Book 1
4.12
So the generals called an assembly and made this announcement; and the soldiers were angry with the generals, and said that they had known about this for a long time, but had been keeping it from the troops; furthermore, they refused to go on unless they were given money,The troops are not now asking for additional pay, as at Tarsus (Xen. Anab. 1.3.21), but for a special donation. See below. as were the men who made the journey with Cyrus before,See Xen. Anab. 1.1.2. when he went to visit his father; they had received the donation, even though they marched, not to battle, but merely because Cyrus’ father summoned him.
4.13
All these things the generals reported back to Cyrus, and he promised that he would give every man five minasThe Attic mina was equivalent (but see note on Xen. Anab. 1.1.9) to about 3 1 5s. or $18.00; Cyrus probably means here the Persian mina, which was worth about one-fourth more than the Attic. in silver when they reached Babylon and their pay in full until he brought the Greeks back to Ionia again.Mercenaries were usually expected to make their own way home after a campaign had ended and did not receive pay for the time consumed by the homeward journey. By these promises the greater part of the Greek army was persuaded.But as for Menon, before it was clear what the rest of the soldiers would do, that is, whether they would follow Cyrus or not, he gathered together his own troops apart from the others and spoke as follows:
4.14
Soldiers, if you will obey me, you will, without either danger or toil, be honoured by Cyrus above and beyond the rest of the troops. What, then, do I direct you to do? At this moment Cyrus is begging the Greeks to follow him against the King; my own plan, then, is that you should cross the Euphrates river before it is clear what answer the rest of the Greeks will make to Cyrus.
