Kerethorpes' good mood lasted until Tiburon's lieutenant came to him.
"What did you say?! All the soldiers ran away?!!" Kerethorpes was taken aback, and his first reaction was to think whether Tiburon was playing a trick.
"Not all of them ran away, just those soldiers who participated in the expedition of Little Cyrus! After returning to Ephesus, the troops were all stationed outside the city, and Tiburon didn't go to inspect the military camp for a few days because of the investigation... The adjutant said cautiously: "It wasn't until Kerethorpes that you asked me to temporarily act as the representative of Tiburon, and I decided to gather the whole army for a lecture to prevent the soldiers from feeling uneasy because of Tiburon's transfer. More than 3,000 soldiers are missing..."
Three thousand soldiers! Kerethorpes gasped: That's a lot! If Dekyridas arrived at Ephesus and found that the number of troops he was going to lead had shrunk greatly, he would probably blame himself for not handling the Tiburon issue well, causing the army to fluctuate.
"Is it because Tiburon condoned their looting and ran away for fear of punishment?" No wonder Clethorpes asked this question. He knew too much about the mercenaries who participated in the expedition of Little Cyrus.
"No." The adjutant's answer made him slightly relieved and curious again.
"After I discovered this situation, I immediately blocked the military camp and launched an investigation. I quickly learned the truth from the mercenaries who participated in the Cyrus expedition." The adjutant showed a strange expression: "The reason why they escaped is because Because of a rumor!"
"rumor?"
"Yes. There is a rumor circulating in and outside the city recently, 'It is said that another group of mercenaries who participated in the Persian expedition with these mercenaries, led by a leader named Davos, went to Great Greece and defeated He killed the barbarians there and established an alliance called Tua. He became the consul of the alliance, and the mercenaries who followed him became citizens of the city-state and were given land. The officers became... um... nobles , took up high-ranking public positions in the city-state... 'These simple-minded mercenaries actually thought it was true, and many people wanted to go to Greater Greece and share the benefits of their former teammates... 'But I heard them say that this is Davos It's only been more than half a year since they left them, how could they have done so many things, it's obviously a deceptive rumor!" After the adjutant finished speaking, he saw Kelishorpes frowning tightly and fell into deep thought.
"Where did these rumors come from?" he asked seriously.
"It seems to have been heard from the port market in Ephesus, when they went to buy goods."
"Are the mercenary chiefs still on the expedition to Persia?" asked Kerethorpes again.
"Except for Xenophon, the others like Timasson, Zantiparis, Crianno... they all ran away. Some of the soldiers were able to stay, or Xenophon persuaded them..."
"Send someone to inform the Council of Ephesus and ask them to immediately send patrols to block the port. You also send troops to assist. If you find deserters from the army, please arrest them immediately and escort them back to the military camp! At the same time, notify the neighboring city-states that have ports, Let them do the same!" Kerethorpes made a quick decision.
"What to do with the captured mercenaries?"
"In front of the entire army, take the lead officer and general—" Chrysopus made a beheading gesture with a cold expression.
After sending off the adjutant, Kerisopes' heart was up and down, and he couldn't calm down for a long time: the mercenary escape had started a few days ago, and it must be a little late to take measures now. It seems that he is sending Tiburon back to Si At the same time as Bada, he also needs to write a letter to the council of elders to explain the situation here, otherwise, when Dekyridas finds out and asks about the matter, he will be passive! Hey... Xenophon should have known about this earlier, why didn't he inform himself!
Kerisopes thought about it: Xenophon had a good relationship with many generals during his expedition to Persia, especially Davos. He was able to actively persuade the soldiers to stay, and he was already thinking of Sparta.
Daves! … After a lapse of half a year, when he heard this familiar and somewhat unfamiliar name again, a clear image of the extremely young mercenary leader appeared in Kerethorpes' mind. For Davos, he has always regretted not being able to keep him in Sparta.
He still remembered: when he returned to Sparta to report his previous experience, when he met Anaxis, the former admiral of the navy who returned from his post, and asked him about Davos, Anaxis asked back blankly, 'Dave Who is Firth? ' He wished he could have slapped him on the spot, forgot what he had repeatedly told him, and let Sparta pass by this Greek military genius he thought. Later, because he assisted Tiburon to settle in Asia Minor, he was busy with his affairs and temporarily forgot about it. He never expected to hear this name again. This unforgettable young man has already created a career in Greater Greece? ! If this is true, it would be amazing indeed! But it just shows that he, Kerethorpes, did not see the wrong person in the first place! I just don't know if he has anything to do with the desertion incident. I hope it's not his incitement, because the Spartan Council of Elders will definitely send someone to investigate it!
It's just that Davos has already taken root in Greater Greece, and obviously will not consider joining Sparta anymore. It's a pity...
… … … …
Xenophon actually knew more than Clethorpes had guessed. He even knew that Timasson had gone to the Temple of Artenis in Ephesus to meet Agarcia, and had received his promise to do so. Will go back to the barracks and instigate the soldiers to go to the Tua Union.
Xenophon also received an invitation from Agarcia. It really surprised him that Davos became the life-long consul of the two cities in Greater Greece. He was also curious about how Davos became a lifelong consul for more than half a year. Such a dazzling achievement in such a short period of time! They are both young people, one is a countryman from the fringes of Greek civilization, and the other is an elite cultivated in Athens, the center of Greek culture. Now the "countryman" has the highest power in the two cities, but the elite is still desperate in a foreign country. Survival, to say envy and jealousy, Xenophon must have in his heart, but let him leave here and start a new business in the strange Great Greece, he did not hesitate to refuse.
Not because of self-esteem, but as an Athenian, Xenophon used to think that Athens was the center of the world. After the failure of the Peloponnesian War, the expedition of Cyrus the Younger, and the expedition of the Spartans in Asia, I saw the vast territory and political corruption of Persia, the weakness of the Greek city-states in Asia Minor, and the Sparta Man's military tyranny, he had a vague idea: why the economically prosperous Athens and the military powerful Sparta could no longer join hands to lead the divided and conflicting Greek city-states and defeat the Greek city-states that had always been hostile to Greece , Persia, which looks strong but is actually weak, ushered in a new era for the Greeks? !
For this ideal, he is willing to continue to fight in this strange land, working closely with the Spartans he has long been interested in. Therefore, despite the friendship for more than two years, he did not report on Tima Song and the others, but he also prevented more soldiers from leaving in time. He was also relieved to hear that the commander of Sparta was about to be replaced. He also did not think that Tiburon was a qualified governor of Asia Minor, although he had been winning battles.
He recorded the events of the past few days. When it came to Timasson and others leaving the military camp and heading to the Tua Alliance, he hesitated for a while, but was determined not to write it down, not because of confidentiality, but because he always He adheres to a principle: the Eastern Mediterranean is the focus of his future history writing, and the Western Mediterranean is far from the center of civilization and does not deserve too much attention.
Then, he packed up the manuscript and decided to have a good talk with Kerethorpes. He had some ideas and suggestions on how to manage these mercenaries and prevent the army from fluctuating.
…
After building the Rahe fortress (it is a fortress, it is an enhanced camp), Felixius left a company to guard and led the rest of the third and seventh battalions back to Turii.
Davos greeted them outside the city and gave an impassioned address to the soldiers. After that, disband the troops and let the soldiers go home. Felixius came to Davos' mansion and told him in detail the process of capturing Niutum and Laos, as well as the general situation of Niutum now.
Davos listened carefully and asked, "Are the soldiers of the second brigade and the first company of the third brigade dissatisfied with staying in Niutum for about ten days?"
"Not yet." Felixius replied, "Since you have promulgated a new plan for the distribution of spoils, the soldiers who stayed behind will get more. I think they are very happy."
Davos nodded and sighed: "We are not like Persia. There are soldiers who are supported by the state and are specially responsible for fighting, and can perform combat missions for many years. Five days is the limit for the soldiers of the Alliance to voluntarily send troops to fight. Exceeding this time, We have to prepare food for the soldiers, and it will take a long time for them to farm and earn money. We can't let the citizens who fought bloody fighting for the alliance become poorer and poorer, so this time the distribution of the spoils is not just to deal with this time! I hope you will consult with Mersis after you go back to formulate a long-term loot distribution plan, with three priorities in mind.
First, the families of soldiers who died in battle must be given preferential treatment; second, the teams and soldiers who have performed outstandingly and made military exploits must be treated preferentially; third, the teams and soldiers who undertake the most difficult combat tasks must be treated preferentially... Oh, and it may be possible to go on expeditions in the future It also involves fighting with allied armies, so when formulating a strategic product distribution plan, this must also be taken into account, and a fair and equitable distribution must be achieved! "
Thanks to the book friends Longteng Tianxia 12 for the reward!