Book 5 · Chapter 8

It was also decided that the generals themselves would have their actions reviewed. During the investigation, Philesius and Xanthicles were each ordered to pay twenty minae to cover a shortfall from when they managed the merchant ships’ goods.

Sophaenetus got a ten-mina fine for not doing his job properly as one of the top officers. Someone accused Xenophon of hitting them, claiming it was an act of violence. Xenophon stood up and asked, "Where and when did this happen?"

The other guy, challenged, replied, "When we were freezing and there was a ton of snow."

Xenophon said, Honestly, with weather like that, when we were completely out of food, when you couldn’t even smell the wine, when people were dropping dead from suffering, with the enemy right behind us; if I did hurt you at a time like that, I'm guilty of being a real jerk - even worse than a donkey, which they say doesn't even get tired.

But tell me, he continued, what made me hit you? Did I ask you for something and you refused? Was it about a debt? Or a fight over some kid? Was I drunk and acting like a fool? The guy answered no to each question, so Xenophon asked more: Are you a heavy infantry soldier? No, he said.

"A peltast, then?" "No, not even a peltast." Apparently, his buddies had ordered him to drive a mule, even though he was a free man. Finally, he recognized Xenophon and asked, "Are you the guy who carried the sick man home?"

"Yeah, that’s me," he replied, "thanks to your pushing around; you trashed my buddies’ stuff. "Trashed?" said Xenophon. "No, I passed it out - some to one guy, some to another - told them to bring it safely to me. And when I got it back, I gave it all to you."

And you had already given me an accounting for the man. Let me tell you," he turned to the court, "what really happened; it's worth hearing. "A man couldn't keep up and had to be left behind. I recognized him as one of ours, and I made you, sir, carry him to save his life.

Otherwise, if I’m not mistaken, the enemy was right on our heels? The guy agreed. "Well then," said Xenophon, "after I sent you forward, I caught up with you again, as I was checking out the rearguard. You were digging a trench to bury the man. I stopped and said something to praise you.

"As we stood there, the poor guy twitched his leg, and everyone yelled out, 'He’s alive! Your response was: 'Alive or not, I’m not carrying him. Then I hit you. Yes, you’re right, because it looked like you knew he was still alive. "Well," he said, "was he any less dead when I reported him to you?"

"No," retorted Xenophon, "by the same token, we’re all going to die someday, but that doesn’t mean we should all be buried alive right now? There was a sudden uproar: "If Xenophon had given the guy a few more hits, it might have been better."

Then the others were asked to explain why they'd been hit, but when they refused to speak up, he started to explain himself.

"Look, I admit it, I smacked a few guys for messing up their discipline. These were guys who were totally comfortable relying on us for their safety."

While everyone else was moving forward in formation and doing what needed to be done in a fight, they’d ditch the ranks and rush ahead to loot and get rich off us. If that was the way things were, we’d all be screwed.

I’ve given some of these guys a few hits when they were being cowards, refusing to get up and just giving up to the enemy. I forced them to keep moving.

Once, during a brutal winter, I sat down for a long time waiting for a group to get their gear together, and I realized how tough it was to get back up and stretch. After that, whenever I saw someone else just chilling out, being lazy, I’s try to give them a push.

Just the effort of moving around kept them warm and got their blood flowing. But sitting around and being quiet? That froze them up, made their toes go numb - which actually happened to some of them, you know it.

"I can picture another situation: someone lagging behind, just stopping to rest, and slowing everyone down in front and behind. If I punched them, it saved them from getting stabbed by an enemy spear. Honestly, they owe me a debt for how I treated them back then."

If they’d fallen into enemy hands, what kind of revenge could they even expect now? My defense is simple: if I disciplined someone for their own good, I should face the same consequences as parents with their kids, or bosses with their employees.

Doesn’t a surgeon also cut us open and burn us to help us heal? But if you really think these actions were just me being a jerk, I want you to see this: I'm feeling better than I used to, I’m more confident, and I drink more wine.

I don’t hit anyone anymore because I see you guys are cruising along smoothly. But when a storm hits, and a huge wave slams into the ship, even a simple head shake can make the lookout mad at the guys in the front, or the helmsman angry at the guys in the back.

A tiny mistake at a critical moment can ruin everything. But look at your own verdict, you already recorded it. I was justified in hitting those guys. You were there, sirs, with swords, not voting tablets, and you could have helped them if you wanted to.

But to be honest, you didn’t help them, and you didn’t join me in hitting the troublemakers. You let anyone with bad intentions run wild because you just stood by and did nothing. Trust me, the guys who were most scared back then are the ones causing the most trouble now.

"Take Boiscus the boxer, from Thessaly. Remember how hard he fought just to avoid carrying his shield? He was so exhausted! And now, I hear, he’s stripped several citizens of Cotyora of their clothes. So, if you’re smart, you’ll treat this guy like you treat a wild dog."

"Tie him up at night, and only let him loose during the day."

"But seriously," he added, "it's wild how well you remember the times I made someone mad, right? But when I helped people out during tough winters or storms, or fought off enemies, or helped people who were sick and needed stuff - no one remembers that."

"Or when I praised someone for doing something awesome, and gave them credit where it was due - that’s all gone from your minds. It’s totally more awesome, fair, and right to remember the good stuff instead of the bad."

He finished talking, and then people started sharing stories like that, and things ended up pretty chill after all.