LA BELLE EPOQUE (a sequel to the CONCERT OF EUROPE)

[Arjos]

Any info about army sizes?

Herodotos wasn't very precise for land battles, in this case (or ever :P), apart for mentioning few casualties here and there...
Karia is said to have lost 10.000 men (likely an exageration, counting all their fighting men) at Marsyas, but right after the battle, they were debating whether to flee Asia Minor or beg for mercy and join the Persians once again. So most likely that was their total force. Obviously not considering the "reserve" from enrolling the elders and maybe early teenagers, who later ambushed and killed Daurises.
As for warships, I don't think they had any really, Rhodos was in control there.
Miletos would've had 6 lochoi of 500 men, to keep in line with their fleet.
Onesilos probably mustered at Salamis 10.000 infantry, 2.500 psiloi and 200 punic chariots (these had a driver and archer, so really movable platforms, nothing more).

Miletos should've 80 triremes. While Persia (that is Phoenicians, Egyptians, Cilicians and Cypriots, who didn't rebel or subdued) numbered 600 in the campaign and Phoenicia should've covered half of it. Considering that Kypros had losses, but most were defections, its number is somewhere in there. Maybe 100-150, since soon as the Ionians showed up, they warned that all their ships should go and fight the Phoenicians.
The persian army had division units of 10.000 men, so maybe when Herodotos speaks of "two persian armies", "the third army", he could be simply speaking of the divisions. I tend to agree to this, considering that Artaphernes (the satrap of Sardis) would've been the commander for the operations and the various generals mentioned, would be leading each division. Otherwise a full army for each person would make several hundred of thousands of soldiers (not counting all the supporting men and women) for almost a decade in the Anatolia: unsustainable for the logistics and resources.
300.000 might've been the total number of men available in the Persian Empire, considering every single ethnicity and in its geographical totality...

So I'd say that 40.000-50.000 in Asia Minor is already an incredible number for the Persians. And the ships available in the eastern Mediterranean, able to transport about half of it.

am i the only one confused by this scenario or the story we are roleplaying?

Think so :P

Three greek poleis, living under the persian yoke, squabbles during a campaign about the chain of command and a tyrrant fearing for his status, stirred a rebellion in the whole region. But without cooperation, they are doomed.
And so the King of Kings sends three generals, to deal with these annoying rebels.

Will this escalade and involve more people, or will the deeds of these men be forgotten in the sands of time?
Really what's puzzling you? :)