The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 21 - Maliji

"There is one more question," Juleios said, withdrawing his gaze and asking seriously, "At what point along this journey will we be outside the jurisdiction of the Persian royal family?"

Maliji, eager to please Juleios, thought for a moment and then drew a circle on the rough map. "Here! Once you pass Mesipira!"

"Mesipira?" Juleios studied the pattern on the ground carefully.

"Mesipira is the ancient capital of Assyria, Nineveh! Once past it, the next stop is Dukeya," Maliji emphasized.

Georgilos nodded. "Are you familiar with Dukeya?"

"Not very much. I've only traded with them before, exchanging grain for their mountain goods," Maliji replied, a furious expression appearing on his face. "But they are untrustworthy savages, often refusing to pay, injuring people, and robbing goods!"

Juleios listened attentively, then turned to Matonis and said, "Take his family to the baggage camp and have Mersis look after them carefully. But make it clear to Mersis not to mistreat him, his wife, or his daughters, and not to treat them as slaves!"

Before Juleios had finished speaking, Maliji knelt with a thud. "I beg you! Please, let me and my wife and daughters go! I've told you everything! Please spare us..."

"It seems you understand Greek," Juleios said. "You were pretending not to earlier."

Maliji didn't argue this time, only bawling uncontrollably.

"Actually, I'm not keeping you and your family here to punish you. It's for your own good. Did you know that your lord, the brother of the king, Darius the Younger, is already dead?"

Maliji suddenly stopped crying. His hands, which were clutching Juleios' legs, slackened. In a weak voice, he asked, "Is His Highness Darius really dead?"

"You must have suspected it already, didn't you? Otherwise, why would Tissaphernes bring us here and allow us to plunder your village? This was a punishment for Cyrus's rebellion! And I'm certain this won't be the last of such punishments."

Maliji slumped to the ground, his mind dazed.

Matonis grabbed him and dragged him out.

"This man doesn't seem like an ordinary merchant," Xilos remarked as he watched Maliji being dragged out of the tent.

"You're right!" Juleios nodded. "His family lives in a run-down house but possesses much gold, silver, and luxurious clothing. And judging by the demeanor of him and his wife, they don't seem like typical Persian merchants. Moreover, he's fluent in Greek and knows so much. He might be a relative of Darius or a manager in his employ—or perhaps his personal merchant. After Darius' rebellion failed, he fled to this remote village on his estate to avoid retribution. If it weren't for the village chief's betrayal, we might have missed this big fish."

Juleios thought with satisfaction, choosing to selectively forget the tortures he inflicted on the village chief and his family. He told Xilos, "Captain, please emphasize to Mersis again that no one is to disturb his family. He's very useful to us! Now that Darius is dead, I want him to genuinely join us."

A soldier receiving orders from his captain without anyone questioning it—Juleios' leadership within the squad was firmly established.

"Understood." Xilos promptly exited the tent.

"Picoles, thank you so much! You've been a great help today!" Juleios turned to a soldier.

"It's my honor to assist you!" Picoles responded humbly.

Juleios handed him two drachmas.

"This... this..." Picoles feigned refusal.

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"Please take it!" Juleios insisted. "I truly appreciate your help today. Also, I hope you can keep this confidential and not let Menon find out!"

Picoles, hearing this, stopped refusing and pocketed the coins. "Don't worry, I don't like that guy either! By Hades, I swear not to reveal a word!" He made a gesture of sealing his lips, then excitedly added, "If there's more work like this, just call me!"

"You'll be indispensable!" Juleios laughed.

After Picoles left the tent, Georgilos immediately asked with concern, "Picoles is Menon's Persian interpreter. Can he be trusted?"

"I've heard Menon knows Persian, so Picoles has nothing to do and is often treated like a laborer by Menon. He wouldn't be foolish enough to offend us, especially since he can make money," Oliveros interjected. Having narrowly escaped death, Oliveros was now quietly grateful to Juleios, though he sensed Juleios' cool demeanor toward him.

But as soon as Oliveros spoke, an awkward silence filled the tent.

"Juleios, how did you know that Persian merchant buried money in the yard?" Georgilos broke the silence.

Juleios, understanding Georgilos' intent to liven the mood, explained, "It was simple. When we captured Maliji, I noticed that besides worrying about his wife and daughter being mistreated—" Juleios glanced at Oliveros, "—he kept sneaking glances at an old tree in the yard. When I checked, I noticed the soil beneath the tree looked different, as if it had been recently disturbed. That raised my suspicions. And before I even pressured him, the coward confessed everything."

The group loudly praised Juleios' attention to detail, with Oliveros being the most vocal.

Juleios turned to Georgilos. "That money is crucial for us. Check the baggage camp daily to ensure that fat Mersis doesn't take advantage."

"Understood."

After multiple raids, the Greek mercenaries' column had grown even more bloated and unwieldy.

For days, as Maliji had described, the army marched along the right bank of the Tigris River, crossed the river, and arrived at the city of Qayneh. There, they received another full supply. However, mistrust among the Greek soldiers toward the Persians deepened, and new rumors spread, increasing post-camp conflicts between the two forces.

Eventually, upon reaching the Zapatas River, a large-scale brawl erupted between the soldiers, with over a hundred men armed and clashing, resulting in more than ten casualties. If not for the timely intervention of both sides' leaders, the outcome would have been disastrous.

This incident led to the cancellation of the next day's march. Soldiers were confined to their camps, providing a rare day of rest for Juleios and his group, who slept in.

Meanwhile, Mersis took the opportunity to slaughter some of the plundered livestock and make sausages.

Just as Juleios woke up, Antonios rushed into the tent with a worried look. "Juleios, Menon, Clearchus, Proxenus, and other leaders are heading to the Persian camp for negotiations!"

"What!!?" Juleios sat up abruptly.

"After last night's incident, Clearchus immediately sought out Tissaphernes to negotiate, hoping to dispel mistrust and prevent further hostilities. It seems their talks went well, as Clearchus spent the night safely in the Persian camp. This morning, he returned and summoned the other leaders for further discussions with Tissaphernes. Although many soldiers and officers opposed this, the leaders reached an agreement and are about to depart."

"Why wasn't our camp informed of this?" Xilos asked angrily.

"Menon didn't consult anyone. He just quietly took Capes and Milstik, the two company captains still loyal to him," Antonios explained awkwardly. He knew Menon had lost the support of most officers and soldiers after the previous mutiny and now acted unilaterally.

"Who else is going?" Juleios asked, quickly dressing with a grave expression.

Antonios felt a pang of unease at Juleios' reaction. "Clearchus, Proxenus, Menon, Socrates, and Agias, along with a dozen captains."

"Hurry! Take me to them before it's too late!" Juleios threw on his linen tunic and dashed out, pulling Antonios along, with Xilos and others following closely.