“How far ahead are the others?”
“No more than an hour’s march.”
“Then we should be able to attack before the band sent to destroy us returns.”
“If we lose no time,” Dacius agreed.
“What about Galerius’ army?”
“The stragglers must not be far beyond where we turned back. Many of the bodies we saw on the field were still warm.”
“Is there any high ground between us and the Persians?”
“I saw a low hill ahead. They should be past it by the time we catch up with them.”
“Well give them a little time, to be sure.”
Constantine gave him a quick review
Tiridates caught up just then and Constantine gave him a quick review of the situation. “I propose that we march for another half hour and let the Persians get beyond the hill Dacius saw ahead,” he said. “That will give us the advantage of surprise when my cavalry attacks the rear of the Persian forces while your infantry backs us up. Agreed?”
“Leave a few for us,” Tiridates said grimly. “That’s all I ask.” A half hour later, Constantine and Dacius rode ahead of the column to the hillock the centurion had seen. Beyond it the view was blocked and, halting the men in the protection of the elevated ground, the two officers rode almost to the top, dismounting and climbing the rest of the way. Ahead they saw a plain where the Persians appeared to have trapped part of the Roman rear guard and were now in the process of cutting them to pieces, as they had been with Tiridates and his troops the afternoon before. The action seemed about over and many of the enemy horsemen had already dismounted to loot weapons and other booty from those who had fallen.
“We have them in a trap,” Constantine said exultantly. “You take the right flank, Dacius, while I take the left. And tell the trumpeters to make a lot of noise.”
“Narses’ scavengers will think the whole Roman army is upon them,” Dacius promised as they descended to where their mounts waited. “But be careful. I’m beginning to think you are too good a general to be wasted in this sort of fighting.”
It was a repetition of the engagement the previous afternoon, though on a considerably larger scale. Like a sandstorm sweeping everything before it, the two wings of Roman cavalry crossed and recrossed the field, breaking up every formation the Persians tried to make. Many of the enemy were caught on foot and cut down before they could remount. The rest were soon in full retreat eastward, not knowing that King Tiridates and his band were waiting just behind the hill to scourge them once again.
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