The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 18 -

After several days of marching, Juleios finally saw a massive wall towering over 20 meters high, stretching infinitely southeastward. "Oh! The Median Wall! No matter how many times I see it, it's still astonishing!" Xenophon exclaimed with admiration. Over the past few days, during their march, he often left Menon's mercenary unit to walk with Juleios. According to Xenophon, "Talking with Juleios helps inspire my thoughts on knowledge." Juleios, on the other hand, felt that Xenophon was simply bored in Proxenus's unit, as he shared no common language with anyone there except Proxenus. So, Xenophon came to Juleios, eager to show off his knowledge.

"This Median Wall is said to be over a hundred miles long. It was built by the Babylonian Kingdom to defend against the Medes from the north. Yet, Babylon still fell to the Medes..." Xenophon said with a tinge of regret, gazing at the towering wall. "Later, the Medes were defeated by the Persians. Herodotus has an excellent account of this in his Histories! I hope I live long enough to see such history myself!"

Juleios recalled from his previous life that the Persian Empire was ultimately destroyed by Alexander the Great, a Macedonian king revered by the West for over two millennia. He couldn't remember the exact date, but it would be decades later. In his memory, Macedonia was not yet a unified kingdom and, ironically, was an "enemy" of Greece at this time.

Looking at the massive wall built from burned bricks and asphalt, Juleios felt a profound sense of wonder: it seemed that building long walls to defend against barbarian invasions wasn't unique. He should still be in the Spring and Autumn or Warring States periods...

He turned eastward and stood silently for a long time, his eyes reflecting an indescribable longing and sorrow. In this life, as a Greek, he was thousands of miles from his homeland and could never return.

"Juleios! Juleios!" Hearing Xilos's call, Juleios snapped out of his thoughts and realized his pause was holding up the column. He quickened his pace, muttering, "You know, there might be a country in the distant East. Its territory could be vaster than Persia's, its people more numerous, and its customs entirely different from those of Greece or Persia. Its political system might be unlike anything we've seen—strict, efficient, and prosperous..."

"Juleios, you must be dreaming. How could there be such a powerful kingdom in the East?" Xenophon interrupted Juleios's rambling, saying seriously, "According to Herodotus, to Persia's east is India, to its southeast is Arabia, and to its northeast are the Scythians and one-eyed men... There shouldn't be any such kingdom you're talking about! Unless this is a revelation from Hades?"

"Then, beyond those peoples you mentioned, what lies even farther east?" Juleios asked.

"Probably the ocean," Xenophon said uncertainly.

"That's Herodotus's claim, isn't it? Did he personally verify it?" Juleios pressed.

"Well... he probably recorded what he heard from others..." Xenophon began to falter.

"If it's just hearsay, then it can't be confirmed as true. So, you can't rule out the possibility of such a kingdom existing in the distant East!" Juleios countered.

Xenophon was momentarily at a loss for words and looked curiously at Juleios. "The way you speak, it's as if such a kingdom really exists."

Juleios chuckled without replying.

"Oh, how I wish I could one day travel to that faraway East and see for myself!" Olivers, intrigued by Juleios's description, sighed.

"Well, first you'd have to cross the Persian Empire, then face the Magasatae horsemen who come and go like the wind. They supposedly once took the head of the great Persian King Cyrus. And let's not forget the terrifying one-eyed men and the mysterious Indians... If you're lucky enough not to be killed or enslaved, then you might see whether the distant East is an ocean or a powerful kingdom..." Xenophon joked half-seriously.

Olivers shivered and fell silent.

But Matonis, clearly annoyed, interjected. Though he disliked Olivers, he loathed Xenophon's pompous intellectualism even more. "Afraid of what? If I had a strong army, I'd dare to go anywhere, even to the far East!"

"A strong army?" Xenophon sneered slightly and pointed to the disorganized column ahead. "Like this?"

"Of course, it would have to be stronger than this!" Matonis shouted.

As Juleios listened to their banter, he squinted slightly, pondering: A stronger army, huh?

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Crossing the Median Wall marked the Greek army's departure from Babylonian territory. Over the next few days, Juleios was surrounded by scenes of crisscrossing plains, endless golden wheat fields, and numerous man-made canals. These canals diverted water from large rivers into smaller channels, eventually irrigating the fields.

Observing this, Juleios couldn't help but marvel: This must be one of the oldest irrigation systems in the Middle East! Such fertile land and abundant water must have supported large populations, fostering the rise of successive brilliant civilizations in Mesopotamia!

Further ahead lay the source of these canals: the Tigris River. As another lifeline of the Mesopotamian plain, the Tigris was similarly vast. Its width made the opposite bank barely visible. On the river, countless sails fluttered. Boats with oars slicing swiftly through the water were likely merchant ships, while those drifting slowly downstream with their sails lowered were fishing vessels. The songs of fishermen and the shouts of sailors echoed along the riverbanks, accompanied by the cries of waterfowl overhead and the occasional leap of large fish from the water—a serene and picturesque riverscape.

Near the riverbank was a populous city—Sittace. The Greek mercenaries set up camp close to the city, while the Persian army and Ariæus's forces crossed a bridge to camp on the other side. That night, with the Persian forces across the river, the Greeks felt significantly less pressure and finally had a peaceful night's sleep.

The next day, the atmosphere changed subtly. As Juleios's group crossed the river, they noticed fully armed soldiers standing guard at both ends of the bridge.

What was going on?

When Xenophon joined them, Juleios finally learned the reason.

"Last night, someone from the opposite camp—a supposed confidant of Ariæus—brought a message for Clearchus and Proxenus. Several leaders gathered to meet him, and I accompanied Proxenus. The man claimed that Ariæus warned Clearchus to be vigilant, as the Persian army might launch a night attack on the Greek mercenaries and destroy the bridge to trap us between the Tigris River and the canals. And I," Xenophon said with a hint of pride, "thought this information was unreliable!"

"Oh? What made you think that?" Juleios feigned curiosity.

"Because if the Persians attack us, there are only two outcomes: victory or defeat. If they lose and destroy the bridge, they'll have no escape route. If they win, we're already on Persian land with no place to run—there'd be no need to destroy a bridge that took so much effort to build."

"Hmm, makes sense!" Juleios nodded in agreement.

"If even you can think of that, Tissaphernes isn't a fool. Why would he concoct such an obviously false story?" Olivers mocked.

"That's because he's genuinely afraid we'll destroy the bridge!" Xenophon gave Olivers a sharp look but chose not to argue further. "As you've seen over the past few days, this area has many villages, fertile lands, and abundant crops—enough to sustain our mercenaries for months. If we destroy the bridge and refuse to leave, with Tissaphernes stuck on the other side, unable to cross for the time being, then..."