"So what?!" Melanthus glanced at him, his face flushed with drunkenness, wearing an unconvinced expression: "Where he and I were born is an arrangement of fate, and naturally it also destined him to a defeated end!"
He once again asked loudly: "Thurii and Amendolara are allies, I heard that when my army approached Thurii, Amendolara also promised to send reinforcements, right?"
"That's right, the envoy from Amendolara once said, 'As long as they are given a few days to assemble their troops, Thurii will definitely be able to hold on when their reinforcements arrive!'" Ansitonos replied, slightly emphasizing Amendolara's original words, and saw Melanthus's face turn even redder.
Melanthus turned to Timaras beside him: "Tomorrow, you send someone to question Amendolara, 'Why do you want to be enemies with Croton? Demand that they immediately terminate their alliance agreement with Thurii and form an alliance with us!'"
Timaras hesitated for a moment: "Amendolara and Taranto are allies!"
"That's right, it is allied with Taranto, and it can also form an alliance with Thurii, so why can't it form an alliance with us?!" Melanthus said forcefully.
"Alright." Timaras reluctantly agreed.
Melanthus swirled his wine glass, his eyes shining: Davos, what will you do?
… … … … … … …
The news of Croton's occupation of Thurii quickly spread throughout Magna Graecia, and Thurii suddenly became the focus of attention.
City-states such as Taranto, Locri, and Rhegium closely monitored the development of the situation, and even the Syracusans in Sicily, who were preparing troops and supplies and preparing to attack Carthage, also turned their attention to it, after all, Locri was an ally of Syracuse, and Dionysius even married Doris, the sister of Demodocus, the current chief general, from a famous family in Locri, and Locri and Croton were mortal enemies, Croton's strength was by no means what Locri and Syracuse were willing to see, and this was also related to a longer-term strategic plan in Dionysius's mind.
… … … … … … …
The Croton envoy came to Amendolara, bringing Melanthus's order for Amendolara to surrender, which made the political atmosphere in Amendolara tense.
There was fierce debate in the Senate meeting.
Cornelius, Rafias, and Stromboli believed that: Croton came with a great victory and was powerful, and Amendolara, which had just experienced war, could not stop it at all. In order to prevent the territory from being devastated again, they could temporarily compromise and agree to Croton's request.
Skanmbras, Tritodemus, and Protesilaus, who were more tough, suggested that: they could first delay the time and ask Taranto to put pressure on Croton, depending on the situation.
The new citizen senators were almost all hardliners, and were already angered by the arrogant behavior of the Croton envoy after entering the city, and resolutely stated that: Amendolara must not succumb to Croton's threat, and if Croton sends troops to invade, they must let him know how powerful Amendolara is!
Davos had foreseen that such a thing would happen after the Croton army occupied Thurii. As a leader who relied on military prestige to become a leader trusted by mercenaries, and became the lifelong Archon of Amendolara by military strength, he could not have a trace of weakness and concession, because that would shake his power. So he resolutely said: "Since Amendolara has already made a decision, then it must stick to it to the end! Don't shake Taranto's trust in us! And don't let the Magna Graecians think that Amendolara is a city-state that will succumb to power and forget righteousness when they see profit!"
Davos's powerful words marked the end of this Senate meeting.
When the Croton envoy received Amendolara's reply, he was first stunned, and then threatened fiercely: "Are you not afraid of Thurii's fate?!"
"You can try." Davos replied coldly.
… … … … … …
The dejected envoy brought back Davos's reply: Respected Croton commander, the people of Amendolara admire the victory you have won.
However, abiding by the covenant signed in the name of God is a tradition passed down by Amendolara for a hundred years, I hope you can understand!… …"
Melanthus laughed angrily after reading it, and tore the letter to pieces: "This Amendolara Archon is quite courageous… hehe… a mercenary actually knows how to keep his promise?!"
He paced back and forth in the hall, and made up his mind: "It seems that we need to teach this disobedient small country a lesson! Timaras, you go and gather eight thousand people, we will go to Amendolara!"
Timaras said anxiously: "But Taranto—"
Melanthus waved his hand: "Don't worry, I won't mess around."
… … … … … … … …
After the Croton army left the city, they quickly marched north.
Amendolara's scouts immediately reported back, and the people of Amendolara became nervous when they received the news.
Cornelius, Rafias, and others once again suggested to Davos: temporarily yield to Croton and join its alliance.
Davos retorted with a sentence: "I have never been forced to beg for peace with knives and guns!"
The new citizen senators were full of fighting spirit, clamoring to mobilize troops and give the arrogant Crotonians a head-on blow, but Davos forcibly suppressed them.
He ordered: everyone retreat back into the city and prepare for defense!
The captains, out of respect for his authority, reluctantly obeyed the order and left.
… … … … … … … …
The Taranto Senate was also closely watching the movements of the Croton army. They received the news later than Amendolara, and the Archon immediately held an emergency consultation with the senators.
The senators expressed one after another: Croton ignored that Amendolara was an ally of Taranto and brazenly invaded, which was a contempt for Taranto! A serious protest must be made!
But regarding the question of whether Taranto would participate in the war once the Croton army went to war with Amendolara, most people expressed caution, saying that they would wait and see how the situation developed. After all, both Taranto and Croton were powerful city-states in Magna Graecia, each with a group of allies, and once a war broke out, it would not be resolved by a few battles.
Archytas took the initiative to apply to the Senate to meet the Croton commander Melanthus, and was finally approved. Taranto also sent an envoy by boat to Croton, the voyage took a short time, and only half a day with a tailwind to reach Croton.
Just as the Taranto Senate was still discussing, Melanthus had already led his army across the Saviche River, and came to the foot of the mountain two hours later. He looked at Amendolara, which was located on the hill. The city wall was full of fully armed soldiers. Under the direct sunlight from the east, it was like a shining wall, making people unable to open their eyes, and could not help but say: "The soldiers of Amendolara still look like something, if I really attack it in the morning, this sunlight alone will make my soldiers suffer."
He ordered the troops to form a phalanx, the formation was more than a mile long, slowly approaching the city wall while drumming their round shields and shouting battle cries, the sound was earth-shattering…
However, the soldiers of Amendolara, under the strict orders of the captains, just stood quietly on the city wall, without saying a word.
Alcinus couldn't help but say: "Captain, the Crotonians are too arrogant, we should at least shout a few times and fight back."
Squad leader Ctepus cursed in a low voice: "Shut up, this is the order of the Archon, do you want to violate military discipline?!"
As soon as Alcinus heard this, he immediately stopped complaining.
"Anyway, you remember, as long as the Crotonians don't attack, we will watch their performance. As long as they dare to attack, hum hum…" Ctepus reminded.
"Understood!" Alcinus clenched the stabbing spear in his hand. Even though the enemy's team under the city looked unusually large, Alcinus was looking forward to them attacking, so that he could show off the skills he had worked so hard to train during this time.
Seeing that the people of Amendolara did not respond, Melanthus immediately stopped the advancing team and sent someone to shout under the city, asking to see the Amendolara Archon Davos, but there was still no response from the city wall.
Melanthus believed that Davos was afraid and dared not talk to him face to face, so he simply sent some soldiers to scold under the city:
"Davos is a coward and doesn't dare to face the Croton army!"
"The people of Amendolara don't even dare to breathe when they see the Croton army!"
… …
The new recruits' faces turned red when they heard this, and they began to complain, and then they were reprimanded by the veterans: "Whether you are cowardly or not, you will know after fighting, what's the use of just talking. As for the Archon, when he led us to defeat the Persians many times, these Crotonians were probably still enjoying the cheers of the audience in the stadium."
In fact, these veterans were also holding their breath, but their experienced experience had already made them accustomed to obeying Davos's orders, and at the same time they were unwilling to waste their energy on unnecessary things.
The throats of the Croton soldiers were also hoarse, but the people of Amendolara still did not respond.
Melanthus also found it boring to listen, and he finally ordered: "Burn all these houses as a warning to Amendolara!"
The Amendolara people, who had always remained silent, made Melanthus feel humiliated and angry. With an order from him, all the warehouses and hotels near completion at the foot of Amendolara Mountain were burned in a raging fire, and the Amendolara people's efforts for several months were destroyed once…
The soaring flames reflected the angry faces of countless soldiers on the city wall. They stared wide-eyed, glaring at the Crotonians as they swaggered away…
… … … … … … … … …
The news spread to the Senate, and the entire meeting place was furious.
Only Davos looked calm. He listened carefully to Yasistes, who had rushed back, carefully recounting the Croton army's performance under the city, thereby inferring Melanthus's personality and psychology, and corroborating it with what he had learned.
"Are the Crotonians doing this to declare war on us?" Rafias said in surprise.
"The Crotonians have invaded our territory and burned our houses, this is already a declaration of war!" Philius reminded.
"The people of Croton are already bullying us. Why don't the soldiers teach them a lesson?!!" Stronboli, who had previously wanted to compromise with Croton, was now also filled with anger.
"The soldiers have all obeyed Lord Davos's orders and are guarding the city closely, but they all wish they could eat the flesh of the Crotonians raw!" Amyntas vented his resentment to Davos.
"Lord Consul, are we just going to watch the Crotonians run wild on our land?!" Scombrus roared unwillingly.
"Of course not!" Davos answered resolutely and loudly, his eyes flashing with a strange light: "Pulling back our fist is for a better punch. The army of Croton is stronger than ours, that's a fact. So we must wait, just like a skilled boxer always defends first, waiting for the opponent to reveal a flaw, and then deliver a fatal blow!"
The people in the assembly hall were shocked.
… … … … … … …
When Archytas landed in Thurii, Melanxios had already returned to the city.
Archytas, representing Taras, lodged a serious protest with him, but Melanxios said nonchalantly: "Croton has no malice towards Amendolara. I just wanted to go out and say hello to this young consul who is said to be able to win with fewer troops, but I didn't expect him to be too timid to even dare to come out and meet me!"
Archytas breathed a temporary sigh of relief, and then he dropped a harsh sentence: "If Croton goes to war with Amendolara, Taras will unite Metapontum and Heraclea and will not hesitate to go to war with Croton!"
At the same time, he also advised Melanxios: "Now that Croton has occupied Thurii, washed away the shame, and won great glory, then it's time to lead the troops back to Croton and restore peace to this land. I believe Locri and Taras will be just as happy!"
Melanxios, of course, understood the threat in Archytas's words. He frowned and did not respond.
After completing his mission, Archytas hurriedly rushed to Amendolara.
At the foot of the mountain, he saw the ruins of the warehouse and inn that had been burned to ashes and were still smoldering, and he became nervous again.
Entering the city, the anger on the faces of the people caught his eye. Therefore, as soon as he saw Davos, he expressed his condolences and concern for everything Amendolara had suffered, and then said frankly: "Davos, Taras has no intention of going to war with Croton for the time being, I hope you can understand."
"Don't worry, although we are angry at what Croton has done, we can still restrain ourselves." Davos said calmly: "If a person is bitten by a dog, can he bite back?!"
Archytas didn't laugh. The calmer Davos seemed, the more uneasy he felt: When they annihilated the Lucanian coalition, the soldiers of Taras were celebrating their victory. But Davos and his men went back to camp to sleep, saying they needed to recover their exhausted strength, and the next day they told him, 'Amendolara has been recovered!'
… … … … … … … …
When the envoy from Taras arrived in Croton, the Crotonian city hall was holding a heated discussion on the "follow-up matters of occupying the city of Thurii."
Conservatives, such as General Lysias, suggested: After plundering the wealth of Thurii, support a pro-Croton puppet government, and then withdraw to avoid arousing the dissatisfaction of the surrounding city-states.
Radicals, such as Chief General Milo (named after the famous Crotonian athlete Milo from a hundred years ago. Because this athlete was too legendary, he was regarded as a hero of Croton, so many Crotonian children were later named Milo by their parents) believed: Thurii has forged a deep hatred with Croton. It is difficult for the supported government to maintain its power, and it is too close to Taras. If garrison troops are retained, it will not only disperse Croton's own strength, but also arouse the hatred of the local people and Taras over time. The best way is to burn the city!
"Burn the city?!!!" The other generals and councilors were shocked when they heard this.
"That's right, burn the city!" Milo said emotionally: "Our ancestors defeated the Sybarites,
destroyed the city twice. The last time, they dug up the Crati River and used the flood to destroy the city of Sybaris, creating a prestigious reputation, shocking Greater Greece, and bringing prosperity to Croton and hegemony in this region! But since we were defeated by the allied forces of Locri and Rhegium decades ago, some city-states no longer respect us so much, and secretly oppose us. We need to re-establish the authority of Croton! Now, a great opportunity is right in front of us. This is a gift from the gods! If we miss it, we will be punished!
Moreover, after destroying Thurii, the Sybaris plain will temporarily become an unclaimed land. We can take the lead in recruiting city-state immigrants who are friendly to us from Greece or other places. After building a new city on the Sybaris plain, we can send some of our landless citizens to become new immigrants in the new city. I believe the surrounding city-states will not be able to find fault with us, and our Crotonian power will expand to the north, strengthening our strength…"
Milo's words were both inspiring and workable, and were approved by the majority of the council.
So, the Crotonian messenger quickly arrived in Thurii. Melanxios, who had nothing to do, became excited when he received the order from the Crotonian city hall, dancing and saying: "As the third general to destroy a city-state on the Sybaris plain, I will surely be famous in history!"
He quickly took action, first asking the freemen who had defected to him to immediately build a pontoon bridge over the Crati River with ships (the original pontoon bridge had been burned by the Thurians).
Then, he fabricated charges, claiming to punish the mastermind behind the killing of the Crotonian envoy, and as a result, he arrested the wealthy merchants of Thurii, tortured, imprisoned, and even executed them, and all the wealth in their homes was confiscated.
Soon, the impatient Melanxios felt that this method was too slow and had no patience, so he simply ordered: Plunder all the grain and wealth in the city!
Suddenly, the entire city of Thurii was filled with cries. The Thurian people lying on the ground and wailing never expected that a more terrible disaster would befall them soon…
… … … … … … … …
The Amendolara scouts, who were patrolling and observing outside the city of Thurii, saw from afar Crotonian soldiers escorting Thurian people out of the city in a mighty procession.
Not long after, thick smoke rose from all over the city, and soon a fire broke out…
The scouts immediately reported to Ledes.
Ledes was shocked when he heard this and quickly rode his horse across the Saraceno River to confirm.
At this time, Thurii had become a city of fire, and the people outside the city were wailing…
Soon, Davos received this urgent news and was immediately stunned: Croton is destroying the city! Are they going to retreat?!
Assistetes scolded Croton for its brutality, but Davos sat down, stroked his chin, and thought about the meaning of this event for Amendolara.
Then, Assistetes saw Davos stand up again and pace back and forth in the hall, his expression very strange.
When he was a little dizzy, Davos suddenly asked in a trembling voice: "If the Crotonian army sets off now, where will they probably be by dusk?"
Assistetes thought for a while and said: "They are carrying so much baggage that they shouldn't be able to walk fast. They will probably only reach Castrum by dusk."
"Will Castrum let the army into the city?" Davos asked anxiously again.
"How is that possible! These guys just plundered and burned the city of Thurii!"
Davos nodded. Assistetes's view was consistent with what he thought. He paced back and forth a few more steps and finally made up his mind. He said: "Go and notify Ledes to pay close attention to whether the pontoon bridge over the Crati River has been burned! At the same time, send Izamus's mountain reconnaissance team to track and observe the Crotonian army's march. Where is the camp? How is it arranged? … All the details, but be concealed, don't let the Crotonians discover it! I want him to send someone to report to me at any time!"
"Yes!" Assistetes answered excitedly. After following Davos for so long, he understood that Davos must be brewing a big action. The young man couldn't help but ask excitedly: "Lord, are you planning to attack this Crotonian army?!"
"Whether we attack or not depends on whether the Crotonians give us a chance!" Davos sneered: "This Crotonian wolf owes a lot of blood debts and wants to go back easily. It's not that easy. I believe the fair and selfless Hades will bless us! It's time for us to show our fangs!
Davos spoke righteously, but there was another reason that made him make up his mind: The destruction of Thurii made him vaguely see a bigger opportunity than attacking Lucania, an opportunity to rapidly strengthen Amendolara! And this requires him to gamble again!
The Senate meeting was urgently convened. When Davos announced the news that "Thurii was burned down," the senators were not surprised. Before coming, they had already digested this shocking bad news. Only the old citizens had more complicated feelings. They had hated Thurii's selfishness that had caused Amendolara to be hit hard, but when a more miserable retribution fell on Thurii, they found that they didn't feel much joy in their hearts. Instead, pity overwhelmed hatred.
But then Davos said indignantly: "The crimes of Croton must be punished! As an ally of Thurii, we Amendolara have an obligation to avenge the people of Thurii! Of course, we also need to tell Croton that the Sybaris plain is not a place where they can come and go as they please! I announce that Amendolara will conduct a war mobilization to prepare to attack the Crotonian army!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall.
"Great! We should have beaten these damned Crotonians hard a long time ago!" Amyntas shouted excitedly.
"Governor, the Crotoniates are numerous, and we are few. If we rashly attack, will it be—?" Cornelius's worried words were cut off by Amyntas: "You don't understand matters of war, so don't interfere!"
Davos immediately reprimanded Amyntas and made him apologize, then explained to Cornelius and the other senior citizens: "As the governor of Amendolara, and as a leader experienced in battle, I will greatly cherish the lives of Amendolara's citizens. Without sufficient certainty, I will not recklessly attack the powerful Crotoniate army! The Crotoniates have occupied Thurii, gaining great glory and rich spoils. Since we Amendolara have chosen to retreat, they must be very proud. Their general, Melanxos, is an even more arrogant man! These Crotoniate soldiers, laden with spoils on their return journey, are probably thinking about how to divide the wealth back home. They have no desire to fight. When they reach the campsite, they will likely be exhausted. The camp's defenses will inevitably be lax, and we will strike them hard while they are sound asleep, just like when we reclaimed Amendolara last time!" Davos, seeing Cornelius and the others in thought, added: "Of course, if our scouts discover that the Crotoniates' camp defenses are very tight, then the battle can only be canceled."
Phellius emphasized: "The governor's plan is indeed feasible!"
Antonios said: "We agree!"
At this time, Scombrus, Tritodemus, and Protesilaus rushed to express their approval, and the attack plan was immediately passed.
"Now, immediately gather the citizens of the four brigades to assemble in the square. Each brigade commander must pay attention and tell the soldiers not to make noise or cause a ruckus, and to remain quiet! I don't want the Crotoniate scouts to discover our abnormality!" Davos calmly issued the order: "My attack plan is…"
Phellius and the elders serving as military tribunes went to carry out the orders.
Davos then said earnestly to Cornelius: "Thurii has suffered such a disaster. As its ally, we should help its people. I want to establish a Thurii Emergency Relief Committee, led by you, to provide Thurii with food, shelter, medical treatment, and other assistance…"
Cornelius hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement.
The other senior citizen elders, who originally hated Thurii, remained silent, but Stromboli reminded him: "If we take the food to help the Thuriians, I'm afraid we won't have enough to eat."
"Don't worry!" Davos said with confidence: "The Crotoniates robbed so much grain. Once we defeat Melanxos, we will have everything." He added in his heart: Of course, we will also get something more important!
"I hope the Crotoniates are as unprepared as you say," Stromboli said, no longer arguing, because he also had expectations in his heart.
Davos remembered that there was someone in the city who was extremely familiar with Thurii, and quickly asked: "By the way, has Cunnuguratus recovered from his injuries?"
"He should be much better. I saw him in the temple yesterday, walking down the mountain on his own without a slave's support," Scombrus said.
"Let him be your assistant. He is very familiar with the people and affairs of Thurii," Davos said to Cornelius.
"But he was previously—" Cornelius hesitated.
"I think Thurii is, after all, his motherland, where he was born and raised, where he lived for decades. The harm Thurii has done to him should not outweigh his concern and longing for Thurii, especially after the city of Thurii was burned down!" Davos said with certainty. Although he had only met him a few times, in his impression, that old man (in fact, Cunnuguratus was only in his early fifties) had spent a lot of effort in previous years to maintain Thurii's stability and prosperity, even at the cost of offending many people. He would not easily abandon Thurii.
Sure enough, Cunnuguratus, who had almost fainted from grief after hearing that Thurii had been burned, immediately rushed to Cornelius's residence after receiving a notice from the Senate.
… … … … … … … … … …
At this moment, Davos summoned Vespas, the Lucanian leader, and his son Bagulus to his residence.
"Tonight, we are preparing to attack the Crotoniate army. I hope you can also participate. If we win, your five-year service period will be reduced by half," Davos said straightforwardly, without beating around the bush.
"Attack the Crotoniate army?! I heard they have more than ten thousand men!" Although Vespas was now a slave, he was not ignorant. He hesitated.
"We'll participate!" Bagulus said Get First.
"Son, you—" Vespas panicked upon hearing this and was about to wink at him.
Bagulus didn't look at his father, but raised his head and chest and said loudly again: "We Lucanians will participate!" Vespas, because of his age and leadership status, was restricted to the city and was not forced to participate in hard labor. However, Bagulus had participated in several rugby games during this period and learned about the special nature of Amendolara's citizen army. At the same time, in private chats with the soldiers, he learned about the magic of this young governor. He believed that since Amendolara dared to attack, they must have a good chance of success, which was a good opportunity for their tribe.
"Good! Very good!!" Davos was not only happy about Bagulus's agreement, but also excited that the "assimilation policy" had yielded results so quickly.
Davos stepped forward, patted Bagulus on the shoulder, and said with slight excitement, "I believe this will be an extremely correct decision for you and your people!"
Bagulus did not evade.
Vespas sighed softly.
"As for what to do next, let your brother-in-law, Asistetes, tell you. He will serve as your adjutant, and you will be the captain of the Lucanian Battalion." Davos looked behind him, where Asistetes smiled shyly.
… … … … … … …
At noon, the Croton army abandoned thousands of Thurii residents outside the ruined city of Thurii and retreated with a large amount of plundered supplies, but did not burn the pontoon bridge.
When the news reached Amendolara, Davos, accompanied by the priests, arrived at the Temple of Zeus on the mountaintop, sacrificed a bull, and, amidst the chanting hymns, prayed to Zeus for this expedition. The priests blessed him and performed a sacred divination.
Davos returned to the square and told all the waiting citizens: "Zeus's omen is auspicious! We will surely be victorious!"
Because of the military order, the unarmored citizen-soldiers did not cheer loudly, but all showed excited and fervent expressions.
The entire city of Amendolara sprang into action.
Watching the people driving oxen and horses loaded with food and carrying supplies, streaming out of the city gate, Davos's mind inexplicably recalled Caesar's words before the Rubicon River in his previous life: "The die is cast!"
… … … … … … … …
Regarding what happened that day, Anysitanos, who wrote "The History of Greater Greece" more than a decade later, gave a detailed description in the chapter "The Burning of Thurii":
That day, the sky was gloomy, and thick dark clouds hung extremely low, as if the gods had shown an ominous omen from the beginning…
The soldiers of Croton were not humans, they were robbers, beasts! They plundered everything that could be eaten, even the porridge in the infants' bowls; they plundered everything of value, even the dentures in the mouths of the people. Any civilians who tried to stop them were ruthlessly kicked to the ground, even losing their lives; they coldly ignored those who knelt on the ground and begged bitterly. Desperate wails of the Thurii people came from every house, and blood and tears of the Thurii people flowed in every street. What kind of sins did the Thurii people commit to provoke such terrible demons!
(It should be said that Anysitanos's position in "The History of Greater Greece" is basically neutral, but in this chapter, he invested strong emotions, so that later the Croton people protested, believing that Anysitanos severely exaggerated the facts, which was not conducive to national unity, and demanded deletion. Anysitanos refused, and the lawsuit lasted for a long time.)
Finally, the Croton soldiers drove the Thurii people out of the city with shields and spears, then spread branches and hay all over the corners of the city, poured oil on them, and the city of Thurii began to burn fiercely…
The Thurii people helplessly watched their homes turn to ashes in the raging fire and the temples they worshiped collapse, but they were powerless. Did the gods abandon Thurii and let Hephaestus cast down the fire of anger!
After the Croton people retreated, the Thurii people, regardless of the thick smoke still rising from the city of Thurii and the flames not yet extinguished, ran into the city like crazy. The scorching temperature steamed their flesh, but they desperately rushed into the ashes with sparks, looking for everything useful…
No place to live, no food to eat, no clothes to wear, no money, how could the Thurii people survive on the Sybaris Plain that had become a wilderness…
Just when they were in despair, the Amendolara people appeared.
Thousands of Amendolara people, carrying hundreds of carts (half of which were hiding weapons and equipment), began to rescue the Thurii people, build tents, and dig camps… Cunogolata completely forgot what the Thurii people had done to him before. It was said that the injuries from the previous beating had not fully healed, but he kept running around every corner, helping all the Thurii people who needed help; Cornelius, the chief administrator of Amendolara, arranged manpower to distribute supplies, organizing the rescue work very orderly…
Please allow me to mention Davos at the end. At that time, he was the magistrate of Amendolara, and also the hero who rescued the city of Thurii from the Lucanians, but the Thurii people actually saw him for the first time, and it was when they were in trouble. In their eyes, this young man, who looked like he had just come of age, was as kind as their own child. He always had a gentle smile on his face, listening attentively to the painful complaints of the people, and comforting the injured people with a gentle voice. He picked up crying children, wiping away their tears and dust; he helped up injured old people, offering them soft bread…
Under the leadership of Davos, the Amendolara people, like relatives, did their best to help the Thurii people. Davos once again saved the Thurii people, so that the Thurii people who lost their homes did not suffer from hunger and disease. They sincerely thanked the Amendolara people, and even more thanked Davos, the hero who had saved the Thurii people twice!
— Excerpt from Anysitanos's "The History of Greater Greece"