EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 11: Discovery
Winter 249 Seleukeia

It had been a great past few months for Mardonious. He allowed himself to whistle happily as he strode through the Agora, ready to spend some of his gold. They had arrived in the camp of Seron just before he had taken the city of Maryab. Seron had been extremely bold. He had bypassed the Arabian army waiting near the fortress of Carna and went straight for Maryab, the heart of the Sabean Federation who were utterly unprepared for siege. Of all the would-be slave traders throughout the empire, only Mardonious had believed that Seron would actually survive his journey down the desert M'ain with his army intact. His faith was repaid when he was allowed to get first pickings of the slaves, since none of the other slave traders would arrive for months afterwards. He paid a quarter of what was usually paid because the soldiers were so eager to be rid of them. As a result, he had gathered 10 000 of the fittest slaves for a meagre sum and brought them back to Seleukeia to sell for twenty-fold the price he had bought them for. Some of his slaves were educated in mathematics and arts and these he had sold at Palmyra for a hefty sum. Now he was richer than even Archimenes

He stopped by a Merchants store and examined the wines imported from the west.

"Hello friend." greeted the merchant."May I interest you in some fine Greek wine, imported from Olympia?"
"Yes, three jars of your finest." replied Mardonious. Then he remembered the foul mood Archimenes had been in since yesterday, when he had been insulted at a tavern resulting in a fistfight, "Make it five jars... Do you have any news?"
"There have been some ill tidings these days."
"Oh?"
"Yes, just yesterday I heard that the 12th Army crushed the rebellion of Philetairos near Edessa. They say a lone archer made a near-impossible shot and brought down Philetairos."
"Interesting" replied Mardonious. Helioketes marched with the 12th and Mardonious wondered if it was his bow from which the arrow flew."But that is hardly bad news."
'Nay, but they lost a full 4 000 men and Lord Artazabanes lost his life!"
"That is shocking indeed."
"What's even more shocking is news from Arabia."
"Arabia? I have come back from Arabia not a month ago"
"Haven't you heard of the disaster that has befallen the 4th army?"
"The fourth army? Of Lord Seron? I have just returned from his camp after the sack of Maryab."
"You were lucky to have left when you did. His forces were utterly crushed near Carna."
"What!" exclaimed Mardonious.
"Yes, the poor general was too kind hearted I believe. He sold many of the men of Maryab as slaves but otherwise didn't harm them. That was his mistake. When he left to attack Carna, and finish of the Arabians in the north, the inhabitants of Maryab revolted and threw out the Garrison. Then the bastards called for help and the Sabean King arrived with a vast army. Trapped between the two large forces and unable to retreat to Maryab, the entire 4th army was annihilated. The few survivors of the disaster made their way back here in disgrace not a week ago"
"What happened to general Seron?"
"Well some of the survivors rode past Maryab in an attempt to evade the Sabaen forces. They saw his head on a pike on the city walls... But he will be avenged. The 5th army stationed near Homna has rallied under Seron's Brother-in-Law and now march on Ubar. It is said that their general is far more merciless than Seron."
"Yes, I have no doubt they will succeed," mused Mardonious, "The empire always wins in the end..."