So it came to pass, with King Sunder's ambassadors on the road to Sparta, the aged ruler was given many options of military strategies by his councilors of war and King Sunder availed himself to ALL of them. For he would attempt everything and anything all in the defense of Cardia the heart of the Thracian Nation.
Firstly; The king ordered all the gold and silver to be removed from the treasuries from out of every temple and secreted in three caves along the western coast of the Black Sea near Lake Bistoina. This took hours with the forced assistance of 30 strong young slaves who laboriously loaded and unloaded cart after cart into the caves under the watchful eyes of the Chief Treasure and two of his most trusted administrators. Once the caves had been filled the slaves set heavy stones and boulders sealing off the mouth of the caves. At the last cave site the slaves were not allowed to leave the cave and were instead commanded to seal themselves up INSIDE the deep dank cave; which would serve as their burial place all to keep the treasures from being stolen. The location now known only by the Chief Treasurer and his administrators. An encoded map was drawn up of the mines and given to the king when the three returned to the palace. Here the three men were placed under house arrest under the watchful eyes of the kings elite guards all to keep the Thracian Treasure safe with only the King now in possession of the map; which he secreted upon his person at all times. Secondly: King Sunder sent forth his soldiers outside the city walls arming them with spades ordering them to begin the arduous task of digging long, deep, narrow trenches along the perimeter of the walled city. The Thracians hoped this tactic of trench warfare would keep the swift moving fire raisers and mobile fire towers along with the enemies horses from reaching and breaching the old city walls.
Firstly; The king ordered all the gold and silver to be removed from the treasuries from out of every temple and secreted in three caves along the western coast of the Black Sea near Lake Bistoina. This took hours with the forced assistance of 30 strong young slaves who laboriously loaded and unloaded cart after cart into the caves under the watchful eyes of the Chief Treasure and two of his most trusted administrators. Once the caves had been filled the slaves set heavy stones and boulders sealing off the mouth of the caves. At the last cave site the slaves were not allowed to leave the cave and were instead commanded to seal themselves up INSIDE the deep dank cave; which would serve as their burial place all to keep the treasures from being stolen. The location now known only by the Chief Treasurer and his administrators. An encoded map was drawn up of the mines and given to the king when the three returned to the palace. Here the three men were placed under house arrest under the watchful eyes of the kings elite guards all to keep the Thracian Treasure safe with only the King now in possession of the map; which he secreted upon his person at all times. Secondly: King Sunder sent forth his soldiers outside the city walls arming them with spades ordering them to begin the arduous task of digging long, deep, narrow trenches along the perimeter of the walled city. The Thracians hoped this tactic of trench warfare would keep the swift moving fire raisers and mobile fire towers along with the enemies horses from reaching and breaching the old city walls.
Thirdly: King Sunder then sent out 100 slaves of the lowest and sickest order. They were marched out ceremoniously by the priests of the temples in a long line, one by one, to a large freshwater lake to the west of the wheat fields of Cardia, the lake provided useful irrigation to the vast fields and orchards of the city. There beside the shimmering lake the sick and elderly had their throats slit and were stabbed several times in the stomach before being thrown into the cold water which was now stained in streaks of scarlet colored blood. An offering to their gods, the bleeding corpses of the forgotten people sinking down into the bottom left to putrefy the water so the invading army would find only poisoned water to slake their thirst..
Fourthly: King Sunder ordered the evacuation of all the women and children of noble birth along with the writers, scholars, doctors, thespians and musicians and the elite. Whom all hastily gathered the few valuables they could along with their household servants. All 20,000 of them boarding awaiting ships to hie them off to Scythia to the north were they would now be welcome with refugee status, all for their continued survival.
Fifthly: King Sunder commanded the herdsmen to bring the 440 head of cattle roaming the pastures to be led to the main road were they were slaughtered as a sacrifice and left in a great stinking pile of rotting flesh. thus providing a crucial blockade of the main road and leaving no beasts of the field on which the Macedon's could feast upon.
Lastly: King Sunder ordered 500 of the youngest and fittest slaves, men and women, arming them with wooden swords and shields. Whereupon the tops of the walls they were marched night and day to give the appearance the city was more heavily defended should the advancing army send out scouts, whom, of course, would report back to the hated Barbarian King.
So it was after 3 days each of his commands and orders had been completed all that was left for the worried king to do was wait as his army was amassed outside the gates and two waiting ships ready to be boarded should the king wish to flee with his household intact and live in exile. All these troubles filled and ruined every waking thought putting a great strain and stress upon his old heart. If only he could know what the fates could see perhaps he would be able to sleep. So filled with worry was he. The entire future of the Thracian Nation depending solely on a young Greek King and Queen. So when dawn arose in robe of golden splendor the weary king covered his head and into a ancient temple crept where he burned the incense, lit candles and turned his head down, closing his eyes and tried to pray.
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