Cheirisophus and his men immediately fixed their gaze on the man in the middle: compared to the burly men around him, he was slightly leaner, but he wore a short-sleeved leather robe of brighter fur to offset his physical shortcoming. Moreover, he seemed to have a brownish-yellow Persian robe underneath, covering the legs that Dukeyan mountain folk usually left bare.
When his light brown, sharply gleaming eyes locked onto Cheirisophus and his party, he raised his right hand. The old Dukeyan shouted, “The Great Chief of the Dukeyan Kesokante Tribe greets the guests from afar!”
The mountain folk beat their wooden shields with their short axes and cried out, “Ola ola…”
The high-pitched, almost beast-like howls made Davos’s eardrums ache. Since the old man spoke Dukeyan, the mercenary leaders looked bewildered. Mariji immediately whispered a translation to them, and soon they regained their composure. Davos even watched the primitive hospitality with curiosity.
With the leaders’ approval, Mariji shouted loudly in Dukeyan, “The Spartan ephor Cheirisophus sends friendly greetings to the Great Chief Kammoro!” The moment he finished, the fifty silent Spartan soldiers behind him bellowed together, “Hey! Ho!” With those two shouts came a synchronized thrust of spears into the ground, a single opening and closing of their round shields, and then they fell silent again. Compared to the clamor of the other side, the Spartans were subdued and reserved, yet they exuded an invisible pressure.
Kammoro’s expression shifted slightly. He stared hard at the fifty soldiers standing as straight as pines, each holding a round shield with a large “∧” symbol in the center, and muttered, “Sparta…”
For a hundred years, the fame of Spartan warriors had spread across the Mediterranean, and even these remote mountain folk had heard something of it. He raised his right hand, and the shouting of the mountain folk gradually died down. “Welcome! Please, sit!” The words he spoke were flawless Persian.
As a Spartan ephor who often dealt with Persians, Cheirisophus naturally understood. He replied in Persian, “You, too, please sit.”
The negotiations formally began…
…
Contrary to what Davos and the others had expected, the seemingly barbaric Dukeyans were quite shrewd in the talks—especially Kammoro. The demands they put forward essentially treated the Greek mercenaries as laborers and thugs to be used at will. Their reasoning was well-presented: “If our tribe becomes allies with the Greek mercenaries, we will offend mighty Persia and be isolated and ostracized by the other Dukeyan tribes. There must be enough benefits for the warriors of the entire tribe to agree to sign the treaty.”
The Greek negotiators were equally capable: Cheirisophus, sent by Sparta as the liaison to Cyrus the Younger, had unquestionable diplomatic skill; Davos, having been a primary official of the high-tech development zone in his previous life, had attended countless business negotiations; and then there was Mariji, a merchant familiar with Dukeya.
Before coming, the mercenaries had already decided on the bottom line they must uphold: the marching route of the Greek mercenaries must be determined by themselves, without interference from outsiders. They deliberately acted as though they did not value the alliance too highly. When negotiations reached a stalemate, Cleanho several times said things like, “It doesn’t matter if we fail to form an alliance—the soldiers can simply force their way through.”
Thus, the heads of the Kesokante tribe grew troubled. After all, they were the first obstacle in the mercenaries’ path to Armenia. Clearly, there were benefits to be gained, yet they would have to choose confrontation—with Greeks who had already defeated Persians. Of course, they could also avoid fighting head-on, and the mercenaries would have no way to deal with them. But the mountain stronghold could not be moved, and the houses and supplies might not be saved. More importantly, this would damage Kammoro’s prestige and increase the neighboring tribes’ covetousness toward the Kesokante tribe.
After several exchanges, the following treaty was finally reached:
First, the Greek mercenaries and the Dukeyan Kesokante tribe become allies, living in friendship and not harming each other.
Second, the Greek mercenaries decide their own marching route. The tribes near the route will be attacked jointly by the mercenaries and the Kesokante tribe. The obtained supplies and wealth shall be divided sixty percent to the mercenaries and forty percent to the Kesokante tribe. Captured enemies shall be handed over to the Kesokante tribe for disposal. Without the Kesokante tribe’s consent, the mercenaries shall not kill or plunder indiscriminately.
Third, during battle, Cheirisophus and Kammoro shall coordinate command. If an irreconcilable disagreement arises, the operation shall be canceled. (This clause was specifically insisted on by Cheirisophus, who feared that Kammoro might adopt tactics unfavorable to the mercenaries for his tribe’s benefit, disregarding the mercenaries’ lives. In fact, this clause was never implemented, because after tasting the initial benefits, Kammoro feared the mercenaries would cancel the attack plans—so whenever the mercenaries raised objections, he would take the initiative to negotiate with Cheirisophus for a solution.)
Fourth, if the Kesokante tribe had a special target to attack that was not near the mercenaries’ marching route, they could hire the Greeks to attack it, but this required consultation with the leaders and agreement from the mercenary soldiers. (This clause was mainly requested by Kammoro. After discussion, Cheirisophus and Davos believed that if the cooperation went smoothly, as long as the target was not too far, the mercenaries could accept the hire—after all, since Cyrus the Younger’s death, the soldiers had received no pay.) … The treaty would take effect immediately and end when the Greek mercenaries left Dukeya.
The final procedure for concluding the treaty was a blood sacrifice. Cheirisophus had prepared for this. He ordered the slaughter of the three white lambs they had brought, placing the fresh blood offerings on tree stumps. The Kesokante tribe likewise slaughtered a deer.
Then both sides planted wooden stakes around the tree stumps and lit fires. Next, both sides loudly read aloud the treaty terms written on two animal hides in Persian. The mercenary army had no priest, so Cheirisophus performed the duty. On the Dukeyan side, the strangely dressed shaman carried it out.
When the sacrifice was complete and they began discussing the next steps, a mountain wind blew in, sweeping up fallen leaves and extinguishing the torches around the tree stumps. Everyone present changed expressions. The Greeks, including the silent Spartan soldiers, reverently called out the name of Zeus; the Dukeyans fell to their knees, worshipping the mountain god they revered. Clearly, all believed that the gods had manifested and approved this alliance.
From then on, the attitudes on both sides became much more positive. Kammoro even sent one of his sons to serve as a guide for the mercenary army.
Twenty days later, the mercenaries left the Dukeyan mountains and entered the plains.
During those twenty days, the mercenaries and the Kesokante tribe cooperated to capture four mountain strongholds and repelled one joint attack by other Dukeyan tribes. The casualties in battle were not light, but they captured many supplies, sustaining their provisions during the long march through the mountains. The Kesokante tribe’s gains were even greater. Most of the captured mountain folk—except the stubborn ones—were forced to join the Kesokante tribe. It was unknown how much the Kesokante tribe’s population had swelled, but Kammoro was clearly satisfied. This could be seen from the fact that when parting, he sincerely gave Cheirisophus a fine white wolf pelt.
A few days after the mercenaries marched across the plains, they discovered some villages one afternoon. Happily, they halted, drove out the villagers, plundered supplies, and camped in the village. They could finally sleep well without worrying about snake and insect bites.
The next morning, the mercenaries marched to the Kenthrites River, which formed the border between Armenia and Dukeya. The river was about sixty meters wide.
Following the guide’s directions, the army arrived at a spot where a pontoon bridge had been, only to find it burned down.
The leaders looked at the scorched marks on the bridge pilings on the bank, and their hearts sank: the Persians were nearby!
Cheirisophus immediately ordered Laedes’s cavalry squad to scout the surrounding area (after entering the mountains, the cavalry squad had lost many horses, leaving only five or six intact). He also ordered soldiers to go into the river to check the depth.
Upon receiving the order, several soldiers who were good swimmers removed their armor and waded into the river. Wobbling with each step, they neared the middle of the wide river when the water reached their chests.
Just then, someone shouted, “Persians!”
A disturbance rippled through the ranks. On a hill on the opposite bank, many Persian cavalry appeared, and on the plain below the hill, Persian infantry formed into battle lines, raising a great cloud of dust as they marched toward the riverbank…
The Dukas