Silence filled the tent for a moment, then Olivios said, "It's such a pity Cyrus the Younger died in battle! Although he was a Persian prince, he was very polite, liked to help people, and was handsome and popular with women. Even the Queen of Cilicia became his mistress. If he hadn't died, he would have become a good king!"
Looking good and being able to pick up girls makes you a good king? What kind of bullshit logic is that! Davos cursed inwardly.
"Yes! Cyrus the Younger didn't look down on us like other Persians. He was genuinely good to us Greeks! If he became king, the relationship between us Greeks and the Persians would definitely improve!" Georgios said.
"And he was a warrior, not weak like the other Persians!" Matonis chimed in.
"Most importantly, he was generous! He gave us a lot of gold coins!" Olivios emphasized again, prompting everyone to agree.
Is this a memorial service for Cyrus the Younger? Davos found it amusing. Based on the remaining memories of this body, he couldn't help but say, "Generous, Cyrus the Younger? I don't think so! You see, first of all, he owed us more than three months' salary and never paid it until the Queen of Cilicia came to inspect the troops, and then he paid four months' worth."
"When we suspected that Cyrus the Younger was preparing to fight the Persian King and refused to go forward, he agreed to increase our salary from one daric gold coin to one and a half in order to persuade us." Did he give us the money for the next two months? Don't forget that he once ordered us to threaten the King of Cilicia, and this timid king gave him a large sum of money. When we learned of Cyrus the Younger's plan and rioted at the assembly, Cyrus the Younger promised to give us five mines of silver each after capturing Babylon. But did he give it to us?"
After a long while, Olivios replied bitterly, "He's dead!"
"You see, Cyrus the Younger didn't spend a single silver coin of his own and brought us to this place, about three thousand miles away from Greece—in a land of a hostile country full of danger. If he had told us from the beginning that we were going to fight the Persian King, would we have agreed?"
The three men shook their heads like puppets.
"He hid the truth. Giving a little benefit at a time is like using grass to lure a flock of sheep forward, until the end when you can't disagree." Davos said with a sigh, "Cyrus the Younger is a brilliant liar! He didn't pay any price and let more than ten thousand of us Greeks fight to the death for his conspiracy. Amazing!"
The tent fell silent again. Soon, Olivios began to curse, "Damn Cyrus the Younger! Damn the Persians! And that idiot Menon! Every time, he actively lets us be the vanguard, saying that Cyrus the Younger will be grateful to us and will give us more rewards. Menon is an idiot, not only does he have a bad mouth, but his brain is also rotten. Sooner or later, we will be killed by him! ... Ouch ... my stomach ... I'm starving to death!"
Davos found it amusing to see Olivios making a fuss there. Not to mention that he was used to the intrigue in the government before, the TV shows like Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasty were endless. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run!
Cyrus the Younger was born in the human conspiracy headquarters—the court. How could it be so simple for him to be the military commander of western Persia? Just looking at how he fooled the Greeks around shows how powerful his methods were. As for Menon, he is probably not stupid. As a mercenary leader, he may have known Cyrus the Younger's plan for a long time, pushing his compatriots into the fire pit, but he was just blinded by profit.
"Davos, you couldn't have said such things before. Are you really... really..." Matonis asked cautiously.
Davos knew that Matonis and "himself" had a good relationship because they had similar personalities. So, he said, "Matonis, no matter what happened, I am still me. I have always been your good brother! I have always been very grateful for your care! I hope you can continue to help me!" Repeatedly being subtly mentioned about the matter of "divine favor,"
Davos now wants to open up. With more than 30 years of social experience in his previous life, if he wants to play a simple-minded 19-year-old Greek, he doesn't want to pretend, and he can't pretend. It's better to let others think so. This should be... beneficial. Therefore, he gave a vague answer that neither denied nor admitted.
Unexpectedly, it made Matonis excited: "Don't worry! With me here, no one dares to bully you!"
"Davos, can we go home?" Georgios' voice was full of worry.
Obviously, Davos's exposure of Cyrus the Younger made them start to doubt their own abilities.
Davos smiled bitterly. Although he did not understand the development process of this historical event, Chinese history told him that the emperor of a feudal dynasty hated nothing more than rebellion. It seems that the West should be the same. Moreover, they are still foreigners, invaders. Unless the Persian King is out of his mind, he will definitely completely eliminate them to deter all those with ulterior motives!
As for attacking the Persian army and taking Babylon, Davos is not optimistic. Otherwise, the name of this event should be "The Great March of Ten Thousand Greeks" instead of "The Great Retreat." But he said, "Don't worry! We can go home smoothly."
He tilted his head and saw that the expressions of the others were obviously much more relaxed. He sighed inwardly: These simple-minded guys are good. They don't think about how dangerous the current situation is and put their lives on my "oracle." It's also a kind of happiness.
As Davos was thinking, his heart moved, and he suddenly remembered a movie he had watched in his previous life, "2012": When the doomsday disaster comes, those powerful and wealthy people can easily board seven Noah's Arks, while ordinary civilians have to rely on luck... Yes, when you are a pawn, you can only be manipulated; only when you are a chess player can you control your own destiny! But how can you become a chess player?
… … … … … … … … …
In the afternoon, the Silos squad was given half a bag of wheat flour and a dozen dates.
Everyone struggled to get up and started making bread. Davos actively helped and asked questions while doing it, because he only had the theory he obtained from his memory.
The method of making ancient Greek bread is actually similar to Chinese pasta. The most important thing is the leavening agent. Bread is the staple food of the Greeks. When marching and fighting, yeast is also carried with them and is well preserved.
After kneading the flour, put it on an iron plate and bake it with the firewood you picked up. By evening, everyone had eaten the simple bread. After filling their stomachs, they went to bed in a hurry.
The next morning, Silos woke everyone up and told them: "Ariaios's messenger has arrived and said, 'He is preparing to take his troops back to his homeland of Asia.' The leaders are unwilling to return empty-handed and promised him, 'If Ariaios is willing to continue attacking Babylon with them, they are willing to make him the Persian King and have sent Xenophon and Menon to persuade Ariaios."
"Why send Menon?" Matonis asked in confusion.
"Don't you know that Menon has a good relationship with Ariaios?" Olivios said with an ambiguous smile.
"Can they persuade Ariaios?" Georgios said worriedly.
Everyone turned their attention to Davos. Overnight, he had become their spiritual backbone. Davos felt a lot of pressure, but he did not avoid it. He pondered for a while, and then shook his head: Ariaios is a Persian nobleman. Before, it could be said that he was forced to participate in the rebellion as Cyrus the Younger's adjutant. Now, if he rebels with the Greeks again, once he fails, not only will he be finished, but his family will probably be implicated. If he is really an ambitious person, he should immediately take over everything from Cyrus the Younger as soon as he learns of Cyrus the Younger's death and unite with the Greek mercenaries in time. It is obvious that he has made a decision after repeated consideration to say that he wants to go home today.
Getting a negative answer, everyone's faces showed disappointment.
"Brothers, these are things that the leaders should worry about. Let's do what we should do." Silos hurriedly said, "Menon asked us to slaughter the extra livestock in the baggage train and prepare more food."
Finally, they can eat their fill! This news temporarily dispelled the haze in everyone's hearts.
-----------
The task assigned to Davos and his group was to go to the battlefield and retrieve the spears, shields, and even chariots discarded by both sides, using them as firewood for cooking meat. They were also assigned a bullock cart for this purpose.
The battlefield wasn't far from the camp. Yesterday, the cavalry went out to scout and discovered that the Persian king's army had already left, so they dared to send soldiers out to clean up the battlefield. However, they sent out quite a few soldiers, mainly for fear of encountering a surprise attack by Persian cavalry.
Before even reaching the battlefield, Davos saw from afar that the sky ahead seemed to be darkened by a patch, with countless crows circling, their piercing cries making his heart palpitate!
Closer now, the grassland within a few miles was covered with layers upon layers of human and horse corpses, the bodies swarming with flies and insects, even wild wolves and leopards gnawing on the bones, not shying away from the approaching people, only staring from a distance, their eyes flashing with cold light...
With each step Davos took, he stirred up a layer of flies, buzzing and swarming, flying straight at his face, impossible to drive away.
Davos's face was pale, and he felt his entire stomach churning.
"Davos, you've experienced scenes like this many times, why do you still feel uncomfortable?!" Matonis's concerned words carried a hint of joy, because he felt that although Davos had changed, he still needed his care.
"I'm fine! ...Ugh..." Davos swallowed hard. Memory is memory, but after all, this was the first time this modern person had personally witnessed such a bloody battlefield of slaughter. But he understood in his heart: in this chaotic world, such scenes would appear before him again and again in the future, and he must adapt!
He released the hand covering his nose, forcibly enduring the pungent stench, picked through the corpses on the ground, pulled out the shield underneath, quickly brushed away the maggots on it, and threw it onto the bullock cart.
When they first arrived at the battlefield, the bull pulling the cart couldn't bear this terrifying environment either, constantly restless, and almost injured Matonis. Davos came up with an idea to cover its eyes with linen, and it calmed down a lot.
Everyone worked for a long time, and the bullock cart was already full, and each person was still carrying a bundle.
"Where's Davos?" Matonis noticed that one person was missing from the group.
"There!" Olivis pointed not far away: Davos was throwing a javelin at a vulture pecking at a corpse, but the seemingly clumsy vulture nimbly dodged it.
"It seems he's preparing to participate in the javelin competition at the Olympics!" Olivis said jokingly.
"Shut up!" Matonis glared at him, then walked towards Davos.
Seeing his arrival, Davos quite naturally picked up a javelin from the ground. Now, he was beginning to adapt to this harsh environment.
"Matonis, how many archers do we have?" Davos asked, stroking the sharp spearhead.
Matonis was completely unsuited to questions in this regard, but fortunately there was the meticulous Georgis: "Archers? ...I remember it seems that only Clearchus has nearly three hundred Cretan archers under his command... If you count the light infantry who can throw javelins... um, all... probably... maybe... there are... three thousand people."
"Three thousand people. How many light infantry do we have on our side?" Davos asked.
"About four hundred people..."
"Matonis, let's not burn the javelins, it's a pity, why don't we equip each person with one or two javelins, what do you think?" Davos thought for a while and said.
Before Matonis could answer, Olivis interjected, "We are hoplites!"
"But when facing Persian cavalry, our hoplites can't get close to them, we can only dodge the arrows and javelins they shoot!" Davos made this suggestion because this body's memory held this regret. While collecting these wooden weapons, he suddenly had this inspiration, because he knew that in history another world-famous Roman heavy infantry was not only amazing in melee combat, but their javelin throwing was equally terrifying,
That's why he made this suggestion.
"Ariaios has enough cavalry there," Olivis said.
Davos smiled: "It's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others."
"Is this Hades' 'oracle' to you?" Georgis asked urgently.
Davos smiled without answering.
"I think this is a good idea, let's talk to Silos about it when we get back." Matonis took the javelin from Davos's hand, turned around, and suddenly threw the javelin out, the vulture that was still pecking at it fell to the ground.
"However, Davos, your javelin skills still need to be learned!" Matonis said triumphantly.
The fact that Greek hoplites do not use javelins is just a matter of tradition and habit, but the javelin skills of the Greeks are not bad, even considered top-notch in the Mediterranean region, because the javelin is one of the pentathlon events in the Olympic Games, and Greek boys have been training these in the arena since childhood.
"Great! Not only will we have beef and mutton for lunch, but we will also have bird meat!"
"I heard that the meat of this kind of bird cannot be eaten, because it comes from hell..."
......
In the camp, the livestock had already been slaughtered, the meat was cut, placed in earthenware pots, filled with water, and placed on a makeshift earthen stove, everything was ready.
Everyone pulled back the weapons, smashed them, and burned them to cook the meat.
Matonis told Silos about Davos's idea.
Since it was a suggestion from the "God-favored one", Silos considered it carefully and felt that the idea was acceptable: the javelin was not heavy, and it was completely acceptable for a hoplite to carry two javelins. So, he went to Antonios, hoping to get support.
Antonios called over the other nine captains under his command, wanting to hear their thoughts first. Some of the captains agreed, and some opposed. The opponents adhered to the tradition of the Greek hoplites, and also believed that: Menon already had five hundred light infantry under his command, and it was completely unnecessary to let the hoplites take javelins; the supporters believed that: although there were five hundred light infantry in the camp, they were all Thracians, and the two sides did not cooperate very well. The hoplites themselves have javelins, at least they can force the Persian cavalry not to get too close, so as to reduce casualties. The two sides argued endlessly, and Antonios could not make a decision, so he had to say: as long as it does not affect the battle, each team can decide whether to carry javelins on their own.
Silos returned happily, ready to tell Davos, but found a group of people staring greedily at the tumbling pieces of meat in the earthenware pot, only Davos was missing.
"Where's Davos?"
"Said he went to see the discarded animal entrails... and said something about wasting..."
While everyone was puzzled, they saw Davos walking over with a bloody sheep intestine on a spear.
"Hey, take that stinky thing away! It's affecting our appetite!" Everyone covered their noses and shouted.
Davos ignored them, but said loudly: "I saw a large number of cattle and sheep offal discarded at the baggage camp, allowing birds and wild dogs to take them away, which is too wasteful! Don't forget, we were so hungry the day before yesterday that we couldn't wait to eat our own hands! In the next few days, whether we are fighting or marching, we may still be hungry, we should bring these things back and store them, so that when this happens again, we still have something to eat!"
"Can those things be eaten?" A strong soldier asked.
Davos remembered that his name was Martius, a soldier who lived in another tent, and his question was exactly what everyone wanted to ask. The Greeks mainly ate grains, and ate very little meat, but this time they went deep into Persian territory, and because of the logistics supply, they began to eat meat frequently. Animal offal not only smelled fishy, but also tasted very fishy when lacking spices and cooking methods, so except for using it for divination, few people would try to eat it, and even thought that eating it would be poisoned.
"Of course they can be eaten! These things are not only very nutritious... not only can they fill our stomachs, but also improve our bodies. For example, they can make us see more clearly at night," Davos replied affirmatively.
"Really?! That's great!" Matonis said happily.
The five people in another tent looked suspicious.
"Davos is a 'God-favored one'! Do you know that? He fell on the battlefield before and fainted..." Olivis began to brag to them about Davos's amazing changes in the past two days.
Davos knew that to change their minds, he had to speak with facts. So, he called on Giorgis, went to the baggage camp, picked up a cow stomach, went to a small stream next to the camp, painstakingly washed it clean, then used a clay pot to heat water. After blanching the cow stomach with hot water, he pulled out his military knife and began to slice it.
At this time, the five people who were half-convinced by Olives' words, as well as some curious soldiers, surrounded Davos several times.
Davos calmly scooped several spoons of soup from another clay pot that was cooking beef and mutton, poured it into a new clay pot, and after the soup boiled, poured in the sliced cow stomach. After a while, he picked up the clay pot, sprinkled it with salt, and a pot of simple 'boiled tripe' was ready.
"Come, have a taste."
Matonis hesitated, stabbed a piece with his military knife, blew on it vigorously, and slowly put it into his mouth.
Facing the inquiries from others, he didn't answer, and silently stabbed another piece... then another piece... Only then did everyone react and prepare to swarm up, but Matonis, ignoring the heat, picked up the clay pot and ran, with everyone cursing and chasing after him.
Davos didn't expect Matonis, this big guy, to be so clever, and found it quite amusing.
"It seems that the internal organs of livestock are not only edible but also taste very good," Hiros said with emotion, not participating in the chase.
Davos didn't speak. Not all livestock internal organs are so delicious, such as the liver, but it is very helpful to the human body. In this era without industrial pollution, eating it should not be dangerous.
"But the meat that is distributed to us is already enough for a day's consumption. The weather is so hot that these internal organs will spoil by tomorrow," Hiros said helplessly.
Regarding this problem, Davos had already thought of a solution. He pointed to the sheep intestines that were thrown aside and said, "We can make—smoked sausage! (Actually, in this era, some horse-herding tribes within Persia had already begun to use horse intestines to make sausages, but it was not yet widespread)"
"Smoked sausage?"
… … … … … … …
After everyone came back, they looked at Davos with a bit of awe. After tasting the deliciousness of 'boiled tripe', they believed that Olives was right. If he wasn't a 'God-Favored One', why would only Davos among the tens of thousands of Greeks think that these dirty things were edible and make them so delicious! In the past, Davos was just like them, throwing these livestock internal organs far away, but now there is such a big change, it must be the grace of Hades.
Therefore, when Davos directed them to do things, it became much easier. They could endure the stench of the sheep intestines and take them to the stream to wash them clean. Then, they chopped up the internal organs and some leftover meat and stuffed them into the intestines. Stuff a small section, then tie it with thread drawn from linen. Stuff another section, then tie it again…
After completion, they were hung on erected wooden poles and smoked with fire. This method of making smoked sausage was learned by Davos from the villagers when he was a village official in his previous life. Now the conditions are limited and time is tight, so he can only simplify the process, as long as it can be stored for a few more days and is edible.
Davos and the others' large-scale smoking of sausages naturally attracted many curious onlookers. After the boasting of Olives, Matonis, and others, Davos became a rare thing, and the soldiers stared at him again and again. Soon, the two things, "Davos is a God-Favored One" and "Smoked Sausage", began to spread in Menon's camp…
… … … … … … … … …
At noon, news came that the Persian king had sent an envoy to persuade them to surrender, but the leaders refused.
In the afternoon, news came again. Ariaeus's envoy returned, bringing Ariaeus's reply: he refused to attack the Persian king's army, only wanted to return to Asia Minor, and was willing to return with the Greek mercenaries.
Davos was right again, and everyone was no longer surprised.
Soon news came again: Clearchus was going to sacrifice livestock to Zeus, asking the chief god to decide whether they should fight or retreat next.
Davos found it amusing: this was obviously a means for the mercenary leaders to shirk responsibility.
But his companions were extremely seriously looking forward to the results of the divination, making Davos realize that it was somewhat unreasonable to look at the practices of the ancients from the perspective of a modern person.
Obviously, the divination results obtained by the leaders were not good. So, the order was finally issued: the mercenaries would go to join Ariaeus's troops and return to Asia Minor together.
Now, the soldiers in each camp had to immediately start packing their luggage and load the baggage onto the pack animals. After dark, when the copper horn sounded, each camp could set off in order.
Suddenly, a tense atmosphere permeated the camp, but everyone's face showed a bit of relief: after all, it had been eight or nine months since they had set off from Asia Minor, and they could finally go home. No one wanted to stay in a hostile land for a long time.
"Can this sausage be taken down?" Hiros asked.
Davos looked up at the dozen or so strings of sausages being smoked, then shook his head: "Wait until it gets dark, take it before we leave." He knew that it would take far more than half a day to meet the standards for smoked sausage, but the longer it was roasted, the longer it could be stored.
Everyone began to dismantle the tents and pack their luggage, their movements very skilled. Although Davos had such memories, he still needed to transform these memories into a habit. He watched and learned very carefully.
When everyone carried the tents and luggage to the baggage camp, Davos saw the fat man shouting loudly, directing his subordinates to load and transport items. Although many soldiers came to the baggage camp, he could maintain order and work in an orderly manner.
"Who is that?" Davos pointed at him and asked.
"Melsis, Menon's logistics officer. This fat pig is too bad. Last time I came here to find a woman, he actually asked me for two silver coins!" Olives said indignantly.
Davos looked thoughtfully at the pack animals that were neighing loudly and asked, "Have we ever marched at night before?"
"Rarely. If there is no moonlight, you can't see anything at all. Even if there is, it is very difficult to walk at night. Those big guys are even more troublesome. Don't look at them being docile now, they are easily frightened at night. There have been several cases of people being injured in the past. So the baggage train and us are separated," Hiros said.
Davos thought for a while, put his luggage into Hiros's hands, and walked out of the team.
"Hey! Come back! Melsis is not easy to mess with!" Olives shouted.
Fearing that Davos would suffer, Matonis also rushed over.
"Stop!" The guard pointed at Davos with a stabbing spear: "It's not your turn yet, please line up!"
Davos indicated that he was empty-handed and said, "I have something to talk to Melsis about."
The guard subconsciously glanced back and then shook his head: "If I were you, I wouldn't bother that fat man when he's busy."
"Okay." Davos smiled slyly and shouted loudly: "Melsis, I can help you solve the problem of livestock being easily frightened at night!"
His shout drew the attention of the soldiers:
"Isn't that Davos! He even has a solution to this problem, he is indeed a 'God-Favored One'!"
"What 'God-Favored One'?"
"Don't you know? Davos is a 'God-Favored One'. This is what Olives told…"
Davos listened to everyone's discussion and understood that his goal had been half achieved.
"You can solve the problem of livestock?" Melsis walked over, looked Davos up and down, and asked suspiciously.
"Of course! He is Davos!" Matonis was almost his fan.
"You are Davos?! The Davos who made the smoked sausage?!" Melsis changed color and asked with a look of surprise.
Davos nodded.
"Come and help me see if there is any problem with the smoked sausage I made?" After speaking, Melsis pulled Davos inside.
When Davos saw the smoked sausage he made and pointed out the shortcomings, Melsis complained a little: "You should have told me the method of making sausage first, instead of telling those soldiers who only know how to fight and kill. You must know that they only know how to squander and waste! Unfortunately, by the time I heard about this, the meat and internal organs were almost taken away, but fortunately I reacted quickly!…" Melsis said, suddenly remembering the purpose of Davos's visit: "Oh! I almost forgot. You said you can solve the problem of pack animals being easily frightened at night?"
"It's very simple. Blindfold their eyes. Cattle and horses are naturally docile and timid. When they can't see, they dare not take a step and will only blindly follow the instructions given to them by the person leading them," Davos said seriously. This was still what the old farmer in the village in his previous life talked about when chatting with him.
"Oh! So that's how it is! I'll go try it!" Melsis turned around and ran, then suddenly stopped: "Davos, I hope you come here often! If you want to play with women, I won't charge you!"
Davos smiled: This is a man who loves his food.
As the sun began to set, the soldiers started to pack up their gear.
They put on their breastplates—made of multiple layers of linen glued together. It was about five or six centimeters thick, very hard and tough, but not too heavy. The bottom edge reached to the thighs and was cut into a winged shape for ease of movement.
They put on their greaves to protect their calves. They tied their Greek swords to their waists—a type of curved sword, the blade sixty-five centimeters long, single-edged, curved like a dog's hind leg.
The Corinthian helmet could not be worn at this time, because marching at night was already difficult to see, and this helmet, which only revealed the mouth and eyes, would narrow the field of vision. Davos followed others and tied his helmet to the two-meter-long spear.
The spear was the main weapon of the Greek hoplite. The shaft was made of ash wood, the leaf-shaped spearhead was made of iron, and the end of the shaft was inlaid with a copper tail spike.
Davos picked up the round shield with his left hand. It was shallow bowl-shaped, wooden inside, and entirely copper-clad outside, about ninety centimeters in diameter. The shield face was painted with the face of the Minotaur. Inside, there was a leather strap for the left arm to be inserted to the elbow, allowing the soldier to put his entire left forearm on the round shield, which was not only labor-saving but also more convenient for defense and shield strikes. There was also a small metal hook inlaid on the inner edge of the round shield, which could be hung on the shoulder for easy carrying during marching.
Davos held the shield in his left hand and the spear in his right, and couldn't help but smile wryly: he had changed from a modern man into an ancient Western armored warrior. However, the cells of his entire body were cheering and boiling, making him realize that it was the muscle memory of this body that was at work.
He tried to walk a few steps and felt very comfortable. In addition to the tension, there was also some excitement. Every man has a warrior dream in his heart! It was the inheritance of the ancestors in the blood from the era of drinking blood! Modern people in peacetime can no longer feel the courage to fight face to face, and Davos in this era of crossing has such an opportunity!
While Davos was still getting used to this outfit, Hilos reminded him, "You still have something you haven't taken."
He saw the two javelins and a string of sausages on the ground. He smiled wryly: this was really asking for trouble!
He carefully put the sausage around his chest, for fear that the grease would stain his breastplate.
At this time, Centurion Antonio came over and said to Hilos, "We have to go to the baggage camp and act with Melsis." After speaking, he nodded to Davos, apparently Davos's reputation had spread to the centurion's ears, making him afraid to be careless.
"Who gave the order? Isn't Menon still with Ariaeus?" Hilos asked strangely. He was reluctant to act with the baggage train, which was slow and dangerous.
"The order of the adjutant Felicius, he is temporarily in command of Menon. The last time the Persians broke into our camp, most of the slaves in the baggage camp ran away, and they are now short of manpower. Melsis specifically asked our team to help." After speaking, he glanced at Davos again.
… … … … … … … … … …
"Davos, didn't expect it! We meet again!" Melsis laughed and walked straight through the officers and soldiers, giving Davos a hug.
I knew this fat man was playing tricks! Davos smiled wryly helplessly.
"Everyone else goes to lead the livestock. Davos, come with me," he ordered.
This fat man is stern and ruthless when he is not familiar with you, but once the relationship gets better, he is too enthusiastic. Isn't this helping me attract hatred? Davos quickly refused.
The baggage camp had hundreds of livestock and dozens of carts loaded with goods, as well as many slaves and women.
At the same time. The formed column could reach two miles long. This was just a military camp, and one could imagine how bloated the baggage of the entire Greek mercenary army was. Davos observed all this and pondered in his heart.
At this time, the long camp call in the night rang over the noisy camp.
It was time to set off. Davos subconsciously tightened the cow rope, feeling a little nervous.
The team began to move forward. The baggage train was on the right.
The troops were on the left, and the officers held torches high. Under the cold moonlight. The entire Greek army was like a long fire dragon slowly crawling.
After walking for about an hour, he heard the sound of rushing water ahead. Davos knew that the Euphrates River was approaching.
The river water at night was dark and deep, and at a glance, it seemed to be infinitely wide and infinitely deep, which could cause great fear. Therefore, the team was much quieter, for fear of disturbing the river god.
At this time, the queue naturally became the baggage train moving along the left bank of the Euphrates River, with the troops on the outside, protecting the property of their camp. Obviously, the leaders had some experience in night marching. Davos watched and learned silently.
Menon's troops were at the end of the entire queue. Of course, this was not Menon's request. In fact, he had asked someone to come back and ask his troops to walk in the middle of the entire team. However, the leaders were all dissatisfied with Menon. Because when they first marched from Asia to Babylon, Menon rushed to be the vanguard in front of Cyrus the Younger, burning, killing, and looting, and gained a lot of benefits. Now that he was retreating, he wanted to walk in the middle to avoid attacks and reduce losses for his soldiers. How could he let him take all the good things! So they unanimously decided to let his troops go last. This was told to Davos by Melsis, Menon's confidant, which gave him a certain understanding of Menon.
At this time, the army's adjutant Tolmid finally caught up with Menon's team and conveyed the order: "The front has already joined Ariaeus's army. The leaders are discussing with Ariaeus. Please rest in place, stay on guard, and wait for orders!"
The quiet team suddenly rioted:
"Finally, we can rest for a while!"
"We've been walking for two hours, I'm almost exhausted!"
"Me too. It's too tiring to walk with the ox cart! We can't follow the baggage train tomorrow!"
"That's right! Go talk to the centurion tomorrow."
"Let's talk now!"
… …
Looking at the noisy warriors, Davos stood up and said loudly: "Brothers, please be quiet! Brothers! I am Davos!"
Unexpectedly, his shout was more effective than Centurion Antonio, and the soldiers of the baggage train stopped arguing and wanted to hear what this 'God-favored one' had to say.
"I'll tell you a story to relieve your fatigue, okay?"
"What story?"
"It's called A... Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."
"Sounds good! Tell us!"
So, Davos cleared his throat and began to speak loudly: "Once upon a time, there lived a family in a small town in Ionia..."
Gradually, the baggage camp completely quieted down, and even the pack animals stopped neighing. The soldiers, as well as the slaves and women, listened attentively. They envied Ali Baba for accidentally obtaining the wealth of the thieves; they laughed at Ali Baba's brother for shouting the password to the cave; they were nervous when the thieves found Ali Baba's house; they cheered for the wisdom of the female slave.
After the story was finished, everyone was still not satisfied:
"Ali Baba is so lucky!"
"He is lucky because he has a smart and beautiful Persian female slave!"
"Yes! I think he can redeem the female slave and make her a free man! After all, she saved Ali Baba!"
"Fool! He should marry the female slave as a concubine. That way, the female slave can continue to help him!"
… …
Everyone was talking about it.
"Davos, is there really a cave full of gold and silver treasures?" Even Melsis couldn't help but approach Davos and ask.
Antonio looked at Davos's back in front and couldn't help but sigh: "Hilos, your village has produced a talent!"
"Are you talking about Davos? Of course, he is a 'God-favored one'! I even want to give him my squad leader position."
"Squad leader?" Antonio curled his lips. A mercenary leader would often replace and replenish his soldiers, while the middle and senior officers who led the team were mostly his confidants and would not be easily replaced, because this would facilitate his control of the troops. Antonio had been with Menon for five or six years, and because he had taken on tasks, he had seen many Greek and Persian dignitaries, and he also had some experience in judging people.
After a day of observation, he found that Davos had a calm personality and was not like a nineteen-year-old child at all. He was very methodical in his work, humble and polite in dealing with people, and had a good eloquence. The soldiers were happy to approach him. He often had strange ideas that could solve problems that others could not solve; when marching, he also saw Davos helping others carry shields or push carts. Such a person, even if he is young, can be trusted.
If his ability to command operations is not weak, then such a charismatic and capable person, his future is immeasurable. If he has enough financial resources, he can become a qualified mercenary leader! Antonio thought of this, and then thought of Menon: when he knows that such a person has suddenly emerged in his camp, what will he do?
The next day, the army was urged to march before dawn.
Menon bid farewell to Ariaeus and hurried back to lead his own troops.
As he rode his horse towards the rear of the long "dragon" of Greek mercenaries, he cursed Clearchus and the others in his heart.
He believed that making his troops the rearguard was a form of persecution, born from the mercenary leaders' jealousy of his close relationship with the Persians.
At the same time, he noticed that the marching soldiers looked tired and were constantly complaining.
It turned out that because of the marching the night before, the rest time was too short, and they also had to guard against Persian sneak attacks, so they basically slept on the ground.
In the early morning, they had to hurry on their way again, and the soldiers quickly became tired and hungry.
However, the various supply camps could not provide more food, which made the soldiers' morale decline.
Menon thought: If the food situation in other barracks is so bad, wouldn't my subordinates, who have been bullied because I have been away for the past two days, be even more miserable!
Fearing that the soldiers would cause trouble, he whipped his horse and hurried on, until he saw many familiar faces before he slowed down.
As a result, he was surprised to find that, contrary to what he had imagined, these soldiers were in good spirits, and many of them were chewing on a string of dark things hanging on their chests as they walked.
So, he curiously called over a squad leader to inquire.
"This is called smoked sausage, it can fill your stomach and won't spoil for a few days," the squad leader said, pointing to the thing on his chest.
Menon cut off a small piece and tasted it. Although it was a bit dry, the taste was okay.
Seeing that the soldiers in other barracks were starving, but his own soldiers could eat their fill, his mood became cheerful: "This…this…smoked…sausage, was it made by Melsis?"
"No. It's Davos—a 'God-Favored One'!"
"God-Favored One?" Menon curiously asked for details. After listening to the squad leader, his face began to turn gloomy, and he immediately noticed that some soldiers did indeed have two extra javelins.
"Where is this Davos?"
"The company he's in has been sent to guard the supply camp." The squad leader obviously couldn't read faces and asked with a slightly excited tone: "Do you want to see him?"
The squad leader's expression made Menon give up the idea: Just a bumpkin from a small Thessalian village, is he worth making a fuss about?
Rushing to see a soldier was completely inconsistent with his status, and besides, they were marching now, and there would be plenty of time for him to come and see him later.
… … … … … … … … …
From morning to noon, and then to afternoon, the army kept marching without rest.
Davos felt that his legs were like lead, and every step was difficult. His throat was parched, and his shield, spear, and javelins had become burdens.
In the morning, he could still chat and laugh with his companions, but now he felt that opening his mouth was a waste of his limited energy, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, because the companions around him were also marching in silence.
Finally, the army stopped.
The news from the front made them, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, tense again: Persian cavalry spotted!
Soon, news came again: That was not cavalry, but Persian pack animals grazing.
The team continued to march.
The sky was gradually darkening, and after walking for a while, Davos saw dense plumes of smoke rising in the distance.
Hilos told him: "That must be the Persian army's camp."
However, the team was still moving forward, without any intention of defense or avoidance.
It was getting late, and there was no moonlight.
The soldiers were moving forward with torches, making the march even more difficult.
Finally, the order came from the front: Set up camp and rest.
The terrain here was flat and sparsely wooded, and it was impossible to direct the construction of the camp in the dark.
At the same time, because there were Persian troops nearby, they were worried about being attacked.
The soldiers shouted each other's names and gathered in groups to find ways to camp.
The exhausted squad leaders were unable to control the order, and the entire rearguard was filled with shouts, like a boiling pot, making a huge noise.
Many of the supply camp's pack animals were frightened and scurried around in panic,
injuring many people.
The screams made the troops even more panicked and on the verge of collapse.
In this critical moment, Clearchus sent the only cavalry squad in the Greek mercenary army, each holding a torch, to the rearguard, loudly announcing Clearchus's orders, requiring the soldiers to remain silent, and ordering the supply camp to take good care of the livestock, and anyone who let a pack animal run away would be punished.
After arresting several soldiers who were causing trouble out of fear, the troops gradually returned to silence.
Only then did Menon find the leader of the cavalry—Tolmid, known as the "Best Messenger."
"How does Clearchus command the army to march! We almost had a mutiny! I was only gone for a day, and things have become so bad! He is not worthy to command the entire army!…" Menon took the opportunity to belittle Clearchus.
Tolmid wisely kept silent.
"Where is he now?"
Tolmid hesitated slightly: "…In the vanguard."
Menon noticed his hesitation and immediately asked: "Isn't he, like us, without a camp to live in?"
Tolmid had no choice but to tell the truth: "The vanguard lives in the village…Menon, this is a special time—"
Menon interrupted him with a sneer: "Is this the so-called fair and just Clearchus?! He lives in a warm house, while we sleep on the cold, damp ground!!" Menon also understood that it was not appropriate to provoke the soldiers at this moment, but he couldn't help but roar.
Fortunately, the surrounding soldiers were already exhausted after the previous commotion, and after muttering a few words, they all fell asleep.
"Menon! Menon!…" At this moment, someone shouted.
It was Melsis!
Menon hurriedly led him over: "How is it on your side? Any losses?" The supply camp was what he cared about most, because his wealth was stored there, and he needed money to have soldiers.
"No!" Melsis's fat face showed a smug smile: "We surrounded the supply wagons in a large circle, tied the pack animals to the wagons, and everyone slept inside, very safe!"
"Don't those animals kick and scream?" Tolmid asked curiously, as most of the supply camps he had seen before were chaotic.
"Davos told me to blindfold these animals, and as a result, they were indeed very obedient!" Melsis said excitedly.
It was that Davos again!
Menon frowned.
"Menon, this little guy is very smart! Why don't you assign him to the supply camp, then I'll be much more relaxed," Melsis requested.
"We'll talk about it later," Menon said blandly.
The supply camp was his foundation. Melsis was related to him and was good at financial management and administration, and he had no ambition, so he dared to use him with confidence.
How could he dare to let a stranger into the supply camp, especially a smart stranger, in case he discovered his secrets?
… … … … … … …
The next morning, the messenger woke up Menon and notified him that the king's envoy had arrived, and the leaders were asking him to come and discuss the matter.
Menon mounted his horse and galloped towards the mercenary camp at the forefront. He no longer saw any trace of the Persian camp within his sight.
It turned out that the huge noise of the mercenary army last night had frightened the Persians, and they had retreated their camp ten miles overnight.
As he approached the tent for the military conference, Menon saw four heavy infantry battalions fully equipped and waiting in formation in front of the camp.
He walked into the tent with suspicion and saw that Clearchus, Proxenus, Agias, Socrates (not the philosopher from Athens), Sosis, and several other leaders were already waiting in the tent, all fully armed as well.
Seeing Clearchus, Menon snorted and mocked: "It seems that you all had a very good night, only my soldiers were pitiful, sleeping on the damp ground for a night!"
As a Spartan, Clearchus was straightforward and stubborn. He also disliked Menon and didn't want to talk to him much.
Agias chuckled: "Oh, when did Menon start caring about soldiers too?!"
Proxenus hurriedly smoothed things over: "Menon, Tolmid said that your supply camp was the only one that didn't have any accidents last night. Amazing! Share some experience with us."
"More than just the supply camp! Menon's soldiers also made something…called smoked sausage. As a result, everyone else was starving, but only his soldiers filled their stomachs with this stuff!" Socrates said to the others. His troops were right in front of Menon's in the marching column, so he knew the situation better.
"Menon, tell us about the experience of your camp," Sosis and the other leaders' requests made Menon a little elated. He couldn't help but say: "Even if I'm given a difficult environment, I can still think of ways to solve it. So just being good at fighting isn't enough to be a good leader!"
"Alright…let the Persian king's envoy in. Let's all listen together, what new proposals does this great king have?" Clearchus interrupted Menon's boasting.
The leaders began to perk up, and Menon helplessly shut his mouth.