The onlookers cheered and applauded, while the Lucanian slaves who participated in digging the canal and building the waterwheel were dumbfounded, suspecting it was the work of ghosts and gods.
"Lord Davos, Zeus bless you, this is truly amazing! Wonderful! With this… water… waterwheel, we Amendolara will have more than three hundred acres of good farmland!" Cornelius exclaimed excitedly.
"It's not just more farmland, it will also be more convenient for the people to use water in the future!" Scombrius also seemed very happy.
"Everyone, this is not Zeus's blessing, this is thanks to Lord Davos! The waterwheel was designed and the drawings provided by Lord Davos himself. If there really is a deity watching over us, it must be Hades!" Marigi's impolite words made Cornelius and the others slightly embarrassed.
Davos neither stopped Marigi's impoliteness nor expressed humility. He needed to make these old citizens understand that Amendolara, under his rule, would surely bid farewell to the past and shine with dazzling light!
The cheers of the people contrasted sharply with the unease of the old citizens and elders.
Just then, Asistius rushed over to tell him: Izamu is back!
Davos immediately handed over the task of presiding over the celebration ceremony to Cornelius, who took over this glorious task with a complex expression.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Davos hurried back to his mansion with Asistius.
Izamu was covered in dust, his face grimy, his long hair and beard disheveled, wearing a tattered Lucanian leather robe, barefoot, standing in front of Davos, making Davos almost unable to recognize him.
It turned out that Izamu had returned to the city and came directly to Davos without going home first. As a superior, Davos, while praising Izamu's work enthusiasm, could not help but express his concern, so he asked a female slave to take Izamu to take a bath, get a haircut, and trim his beard (Greeks are different from Romans, they keep beards). At the same time, he arranged a sumptuous lunch and invited Izamu to eat and talk.
Under the relaxed atmosphere deliberately created by Davos, coupled with drinking several glasses of wine, Izamu gradually relaxed: "Lord Davos… uh…" Izamu hiccupped and said, "I followed your orders, disguised myself, crossed the mountain roads in the western mountainous area of the Sybaris Plain, and went to Laos first. It is located at the estuary of the river that the locals call the 'Lao River'. The city is not large, but it is a stone city and has a port, so the defenses are not very strict. I sneaked in and worked at the docks, carrying goods every day, and got to know some of the slaves at the docks. Guess who they are?" Izamu asked mysteriously.
"They should be Greeks."
Davos was not surprised. The Lucanians had invaded the Thurii area many times and captured many Greeks.
But Izamu's next answer really surprised him: "To be precise, they are descendants of the Sybarites. Laos was built by the Sybarites. According to these people, the Sybarites built Laos to make it a transit port for Sybaris to trade with cities such as Neapolis, Etruria, and Massinia, so Laos was very prosperous at that time… But after Sybaris was destroyed, Laos lost its support and was quickly occupied by the Niumtum who went south."
"Oh, is that so…" Davos did feel a little surprised. He asked, "So, all those original Sybarites became slaves? How many Greek slaves are there in Laos now?"
"I don't know how many Greek slaves there are, but when the Lucanians attacked Laos, some Greeks took the initiative to surrender and joined Lucania… One of the leaders of Laos, Avinogis, is a descendant of these people. The tribe he leads is also a descendant of those Sybarites. The Lucanians believe that they are not pure-blooded Lucanians and do not trust them very much, often scolding them and suppressing them. Although these Greek slaves also despise these people, believing that it was their betrayal that led to the fall of Laos, they don't hate Avinogis very much, mostly believing that he is a good person because he often helps them…"
Izamu took a few more sips of wine and said somewhat excitedly: "Now the city of Laos is not stable, because some Lucanian tribes, led by the great leader Tula, did not want Avinogis to share the spoils, so they only allowed his tribe to stay behind and did not participate in the invasion of Thurii. Unexpectedly, you, Lord, led us to almost wipe out all the Lucanians who invaded Thurii! Haha… The great leader of Laos, Tula, only took dozens of warriors back to the city, and Avinogis became the strongest leader in the city of Laos. As a result, Lord, guess what happened?"
Izamu seemed to be a little drunk and didn't pay attention to his words, but Davos didn't care. His heart moved and he said, "The extortionist leader wants to annex Avinogis's tribe?"
Izamu slapped the wooden chair and said, "Lord, you are so amazing, you guessed it right!" He grabbed a piece of bread, tore off a large piece, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with relish.
Asistius raised his eyebrows, about to reprimand him, but was stopped by Davos with a wave of his hand.
"I heard the slaves at the docks say that once Tula invited Avinogis to a banquet. I don't know what happened, but when he came back, some people saw that several of his guards were injured. From that day on, Avinogis hid at home and never went to the city to discuss matters again. I went around near his mansion, and there were warriors with weapons patrolling all around. I heard them say that the reason why Avinogis didn't revolt was because he was observing the situation in Niumtum."
"Niumtum?" Davos listened very carefully.
"Yes, Lord," Izamu said embarrassedly, scratching his head. "I was originally planning to go north and go deep into the hinterland of Lucania to investigate, but Niumtum controls the passage to the north on the upper reaches of the Lao River. Now it is heavily guarded there, and strangers cannot pass through. Laos originally obeyed Niumtum, but this time all the warriors who Niumtum sent out were killed in battle. It is said that the great leader of Niumtum, Udler, died in our hands, and his strength was greatly damaged." Speaking of this, Izamu was a little proud: "Several leaders in the city of Niumtum are busy fighting for the position of great leader. I heard that they almost fought."
As Izamu spoke, he subconsciously picked up his wine glass, only to find that the glass was empty. Davos got up and went forward to fill it for him.
Izamu sat still, only saying thank you. Davos didn't mind and sat down to continue listening to him, "Lord, I remember that after we annihilated the main force of the Lucanian coalition, we rushed to their camp, didn't we see that the camp had been burned to ashes and there were many corpses? At that time, everyone guessed that it was caused by infighting among the Lucanians. I now know who did it."
"Who is it?" Davos leaned forward, showing concern.
"The Viges!"
"Viges?"
"Lord, the city of Vige is south of Laos, not too far from Laos. It is a city of the Bruttians. However, because of the power of the Lucanians before, it was forced to join the Lucanian tribal alliance, but because it is a foreign race, it may often be oppressed, so…"
"Hmm, the Bruttians…" Davos stroked his chin. He knew even less about this indigenous race, which was also a neighbor of Thurii. He only knew that because of geography, it posed little threat to Thurii, but it was a big trouble for several Greek city-states to the south.
"I heard that after the Viges fled back, they announced their withdrawal from the Lucanian tribal alliance, and built city walls, and sent many warriors to patrol the border, blocking the passage from Laos to the south." Speaking of this, Izamu raised his head and took a few more sips of wine.
"You only know how to drink. After saying so much, do you have any news about Grumentum?" Asistius said impatiently.
"Izamu went alone to investigate the unfamiliar Lucania, suffered a lot, and brought back valuable information. What's wrong with drinking a little wine? But you can't just drink wine, eat more fruit, it's good for your health." Davos said with concern.
"Yes." Izamu responded gratefully, immediately put down his wine glass, coughed a few times, and said seriously: "Although I was unable to scout the city of Grumentum, I still got relatively accurate news about him."
Hearing this, both Davos and Asistius perked up two hundred percent, after all, Grumentum was the culprit who launched the last war, and also the leader of the Lucanian alliance. Its every move was related to Davos's offensive plan.
"Picentia is another port city in the Lucanian region, and it is also a strong state in the Lucanian alliance, second only to Grumentum in strength. I heard that it is also a stone city." Izamu did not mention Grumentum first, but led the topic to Picentia.
Stone city! Upon hearing this, Davos's heart moved. According to his understanding over the past six months, Greeks like to build cities with stones, while mountain tribes mostly build cities with wood. With the precedent of Laos, and it is also a port city, he couldn't help but suspect that this Picentia was also taken from the Greeks by the Lucanians.
"Picentia and Laos have maritime trade, so some news from Picentia's merchants and sailors has spread to Laos. It is said that most of Grumentum's warriors died in our hands. Its great leader, Acapius, although he escaped, has been in a coma. After the news spread, many tribes that were forcibly annexed by Grumentum began to break away from Grumentum's control, but Grumentum was unable to stop it, because the leaders in the city were busy fighting for the position of great leader. Originally, Acapius's tribe was still the strongest among the tribes in the city, but his son, Lusaos, encountered a strong opponent, Ginannus, the son of the great leader of Picentia…" Speaking of this, Izamu picked up a dried fig and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Since you say that this Gnaet is a Picentine, how could he possibly compete for the position of Great Chief of Grumentum?" Alexisthenes asked, puzzled.
Izam had deliberately kept him in suspense, but now he grinned, "Because Akpilus married his daughter to Gnaet in order to make Picentia his ally. Therefore, the Great Chiefs of Grumentum and Picentia became relatives, and Gnaet became Akpilus's son-in-law. I heard that Sisenna even bribed several chieftains in Grumentum, so that Gnaet also gained the support of some Grumentine tribes. Left with no choice, Lusa asked Potentia, another powerful tribe in Lucania, for help. Sisenna then also asked Potentia for arbitration, but Potentia has not yet taken a stance. Now both sides are gathering their people. Merchants and sailors say that a great war could break out in Grumentum at any time to decide who will be the Great Chief of Grumentum!"
Davos didn't expect that a annihilation war would not only split the Lucanian League but also change the power structure of the Lucanian region. Now there are undercurrents everywhere, which is a great opportunity for Amendolara.
"Can you draw a map of Lucania?" Davos asked urgently, as he had repeatedly instructed Izam before he left.
"I can," Izam said with certainty.
So, the three of them came to the mud ground in the courtyard of the house. Izam carefully sketched on the ground with a wooden stick, while Alexisthenes stood aside with parchment and a pen, waiting for Izam to finish drawing so he could draw the map on the paper.
Davos carefully watched the map while listening to Izam's explanation.
He discovered that the mountain road in the mountainous area west of Thurii did not directly lead to Laos, but between Laos and Nuceria. The city of Laos is located at the mouth of the Laus River, guarding the land route from Bruttium to Lucania, while Vibo in Bruttium is the barrier for the Bruttians to prevent the Lucanians from invading. Compared to Laos, Nuceria is more important to Amendolara, because it guards the passage to the north into the Lucanian region. Only after Amendolara occupies it will it have more options for further occupying the Lucanian region…
"Izam, the information you brought is very important. You have made a great contribution to the city-state! I have decided to establish a reconnaissance squad. You will be the captain. The establishment is temporarily only twenty people. You can pick them yourself from each unit. If anyone doesn't let go of their people, tell them to come to me!" Davos praised him while immediately fulfilling the promise he made.
"Thank you, Lord Strategos!" Izam was so excited that he almost jumped up.
"Hurry back. After being away from home for more than ten days, your wife must miss you very much! By the way, a waterwheel has been built by the Sinni River, which can draw water to your field. You don't have to worry about carrying water anymore!"
"That's great!" Izam was so happy that he was about to walk out.
"Wait a minute!" Davos called him to stop and had a slave bring two large jars of wine, saying, "Since you like to drink wine so much, take it back and drink it slowly."
Izam thanked him again, then unceremoniously hugged one in each arm and happily went home.
"Lord, this kid is too rude!" Alexisthenes was dissatisfied with Izam's previous performance in the living room.
"He's still a Ducetius after all." Davos smiled and said, "Alexi, don't overemphasize these superficial things. The key is to look at here and here."
Davos pointed to his chest and head, and said, "Izam has successfully completed the task I gave him. This is not easy. He is a talented young man! As long as he is talented and not a bad person, we must use him. Do you agree?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Now that you know the situation in the Lucanian region, how should we attack it? Go back and think about it carefully, and we will discuss it together tomorrow."
… … … … … … … … … … … …
After Cunogorata finished breakfast, he suddenly felt discomfort in his chest, so he had to ask a slave to help him to the "hospital" in Amendolara to see a doctor.
The hospital is also located in the lower part of Amendolara (because it is a mountain city, it is divided into upper and lower parts), near the city gate. It is said that Strategos Davos specially approved two adjacent vacant houses for Herppile and his staff to establish a hospital in order to support the development of the hospital.
Cunogorata had heard rumors in Thurii that the doctors of Davos' mercenary army were highly skilled, but when he arrived at the hospital's location, he was stunned by the scene in front of him: patients lined up from the door to the foot of the mountain, a long line of hundreds of people, even affecting the entry and exit of the city gate. The people of Amendolara saw business opportunities from this. They set up stalls near the hospital, selling food, drinks, and renting wooden chairs, hats, etc., actually forming a small market here, which was very lively.
Inspector Antonios had reported this matter to Davos. In addition to sending more patrolmen to maintain order, Davos had no good solution for the time being. He could only order Construction Officer Alexis to prioritize building a large hospital next to it after completing the construction of the warehouse hotel, so that the current hospital could be moved out and restore traffic in the city.
The loyal slave had to rent a wooden chair first and let Cunogorata sit down, while he went inside to find a doctor to see if he could give priority to care. However, as soon as he arrived at the door, he was stopped by the patrolmen responsible for maintaining order. After learning about the situation, he said that he could not do anything and said: "There are many people who come here to see a doctor who are more serious than your master. They are still queuing up here in order. Unless it is life-threatening, no matter who it is, they can only queue up outside!"
The slave helplessly took a number and returned to Cunogorata's side. However, the patients in the Amendolara hospital came not only from the people of Amendolara, but mainly from Thurii and Heraclea. The Thurii people among the patients recognized Cunogorata sitting next to him, and began to shout insults loudly. For a time, the scene was a bit chaotic, attracting the sentries at the city gate.
Cunogorata was full of anger and simply didn't see a doctor, and went straight home. But in the evening, he began to feel slight pain in his chest, and he didn't sleep well all night. He had to rush to the hospital again early the next morning, only to find that the hospital door was deserted. He asked the nurse on duty and learned that Strategos Davos would be giving a lecture to the doctors this morning. In order to allow them to concentrate on learning and discussing, no patients would be seen on this day.
Because the doctors' lectures were not as public as the lectures of the Pythagorean school, they were only open to doctors and nurses, so Cunogorata could not enter. He had to admit that he was unlucky.
Back home, at noon, Cunogorata not only felt chest pain, but also had difficulty breathing and could no longer get out of bed. His son, Sostratos, had no choice but to force his way into the doctors' meeting place.
Davos, who was listening to the doctors' intense discussions and exchanges of experience in treating illnesses, was shocked when he heard about this and hurriedly sent Herppile to Cunogorata's house to see a doctor.
Herppile asked about the condition in detail and carefully examined him. Finally, he judged that Cunogorata had a rib fracture in his chest after being beaten severely before, but it was not treated. After arriving in Amendolara, he did not rest well and went mountain climbing again, resulting in a broken sternum. The broken rib pierced the lung, causing Cunogorata's current condition. After the diagnosis, Herppile treated him, and Cunogorata's condition began to improve. He repeatedly praised Herppile's superb medical skills.
At this time, Davos in the hospital discovered some problems with the newly established hospital through Cunogorata's difficulty in seeing a doctor: First, although the Amendolara hospital has now made a name for itself and has driven some other economic benefits, it is now more difficult for Amendolara citizens to see a doctor than before (because there are more foreign patients). This should not be the case, because it cannot reflect the sense of superiority of being a citizen of Amendolara. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, otherwise, as time goes by, the citizens will accumulate resentment, and this resentment will be directed at Davos, after all, he advocated the establishment of the hospital, and he is also the nominal teacher of the doctors, so a special channel for Amendolara citizens must be established in the hospital. Amendolara citizens must be given priority for diagnosis and treatment, regardless of the severity of their illness! It is to let patients from other city-states see the privileges of being citizens of Amendolara and let them know the happiness of being citizens of Amendolara!
Secondly, during medical lectures, there must be doctors on duty in the hospital to deal with emergency patients. Moreover, medical lectures should not be too frequent to avoid affecting normal medical treatment.
Thirdly, Davos felt that the problem of too many patients and the inability to see them all in one day was actually a good thing, which could increase income for Amendolara's hotels and other industries. However, the fact that seriously ill patients cannot receive timely treatment will indeed affect the reputation of the hospital. The best, and only, way is to increase the number of doctors. Amendolara Hospital currently has six doctors. It takes time to train a good doctor (not counting witch doctors and wandering doctors). Amendolara cannot immediately train new doctors in the short term, so it can only poach doctors from other city-states.
As the reputation of Amendolara Hospital continues to expand, it will naturally attract doctors from other city-states to study, so a proposal can be passed in the Senate: For foreign doctors who are willing to stay in Amendolara, the hospital will accept him as a formal student and open to him all medical theories, medical records and research content, and the city-state will immediately grant him Amendolara citizenship, and consideration can also be given to extending the scope of this citizenship to teachers. Doctors and teachers are both highly qualified talents in this era, which are indispensable talents for the survival and development of a city-state, and Amendolara lacks both, especially teachers.
A few days later, Cunogolata, who was recuperating in bed, heard something: a riot had broken out among some of the slaves in the Thurii stone mines, who had overthrown their guards and fled Thurii. Some of the slaves had actually fled to Amendolara seeking protection, and a Thurii envoy had followed, demanding that Amendolara return the slaves.
At this moment, in the Amendolara Senate, the Thurii envoy and the representatives of the escaped slaves were glaring at each other.
Plasinass, the newly appointed general of Thurii. If Cunogolata were here, he would certainly recognize this man as one of the main instigators who incited the people of Thurii to expel him. At this moment, facing the senators of Amendolara, he loudly accused: "Amendolara is an ally of Thurii. Is this how you treat an envoy of an allied state?! To allow a lowly slave to stand alongside a noble general of Thurii is an insult to Thurii! If Amendolara does not respond favorably to Thurii's request, Thurii will reconsider its alliance with Amendolara!"
As soon as these words came out, the senators sitting on the wooden chairs in the chamber were in an uproar.
At this moment, the Censor Antonios stood up and said: "Respected Thurii envoy, we have not yet begun to discuss Thurii's request. Unexpectedly, as soon as you entered, you took the initiative to walk to the center of the chamber. I forgot to remind you that your place is here." Antonios pointed to a position on the side of the chamber: "I think the noble envoy from Thurii should know more than we do about the diplomatic etiquette of city-states. Without permission, foreign envoys should remain silent."
The senators burst into laughter.
Plasinass was not embarrassed at all. Ignoring everything, he pointed at the slave and continued loudly: "I have never heard of a city-state allowing a slave to listen in when discussing important matters! The Amendolara City-State Senate is such a sacred place, how can it be desecrated by a lowly slave!"
"This is because, as the representative of the slaves who escaped to Amendolara, the request he made is related to both Amendolara and Thurii. I think it is necessary to let him state his request again, so that we nobles can have a fair discussion and judge whether his request is reasonable. So, respected Thurii envoy, are you prepared to stand there all the time, preventing our meeting from officially beginning?!" Davos, sitting in the middle of the front row of the chamber, spoke calmly, but with an air of authority that made Plasinass sullenly sit down in his seat.
"Slave, now you may state your request," Cornelius, the rotating chairman of the Senate and the city's chief executive, said loudly.
The slave respectfully saluted and said: "Respected sirs, my name is Aristokrates. First of all, I would like to state that I was not born lowly. My father was a nobleman in Cyrene who mainly dealt in silphium, had hundreds of slaves, and a large farm. Eight years ago, my father took me on a ship to Olympia to watch the games. During the voyage, we encountered pirates… My father… Father was killed… I was sold to Thurii…"
Aristokrates took a deep breath.
Suppressing the grief that surged in his heart, he continued: "Despite the misfortune, I did not have too many complaints, perhaps this was the punishment of the gods for me. In Thurii, I dutifully completed the work assigned to me by my master and never slacked… until two months ago, when the city-state gathered us together and escorted us to the mercenary camp. Sir, you stood in front of us and called on us to fight for Thurii." Aristokrates respectfully saluted Davos again: "You also said, 'As long as we win, we will gain our freedom!' For freedom, we who had never held weapons before picked up weapons! For freedom, we who had never killed anyone fought against the fierce Lucanians! And it was these fierce Lucanians who defeated Thurii, but freedom made us fearless! We fought bravely, and when the war was won, only over a thousand of our two thousand slaves remained…"
Aristokrates sniffed softly, making the new citizen senators feel as if they were back in that life-or-death battle.
"We waited for that exciting moment to arrive, but what awaited us was cold knives and guns! Thurii was saved, but we were escorted back to the dark and damp mines, continuing to carry heavy ore. We protested, but all we received were beatings and being deprived of food… Just when we were desperate, we heard a piece of news: the mercenary slaves who fought with us at the beginning have now become free citizens, and may even become citizens of the city-state in the future. Why is it that we are all slaves, and we all fought to the death for Thurii, but there are two completely different outcomes! So, unwilling to accept this, we attacked the guards of the mine and fled here, just to ask you, sir, does the oath you swore in the name of the gods still count?!"
Aristokrates's passionate and eloquent speech moved the senators present, and the chamber fell silent for a moment. Only Plasinass shouted: "He is lying! They are not the slaves who participated in the battle at all!!"
Antonios immediately stood up and said: "Regarding whether they are the slaves who participated in the battle, we have a way to verify this. Because the free citizens of the city-state once fought with them and spent a night and a day together, they are relatively familiar with them. I have already sent them to the slave detention center to identify them, and I request that representatives of the free citizens enter the Senate to testify."
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!!"
The senators agreed one after another, and Plasinass's opposition was completely drowned out.
Taking advantage of this free time, Davos looked with interest at Aristokrates, who had a face full of thick stubble, several scars on his face, dark skin, and a somewhat hunched figure, but still faintly revealed a youthful appearance, and asked: "Judging from what you just said, you have obviously received a good education, why did you become a mining slave?" Slaves like Aristokrates who had received a good education were generally very expensive and would never be wasted on doing the dirty and hard work that only ordinary slaves would do.
Aristokrates smiled wryly: "I was initially bought by a wealthy merchant in Thurii to help him manage his vineyard and winery. I did very well and gained his trust. He even said he would grant me freedom… but unfortunately he died of illness… His wife quickly remarried, and my new master gave me to the Thurii city-state for free. At that time, the city-state was short of mining slaves, so they sent me there…"
There must be some complicated inside story here, but seeing Aristokrates's calm face, he had obviously come to terms with it. Davos said appreciatively: "I think the gods are not punishing you, but training you!"
As soon as Aristokrates heard this, he suddenly became excited, he obviously heard something from these words.
At this time, the representatives of the free citizens entered the chamber. After swearing before the gods, they gave their answer: these escaped slaves did participate in the battle!
Plasinass was not convinced. He stood up and retorted: "It is common for city-states to allow slaves to participate in battles! For example, Sparta often lets the Helots fight with them, and they have won countless victories. Does Sparta let the Helots gain their freedom? Obviously not! Based on the long-standing friendship between Thurii and Amendolara and the busy trade exchanges during this period, I don't think Consul Davos would make such a promise. This slave is obviously lying! Returning lost property to its owner is the virtue of the Greeks! I once again request the Amendolara Senate to return these slaves, who are the property of Thurii, to Thurii!"
Aristokrates's expression changed slightly as he looked at Davos.
Davos looked at Plasinass, who had an arrogant and tough expression, and sneered in his heart: This Thurii man was subtly threatening him and Amendolara just now!
He stood up and said to Aristokrates with a serious expression: "I can answer the question you asked me just now. I, Davos, the lifelong Consul of Amendolara, the promises I make are like the raging flames of the Underworld, never to be extinguished! That's right, I did promise to give you freedom after the battle was won! Because you are Thurii slaves, I asked Burkos to witness it and asked him to write my promise on paper and rush back to Thurii to ask the generals to sign it. Before the battle began, when Burkos came to persuade us to return, I reiterated my original promise to you to Burkos, but I did not expect that you are still wearing shackles to this day!"
Davos's expression was pained. He said loudly: "You saved Thurii, and Thurii owes you! You helped the mercenaries, and Amendolara also owes you! I ask the Thurii envoy, please grant them freedom!"
As soon as Davos finished speaking, the senators shouted in unison: "Grant them freedom! Since you swore to the gods, you should give these poor and admirable slaves freedom, Thuriians!"
Plasinass looked flustered. He played rogue and said: "Thurii has never seen an agreement giving them freedom! I have never seen it either! Lord Davos, you must have remembered it wrong! Yes, you must have remembered it wrong!"
Davos pulled out a roll of sandpaper from his bosom and sneered, "The Thuriians are truly forgetful! Luckily, I still have a copy here!" Saying that, he handed the scroll over. The senators passed it around, and sure enough, it stated Davos' promise to grant freedom to the slaves, along with Bulkos' signature as a witness, and the signatures of the two Thurii generals, Kunogorata and Niansis.
Back then, in order to prevent the mercenaries from leaving the Sybaris Plain and to hold their ground in the camp, the Thurii generals agreed to almost any condition. In their experience, the mercenaries would probably find it difficult to hold out for a long time. The more they could wear down the Lucanians, the better. They treated these two thousand-plus slaves as throwing meat buns to a dog, never expecting that the mercenaries would dare to take the initiative to attack the enemy, and even win.
Now that Niansis, known for his meticulous calculations, is in power, he is naturally reluctant to turn these thousand-plus slaves into free men. The key point is: if these slaves are turned into free men, what about the other mining slaves? They will definitely have ideas. Don't forget that there are as many as eight or nine thousand of these mining slaves. Once there is a disturbance, with Thurii's current citizen population, it would be difficult to cope with. Not to mention that there is still a group of free men at the port who are still arguing with Thurii about citizenship.
So, when the scroll was passed to Praxinas, he didn't even look at it. He hardened his heart and tore the scroll into pieces with both hands: "This is fake! This is fake!"
This rogue and unreasonable action immediately angered everyone present. The hot-tempered Skombros was the first to rush over, grabbing Praxinas and punching him directly, yelling, "I told you to tear it! I told you to tear it! Dishonest Thuriians! Thuriians who should go to the underworld!"
One punch, two punches… If others hadn't pulled Skombros away in time, Praxinas would probably have lost consciousness. At this moment, he cried out in fear, "Murder! Murder! Is Amendolara going to war with Thurii?!"
"Drive him out of Amendolara! Don't forget to give him the silver coins that should be paid for the redemption of all the mining slaves who escaped to Amendolara, so that Thurii can't say we stole their property," Davos said with disgust.
"Yes!" Melsis replied with a bitter face, "However, there might not be enough money."
Davos thought for a moment and said, "Then write an IOU in the name of the Amendolara Senate. We'll pay it back when we have the money."
"But, in that case, the other slaves who participated in the war at the beginning will probably run to Amendolara!" Cornelis reminded him.
"Then let them come. They helped us win the war against the Lucanians, and paid with blood and life. Just Hades above, hopes that we can fulfill our oath to him," Davos said solemnly.
"That's really cheap for the Thuriians!" Melsis said indignantly.
"Violating the oath made to the gods, the punishment of the gods will always come," Davos said lightly, turning back to Aristokles, who was shocked by the scene just now, and said, "Now you are free, you can go anywhere you want to go."
Aristokles didn't expect the result they wanted to come so quickly, and his whole body trembled with excitement: "Thank you, sir! We… are willing to stay in Amendolara… and… I personally am willing to repay the money that Amendolara paid to give us freedom!"
Davos stared at him, and seeing that he spoke sincerely, he nodded in appreciation: "Good!"
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Praxinas returned to Thurii and naturally exaggerated Amendolara's "evil deeds" to stir up public anger.
Amendolara, of course, also had countermeasures. They used the mouths of Thurii patients who came to Amendolara for medical treatment to spread what happened in the Senate that day among the Thurii people.
For a time, the Thurii people couldn't tell the truth from the two versions of the story.
But the Thurii City Hall quickly took action. They strongly demanded that Amendolara immediately send back the runaway slaves, otherwise it would be Amendolara breaking the alliance, and Thurii would never sit idly by.
The Amendolara Senate refused and reminded Thurii that it should fulfill its original promise and grant freedom to Thurii's benefactors (i.e., the slaves who participated in the war).
Thurii then announced that its citizens were prohibited from going to Amendolara. Foreign merchants who went to Thurii to trade after going to Amendolara would be charged heavy taxes.
Since Amendolara's warehousing base had not yet been built, there were almost no merchants going to Amendolara. On the other hand, there were many foreign patients, so the impact on Amendolara's already negligible trade was not significant. However, Amendolara still took action. They arranged military training for the citizen soldiers on the banks of the Saracen River, making a great show of force, which made the Thurii people and slaves farming on the Sybaris Plain feel nervous.
In addition to protesting to Amendolara, the Thurii City Hall took no further action, and the two sides suddenly remained silent.
For Davus, he originally didn't want to strain his relationship with Thurii, but circumstances had forced him to make a choice: choosing Thurii would benefit his future plans to attack Lucania, but he would have to break the promise he had made; choosing to liberate the slaves would fulfill his promise, but could jeopardize the alliance with Thurii. Davus believed that breaking the alliance with Thurii could be remedied in the future, but once he broke his promise, the bad impression left on the Greeks would be difficult to erase, even if the promise was only for the slaves. Upholding his promise was related to his integrity, and even more so to the integrity of Amendolara. Because many of the new laws currently promulgated by Amendolara rely on the trust of the people and foreigners to be implemented, they must believe that Amendolara will keep its promises under any circumstances, so this is the foundation of Amendolara's nation!
Just as the relationship between Amendolara and Thurii was deadlocked, a guest arrived in Thurii—an envoy from Croton.
… … … … … … … … … …
At the end of June, the Amendolara Senate held a meeting to discuss holding a selection competition to choose athletes to participate in the Isthmian Games, which would be held in the summer of the year following the Olympic Games. This was one of the four famous Panhellenic Games. Although it was not as ancient as the Olympic Games, it was also highly anticipated. Davus and the Senate hoped that the athletes would show the style of the new Amendolara to the Greek city-states.
Davus even considered going to Corinth (because Corinth was the venue for the Isthmian Games) with the selected athletes. In his previous life, he didn't have the money or time to watch the Olympics live, but in this era, he could enjoy the most authentic ancient Olympic Games as a VIP.
Just as the senators were happily discussing how to hold the selection competition, shocking news came: something big had happened in Thurii!
It turned out that the envoy from Croton had come to Thurii to question them. He claimed that Thurii's construction on the old site of Sybaris had violated the agreement signed with Croton.
Nearchus and the others quickly explained that because the Lucanians had launched a large-scale attack, Thurii had no choice but to let the mercenaries temporarily build a camp there, which would be removed soon…
However, the Crotonian envoy refused to accept this reason and insisted that Thurii had violated the agreement. If they did not want to cause serious consequences to the relationship between the two countries, they must compensate for this behavior. In fact, the real reason why the envoy questioned Thurii was that after Croton ended the war with the Bruttians, its treasury had consumed a lot of money and materials. Someone in the city-state council made such a suggestion, and at this time, Thurii's strength was greatly reduced, so the Crotonians believed that Thurii should not risk offending Croton, a strong state, and reject Croton's request. At most, there would be disputes over the amount of compensation, but that could be bargained. So the Crotonian envoy offered a huge list of compensation.
The generals of Thurii immediately understood when they saw this list: Croton was not here to question them, but to extort them!
Suddenly, the generals began to clamor. Especially after Nearchus became the chief general, although he looked at the problem more comprehensively, his thrifty nature had not changed. He was unwilling to strain the relationship with Amendolara, and he was also unwilling to let thousands of city-state slaves become free men, so naturally he was unwilling to accept Croton's extortion. So, he said to the envoy: "The Thurii council needs to discuss this matter collectively before it can give Croton a reply."
After the envoy left, he immediately asked Praexinus to secretly inform the people of this matter and incite them to protest at the hotel where the envoy was staying. Nearchus's purpose was: first, to let the envoy see the anger and determination of the people of Thurii, creating conditions for the next negotiation; second, even if a compensation agreement was signed in the future, it could reduce the people's accusations against the city hall.
Nearchus's plan was very clever, but he never expected that the people of Thurii, after experiencing the Kunogolata expulsion incident last time, had become more crazy and lacked reason. Moreover, under the instigation of some people, Praexinus could not control them at all.
These people were the descendants of the Sybarites. A hundred years ago, Croton defeated Sybaris, tore down the city of Sybaris, and the Sybarites who lost their homes rebuilt the city of Sybaris a few years later, quickly making it prosperous again. After Croton learned of this, it sent troops to occupy Sybaris again, completely destroying the city. The exiled Sybarites had no choice but to seek help from the Greek city-states. Finally, Pericles of Athens responded to their request and called on all Greeks to rebuild Sybaris. So the elites of Athens and immigrants from all over flocked to the Sybaris Plain and built Thurii.
However, soon after, the Sybarites clashed with Athens and other immigrants because the Sybarites wanted to make Thurii the Thurii of the Sybarites, which was of course not accepted by other immigrants, resulting in a bloody conflict, and the Sybarites were expelled. However, the Sybarites were, after all, the local snakes, so a few people secretly stayed behind. In the hearts of these people, Croton was the mortal enemy who destroyed their homes and brought them to this point. They passed on this hatred, and when the opportunity arose, how could the descendants of the Sybarites let it go?
How could a few soldiers stop thousands of crazy people? They rushed into the hotel and beat the Crotonian envoy. When Nearchus arrived with a large group of guards after hearing the news, the envoy was already dead.
The frightened and uneasy generals, after urgent consultation with the council, decided to send an envoy to Croton to plead guilty and offer any compensation.
When the news reached Amendolara, Davos and the elders were greatly surprised. After all, a city-state's envoy represents the city-state itself, and killing an envoy is a major taboo, as it could mean war.
Amendolara immediately canceled its plans to participate in the Isthmian Games and began to closely monitor the development of the situation.
"Father, this is great! The Thuriians are about to be punished by the gods!" Sostratos excitedly ran into the backyard.
Cunogorata, who was lying on a couch, basking in the sun to recover from his injuries, was not as excited as his eldest son. This former chief general of Thurii looked worried and lamented, "I said it long ago! I said long ago that Neonysis would ruin Thurii!… …"
… … … … … … … … … …
When the Thurian envoy rushed to Croton, the Crotonian generals had already received the news through merchant ships. They listened to the envoy's words indifferently, dismissing Thurii's offer to "make any compensation," saying only: "We can go to Thurii to take it ourselves, and take as much as we want!"
Croton had been tolerating Thurii for a long time. Since defeating Sybaris a century ago, Croton's strength had been steadily increasing, becoming a significant power in Magna Graecia. However, due to the power of Athens, they had to allow Thurii to build a city, which was undoubtedly a great humiliation for Croton, who was used to dominating the "toe" of southern Italy. Now that this incident had occurred, they could settle both old and new scores, and also make up for the emptiness of the treasury, killing two birds with one stone.
That day, the Crotonian People's Assembly smoothly passed the resolution to declare war on Thurii and launched a war mobilization to the citizens. On the morning of the third day, they gathered seven thousand elite citizen soldiers. Asproustum and Siris also sent three thousand citizen soldiers to join them. Terina, having just experienced war and directly facing the Bruttians, only sent thirty cavalrymen. Caulonia also expressed its intention to participate in the war, but Croton politely refused, because Caulonia was an important barrier on Croton's southern border against the Locrian League, with whom Croton had a long-standing feud, and could not afford any mistakes.
Four days later, after offering sacrifices at the Temple of Apollo in Croton and receiving a favorable omen, Melanthius, one of the ten generals, led an army of ten thousand towards Thurii.
War finally broke out between Croton and Thurii.
Upon receiving the news that the Crotonian army was marching towards Thurii, Neonysis became extremely anxious. Reminded by his colleagues, he proposed to the council to urgently convene a citizens' assembly.
At the assembly, he spoke passionately, first recounting the failure of the Thurii council's efforts to make peace,
and repeating the Crotonians' reply verbatim, which immediately aroused the indignation of many citizens. But when they heard that Croton had an army of ten thousand invading, a long silence fell over the venue. It should be known that although the number of troops Croton was attacking with this time was less than the number of the Lucanian tribal coalition, these were genuine Greek hoplite troops, and Croton's citizen soldiers were known for their strong combat power in Magna Graecia.
At this time, the vineyard owner Orifis shouted, "We should send envoys again to sue for peace with Croton and agree to any of their demands."
"Their demands are nothing more than to extract more money and resources, but the key is that our treasury is already running dry!" General Polyxenos stood up and said, "We can't come up with more money unless we levy an extra war tax on the citizens."
Upon hearing about the tax increase, the venue fell silent again.
Finally, the citizens, who had been devastated by the war and were already afraid of war, compromised. They reluctantly stated that in order to prevent Thurii from suffering from war again, they agreed to the city hall's tax collection request, but they were afraid that even this would not satisfy the Crotonians' appetite.
"We should at least try." Praexinus raised his arms and shouted: "Losing money can be earned back, but it will be too late to regret losing loved ones!"
This proposal was passed, and Neonysis temporarily breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why not go to Taras and ask it to help us reconcile with Croton?! Since Taras advocates the establishment of a Magna Graecia defensive alliance, it certainly does not want war to break out between city-states!" Someone stood up and said, "Moreover, with Taras's great strength, it will definitely make Croton have some scruples, and a truce is more likely!"
"That's a good idea, Enianilus!" Neonysis praised. As the owner of Thurii's largest shipyard, Enianilus was a person who could not be easily offended, so Neonysis nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for reminding me, we will immediately send someone to Taras for help!"
"Even if there is a possibility of a truce, we must be prepared for failure! What if Croton insists on fighting? !" Another person stood up and said.
Neonysis saw that it was Anysitos speaking. Although the relationship between the two had broken down because of Cunogorata, he had to admit that his suggestion made sense. So, Neonysis asked, "Respected Anysitos, do you have any good suggestions?"
"First, let our citizens arm themselves. The Crotonians are numerous and powerful. We cannot fight them head-on outside the city. The tall city walls will help us resist their attack and wear down their morale…"
Anysitos's words were recognized by many citizens: "That's right, Thurii's city defense is strong. The Lucanians have failed to do anything to us under the city twice, and Croton will be the same!"
Anysitos continued: "Secondly… Amendolara is our ally. Everyone knows the combat power of their soldiers. We should ask them for assistance!"
At the mention of Amendolara, Neonysis felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, but the participants all expressed their agreement: "Anysitos is right! We should ask them for help. With them, we can rest assured!"
"I said long ago that it was not worth ruining the relationship with Amendolara for a few slaves. Now it may not be so easy to ask for help!"
… …
Such words made Neonysis's face turn pale and then white, and he was embarrassed. He braced himself and said, "This proposal is very good. Bourkos, please make a trip."
The usually mild-tempered Bourkos immediately refused: "I am not capable enough, let the more capable Praexinus go."
Upon hearing this, Praexinus lowered his head and said nothing. He knew that if he went, not only would he fail to seek assistance, but he might also be beaten up.
It was no wonder that Bourkos was uncooperative. He had been urging the city hall to fulfill its promise to grant freedom to the slaves. The city hall ignored his proposal, which led to the slave rebellion, and some slaves fled to Amendolara. At this time, Bourkos, as a general and understanding Davos, believed that Amendolara would definitely reject Thurii's request. It would be better to fulfill the promise and grant the slaves freedom, which would also achieve the purpose of befriending Amendolara.
Neonysis and the other generals not only rejected his suggestion, but also believed that with his relationship with Davos, it would be difficult for him to ask Amendolara for slaves, so they sent the tough-talking Praexinus. What Bourkos had just said was one of the original words Neonysis used when he refused Bourkos to be the envoy to Amendolara. Now, Bourkos was returning it intact, and one can imagine the expression on Neonysis's face.
At this moment, even if Neonysis secretly hated Bourkos, he could not help but plead with him: "Bourkos, this is a major event related to the life and death of Thurii! No one but you can complete this task! I hope you can make a trip to Amendolara and ask Davos to send troops to help!"
Bourkos vented his anger, and at the request of the citizens, he simply nodded and agreed.
"Amendolara is a small city, and the reinforcements it can send should not be too many. The key is still to rely on ourselves." Anysitos continued: "I suggest mobilizing the free men to participate in the war and promise to grant them citizenship. Of course, we have made a promise once before, but we have not fulfilled it. This time, in order to gain their trust, as long as they agree to participate in the war, they will be granted citizenship immediately!"
Anysitos's suggestions made Neonysis feel more and more uncomfortable. Not to mention him, almost none of the participating citizens agreed to this suggestion based on their personal interests. In the end, Anysitos's answer was: "To be discussed…"
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Just as Thurii was holding a citizens' assembly, the Crotonian army, after marching for most of the day, arrived outside the city of Crimisa.
Crimisa, this town was originally a colony of Sybaris. After the fall of Sybaris, it turned to the Crotonian League. After Athens rebuilt Thurii, the agreement reached with Croton specifically mentioned that Castron and Crimisa must remain neutral.
Now, in the face of the Crotonian army, Crimisa unhesitatingly opened its gates to welcome them and actively sent a thousand people to join the Crotonian army.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"Melanthius of Croton is forty-five years old this year. When he was young, he won the wrestling competition at the Olympic Games twice and the wrestling championship at the Isthmian Games once. He has participated in battles with the Locrians and Bruttians many times, and has twice independently commanded operations and won victories… He is brave in battle, often taking the lead and charging ahead, but he is not liked by the soldiers, because after the victory, he always likes to attribute the victory to himself…
It is said that he is tall and handsome, and lives a luxurious life, which is very popular with the women of Croton. Because of this, the men are jealous of him and deliberately do not vote for him, causing him to fail in the election of generals many times. His friends often advise him 'Don't pay too much attention to dressing up, be more low-key', but he says 'Apollo has given him a strong physique and an intelligent brain. If no one is jealous, it will not highlight his excellence!'"
"Axi, you've done a great job collecting comprehensive information about Melanthius, the commander of Croton!" Davos praised after listening.
"It's mainly because he's too famous in Croton. As soon as our people arrived at the port, they could hear about his deeds everywhere…" Axiastes said truthfully.
Davos nodded. "It seems this Melanthius is a proud man. In such a crucial battle concerning the life and death of the city-state, why send him as the commander of the army?"
Axiastes replied, "Perhaps it's because Melanthius has never lost a battle he's participated in. Besides, he fights bravely and likes to attack quickly. Croton must also hope to resolve the battle with Thurii as soon as possible. Moreover, they also sent the older and more prudent Timarches as his deputy, believing he can make Melanthius more stable…"
"Hmm… your analysis makes sense!" Davos pondered, then asked, "What are the characteristics of Crotonian citizen soldiers in combat?"
"The citizens of Croton are enthusiastic about physical exercise and have produced many famous athletes. In every major Panhellenic Games, Crotonian athletes always win, especially in wrestling, boxing, and discus, where they have always had an advantage. Therefore, citizens of several city-states have reported that their citizen soldiers are strong, attack bravely, and are agile in combat…"
Davos stroked his chin. "So, their individual combat strength is very high. What about their group? Do they often conduct military training?"
Axiastes smiled. "Lord, not every city-state trains as frequently and intensely as Amendolara. The Crotonians spend much less time on the training ground than they do in the arena!"
"It seems you are dissatisfied with our training." Davos also smiled.
"How could that be? I love training the most! Especially rugby!" Axiastes immediately defended himself.
"Isn't rugby a sport?!" Davos continued to press.
After a burst of laughter, Axiastes asked, "Lord, will the war between Croton and Thurii affect us?"
"It's impossible not to be affected!" Davos sighed. "A weak neighbor is always safer than a new, strong neighbor. At a critical moment, Amendolara might have to help Thurii. The foolish Thurii keeps doing stupid things. It seems the plan to attack Lucania will have to be postponed again… Alas, things are truly unpredictable!"
...............
Bulkos arrived in Amendolara and requested reinforcements from Davos.
In the Senate, the senators argued fiercely. In general, the old citizen senators, such as Cornelius and Raphias, did not agree to send reinforcements. They believed that Thurii had brought the Crotonian army upon themselves. Moreover, Amendolara and Thurii were nominally allies, but in reality, they were in a state of broken alliance. Amendolara did not need to offend a powerful city-state for a neighbor who frequently caused trouble. Furthermore, the army sent by Croton seemed very strong, and even if Thurii allied with Amendolara, the possibility of repelling Croton was extremely small.
New citizen senators, such as Capus and Hilus, believed that Croton was currently powerful, and Amendolara should wait and see and make a decision based on the changing situation.
Other new citizen senators, such as Alexis and Antonios, had different views. They felt that Thurii must be protected to ensure the security of Amendolara's surrounding environment. Thurii had high walls and strong defenses, and Amendolara could completely avoid fighting by assisting Thurii in defending the city. As long as they held off the Crotonian attack, Croton would probably have to retreat in less than a month. After all, the daily food consumption of tens of thousands of soldiers was not a small amount.
Alexis and Antonios spoke cautiously, but Epithenes said loudly and without reservation, "We would rather have a weak Thurii as a neighbor than a powerful Croton, which would make us uneasy day and night, unless Amendolara joins Croton's alliance, but are you all willing to do that?"
If the Thurii envoy, Bulkos, heard this, he would probably be ashamed. But at this time, Bulkos was arranged in the side hall of the Senate, waiting for the final decision of the meeting.
Epithenes' words touched the senators present, but after discussing for so long, the final decision still had to be made by Davos.
Davos looked around at everyone and said solemnly, "Everyone has analyzed the situation very clearly, so I don't need to go into detail. What I want to say is that we have signed a treaty of alliance with Thurii. This is a sacred treaty signed under the eyes of the gods, with the name of the gods! Before, we laughed at Thurii for betraying its faith, but now, when greater danger strikes, can we keep our promise?!"
Davos paused, seeing some people ashamed and others in deep thought, and raised his voice again, "Of course we can! We must prove to all the city-states of Magna Graecia that Amendolara, as an ancient city-state with a long history, will uphold its promises and maintain the glory and tradition inherited from ancient heroes such as Heracles, Theseus, and Agellius, no matter how difficult the situation!"
When Davos found Bulkos, he announced the Senate's decision to him: "Amendolara has decided to abide by the previous alliance and send reinforcements."
Bulkos was moved to tears.
............…
Due to the flooding of the river north of Crimisa and the presence of swamps and mudflats, the Crotonian army's march slowed down. It took them a whole day to reach Castrum, a city that had once been attached to the Crotonian alliance after Sybaris was destroyed. It also offered no resistance, but instead opened its gates wide and welcomed Melanthius into the city.
In the city of Castrum, he met the Thurii envoy and the Tarentum envoy who were waiting there.
Faced with the Thurii envoy's plea, he didn't even have the patience to listen and said impatiently, "The Crotonian saber has been drawn from its sheath and will never be sheathed without blood."
Melanthius showed a little respect to the Tarentum envoy, but he asked, "If a city-state violates the agreement and also kills the Tarentum envoy, what will Tarentum do?! Can mere compensation of some wealth redeem the dignity lost by Tarentum?!"
The Tarentum envoy was speechless for a moment.
Melanthius looked at him with disdain and said firmly, "Therefore, Thurii will definitely be punished!"
As night fell, the Tarentum general was preparing to go to bed when a guard rushed in to report, "General, there are two people outside who want to see you, saying they have important information about Thurii to trade with you…"
Important information about Thurii?! Melanthius became interested. "Bring them in quickly!"
Two men dressed as sailors, under the custody of guards, walked timidly into Melanthius' bedroom.
"Speak, what important information do you want to trade with me?" Melanthius leaned on the bed with one hand propping up his head, looking at the two men with disdain. "If it's really valuable, I'll consider your request."
The two men looked at each other, and one of them made up his mind and said in a low voice, "Noble General, I am a free man of Thurii…"
As the sailor spoke, Melanthius' eyes became brighter and brighter. He actually sat up and looked excited…
...............
Although Davos had agreed to send reinforcements, he did not immediately summon the troops to depart. After all, it was Thurii who had requested help. If Amendolara rushed to help, the world would only laugh at Davos for being naive.
He first agreed to stabilize the morale of Thurii's army and people, allowing the people of Thurii to be encouraged to fight Croton. He wanted to wait and see: first, to observe the battle situation between the two sides and understand the Crotonian army; second, the reinforcements would only appear when Thurii needed them most, in order to reduce the casualties of Amendolara's soldiers, gain the gratitude of the people of Thurii, and at the same time increase the chances of defeating Croton. Anyway, Amendolara and Thurii were not far apart, and it was only half a day's walk.
Amendolara's response temporarily relieved Nyon, and at this time he was filled with gratitude to Amendolara, and he also had a trace of regret for his initial radical actions. When the people of Thurii learned of this news, their low morale began to rise, and they praised Amendolara. However, the news constantly coming from the south made their hearts tighten again: the Crotonian army arrived in Castrum in just two days. Crimisa and Castrum did not resist and took the initiative to open their doors to welcome them, and also strengthened the Crotonian army. More importantly, Croton refused Thurii and Tarentum's request for peace…
The series of bad news made Nyon terrified. He cursed Croton, Crimisa, and Castrum in his heart, while ordering Bulkos to go to Amendolara again to urge them to send reinforcements as soon as possible. At the same time, he ordered the citizens to rectify their military equipment and strengthen their defenses, and even began to consider whether to implement Ancytanos' suggestion to mobilize free men to participate in the war in this crisis.
But the next day, the Crotonian army stationed outside the city of Castrum did not continue to advance. They even sent people to chase back the Thurii envoy, saying that the matter of seeking peace could be discussed.
When the news reached Thurii, the generals and the people's tense mood relaxed, and then they looked forward to the envoy bringing back good news of a ceasefire.
In the afternoon, Melanthius announced that the negotiations had broken down and expelled the Thurii envoy on the grounds that the Thurii envoy had been slow to agree to Croton's demands and lacked sincerity (in fact, Melanthius' asking price was too high and he refused to back down), and then immediately ordered the army that had been prepared to advance towards Thurii.
When Nyon received the news, the Crotonian army was already under the southern gate of Thurii.
The bugle call for attack resounded over the city of Thurii. The free men and slaves gathered in the north and south dock areas received the signal and immediately rose up in revolt, using hidden weapons to attack the defending soldiers.
The South City was located on the south bank of the Crati River. Initially, it was just a few thatched huts built on the south bank for the convenience of citizens farming on the Crati River plain who sometimes worked too late and found it dangerous to cross the river at night. Later, it gradually developed into a village. Because the Bruttians occasionally crossed the mountains to plunder livestock and kill citizens, a city wall was built for safety. As a result, the South City was not large and had few guards, and the recent increase in troops was offset by the false truce rumors that had made them less vigilant. The free men's attack caught them off guard, and they were already struggling to cope.
Under the cover of minimal resistance, Crotonian soldiers crossed the moat, erected siege ladders, quickly seized the city walls, lowered the drawbridge, and opened the city gates. The Crotonian army poured in, dispersed the defending soldiers, and orderly boarded ferries, cargo ships, and merchant ships. The free men acted as sailors, quickly sailing towards the North City port.
The Thurii generals, upon hearing that the Crotonian army was at the city gates, had not yet issued orders when news came of the revolt of the free men in the north and south docks, causing widespread panic. They hastily summoned citizens to suppress the free men at the docks. Elderly men over 50 and young men over 14 put on armor and took up shields and spears. For them, this was a critical moment concerning the life and death of Thurii, and every citizen had to stand up and defend their homeland.
Although gathering the citizens took some time, their shared hatred for the enemy allowed them to push back the poorly equipped free men.
But just then, the Crotonian army landed.
As soon as they landed, they went straight for the Thurii army, and the almost collapsed lines of the free men quickly stabilized.
The two sides fought fiercely in the narrow streets of the port. Although Crotonian soldiers continued to land, far outnumbering the Thurii citizens, they could not spread out in the narrow alleys. Despite the Crotonian soldiers being tall and strong, the Thurii ranks were mixed with old men and young boys, and even the generals were on the field, with hundreds of Thurii women behind them constantly shouting and cheering for their loved ones. It was a tragic cry! The Crotonians were fighting, while the Thurians were fighting for their lives, so the battle was at a stalemate!
Melanthus, who usually charged at the front, was delayed because the ferry he was on was leaking. By the time he arrived at the dock, it was full of ships, and he barely managed to find a space to land. Seeing the battle deadlocked, he immediately ordered the demolition of the buildings on both sides of the alley.
As the Crotonian soldiers began to outflank them from both sides, the Thurians gradually faltered. After holding on for a while, with citizens constantly being killed and wounded, they finally collapsed.
Neon Sis did not want to flee, but instead faced the oncoming enemies. This general, who came from a common background, had been well-regarded by the citizens for his solid work style and diligent attitude since taking office. However, less than two months after reaching the pinnacle of the city-state's highest position, he had brought great disaster to Thurii. He died shamefully under the Crotonian soldiers' spears, while Polychrosis and several other generals turned and fled.
Bulkos and Presinas led some citizens, women, and children to retreat into the citadel on the hillside behind the city. Here stood the Temple of Apollo, the altar of the goddess Hera, and the sacred fire that had been burning continuously for 41 years since its construction. It was the place where the spirit of the Thurii citizens was sustained, a place of rest for their souls, a sacred place! The Thurii people decided to make their last stand here.
After occupying and pacifying the other urban areas, it was already late when Melanthus commanded his soldiers to light torches and surround the Thurii citadel. Then he had Polychrosis deliver a message: surrender immediately, or the Thurii citadel would be burned.
Bulkos and the others did not expect the Crotonians to be so ruthless, especially since Apollo was also the patron god of Croton. After a painful decision, they opened the gates. With that, Croton completely occupied the city of Thurii.
… … … … … … … … … … …
When the news reached Amendorara,
Davos was watching the citizens' military training at the training camp. He and his officers were shocked to learn that Thurii had fallen.
"I really didn't expect Thurii to fall like this!" Hilos said with emotion.
"If Thurii hadn't failed to resolve the conflicts between the free men and the slaves, how could Croton have easily succeeded!" Amintas was obviously not convinced by Croton's achievements.
"However, that Crotonian general is not simple either. Despite the help of the free men, he was able to use tricks to deceive Thurii in advance, and then suddenly launch an attack. The organization of the attack was also very effective. To be able to take the city of Thurii in less than five hours, the Crotonian soldiers must be well-trained!" Davos rationally analyzed, "The Crotonian army can be said to be one of the strongest enemies we have encountered so far, besides the eight hundred Spartan warriors led by Kerisophus. We must be vigilant!" Davos warned everyone.
"But we are not afraid of him!" Amintas retorted unconvinced.
"That's right, we must have this kind of spirit! We value the enemy, but we are not afraid of the enemy. We dare to fight any enemy!" Davos encouraged everyone.
"Commander (in the military camp, Davos asked everyone to address him by his military title, not his administrative title), how should we respond next?" Alexis asked.
"What is your opinion?" Davos asked him in return.
Alexis thought for a moment and said, "Send more scouts to monitor the movements of the Crotonian army and strengthen the defenses of Amendorara…"
"Very good, let's wait and see." Davos said, although Croton had already occupied Thurii, demonstrating its strength, Davos was very pleased to see that none of his officers had suggested taking the initiative to curry favor with Croton.
Looking at the soldiers who were actively training on the training ground, and thinking of the Crotonian army ravaging the city of Thurii, there was no fear in Davos's heart.
… … … … … … … … … …
Meanwhile, in the city of Thurii, Melanthus did not restrain his soldiers after occupying the entire city, causing them to act recklessly, looting property, injuring citizens, and even raping women. The people of Thurii suffered unspeakable hardships.
Melanthus took a fancy to the most luxurious mansion and directly drove the owner away before moving in himself, where he and his officers held a banquet to celebrate their victory.
While he was reveling, he heard the prostitute in his arms say that there was a disciple of the historian Herodotus in the city of Thurii. He immediately became interested and ordered the guards to bring this person in.
When Anistano arrived, he saw a group of Crotonians sprawled haphazardly on couches in the hall, drinking fine wine, chewing on delicacies, and holding beautiful women in their arms. Most of those who took the initiative to giggle and flirt were high-class prostitutes, while those who forced smiles were mostly Thurii women.
Some of the Crotonians were loudly boasting about this victory, showering Melanthus with flattery; some were telling vulgar jokes, with the foolish and pitiful protagonist being the Thurii people; others were only concerned with groping and engaging in shameful acts with the women in their arms in public… Amid the cheers and debauchery, Anistano, with a tense face, stepped on the marble floor covered with spilled wine and entered the hall.
"Oh, the historian of Thurii is here!" Melanthus, who had drunk a lot but was still relatively sober, patted the full chest of the woman in his arms: "Pour him a glass of wine."
The woman handed the wine to Anistano, who drank it without hesitation.
"Thurian, are you drinking to celebrate our victory?!" An officer took the opportunity to mock him with a smile.
"No, I am only commemorating Sybaris, a city in Greater Greece that was once famous for its wine. At that time, it was strong, and Croton was weak, just like Croton and Thurii are today. But those who bully the weak will eventually perish," Anistano said calmly.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!…" Melanthus laughed: "Unfortunately, it was the weak Croton that destroyed the powerful Sybaris back then! And today, the weak Thurii has been occupied by the powerful Croton. Your statement is completely wrong!"
"Gods above, even the most powerful city-states will eventually perish," Anistano replied sternly.
"Perhaps that day will come… uh…" Melanthus hiccuped and said dismissively: "But you and I may not have the chance to see it." Saying this, he sat up and said loudly: "I heard that you are a disciple of Herodotus. If you are going to write history in the future, will my name and this glorious victory be in the book so that future generations will know?!"
"No, only the various crimes and atrocities you committed in Thurii!" Anistano replied coldly.
"Bold!"
"You Thurian don't want to live anymore!"
… …
The officers were furious and cursed, even throwing food at him.
Melanthus waved his hand, dismissing Anistano's provocation, and instead raised his glass, saying complacently: "'The victor proves his strength with action, and the loser can only prove his weakness with excuses.' This is the motto of athletes. The ancient heroes would only enjoy the joy of conquering Troy, and no one would care about the pain of the conquered—the Trojans. If you fail, you must admit it, just like Lucania…"
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered something and asked: "I heard that the Archon of Amendorara, Da… Davos, annihilated 10,000 Lucanian allied forces with 6,000 men. Is this true? False? Was it the credit of Tarentum? Or was it really his credit?"
"It was indeed he who planned and organized that battle," Anistano replied truthfully.
"In that case, this Davos is still a character… I wonder who is more powerful, him or me?" Melanthus looked eager to try.
Anistano looked at him, his heart stirring, and said: "Behind you stands the powerful Croton, while behind him is only the small Amendorara."
Note: Map of Magna Graecia