Unexpectedly, the Persian envoy did not mention the surrender of the Greek mercenaries, but proposed a truce between the two armies. Of course the mercenaries who were already in trouble could not ask for it. After some negotiation, the two sides reached a truce, and the Persians were to provide provisions for the Greeks. This is a boon for the mercenaries, because their food storage has bottomed out, and the next step is to burn and loot the villages along the way.
Despite the truce, Clearchus did not let his guard down: the Persian messenger led the way, and Clearchus ordered the army to march in three columns and four columns. Along the way, they encountered three or four-meter-wide trenches blocking the road. The trenches were filled with sewage, and the soldiers had to cut down trees to build wooden bridges. Davos and the others, who were located in the rear guard's baggage battalion, had an easier time.
"Look, that's Clearkus!" Following the direction of Olivers' fingers, Davos saw a tall middle-aged man, shirtless, with strong bronzed muscles and several conspicuous spots. Scar was carrying a freshly cut tree trunk with the soldiers. When he walked to the ditch, he jumped into the ditch with his head without hesitation. He didn't care about the mud that splashed his head, and immediately started repairing the wooden bridge that had just been broken.
"Yeah, this is Clearkus! And where is our Menon?!" Matonis said with a sigh, which was meaningful.
Although due to the conflict between Menon and Clearkus, the troops led by him also fought with each other because of the conflict. But the soldiers are not fools. They see everything the leaders do. Who is trustworthy? Who is more capable? They are like mirrors in their hearts. There are more than a dozen mercenary leaders, why is it always Clearkus? ! Not without reason.
This is the way of the army! Davos has been watching Clearkus' performance and said to himself in his heart.
Near dusk, the Greeks reached their destination. The villages settled by the Persian envoys not only provided comfortable accommodation for the Greek mercenaries, but also provided abundant food: fruit wine, drinks, bread, palm dates...
The soldiers couldn't help but cheered.
For a time, Davos was also puzzled: Are the Persians really afraid of being beaten by the Greek heavy infantry and really want a truce
Just when he and his companions had tasted the food and were sure that there was no problem, and were about to eat and drink, Antonios came: "Davers, Menon wants to see you!"
"Now?!" Davos swallowed.
"Now!" Antonios nodded.
"Don't worry, it's okay! Menon just heard that Davos helped us solve several problems. Out of curiosity, I want to see him, maybe there is a reward!" Seeing everyone's concerned look, Antonios said guarantee.
Antonios took Davos to a big house in the middle of the village and said to the guards at the door, "Menon wants to see Davos, he has come."
The guard looked at Davos curiously, and then said, "Menon has something to do right now. Please wait a moment."
After a while, there was still no movement inside. Davos remained poised to speak to Antonios. Antonios was in a hurry: "What's not done yet, I'll go in and urge!" After speaking, he was about to enter, but was stopped by the guards: "Antonios, do you want to cause me to be scolded!"
Antonios glared at him, and the guard finally gave in: "I'm afraid of you, I'll go take a look." After speaking, he turned and ran into the house.
After a while, he came out: "Come in, Menon is waiting." He said, but his eyes did not dare to meet Antonios.
Davos was about to go in, when Antonios pressed his shoulders and urged, "Menon has a bad temper sometimes. If he says something to you, don't quarrel with him, just listen."
Davos smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a child."
Antonios nodded. The conversation along the way allowed him to get to know Davos better: this young man has a steadiness far beyond his peers. Watching Davos enter the room, Antonios recalled: No, he is not a child, who is a child? Menon
He smiled helplessly, it seems that this young man is not easy to mess with. He turned his head and said angrily to the guards: "Potax, you left us here on purpose."
"Why, Antonios, you understand. Who would do such a frivolous thing but Menon."
"Humph!"
"That young man is what you call Hades' 'Blessed One'?! I think he also understands what's going on, and just smiled at me..."
… … … …
Of course Davos understood what was going on: he had seen a lot in the agency in his previous life, and it was not because he was disgusting. The more people who adopted this method, the less confident they were in their own control. Is Menon such a person
Davos pouted, walked through the courtyard and came to the main house.
"Leader Menon, soldier Davos has been ordered to come!"
"Come in." A sharp and crisp voice came from the room.
Davos strode into the house, there was a man sitting in the middle of the living room, still wearing a shiny breastplate, but it didn't seem to add more majesty to him, because if his fair face was shaved with a beard, he would definitely be considered beautiful. .
Davos couldn't help thinking of some bad rumors about Menon, such as the ambiguous story between him and Cyrus' adjutant Arreus. He was suddenly a little nervous: Could this person be against me...
And Menon was also looking at Davos: a strong body, average height, average appearance, and a slightly immature face even without a beard, but standing there gave people a different temperament.
"Well... I heard that you are a 'God's Blessed One', so I want to ask, are the Persians sincere in this truce with us? Or do you have other ideas?" Menon asked seemingly casually.
"Sorry, Chief. I don't know!" Davos replied without hesitation.
Davos's direct answer made Menon a little stunned. In the end, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Then tell me, can we go home safely this time?"
"I don't know." Davos's answer was still straightforward.
"Bastard!" Menon was furious and slammed the chair hard: "Didn't you tell the whole camp that you had an oracle! Didn't you tell everyone else that you knew everything! Now you don't talk! You liar !"
Davos raised his eyebrows: "Leader Menon, I am very lucky to survive on the battlefield, but I have never claimed to be a favored one. My teammates can prove this. What others think and say is I don't care about their business.
As for what oracle, I never said. It's just that when I chat with my teammates sometimes, I talk about what may happen next, and I'm lucky to say it. Whether or not you can go home safely is what you have to worry about. We soldiers just want to get some comfort and encouragement by talking and chatting after the battle. "
After hearing this, Menon's first reaction was that this guy had a good eloquence, and he couldn't grasp his reason to fight back for a while, but he looked directly at Menon's calm gaze, which made Menon feel the other'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 said obediently, "Yes!"
This made Menon feel better. He stretched out his hand and grabbed a drachma, and said, "Anyway, you have helped our troops this time with an idea. This is what I, the leader of the mercenary army, Menon, gave you. Reward. Remember, if you have any good ideas next time, just tell me directly, and I will reward you!"
Davos pretended to be happy and reached out to take it: "Thank you, Chief!"
Menon waved him to step back, watching him walk out of the room, Menon's expression was still a little dazed: Menon and Davers are in an employment relationship, and Menon has no power over life and death, only dismissal. But if a wise soldier is fired, he will be reused in other military camps, but Menon will suffer. So Menon just wanted to beat Davos, not wanting him to expand his influence in the barracks while keeping him in his hands. But from this meeting, it seems that it is not so easy...