Chapter 116

 

CHAPTER 116

 

The army advanced once again to the plain of Gaugamela; Alexander had split the infantry in 2 bodies marching with the cavalry covering the flanks on both side; just like the day before, they advanced in complete silence but, this time, they knew exactly what was waiting for them at the other side of the hills. This time there were no surprises, and still the sight of the enemy was as frightening and overwhelming as the day before.

 

Thousands of men waiting for them like merciless executioners, the eyes of the Macedonian soldiers drank in the terrible vision that was the Persian army. Vast, so vast that it covered as far as they could see. 

 

Every officer, commander, captain and General had his orders and, even if many of them didn’t understand what was the King planning, as soon as the Macedonian army reached the plain, they started to deploy their units in battle formation. Would they win or lose, die or live? That was now in the hands of the Gods, they just have to do what they have to: fight like demons, leave the civilize man behind to become a savage beast clamoring for the blood of their enemies. The Persians were more, yes, but then, they would have to be more vicious.

 

Parmelio rode on his brown warhorse to the opposite direction of the King; he would lead the left side of the army as he had done in previous battles, and Alexander would lead the right side. Just like other battles, on the left wing were the Thessalian and allied cavalry and the Cretan archers, but this time there was also the Achaian mercenary infantry, the Greek mercenary cavalry and the Thracian horsemen.

 

The hetairoi cavalry and the Ile Basilike were on the right wing under the direct command of Alexander, and facing no other than Bessus at the front of his terrible and heavily armed Bactrian cavalry, which was known as Cataphracts. Unstoppable, unbeatable, in one word: invincible. A cavalry force where horsemen and horses were covered entirely by spectacular scale armor, armored mask, along with arm and leg armor, with no visible weak points, and equipped with long pikes.

 

I know what you are thinking, that the Cataphracts didn’t sound so terrible, after all you could take them down with a machine gun. But, let me remind you that, at my time, Cataphracts were like modern war tanks. Arrows didn’t pierce their armors, swords didn’t damage them, and, once they started to move, there was nothing you could do to stop them, Cataphracts just advance, advance, advance and crushed everything under their hooves.  

 

Also, Alexander could see that, at the side of the Cataphracts, were Atropates, commanding the Caducian cavalry, Oxathres the son of Abulites at the front of his Susian cavalry, Barsaentes, the satrap of Arachotia, commanding the Arachotian cavalry, and Mauaces leading the Scythian cavalry. He had never seen these men before but he had heard about them from his spy, Dolon. 17, 000 against the 1,800 men of the hetairoi cavalry.

 

The young King smiled.

 

This is going to be a long day –he thought.

He saw that Darius hadn’t deployed his army in the conversional way, with the infantry at the center and the cavalry on the wings. No. The entirely cavalry was at the first line, facing the Macedonians, along with the scythed-chariots, and, behind them, was the infantry. As always the Great King was at the center, surrounded by his 10, 000 immortals and the 10, 000 the Kinsmen of the King of Kings, the syggenesis, close to Darius and chosen for their courage and loyalty.

 

No. Darius didn’t have a family of 10, 000 men, Kinsmen was an honorary title given to some Persian nobles, just like Friend of the Great King, so don’t look at me like that.    

 

Hephaistion rode in front of his men, his black cloak sliding through his shoulder and covering his horse partially. He was ready on the right side, between the hetairoi cavalry and the Hypaspists of Nicanor. From his high position he could see the taxiarchs: Koinos, Perdikkas, Meleager, Polyperchon, Simmias and Krateros, each one shouting orders to form their taxeis and arranging their lines as quickly as possible, raising clouds of dust under their feet. 

 

- MOVE LADIES! I don’t have all morning. This is for what the King pays you for –the General could hear Krateros booming voice, even if his hateful enemy was at the left side, near the allied Greek cavalry under the command of Erigyius.

 

They could have been nervous before leaving the camp, and some may be still a little anxious, but now, standing there, with the enemy a few paces, their nervousness was replace by a strange burning feeling inside them all, yes, they were a little scared, but now their will to fight was stronger.

 

Persian Center:

 

From his war chariot Darius could see the Macedonians getting ready to present battle, hurrying to form their squadrons in a magnificent display of fierce discipline. Good. For a moment, he had thought that maybe Alexander would choose to run away under the cover darkness the night before; the Macedonian had fooled them, making them believe he was going to launch a night attack, and Alexander could have used that opportunity to leave, but this was better.

 

The barbarian is a fool –thought the Great King, watching closely to his enemy’s preparations—He is weakening his center to extent his wings –Darius smiled— He is desperate, he can’t win and doesn’t know what he is doing.

 

The Great King gave the order to his driver to move and he rode in front of the first line of his men, an impenetrable wall of 34, 000 horsemen. His own men cheered him and their voices, like thunders, reached the Macedonians on the other side, loud and clear as if they were standing at their side, an overwhelming sound echoing in the deep of their beings; many of them had never seen 100, 000 men, let alone hear them shout at the same time.

 

More than one got goosebumps, and the invaders saw how the magnificent war chariot shone under the sun, stopping again at the center, and then, Darius got ready to address his troops. He was a very tall man, and even if he was on a high seat, he was easily distinguished by all. The Great King took his time, turned his head to both sides, watching his army closely before extending his arms and raising his voice.

 

- “Recently you were the masters of lands washed by the ocean on one side and bounded by the Hellespont on the other” –said Darius with strong clear voice, making pauses so his words could be repeated in order to be heard by all—“But now is not glory for which you must fight but for survival, and for what you prize more than survival: Freedom!” –his voice echoed through the ranks of his massive army—“Today will consolidate or terminate an empire greater than any age has seen. At Granicus we fought the enemy with but a fraction of our strength; defeated in Cilicia we could retreat into Syria with the Tigris and Euphrates providing strong defenses for our empire. We have now reach the point from which, if we are defeated, there is no opportunity even for flight. To our rear everything lies depleted by this long war: cities without inhabitants, land without men to till it. Our wives and children are following the army and are easy pickings for the enemy, unless we place our bodies as a barrier before these, our nearest and dearest”       

 

Darius made a pause again, he could only distinguish the faces of the officers nearer to him and all of them were watching him intensely. The Great King had a plan, an idea of what he wanted to achieve with this speech, he had thought carefully what could be the best way to approach this men before such a important battle. 

 

- “As for my own responsibilities, I have put together an army that plains almost limitless in extent can barely hold; I equipped it with horses and arms, provided supplies enough to meet the needs of such huge numbers, and chose a site in which our line of battle could be fully deployed” –the Great King continued, his voice serene and strong—“The rest its up to you! Just have the courage to win and pay no attention to your enemy’s reputation, that flimsiest of weapons against men of fortitude. The quality you have hitherto feared as bravery is merely recklessness: once its initial impetus is gone, it wilts like certain creatures which have spent their stings. These plains –he extended his arms—Have exposed their numerical inferiority which was hidden by the mountains of Cilicia, and you can see their thin ranks, their elongated wings, their center weak and depleted. Why, the rearmost ranks he has faced away from us, already starting their flight! They can be trampled down by our horses even if I send nothing but our scythed-chariots against them!” –his voice rose in excitement.

 

Darius almost smiled, but he restrained from doing so. His speech was good, and everything was going as he had planed; he could feel the soft breeze and he was grateful for this small relief, his armor was terrible suffocating under the morning sun.

 

-“Wining this battle will mean wining the war, for there is no chance of escape for them either: the Euphrates and Tigris keep them boxed in on both sides” –the Great King continued— “Furthermore, the advantages they formerly enjoyed are now reversed. We have the light and mobile army, theirs is heavy with loot. So we shall slaughter them as they are caught in the toils of the plunder taken from us, and the cause of our victory will also be its reward”

 

Now it came the hardest part, reassured them that, they could win. In those years of war Alexander had never been defeated and his legend was starting to grow even in those distant cities like Ecbatana and Susa, they all knew his reputation was a brilliant commander and so far, every man who had dared to stand in his way had perished. Memnom was the best example, the Persians had had him in great esteem, and not even the Rhodian could stop him. For years, centuries! The Persians had feared the Spartans, having them as the ultimate warriors capable of anything, but now, the Macedonians had proven to be even more terrible.   

 

- “Any of you alarmed by the reputation of that nation must realize that Macedonian weapons are over there, but not Macedonian bodies. We have spilt a lot of blood on both sides, and the loss is always more serious when numbers are small” –Darius waited, he could see his brother, mounted near him, nodding every now and them –“And no matter how great he may appear to the cowardly and timid” –he continued—“Alexander is but a single creature, and a headstrong and crazy one, if you place any trust in my judgment, his success thus far is due more to our fear than his courage”

 

Oxyathres stopped nodding and watched him taken aback by his words. If his brother was trying to reassure them that, the invader was just a man, and that he could be defeated, contrary to what the rumors said, he was doing a terrible job. First he had insulted his opponent, second he had called them all cowards. 

 

- “But nothing can last without the support of reason” –Darius kept talking— “Though good luck may seem to be on your side, eventually it fails to compensate for recklessness. Besides, everything is of short duration and subject to change, and fortune’s blessings are never unmixed. The Gods brought the Persian Empire through a successful history of 230 years to the absolute peak of power. Perhaps it will now prove that they have so arranges its fate as to give it a good shock rather than to shatter it in order to remind us of human frailty which is too often forgotten in times of prosperity. A short time ago we were actually invading the Greeks; now in our own home we are trying to repel an invasion, and we in our turn are storm-tossed by changing fortune. Obviously one nation cannot contain this empire since we both aspire to it in turns”

 

Several puzzled expressions looked at him, now, the Great King had lost his audience, what was he talking about? Was he telling them that the Gods had abandoned Persia? 

 

- “My mother, my two daughters, [Cyrus] Ochus, heir to this empire from birth, princes who are children of royal birth, your generals, these Alexander has in chains like criminals” –this time his voice trembled with emotion, Darius had planned to move his men, to show himself as a father, as a man just like them in order to increase their loyalty and will to fight for him— “Unless I can hope for something from you, I am for the most part a prisoner myself. Rescue my own flesh and blood, from captivity; restore to me my loved ones, those for whom you are willing to die: my mother and my children, for my wife I have already lost in that prison of his. You must believe that these are all stretching out their hands to you, imploring the air of our country’s gods and calling for your assistance, pity, loyalty, to free them from their shackles, from slavery and a life dependent on other’s whims. Do you believe that they can endure to be slaves to people whom they would find it beneath their dignity to rule over? –he made another pause—“I see the enemy line on the move, but the closer I come to the critical moment the more aware I must feel of the inadequacy of my words”

 

The Great King surveyed their faces, some were bored but making a great effort to hide it, others didn’t understand quite well what did he want to achieve with this, a few others, like Oxyathres, were positively confused and a little insulted.

 

- “I beg you, by our country’s Gods, by the eternal fire carried before us on the altars, by the bright sun that rises within my empire’s boundaries, by the eternal memory of Cyrus who first wrested the empire from the Medes and Lydians and transferred it to Persia” –he raised his arms— “Deliver the Persian people and its honor form the depths of disgrace. Go forward in high spirits and charged with confidence, to bequeath to your descendants the glory which you inherited from your ancestors. In your right hands you bear freedom, might and hope for the future. He who despises death escapes it, but death overtakes every coward. I myself ride in my carriage not just because it is our tradition, but also to be seen by my men, and I will welcome it if you emulate my performance, whether my example be one of bravery or cowardice.”(1)         

 

Oxyathres wasn’t sure that this was the best way to approach the men before such an important battle, and, for what he could see around him, the rest of the satraps and high ranking officers were thinking the same as he. First Darius had called them cowards, after that he had mentioned that the Gods may had abandoned them, then he had begged for their help as if they were doom to lose.

 

He shook his head, his brother must know what he was doing, and he was right in one thing: here, the small Macedonian army was highly vulnerable and they would crush them without difficult, they had nothing to worry about.

 

Macedonian lines:

 

At that distance Alexander couldn’t hear what was Darius saying, but, judging by the silence that had followed the initial shouting among the Persian line, the Great King should be directing a few words to his men. The Macedonian King could see his chariot in front of the enemy lines as rich and sumptuous as the one he had abandoned at Issus.

 

He turned his uneven eyes to his own men and saw pleased how every battalion was formed and ready. Alexander pressed the flanks of Boukephalos and advanced in front of the lines of his army. He no longer mounted Boukephalos if he could because his friend was old, but, in this battle, in this important moment, he needed Boukephalos by his side as he had always been in every major battle fought so far. 

 

- Just one more time –he whispered leaning on his horse’s neck, patting him fondly.

 

All eyes where on him, 47, 000 men where standing there, 47, 000 souls were in his hands now; the King had only one plan to win, no other options and no escape plans, he would seal the destiny of everyone there sure that his plan was going to work. For this, he wasn’t nervous, as he had told Parmelio that morning, he knew he could win, they would win, so there was nothing to fear.

 

He took a deep breath. His men were scared and nervous, not because they were cowards, no, but because of the impressive sight in front of them, and it was in his hands to restore their confidence, to make them believe, the same way he believed it, that victory was theirs.

 

- We have traversed so many lands –said Alexander, raising his voice to be heard to the last ranks, and, the same as Darius, making pauses so his words could be repeated—Hoping for the victory for which we are now to fight, and this one decisive struggle is all that remained –he made a pause—We fought at the river Granicus, at the mountains of Cilicia, the plains of Syria and on our road to Egypt, and we conquered them all while we passed through these lands. These should do much to bolster your confidence and inspire you to win glory. The Persians had been overtaken while running away, and now they are only going to fight because escape is impossible. For two days they have been rooting to the spot, place with fear and burdened under the weight of their own arms, and the clearest sign of their desperation is their burning of their own cities and agricultural land, by which they admitted that anything they did not spoil belonged to their foes.   

 

Alexander surveyed the faces of his men, given them time to absorb his words.

 

- Do not harbor un-warranted fears of the names of unknown races: it has no hearing on the outcome of the war who are called Scythians, or who Cadusians –he continued—The very fact that you have never heard of them its because they have no worth! Brave men are never unknown –he raised his voice to emphasis each word—While cowards who have been ferreted out of their hiding places contribute nothing beyond their names. As for us, Macedonians, our courage has ensured that there is no place on earth unaware of our quality –he turned to look at the Persian lines and extended his arm to point at them—Look at the Persian army! There are more men standing on the Persian side, but more are going to FIGHT on the Macedonian –that made the men shout and hit their spears against their shields, a great noise that reach the enemy’s lines.

 

The King waited until silence was restored to continue, letting every men to savor this moment.

 

- I’m not asking you to battle valiantly without providing you with an example of bravery myself –he said—I’m going to fight before the front standards, and all my scars are testimony of my courage, and every one of them is a decoration for my body –he hit his fist against his chest—And you knew I was almost alone in refusing to share our collective spoils, instead I used my share of the rewards of victory to enrich and honor you. My words are addressed to brave soldiers, because to men not in this category I would have said this: —he made another calculated pause to increase the tension— We have reached the point from which flight is impossible –his words carried such an intensity that made his men shuddered— We have covered such huge distances and we have all these rivers and mountains as a barrier behind us that, now, we have to fight our way back to our own country and to our homes (2) 

 

There was a tense silence over the Macedonian lines. Alexander knew that they were facing a terrible enemy, the Persians vast numbers were enough to scare the bravest of men, and the temptation to run away from the battlefield was too great to be ignore. He had to point them out their cruel reality. There was no turning back now. 

 

- But you are not cowards! –there was such silence that his voice could be heard even at the last ranks— And flight won’t be necessary because you are going to prevail, because there is no one, NO ONE, who can defeat you! And after this day every man in every corner of the world would know that you are unconquerable. 

 

If he was hoping to raise their spirits, he could be sure that he had exceeded in his task. They voices could be heard around the plain, reaching the Persians, their spears and sword hitting the boss of their shields created such a noise that they shook the ground, it was as if the sky were falling.

 

Alexandros, Alexandros

 

Alexander let an arrogant half smile to curve his lips, his whole body burned with emotion, something hard to explain with words, a feeling that made the very core of his soul to tremble.

 

Alexandros, Alexandros

 

He closed his eyes for a moment, thousands of throats shouting his name at the same time, was intoxicating. And this was why he fought for, to feel this, to experience this overwhelming sensation of being loved, admired, feared…To have this power over men. The King opened his eyes again, and turned. He surveyed those hundreds of faces until he found who he was looking for. Hephaistion was at the front of his men, and, as soon as he caught his eyes, the King took his hand to his chest, where his beloved knew was hanging the locket with the lock of his hair. That made the General smiled.

 

As long as Alexander was in command, they could defeat anyone and anything.

 

Macedonian right wing,

 

The hetairoi cavalry was ready, waiting for the order to charge, and among its lines Nikandros stretched his neck to see the rest of his squadron or Ilai, the King had did it again to him and he was assigned to the Ilai in charge of his cousin Demetrios. Almost 3 years ago Alexander had promoted him as one of the eight Iliachs (3) under the direct orders of the hipparch Philotas.

 

Why hadn’t the King promoted Nikandros? Because, even if he was a brave soldier and a good warrior, with a very strong family connection that would have served him to gain the King’s favor, he was completely unreliable in a command post. And Nikandros couldn’t care less, this way, he had more liberties, and he didn’t want to be an officer, he just wanted a good share of the spoils.

 

- From here, these Persians look like a wall –said Nikandros, and his friend Kleopatros nodded while he strapped his helmet.

 

- How many of them do you think are there? –Kleopatros pointed at the front with his chin.

 

Nikandros shrugged.

 

- Trust me I have no idea, but I heard someone at the camp saying that this was an army of a million men –he said, his eyes on the cataphracts, he had never seen horses like these before and their armors had immediately caught his attention.

 

- Do you think so? –Kleopatros was in shock, and turned to look at the Persians with eyes wide opened.

 

- No, I don’t –Nikandros patted his horse’s neck—But they are a lot, that’s for sure.

 

- Silence! –shouted cousin Demetrios—The King is coming.

 

- You know Demi? I like you better when you are not in command –said Nikandros, making the men around him laugh. His cousin saw him through narrowed eyes.

 

Hephaistion had warned him that, to have Nikandros under his command, was the worst thing that could happen to him, but he didn’t believe him…until now.   

 

- While you are under my commander, you would address to me properly, understood soldier? –said Demetrios with his best “officer like” voice.

 

- Trust me sir, I don’t fancy to be “under you” in any possible way –Nikandros words started a roar of laugher and Demetrios blushed against his will. Oh how he hated his cousin in those moments, but, he had to admit that his men needed a good laugh to end with the growing tension.  

 

Alexander arrived, taking his position at the front of the Ile Basilike, which would lead the rest of the hetairoi cavalry. His uneven eyes were fixed at the enemy in front of him; he touched his chest one last time, feeling the locket against his skin, as if he could feel Hephaistion’s hand under his own, and pressed the flanks of Boukephalos.

 

There was no turning back now…

 

The trumpets sounded the order to advance and Alexander led the hetairoi cavalry, while his infantry advanced, as usual, in their unbeatable phalanx formation that had forced Darius to rely on his cavalry. The Macedonian left wing had orders to echelon back progressively, and Alexander saw how his orders were followed with precision. That was good; they needed precision and discipline to win this battle. For what the King knew, the satrap of Babylon, Mazaeus, the same man that had been so close of killing the most important person in his life, was commanding the cavalry on the Persian right wing.

 

He wished, with all his forces, that Mazaeus fell into his trap.   

 

Alexander concentrated on the enemy in front of him, but instead of charging directly to where Bessus and his cataphracts were waiting, he led his men to the edge of the Persian line, avoiding to start the engagement and to be outflanked, so he kept edging forward and sideways, “until they were near the edge of the terrain which the Persians had cleared for their chariots and cavalry”(4)

 

Persian center,

 

- What is he doing? –asked Darius, frowning while his eyes followed Alexander, riding across the plain as if there were no enemy army in front and the long line of Macedonian horsemen behind him.

 

- I have no idea, Great King –said his brother Oxyathres, as confused as he was. Was the Macedonian King running away? Unlikely, he didn’t have where to run, he was planning something and Oxyathres didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t understand what exactly.

 

Darius was starting to get impatience; he tapped his fingers on the edge of his chariot, watching the hetairoi cavalry getting away from the battlefield while the left wing engaged combat with Parmelio’s men.

 

- Send a message to Bessus –said the Great King at last to one of his servants—I want him to chase the barbarian and outflank him, now! I won’t let him run away from me.

 

The servant bowed and ran to obey.

 

Persian Left Wing,

 

Bessus received the order to attack with a big smile. The Macedonian King was scarcely a few paces from him, and, if he managed to kill Alexander, then all the glory would fell upon him, he could be hailed and rewarded and that was the first step in his ambitious plan of becoming, one day, Great King himself. After all, Darius had gained tremendous popularity after that famous duel against this exceptionally strong Cadusian. Persians respected brave men, and he would be the bravest of them all in this battle, he would kill the invader and throw his head at the feet of the Great King.

 

Bessus smiled as if he could savor his triumph, drinking in the mental image of his moment of Glory. Darius had been defeated once at Issus, and his speech that morning was proof enough that the Great King was lost; he was no longer the leader they needed, and from the deeps of despair Bessus would raise like the savior of Persia. He would be the hero of the hour, not Darius. 

 

- Sound the order to advance –said the satrap of Bactria and the trumpets called the massive cavalry force to move.

 

Macedonian Right Wing,

 

- What, by Ares’ balls, is that?! –exclaimed Ptolemy, feeling the ground under them trembling.

 

Leonnatos, not far from him, raised his head, and saw the Persian left wing coming after them, the Susian and Cadusian cavalry came first, because, thanks to their heavy armor, cataphracts were slow, but deadly, their advance was like an earthquake and, for the Macedonians who had never before witnessed something like this, it was an overwhelming sight, hundreds of horses covered in armor, shining like mirrors under the afternoon sun. 

 

They looked capable enough of crashing every single one of the Macedonian without mercy, and Leonnatos swallowed hard. He truly hoped Alexander had a plan, because, if he had to fight their way through that avalanche of blades and iron, they all would be dead before noon.

 

Persian Left Wing,

 

Bessus didn’t rode at the front, he was at the third line, surrounded by his personal guards and standard bearers, and from there, he saw how Alexander called his units from the rear. The satrap turned and found 2 small cavalry units that he hadn’t noticed before: the Mercenary cavalry under the command of a Greek named Menidas, and the Paeonian cavalry led by Ariston, the same man who had cut the head of a Persian officer and had thrown it at Alexander’s feet.

 

Bessus frowned. This cavalry squadrons were enough to counter attack his massive forces, but, thinking the Macedonian King was desperate, he misinterpreted his actions.

 

He wants to fight us with all his forces –he thought.

 

The satrap of Bactria gave the order to bring the rest of his squadrons. He was determined to surround the Macedonian cavalry, and smash it under the pressure of his great numbers.

 

XXX

 

(1) and (2) Quintus Curtius. The History of Alexander. Book Four, Chapters 14 to 16.

I’ll explain. I copied Darius’s speech textually, I just deleted some boring parts, but the rest are his own words, not mine. But I had to modify Alexander’s speech, again 95% are his own words not mine, but the final part it’s my own invention :P  

(3) This wasn’t my invention. According to Dr. Heckel, Demetrios son of Althaimenes could have been Hephaistion’s cousin, and he did have the rank of Iliach at the battle of Gaugamela. The Marshals of Alexander’s Empire, page 315 “Demetrios son of Althaimenes is the only one of the eight ilarchs named at Gaugamela who attained prominence in the latter half of Alexander’s Asiatic campaign […] If Hephaistion was indeed the son of Amyntor son of Demetrios who was honored by the Athenians in 334/3 B.C. then we could, at least tentatively, postulate a relationship between Hephaistion and Demetrios”

(4) Peter Green. Alexander of Macedon, p 292