The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia – A Baktrian AAR

[Apraxiteles]

The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia



Introduction

The rise of the Hellenes in Asia seems an unlikely thing with hindsight. That Megas Alexandros was able to conquer is way all the way from Hellas to India is truly an amazing feat. But that after his death, and all the wars between his successors, it would be the Hellenes who had settled in the furthest reaches of his conquests who would create the greatest Hellenistic empire of them all seems impossible. With endless hordes of nomadic horsemen to the North, the powerful armies of India with their many elephants to the South, and seemingly much more powerful and and secure Hellenistic kingdoms to the west.

Yet in spite of all these challenges, it was the Greeks who settled in Baktria (modern Boukephelia) and India who would be the most successful in the end. One has to wonder, offhand, why it was they who rose to prominence, and indeed, how they survived at all. The answer, it seems, is pride. All peoples are naturally proud of their heritage, but the Hellenes even more-so than seems normal. This is perhaps their greatest blessing, and their greatest curse. It is pride that allowed them to conquer nearly all of the known world, and it was this same pride that led most of their kingdoms in the east to failure. The mutual pride and animosity between the Hellenes and the Asians made it difficult to maintain order. If both the rulers and their subjects of a kingdom refuse to respect each other, then there can be no peace or order. The kingdom continue cannot exist at all.

Megas Alexandros was wise enough to understand this, and so he tried to merge East and West together in a way that all could become equally proud, and for this, he was murdered by his own people. Today he is revered by many as an angelos of Epiphanaios Soter, the enlightened savior, for it was through his life that he freed the people of the East from slavery, and it is through his death that the Hellenes were taught humility. This is perhaps a romantic claim about a man who, from all accounts, was all too human, despite his own claims to the contrary.

His successors made token efforts to legitimize themselves to their people, but none of them, other than maybe the early Seleukid kings, seemed to truly believe in Alexandros' dream. So why was it, that in the most distant regions of his conquest, his dream of a Brotherhood of Man was finally realized? Most likely, it was out of necessity. The Arche Boukephelia herself would not have come into existence had the Arche Seleukeia not already been failing. No matter how much authority a ruler claims, or where he claims it comes from, if he is not able to assert it, then he has already lost the right to it. This is related to a concept which the Sinai call the "Accordance of Olympos". Those whom deserve to rule shall, and those who do not, will eventually always fail.

Had Hellenes of the East and their Asian subjects not truly attempted to unite, it seems unlikely that they would have survived for long. Without the support of their people, the Hellenes would have been replaced by yet another wave of conquerors, likely some tribe of nomads from the North, and without the Hellenes, the Asians who they ruled over likely would have continued on as nothing more than uneducated slaves to the next group of conquerors.

But the calls of necessity are not always heeded, and when they are, they are often done so halfheartedly. Indeed, even the family that would eventually lead the Eastern Hellenes to follow the dream of Alexandros began it's story in the East as a prideful and foolish one. As much as they, the Boukephelaioi, are revered today, their earliest history is one that is mired in conspiracy and betrayal. It is how they rose above their situation, and brought their people with them that is the subject of this history.

to be continued…

–
Credit goes to the EB team for the banner image, found unused in the depths of the Data folder.

[Vasiliyi]

Interested. Ill be following this. I liked the "quick" history lesson in the intro. Good work.

[Reality=Chaos]

very interested... a baktrian AAR.. NICE ! I will be following this...

[NickTheGreek]

Indeed, I too will be following this

[MerlinusCDXX]

I will also be following this. I like Eastern and Nomadic AARs, I think the East doesn't get enough AAR attention. Good start BTW.

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

Of Krateros and the Eastern Satraps

This history of the Arche Boukephelia begins in the fifty-first year after the death of Megas Alexandros. The first year of the 127th Olympiad by the account in Hellas[272 BC]. It is several decades before the Boukephelian dynasty's founding. At that time, Pyrrhos of Epeiros was campaigning in Hellas, and Antiochos (I) Soter, King or the Arche Seleukeia, was in the midst of fighting a bloody war in Syria with Ptolemaios (II) Philadelphos of Aigyptos. Further to the west, the Karchedonioi and the Romaioi were struggling for superiority. Far away from the action of the Mediterranean Sea, distant Baktria was the furthest of Alexandros' conquests still in the hands of the Greeks. At the time, it was a semi-autonomous satrapy on the eastern edge of the Arche Seleukeia. The satrap of the region at the time, Theodotos (Diodotos I), was seeking greater autonomy for the region in order (he claimed) to better protect the region from the ever increasing Skythian raids from the North.



It was on the pretext of aiding the defense of the region, that Krateros the Bull-headed was sent there. Little is known of the life of Krateros before he came to Baktria. He came from a lesser pure-blooded Makedonian noble family, and it is known that his father served with Seleukos (I) Nikator in Megas Alexandros' elite Hypispastai, but he never seems to have risen to any prominence. It was because of Seleukos' relationship with his father that Krateros was appointed to be the captain of an elite unit of Peltastai Makedonikoi.

While never playing a decisive role in any of the battles in the wars of the Diodochi, he did perform well enough to maintain his position. He earned a reputation among his own men for his stubbornness, temper, and overall gruff nature, and it is because of this that he earned the nickname "Boukephelaios", the bull-headed. He seems to have taken to this characterization, and had his unit paint bull's heads on all their shields.



Nine years after Seleukos Nikator's death, his son, the new king, Antiochos Soter, was embroiled in the First Syrian War. Krateros and his peltastai were not involved at the time, however. They were under the command of Antiochos' first son, Seleukos (II), the satrap of Media, and Viceroy of the Upper Satrapies. It was on his orders that Krateros and his unit were sent to the far distant land of Baktria.



However, it seems that Seleukos (II) was more worried about treachery from Theodotos than any barbarians. Theodotos had been been making friendly overtures to the various lesser satraps in the region, even going so far as to marry his eldest daughter to Patrokles of Marakand, a the satrap of neighboring Sogdiana.

Seleukos, concerned of a conspiracy, and knowing that his father and younger brother were too wrapped up in the war against the Ptolemaioi to do anything to help should the eastern satrapies rebel, decided to send Krateros to keep an eye on Theodotos. Krateros had served the Seleukids for many years, and he always carried out his orders without complaint. However, it seems that he and his men were rather indignant at being sent to such a distant land for such a seemingly mundane political reason. That a trusted and loyal unit of elite troops was sent to the boondocks during a time of war seems to have infuriated Krateros.

It is odd that Seleukos (II) would send elite assault troops for the task. Some historians have posited that Seleukos planned to have Krateros assassinate Theodotos. Some have even suggested that he was suspicious of Krateros discovering his own treacherous activities and reporting them to his father, and decided to send him as far away as possible. Indeed, that may have been why he was serving under the young Seleukos in the first place, rather than serving in the Syrian War. But there is no proof either way. In any case, while he remained loyal to the Seleukid dynasty, he seems to have by this point become rather bitter and cynical about the politics of the Diodochi.



Regardless of whatever plans Seleukos (II) might have had, the eastern reaches of the Arche Seleukeia were thrown into chaos, not by the various internal conspiracies, but from events outside. Many years before, Seleukos (I) Nikator had fought a war with the great ruler of India, Sandrokottos. Seleukos lost, and was forced to cede to Sandrokottos all of his Indian territories, as well as Arachosia, Gedrosia, and Paropamisadae. After which, an alliance was made between the two, with Seleukos sending one of his daughters to cement the deal. Both kingdoms maintained good relationships for two generations.

During the spring of the year 51 after the death of Alexandros[272 BC], the same year that Krateros was sent to Baktria, the ruler of India, the son of Sandrokottos, Amitrochates, died, and India was thrown into chaos. Two of his sons, Sochimos and Piodasses entered into a bloody civil war over the throne. As a result, several of the western provinces of India, particularly those which had Greek settlers living in them, rebelled and declared their independence. These events were far from the minds of those living in Seleukid domains. And those governing the bordering satrapies expected that the situation would end without soon, without affecting them. After all, what better defense could the eastern and southern borders have than the great Caucasus? They were much more concerned with invading nomads from the north, and their own rebellious populations.

Seeing the weakness of the Seleukid kingdom's eastern domains, one of the new petty kingdoms decided to try and take advantage of this. Most of the Seleukid soldiers from the region had been sent to fight in the war against the Ptolemaioi in Syria. What few troops remained were mostly local levies concentrated on defending the northern border against the Scythians. The south-eastern border was, for the most part undefended. And so, just a few months after gaining independence, Iochibanes, a Persian noble who had become the new king of Paropamisadae, invaded the Seleukid satrapy of Baktria.



Theodotos immediately sent out riders to request reinforcements from Patrokles of Marakand and the neighboring satrapies, as well as a message to Seleukos in Media, informing him of the situation. It seemed unlikely, however, that any aid would arrive before Iochibanes' forces would reach the provincial capital of Baktra.

…to be continued

[EDIT: Added BC dates in brackets for additional clarity]

[Reality=Chaos]

woaw that was kinda dizzying... so many political ties in such a short time It will make for an interesting story line I'm sure Maybe you could put some BCE dates in it fo rthose fools like me who ar not very good at translating different dating systems

otherwise, I'm subscribed

[Horatius Flaccus]

Great start! Keep it up.

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

The First Battle of the Zariaspa

The city of Baktra (modern Megale Boukephela) had a strong natural defense. The many forks of the Zariaspa River made it impossible to approach from the south or east, and Iochibanes' forces, had to cross the river at least twice in order to reach the city. Rather than approach by the main road, he decided to march the shortest path through the less developed region south of the Zariaspa, which meant, ironically, that the invasion from the east would end up attacking from the west.



It is surprising that any first-hand accounts of the First Battle of the Zariaspa have survived to this day. It was by no means a large battle, and none of the commanders who fought in it would live long enough to write anything about it, if they would be inclined to do so anyway. However, the testament one of Krateros' soldiers, a man named Polynikes has remarkably survived.

Polynikes would eventually serve Krateros' son as his chief adviser, and after his retirement would eventually write his memoirs about his service during the wars of the Diodochi. Sadly most of his writings were lost in the great fire that destroyed the original library of the Akademia district of Baktra. A number of fragments remain, mostly covering the period after Krateros' arrived in Baktria, as well as the early campaigns of Krateros' son. It is from his testament the we must base most of our knowledge of much of the early history of the Boukephelaioi.

———

From the "Memoirs of Strategos Polynikes"

"When we finally arrived at Baktra after our long journey east, we found the city in chaos. I had thought that we would go to waste defending this distant land, but on arrival we found our services desperately needed. A small kingdom in the Indian Caucasus was actually launching an invasion on the satrapy. I wondered, had the might of our kingdom withered so much that even the petty mountain tribes at the ends of the Earth were willing to challenge us? Or perhaps this eastern barbarian king was simply an idiot. Personally, I preferred the thought of fighting some rag-tag army of hill-men to those Skythian nomads to the north.

Apparently we were not the reinforcements that Theodotos was expecting, but he welcomed us graciously anyway. The satrap of Sogdiana had marshaled the northern garrison, and was marching south as we spoke He would be arriving any day, but it looked like the invading army would reach the city in before him. The plan was simply to hold the city defenses until reinforcements arrived, with our men forming the core of the core of that defense.



This did not sit well with Krateros. He explained that our men were far more skilled in offense than defense. He suggested that if we were going to be doing the bulk of the anyway, that we might as well do it on the open field. I could see that Theodotos was pondering it intently. He looked at his map of the region, apparently trying to work out where we should meet the enemy were we to march out and meet them. After a moment, he pointed at a location on the map, the last ford that Iochibanes' troops would have to cross before they reached the city. This, he said, is where we would meet them, at the ford of the river Zariaspa.



We set out from the city that afternoon, accompanied only by Theodotos and his son, their elite cavalry echelon, and a small number of native archers who had been quickly levied in defense of their homeland. Before we left the city, he had all his men cast a prayer to Artemis at her great shrine here, built by the natives. We found this somewhat odd, Theodotos explained to Krateros that Artemis was the patron deity of both the Oxos river, of which the Zariaspa was a tributary, and of skill with the bow, and that we would need both on our side in order to win this battle.



We camped that night on the banks of the river. It was bright and clear the next morning when the enemy arrived. Theodotos had hoped that the morning fog which so often blankets the valley would aid us this day. But I doubt even the Oracle at Delphi in Hellas could accurately predict the weather. In terms of numbers, the odds were bad. There were less than three thousand of us against almost eight thousand barbarians. However, most of them were poorly equipped hill-men.



The plan, such as it was, was quite simple. Our archers would take up position on the bank, and fire arrows arrows dowsed in burning pitch at the men crossing the river. When they reached the shore, it was our job to charge and push them back. The cavalry was to be held in reserve, hidden in a small grove near the ford until the time was right.



I was surprised when Theodotos told us that he would be fighting with us in the front lines. He told Krateros that it was necessary in order to fool the enemy, and that it would bolster the troops' morale. His cavalry unit was placed under the command of his son. I must say that we were all impressed. None of our previous lords had ever seen fit to actually fight beside us before. He did stick out like a sore thumb though. I had never seen a more ornate or expensive looking suit of armor than my life, and I had seen Seleukos Nikator in full royal battle regalia. The opulence of the satrapy of Baktria was certainly not exaggerated.



The enemy archers took up position on the opposite shore, and missiles began flying across the river. Our archers held their flaming arrows in reserve, waiting for the enemy infantry to begin fording the river.



The enemy trrops formed a column, then began charging across the river. Our archer switched their arrows, and began firing on them.



As the first wave approached the shore, we banged our swords against our shield, and shouted taunts at the enemy, then, our unit charged.





Right behind the first group of infantry them was Iochibanes cavalry unit. He was seemed to be using the men in front of him as a screen to protect him from our arrows.



However, the first wave of infantry buckled in on itself at the sight of our charge, fleeing back across the river. Iochibanes, seeing this, broke off his charge as well. It seemed like the enemy might route right then and there, before we even had a chance to draw any blood.





I was amazed as Krateros and Theodotos both broke formation and charged ahead. I don't even know how they managed to run that fast in full armor through a river. They reached the retreating enemy long before we got there, and began slaying their foes like a scythe through wheat.





We were roughly halfway across the river, when Iochibanes blew his horn. Suddenly all his men stopped and turned to face us. This had apparently been his plan all along, to lure us into the water where our heavier armor would put us at a disadvantage.



A fierce melee ensued. I remember seeing Krateros stand his ground against one of the charging horses, and with a single swift stroke, slit its throat. Despite what might seem a disadvantage for us, using swords against horsemen, we cut them down in droves. Iochibanes own mount was soon slain from under him. He quickly recovered, and managed to retreat back behind his own men.



We continued pushing them back, despite their superior numbers, but we were beginning to lose men quickly as the enemy started to surround us. We managed to annihilate the enemy cavalry, but at that moment, we saw Theodotos go down. Krateros rushed to his side. I'll never forget the look of anguish on Krateros when, for the first time in his career, ordered us to retreat. Despite the troops closing in on us from all sides, Krateros still managed to somehow bear the wounded satrap out of harms way.



Seeing this Theodotos' son charged out of his position, abandoning any pretense of strategy as he rushed to aid us.



Faced with the thundering charge of the vengeful Diodotos, the enemy finally routed.



I'll never forget the sight of the Zariaspa river that day. How it ran red with the blood of friend and foe alike. How, at the end of the day, the flow was nearly choked off with corpses.



–––

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"



They had won an improbable victory. Out of nearly eight thousand enemy soldiers, it is estimated that only about four hundred had escaped, including Iochibanes himself. Theodotos managed to survive his wounds, although he became lamed as a result. He would never be able to fight on foot again.

Historians are puzzled to this day as to why he chose to head Krateros' advice and marched out to meet Iochibanes, and why he chose to fight on foot by Krateros' side. It seems likely that he was suspicious of Seleukos' (II) motives in sending Krateros, and thus was trying to win Krateros over. It also appears that Theodotos had grown to despise his son-in-law, Patrokles, who was marching to his aid. and was willing to do anything to avoid being in his debt.

Regardless, as a result of this, Krateros and Theodotos seem to have earned each other's respect, and friendship. As a result of his performance in the recent battle, Krateros became something of a local hero to the Hellenes of the region. In return for saving his life, Theodotos offered Krateros his youngest daughter, Melissa's, hand in marriage. Krateros, who's first wife had apparently died many years ago without bearing him any children, accepted, and they were wed soon after.



All of this would earn Krateros the ire of Theodotos' other son-in-law, Patrokles of Marakand, satrap of Sogdiana.

To be continued…

[johnhughthom]

Very nice, loving the screenshots.

[Vasiliyi]

The screenshots are indeed beautiful. Good story as well. I will be looking forward to more.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Hmm. "The Rise of the Ox-head Realm"... why does it remind me of "1.x AI Faction Progession thread" ?

[Roka]

this looks as if it will develop into a truly stunning AAR

tell me though, how did you get the peltasti makedonikes (sp?) as a bodyguard unit?

[Apraxiteles]

how did you get the peltasti makedonikes (sp?) as a bodyguard unit?

I did it through the descr_strat. I made Krateros Boukephelaios one of the starting FMs, and simply changed his personal bodyguard unit, the same way the starting Spartan FMs of the KH have Spartan Bodyguards. It's fairly simple to change the starting bodyguards, just change the first unit listed under their command. There's no way to change the bodyguard unit for anybody after the game actually starts though, without changing it for everybody in the faction, though.

[Roka]

I did it through the descr_strat. I made Krateros Boukephelaios one of the starting FMs, and simply changed his personal bodyguard unit, the same way the starting Spartan FMs of the KH have Spartan Bodyguards. It's fairly simple to change the starting bodyguards, just change the first unit listed under their command. There's no way to change the bodyguard unit for anybody after the game actually starts though, without changing it for everybody in the faction, though.

so you just type in the name of the unit you want the bodyguard unit changed to?

sounds simple enough

might use that if i ever get round to attempting another AAR

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

Of Patrokles and the Invasion of Paropamisadae

Shortly after the battle of the Zariaspa River, Patrokles of Marakand arrived at Baktra with an army of nearly seven thousand men. Despite this force, Patrokles was not a military minded man. While he was a talented individual, he had achieved his position more from his wealth than from any merit he had. He had made a fortune from trade on the Keleuthos Bombykike. He was a talented speaker, but he often openly undermined the authority of his superiors. However, his schemes and manipulations were often tolerated by Viceroy Seleukos (II), due to some generous "contributions" he had made to the royal treasury.



On the arrival of Patrokles' reinforcements, Theodotos, despite his injuries, wanted to press his advantage against Paropamisadae, and subjugate the region under his rule. And along with his son, Karteros, and Patrokles, he hastily planned an invasion. It is during these meetings that the first conflicts between Krateros and Patrokles became apparent.



Krateros wanted to wait for authorization from Seleukos (II) in Media, while Patrokles was in favor of attacking immediately. Patrokles believed that by the time Seleukos granted his permission, if in fact he did, the enemy would be too entrenched in the mountains to assault without the real professional army of the Arche behind them. Many historical examples were brought up on both sides, such as Ptolemaios (I) Soters' subjugation of Kyrene. They also argued over who should lead the invasion, over the logistics, and just about everything else, including the upcoming plans to have Krateros marry Theodotos' daughter. Eventually they almost came to blows when Patrokles insinuated that Krateros incompetence had led to Theodotos' injuries.

In the end, Theodotos ended up heeding Krateros' advice to wait for authorization from Seleukos. All these discussions were ended however, when a Seleukos' messenger finally arrived. Andragoras, the satrap of Parthyaia, was under attack by an army of Dahai nomads that was raiding the northern region of the satrapy, Astauene. Seleukos' orders were to provide assistance for the defense of the satrapy. Theodotos and Andragoras were old friends and allies, and while it irritated him to know that he couldn't seek revenge on Iochibanes, he was more than willing to provide assistance for Andragoras.



Unable to lead his men into battle, he gave command of most of his troops to Patrokles, and sent him to reinforce Andragoras. Since Patrokles was technically a sub-satrap under Theodotos' command, sending him would fulfill his order to Seleukos without putting either his own, or his sons' lives in danger. He apparently didn't want to entrust his son to Patrokles, and knew that Krateros would be unable to serve under him. It also would get Patrokles out of the way during his daughter, Melissa's, marriage to Krateros. Patrokles was infuriated by this, seeing it as an attempt to get rid of him in favor of Krateros.

During the summer of that year, Patrokles campaigned in Parthyaia on behalf of Theodotos. With his aid, Andragoras managed do drive back the Dahai. In the autumn, however, word reached him that Sogdiana was rebelling, and was forced to abandon his mission and return to Sogdiana to pacify the rebellion. However, by then, most of the fighting in Parthyaia had already been won.

In Baktria, Theodotos slowly recovered from his wounds. Krateros married Melissa, Theodotos' youngest daughter on the summer solstice. During this time, most of the satrapy's attention was spent recovering from devastation wrought by Iochibanes. When the Dahai army finally withdrew from Parthyaia at the beginning of winter, Seleukos granted Theodotos authorization for an attack on Paropamisadae. And so, during the spring of the next year, Diodotos, Theodotos' son, set off with Krateros to crush Iochibanes.



Diodotos (II) was reportedly very much like his father. His father's pure Hellenic bloodline continued in him. They were both strong, energetic men, and great leaders of men. Despite his young age, Diodotos had already personally commanded a number of battles, and proven himself to be a decent strategist. Unlike his father, though, he had begun to develop an over-fondness for wine, and drinks of all kinds.



They faced surprisingly little resistance as they marched on Paropamisadae. All expansionist dreams that Iochibanes had seemed to have vanished like a dream in the night after his defeat. The civil war in India still raged on, but it was becoming apparent the Piodasses would be the victorious. At the time he was known by many as Sandochakes for his unrepentant, terrible cruelty. The southern region of the Indus river valley had been recently re-conquered. Now only the petty kingdoms of Taxila, Paropamisadae, and Arachosia remained independent.

Having learned from his defeat at the fords of the Zariaspa, Iochibanes had garrisoned his cities with more disciplined troops, levied from the Hellenic settlers in the region. This replaced the problem of discipline with a problem of loyalty. As Diodotos marched toward Iochibanes capital in Kophen, he convinced several of the cities of Paropamisadae to surrender without a fight. Iochibanes remained defiant, however, and Diodotos was forced to lay siege to Kophen.



As people began starving inside, the Hellenic troops under Iochibanes decided that they had had enough. They staged a coup, executing Iochibanes, and offering his head to Diodotos. Polynikes testimony suggests that Krateros was somewhat disappointed by this anticlimactic end to the invasion of Paropamisadae. They had waited nearly a year for this moment, yet the victory seemed hollow to him. He had been hoping for one last moment of glory before he retired from service, but he was denied this. What he got instead was a position as the military governor of a restless region at the far end of the world as Diodotos rode back to his father to work out best how to integrate the new territory.

———

It may now be worthwhile to take a look at the geo-political situation of the East, as of the 52nd year after the death of Megas Alexandros [271 BC]



Territories of the Arche Seleukeia

1: The Royal Territory of Syria, home of the western capital, Antiocheia, and currently the seat of Basileus Antichos (I) Soter. The front line in the war with the Ptolemaioi.

2: The Satrapy of Babylonia, the heartland of the Arche, governed by Antiochos' second son, Antiochos (II) Theos.

3. The client kingdom of Sophene.

4. Media, and sub-satrapies, home of the eastern capital of Eckbatana. Currently the seat of Kleronomos Basileus, Seleukos (II), who technically holds authority over all territory east of Babylonia.

5: The Satrapy of Susiana.

6: The Satrapy of Persia, and sub-satrapies.

7: The Satrapy of Parthyaia, and sub-satrapies. Currently governed by Andragoras of Hekatompylos. The front line against the Dahai nomad incursions, and a close ally of the Baktrian satrap, Theodotos.

8: The Satrapy of Baktria, and sub-satrapies. A fertile and wealthy land, with a wealth of natural resources, prosperous trade routes, and a large Hellenic population. Currently administrated by satrap Theodotos.

8a: The Sub-Satrapy of Sogdiana, the most distant region of the Arche, and the front line against the Sakai nomads to the north. Currently governed by Patrokles of Marakand.

8b: The recently conquered region of Paropamisadae. It has yet to be assimilated, and is currently under the military jurisdiction of Krateros the Ox-headed.

Other:

A: The Kingdom of Atropatene.

———

Edit: slightly altered map

[Roka]

More great stuff

[Reverend Joe]

This is a really well-written AAR. I look forward to the next chapters.

[Reverend Joe]

Oh, man, don't tell me this is dead already -- I was really looking forward to it!

[NickTheGreek]

Yeah please don't let this die

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

The Reorganization of the Eastern Satrapies

Most of the year after the conquest of Paropamisadae[271 BC] was spent reestablishing order in the East. Patrokles of Marakand worked to restore his authority in Sogdiana, while Krateros the Ox-headed struggled to pacify Paropamisadae. While he had spent most of his life fighting, his keen mind, tireless dedication, and selfless nature lent themselves well to the task at hand, and he slowly became a competent governor.

However, Polynikes reports that Krateros' men weren't happy with this. They were more and more reminded of the situation of the original Argyraspides. Sent to the far reaches of the Earth to die in infamy. Krateros, in spite of his own anger at this dishonor, had resigned himself to his fate. Despite his love for battle, it seems that his his age had convinced him to settle down. In order to appease his soldiers, he released many of them from service. Many of them returned west, but a few, including Polynikes, decided to stay on as his personal bodyguard.

It was at this time that the First Syrian War came to an end, and it looked, for the time being anyway, like peace would prevail. With the immediate threat to the west relieved, Theodotos, together with Andragoras, in response to the recent incursions into their domains, petitioned Seleukos (II) in Media for more troops, as well as greater military autonomy. Shortly thereafter, in the summer of the 53rd year since Alexandros' death[270 BC], Seleukos handed down an official edict that did exactly that, though not in the way that either Andragoras or Theodotos had wanted.



He completely reorganized the easternmost satrapies. Parthyaia's domains of Margiana and Ariana were given full satrapal status, as was Baktria's Sogdiana region. The recently conquered region of Paropamisadae was also given full satrapy status, with Krateros as satrap. Many of these new satrapies received large garrison reinforcements, and all of them were granted the autonomy that Theodotos and Andragoras had asked for.

On the surface, this act of guile seemed seemed brilliant. He managed to give Theodotos and Andragoras what they wanted, while at the same time lessening their threat. By promoting all of Theodotos and Andragoras' subordinates, he would defuse much of their collective influence, and by reducing their individual territories, he shrunk their powerbases, and made them more dependent on the central government. If any one were to rebel, they would be much easier to crush.

In the end, however, it achieved mixed results. While Andragoras' power was practically broken by this, Theodotos influence seems to have been, for the most part, unaffected. He was just as able to work with strong allies, as weak subordinates. Both Krateros and Patrokles were his sons-in law. Patrokles would listen to the money, whoever it came from, and he had developed a close friendship with Krateros. The new political structure also eventually make the region even more vulnerable to foreign incursions. Initially, the newly bolstered garrisons compensated for this, but when the troops were eventually called off to fight in the next war, this weakness would become all too obvious.

As a result of the larger garrisons, the number of nomad raids dwindled. Patrokles of Marakand was even able to negotiate ceasefire with the Sakai nomads to the north as well as a trade deal, in return for grazing rights in the border regions. Many Sakai warriors began hiring themselves as mercenaries not only to the the local satraps, but to Seleukos [II], and even to King Antiochos himself. During their service to the Arche Seleukeia, they travelled to the far corners of the empire, and when they finally returned home, they would bring their tales of many different lands back to their people. Many of the Hellenic colonists were uneasy about their increased presence, but for the time being anyway, they got along peacefully.



This peace brought many more Hellenic settlers to the region, Baktria in particular. Drawn by the legends of the exotic East, and wanting to escape the constant wars that plagued Hellas and the lands to the west. All these settlers meant even more wealth from taxes coming in. As a result of this newfound wealth, Theodotos began construction of a large new a large new mansion for himself in Baktra.

Meanwhile, in India, Piodasses had finally defeated his brother, Sochimos. However, the carnage that he went through had changed him. He decided let the petty kingdoms of Taxila and Arachosia retain their independence. As a result, the southeastern border of the Arche was, for the most part, peaceful. Krateros' first act as satrap was reportedly to order the construction of a shrine to Herakles. It was completed in the spring of the 54th year since Megas Alexandros' death[269 BC]. At roughly the same time, Krateros young wife, Melissa, gave birth to a son, who they named Kleander.



For most of the child's youth, the east remained blessed with peace and order. But just beneath the surface, the cracks of ruin were already beginning to spread.

———
AN: Sorry for the wait!

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

Of the Eastern Peace and the Imaus Expedition

Despite the underlying turmoil, the Arche Seleukeia remained at peace for many years after the end of the First Syrian War, even in the distant regions of Baktria. The cities grew, and new roads were built to connect them. Even the cities of Kabura, Kapisa, and Alexandreia Kaukasiana in Krateros' satrapy of Paropamisadae were connected.

However, as the years passed, despite his talent for it, it became abundantly clear that Krateros was not cut out to be a Satrap. While he had the skills, he lacked the temperament. The daily monotony of government bored him to no end, and his bitterness over how his military career ended slowly grew. He came to despise most of the people he governed. He treated new Hellenic colonists well, particularly war veterans. But the natives, and especially the Hellenic settlers who had gone native, were contemptible to him. One famous instance is recorded of him killing a citizen on the spot for not properly honoring the gods. After that, he became more and more reserved around people, including his family and friends. This made his occasional fits of rage seem all the more arbitrary.

Then, three years after Krateros was made Satrap, a number of large veins of silver were discovered, and he began sending local criminals, as well as anyone who angered him to work in the mines. A large amount of wealth began pouring into the local treasury, more than Krateors knew what to do with.



He began to sate his boredom by spending money frivolously. Extravagant personal projects, frivolous decorations, and even prostitutes. Theodotos soon began to hear word of Krateros' behavior from his daughter, Melissa. While Krateros was kind to her, he was nearly ten years older than her father, and they over the years, they spent less and less time together. She spent most of her days raising their son, and looking after the household.

For the past several years Theodotos had been receiving complaints of nomad raids in the eastern reaches of Baktria, but as of yet he had been unable to track down the culprits. The Sakai fervently denied any involvement, and as far as anyone knew the upper part of the Oxos River valley was completely isolated. Even if there were trails leading over the Iaumas Mountains, it seemed impossible that anybody could, or would even bother to cross them just to raid farmland.

And so, Theodotos decided to organize an expedition, led by his son, Diodotos, up the Zariaspa to discover the source of these raids. He asked Krateros to accompany his son, partly out of concern for his son's safety, but also out of concern for Krateros himself. He also seems to have thought that it would provide a good diversion for him. Krateros accepted the proposition immediately. Polynikes, who was still serving Krateros, provides us with first hand testimony of this tragic expedition.

———

From the "Memoirs of Strategos Polynikes"

In the late spring of our ninth year in this distant land, our forces marched out of Kabura, We were to rendezvous with the young Diodotos in the easternmost city of Baktria, Alexandreia Oxiana, and from there, mount an expedition up the Oxos river. The raids from the mountains were becoming more and more frequent. Enough so that they could no longer be dismissed as simply a few brigands.



We left Alexandreia Oxiana soon after Diodotos' troops arrived. Combined, the expedition's forces numbered roughly three and a half thousand. Nearly all of them were native levies, but it seemed like more than enough to deal with whatever threat lay in the mountains. Our experience fighting Iochibanes had made us expect a quick, and easy victory. Krateros and I even offered a prayer at the shrine of Herakles that this adventure would at least be more challenging than that. We should have kept our mouths shut.

The way up the river wasn't easy. The valley was narrow and dangerous. We had to ford the river several times just to keep going. The narrow, rocky valleys made us all worry about ambushes, but despite searching up and down every path we could find, we found no-one. The land was completely empty. This made us suspicious. This land was a harsh one, but not uninhabitable.

Several months went by this way. Spring turned into Summer, Summer to Fall. Before we knew it, Winter was closing in fast. What's more, our shipments of supplies were becoming fewer and farther between. What shipments did get through, brought with them tales of mysterious raiders attacking in the dead of night, and whole caravans of oxen disappearing in the mountains. We started rationing the food, and the men were beginning to grow discontent. We were all exhausted. Eventually, the valley became to narrow for our troops to march on. There seemed to be other ways to continue, but it seemed pointless. Many of us, myself included, were of the opinion that we should head back to Alexandreia Oxiana, and wait for spring, and try searching up a different branch of the river.



Diodotos and Krateros had a different notion, however. Some scouts had just returned, and reported that they had found a trail leading through the mountains to the north, into the valley of the Northern fork of the Oxos. Diodotos and Krateros decided that we would take that route back instead, allowing us to continue our search as we returned.

The path through the mountains proved to be even more treacherous. We lost several of our men in a landslide which blocked the path back. This cut off our supplies completely, which forced us to cut rations even further. Our remaining men were in poor spirits. Diodotos remained optimistic, however, and we all knew that the only way back, was forward.

As we crossed over the last ridge. snow began to fall. As we had feared, we had taken too long. At this, many of us began to despair. It seemed we now faced almost certain death. However, our scouts reported that by the grace of the gods, we had somehow managed to stumble onto the home of our mysterious enemy.



It was a huge camp, on a plateau overlooking the river. Diodotos estimated that there had to be at least five thousand horses. It looked like this was their winter camp. But there were also a few more permanent buildings. This place probably had some special importance to them.



As we approached the camp, their leader rode out and met us. He was clearly a Scythian, of some sort, though he didn't carry the banner of the Sakai Confederacy. One of our guides was nonetheless able to translate for us. The man, who called himself Pidandos, curtly ordered us to leave his people's land at once. Diodotos politely replied that we would be happy to leave, if Pidandos were willing to give us some supplies, and cease his raids on our territory. The barbarian became enraged at our suggestion, and rode off, giving us a final warning that if we didn't flee now, none of us would return home alive.



Of course, there was no way we could abide by his wishes, even if we wanted to. And there was no way that Krateros, or I, for that matter, was going to suffer the indignity of running from these barbarians. However, our forces were badly outnumbered, and what's worse, most of our men were undisciplined, starving barbarians. Any sane man wouldn't have dared lead us against them, but we were desperate. That, and our two commanders were a youthful optimist, and a prideful and temperamental veteran.



As we approached the camp, a veritable horde of enemy horsemen poured out to meet us. Alongside them were a number of foot archers. We began exchanging fire, and the sky turned dark with arrows.



Their archers seemed far superior to ours, out-ranging us significantly. Despite this, after a few volleys, they fell back to their camp. As they did so, we surged forward, hoping to close the distance gap before they could take up position again.



At the same time, number of horse archers appeared out of the camp and started moving toward our right flank. Diodotos' cavalry broke formation, and attempted to intercept them, leaving Krateros in charge of the main line.



Despite having closed the gap in range, our men were being cut down in droves. Seeing that our men couldn't beat them in ranged combat, Krateros ordered us to do the suicidal. If we couldn't close the gap in range, then we would close the gap in melee. Desperate, we charged into the camp, in spite of the arrows continually raining down on us. Our unit of Peltastai were well armored, so we took the lead, attempting to draw the enemy fire away from the levies that made up the bulk of our troops.



We soon arrived in the center of the camp, only to find ourselves surrounded by horsemen on all sides. They bore down on us with frightening speed, and most of our troops routed right there. They were killed. All of them. Only our unit of Peltastai survived more than a few minutes.



At this moment, Diodotos' cavalry arrived to support us, but it was already too late. Even Diodotos' thunderous charge could not turn the battle in our favor now. That hadn't stopped us from winning in the past, so we fought on as hard as we could, but soon even Krateros himself was in despair. Our men were dying. We had taken casualties in the past, but nothing like this. Men who had followed us for years, some even decades. They had fought with us, bled with us. Even now. Even when we were seemingly exiled to the ends of the earth. They were our friends, and our comrades, and they were falling like the snow all around us.



We saw Diodotos break off from melee, and mount one last, desperate charge at Pidandos. He must have died heroically. To our shame, however, the few of us left alive did not stay around to watch. In spite of all our pride, in spite of all our honor. In spite of all of it, we ran. Out of three and a half thousand men, only seven of us managed to escape the battle with our lives.

[Vaal]

Ouch.