"In order to unite our brothers in the camp again, we first need to understand the current situation of the camp. So, please introduce your men and supplies." Davos looked at everyone and said.
There was a slight silence in the tent, and Antonios was the first to speak, followed by Kapus, and then Alexius… the situation of the supply camp was the most complicated, and Mersis was the most talkative, so Davos had to remind him to be as simple as possible.
Davos listened and took notes. After listening to everyone's introduction, he had a general understanding of the overall situation of Menon's camp. After a bit of tidying up, he said, "According to your report, our camp has 10 hoplite units, a total of 1,094. Four light hoplite units, a total of 487. In total, there are 1,581 soldiers, with complete weapons and armor, and they are in good health and are not ill.
There are three physicians, six female slaves and two camels in the medical camp, but apart from Herpus who is proficient in trauma treatment, the other two physicians can't treat the wounded independently.
There are currently 50 guards and 273 slaves in the supply camp, of which there are 198 female slaves and 75 male slaves. We have 29 packhorses, 18 packhorses, 56 sheep, 37 chickens and ducks, 580 bags of wheat flour. The remaining money to buy and raise is a Taranto silver, 30 Minas and 5 drachmas. These are all our belongings." Davos put down the scroll in his hand and said to everyone, "Do you see anything missing?"
All the officers were a bit surprised. It must be known that most of the mercenaries, including these officers, were uneducated, not to mention doing digital calculations and summaries alone.
Mersis clapped his hands, "Davos, you are amazing! You have such a fast calculation ability! You are much better than me!"
Antonios, who was next to him, remembered that Davos was illiterate. He secretly glanced at the scroll and found that it was full of strange symbols and words, which made him shocked.
The officers looked at each other, and their recognition of Davos' ability increased.
"Since there are no objections, then after a while, Philesius and I will attend the military meeting of the mercenary leader. The captains, please go back and inform your soldiers to check their weapons and equipment and prepare for battle. In the afternoon, leave the tenth infantry unit to guard the camp, while the other units will line up in order and enter the venue for the general assembly. Because there are too many people, you must maintain order and prevent any riots." After saying that, Davos looked at Herpus and asked, "How is the situation in the medical camp? The war is about to start, and there will be more wounded soldiers, so you must have a plan. A clean linen bandage needs more preparation, and the number of assistants should be at least twice as many as now…"
From time to time, Herpus would ask Davos some medical questions, such as: Why use fire to barbecue and debride the knife? Why put a cloth dipped in cold water on the forehead of a patient with a fever?… Davos' answer was always strange and thought-provoking, so Herpus regarded Davos as his teacher and his attitude was always respectful, "Don't worry, I will do my best to prepare when I go back. If there are any difficulties, I will come to you for help!"
"You are our Ascletius (the son of Apollo and the god of physicians in ancient Greek mythology), so of course, we will do our best to help! If there are medical problems, I can discuss it with you. If you lack labor, the captains can provide it. If you lack something, you can look for Mersis." Davos smiled.
Everyone also expressed their support for the medical camp.
Mersis took the initiative to report to Davos, "Leader, this morning, I have asked the slaves to slaughter some sheep and made a lot of smoked sausage. When we go back later, I will then slaughter the remaining sheep, chickens and ducks, as well as the extra cattle and make them into sausages for the future march. What do you think?"
"Mersis, you are our chief steward! You are responsible for the food, and we are all very assured, right?!" said Davos half-jokingly.
"Yes! Mersis managed the supply camp very well!" Antonios responded.
"It's just that the cost of * * is a bit expensive!" shouted Epiphanes jokingly.
"Even if I give you one for free, you won't be able to use it! You are only interested in boys!" Mersis immediately retorted.
"Hahaha…" Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the tent became much more relaxed.
"Philesius, do you have anything to add?" Davos finally asked his adjutant.
Philesius felt a bit uncomfortable facing the leader who was much younger than him. He coughed twice and then said, "I have two problems that I hope to attract the attention of the leader. Firstly, since we are about to go to war with Persia, should we change our marching route? If we change, how should we go? Secondly… well… our camp has always been the rearguard of the whole army, and now that we are going to war, our camp will be at a disadvantage if we continue to be the rearguard!"
"Philesius is right, we can no longer be the rearguard!"
"Don't worry, I will raise it in the military meeting of the leaders and will fight for it! As for the route of the march, I think it will be determined in the meeting of the leaders, because it is the most important issue!" Davos' confident words made the officers skeptical.
…
At the end of the meeting, as soon as they left the tent, Epiphanes, the first squadron leader of the shield soldiers, could not help but exclaim, "I can't believe that this young man is the first leader!"
"Don't look at his young age, his arrangements are not only very detailed, but also very organized, and he is also very dignified. None of us experienced veterans have stood up to contradict and refute him!" Another captain of the shield soldiers, Cid, praised.
"I think that this young man is not bad! At least the atmosphere of the meeting is very good, unlike Melon, who is like a poisonous snake, and who doesn't teach everyone a lesson in every meeting!" said the hoplite captain, Lysimachus, with a smile.
"If this little guy can perform so brilliantly on the battlefield, then he will be qualified as the leader!" Another centurion of the hoplites, Amintas, reminded everyone.
"Don't worry, although this new leader is young, he is a smart man. With Philesius assisting him, there won't be any big problems." The centurion of the hoplites, Alexius, comforted him.
"With us in the war, what is there to be afraid of! Davos only needs to play the role of his god's favored, and we can reduce our casualties and go home safely!" said Cid loudly, and everyone repeatedly agreed.
Kapus, who was following behind, said to Antonios with relief, "It seems that Davos has won the recognition of the people."
Antonios was still immersed in what he saw in the meeting and murmured, "He still needs to prove himself in battle, but I have confidence in him! He will become an amazing mercenary leader!"
…
Davos stood at the door and calmly watched the crowd leave. At this moment, he was not thinking about the effect of his debut as a leader, but was thinking about the management of the army.
The military system of the Greek mercenaries is roughly the same as that of the Greek city-states: The lowest-ranking officers are the squad leaders, with 10 men under them; the highest is the squadron leader, while the bottom is 100 to 120 men. Sometimes, there will be a platoon leader, and the bottom will be about 50 men. Above that is the brigade leader, and the bottom will be about 1,000 men. Above that is the general, and the number of soldiers under the general will be determined by the number of troops that the city-states can send out. By right, Davos should be a senior captain, but if the mercenaries can have more than a thousand soldiers, then they will be considered a large mercenary group, and they can independently undertake combat missions, so they can barely be counted as a general.
Davos graduated from the University of Political Science and Law in his previous life, but he had studied management, and he knew that the most effective number of people under the direct management of a leader is seven people, and now, there are fourteen captains participating in a military meeting. In a real war, wouldn't it delay time and slow down the movements of the heralds? If he can integrate these units again… Davos knew that he could only think about it now. After all, he had just become a leader, and if he rashly reformed the military system, it would arouse the disgust of the officers. He suppressed this thought and turned to Mersis, who was still in the tent, and said, "They are all gone, what do you want to say?"