When the sun began to set, the soldiers began to pack their equipment.
Putting on the breastplate – this is a linen cloth made of multiple layers of adhesive. Its thickness is about 5-6cm, it is tough, but not too heavy. The hem reaches the thighs and is cut into the shape of wings to facilitate movement.
He then put on the greaves protecting his calf and tied the Greek army knife on his waist – it is a curved sword with a length of 65cm and a single blade, which is curved like the hind leg of a dog.
Corinth's helmet couldn't be worn at this time, because they couldn't see clearly during the march at night, and this kind of helmet that only shows the mouth and eyes will narrow their vision. Davos imitated others to wear the helmet on a 2-meter-long spear.
The spear is the main weapon of the Greek hoplites. The spear shaft is made of white wax, the leaf-shaped spearhead is made of iron, and the end of the spear shaft is studded with bronze nails.
Davos picked up the round shield with his left hand. It is in the shape of a shallow bowl, the inside is made of wood, and the outside is wrapped in copper, with a diameter of about 90 centimeters, and the face of the Minotaur is painted on the shield. On the inside, there is a belt for the left arm to be inserted into the elbow so that the soldiers can put the whole left forearm on the round shield, which not only saves energy but also makes it easier to defend and shield attack. There is also a small metal hook embedded in the inside of the round shield, which can be hung on the shoulder for the convenience of marching.
Davos held the shield in his left hand and held the spear in his right hand, and couldn't help but smile bitterly, 'I have changed from a modern man to an armored warrior of the ancient west.' However, the cells of his whole body were boiling with joy, which made him realize that the muscle memory of this body was working.
He tried to take a few steps and felt at ease. He was nervous and excited. Every man has a dream of being a warrior in their heart! That is the inheritance of their ancestors in their blood since the era of raw meat and drinking blood. The modern people in the era of peace could no longer feel the courage to fight face to face, and Davos, who had transmigrated, had such an opportunity!
While Davos was still adapting to his equipment, Hielos reminded him, "You still have something to take."
When he saw the two javelins and a string of sausages on the ground, he smiled bitterly, 'This is a self-inflicted disaster!'
He carefully put the sausage on his chest, fearing that the grease would get on his armor.
At this time, Antonios, the squadron leader, came over and said to Hielos, "We need to go to the supply camp and move together with Mersis." After saying that, he nodded to Davos. The reputation of Davos had already reached the ears of the squadron leader, which made him not dare to ignore it.
"Who gave the order? Isn't Meno still with Ariaeus?" Hielos asked curiously. He wasn't willing to move together with the supply camp. Not only is their movement slow, but it is also dangerous.
"It's the order of the adjutant, Philesius. He is temporarily acting in the command of Meno. Last time, when the Persians broke into our camp, most of the slaves in the supply camp fled. They are currently short of manpower, and Mersis has asked us to help." With that, he looked at Davos.
…
"Davos, you didn't expect it! We meet again!" Mersis laughed and went straight through the officers and soldiers and hugged Davos.
I knew it was this fatty! Davos smiled helplessly.
"The others will go and take the animals. Davos will follow me." He ordered.
This fatty is strict and ruthless when he is not familiar with you, but once their relationship is good, he is overly enthusiastic. Isn't this helping him to gain hatred? Davos quickly refused.
There are hundreds of livestock and dozens of carts full of goods in the supply camp, as well as many slaves and women.
At the same time, the formation of a long column can reach up to 2 kilometers. And this is only a military camp, so you can imagine how bloated the supplies of the whole Greek mercenaries are. Davos observed all this and thought in his heart.
At this time, the camp horn sounded in the night sky.
It's time to go. Davos subconsciously tightened his grip on the bull rope and felt a bit nervous.
The troops began to move forward. The supply camp was on the right, the troops were on the left, and the officers held their torches high. Under the cold moonlight, the whole Greek army was like a long fire dragon that couldn't be seen.
After walking for about two hours, he heard the sound of running water in front of him. Davos knew that the Euphrates is coming.
The river water at night is dark, and when you look at it, it seems to be infinitely wide and infinitely deep, which can cause great fear. Therefore, the troops were much quieter, for fear of alarming the river god.
At this time, the formation naturally became a supply camp marching along the left bank of the Euphrates river. The troops were on the outside, protecting the property of their camp. The leaders have some experience in marching at night. Davos saw it and quietly learned it.
Meno's troops were at the end of the whole line. Of course, this was not the request of Meno, but in fact, he had asked someone to come back and ask his troops to walk in the middle of the whole line. However, the leaders were dissatisfied with Meno. Because when they first marched from Asia to Babylon, Meno had taken a lot of benefits to be the vanguard in front of Cyrus the Younger. Now that they are about to retreat, he wants to walk in the middle to prevent his soldiers from being attacked and reduce their losses. How can he take all the good things by himself? Therefore, they unanimously decided to let his troops go last. This was what Meno's trusted subordinate, Mersis, told Davos, which made him have a certain understanding of Meno.
At this time, the herald of the whole army, Tolmides, finally arrived in front of Menon's troops and conveyed the order, "The troops of Ariaeus have joined up. The leaders are discussing with Ariaeus. Please rest on the spot and stay alert and wait for the order!"
The quiet group suddenly became restless.
"I can finally rest for a while!"
"It's been two hours since we left, I am so tired!"
"Me too. It's too tiring to walk with a cart! We can't follow the supply camp tomorrow!"
"That's right! Tell the squadron leader tomorrow."
"Now!"
…
Looking at the noisy warriors, Davos stood up and said loudly, "Brothers, please be quiet! Brothers! I am Davos!"
Unexpectedly, his shouting was more effective than that of Antonios, the soldiers of the supply camp stopped making noise and wanted to hear what this 'God's Favored' had to say.
"Let me tell you a story to relieve your fatigue, okay?"
"What story?"
"It's called… Aris and the 40 bandits."
"Sounds good! Tell me about it!"
So Davos cleared his throat and began to speak loudly, "There used to be a family living in a small city in Ionia…"
Gradually, the supply camp became completely quiet, and even the pack animals stopped hissing. The soldiers, the slaves, and the women listened attentively. They were envious of Aris for unintentionally obtaining the wealth of the bandits. They were amused by Aris' brother calling the cave entrance, nervous about the bandits finding Aris' house, and cheered for the wisdom of the female slaves.
When the story was over, everyone was still unsatisfied:
"Aris is so lucky!
"He is lucky because he has a smart and beautiful Persian slave!"
"Yes! I think he can redeem the female slave and make her a freeman! After all, she saved Aris!"
"Idiot! He should take a female slave as his concubine so that the female slave can continue to help him!"
…
Everyone kept discussing.
"Davos, is there a cave full of gold and silver treasures?" Even Mersis couldn't help but ask Davos.
Antonios looked at the back of Davos in front of him and couldn't help but sigh, "Hielos, there is a talent in your village!"
"Are you talking about Davos? Of course, he is 'God's Favored'! I even want to give him my position as the squad leader."
"Squad leader?" Antonios curled his lips. The leader of a mercenary will often replace his soldiers, and most of the high-ranking officers in the lead are his trusted subordinates, and they won't change so easily, because this will make it easier for him to control the troops. Antonios and Meno have been together for five or six years because they have seen many Greek and Persian dignitaries and have some experience in judging people.
After a day of observation, he found that Davos had a calm character, and was not like a 19-year-old kid at all. He did things in a very disciplined manner, was modest and polite when dealing with people, and was eloquent, and the soldiers were happy to get close to him. However, he often had strange ideas that could solve problems that others couldn't solve, and when he was marching, he even saw with his own eyes that Davos was either carrying shields or pushing carts for others. Such a person, even if he is young, can be trusted.
If his ability to command and fight is not weak, then the future of such a charming and capable man is immeasurable. If he has enough wealth, he can become a qualified mercenary leader! Antonios thought of this and thought of Meno, 'What will he do when he finds out that such a character suddenly appeared in his camp?'