Chapter 11
The task assigned to the Devers was to go to the battlefield and retrieve the spears, shields, and even carriages that were abandoned by both sides. They would use them as firewood to cook meat. For this, they were even given a bullock cart.
The battlefield wasn't far from the campsite. Yesterday, when the cavalrymen went out to investigate, they discovered that the army of the Persia King had left. That was why they dared to send soldiers out to clean up the battlefield. However, many soldiers were sent out, mainly because they were afraid of being ambushed by the Persia cavalry.
Before they reached the battlefield, the Devers could see the sky in front of them from afar. It seemed to have turned dark, and countless crows were circling in the sky. Their ear-piercing caws made his heart palpitate!
When they got closer, the grassland within a radius of a few miles was covered with layers of human and horse corpses. The corpses were densely covered with flies and insects, and there were even wolves and leopards chewing on the corpses. They didn't hide when they saw people approaching them. Instead, they looked at them from afar with cold gazes …
With every step the Devers took, a swarm of flies would fly at their faces. They couldn't be chased away.
The Devers's face was pale, and he felt his stomach churning.
"Devers, you've been through this many times. Why do you still feel uncomfortable?" Matonis's concerned tone had a hint of joy in it. He felt that even though the Devers had changed, they still needed his care.
"I'm fine! Blargh … "The Devers swallowed hard. Memories were memories. After all, this was the first time he, a modern man, had witnessed such a bloody massacre on the battlefield. However, he knew that in this chaotic world, such scenes would appear before him again and again. He had to get used to it!
He released his hand that was covering his nose and forced himself to endure the pungent stench. He picked up the corpses on the ground and pulled out the shield that was underneath. He quickly swatted away the maggots on it and tossed it onto the bullock cart.
When they first arrived at the battlefield, the bullock cart couldn't stand the horrifying environment. It was restless and almost injured Matonis. It was only after the Devers came up with the idea to cover its eyes with a piece of linen that it calmed down a lot.
Everyone busied themselves for a long time. The bullock cart was full, and everyone carried a bundle of corpses.
"Where are the Devers?" Matonis noticed that one of them was missing.
"There!" Olivers pointed not far away. The Devers were throwing javelins at a vulture that was pecking at a corpse, but the seemingly clumsy vulture nimbly dodged the javelins.
"Looks like he's going to participate in the javelin competition at the Olympia!" Olivers joked.
"Shut up!" Matonis glared at him and walked toward the Devers.
When the Devers saw him, they picked up a javelin from the ground. Now, he had already begun to adapt to this harsh environment.
"Matonis, how many archers do we have?" Devers asked as he caressed the sharp tip of his spear.
Matonis was not an expert in this area at all. Thankfully, he had Giogris with him. "Archers? I remember that only Klirkus has nearly three hundred Cretan archers … If we include the light shieldbearers who can throw javelins … Hmm … All of them … Probably … About three thousand. "
"Three thousand. How many light shield soldiers do we have? "the Devers asked.
"About four hundred people …"
"Matonis, don't burn the javelins. It's quite a waste. Why don't we equip each of us with one or two javelins? What do you think?" the Devers said after some thought.
Before Matonis could answer, Olivers said, "We are heavy infantry!"
"But when facing the Persia cavalry, our heavy infantry can't get close to them. We can only dodge their arrows and javelins!" The Devers made this suggestion because the memory of this body still had this regret. When he was collecting these wooden weapons, he suddenly had this idea. He knew that there was another famous Roman heavy infantry in history. Not only were they amazing in close combat, but their javelin throwing was equally terrifying. That was why he made this suggestion.
"Alreus has enough cavalry," Olivers said.
The Devers smiled. "Rather than relying on others, we might as well rely on ourselves."
"Did Hades give you an oracle?" Giogris asked anxiously.
The Devers smiled but didn't answer.
"I think it's a good idea. Let's go back and talk to Hilos." Matonis took the javelin from the Devers' hand, turned around, and threw the javelin. The vulture that was still pecking fell to the ground.
"But, Devers, you still need to learn your javelin throwing skills!" Matonis said proudly.
The Greek heavy infantry didn't use javelins because it was a matter of tradition and habit. But the Greeks weren't bad at it. In fact, they were the best in the Mediterranean. This was because javelin throwing was one of the pentathlon in the Olympia. Greek boys started training in the arena from a young age.
"That's great! Not only will we have beef and mutton for lunch, but we'll also have bird meat! "
"I heard that the meat of this bird is inedible because it comes from hell …"
… …
In the camp, the livestock had been slaughtered. The meat was cut and placed in pots filled with water. It was set up on a makeshift stove. Everything was ready.
Everyone pulled back their weapons, chopped them up, and cooked the meat.
Matonis told Hilos the Devers' idea.
Since it was a suggestion from the Blessed, Hilos felt that the idea was acceptable after careful consideration. The javelins weren't heavy, and it was completely acceptable for a heavy infantry to carry two javelins. So he went to Antonios, hoping to get his support.
Antonius called the other nine squad leaders over, wanting to hear their thoughts first. Some of the squad leaders were in favor of it, while others were against it. The opponents stuck to the tradition of the Greek heavy infantry and believed that there were already five hundred light shieldbearers under Menon, so it was completely unnecessary for the heavy infantry to carry javelins. Those in favor of it believed that although there were five hundred light shieldbearers in the camp, they were all Thracians, and the cooperation between the two sides wasn't very good. If the heavy infantry had their own javelins, they could at least force the Persia cavalry not to get too close to reduce casualties. The two sides argued, and Antonios couldn't make a decision. He could only say that as long as it didn't affect the battle, each squad could decide whether or not to carry javelins.
Hilos returned happily and was about to tell the Devers when he found a group of people salivating at the pieces of meat in the crock, except for the Devers.
"Where are the Devers?"
"They said they were going to take a look at the internal organs of the livestock that had been thrown away … and they said it was a waste …"
Just as everyone was puzzled, they saw the Devers walk over with a bloody sheep intestine on a spear.
"Hey, take this stinky thing away! It's affecting our appetite! "Everyone covered their noses and shouted.
The Devers ignored them and said loudly, "I saw a large number of cattle and sheep organs abandoned in the supply camp, allowing the birds and wild dogs to take them away. It's such a waste! Don't forget, we were so hungry two days ago that we wanted to eat our own hands! In the next few days, whether it's in battle or on the march, there may be times when we starve. We should pick up these things and store them, in case this kind of thing happens again and we still have something to eat! "
"Can those things be eaten?" a strong soldier asked.
The Devers remembered that his name was Martius, and he was a soldier living in another tent. His question was exactly what everyone wanted to ask. The Greeks mainly ate grains and rarely ate meat. It was only because they were deep into Persia that they started to eat meat frequently due to logistical reasons. Animal organs not only smelled bad, but without spices and cooking methods, they tasted very fishy. Therefore, other than using them for divination, very few people would try to eat them. Some people even thought that eating them would cause them to be poisoned.
"Of course it's edible! Not only are these things useful … Not only can they fill our stomachs, but they can also improve our bodies. For example, they can let us see better at night, "the Devers answered with certainty.
"Really?! That's great! "Martonis said happily.
The five people in the other tent looked doubtful.
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