Novels online

Chapter 19

After the defeat of Athens in the War of Peloponnesus and the brutal rule of the "Thirty Tyrants", the knowledgeable people of Athens were more or less aware of the flaws in the system. However, no one had ever completely rejected the democratic system of Athens like the Devers did. These deafening words were like a thunderbolt, and Xenophon was stunned for a long time. In a trance, he was confused. "… Is Sparta … the best?"

"Sparta?!" The Devers sneered. "When it decided to turn its compatriots into Helots (referring to the Mercenians), it was destined to never be strong! Although the Sparta warriors were brave, a few thousand Sparta warriors had to suppress ten times their number of slaves. Its city-state was like a volcano. Once it suffered a major defeat, the volcano would erupt. "

"Devers, Sparta is now the most powerful city-state in Greece!" Olivers interrupted.

"Then let's wait and see how long its strength can last!" The Devers replied confidently. He vaguely remembered that war broke out in Greece not long after. Sparta was defeated by the rising Thebes, and thus declined.

"Is this an oracle?" Several of his teammates looked surprised.

The Devers smiled but did not answer.

"In that case, which city-state has the best system?" Xenophon asked unwillingly.

The Devers also responded with a mysterious smile.

At this time, Xenophon seemed to have regained his composure on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. What he had been used to and believed for decades had been shattered by the Devers' words. He did not completely lose his composure because he relied on Socrates' many years of teaching, which made him better than the average person at learning and thinking independently.

He could no longer stay uneasy. He had to go back and think about what the Devers had said. And so, he bid farewell to the Devers.

Before leaving, the Devers asked in a seemingly casual manner, "Xenophon, have you commanded an army before?"

"I was a captain of the cavalry," Xenophon answered hurriedly.

Looking at Xenophon's retreating back, Dyvers' expression became solemn. As a student of Socrates, Xenophon's knowledge was obviously far greater than that of his teammates. But as an Athenian who had just arrived and was not famous, and had no rich experience as a mercenary, and was only an adjutant of Proxinus, how could Xenophon lead this retreat?!

Remembering that the author of "The Long March" was Xenophon himself, the Devers could not help but wonder if Xenophon had taken the credit of others and put it on himself.

"Devers, are Athens and Sparta really that bad?" Compared to the others who were confused, Hilos obviously understood and was even more confused.

The Devers nodded and sighed, "If it was a peaceful time, Athens and Sparta would live well, but this is an era where we will perish if we don't strive forward!"

Cyrus seemed to understand but not really. He could not help but ask the same question as Xenophon, "Then, is there any city-state in the Mediterranean that has a better system than Athens and Sparta?"

The Devers looked at Hilos's curious and longing eyes and turned his head. On the horizon, the setting sun emitted its last rays before it set. Looking at the clouds that were dyed red, he thought of the Mediterranean world in the future, where wars would occur frequently and powerful states would rise one after another like a lantern, until the Great Emperor appeared, and the dazzling light shone on the western world for more than two thousand years …

The Devers suddenly felt a sense of heroism in his heart. This time, he did not refuse to answer, but said with certainty, "Not now. If you and I can live forever, maybe one day you will be able to see it! "

… …

Early in the morning, the Devers were in a daze when they heard the hubbub of voices outside the house.

"Awake! Awake! My nephew has woken up!! "Antonios burst into the house ecstatically and hugged the Devers," Thank you! Thank you! Asistes has come back to life!! "

The Devers was not fully awake yet. He asked in a daze, "Really?"

"It's true!" Herpes, who was following closely behind, said excitedly, "Asistes has woken up! His body temperature is not as hot as yesterday. Although he is still very weak, he can already eat porridge made with bread. Devers, the method you taught him is really effective! "

Facing the admiring gaze of Herpes, the Devers's hanging heart finally relaxed. He suppressed his excitement and said calmly, "Although Asistes is out of danger, we can't relax yet. Continue to take care of him according to the method we taught him before, and let him recover as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" Herpes replied respectfully.

"Devers, there are a lot of people outside who want to see you," Hilos said as he entered the house.

"Oh, it's Capus and the others. They heard that Asistes has woken up and were very surprised. They insisted on coming over to see you. Maybe they want your help." Antonios answered with some shame. In order to save his nephew, the Devers had put in so much effort. They might even have prayed to Hades. Before he could repay them, he might bring new trouble to Hades.

"Capus?" The Devers had no impression of the name.

"The other Heavy Infantry Platoon Leader of our camp," Hilos explained.

The Devers pondered for a moment and immediately stood up, "Let's go out. Don't let them wait too long."

Surrounded by everyone, he walked out of the house.

"Look, the Devers have come out!"

"This is the Devers? He's too young! "

"Don't look at him just because he's young. He's the real person favored by Hades! Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to save Asistes. It's not like we haven't seen how Asistes looked when he was unconscious. "

"Devers, one of my men is also injured like Asistes. His whole body is burning and he's unconscious. I hope you can help him!"

"I also have an injured man …"

"And me …"

In the small courtyard, the people squeezed together were waving their arms desperately. Their shouts were like a surging tide, each wave louder than the last.

In the face of the situation that was getting out of control, everyone was a little nervous. Only the Devers's expression did not change. In his previous life, as a cadre who was promoted from the bottom up, he had seen the masses petition many times. Even when he was the village chief, there was once a meeting in town where the farmers surrounded the town government to demand an explanation for the land expropriation issue. The leaders all hid away, and only he stood up and faced the agitated farmers with hoes and sticks in their hands. He tried his best to persuade them to leave. The small situation before him was not difficult at all. Moreover, it was a good thing for him.

He raised his hand and shouted, "Everyone, please be quiet!"

"Quiet! Quiet! … "Antonius and the others shouted as well.

The people gradually calmed down.

"I am grateful for everyone's trust!" The Devers said emotionally, "We are all comrades who fight together and face death together! We are all good brothers who can entrust their right shoulder to their comrades to protect! If any of our brothers are injured, I will bring Helpes with me and do my best to save them. We will never abandon any of the injured! "

Helpes was excited to hear his name.

Hearing that, the soldiers in the courtyard were even more grateful.

"That's great! Thank you, Hades! "

"Thank you, Devers. You are our savior!"

"Devers, you are our best brother! If you have any requests in the future, I will do my best to fulfill them! "

In this era, it was common for soldiers to die from injuries or infections. It was also a nightmare that plagued the army. Now, the Devers had given them hope. Furthermore, this man was so generous and kind. How could they not be touched?