Vengeance is Best Served Cold (An Antiquity TL)

[Semiramis]

Tripolis, Phoenicia. ~November 333 BC:

There’s trouble on the docks. Soldiers are taking control of ships, men are running, the citizens are panicking. Just a few moments ago, these very same soldiers were hurriedly making their way towards the city, claiming to be the mercenaries of Darius. Upon being let in, they immediately made a run for the docks, stealing every valuable item off of unsuspecting citizens.

When they realised what was happening, the garrison did try to fight these strange soldiers, but it was for naught, for just as quickly as they got there, they seized a sizable number of ships, and burnt the rest. The Tripolitans were left confused, wondering what had just happened.

I bet you too, dear reader, are wondering what had happened, the short answer to that is they were once Greek mercenaries serving under the King of Kings. Upon his defeat at Issus however, they did what any other honourable group of mercenaries would do once they realised they weren’t getting paid, go rogue and loot everything on sight until they either got satisfied or defeated.

Of course, it wasn’t as simple as that, after all, they were being chased by the same man who had defeated their employer (Darius III), Alexandros Andreiphóntēs[1], you can understand their fear just by reading his epithet. Thus, the commanders decided to take over the nearest city and seize the ships on it’s dock, which just so happened to be Tripolis. However, they were in such a hurry that they didn’t even plan what they should do after that, and so, as soon as they got far enough away from the coast, the top leaders gathered for a meeting.

Phoenician Sea, ~100km off the coast:

A young-looking, pale white, dark-haired man walks through the curtain, into the makeshift tent. [2]

–You’ve finally arrived, Amyntas, please sit here -Vianor the Acarnanian said, patting on a spot close to him
–So, do we have any idea about where we could land? Our provisions won’t last forever. - Amyntas asked
–Right now - Aristomedes the Pherean started - Cyprus seems to be our best bet. We can’t go either Anatolia or Phoenicia, everybody knows who we are and Alexander won’t be happy to see us - Thymondas son of Mentor interrupted him:
–What about Egypt?
–Well, - Aristomedes sighed - even if we do manage to get there in the first place, what would we even do once we get there? The satrap is definitely going to prepare to fight against Macedon and I doubt he’ll be able to spare any coins for us. We could try to conquer it but what would we do once Alexander comes knocking down the door?
–What if we joined with the Persian in the Aegean? - Vianor pondered
–Then we would be Greek men fighting for Persia on Greek soil. It would just give them more reasons to stay with Alexander, even if only temporarily.
They all nodded
–Well, if it is going to be Cyprus, then where? - Aristomedes inquired
–I thought you were going to answer that! -Thymondas joked
–Well, the men want to be paid handsomely so Salamis is our best bet, but we can’t just go there and attack it out of the gate. They’re too heavily fortified. So how? -Amyntas stated
–Maybe… -Thymondas stopped and started to himself
–Maybe what? -Vianor asked
–Okay. When I was on my way to take over the Grecian auxiliaries from Pharnabazus, I heard a few rumours about Pnytagoras [3] building up a military force-
–He wants to unify the island -Aristomedes affirmed. [4]
–We could… -Amyntas said as if he just had an “eureka” moment - We could draw him out, defeat him, then take over Salamis.
–How? - Vianor asked
Amyntas started snapping his fingers, thinking of an answer.
–Kition! Kition! - he loudly declared, proceeding to lower his voice afterwards - We besiege Kition, but, since they can’t ask for help from the Phoenicians due to Alexander, they’re gonna have to ask Pnytagoras for help in exchange of something.
They all realised where Amyntas was going.
–Yes and then we defeat him and his army, putting Salamis wide-open. -Thymondas completed.
–Okay. - Aristomedes said - So, to recapitulate, we besiege Kition, draw Pnytagoras out, defeat him, take over Salamis and then… What do we do then?
They all wondered for a moment.
–This may sound ludicrous but… -Vianor started - what if we established our own country?
–What do you mean - Thymondas asked.
–Well… Salamis is a sizable city, it is mostly populated by Greeks, and we have a good navy at our disposal… Alexander can’t say the same.
–You want us to - Aristomedes got cut off
–No, he’s right. - Amyntas stated - We can’t just sit around in Cyprus, if we do, by the time Macedon and Persia are done, our men will have completely destroyed the island.
–SO YOU WANT US TO ATTACK THE GUY WITH THREE TIMES OUR NUMBERS??????!!!?!!?!? - Aristomedes shouted
–We wouldn’t be attacking him, - Amyntas firmly declared - we would be attacking his ports, he would be busy fighting Darius.
Aristomedes sighed, moving his hands over his face as if he was washing it:
–I hope we end up in Elysia. [5] [6]





[1] Alexander “the Slayer of Men”. TTL’s Alexander “the Great”
[2] Unless the character I’m describing is a big name like, Parmenion, Ptolemy, Seleuchus, etc. etc. I am making their appearance up. Mainly because it makes it easier for me, and hopefully you, to follow along. As such, whenever it’s just stuff I’m making up, I’ll simply put in the notes. I do promise that most of the stuff I’m making up will mostly just be characters appearances, names and personality though.
[3] Pnytagoras was the king of Salamis during 333 BC
[4] This is the POD, IOTL Pnytagoras didn’t have plans of unifying the island
[5] The Ancient Greek afterlife is (mostly) divided into two: Hades (the famous one) and the Elysian Fields (basically ancient greek heaven).
[6] This TL has two PODs, Pnytagoras planning to unify Cyprus and the greek commanders staying together. IOTL they split up after stealing the Tripolitan ships, here they don't

 

[Semiramis]

Hey guys. This is my first time writing a TL here so don't hesitate to post constructive criticism, I want this to be enjoyable after all. Also, English isn't my first language so if you see any confusing wording or bad grammar or smth else, please point out so that I can correct it.

 

[Sarufiyyun]

Well, it's an original premise!

I don't know too much about these guys but I'm interested!

 

[Semiramis]

Well, it's an original premise!

I don't know too much about these guys but I'm interested!

Thank you! IOTL they were the leaders of the greek mercenaries that fought under Darius in Issus. After it, they also seized the Tripolitan ships but divided, ITTL they don't

 

[Semiramis]

Main ship’s deck, ~10km(6.2mi) off Kition’s coast. ~mid November 333 BC:

Aristomedes was rapidly walking in circles, clearly very anxious.

–Hey! Could you stop!? -Vianor shouted, trying not be drowned out by the especially active waves
–Sorry that I’m worried about the plan we are totally unprepared for!! -Aristomedes replied
–We are going to do just fine! -Thymondas insisted
–LIKE IN ISSUS????!!?!!? -Aristomedes fired back
–Okay. Okay. Aristomedes. You are, clearly, - Amyntas emphasized - not in a good state to command. So, how about you don’t. Let us handle the first engagements, and then, after you’re less worried, then you come back. Sounds good for you?
–Yes, very good, please do that! -Aristomedes immediately replied
Vianor approached Amyntas:
–What the fuck?
–Look, I’d rather have no soldier than an anxious soldier. How do you think the men are going to react to one of their leaders being incredibly anxious?
–Pnytagoras is no military idiot. He knows his shit. We are going to need everything we can get our hands on.
–Yes, he is indeed a good general we do…. - Amyntas got stopped by his thoughts - Thymondas! Come with us! You - he said as he pointed towards Aristomedes - You can stay!
The trio enters their tent.

~A few moments later~

The three come out looking more decided than before. Amyntas says to them:

–Vianor, you’re gonna stay with me to lead the anvil. Thymondas, you lead the hammer. Alright?
They both nod along.


Kition, Cyprus. Two days later:

Amyntas and Vianor were gathered in their tent

–Our messenger is already on the move. We should place the city in a blockade now. -Vianor stated
–Yes, yes. Can you do that after we’re done here? -Amyntas asked
The other nodded
–What about Thymondas, how is he doing? -Vianor questioned
–Only thing left is for the Cypriots to get here.
–Great. Great. That is very good.
–Uh… How is Aristomedes doing? -Amyntas asked
–Well… word’s not out yet, most still think he’s just sick. He himself is feeling the same as yesterday, and the day before that.
–Let’s hope this battle can solve it.
–Don’t worry, friend. Athenas is guarding us.
–I know… It’s just… I don’t know… I’m just a bit worried.
–Aren’t we all?
They both chuckle, and then leave to do their assignments.

Salamis, Cyprus. One day after:

–Sire? -A guard asked
–Yes? -Pnytagoras responded
–There’s a messenger from Kition here. He looks worried and says his city needs our help.
–Hmm. Let him in -Pnytagoras said, rather curious at what Kition would need. Nothing came to mind, maybe it was just a food shortage. That could give him more funds for his invasion plans.
–Sir! Sir! -The messenger loudly said, his voice trembling.
–Lower please -The king stated
–Yes of course. Our city, it is being attacked. -Pnytagoras eyes widened, had Alexander himself landed on Cyprus? - We tried to ask the Phoenicians for help, but they were too busy with the Macedons. -the messenger said with a thick Ionic accent [3]. “Probably just some merchant’s kid.” Pnytagoras thought.
–Who are these attackers? -The king asked, his mind racing through the possibilities.
–The Mega Basileous’s [1] mercenaries.
–Shit -Pnytagoras uttered. He looked to the nearest guard and firmly ordered - Get me Nikokles. [2] -Pnytagoras then turned back to the messenger - If I help you, what will I get?
–My people said they are willing to recognise you as our overlord, so long as you don’t meddle too much in our affairs.
A giant grin started appearing in the king’s face. “One shot, two doves [4]” he thought.

Cypriot Army Camp, Salamis. Four days after:

Nikokles was standing next to Pnytagoras.
–My Majesty? -he asked
–Yes?
–Are you sure we should be in this hurry? I mean, from the looks of things, if we want to stay supplied we’re gonna have to travel along the coast with the navy. That would slow us down signi—
–Nikokles, I fought the Persians for 9 years and won [OTL], do you really think I’m going to have difficulties taking down a bunch of mercenaries?
–They did serve under Darius III
–And look where that got them.
Nikokles paused for a moment and then said:
–Well, if you think this is how we should do it, then this is how we will do it.
–Good to know I can trust you, general. Now fasten the men. We’re leaving at dawn tomorrow.
–Right away sire.





Mercenary Camp, Kition. [5] Three days later:

A fair-skinned, brown haired, tall man walked into the tent:

–So, Amyntas, why did you call this meeting? - he asked
–Please, sit down Thymondas. - he patted a spot on the ground close to him. The three, Amyntas, Thymondas, and Vianor, now gathered around inside the tent in the shape of a triangle. - Vianor, continue with the scouts’ reports please.
–Yes. Well, they say that Pnytagoras is finally on the move. They have between 5.000 to 10.000 men, no more than 100 horses, and they are probably going to get here in 4 to 5 days.
Amyntas turned to Thymondas:
–Do you think you could slow them down with your lighter troops? [6]
–Possibly, but I assume they’d still be here in a week and half.
–That’s enough time for our men to move into position. Vianor, you can handle things here, can’t you?
–Yes, I can hold it - he responded.
–Is there anything more the scouts have said that could help us? -Thymondas asked
–Yes, actually.- Vianor started - Apparently, the Cyprians are moving through the coast, along with their ships.
–They’re undersupplied -Amyntas and Thymondas stated, at the same time.
–Certainly looks like that. We could attack their navy at dawn. It would slow them down and make their situation worse.
–Yes, that is a good idea, mind doing that after we’re done here? - Amyntas asked
–Not at all - Vianor answered.
–So, to recapitulate, - Amyntas began - I hold their center down with 4.500 men, whilst you, Thymondas, attack their left flank with 1.000 soldiers. Our right flank will be protected by the sea, so we can focus all our troops on the main fight. Vianor, are you sure you can keep up the siege with 2.500 men?
–I’d be able to do that with a 1.000 - Vianor responded
–Good. So, all the pieces are in place, we just have to start the winning move, alright? Athena has already helped us in strategy. Let us hope that Ares helps in the chaos of battle too.
They all sighed, and left the tent, each going to prepare for the battle. They had to win here. If they wanted to get paid, to fight another day, to see their loved ones once more, they needed to win.

Mercenary Camp, ~7.5km (4.6mi) from Kition. Two weeks later:

Thymondas and Amyntas once more gathered in their tent:

–So, uh… Are you… Are you ready? - Amyntas asked with a trembling voice
–Are you? You don’t sound ready
–I-I know it’s just that- I’m a bit- I don’t know. I’m gonna be fine, just a bit anxious, it’s not like our track record is great -Amyntas jokingly said
–That is true. -Thymondas chuckled - Well, I assure you, we are gonna win. The troops are resting, the moat has been dug, and the Cypriot navy has been crippled. The odds are very much in our favour.
–Thank you.
–No problem. -Thymondas said right before leaving.


~7.5km (4.6mi) from Kition. Noon, day of battle:

The field didn’t contain any elevations, it was just a plain field. The Cypriots had around 6.000 men, 4.900 in their center being led by Pnytagoras and 1.100 on their right flank, under Nikokles, their left flank being protected by the sea, similarly to the mercenaries’ right flank.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, had 4.000 troops on their center under Amyntas and 1.500 soldiers under Thymondas on their left flank as they thought Thymondas would need more soldiers than he had before. Amyntas put most of his men in the front lines, but kept 750 as reserves to plug any gaps that might come.

Of course, the mercenaries hadn’t spent all their time just sitting around, they had dug a 1.4 meter (4.6 ft) long, 3.2 meters (10.5 ft) wide, 1.6 meter (5.2 ft) deep moat right in the middle of the battlefield.

The moat significantly slowed Pnytagoras down, but it wasn’t wide enough to prevent Nikokles from engaging in combat with Thymondas. This, however, was all part of the mercenaries’ plan. They wanted to have the flanks engage each other before the centers met, giving the left flank much needed time to break their enemy.

Consequently, once Pnytagoras reached Amyntas’ host, Nikokles’s units were on the verge of collapse. The king, however, thought that if he could break through their foes' center, the rest would collapse. As such, he invested all his forces on attacking their enemy.
Unsurprisingly, the Greeks started buckling under the sheer numbers of the Cypriots. But, just as it seemed like Pnytagoras would win, Amyntas was able to gather his reserves and hold the line for a few more seconds. Enough seconds for Thymondas to rout Nikokles and attack Pnytagoras’s flank, winning the battle.

Nikokles was able to get away, and, will, in fact, appear again, though in a much different setting. As for Pnytagoras, well, he died in action, his body being dumped into the sea, never to be seen again.

Word of the battle spread out quickly. Cyprus’s strongest city defeated by a bunch of ragtag mercenaries, a story for the ages. Needless to say, both Kition and Salamis surrendered to them, not wanting to be sacked.

The victory would also have an effect on Aristomedes. His worries , whilst they didn’t disappear, certainly became weak enough for him to be able to go back to fighting. Just in time for their next campaign, you see, if they did plan on fighting Andreiphóntēs [7], they would have to use every resource they could pull. Salamis and Kition were just the start, they would do what Pnytagoras had died doing. They were going to unite Cyprus







[1] Persian for King of Kings
[2] ITTL, Nikokles is Pnytagoras’s generals. Nikokles is someone I made up.
[3] here and here
[4] Apparently, the Greek version for “two birds with one stone” seems to be “two doves with one shot”. It was probably different back in Ancient times but I thought changing it would still make it a little cooler.
[5] This should help:

[6] Thymondas outfitted a portion (~35%) of his troops with javelins, swords and smaller shields, the main goal being to give the mercenaries an upper edge on skirmishes and quick movements, as they didn’t have any cavalry.
[7] It might seem strange to refer to a person by their epithet, but the Greek Gods were often referred to by their epithets, especially those whose mention of their name was considered to bring bad omens. As such, I thought I could refer to Alexander “the-boring-epithet” by TTL’s epithet for him every now and then, mostly to avoid repetition.

 

[Semiramis]

Welp, this update was bulkier than I expected, hope you guys like it ^-^

 

[Semiramis]

Macedonian Camp, Byblos. December 333 BC:

Upon receiving the news that Salamis was taken by the Shahanshah’s mercenaries, Alexander was forced to change his plans. He couldn’t afford to leave a hostile nation alone. As such after he captured the Phoenician cities, he would use their navies to send a host of roughly 11.000 men under Craterus and Polyperchon [1], including the Tymphaean battalion. Their force consisted of 9.000 Phalanxes, 1.500 Shield-Bearers, and 500 companion cavalry [2]. Of course the host would have to wait until Alexander had enough ships, but it still was a plan.

Dining Room, Salamis Castle. December 333 BC:

The four commanders gathered around the dining table, but instead of having plates and food on said table, the table was just empty. It was just the four men, their chairs, and the table.

–What do we do now? –Aristomedes asked
–Well, we can’t execute our plans with our current navy, we need more ships. –Amytas stated.
–And we also can’t risk having the other cities invade us while we’re fighting the Macedons. -Vianor added.
–So we have to not only unify Cyprus, we also have to capture their navies? Great -Aristomedes rhetorically asked.
–I mean, we could probably use our momentum to peacefully capture some of them, but they won’t all just fold. -Thymondas said
–We could send them all an offer, they accept us as their overlord, provide us with naval support wherever needed and we allow them to still have their own rulers. -Amyntas stated
–We can do that, but what do we do with the ones that reject it?
–We besiege them -Vianor responded.
–Do we have the time? -Aristomedes questioned
–Well, it would probably take a year or two to get the important bits. So yes, I think so -Vianor answered
–What about Alexander? He isn’t going to just allow us to disrupt his campaign. -Thymondas rebutted - For all we know, he could be sending an army right now.
–If they send men, we will defeat them -Vianor declared.
–What do you mean we’ll just defeat them? Do you know how close we were to losing against Pnytagoras? Probably not, since you decided to just sit around in Kition, doing nothing. -Thymondas said, raising his voice
–I could have defeated the Cyprians faster than you and you know that. -Vianor fired back, also raising his voice.
–Ah yes, the Acarnanian could have done better than me! Shut up, go back to your shithole! -Thymondas shouted
–Oh fuck off! You don’t even kno- -Vianor’s shouting was interrupted
–Hey! Shut up you two! - Amyntas shouted, getting the attention of both - The matter at hand isn’t who is better than who, it’s how the fuck are going to get control of this island whilst avoiding fighting Macedon. So either you two shut up or I am kicking you both out.
–And what gave you the authority to do that? -Vianor shot back
–The fact that I’m not discussing who is better than the other, like two little kids. Meeting called off. Hope tomorrow you two get your senses back because this is a time sensitive matter. If you have something to say to me, say it to Aristomedes. I’m going to do productive shit, like negotiating with Lapethos. -Amyntas angrily declared before walking out.


Walls of Lapethos, Cyprus. A week later:

Amyntas had come with roughly 100 men. A small amount, the Lapethian defenders thought. They were preparing to repel the mercenaries when they heard Amyntas shouting that he simply wanted to negotiate. After a bit of time, the garrison, confused, sent out their commander with an escort of the same amount to hear what the mercenaries wanted to say. Amyntas offered to negotiate in his tent but the Cypriot said he’d rather do it in the open.

Not minding it, Amyntas presented the offer he had discussed in Salamis. Lapethos would provide military and naval support whenever the mercenaries would request it, pay a tribute, and, in exchange, they would be given a bolster to their garrison of 500 men, which could then train the native garrison if requested, and also a portion of whatever booty was captured by their ships.

The Cypriots went back to their city, presumably to discuss the terms. It took them some time, but they eventually came out of the gate. They came bearing the news that they would, in fact, reject the deal being given to them by the mercenaries. Consequently, Amyntas was forced to come back to Salamis with less than he intended.

~15km before reaching Salamis, Mercenary camp:

It was midnight. The soldiers had gathered up in their tents, most sleeping by now, but not Amyntas. He was pondering. What could he do? He couldn’t risk having the Cypriots standing there, it would be too much of a threat. But he also couldn’t afford to take all of the cities.

Sure, Lapethos had surrendered, but that was only because of the momentum they had and the generous terms, he doubted the other cities would be keen on surrendering like Lapethos. And even if they did, it could just be a way to make sure the mercenaries don’t attack them so that they have time to prepare a revolt.

These thoughts were interrupted, however, by a commotion at the entrance of the camp. Amyntas, as any good commander would do, went to see what was happening. Apparently, an old man who simply went by the epithet of "Loxósmántis” [3] wanted to enter to talk with the captain. Amyntas, curious at what this man had to say and sure that an old person wouldn’t be able to hurt him, allowed this self-declared “prophet” to enter his tent.

In his tent, the old man asked:

–Are you the commander of these soldiers?
–Yes, why do you ask?
–Oh ho ho ho! You are the right person then, I have had prophetic dreams about you-
–What happened in those dreams? -Amyntas cut off the old man to ask
–Now young man, do not interrupt someone else when they are talking. Did you even learn manners?
–Sorry, sir. I’m just curious as to what someone calling themselves a “prophet” could have dreamt about me.
–Before I tell you what I saw, how about you ask me a more specific question?
–Sure. -Amyntas said, mentally shrugging - Uhh… I have… no, I am in a difficult situation. I don’t know what to do, it seems like all my possibilities lead to defeat. What should I do?
–Do you know what serpents are, young man?
–A bit. -Amyntas said, remembering tales from Egypt and some stories he heard as a kid.
–Do you know what serpents do to remove ticks?
–No. -Amyntas said, curious as to what the old man had to say
–Well, it’s quite simple. They shed their skin.
–You’re saying they remove their skin? -Amyntas asked, questioning whether this old man really was a real prophet
–Yes, they do. It might be difficult to believe, but they do remove their skin. In the old skin’s place grows a new skin, which doesn’t contain any ticks.
–Okay. -Amyntas said, as baffled as he was confused. - Can you tell me what you saw in the dreams now?
–I am afraid that I cannot do, for I have already given you your answer. -the old man said, before leaving the tent and the camp, leaving Amyntas baffled, not understanding what he was trying to say. [4]

Dining Room, Salamis Castle. A few days later:

The three leaders, Aristomedes, Thymondas, and Vianor, gathered around the table, unsure as to why Amyntas had called this meeting. Possibilities ran through their minds, leaving as fast as they entered, giving way for another possibility to be pondered. These thoughts were all quenched when the man himself finally entered the room however.

–Are you here to give us another sermon? -Vianor jokingly said, with a bit of anger in his tone
–No. I am here because I have figured out how to defeat Alexander. Guards, -he now turned to the soldiers in the room - mind giving us a little bit of privacy?
The guards all left the room, leaving the three confused as to why he didn’t want the presence of their men.
–What is this idea that requires such privacy then? -Aristomedes questioned.
–Well, if you insist, -Amyntas stated - my idea is to recruit Cypriots into our army.
—WHAT??!? -Thymondas loudly said
–It’s a simple thing, we don’t have as many men as we need to defend ourselves against Alexander or the Cypriots, but we also don’t have enough men to eliminate either of them. As such, I think we should remove one of them by turning the Cyprians into allies. -Amyntas explained
–It makes sense, I’ll give you that, but what do you think the troops will do once they realise they’re being replaced? -Vianor asked
–Well, they aren’t though. We aren’t replacing them, simply adding more numbers.
–Explain that to them. -Vianor frustratingly said.
–I will, with gold and reason.
–You want to reason with mercenaries? That’s laughable! -Vianor shot back - We’re already having problems just paying them enough to not have them destroy this island, where will you find more gold?
At this point, the conversation had become simply a discussion between Vianor and Amyntas, Aristomedes and Thymondas just sitting back.
–What did we plan on doing after we had taken control of Salamis? That’s where we’ll find the gold, we’ll raid Alexander, especially now that he’s taking the Phoenician cities.
–You yourself said we don’t have enough men for that, though!
–Yes, which is going to be justification to recruit the Cypriots. Then they won’t care because it would mean they’d have less chance of dying and in exchange they’d have more access to pay.
–It still is an incredibly risky move, do you get that right? -Vianor asked, mere moments away from exploding at Amyntas.
–Yes, but what in this campaign hasn’t been? And furthermore, what do you think will happen to us when this war ends. Do you think the Persians will just gladly accept having unemployed Greek mercenaries inside their borders? Do you think Macedon will just let the ones that fought against it go unharmed? We are not going to be accepted by either side, so we have to create a third side that will. The Cypriots are that side.
–Because the soldiers will just willingly give away all of their life to live on some island, right?
–They’re mercenaries. Most of them don’t desire whatever “life” they have back at “home”. If you want to leave, go ahead, I don’t mind. But I will not stand here and just wait for fate to deliver the final blow.
–If this fails, I’ll kill you.
–I don’t blame you. Now, are you going to go with the plan or will you stand here and wait to be slayed?
–Bold of you to assume I will be the slay and not the slayer.
–Good. Now, Aristomedes and Thymondas, deliver the news to the Cypriots. Offer gold captured in raids for anyone who volunteers. Vianor, you and I are going to deliver the news to the soldiers. Make sure to emphasize the fact that this will lead to less chance of them dying.

Tyre, Phoenicia. January 332:

Things were going well for Alexander, the Phoenician cities had been easily captured, being motivated by fear of those Cypriot mercenaries attacking them. Craterus and Polyperchon were already on their way to defeat the rogue mercenaries, and he was getting closer and closer to Egypt by the day.

Practically, only two things stood between him and Egypt, the first was the fortress of Gaza, protecting the entry-way into the Satrapy. And the other? Well, he was right in front of the other, Tyre. Oh Tyre, the most formidable of all Phoenician cities. He already dealt with Old Tyre, a small city whose only purpose was to supply the much more formidable and advanced New Tyre with lumber.

New Tyre was an island-fortress. If anybody else were leading the Macedons, they most likely would just sign a truce with Tyre, letting it exist so long as it didn’t interfere with Macedonian affairs. Not Alexander however, for he was sure he could take the city.

Did he have enough ships to invade the fortress? No, but he did have enough resources and men to build a bridge towards the city, making their navy useless. He also had the confidence to do so. Alexander would take Tyre, regardless of circumstances. After all, it was more than just a city, it was a statement, it was a declaration of invincibility. After all, if the mighty and defensible Tyre was taken by him, what city had the chance of standing up to the Son of Zeus? To the Conqueror of Tyre?

Many believe had Alexander just let Tyre exist, he would have been much more successful, we will never be able to test the accuracy of these statements however. Ultimately, this is Alexandros Andreiphóntēs we are talking about. He would not let one man escape him, much less an entire city. He is even said to have told Parmenion “I will rain down every agony imaginable to whoever dares stand up against me. And I will do it to everyone if they come even close to scratching me.” Whether this statement is false or not, it’s not like our sources were fond of the man, it does not matter, for that would be very much what he would do.









[1] Craterus commanded the left wing infantry on the Battle of Issus, whilst Polyperchon was promoted to commander of the Tymphaean (region in Epirus) right after Issus.
[2] The Shield-Bearers are veteran soldiers that once served in the Phalanxes, but now had been outfitted with swords and javelins (IIRC), being given the job of defending the flanks of the Phalanxes. Alexander expected most of the fighting to be done on flat terrain, so the organisation of this force was meant for that.
[3] This is a pretty rough way of combining the words mántis (prophet) and loxós (ambiguous). It’s most likely incorrect, but it sounds much more ominous.
[4] This is, in fact, not a prophet from Apollo, but rather a merchant hired by Kourion to convince Amyntas that he should abandon his mercenary force, hoping that would divide them.

This update is mostly a setup for the next events. That's why there's significantly less "action" in it

 

[SunKing105]

The correct Old Persian term is Xšâyathiya Xšâyathiyânâm. But the Greeks and Macedonians are likely to just refer to him as Megas Basileous, or Great King. Also, what sources are you using for this TL?

 

[Semiramis]

The correct Old Persian term is Xšâyathiya Xšâyathiyânâm. But the Greeks and Macedonians are likely to just refer to him as Megas Basileous, or Great King. Also, what sources are you using for this TL?

The Anabasis of Alexander on Project Gutenberg. Why? Are the events depicted unplausible? I thought them to be rather plausible, the PODs aren't that difficult to happen IMO, and the events following were mostly me just trying to follow a coherent path whilst also writing a story.

About the term for the Persian king, I didn't know. I'll change it once I'm on my computer

 

[Semiramis]

Sidon, Phoenicia. March, 332:

Things had started shakily for the commanders. First, the Cypriots obviously weren’t too fond of them, and so, in the first one and a half months of their attempts, less than 500 Cyprians joined them. And to make it worse, their own men didn’t like the idea, fearing that they would be replaced. Recognising this, Amyntas was forced to make a move, he’d have to force a victory or otherwise his entire plan would come crashing down.

Fortunately for him, by that time, the Macedonians had already taken all Phoenician cities to the north of Tyre. Consequently, he mounted a raid on the Phoenician city of Sidon, hoping that, if he succeeded, his troops and the Cypriots would be more positive about the ongoing recruitment campaign. He began the preparations in mid February, thus, by early March, he was ready. Possessing 35 triremes and 3.500 men [1], Amyntas set out for the city.

Now, there was a reason there were two months between Alexander reaching Byblos and him starting the siege in Tyre, Sidon. You see, the city decided to fight, reasoning that they could hire the mercenaries in Cyprus and thus defend themselves against Alexander. Unfortunately for them however, the Macedonians intercepted the ship carrying said message, thus it never arrived in Amyntas lap.

Consequently, the people of Sidon, not knowing about the interception, fought on, thinking that mercenaries would arrive any day, but it never happened. As such, even though they bravely fought for two whole months, they eventually surrendered. Accordingly, their defences had been weakened, making them a perfect target for a raid.
Upon the mercenaries' arrival, they were let in as the Sidonians believed they had come to defeat the Macedonians. This did not go well. Seeing as there was no resistance, hell broke loose, many troops simply went rogue, taking every potentially wealthy possession they could see.

Thymondas [2] tells us it took 3 hours for the mercenaries to stop. By then however, the citizens realized what was happening and, with help of the Macedonian garrison, were able to push the mercenaries back. They weren’t fully expelled however, managing to form a last minute defense around the harbour, holding the line just long enough for them to board their ships, burning the remaining ones. They then moved towards Byblos, taking 3 days to reach their destination.

Upon reaching the city however, their reception was much colder than that in Sidon, leading to a small naval battle between the citizens and Amyntas. Byblos managed to drive the attackers out, though at a noticeable cost.

Dining Room, Salamis Castle. Two days later:

Amyntas finally entered the room, looking rather tired. He had arrived just yesterday and he had to spend the entirety of that day making sure that the division of the treasures felt fair to everyone. He obviously benefited those that participated by giving them the lion’s share, but he also divided the less valuable objects between those that didn’t, as a way to entice them to participate in the following attacks.

–So, as you might have heard, the expedition was a success. –He declared
–I assume this means your plan is still on the table then. –Vianor begrudgingly said
–Exactly –Amyntas responded
–Well, then what do we do now? –Thymondas asked
–We probably should just keep training the Cypriots whilst doing the occasional raids. –Aristomedes said, before Amyntas could respond
–Yeah, as he said, not much to do anymore besides just waiting and gathering strengths. -Amyntas continued
–We still have to deal with the Cyprian cities, or have you all just forgotten about them? –Vianor stated.
–Well… they aren’t being “hostile” or anything of the sort. Sure, they aren’t very keen on having us on their island either, but, unless some other power steps in, I don’t see them attacking us. –Thymondas responded –Honestly, the best we can do is just prepare.
–Couldn’t have said it better myself, –Amyntas then added - right now, the best we can do is to not anger the city-states more, whilst preparing for war.

Tyre, Phoenicia. Early 332:

Alexander was having problems in his siege. You see, his plan of building a causeway above the submerged land bridge connecting Tyre and the mainland wasn’t going too well. At first he didn’t have much problems, his troops were out of the archer’s range and the enemy navy didn’t seem to be doing much besides staying in their posts.

However, as the Macedonians labourers got closer to the city, the more difficult their work became as the water started getting deeper. Adding on to that, the Tyrian defense intensified since they were finally able to use their missile fire against the workers.

In response, the Macedons had two siege towers covered with rawhide built, positioning them at the end of their causeway. With catapults placed on their tops, the attackers were able to harass the defenders, allowing for their work to continue.

It was by then that the Tyrians saw that were not going well, and thus decided to adopt a more active defense. Consequently, they filled up an old horse transport ship with combustibles, lit it up, rammed it onto the Macedonian pier, using other ships to tow it. The flames spread quickly, and in a short time both siege towers and the palisades were burning. The workers tried to douse the fire, but were attacked by the Tyrian navy, forcing them to flee back to the mainland.

This setback didn’t seem to phase Alexander however, who simply ordered his men to widen the causeway and build more siege towers. Nonetheless, he did realise that he would need naval superiority if he wanted to win the siege. Consequently, he rode back to Sidon and, from there, requested the fleets of the conquered Phoenician cities. But, unfortunately for him, said cities were too busy preparing themselves for further raids coming from the mercenaries in Cyprus, and so weren’t able to spare many ships. Alexander then requested ships from the non-conquered Cypriot cities, but they, too, were too busy dealing with the mercenaries.

For those reasons, Alexander decided to speed up the Cyprian expedition, forcing them to head towards the island two months earlier than expected. He knew this meant that instead of 11.000, they would depart with 10.000, the Phalangites and Hoplites (Shield-Bearers) losing 500 men each. To make up for the lost men, Alexander simply suggested that the two commanders convince the remaining city-states to join them. They would arrive at the start of April.

State of Cyprus, April 332:

Following their King’s advice, Craterus and Polyperchon spent the entirety of their first month on the island trying to convince the people there to join them in their fight against the mercenaries. Feeling more confident with the Macedonians at their side, all the cities located on the western coast offered to join them. Now, not every city was eager to join them, however, most notable among those cities was Soloi, who refused to fight for either power. This refusal by the city would lead to a very interesting division of power in Cyprus.

See, the Cypriots were obviously not too eager to be occupied by other powers, they were content on having their island be divided between a dozen city-states. But, now that the mercenaries and the Macedons were taking their piece of the pie, things would become much more complicated, as even though they said their intent was simply to expel Amyntas and his men from the isle, it was clear that Alexander’s men planned to stay much longer than that. As such, Soloi’s decision to stay independent led to many other cities north of the Troodos Mountains [3] to join them in a league. Remarkably, but not surprising, Lapethos slaughtered the mercenaries in their city and joined the league, which I will from now on refer to as ‘the Cypriot league’.

Thus, by May of 332 BC, Cyprus was divided between three groups:

• The mercenaries commanded by Amyntas, Thymondas, Aristomedes, and Vianor. Said mercenaries occupied Salamis and Kition
• The Macedonian host, whose commanders were Craterus and Polyperchon. Whilst they didn’t exactly “occupy” any city, they did have Amathus, Kourion, Paphos and Marion on their side.
• And finally, the Cypriot league, formed by Soloi, Lapethos, Chytroi, Idalion, Ledrai, and Tamassos. They didn’t have a main general as of yet, giving them a significant disadvantage compared to the others.
• [3]

Cyprus suddenly became an incredibly important theater, nobody was sure who the winner would be. Would the mercenaries carry out their plan of disrupting Alexander's campaign? Or would the Macedonians add another territory to their growing empire? Or perhaps, the Cypriots would be the ones to come out on top, claiming independence and peace after decades of subjugation and turmoil. The only fact everybody was sure of however was that, whoever may it be, the winner would shape the coming years.




[1] Arrian says that, when crossing the Hellespont, Alexander gave his cavalry and most of his infantry to Parmenion so that they could cross. He also says they used 160 triremes and another number of trading vessels. Therefore, they had a force of most likely 30.000 men, being carried by, let’s say, 160 triremes + 80 trading ships.
Wikipedia says that each trireme had about 200 sailors. It also says that you could reduce the number of oarsmen so as to allow troops to be transported, and in case the transports were horses, only about 60 oarsmen, the rest of the ship being filled with horses.
Therefore, considering that Parmenion was crossing with ~5.000 cavalry, the other ~25.000 being infantry, we can assume that you’d need 30-50 ships to carry cavalry (from 140 to 100 horses on each ship), leaving another 110 boats to carry the remaining 25.000 infantry (excluding the trading boats of course). This would lead to each ship carrying 227 men each.
Considering there were trading ships however, and that each trading ship could carry 50 soldiers (I hope this assumption is correct), our conclusion would probably be 190 troops per ship. But, this calculation depends on a lot of rough assumptions, hence, I rounded it down to 170 men per ship. So Amyntas would have 20 triremes being used as transports, and the other 15 being more fit for combat. From now on, I’ll be using this ratio for the rest of the TL, until technology progresses.
[2] After retiring, Thymondas will, ITTL, write about the events pertaining to the Greek mercenaries, providing historians an important, if questionable, source.

[3]
Cyprus by the time this chapter ends:

Hey peoples, I know that this chapter took a bit of time for me to post, but it's mostly because finals and life having been kicking me while I'm down + my antidepressants ran out. I do hope that now that summer is approaching (Southern Hemisphere) I'll be able to write more regularly.

 

[Semiramis]

Salamis, Cyprus. Night of April 332 BC:

Amyntas left his quarter, wishing to spend the night in a more peaceful place than the sweat-filled mess that was the garrison. He moved at a steady pace, not too quick to unnecessarily wake up the men, but still fast enough to reach the spot he’d go to every other night.

On the way, he met with a few merchants, most of them either packing up to call it a day or about to do so. He’d go look at what they had to offer, buying a few things here and there; he’d also make small talk with the traders. It was in one of these chatters that he noticed a beautiful ring that one vendor was selling, it fit perfectly, and looked gorgeous too. Though it was a bit costly, Amyntas still bought it, not wanting to pass up the opportunity of making himself even more fancy. Finally, after buying the object, he made a bee-line towards the fortress walls, and once there, walked towards his favorite spot

He stood there alone, leaning over the walls, the sun had already begun to set, giving him a beautiful orange view. He could feel the evening breeze on his face, hitting his eyes, moving upwards through his face, getting lost in his curly hair, only to break free and dissipate into the city behind him, being forgotten by him as quickly as he had noticed it.

He’d go to this same spot every other day, for as long as his men took control of the city. It was usually a lonely place, not exactly manned by the soldiers, mostly because it stood right next to the sea, so they often assumed the navy had it under control. He’d go there because it was the only place he could feel at peace, like he had no worries, like he wasn’t on an unfamiliar island, leading men who, honestly, didn’t care about him. It’s not like Amyntas blamed them either, they were mercenaries after all, so long as they had their gold, they didn’t care who led them. He understood it, he had been a soldier once too.

But, even though he knew why and didn’t blame them, it still bugged him. How could it not? It’s not like he didn’t want the admiration received by men such as Alexander. He did, he wanted to be known in life, and remembered in death. Was that not common? The desire for respect? For power? Was it not common for a man to desire more than he has?

He had been called self-centered because of this before,so much so it didn’t even bother him anymore. They could call him whatever they wanted, it wouldn’t change the fact that, in the end, he knew more about himself than them, and he knew that he was not a self-centered man. But those insults still stuck with him. One cannot simply forget the times he was compared to Narcissus, or the time when he was nicknamed ‘Icarus’. Events like that stick with somebody ‘till long after they navigate the River Styx [1].

Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, he just couldn’t comprehend those occurrences. Did the callers not desire recognition too? Did they not want to be remembered as something more than just someone who conquered a few cities, but rather as someone who had a lasting impact in history? Did his colleagues not share his ambitions? No matter how much he thought about it, he just could not understand, which is why he often would stop the train of thought there, and move on to another.

His thoughts eventually reached the state of the island. A three way war between the Macedonians, Mercenaries, and the Cypriots. He wondered how such a war could be won, after all, his army was the least numerous out of all. Sure, they did occupy Salamis, the most important city in the island, but apart from that, there wasn’t much going for them. They had roughly 12.000 soldiers, whilst the Macedonians and Cypriots had 15.000 and 18.000, respectively. Of course, he didn’t need to fight them to win, but that didn’t make it any easier.

He could try and cut off the Macedonian naval supply lines, but they’d still be able to count on the cities helping them, so whilst it would certainly help, he’d still have to do more. As for the Cypriots… he didn’t even know where to start honestly. Sure, he could try to exploit their lack of united commanders, though that could only go so far, just as with the Macedonians, he needed to do more than that.

And even if he found a way to defeat the Cypriots, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to. In the few months he stayed there, he grew a fondness of the island and its people, a fondness much larger than that he had for his men. It’s not that he didn’t like the soldiers, just that between commanding mercenaries and commanding a true army, an army that served a nation and not gold, he’d instantly take the latter. But, due to circumstance, he’d been forced to take the former. It wasn’t something he appreciated, as even though decent, it still wasn’t what he dreamt of.

–Oh well… –he sighed, right after speaking out loud – Guess I just have to take what was given to me. –And with that, Amyntas stopped his little trip and went back to his quarters to sleep.





[1] In Greek Mythology, the river Styx is considered the entrance to the underworld.

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So, I wasn't able to fit this little part into the next chapter, so I decided to post an interlude. Hope you guys like it