CinderCivs:sandbox
| Date | sometime last night |
|---|---|
| Location | Aranna |
| Result | Aranna |
| Belligerents | |
| Aranna | Aranna |
| Commanders | |
| Aranna | Aranna |
| Strength | |
| 5 | 5 |
| Casualties and losses | |
| 5 | 5 |
test page, edit however you want but do not rename
The March of the Ten Thousand
An Account of the Greek Mercenaries
Author: Xenophon of Athens
Written: circa 370 BC
Location: Athens
When Cyrus summoned the Greek mercenaries, he did so under the pretense of an expedition against the Pisidians, a warlike people dwelling in the mountains. Many of the generals suspected no greater design, though a few had heard rumors of a more ambitious undertaking.
Clearchus of Sparta was among the first to assemble his men. Though harsh in discipline, he was respected for his experience in war. The soldiers, many of whom were exiles or men driven by poverty, followed him willingly, preferring danger to idleness.
As the army gathered, it became clear that Cyrus possessed great wealth and ambition. Supplies were plentiful, pay was promised generously, and the men were confident that fortune favored them. Yet few understood the true aim of the march.
At Cunaxa the armies met. Cyrus, seeing his brother Artaxerxes among the enemy, charged directly at him with a small band of followers. He struck the king, but was himself struck down in the confusion of battle.
When word of Cyrus's death spread, despair fell upon the Greeks. Their employer was dead, they stood deep in hostile territory, and they were surrounded by enemies. Many believed all was lost.
Yet the Greek forces had not been defeated in battle. Their ranks remained intact, and their discipline held. This fact, though small, would prove decisive in the days to come.
Tissaphernes, a Persian satrap, approached the Greeks with offers of peace and safe passage. Trusting his words, the generals agreed to a meeting under truce.
There they were seized and put to death. News of the betrayal struck the camp like a blow. The army was left leaderless, surrounded, and without guides.
In this moment of crisis, the soldiers gathered and spoke among themselves. They resolved not to surrender, but to elect new leaders from among their own ranks and attempt the long march home.
Through snow and hostile lands the Greeks marched northward. Hunger, cold, and constant skirmishes wore them down, yet discipline and mutual trust sustained them.
At last, from a mountain ridge, the cry rang out: "The sea! The sea!" The sight of the Black Sea renewed their spirits, for it meant they were once more among Greek lands.
Though many hardships yet remained, the greatest danger was past. Their march became a testament to endurance, leadership, and the power of men bound by shared fate.