Surena, though, was delighted and on the way back to camp was full of grandiose plans about how he would form all the marsh people into a great army.
‘These are only the ones I was able to muster in a short amount of time.’
‘I think that most of your people would like to remain in their homeland, Surena.’
‘I don’t,’ he announced.
I had to smile. When we had met he had been a wild boy from the marshes, content to live among water buffalo and cane and mud huts. Now he was on his way to being an accomplished officer in what I liked to think was the finest army in the Parthian Empire. For him it was impossible to go back to his former life.
‘I think, Surena, that the point of the matter is that your people should be allowed to live their lives unmolested.’
‘What king in Uruk will allow that, lord?’
‘An enlightened one, Surena; one who will respect your people and their way of life.’
‘Kings have always persecuted my people, lord.’
‘You must have faith that things will change. I predict a new dawn for your people.’
‘I hope so, lord, I hope so.’
The mood of Domitus noticeably darkened when our guests arrived at camp. He was less than impressed by a couple of thousand more mouths to feed.
‘We’ll be on half-rations in a week,’ he complained. ‘I don’t suppose they brought any food with them?’
‘They are our new allies, Domitus. Make sure they are fed and well treated.’
‘I’ll make sure anything valuable is guarded, more like.’
‘It is important that they take away with them a favourable impression of us,’ I said. ‘Surena once looked liked them, and you will agree that he has turned into a fine soldier.’
‘There’s always an exception, but I will do as you command.’
The marsh people were allocated a corner of the camp and were given food and tents to sleep in. Surena was placed in temporary command of them and he took to the task with relish. It helped that some of them had been his fellow associates in crime, and so he soon had officers of sorts to assist him. Domitus wanted them to sleep outside the camp, but that would have been an obvious insult and would have left them very vulnerable to any attacks against us. Not that there was any sign of the enemy, or indeed any signs of life at all. Byrd and Malik had ridden far and wide and reported people fleeing towards Uruk with their meagre belongings, no doubt hastened in their flight by the sight of Agraci warriors in their homeland. The latter had even approached the walls of the great city itself but had seen no enemy patrols on the roads.
‘Chosroes must be keeping what soldiers he has inside the city,’ remarked Malik as he was relaxing in my tent after he and Byrd had returned from their scouting.
‘Uruk has high walls,’ remarked Byrd.
I had called a war council when they had returned for I was eager to get to Uruk.
‘That is why we have brought the Romans and their siege engines,’ I said. ‘High walls make good targets.’
‘Sieges take time,’ muttered Domitus. He was still unhappy about the presence of the Ma’adan inside the camp.
‘Not this one, Domitus,’ I replied. ‘I have been talking to Marcus and we have hatched a plan to bring it to a speedy conclusion.’
‘Will you give Chosroes an opportunity to surrender, Pacorus?’ Orodes was a true friend, but I knew that he was uneasy about attacking the capital city of one of the empire’s kings. I would have liked to dispense with the formalities but I valued Orodes’ friendship too much to upset his sense of protocol.
I smiled at him. ‘Of course. I would prefer it if we could enter the city without shedding any blood.’
‘Ha,’ Domitus had a mischievous grin on his face. ‘There’s more chance of a mule pissing gold than that happening.’
Gallia frowned at his coarseness. ‘Perhaps you could persuade Chosroes to surrender, Domitus, as you have such a way with words?’
‘We will have to storm the city, of that I’m sure,’ said Domitus. ‘And it will take a long time.’ He looked at Malik. ‘The walls are high, you say?’
‘Very high, and there are many towers.’
‘Archers could inflict much harm on an attacker,’ added Byrd.
‘Then you are looking at between three and six months to take the city, though you might starve them out before then.’
Domitus folded his arms and sat with a smug expression on his face. Gallia frowned once more and Byrd looked disinterested. I had asked Praxima to join us, which caused something of a surprise among the others.
‘What do you think, Praxima?’ I asked.
All eyes fell on the wife of Nergal, who was dressed in her leggings and mail shirt, her wild hair about her shoulders. Fearsome and fearless in battle, she was now very uncertain.
‘I know nothing about strategy, lord.’
‘Nonsense,’ I said, ‘you have fought in nearly as many battles as I have. What would you do, attack or sit around doing nothing?’
Domitus looked away in disgust, while Nergal looked perplexed.
‘I would attack, lord,’ she replied.
‘And so we will,’ I announced. ‘We break camp in the morning.’
Gallia cornered me after the others had left.
‘Since when did Praxima have a voice on the war council?’
‘Since today,’ I replied.
‘And you are suddenly interested in her opinion?’
‘Of course, why not?’
She was unconvinced. ‘Because you usually listen to no one but yourself, that is why.’
‘I have to say that is unfair.’
‘But true,’ she retorted.
I said no more and eventually she threw up her arms and left. I would reveal my plan when we stood in the royal palace at Uruk. Until then it would remain a secret.
The march to Uruk was uneventful, though as usual Nergal threw a screen of horsemen all around the army. Domitus placed Surena and the Ma’adan in the very rear of the army, which ensured that they were covered in the dust thrown up by those that went before them. This appealed to his cruel streak. After two days of marching and seeing no enemy we arrived before the southern walls of Uruk.
Uruk, famed city of history. It was rumoured to be five thousand years old, or at least there had been people living on its site for that long. High, mud-brick walls surrounded the city with towers at regular intervals. They had been built over four thousand years ago by a great warrior king named Gilgamesh. The city was located some five miles from the Euphrates and was connected to the great river by a series of canals that brought water to Uruk. One of the reasons for these was to irrigate the great gardens inside the city that had been created by its kings for their recreation. The gates into the city were located at the four points of the compass, though the main gates were those that faced south. These were flanked by two high, square towers from which flew the viper standard of Chosroes. He had hoped to plant his banner on Dura’s walls but I promised myself that soon the griffin would be atop those towers. The gates were slammed shut as the army surrounded the city and the Roman engineers positioned their siege engines. Marcus thought it would be straightforward enough.
‘A city this size, filled with refugees and with no relief army to march to its aid — might as well starve them out. Tedious, but effective.’
‘But if we starve them out you will not be able to demonstrate your machines,’ I said, ‘and I was so looking forward to seeing them in action.’
He looked at me as though I had gone mad. ‘Starving them will save you a lot of blood.’
‘You let me worry about that.’
I walked with him towards the southern gates while Domitus and Nergal organised their commands. The Duran Legion set up its camp to the south of the city and the Exiles were positioned on its northern side. Kuban and his wild men were ordered to form a defensive screen to the east and Nergal established company sized camps up to twenty miles from the city in all directions. Beyond them all rode Byrd, Malik and their Agraci scouts. In this way I would have plenty of prior notice if any enemy relief force approached, such as Narses.