Chapter 32 Volume Four VIII

From here the Greek army marched three stations and ten parasang through the Macronian zone.On the first of these days they reached the river which divides the territories of Makronia and Syternia.Here, to their right and above, was a very difficult plateau, and to their left they faced another river, into which the boundary river which they had to cross flowed. There are trees along the river, the trees are not big, but very dense.The Greek army was busy leaving the place as soon as possible, and began to cut down as soon as they arrived.But the Macronians, armed with rattan shields, spears, and tunics of woolen cloth, formed battle formations opposite the place where the Greeks had to pass, and shouted to one another to help them advance, and threw stones, which fell into the stream.

They made no contact with the Greeks and did no harm. At this time, a light soldier who claimed to have been a commoner in Athens came to Xenophon and said that he understood the language of these people.He went on, "I think this is my native land, and if there is no inconvenience, I would like to speak to them." Xenophon said, "Well, nothing, then go and talk to them. First of all Know who they are." After questioning, they replied, "Macronesians".Xenophon said, "Ask them, then, why they have arrayed themselves against us, to fight against us." They replied, "Because you have come to invade our land." The generals made the man say, "We Not to harm you. We fought the king, and now we are going back to Greece, and we are going to the sea." The Macronians asked if they would swear that this was true.They said they were willing to swear or accept pledges.Then the Macronians gave the Greeks a Persian spear and the Greeks gave them a Greek spear, for this is what the Macronians said was a pledge; both called upon the gods for witness.

Immediately after the exchange of promises, the Macronians began to help the Greeks cut down these trees and build roads so that they had been casually mixed with the Greeks in the past.They also provided the best possible market and led the way for the Greeks for three days to the borders of Colces.In this place there is a great mountain; on the mountain the Colces have set up battle formations.At first the Greeks formed into a head-on formation, and intended to attack the hill in this way; but then the generals resolved to gather together, and consider how best to conduct the struggle. Xenophon said that he thought it necessary to abandon the battle formation and make the reserve company a column.He went on to say,

"The formation is about to be dispersed, because we are going to find that some parts of the mountain are difficult and others are easy. When the soldiers who have formed the battle formation see the division of the team, it will immediately have the result of discouragement. In addition, If we advance against them in many tiers, the enemy will flank us and use their outstretched flanks to do as they please. When attacking with arrows, it is not surprising to be cut off. If this happens at any point, it is not good for the whole line. Therefore, I think we should have the company formed into a column, leaving a gap distance in between, and filling the position It is sufficient to bring the farthest company over the enemy's flank. In this way, not only can we flank the enemy's line, but, advancing in columns, our elite troops will be in the vanguard of the attack, and each captain can lead his troops wherever it is easy to go. Advance there. It is not easy for the enemy to rush into the gaps between the columns, because there are companies on this side and there, and it is equally difficult to cut off the company advancing in the column. Besides, if a company is in danger, the neighboring teams will come to help, and If one company manages to get to the top of the hill, none of the enemy can stand any longer."

The plan was settled, and they proceeded to organize the companies into columns.As Xenophon returned from the right to the left,2 he said to the procession: "Brothers, we are about to reach what we have long sought to reach; these people you see over there are the only ones still in our way the enemy. We must literally eat them alive, if we can." At this time, the officers and soldiers took their positions and formed a column. There were about 80 companies of heavy armor, each with nearly a hundred people. Light armor and archers are organized into three teams: one team is outside the left wing of the heavy armor, one team is outside the right wing, and one team is in the center. Each team has about 600 people.After the formation was stopped, the general ordered prayers; after praying and singing the hymn of victory, they set off.Chrysophus and Xenophon3 and their light troops advanced beyond the enemy's ranks.When the enemy saw it, they ran out to meet it, some to the right, some to the left; and as a result their lines were torn apart, leaving a great part of the ground empty.Then the light soldiers of the Arcadian army, commanded by Aeschines the Acarnanian, thought that the enemy was fleeing, and began to run with a cry.They were the first to reach the top of the mountain.Immediately behind them came the Arcadian heavy armor commanded by Crianno the Orcomenus.

On the enemy's side, as soon as the light soldiers started to run, they stopped defending and fled in all directions. After completing the uphill operation, the Greek army lived in many villages, all of which had sufficient supplies.There is generally nothing really peculiar to be found here.But there are a lot of bee colonies in the surrounding area, and the soldiers who ate the honey felt dizzy, vomited, and had diarrhea, and none of them could stand up; people who ate a small amount were like drunk, while those who ate too much were like crazy, or Sometimes even death.Many of them lay there, as if the army had been defeated and depressed.The next day, however, there was no death; about the same time the honey was eaten they began to wake up again, and on the third or fourth day they arose as if after a drug anesthesia.

From here they marched two stops, seven parasangs, to the seaside of Trapezus, a Greek city more populous on the Eukian coast, and a colony of the Sinobos in Colces.Here they stayed about thirty days, living in a Colces village, from which they plundered the Colces.The Trapezus provided a market for the army, received the Greeks warmly and gave gifts of cattle, barley flour, and wine as hosts.They also represented the nearby Colces in negotiations with the Greeks. Most of these Colces lived in the plains, and they also gave the Greeks many cattle as host gifts. Afterwards, they prepared the sacrificial offerings that they had made before.They had had enough cattle to thank Zeus for salvation, Hercules for guidance, and the other gods as they had promised.They also held games at the site of the hillside camp, and elected Dela Contus to find a track and to be custodian of the games.De La Contus was a Spartan who was exiled as a child for accidentally wounding another child with a dagger.When the consecration was over, they handed over the skins to Dela Contus and let him lead the way to the race-course he had chosen.Pointing to the spot where they were standing at that time, he said, "This mountain is good for running, and you can run wherever you like." The man asked, "How then can you wrestle on such a hard and overgrown ground? ’ he answered, ‘those who fall will be hurt more than others.’

Competitive events include men's sprint②, which is mostly participated by captives; long-distance running, with more than 60 Cretans participating; rubber wrestling;The spectacle was spectacular, because of the high number of entries, and because the comrades of the competitors were on the sidelines, the competition was fierce.Horse racing was also held.The riders drove their horses down the steep slope, turned towards the coast, and returned to the altar.When galloping down, most of the horses tumbled repeatedly; and when going uphill, because the slope is extremely steep, it is more difficult than walking;