The Decapitation Operation

He briefly outlined his plan, and Philistos stared at him in astonishment.

“Can it work?!” Davos urged.

Philistos hurriedly considered it carefully, then hesitated: “...It should work, but success isn’t guaranteed.”

“No plan is ever one hundred percent certain, but if you don’t try, you won’t even have a chance!” Davos decisively summoned Heilos’s guard unit and explained his plan in detail. Trusting Davos, they agreed to the risky scheme without hesitation.

But then Davos added at the end: “I’m going with you this time!”

“No! Davos, you’re a leader, you can’t take this risk!” Philistos immediately objected.

“It’s only a hundred meters round trip—a blink of an eye and we’ll be back. What danger is there? Besides, I’m the God-Touched One, under the protection of Hades. If I die, doesn’t that prove this ‘God-Touched One’ isn’t so reliable after all?” Davos said with a determined, carefree smile, then pointed to Heilos and the others. “You are my brothers. Now, I’m joining this assault as a member of Heilos’s squad!” That silenced any attempt they might have made to dissuade him.

“Good—let us brothers live and die together!” Matonis shouted excitedly.

“Right! Let the others see the courage of Thessalian warriors!” Olivus, who had been silent until now, also yelled with fervor.

Just then, a messenger hurried over: “Mitradates has ridden around to Timasion’s flank and is calling out. Only three soldiers surrendered to the Persians!” That was Clearchus’s command ability—his influence still held his soldiers even after his death.

“Mitradates is coming soon! There’s no time to waste! Philistos, take command here for me!” Davos urged.

“Alright,” Philistos agreed reluctantly.

“Asiastes, go at once and inform all the company commanders to be ready…”

“Understood!” Asiastes said excitedly.

“Heilos squad, follow me to the front!”

“Roooar!!!” They all let out a great shout, drawing curious glances from the other soldiers.

…

“Report, Ephor. Mitradates has moved around to Davos’s unit.”

After hearing Tolmides’s report, Cheirisophus couldn’t help but look back over his own flank.

Even the units commanded by respected leaders like Cleanho and Timasion had seen defections. Could this inexperienced young man keep his soldiers steady? Cheirisophus was filled with worry.

“Tolmides, go to Timasion at once and tell him to send out Cretan archers to support the attack on Mitradates.” He finally made his decision.

“Yes!” Tolmides immediately wheeled his horse and rode back.

Young man, hold on!

Davos, now wearing an ordinary helmet, stood in the front rank with Heilos’s squad. The javelins behind them were hidden below shoulder level. Like the other soldiers, they faced west, alert and tense, watching the rear of the formation.

Suddenly, someone squeezed in beside him. Before Davos could turn to see who it was, Asiastes said: “Leader, I’ve delivered your orders to all the company commanders. I am your herald. Now let me fight alongside you!” Asiastes made his solemn request.

Davos nodded.

“Leader, here they come!” Heilos warned in a low voice.

The sound of hoofbeats came from behind, growing clearer…

Soon, thirty light cavalry appeared before them. The man at the front wore gleaming scale armor that reached his knees—that had to be Mitradates.

Davos opened his eyes wide and tightened his grip on his bronze shield.

“Damned cowards,” Matonis muttered under his breath.

“Warriors of Greece, I am Mitradates, a good friend of Cyrus the Younger!” Mitradates reined in his horse about two hundred meters diagonally ahead of Davos and shouted loudly. Each time he shouted, his cavalry repeated the words in Greek in unison.

“And I am also a good friend of Menon! I have always been friendly to you Greeks, especially you, Menon’s soldiers. I have visited your camp many times! Trust me—Clearchus was punished for breaking the agreement, but you were not. The peace agreement is still valid for you! Come, come over to our side! I swear by my family’s patron deity, Bahram, the god of war! I bear you no ill will. We will escort you safely back to Asia Minor! Moreover, Satrap Tissaphernes is prepared to hire you again, because Asia Minor has not yet been pacified. He needs your help, and he has prepared ample rewards for it…”

“A honey-tongued Persian—don’t think we’ll fall for it!” Asiastes spat.

Then Davos said quietly: “Get ready—begin!”

Heilos’s squad immediately started shouting: “Is it true we can go home?”

“You really won’t harm us?”

“How much pay is Tissaphernes offering to hire us?”

After a brief commotion, they shouted in unison: “We surrender! Surrender!…” And with that, they dropped their shields and spears and ran toward Mitradates.

“We surrender too!” Another heavy infantry squad near Heilos’s squad also threw down their weapons and followed close behind, soon mingling with Heilos’s men.

“General, look! Quite a few are surrendering this time!” one cavalryman said happily to Mitradates.

“Of course! Who else has the best relations with Ariaeus but Menon? I think we can keep calling out here!” Mitradates said smugly. Having achieved such a result with just one round of shouting, his confidence soared.

Davos ran while keeping a sharp eye on the movements of Mitradates’s cavalry. Just then, two Persian horsemen rode toward him, making his heart tighten.

“Go right! Go right!…” they shouted in fluent Greek while gesturing, turning their horses to lead the way, signaling for them to follow.

“Ignore them! Speed up!” Davos urged in a low, urgent voice.

The Greek soldiers, disobeying orders, suddenly quickened their pace and ran straight toward Mitradates’s position, which confused him.

At that moment, a cavalryman beside him shouted in alarm: “No good! They… they have javelins on their backs!”

He could see clearly because the distance to the Greek soldiers had closed to about thirty meters.

“Ready!!!” Heilos shouted. The squad members quickly drew the javelins from their backs and took long strides forward.

“Damn it!!” Mitradates yanked his reins and dug in his spurs, trying to wheel his horse and retreat.

But it was too late. Matonis and the others hurled their javelins with all their might, some even stumbling forward from the powerful momentum.

Amid the panicked cries of the Persian cavalry, ten javelins flew at Mitradates together. He had no chance to dodge. Several struck him, and his horse, pierced through the neck, collapsed with a whinny, taking him down with it.

While the Persian cavalry was in chaos, Heilos’s squad scrambled to their feet and threw a second volley of javelins. Two more cavalrymen tumbled from their saddles.

Antonios, watching closely from the front, shouted excitedly: “They did it! They succeeded!!”

A cheer erupted from the soldiers.

“Hurry up and support Leader Davos!” Capus called out coolly.

Just as the two squads were about to withdraw, Mitradates, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly stirred. He struggled to pull his right leg free from under his horse. Obviously, his thick armor had protected his vital points.

Now he was only twenty meters away, and the fleeing Persian cavalry were watching from a short distance. Time was critical. Davos didn’t hesitate. “Kill him!!” He charged forward first.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the soldiers followed him, grabbing javelins and spears from the ground as they ran.

Matonis hurled one with force and brought down a Persian cavalryman trying to come to Mitradates’s aid, scaring the remaining riders into fleeing again.

Mitradates lifted his dust-covered face, swaying. He looked up at the approaching Davos and gave a grim smile, revealing a blood-filled mouth: “…You… won’t escape…”

Davos said nothing. He drove his spear tip straight into Mitradates’s neck.