Chapter 6 Volume 1 III

Cyrus and his army stayed here at Tarsus for twenty days, because the soldiers refused to go any further.They now suspected that they were going against the king, and said they were not employed for that.Clearcus first tried to force his men to advance, but they thwarted him and his pack animals by throwing stones at him and his pack animals whenever they attempted to advance.At this moment Clearcus was nearly killed.Then he realized that coercion was useless, and called a meeting of his soldiers.First he stood up and cried a lot, the soldier looked at him inexplicably, speechless.Then he said the following:

"Soldiers, it is no wonder that I am sad under the circumstances. Cyrus befriended me, and treated me, an exile from my country, with great respect and with a thousand gold. I received the money Then I did not spend it for my own use or squander it, but spent it on you. First I went to fight the Thracians, and for Greece I used you to punish them and drive them out of Kersonis, Because they want to seize the land of the Greeks who live there. Then Cyrus summoned, and I will lead you to come together, so that I can help him when he needs me, and repay the favor of the past. But now you don’t want to go forward with me .It seems that I must either leave you to continue my friendship with Cyrus, or turn my back on him and stay with you. I really don't know if it is right to do this, but I will choose you anyway, and be with you through any suffering, so that no one will say that after I brought the Greeks into the Gentiles, I betrayed them to make friends with the Gentiles. Moreover, since you will not obey Me, I will follow you in spite of any tribulation. Because I I think you are not only the motherland, but also relatives, friends and allies to me.

With you I shall be respected everywhere; apart from you I can neither help a friend nor resist an enemy.So, I made up my mind, wherever you go, I will go there too. " As he said this, the soldiers—not only his own, but others—heard that he was going to march on the capital, and they all praised him; more than two thousand soldiers under Zenias and Pacion also brought Arms, quarters, and Clearcus were quartered.Seeing this scene, Cyrus was perplexed and sad, and sent people to invite Clearcus many times.Clearcus refused to appear, but secretly sent to tell him not to be sad, because the matter would be properly settled.However, he let Cyrus continue to send invitations to him, though he himself would still refuse the invitation.

Afterwards Clearcus called together his own warriors and those who had come, and any others who would come, and made the following speech: "It is clear, my brethren, that Cyrus is to us exactly as we are to us. It is the same with him; that is, we are no longer his soldiers, because we refused to go with him; and he is no longer our payroller. But, I know, he thinks he is wronged by us. Therefore, although He was always sending for me, and I couldn't avoid it, mostly because I was really ashamed. I felt that I was totally unjust to him.Besides, I was afraid that he might catch me and punish me for the injustice he had suffered at my hands.So instead of resting our heads and resting our heads now, we should be thinking about what we should do in this situation.If we stop here, I think we have to consider how we can be safest.If it is thought that it is best to go at once, consider also how it can be done in the utmost safety, and how to obtain provisions in the future—for without provisions, generals and soldiers are of no use.Let it not be forgotten, too, that in friendship Cyrus was a valuable friend; in enmity he was a most dangerous adversary.

And he was well armed, with infantry, horsemen, and ships, which we have all seen and known.Our camp was not too far from him.Therefore, everyone should promptly put forward what you think is the best way. "After saying these words, he stopped talking. So many people stood up to speak.Some expressed their opinions on their own initiative, but others were instigated by Clearcus, saying that it would be difficult to go or stay without the consent of Cyrus.At this moment someone, pretending to be eager to get back to Greece as soon as possible, proposed that if Clearcus would not take them back, other generals should be elected as soon as possible; secondly, they can buy supplies-the market is in Persia. In the army—pack up; then go to Cyrus for a ship to set sail.If he does not give a boat, he will have a guide to lead the way back home through friendly lands.If not even a guide is given, quickly arrange the battle, and send an army to occupy the hilltops beforehand, lest Cyrus or the Silesians take the lead.

He added: "We have taken to ourselves many Silesians and their goods." Thus ended the man's speech. After hearing this, Clearkus simply said: "None of you should ever say that I am going to command. In many ways I shouldn't. I will do my best to obey the man you elect. You will also know that I am also in command. No one else in the world knows how to be a subordinate." After he had finished, another rose to speak, pointing out the folly of the man before him who had asked for a ship (as if Cyrus was going home again).And pointing out that it is also very foolish to ask for a guide "from a man who wants us to ruin his cause". "To be honest, if we propose to rely on the guides sent by Cyrus, can't we also ask Cyrus to occupy those high grounds for us in advance? As far as I am concerned, I am a little afraid to go to the ship if he gives the ship. Yes, I am afraid that he will destroy us. If he sends a guide, I am a little afraid to follow, for fear that he will lead us to a desperate situation. If I go without Cyrus’ consent, I would rather go without knowing it. And this is impossible. I think the plan just proposed is nonsense. I think that a suitable person should be sent to Cyrus with Clearchus, and ask him what he wants to use us. If his business and As the mercenaries did before, I think we ought to follow him, and not be more cowardly than those who went out with him. But if his cause is greater, more difficult, and more dangerous than before, we should Ask him to either provide a sufficient reward to lead us on, or to obey our opinion and let us go home in peace. For, in this way, to follow him is to follow him as a loyal friend and ardent supporter. go; and if we are going home, return home safely. I also propose that our representative report back to us any answer he makes, that we may hear it and consider it."

The plan was passed.They chose deputies and sent them along with Clearcus.They presented to Cyrus the issues decided in the ranks.Cyrus replied that he had heard that one of his enemies, Abrocomas, was present in the Euphrates, twelve stations away.The reason why he wanted to send troops was to deal with him.If he is there, he will punish him appropriately. "But if he has escaped," He went on to say, "We'll make a decision when we get there." After hearing this answer, the deputies reported to the soldiers.These soldiers, although they suspected that Cyrus was going to lead the army against the state jade, still thought it best to follow him.But they demanded an increase in pay.Cyrus promised to give them all an additional 50%, that is, each person would increase from one Dalic to one and a half per month.As for the suspicion that he was leading them against the king, that was not even mentioned by anyone at the time, at least not publicly.