“Yes, let’s wait for Cheirisophus to arrive and discuss it then!” The mere mention of Cheirisophus visibly lightened the mood. Davos, curious, whispered to Xenophon, “Who is Cheirisophus?”
Xenophon’s expression was complicated as he replied, “I’ve heard that Cyrus the Younger once had an agreement with Sparta: he would fully fund the construction of the Spartan navy, and in return, when Cyrus went to war, Sparta would provide military aid.”
Davos immediately caught on and said in surprise, “Are you saying that Cheirisophus was sent by Sparta?!”
“He’s a Spartan ephor. I heard he brought seven hundred hoplites and joined Cyrus’s army… At the time, he didn’t know that Cyrus was planning rebellion. By the time he found out, it was too late, so he and his troops kept a low profile among the mercenaries. But quite a few high-ranking officers know his identity…” Xenophon said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Davos understood why Xenophon had that look. He was an Athenian. Davos had already heard from Xenophon about the Spartan ephors. Unlike other Greek city-states that also had ephors, the Spartan system was unique because of its immense power: downward, they could oversee citizens, judge the Perioeci, discipline the helots, and hold supreme civil jurisdiction and partial criminal jurisdiction; upward, they could constantly watch the kings with wary eyes, had the power to prosecute them, and could summon them for interrogation at any time. Moreover, Spartan ephors could only be commoners. Every autumn, five ephors were chosen by lot from citizens over thirty. Upon taking office, they issued an order requiring every citizen to shave their upper lip and obey the state’s laws—a clear sign of how highly Sparta regarded the position. According to Xenophon, it was precisely because of this ephor system, which gave power to the common people, that Sparta was not considered a tyranny by other city-states.
Such an important figure was hidden among the Greek mercenaries. He was likely the only officer with an official identity in the entire mercenary army—and a Spartan at that. After defeating Athens, Sparta had become the hegemon of all Greek city-states. Even if the Greeks did not all follow its lead, they at least held it in awe. The previous Spartan, Clearchus, was a deserter condemned to death by the Spartan government, but the man coming now was a genuine Spartan warrior, bringing with him seven hundred equally genuine Spartan soldiers.
Anticipating the sight of the ancient Spartan warriors he had only known from legends, Davos felt eager anticipation mixed with a malicious thought: Will they be wearing red loincloths?
While waiting for Cheirisophus, the temporary leaders of the various camps were not idle. They invited all the officers down to the company commander level from each camp to participate in the discussion—almost two hundred men. The main tent could not hold so many, so they formed a large circle on an empty patch of ground in Clearchus’s camp. They all sat down, and after everyone had arrived, Cheirisophus appeared shortly thereafter.
Early that morning, Cheirisophus had gone to a nearby village to procure supplies for his men. The village was south of the Greek mercenary camp, so it had not been intercepted by the Persian cavalry. When the messenger found him, he was rushing back, having already learned the gist of what had happened on the way. Upon arriving at the meeting, the men consciously made a spacious place for him. Without hesitation, he sat directly on the dirt floor like everyone else and began to scan the crowd. He did not see the main mercenary leaders… Thinking of Clearchus’s uncertain fate, he felt a pang of sorrow. Clearchus had been his comrade-in-arms, a brave Spartan general who had won many exploits in the war against Athens. But when peace came, he could not adapt, refused to obey Spartan orders, was sentenced to death, and fled. When Cheirisophus saw him in Cyrus the Younger’s army, he pretended not to notice and did not order his men to arrest him—partly because he did not want to sabotage their cooperation with Cyrus, and partly out of lingering friendship…
His gaze slowly swept across the faces, pausing when it landed on one: a very young face. Among this group of officers whose average age was mostly over thirty, this young man appeared to be no more than twenty—and he was sitting in the front row, making him conspicuously noticeable. What was even stranger was that several people around him treated him with considerable respect. The young man stared back at him with keen eyes, then smiled and nodded in greeting… Cheirisophus was puzzled. He quickly asked his adjutant, who inquired around and then came back to tell him.
The “God-Touched One” from Menon’s camp? He had repeatedly issued “oracles” that came true? Cheirisophus frowned. The mercenary army’s management was indeed chaotic, letting a baby-faced youth occupy a high position!
Although the Spartans claimed to be descendants of Heracles, they did not have much reverence for the gods; they trusted their own strength more. Conservative as they were, they did not believe in youthful brilliance. After all, the rule was: “A Spartan cannot leave communal life, marry, or assume important positions until after thirty…” So Cheirisophus’s first impression of Davos was not favorable.
In Davos’s eyes, however, Cheirisophus fell far short of the imagined Spartan warrior. He was not tall, his features were ordinary—if not for the scars on his face and the sharpness of his gaze reminding others he was a soldier, Davos might have taken him for a simple Greek farmer.
When the crowd quieted down, Cheirisophus began to speak: “I already know what happened. Does anyone have any suggestions?”
At once, there was a murmur of whispers, but no one stood up to speak. After all, voicing an opinion before more than two hundred battle-hardened officers required not only courage but also some skill in rhetoric and insight—no easy feat for impoverished Greek mercenaries.
Davos did not speak up, not because he was afraid, but because during his earlier contacts with the various camp officers, he had realized that among this group, he was both young and a common soldier. Being too conspicuous would easily earn resentment, so he decided to watch how things developed.
Finally, Xenophon stood up. “Fellow officers, the Persians have broken their oath, killing or imprisoning our leaders and soldiers, and now they want us to surrender our weapons. The war with the Persians is now unavoidable! You have all seen that when the soldiers in camp learned the news, most of them are confused, frightened, even weeping! If this situation does not change quickly, when the Persians attack and we need them to fight, they will not have the courage to thrust their spears at the enemy, and we may all be annihilated!
Gentlemen, you are the officers of each camp. In peacetime, your pay and your status exceed that of the common soldiers, and your abilities surpass theirs. Now, in a time of danger, the soldiers place their hopes on you. You must muster great courage and a determination to fight the Persians to the death, so that you can stabilize the soldiers’ morale and bolster their confidence!
At the same time, we must immediately elect capable men as new commanders for each camp to replace Clearchus and the others, to manage and discipline the soldiers of each camp, formulate sound plans, command the whole army to defeat the Persians, and lead us safely back to Greece! With Zeus’s protection, we will surely leave Persia!…”
Xenophon’s words stirred a strong reaction among the crowd. Some even applauded. Xenophon, with a hint of self-satisfaction, turned his gaze to Timasion, who wore a cold expression, and then looked away.
In fact, the Greek mercenaries, trapped as they were, had no other choice. Cheirisophus immediately stood up and said in a decisive, firm tone, “Gentlemen, we have no time to waste. As Xenophon said, return to your camps at once, elect your new leaders, and send them here for a war council to plan our next moves.”
He swept his gaze over everyone and continued loudly, “This afternoon, also here, we will hold a full assembly of the entire army!” Without waiting for the officers to react, he turned and left.
Just as I thought! Davos clenched his fist and rose along with Antonios and the others.
The officers hurried back to their camps.
Cheirisophus