Chapter 77

“Burkos, it’s been a while. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten an old friend,” Davos said with a welcoming smile.

“How could I ever forget?” Burkos explained. “It’s just that since my return, there have been many pressing matters that needed my immediate attention. I simply couldn’t find the time to get away.”

“Ah, so you’re finally finished with all your tasks?” Davos teased.

“Not at all,” Burkos said, his expression turning serious. “However, I have an important order from the bouleuterion of Thurii to deliver to you.”

“Oh? What important order could that be? Have the great men of Thurii finally remembered us mercenaries?” Davos said with a touch of sarcasm.

“Should I say it here?” Burkos asked, glancing around at the open space.

“My apologies, that was my oversight. Please, come to my command tent,” Davos said, leading them toward the center of the camp.

“This ‘tug-of-war’ game… did you learn it in Persia?” Burkos asked as they walked.

“It was my own idea,” Davos explained. “I was worried that if the soldiers were left idle in the camp for too long, trouble might arise. So, I had them compete in athletic games. It’s a good way for them to burn off their excess energy, build their strength, and cultivate teamwork. In fact, there is a substantial prize for the winning team, which I am funding myself.”

“You manage these mercenaries very well,” Burkos praised, then changed the subject. “But you won’t have to worry about them being idle for much longer. You will all have work to do very soon.”

Davos was not surprised. “The Lucanians are at our doorstep. If Thurii didn’t make a move soon, I would have thought you were planning to cede them all the land outside your walls.”

Sensing the resentment in Davos’s tone, Burkos was trying to think of a reply when a flash of movement to his right caught his eye. Within the wooden palisade was a four-meter-high section of stone wall. “Are you planning to build stone walls as well?” he asked, shocked.

Davos blinked. “The ground beneath that section of the wooden wall is rather damp, so it isn’t very stable. We used some of the waste stone to build a retaining wall behind it to prevent it from being breached.”

“You and your soldiers are truly remarkable. You’ve managed to turn this camp into a city,” Burkos said, the words a veiled criticism.

“We had no choice,” Davos said frankly. “Our numbers are few. If Thurii is besieged, they have us mercenaries to come to their aid. But if we are besieged, who will come to rescue us? We can only rely on ourselves.”

“And the market outside? Is that also related to the camp’s defense?” Burkos retorted.

“Initially, we only intended to use the market to buy and sell a few things to meet our daily needs. I never expected it to become what it is now. But you can rest assured, once the Lucanians are defeated, everything will return to normal,” Davos promised.

Burkos had only intended to gain a psychological advantage for the coming conversation; the decision to force the mercenaries to close their market could only be made by the bouleuterion and the assembly. He didn’t press the issue further, deciding instead to simply report back to Pheresus. Once they were inside Davos’s command tent, he got straight to the point. “Based on our reconnaissance, the Lucanians will likely attack Thurii within the next two days. The generals have conferred and have decided to meet the enemy in the field. They require your participation in the battle.”

“Go on, then. What is the plan of the great senators of Thurii?” Davos asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Inwardly, he felt a profound sense of helplessness. As a participant in a major battle, he wasn’t even given the right to take part in the pre-battle planning. It was absurd. He didn’t know that the Greek mercenaries under Cyrus the Younger had been treated in much the same way. It was only because the mercenaries had made up half of Cyrus’s army, and because Cyrus had deceived them about the true nature of his rebellion, that he had been forced to consult with Clearchus and the other generals when making unreasonable demands. By the time Davos had been transmigrated, Cyrus was already dead, and the mercenaries were their own masters, making all decisions by council. Now, Davos was once again experiencing that terrible feeling he’d had when he first arrived in this world, which is having his fate decided by others.

Burkos was equally helpless. In fact, Pheresus had proposed that the mercenary generals be included in the planning, but Kunogelata and the others had staunchly refused, citing the need to prevent an incident similar to what had happened with Dionysius of Syracuse. (Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, had once been overthrown by a democratic faction, only to regain power by secretly bringing mercenaries into the city and carrying out a bloody suppression of his opponents, cementing his position as dictator.) Since the hiring of the mercenaries had been Pheresus’s proposal in the first place, he had been forced to recuse himself from the argument to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

“According to our scouts,” Burkos began, picking up a stick and sketching a diagram on the ground, “the Lucanian allied army numbers over ten thousand. On our side, you have over two thousand men, and Drakos and the others also have over two thousand. The Tarentine reinforcements number fifteen hundred, and Thurii can field four thousand. We also have two hundred cavalry. In total, our numbers also approach ten thousand.”

After outlining the relative strengths of the two armies, he continued, “The senators’ plan is to position the Tarentine reinforcements on the right wing. Since their numbers are the smallest, one thousand of Adrianx’s and Sextus’s men will be added to support them. The center will be held by our Thurian forces. Due to our heavy losses last year, the number of young Thurian citizens has been greatly reduced, so more than half of these four thousand men are citizens over the age of forty. Therefore, one thousand of Drakos’s men will be added to the center. As for your contingent… because your troops are the most experienced and the strongest, you will be responsible for the left wing, along with one hundred of our cavalry. The other one hundred Tarentine cavalry will be assigned to the right wing. Of course, this is just the plan. On the battlefield, it may change depending on the enemy’s actions.” Burkos finished and looked up, watching Davos’s expression.

Davos rested his chin in his hand, his eyes fixed on the diagram on the ground, lost in thought. He remained silent for a long, long time.

Burkos began to feel nervous.

“Do you want my opinion?” Davos finally said, looking up. He pointed to the diagram, his expression calm. “This deployment is relatively balanced. It is clear the senators’ intention is to fight a battle of attrition, to use our defensive strength to wear down the enemy’s attack.”

Burkos nodded. Pheresus had said something similar when explaining the battle plan to him. The rumors are true, he thought. Davos can deduce the senators’ intentions just by looking at a rough sketch.

“Although I have never fought the Lucanians, I have fought many mountain peoples in Persia, and their combat characteristics are likely similar: fierce, poorly organized, and poorly equipped,” Davos continued. “This is probably the source of your senators’ confidence in taking them on with fewer numbers. However, there are a few issues I must bring to your senators’ attention.” His tone sharpened, his voice rising.

“Last year, Thurii lost over ten thousand men in the battle with the Lucanians. This also means that nearly ten thousand sets of high-quality Greek hoplite equipment fell into their hands. They could have easily used it to upgrade their own simple gear. I encountered this very situation when I was scouting Amendolara. Secondly, according to my own scouts, the Lucanian allied army numbers at least thirteen thousand men, which gives them a superiority of over three thousand. This means their formation will be deeper than ours, and their battle line will be longer. Not only will their charge and push be stronger, but the threat of them enveloping our flanks will be greater. And they are coming off a major victory; their morale will be high. As for your Thurian soldiers, from what I have observed, they harbor a deep-seated fear of the Lucanians. In a prolonged battle, it is hard to say who will break first.” Davos tapped the stick on the part of the diagram representing the Thurian center. “And do not forget, half of the men holding this line are ‘old men’.”

The confidence that Burkos had held, the belief that Greek hoplites were invincible against barbarians in a frontal assault, was shaken by Davos’s analysis.

“Would you like to hear my plan?” Davos asked.