Menon

The next day, the army was urged to hurry as soon as dawn broke.

Meno bid farewell to Ariaeus and rushed back to lead his troops. As he rode his horse to the tail of the "long dragon" of the Greek mercenaries, he cursed Clearchus in his heart. He thought that the reason why he let his troops be the rearguard was because these mercenary leaders hated his close relationship with the Persians and persecuted him.

At the same time, he noticed that the soldiers who were marching were tired and complaining. It turned out that because of the march last night, their rest time was too short and they had to be on guard against the Persians'sneak attack, so they were basically lying on the ground. Early in the morning, they had to hurry, and the soldiers were soon tired and hungry. However, the supply camps could not produce more food, which made the morale of the soldiers low.

Meno thought, 'If the food situation in the other camps is so bad, then wouldn't the subordinates that have been bullied these past two days be even more miserable because of his absence!' He was afraid that the soldiers would cause trouble, so he urged his horse to hurry all the way until he saw many familiar faces, then he slowed down his horse.

In the end, he was surprised to find that, unlike what he had imagined, these soldiers were in a good mental state, and many of them were chewing on a string of black things hanging on their chest as they walked. Therefore, he asked a squad officer curiously.

"This is called smoked sausage. It can fill your stomach and it won't spoil even after a few days." The officer pointed to the thing on his chest and said.

Meno cut off a small piece and tasted it. Although it was a bit dry, the taste was still okay. Seeing that the soldiers of the other camps were hungry, but his soldiers could eat their fill, he became happy, "This… smoked… sausage was made by Mersis?"

"No, it's Davos – a 'God's Favored'!"

"God's Favored?" Meno curiously asked about the situation in detail. After listening to the officer, his face began to turn gloomy, and he immediately noticed that some soldiers did take two more javelins.

"Where is this Davos?"

"The company that he is in has been sent to guard the supply camp." The officer obviously didn't know how to look at him and asked with slight excitement, "Are you going to see him?"

The expression of the officer made Meno give up his idea, 'It's just a country boy from a small village in Thessaly, is it worth making a fuss about it? It's not appropriate for me to meet a soldier in a hurry, and now that we are marching, there will be plenty of time for him to meet me in the future.'

…

From morning to morning, and then to afternoon, the troops had been marching without any rest.

Davos felt as if his legs were filled with lead, and every step was difficult, and his throat was dry and his shield, spear and javelin became a burden. In the morning, he could still talk and laugh with his companions, but now he felt that it was a waste of his little stamina, but he gritted his teeth and persevered because his companions were also marching in silence.

Finally, the troops stopped. The news from the front made them, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, nervous again: the Persian cavalry was found!

Not long after, another news came: It wasn't the cavalry, but the Persian cavalry's pack animals eating grass.

The troops continued to advance.

It was getting dark. After walking for a while, Davos saw dense smoke rising in the distance.

Hielos told him, "That must be the Persian camp."

However, the troops were still moving forward, without any intention to defend or evade.

It was already late, and there was no moonlight. The soldiers relied on torches to advance, and it became more difficult to march.

Finally, an order came from the front: Set up camp and rest.

The terrain here is flat and there are few trees. In addition, it is impossible to command the construction of the camp in the dark. At the same time, because there are Persian troops nearby, they are afraid of being attacked. The soldiers shouted the names of their friends and each of them gathered together to find a way to camp. The exhausted officers could not control the order, and the shouts of the whole rearguard were chaotic, like a boiling pot, making a huge noise. Many animals in the supply camp were frightened and ran around in panic, injuring many people. The screams made the troops more frightened and uneasy, and they are in danger of collapsing at any time.

At the critical moment, Clearchus sent the only cavalry unit of the Greek mercenaries, each holding a torch, to the rearguard, and loudly announced the order of Clearchus, asking the soldiers to keep quiet, and at the same time, ordering the supply camp to watch over the livestock and punish anyone who let the animals run. After capturing several soldiers who had caused trouble due to fear, the troops gradually regained their silence.

Meno then found the leader of the cavalry – Tolmides, known as "the best herald".

"How did Clearchus command the troops to march! There was almost a camp whistle! I wasn't around for a day, and things became so bad! He is not fit to command the whole army!…" Meno took the opportunity to belittle Clearchus.

Tolmides tactfully said nothing.

"Where is he now?"

Tolmides hesitated for a moment, "… at the former guard."

Meno noticed his hesitation and immediately asked, "Do you also not have a camp like us?"

Tolmides had to tell the truth, "The former guards live in the village… Meno, this is a special time—"

Meno interrupted him with a sneer, "This is the so-called fair and just Clearchus?! Living in a warm house and letting us sleep on cold and wet ground!!" Meno also understood that it was not appropriate to stimulate the soldiers at this moment, but he couldn't help but roar.

Fortunately, the soldiers around him were already exhausted after their previous struggle, and they fell asleep after swearing a few times.

"Meno! Meno!…" At this time, someone shouted.

It was Mersis! Meno hurriedly brought him over, "How is it over there? Are there any losses?" The supply camp was what he was most concerned about, because his belongings were all there, and only with money can he have soldiers.

"No!" Mersis' fat face revealed a proud smile, "We have formed a large circle around the transport wagon and tied the animals to it. Everyone will sleep inside, it is very safe!"

"Aren't those animals kicking and screaming?" Tolmides asked curiously. Most of the supply camps he had seen before were in chaos.

"Davos asked me to blindfold these animals, and as a result, they are very obedient!" Mersis said excitedly.

Davos again! Meno frowned.

"Meno, this kid is very smart! Why don't you just assign him to the supply camp, then it will be much easier for me." Mersis asked.

"We'll talk about it in the future," Meno said lightly. The supply unit is his foundation, and Mersis is his relative, and he is good at managing money and management, and he doesn't have any ambition, which is why he dares to use it. What if a stranger enters the supply unit and is a smart stranger, and finds out his secret?

…

In the early morning of the next day, the herald woke Meno and informed him that the king's envoy had come, and the leaders had invited him to discuss it.

Meno mounted his horse and galloped to the mercenary camp at the front. He could no longer see the shadow of the Persian camp in his sight. It turned out that the loud noise of the mercenaries last night had frightened the Persians and they had retreated 5 kilometers overnight.

When they were about to arrive at the tent, Meno saw that there were four hoplite brigades filled up in front of the camp and were waiting in formation. He walked into the tent with doubt and saw Clearchus, Proxenus, Archiles, Socrates (not the philosopher from Athens) and several other leaders waiting in the tent, all of whom were also armed.

Seeing Clearchus, Meno snorted and said sarcastically, "It seems that you all had a good night, except for my soldiers, who were pitiful and slept on the wet ground for a night!"

As a Spartan, Clearchus is straightforward and stubborn. He also doesn't like Meno and doesn't want to talk to him.

Akiles laughed, "Oh, since when did Meno start caring about the soldiers?!"

Proxenus hurriedly came out to smooth things over, "Meno, I heard from Tolmides that there was no accident in your supply camp last night. How amazing! Can you also teach us some experience?"

"It's not just the supply camp! Meno's soldiers also made something called… smoked sausage. As a result, everyone was starving, but only his soldiers were able to fill their stomachs with this thing!" Socrates said to the others. His troops were in front of the troops of Melon, so they knew the situation better.

"Meno, tell us about your camp's experience." The request of Sousis and the other leaders made Meno a bit happy, and he couldn't help but say, "Even if the environment that you have arranged for me is difficult, I can still think of a way to solve it. Therefore, just fighting is not a good leader!"

"Well… let the envoy of the Persian king come in. Let's hear what new proposal this king has?" Clearchus interrupted Meno's boast.

The leaders began to perk up, and Meno helplessly shut his mouth.