章 18: A dream about the Eastern Kingdom?
After walking for a few days, Davos saw a huge wall more than 20 meters high in front of him, extending infinitely to the southeast…
"Oh! Media Wall!! No matter how many times you see it, you will still be shocked!!" Xenophon exclaimed loudly. During these few days of marching, he would run to the ranks of Menon's mercenaries and travel with Davos. In his words, 'Talking with Davos will stimulate his thinking about knowledge.' Davos, on the other hand, thought that it was boring for him to march in the ranks of Proxenus because he had nothing in common with the others except Proxenus, so he came to show off his knowledge to Davos.
"It is said that the wall of Media is more than a hundred miles long and was built by the former king of Babylon to defend against the Medians in the north. However, the king of Babylon was still destroyed by the Medians…" Xenophon looked up at the tall city wall and sighed, "The Medians were later destroyed by the Persians, and Herodotus had a wonderful description in his 'History' book. Just like how people will grow old and die, no matter how powerful a kingdom is, there will be a time when it will be destroyed. So even though the Persian territory is vast now, we don't know who will destroy it in the future! I hope that I can see that day in my lifetime!"
Davos certainly remembered that in his previous life, Persia was wiped out by Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia, whom the westerners had admired for more than 2,000 years. He couldn't remember the exact time, probably decades later. In his memory, Macedonia is not a unified kingdom, and it is his "enemy".
Looking at the huge wall made of bricks and asphalt, Davos was also filled with emotion, 'It seems that building the Great Wall to defend against the barbarians is not the specialty of the Chinese people. Current China should be in the Spring and Autumn War era…'
He turned his head to look at the east and stood there for a long time, with an indescribable longing and regret in his eyes, 'As a Greek in this life, he is thousands of miles away from his homeland and he can't return…'
"Davos! Davos!…" Hearing the shout of Hielos, Davos came back to his senses and found that his stop had affected the march of the column. He quickened his pace, but he couldn't stop himself from saying, "Do you know? Maybe there is a country in the distant east that has a more vast territory than Persia and ruled more people than Persia. Its customs are completely different from Greek Persia, and its political system is completely different from Greek Persia, but it is strict and efficient! It has gorgeous clothes, elegant etiquette, magnificent mountains and rivers, and delicious and rich food! Its army is powerful, and its people are rich…"
"Davos, you must be dreaming. How can there be such a powerful kingdom in the east?" Xenophon interrupted Davos' endless narration and said seriously, "According to the records of Herodotus, there is India on the east side of Persia, Arabia on the southeast side, and Skitians and Cyclops on the northeast side… there shouldn't be this kingdom that you are talking about! Is this a revelation from Hades?"
"So what's east beyond these races that you mentioned?" asked Davos.
"It should be the ocean," Xenophon said with uncertainty.
"This is what Herodotus said again. Has he personally confirmed it?" asked Davos.
"He… should have listened to the narration of others… recorded it." Xenophon began to stutter.
"Since it is hearsay, then it can't be certain that it is true, and we can't deny that there is no such country in the distant east!" Davos retorted.
Xenophon was at a loss for words and looked at Davos strangely, "Look at how serious you are, as if there is such a country."
Davos laughed and said nothing.
"How great it would be if I could go to the distant east one day and see it!" Olivos, who was on the side, was attracted by the scene described by Davos and suddenly exclaimed.
"Then, you will have to go through the Persian kingdom first, and then there are the Magsatians who come and go like the wind. It is said that they have cut off the head of Cyrus, the great king of Persia… well, there is also the terrible one-eyed man, and mysterious India… if you are lucky enough not to be killed or captured as a slave, then you can see whether there is a great ocean in the distant east or a powerful country…" Xenophon said half-jokingly.
Olivos shrank his neck and said nothing more.
Matonis, however, was a bit annoyed. Although he didn't like Olivos, he hated this learned Athenian even more, "What are you afraid of! If I had a powerful army, I would dare to go anywhere, let alone to the far east!"
"A powerful army?" Xenophon pointed at the loose marching formation in front of him with slight contempt, "Like this one?"
"Of course, it has to be stronger than this!" said Matonis loudly.
Davos listened to their bickering and narrowed his eyes: A stronger army?
…
Passing through the wall of Medea means that the Greek army has left the Babylonian region. In the next few days, what kept appearing in Davos'sight was the endless plain, endless golden wheat fields, and man-made rivers… these man-made rivers led the water of the great river to more narrow canals and ditches, and finally to the farmland…
When Davos saw this, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion, 'This should be the oldest irrigation project in the Middle East! The fertile land and abundant water have given birth to a large number of people, creating a brilliant ancient civilization of two rivers!'
Further ahead, they arrived at the source of the man-made river, the Tigris river. As another mother river in the plains of Mesopotamia, the river surface of the Tigris river is equally wide. At a glance, it is difficult to see the other side. On the river, countless sails are swaying, and the oars that are splashing into the water should be merchant ships, while the fishing boats are slowly flowing with the water. The singing of the fishermen and the shouting of the sailors on the boats resounded on both sides of the river. Countless water birds chirped and soared in the sky above the river, and from time to time, big fish leaped into the water, which is a beautiful and tranquil scenery of the river.
Near the river bank, there is a large city with a dense population – Sitas. The Greek mercenaries approached the city and set up camp. The Persian troops and Ariaeus'troops crossed the bridge and camped on the other side of the river. This night, because the Persian troops were on the other side, the psychological pressure on the Greek soldiers was much less, and Davos and the others had a good sleep.
On the second day, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit different. When Davos and the others crossed the river, they saw armed soldiers on both sides of the bridge. After crossing the pontoon bridge, there were also vigilant soldiers on the other side.
What happened?
When Xenophon came, Davos then understood the reason.
"Last night, a man came to the other side and said that he is a trusted aide of Ariaeus and had a message to bring to Clearchus and Proxenus. So several leaders met him, and I followed Proxenus in the tent and heard the man say, 'Ariaeus reminded Clearchus to be vigilant, because the Persian army might attack the Greek mercenaries at night, and they also intend to destroy the pontoon bridge and trap you between the Tigris river and the man-made waterway.' Several leaders were a bit nervous when they heard this, and I—"
Xenophon said with a slightly more serious tone, "After thinking about it, I think that this information is not reliable!"
"Oh, what do you think?" Davos asked, pretending to be curious.
"Because if the Persians attack us, it will either be a victory or a defeat. If they are defeated and destroyed, then they will have nowhere to run. If they win, then we are already on the land of the Persians and have nowhere to run, so why should we destroy a bridge that is not easy to build? Clearchus and the others have followed my advice!" Xenophon said with a bit of complacency.
"Hmm, that makes sense!" Davos thought about it and praised it.
"Even you can think of it. Tissaphernes is not a fool, so why did he make up such a lie?" said Olivos sarcastically.
"That's because he is really afraid that we will destroy the bridge!" Xenophon glanced at him and didn't want to argue with this uneducated guy, "You have all seen it these days, there are many villages in this area, and the land is fertile and produces a lot of food, which is enough to support our mercenaries for half a year. If we destroy the bridge and don't leave, and Tissaphernes' army is on the other side and can't come over for a while, then—"
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