Book II
After Cyrus's death in battle, the Greeks realize their true situation and negotiate with Persian forces before beginning their perilous retreat.
69 argumentative units
- 01Report of Cyrus's death and Persian betrayal
Procles and Glus arrive to inform the Greek generals that Cyrus is dead and Ariaeus has retreated, offering to wait one day before returning home.
- 02Clearchus's bold response to Ariaeus's withdrawal
Clearchus claims the Greeks have already defeated the king's forces and offers to place Ariaeus on the throne if he joins them, rejecting the news of Cyrus's death as reason for despair.
- 03Greeks provision themselves from the battlefield
The Greek soldiers scavenge for food and fuel from the battlefield, utilizing abandoned Persian supplies and equipment.
- 04Persian king demands Greek surrender of arms
Heralds from the king and Tissaphernes demand the Greeks surrender their weapons and submit to the king's mercy.
- 05Clearchus refuses surrender and initiates debate
Clearchus declares that conquerors do not surrender arms and calls on other generals to formulate a noble response to the Persian demand.
- 06Series of general responses to Persian demand
Cleanor, Proxenus, and Theopompus each argue against surrendering arms, with Theopompus declaring they will fight rather than yield their only possessions.
- 07Phalinus mocks Greek confidence and boasts of Persian superiority
Phalinus ridicules the Greeks' belief that valor can overcome the king's vast power, claiming their confidence is foolish.
- 08Some generals propose surrender and cooperation with the king
A minority of generals suggest the Greeks might serve the king loyally in campaigns like Egypt, offering their arms in exchange for friendship.
- 09Clearchus appeals to Phalinus for honorable counsel
Clearchus appeals to Phalinus's shared Hellenic identity and attempts to persuade him to advise against surrender, hoping Phalinus will gain honor by encouraging resistance.
- 10Phalinus gives pragmatic advice on fighting chances
Phalinus advises the Greeks to keep their arms only if they have a genuine chance of victory, otherwise to surrender and save themselves.
- 11Clearchus declares Greeks will keep arms in any case
Clearchus states that the Greeks will be more valuable to the king as friends with arms than without them, and reiterates their position to maintain neutrality as long as neither side advances.
- 12Clearchus refuses to reveal true intentions
When pressed for a definitive answer on war or peace, Clearchus mirrors the king's position exactly, maintaining deliberate ambiguity about Greek plans.
- 13Ariaeus sets deadline and threatens to depart
Procles returns with Ariaeus's message that Persian nobles won't permit his elevation to the throne, so he will leave at dawn unless the Greeks join him tonight.
- 14Clearchus uses augury to justify retreat decision
Clearchus reveals that sacrifice revealed unfavorable omens for advancing against the king but favorable signs for joining Cyrus's supporters, justifying an immediate retreat with careful marching orders.
- 15Greeks execute organized retreat under Clearchus's leadership
Despite some desertion by Thracian cavalry, the Greeks depart in good order at night and reach Ariaeus's position by midnight, establishing themselves as a unified force.
- 16Greeks and Ariaeus exchange binding oaths of alliance
The Greek and Persian forces perform a formal oath ceremony, swearing mutual loyalty and non-betrayal, sealed with animal sacrifice and blood rites.
- 17Ariaeus explains retreat strategy to avoid starvation
Ariaeus argues that returning the same route means certain death from hunger, proposing instead to travel farther but through provisioned territory, maintaining distance from the royal army.
- 18Narrator notes fortune guided them better than careful plans
The narrator observes that while the initial retreat plan was desperate, fortune providentially guided them to villages with provisions.
- 19False alarm about enemy cavalry prompts defensive preparation
The Greeks mistake baggage animals for enemy cavalry and prepare for battle, but scouts correct the error and Clearchus decides to continue the march.
- 20Clearchus presses forward cautiously to reach villages
Clearchus marches directly toward enemy territory at evening despite tired soldiers, reaching and occupying villages while avoiding appearance of flight.
- 21Clearchus calms panic caused by runaway ass in camp
When panic spreads through the Greek camp at night, Clearchus uses humor via a herald's proclamation about a lost ass to reassure the troops that leadership is secure.
- 22King reverses position and seeks truce with Greeks
The morning after the Greeks' bold advance, the king sends heralds seeking to arrange a truce, suggesting his surprise at their organized military strength.
- 23Clearchus stages impressive military display for Persian heralds
Clearchus deliberately arranges his troops in tight formation and parades the most impressive soldiers before the heralds to overawe the king's representatives.
- 24Clearchus demands breakfast before negotiating truce
Clearchus replies to the truce offer with witty defiance, claiming Greeks cannot discuss terms without first having eaten, demonstrating confidence and superiority.
- 25King quickly concedes and offers guides to provisions
The king immediately accepts Clearchus's demand and sends guides to lead the Greeks to food supplies, confirming his desire for peaceful resolution.
- 26Clearchus holds council and agrees to truce
Clearchus convenes the generals, confirms agreement to accept the truce, and deliberately delays announcing it to the heralds to increase their anxiety about Greek intentions.
- 27Greeks march to provisions under truce while maintaining vigilance
The Greeks advance toward provisions guided by Persian escorts, with Clearchus maintaining military discipline and engineering skill to overcome water obstacles.
- 28Greeks encounter new foods and natural resources in villages
The Greeks discover abundant corn, palm wine, dates, and palm cabbage in the villages, with detailed descriptions of these foreign provisions and their effects.
- 29Tissaphernes arrives with official delegation and speech
Tissaphernes presents himself as benefactor, claiming credit for defeating Cyrus and securing the king's permission to escort the Greeks safely home.
- 30Greek generals respond carefully to Tissaphernes's claims
Clearchus responds diplomatically, denying hostile intent toward the king and expressing willingness to march home peacefully if unmolested, while reserving the right to retaliate against injury.
- 31Tissaphernes confirms king's permission and detailed terms
Tissaphernes returns with news that the king permits Greek departure, offering pledges of safe passage and market provisions on defined terms of peaceful conduct.
- 32Prolonged delay and Persian overtures create suspicion among Greeks
While waiting over twenty days for Tissaphernes, the king sends messages absolving Persian defectors from past crimes, causing Ariaeus and his followers to grow distant from the Greeks.
- 33Soldiers voice fears that king plans ambush and uses delay tactically
Ordinary soldiers worry that the king is stalling to gather forces and will betray them, suggesting they are strategically vulnerable in the plain.
- 34Clearchus justifies continued waiting despite risks
Clearchus argues that abandoning the truce would eliminate food supplies, guides, and Persian allies, and that crossing the Euphrates against resistance is impossible without their help.
- 35Journey resumes with Tissaphernes and Ariaeus alongside
With Tissaphernes's return, the march proceeds but with Greeks and Persians maintaining separate camps and mutual suspicion despite the truce.
- 36Greeks advance through Mesopotamia crossing major obstacles
The Greeks pass through Media's defensive wall and cross multiple canals and rivers, with detailed descriptions of engineering and landscape features.
- 37Ariaeus sends warning about Persian plot to destroy bridge
A messenger from Ariaeus warns that Tissaphernes plans to burn the bridge over the Tigris to trap the Greeks, but Clearchus questions the logic of this threat.
- 38Young soldier points out logical inconsistency in warning
A young officer argues that the Persians cannot logically both attack and destroy the bridge, since victory would make the bridge unnecessary for escape.
- 39Clearchus correctly interprets the warning as strategic ruse
Clearchus deduces that the Persians actually fear the Greeks occupying the island between the Tigris and canal as a fortified refuge, not attacking them.
- 40Greeks successfully cross Tigris bridge without Persian interference
The Greeks post guards at the bridge and cross safely in the morning despite rumors of Persian attack, with only Glus observing from a distance.
- 41Greeks encounter Artaxerxes' brother leading reinforcements
The Greek army marches past a Persian prince leading additional forces, who is so impressed by their disciplined formation that he watches in amazement.
- 42Greeks plunder Cyrus's mother's villages at Tissaphernes's behest
Tissaphernes mockingly allows the Greeks to pillage the villages of Parysatis, Cyrus and the king's mother, demonstrating his control and the fallen prince's loss.
- 43Clearchus arranges private meeting with Tissaphernes to discuss mistrust
Clearchus proposes a private conference to address mutual suspicions between Greeks and Persians, seeking to dispel groundless fears through personal discussion.
- 44Clearchus appeals to sacred oaths as basis for trust
Clearchus argues that the binding oaths sworn before the gods prevent hostile action, and that breaking them would invite divine punishment and eternal condemnation.
- 45Clearchus argues Tissaphernes is vital to Greek survival
Clearchus demonstrates that Tissaphernes's continued support is essential to the Greeks' safe passage through hostile terrain and that betrayal would benefit neither side.
- 46Clearchus outlines mutual benefits of continued cooperation
Clearchus flatters Tissaphernes by suggesting he has inherited Cyrus's power and wealth, and offers Greek military assistance in subduing rebellious territories and Egypt.
- 47Tissaphernes responds with military superiority argument
Tissaphernes counters that Persians have overwhelming military advantages in cavalry, terrain, and resources, yet choose not to use force due to honor and Persian customs.
- 48Tissaphernes explains his genuine desire to help Greeks
Tissaphernes reveals his wish to emulate Cyrus's use of foreign mercenaries and hints at ambitions to wear the tiara himself, justifying his benevolent treatment.
- 49Clearchus accepts Tissaphernes's explanation and invites collaboration
Convinced by Tissaphernes's reasoning, Clearchus calls for identifying slanderers and invites Persian generals to collaborate on eliminating discord.
- 50Clearchus suspects Menon of fomenting discord
Clearchus privately suspects Menon of being the slanderer due to his past meetings with Tissaphernes while with Ariaeus and his rival ambitions.
- 51Five generals and twenty captains march to Tissaphernes's quarters
Despite soldier warnings, Clearchus convinces the generals to accept Tissaphernes's invitation, with five generals and twenty captains proceeding to his encampment for negotiations.
- 52Tissaphernes betrays and slaughters the Greek generals
At Tissaphernes's quarters, the Greek generals inside are seized and executed while captains outside are cut down by Persian cavalry in a coordinated ambush.
- 53Greeks in camp learn of massacre from wounded messenger
The Greeks discover the betrayal when Nicarchus, wounded and carrying his entrails, reaches camp to report the slaughter of their generals.
- 54Ariaeus delivers Persian demands and false promises
Ariaeus approaches the Greek camp claiming Clearchus committed perjury and is dead, asserting Proxenus and Menon are honored, and demanding the Greeks surrender their weapons.
- 55Cleanor denounces Ariaeus as perjurer and traitor
Cleanor condemns Ariaeus and his associates for breaking their oaths and murdering the generals while conspiring with Tissaphernes against the Greeks.
- 56Xenophon challenges claim and demands Proxenus and Menon's return
Xenophon concedes Clearchus may have merited death for perjury but demands explanation for the fates of Proxenus and Menon, appealing to their neutral friendship status.
- 57Persians withdraw without answering Greek demands
The Persians confer among themselves and depart without responding to Xenophon's appeal for the return of Proxenus and Menon.
- 58Character study: Clearchus as passionate soldier
Xenophon characterizes Clearchus as a man devoted to warfare as a passion, choosing military life despite opportunities for peace and wealth.
- 59Clearchus courted danger and remained steady in difficulty
Xenophon notes that Clearchus thrived in danger, attacked at any hour, and never lost composure under pressure, demonstrating martial excellence.
- 60Clearchus as commander: severe discipline and logistics
As a commander, Clearchus excelled at provisioning and enforcing strict obedience through harsh discipline and intimidating demeanor, though this inspired fear rather than affection.
- 61Clearchus could not serve under others or win genuine loyalty
Clearchus lacked grace and was perpetually harsh, so soldiers obeyed from fear and necessity rather than friendship, and he had no talent for subordination.
- 62Character study: Proxenus as idealistic youth seeking distinction
Proxenus studied rhetoric under Gorgias to achieve greatness and commanded respect through gentlemanly qualities rather than severity.
- 63Proxenus's fatal flaw: insufficient severity and naivety
Proxenus's belief that praising virtue alone constitutes good command left him vulnerable to manipulation by dishonorable men, contributing to his tragic end at age thirty.
- 64Character study: Menon as corrupt, ambitious schemer
Menon was driven by insatiable greed, using lies, perjury, and betrayal to gain wealth and power, viewing honor and truth as foolishness.
- 65Menon specialized in betraying and robbing friends
Menon deliberately cultivated friendships as traps for exploitation, finding easy victims in honorable people while respecting the armed and treacherous.
- 66Menon prided himself on deception and corruption
Menon openly boasted of his capacity for fraud, lies, and mockery while viewing moral education as incomplete without roguishness.
- 67Biographical facts: Menon's obscure relations and strange exemption
Menon obtained a command at a young age, formed suspicious relationships with older Persian men, and was alone exempted from execution alongside the other generals.
- 68Menon's belated punishment: drawn-out death of infamy
After escaping immediate execution, Menon was later put to death slowly and shamefully, dying as a convicted felon rather than by the swift execution of other generals.
- 69Character study: Agias and Socrates as honorable officers
Agias the Arcadian and Socrates the Achaean were distinguished by courage in war and loyal friendship, both executed at age thirty-five.