Davers's chieftain's tent could not contain more than forty people, so he asked Martius, the captain of the guard, to lead thirty men (the number of the guards was also enlarged) to enclose an open space in front of the tent to prevent strangers from prying eyes, and to light torches around it......

Davers's gaze swept across everyone's face:

Captain of the 1st Heavy Infantry Company - Steady Capuz

Captain of the 2nd Heavy Infantry Company - Antonios, who was good at recognizing people and capturing fighters

Captain of the 3rd Heavy Infantry Company - the brave Amintas

Captain of the 4th Heavy Infantry Company - Alexis, who is good at thinking and scheming

Captain of the 5th Heavy Infantry Company - his loyal confidant Shiros

Captain of the 1st Light Shield Company - Epitenis, who has strong tactical skills

Captain of the 2nd Light Shield Company - Zpitt, who worships Davers because of his devotion to God

as well as Mersis the baggage officer, Herps the medical officer, Asistes the herald, and Rydes the cavalry captain (although he had few horses left, Davers still retained this formation and soldiers, after all, they already had a lot of experience in cavalry combat). Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 There are also 28 detachment commanders, all of whom are experienced and talented officers. Plus 1,400 veterans of the long march of more than a year. That's all he has in this world!

Tonight, he had to convince them that, after a long year's campaign, he would continue to follow him on a journey to a foreign land thousands of miles away, in which he was not very confident. Thinking of this, he coughed lightly and said, "Brothers, the farce you performed in Byzantium today is a good one!" Creander immediately sympathized with our situation and offered to provide us with some food, all thanks to you! ”

The crowd laughed.

Oliver even shouted loudly: "Chief, this is not a farce, but a comedy. You didn't see the Byzantines fainting in fright! ”

Everyone laughed again, but Mattonis had a ghost in his heart, so he had to bow his head and snicker.

"yes, comedy." Davers sighed lightly and said, "But how long can this comedy last?" We are trapped here, we can't go anywhere, and we don't dare to go. According to reliable sources, Sparta was already preparing for war with Persia, and the Spartan general Tiblon had already gone to Ephesus to recruit soldiers, so how could he let go of our veterans who were experienced in fighting against Persia! It won't be long before we can fight again in the Persian lands! ”

"Is this true? I'm tired of fighting the Persians, and I don't want to go back! ”

"How so?! I'm ready to buy a plot of land in Crete and find a wife......"

……

Immediately there was an uproar among the people, and there was a great deal of uneasy discussion......

Instead of answering them, Davers shook out another shocking news: "Moreover, the good-hearted Creander is about to step down, and he will be replaced by Aristacas of Sparta!" ”

Someone said "ahhhh

Davers glanced in that direction and said coldly, "Some of you know about him, and some of you don't. I tell you, this Spartan was famous in the previous war with Athens! Not because he fought bravely, but—" Davers said in a solemn and aggravated tone, "he twice sold the defeated Greeks into slavery!!" ”

These words were like pouring a pot of cold water into a pot of boiling oil, and everyone suddenly exploded.

"Is he going to sell us?!"

"If he dares to do this, I'll fight with him!"

"We are free people, not enemies of Sparta! There's no reason for them to do that, and it's against Greek tradition! ”

"Sparta was already arrogant and domineering, and now it is the overlord of Greece, and it is not up to it to decide what to do!"

……

Davers looked at the panicked crowd, his voice full of emotion, and he said, "We are free Greeks, and we live hard to survive. But in the eyes of the Spartans, in the eyes of the citizens of the city-state, we are landless pariahs, thieves and robbers who threaten the stability of the city-state! So, Anaxius can deceive us at will (referring to the Spartan naval commander who went to Byzantium to trick them into going to Byzantium with the promise of paying them, only to break the contract as soon as he arrived)! Creander can also deceive us at will, trick us out of the city, close the gates, give us no food, and face a large number of Thracians! Sparta is so powerful, do we dare to resist?! Either they were sold into slavery, without enough food and clothing, until one day they died of exhaustion on farms and mines, and then they were dumped in the wilderness; or follow Sparta into battle, and be bruised every day until he dies in some unknown wilderness; Of course, it is possible to be lucky enough to return home safely, but so what?! As a landless freeman, he is a foreigner in any city-state, and he cannot enjoy the rights of any city-state, and he will be spurned until he dies in obscurity......"

The crowd listened quietly, so quiet that they could hear someone sobbing......

At this time, Davers was also full of tears: "Is this the result we want after a year of bloody struggle in Persia and struggling to return to our homeland!" Don't we want to have a stable and happy life, and don't we give it the right!! Is there no place in the world where we, the poor freemen, can live in peace!! ”

Davers's visceral roar and questioning woke up everyone in the room, their fists clenched, their teeth clenched, their eyes angry and painful......

Shilos stood up, trembling and stretched out his hands, and said, "Chief Davers! Our Commander-in-Chief! Divine Favor of Hades! Please tell us, what are we going to do?! What to do to get out of our predicament!! ”

"Yes, Chief Davers, we need your oracle!!" Shilos's words reminded many people, and Cappus and Antonios excitedly pleaded with Davers.

When everyone's eyes focused on Davers's face, his expression became extremely solemn: "Last night...... There was a man who came into my dream, and his golden light was so bright that I couldn't see his face clearly...... He pulled me out of bed, through the window, and into the air...... I looked down in fear, and the Mediterranean Sea appeared clearly in front of my eyes like a painting...... The Peloponnese is like a hammer deep into the sea, and Italy, which is next to it to the west, is like a leather boot...... Further west, I saw the Pillar of Hercules as a door separating the Mediterranean from the ocean...... The Mediterranean coast of Egypt is like a long green carpet that stretches all the way to Africa ......"

Davers's dreamlike narrative captivated everyone, and they found that the Mediterranean Sea was like this when they compared their own geographical knowledge, which convinced them of Davers's words.

"At this time, the man who emitted the golden light said a word to me?"

"What did he say?" Everyone asked.

"He said, 'Davers, you and your soldiers are on a mission in the western part of the Mediterranean!' With that, he pushed me out of the air, and then I woke up scared. Davers said with palpitations, still in a dream.

"The West of the Mediterranean, where is that?"

"In Sicily?"

"It could be Italy."

"It's possible in Iberia, too."

"Why not Nubia."

"Who is that Golden Light Man, Hades?"

"How can Hades have a golden light? It should be Athena! ”

………

Just when everyone was speculating, Davers sighed secretly, since he became the leader, he deliberately avoided his status as a "god", and instead used his ability to win the trust of his subordinates. But this time the stakes were high, and he had to resort to the Greek gods again, and he deliberately made the oracle vague, yes

Because the oracle is ambiguous. For example, once upon a time there was a kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor, and when it was going to war with Persia, it went to Delphi and spent a lot of money to get the oracle of Apollo, which said that a great power would be destroyed. The Lydians happily returned to war, and the result was the fall of the Lydian kingdom. The explanation of the priests of Apollo is that in Asia Minor, the kingdom of Lydia was also a great power.

Note: Thurii

Amendorara