Chapter 15
Unexpectedly, the Persia emissary 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 more. After some negotiations, the two sides reached a truce, and the Persia would provide provisions for the Greeks. This was a blessing for the mercenaries, because their food reserves had been depleted. Originally, they were going to burn and loot the villages along the way.
Although there was a truce, Krylkus did not let down his guard. The Persia emissary led the way in front, and Krylkus ordered the whole army to march in a battle formation of three columns and four columns. Along the way, they encountered trenches three or four meters wide blocking the way. The trenches were filled with sewage, and the soldiers had to cut down trees to build wooden bridges. The Devers in the supply camp of the rearguard had it easy.
"Look, that's Krylkus!" Following the direction of Oliver's finger, Dyvers saw a tall middle-aged man. His upper body was bare, and his muscles were bronze in color. There were a few obvious scars on his body. He was carrying a piece of freshly cut tree trunk with the soldiers. Walking to the ditch, he took the lead and jumped into the ditch without hesitation. Not caring about the mud splashed on his head, he immediately began to repair the broken wooden bridge.
"Yes, this is Krylkus! And where is our Menon?! "Matonis said with a sigh, full of meaning.
Due to the conflict between Menon and Krylkus, the troops led by Menon had also fought because of the conflict. But the soldiers were not fools. They had seen what their leaders had done. Who was trustworthy? Who was more capable? Their hearts were as clear as a mirror. There were more than a dozen mercenary leaders, but why was Krylkus the leader?! It was not unreasonable.
This was the way of commanding troops! The Devers had been watching Krylkus' performance and said to themselves in their hearts.
Near dusk, the Greeks arrived at their destination. The Persia emissary not only prepared comfortable accommodation for the Greek mercenaries in the village, but also provided abundant food: fruit wine, drinks, bread, palm dates …
The soldiers could not help but cheer.
For a moment, the Devers were also puzzled. Could it be that the Persia were really afraid of the Greek heavy infantry and really wanted a truce?
Just as he and his companions tasted the food and were about to gorge themselves after confirming that there was no problem, Antonios came. "Devers, Menon wants to see you!"
"Now?!" Devers gulped.
"Now!" Antonius nodded.
"Don't worry, it's nothing! Menon just heard that the Devers had helped us solve several problems. Out of curiosity, he wanted to see him. Maybe there would be a reward! "Seeing the concerned looks on everyone's faces, Antonios made a guarantee.
Antonios took the Devers to a large house in the middle of the village and said to the guard at the door, "Menon wants to see the Devers. He's already here."
The guard looked at the Devers curiously, then said, "Menon is busy right now. Please wait a moment. "
After a while, there was still no movement inside. The Devers still spoke to Antonios calmly. Antonios, however, was anxious. "What's not done yet? I'll go in and urge him!" With that, he was about to rush in when he was stopped by the guard. "Antonios, do you want me to be scolded?!"
Antonios glared at him, and the guard finally gave in. "I'm afraid of you, I'll go in and take a look." With that, he turned and ran into the house.
After a while, he came out. "Go in, Menon is waiting," he said, but his eyes did not dare to meet Antonios'.
The Devers were about to go in when Antonios pressed his shoulder and said, "Menon sometimes has a bad temper. If he says something about you, don't argue with him, just listen."
The Devers smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a child."
Antonios nodded. The conversation along the way gave him a deeper understanding of the Devers: this young man was far more stable than his peers. Watching the Devers enter the house, Antonios thought, "That's not right. If he's not a child, who is a child? Menon? "
He smiled helplessly. It seemed that this young man was not to be trifled with. He turned to the guard and said angrily, "Bortacus, you deliberately left us here."
"Oh, Antonios, you're a sensible man. Who else but Menon would do such a boring thing? "
"Hmph!"
"That young man is the 'Favored' of Hades you mentioned?! I think he seems to understand what's going on, and he just smiled at me … "
… …
The Devers certainly understood what was going on: he had seen a lot in his previous life, and it was just a show of strength. The more people used this method, the less confident they were in their control. Was Menon such a person?
The Devers curled his lips and crossed the small courtyard to the main house.
"Leader Menon, the Soldier Devers have been ordered to come!"
"Come in." A sharp and clear voice came from the house.
The Devers strode into the house. There was a man sitting in the middle of the living room, still wearing a shiny breastplate, but it did not seem to make him more dignified, because if he shaved off his white face, he would definitely be considered handsome.
The Devers could not help but think of some bad rumors about Menon, such as the ambiguous story between him and Alreus, the adjutant of Cyrus the Younger. He suddenly felt a little nervous: this man couldn't be thinking about me …
Menon was also sizing up the Devers: a strong body, average height, average appearance, and a slightly immature face without even a beard, but standing there, he gave off a different temperament.
"Well … I heard you're some 'Favored', so I'd like to ask, is the truce with us in Persia sincere? Or do they have other ideas? "Menon asked seemingly casually.
"Sorry, leader. I don't know! "The Devers answered without hesitation.
The Devers's direct answer stunned Menon a little, and finally a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Then tell me, can we go home safely this time?"
"I don't know." The Devers's answer was still straightforward.
"Bastard!" Menon flew into a rage and slammed the chair hard. "Didn't you say to the whole camp that you had an oracle! Didn't you tell the others that you knew everything! Now you're not talking! You liar! "
The Devers raised his eyebrows. "Leader Menon, I'm lucky to have survived the battlefield, but I've never claimed to be a Favored. My teammates can attest to this. What other people think and say is their business, and I don't care.
As for the oracle, I've never said anything about it. It's just that sometimes when I chat with my teammates and talk about what we might encounter next, I'm lucky to say it. Whether we can go home safely is something you have to worry about, leader. We soldiers just want to talk and get some comfort and encouragement after the battle. "
After hearing this, Menon's first reaction was that this guy was eloquent, and he couldn't find anything to counter him for a while. The way he looked directly at Menon with a calm gaze made Menon feel the other party's boldness.
Menon was a little irritated, and after a moment of daze, he waved his hand and said, "I'll look into what you said. In short, don't speculate about the Persia, it will affect the morale of the soldiers. "
The Devers immediately bowed his head and said obediently, "Yes!"
Menon's mood improved a little, and he reached out to grab a handful of drachmas and said, "Anyway, this time your idea helped our troops, and this is a reward from me, the mercenary leader, Menon. Remember, next time you have any good ideas, just tell me, and I'll give you a reward! "
The Devers pretended to be happy and reached out to take it. "Thank you, leader!"
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