Re: Down From Africa (An AAR Sidestory)
The Persian Homeland
We no longer had any allied armies to reinforce our army but the
supply lines behind us were safe and the new army was well
rested. General Antigonos was ready for the next move and
ordered the army over the mountains. There were signs of
defensive positions on the "Persian Gates" but the few men
stationing them retreated as soon as they saw us. There was
no resistance at all.
Once out of the mountains, we began moving northeast. Once
out of the mountains, Antigonos ordered the army to begin looting
the villages and towns. He was trying to draw the Persians into a
battle in which we could defend. For several months, we had
complete control over the countryside. There was no sign of the
Persians and the general began to consider setting up some sort
of government to control the regions we now occupied on this
eastern side of the "Persian Gates".
I did not like these lands, they were dry but with few rivers. There
were some Hellenes in these regions, but fewer than we had seen
at the city of Sousa. The great man named Alexandros had spread
this far in his conquests and even further. When I had heard the
stories of the great Alexandros, I never imagined how far his soldiers
had to march. He must have truely marched to the ends of the earth.
I feared we may have to do the same.
It was near the time of the year when the cold season began to
approach that we finally found Persians to fight. Two huge armies
approached us from the south and the west. Antigonos chose a good
place to defend, where we held the highground, and we waited.
The army took up position on flat ground, half way up a hill. Because
of the difficult terrain around the edges of the hill, the Persians were
forced to approach us from below. The old army had been armed with
spears, but this new one was trained to fight only with sword. Our
position on the slopes meant that the swords would have an advantage.
The first Persian army came up from the south. They marched up
the hill and spread out to try to flank the line. Antigonos' choice in
battlefield made this impossible and the Persians were forced to
attack our center. A small Persian force came up the hill and
tested our line while the majority waited just below the crest.
The small force sent to test the line did not take much for the
infantry to defeat. The infantry from Pontos held their position and
did not follow the Persians down the hill when they gave up the fight.
Still the majority of the Persians refused to come all the way up the
hill. Antigonos decided that it was time to force the Persians to
move and sent his cavalry down the hill to the southeast.
When the cavalry attacked, the Persians reorganized their line to
defend themselves from the horsemen. This was the sign that
Antigonos was waiting for and he ordered the first line of infanty
forward. With horsemen running behind them and Pontic infantry
moving down in front of them, the Persians paniced and charged
the infantry line to their front. The infantry pushed forward and
quickly broke their attackers. The Persians paniced again and
were chased down from the hill.
When the first army of the Persians began to flee, the second
army was already near. Antigonos ordered the second line of
infantry to form a line facing west. We once again waited. As the
first row of infantry returned from their chase, they took position
behind the second and rested where they could reinforce if needed.
Antigonos mounted his horse and lead his companions and the
Hellenic cavalry down the hill to the south. The two lines of Pontic
infantry then began to slowly march down the hill to the west. I sat
on the top of the hill and once again watched my general lead a
charge into the weakest point of the Persian lines. The Persians
did not wish to fight after this charge and turned to move from the
field. Antigonos signalled to the infantry and they came charging
down the hill and into the Persians with their backs turned.
Antigonos ordered his cavalry in and watched as his army crushed
the armies of Persia.
Captain Damatrios ordered the royal guard down from the command
post as the battle came to and end. We joined General Antigonos
at the base of the hill. Around him, the men of the army were already
looting the dead Persians. These Persians had all been poor and
carried almost nothing of value. Even their weapons were hadly worth
the material from which they were made.
More than half of the second army left the battlefield alive and
retreated to the south. The dead Persians numbered tens of
thousands while ours was was just over one thousand. Many of the
Persians, who had not escaped southward, deserted the army or
surrendered to our soldiers. From the survivors of this battle, we
first learned of the problems over succession to the Persian throne.
Aram had been next in line to be King of Persia, but a man named
Parkev had been raised to the throne in their western capital. Aram
had sought to contend this and withdrew his forces to that capital,
leaving these lands defenseless.
Just to our south the main capital of the entire Persian Empire was
within our grasp. Antigonos knew the prestige that would come with
taking this ledgendary city and could not let such an oppertunity
pass him up. He gathered the army and gave a great speech to the
men about the honor we would all soon have. The army was entirely
behind him and ready for the attack on the city. We began the
march to the south.
Even though we had just heard of the problems in the Persian
Empire, they were already concluded. By the time we reached the
main Persian capital, the Persians had already chosen their king.
To our north, the new King of Persia, King Parkev, was marching
an army toward us that outnumbered us two to one.
Just...plain
Originally Posted by Dayve
7x
- seems like the war for Persia is nearing its grand battle.
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