Chapter 55
The eyes of Keristhorpes and the rest immediately focused on the man in the middle. Compared to the burly men around him, he was slightly thinner, but he was wearing a brighter short-sleeved leather robe to make up for the shortcomings of his physique. In addition, he was wearing a yellowish-brown Persia robe, which covered the bare legs of the Dukea mountain people.
When his pair of light brown, radiant eyes locked onto Kelisthorpes and the others, he raised his right hand and heard the old man Dukeya shout, "Dukeya Axokonte Tribe's Great Leader greets the guests who have come from afar!"
The mountain people hit their wooden shields with short axes and said, "Oh la oh la …"
The high-pitched, beast-like roar made the Devers' eardrums uncomfortable. Because the old man was speaking in Dukea, the mercenary leaders were a little confused. Marigi immediately translated for them in a low voice, and soon they calmed down. Even the Devers curiously admired this primitive way of hospitality.
With the consent of the leaders, Marigi also shouted loudly in Dukea, "The Sparta prosecutor, Keristhorpes, sends his friendly greetings to the great leader of Cammolo!" As soon as his voice fell, the fifty silent Sparta warriors behind him roared in unison, "Hey! Hey! " Along with the two roars, the spears were stabbed into the ground in unison, and the round shields opened and closed. Immediately, silence was restored. Compared to the noise of the other side, the Sparta warriors were low-key and reserved, but they gave people an invisible pressure.
Cammolo's expression changed slightly, and his eyes were fixed on the fifty tall and straight soldiers. Each of the round shields held in their hands had a big "↑" symbol in the center. He muttered, "Sparta …"
For hundreds of years, the reputation of the Sparta warriors had spread throughout the Mediterranean, and even the people in this remote mountainous area had heard of them. He raised his right hand, and the mountain people's roars gradually stopped. "Welcome! Please sit! "He spoke in perfect Persia.
As the Sparta Censor, Keristhorpes, who often dealt with Persia, certainly understood. He also replied in Persia, "Please sit!"
The negotiation officially began …
… …
Contrary to the Devers' expectations, the seemingly barbaric Ducaya people were actually quite shrewd in their negotiations, especially Camoros. Their request was simply to use the Greek mercenaries as coolies and thugs. Their reasoning was quite sufficient. 'If our tribe becomes the ally of the Greek mercenaries, we will offend the powerful Persia. At the same time, we will be isolated and ostracized by the other tribes of Ducaya. We must offer enough benefits to make the warriors of the entire tribe agree to sign the covenant.'
The ability of the Greek negotiators was also not weak: Chrissops was sent by Sparta to be the liaison with Little Cyrus, so his diplomatic ability was unquestionable; Devers, as the main person in charge of the city's high-tech development zone in his previous life, had participated in many business negotiations; and there was also Marigi, a businessman who was familiar with Dugea.
Before they came, the mercenaries had already discussed the bottom line that they had to adhere to. That was, the Greek mercenaries had to decide their route and not be manipulated by others. They deliberately showed that they did not value the alliance very much. When the negotiations were in a stalemate, Creano said several times that it did not matter if the alliance could not be formed. The soldiers could break in by force.
In this way, the leaders of the Xokant tribe felt a headache. After all, they were the first stumbling block on the mercenaries' way to Armenia. There were clearly benefits to be reaped, but they chose to confront the Greeks, who had defeated Persia. Of course, they could also choose not to fight head-on, and the mercenaries would not be able to do anything to them. However, they could not move their stronghold away, and their houses and supplies might not be preserved. More importantly, it would deal a blow to Camolus's prestige. At the same time, it would increase the covetous hearts of the surrounding tribes towards the Xokant tribe.
After a few confrontations, they finally reached an agreement:
First, the Greek mercenaries and the Xokant tribe of Dugea would become allies. Both sides would be friendly and would not invade each other.
Second, the Greek mercenaries would decide their own route of march. The tribes near the route would be attacked by the mercenaries and the Xokant tribe together. The mercenaries would get 60% of the resources and wealth obtained, while the Xokant tribe would get 40%. The captured enemies would be handed over to the Xokant tribe to deal with. Without the consent of the Xokant tribe, the mercenaries were not allowed to kill or loot.
Third, the battle would be coordinated by Colissops and Camolus. If there were disagreements that could not be resolved, the battle would be canceled. (This was originally added by Colissops because he was afraid that Camolus would disregard the mercenaries' lives for the sake of the tribe and adopt some tactics that were disadvantageous to the mercenaries. In fact, this was never implemented in the end. After tasting the sweetness for the first time, Camolus was afraid that the mercenaries would cancel the attack plan. Therefore, if the mercenaries had any objections, he would take the initiative to negotiate with Colissops.) ;
Fourth, if the Xokant tribe had a special target that needed to be attacked, and it was not near the mercenaries' route of march, they could hire the Greeks to attack. However, they needed to discuss with the leaders and obtain the consent of the mercenaries. (This was mainly a request of Camolus. As for Colissops, Devers.
After discussion, they believed that if the cooperation between the two sides went smoothly, as long as the target was close, the mercenaries could accept the hiring. After all, since Cyrus the Younger died in battle, the soldiers no longer had any salary.) The covenant will be implemented today, and it will end when the Greek mercenaries leave Dugea.
The last procedure to achieve the covenant was the sacrifice. Colissops was already prepared for this. He ordered the slaughter of three white lambs that had been brought, and the fresh blood was placed on the tree stump. The Xokant tribe also slaughtered a deer.
Then, both sides inserted wooden strips around the stump and lit a fire. Then, both sides read aloud the terms of the covenant written on two pieces of animal skin in the Persia language. There was no priest in the mercenary army, so Colissops had to do it on his behalf. On the other hand, the strangely dressed wizard in Dugea carried it out.
When the sacrifice was completed, both sides began to discuss the next step. Suddenly, a gust of mountain wind blew, rolling up the fallen leaves on the ground and blowing out the torches around the stump. The expressions of everyone present changed. The Greeks, including the silent Sparta warriors, respectfully shouted the name of the god "Zeus". The Dugea people, on the other hand, knelt down and worshiped the mountain god they revered. Obviously, everyone believed that the god had appeared and approved of this alliance.
Therefore, the attitudes of both sides became much more positive. Camolus even sent one of his sons to serve as a guide for the mercenaries.
… …..
Twenty days later, the mercenaries left the Dugea Mountains and entered the plains.
In these twenty days, the mercenaries cooperated with the Xokant tribe and broke through four mountain strongholds. They also defeated a joint attack by the Dugea tribe. The casualties in the battle were not small, but they seized a lot of supplies. During the long march through the mountains, the supplies were maintained. The harvest of the Xokant tribe was even greater. Apart from the stubborn ones, most of the captured mountain people were forced to join the Xokant tribe. They did not know to what extent the population of the Xokant tribe had expanded, but it was obvious that Camolus was satisfied. This could be seen from the fact that he sincerely gave Colissops a good white wolf skin when they parted.
After a few days of marching through the plains, the mercenaries found some villages one afternoon. Therefore, the mercenaries happily stopped advancing and began to drive away the villagers, plunder the supplies, and set up camp in the villages. They could finally have a good night's sleep and no longer have to worry about the pain of being bitten by snakes and insects.
The next morning, the mercenaries marched to the Kentrit River, which was the border river between Ameria and Dugea. The river was about sixty meters wide.
The troops followed the guide's instructions to the place where there was a pontoon bridge and found that the pontoon bridge had been burned.
The leaders looked at the charred traces of the bridge piles on the shore and their hearts sank. The Persia people were nearby!
Colissops immediately ordered Ledes' cavalry squad to investigate the surrounding area (after entering the mountains, the cavalry squad had lost a lot of horses, and there were only five or six intact horses left). At the same time, he ordered the soldiers to go into the river to explore the depth of the water.
After receiving the order, several soldiers who were good at swimming took off their armor and walked into the river. When they reached the middle of the river, the water had already reached their chest level.
At this moment, someone shouted, "The Persia people!"
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