Chapter 7 Chapter Six

We climbed up the hills to Ecbatana.No pursuers. The remnants of the army caught up with us one after another, some remained in the same ranks, and some were stragglers.Soon, if you haven't seen the scale of the crowd before, you will think that this is a large army.The Bactrians under Bezos' command are still there except for those who died in battle. This road leads to their hometown. Of course, they will not be left behind, and there are still nearly 30,000 people.The Immortals, the Prince's Army, and the remnants of the Medes and Persians, both cavalry and infantry, were now under the command of Nabazanes.

We also had about two thousand Greek mercenaries who fought only for pay, but not a single one deserted us. The heaviest loss was the governor of Babylon Mazaius and his subordinates.They held their line so long after the king's flight broke through the center that Alexander, eager to pursue Darius, was obliged to stay against them, and they probably saved the king's life.None of these warriors can keep up with us now, and they must all be killed in battle. Only about one-third of the wagons of the women's family escaped from Abela, two of which belonged to the king, and the rest were the inner chambers of the nobles who left behind to rescue their families.But none of the eunuchs left their posts without authorization, and I have never heard of their fate.

Treasures are lost, but Ecbatana still has a huge hoard.The deacons were clever and filled the wagons with food and fodder in advance, but of course it was far from enough to meet the needs of the journey.I found that Bobacus had packed the king's luggage and loaded it into the car since the morning.He was thoughtful and put up a second tent and a few other utensils to make the eunuchs more comfortable. Even so, the journey was tough.It was early autumn, the plains were still hot, the hills were cool, and the mountains had become cold. Bobacus and I both rode horses, and three eunuchs rode in luggage carts.Except for the eunuch who took care of the women, we were the only ones left.

Each pass was higher and more dangerous than the last, and we saw the stone gorge below the cliff, where wild sheep stared up at us from the cracks in the rocks, and were shot by Bactrian archers to satisfy their hunger.At night, our small tent didn't have enough blankets, and the five of us crowded together to keep warm, like being in a bird's nest.Purbacus began paternalizing me, sharing blankets so that our sheets were double thick.He's partial to musky scents, but I appreciate it just as much.We were lucky to have tents. Most of the soldiers lost their luggage and had to sleep in the open.

From their mouths, I tried my best to piece together the whole story of the battle.Afterwards I had the opportunity of hearing every battle formation, every order, and every attack recalled by men who knew all about it.I remember all these clearly in my heart, but I can't bear to elaborate on them from the beginning.Roughly speaking, because the king expected a surprise attack, our army stood up all night, and we were already tired at the beginning of the confrontation.Alexander hoped that Darius would think so, and let the Macedonians get a good night's sleep.After making his own battle plan, he went to bed and slept so deeply that his subordinates had to shake him awake at sunrise.He told them it was because his mind was relaxed.

Alexander led the right wing, and Darius led the center army. When Alexander was expected to attack, he would sweep straight to the center. Unexpectedly, he went around and attacked our left flank from the side.The king sent troops to block, and Alexander induced our army to move more and more troops to the left flank, so that the center was empty.Then he assembled the squadron directly under him, took the lead in the charge, shouted a deafening charge first, and rushed straight towards the king with a bang. Darius escaped early, but not the first after all.His driver was stabbed by a flying spear, and when he fell to the ground, everyone thought it was the king, and some people started to run away.

If he was fighting alone, he might not retreat like he did in Cardusia many years ago.If only he could hold on to the reins of the chariot and rush into the enemy's line with a shout of killing, how great it would be!He will die in an instant, and his name will live forever.He must have wished so countless times afterwards.However, seeing Alexander approaching through the smoke and dust on a black horse, he was hijacked by panic like fallen leaves in a storm, and drove his chariot to join the rout.From that moment on, the plain of Gaugamela became a slaughterhouse. The soldiers also told me one more thing.Darius detached a force to go around behind the Macedonian lines and rescue his captured family.They took advantage of the chaos to reach the rear camp, let go of some Persian prisoners, and then found the royal family members and told them to flee.Everyone began to pack their things, but the queen mother, Sisigambis, did not stand up, neither spoke nor made any gestures to the rescuers.The Macedonians drove them back, and no one was saved.But before leaving, they saw that the Empress Dowager was still sitting upright, with her hands on her knees and her eyes looking ahead.

I asked one of the rulers why we were going to Ecbatana instead of holding on to Babylon.He asked rhetorically, "What are you doing in that whore city? She spreads her legs at Alexander when she sees him; if the king is there, she will give him up." Another said bitterly: "The jackal is behind Chasing your chariots, you either stand still and fight back, or throw something to attract them. The king threw Babylon out, and it will be Susa's turn." I backed up to Purbacus and rode beside him.He didn't think I should talk to soldiers for too long.As if reading my mind, he asked, "You say you've never seen Persepolis, do you?"

"The king hasn't been there since I entered the palace. Is it prettier than Susa?" He sighed and said, "The palace there is the most beautiful. Once Susa is lost, I'm worried that Persepolis will also be lost." We go through the mountains and keep going.The road was empty, and Alexander apparently chose Babylon and Susa.I practice archery when the procession moves too slowly.Not long ago I got the bow of a Scythian soldier who was wounded and hid in the mountains, where he died of his wounds.He was not tall so I could easily draw the bow away, and the first catch was a squatting hare.The king was delighted to have it for his supper, a change from the goat.

He was very quiet at night, sleeping alone for several nights.After the wind got strong, he called a concubine to attend the bed, but he never called me.Maybe he remembered the battle song I sang about my father's warriors—for what reason, I don't know. The peak is already dotted with white snow.At the summit of the last pass we saw Ecbatana. It could have been said that this is a palace surrounded by city walls, but in fact it is more like a masterpiece carved from the mountains.The slanting sun warmed up the rich and faded colors on the top of the seven-tiered city wall. The layers of the city walls rising along the slope are white, black, red, blue, and orange. Treasures and palaces.

I grew up in the mountains, and to me this is a thousand times more lovely than Susa.Looking at the city wall, I almost cried.Bobacus was also close to tears, but he said that what made him sad was that the winter was coming, and the king was banished to the summer palace and had no choice. We entered the gate, and ascended through the seven walls to the palace on golden pedestals.There are many terraces facing the mountain, which are very attractive.Soldiers scattered all over the city built their own wooden houses with thatched roofs.winter is here. The snow that originally only accumulated on the top of the mountain to form a white crown, now spreads and covers the valley.My room was high up in a tower (there were so few rooms in the inner court that there were too many rooms to live in).Every day I see the snow line falling, and then one morning, I open my eyes and see the light of snow like I did when I was a child.Snow fell in the city, on the huts of the soldiers, and on the seven-fold city wall.A raven landed nearby, and the snow slipped off slightly under its paws, revealing a piece of gold.I could stare at it forever, but I'm freezing to death.I had to chip away at the ice in my kettle and it was only early winter. I had no cold clothes, so I told Bobacchus that I was going to the market.He said, "Don't go, my lad. I am looking into the wardrobe, and there are clothes that have not been touched since the reign of King Orcus. There will be just right for you, and no one will notice what is missing." It was a rich coat of lynx fur, lined with scarlet, which must have once belonged to some prince.That's very kind of Bobacus, maybe he noticed that the king hasn't called me lately, and wanted to make me look good. The mountain air, like the health recovered from a long illness, is probably more conducive to my appearance than that coat.At any rate, the king soon called me to serve the night.However, since his defeat in the war, he has become a different person, impetuous and difficult to please.For the first time, I felt that he might turn against me without warning, so I was nervous and just wanted to end it as soon as possible. But I can imagine why, and I don't feel bad about him—the news just came that Babylon, the bitch city, has taken Alexander to bed. I thought the walls of Babylon would last a year, even against Alexander.But the gate of the city where the imperial driver was allowed to walk was wide open, and the imperial road was covered with flowers, and there were altars and tripod tripods on both sides, burning precious incense.A group of people greeted him with gifts in honor of the king: a purebred Nissiyan horse, a cow wearing a garland of flowers, and a leopard and lion in a cage on a gilded chariot.Numerous priests and wizards sang carols to the accompaniment of harps and lutes.The defending cavalry marched unarmed.In contrast, the ostentation of welcoming Darius seems to be receiving third-class officials. The envoy who met Alexandria on his march, and handed him the keys of the gates, was Mazaius, governor of Babylon, whom we count as fallen. He did his duty on the battlefield.Doubtless, amidst the dust and shouts of killing, he did not know at first that the king had fled, and hoped for reinforcements and victory.After learning about it, he made his own choice: lead his troops back quickly so as not to miss Alexander.He caught up with the time, and Alexander still made him governor of Babylon. In spite of Mazaius' best efforts to salute, Alexander himself led the vanguard, kept the line of battle, and marched vigilantly to Babylon.However, all is not dreamy.He ordered the gilded chariot of Darius to be brought to the city in accordance with the etiquette. I tried to imagine how this wild and strange young savage would behave in that familiar palace.Somehow, perhaps because the first thing he did in the tent where Darius was intercepted was bathe (by all accounts he was as clean as the Persian), I seem to see him in the aquamarine tiles and In the bathroom of the golden fish, splash the pool water warmed by the sun.Thinking of this scene in Ecbatana, I can only envy. The servants are doing well.In the past, the kings of Medes lived here all the year round. Since then, the residence of the servants has not changed for hundreds of years.It's just that as the empire grew, the rooms of the royal family were transformed into open and ventilated rooms, so that the mountain wind could blow in in the summer.The only thing blowing into the windows at this time of year is snowflakes. We had fifty craftsmen working at the same time, installed windshield windows, and filled the house with furnaces, but no matter what we did, we couldn't make the place really warm.You can see how angry the king is: at this moment, Alexander is basking in the Babylonian breeze. If those Bactrians hadn't undressed in the heat of Gaugamela and lost their luggage, their clothes would have kept them warm enough, for they also had severe winters back home.The Persians and Greeks fared equally badly.Soldiers from the mountainous provinces went out to hunt for animal skins for their own use. Others went to the market to buy winter clothes, and some rode to the countryside to rob the farmers. The princes of Oksaceress, the nobles of the court and the governors all had their residences in the palace.Bezos shook his black beard and dismissed the cold, but Nabazanes noticed our efforts to make him more comfortable and thanked us kindly.His attitude was archaic. The soldiers paid their salaries from the treasury of the palace, which boosted the business in the city, but due to the lack of prostitutes, they often caused disturbances to compete for women from good families.Soon, I would take care to steer clear of the Greek barracks when I was out on horseback, and they had a well-deserved reputation for loving boys.They must know I'm one of the king's men, but they still yell at me and whistle and don't know the rules.But that is their custom, and I admire them for their loyalty in times of crisis. The wind blew the last leaves from the nearly bare trees and even the snow from the branches.There was heavy snow, the road was cut off, and every day seemed like the day before.I shoot targets for fun and practice dancing, although warming up is difficult and sprains are not easy to avoid. The life of the king was heavy.His younger brother Oksaceris was not yet thirty, and his appearance and temperament were different from his. He often went hunting with other young nobles and returned after a few days.The king invited the governor and the nobles to take turns to have dinner, but he was often so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot to bring up a topic to chat with his subjects.He asked me to dance, probably chiefly to spare him the need to talk.But the guests lacked entertainment, so they were very kind and gave me many gifts. I think he should also invite Patron, the commander of the Greek mercenaries.But he never intended to have such a person in his house. When the frost finally thawed, a messenger arrived via a half-submerged road.He is a horse dealer in Susa, and he has come to collect a reward.Now we can only rely on these people to bring news, and no matter how bad the news they bring, the bounty is always rich. Alexander is in Susa.The city, though not as shameless as Babylon, opened its gates at once.He took all the treasures accumulated by the kings of the past generations into his bag. The amount was so huge that when I heard it, I couldn't believe that there was such wealth in the world.In this way, the jackal should stay away from the chariot. The winter weather was harsh again, the roads were blocked again, we were isolated for weeks, trapped in muddy cities and barren mountains, some became cranky, some were irritable, and some were listless.Soldiers rekindle old feuds at home and become embroiled in inter-tribal feuds.People from the city came and complained that their wives, daughters, or sons had been desecrated.The king didn't bother with such trivialities, and soon the supplicants were going to Bezos or Nabazanes.He was bored and became more moody, and he would catch a temper tantrum at random, making everyone nervous.I believe that the subsequent events planted the seeds of disaster in these empty and long snowy days. He called me to bed one night for the first time in a long time.As Bobacus exited the chamber, I saw him congratulate me with a discreet wink.But I've lost my grip on the king and couldn't relax from the start.I think of the boy who came before me, sent to walk because he was uninteresting.So I tried a trick that had entertained him in Susa.He pushed me suddenly, slapped me hard on the face, told me that I didn't know how to flatter me, and told me to go away. My hands were shaking so badly that I could hardly put on my clothes.I stumbled down the cold corridor, tears of pain, shock and anger poured out, blurring my eyes.When I raised my sleeves to wipe my tears, I bumped into a person. I knew from the material that he was an aristocrat, so I stammered an apology.He put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me by the light of the wall lamp.It was Nabazanes.I stopped crying in shame.He is sarcastic at times and can be very hurtful. "What's the matter, Baghous?" He said infinitely softly, "What's the matter? Someone bullied you? Your pretty face will be bruised tomorrow." He spoke like a woman.This was natural, but the fresh humiliation, combined with his tone, made it impossible for me to bear it.I said in a low voice: "He hit me for no reason. If he is a man, so am I." He looked down at me silently and woke me up: I put my life in his hands.Then he said calmly, "I have nothing to say about it." I stood still, thinking of the great sin I had committed by talking.He stroked my stinging cheek with his fingertips. "I've forgotten what you said." He said, "We all have to learn to be cautious." I was about to bow down, but he lifted me up. "Go to sleep, Bagoas. No matter what you have just heard, don't lose sleep worrying about the future. Tomorrow he will surely forget it, but the day after tomorrow at the latest." I stayed up almost all night, not worrying about myself, because he wouldn't betray me.I had long been used to the struggles of the court at Susa—the quest for power, the slander of rivals, the endless struggle for favor—and I knew now that I had peered deeper.He didn't hide his disdain, but it wasn't me. After the bruises on my face faded, the king called me to perform a dance and rewarded me with ten daric gold coins.It wasn't the bruises that haunted me, however.