Thermopylae before dawn.
The other Federation warriors had already left, puzzled by Leonidas' suicidal behavior.
Because, in their view, these Spartans could simply withdraw to the city-state of Sparta and tell the elders of the council what they had seen and heard.
Moreover, by now, the elders of the Spartan parliament must have known the news of the approaching Persians, so there was really no need for Leonidas to choose to die here.
But for some reason, Leonidas seemed to have made up his mind, and no matter how the federal soldiers persuaded him, he was unwilling to leave.
Therefore, the federal soldiers chose to leave late at night before the Persians completed the encirclement.
At this moment, 279 Spartan warriors sat quietly on the ground, checking their equipment, wiping their weapons, and preparing for the upcoming final battle.
There was no sign of tension or fear on most of their faces.
After two days of bloody fighting, death was no longer a stranger to them, but instead became an "old friend" with whom they could talk about anything.
Leonidas stood on a protruding rock and looked at the fires of the Persian camp in the distance.
Those flames dotted the darkness of the early morning like stars, and their number was so great that it was almost dizzying.
According to last night's intelligence, Leonidas also knew that the Persian army had completed the siege of Thermopylae.
Not only that, the total number of the Persian army may have exceeded 100,000, or even 200,000 or 300,000.
This number made him feel a little breathless. After all, the entire Spartan city-state had only a handful of tens of thousands of people.
Of course, ten thousand people is not a small number, but compared with the Persian army, it is still too small.
But Leonidas knew very well that as long as the Persians set foot in the Greek territory, whether it was Sparta or Greece, or Thebes or other city-states, they would unite as a whole.
At least, he was certain that Sparta was not fighting alone.
Moreover, he had already delayed here for nearly three days before the World Conference.
For the Greek world, three days was enough time for the Greeks to make many preparations.
"My king."
At this time, an older warrior came to his side. He was an elite warrior who had followed Leonidas for many years.
"Everyone is ready."
"Just waiting for your order."
Leonidas nodded and shifted his gaze to the soldier's body.
His body, like Leonidas's, was covered with wounds that had just healed.
They are not wearing heavy armor yet, which would make their bodies feel more relaxed.
"how are you feeling?"
"Can you still put on those heavy armor and pick up weapons?"
When the old Spartan heard Leonidas' words, he just smiled bitterly with joy.
"to be honest?"
"My legs are so painful that I can hardly stand."
"My right hand is cramped from holding the sword for so long, and I have a fairly serious wound on my abdomen."
"But strangely enough, I've never felt so at peace."
Leonidas nodded. "Me too."
"I think it's because we're about to burn in a blaze of glory."
Then, Leonidas turned around and raised his voice.
"Gather everyone, I need to make the final deployment."
After a few minutes, all the Spartans gathered in a loose circle.
The firelight shone on their tired but determined faces, just like it shone on the angular rocks in the ravines of the mountains.
"My compatriots, my brothers."
Leonidas stood in the center of the circle. He needed his warriors to burn their bodies with their lives at this moment.
"Today, we will face an enemy ten times our size."
"They will come from all sides to overwhelm us, surround us, and massacre us."
"But I would say this is exactly the opportunity we've been waiting for."
The Spartans listened carefully and nodded from time to time.
"This time, we must give up our defense and fight them in the open field."
Leonidas pointed to the flat land in the distance. "There, we'll use the 'Turtle Formation' for the last time."
"We will no longer defend, but will attack to the death!"
"We must make the Persians remember this day forever. We must engrave their fear of the Spartans firmly in their hearts!"
After these words were spoken, the Spartan warriors' expressions became even more excited.
"Yes! My king!"
"Let the Persians know that no matter how powerful their army and strength are, they cannot conquer the will of us Spartans!"
"Victory belongs to Sparta!"
"Victory! To the Greek Federation!"
"That's right! That's right!"
The soldiers expressed their agreement.
Although this decision seems crazy, it is the wisest choice now.
Because the Persians would soon surround them from the rear, and they would not be able to defend themselves from the front and back while also guarding against magic and arrows falling from great heights.
But it is different in open areas. They can maximize the power of team combat instead of being divided into different defensive points.
"Good! That's what a Spartan is!"
"Put on your heavy armor, take up your spears and shields!"
Leonidas looked around at the Spartans around him, who finally picked up their heavy armor and put it on their bodies covered with scabbed wounds.
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