of the strange behavior of the Persians after the battle.

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