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Chapter 18 - chapter 18 - dreaming of the eastern kingdoms?

 After walking for a few days, Davos saw a huge wall towering ahead, more than twenty meters high, stretching infinitely to the southeast ...

 "Oh! The wall of Midea! No matter how many times I've seen it, it still rocks!!!" Xenophon exclaimed loudly. When marching these days, he would run into the line of Menon's mercenaries and walk with Davos. In his words, 'Talking with Davos is good for stimulating his intellectual thinking.' Davos, on the other hand, thought he was bored marching in Proxenus's queue because he had nothing in common with anyone else except Proxenus, so he ran to show off his learning to Davos.

 "It is said that this Midian wall is more than a hundred miles long, and it was built by the former Babylonian Kingdom in order to defend against the Midians in the north. But the Babylonian Kingdom was still wiped out ... by the Midians," Xenophon looked up at the tall wall and lamented, "The Midians were later wiped out by the Persians, as Herodotus wonderfully described in his book of Histories. Just as people are born, grow old, get sick and die, even the most powerful kingdom has its time to perish. So don't look at Persia as a vast country now, but we don't know who will destroy it in the future! I hope I can see that day in my lifetime!"

 Of course, Davos remembers that Persia was destroyed by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, who had been highly respected by Westerners for more than 2,000 years, and he can't remember the exact time, probably a few decades later. In his memory, the current Macedonia is not a unified kingdom, but also his own "enemy".

 Looking at this huge wall made of burnt bricks covered with asphalt, Davos was equally overwhelmed with emotion: it seems that the repair of the Great Wall to defend against barbarians is not a patent of the Chinese nation. Now China should be in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period it ...

 He turned his head and looked out to the east, and stood for a long time, with indescribable longing and regret in his eyes: in this world, as a Greek, he was thousands of miles away from his homeland, and it was no longer possible to return ...

 "Davos! Davos! ..." Hearing Xylos' shout, Davos snapped back to his senses, realizing that his lingering was interfering with the column's march. He quickened his pace, but he could not help saying, "Do you know what? It may be that there is a country in the far east which governs a country even more extensive than Persia, which rules over a population even larger than Persia, whose customs are entirely different from those of Greece and Persia, and whose political system is entirely different from that of Greece and Persia, but is strict and efficient! It had gorgeous costumes, elegant manners, magnificent mountains and rivers, and delicious, rich food! Its army was powerful and its people rich ..."

 "Davos, you're dreaming. Where in the east is there such a powerful a kingdom?" Xenophon interrupted Davos's gushing narration and said seriously, "According to Herodotus's records, there is India to the east of Persia, Arabia to the southeast, and the Scythians and One-Eyed People to the northeast.... There should be no such kingdom as the one you are talking about! Could this be a revelation from Hades?"

 "So beyond these races you speak of, what is further east?" Davos asked.

 "I think it's Oceana." Xenophon said uncertainly.

 "That's what Herodotus said again, isn't it. Did he ever confirm it himself?" Davos asked again.

 "He ... must have listened to someone else's account ... and recorded it." Xenophon's words began to stutter.

 "Since we have heard of it, we cannot be sure that it is true, nor can we deny that there is no such country in the far East!" Davos retorted.

 Xenophon was momentarily speechless and looked at Davos strangely, "Look at you in all seriousness, as if there really is such a country."

 Davos grinned and didn't say anything.

 "How wonderful it would be if one day I could visit the far east!" Oliverus, who was on the sidelines, was fascinated by the sights described by Davos, and said with a sudden exclamation.

 "Then you'll first have to cross the kingdom of Persia, and then there's the horse-riding race of Magsatians who come and go like the wind, and who are said to have cut off the head of Cyrus, the great king of Persia ... Well, then there's the dreaded One-Eyed Man, and then there's the mysterious India... . if you are lucky not to have been killed or taken as a slave, you can see that the far east is the great ocean, or there is a powerful country ... " Xenophon said half jokingly, half seriously.

 Oliverus scowled and didn't say another word.

 Martonius, however, was a little annoyed, and though he disliked Oliverus, he hated the show-off Athenian even more, "Fear not! If I had a strong army, I would dare to go anywhere, not to mention to the far east!"

 "A mighty army?" Xenophon gestured slightly contemptuously at the loose marching formation in front of him, "Like this one?"

 "Of course it has to be more powerful than that to work!" Martonius exclaimed.

 Davos listened to their bickering and narrowed his eyes: a stronger army?

 ............... ...

 Crossing the wall of Media meant that the Greek army left the region of Babylon. For the next few days, what kept appearing in Davos' vision were: a wide plain, endless fields of golden wheat, and an artificially dug river ... These artificial rivers diverted the water of the great river into more tiny canals and ditches, which eventually flowed into the farmland... ...

 When Davos saw this, he couldn't help but be greatly impressed: this must be the oldest irrigation project in the Middle East! Fertile land and abundant water sources nurtured a large population, creating one brilliant and glorious ancient civilization of the two rivers after another! ...

 Further on, we reach the source of the artificial river: the Tigris. As another mother river of the Mesopotamian plains, the Tigris River is equally wide, and at a glance, it is difficult to reach the other side of the river, with countless sails swaying on the surface of the river, and those whose oars hit the water and rush in are supposed to be merchant ships, while those whose sails are lowered and slowly flowing along the water are fishing boats, with the songs of the fishermen on the boats and the shouts of the sailors resonating across the two sides of the great river. Over the river, countless waterfowl chirping and soaring, from time to time in the water there are big fish leaping, a beautiful and peaceful scenery of the river.

 Near the bank of the river was a large and densely populated city, Situs, and the Greek mercenaries approached this city and set up camp. Instead, the Persian army and Arrizos' troops crossed the bridge and camped on the other side of the river. This night, because the Persian army was on the other side of the river, there was much less psychological pressure on the Greek soldiers, and Davos and his men got a rare good night's sleep.

 By the next day, the atmosphere suddenly became a little different. As Davos and the others crossed the river, they saw that the bridge was flanked by heavily armed soldiers on guard, and when they crossed the pontoon, the other side was equally guarded.

 What happened?

 When Xenophon came over, Davos realized what was going on.

 "Last night a man came across the river, saying that he was a close friend of Arrizos, and had a message to bring to Clilicus and Proxenus. So several of the chiefs received him, and I followed Proxenus in the army tent, and heard the man say, 'Arizos warns Clilicus to be on his guard, for the Persian army may attack the Greek mercenaries at night, and also intends to destroy the pontoon bridges, and trap you between the Tigris and the artificial waterway.' Several of the chiefs were a little nervous at hearing this, and I-"

 Xenophon said with a slightly more intentional tone, "Upon reflection, this information is deemed unreliable!"

 "Oh, what do you think?" Davos asked with mock curiosity.

 "For when the Persians come to attack us, they either win or lose. If they lost and destroyed it, would there not be nowhere to run to; and if they won, we would have been in Persian land, and there would have been nowhere to run to, so why should we destroy another bridge that had been built so very hard. Clearchus and the others followed my advice!" Xenophon said, slightly smugly.

 "Well, that makes sense!" Davos thought about it and praised.

 "Even you can think that Tissafonis is not a fool, so why make up something that sounds like a lie at first glance?" Oliverus said with a sneer in his voice.

 "That's because he's really afraid of us destroying the bridge!" Xenophon glanced at him, not wanting to bother with this uneducated guy, "As you have all seen in the past few days, there are quite a few villages in this area, and the land is fertile and produces a lot of food, enough to feed our mercenaries for most of the year, so if we destroy the bridge and don't leave, and Tissaphernes's army is on the other bank and can't get through for a while, then- -"

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