Clearchus examined the enemy's obviously thicker phalanx formation in the center and the enemy's left wing, which is slightly longer than his own. Although he has always supported Cyrus the Younger, this does not imply that he will obey. So, he bluntly refused, "Your Highness, I think that we should first defeat the enemy's left wing and attack the enemy's center, which is more reliable."
"I know Artaxerxes, the Persian army, and your Greek phalanx! Believe me, my friend, your army will easily defeat Artaxerxes' central army! "If Artaxerxes is defeated, then no matter how many troops he has, they will be useless!" said Cyrus the Younger.
Clearchus stubbornly shook his head: "Sorry, Your Highness!" "I won't expose the flanks of my phalanx to the enemy army!"
Cyrus the Younger frowned and glared at Clearchus, but there was no time for him to organize his words to persuade the other side. As for forcing the order, the other side is a mercenary, not his subordinate.
"Alright, we'll do as you say!" Cyrus the Younger turned his horse around, pulled the reins, and galloped back.
…
When the two armies were about 500 meters apart, the Greek soldiers began to sing the hymn of Ares and marched forward.
By the time the hymn was finished, the distance was less than 200 meters.
"Ares!!!" The soldiers shouted in unison and began to jog, and the faster they ran, the faster they ran: "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The footsteps of the tens of thousands of Greek hoplites were like the rolling thunder of energy gathering and cutting through the night with lightning!
The Persians on the other side seemed to be completely frightened by the overwhelming torrent of steel in front of them. As the Greek army got closer, except for a few carriages that directly rushed into the Greek army, accompanied by screams, twisting up limbs, and finally disappearing into silence, the others forgot to shoot arrows and erect shields due to their fear.
When the two armies were still more than ten meters apart, the Persians broke down and turned to flee.
The Greeks did not expect victory to come so quickly, and they, who had not yet vented their energy, pursued the enemy even harder.
At first, a squad leader like Hielos repeatedly reminded his teammates, "Stay in formation; don't run too fast!" "Stay in formation."
In the end, the team completely dispersed, and all the Greeks were excited about the pursuit.
…
Cyrus the Younger in the middle didn't expect the victory of the right-wing to come so quickly, and he was a bit stunned for a while.
"Long live King Cyrus!" The attendants had already begun to wave their spears and shout their victory.
"Your Highness, should we follow them?" Artapates asked him.
He shook his head and looked to his left.
He knew very well that only by killing that person could he obtain the supreme crown.
"Send the order!" "Have the left wing of Ariaeus stop moving forward and prepare for defense!" Cyrus the Younger immediately gave the order. He knew very well that the most powerful troops on his side were the Greek mercenaries. Since the Greeks have repelled the enemy's left wing, there is no need for him to rush to let the left wing, which has obviously fewer troops than the enemy, go head-on with the enemy's right wing. In the event of a quick defeat, this battle will be troublesome. It's better to delay as much as possible and wait for the Greek mercenaries who are chasing the defeated army to return; then victory is guaranteed.
However, as he patiently waited for the enemy to come closer, the middle of the enemy stopped moving forward.
Soon, his expression changed.
Because the center of the enemy began to split into two parts and the left side turned around,
"Not good! They want to attack the Greeks! Artapates shouted.
If the heavily armored Greek infantry, who were scattered due to their pursuit of the defeated troops, were attacked from the rear by the enemy, they would likely fall into chaos and the situation would be reversed.
"Artaxerxes, how dare you change your formation on the battlefield?" "Do you think that I don't have enough cavalry and don't dare to take the initiative to attack?" Cyrus the Younger sneered and made a quick decision in his heart. He raised his spear and pointed it forward, saying, "Order the right wing to speed up!" Cavalry, follow me! "
"Your Highness, please put on your helmet!" The attendant hurriedly handed over his helmet, and Cyrus the Younger had already ridden out, and the attendants on his left and right had hurriedly caught up and quickly guarded him in the center.
More than 800 cavalries formed a wedge formation and flew straight to the center of the Persian king.
Artaxerxes, the Persian army's commander, didn't expect Cyrus the Younger to dare to attack at this time, so he hurriedly mobilized his cavalry to meet the attack. However, at this moment, the troops were changing their formation, and the rotating infantry formation blocked the passage of the cavalry. It wasn't easy for them to squeeze out a thousand cavalry from between the gaps of the formation, and the fast-moving Cyrus the Younger was already in front of them.
With the shouting of men and the neighing of horses, the Persian cavalry's hastily assembled defensive line was instantly torn apart.
Then, the cavalry of Cyrus the Younger plunged into the backs of the centurions of the Persian king like a sharp knife.
Cyrus the Younger was brave and fierce and had once hunted a black bear alone. Birds of a feather flock together, and his cavalry and followers were also brave warriors. In the face of their enemies, they didn't even waste their spears (because there were no stirrups at that time, and when the advancing cavalry stab the enemy, they must immediately let go, otherwise they will be pushed down by the counterforce), and used the horsepower of a high-speed charge to break into the formation and crush the enemy.
The Persian infantry, who were already affected by the defeat of the left-wing, suddenly suffered a heavy blow and began to flee, while the cavalry of Cyrus the Younger took advantage of the situation to pursue them. Cyrus the Younger, however, could still see the Persian king's carriage in the dust and fog. It turned out that the main force on the left side of the Persian central army was defeated and formed a big gap, which naturally exposed the Persian king from the rear to the front.
"To the left!" Cyrus the Younger was so enthralled that he waved his spear and went around the right wing of the Persian Middle Corps that had come to his aid before stabbing diagonally into the Persian Queen's army. Dozens of cavalry followed.
"Hurry up and get into formation! Protect the king! Artages, the strategos of the Persian king, shouted while the dozens of cavalrymen around him rushed forward.
In the face of the swarming enemy cavalry, Cyrus the Younger was not afraid at all. He pulled out his Greek army knife and clamped his legs on the belly of the horse. He waited for the right moment, and with the spear in his right hand, he knocked away the spear that Artages had fiercely stabbed, and with the sword in his left hand, he did not need to exert any strength. When the two horses crossed each other, Artages' neck was naturally cut by the Greek army knife.
Cyrus the Younger killed several people with his superb skill and horsemanship. Soon, his cavalry caught up and blocked the other enemy cavalry for him. Between him and Artaxerxes, the Persian king, there was only the circle of royal guards around the carriage, and he could even clearly see his brother's frightened face.
Thinking of his imprisonment and the fact that he occupied the throne that should have been his (this was just the imagination of Cyrus the Younger, and the old Persian king had never thought of passing the throne to him), a flame of anger burned in his chest. "Artaxerxes!" He roared and threw the spear in his hand with all his might. Amid his shouting, the spear passed through the gap between the royal guards like lightning and hit the Persian king in the chest.
The Persian king screamed and fell into the carriage.
When the Persian king fell, there was chaos in front of him. His anger was finally vented, and he laughed wantonly as if the Persian crown was already in his hands, but he didn't hear the cavalry behind him shouting urgently, "Be careful Your Highness! Be careful!…"
The laughter stopped. A javelin flew out of the chaotic crowd and pierced his eye.
Without saying a word, he immediately fell off the horse.