Questioning and Explanation (Part 1)

Meanwhile, Bourkos was being questioned by the generals of Thurii in the town hall.

Thurii’s political system resembled that of Athens. In ordinary times, the city’s administration operated under a “Board of Ten Generals” (after all, it was a city founded under Athenian guidance). However, unlike Athens, where generals were elected by the citizen assembly, Thurii’s original settlers came from ten regions of Greece: Arcadia, Achaea, Boeotia, Ionia, Athens, Doris, and others. Thus, each year, citizens from these ten regions each elected one general, and the chief general had always been a descendant of Athenians. But after the Peloponnesian War ended and Athens was defeated, to avoid reprisals from Sparta and the Greek city-states of Magna Graecia that had joined the Spartan alliance—such as Tarentum, Croton, and Syracuse, all powerful states—Kynogoratas, a leader of the Arcadian group, pushed for the expulsion of all Athenian descendants from Thurii. From then on, Thurii had only “Nine Generals,” and the chief general was elected from among the nine tribe-elected generals by the Council. Kynogoratas had served as chief general for four consecutive years, until last year, when the Lucanians invaded and Thurii suffered a disastrous defeat. The citizen assembly then cast most of its votes for Fieres, whom they judged to be the most militarily capable. Though he lost the chief position, Kynogoratas was still elected as one of the Nine Generals, given his immense prestige among the Arcadians.

Now, holding the mercenary contract Bourkos had signed, he asked, “Bourkos, as the man in charge of recruiting soldiers this time, you should know the going rates for mercenaries across Greece. Roughly how much is it?”

“Generally about half a daric a month,” Bourkos replied truthfully.

“Good, that matches what I’ve heard. I noticed in these two contracts that the first one indeed stipulates half a daric per month. But in the second contract—” Kynogoratas turned to face the other generals, raising his voice, “For another two thousand mercenaries, you’re offering two darics per month!”

At this, the generals murmured in surprise.

Before Bourkos could explain, Kynogoratas held up the parchment scroll with the contract and continued, “Not only that, you signed them to a six-month term. According to this clause, regardless of whether the war ends or not, they are to be paid two darics each month! Think about it, gentlemen—if the Lucanians delay their attack, under this agreement, those mercenaries would earn nearly twenty-five thousand gold coins for doing nothing over six months!”

“Good heavens, that’s outrageous!” Amid the renewed exclamations, another general, Neangisis, said angrily, “Last year, to fund the expedition against the Lucanians, the treasury spent three hundred talents of silver. Then, to provide for the families of fallen citizens, another fifty talents. To defend the city from the Lucanians, we forged weapons, repaired the walls, and called up the citizen levy, spending another hundred and fifty talents. This year, for purchasing food and supplies for the Tarentine reinforcements and the mercenaries, and for rebuilding destroyed villages and farmland, we’ve already spent one hundred and twenty talents of silver—and it’s still not enough! Earlier we even debated whether to impose a special war tax on citizens. This is the wealth Thurii has accumulated over many years, earned by the hard work and taxes of our citizens! As the general in charge of the city’s finances, I cannot tolerate such an absurd contract. I refuse to pay their wages!”

“Yes, we do not recognize this contract!” Most of the generals voiced their opposition.

Then the chief general, Fieres, spoke: “Kynogoratas, we all know it’s been confirmed that the Lucanians are gathering forces at Laüs. So there is no possibility that the Lucanians will refrain from attacking within six months. A large army assembled together consumes enormous amounts of food. The agricultural capacity of Lucania cannot sustain such a force for half a year. And if they muster and then disband, it will only weaken the prestige of their tribal confederation’s supreme leader. Unless something extraordinary happens, the Lucanian attack will come soon! And in this危急 time, we need more soldiers to help us fend off the Lucanians!”

“Fieres, you cannot rule out the unexpected. For instance, after their great victory, everyone thought the Lucanians would storm the city, but then plague broke out among them and they were forced to retreat…” Kynogoratas retorted. “Whether the enemy attacks or not is not the crux. The crux is that under this contract, the mercenaries profit no matter what, while Thurii always loses—that is the problem! The man you recommended, Bourkos, I do not believe he did his utmost on this mission. Just look at the terms he granted those mercenaries—not just the pay, but also this… look here… ‘The mercenaries under Davos are only responsible for defending Thurii and repelling the Lucanian attack on Thurii. Any other tasks must be separately negotiated and decided by both sides…’” Kynogoratas read the clause aloud, then sneered at Bourkos. “Are you sure you recruited mere mercenaries, not Spartan warriors?! We pay the money; we are the masters. And now you’ve turned these mercenaries into honored guests, where we have to seek their consent on everything! I strongly suspect Bourkos has made a private deal with these mercenaries. I demand that a financial officer be appointed to investigate him!”

“Enough, Kynogoratas!” Fieres finally lost his temper and shouted, “Bourkos may have been my recommendation, but he was approved by all you generals after discussion. Don’t forget—you were the second to agree! That shows his ability was recognized by everyone. In such a short time, he traveled tirelessly and quickly recruited more than four thousand soldiers for Thurii, solving our manpower shortage, reassuring our citizens, and securing the city’s safety! He should be rewarded by the city and thanked by its citizens, yet here he is, subjected to your humiliation. Is this how Thurii treats a citizen who has contributed to the polis?! If so, what citizen will ever willingly serve Thurii again?!” Fieres’s words fell into a temporary silence in the town hall.

Seizing the moment, Bourkos said, “I had no idea the city’s finances were in such dire straits! But I signed this contract and recruited these soldiers because, on the one hand, the situation was urgent, and on the other, they were worth it! They may not be Spartan warriors, but they are no less formidable!”

This immediately drew everyone’s attention. Neangisis clearly did not believe it and sneered, “Everyone knows the Spartans were trained as warriors from childhood, which is why they are so terrifying when they grow up. Is there really another polis with a similar system? Oh… and there’s the Persian Immortals mentioned in Herodotus’s *Histories*—are these men Persians?”

Bourkos stared coldly at Neangisis. “These soldiers do have some connection to the Persians!”

“Oh?” Fieres asked with interest. “Is there something special about this mercenary company’s background?”

Seeing that all the generals’ eyes were fixed on him, Bourkos glanced at Polyxides, who had remained silent, and said calmly, “After receiving the commission from you generals, I set sail the same day. But while crossing the Adriatic Sea, we encountered two pirate ships and nearly were captured. Thank Poseidon, a strong wind blew up, and, risking the ship capsizing, I escaped. I sailed onward to Crete, where I went ashore to rest and repair the ship. I had planned to recruit some archers there. The locals told me, ‘Recruiting a few is fine, but if you need many, you must obtain permission from Sparta, because Crete now belongs to the Spartan alliance.’ They also said that most mercenaries were then gathering in Asia Minor and advised me to recruit there—but it would be best to get a recruitment permit from Sparta. After careful thought, I decided to go to Sparta.”

Several generals involuntarily tensed. Though they had expelled the Athenian-descended citizens of Thurii to avoid retaliation from the Spartan-allied cities, reducing the original ten tribes to nine, they still did not know Sparta’s attitude toward Thurii.