Meanwhile, Bulkos was being questioned by the generals of Thurii in the city hall.
Thurii's political system was similar to that of Athens, with the city-state's administration typically managed by a 'Council of Ten Generals' (after all, it was a city established under Athenian influence). However, unlike the Athenian generals who were elected by the Assembly, Thurii's generals were chosen differently because the initial settlers came from ten regions of Greece: Arcadia, Achaea, Boeotia, Ionia, Athens, Doris... and so on.
Therefore, each year, citizens of Thurii from these ten regions would each nominate a general, and the chief general was always a descendant from Athens.
However, after the end of the Peloponnesian War and Athens' defeat, in order to prevent retaliation from Sparta and the city-states of Magna Graecia allied with Sparta (such as Taras, Croton, Syracuse, etc., all powerful states), under the promotion of Cunogolata of the Arcadian tribe, all Athenian descendants within Thurii were expelled.
From then on, Thurii was left with only 'Nine Generals,' and the chief general was then elected by the council from among the nine generals nominated by the tribes. Cunogolata had served as chief general for four consecutive years until last year when Thurii suffered a disastrous defeat due to the Lucanian invasion, and the Assembly cast most of their votes for Pheraeus, whom they considered the most militarily capable.
Although he lost the chief position, Cunogolata was still elected as one of the Nine Generals, as his reputation within the Arcadian tribe was too high.
Now, he held the mercenary agreement signed by Bulkos and asked, "Bulkos, as the person in charge of recruiting soldiers abroad this time, you should be aware of the price situation for mercenaries in the entire Greek region, roughly how much is it?"
"Generally, about half a Daric gold coin per month," Bulkos truthfully replied.
"Very good, it's roughly the same as what I know. I noticed that in these two mercenary agreements, the first one is indeed half a Daric gold coin per month, but in the second agreement—" Cunogolata said loudly, facing the other generals, "Also more than two thousand mercenaries, but the fee you offered is two Daric gold coins per month!"
Hearing this, the generals exclaimed in surprise.
Before Bulkos could explain, Cunogolata raised the parchment scroll with the agreement written on it and continued, "Not only that, but you also signed a six-month employment period for them. According to the regulations above, regardless of whether the war ends or not, they must be paid two Daric gold coins per month! Everyone, think about it, if the Lucanians postpone their attack, according to this agreement, these mercenaries can get nearly twenty-five thousand gold coins for free in these six months without making any effort!"
"Good heavens, this is too much!" Amid the renewed exclamations of surprise from the crowd, another general, Neonysis, said angrily, "Last year, in order to prepare military funds for Thurii's army to attack the Lucanians, the treasury took out three hundred talents of silver, and as a result... fifty talents were taken out to compensate the families of the fallen citizens; at the same time, in order to defend against the Lucanian siege, rush to make weapons, repair the city walls, and once conscript citizen soldiers, another one hundred and fifty talents were taken out; this year, in order to purchase and supply food for the Tarantum reinforcements and mercenaries, as well as rebuild the destroyed villages, farmlands, and other facilities, one hundred and twenty talents of silver have already been spent, and it's still not enough!
The war hasn't even started yet, and the treasury is almost empty. Before, we even discussed whether to levy a special war tax on the citizens. These are the wealth accumulated by Thurii over the years and the hard-earned tax payments of the citizens! As the general in charge of the city-state's finances and taxation, I cannot tolerate such an absurd agreement, and I will refuse to pay their salaries!"
"Yes, we do not recognize this mercenary agreement!" Most of the generals followed suit and expressed their opposition.
At this time, Chief General Pheraeus spoke, "Cunogolata, the news that the Lucanians are gathering troops in Laos has been confirmed, and we all know it, so there is no possibility that the Lucanians will not attack within half a year, because the food consumption of a large army gathered together is very huge.
With the grain production capacity of the Lucanian region, it is impossible to support it for half a year, and if it is gathered and then canceled, it will only weaken the prestige of the chief of their tribal alliance, unless there are special circumstances, the Lucanian attack will come soon! And in this critical moment, we need more soldiers to help us resist the Lucanian attack!"
"Pheraeus, you can't rule out the possibility of accidents. For example, before, everyone thought that the Lucanians would attack the city after a great victory, but as a result, they suffered a plague and were forced to retreat..." Cunogolata retorted, "Whether the enemy attacks or not is not the key, the key is that this agreement makes those mercenaries the beneficiaries no matter what the situation, while Thurii is always at a disadvantage, that is the problem!
You recommended Bulkos as the person in charge, and I don't think he has done his best in this mission! Look at the treatment he gave to those mercenaries, not only the salary, but also this... look... 'The mercenaries led by Davos are only responsible for defending Thurii and repelling the Lucanian attack on Thurii. If there are other tasks, they must be discussed and decided separately by both parties...'"
Cunogolata read the terms of the mercenary agreement aloud, then sneered at Bulkos and said, "Are you sure you only recruited mercenaries, not Spartan warriors?! We pay the money, we are the masters, but now these mercenaries have become VIPs, and everything has to be consulted with them! I now seriously suspect that Bulkos has private dealings with this mercenary army, and I demand that a financial officer be sent to investigate him!"
"Enough, Cunogolata!" Pheraeus finally couldn't bear it and shouted loudly, "Although Bulkos was recommended by me, it was decided by all the generals after discussion. Don't forget that you were the second to agree! This shows that his ability has been recognized by everyone. In such a short period of time, he has traveled east and west, working tirelessly, and quickly recruited more than four thousand soldiers for Thurii, which has solved the problem of Thurii's shortage of troops at once, making the citizens feel at ease and ensuring the safety of the city-state!
He should have been rewarded by the city-state and thanked by the citizens, but he still has to accept your humiliation here. Is this the way Thurii should treat a citizen who has contributed to the city-state! If this is the case, who will volunteer to do things for Thurii in the future! !" Pheraeus's words temporarily silenced the city hall.
Bulkos took advantage of the situation and said, "I didn't expect the city-state's finances to be so tight! However, the reason for signing this agreement and recruiting these soldiers is partly because the situation was urgent at the time, and partly because they are worth it for me to do so!
Although they are not Spartan warriors, they are not weaker than Spartan warriors!"
This sentence immediately attracted everyone's attention. Neonysis obviously didn't believe it and said sarcastically, "Everyone knows the Spartans, who have been trained as warriors since they were young, so they are so terrible when they grow up. Is there a second city-state in the world that adopts a similar system? Oh... By the way, there is also the Persian Immortals mentioned in Herodotus's 'History'. Are they Persians?"
Bulkos looked at Neonysis coldly: "These soldiers really have something to do with the Persians!"
"Oh?!" Pheraeus asked with interest: "Does this mercenary army have any special origin?"
Seeing that the eyes of the generals were focused on him, Bulkos glanced at Poluxis, who had been silent, and said calmly, "After receiving the task assigned by the generals, I set sail that day. As a result, when passing through the Adriatic Sea, I encountered two pirate ships and was almost captured by them. Fortunately, Poseidon blessed me and a strong wind blew, risking the ship being overturned, I escaped and sailed all the way to Crete before landing to rest and repair the ship. I originally wanted to recruit some archers there. The locals told me, 'Recruiting a small number of people is possible, but if a large number of people are needed, Spartan permission must be obtained, because Crete now belongs to the Spartan Alliance.' He also told me that most of the mercenaries are now gathered in Asia Minor, and suggested that I go there to recruit, but it is best to obtain Spartan recruitment permission. After careful consideration, I decided to take a trip to Sparta."
Several generals couldn't help but become nervous. Although they had expelled the Thurii citizens of Athenian descent in order to eliminate the retaliatory intentions of the Spartan allied city-states, turning the main ten tribes in Thurii into nine tribes, they did not know how Sparta viewed Thurii.
"… I, impersonating an envoy from Thurii, finally arrived in Sparta after much effort. At the council of elders, I told the Spartan elders about the tribulations Thurii had suffered and requested reinforcements from them. The Spartan elders expressed sympathy for Thurii's plight but had no reinforcements to send. Instead, they gave me a certificate of recruitment permission…"
"Smart!" When Bulkos said this, Pherres couldn't help but praise loudly. The other generals also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Sparta didn't care too much about Thurii helping Athens.
"Fortunately, we took timely measures, so Sparta could treat us with such an attitude," Kunogorata said from the side. Several generals agreed. Whether Sparta changed its attitude because Thurii expelled the Athenian descendants, or simply didn't care about Thurii at all, these generals who had expressed support and approval for the expulsion of the Athenian descendants needed this false recognition to dispel the guilt in their hearts.
Bulkos glanced at the generals and continued, "When I arrived in Miletus, while recruiting mercenaries such as Drakos and Sestas, I heard a lot of news about Cyrus the Younger leading Greek mercenaries to attack Persia in an attempt to usurp the throne."
The generals nodded. Although Thurii was thousands of miles away from Asia Minor, they knew about this news. Not to mention the frequent merchant ship traffic between the eastern and western Mediterranean, even the earliest batch of mercenaries, although only stationed outside the city, constantly had peddlers and even prostitutes going to the military camp to do business, spreading some news and stories into the city.
"The Greek mercenaries defeated the Persian king's army. Although Cyrus the Younger died in battle, they repeatedly defeated Tissaphernes, the Persian satrap of Asia Minor, and Orontas, the satrap of Armenia, on their way back to Greece. It is said that they also killed several famous Persian generals! They marched thousands of miles, constantly fighting with the local natives, including many mountain tribes that gave the Persians a headache. Generals, do you think such a Greek mercenary army is rich in combat experience? Is it amazingly powerful? Is it comparable to the Spartans?"
"Could it be that the army you hired is…" One of the generals couldn't help but exclaim, "Is that the Greek mercenary army that went on an expedition to Persia?!"
"Yes, generals." Seeing the expressions of surprise and excitement on everyone's faces, Bulkos finally felt a weight lifted from his heart. "The reason why we failed in the last battle with the Lucanians was not only because of Asicudoloyax's carelessness but also because the citizens had been living in peace for a long time and lacked combat experience."
In fact, after the Thuriians repelled the Lucanian invasion, they launched a large-scale active attack into Lucanian territory. This was not only Asicudoloyax's intention. The entire Thurii citizenry, including the generals, were pushing for it. This strong desire to retaliate against the Lucanians prompted the entire army to be careless and reckless in the enemy's territory, resulting in almost complete annihilation.
At this time, Bulkos, against his will, pushed the blame onto Asicudoloyax (this was also the scapegoat found by the Thurii citizen assembly after the disastrous defeat). Seeing the generals nodding in agreement, he couldn't help but despise them inwardly, but he still said seriously, "I think if we can hire such an army, the danger faced by Thurii can not only be eliminated but also give the Lucanians a huge blow. So, I arranged for my subordinates to stay in taverns and inns, constantly inquiring about the whereabouts and movements of the Greek expeditionary force. Soon after, I learned that they had arrived in Heraclea on the coast of the Euxine Sea, but at the same time, I learned another bad news: 'Sparta and Persia are about to go to war, and the Spartan general Thibron has even been appointed as the satrap of Asia Minor, rushing to Miletus to start recruiting troops.' I was afraid that this Greek expeditionary force would be recruited by Sparta, so I took a fast ship overnight to the Hellespont and found them in Byzantium.
However, most of the mercenaries were already tired of fighting and unwilling to leave their homes to fight in distant and unfamiliar Thurii. Only the unit led by Chief Davos, under the temptation of the high salary I offered and after I agreed to some of their demands, agreed to accept the employment. And just after I led them away from Byzantium by ship, we were intercepted by the Spartan fleet. It turned out that Thibron, the Spartan satrap of Asia Minor, had sent an envoy to try to get the entire Greek expeditionary force to fight for him. Davos's unit was the best in the expeditionary force. Several Persian generals were actually killed by them. It was only because I had a signed employment agreement in my hand, as well as a recruitment permit issued by the Spartan Council of Elders, and also paid half a talent to bribe the Spartan envoy, that the fleet was allowed to pass…"
"Everyone, Bulkos, after accepting the mission we entrusted to him, went through hardships and dangers, even risking his life. He did not fear or give up, but used his wisdom and perseverance to finally complete the recruitment, it should be said that he completed a recruitment mission that exceeded our expectations! Not only did he bring strong reinforcements to Thurii, but he also let us understand Sparta's attitude towards Thurii. We should thank him! The citizens of Thurii should all thank him!!" Pherres said excitedly, taking the lead in applauding.
The other generals also followed suit, and the applause lasted for a while.
Bulkos didn't know what to say at this time.
Kunogorata stepped forward and said with a sincere face, "Bulkos, you are a hero of Thurii! Please forgive me for what I said just now. I shouldn't have suspected you like that. It's just that Thurii's financial problems have been giving us a headache recently. Are you willing to accept my apology?!"
Bulkos nodded to show his acceptance.
Then, Neonsis also expressed his apology.
Another general, Ansitanos, said, "Should we visit this Greek mercenary leader who went on an expedition to Persia to express Thurii's welcome to them?"
"Ansitanos, I know you want to learn more about Persia from them to complete the sequel to your teacher Herodotus's great 'History'," Kunogorata said seriously, "But now is not a good time. I admit that this unit Bulkos mentioned is indeed amazingly powerful, but they are, after all, mercenaries, foreigners! And we represent Thurii! Everyone should know that soldiers who are accustomed to bloody killings, while deterring the enemy, may also threaten themselves. Such examples are not uncommon. We cannot spoil them and let them have unnecessary fantasies. And if we value them too much, what will the other mercenary think?! What will the reinforcements from Tarentum think?!"
"That's right! They are just free men. We are paying them to fight for us!" Neonsis shouted loudly.
Kunogorata took the opportunity to continue, "Neonsis is right! No matter how strong the mercenaries are, they are still mercenaries. We pay, we are the employers. Everyone, don't reverse this relationship!"
Although he had some differences with Kunogorata in governing philosophy, Pherres had to nod and say, "Kunogorata is right. We will treat them according to the previous mercenary treatment. There is no need to value them too much."
At this time, Neonsis said, "Now that we have strong reinforcements and the Lucanians are about to launch an attack, should we re-discuss the response plan?"
Kunogorata immediately said, "The villages and farms outside the city have been renovated, and the wheat seeds have been sown. We must repel the Lucanians before they destroy the property of the citizens again!"
"Our disastrous defeat last time was because we were too reckless, resulting in the death of more than 10,000 citizens, so we must be cautious! You must know that according to the news, the number of Lucanian troops may exceed 10,000," Pherres said cautiously, "And the number of our soldiers, plus the mercenaries and the reinforcements from Tarentum, is at most only 9,000, including many citizens who are over forty years old."
"The reason for Asicura Lodoax's failure was his invasion of Laos. Due to unfamiliar terrain, he suffered a disastrous defeat after being ambushed by the enemy in the mountains. If it were on the plains of Thurii, facing them head-on, how could the poorly equipped and loosely organized Lucanian mountain people be a match for the Greek hoplites? Even if they were fewer in number, it wouldn't be a problem," countered Kunogolata.
"Pherias, we can't afford to drag out this war. If we hide in the city and allow the enemy to once again trample our fields, burn our villages, fisheries, and mines, and if every month we have to convene a citizens' assembly to discuss whether to levy a war tax in order to pay the mercenaries' salaries and food, I don't think the citizens will agree!" Neonsis also stepped forward and said.
"Of course the citizens won't agree! Pherias, the citizens elected you as chief general because they believe you have the ability to quickly turn the tide of the war, drive away the Lucanians, and ensure the safety of Thurii, just like you did when you first came to power, immediately sending Bulkos out to recruit soldiers and sending envoys to Tarentum for help. Now that powerful reinforcements have arrived, you can no longer hesitate, sit back and watch the citizens' property be destroyed, and Thurii's treasury collapse. You must make a decision as soon as possible and not disappoint the people's expectations!" Poluxis, who had been silent all along, also spoke.
Bulkos didn't expect Poluxis to join the ranks of those urging Pherias, and as he was getting anxious, Kunogolata saw him retreating into a corner and, remembering something, used the excuse that "an important military meeting involving state secrets should be avoided by irrelevant people" to have the guards escort Bulkos out of the town hall.
Bulkos stood on the steps of the town hall, dazed for a while. From a rational point of view, he felt that he should trust Pherias's judgment, after all, compared to other generals who had no war experience due to years of peace, Pherias, who was over sixty years old, had participated in the war with Tarentum in his youth and had served as a hoplite company commander and battalion commander, with relatively rich combat experience; but emotionally, he also hoped to quickly defeat the terrifying Lucanians, because every Thurii citizen hoped that these robbers would stay away from their homeland, and at the same time, Davos's troops gave him confidence.
Under the influence of this contradictory mentality, he subconsciously walked towards the harbor. After walking for a while, he stopped. Although the generals in the town hall had accepted the agreement he signed, frequent contact with Davos's troops might be criticized. He sighed and turned to go home…
… … … … … … … … … … …
Davos, of course, didn't know about the dispute targeting them that had occurred in the Thurii town hall. Although he was puzzled by the fact that Bulkos, who had promised to report the situation to the Thurii generals and then come over, had not appeared, his main focus was on building the camp.
In the past few days, with the efforts of all the soldiers, the Thurii camp began to take shape. At this time, Bulkos sent his men to deliver four horses, saying they were for his use.
Davos had already noticed Bulkos's and the Thurii high-level officials' intentional distancing, but he didn't take it to heart. After all, when the team passed through many Greek city-states along the coast of the Ionian Sea, those city-states treated mercenaries in the same way. This was the helplessness of mercenaries.
He asked Bulkos's men to convey his thanks to Bulkos, then asked Felicius to stay behind in the camp to handle military affairs, and he himself, led by Asistestes, Ledes, and a trusted slave of Bulkos as a guide, rode to look around Thurii to understand the terrain.
The flat and fertile Subari Plain (which some Thurii people call the Thurii Plain) was already lush with grass and flying birds in the April spring, with pleasant scenery.
Davos and his party rode happily, and constantly coming into view were patches of green farmland and canals, as well as hardworking slaves and farmers. The wide dirt road was muddy due to frequent spring rains, and from time to time, caravans of slaves could be seen struggling to push truck stuck in mud pits…
A thought flashed through Davos's mind: such scenes were also common in the Greek city-states of the Ionian Sea.
The Greeks, who were good at business, didn't seem to have much interest in road construction, which could best promote trade. Their energy seemed to be focused on maritime trade and ships, but the Romans, who rose up after them, created the most complex and advanced Mediterranean road network of the era.
Traveling west along the Krati River for about twenty miles, they saw a large city standing on the north bank of the river.
At this time, the guide said: "When choosing the location to build the city, the Athenians discovered that the confluence of the Krati River and the Kosenni River was a very good place to build a city. Because the river is very wide here, and the water flow is gentle, it is possible to build docks to accommodate enough merchant ships. When they were preparing to build a city here, they discovered that there was a very large natural spring here, which the locals called Thurii, so they named this new city Thurii…"
"A very interesting story," Davos said perfunctorily, looking up: the Krati River was so full of ships that it was impossible to see the opposite bank clearly.
"It would be better to rebuild in the old city of Sibaris. Wouldn't it be better to build a port directly on the coast!" Asistestes said in confusion.
Davos had already learned about this matter from Bulkos, so he didn't want to say more, and pointed forward, saying: "We'll go around the city."
Because Thurii was built at the confluence of two rivers, it was divided into three parts: the South City, the North City, and the delta protrusion at the confluence of the two rivers, with the main part of the city in the North City.
Davos and his party traveled along the moat outside the city wall of Thurii's North City for about a mile, and finally reached the bank of the Kosenni River. In their eyes: Thurii's city walls were built with large strips of rock, and the gaps between the stones were tightly connected. The wall was at least ten meters high, and there was a five-meter-wide moat twenty meters outside the city wall. It was connected to the Krati River, and its depth must be quite deep. All of this was enough to make every besieger feel a headache. And the three or four teams of sentries patrolling back and forth on the city made them feel the approach of the atmosphere of war.
The young Asistestes even jokingly waved to the sentries.
Heading north along the north bank of the Kosenni River, they soon saw the floating bridge on the river. Davos noticed that the delta between the two rivers was not flat, but hilly. The guide said that these uneven, undulating hills became a barrier to prevent the spring river water from rising and turning the land between the two rivers into a swamp.
After traveling for about twenty miles, the terrain began to gradually rise, and the ground changed from pure soil to a mixture of sand and soil. Fortunately, the river bank was still relatively flat.
Davos and his party walked a few more miles, and the upper reaches of the Kosenni River turned from due west to southwest, while a river rushed down from due west and joined the Kosenni River at this point.
"This is the Tino River, a tributary of the Kosenni River, a river that the Thurii people dislike," the guide said.
"Why?" Asistestes asked curiously.
"Because there are many hot springs in its upper reaches," the guide answered irrelevantly.
"Hot springs?!" Davos became interested as soon as he heard this.
They sped up, but when they arrived, they were all dumbfounded: the Tino River had become a small river a few meters wide here. On the south bank of the river, there were indeed pools of steaming water, but countless small streams flowed out of the rock crevices at the foot of the mountain, turning this area of interwoven rocks and grass into a swamp.
"In spring, because the snow on the mountain melts, it all turns into small streams and mixes with the hot springs, and finally flows into the Tino River. If it encounters a rainy season, the Tino River will rise sharply and overflow the river bank, flowing back into the hot spring swamp on the south bank, and there—" The guide pointed forward: "The Great River Beach."
Davos looked forward and saw that the river bank in front seemed to have had a large piece bitten off, depression down, forming a semi-circular bowl shape, with a river beach below and gentle slopes all around.
The group descended the gentle slope and entered the large river beach. It was much easier to walk here than before: the soil was soft, the surface was flat, and almost level with the river.
"You just said that the Thuriians hate this hot spring swamp, why?" Alexisthenes still lingered on the previous question.
The guide glanced at him and said, "Because of the hot springs, the water temperature in this swamp is suitable all year round, so there are a lot of mosquitoes, and the bites are very severe. The Thuriians are almost unwilling to come here."
Alexisthenes stared at the opposite bank. The dense mist greatly obscured his vision, adding a bit of mystery to the swamp.
Davos was silent, gazing at the large river beach, the Thinos River, and the hot spring swamp on the opposite bank, pondering something.
After walking about half a li, the river beach came to an end. They had to dismount and walk in order to climb the gentle slope, because the muddy ground was slippery and impossible to ride on.
After ascending the gentle slope and leaving the large river beach, the rest of the way was uphill. The farmland became less and less, while the trees became more and more numerous and lush, until there was no trace of human buildings.
At this time, Davos and his group had reached an open area on the hillside, but the guide refused to go any further: "Beyond that mountain ridge ahead is the Lucanian camp, it's too dangerous!"
Davos and the others pleaded and persuaded him before the guide agreed to take them to take a look from a distance.
Standing on the hilltop, braving the biting mountain wind, they looked forward: ahead was a higher hill. The scenery should have been lush green, but a large number of trees had been felled, clearing a large area. Countless tents were scattered haphazardly on it, and the Lucanians, who looked as small as ants from a distance, densely filled the area…
"Wow, there are quite a few people!" Even Alexisthenes, who had seen the Persian army of thousands of horses, couldn't help but say.
Davos didn't speak, carefully observing for a while, then pointed to a certain place in front and asked, "What is that place?"
The pale-faced guide looked blankly and asked, "Where?"
"On the right side of the hill, it seems… that Lucanian teams are constantly coming out of there…" Davos pulled the guide over and pointed forward again, saying.
The guide widened his eyes and carefully confirmed before saying, "Oh, that's a mountain pass, there is a mountain road that leads directly to the Lucanian territory."
"How long is the mountain road?" Davos continued to ask.
"I haven't walked it, but I heard it's more than forty li. It sounds like it's not too far, but the mountain road is difficult to walk, and it probably takes a day or two to walk. Oh… that's right, the Thurii army was ambushed while marching on this mountain road, and was defeated…" The guide said with a look of fear.
Davos gazed at the continuous mountains behind the hill, lost in thought.
"Thurii should build a fortress here, then the Lucanians wouldn't be able to enter so easily," Lydes said.
"Thurii originally had a camp here, but nothing major has happened for decades, and the conditions here are simple, so not many citizens are willing to be stationed here. Unexpectedly, the Lucanians would suddenly launch a large-scale attack, and as a result…" The guide said dejectedly.
"If the Thuriians had held this place, we wouldn't have anything to do," Davos said lightly. From the fact that this mountainous area has hardly been developed, it can be seen that the Thuriians simply didn't care about this place. It would be strange if they could hold it. This is the common problem of the Greeks—this nation that loves sailing and commerce—they have no interest in mountainous areas at all.
Under the guide's repeated urging, the group embarked on the return journey.
Seeing that Davos and his party looked relaxed, the house slave, who was regarded as a confidant by Burkos, couldn't help but ask, after hearing his master say that these people were all battle-hardened warriors, "Leader Davos, do you think we can defeat these Lucanians?"
"We'll only know after we fight." Davos said indifferently.
This time, they traveled east along the right edge of the Sybaris Plain. This side was also a continuous mountain forest. A cheerful stream accompanied them all the way east, eventually converging into a river. When Davos, who had been riding along the south bank of the river, saw the soldiers cutting down trees on the opposite bank, he remembered that this was the river that Philius had mentioned—the guide called it the Sybaris River.
Seeing that the sky was already dusk, Davos dispelled his plan to continue exploring north. He dismounted, waded across the river, and planed the logs with the soldiers, carrying the wood back to the camp.
After eating dinner, listening to the reports from Philius and the officers of each squad, confirming that the mercenaries were operating well, and sending them away, Davos calmed down and used a branch to draw the terrain he had scouted during the day on the ground. After repeated modifications until he was satisfied, he stared at it for a long time, firmly remembering this pattern in his mind along with the scenery. Of course, this was just a rough sketch, and he would need to send scouts to further refine it, such as the approximate area of the Sybaris Plain, the width and depth of the Crathis River, the area of the large river beach, and so on.
In war, intelligence work is paramount, and terrain reconnaissance is the most important part of intelligence work! The past six months of fighting had taught Davos a lot. Combining it with his knowledge from his previous life, he had always firmly believed that famous generals also needed "ninety-nine parts of sweat plus one part of talent" to be trained. There were never generals who could sit high in the court and remotely control troops to win battles, so he had always been working tirelessly and personally…
… … … … … … … … … …
The next day, led by the guide, Davos and his group continued to explore north. Crossing the Sybaris River, there were about ten li between the mountain forest and the bay. The land in between was even flatter. It was still part of the Sybaris Plain, but the Thuriians did not plant wheat here, but instead planted olive trees and opened vineyards.
According to the guide, the wine produced here was famous throughout Greater Greece. This made Davos think of the story from his previous life about the ancient Sybarites taking luxurious baths in wine, which was probably from the wine produced here.
It was just that at this time, the vineyards were overgrown with weeds and unattended.
"That's because Lucanians from Amendolara City are wandering around nearby from time to time. The people are afraid and dare not come over…" the guide explained.
"Thurii should send troops to provide protection for their citizens!" Alexisthenes said disdainfully.
"Thurii probably doesn't have enough troops after the last defeat. Protecting Thurii City is their primary concern," Davos said.
"Leader Davos is right!" The guide seized the opportunity to escape the awkward situation.
"Didn't you say that there aren't many Lucanians in Amendolara City? We can provide protection for the Thuriians here, of course, for a small protection fee," Alexisthenes said jokingly.
"Alex, you will also be independently leading troops in battle in the future. There is one thing you must remember: don't easily disperse your forces!" Davos said seriously, "Our main task now is to help Thurii defeat the Lucanian army. Don't worry about anything else for now. As long as we win, Amendolara will not be a problem at all!"
Alexisthenes and Lydes listened carefully, nodding repeatedly.
The group continued forward until a river blocked their way.
"This is the Saracen River, the boundary river between Thurii and Amendolara," the guide said.
"So that means going past here is Amendolara's territory," Davos pointed forward.
"Yes, it's possible to encounter Lucanians at any time. Let's go back here," the guide looked apprehensive.
But Davos was obviously interested: "Can this river be waded across?"
Before the guide could answer, Alexisthenes, who could no longer restrain himself, had already spurred his horse into the river, reaching the opposite bank in an instant across the ten-meter-wide river.
"The water is only up to the thighs," Alexisthenes gestured while standing in front of his horse.
"Lydes, Philius left a hundred soldiers at the logging site for defense. Go and bring them here. Let's cross the river together and take a look," Davos immediately gave the order.
"Yes!" Lydes ran back excitedly.
The guide could only wait helplessly at this time.
More than ten minutes later, Lydes hurriedly ran over with more than a hundred fully armed soldiers.
Although these soldiers were panting, they also looked excited. Seeing them, Davos became even bolder: "We're crossing the river!"
The guide didn't understand why these people were so excited. Didn't they know that there were terrifying Lucanians on the other side of the river? But as a slave, he couldn't stop them, so he could only follow behind with trepidation.
After crossing the Saracen River, Davos clearly felt the terrain rising. The mountains ran parallel to the coast to the north, but the distance between them had shortened considerably. The narrow space increased the safety of Davos' journey, but he did not let his guard down. He instructed Asistes and Ledes to serve as scouts on the left flank of the team, closely monitoring the situation in the mountains to prevent the enemy from flanking them and cutting off their rear.
In the following journey, Davos did not see a coast with soft beaches, but rather steep cliffs and jagged reefs. The sea rhythmically beat against the shore, creating a rather startling sound.
"It seems unlikely that Amendolara has a port," Davos thought, a sense of disappointment rising from the bottom of his heart.
At this moment, the guide shouted, "Look, that's Amendolara!"
Following the direction of his finger, a city in the distance appeared intermittently.
Davos' spirits lifted, and he spurred his horse forward for a short distance, followed closely by the soldiers.
Now he could see clearly: Amendolara was actually a mountain city, which was inconsistent with Greek traditions! It was built on a mountain, which seemed quite high, facing east and overlooking the Gulf of Taranto. The morning mist in the mountains surrounded it, making it appear faint and indistinct.
To see more clearly, Davos continued forward.
The guide followed cautiously, because they were less than a mile away from Amendolara. Although they had not seen any Lucanians before, it did not mean that the Lucanians would not come out to 'welcome' them at their doorstep!
At this moment, another river blocked their path. The river was less than ten meters wide, and the clear water allowed them to see the bottom, making it easy to wade across.
"This is the Sisno River. Not far to the north, there is another river called the Bradano River. Amendolara is located between the two rivers. Let's stop here; we can't cross the river anymore," the guide pleaded.
Davos couldn't help but sigh at the abundance of water resources on the Apennine Peninsula! No wonder the citizens of Greater Greece lived better than those in mainland Greece. The snow on the Apennine Mountains melted, eventually forming rivers, which washed the soil and rocks from the mountains to the lowlands year after year, making the land fertile! Compared to the sandy and rocky land of Greece, it was like heaven and earth! It's just that the plain area is too small.
During wartime, mountain cities were generally easy to defend and difficult to attack, but they needed to solve two problems: food and water. Since Amendolara was surrounded by rivers, water should not be a problem... Davos pondered while observing the Amendolara city not far away: This city did not seem large, at least a hundred meters above the ground, but the slope was gentle, and a stone wall surrounded the city...
Seeing that Davos neither crossed the river nor left, but stood by the river, repeatedly looking towards Amendolara, the guide couldn't help but feel a little anxious and was about to urge him again.
Davos asked, "What is the relationship between Amendolara and Thurii? Was the city built by Thurii's immigrants?"
This guide was not an ordinary slave. As a house slave, he had grown up with Bulkos, studying and playing together. After growing up, he followed Bulkos around, doing business everywhere. As an important assistant to Bulkos, he was quite knowledgeable. Bulkos sent him as a guide as an act of guilt for breaking his promise, so he thought for a moment about Davos' rather profound historical question and gave an answer: "It is said that Amendolara was built by the natives here a long time ago. Later, the Sybarites occupied it. After Croton destroyed Sybaris, it did not capture it... After Thurii was established, it took the initiative to ally with Thurii and even defended against the attack from Tarentum in the north together with Thurii..."
An alliance? Looking at the small city of Amendolara and then thinking about the scale of Thurii, it was clear that the two were not of the same size. It would be difficult to have equal dialogue. It was probably an alliance in name only, but in reality, a dependency. However, as long as it was not a colony of Thurii, it would be fine. Davos secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been in this era for more than half a year and had deliberately learned a lot about the actual situation of the Greek city-states, completely reversing his previous concept that a city-state was just a city. After the Greeks established a city, they would try to expand outwards as much as possible, establishing villages and towns, and bringing the surrounding land under their control. When the land was beyond the direct control of the city due to distance, they would establish a colony or capture other people's cities, both to continue to maintain the momentum of expansion and to provide protection for the surroundings of the main city.
In the beginning, these colonies obeyed the orders of the mother city. After all, the citizens of the colonies had moved out from the mother city, and even the magistrates might be appointed by the mother city. As time went by, the Greek's love of independence and freedom took effect. In addition, the Greek city-state politics was a closed political management model, which naturally rejected unification, so they all became independent. However, due to geographical proximity and blood ties, as long as the mother city maintained its strength advantage and did not excessively oppress these neighbors, they would form a natural alliance with the mother city as the main body. However, if the colony was separated from the mother city by the ocean or was too far away, after decades, due to the alienation of the relationship, it was very likely that it would become two different city-states from the mother city, and it was even possible that they would become enemies, such as Corinth and Corcyra.
Obviously, Amendolara was once a colony of Sybaris, and for Thurii, it was just an affiliated ally, so the land here did not belong to Thurii... Davos thought in his heart, and then asked, "How did the Lucanians conquer this city?"
"I'm not too sure about this. It seems that not many citizens of Amendolara escaped... At that time, Thurii was in the midst of the sorrow of a complete defeat and the death of countless citizens, and was busy defending against the Lucanian attack, so it ignored the pleas for help from the citizens of Amendolara. Later, I don't know where they went?..." The guide said casually, but Davos carefully remembered it in his heart.
At this moment, Asistes shouted, "Chief, someone is coming out of the city!"
...................
Vespas, the Lucanian leader of Amendolara, had been somewhat irritable recently because Grumetum had sent an envoy requesting him to lead his tribe to participate in the upcoming second attack on Thurii by the Lucanian tribal alliance.
Vespas' tribe originally lived on the upper reaches of the Agri River, southeast of Grumetum. There were many tribal settlements there, and Vespas' tribe was one of the larger ones, relying on grazing and simple agriculture for a living. For decades, they had lived peacefully with the surrounding tribes. But two years ago, since Grumetum allied with Pyxous through marriage, the already powerful Grumetum became even more Strong. They no longer took into account the checks and balances of the equally powerful Potentia in the northwest, and began to expand aggressively, attacking and incorporating the settlements and mountain villages of the surrounding small tribes. Under the pressure of the Grumetum army, Vespas' tribe was unwilling to be annexed, so they had to flee further southeast, hiding in the forest at the junction of Amendolara and the western mountains of Heraclea. Due to the torment of hunger and disease, tribesmen continued to die, including Vespas' two sons. Just when Vespas could hardly hold on and wanted to surrender to Grumetum in order to survive, he heard a piece of news.
Since its expansion, Grumetum had greatly increased its population and military strength, but it also brought a problem - food. Originally, the Lucanian mountains did not produce much grain and relied more on grazing, but grazing also depended on the weather. The winter before last was much colder than in previous years, and a large number of livestock froze to death, causing food to become a major problem for Grumetum to maintain its hegemony in southern Lucania. So, last winter, Grumetum joined forces with Pyxous and led a large army to meet with the troops of Nerulum, Laos, and other tribal cities that recognized its alliance.
Vespas began to use his brain, and he wanted to take advantage of the war between the two sides to fish in troubled waters so that the tribe could escape the danger of destruction. So, he mobilized the entire tribe to build rafts and store food, preparing to go east to plunder.
At this moment, he heard good news: Thurii had sent out an army of 10,000 to attack Laos, but the entire army was wiped out.
Vespas was overjoyed and believed that the opportunity had come. He immediately ordered the entire tribe to ride rafts, go downstream, cross the dangerous shoals, and finally enter the territory of Amendolara.
Originally, he only planned to seize the opportunity to plunder between Amendolara and Thurii. But the scout reported that the residents of Amendolara were carrying a large amount of supplies and were preparing to leave the city.
Vespas and his tribe would not let go of such a good opportunity. They immediately chased after them, carried out a massacre, and took the opportunity to occupy the city of Amendolara. For Vespas, this was truly the blessing of the mountain god Asinus! The tribe easily won the victory, not only seizing a large amount of materials, but also occupying a city, and a mountain city where the Lucanians liked to live. At the same time, they also had a large number of "slaves."
But he soon realized that it was quite difficult for his tribe of only a thousand warriors to occupy a city: First, he had to separate hundreds of warriors to guard the thousands of prisoners, and then he had to guard against the Thurians from taking back the city of Amendolara. The most troublesome thing was Grumentum. After all, the Vespas tribe was unwilling to accept the annexation of Grumentum. Now, taking advantage of the Lucanian tribal alliance fighting bloody battles with Thurii in front and winning, they effortlessly obtained the spoils of war that should have belonged to Grumentum. How could Akepiru, the great chief of Grumentum, who was so vindictive, spare them!
But asking Vespas to give up Amendolara and flee back to the mountains again, he and his tribe, who had tasted the hardships of displacement, were unwilling to give up this hard-won comfort.
Just as he was hesitating, a few days passed, and good news came: the Lucanian allied forces preparing to besiege the city of Thurii had an outbreak of plague and were forced to withdraw.
Vespas was overjoyed and repeatedly praised the mountain god Asinus.
In the following months, Thurii did not send troops to retake the city of Amendolara because its strength was greatly reduced. Vespas rarely spent a period of stable days with his tribe.
This spring, the envoy of Grumentum crossed the mountains and came to the city of Amendolara, bringing Akepiru's order: He was strongly urged to join the Lucanian allied forces to prepare for the second attack on Thurii.
Vespas readily agreed, but sneered in his heart, because the envoy never mentioned the ownership of the city of Amendolara after the war.
He now figured it out that if he wanted to keep the city of Amendolara, he could only hope that the Lucanian allied forces and Thurii would be hurt, so that his tribe could have a chance to survive in the cracks and have time to slowly use and integrate the power of Amendolara to restore the tribe's vitality. Therefore, when he learned that mercenaries were constantly arriving in Thurii's territory, he was not worried, but happy.
He restrained his tribesmen, tried to leave the city as little as possible, and did not provoke Thurii, but let the Greeks prepare for battle with peace of mind.
Today, the scout reported that a Greek army of about a hundred people had invaded the territory of Amendolara.
He was quite surprised: This was the first time that a Greek army had appeared in Amendolara since the war last year. Was it here to attack the city? Why are there only a hundred people? Could it be the vanguard? Thurii, regardless of the threat of the Lucanian allied forces, wants to solve their worries first? According to his careful observation in the past few months, this does not seem to be the way the Thurians do things?!
With many questions, Vespas stepped onto the city wall and looked down the mountain: More than a hundred Greek soldiers stood alone on the banks of the Sybaris River, and had not moved for a long time, and there was no movement behind them.
They are here to scout the situation! Vespas was a little sure.
So, he decided to show his strength to dispel the illusions of the Greeks. He ordered his son Bagules to lead a thousand warriors out of the city, leaving only a hundred warriors to guard the prisoners in the city.
Bagules led the Lucanian warriors out of the city gate aggressively.
Asistes couldn't help shouting: "Chief, look at their weapons!"
Armor, round shields, and spears, all dressed as Greek hoplites. No wonder Asistes was surprised and thought that Amendolara had been taken back by a Greek army!
Davos took a closer look and smiled: "It should be the Lucanians who robbed the weapons of the citizens of Amendolara and equipped themselves. Unfortunately, it's just like it, and it's far from being a real hoplite."
Indeed, the Greek hoplites were closely lined up. Before the battle, they advanced slowly, basically maintaining a straight line. Looking at these Lucanian warriors on the opposite side, the formation was not only loose, but also uneven.
The guide was extremely nervous when he saw the Lucanian warriors leaving the city. Seeing that Davos was still in the mood to joke, he almost cursed.
At this time, Davos said, "Retreat, go back!"
The guide was relieved and ran away.
The soldiers turned around in unison and then began to jog slowly.
Davos held his horse still until the soldiers left him behind. Then he, Asistes, and Ledes slowly walked their horses, which made the guide a little embarrassed.
The Greeks retreated slowly, and the Lucanians chased slowly, maintaining a certain distance between them.
It wasn't until Davos and the others crossed the Salachino River that the Lucanians stopped on the north bank.
"One thousand... one thousand people..." Davos asked thoughtfully: "Asi, do you think the Lucanians in the city of Amendolara want to fight us or not?"
"Of course they don't want to. You can tell from their pursuit posture." Asistes said without hesitation.
"I heard Burkos say that there are not many Lucanians in Amendolara. How many are there specifically?" Davos asked the guide.
"There is such a saying in the city of Thurii, but it seems that no one knows exactly how many Lucanians are in Amendolara." The guide was a little puzzled.
Davos smiled mysteriously and changed the subject: "What is north of Amendolara?"
Back on the land of Thurii, the guide became much calmer: "Twenty miles to the north is the Sinni River, and further north is the Agri River. On the opposite bank is the city of Heraclea, which is the Seris Plain, and it is also a fertile land. Decades ago, Thurii and Tarentum fought for that land."
"Who won?" Asistes asked curiously.
"We Thurii won twice, but Tarentum is a powerful city-state in Greater Greece. They kept sending troops over, and the war lasted for a long time. Finally, the two sides signed an agreement and jointly established the city of Heraclea." The guide said with a little pride.
"Oh, I didn't expect Thurii to be so powerful before." Asistes said casually.
"That's because Thurii had General Cleandrida at that time. He was a Spartan!" The guide said with reverence, then he thought of something and curled his lips unwillingly: "Even if Thurii lost to the Lucanians last time, it was because they used tricks to ambush Thurii. If it was a head-on battle, it would not be Thurii's opponent at all."
Asistes wanted to argue, but was stopped by Davos: "While there is still time, let's go to the south of Thurii to see."
The guide did not understand why this young mercenary leader was running around all day long, regardless of the hard work. The west and the north, where there are Lucanians, are understandable, but there are no enemies in the south. However, this also made him feel relieved. These mercenaries were too bold and made him terrified, for fear of accidents.
Davos and his party crossed the pontoon bridge not far west of the city of Thurii and arrived at the delta between the two rivers. Here, they saw carts coming and going on a road leading to the west…
The guide told them: This is to transport copper ore and stone to the city of Thurii. Recently, because of the war, the city is in urgent need of stone and bronze ware.
"There are copper and stone mines of Thurii in the west?" Looking at this uneven dirt road that passed through the hills, Davos blinked.
"Yes. With the Cosenni River blocking it, the Lucanians can't get through." The guide, who was quite talkative, didn't want to say more at the moment, and quickly ended the conversation and brought them to the Crati River pontoon bridge.
The Crati River is at least fifty meters wide, and because it is spring, the water flow is rapid, and the pontoon bridge swings back and forth. Davos and the others were worried about scaring the horses and causing them to fall into the water, so they had to lead their horses on foot.
After crossing the Crati River, the land they stepped on still belonged to part of the Sybaris Plain. This is a green and flat corridor between the mountains and the coast, and this corridor is obviously much wider than the coastal corridor of Amendolara. Here, you can see more Thurians working in the fields. Obviously, for Thurii, this is the only safe area now.
Going south for about ten miles, the corridor suddenly narrowed, because a large area of tidal flats appeared on the coast.
The guide stopped his horse here and said: "The front is the territory of Castron. Do you still want to go and see?"
"Castellon…Castellon is a big city?" Asistenthes asked curiously.
The guide shook his head and said, "A small city, built by the former Sybarites. Now it is independent."
Hearing this, Davos looked south towards the horses and sighed: Back then, Sybaris' sphere of influence extended north to Amendolara and south past Castellon... Such a powerful city-state was actually destroyed by Croton, which was weaker than it! It really does prove the saying, 'Born in sorrow, die in ease'."
After a long while, Davos said, "Let's go back."
After the guide left, Davos said to Asistenthes and Ledes, "Have you ever seen what a hunting dog looks like when it encounters a bear?"
The two shook their heads. You must know that there are no bears in mainland Greece. It was only when they arrived in the Duchia mountains that they realized there were such strong land animals in the world.
"Its fur all over its body will stand up, revealing sharp teeth, desperately shouting loudly at the bear, and even making a pouncing posture. In fact, it knows it can't beat the bear. It just wants to show its strength and let the bear know it is not easy to mess with..." Davos had seen this in a network video in his previous life, and saying it at this time had a special meaning.
Asistenthes was young after all, and combined with what he saw today, he quickly reacted: "Chief, are you talking about...the Lucanians of Amendolara?"
"The Lucanians of Amendolara wanted to scare us away, but instead exposed their thoughts and strength. I estimate there are only a little over a thousand warriors in the city!" Davos said affirmatively.
Ledes also understood at this time and said excitedly, "Chief...Chief, are you planning to lead us to take Amendolara?!"
Asistenthes' eyes widened, after all, they had both attended secret military conferences before coming to Greater Greece, and they knew what the real purpose of the mercenaries was.
"Brothers, any plan, before it is implemented, must be kept secret! Otherwise, if the soldiers know about it, and it accidentally spreads, the Thurians will stop us, the Lucanians will strengthen their defenses, and other forces will also sabotage our plan, because they don't want an outside stranger to take root here! Do you understand?!" Davos warned solemnly.
"Understood!!" The two nodded repeatedly in response.
"I've decided to cover my mouth even when I sleep," Asistenthes joked.
Looking at the two excited faces, Davos said sternly, "Now I have a task for the two of you. Ledes!"
"Here!"
"You lead your men to monitor the Lucanian camp to the west and the movements of the city of Amendolara to the north, and report to me once a day. At the same time, you must try every means to find out the defense situation of the city of Amendolara, the more detailed the better, but don't let the Lucanians in the city notice. Can you do it?"
"Yes!" Ledes gave a strong military salute.
"Asistenthes!"
"Here!"
"You secretly look for citizens who have escaped from Amendolara. After finding them, try every means to bring them to our camp, but don't let the Thurians know."
"Understood!"
...........
After carefully listening to the guide's account of accompanying Davos these past two days, Bulkos was a little surprised by the seriousness with which Davos investigated the environment around Thurii. In his impression, even Cleandridas, the Spartan who was previously called a famous general by Thurii, had not personally investigated like Davos, even facing the enemy alone.
He couldn't help but ask, "Moras, what do you think of this Davos?"
Moras thought for a while and said, "Master, Chief Davos is very good to people!"
As an Egyptian slave, although Bulkos regarded him as a confidant, the contempt for him was obvious in the eyes of other Thurii citizens.
He couldn't feel these things on Davos. On the contrary, Davos talked to him with an equal attitude from beginning to end, never bossing him around.
Bulkos nodded. He thought so too. Don't look at Davos as a mercenary, but he is a very cultured person.
"What else?" he asked again.
"Um...he's always thinking about problems...asking questions, which makes me a little confused and feels a little mysterious," Moras continued.
Strange, Bulkos had felt this way before. He thought he was overthinking it. After all, Davos was not even twenty years old. Could this be the temperament of a "God-Favored One"? He smiled wryly. He didn't quite believe this statement that had been circulating within the mercenary army.
"And he's very courageous, and doesn't seem to be afraid of those Lucanians at all!" Moras said.
"He's a person who has seen big scenes of war! Besides, charging forward in battle and guarding the rear when retreating, this is the performance of a famous general. Back then, Cleandridas did the same. But Davos is only nineteen years old!" Bulkos said with emotion. He remembered Archytas, whom he had visited with Phereas in the morning. This young nobleman from Taranto was also very young. When he first saw him, he was lying on the ground, working hard to calculate something. The rumor that he was the most talented member of the Pythagorean school was likely true. This young nobleman from across the bay not only had no airs, but also treated people gently and politely, and sincerely stated that he was willing to fully assist Thurii in repelling the Lucanians.
Archytas' promise was very valuable! You must know that before coming to Thurii, he had independently led troops to conquer several times, repelling the fierce Messapians who had invaded the territory of Taranto. Although he was not good at talking, it could be seen that the soldiers of Taranto treated this young commander with genuine respect, which was very similar to the attitude of the mercenary soldiers towards Davos. These were two young people with extraordinary talents! Why doesn't Thurii have them? Thinking of Cleandridas' son, Achyrodoas, Bulkos, while feeling lost, suddenly thought: Could he discuss with Phereas to make Davos a citizen of Thurii?
...........
A few days later, the mercenary camp was completed, and the soldiers could finally have a good rest.
Adrian and Sesta also took the opportunity to visit Davos.
Davos warmly received them, and the two sides had a pleasant conversation. The little conflict that had occurred before was long forgotten. Just as Davos said, the two mercenary armies were on the same boat. Only by working together and cooperating fully could they complete the task and get paid.
In fact, before the leaders of the two sides met, the soldiers of both sides had already begun to get close. On the one hand, Adrianex and his mercenaries were full of curiosity about the rumored Greek expeditionary force; on the other hand, both sides came from the Ionian region and could be regarded as fellow villagers, especially in this unfamiliar place, they felt even more cordial. So in the end, Adrianex's soldiers and Davos' soldiers built the camp together, while listening to them tell stories about the expedition. The leaders of both sides did not stop them, but were happy to see it happen.
Davos also reached an agreement with Adrianex and others: to build a passage connecting the two camps, and if one side was in trouble, the other side should provide assistance.
In fact, both sides understood that, compared to the experienced expeditionary force, Adrianex and his recruits were more likely to have problems, but Davos agreed without hesitation, so that when he sent the two leaders out of the camp, Adriantes and Sesta repeatedly thanked him and respectfully saluted him goodbye.
"Look, that's our leader, the God-Favored Davos!" A soldier pointed to Davos not far away and said proudly.
"He is Davos, so young?" Another soldier from Adrianex's camp was a little doubtful.
"What's wrong with being young! Several Persian generals have died at his hands. When he charges, he is like a lion, even the Spartans would be afraid! Didn't you see your leaders being so respectful to Davos!" the soldier said proudly.
At this time, another soldier interjected: "Moreover, Chief Davos is very good to us soldiers! Even if you are seriously injured, he will not abandon you! I was once shot by a Persian arrow, and my whole body was as hot as fire. I thought I was going to die, but Chief Davos saved me from hell..." As he spoke, he lifted his clothes and showed his wound, as if it was not a scar but a medal.
Hearing this, the soldier showed an envious expression: "How great it would be if Chief Davos could command us too!!"