Cyrus and the Crusaders

Artaxerxes II had managed to accumulate a strong force of supposedly 300,000. While Cyrus's army was gathering at Sardis, Artaxerxes ordered his forces from Phoenicia to meet him in Babylonia. Tissa Farinese had been watching the actions of Cyrus, and he was not fooled. He knew that the force of Sardis was far too large for the Pecidians to be their true intent,. so he traveled to the king as quickly as possible with an entourage of about 500 horsemen.