As they approached the Persian cavalry, Philesius informed Davos that the leading Persians were Ariaeus, Artaozus, and Mithridates, the three men Cyrus had trusted most in his life. The other Persian in the center was a man Davos recognized: the former envoy, Sositheus.

The Greek officers stopped about twenty meters from the Persian cavalry.

“Please, come closer,” Ariaeus said, gesturing to the ground before his horse.

The officers did not move.

Sositheus couldn’t resist a sneer. “Are all Greeks so timid?”

“It is because the Persians have broken their promises time and again that we no longer dare to trust them,” Xenophon retorted sharply.

“That’s right! Persians are all shameless villains who would even deceive the gods!” Cleanor cursed angrily. His words resonated with the other officers, and a chorus of insults erupted.

“Be silent! And listen carefully to the decree of the Great King!” Ariaeus shouted.

“He is your Great King, not ours! If you have something to say, say it! If not, we are going back!” Davos shouted back.

“We Hellenes are free men, unlike you Persians who are all your king’s slaves!” Timasion roared, his voice half-pride and half-mockery.

Ariaeus’s nose was practically twisted with rage. He turned to look at Sositheus, who gave him a slight nod. Only then did Ariaeus reluctantly unroll the papyrus scroll in his hand and read in a loud voice:

“To all you Greeks, I, Artaxerxes, Lord of the Persians, King of All Peoples, declare that Clearchus has violated the sworn oath and broken the truce. The gods have already delivered their punishment upon him. The four generals, Proxenus, Menon, Agias, and Socrates, having reported his conspiracy, are now receiving the highest honors from my satrap, Tissaphernes! To prevent such a terrible betrayal from happening again on our journey, and for the sake of your safety—” Ariaeus raised his voice, speaking with great solemnity, “—I demand that all Greek soldiers surrender your weapons. The money used to purchase these weapons came from the traitor Cyrus, and his wealth all came from the Persian treasury, and therefore rightfully belongs to me! Surrender your weapons, and I swear to the supreme god, Mazda, that I will guarantee your safe passage to Ionia!”

“Hahaha!” Davos burst out laughing. “A wolf tricks a deer into being its friend, and then eats it. Having tasted the reward, the wolf now wants to trick all the other deer into breaking off their own antlers, so that it can feast on their flesh without fear! Hahaha… how stupid would someone have to be to fall for such a trick again? Or has your king lost his mind?”

“Insolence!” Ariaeus roared, pointing a furious finger at Davos. “To insult the Great King is a crime punishable by fire!”

“Enough, Ariaeus, you shameless villain!” Cleanor shouted, pointing at Ariaeus, Artaozus, and Mithridates. “And you, Cyrus’s closest comrades! Do you feel no shame before the gods? You once swore an oath with us before the gods to be allies in rebellion against the Persian King, and now you have betrayed us! You have conspired with that inhuman monster Tissaphernes, not only to deceive Clearchus and the others, but now you seek to betray the rest of us! Even in the underworld, when Cyrus learns of what you have done, he will surely curse you!”

Ariaeus flinched and instinctively glanced at Sositheus, who wore an expression of complete indifference. Left with no choice, Ariaeus continued, “The Great King genuinely wishes to send you home in peace. The traitor, Cyrus, has already received his just punishment. You were merely deceived by him! The King is merciful and does not wish for the lands of Persia to suffer any more needless war! However, based on the reports from Proxenus and the others, Clearchus began plotting against Lord Tissaphernes and the Persian army more than ten days ago, spreading rumors everywhere in an attempt to drive a wedge between the Greeks and the Persians. We had no choice but to take action against him!”

“Since you claim that Proxenus and the others exposed Clearchus and were rewarded by you, then have them come here,” Xenophon said, still trying to find a way to save his friend. “That would naturally resolve the suspicion between us. And as our leaders, they could offer better suggestions for a reconciliation between our two sides.”

“That’s right! Let our generals come here, and then we will believe you!” the officers began to clamor.

“Uh… Proxenus and the others are attending a banquet hosted by Lord Tissaphernes… they are already drunk… so…” Ariaeus stammered. Sositheus was growing impatient.

He shouted, “The Great King has given his order! Surrender your weapons at once, and your safe passage home will be guaranteed! Otherwise, we will no longer provide you with any assistance!”

“Ares is on high, a Greek warrior will never cast aside his weapons and allow himself to be slaughtered!” Timasion roared, striking his bronze shield with his spear.

“Anyone who wants to take our weapons will have to fight us to the death!” Cleanor shouted in a rage.

“Proxenus and the others cannot come, not because they are drunk, but because they have already been murdered by you, is that not so?” Xenophon’s voice was filled with grief and fury. He had stated the outcome so starkly in the hopes of forcing the truth from Ariaeus, but he had not expected to ignite the fury of the other officers.

“The Persians want to kill us all!”

“Avenge our leaders!”

***

The enraged officers began to surge toward Ariaeus and the others. Seeing the situation turn ugly, Sositheus wheeled his horse around and fled. Ariaeus and the others quickly followed. After putting some distance between them and the Greeks, Sositheus looked back. Filled with shame and anger at having been scared off by a pack of Greek barbarians, he, a noble of Persia and a relative of the royal family, shrieked, “Greeks, you have missed your best chance! You will soon regret this!”

“We will see who regrets it in the end!” Xenophon retorted forcefully.

Watching the Persian cavalry depart, the officers were all filled with a heavy sense of dread. It was now certain that the fate of their captured generals would not be a good one, and the Persians had torn away all pretense. What were they to do now?

Surrender to the Persians? Even the King’s own brother, Cyrus, had had his head and hands brutally cut off. Most of the officers did not believe their own fate would be any better if they surrendered. They would either be killed or, perhaps, become slaves. This was a choice the officers could not and would not accept.

Besides that, their only option was to go to war with the Persians again, here, in this foreign land. They had been led by the Persians along a route they had never traveled before, thousands of miles from home. Without the Persians’ help, they could only feel their way forward, not knowing how many hostile peoples and villages they would have to face, all while fending off attacks from the Persian army. The most frustrating part was that while the Persians could not defeat them in a pitched battle, they could not catch the Persians either. And a single defeat could mean the annihilation of their entire army. The thought of these difficulties left every man dejected, unsure of what to do. When they had left the camp, the soldiers had been in good spirits. On their return, every man was sighing, his face etched with worry.

When the ranking officers of each contingent gathered again in the camp, Davos naturally stood beside Philesius, taking part in the discussion. Of course, as a newcomer, he said little, and spent most of his time observing the other officers. In the heat of their arguments, they were more likely to reveal their true personalities: the hot-tempered Timasion, the shrewd Cleanor, the cautious Xanthipparis, and Agasias, who seemed to get along well with everyone.

Xenophon was much more active. He argued fiercely with the others on several occasions and even declared loudly, “Gentlemen, Clearchus and the others have been captured by the Persians! We must immediately elect new leaders for each camp to replace them! Then we must hold an all-army assembly to restore the soldiers’ determination to fight the Persians and their faith that we must rely on ourselves to get home! Otherwise, if we allow this chaos to continue, we will be finished before the Persians even attack!”

Davos believed Xenophon was absolutely right. Although he was still a novice in military affairs, he had been a village chief and a director of a high-tech development zone in his past life. He had managed far more than ten thousand people, and so he deeply understood the importance of unifying thought and inspiring confidence in any group.

Timasion, who seemed to resent Xenophon’s forwardness, ignored him completely and turned to the others. “Don’t be so hasty. Chrysophus will be back soon.”