Unexpectedly, the Persian envoy didn't mention the surrender of the Greek mercenaries again, but instead proposed a truce between the two armies. The mercenaries, already in dire straits, were of course more than happy to accept. After some negotiations, both sides reached a truce agreement, and the Persians would provide supplies to the Greeks. This was a godsend for the mercenaries, as their food stores were already running low, and they had been preparing to pillage the villages along the way.
Although there was a truce agreement, Clearchus did not relax his vigilance: the Persian envoy led the way in front, while Clearchus ordered the entire army to march in three columns, in a battle formation of four rows. Along the way, they constantly encountered trenches three or four meters wide blocking their path, filled with sewage, and the soldiers had to cut down trees to build wooden bridges. Deiphobus and his baggage train in the rearguard were relatively relaxed.
"Look, that's Clearchus!" Following Olyvers's finger, Davos saw a tall, middle-aged man, naked to the waist, with well-built bronze muscles and several conspicuous scars, carrying a freshly cut tree trunk with the soldiers. Reaching the ditch, he jumped into it without hesitation, not caring about the mud splattered on his head, and immediately began to repair the broken wooden bridge.
"Yes, that's Clearchus! And where is our Menon?!" Matonis said with a sigh, his words full of meaning.
Although the conflict between Menon and Clearchus had led to infighting between their respective troops, the soldiers were not fools. They saw the actions of their leaders clearly. Who was trustworthy? Who was capable? They knew it in their hearts. There were more than a dozen mercenary leaders, so why was Clearchus always the main one?! There was a reason for it.
This is the way to lead troops! Davos kept watching Clearchus's performance, saying to himself in his heart.
As dusk approached, the Greeks reached their destination. The village prepared by the Persian envoy for the Greek mercenaries not only had comfortable accommodations, but also provided abundant food: fruit wine, drinks, bread, dates...
The soldiers couldn't help but cheer.
For a moment, Davos was also puzzled: Could it be that the Persians were really frightened by the Greek hoplites and sincerely wanted a truce?
Just as he and his companions tasted the food and confirmed that there was no problem, preparing to eat and drink to their hearts' content, Antonios came: "Davos, Menon wants to see you!"
"Now?!" Davos swallowed.
"Now!" Antonios nodded.
"Don't worry, it's nothing! Menon just heard that Davos helped us solve several problems, and out of curiosity, he wants to see him, maybe even give him a reward!" Seeing the concerned expressions on everyone's faces, Antonios guaranteed.
Antonios led Davos to a large house in the center of the village and said to the guard at the door: "Menon wants to see Davos, he's here."
The guard looked at Davos curiously for a few moments, then said: "Menon is currently busy with important matters. Please wait a moment."
After a while, there was still no movement inside. Davos remained calm and talked to Antonios. Antonios became anxious: "What matter isn't finished yet? I'll go in and urge him!" He said, and was about to rush in, but was stopped by the guard: "Antonios, do you want me to be scolded!"
Antonios glared at him, and the guard finally relented: "I'm afraid of you, I'll go check again." With that, he turned and ran into the house.
Soon, he came out: "Go in, Menon is waiting." He said, his eyes avoiding Antonios's gaze.
As Davos was about to go in, Antonios held his shoulder and urged: "Menon is sometimes in a bad temper. If he says anything to you, don't argue with him, just listen."
Davos smiled and said: "Don't worry, I'm not a child."
Antonios nodded. The conversation along the way had deepened his understanding of Davos: this young man had a steadiness far beyond his peers.
Watching Davos enter the house, Antonios thought about it: That's not right, he's not a child, who is a child? Menon?
He smiled wryly, it seems that this young man is not easy to deal with either. He turned to the guard and said angrily: "Potaxes, you deliberately left us hanging here."
"Oh, Antonios, you're a smart man. Besides Menon, who would do such a boring thing."
"Hmph!"
"Is that young man the 'Favored One' of Hades you were talking about?! I think he seems to understand what's going on, he even smiled at me just now..."
............
Davos, of course, understood what was going on: he had seen it too much in his previous life in the organization. Isn't it just a show of power? The more people who use this method, the less confident they are in their control. Is Menon that kind of person?
Davos curled his lips, crossed the small courtyard, and came to the main room.
"Leader Menon, soldier Davos is here on orders!"
"Come in." A sharp, crisp voice came from inside the room.
Davos strode into the room. In the center of the living room sat a person, still wearing shining breastplate, but it didn't seem to add much to his majesty, because if his fair face was shaved, he would definitely be considered handsome.
Davos couldn't help but think of some bad rumors about Menon, such as: his ambiguous relationship with Cyrus the Younger's adjutant, Ariaeus. He suddenly felt a little nervous: Could this person be interested in me...?
Menon was also sizing up Davos: a strong body, average height, average appearance, and even a slightly childish face with no beard, but standing there gave people a different kind of temperament.
"Well... I heard that you are some kind of 'Favored One', so I want to ask, is this truce with the Persians sincere? Or do they have other ideas?" Menon asked seemingly casually.
"Sorry, leader. I don't know!" Davos replied without hesitation.
Davos's direct answer made Menon a little stunned, and finally, a smile of 'as expected' appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Then tell me, can we return home safely this time?"
"I don't know." Davos's answer was still straightforward.
"Bastard!" Menon was furious, slamming the chair hard: "Didn't you say you had divine guidance throughout the camp! Didn't you tell others that you knew everything! Now you're not talking! You liar!"
Davos raised his eyebrows: "Leader Menon, I am lucky to have survived the battlefield, but I have never claimed to be a Favored One. My teammates can prove this. What others think and say is their business, I can't control it.
As for any divine guidance, I have never said it. It's just that sometimes when chatting with teammates, we talk about what might happen next, and I'm lucky enough to guess correctly. Whether we can return home safely is something you leaders have to worry about. We soldiers just want to get some comfort and encouragement by talking and chatting in our spare time from fighting."
After hearing this, Menon's first reaction was that this guy had good eloquence. For a moment, he couldn't find a handle to counterattack, and the frank gaze he faced made Menon feel the other party's boldness.
Menon was a little irritable. After a while, he waved his hand and said: "I will investigate what you said. In short, don't speculate about the Persians, it will affect the morale of the soldiers."
Davos immediately lowered his head and obediently said: "Yes!"
Menon's mood improved a little, and he reached out and grabbed a handful of drachmas, saying: "Anyway, this time you came up with an idea to help our troops, this is my reward as the mercenary leader Menon. Remember, next time you have any good ideas, come and tell me directly, and I will give you a reward!"
Davos pretended to be happy and reached out to take it: "Thank you, leader!"
Menon waved his hand to dismiss him, watching him walk out of the room, Menon's expression was still a little dazed: Menon and Davos were in a mercenary relationship, Menon did not have the power of life and death, only the power to dismiss. But dismissing a resourceful warrior would mean he would be reused in another camp, and Menon would be the one to suffer. So Menon just wanted to knock Davos down a bit, not wanting him to expand his influence in the camp, and at the same time keep him under control. But from this meeting, it seems not so easy...
It should be said that the Persians not only fulfilled their promise but also did so perfectly. They brought the Greeks to a fertile land, dense with farmland and surrounded by a dozen rich villages. They even emptied two estates specifically for the Greeks to use as garrison camps and prepared a large amount of delicious food.
After days of exhaustion and hunger, the soldiers indulged in eating and drinking to their hearts' content.
The next day, Davos woke up feeling completely refreshed, his spirits particularly high. Thinking about the Persians' actions, he felt confused: if this was a strategy to make the enemy arrogant, was it necessary to make such a large investment? Could it be that this was truly a country that bullied the weak and feared the strong, like the Northern Song Dynasty in Chinese history?
He tried his best to recall the lectures given by university professors on the decline of great powers during his studies at the Party School in his previous life, specifically their explanation of the ancient Persian imperial system: The Persians rose to power as the dominant powers of Mesopotamia, the Mittani and Assyria, declined. Because Cyrus adopted a very inclusive policy towards the cultures and religions of various ethnic groups, various ethnic groups surrendered wherever his troops went, and the territory grew larger and larger like a snowball.
How to manage such a vast territory? First, Persepolis, the place where Persia rose to power, was the capital, personally guarded by the king; the Mesopotamian basin was the richest region, directly administered; other places were governed by governors. The ethnic groups under their jurisdiction were mostly autonomous and paid taxes regularly... Wait, Mesopotamia was under the direct jurisdiction of the Persian king!
A flash of insight struck Davos. In his memory, when the mercenary army passed through Cilicia, Cyrus the Younger allowed the Greeks to plunder at will, but once they crossed the Thapsacus River and entered Mesopotamia, the management became much stricter. Even buying things required paying the price. Could it be... could it be...
"Davos, come with me to see Asistes!" A large hand grabbed Davos and pulled him up, interrupting his thoughts.
"Who?" Davos asked Hilos, somewhat confused.
"Asistes is Antonio's nephew. Yesterday, when he was crossing the wooden bridge, the bridge suddenly broke, and he fell into the river, getting a large cut on his thigh from the broken wood. Unexpectedly, this morning, he's burning with fever, unconscious, and saying strange things. The doctor can't do anything about it. Antonio wants to ask you to take a look!" Hilos said anxiously.
"Saying strange things?! It seems he's already in hell, meeting Rhadamanthus. I guess there's not much hope." Oliveros saw Hilos glare at him and quickly changed his tone, saying, "Of course, Davos, you are Hades' 'favored one'. He can't help but come back to life!"
Davos looked embarrassed. "I really want to help, but I don't know how to heal people."
Hilos comforted him, saying, "Antonio understands. It's just that for someone who is about to lose a loved one, he wants to try any hope."
Faced with Hilos's expectant gaze, Davos was silent. The tension in his heart slowly subsided: Even if I can't save Asistes, can it erase the help I've given everyone in the past two days! Besides acting like a deity, can't I gain their trust with my abilities! Without this nickname, perhaps I can alleviate some of Menon's jealousy towards me.
Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."
"I'll go too." Georgis, who was in the room, also stood up.
… … … … … … … … …
Arriving at the tightly closed room, shadows flickered inside.
"Davos is here!" A word quickly made people make way.
Davos came to the bedside and saw a young man in his twenties lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, his lips parched, and his whole body flushed. There was a wedge-shaped wound about six centimeters long near the knee of his left thigh, and the area around the wound was swollen as large as a fist. He was talking nonsense and his limbs were twitching, but he was being held down tightly.
Davos first placed his hand close to the patient's forehead, which was scalding hot. Then he gently pressed on the swollen area, and green pus flowed from the wound. He felt his fingers sticky and with a faint fragrance.
At this time, the man who was holding down the patient looked up at him and said, "I applied fragrant oil made from grape leaves to the wound, hoping to calm him down, but it doesn't seem to be working."
"His name is Herppas, and he's the doctor in our camp," Hilos said in a low voice, noticing Davos's confusion.
Such a robust man is actually a doctor?! Davos sized him up and blurted out, "Why not use bloodletting?"
"Is bloodletting necessary? I was considering that if I did bloodletting, it would take Asistes a long time to recover, and we're on our way home!" Herppas explained, "I even used the little 'Myrrh ointment' I had left, but it seems that aromatherapy is not working at all." He looked a little frustrated.
No wonder there's a strange smell in the air, I thought it was the body odor of these people. Didn't the West love to use bloodletting to treat diseases before the Renaissance? Davos thought about some of the interesting facts about the ancient West that he had seen in his previous life.
"Oh, what's your name? Which military camp did Antonio hire you from?" Herppas asked.
Davos hesitated for a moment, considering how to answer. Antonio, who was anxiously waiting on the side, interjected, "He is Davos! Hades' 'favored one'!" After saying that, he didn't look at Herppas's sudden change in expression and eagerly asked Davos, "Asistes... does he still have... hope?"
"I will do my best, but success is not guaranteed," Davos cautiously replied.
"Just do your best! Just do your best!" A trace of relief appeared on Antonio's tired face. "Do we need to prepare the altar and Hades' statue now?"
"Prepare those for what?"
"For prayer!"
Davos glanced around. Except for Herppas, who was watching coldly, everyone else was looking at him with anticipation and excitement: They're waiting to see a "divine descent"!
Davos smiled inwardly and said solemnly, "I don't know how to pray. I don't even know how to pray. But I know some other treatments that I can try. If you only want God to save Asistes, then I'll have to leave!"
"Oh!" Some people let out disappointed groans.
Antonio seemed to understand something and immediately said firmly, "Do as you say!"
The reasons why Davos said this were: First, to find a way out for himself in case the treatment failed; second, he didn't want these people to associate everything with God.
"Have everyone go out and wait!… Open all the doors and windows!… Boil a pot of water and put a few clean linen cloths in the boiling water! At the same time, find a sharp, rust-free knife and put it in the boiling water too!… Also, bring a few jars of cold water into the room!…" Davos slowly and clearly instructed loudly.
Antonio, Hilos, and Georgis did not question him at all but earnestly began to carry out his orders, rushing around.
Herppas originally thought that Davos was a witch doctor and had a bad look on his face. Seeing that his arrangements seemed quite organized, he couldn't help but curiously ask, "Davos, how are you going to treat him?"
"There is no heavy bleeding from the wound, obviously the blood vessels were not injured, but the wound is red, swollen, and has pus, and there is a high fever. Obviously, the wound infection is causing the high fever, so we can perform debridement and reduce the fever first," Davos explained in detail. For modern people, this is just common sense. But in this ignorant era, people often think that gods and ghosts are at work, which is why witch doctors are so popular. Before, Herppas thought that Davos was a witch doctor.
After hearing Davos's words, Herppas's eyes lit up: "This is somewhat similar to Hippocrates' method of treating fractures, 'debridement, traction, reduction.'"
"Hippocrates of Kos?" Davos was very familiar with this name. After all, later generations called Hippocrates the "Father of Western Medicine."
"Yes. Do you know him?"
"Not familiar, but I've heard of him."
"Originally, when I passed through the Aegean Sea, I wanted to visit him, but he wasn't there. Although many doctors on the Greek mainland don't agree with him, he has indeed cured many people."
Seeing Herppas's regretful and envious look, Davos's heart moved: "Why don't you be my assistant for a while, okay?"
"Thank you very much!" Herppas said gratefully. In this era, most doctors pass on their skills from father to son. If ordinary people want to study medicine, they have to sign an agreement, pay a considerable tuition fee, and act as an assistant for many years for free.