Chapter 14
The next day, at the first glimmer of dawn, the army was urged to hurry on with their journey.
Menon bade farewell to Arreus and rushed back to lead his troops. As he rode towards the tail of the "long dragon" of Greek mercenaries, he cursed Krylkus and the others in his heart. He believed that he had allowed his troops to serve as the rearguard because the mercenary leaders were jealous of his close relationship with the Persia and persecuted him.
At the same time, he noticed that the marching soldiers looked tired and complained. It turned out that because of the march last night, the rest time was too short, and they had to guard against Persia's sneak attack, they had basically slept on the ground. Early in the morning, they had to hurry again, and the soldiers were soon tired and hungry. However, the lack of food in the various supply camps caused the morale of the soldiers to drop.
Menon thought: the food situation in the other camps is so bad, wouldn't the subordinates who have been bullied because of my absence be even more miserable these past two days?! He was afraid that the soldiers would cause trouble, so he urged his horse all the way, and only slowed down when he saw many familiar faces.
He was surprised to find that, unlike what he had imagined, these soldiers were in good spirits, and many of them were chewing on a string of black things hanging from their chests as they walked. So, he curiously called over a team officer to ask.
"This is called bacon sausage. It fills the stomach, and it won't go bad even after a few days," the team officer said, pointing to the thing on his chest.
Menon cut off a small piece and tasted it. Although it was a little dry, it tasted okay. Seeing that the soldiers of the other camps were starving while his own soldiers were full, his mood became cheerful. "This … bacon … sausage was made by Mercies?"
"No. It's a Devers — a 'Favored'! "
"A Favored?" Menon asked curiously about the situation in detail, and after listening to the team officer, his face began to turn gloomy, and he immediately noticed that some of the soldiers had indeed taken two more javelins.
"Where is this Devers?"
"His company has been sent to guard the supply camp." The team officer obviously didn't know how to read between the lines, and asked with slight excitement, "Are you going to see him?"
The team officer's expression dispelled Menon's idea. He was just a bumpkin from a small village in Thessaly. Was he worth making a fuss about? It was not in line with his status to meet a soldier in a hurry. Moreover, they were on the march now. There would be plenty of time for him to meet him in the future.
… …
From early morning to late afternoon, the troops kept marching without any rest.
Devers felt as if their legs were filled with lead, and every step was difficult. Their throats were dry, and their shields, spears, and javelins were all burdens. In the morning, he could still talk and laugh with his companions, but now he felt that even opening his mouth was a waste of his strength. However, he gritted his teeth and persevered, because his companions around him were also marching in silence.
Finally, the troops stopped. The news that came from the front made them, who had just heaved a sigh of relief, nervous again: Persia's cavalry was spotted!
It was not long before news came that they were not horsemen, but the beasts of burden of Persia grazing.
The procession continued to advance.
The sky was getting dark, and after walking for a short while, Devers saw dense plumes of smoke rising in the distance.
Hilos told him, "That must be the camp of the Persia army."
However, the procession was still moving forward, without the slightest intention of taking precautions or hiding.
It was late, and there was no moonlight. The soldiers relied on torches to move forward, and the march became more difficult.
Finally, an order came from the front: Pitch camp and rest.
The terrain here was flat and there were few trees. In addition, it was impossible to direct the construction of camps in the dark. At the same time, because there were Persia troops nearby, they were worried about being attacked. The soldiers shouted the names of their friends to each other and gathered in groups to find a way to camp. The equally exhausted team officers could not control the order, and the entire rearguard was shouting in a mess, like a boiling cauldron, making a loud noise. Many of the beasts of burden of the supply camp were frightened and fled in panic, injuring many people. The screams made the troops even more frightened and uneasy, and they were in danger of collapsing at any time.
At the critical moment, Kricus sent out the only cavalry squad in the Greek mercenary army, all armed with torches, to rush to the rearguard and loudly announce Kricus's orders, asking the soldiers to remain silent. At the same time, he ordered the supply camp to look after the livestock and punish anyone who let go of the beasts of burden. After capturing a few soldiers who were causing trouble out of fear, the troops gradually returned to silence.
Only then did Menon find the leader of the cavalry — Tormid, known as the "best herald".
"How did Kricus command the troops to march! There was almost a howl in the camp! I was gone for just one day, and things have gotten so bad! He's not fit to command the entire army! … "Menon took the opportunity to belittle Kricus.
Tormid tactfully said nothing.
"Where is he now?"
Tormid hesitated for a moment. "… In the front guard."
Menon noticed his hesitation and immediately asked, "Is he like us, without a camp to live in?"
Tormid had to tell the truth. "The front guard lives in the village … Menon, this is a special time —"
Menon interrupted him with a sneer. "This is the so-called fair and just Kricus?! He lives in a warm house while we sleep on the cold and wet ground!! "Menon also understood that it was not appropriate to agitate the soldiers at this moment, but he could not help but roar.
Fortunately, the soldiers around him were already exhausted from the previous torment, and after a few curses, they all fell asleep on the ground.
"Menon! Menon! … "someone shouted at this moment.
It was Mersis! Menon hurriedly brought him over. "How are things over there? Are there any losses? " The supply camp was the place he was most concerned about, because his belongings were all there. Only with money could there be soldiers.
"No!" A smug smile appeared on Mersis's fat face. "We formed a large circle around the supply wagons, tied the beasts of burden to the wagons, and everyone slept inside. It's very safe!"
"Don't those animals kick and scream?" Tormid asked curiously. Most of the supply camps he had seen before were in chaos.
"It was the Devers who told me to blindfold these animals, and they were very obedient!" Mersis said excitedly.
It was that Devers again! Menon frowned.
"Menon, this little guy is very smart! Why don't you assign him to the supply camp? That'll make things much easier for me, "Mersis requested.
"We'll talk about it later," Menon said lightly. The supply camp was his foundation. Mersis was his relative, and he was good at financial management and had no ambition. That was why he dared to use him with confidence. What if he let a stranger into the supply camp, and a smart stranger at that? What if he discovered his secret?
… …
Early the next morning, the herald woke Menon up and informed him that the king's messenger had arrived, and the leaders had invited him over for a discussion.
Menon mounted his horse and galloped towards the mercenary camp at the front. He could no longer see the Persia camp in his field of vision. It turned out that the loud noise of the mercenaries last night had frightened the Persia people, and they had retreated ten miles from the camp overnight.
When he was about to reach the military tent, Menon saw four heavy infantry brigades in front of the camp, fully armed and waiting. Puzzled, he walked into the tent and saw Crillkus, Proxinus, Achilles, Socrates (not the philosopher from Athens), Sosius, and several other leaders already waiting in the tent, all fully armed.
Seeing Crillkus, Menon snorted and said sarcastically, "It seems that you all had a good night last night. Only my soldiers are more pitiful, sleeping on the wet ground all night!"
As a Sparta, Crillkus was straightforward and stubborn. He also disliked Menon and did not want to talk to him much.
Achilles chuckled. "Oh, since when did Menon start to care about the soldiers?!"
Proxinus hurriedly came out to smooth things over. "Menon, I heard from Tormid that there was no accident in your supply camp last night. That's amazing! Teach us some of your experience too. "
"It's not just the supply camp! Menon's soldiers also made something … called bacon sausages. As a result, everyone starved except for his soldiers, "Socrates said to the others." That's right! "Socrates said to the others. His troops happened to be in front of Myron's troops in the marching column, so he knew the situation better.
"Menon, tell us about your experience in the camp." The requests of Sosius and the other leaders made Melon a little smug, and he could not help but say, "Even if the environment arranged for me is difficult, I can still think of a way to solve it. So it's not a good leader to just know how to fight! "
"All right … let the messenger of the king of Persia come in. Let's hear together, what new proposals does this king have? "Crillkus interrupted Menon's bragging.
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