The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe
Chapter 54 Crossing the River (Part 3)

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Crossing the River (Part 3)

As the mercenaries reached the center of the Centrites River , the water depth was exactly as Chirisophus had described—only up to their waists. This reassurance calmed the soldiers, who had been nervous about the crossing. Their earlier anxiety gave way to confidence, and their pace quickened as they moved steadily toward the far bank.

Meanwhile, the Persian army, stationed some distance from the riverbank, was scrambling to respond. The rocky terrain along the shore slowed their movements, and their formations became disordered. To make matters worse for the Persians, the mercenaries’ slingers positioned at the rear launched a relentless barrage, taking full advantage of their superior range to disrupt the enemy. This added to the chaos, and by the time the Persian troops reached the riverbank, they were already in disarray.

The Persian archers barely managed to release two volleys of arrows before the Greek mercenaries surged onto the shore.

Orontes, the Armenian satrap, was watching from a vantage point. Known for his indulgent lifestyle, he spent more time drinking wine and entertaining dancers in his tent than preparing for battle. His lack of reconnaissance and understanding of the battlefield now became painfully evident. Seeing the mercenaries cross the river with such speed and ferocity, he froze, overwhelmed by panic.

Fortunately for him, his adjutant maintained his composure and immediately ordered the infantry forward to block the mercenaries’ advance.

When the first ranks of mercenaries reached the shore, they encountered a line of jagged rocks along the riverbank. This forced them to slow their pace, giving the Persian infantry a brief window to regroup. Persian soldiers surged forward, forming a dense tide that encircled the mercenaries who had landed.

The mercenaries, however, were unfazed. Close combat was their domain. Holding their round shields tightly in their left hands, they protected themselves and their comrades. With their right hands, they thrust their spears over the tops of their shields, aiming for their enemies with precision and force. Soldiers in the rear ranks extended their spears to support those in front, both defending their comrades and intimidating the enemy.

Those further back in the formation were no less active. Though they could not directly engage in the fighting, they pushed relentlessly against the soldiers in front, driving the entire phalanx forward in an effort to break through the enemy line.

The Carduchians , a fierce and warlike tribe enlisted by the Persians, stood directly in the path of the Greek mercenaries’ assault. They fought back with remarkable tenacity, refusing to give ground. The Persians’ numerical superiority and elevated position blunted the impact of the Greek hoplites’ initial charge, creating a stalemate.

From behind the Persian infantry, archers and mounted bowmen unleashed a relentless rain of arrows, countering the Greek slingers and archers. The two sides were locked in a brutal struggle, with neither willing to concede.

The battle for the northern bank of the Centrites River quickly became a desperate, bloody melee. For the Greek mercenaries, victory would mean stepping onto Armenian soil, securing a path to safety, and the freedom to plunder. For Orontes and his Armenian forces, defeat would bring devastation to their homeland. Both sides fought with unrelenting determination, knowing that failure meant annihilation.

For the mercenaries still in the river, the situation was even more precarious. The icy water of early winter sapped their strength with every passing moment. Persian arrows rained down on them, many finding their mark. The soldiers had to keep their shields raised to protect themselves while simultaneously resisting the river’s current to avoid being swept away.

Juleios, positioned near the rear of the Greek formation, witnessed a soldier slip and fall in the river. As comrades rushed to help, they were exposed and struck by Persian arrows. One soldier, weighed down by his armor, fell into the water. Though his wounds were not serious, his heavy equipment made it nearly impossible for him to rise. The current carried him away, his desperate struggles growing weaker until he disappeared from sight.

Frustration and concern filled Juleios’s heart. "Where are the Spartan warriors?" he thought anxiously. Their absence weighed heavily on him as the mercenaries fought to hold their ground.

On a large rock overlooking the battlefield, Orontes had regained some composure as the fight seemed to settle into a grim balance. Watching the Centrites River , where some mercenaries were being swept downstream, his spirits lifted. He began to hope that the river’s current, combined with his forces’ resistance, might turn the tide of the battle in his favor.

Of course, Orontes paid no attention to the fact that his own soldiers were also falling in large numbers.

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted from the right flank of the Persian formation.

"What is Artucas doing now?" Orontes muttered irritably, turning to look. What he saw stunned him. On the far right flank, the light infantry and mounted bowmen were fleeing in panic. Behind them, a small but disciplined force of Greek soldiers was advancing, their thin infantry line driving the routed troops toward the center of the Persian formation.

"Greeks! Greeks!! Quickly! Quickly!..." Orontes shouted in panic, his voice breaking.

The adjutant hurriedly led the satrap’s personal guard to intercept the fleeing troops, hoping to stabilize the situation. However, the Greek soldiers pursuing the routed Persians were unlike ordinary hoplites. They moved with startling speed and brutal efficiency.

With a single swing of their shields, they knocked fleeing soldiers unconscious. With a single thrust of their spears, they brought others down. They were killing machines, spreading terror among the Persians, who fled as if pursued by demons.

The satrap’s guard, swept up in the panic, was unable to halt the chaos. In moments, the Persian right and center formations were in shambles.

At the same time, the mercenaries on the riverbank broke through the Carduchians’ faltering ranks with ease. As the Persian lines crumbled, the Greeks unleashed a devastating slaughter.

The Spartan warriors, renowned for their discipline and tactical prowess, executed their part of the plan flawlessly. Herding the panicked Persian soldiers toward the riverbank, they created a bottleneck of chaos. Most of the fleeing soldiers, too disoriented to recognize their surroundings, blindly followed the crowd. When they finally saw the wide expanse of the Centrites River ahead, despair overcame them. Many broke down, crying and wailing.

The satrap’s personal guard managed to escort Orontes to safety. However, when he looked around and saw that of his original force of over 20,000 soldiers, only a few hundred remained, Orontes broke down and wept. He knew that he no longer had the strength to stop the Greek mercenaries from advancing into Armenia.

The Greek mercenary leaders were elated. Faced with a large number of surrendering Persian soldiers, they acted quickly. Soldiers from other Armenian tribes, such as the Carduchians, were released as a gesture of goodwill. However, when it came to the Persians, the leaders, including Juleios, made a unanimous decision: slaughter.

Greek hoplites, in their tight phalanx formation, ignored the desperate pleas of the disarmed Persian soldiers. Using their shields and spears, they drove them into the Centrites River. Chaos erupted as soldiers fell into the water, dragging others down with them in a frantic struggle for survival. The river became a deathtrap, and soon its surface was densely covered with corpses.

Juleios, watching the carnage, sighed deeply. Turning his gaze away, he looked toward the far bank. The Carduchians were nowhere to be seen, clearly frightened into retreat by the Persians’ catastrophic defeat.

The mercenaries’ rear guard and baggage train crossed the river without difficulty. The entire army, led by their commanders, occupied Orontes’ abandoned camp, which was filled with supplies and provisions left behind by the fleeing Persians.

After offering sacrifices to Zeus and Oceanus, the mercenaries celebrated their hard-won victory with revelry.

Everyone knew that after defeating Orontes , nothing in Armenia could stop their advance. Confidence in returning to Greece burned brightly in the hearts of the mercenaries.