I am the son of the traveler

Chapter 12 Three Secret Talks
Antigonus saw the disappointment of the two of them. He shook his head with a smile. Only five hundred hoplites were no match for the army under Nicanor. The defenders of the city, among them, there are almost 500 heavy infantrymen, among which there is a regiment of copper shield pikemen (the regiment is the first level in the Macedonian army organization, and a regiment has 1024 phalanx spearmen, headed by the regiment Command), and the remaining 500 people are Macedonian heavy infantry equipped with round shield spears and using the Greek heavy infantry tactics. Their responsibility is to guard the two wings of the phalanx spearmen during the war.

On the other hand, the heavy infantry under Antigonus consisted of only one battalion (the battalion is also the first level in the Macedonian army formation, consisting of a company with 128 people, which adds up to 256 people) copper shield pikemen and [-] Macedonian heavy infantry. Install infantry and line up with Nicanor's army, I'm afraid they will be pushed directly by a wave.

In the classical era, heavy infantry was still an important factor to dominate the battlefield, and light infantry and cavalry alone could not win. However, Antigonus quickly thought of the Achilles heel of the Macedonian spear phalanx—that is, the weak long-range defense capability.Although they are almost invincible in a frontal confrontation, their flanks and long-range protection are weak points. Their flanks are guarded by heavy infantry, so they cannot be attacked, but long-range protection cannot make up for it anyway.

Macedonian phalanx spearmen are generally equipped with a small Macedonian round shield, linen breastplate, bronze greaves and Thracian helmet. This is all their defenses. It couldn't stop a javelin volley from close range.

And it just so happened that the tribe that Antigonus was loyal to was good at fighting with javelins!
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, breaking with Euphemia in such a hasty situation is not good for us."

At this moment, Cronoll's voice brought Antigonus's consciousness back to reality.

Hearing what he said, Antico pursed his lips, and then said: "Time is waiting for me, if we don't act sooner, we will soon fall into a passive situation."

When he came, Kronos had already learned about the divination from Agnes, so he also knew what Antigonus meant.He frowned, thought for a while, and said, "If you insist on doing it in advance, I have a way to recruit more heavy infantry."

"What?" Antico asked.

"There are many mercenaries looking for opportunities in the port area of ​​Pella City. If you want, we can hire those Greek mercenaries to join the war."

Indeed, there are many mercenaries gathered near the mercenary headquarters in the port area, waiting to be hired by merchant ships and envoys from other countries.The mercenary headquarters was originally built by energetic soldiers in the kingdom who did not join the army with the support of the former king Philip. Later, because they were hired by several countries across the sea to join the war, they played a big role. Fame also made Pella City a famous hometown of mercenaries.

After becoming famous, many foreign mercenaries came here to register, trying to take advantage of the glory of Pella City, so mercenaries gathered in the mercenary headquarters, and various criminal cases occurred in the area every day, making The city defense army of Pella City had a headache.

It is worth mentioning that those soldiers are extremely yearning for the Macedonian regular army, because the Macedonian soldiers have a fixed and generous salary every month, but the former king Philip is not a person who likes the military, and the army under his command has been maintained at a fixed rate. The number of soldiers is within the number, so there has been no foreign conscription. In order to make a living, those soldiers can only take the next best thing and register as a mercenary.

Antico thought for a while, but did not directly make a decision, but asked instead: "How many drachmas do we need to spend to recruit an army that can compete with Nicanor?"

"It depends on who you recruit, Your Majesty." Kronos said, recalling the market price of mercenaries he had heard before, he said: "According to the market price, the commission of a Greek mercenary is 5 drach a month Ma, if you want to recruit foreign mercenaries, the price can be lower."

Antigonus hesitated for a while. He really didn't like mercenaries. In history, there are countless examples of mercenaries rebelling against their masters. In addition, they have many shortcomings, such as running away from battle. , fish in troubled waters, etc. What's more, when the war is about to fail, they will defect on the battlefield and sacrifice their employer's head to the enemy as a pledge of honor.

Cronus observed Antigonus from the side. He could see the disgust towards the mercenaries from the other's eyebrows, and he suddenly made a judgment in his heart.

The guard captain of the partner cavalry smiled, changed the subject, and said, "Your Majesty, if you really plan to leave Pella City, I have a plan."

"what's the plan?"

Not only Antigonus, but even Agnes looked sideways at him.

"Every morning, food will be transported into the palace from the manor outside the city. We can bribe the transport personnel in advance to let you blend in and follow the convoy out of Pella."

"But Euphemia's eyes and ears will check." Agnes reminded.

"It's simple." Kronos didn't care, he waved his hand and said: "Just modify your majesty's face, and the inspector will not be so careful, if your majesty behaves naturally, it will not recognized."

After listening to Kronos' words, Antigonus was thoughtful. The captain's suggestion was not unreasonable, and he could leave Pella without any accidents.

only……

"I left, how are you going to get out?" he asked.

"Please rest assured, as long as you are not discovered leaving the palace, we will be able to leave safely."

"That's how it is said..." Antigonus touched his smooth chin, and suddenly thought of a question: "After I leave, if Euphemia finds that there is no one in the palace, wouldn't it be over?"

"That's a problem."

The question raised by Antigonus went straight to the point, leaving the two knights with no idea. They looked at each other, hoping to get useful hints from each other's eyes.

If Euphemia found out about Antigonus's departure from the palace in advance, it would likely arouse the other party's suspicion and have the effect of scaring the snake away.

The air was quiet for dozens of seconds, and Agnes suddenly had an idea. He raised his head and looked at Antigonus, and said, "Your Majesty, I have thought of a way to prevent you from being discovered by Euphemia after you leave the palace. .”

(End of this chapter)