Ancient Greece's Mediterranean hegemon

Chapter 3: Rebirth

Brothers, I brought some food for you." Hyllos squeezed into the small tent.

The once quiet tent suddenly became lively. The people who were lying down immediately sat up and eagerly snatched the food from Hyllos' arms, devouring it like starving wolves.

"Hyllos, if you didn't come any sooner, I would have starved to death," said Matonis, chewing on the semi-raw horse meat. It was a kind of meat he usually despised, but at that moment, it tasted incredibly delicious.

"I got it from Antonios. Menon had them specially assemble a team to retrieve dead and wounded horses from the battlefield, risking possible attacks from the Persians," Hyllos sighed, looking towards the innermost part of the tent where someone was still lying down. He asked with concern, "How's Daphis doing? Has he woken up?"

"He's awake. But he's been staring blankly, as if he doesn't recognize anyone who speaks to him. He hasn't said a word. Now he seems to be sleeping," Gaiogris answered sadly.

"I think he might have accidentally fallen into the River Lethe while sitting on the barge in Charon's domain. He seems to have lost his memory," Orpheus said.

"Shut up!" Matonis reached out to push Orpheus' head, but he was pushed away with a single forceful shove.

Hyllos forcefully separated the two, reprimanding them, "We all come from the same town in Cessali. We are surrounded by enemies in a land thousands of miles away from our homeland. If we don't stand together, we may never be able to return."

Silence fell upon the tent.

Hyllos felt the weight of the atmosphere and tried to reassure them, "I have seen warriors with severe head injuries before. They were initially confused but eventually returned to normal after resting for a while. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, Daphis will be able to greet everyone with a smile."

"Daphis is already an experienced warrior, yet he managed to stumble during the pursuit!" Orpheus complained irritably, but when he saw Matonis' stern gaze, he immediately fell silent.

"Hyllos, did little Cyrus emerge victorious or was he defeated?" The momentary silence made Gaiogris unable to resist asking the question that everyone was most concerned about but also afraid to confront.

Earlier, when they returned to the battlefield after chasing the fleeing enemy, they found that the Persian army was still present, but there was no trace of Cyrus' forces. As it was getting late, neither side had the desire to continue the fight, so they confronted each other for a while before the Persian army withdrew.

It was only then that the Greek mercenaries realized their camp had been plundered. The soldiers were tired and hungry, with no energy left to contemplate or inquire about this crucial question.

"Cyrus led a cavalry unit. Whether they were victorious or defeated, he could easily leave the battlefield and rendezvous with us tomorrow. We can fight another battle against the Persian king," Hyllos said nonchalantly, trying to ease the tension.

"But the Persian king's army was already much larger than ours to begin with. If Cyrus was defeated, the number of troops joining us in tomorrow's joint operation will be even fewer," Gaiogris expressed his concern.

"What's there to fear? We have over ten thousand heavy infantry! The Persians are as cowardly as rabbits! Even if they have more people, they wouldn't dare to fight us head-on! I haven't had my fill of killing today, so let's have another battle tomorrow, perfect!" Matonis cheered everyone up in his own way.

"Even if Cyrus is defeated, we have already routed their left flank and inflicted significant casualties on them. Tomorrow, their soldiers will only be fewer than today!" Hyllos also exuded confidence.