There was polite applause led by Nicanor as the wine was brought out, and the men began to rise and move away to sit in groups around small camp-fires. Philip sought out Antipater.
‘Was it such a bad speech?’ he asked the warrior.
‘Not at all, sire. But most of these men are from Pelagonia and the valleys of the Pindos. The Illyrians now control their homelands, their wives and children are lost to them. If you could tell them about an expedition against Bardylis
‘But I cannot . . . and I will not lie to them, Antipater. Not ever. Tomorrow you will take your 500 and scour the north. Hit any tribesmen you find. Drive them from Macedonia.’
‘We will lose more men to desertion,’ said Antipater softly. ‘They will seek to go home.’
In the morning Philip was again among the first to rise. He bade Nicanor gather the men once more.
‘Last night I made you promises,’ he told them, ‘Today I have something else to say. Many of you will be riding with Antipater – to push the Paionians from our lands. There will be those among you who will wish to return to your homes, seeking out wives and children. I understand that. What I ask of you all is this: choose from among yourselves a group of twenty men who will ride into the occupied
lands, gathering news of lost families. Those men will receive full pay of twenty-five drachms a month while they are gone, their wages held in Pella against their return. The rest of you will be home within three months; I promise that also. But there will come a time when I will call on you and, if you are men of honour, you will come to me. Is that fair? Philip pointed to a burly, dark-bearded warrior in the front row. ‘You! Is that fair?’
‘If it is true, yes,’ answered the man.
‘I have no way but time to prove my words. But you are the first of Philip’s warriors – and I will never let you down.’ His eyes raked the group, hovering on every face. ‘There will be decisions you do not understand in the early days, but know this, that I live for Macedonia -and everything I do will be to further her cause. I ask for your trust.’
Spinning on his heel he stalked to his horse. Behind him the burly warrior climbed to his feet. ‘The King!’ he cried.
The King! The King!’ shouted the others, surging to their feet.
Philip bowed and waited until the roar had died down, then his own voice boomed out. ‘Macedon! Macedon!’
The warriors cheered, and took up the cry as Nicanor moved alongside Philip. ‘A proud moment for you, sire,’ he said. ‘You have won their hearts.’
Philip did not reply. Already he was thinking of the pretender, Argaios, and the Athenian army.
*
In the days that followed Philip worked tirelessly, gathering men from the south, hiring a group of 200 Cretan archers at an exorbitant forty drachms per man a month, continuing his discussions with Aischines and waiting with ill-concealed tension the news from Thrace and Illyria.
The treasury was running low, supplies of gold from Crousia in the east drying up, and there was now only enough coin to support a month of campaigning.
Then news came that the rebel Argaios had landed at the port of Methone, two days’ march from Aigai. With him
were 3,000 Athenian hoplites, a group of 800 mercenaries and more than 100 rebel Macedonians.
Philip called Antipater to him. ‘What force can we muster against them?’ he asked the officer.
‘We still have 500 men in the north, under Meleager, harrying the Paionians. Another 1,000 are waiting in the east with Nicanor, against possible Thracian attack. We could recall either, but it would leave us open.’
‘How many here?’
‘Not more than 700, but half of these fought with you in your first battle. They would ride with you into the fire of Hades.’
‘It’s not enough, Antipater – not against Athenian hoplites. Get Aischines here. Be polite, but get him here swiftly.’
Philip bathed and dressed in full battle armour -breastplate, greaves and bronze-reinforced kilt, his sword by his side, and waited in the throne-room. Aischines arrived within the hour, looking startled when he saw the King arrayed for war.