Chapter 8
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tisafonis couldn't help but look at Massabadi. He thought to himself, 'No wonder this guy looks so upset. If Queen Parisadis knew that her beloved youngest son was beheaded and had his hands cut off, she wouldn't let it go!'
"Tisafonis, do you think the Greeks will surrender?"
"Your Majesty! Based on my understanding of the main Greek mercenary leaders, I'm afraid … it'll be very difficult. However, there may be a few who will be willing to obey Your Majesty's orders! "Tisafonis said cautiously.
"It's good to cause internal strife!" Artaxerxes tapped his chin with his finger. He still had lingering fears when he thought about the fierce attack of the Greek heavy infantry yesterday. "… If they don't want to surrender, then … expel them from the country. Too many people in Persia have died in this rebellion! Don't let these rude and barbaric Greeks continue to plunder our land and kill our people! " Killing our people! "Artaxerxes let out a long sigh. He was gentle by nature and didn't like to argue with others. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed Little Cyrus to cause such chaos. Even when Little Cyrus raised his troops, he was still hesitant and wanted to retreat to the east. If it weren't for the ministers trying their best to dissuade him and fully support him, yesterday's battle probably wouldn't have happened.
"Your Majesty, you love the people of the empire like your own children! I'm very happy that the empire has such a benevolent ruler like you! "Tisafonis' words came from the bottom of his heart. In fact, it was because of Artaxerxes' character that he received the support of most of the ministers and nobles. Although Little Cyrus rebelled, the core of the empire didn't have any major turmoil.
"Your Majesty, I have an idea! Why don't we drive the Greeks to the north … "Tisafonis said.
Artaxerxes pondered. He knew that Tisafonis didn't want the Greeks to trample on his territory, Asia Minor, again.
"To the north …" His eyes lit up. He thought of the unruly mountain tribes that were unwilling to submit, such as the Ducaya people …
Let these barbarians fight amongst themselves! He thought, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"I'll leave this matter to you! I'll be waiting for your good news in Persia! "Having said this, he could not wait to go home. Yesterday, they received news that another riot had broken out in the eastern part of Persia. He had to return to the capital as soon as possible. Besides, he was beginning to miss his Queen, Statira.
… …
Early in the morning, a thin mist pervaded the Kunasak region. The entire Greek military camp was quiet, and most people were still asleep.
Devers walked out of the tent and looked around the strange place curiously.
Yes, he was no longer the Devers. His soul came from the twenty-first century China. As a civil servant, he had worked hard for more than ten years before he was promoted to the director of the city's high-tech development zone. His friends threw a party to celebrate him, and he drank himself into a stupor. When he woke up, he found himself in a strange place and a strange man.
He had pinched his own thigh time and time again just to prove that he was dreaming. His thigh was still aching to this day.
After a long night of adaptation, he was no longer confused about why he was here. His adaptability was considered strong. Back then, he was first in the civil servant exam to enter the government, but he was sent to a remote and poor mountainous area to be a village official. He stayed there for a few years. Not only did he persist, but he also won the favor of the county leaders with his outstanding performance and was recalled and entrusted with an important task.
… But his parents and his girlfriend who was about to get married … Now they were separated in a different time and space, and there was no way they could meet again … He took a deep breath and tried to blow away the sadness in his heart.
After walking slowly for a short distance, his mood calmed down slightly. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and warned himself, 'Since I'm already in a new world, I'll survive here tenaciously!'
Based on the remaining memories of this body, he knew that 'he' was a Thessaly person. Two years ago, for the sake of livelihood, he went out with his companions from the same village as mercenaries to earn money. A year ago, there was a conflict between Macedon and Thessaly, and the Macedonian cavalry attacked his hometown. His parents were killed, and his relatives were captured … Now, he was alone. This time, he was following the mercenary leader, Menon, to help Persia's Prince Cyrus the Younger fight.
Last night, his companions thought he was asleep, but in fact, he had been listening to their conversation. Through the conversations of his companions, he learned more. As a good young man in the 21st century, he could barely be considered a nationalistic youth. When he was a village official, he spent most of his time online in order to get through the long, lonely nights. Venting his frustrations on certain military forums had almost become his sideline. Therefore, he learned a lot about historical military knowledge and knew that he might be in the period after the War of Peloponnesus.
As for the Greek mercenaries helping the Persia prince to usurp the throne, which period of Western history was involved? As a non-historical professional, the requirements were too high, and he really couldn't think of it. It wasn't until someone said, "We have tens of thousands of heavy infantry in Greece," that it evoked his hidden memories.
Once, someone on a forum advocated that certain books must be read to understand ancient Western history. On the list of books listed, there was a book called "The Long March," which aroused his curiosity: did the ancient West also have a Long March? Because the author happened to be a famous historical figure he knew, he looked it up on the Internet and found out that it was from the famous ancient Western historical event, "The Great Retreat of Thousands of Greek Soldiers."
Because Devers vaguely remembered the rebellion in the event, the prince died in the chaos because of his recklessness, he blurted it out in a moment of anxiety. But he didn't expect that the others more or less held the hope that Cyrus the Younger would win and that everyone would get rich together, so they couldn't accept his guess at all.
Faced with one question after another, he didn't want to sour his relationship with his companions as a newcomer. Perhaps in his heart, he also held a glimmer of hope: maybe this wasn't that historical event. So, he fell silent.
In the end, everyone parted on bad terms. That night, he didn't sleep well. The unfamiliar environment and the fear of the future made it difficult for him to sleep, tossing and turning.
Early the next morning, he walked out of the tent and faced this strange new world for the first time. What came into view were tents after tents, and at a glance, it seemed endless.
Breathing in the damp and fresh air, he gathered his courage and walked forward. Occasionally, someone would come out of the tent and greet him when they saw him, and he would respond with a smile. There were even soldiers who knew that he was injured and asked about his injury with concern, and he would stop to express his gratitude and take the opportunity to chat a little and learn about the situation from others. Obviously, it wasn't because he was a big shot that everyone treated him kindly, but because some of Menon's mercenaries were Thessaly's people, and many of them had even fought alongside him for more than two years and were very familiar with each other. So as he walked, the sense of unfamiliarity gradually dissipated.
Not far away, the neighing of horses and the crying of sheep attracted him forward. In Devers's memory, this large area surrounded by wooden fences and located in the center of their barracks was the supply camp of the mercenaries led by Menon. Not only were there many pack horses and pack mules, but there were also some cattle and sheep plundered along the way, as well as a batch of food that Cyrus the Younger had given to Menon. Moreover, there were merchants stationed there, and when passing through a big city, there would even be nearby merchants who would come here to make money.
When he walked to the entrance, a group of guards armed with spears stopped him.
"No one is allowed to enter without Menon's order!" Behind the guards, a short and fat man shouted angrily.
Devers glanced at him and turned to walk around. He didn't want to cause trouble. Behind him, the fat man's reprimand to the guards could be heard. "Next time someone comes, you have to be more fierce, and you won't be able to suppress these thieves! Since last night, five sheep have been lost. When Menon punishes me, I'll punish you! "
It seemed that the mercenaries were seriously short of food! He didn't know how much food the Persia army had stolen when they broke in yesterday. He pondered as he walked, and before he knew it, a simple wall made of branches and wooden sticks loosely inserted into the soil appeared in front of him, blocking his way. Although there were still dense tents in front of him, he knew that it was another mercenary camp.
At this time, the sun had risen high in the sky, and the thick fog gradually dissipated, allowing him to see into the distance. The sky was high and the fields were wide, the wind was cool, and for a moment, he was intoxicated … According to his companions, the city ahead was Babylon, and not far away was the Euphrates River: one was the capital of one of the four ancient civilizations, and the legendary hanging gardens were desirable; the other was the mother river of the people of the Mesopotamian plains. I wonder if I'll have a chance to see it?
However, the sudden boiling of the camp startled him. A feeling of uneasiness welled up in his heart, and he quickly returned.
At this time, the soldiers came out of their tents with nervous and uneasy expressions, discussing excitedly with each other. The words that reached his ears turned into six words: Cyrus the Younger is dead!
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