"Yes, let's discuss it when Cleanor arrives!" The mention of Cleanor visibly relaxed everyone's expressions, which piqued Davos's curiosity.
He whispered to Xenophon, "Who is Cleanor?"
Xenophon said with a complex expression, "I heard that Cyrus the Younger once had an agreement with Sparta: he would fully fund Sparta's navy, and in return, Sparta would provide military aid when Cyrus went to war."
Davos immediately understood and exclaimed in surprise, "You mean Cleanor was sent by Sparta?!"
"He is a Spartan ephor.
I heard he brought seven hundred hoplites and joined Cyrus the Younger's army… At the time, he didn't know that Cyrus intended to rebel.
By the time he found out, it was too late, so he and his troops have been very low-key within the mercenary army.
However, many high-ranking officers know his identity…" Xenophon said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Davos knew why Xenophon had such an expression; he was Athenian.
He had heard Xenophon describe Sparta's ephors before.
Unlike other Greek city-states that also had ephors, Sparta's ephorate system was unique because of its immense power: downward, they could supervise citizens, judge perioikoi, punish helots, and held supreme civil judicial power and partial criminal judicial power; upward, they could constantly supervise the king's every move with vigilant eyes, had the right to prosecute the king, and could summon him for interrogation at any time.
Moreover, Spartan ephors could only be commoners, and five ephors were elected by lot each autumn from citizens over thirty years old.
Upon taking office, they would issue a decree requiring every citizen to shave their upper lip mustache and obey state laws, showing the importance Sparta placed on its ephors.
According to Xenophon, it was precisely because of Sparta's ephorate system, where commoners held power, that it was not regarded as a tyrannical state by other city-states.
Such an important figure was hidden within the Greek mercenary army.
He was probably the only officer with an official identity in the mercenary army, and a Spartan at that.
After defeating Athens, Sparta was already the hegemon of all Greek city-states.
Greeks, if not all looking to them for leadership, at least held them in awe.
The previous Spartan, Clearchus, was a deserter and had been sentenced to death by the Spartan government, but this upcoming individual was a genuine Spartan warrior, and he also brought seven hundred equally genuine Spartan warriors.
As he was about to see the ancient Spartan warriors, who were globally popular in his previous life, Davos, with eager anticipation, maliciously thought: Will they be wearing red loincloths?
While waiting for Cleanor, the temporary leaders of these camps were not idle.
They invited all officers from squad leaders to company commanders from each camp to participate in the discussion, totaling nearly two hundred people.
The main tent could not accommodate so many people, so they formed a large circle and sat down in the open space of Clearchus's camp.
After everyone had arrived, Cleanor arrived shortly after.
Early in the morning, Cleanor had gone to a nearby village to prepare supplies for his soldiers.
This village was located south of the Greek mercenary camp and thus was not intercepted by Persian cavalry.
When the messenger found him, he was rushing back, having already understood the course of events along the way.
He arrived at the meeting, and everyone consciously made a wide empty space for him.
He sat directly on the muddy ground without hesitation, like everyone else, and began to survey the crowd: indeed, he did not see the main mercenary leaders… Thinking that Clearchus's fate was unknown, he felt a little sad.
Clearchus was his comrade-in-arms, having achieved many military successes in the war against Athens and being a brave Spartan general, but he fled after being sentenced to death for being unable to adapt to peace and refusing to obey Spartan orders.
When Cleanor saw him in Cyrus the Younger's army, he pretended not to see him and did not send his subordinates to arrest him, firstly because he did not want to jeopardize the cooperation with Cyrus the Younger; secondly, out of comradeship…
His gaze slowly swept over face after face, stopping on one person: it was a very young face.
Among this large group of officers, most of whom were over thirty, this young man appeared to be no more than twenty, and he was sitting in the front row of the group, making him exceptionally conspicuous.
Even stranger was the respectful attitude of several people around him towards this young man.
He watched Cleanor intently, even smiling and nodding in greeting… Cleanor was somewhat puzzled and quickly whispered to his adjutant, who, after asking others, came back to tell him.
"The 'God-favored' of Menon's camp? Repeatedly issuing 'oracles' that have all come true?" Cleanor frowned: the mercenary army's management was indeed chaotic, allowing such a youthful-looking young man to hold a high position!
Although Spartans claimed to be descendants of Heracles, they did not have much respect for the gods; they believed more in their own strength.
Being conservative, they also did not believe in the idea of "young and promising," otherwise there would not have been the rule that "Spartans can only leave communal life, become independent, marry, and hold important positions after the age of thirty…" Therefore, Cleanor's first impression of Davos was not good.
However, in Davos's eyes, Cleanor had a significant discrepancy from the imagined image of a Spartan warrior: he was not tall, and his appearance was ordinary.
If not for the scars on his face and his sharp gaze reminding others of his warrior status, Davos might have thought he was just an ordinary Greek farmer.
After the surroundings quieted down, Cleanor began to speak: "I already know what happened.
What are your suggestions?"
For a moment, there was a lot of whispering in the meeting, but no one stood up to speak.
After all, expressing opinions in front of over two hundred experienced generals required not only courage but also certain speaking skills and insight, which was not easy for poor Greek mercenaries.
Davos did not speak, not out of fear, but because in his previous interactions with the officers in charge of the various camps, he found that among this group of people, he was both young and just an ordinary soldier, and overly ostentatious behavior was too likely to cause resentment, so he decided to wait and see.
Finally, Xenophon stood up: "Officers, the Persians have broken their promise, killing or imprisoning our leaders and soldiers, and now they want us all to surrender our weapons.
Now, war with the Persians is unavoidable!
You have all seen that when the soldiers in the camp heard this news, most were confused, fearful, and even weeping!
If this situation is not quickly changed, once the Persians attack and they are needed to fight, if they cannot show courage and wield their spears against the enemy, we will be in danger of total annihilation!
Gentlemen, you are the officers of each camp.
Normally, your salaries and your status are higher than ordinary soldiers, and your abilities are also stronger than theirs.
Now, in the face of danger, the soldiers place their hopes on you.
You must show immense courage and a determination to fight the Persians to the death to stabilize the soldiers' emotions and boost their confidence!
At the same time, we must immediately elect capable individuals to serve as new generals for each camp, replacing Clearchus and the others, to manage and discipline the soldiers of each camp, formulate a good plan, command the entire army to defeat the Persians, and lead us safely back to Greece!
With the protection of Zeus, we will surely get out of Persia!…"
Xenophon's words caused a great stir among the crowd, with some even applauding.
Xenophon, somewhat smugly, cast his gaze at Timasion, who remained expressionless, then quickly looked away.
In fact, the Greek mercenary army, in its current predicament, had only this one option.
Cleanor immediately stood up and said in a decisive and firm tone, "Gentlemen, we have no time to waste.
As Xenophon said, please return to your respective camps immediately, elect your new leaders, and then have them come here to hold a military meeting together to discuss and formulate a plan."
He surveyed the crowd and continued loudly, "This afternoon, here again, we will hold a general assembly for the entire army!" Having said that, without waiting for the officers to react, he turned and left.
Just as expected!
Davos clenched his fists and stood up with Antonius and the others.
The officers rushed back to their respective camps.
Davos and his group returned to Menon's camp, where the soldiers had been eagerly awaiting them, rushing to welcome them into the camp and inquire about the situation.
"Clearchus and Menon have been killed by the Persians! The Persians even wanted us to surrender, but the officers refused. War with the Persians is inevitable!" Antonios deliberately exaggerated the situation.
The soldiers erupted in an uproar. Although they had been notified by Xilos and the others beforehand and had been mentally prepared, they still held onto a glimmer of hope for peace. Now, this last bit of hope had been shattered. They were panicked, confused, and at a loss.
"Now, we must immediately elect a new leader to replace Menon and lead us back to Greece!" Pheryllus shouted loudly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Antonios' nephew, the young man Asistes, who had been saved by Davos, raised his right hand in the crowd, eagerly shouting, "Brothers, who foretold the death of Cyrus the Younger?!"
"…It was Davos," Xilos and the others responded, taking the lead.
"Who invented the smoked sausage that kept us from going hungry?!" Asistes continued to shout.
"It was Davos," the soldiers replied.
"Who created the medical camp that keeps us from worrying about injuries and illnesses?!"
"Davos!" the soldiers began to answer in unison.
"Who predicted that today's meeting with the Persians was a conspiracy and tried to stop Menon and the others?!"
"Davos!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Who is a favorite of Hades?! Who can protect us and lead us back to Greece?!"
"Davos!!!!" the soldiers shouted in one voice.
"Who—" Asistes pointed at Davos and roared in a hoarse voice: "Is our new leader?!"
"Davos! Davos!! Davos!!!…" The soldiers throughout the camp shouted excitedly, the sound echoing for a long time.
Pheryllus and the company commanders were suddenly at a loss in the face of such a scene, all looking at Davos, who looked surprised, as if he knew nothing about it. However, his gaze quietly swept over Matonis, Gioegis, and the others dancing in the crowd. He hadn't expected Asistes to lead the soldiers, but the effect was clearly beyond his expectations.
The soldiers' shouts grew louder and louder, and the company commanders had to respond to this. After an emergency consultation, Pheryllus came forward. He looked at Davos beside him with a complex expression, and then shouted to the gathered soldiers: "Brothers, are you sure you want to choose Davos as your new leader?!"
"Yes!!!" Under Asistes' lead, the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Are there any other candidates?!"
"No!!!"
"We need the guidance of a favorite of the gods!!"
Pheryllus turned around, Antonios and Capus nodded, followed by Amyntas, Alexis… and other company commanders who reluctantly nodded in succession.
Pheryllus said loudly with a solemn expression: "The gods are our witnesses, as nominated by the soldiers and agreed upon by the officers, Davos will become our new leader!"
Cheers erupted.
Davos released his clenched fist, his palm already sweaty. He breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filled with excitement: the hard work and efforts of this period had not been in vain! He, a transmigrator, an ordinary young soldier, had directly skipped the ranks of squad leader, platoon leader, and company commander to become the leader of more than a thousand soldiers. Although they were just mercenaries, his dream had finally been realized in a short period of time, transforming from a pawn into a player. Of course, this also meant that he would bear a great responsibility, but compared to being cannon fodder sent to die, what was there to fear from any responsibility, no matter how great!
Facing the excited faces, he raised his right arm.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Compared to other military camps, Menon's military camp suffered the least losses.
Due to everyone's lack of cooperation, only three company commanders followed Menon to the Persian military camp, and the soldiers quickly elected successors.
Next, the soldiers retreated, and the new leader, Davos, and the company commanders held their first meeting in the main tent. Pheryllus was only an adjutant attached to Menon and had no command authority. With the new leader taking office, his position was naturally removed, so he could only stay outside.
Davos looked at the thirteen company commanders. Some were familiar to him, such as Antonios and Capus, while others were not so familiar… The company commanders also looked at this overly young new leader, some with anticipation, some with curiosity, and some simply ignored him, talking to themselves…
It wasn't like he hadn't been a leader in his previous life, so Davos wasn't intimidated at all. He met their gazes with a serious expression, maintaining a long silence, which gradually quieted the initial clamor in the tent. The invisible pressure emanating from this young man in the silence made the company commanders begin to take him seriously.
At this time, he slowly opened his mouth and said: "Thank you for the soldiers' trust in me! And thank you for your support! I will prove that your choice is correct with my actions!"
This young new leader is not humble at all! Alexis and others were surprised and slightly opened their mouths. Antonios and Capus were infected by his confidence and showed a hint of a smile.
"Now, I have decided to let Pheryllus continue to serve as adjutant to assist me in managing military affairs." This proposal temporarily relieved several company commanders who were worried that Davos lacked experience and would mess things up.
Pheryllus was invited in. He smiled and thanked Davos, then sat down next to Davos.
"I have decided to establish a medical camp, with Herppis as the medical officer. He must also attend important meetings!" Menon's military camp's field hospital had already been operating independently, and now it was just formally brought to the forefront.
Amyntas raised an objection: "It's enough for the doctors to heal the brothers' injuries. What's the point of attending military meetings? They don't understand, and there's never been such a thing before!"
"Now is a special period!" Davos looked at this burly man with a somewhat fierce appearance and said in a heavier tone: "In the upcoming journey, we may encounter many battles. We must protect our medical camp, and at the same time, we need to know how many wounded soldiers our medical camp can treat? Is there a shortage of labor? Is there a shortage of medical supplies?… These all need to be discussed with Herppis!"
Amyntas was stunned, scratched his head, and said nothing. No one wanted their injured soldiers to not receive treatment, and Davos's proposal was easily passed.
"I hope that Melsis of the logistics camp will also attend military meetings. Because we need to know at any time whether food is sufficient? Are there enough pack animals?…" Davos's second proposal was once again accepted by everyone. After all, food was everyone's biggest concern, not to mention that their salaries and looted money were also in the logistics camp, so of course they needed to understand and protect it at all times.
Having smoothly passed three personnel appointments in a row, Davos stopped making proposals.
At this time, Pheryllus next to him gently touched Davos and opened his mouth towards him.
Davos suddenly realized from the other party's lip movements: he had forgotten a key position—the messenger. Don't underestimate this position; the transmission of information from top to bottom and the smooth flow of military and government orders all depend on him. If he doesn't decide on it in front of everyone now, it will be easy to make mistakes. He still lacks experience!
Davos thought for a moment and said calmly: "In addition, I appoint Asistes as the messenger!" Not only to repay him for his recommendation just now, but also because Asistes had been assisting his uncle Antonios in doing some trivial military affairs and was also relatively familiar with Menon's military camp. Furthermore, Davos had contacted this young man many times. He was cheerful, full of vitality, and the company commanders all had a good impression of him. Moreover, he was full of gratitude towards Davos, who else would he use if not him!
As expected, this candidate was also smoothly recognized by everyone.
Antonios went out to call Asistes.
After Asistes excitedly thanked everyone, he immediately began to fulfill his duties. He quickly called Herppis and Melsis.
At this point, all the new senior leaders of Menon's military camp were present.
"To reunite our brothers in the military camp, we must first understand the current situation. Therefore, I ask everyone present to introduce the personnel and supplies under your jurisdiction." Davos looked around at everyone and said.
The tent was silent for a moment, then Antonios spoke first, followed by Capus, then Alexis… The quartermaster camp was the most complicated, and Melsis was the most long-winded, so Davos had to remind him to be as brief as possible.
Davos listened and took notes. After carefully listening to everyone's introductions, he had a general understanding of the overall situation of the Menon military camp. After a little tidy, he said: "According to everyone's reports, we have ten heavy infantry companies in our military camp, with a total of one thousand and ninety-four soldiers. Four light infantry companies, with a total of four hundred and eighty-seven soldiers. In total, there are one thousand five hundred and eighty-one soldiers, with complete weapons and armor, in good physical condition, and without injuries or illnesses.
The medical camp has three doctors, six female slaves, and two pack animals, but apart from Herpus, who is proficient in trauma treatment, the other two doctors cannot independently treat wounded soldiers.
The quartermaster camp currently has fifty guards, two hundred and seventy-three slaves, including one hundred and ninety-eight female slaves and seventy-five male slaves. It has twenty-nine pack horses, eighteen pack oxen, fifty-six sheep, and thirty-seven chickens and ducks, five hundred and eighty bags of wheat flour. There is also a Taranto silver, thirty Mina, and five drachmas left to purchase supplies. This is all we have." Davos put down the papyrus scroll he was recording on and said to everyone, "Does anyone see anything missing?"
The company commanders were all a little surprised. It should be known that most mercenaries, including these company commanders, were uneducated, let alone capable of doing numerical calculations and summaries on their own.
Melsis clapped his hands "Snap!Snap!Snap!" and said: "Davos, you are amazing! Such fast arithmetic ability! Much better than me!"
Antonios, who was next to him, remembered that Davos was illiterate, and quietly glanced at the papyrus scroll, and found that it was full of strange symbols and fonts, and couldn't help but feel horrified.
The company commanders looked at each other, and their recognition of Davos's ability increased a little.
"Since there are no objections. Then in a while, Philius and I will attend the military meeting of the mercenary leaders. Please go back and inform the soldiers under your command to check their weapons and equipment and prepare for battle. In the afternoon, leave the tenth heavy infantry company to guard the military camp, and the other companies line up in order and enter the venue for the general assembly. Because there are many people, you must maintain order and prevent riots." After Davos finished speaking, he looked at Herpus and asked, "How is the medical camp doing? The war is about to begin, and there will definitely be more wounded soldiers. You need to have a plan. More clean linen bandages need to be prepared, and at least twice as many assistants as now will be needed..."
Herpus often asked Davos for advice on some medical issues, such as: why use fire to bake the debridement tools? Why put a cloth dipped in cool water on the forehead of a patient with a fever?… Davos's answers were always strange and thought-provoking, so Herpus regarded Davos as a teacher and his attitude was always very respectful: "Please rest assured, I will do my best to prepare after I go back. If I have any difficulties, I will definitely come to you for help!"
"You are our Asclepius (the god of medicine in ancient Greek mythology, the son of Apollo), of course we will do our best to help! If there are medical problems, I can discuss them with you; if there is a lack of labor, the captains can provide it; if there is a lack of things, you can find Melsis." Davos laughed.
Everyone also said that they would provide help to the medical camp.
Melsis took the initiative to report to Davos: "Leader, I have already had the slaves slaughter some sheep this morning and made a lot of smoked sausages. After I go back in a while, I will slaughter the remaining sheep and chickens and ducks, as well as the extra cattle, and make them into sausages to store food for future marching. What do you think?"
"Melsis, you are our housekeeper! We are all very relieved to leave the food to you, don't you think?!" Davos said half jokingly and half seriously.
"Yes! Melsis manages the quartermaster camp very well!" Antonios echoed.
"It's just that the expenses are a bit expensive!" Epithenes shouted jokingly.
"Even if I give you one for free, you will be anxious and unable to use it! You are only interested in boys!" Melsis immediately retorted.
"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the tent became much more relaxed.
"Philius, do you have anything to add?" Davos finally asked his adjutant.
Philius was still a little unnatural in the face of the leader who was much younger than himself. He coughed twice and then said: "I have two questions that I hope will attract the leader's attention. First, now that we are about to go to war with Persia, will the next marching route be changed? If it changes, how should we go? The second is… um… our military camp has always been the rearguard of the entire army. Now that we are going to war, if we continue to be the rearguard, our camp will suffer too much!"
"Philius is right, we can't be the rearguard anymore!"
"Please rest assured, I will bring it up at the leaders' military meeting and will argue with reason! As for the issue of the marching route, I think it will be determined soon at the leaders' meeting, because this is the most urgent issue!" Davos's confident words made the company commanders half believe and half doubt.
.........…
After the meeting, as soon as he left the tent, Epithenes, the first company commander of the light infantry, couldn't help but exclaim: "I can't believe this young man is the leader for the first time!"
"Don't look at his young age, he not only arranges things in a very detailed and organized manner, but he is also very majestic. None of us experienced veterans stood up to contradict or refute him!" Zipit, another light infantry company commander, praised.
"I think this young man is good! At least the atmosphere of the meeting was very good. Unlike Mellon, he is a viper. Which meeting doesn't he scold everyone!" Resimachus, the heavy infantry captain, said with a smile.
"If this little guy also performs so well on the battlefield, then he will be qualified as a leader!" Amintas, another heavy infantry company commander, reminded everyone.
"Don't worry, this new leader is young, but he is a smart person. With Philius assisting him, there will be no major problems." Alexis, the heavy infantry company commander, comforted.
"We are the ones who fight the battles, what are we afraid of! Davos only needs to play his role as a godsend, and we can reduce casualties and return home safely!" Zipit said loudly, and everyone agreed.
Capus, who was following behind, said to Antonios with relief: "It seems that Davos has initially won everyone's recognition."
Antonios was still immersed in the scene he had seen at the meeting, and muttered: "He still needs to prove himself in battle, but I have confidence in him! He will become a great mercenary leader!"
.........…
Davos stood at the door, calmly watching everyone leave. At this moment, he was not thinking about how well his debut as leader was, but was considering the issue of army management.
The military system of the Greek mercenaries is roughly the same as the military system of the Greek city-states: the lowest-level officer is the squad leader, who commands ten people; above that is the company commander, who commands one hundred to one hundred and twenty people; sometimes there is a platoon leader, who commands about fifty people; above that is the battalion commander, who commands about one thousand people; above that is the general, and the number of soldiers under the general's command depends on the number of troops that his city-state can send out. In theory, Davos's level at this time should be considered a battalion commander, but mercenaries with thousands of soldiers are considered large mercenary groups. Because they can independently undertake combat missions, they can barely be regarded as generals.
Davos graduated from a university of political science and law in his previous life, but he studied management. He knew that the most effective number of people a leader can directly manage is seven, but now there are fourteen company commanders participating in a military meeting.
When a major battle is really fought, wouldn't it be very time-consuming for a messenger to convey an order, and the action would be slow? If these companies can be integrated… Davos knew that he could only think about it now. After all, he had just become the leader, and rashly reforming the military system would probably arouse the resentment of the company commanders. He suppressed the thought and turned to Melsis, who was still in the tent, and said: "They are all gone, what's the matter, just say it?"
Melsis leaned over and whispered, "Davos, that Persian family you sent to the baggage camp last time, I took good care of them, just as you requested!"
"Really?" Davos looked at him with a half-smile. "How should I thank you?"
"You are the leader, it's my duty." Melsis chuckled sheepishly, then leaned in closer and whispered even softer, "Also, Menon still has nearly two talents of silver stored in the baggage camp…"
Two talents of silver amounted to sixty-five kilograms of silver, which was a huge sum. Menon was indeed very good at making money. However, for Davos, who had only recently been reborn, he didn't have a deep concept of Greek currency yet, so he didn't seem very surprised. He thought seriously for a moment and said, "Does Menon have any direct relatives?"
Melsis had been watching Davos, and seeing no unusual reaction from him, and then hearing his question, he immediately understood Davos's intention. He felt even more admiration and quickly said, "No."
"Did he have a will?"
"No. He never expected to die so soon."
Davos pondered for a while, then sighed and said, "Menon founded this camp, and he put a lot of effort into it. So let's use this money for the development of our camp."
"Davos, you are truly fair and selfless!" Melsis complimented loudly, then rubbed his hands and asked cautiously, "You calculated the numbers so quickly just now. Did Hades give you some enlightenment?"
Davos had long seen that he still had something on his mind, but he didn't expect it to be about this. "Of course!"
"Can you teach me?" Melsis pleaded.
Davos was surprised that this Fat Man, despite his age, had such a strong desire for knowledge, and he couldn't help but admire him. "Of course, no problem."
"Excellent! Davos, you are the best leader!" Melsis couldn't help but embrace Davos. Davos stiffened, the tradition of homosexuality among ancient Greeks made him wary of excessive physical contact, but he soon realized he was overthinking it. Melsis was merely expressing his gratitude. Undoubtedly, this fat man also became his staunch supporter.
...
By the time all matters were arranged, it was already past noon. Davos had originally thought he would be late, but when he and Philippus arrived at the mercenary command tent, they found only Clearchus and Timasion inside.
Clearchus frowned immediately upon seeing the two enter, one of whom was the young man he had seen at the assembly earlier. He said in a deep voice, "You are from Menon's mercenary camp, aren't you? Which one of you was chosen as the leader by your camp?" As he spoke, his gaze naturally fell on Philippus.
Before Davos could speak, Philippus stepped aside, gestured towards Davos with his left hand, and solemnly declared, "All of our soldiers unanimously elected Davos as the new leader of our camp!"
Clearchus and Timasion's eyes widened in shock. After a long moment, they looked at each other, and then Timasion questioned loudly, "We are about to go to war with the Persians, and everyone must give their all. Are you trying to drag us down by electing an ungrown child from your camp?! Do you know that war means death, many deaths?!"
Timasion's last remark was directed at Davos, clearly intended to intimidate him.
Davos faced the somewhat ferocious Timasion and retorted without showing any weakness, "When the fighting starts, who drags whom down remains to be seen! Fighting the Persians requires more than just brute force! When I tried to stop Clearchus and Menon, where were you?! If they had listened to my advice, we wouldn't be in such a terrible situation today!"
"I, of course… also tried to stop them…" Timasion had been feeling guilty about Clearchus's capture, and thus was led by Davos's topic, answering with a lack of confidence.
"Everyone in our camp believes Davos is the best candidate for leader, and not a single person objected! And they entrusted me to serve as adjutant, assisting Leader Davos in managing military affairs," Philippus emphasized loudly again. As an old mercenary, he knew what Clearchus and Timasion were worried about and what they were trying to do.
Clearchus looked at Philippus again. "And this is?"
"Philippus, Menon's adjutant, the actual manager of his camp…" Timasion said in a strange tone beside Clearchus.
"Oh…" Clearchus had an expression of understanding. Davos could guess what they were thinking, but he didn't want to argue. Time would prove everything.
"Other camps are still fiercely debating their choices, but yours was quite quick," Clearchus finally stood up and said with a hint of sarcasm.
Davos immediately interjected, "At this critical juncture, a unified army is better than one where everyone acts independently!"
Clearchus was stunned. He didn't know about this young new leader's other abilities, but at least his eloquence was not weak. He reluctantly saluted and said, "Welcome."
Davos returned the salute. "I'm glad to fight alongside you!"
For a moment, there was silence in the tent.
Ten minutes later, Xanthippus entered. He had replaced Socrates and become the new leader.
Next, Cleanor replaced Achilles and became the new leader.
Finally, Hieronimus entered. He had squeezed out Agasias and replaced Proxenus, becoming the new leader. And accompanying him was Davos's acquaintance, Xenophon, who became Hieronimus's adjutant.
Everyone was surprised by Davos's age, but fortunately, it was already afternoon and time was pressing.
As soon as everyone was present, Clearchus immediately said, "Gentlemen, let's first decide on the retreat route back to Greece. My suggestion is to follow the original route, heading north along the Tigris River, entering Armenia, reaching the Euxine Sea, and then returning to Aeolia by ship…"
"This is the route Tissaphernes arranged for us, which was originally a conspiracy! I heard that there are many barbarian tribes in the north that even the Persians find troublesome, posing a huge threat to us!" Xanthippus raised an objection.
"Then what is your suggestion? To go west?! Not to mention the longer distance, more importantly, we are now at war with Persia. Every day we stay in Persian territory means another day of danger. The Persians can gather more soldiers to besiege us at any time! Since the north gives the Persians a headache, it precisely indicates that their rule over the north is not strong, and this is our opportunity! Those barbarians have no enmity with us, and besides, we have a common enemy—Persia!…" Timasion spoke eloquently, clearly having communicated with Clearchus beforehand.
It really was going to be the northern route! Davos saw Xanthippus and the others show expressions of agreement.
"Let's vote. Those who agree to go north, please raise your hands!" Clearchus said.
Everyone unanimously agreed.
Clearchus then said, "To concentrate our soldiers to fight the Persians and prevent being attacked due to overly dispersed forces, I suggest merging small mercenary camps like those of Sosis and Pasion into ours. Of course, this must be based on mutual consent."
"If we merge, how will military provisions be distributed? How will previously collected valuables be distributed?…" Hieronimus asked seriously.
"It has already been said that it's by mutual consent. If they are willing to join your camp, you can discuss it privately," Timasion said somewhat impatiently.
Merging with other small camps?! Davos was somewhat moved, after all, the more troops, the greater the chance of the camp surviving in battle.
"Since everyone agrees, we will announce this at the general assembly. Furthermore, there is a more important issue: constantly being under threat of attack from the Persians, what formation should we march in to maximize our safety?"
Clearchus looked around at everyone. Without waiting for an answer, he took out a wooden stick and gestured on the ground, "My suggestion is to advance in a large hollow square formation, with two mercenary camps acting as the vanguard to lead the entire army, one mercenary camp on each flank for protection, and two mercenary camps acting as the rearguard, with our baggage train and non-combat personnel in the middle… What do you think?"
Although Davos was new to military affairs, he could see that the formation was mainly to prevent Persian raids and protect supplies. With such a wide front, the march couldn't be fast. Under the pressure of the Persians, this was a last resort.
Several people gathered around to look at the crude sketch on the ground.
Timason pointed to the two squares at the very front and said, "Clearchus is a Spartan, and his soldiers are all Lacedaemonians, rich in combat experience. We can all rest assured with them as the vanguard, clearing the way for the entire army."
Everyone agreed with this proposal.
"Next…" Timason pondered which position his camp should be responsible for.
"Next, I'm the youngest and willing to cover the rear for the entire army!" Davos said excitedly, preempting him.
Philistius was startled, thinking, "Damn it, Davos forgot what we agreed on beforehand and even volunteered to be the rearguard. He really is young and inexperienced!"
Under the public gaze, Philistius didn't dare make any big movements and could only wink at Davos incessantly.
But then he heard Timason say in surprise, "You… you want to cover the rear?! No! No!" He shook his head repeatedly. "The rearguard is crucial and must have rich experience to deal with all sorts of complex situations. If not handled well, it will drag down the entire army. I think… our camp should be the rearguard."
As soon as Timason finished speaking, Davos interjected, "Isn't there another rearguard? I'm willing to serve with you!"
"No!!" Timason refused loudly without thinking. "Cleanor, you come and cover the rear with me!" He directly appointed his comrade-in-arms.
Cleanor had a good relationship with Timason, so he could only nod at this moment.
The choice for the rearguard was decided so quickly. If Philistius didn't understand that Davos had deliberately set a trap to lure Timason, he wouldn't deserve to be an adjutant.
Clearchus's brow furrowed even deeper. He didn't appreciate Davos's little trick and instead felt more disgusted. But he knew Timason's choice was right, so he simply said to Davos, "Your camp is responsible for protecting the left flank." Since the mercenaries were marching north along the Tigris River, the left flank was mostly adjacent to the riverbank and should be the least dangerous.
Davos saw the undisguised contempt in Clearchus's eyes. He secretly clenched his fist and nodded in agreement.
Then, Clearchus proposed that Zantipalis join him as the vanguard.
Equally unwilling was Hieronimus. Clearchus and the others also considered that Proxenus's camp's original adjutant was Agacias. Now, the elected leader had been replaced by Centurion Hieronimus, and he was the last to arrive, indicating that the soldiers in this camp had major disputes over who should be the leader. For safety's sake, it was better to have their camp take charge of the right flank.
After the leaders completed the military conference, it was time for the general assembly.
This was both a public appearance for the new leaders and a good opportunity to unify the soldiers' thinking, so Clearchus reminded everyone to say more morale-boosting words.
When making requests to the leaders, his gaze lingered more on Davos. He was uneasy about this overly young leader. This was an assembly of tens of thousands of people. Most people would probably be too nervous to speak under such a large scene. If Davos messed it up, this carefully arranged rally would become a farce!
So, he suggested to Davos that he could let his adjutant, Philistius, go on stage to speak for him.
But Davos insisted on going up himself.
Clearchus's face was very unsightly, but he couldn't stop Davos from attending because he was the new leader unanimously elected by the Menon camp, commanding about 1,400 to 1,500 soldiers, accounting for about one-ninth of the total army. So, he arranged for Davos to be the second to go on stage. If Davos performed poorly,
there were still leaders behind him to make up for it.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
It was late August, late summer, and the afternoon weather was no longer so hot.
A wooden platform was set up in the center of Timason's camp (formerly Clearchus's camp). The surrounding tents had been cleared, freeing up a large open space, which was filled with soldiers from various mercenary camps. They were standing or sitting, chatting and complaining to each other…
The entire venue was crowded with people, and the noise was chaotic…
Clearchus and his party, guarded by fully armed soldiers, squeezed out a passage from the dense crowd and came to the bottom of the wooden platform.
Clearchus was the first to go on stage.
The soldiers below the stage stirred.
Because Clearchus had deliberately kept a low profile before, most ordinary soldiers didn't know who he was. Seeing a stranger take the stage first, they were very surprised and asked each other his name.
A dozen loud-voiced soldiers stood around the wooden platform. They were responsible for relaying the speaker's words so that the tens of thousands of soldiers below could hear.
Clearchus opened his mouth and said, "Brothers from all over Greece, I am Clearchus, the Spartan Overseer!"
After the relay by the soldiers on the wooden platform, the soldiers below the stage were in an uproar. The shock in their hearts was even greater than when Davos heard the news: For centuries, Spartan warriors had used battle after battle to make the Greeks of other city-states fear their bravery and strength. And now, Sparta had become the overlord of the Greek world, dominating the Mediterranean. The Spartan Overseer was actually among them, these ordinary free people. How could they not be excited and invigorated? The soldiers, who had been panicked because of the murder of their leader, suddenly felt they had something to rely on. Their panicked faces began to have color and a bit of curiosity to pay attention to things other than survival: Why would the high-ranking Spartan Overseer appear here?
So, when Clearchus asked them to remain silent, the soldiers actually stopped the noise.
"Brothers, our current situation is very bad! We have not only lost our long-time, capable leaders, some squadron leaders, and soldiers; but also our former ally, Arius, and his men have betrayed us! However, the more critical the situation, the sooner we must cheer up, bravely face the Persians who want to destroy us, never give in, and use our Greek bravery and shields and spears to defeat the enemy and carve out a path back to Greece for ourselves! Zeus will be with the brave!!" As expected, Spartans liked to be concise. Clearchus had just reminded everyone to say more encouraging words, but he had only just excited the soldiers before quickly ending his speech.
When Clearchus passed by Davos as he stepped down from the stage, he saw Davos smile and nod at him, thinking: Not bad, this young leader doesn't seem nervous, but why did he bring a messenger on stage and have him hold a dozen thin wooden sticks?
Asistius also didn't understand Davos's purpose in having him hold the wooden sticks and follow him onto the stage, but as soon as he stood on the wooden platform, he couldn't think about it anymore, because all around him were heads moving, densely packed and extending into the distance… And the noise in his ears was even more chaotic than when he was below the stage, as if below him was the sea, setting off a storm of waves, and he and Davos were lonely little boats floating in the depths of the sea, in danger of capsizing at any time.
Asistius couldn't stop his legs from shaking constantly, and he even felt that he might collapse at any time, along with the wooden platform that was also shaking under his feet…
"Oh! Oh! Look! Who is this?!"
"A little kid whose hair hasn't even grown in yet! This is not the place for you! Get down and go home to drink your mother's milk! Hahaha…"
"Could this be the new leader elected by some camp?! Are they crazy!!"
… … …
Laughter and questions came crashing down.
Asistius was shocked and took a few steps back, almost to the edge of the wooden platform. What he admired was that Davos was still standing firmly in the center of the wooden platform…
The leaders below the stage also felt a little unbearable. No matter how dissatisfied they were with Davos, they were united in the face of thousands of soldiers.
Timason complained, "If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have let him go up. This is simply hell!"
Others agreed.
Xenophon hurriedly said, "Quickly let the next leader go up and replace him."
Clearchus was already regretting his previous decision and nodded in agreement when he heard this.