Turning Points 28
'Diversity in counsel, unity in command.' - Cyrus the Great
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-Margianan Valley, 465 BC-
Arrows and spears rained down on the beleaguered defenders. Surrounded by steep valley faces on either side, the 100-man wide defensive formation struggled to hold back the zealous charge of the Chorasmian horde.
The narrow terrain of the valley floor made it difficult for the Persians to use their numbers advantage to the fullest, with the front lines sporadically shifting from valley entrance to entrance based on the morale of either side.
Archer fire played a key role, with such dense numbers of troops clogged together to hold the valley chokepoints, it was always certain that an arrow volley would find its target.
"Hold the line men!"
"Push! Breakthrough!"
These shouts echoed throughout the chaotic battlefield, with the Persians using their comrade's corpses as a hill to hold some higher ground. The Chorasmians struggled to climb up to the hill of corpses without being skewered by the persistent Persian defense.
"Pull back! Pull back!"
With these yells, the Chorasmians began to strategically retreat and put a hold on the offensive. Finally catching a break after days of nonstop fighting, many of the Persians collapsed in exhaustion.
Far behind the front lines in a separate valley, a messenger was dashing through countless tents and defensive barricades. Reaching his destination, the man entered the massive tent in the center of the camp. Walking in, the man quickly reported, "The Chorasmians have fallen back!"
In response to this, many of the men in the tent broke out into a discussion. "Sir, with this, we can finally get the initiative and bring the battle to the Chorasmians!" A lieutenant shouted with excitement.
"What?! We should continue the defensive tactics as we have been and let the Chorasmians exhaust themselves!" Another advisor yelled. Shortly after an argument broke out in the tent, with those in favor and those against their current defensive strategy.
Inarus, at the center of all this, was quiet. Having heard enough, he shouted, "Enough!"
The tent quickly silenced, with the men still glaring at one another. Turning to his chief advisor, Dadarsi, Inarus said, "I've received a report stating that they've reached the river Oxus."
"Is that so? Then that means the first phase has been completed." Dadarsi said. The rest of the advisors in the tent were bewildered by the duo's conversation, uncertain about what they were talking about. Finally, one asked, " What are you talking about? What 'first phase'?"
Inarus, deciding it was time to disclose some confidential information, responded, " In order to maintain utmost secrecy, only myself and Dadarsi have been aware of this plan."
Standing up, Inarus moved to the map at the center of the tent. Pointing to the river Oxus that ran parallel to the Margianan Valleys, Inarus said, " The Chorasmians are using the river Oxus as a lifeline for their army's supplies. It can also be deduced from scouting reports that the Chorasmian's main camp is on the shores of the River Oxus."
Pointing further along the River Oxus, Inarus continued, "Thus, I sent a contingent of a few hundred men on triremes upstream the river Oxus to cause chaos and disorder in the enemy rear."
"With the men having arrived at the river Oxus, I want our advanced scouts to keep a close eye on the Chorasmians troop's movements, should any be shifted to the rear, well immediately advance on the enemy's weakened front line," Inarus concluded, looking around the tent at the contemplating lieutenants and aides.
Noticing the men's understanding, Inarus departed the tent to go to the men at the front and survey the ongoing situation.
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-Aerian Highlands, 465 BC-
Artaxerxes woke up when the moon was still above the Zagros mountains, his armies having woken up as well. With his generals and advisors at his side, Artaxerxes rode at the head of the column of men and rode his Nisean horse at breakneck speeds.
The men, ordered to make as little noise as possible, speedily marched through the rolling Aerian highlands, with emotions high and the air palpable with the nervousness for the upcoming battle ahead.
Hours later, and having surpassed their expectations of arrival, Artaxerxes summited a hill, closely followed by his royal guard, and found a shocking sight. Rather than the expected sleepy Bactrian camp, unsuspecting of an imminent assault, he saw organized columns of men stretched out in the dry rolling highlands.
The sound of bronze horns echoed through the Bactrian troop formations, followed by the Bactrians shifting their formations towards the horseman that just summited a hill. The impressive sight didn't faze Artaxerxes for long before rearing his horse on its hind legs and swiftly turning around, shouting, "To battle formations! Get the men to the hilltop! To battle formations!"
Hearing this from their King, the generals and aides didn't hesitate and rallied their men to switch from marching formations and to be ready for battle, shortly after they began to hastily send an advanced force made up of light infantry to charge up the hill.
"Move men!"
"Faster! Don't let those Bactrian dogs get the high ground!"
Shouted the officers of the advancing light infantry. Parallel to the advancing Persians, the Bactrians were charging up the slope of the hill, Sending ahead an infantry detachment.
"Where is our cavalry?" Artaxerxes asked one of his generals with urgency. "They're at our far left and right flank sir, guarding against any possible ambushes. It will take some time for us to contact them!"
Hearing this, Artaxerxes could only turn to his royal guard, a detachment of mounted Immortals that thanks to the stirrup, had become the elite of the Persian cavalry force. Most of his Immortals were still maintained as elite infantry, however, he did have 2,000 mounted Immortals immediately at his disposal.
Yelling to Themistocles over the den of ongoing battle at the hilltop, Artaxerxes said, "Ready my Immortals! We sally out to the hilltop to support our light infantry, we can't allow the Bactrians to gain the high ground!" Not waiting for a response, Artaxerxes charged his trusty steed up the hillside and unsheathed his saber.
Themistocles, taken aback by his Kings swift departure, turned around and raised his blade to the onlooking Immortal cavalry force, "To the King! Show these Bactrian scum the full might of the Persian spear!"
"Ooooo!" Roaring in pride, the Immortal cavalry surged like a tide up the hilltop to reinforce their King.
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Artaxerxes having swiftly made his way up the hill, rode his horse through the mob of Persian light infantry who were currently contesting the hilltop alongside their Bactrian advisories. It didn't take long for the men to take notice of a splendidly dressed young man riding through the ranks.
"Is that the King?" One infantryman asked his companion, who responded, "Don't be a fool, why would the King risk his life in the front."
However, the men's doubts were soon swept aside after seeing the Imperial Shahbaz crescent the hilltop, below it was masses of Immortal cavalry. Noticing the Kings personal guard tailing the young man, any doubts of his standing were swept aside as a zealous fervor overtook the Persians.
"It's the King!"
"For the King!"
"The King advances with us, brothers!"
With these envigorating shouts, the previously static Persian advances morphed into a full front charge, discarding risk and personal safety. Noticing the effect he had on the tide of the battle, Artaxerxes let out a grin and rode through the tide of advancing Perisans.
It wasn't long before he broke through the tide of Persians and saw the beleaguered Bactrians, caught off guard by the sudden increase of moral by the Persian forces. Bucking his horse over the wicker shields of the Bactrian front line, Artaxerxes swung his saber with master expertise and decapitated 5 Bactrians with a single swing.
Disrupting the Bactrian front and breaking a whole in their formation, the Immortals soon took this advantage and penetrated through the exposed Bactrian front line. Like a hot knife through butter, The advancing Bactrian force crumbled under the combined pressure of the Immortals and Persian zealous might.
As the Bactrians began to pull back from the hill, Artaxerxes thought, 'With this, we have the high ground and the momentum.'
Swiping the blood of his saber against his steed, Artaxerxes was about to turn around and confide with his advisors on how they should proceed. That was until he heard shouts from the men around him, "Incoming! Chariots are incoming!"
Surveying the slope of the hill behind him, it seemed that rather on giving up on the hill, Hystaspes was set on securing his first victory, sending his chariots up the hill.
Taken aback by this risky move from Hystaspes, Artaxerxes watched as the Chariots quickly moved up the hill, some overturning after running into corpses of the fallen.
"Ready yourselves men! Ahuramazda plans to test our resolve!" Artaxerxes shouted, his words echoing throughout the battlefield. The men on the hilltop, though depleted, resolved themselves and got into a shield wall formation, ready to fight to the last.
'We must hold till reinforcement arrives!' Artaxerxes thought.