Meeting

Unexpectedly, instead of mentioning the surrender of the Greek mercenaries, the Persian envoy proposed a truce between the two armies. The mercenaries, who were already in a difficult situation, naturally wanted it. After negotiation, the two sides reached a truce agreement, and the Persians had to provide food for the Greeks. This is a blessing for the mercenaries because their food storage has been depleted, and they were going to burn and pillage the villages along the way.

Although there was a truce agreement, Clearchus did not relax his vigilance. The Persian envoy led the way, while Clearchus ordered the whole army to march in a triangular formation. Along the way, they kept running into trenches three to four meters wide that blocked the way. The trenches were filled with sewage, and the soldiers had to cut down trees to build a wooden bridge. Davos, who was in the supply camp of the rearguard, was relieved.

"Look, that's Clearchus!" Along with the direction of Olivos' finger, Davos saw a tall middle-aged man, bare-chested, with bronze-colored strong muscles and several conspicuous scars. He was carrying a tree trunk that had just been cut down by the soldiers. Walking to the ditch, he took the lead and jumped into the ditch without hesitation, not caring about the mud that splashed on his head, and immediately began to repair the broken wooden bridge.

"Yes, this is Clearchus! And where is our Menon?!" Matonis sighed and said it meaningfully.

Although the troops led by Meno and Clearchus had also fought due to the conflict between them, the soldiers are not fools. They have seen what the leaders have done. Who is trustworthy? Who is strong? They know it clearly in their hearts. There are more than a dozen mercenary leaders, so why is Clearchus the leader?! It is not unreasonable.

This is the way to command troops! Davos had been watching the performance of Clearchus and said to himself.

As dusk approached, the Greeks arrived at their destination. The Persian envoy not only prepared a comfortable residence for the village that the Greek mercenaries had settled but also provided rich food: fruit wine, drinks, bread, dates…

The soldiers couldn't help but cheer.

For a time, Davos was also puzzled, 'Are the Persians afraid of the Greek hoplites and want to call a truce?'

Just as he and his companions tasted the food and were ready to eat and drink, Antonios came, "Davos, Meno wants to see you!"

"Now?!" Davos swallowed.

"Now!" Antonios nodded.

"Don't worry, it's nothing! Meno just heard that Davos helped us solve several problems, and out of curiosity, he wanted to see him, and maybe there will be a reward!" Seeing the concern on everyone's face, Antonios made a guarantee.

Antonios took Davos to a large house in the middle of the village and said to the guard at the door, "Meno wants to see Davos, he is already here."

The guard looked at Davos curiously and then said, "Meno has something to do now. Please wait."

After a long time, there was still no movement inside. Davos still calmly talked to Antonios, but Antonios was anxious, "What is it that you haven't finished, I will go in and urge you!" After that, he wanted to rush in, but was stopped by the guards, "Antonios, do you want me to be scolded!"

Antonios glared at him, and the guard finally gave in, "I'm afraid of you, I'll go take a look." With that, he turned around and ran into the house.

Soon, he came out, "Go in, Meno is waiting." He said, but he did not dare to meet Antonios' gaze.

Davos was about to go in, but Antonios held his shoulder and said, "Meno sometimes has a bad temper. If he says anything about you, don't argue with him, just listen."

Davos smiled and said, "Don't worry, I am not a child."

Antonios nodded. The conversation along the way had deepened his understanding of Davos, this young man has a steadiness far beyond his peers. Watching Davos enter the house, Antonios thought, 'No, he is not a child, who is a child? Meno?'

He smiled helplessly, it seems that this young man is not to be trifled with. He then turned around and said to the guard, "Botax, you deliberately left us here."

"Aiya, Antonios, you are an understanding person. Besides Meno, who would do such a boring thing?"

"Humph!"

"That young man is the 'God's Favored' of Hades that you have mentioned?! I think he seems to understand what is going on, and just now, he was smiling at me…"

…

Davos naturally understood what was going on. He had seen a lot of things in his previous life. Isn't it just a show of strength? The more people who use this method, the less confident they are in their control. Is Meno such a person?

Davos frowned and went through the small courtyard to the main house.

"Leader Meno, the soldier, Davos, has come under orders!"

"Come in." A sharp and clear voice came from the room.

Davos strode into the house, and a man was sitting in the middle of the living room. He was still wearing a shiny breastplate, but it didn't seem to add more dignity to him, because if his white face were to be shaved off, he would be a handsome man.

Davos couldn't help but think of some bad rumors about Meno, such as the ambiguous story between him and Ariaeus, the adjutant of Cyrus the Younger. He suddenly became a bit nervous, 'This man shouldn't be…'

Meno was also looking at Davos: A strong body, average height, average appearance, and a slightly immature face without even a beard, but standing there gave people a different temperament.

"Hmm… I heard that you are some kind of 'God's Favored', so I want to ask, is this truce between the Persians and us sincere? Or do you have other thoughts?" Meno asked casually.

"Sorry, leader. I don't know!" Davos answered without thinking.

Davos'direct answer made Meno a bit stunned, and finally, a smile appeared on his face, "Then tell me, can we go home safely this time?"

"I don't know." Davos' answer was still straightforward.

"Bastard!" Meno was furious and slapped his chair hard, "Didn't you say in the whole camp that you have an oracle! Didn't you tell the others that you know everything? Now you are not talking! You liar!"

Davos raised both of his eyebrows, "Leader Meno, I am very lucky to survive the battlefield, but I have never claimed to be God's favored one. My teammates can prove this. It is their business what others think, and I don't care.

"As for the oracle, I have never said it. It's just that sometimes when I talk to my teammates about what might happen next, I am lucky to say it. Whether we can return home safely is something that you need to worry about, leader. We soldiers just want to get some comfort and encouragement by talking and chatting during the battle."

After hearing this, Meno's first reaction was that this guy's eloquence was not bad, and for a moment, he couldn't get hold of his weakness and counterattack, while he looked at Meno in the face, which made Meno feel his courage.

Meno was a bit irritated, and after a while, he waved his hand and said, "I will investigate what you said. In short, don't speculate about the Persians, it will affect the morale of the soldiers."

Davos immediately lowered his head and said obediently, "Yes!"

Meno felt a bit better and reached out to grab a drachma and said, "No matter what, you have helped our troops this time. This is the reward that I, the mercenary leader Meno, have given you. Remember, if you have any good ideas next time, just tell me and I will reward you!"

Davos pretended to be happy and took it, "Thank you, leader!"

Meno waved him off and watched him walk out of the house. Meno was still in a daze. Meno and Davos were in an employment relationship, and Meno didn't have the right to kill him, and only had the right to fire him. However, if he were to fire a smart soldier, he would be put in an important position in other camps, and Meno would be the one at a disadvantage. So Meno just wanted to beat Davos and didn't want him to expand his influence in the camp and control him at the same time. But from this meeting, it seems that it won't be easy…