Kerisopes and the others focused their attention on the man in the middle for the first time: compared with the strong men around him, he was slightly thinner, but he was wearing a short-sleeved leather robe with brighter fur to make up for his kindness. Physical flaws. In addition, he should be wearing a yellow-brown Persian robe underneath, covering the legs of the Duqya mountain people who like to be exposed.
When his light-brown, radiant eyes locked on Kerisopes and the others, he raised his right hand and heard the old Duqueah shout: The leader greets guests from afar!"
The mountain people beat the wooden shield with a hatchet and said, "Oh la la la..."
The high-pitched beast-like roar made Davos' eardrums uncomfortable. Because the old man spoke the Dukya language, the mercenary leaders were a little dazed. Marigi immediately translated it to them in a low voice, and they soon regained their calm. Davers even admired this primitive treatment curiously. The way of the guest.
With the consent of the chiefs, Mariji also shouted loudly in Dukya: "Spartan Prosecutor Kerethorpes sends friendly greetings to Chief Comoro!" The Spartan warriors roared together: "Hey! Ho!" Accompanied by the two roars, the stabbing guns and pestles were neat and uniform, and the round shield opened and closed, and the silence was restored immediately. Compared with the noise of the other side, the Spartan warriors are low-key and restrained, but they give people an invisible pressure.
Kang Moruo's face changed slightly, his eyes fixed on the fifty soldiers who were as tall and straight as pine trees. There was a big "∧" symbol in the center of the round shield held in each of his hands, and he muttered: "Sba up to…”
For hundreds of years, the reputation of the Spartan warriors has spread in all parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and even people in this remote mountainous area have heard a little about it. He raised his right hand, and the roars of the mountain people gradually ceased: "Welcome! Please sit down!" He spoke in eloquent Persian.
As a Spartan inspector and often dealing with Persia, Kerisopes, of course, can understand it, and he also replied in Persian: "You too, please take a seat!"
Negotiations officially started...
… … … … …
To the surprise of Davos and the others: the seemingly savage Durkians were quite shrewd in negotiating, especially Comoros, their demands were simply to use the Greek mercenaries as coolies and thugs. The reason is quite sufficient, 'Our tribe became an ally of the Greek mercenaries, offended the powerful Persia, and at the same time was isolated and excluded by the other tribes of Dukiya. There must be enough benefits to make the warriors of the entire tribe. Agree to sign the covenant. '
The ability of the Greek negotiator is also not weak: Kerisopes can be sent by Sparta, and as a liaison with Cyrus, his diplomatic ability is unquestionable; Davos is the main responsible for the high-tech development zone of the city in the previous life. I don't know how many times I have participated in business negotiations; plus Mariji, a businessman who is familiar with Dukiya.
Before coming, the mercenaries had already negotiated the bottom line that they must adhere to: that is, the marching route of the Greek mercenaries must be determined by themselves and not at the mercy of outsiders. They deliberately showed that they did not attach much importance to the alliance. When the negotiations were deadlocked, Crianno said several times: it is okay if the alliance fails, and the soldiers can break through.
In this way, the head people of the Kesokant tribe felt a headache. After all, they were the first stumbling block on the way of the mercenaries to Armenia. They obviously had benefits to take, but they had to choose confrontation, and they were the Greeks who had defeated Persia. Of course, they can also choose not to fight head-on, and the mercenaries can't do anything about them, but the cottage can't be moved away, so the house and supplies may not be able to be kept. Increase the coveted heart of the surrounding tribes for the Xoxokant tribe.
After several confrontations, a covenant was finally reached:
Article 1: The Greek mercenaries and the Dukya Kexokante tribe form an ally, and the two sides live in harmony and do not aggress each other;
The second is that the Greek mercenaries decide their own marching routes. The tribes near the route are attacked by the mercenaries and the Kesokante tribes. The mercenaries get 60% of the materials and wealth obtained, and the Kesokante tribes get 40%. , and the captured enemies will be handed over to the Kesokant tribe. Without the consent of the Kesokant tribe, the mercenaries are not allowed to kill and loot indiscriminately;
Article 3: The battle shall be coordinated and commanded by Kerethorpes and Comoros. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, the battle shall be cancelled. (This article was originally added by Kerethorpes, who was afraid that Comoros would disregard the lives of the mercenaries and adopt some tactics that were unfavorable to the mercenaries for the benefit of the tribe. In fact, this article was never implemented in the end. , because after the first taste of the sweetness, Comoro was afraid that the mercenaries would cancel the attack plan, so whenever the mercenaries had any objections, he would take the initiative to ask Cleethorpes to negotiate a solution.);
Article 4: If the Kesokant tribe has a special target to attack, and it is not near the mercenary's marching route, it can hire Greeks to attack, but it needs to discuss with the leaders and obtain the consent of the mercenary soldiers. (This article Mainly Comero's request, while Kerethorpes, Davers
After negotiating, they believed that if the cooperation between the two parties was smooth, as long as the targets being attacked were relatively close, the mercenaries would not be unacceptable to be hired. )… The covenant came into effect today and ended when the Greek mercenaries left Duquea. "
The final process of the covenant is sacrifice. Kerethorpes was prepared for this. He ordered the slaughter of the three white lambs he brought, and placed the fresh blood food on the stump. The Kesocant tribe also slaughtered a deer.
The two sides then put sticks around the stump, set the fire, and read aloud the text of the covenant written in Persian on the two hides. There were no priests in the mercenary army, so Clethhorpes did the work. Duqueya's side has the strangely dressed wizard to execute.
When the sacrifice was over and the two sides began to discuss the next move, a gust of mountain wind hit the ground, rolled up fallen leaves, and blew out the torches around the stump, and everyone present changed their expressions. The Greeks, including the silent Spartan warriors, respectfully shouted the name of "Zeus", while the Duqueas fell to their knees and worshipped the mountain god they worshiped. Obviously, everyone thought that the god had appeared, and approved this alliance.
Therefore, the attitude of the two sides is more positive. Comoro even sent one of his sons to serve as a guide among the mercenaries.
… … … … …
Twenty days later, the mercenaries left the Duqya Mountains and entered the plains.
In the past 20 days, the mercenaries cooperated with the Kesokant tribe to break through four cottages and defeated a joint attack of the Dukeya tribe. The casualties in the battle were not small, but a lot of materials were seized. The long march in the mountains , the sustenance was maintained. The harvest of the Kesokant tribe was even greater, and most of the captured mountaineers, except the stubborn ones, were forced to join the Kesokande tribe. I don't know how much the population of the Kesokant tribe has swelled, but it is obvious that Comoro is satisfied. From the time he parted, he sincerely gave Kelishorpes a good white wolf skin. see.
One afternoon after the mercenaries had marched on the plains for a few days, they discovered some villages. So, the mercenaries happily stopped their advance, began to drive away the villagers, looted supplies, and camped in the village. Finally, they could get a good night's sleep and no longer have to worry about the pain of snake and insect bites.
The next morning, the mercenaries marched to the Kentrit River, which is the junction of Amelia and Duqya, and the river is about sixty meters wide.
The troops followed the guide's guidance to the location with the pontoon bridge and found that the pontoon bridge had been burned down.
The leaders looked at the traces of the scorched bridge piles on the shore, and their hearts sank: the Persians are nearby!
Kerisopes immediately ordered Duo to order Ryders' cavalry team to scout the surrounding area (after entering the mountains, the cavalry team lost a lot of horses, and only five or six remained intact), and at the same time asked the soldiers to go down the river to explore the surrounding area. Explore the depths.
After receiving the order, several soldiers with good water ability took off their armor and walked into the river. When they walked to the middle of the big river with a few steps, the river water had reached the chest.
At this time, someone shouted: "Persians!"
There was an immediate commotion in the team. I saw a lot of Persian cavalry on a hill on the other side, and Persian infantry lined up in battle formations on the plain under the hill, setting off a cloud of dust and marching towards the riverbank...