That day, the Persians were not idle either.
After his successful raids, Artaozus returned to camp and proudly showed off his exploits to Ariaeus. He then proposed that Ariaeus place all the horse archers and archers under his command, and he would crush the Greeks in one fell swoop.
Ariaeus first congratulated him, then began making excuses to put Artaozus off. After all, after the battle against the Persian King, the remnants of Cyrus the Younger's army that he had managed to gather numbered just over seven thousand. If he acted on Artaozus's suggestion, Ariaeus would be left with only three thousand men. As the nominal commander of this army, how could he command the whole force if his own troops numbered fewer than his subordinate's? Besides, a Persian army without archers was no Persian army at all. So the cautious and stingy Ariaeus disapproved of this gamble-like tactic.
Seeing Ariaeus's refusal, Artaozus flew into a rage. He believed Ariaeus was jealous of him and did not want to see him succeed.
So, in a fit of anger, he went directly to Tissaphernes's camp.
…
"If you are given enough horse archers and archers, you can defeat the Greeks?!" Tissaphernes asked skeptically.
"Your Excellency the Satrap, because of Cyrus the Younger, I have had contact with the Greek mercenaries many times and understand the situation of their army. Most of their soldiers are heavy infantry, clumsy in movement. As long as one does not engage them in close combat, they can exert no strength at all. Moreover, they have very few archers, completely no match for us. Therefore, when I led only four hundred cavalry and archers to attack them, I caused about five hundred Greek casualties (clearly an exaggerated claim) without losing a single soldier. If we hadn't run out of arrows, the Greek casualties would have been greater!" Artaozus said respectfully. "Thus, I wish to increase the number of horse archers and archers, intensify the long-range strikes against the Greeks, and increase their losses, hoping to crush these Greek barbarians early for you and His Majesty!"
Then he changed his tone: "But Ariaeus rejected my proposal, so I had to come to you, my lord!"
Tissaphernes did not answer directly. Instead, he said with a pained expression: "I am deeply saddened and shocked by Mitradates' death!"
"At the same time, his death may have given the Greeks, who have lost their leader, confidence!" Tissaphernes's expression turned somber. "I heard that the Spartan ephor Cheirisophus has become the new leader of this army. Is that true?"
"Yes, my lord. That is what the Greek soldiers who fled over said," Artaozus replied.
"We must not allow him to take command of this Greek army smoothly and gain prestige!" Tissaphernes said in a cold, firm tone. "We must keep attacking them, make them flee ceaselessly, weeping in death, wailing in hunger! Artaozus, since your method works, continue using it to strike the Greeks! I will give you two thousand archers and five hundred horse archers. As for Ariaeus—"
Tissaphernes turned to Sistes, who was standing nearby, and said: "I must trouble you to go there first. Since Ariaeus dares not fight the Greeks, let him hand over his soldiers to someone capable! Otherwise, I wouldn't mind discussing with him what he did during Cyrus the Younger's rebellion!"
Sistes smiled nonchalantly: "My lord, do not be so angry. I believe Ariaeus is a sensible man."
"He had better be!" A cold glint flashed in Tissaphernes's eyes.
"Thank you for your trust, my lord. I will bring you news of victory!" Artaozus exclaimed excitedly.
"When you achieve victory, you will become my adjutant," Tissaphernes promised.
Watching Artaozus leave the tent cheerfully with Sistes, Orontas said with some concern: "Can this Artaozus really succeed?"
"Since he has already achieved one perfect victory, why can't he have a second? I am willing to gamble if it means disposing of the Greeks in one fell swoop!" Tissaphernes said firmly.
"I didn't expect the Spartan ephor to be in this mercenary army! It seems Cyrus the Younger's rebellion must have been supported by the Spartans!" Orontas said bitterly. As King Artaxerxes's son-in-law, he naturally remained vigilant against anyone who might be a confederate of Cyrus the Younger.
"The Greeks have hated us for decades. Back then, I opposed funding Sparta against Athens, but unfortunately King Darius was deceived by Cyrus the Younger, dismissed me from my post, gave Cyrus the Younger authority, and supported Sparta!" Tissaphernes said resentfully. "And what was the result? Sparta supported Cyrus the Younger's rebellion to profit from it! We should have let Sparta and Athens continue their war instead of helping Sparta win—that would have served our Persian interests!"
"You are right, Tissaphernes! Once matters here are concluded, I will certainly advise His Majesty to reconsider our relationship with Sparta."
"Yes, that is why I want to finish off these Greeks quickly. Artaozus will bring us good news. He will!"
That evening, the leaders gathered once again in the council tent.
"The slinger company now has one sling per man. After a day of intensive training, they have become proficient and are ready to fight!" Cleanho reported to everyone. Since his unit had acted as the rearguard and suffered the most casualties in the previous day's battle, this newly formed company was temporarily under his command at his strong insistence.
Then Davos also reported: "The cavalry is also ready for battle." Since most of the cavalry came from his camp and he was on the flank, the cavalry was temporarily under his authority.
Davos's report was brief. After watching a day of cavalry training, he had roughly understood the era's cavalry tactics: ramming with horses, thrusting with spears, throwing javelins, and shooting arrows. Without stirrups, they dared not gallop at full speed or exert their full strength in combat, lest they easily fall off.
The newly formed cavalry were equipped with only one weapon—the thrusting spear—so their best attack method was to pursue fleeing enemies.
At this point, Cheirisophus said: "Gentlemen, today I took the guide and went out of the camp to reconnoiter the route we must march tomorrow and the surrounding terrain—"
"That was too dangerous! Persian scouts are roaming around our camp now. If you had run into them, it would have been trouble!" Timasion exclaimed.
"I took precautions, and with Zeus's protection, I did not encounter them," Cheirisophus nodded to Timasion, thanking him for his concern. "Instead, I made an important discovery."
"What important discovery?!" Cleanho asked urgently.
"I found that about four li ahead, there are several high mountains, and only one gorge can pass through, otherwise we would have to take a very long detour," Cheirisophus said, using a wooden stick to draw on the ground. "This gorge is wide enough for about twenty men to pass through side by side."
"You mean... you are worried that the Persians will attack us while we pass through the gorge?" Xanthiparis asked worriedly.
"That is indeed a problem. But it can be solved. We could set out before dawn and pass through the gorge. The Persians will never expect it," Xenophon suggested, having a flash of inspiration.
"That is a good idea! The Persians are afraid of the dark, especially their cavalry—they can't see the road beneath them in the dark and can easily fall off their horses. So back when Cyrus the Younger was alive and we marched with the Persians, they always waited until full daylight to leave camp. And the day before yesterday, Mitradates only caught up with us long after dawn. If tomorrow is the same, we will have passed through the gorge long before they come," Cleanho said in agreement. The others also voiced their assent, then turned their gaze to Cheirisophus, who had the final say.
Cheirisophus swept his eyes across the group and said in a deep voice: "Gentlemen, I have a plan. Since the Persians are pressing us hard, we can use this gorge to strike back at them!"
Their Own Plans