‘How I would like to take those siege engines to Persepolis,’ said Orodes through gritted teeth, ‘to breach the walls of Narses’ capital.’
‘Alas, my friend,’ I said, ‘Persepolis lies four hundred miles to the southeast of the Tigris.’
‘Seleucia lies nearer,’ remarked Byrd casually.
We all looked at him.
‘Seleucia?’ I said.
‘Great city on the west bank of the Tigris,’ said Byrd, chomping on a biscuit.
‘I know where it is, but we do not have the siege engines with us,’ I answered. ‘In any case we march to relieve Babylon, not assault Seleucia.’
Seleucia was the ancient city that stood on the western side of the Tigris, opposite the palace complex of Ctesiphon that had been built on the other side of the river. Seleucia protected the great stone bridge across the Tigris that Mithridates and Narses had used to bring their armed forces into Babylonia. Though Seleucia was actually within Babylonian territory, the kings of Babylon had always regarded it as the city that served the court of the high king at Ctesiphon and had thus made no claim upon it — a fatal strategic error.
‘Mithridates and Narses not know you have no siege engines with you,’ replied Byrd.
Domitus looked thoughtful. ‘If we head towards Seleucia instead of Babylon then they might break off the siege of the city to secure the bridge over the river.’
Orodes was not convinced. ‘And they might not. It is far too risky.’
And yet Byrd’s suggestion had merit. If we could draw away the enemy from the walls of Babylon then we would accomplish what we had set out to achieve, irrespective of whether we endangered Seleucia or not. I looked at Byrd and Malik in their Agraci robes and smiled.
‘Perhaps we may both frighten the officials of Seleucia into appealing to the kings besieging Babylon to march north to save them, thereby saving Axsen, and still march towards Babylon.’
The next day I sent Vagises and five hundred horse archers south towards Seleucia, preceded by Malik, Byrd and their scouts. We were only seventy miles from the city so the horsemen would reach it in two days. Vagises was ordered to ride up to the city walls and shout at the defenders that King Pacorus and the army of Dura, with its terrible siege engines, were going to breach their walls and put everyone inside to the sword. For added effect Byrd, Malik and their scouts were also to form up in front of the walls, and then Vagises would announce that they were the vanguard of a great Agraci army that was accompanying King Pacorus. Finally, if the garrison sallied from the walls Vagises and his men were to immediately retreat.
‘You really think that such a hare-brained scheme will work?’ Domitus was far from convinced as I walked beside him as the army made its way south once more, the Tigris on our left flank. It was another blisteringly hot day.
I shrugged. ‘It does not matter what I think, it’s what the authorities in Seleucia think.’
‘If they think at all,’ he said dismissively.
‘They know that Dura is a friend of Haytham and they also know as a consequence of our storm of Uruk that I possess siege engines capable of breaching city walls. When they see hostile horsemen before their walls they will appeal to Mithridates for help.’
‘Seleucia might have a large garrison, have you thought of that?’
I shook my head. ‘A thousand at most. I remember from my time when I was lord high general of the empire. Like Ctesiphon, Seleucia’s defences have been neglected.’
‘And what if Mithridates and Narses break off the siege of Babylon and march towards us with a hundred thousand men?’
I laughed. ‘They don’t have that many. Remember we inflicted heavy losses on their army last year, and killed quite a few of their heavy horsemen as well.’
‘You sound very certain.’
‘You know, Domitus, for the first time in weeks I am. Byrd’s idea is a good one, I should have thought of it.’
My chief scout and the other horsemen returned in three days, in which time we had marched to within twenty miles of Seleucia, passing by the now usual sights of destroyed villages and smashed dykes and irrigation systems. Next spring this whole area would be flooded when the Tigris would be swelled by the northern melt waters, which would breach the broken dykes and inflict yet more damage on an already wasted land.
We had already made camp when Vagises, accompanied by Byrd and Malik, rode through the main entrance with their horsemen. All three reported to me after they had unsaddled their horses and eaten, their clothes and faces covered in a fine white dust that gave them the appearance of phantoms.
‘I did not shout at those on the walls,’ said Vagises, ‘but rather sent a messenger to the city governor with a letter I had composed.’
‘Saying what?’ I asked.
‘Informing him that King Pacorus and Dura’s army would be arriving imminently and that he was to surrender the city when he, that is you, arrived. Failure to do so would result in the destruction of the city and the deaths of its inhabitants. I also told him that King Haytham and his Agraci warriors were marching with you and that I had brought some of his warriors with me to show that I spoke the truth.’
Malik and Byrd smiled at me.
‘And what was his reply?’
‘That he did not have the authority to treat with kings and that he would have to consult with Mithridates first.’
‘Playing for time,’ said Domitus, ‘an old trick.’
‘Indeed,’ continued Vagises, ‘so I ordered the outlying homes to be torched, after which we withdrew as ordered.’
The expansion of Seleucia during the long reign of Sinatruces had resulted in many homes being built outside the city walls. No thought had been given to building new walls to encompass these dwellings.
‘You did well, Vagises,’ I said. ‘That should stir Mithridates up, if only for the fact that his dear mother resides in Ctesiphon, just across the river from Seleucia.’
The next day before dawn Byrd and Malik rode out of camp with their scouts. I was half-tempted to attack Seleucia anyway. Its walls were old and crumbling, its garrison was small and even without siege engines we could probably scale the walls that were no higher than twenty feet in most places. Even a show of force might be enough for the governor to lose his nerve and surrender the place without a fight. But Orodes was adamant that we should make Babylon a priority and for the sake of our friendship I agreed. Most days he was with the vanguard, I think because he believed that if he rode at the very tip of the army then he was always the closest to Axsen. How curious are the thoughts of men when they are besotted!
We had not marched five miles when he rode back to the main column with Byrd and Malik in tow.
‘Enemy force approaching from the southwest, Pacorus,’ said Orodes.
‘Looks like Mithridates took the bait,’ I said to Domitus with relish.
Domitus looked up at Byrd. ‘How many?’
‘Not many, five thousand, perhaps.’
Domitus scowled. ‘That is just the vanguard. How many behind?’
Malik shook his head. ‘No, there are none following the foot soldiers.’
‘They are foot soldiers only?’ I said with disbelief.
‘Well, we can’t ignore them,’ snorted Domitus.
The army was halted and then deployed into battle formation with horse archers on the wings and the legions in the centre, after which it moved slowly in a southwesterly direction. I had Byrd and Malik send their men out far and wide as I could not believe that five thousand foot soldiers were going to engage us. There must be additional forces nearby. But the scouts reported seeing nothing and the flat desert meant that there were no hills, forests of ravines in which to hide another army. The cataphracts donned their armour and the squires formed a reserve in the rear of the army, guarding the wagons, camels and mules.
We halted and awaited our foes, whose line did not even match the frontage of one of our legions as they marched towards us with their shields in front of them and their spears held at an angle of forty-five degrees. I heard the sound of drums being banged and saw many yellow banners among their ranks, indicating that these men were from Persis.