10-20-2011, 05:05 PM
Rampage through his lands?
Do you realize that the hoplites were not his enemy? After Cyrus is dealt with, why bother with the mercenaries? Not to mention that the hoplites did not fight all the way - they were directed to the mountains. You have to understand the king's point of view: his brother revolts, and hires a lot of additional troops, many of them highly trained and dangerous (the hoplites). Now, those men are bound by no obligation to fight other than money. So now he's killed the usurper, and has many pressing matters at hand, like recovering the western satrapies, redistributing power and dealing with other revolts (like Egypt). A band of mercenaries who want nothing but to go back home is the absolute least of his worries.
Yes, I know, the hoplites were harassed by hostile locals and troops, but there is nothing to suggest they were operating on the king's accord. Nor did they actually fight on the way to Cunaxa, since it appears Artaxerxes prepared to fight in Mesopotamia where he held all the advantages - supply lines, reserves, local support, secure back and flanks and a battlefield perfectly suited for his needs (large scale cavalry operations and few features to protect the enemy flanks).
And I never said that Greece's opponents always fled. I did say it is accepted by most historians that the Greeks more often than not defeated far superior numbers, and that they could only lose through treachery and swarming.
Do you realize that the hoplites were not his enemy? After Cyrus is dealt with, why bother with the mercenaries? Not to mention that the hoplites did not fight all the way - they were directed to the mountains. You have to understand the king's point of view: his brother revolts, and hires a lot of additional troops, many of them highly trained and dangerous (the hoplites). Now, those men are bound by no obligation to fight other than money. So now he's killed the usurper, and has many pressing matters at hand, like recovering the western satrapies, redistributing power and dealing with other revolts (like Egypt). A band of mercenaries who want nothing but to go back home is the absolute least of his worries.
Yes, I know, the hoplites were harassed by hostile locals and troops, but there is nothing to suggest they were operating on the king's accord. Nor did they actually fight on the way to Cunaxa, since it appears Artaxerxes prepared to fight in Mesopotamia where he held all the advantages - supply lines, reserves, local support, secure back and flanks and a battlefield perfectly suited for his needs (large scale cavalry operations and few features to protect the enemy flanks).
And I never said that Greece's opponents always fled. I did say it is accepted by most historians that the Greeks more often than not defeated far superior numbers, and that they could only lose through treachery and swarming.
