The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 29 - The Military Meeting

Mersis leaned in and whispered, "Juleios, the Persian family you sent to the logistics camp last time—I've taken very good care of them, just as you requested!"

"Really?" Juleios looked at him with a half-smile. "How should I thank you?"

"You're the leader; it's my duty," Mersis replied with a grin. He leaned in even closer and whispered, "Also, Menon has nearly two Taranto silver coins worth of assets stored in the logistics camp..."

Two Taranto coins equaled about 65 kilograms of silver—a massive fortune. Menon indeed knew how to make money. However, for Juleios, who had only recently been reborn into this world, Greek currency still didn't fully resonate with him, so he didn't seem overly shocked. After thinking seriously for a moment, he asked, "Does Menon have any direct relatives?"

Mersis, observing Juleios closely and noticing no change in his expression, immediately understood Juleios' intentions. He felt even more respect for him and quickly replied, "No."

"Did he leave a will?"

"No. He never thought he'd die so soon."

Juleios pondered for a moment before sighing, "Menon founded this camp and worked hard for it. Let's use that money for the development of our camp."

"Juleios, you're truly just and selfless!" Mersis exclaimed loudly in admiration. Then, rubbing his hands, he cautiously asked, "How were you able to calculate those numbers so quickly earlier? Did Hades grant you some kind of insight?"

Juleios, having already noticed Mersis still had something on his mind, didn't expect it to be this. "Of course!"

"Can you teach me?" Mersis asked, his face filled with pleading.

Juleios was surprised by the curiosity of this middle-aged man, whose hunger for knowledge impressed him. "Of course, no problem."

"That's fantastic! Juleios, you're the best leader!" Unable to contain his excitement, Mersis hugged Juleios. Juleios stiffened—aware of the Greek tradition of male relationships, he was naturally cautious about physical contact. But he quickly realized he was overthinking it. Mersis was simply expressing his gratitude. Unquestionably, this plump man had become a steadfast supporter.

By the time all matters were arranged, it was already past noon. Juleios had expected to arrive late, but when he and Philesius reached the mercenaries' command tent, they found only Cheirisophus and Timasion inside.

Cheirisophus frowned as he noticed the two entering, particularly the young man he had seen at the previous gathering. With a stern voice, he asked, "You're from Menon's mercenary camp, right? Who did your camp elect as the new leader?"

Before Juleios could speak, Philesius stepped aside and gestured solemnly toward Juleios. "All of our soldiers unanimously elected Juleios as the new leader of our camp!"

Cheirisophus and Timasion stared in shock. After a long pause, they exchanged glances before Timasion loudly questioned, "We're about to fight the Persians, and everyone needs to give their all. Your camp elects a child who hasn't even grown up—is this your plan to drag us down?"

Timasion's last words were directed at Juleios, carrying an obvious tone of intimidation.

Facing Timasion's fierce expression, Juleios didn't back down and retorted, "When the fighting starts, we'll see who drags whom down! Battling the Persians takes more than brute force! When I tried to stop Clearchus and Menon from making their mistakes, where were you? If they had listened to me, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"I also...tried to stop them..." Timasion stammered, guilt-ridden over Clearchus' capture. Juleios' words hit a sore spot, leaving him lacking confidence.

"Our entire camp believes Juleios is the best choice for leader. Not a single person opposed him! They also entrusted me to serve as his deputy to assist in managing military affairs," Philesius loudly reiterated. As a seasoned mercenary, he understood Cheirisophus and Timasion's concerns and intentions.

Cheirisophus turned to Philesius again. "And who might this be?"

"Philesius, Menon's deputy and the actual manager of his camp," Timasion interjected with a peculiar tone beside Cheirisophus.

"Oh..." Cheirisophus responded knowingly. Juleios could guess what they were thinking, but he didn't argue—time would prove everything.

"The other camps are still struggling with their elections, but yours was quick," Cheirisophus remarked, standing up with a hint of sarcasm.

Juleios immediately replied, "At such a critical moment, unity across the army is better than continued division!"

Cheirisophus paused, slightly taken aback by the young leader's quick response. At the very least, he had no shortage of eloquence. Reluctantly, he saluted and said, "Welcome."

Juleios returned the gesture. "It's a pleasure to fight alongside you!"

For a moment, the tent fell silent.

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Ten minutes later, Zantiparis entered, having replaced Socrates as his camp's leader. Then, Cleanor arrived, succeeding Achilles. Finally, Hieronymus entered, having ousted Agasias to replace Proxenus as leader. Accompanying him was Juleios' acquaintance, Xenophon, who had become Hieronymus' deputy.

Everyone was surprised by Juleios' youth, but with time pressing in the afternoon, they couldn't dwell on it.

Once everyone was present, Cheirisophus immediately began, "Gentlemen, we must first decide on the retreat route to Greece. My suggestion is to follow the original route, moving north along the Tigris River into Armenia, reaching the Euxine Sea, and then sailing back to Ionia."

"This is the route Tissaphernes arranged for us—it's a trap! I've heard that many barbarian tribes in the north give even the Persians trouble. It would be a huge threat to us!" Zantiparis objected.

"What's your alternative? Heading west? The journey is longer, and more importantly, we're already at war with Persia. Every extra day on Persian soil increases the danger, as they can gather more troops to attack us at any time! If the north troubles even the Persians, that shows their control there is weak. This could be our opportunity! Besides, we share a common enemy—the Persians!" Timasion argued.

Indeed, they would take the northern route. Juleios noted Zantiparis and the others' approving expressions.

"Let's vote. All in favor of heading north, raise your hands!" Cheirisophus said.

The decision was unanimous.

Cheirisophus continued, "To concentrate our forces against the Persians and avoid being spread too thin, I propose merging smaller mercenary camps like Sosis' and Pasion's into ours. Of course, this would require mutual consent."

"If they join, how will we allocate rations? What about the wealth each camp has accumulated?" Hieronymus asked seriously.

"As I said, it's based on mutual agreement. If they join your camp, you can negotiate privately," Timasion replied impatiently.

Merging smaller camps? Juleios was intrigued. After all, larger forces meant a higher chance of survival in battle.

"Since everyone agrees, we'll announce this at the general assembly. Additionally, with the threat of Persian attacks at any moment, how should we march to ensure maximum safety?" Cheirisophus picked up a stick and drew on the ground. "I suggest a large square formation. Two mercenary groups act as the vanguard, leading the army. One protects each flank, two serve as the rear guard, and the logistics team and non-combat personnel stay in the center. What do you think?"