The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 60 Signing the Agreement

"Do you know how Timasion, Cleanor, and the others view you? If I leave you here with your wife and daughter, imagine what might happen!" Juleios sneered.

"You promised to send me to Asia Minor!" Marigi said bitterly.

"Asia Minor is going to war. Didn’t you hear just now?"

"I... I could hide in a remote mountain area of Asia Minor and live anonymously!" Marigi insisted stubbornly.

"That would be a waste of your talents, Marigi. I’ve always thought that Darius the Younger underutilized your abilities by only making you his personal merchant! Of course, in Persia, your background limited your opportunities. But with me, you won’t face any such limitations. I will give you a vast stage to showcase your talents!" Juleios promised.

"Follow you? To fight and kill more indigenous people, then lord over a ’small village’?" Marigi sneered.

"Marigi, there’s an old saying in the East: ’Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west.’ Your Persian founder, Cyrus, was once just a chieftain of a small Persian tribe, humiliated by the Medes. Who would have guessed that decades later, he would establish a powerful empire? Today, I’m merely a mercenary leader, but who says I won’t achieve greatness in the decades to come?!" Juleios spoke with boundless confidence and ambition.

"You... How can you compare yourself to Cyrus the Great!" Marigi retorted disdainfully, though his voice grew quieter. Juleios’ intense gaze made him hesitant to continue. After a long pause, he reluctantly muttered, "Do I have a choice?"

Juleios smiled. "What do you think?"

"If... if you really succeed, what will you let me do?" Marigi raised his head, meeting Juleios’ gaze.

Juleios thought for a moment before raising two fingers and speaking seriously: "You have two options. First, you can become the Minister of Foreign Affairs, handling all diplomatic matters with other city-states. Second, you can be the newly created Minister of Commerce, overseeing all trade and commercial activities."

Marigi hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind. "Last time, negotiating with the tribe of Kesokantos was nerve-wracking enough for me. I’ll choose the second option!" freёweɓnovel_com

"Good. I’ll reserve it for you." Juleios promised.

The next day, Bourkos was overjoyed to learn that all the officers in Juleios’ camp had decided to go to Thurii. Juleios tasked Marigi with negotiating the employment agreement with Bourkos, while he focused on persuading the soldiers to accept the offer.

In reality, most of the mercenaries were impoverished and had chosen this dangerous lifestyle because they had nothing tying them down. After years of war, they had grown unfit for peaceful life. The stark contrast between their longing for home during their time in Persia and the poor treatment they received upon returning to Greek city-states left them disillusioned. Inspired by Juleios’ charisma and lured by the generous salary offered by Thurii, only about 300 soldiers chose to stay behind. The rest were willing to follow Juleios to Greater Greece. Meanwhile, the officers’ covert recruitment efforts in other camps also bore fruit. With local commanders indifferent about managing their troops as they prepared to return home, many soldiers from other camps joined Juleios. By evening, his forces had swelled to over 2,000, including even Hieronymus, a local commander.

The intense negotiations concluded with the following key points in the employment agreement:

Thurii will employ the troops led by Juleios, totaling 2,133 men.Each soldier will receive two daric gold coins per month, payable by the end of each month without delay.Free lodging and a daily ration of one pound of wheat flour per person will be provided.Any delay in payment or provisions will result in double compensation in the following month.

(This clause was inspired by their experience with Darius the Younger. After his untimely death, the mercenaries received no payment and nearly lost their lives during the year-long journey back from Persia. Juleios wanted to ensure they were compensated regardless of whether the mission was completed.)The mercenaries will only defend Thurii and repel Lucanian attacks on its territories.

(This clause was added to prevent Thurii from assigning overly dangerous missions, such as invading Lucanian territories, which could severely deplete Juleios’s forces.)Upon arrival in Thurii, the mercenaries must abide by Thurii’s laws.

Any violations will be punished according to local laws.The mercenaries may not enter the city of Thurii without permission.All spoils of war during battles belong to the mercenaries.

The agreement, written on parchment, was signed on April 1st, 399 BC, the second year of the 95th Olympiad, and was set to expire on April 1st of the following year. At the end of the term, both parties would decide whether to renew the agreement.

After swearing an oath to the gods in the name of Thurii’s council, Bourkos and Juleios signed their names on the two copies of the agreement. (Under Cristoia’s tutelage, Juleios had learned to write basic Greek.)

As Bourkos tucked the parchment into his robes, he casually asked, "Leader Juleios, there’s something I don’t quite understand. Why are you bringing all those slaves and women to Thurii? Not only will you have to pay for their food, but you’ll also have to protect them from being captured by the Lucanians. They seem like a burden. Why not just sell them here instead?"

Those slaves and women numbered nearly 500. To prevent Bourkos from becoming suspicious, Juleios replied seriously: "Most of the mercenaries are single men without the means to buy slaves or marry. To them, these slaves and women looted from Persia are their most valuable possessions. If I don’t take them along, the soldiers might not follow us to Thurii."

"There’s no need. In a year, they’ll all be rich men," Bourkos joked, clearly in good spirits after the smooth signing of the agreement.

"They have to survive for that to happen," Juleios replied dryly.

"Alright." Bourkos shrugged helplessly. "I’m just worried they’ll hinder your battles. Since the agreement is signed, I’ll head to the city to prepare food and water for your journey, based on your troop count."

"Did Cleander allow us to enter the city?"

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Bourkos slapped his forehead. "Cleander will let you enter, but only if your troops are unarmed."

"Unarmed?" Juleios tensed.

"You’ll have to leave behind your shields, spears, and swords," Bourkos said reassuringly. "But don’t worry. Once you reach Thurii, we’ll provide you with new weapons and equipment."

"No, this is a major issue!" Juleios declared firmly. "We will never relinquish our weapons!"

Remembering past betrayals, Juleios couldn’t risk his soldiers being defenseless. Weapons were their lifeline, and he wouldn’t place their lives in someone else’s hands.

"But without surrendering your weapons, Cleander won’t let you enter the city, and you won’t be able to depart!" Bourkos protested.

After some thought, Juleios compromised. "I’ll allow the soldiers to wrap their spearheads and swords in cloth, but we will not abandon our weapons!" He reiterated his stance.

Seeing Juleios’ unyielding attitude, Bourkos had no choice but to relent. "Fine, I’ll negotiate with Cleander again."

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