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Now, before we begin the regular Persian infantry was not all terrible and useless as portrayed in the 300 films, but then again it wasn't all that great against Greeks. The main reason they suffered horrid casualties at Marathon was in part thanks to Militiades' brilliance, but the Persians had been used to fighting poor hill peoples of the far east, and therefore were horribly outclassed by the far superior Greek hoplites.

So, what if in preparation for the Second invasion of Greece, Xerxes decides to actually do some research and planning, and improves the standard Sparabara (Your average Persian infantrymen) by giving them actual armor, proper equipment, and a strong chain of command to counter and outmatch. How would this affect the conflicts between Persia and Greece, but also all around the fringes of the Achaemenid Empire?
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