Chapter 3: Baktrian Affairs (Part I)

Theodotos, satrap of Baktria, first heard about the deposition of his son-in-law at the worst possible time. His lands were once again threatened by nomadic raiders and once again he couldn't count on the support of the Syrian king. He had already delayed his campaign with a month, hoping for royal reinforcements to arrive. The intruders used this delay to take control of an important rich stone deposit. When the news of Patrokles arrived, he decided he should wait no longer. Why should he be loyal to a king who so blatantly disrespected the interests of both his noble family and his suffering subjects?

Theodotos marched his levied army eastward. He halted his army at an important river crossing near the invaders. This way they wouldn't be able to cut his supply lines, or to march all the way to Baktra. He hoped, however, that they would be foolish enough to try.



Spring passed without hostilities, so Theodotos decided to march further. This time he picked a favourable battleground very near the camp of the invaders. But again the season passed without a confrontation. His scouts told him the enemy army had taken a defensive position. They continued plundering the riches of the lands they had occupied, although their force was probably no match for the Baktrian army. When the summer passed, Theodotos decided he could not wait another winter. If he couldn't fight off the invaders at his own terms, he was obliged to risk a difficult attack.



The enemy had positioned upon a steep hill. Since their army consisted of very capable missile troops, this could have proved to be very deadly for the Baktrians. But Theodotos knew just how to counter this. Rather than approaching the enemy in the open, Theodotos let his men climb the hill on the side covered by trees. It was the steepest side, but at least it provided some cover against the missile fire. He would move in his phalanxes first, trying to drive the enemy cavalry away from the hilltop and thus securing the hill for his own archers. The archers would stay hidden in the woods while the phalangitai completed this dangerous task.


The phalangitai approaching the enemy through the woods: will they drive away the horses on the hilltop?


Some archers hiding in the woods: protected against missile fire, but not immune.

Theodotos' plan worked pretty well: the phalangitai slowly pushed back the horse archers on the hill. In an attempt to counter this the enemy commander sent some local archer-spearman auxilaries down the hill to outflank the phalanxes. At this point Theodotos himself decided to take on the flankers. They quickly routed when the charge of Theodotos fine horsemen came in. Now however Theodotos found himself chased by the enemy's heavy cavalry.


The local archer-spearmen, the Baktrian noble cavalry and some Saka heavy lancers: who's chasing who?

Fleeing from their swift and lightly armored horses wasn't really an option. That's why Theodotos made his horsemen turn around and confront the enemy in melee. It was a vicious fight: the opponent may have had lighter weapons and armor, their numbers where greater than Theodotos' cavalry. Luckily one of the main phalangitai commanders noticed that his master was in trouble. Half of the phalanx-troops was sent down the hill for assistance. When they arrived, the Saka heavy cavalry started to fall like flies and Theodotos was able to retreat safely. This maneuver however left the other half of the phalangitai exposed against a superior cavalry force on the hill. It didn't take long untill they experienced a fierce flank attack themselves.


The first half of the phalangitai: heroic saviors!


The other half of the phalangitai: always ready to save their commander, but will he be able to save them?

Theodotos had barely retreated from the fight when he heard their alarming signals from the hilltop. He knew they didn't have the time to rest their horses; his phalangitai up there needed assistance. Theodotos' horsemen ran as fast as possible up to the fight and performed a succesful surprise charge against the enemy: the flank of his pikemen was secured again. The enemy commander strategically pulled back his last horsemen on the hill. Meanwhile, the other half of the phalangitai had succesfully defeated their opponent. With the hill secured, the archers could finally climb the hill; but there weren't a lot of enemies left to fire at.


Horses vs. pikes: the enemy wisely retreats, the hill is ours!

The enemy must have realised the battle was nearly lost. In a last attempt to turn the tide, they rallied what was left of their cavalry and performed a final charge, straight into the Baktrian pikes. In most cases this kind of cavalry charge wouldn't stand a chance against a wall of well-trained pikemen, but these were only native levies. Theodotos did not want to risk a morale drop that would make his phalangitai rout, so he charged his own cavalry in one last time. This broke the enemy's last resistance; the battle was won!


The last resistance crushed between pikes and noble cavalrymen.

The battle had gone pretty well, but some regiments had taken considerable losses. The flank attack against some of the phalangitai had proven pretty deadly. Also, more importantly, many nobles of Theodotos' personal bodyguard where dead or gravely wounded. But alltogether the losses weren't overwhelming and the invasion was crushed easily.



This victory wasn't the end of the campaign though. Theodotos wanted to secure his lands from new invasions, so he would continue his into the lands of the attackers. He didn't want to rush it though. He set up winter camp at the banks of the next great river and from there he tried to build an informant network. Some of his agent succeeded in going deep into unknown territory and take back valuable information for the upcoming campaign.



The most interesting informations came from a man called Kineas of Taxila. His informants had hit upon the core of the problem.

The invading army had been lead by a man called Oxybazes. His father had been king of the Haomavarga confederation, a Scythian tribe that lived in the mountainous area northeast of Baktria. When his father died he left three sons claiming succession: the oldest son Pidanos, a man of great influence and governing skills, but no good as a commander; the second son Oxybazes, a fierce fighter and respected military leader; and the youngest son Aryandes, both a fierce fighter and a man of great influence.
His father had always thought Aryandes would be his successor, but at the time of his death Aryandes lacked the commanding and governing experience of his elder brothers. They quickly made a pact to be recognized as co-leaders, knowing that individually Aryandes had the best chance to take control. Aryandes only just managed to escape an assasination plot of his brothers and fled into a far corner of the region. There he was recognised as king by a small part of the tribe. With Aryandes still alive, the co-rulers needed to strengthen the legitimacy of their leadership. Oxybazes started his campaign in Baktria. Pidanos build a permanent fort in one of the most important mountain passes of the region and from there he managed the affairs of the confederation. Untill the death of Oxybazes their joint rule worked pretty well. But the news of his death hadn't yet reached his subjects, so it was unclear how they would react.


Pidanos' permanent settlement

Upon hearing this information, Theodotos decided to try and conquer the region. Pacifying the Haomavargai would greatly improve the security of his own lands. With Oxybazes dead the leadership of the tribe was unclear, so the time was right for an invasion. He hadn't figured out if he wanted to support the claim of Aryandes or that of Pidanos. The former was the type of leader that inspired the Haomavargai the most: a brave fighter and a charismatic leader. The latter wasn't as widely supported, but he was more likely to be loyal to Baktrian authority. If he wanted to start his campaign next spring, he had to choose quickly.