Just as Davos was busily preparing his field hospital, Persian envoys arrived at the Greek camp. The envoy this time was none other than the Persian general most familiar to the leaders—Tissaphernes, the governor of Asia Minor. He brought the hope of the Greeks returning home safely: he was willing to convey to the Persian King the leaders' desire to avoid battle and simply return home.
The leaders gladly received him.
After Tissaphernes left, the mercenary leaders, seeing hope for a peaceful resolution, eagerly awaited his return.
After an anxious two-day wait, Tissaphernes returned to the Greek camp and read out the Persian King's latest decree to the leaders: the King had accepted the mercenaries' apology, and despite the opposition of many ministers, he had decided that Tissaphernes would lead the Greek mercenaries back to Greece, and agreed to provide markets along the way to solve their supply problems. At the same time, the Greeks had to abide by local order along the way and were not allowed to destroy or plunder...
The leaders, of course, couldn't ask for more. They quickly reached an agreement with Tissaphernes, and both sides swore oaths in the name of the gods. Then, Tissaphernes warned the leaders to wait patiently, as he had to return to report to the King and make arrangements for the army's return.
Not long after Tissaphernes left, the news spread throughout the camp, and the soldiers cheered.
Davos's heart remained vigilant. Although he had realized after listening to Xenophon that the actual situation in Persia differed greatly from his own conjectures based on Chinese history.
Just yesterday, Xenophon visited again. After a few days of buffer, he finally adjusted his mood and wanted to talk to Davos again about the issue of the city-state democratic system. However, Davos was unwilling to continue to dwell on this issue and cleverly steered the topic towards the local customs of the Greek city-states.
Most of the time, Xenophon was talking eloquently, and Davos listened attentively. During this time, Davos asked about Tissaphernes, and Xenophon told him some things he had heard from Proxenus about Tissaphernes, which left a deep impression on Davos.
When Tissaphernes served as the governor of Asia Minor, it was during the Peloponnesian War. Tissaphernes chose to form an alliance with Sparta, hoping to use Sparta's power to attack Athens and restore Persian rule over the Greek city-states on the Ionian coast. The reward for Sparta was that he would fund Sparta to build a huge fleet capable of confronting Athens. As a result, before long, he stopped the promised financial support to Sparta, which led the Spartans to protest to Darius II, the Persian King at the time. Darius then appointed his second son, Cyrus the Younger, as the military commander of the entire western Persia, fully supporting Sparta against Athens.
Tissaphernes was relieved of his military power, but he seemed not to care at all, and got along well with Cyrus the Younger, quickly becoming Cyrus the Younger's friend. When the new King Artaxerxes ascended the throne, Cyrus the Younger went to the capital to attend his elder brother's enthronement ceremony. Tissaphernes reported to the new King that Cyrus the Younger was plotting a rebellion, which led to Cyrus the Younger being detained. Only after the Empress Dowager repeatedly pleaded was he released.
After Tissaphernes returned to Asia Minor, he began to oppose Cyrus the Younger in every way. Therefore, when Cyrus the Younger launched a rebellion, the first person he wanted to capture was him, but he had already escaped and then appeared in the King's punitive army. When the left wing of the King's army was defeated by the Greek hoplites at the first touch, Tissaphernes dared to lead his cavalry around the hoplite phalanx and attack the rear of the Greek army. Although he failed, his courage and decisiveness naturally stood out among a group of defeated soldiers, so he could represent the King as a Persian envoy to negotiate peace with the Greek army, which was obviously the King's praise for him.
The things Davos heard about Tissaphernes were what Xenophon had heard from Proxenus, and most of Proxenus's news came from Cyrus the Younger. Regardless of his likes or dislikes for Tissaphernes, the fact is the fact.
Therefore, after analysis, Davos believed that Tissaphernes was a typical politician, accustomed to being two-faced, good at assessing the situation, and daring to seize opportunities. It would be difficult to expect such a person to keep his promises!
When Davos told Xenophon about this worry, Xenophon sighed and said, "Proxenus and the others are well aware and will not let their guard down against Tissaphernes, but if we don't give up fighting against the Persian King, we may not be able to return home. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers alone can cause us great trouble. We cannot successfully cross such wide rivers in front of the enemy. Another major difficulty is the lack of sufficient food. Once we go to 'collect' food, the scattered soldiers are easily attacked by the enemy..."
"Look, the Persian King has such a big advantage. If he really wants to eliminate us, there is no need to send us supplies and let Tissaphernes swear in his name. Because once he breaches the contract in the future, he will not only be ridiculed by the Persians and Greeks, but also be abandoned by the Persian gods. Does he really want to become a King without faith just after he ascends the throne! Therefore, we can only trust them, and only by cooperating with them can we ensure our safe return home!"
Davos could see that Xenophon's words were more like persuading himself, and he also sighed secretly: the Greek mercenaries were in a weak position, so even if the other party gave them "poison", they had to swallow it.
.................
Days passed, and Davos's field hospital was taking shape. Seven of the twelve wounded had shown significant improvement after careful care and treatment.
In the remaining time, Davos learned Greek from Xenophon and entrusted Melsis, who was going out to purchase supplies, to bring back a few pieces of linen, which he cut into thin strips and began to experiment with how to make bandages. At the same time, he pulled his teammates to practice with him, learning fighting skills, so that consciousness and body memory could be unified.
Due to Asistates's recovery and Menon's admonishment, his relationship with Antonios became closer. He visited Antonios many times, asking him for advice on the hoplite's formation and command experience... In order to understand the use of the reverse-bladed sword, he also learned from the light shield soldiers, gaining an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of this type of soldier.
The success of the field hospital made Davos's reputation as a "God-favored one" deeply rooted in people's hearts, and his humility and eagerness to learn also won everyone's favor. As his footsteps spread throughout the Menon camp, almost no one didn't know him.
Time passed day by day, and the Persians had not appeared, and unease and suspicion gradually enveloped the entire Greek camp. Davos used his busy every day to dilute the worries in his heart. His inability to change the plight of the Greek mercenaries prompted him to only change himself as much as possible and enrich himself.
.................
After more than twenty days of long wait, Tissaphernes finally arrived with his army, accompanied by Orontas, the governor of Armenia, and his army.
The leaders of the Greek mercenaries, who had been waiting anxiously for a long time, led their troops to embark on the journey home with them, almost without suspicion.
But as soon as they started marching, the situation changed. Ariaeus's army, which had been warming up together and being intimate with the Greek mercenaries, began to walk with the Persian army, not only marching together but also camping together. In the past twenty days, the Persians had not been idle. They constantly sent Ariaeus and other generals' relatives and friends to enter and leave Ariaeus's camp, promising not to pursue their guilt, and finally persuaded Cyrus the Younger's generals.
This undoubtedly increased the suspicion of the Greek mercenaries. They followed far behind the Persian army, acting alone, and brought their own guides. When it came to camping at dusk, the Greek army and the Persians were ten miles apart, setting up sentry posts to guard against each other, as if they were treating each other as enemies.
Tissaphernes did fulfill his promise and provided a market for the Greeks every day. Of course, the mercenaries had to pay for their own purchases.
Menon even wanted to give Hilos's squad less food in order to retaliate against Davos, but he was opposed by Melsis. Previously, Melsis was very reluctant when Davos asked for two Egyptian female slaves.
Who knew that soon after, Davos gave him a traditional massage with the trained Egyptian female slaves, and as a result, he became addicted to it, going to the field hospital every day to ask for a massage, and stubbornly saying that this was to pay off the slave fees he owed.
He was still looking forward to teaching the unique technique to the slaves he bought after returning to Greece, so that his brothel would definitely be overcrowded. Therefore, he would not offend Davos now, and would try his best to meet most of Davos' requirements.
--------
After several days of travel, Davos saw a massive city wall towering ahead, over twenty meters high, stretching endlessly towards the southeast…
"Oh! The Median Wall!! No matter how many times I see it, it's still so impressive!!" Xenophon exclaimed loudly. During these days of marching, he would often run to the ranks of Menon's mercenaries and travel alongside Davos. In his words, 'Talking with Davos helps stimulate my thinking about knowledge.' Davos, on the other hand, believed that he was bored marching in Proxenus' ranks because, apart from Proxenus, he had no common language with the others, so he ran over to show off his knowledge to Davos.
"It is said that this Median Wall is over a hundred li long, built by the former Babylonian kingdom to defend against the Medes from the north. But the Babylonian kingdom was still destroyed by the Medes…" Xenophon looked up at the tall city wall and lamented, "Later, the Medes were destroyed by the Persians. Herodotus has a wonderful description of it in his book 'Histories'. Just like people have birth, old age, sickness, and death, even the most powerful kingdom has its time of destruction. So, even though Persia has a vast territory now, who knows who will destroy it in the future! I hope I can see that day in my lifetime!"
Davos certainly remembered from his previous life's history that Persia was wiped out by Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who was revered by Westerners for over two thousand years. He couldn't remember the exact time, but it was probably a few decades later. In his memory, Macedonia was not yet a unified kingdom and was still his 'enemy'.
Looking at this giant wall made of burnt bricks and asphalt, Davos was equally filled with emotion: It seems that building a great wall to defend against barbarians is not a patent of the Chinese nation. world now should be in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods…
He turned his head and looked towards the East, standing there for a long time, his eyes filled with unspeakable nostalgia and regret: In this life, as a Greek, he was tens of thousands of miles away from his homeland and could no longer return…
"Davos! Davos!…" Hearing Hilos's call, Davos came back to his senses and realized that his stopping had affected the progress of the column. He quickened his pace, but couldn't help but say, "Do you know? Maybe there is a country in the distant East whose territory is even larger than Persia, whose people are more numerous than Persia, whose customs and habits are completely different from those of Greece and Persia, and whose political system is also completely different from those of Greece and Persia, yet it is strict and efficient! It has beautiful clothes, elegant etiquette, magnificent mountains and rivers, and also delicious and abundant food! Its army is strong, its people are rich…"
"Davos, you're dreaming. Where in the East is there such a powerful kingdom?" Xenophon interrupted Davos's Talking non-stop narration and said seriously, "According to Herodotus's records, to the east of Persia is India, to the southeast is Arabia, and to the northeast are the Scythians and the one-eyed people… There shouldn't be such a kingdom as you described! Could this be a revelation from Hades?"
"Then, what is beyond these races you mentioned, further east?" Davos asked.
"It should be the ocean," Xenophon said uncertainly.
"That's what Herodotus said again. Has he personally confirmed it?" Davos asked again.
"He… should be listening to other people's accounts… and recording them," Xenophon began to stammer.
"Since it's hearsay, we can't be sure it's true, so we can't deny that there isn't such a country in the distant East!" Davos retorted.
Xenophon was speechless for a moment, looking at Davos strangely: "Look at how serious you are, as if there really is such a country."
Davos chuckled and said nothing.
"If one day, I could go to the distant East to see it, how wonderful that would be!" Olivios, who was attracted by the scene described by Davos, suddenly exclaimed.
"Then, you would first have to pass through the Persian kingdom, and then there are the Magasatae, a horse-riding race that comes and goes like the wind, said to have cut off the head of the great Persian King Cyrus… Hmm, there are also the terrifying one-eyed people, and the mysterious India… If you are lucky enough not to be killed or captured as a slave, you can see whether the distant East is the ocean or a powerful country…" Xenophon said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Olivios shrank his neck and said nothing more.
Matonis was a little annoyed, although he didn't like Olivios, he hated this Athenian who loved to show off his knowledge even more: "What's there to be afraid of! If I had a strong army, not to mention going to the distant East, I would dare to go anywhere!"
"A strong army?" Xenophon pointed with slight contempt at the loose marching column in front: "Like this one?"
"Of course, it has to be stronger than this!" Matonis said loudly.
Davos listened to their bickering, squinting his eyes: A stronger army?
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Passing through the Median Wall meant that the Greek army had left the Babylonian region. In the following days, what constantly appeared in Davos's field of vision were: crisscrossing plains, endless golden wheat fields, and artificial canals… These artificial rivers diverted the water of the great river into more small channels and ditches, and finally into the farmland…
Seeing this, Davos couldn't help but feel emotional: This should be the oldest irrigation project in the Middle East! Fertile land and abundant water have nurtured a large population and created one brilliant ancient Mesopotamian civilization after another!…
Further ahead was the source of the artificial rivers: the Tigris River. As another mother river of the Mesopotamian plain, the Tigris River was equally wide, and at a glance, it was difficult for the line of sight to reach the other bank. Countless sails swayed on the river. The boats with oars paddling rapidly should be merchant ships, while those with sails lowered and slowly flowing with the current were fishing boats. The songs of the fishermen and the shouts of the sailors resounded on both sides of the great river. Countless water birds chirped and soared in the sky above the river, and large fish leaped out of the water from time to time, creating a beautiful and peaceful scene of the great river.
Near the river bank was a densely populated large city—Sithas. The Greek mercenaries set up camp near this city, while the Persian army and Ariaeus's troops crossed the bridge and camped on the opposite bank of the river. That night, because the Persian army was on the opposite bank, the psychological pressure on the Greek soldiers was much less, and Davos and the others had a rare good night's sleep.
The next day, the atmosphere suddenly became a little different. When Davos and the others crossed the river, they saw fully armed soldiers on guard on both sides of the bridgehead. After crossing the pontoon bridge, there were also soldiers on guard on the other side.
What happened?
When Xenophon came over, Davos understood the reason.
"Last night, a man came from the other side, saying that he was Ariaeus's confidant and had a message to bring to Clearchus and Proxenus. So, several leaders received him, and I also followed Proxenus into the military tent and heard the man say, 'Ariaeus reminds Clearchus to be vigilant, because the Persian army may attack the Greek mercenaries at night, and also plans to destroy the pontoon bridge, trapping you between the Tigris River and the artificial waterway.' Several leaders were a little nervous after hearing this, and I—"
Xenophon said, slightly proud, emphasizing his tone: "After thinking, I believe that this news is unreliable!"
"Oh, what do you think?" Davos asked, pretending to be curious.
"Because if the Persians attack us, it will either be victory or defeat. If they lose and destroy the bridge, wouldn't they have nowhere to escape; if they win, we are already on Persian territory, and there is nowhere to escape, so why destroy a bridge that was not easy to build. Clearchus and the others listened to my advice!" Xenophon said somewhat complacently.
"Well, that makes sense!" Davos thought for a while and praised.
"Even you can think of it, Tissaphernes is not a fool, why would he make up such a lie that is obvious at first hearing?" Olivios said sarcastically.
"That's because he's really afraid that we'll destroy the bridge!" Xenophon glanced at him, not wanting to argue with this uneducated fellow: "You've all seen these days, there are many villages in this area, and the land is fertile, producing a large amount of grain, enough to supply our mercenaries for more than half a year. If we destroy the bridge and don't leave, and Tissaphernes's army is on the other side, unable to cross for a while, then—"
---------
"The Persians' disaster is coming!!" Matonis laughed loudly and happily, as if the Greeks would really do that.
"It seems the Persians really want to send us away!" Hilos said thoughtfully.
Perhaps Tissaphernes wants you to think that way. Davos thought to himself, not saying it out loud. He always felt that Tissaphernes was not a simple man. His thoughts were different from the Greeks of this era. Based on his in-depth contact with the Greek soldiers during this period, he found that most of these Greeks grew up listening to their fathers telling stories of how they painfully struck the Persians. They admired strength and liked face-to-face fighting. Even when using tricks, they were mostly open schemes. In terms of dealing with conspiracies and tricks, their brains were indeed less cunning than the Persians.
It was precisely because Davos knew that Tissaphernes was a brilliant politician that he felt uneasy deep down: "Xenophon, do you know our marching route?"
"Not too clear, it was all decided by Tissaphernes, Clearchus, and Ariaeus after discussion. However, it is definitely not the way we came. Because as you know—" Xenophon shrugged: "Your leader Menon took the lead and collected a lot of good things along the way. The local Persians hate us… Don't worry, we will go back!"
Collect? I think it's plunder! I'm afraid in the eyes of the Persians, we are invaders! We are robbers! As soon as he heard this, Davos felt a little irritable. He secretly took a breath and tried to calm down: "Do you know the mountains, rivers, cities, and roads in Persia?"
"Davos, this is also the first time I have gone deep into Persia. Besides knowing a few famous cities in books, such as Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, etc., I don't know where they are specifically…" Xenophon raised a stack of papyrus in his hand and said excitedly: "However, I have briefly recorded everything I see every day. When I go back, I will write them down so that the Greeks can understand the situation in Persia!"
Davos smiled bitterly: Okay, I know you will write a book called 'Anabasis' in the future, but it cannot solve the urgent problem now.
Where can I find someone familiar with Persian geography? Davos thought annoyedly…
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
As time went by, although the Greek mercenaries and the Persian army were not close to each other when camping, the soldiers of both sides would always meet when fetching water from the river and collecting firewood. They often disagreed and fought, which increased the mutual disgust.
A few days later, they arrived at the Physcus River and met another army led by another brother of the Persian King Artaxerxes. He came to help the king, but after arriving, the war had ended, so he had to lead his troops back.
Clearchus was afraid of accidents and ordered the entire army to be fully armed, with the baggage protected in the center, and to advance westward in a combat formation. And this Persian army was not surprised by the appearance of the Greeks here, probably having received a notice from Tissaphernes. They continued to march eastward. The closest distance between the two armies was only a few dozen meters. At a glance, even the other's appearance and expression could be seen clearly, and the degree of tension can be imagined.
However, it also allowed Davos to see the full picture of the Persian army for the first time: at the forefront were two-horse chariots and four-horse chariots, pulled by two horses and four horses respectively. One person in the chariot was the driver, responsible for driving the chariot, and the remaining one to two soldiers should be responsible for combat. You could see spears inserted on the carriage, and shields and bows and arrows hanging on it. There were only a dozen chariots, and no scythed chariots (that is, long blades protruding from the wheel axles) were seen. But thinking about it, it became clear that the scythes must be detachable, otherwise it would be easy to injure one's own people during normal marching.
Behind the chariots were the cavalry. Most of the warhorses were about 1.4 meters tall, which was obviously shorter compared to the racehorses Davos saw at the Olympics in his previous life. They had bridles, but no saddles, and certainly no stirrups.
Only a thick blanket was placed on the horse's back. The cavalry on horseback, some wore helmets, some only wore soft caps, and did not wear leather armor or heavy shields, and all wore short robes. The weapons in their hands were diverse: horse archers were the most numerous, followed by javelin cavalry, then spear cavalry, and a few with short hammers…
Hundreds of cavalry galloped past, and the huge infantry team was displayed in front of them. After watching for a while, Davos discovered that the marching formation of the Persian infantry was mixed: a large shield bearer, with a shield as high as a person's shoulder and wide enough to hide a person, followed closely by a spearman, followed by six or seven archers, and then repeated.
This is very similar to the battle sequence of the Persian infantry mentioned by Antonios: when engaging the enemy, the large shield bearer is in the first row, erecting a shield wall to protect the formation. The spearman resisted the enemies who came to fight, preventing them from disrupting the shield wall. The archers in the rear used bows and arrows to kill a large number of enemies. Whether it was the large shield bearer, the spearman, or the archer, they all had a common feature, light armor or even no armor. Adding to the previous cavalry, comprehensively looking at it, Davos could easily make a judgment: the Persian army was a unit with excellent long-range lethality, strong mobility, but weak close combat ability. No wonder they always lost to the Greeks in battles, because in face-to-face fighting, their infantry was completely no match for the Greek hoplites under the impact. The characteristics of the Persian army were more suitable for non-close-range remote killing and harassment, and even larger-scale roundabout maneuvering operations.
The two armies passed by each other, and nothing happened, a false alarm.
After this episode, the troops quickly entered Media. This land once nurtured the valiant Medes, and the Median kingdom they founded was once the nightmare of the people in the Mesopotamia. However, hundreds of years have passed, the glory is no longer there, and this land under Persian jurisdiction has become somewhat desolate for some reason, and the terrain has begun to undulate.
Due to the reduction in market supply, the fighting between the two armies to compete for resources began to increase when camping…
"Davos, this… binding… bandage you made is really useful! We walked for another day today. If it were before, my calves would have been swollen and I couldn't move my legs in the afternoon, but now I don't have to worry about these!" Hilos sat in the tent, unfastening the bandages, and exclaimed.
"Of course, our Davos is a 'God-Favored One'! Blessed by Hades, how can the methods he comes up with not work! Now, many companions in other squads have also begun to learn to use bandages!" Olivus said proudly.
Davos didn't speak. He had heard too many good words like this now, and he was even a little numb. He knew very well that some of the little tricks he knew in his previous life were just used to improve the marching condition of the soldiers and enhance his influence in Menon's camp, but it would not make any change to the situation of the entire Greek mercenary army.
"Davos, these days it has been rumored in the team that the Persians are going to attack us and offer us to the Persian king as slaves after capturing us. Do you think… could this be true?!" Georgilis' voice came from the corner.
This was exactly the question Davos had been thinking about just now. Although there had always been suspicion between the two armies before, such rumors could spread quickly in a day or two, making everyone aware of it. Based on his previous life experience, it was impossible without someone pushing behind the scenes.
Is it the Persians? Or ourselves? Why spread such rumors? To break the treaty between the Greeks and the Persians? To make the Greeks nervous to the point of collapse?… Davos didn't have a clue for a while. Facing everyone's concerned eyes, he smiled bitterly in his heart, but said calmly: "Don't be so nervous, we just need to stay vigilant. Haven't we all spent these days safely!"
Just as he was talking, someone sneaked into the tent.
"Matonis, you went out to fight again!" Hilos said with a slight reproach when he saw the bruises on Matonis' face.
Matonis spat out a mouthful of blood and said excitedly: "Don't think the Persians are bad at fighting, they are not weak at fighting. A dozen of us, including Martius, fought more than twenty of them, and it took a lot of effort to drive them away!"
As he said that, he sat down on his bunk, rubbing his cheeks, and said mysteriously: "I didn't just go to fight, I also found out some news."
"What news?" Hilos asked.
Matonis glanced at everyone and said loudly: "Further ahead is the fiefdom of Cyrus the Younger and his mother. I heard that there are many villages there, and they are relatively wealthy!"
"In that case, we can eat something good!" Olivus shouted happily.
The others were also a little excited. Everyone hadn't eaten enough in the past few days due to insufficient supplies.
The next day brought even more exciting news: Tissaphernes announced that the Greek mercenaries could plunder the area to obtain supplies.
Everyone cheered, but Davers remained silent: Plunder… it's revenge against Cyrus the Younger! But what do the people here have to do with Cyrus the Younger's rebellion? … Nothing! Just because they live here, they have to suffer this disaster! Tissaphernes is truly vicious! And what about the Greeks? …
In the afternoon, Menon's mercenaries rushed into a village.
The peaceful village was quickly filled with screams and cries…
Davers saw with his own eyes that his usually friendly and loving comrades had mostly transformed into robbers: they stabbed Persian men who tried to stop them, kicked away old people who hugged them and begged, carried away Persian women who were wailing, broke into every house, drove away livestock, stole gold and silver, and carried away food… Each of them had a ferocious expression on their faces, a mixture of greed and madness, which made Davers feel so unfamiliar.
Like a wandering ghost, Davers listlessly wandered through the village, and the soldiers cast strange glances at him. Some Persians, covered in blood and lying on the ground, pointed at him and cursed, while some staggering old people hugged him and begged… Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew what they were cursing and what they were begging for! But he was powerless.
Like avoiding the plague, he staggered, wanting to run to a deserted place, to avoid the angry gazes that made him feel so guilty. At the same time, he kept comforting himself in his heart: This is war. This is war! ! I am being forced…
Just then, a sudden scream awakened him from his trance: It was Olivos's voice!
Davers was shocked: Olivos might be in danger!
He quickly followed the sound and rushed into a house. A Persian man was already lying in a pool of blood in the courtyard. He didn't have time to think, and kicked open the half-closed door: Olivos was naked, lying motionless on the bed. A woman huddled at the head of the bed, and a girl of about ten years old stood by the bed, holding a large stone in her hand, trembling all over…
Seeing this scene, Davers could roughly guess what had happened: obviously, Olivos had taken a fancy to the mistress's beauty, first killed the master, and then forcibly carried the woman to the bed to ravage her. Just when he was in high spirits, the hiding daughter ran out and knocked him down with a stone…
Shameless! He cursed inwardly, but still out of concern for his comrade, he shouted: "Olivos, are you okay?!"
Olivos did not answer, but startled the little girl, she quickly turned her head, saw another Greek soldier standing at the door, screamed sharply as if she had been greatly stimulated: "Robbers! Robbers! I'll smash you to death!! I'll smash you to death!!…" She struggled to throw the stone in her hand at Davers, and at the same time pounced on him.
Davers subconsciously used his left hand to block the stone with his round shield, naturally exposing the spear he was holding in his right hand.
The girl turned a blind eye to the shiny spear tip, did not dodge, and rushed forward madly.
Davers didn't have time to dodge, he only felt his right hand sink, the girl's hands just grabbed his face, and she fell weakly on him.
The woman on the bed let out a desperate cry and rushed over naked. Davers retreated a few steps weakly, allowing the woman to hold the girl with the spear in her chest tightly. The heart-wrenching screams were like sharp knives piercing his heart, making him feel dizzy, and he was about to faint, but someone supported him.
"Are you okay?!" In a trance, Davers recognized Hilos's voice.
"I'm fine." He pushed Hilos away and slowly walked to the courtyard.
Hilos had noticed Davers's strangeness before, so he had been following him. At this moment, although he was worried about Davers, he was even more worried about Olivos's safety in the house, so he quickly Channel into the house…
When he walked out of the house, he found Davers sitting by the roadside,
leaning against the courtyard wall, staring blankly at the sky, motionless, not knowing what he was thinking…
Hilos wanted to pull him up, but felt it was inappropriate, thought for a while, and simply sat with Davers…
After an unknown amount of time, Davers suddenly stood up and roared loudly and repeatedly in a strange tone, tears streaming down his cheeks…
After a moment, he calmed down and asked, "Where's the woman?"
"She's gone mad." Hilos sighed.
Davers was silent for a long time and said, "She lost her husband and daughter, maybe going crazy is the best relief for her…"
"Yes." Hilos felt the pity in his words and said, "Olivos is fine, he was just knocked unconscious. He woke up just now and is resting in the house."
Davers didn't speak, Hilos saw the cold light flashing in his eyes, and couldn't help shivering.
"Now, we need to ask the people in this village if there is anyone who knows Persian geography." Davers stood up.
Hilos hesitated for a moment: "We just robbed them, I'm afraid they won't be willing to tell us."
"There will be a way to make them talk." Davers said lightly, but it made Hilos feel a chill. The Davers in front of him seemed to be a little different from before. Hilos didn't know if this change was good or bad…
At dusk, the mercenaries left the village, which was full of mess and cries, and returned fully loaded. And Davers also found the person he wanted—a Persian merchant. In order to make him speak, Davers also had Hilos and the others capture his wife and daughter. Although Tissaphernes explicitly ordered: no Persian should be captured as a slave, the Menon army turned a blind eye to Davers's actions, and even covered up for him.
Davers successfully brought the man back to the camp.
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Are you saying that our team has been moving in a northwest direction?" Davers asked, looking at the Persian merchant named Mariji. The translator next to him repeated Davers's words in Persian.
This Persian, who was not tall, slightly fat, and claimed to be just doing small business, glanced at Davers carefully, then quickly lowered his head and gestured on the grass with a branch: "According to what you said before, you want to go back to Ionia. Ionia is in the Aegean Sea to the west. You have passed through Babylon, Audis, and now you are here… If you keep going west, not only is the journey long, but there are also the difficult Taurus Mountains to cross, and you have to detour…"
He raised his eyes and looked at Davers again. Seeing that he was listening carefully, his voice became louder: "So you are obviously advancing northwest along the Tigris River, crossing the Dukeya Mountains, Armenia, and finally reaching the Euxine Sea (i.e. the Black Sea) by boat, back to Aeolia…"
"Oh, so that's how it is! It seems that Tissaphernes' route arrangement still makes sense." Olivos shouted suddenly.
Davers noticed that Mariji's whole body trembled obviously when he heard this. He immediately glared at Olivos.
"Shut up!" Matonis scolded in a low voice. Olivos, who usually liked to quarrel with Matonis, obediently stopped talking.
Davers stared at the sketch drawn on the ground, looked at it carefully for a while, and then asked: "What do you think will be more troublesome for marching on our future route?"
Mariji said without hesitation: "The Dukeya Mountains! The Dukeya people, who are barbaric and fierce, live there, and they will not easily allow strangers to pass through their land, but—" He glanced at Olivos and quickly said: "Your team is very large, and there are Persians leading the way, so it should be easy to pass."
"How do you know that our team is large?" Davers asked immediately.
"Because… because before I came in, I saw your camps one after another…" Mariji's voice began to tremble.
Davers patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "Don't be afraid, your observation is good. Do you know Tissaphernes?"
Mariji shook his head immediately, but suddenly he thought of something, and started nodding vigorously again, his voice trembling even more: "I just heard… because he once… accused our lord Cyrus of rebellion… almost causing him to be beheaded…"
Davers looked at him, and he avoided Davers's direct gaze with a guilty conscience.
"There's one more question." Davos retracted his gaze and asked seriously, "On this journey, at what point can we say we've left the jurisdiction of the Persian royal family?"
Marioge, eager to please Davos, thought carefully, then drew a circle on the sketch: "Here! After Mesphila!"
"Mesphila?" Davos looked closely at the pattern on the ground.
"Mesphila is the former Assyrian capital, Nineveh! After passing it, the next is Dukia." Marioge emphasized.
Davos nodded: "Are you very familiar with Dukia?"
"Not very familiar, just did business with them, exchanging grain for their mountain goods!" Marioge said, with an angry expression on his face, "But they are treacherous barbarians, often not paying, and even injuring people, robbing things!"
Davos listened carefully, then turned to Matonis and said, "Take his family to the baggage camp and have Mercis take good care of them, but tell Mercis not to mistreat him and his wife and daughters, and don't use them as slaves!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Marioge knelt down with a "plop": "Please! Please! Let me go! And my wife and daughter! I've said everything! Please spare us…"
"It seems you understand Greek, but you pretended not to before," Davos said.
Marioge didn't argue at this point, just wailed loudly.
"In fact, the reason I'm not letting you and your family leave is for your own good. Do you know that your lord—the king's brother, Cyrus the Younger—has died in battle!"
Marioge suddenly stopped crying, and the hands holding Davos' legs also lost their strength, weakly asking, "Has Prince Cyrus really died?"
"Actually, you already guessed it, didn't you? Otherwise, why would Tissaphernes bring us here, and allow us to plunder your village, because this is the punishment for Cyrus the Younger's rebellion! I believe this kind of punishment will definitely not be just this once! Everyone closely related to him is probably doomed, wouldn't you say?"
Marioge had already collapsed on the ground, dazed.
Matonis pulled him up and dragged him out.
"This person doesn't seem like an ordinary merchant," Hiros said to Davos, watching Marioge being dragged out of the tent.
"You're right!" Davos nodded. His family lived in a dilapidated house, but hid a lot of gold, silver, and gorgeous clothes. Just looking at the temperament of him and his wife, they didn't seem like ordinary Persian merchants, and they were also proficient in Greek and knew so much. Perhaps he was a relative of Cyrus the Younger, or his manager, or his personal merchant, who, after learning that Cyrus the Younger had rebelled, hid in a remote village in his territory to avoid disaster. If it hadn't been for the village chief's tip-off, he would have almost missed a big fish.
Davos thought thankfully, selectively forgetting how he had tortured the village chief and his family. He said to Hiros, "Captain, I need to trouble you to emphasize to Mercis again that no one is allowed to harass his family, he is very useful to us! Now that Cyrus the Younger is dead, I want him to sincerely join us!"
A soldier gave an order to his captain, and everyone present didn't find it strange. Davos' leadership position in the squad had already been established.
"Okay." Hiros hurried out of the tent without hesitation.
"Pikles, thank you very much! You really helped me a lot today!" Davos turned to a warrior and said.
"It's my honor to be able to help you!" Pikles said somewhat submissively.
Davos took out two drachmas and put them in his hand.
"This… this…" Pikles pretended to decline.
Davos said, "Please accept it! I really need to thank you for today's matter, and I hope you can keep it a secret, don't let Menon know!"
Upon hearing this, Pikles no longer declined, put the silver coins in his arms, and said, "Don't worry, I don't like that guy either! I swear to Hades, I won't reveal a word!" Pikles made a gesture of sealing his lips, then excitedly said, "Call me for this kind of work next time!"
"You'll definitely be indispensable!" Davos smiled.
Pikles left the tent, and Gilgris immediately asked with concern, "Pikles is Menon's Persian translator, is he reliable?"
"I heard that Menon knows Persian, Pikles has nothing to do at all, and is often used as a coolie by Menon. He would be stupid to offend us, especially since he can earn money." Olivers interjected. After regaining consciousness, he knew that he had almost gone to hell, and immediately thanked Davos, but Davos reacted coldly to him. He realized something, so he had been relatively quiet until now.
But as soon as he spoke, the tent fell into a brief silence.
"Davos, how did you know that Persian merchant buried the money in the yard?" Georgis suddenly asked.
Davos understood that Georgis wanted to liven up the atmosphere, and said, "It's very simple. When we captured Marioge, I found that in addition to worrying about his wife and daughter being bullied by us—" Davos glanced at Olivers: "His eyes would also secretly glance at the old tree in the yard from time to time. I walked over and took a closer look, and there was a place under the tree that was a different color, it was new soil. Of course, I became suspicious, and before I could scare him much, this guy was timid and confessed."
Several people praised Davos' carefulness, especially Olivers, whose voice was the loudest.
Davos said to Georgis, "This money is very useful to us. Go to the baggage camp every day to check and see if that fat guy is taking advantage."
"Okay."
… … … … … … … … … … …
After the Greek mercenaries plundered many times, the army's marching column became larger and more bloated.
In the following days, as Marioge said, the army continued to advance along the right bank of the Tigris River, then crossed the river to reach the city of Gaine. Here, they received another ample supply. However, the Greek mercenary soldiers' suspicion of the Persians became more and more serious, and new rumors continued to spread in the army, leading to more conflicts between the soldiers of the two armies after camping.
Finally, when they reached the Zapatas River, a large-scale armed fight broke out between the soldiers of the two armies. More than a hundred people on each side fought with weapons, resulting in more than a dozen deaths and injuries. If the leaders of both sides had not arrived in time and sent troops to separate them, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
This caused the next day's march to be canceled, and the soldiers of each battalion were restricted from leaving the camp. They were marching every day, and Davos and the others were physically and mentally exhausted. It was rare to have a day of free time, and everyone slept in.
Mercis in the baggage camp seized the time to slaughter some of the looted livestock and make sausages.
Just as Davos woke up, Antonios rushed into the tent, looking anxious: "Davos, Menon, Clearchus, Proxenus and several other leaders are going to the Persian camp to negotiate!"
"What!!!" Davos was shocked and sat up.
"I heard that after what happened last night, Clearchus immediately went to Tissaphernes to negotiate, hoping to eliminate the mutual distrust and avoid such hostile behavior from happening again. It is possible that the two sides talked very well, and Clearchus spent the night directly in the Persian military camp. This morning he returned safely, and then sent people to notify the leaders of each military camp to go to the Persian military camp with him for further talks with Tissaphernes. It is said that many soldiers and officers in other military camps opposed them going, but in the end the leaders reached an agreement and they are about to leave." Antonios quickly finished explaining the course of events.
"Why wasn't anyone in our camp notified of this?" Hiros asked in surprise.
"Menon didn't discuss it with others, he only quietly took Captains Capes and Mirs Tiki." Antonios said with an embarrassed expression. He understood in his heart that after the collective "coup" incident last time,
most of the officers and soldiers were unwilling to obey Menon's orders, and after Menon lost his prestige, he didn't want to discuss it with them anymore, and directly found two captains who were still willing to listen to him.
Antonios didn't explain in detail, but said, "I only heard the soldiers in the neighboring Socrates camp making noise, and only after asking did I know about this."
"Who are the people going?" Davos stood up, quickly dressed, and asked with a serious expression.
Antonios' heart skipped a beat, Davos' expression confirmed the unease he felt in his heart: "Leaders Clearchus, Proxenus, Menon, Socrates, Achias, and more than a dozen captains."
"Hurry! Hurry! Take me to find them, it will be too late!!!" Davos put on his linen lining and anxiously pulled Antonios out, with Hiros and the others following closely behind.