After a while, a young man holding a child handed the child to a woman beside him and stood up.
The woman grabbed his arm and whispered with concern, "Be careful!"
The young man, feeling a bit guilty, avoided the woman's gaze and whispered back, "You too!" With that, he strode out of the crowd.
Led by him, many others also bid farewell to those beside them and stepped forward.
Fagoris patted the young man's shoulder and asked comfortingly, "Young man, what's your name?"
"Printols."
Fagoris glanced at the woman holding the child and reassured him, "Don't worry, once we repel the enemy, you'll be reunited with your wife soon."
He assumed the two were a couple, and the young man nodded with a solemn expression.
… … … … … … … …
Advancing towards Asproustum was the Third Legion, led by Hieronimus, with 5,000 soldiers. Their march was slower than Laeos's forces, who had advanced to the north bank of the Neto River, not because they had to carry the siege equipment prepared the previous night, but to deliberately create a time difference to facilitate their plan.
At that moment, Hieronimus spoke to Izam as he marched with the troops, "Are you certain your soldiers have entered Asproustum?"
"Of course! I saw them go in with my own eyes. If my appearance wasn't different from the Greeks, I would have gone in with my brothers! Legion Commander, I hope you can hurry and attack the city. I'm afraid they'll be discovered if we wait too long!" Izam pleaded.
"I understand," Hieronimus promised immediately, then asked, "How many men went in?"
"56 soldiers," Izam blurted out, knowing his men inside and out. With the expansion of the alliance and the legion, his Mountain Reconnaissance Team had also expanded, now with the organization of a company.
Hieronimus was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected so many soldiers to infiltrate the city, which made him even more confident in capturing Asproustum. He told the bugler to urge the troops to move faster.
In fact, without Hieronimus's urging, the soldiers were already quickening their pace, because these 5,000 soldiers were all from Nium, and having missed the previous battles, they were eager for combat and to earn merit.
The river upstream of the Neto was neither deep nor wide, but the banks were rather high. Hieronimus was the first to reach the north bank and, seeing many enemies on the opposite bank drawing their bows and aiming, immediately ordered, "Seventh Battalion, attack!"
The light infantry of the Third Legion quickly formed a long, extended skirmish line, eagerly sliding down the riverbank and fearlessly wading across the river, braving the arrows fired at them. After suffering only minor casualties, they climbed up the opposite bank, where the enemy had already fled.
The heavy infantry following behind carried tree-made ladders and wooden rafts, easily wading across the Neto River.
Asproustum was not far ahead. Its location was high, so the march was essentially uphill, which was easy for the Lucanian soldiers who lived in the mountains. Finally, they stopped in front of Asproustum and began to form their ranks at the commands of their officers.
The soldiers of Asproustum watched the dark mass of enemies below the city walls, each with a nervous expression. Behind them were the newly joined civilians, who were even more anxious and uneasy.
General Fagoris saw an elderly man trembling, dropping his round shield on the ground several times. He hurried forward to comfort him, "Don't be afraid, the enemy won't be able to attack! Since this city came under the control of us Crotoniates, it has never been breached by the enemy! Decades ago, we suffered a defeat in the south (referring to the war between Locri and Rhegium against Croton), and the Bruttians wanted to take this city back while we were vulnerable. More people came than are under the city now, but they suffered a crushing defeat!"
His words brought some reassurance to the soldiers.
As Fagoris patrolled the entire defense situation from west to east along the crenellated walkway on the city wall, seeing that there were enough soldiers at each battlement,
his own confidence grew.
Although Asproustum, like Castrum and Crimisa, was a small city, due to its important geographical location, the Crotoniates had repeatedly expanded and fortified its defenses. Therefore, it had a seven-meter-high city wall, a four-meter-wide moat, and a branch of the Neto River was diverted to fill it, forming a wide moat. Moreover, it was backed by steep mountains to the west and bordered by another large tributary of the Neto River to the east, which was also a cliff. Therefore, it only had north and south gates, making it easy to concentrate forces for defense.
Izam carefully observed the enemies on the city wall. Suddenly, his face lit up, and he ran to Hieronimus and excitedly whispered, "Legion Commander, my brothers are on the city wall! They're on the wall!"
The usually stern Hieronimus was also moved at this moment and asked eagerly, "Where?!"
Although excited, Izam remained cautious, not pointing with his finger but whispering, "On the far left of the city wall!"
Hieronimus immediately looked towards the far left of the city. It was noon, and the sun hung in the center of the sky, shining on the fully armed soldiers on the city wall, scattering dazzling light everywhere, but one area's light seemed particularly special. The bright round shields were neatly lined up, and the reflected light flickered on and off, very rhythmically, obviously because these people were simultaneously flipping the round shields in their hands. Who would do such a boring and energy-consuming thing before a battle? Hieronimus smiled slightly, "Izam, if we capture Asproustum, your team will be the first to contribute!"
"Thank you, Legion Commander!" Izam was overjoyed.
With the Mountain Reconnaissance Team as an inside force, Hieronimus quickly decided on a plan to "openly attack the far right of the city wall to attract the attention of the defenders, and secretly attack the far left."
The sound of the attack was blown, and the soldiers, like starving wild wolves in the mountains, let out earth-shattering howls, rushing towards Asproustum like a tide. Battalion Commanders Bagules, Asistes, Lizam, Kesima, Uraza, and others also took the lead, personally leading the charge…
The Crotoniate soldiers began to fire arrows at the enemies who entered the range. For the Daunian heavy infantry wearing thick armor and helmets, the casualties were minimal. The Lucanian soldiers of the Third Legion, with their wild nature ignited by the battle horns, even broke off the arrow shafts that hit their arms and thighs and continued to move forward while wounded…
They quickly reached the edge of the moat. According to the prior drills, the soldiers running in the front quickly placed the five-meter-long, three-meter-wide wooden rafts they were carrying onto the moat; then the soldiers carrying ladders stepped on the wooden rafts, crossed the moat, and headed straight for the city wall; followed by the soldiers holding round shields and daggers…
At this time, the attack on the city wall also began to intensify, with arrows, javelins, and stones raining down, and the casualties of the Daunian soldiers suddenly increased…
… … … … … … … … …
Lysias hadn't expected the situation to become so dire upon his return to Croton.
The civilians who had fled into the city spread the news that the Daunian army was coming, and panic spread within the city…
Many people in the council were also very flustered. They thought that the Crotonian army had been defeated again and that Crimisa had been captured, which allowed the Daunian army to move south smoothly. So they angrily yelled, "As long as Milon dares to escape back, he must be punished!"
Lysias retorted, "I just returned from Crimisa. When I left, Crimisa was still firmly in Milon's hands. It's impossible that only a few hours have passed and Crimisa has been captured and they've already attacked the north bank of the Neto River. If you calculate the time, it's impossible. So the Daunians must have bypassed Crimisa! I have to admit that the Daunians are too bold. They don't have ships and can't cross the wide Neto River. As long as Milon holds Crimisa, the Daunians who have invaded the Crotonian plain are like rootless duckweed and will eventually have to retreat."
"The Daunians can't cross the Neto River, but they can attack Asproustum!" someone said worriedly.
"Asproustum is not so easy to capture. How many times have the Bruttians failed before! I hope the Daunians will attack it, so that we can take this opportunity to severely damage the Daunians!" someone retorted.
"What good will it do us to continue fighting like this! We Crotoniates have already suffered huge losses. Farmland has been destroyed, houses have been burned, prices are rising, the treasury is being depleted, and trade is greatly affected due to the lack of labor. We also have a large number of citizens who have been captured! The people are already dissatisfied with us. Why not negotiate with the Daunians!" someone said pessimistically.
"Negotiate?! Didn't you just hear the Daunian conditions for negotiation that Lysias said?! That damned Daunian governor wants us to dissolve the alliance. Can we agree to that! Once Asproustum is independent, Caulonia, Skylletion, and Terina will no longer be our allies. Then, perhaps tomorrow, Locri and the Bruttians will destroy them and kill their way to the walls of Croton!" someone denounced.
"Negotiation is like buying and selling things. The Daunians propose conditions, and we can continue to negotiate with them and lower their demands…"
"Negotiations are possible, but only after we repel the Daunian attack! Only then can we stand tall and speak loudly to the Daunians!"
… …
The council, from who knows when, began to argue endlessly about the question of "whether to negotiate with the Daunians." Fortunately, they could distinguish between priorities, and some emergency measures were quickly implemented: warships sailed into the Neto River, patrolling the riverbank to prevent the Daunians from crossing and building bridges. At the same time, free citizens were hired in large numbers, some to guard the city of Croton, some to be stationed on the south bank of the Neto River to monitor the Daunians on the opposite bank, and a small number to be sent to Asproustum to strengthen its defenses. In addition, people were sent to Crimisa, demanding that Milon launch an attack on the Daunians besieging Crimisa in order to force the invading enemies to withdraw.
Before the messenger from Croton arrived, Milon had already received news from the warship patrolling the coast of Crimisa: The Daunians had invaded the Croton Plain!
Milon was taken aback and exclaimed inwardly: He had fallen for the Daunians' trick. No wonder they hadn't attacked the city all along; it turned out they were just trying to attract his attention. The Daunians in the southern camp had already gone south!
But he hesitated to attack the Daunian southern camp: After all, the Daunian army was watching menacingly under the city. Once he mobilized his troops, they would see it clearly from the high platform. If they took the opportunity to attack, losing Crimisa would be an even bigger problem!
… … … … … … … …
The siege of Asprustum was in full swing. Fageres did not expect the Daunians to launch a fierce attack as soon as they came up, fighting without fear of death. Ω Δ Kanshu Pavilion Ｗ ｗ Ｗ ． Ω kan Ω shuge ． la
Ladders were overturned by push poles, but were quickly set up again. Soldiers climbed up the ladders one by one. When one was knocked down, the next one accelerated upwards without hesitation. Light infantry battalions approached the city walls, unafraid of arrows, and also hurled javelins and arrows at the defenders on the walls…
The Daunians' fierce offensive quickly achieved results. The defense of the city wall was breached many times. When the Daunian soldiers climbed onto the battlements, the defenders discovered that these Daunian soldiers in Greek-style armor were tall, strong, with long hair over their shoulders, and strange roars, obviously not Greeks. They fought fiercely, with immense strength. To kill or drive away one of them, the defenders had to pay the price of several soldiers' lives.
Fageres had to send in reserves several times to help the front-line defenders drive the enemies off the battlements, especially the rightmost section of the city wall, which was where the Daunians attacked most fiercely.
General Fageres, who had some experience in defending the city, knew that the Daunians could not maintain such a fierce offensive momentum all the time. As long as they withstood this wave, the Daunians would be powerless. Therefore, he sent all the reserves to the front line, while shouting loudly at the soldiers, encouraging them to bravely persevere in the battle.
But he did not know that at the most intense moment of the battle, upon the order of Chironimus, the commander of the Third Legion under the city, his personal guards lined up and collectively shook their round shields towards the left side of the city wall.
The defenders on the far left of the city wall were concentrating on defending against the enemy's attack when suddenly a loud shout came from behind: "Attack!!!"
Those "Crotoniates" they regarded as comrades stabbed at them with swords and spears, easily taking out these defenders. Before the soldiers of the Third Legion could come up, these dozens of scout soldiers immediately launched an attack on the nearby defenders…
When Fageres, who was still directing the battle on the right side of the city wall, received the news, the Daunian soldiers had already occupied the left side of the city wall. A large number of soldiers quickly climbed up the battlements and rushed into the walkway, heading fiercely towards the middle section…
Those Crotoniates, whose morale was already low, immediately threw down their shields and spears and desperately ran towards the inner city when they saw that the situation was not good.
This run immediately triggered a domino effect. Under the fierce attack of the Daunian soldiers in front and on the flanks, the defenders finally collapsed. They scrambled to escape from the battlements, but instead blocked the walkway down the city wall. The panicked defenders even jumped directly from the seven-meter-high city wall into the city, breaking their legs and feet, and cracking their heads. Each of them lay on the ground, wailing incessantly.
The civilians in the city were also terrified, shouting in horror: "The enemy has invaded the city! The enemy has invaded the city!!…"
They supported the old and led the young, and hurriedly wanted to escape from the south gate and flee to Croton.
The Croton reinforcements, who were halfway there, ran head-on into the fleeing civilians. When they learned that the city of Asprustum had actually fallen, they were taken aback and did not dare to move forward, immediately turning around and running back.
… … … … … … … …
The Croton messenger rushed to Crimisa, bringing the council's order to attack.
Milon, who was no longer the chief general but a convict, finally ended his indecision and sent 7,000 soldiers, including more than 2,000 hoplites, to launch an attack on the Daunian camp on the south bank of the Umbraria River.
Devers, who observed the enemy's movements from the high platform, immediately ordered Adrian kes, the commander of the first battalion of the Second Legion, to lead 2,000 hoplites and 500 light infantry across the river to reinforce the 2,000 soldiers led by Matonis, the commander of the first battalion of the First Legion, who was stationed in the southern camp, replacing the Third Legion. With a solid camp and reinforcements from the northern camp at any time, Matonis was confident of repelling these numerous enemies.
However, the Croton attack was more bark than bite. After suffering a small loss from the "nail spikes" and "meat hooks" and other traps in front of the camp, they immediately retreated back to the city. Of course, Milon would not take Croton's only combat-effective team to head-on against the heavily guarded Daunian camp, and the soldiers also lacked the courage to attack. As soon as he discovered that the enemy's defenses in the camp were tight, he sounded the retreat.
The Croton messenger was angry at the troops' easy retreat and forcibly ordered Milon to continue the attack, otherwise, he threatened to dismiss Milon from his command. However, the soldiers expressed their support for Milon one after another. The messenger was alone and helpless, so he had no choice but to leave Crimisa and report to the Croton council.
However, the Croton council was in chaos at this time. The shocking news that "the Daunians had seized Asprustum" was like a bolt from the blue, making all the council members stunned. Outside the council hall, the people gathered in the square, clamoring for the council to quickly come up with a solution to the crisis.
This time, the call for peace talks far outweighed the previous ones. Some people even said that they could accept the Daunians' conditions, as long as the northern Croton Plain was restored to peace.
Just as the council was still arguing about the peace talks, two consecutive events prompted them to finally make a decision: First, when 500 soldiers of the Daunian Third Legion pursued the remnants of the enemy, they crossed the Tachinates River and entered the core area of the Croton Plain, and once approached the city of Croton. Although they quickly retreated to the city of Asprustum. But this glimpse still shocked the defenders and civilians in the city. Just when the whole city was in panic, a passenger ship from Caulonia entered the port of Croton. The Caulonian messenger who came down from the ship brought even worse news—Locri declared war on Caulonia! Its army has already set off for Caulonia, and the messenger is here to ask Croton for help.
The thing that the Croton council was most worried about finally happened: The mortal enemy Locri, taking advantage of Croton's entanglement in the war, brazenly attacked Croton's ally. As the leader of the alliance, Croton has the inescapable responsibility to send reinforcements, but at this moment, just dealing with the Daunian offensive has already made Croton stretched, where can there be spare troops to assist Caulonia? Without Croton's support, Caulonia would not be able to stop the Locrian coalition forces, which means that Croton will face the worst war situation of being attacked from both sides, and Croton will be in danger of being destroyed!
All the members of the council immediately stopped arguing and quickly reached a consensus: Reach a peace agreement with Daunia as soon as possible!
Lysias had to set off north again. In order to prevent his attitude from being too tough and leading to the failure of the negotiations, another messenger accompanied him—Council member Sistroprotes (the one who said before that "no matter what conditions Daunia proposes, as long as it can restore the peace of the Croton Plain, we should agree").
… … … … … … …
At this moment, in the central army tent of the Daunian camp, a joyful atmosphere was overflowing. The news that "the Third Legion has captured the city of Asprustum" made every general feel excited.
"Commander, we should take advantage of the good opportunity when we have captured Asprustum and the Crotoniates are panicking and confused to launch an attack on Crimisa, and we will definitely be able to take it smoothly!" Drakos said eagerly. As the commander of the Second Legion, the achievements of his troops cannot fall behind the Third Legion.
"The city of Asprustum already belongs to us, and it is no longer of much significance for the Crotoniates to defend Crimisa. I am afraid they will abandon the city of Crimisa soon. We can easily obtain it, and there is no need to sacrifice the lives of soldiers to attack it." Kapus said cautiously.
"But letting these more than 10,000 Crotoniates retreat will only increase the difficulty of our attack on the city of Croton!" Drakos retorted loudly.
Kapus was speechless for a while. Indeed, Croton is a big city. Not only is the city area vast and the population is large, but the city wall is as high as ten meters, and the moat is also six meters wide. According to the conventional method of fighting, it is destined to be a protracted siege war, but the sea is not under the control of Daunia, so it is impossible to completely blockade Croton. Then there is only a strong attack, but facing such a solid big city, how many soldiers' lives will be paid? Can it be captured? Almost all the generals are drumming in their hearts. If the defending force is further strengthened, then the chances of winning will be even slimmer.
Devers looked calm, turned his head and asked: "Lord Avinogis, what do you think we should do next?"
After entering the military tent, besides congratulating Devers on his victory again, Avinogis, who had been observing in silence, did not decline when faced with the eyes of Drakos and Kapus, and said directly: "Why do we have to attack the city of Croton? Now that we have such a big advantage, why can't we force the Crotoniates to negotiate peace with us?"
"The Crotoniates are almost done for. Wouldn't it be too cheap for them to negotiate peace with them!" Drakos immediately objected.
Kapus fell into deep thought.
A smile appeared on the corner of Devers's mouth: The angle from which the consul considers the problem is still different from that of a mere general!
Just as he was about to speak, the captain of the guard, Martius, requested to enter and brought two letters.
One was from Felicius. After Devers finished reading the letter, his eyebrows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something. Then he read the second letter with a special mark—this was a letter written by Aristilas, and his eyebrows quickly relaxed again.
He glanced around at the other three and said, "I have both good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news first!" Drax blurted out.
"This morning, the grain convoy returning to Thurii was ambushed by 300 Crotone sailors not far from the swamp. The freemen guarding the supplies were caught off guard, resulting in 50 casualties and the loss of many pack animals. By the time our soldiers arrived, the enemy had already fled back to their ships anchored off the coast…" Davos read aloud.
"300 men?! The number of Crotonians participating in the attacks is increasing! They're getting bolder! I remember we have a garrison stationed near the swamp, right?" Capys said in surprise.
"Perhaps that's why the escort lost their vigilance," Davos said with a serious expression. "We must learn from this lesson to ensure it doesn't happen again!"
Capys and Drax clenched their fists and nodded forcefully.
"It's hateful that we don't have a fleet, otherwise how could we allow the Crotonians to easily attack our villages and kill our people so frequently on our territory!" Drax said angrily.
Everyone felt helpless about this. After all, Daonia was a newly emerging alliance, less than a year old. A navy is not like an army. As long as you have people, weapons, and strict training, you can send them to the battlefield in a few months. Building naval warships, especially the main battle warships—triremes—would take at least three months to launch, even with accelerated construction. It also requires nearly two hundred sailors, experienced helmsmen… and so on. After training, integration, and skillful maneuvering of the warship, it would still take several months to form combat effectiveness. Therefore, the navy is an expensive branch of the military that consumes time, money, and manpower. Small city-states simply cannot afford it. With the current strength of the Daonian League, money and manpower are not the biggest problems; the most lacking thing is time. After this war with Croton, Davos had secretly listed "establishing a navy" as the top priority for the alliance's future development.
"Lord Davos, what is the good news?" Avinogeas asked.
Davos smiled slightly: "Locri has sent troops to attack Caulonia! Just as you said, under such circumstances, Croton may consider negotiating peace with us again. If it still doesn't make a move—" Davos's voice suddenly turned as cold as the winter wind: "I will order Hieronimus to send troops across the Tacina River to destroy Croton's farmland, villages, aqueducts… and all other facilities outside the city, forcing the Crotonians to come to negotiate!"
… … … … … … …
The next morning, Lysias and Sisprotes walked into Daonia's central military tent.
Davos looked at the two of them,
and said with a smile, "Lord Lysias, I said we would meet again, I didn't expect it to come true so quickly."
Lysias ignored Davos's teasing and said with a serious expression: "Lord Davos, the negotiating conditions you proposed last time, the Crotonian Council has discussed and agreed to give up Crimisa and hand it over to Daonia to handle, and is willing to pay a certain amount of money to promote peace! As for dissolving the Crotonian alliance—"
Lysias paused, considering how to use language to better persuade Davos. Sisprotes interjected, "The Council agrees in principle to dissolve the alliance, but now that Locri is attacking Caulonia, based on the centuries-old deep friendship between Caulonia and Croton, Croton must provide assistance to Caulonia. Having the identity of the alliance leader is conducive to Croton summoning citizens, forming an army, and reinforcing Caulonia to repel Locri… After repelling them, we will… then… dissolve…" Sisprotes suddenly choked up and couldn't continue. Croton's century-old hegemony in Greater Greece was built by Croton's ancestors through arduous efforts and bloody battles. Now it was about to be lost… How could he not be emotionally agitated and unable to control himself?
Lysias, who had originally complained that Sisprotes had revealed all the cards to the opponent from the beginning, which was completely a stupid move, was also filled with sadness at this moment.
"Croton doesn't need to dissolve the alliance!" Davos's first sentence was beyond the expectations of both of them.
Davos looked at their surprised expressions and continued, "Even Daonia can immediately release the tens of thousands of captured Crotonian citizens!"
Lysias and Sisprotes looked at each other, not daring to believe their ears.
"But I have one condition," Davos said slowly. "Daonia doesn't have the habit of returning what it has taken."
Lysias reacted quickly: "You mean… Aspru Tum?"
Davos smiled: "More than that."
He walked to the map and pointed to a place: "Our Daonian army has already started building a camp here!"
Lysias stepped forward to take a look and couldn't help but gasp: "You also want the land north of the Neto River?!"
"It's not that I want it, but that it is a necessary condition for Daonia to negotiate peace!" Davos said sternly: "Croton is inherently aggressive, launching two wars against Thurii and the Daonian League, burning Thurii, plundering wealth, and wantonly slaughtering Daonian people. Driven by the goddess of revenge, we launched a brave counterattack. Hades's blessing has allowed us to successfully win one victory after another. Daonian people are highly confident, and they wish Croton could also suffer the pain of being burned! Without rich spoils, our people will never agree to negotiate peace with you! Many people have suggested sending these more than ten thousand prisoners to the mines, just like Syracuse did to the Athenian prisoners!"
Davos's stern tone made Sisprotes's hair stand on end. He certainly knew what happened to the Athenian expeditionary soldiers who were captured back then. He said in a trembling voice: "Aspru Tum plus the land north of the Neto River, these almost account for one-third of Croton's territory. If they are all given to Daolia, what will happen to the many Crotonian people who originally lived on these lands?! The Council will never agree!"
"These two wars have cost Croton and Aspru Tum no less than 20,000 citizens' lives, and much of the land should also be abandoned. Moving the people to the city of Croton to replenish manpower and redistribute the land lacking labor, I think this is exactly a good way to reorganize Croton, while also achieving peace with Daonia, and allowing the returning Crotonian citizens to form a large army again to help Caulonia and repel Locri. This is a win-win-win situation!" Davos said in a deep voice.
His words seemed to have some kind of temptation, making Sisprotes unable to resist the urge to nod. He subconsciously looked at Lysias, who shook his head slightly. Sisprotes opened his mouth, but said nothing, and then fell silent.
"Of course, you can also go back and discuss it slowly. I'm not in a hurry at all. Maybe, in a few days, it won't be you standing in front of me, but Locri. As long as they can cooperate with Daonia, I don't think Locri will care about giving up more of Croton's land," Davos said slowly, with an indifferent expression.
Lysias and Sisprotes felt a chill all over their bodies. Sisprotes hurriedly said, "Respected Lord Davos, giving all the land north of the Neto River to Daonia is indeed… this is indeed very difficult for the Council to agree to, but some of the land… I think it can be allocated to you… We can discuss the specific amount. As for Aspru Tum—"
Davos interrupted him unceremoniously when he heard this: "Aspru Tum must be controlled by Daonia, this is not negotiable! To prevent Croton from breaking its promise and launching a war again!"
Sisprotes stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Lysias sighed deeply in his heart. Sisprotes's easy compromise and weak performance left him speechless, but this was the Council's choice! In fact, Lysias also understood: The war has progressed to the present, and Croton has been completely passive. Even if he was confident that Daonia's army would not be able to break through the solid city of Croton, and even force Daonia to withdraw its troops in the end, so what! Farmland, villages, and town facilities have been destroyed, and there is a lack of young citizens. It will be a long process for Croton to return to its former prosperity. However, the grim situation does not allow Croton to have the luxury of time, and the panicked people do not have the determination to fight to the end. Therefore, compromise and concession in exchange for peace, reducing losses, and preparing for future revival has become the best choice for the Council.
Having figured this out, Lysias no longer hesitated: "Aspru Tum is Croton's northern barrier. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, it will only make the people of Croton feel more uneasy. I think even if the Council agrees, the Citizen Assembly will object!"
"So, you have rejected Daonia's peace conditions," Davos said stiffly, looking at Lysias.
Sisprotes anxiously tugged at Lysias's clothes, while Lysias said calmly: "The Crotonian people oppose the enemy possessing Aspru Tum, but they may not necessarily oppose it being occupied by an ally."
"Ally?!" Davos, who had always been calm and in control of the negotiation rhythm, seemed a little surprised.
"That's right!" Lysias raised his head and said loudly: "As long as Daonia and Croton form an alliance, then Aspru Tum and part of the land north of the Neto River will not be a big problem to hand over to Daonia."
Sisphrotes stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape.
Davos stroked his chin, which had only a slight stubble, and fell into deep thought: Forming an alliance was indeed a brilliant move!
The biggest obstacle to getting the people of Croton to agree to cede Asproustoum and the land north of the Neto River was the security issue of Croton, but becoming an ally eliminated this obstacle.
Because now all the Greeks knew that the Archon of Daonia was known for keeping his promises, and a weakened Croton after the war could instead be protected by Daonia.
So, did Daonia need this alliance?
Of course, it did!
Having gained so much new land, just the immigration, administration, and formation of new defense forces would take a relatively long time.
The biggest concern was that immigrants would clash with the Crotonians near the border, or even ignite another war.
With this alliance, the Daonians could slowly annex, assimilate, and stabilize this land with peace of mind, so the alliance was the best choice for both sides!
Davos carefully sized up Lysias with a complex expression, thinking: His city-state had been humiliated, and faced with hated enemies, he could still come up with the clever proposal of forming an alliance with the enemy.
It would be difficult to do without strong determination to remain calm and rational!
Seeing that Davos didn't speak and kept looking at him, Lysias felt a little flustered, so he urged, "Does Lord Davos agree to this proposal?"
Davos came back to his senses, maintaining the calm on his face: "What kind of alliance is it?"
"The Daonian League and Croton form a separate alliance of offense and defense!" Lysias said in a deep voice.
Davos pondered for a moment and understood the little trick Lysias was playing.
He didn't want the power of Daonia to enter the Crotonian League and influence Sybaris, Terina, Caulonia, and other allies of Croton.
Davos didn't care about this.
He firmly believed that as long as his strength was strong enough, city-states would naturally come to seek his protection.
"The Daonian League can only form a defensive alliance with Croton!" Davos replied calmly, protecting Croton was no problem for the Daonian League, but helping Croton expand, for example: if Croton attacked Locri in the future, Daonia would also have to send troops to participate according to the alliance…
Davos would certainly not do such a stupid thing, and Lysias, who was at a disadvantage, could only agree…
Negotiations continued into the afternoon, and a preliminary draft was reached: First, the Daonian League and Croton form a defensive alliance (this was put first, mainly to play a role in appeasing the Crotonian people; Second, Daonia will immediately and unconditionally release all captured soldiers of the Crotonian League and let them return to Croton; Third, Croton will transfer Asproustoum City and half of the land in the northern plain of the Neto River (mainly the land near Crimisa) to the Daonian League; Fourth, Croton will pay a one-time payment of 500 talents to help the Daonians smoothly immigrate to Asproustoum…
The final term of validity of the alliance treaty was set at five years.
Davos initially requested that the term of the alliance be two years, but Lysias strongly requested that it be increased to five years.
This was completely the opposite of the situation when the agreement was negotiated half a year ago, which shows that the balance of power between the two sides had shifted.
The treaty did not mention Crimisa.
Davos believed that Crimisa was a neutral city-state, not belonging to the Crotonian League, and Croton had no right to discuss it.
Lysias considered minimizing the stimulus of the treaty to the Crotonian people.
He even turned the indemnity into aid, and of course, it was best not to mention Crimisa if possible.
In fact, anyone with discerning eyes could see that Asproustoum City and half of the land in the northern plain of the Neto River belonged to Daonia, and Crimisa was already surrounded by Daonia.
Could it have any other good choice!
Lysias and Sisphrotes returned to Crimisa.
Milo immediately asked Lysias about the negotiation situation.
Lysias, fearing more trouble, claimed that the negotiation had only just begun, and that some conditions proposed by the Daonians needed to be decided after discussion by the council, and then hurriedly boarded the ship and left Crimisa.
Milo felt uneasy: The loss of Asproustoum City and the declaration of war by Locri, Croton now had few choices, depending on how harsh Daonia's conditions were.
… … … … … … …
Even more uneasy were the people of Crimisa.
Although they were trapped in the city, what happened outside was transmitted through the port and could not escape their ears.
Lysias had appeared in the city many times, what was he doing?
They knew it in their hearts as well.
Small city-states struggled to survive between large states, and they were quite sensitive to the situation.
Antaoris, the chief general of Crimisa, had taken the initiative to find Lysias once.
Lysias prevaricated and did not have an in-depth conversation about the fate of Crimisa, and Milo had also been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him recently…
All of this made Antaoris feel that this negotiation was very unfavorable to Crimisa.
Crimisa fully supported Croton, but in the end, it might be abandoned by Croton!
Antaoris felt heartache when he thought of this.
Therefore, after secretly discussing with Euricrates, Praedes, and others, he decided not to sit still and wait for death, but to take the initiative to contact Daonia and find a way out for Crimisa.
Although the defense of the entire city was entrusted to the Crotonians, the people of Crimisa were, after all, the local snakes here.
The people they sent secretly left the city in the middle of the night, crossed the blockade line, and came to the Daonian camp.
After he expressed his intention, the guard brought him to Davos.
"Crimisa wants to surrender?" Davos said with a teasing smile: "Your entire city is controlled by the Crotonians, what benefits can your surrender bring me?"
The visitor was momentarily speechless.
Seeing Davos' indifferent expression, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "We Crimisa people still have more than 300 citizens who can fight.
When you attack the city, we are willing to attack the Crotonians from the rear and help you seize Crimisa City, and then—"
"Then, after the war is over, the Crimisa people will continue to remain neutral!" Davos looked at him and said playfully.
"No! No! … …" The visitor hurriedly shook his head.
At that time, Crimisa would have offended Croton, so how could it remain neutral: "Crimisa is willing… willing to join the Daonian League!"
"It's too late!" Davos said with a serious expression: "We don't need you to take any risky actions, nor do we need Crimisa to join the Daonian League.
For Crimisa, there is only one way to go!"
Davos emphasized his tone and said decisively: "Become a part of the Daonian League!
The people of Crimisa will become citizens of the Daonian League!
Then the land and property of the people of Crimisa will be protected, and the generals and senators of Crimea will also be elected by the Daonian Senate, and some will become members of the Senate! … …"
… … … … … … … …
When Lysias and Sisphrotes read out the draft of the alliance at the Crotonian Council, they originally thought it would arouse the anger and debate of the crowd, but in fact, there were not many objections.
Because just before Lysias returned, the Daonian army appeared again in the core area of Croton, flaunting its power and destroying a village outside the city.
The members of the council witnessed all this on the city wall, and at the request of the people, hastily pieced together several thousand people to leave the city to obstruct them, but they were easily defeated and fled back to the city in embarrassment.
Fortunately, the Daonian soldiers did not take advantage of the victory to attack the city, but took the initiative to retreat.
The sense of frustration in the hearts of the Crotonian people can be imagined.
In addition, judging from the literal meaning, this was not a truce agreement for the defeated, but an alliance agreement of mutual assistance.
Although some land was "transferred", the Crotonian citizens who had been captured could be successfully welcomed back, and they could also form an alliance with Daonia, and most Crotonians were relieved.
Davos, the Archon of Daonia, who had defeated Croton twice with fewer troops, had made them deeply fearful, and some even really believed the rumor that "Davos was a descendant of the gods and favored by Hades."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that they could no longer be enemies with Daonia, which possessed Davos, but become allies.
Some even proposed: Now that the alliance agreement has been signed, can we invite Daonia to send troops south with the Crotonian army to repel Locri…
… … … … … … … …
At the end of January 398 BC, Davos, the Archon of Daonia, and Lysias, the general of Croton, formally signed the alliance agreement after sacrificing lambs to the sky god Apollo outside the city of Crimisa, and the Second Crotonian War came to an end.
After the news of the end of the war spread, many Crotonian soldiers in Crimisa City actually cheered.
During this time, fighting against Daonia, they, who had always been rampant in Greater Greece, had always been defeated.
The blow of this contrast had greatly reduced their morale, and the pressure on their hearts can be imagined.
Now they could finally remove the big stone pressing on their hearts.
"Look, this is the voice of the citizens!
They are tired of fighting with Daonia!" Lysias said with emotion at the scene, also in response to Milo's previous complaints that he had compromised too much in the talks.
Milo looked out the window with a lost look at the soldiers on the street who were throwing away their shields and spears as if relieved of a burden, and running to restaurants to drink wine, as if they had won a victory, and could not speak for a long time.
At this time, the guard came in: "General, Antaoris is asking when we will leave?"
"Damn Antaonis, don't think that just because Croton has been defeated, the people of Crimisa can disrespect Croton!" Milo suddenly burst into a rage, venting the resentment in his heart: "Go tell them, don't annoy me, otherwise I can turn this Crimisa City into ruins with one order!"
"Milon, the Crimisa people are now citizens of the Daonian League!" Lysias sighed softly.
Milon's roar stopped abruptly. He gasped for breath, kicked over a wooden chair by the window, and strode out of the room.
… … … … … … …
News of Milon's anger quickly reached Antaolis, who didn't care at all. Previously, when the people they sent to contact Daonia brought back Davos' request, the generals of Crimisa hesitated about whether to join the Daonian League. Antaolis, who acted decisively, insisted and finally persuaded everyone to agree to Davos' request.
"Eurikpus, take a hundred citizen soldiers to guard the temple to prevent the Crotonian soldiers from looting our treasury when they retreat!"
"Pleurades, do the same, take a hundred citizen soldiers to guard the granary!"
"I and the others will go find Lysias and see if we can get some of the supplies piled up by the Crotonians in the port. After staying in Crimisa for so long, the Crotonians have to pay some accommodation fees!" Antaolis said sternly.
"What about the people? Crotonian soldiers may also go to their homes to make trouble!" Someone asked anxiously.
"Hasn't Davos already announced that Crimisa has been incorporated into Daonia! Let every family engrave the words 'I am now a Daonian citizen' on their wooden doors and see which Crotonian dares to risk provoking war again to rob a Daonian citizen!"
After Antaolis finished speaking, the faces of the people around him were embarrassed and they fell into silence. Crimisa, which had been independent for decades, was about to be incorporated into the Daonian League. Daonia would manage the city of Crimisa in a direct way, which meant that most of the original Crimisa council members would lose their power. If it weren't for the pressure of the situation, they would not be willing. In fact, some Crimisa people had already responded to Lysias' call and were willing to retreat to Croton with the army. It was just that Davos' promise and the rapid rise of Thurii and Amendolara after their decline made most of the Crimisa people, who were citizens of a small state and had suffered enough from the oppression of big states during this period, unwilling to live such a life again and chose the winner of this war—the Daonian League.
"Everyone, please cheer up and work hard to do these things!" Antaolis encouraged them loudly: "We are doing this not for others, but for ourselves. As long as we can hand over a complete and resource-rich city of Crimisa to the Daonian League smoothly, and let them fully recognize our sincerity and ability, more people may be selected to enter the Daonian Senate and strive for more benefits for Crimisa in the future!"
… … … … … … … …
In the afternoon,
The first batch of ships carrying Crotonian soldiers began to leave the port of Crimisa.
Compared to the somewhat excited soldiers, Milon looked dim. When the city of Crimisa disappeared from his sight, he turned to Lysias and said, "The alliance you signed has personally handed over the position of hegemon of Greater Greece to Daonia! From now on, Croton will have to act according to Daonia's wishes!"
Lysias was silent for a while and said, "Then who caused all this?"
The corners of Milon's mouth twitched and he looked bitter.
"You'd better think about how to deal with the council's questioning when you go back." Lysias sighed.
… … … … … … … …
At the same time as the Crotonian army left Crimisa by boat, Davos led his army into the city of Crimisa. Originally, he only intended to bring a symbolic number of people in, but was opposed by his subordinates. For safety reasons, he brought half a legion. Antaolis, Eurikpus, Pleurades… … The people who stayed from the Crimisa Council all went outside the city to greet him.
The Daonian camp sounded with a brisk melody played by military trumpets and drums. When the Crimisa people were all attracted by this music they had never heard before, the Daonian soldiers, in neat uniforms, stepped to the rhythm of the melody and formed a long dragon of four columns in a neat pace, advancing towards the city of Crimisa unhurriedly.
At the front of the team was Martius, the captain of Davos' guard. The military flag he held high, representing the supreme commander of the Daonian army, the statue of Hades, the King of the Underworld, shone with golden light and was dazzling. Then came the band composed of trumpeters and drummers from the entire army, followed by a team of thousands of outstanding soldiers drawn from the First Legion, the Second Legion, and the Third Legion. Legion flags, battalion flags, and company flags were raised in the air every short distance, making the entire long dragon flutter with flags and shine brightly. Moreover, the soldiers all had smiles on their faces and looked high-spirited, giving the Crimisa people the feeling that the Daonians were not coming to show off their power and declare sovereignty, but to get married. Otherwise, the music wouldn't be so cheerful, the colors wouldn't be so bright, and the Crimisa people even noticed that the Daonian soldiers were not carrying shields and spears, which made them feel surprised and a little touched, because this was the Daonians' trust in Crimisa!
Davos and the other legion commanders, as well as Avinogis, did not ride horses. They walked in the center of the team, surrounded by guards wearing red capes, so they were more conspicuous.
The team stopped in front of the Crimisa city gate.
Antaolis and the others greeted them, and Davos and the others also walked out of the team under the protection of the soldiers.
Antaolis walked straight to Davos, not because he had met Davos before, but because the news that Davos, the Daonian Archon, was a young man had already spread throughout Greater Greece, and among these senior generals, it was obvious who was the youngest.
"Lord Davos, Antaolis, the former chief general of Crimisa, and former members of the Crimisa Council welcome your arrival!" After speaking, he bowed respectfully, and some of the people behind him followed suit, while others stood silently.
Davos immediately returned the salute earnestly and said: "Thank you for your trust and support in the Daonian League! Facts will prove that your choice is absolutely correct!"
"Oh, really?! Then what are the benefits of us fully supporting Crimisa's joining Daonia?!" Someone interjected.
"Of course there are!" Davos ignored the strangeness of his tone and said loudly and earnestly: "Becoming a Daonian citizen, no matter which city-state of Greater Greece you go to, you will be respected! Any act that dares to infringe on your rights, the League will seek justice for you, whether you are a noble or a commoner! If you are brave and good at fighting, you can continue to gain land by virtue of your military exploits! If you have outstanding abilities, you can take public office after assessment and eventually become a senator of the Senate and be highly respected! Even if you are an ordinary citizen, you will enjoy the convenience provided by the Daonian League for your life. Cheap and highly skilled hospitals provide health security for citizens. Flat roads and bridges provide convenience for citizens to travel and do business. Agricultural officials provide technical assistance for citizens to farm. Commercial officials can apply for low-interest loans for you to do business. We also have citizen soldiers who have been in battle for a long time and are strictly trained to ensure the safety of the territory… So, when you are familiar with the life of Daonia, understand the system and laws of Daonia, you will know how different it is from other city-states, and you will be proud to be a Daonian citizen!" At this moment, Davos was obviously a bit boastful and complacent.
Antaolis, Eurikpus and others' eyes flickered, seemingly greatly moved, while some people were thoughtful.
"Oh… since Daonia is so good, will we have the opportunity to become Archons in the future?!" Someone said at this time.
As soon as these words came out, Cappus, Drakos, Hieronimus, including Avinogis, widened their eyes, all feeling that the speaker was ill-intentioned and clearly aimed the criticism at Davos.
The Crimisa people also changed their faces, fearing that angering Davos would be detrimental to Crimisa.
Davos remained calm. What Daonia was most criticized by other Greek city-states was undoubtedly this point. He knew very well that Crimisa was different from Amendolara and Thurii after all. These two cities were rescued by Davos when they were on the verge of destruction. The people were grateful to him and needed strong protection at the same time, so they had no major opinions on Davos becoming the League's lifelong Archon. In addition, Davos always abided by the law and consulted with the members of the Senate on everything. He rarely acted arbitrarily. The only time he acted dictatorially was not long ago when he overruled all opinions and insisted on the Battle of Croton, and eventually won, so over time, the people also accepted it willingly. Notum was even more needless to say. The Lucanians originally believed in power and would not have any objections.
Only Crimisa, who was once an enemy, was conquered by the power of Daonia, and there would always be people who were unwilling and kept their eyes open to find fault with Daonia, so Davos would certainly not be polite: "Daonia has been able to rapidly develop into a strong state in Greater Greece in a short period of time, and even defeat Croton, because we have a political system that is different from other Greek city-states. I heard that some Crimisa people have already left with the Crotonians. If there are people who don't like Daonia, they can still leave freely now, then those who stay and become Daonian citizens in the future, please adapt to the Daonian system as soon as possible and abide by the Daonian laws!"
The implied sharpness in Davos' words made some Crimisa people who still wanted to raise objections wisely stop talking.
"Look, this is Daonia's… — um." The man who had just spoken wanted to attack Daonia again, but was gagged by two guards sent by Antaonis.
"Lord Davos, it is our fault for keeping the Daonian soldiers waiting here for so long, please enter the city!" Antaolis said apologetically.
"Okay!" Davos gave him a meaningful smile.
No sooner had the people of Croton been sent away than the army of Daonia arrived. The people of Crimisa were evidently rather apathetic towards this eye-catching procession entering the city.
However, after the Daonian army reached the square along the street, it immediately disbanded. Led by their officers, the soldiers diligently swept the garbage-filled streets with tools brought in carts, leveled the damaged roads, and even helped the people repair their houses…striving to clean up the war-torn urban area.
The people of Crimisa were first surprised, then slowly tried to talk to these "conquerors," and were eventually infected by the soldiers' labor enthusiasm, and also joined the ranks of rebuilding their homes with guilt. The women carried food and drinking water to express their condolences to the soldiers, and at the same time told them about the difficulties in their homes, hoping to get their help. The soldiers were of course happy to contribute their physical strength and enthusiasm.
In just one afternoon, Crimisa—a city that had experienced war and was somewhat lifeless—became vibrant again.
The former council members of Crimisa, seeing this scene, all looked surprised, whispering to each other and discussing endlessly.
As the former chief general of Crimisa, Antaolis, who considered himself well-traveled and knowledgeable, had never seen or heard of a city-state's citizen soldiers helping the conquered people restore their homes after conquering another city-state! Like others, the surprise and excitement in his heart made him not know what to say: "Lord Davos, this…this is really…"
"From today onwards, the people of Crimisa are citizens of the Daonian League. We are all family! As family, of course we must help each other, right?" Davos said with a smile.
Looking at the shocked expressions of the people around him, he was very satisfied with the effect of this action. Before coming, he did issue an order for the soldiers to act as "cleaners," but orders alone could not make the soldiers willingly work. He also told them: Because of the victory of the war, based on the soldiers' heroic performance, the citizenship observation period for the freemen who participated in many battles would be greatly shortened, and even soldiers who performed well on the battlefield might directly become official citizens! And with this victory, Daonia would gain a large amount of land, and all participating soldiers would receive a "land share" reward for their military merits, and the land to be distributed in the future would mainly be near Crimisa. Therefore, Crimisa would become the new home for some soldiers. Moreover, Crimisa, due to frequent wars in the past six months, had suffered a large number of male citizen casualties, and now there were more women than men. Davos encouraged single soldiers to use their actions to win the favor of Crimisa women! It was these reasons that made the soldiers not have the arrogance of victors, but instead used practical actions to win the favor of the people of Crimisa—their future neighbors.
"And you—" Davos continued, "You protected the treasury, granary…very well, without being robbed by the defeated soldiers of Croton, and completely handed them over to the League. Isn't that because you recognize the Daonian League and regard yourselves as Daonian citizens, that you would consider it so carefully! I believe,
The Daolian Senate will definitely recognize your efforts!"
Everyone thought they had received Davos's hint and looked happy.
Davos saw it in his eyes and smiled as well, but he was very clear in his heart: Although the number of members in the Daonian Senate was still far from being fully staffed, this time the Senate would definitely proceed with caution, sending people to secretly investigate, who are the people with high prestige and appeal among the people of Crimisa? Among these people, only those who are truly willing to become Daonian citizens and work diligently will be specially recruited into the Senate. What voting and election are just a guise. As a territory that has just been incorporated into the League, he and the Senate must firmly control Crimisa to prevent accidents.
"Lord Davos, please follow me to the port next to count the batch of supplies we intercepted from Croton's hands." It was rare that the former chief general of Crimisa could remain calm.
This made Davos look at Antaolis with some appreciation and said, "Okay!"
After inspecting the city of Crimisa, Davos immediately ordered that some of the obtained grain and supplies be distributed to the people of Crimisa to compensate them for the losses suffered due to the war.
This generous act won the favor of the people. At the same time, he ordered Capus to lead 2,000 soldiers from the First Legion to be stationed in the city, on the one hand to maintain and stabilize order in the city, and on the other hand to continue to help the people repair the damaged facilities. The remaining troops continued to be stationed in the camp outside the city, starting to fill in the traps, pull out the iron thorns…etc., so that the environment around the camp returned to normal. Davos politely declined Antaolis and the others' request to invite him to a banquet, and led Ledes' cavalry, accompanied by Hieronimus, to Asproustum.
Galloping on horseback in the slightly undulating and vast Croton Plain, what caught the eye was either farmland or villages, as well as crisscrossing canals. Although human activity could not be seen, and some villages were even emitting thick smoke. Except for the occasional stray hunting dogs casting hateful glances at them and barking non-stop, everything was unusually quiet. This did not affect the good mood of Davos and his group. They looked at this newly acquired land of Daonia with great interest as they walked.
Ledes said excitedly: "Although the terrain is not as flat as the Sybaris Plain, I feel that the soil is no less fertile than the Sybaris Plain!"
"It seems you want to exchange all your land for this place." Davos said jokingly.
"Lord, I don't have such plans. Next to here are the people of Croton. I would feel a little uncomfortable doing anything." Ledes shook his head.
"Such fertile land, and you're still picky, it's really the rich not knowing the suffering of the poor." Davos continued to tease him.
The cavalrymen also took the opportunity to make fun of their captain.
At this time, Hieronimus said beside him: "No matter how good the land is, it cannot be protected without strong power."
Davos was stunned, and then said: "That's right, we can't learn from Croton. We must continue to strengthen our training and defend our homeland! Especially you cavalrymen, you have made great contributions this time, but you must not be proud. Continue to follow your captain to improve your horsemanship and learn new cavalry tactics. I hope you can become an important attacking force in the Daonian army, capable of determining the outcome of the battle! Do you have this confidence?"
"Yes!!!" The cavalrymen raised their spears and shouted excitedly.
… … … … … … …
Standing on the city wall of Asproustum, you can look west at the continuous mountains and white snow; look east and overlook the rushing rapids and cliffs. The green fields of the Croton Plain are all in sight. When the weather is extremely good, you can even look southeast and vaguely glimpse the bustling traffic outside the city of Croton…
"This is really a good place! The people of Croton would actually give it to us!" Davos said, stroking the thick crenellations with emotion.
"Of course, it's not that the people of Croton wanted to give it, but that they simply couldn't take it back!" Bagulus said confidently: "The terrain of Asproustum is very good, and the city is high and the moat is deep. I only need two thousand people to block the attack of twenty thousand enemies!"
Davos, who had carefully checked the city defenses, nodded in agreement.
"Izam's mountain reconnaissance team was a great help in taking this city!" Hieronimus's words reminded Davos, and he found the young Dukean from the accompanying team: "Izam, your company has made great contributions this time. All the soldiers who participated in the capture of the city must be given at least one major credit each!"
"I thank the commander on behalf of my brothers!" Izam's face was excited, and he said: "Lord, my reconnaissance team can still play a greater role, as long as you can expand the reconnaissance team to a thousand people!"
Hieronimus and Asistestes looked at each other. This Dukean's request was so direct.
Davos didn't mind. He smiled and said: "The role of the mountain reconnaissance team is reconnaissance, harassing the enemy, and sabotage, not to engage the enemy head-on. Too many people are not convenient for you to command, and it is easy to be discovered by the enemy…" Davos did not reject the words, but thought about it seriously and said: "It's not impossible to expand, I want to see you first make an expansion and training plan, how many people to add, how to organize and train this expanded mountain reconnaissance team, so that this new team can adapt faster and further enhance its special role in wartime… If your plan is feasible, I can discuss with Philixius to expand the mountain reconnaissance team and appoint you as the captain."
"Great, thank you, Lord!" Izam shouted happily without concealment.
"So you wanted to be the captain, you should have said so earlier!" Asistestes took the opportunity to ridicule.
"You have all become captains, of course I can't fall behind." Izam said confidently.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Have the original residents of the city all left?" Davos turned around and looked down at the city, and asked.
"The people of Croton came to the city, read out the newly signed alliance agreement to the people here, and vigorously mobilized them to leave. They cried and made noise, but eventually they all left, without leaving anyone behind, and we also allowed them to take away the items in their homes, but they also wanted to take away public property, which we refused. Those are our spoils of war!" Asistestes said.
"It's good that the residents of Asproustum are all gone. It's convenient for us to immigrate and firmly control this city in the hands of the League!" Davos also reminded: "You must clear up the property in Asproustum as soon as possible and make a list so that it can be distributed to Laos and Castron."
"That is our Daonian's trophy, it has nothing to do with Laos and Castron!" Bartalus immediately expressed his disagreement.
"Bagulus, don't worry. Do you know what the Daonian League Covenant stipulates?" Davos asked patiently.
Bagulus shook his head. He has only been a citizen of Daonia for half a year, and he has not fully understood the league laws, let alone these treaties.
"When the Daonian League goes to war, all allied states must send troops to participate in the war, and the spoils of war will be distributed fairly…" Asistius said from the side.
"That's right, fair distribution!" Davos emphasized loudly: "As an ally of Daonia, Laos immediately sent 3,000 people after learning that we had declared war on Croton, and was personally led by Consul Avinogis; and Castron not only rejected Croton's overtures, but also gave us great help in the battle. These two allies gave Daonia their full support during the war. Could it be that we Daonia are so stingy that we are unwilling to share even the spoils of war with them? Then which city-state will be willing to go to war with us in the future! In my opinion, it doesn't matter if all the spoils are distributed to them, because we still have something more precious—"
Davos slowly uttered a word to Hieronimus, Bagulus, and Asistius: "Land!"
The three immediately understood: the spoils of war can be shared, but the land won in the war belongs exclusively to Daonia. Daonia uses the soldiers of the allied states to expand its territory for itself, which is actually a very cost-effective deal.
"Commander, speaking of land, there is a situation that needs to be reported to you." Asistius interjected: "Many Lucanian soldiers of the Third Legion feel that the mountainous area around Aspro Tum is very suitable for grazing, and the grazing conditions are even better than Nium. They asked me to get a share of the land here."
"Are you saying they are asking for 'shares' for themselves?" Davos reacted quickly and immediately understood the meaning of Asistius's words.
"Yes." Asistius said embarrassedly: "Because their tribes have already been allocated settlements in Nium before, I don't know if they can get land again individually?"
Davos did not answer directly, but looked at Bagulus and asked, "Do you know about this?"
"I know." Bagulus answered truthfully: "Asistius discussed it with me. Most of these warriors who are asking for 'shares' for themselves come from various tribes in Nium. They see that Greek soldiers can own their own land, but they still have to share it with the tribe, so they proposed the request to 'leave the tribe and live alone'."
Davos stared at him,
He continued to ask: "Do you think their request is reasonable?"
"I think it's very reasonable!" Bagulus answered without thinking, without considering how Davos would feel after hearing this, which made Asistius a little worried: "The 'shares' that the warriors exchanged for their lives in battle should belong to them, and independence is more conducive to their integration into the Daonian League."
Davos smiled: "I am very happy that you can think like this! But what will the leaders of those Lucanian tribes think?"
"I don't think they should object." Bagulus had obviously thought about this issue, and he said: "In the past, Lucanian tribes absorbed people in order to survive and grow stronger. Now they are already under the protection of the Daonian League and no longer have a crisis of survival. On the contrary, the departure of these soldiers will make the land in the hands of the tribe more affluent, which is a good thing."
"I agree to distribute the land to these Lucanian warriors who are asking to be independent." Davos's words made Bagulus and Asistius look happy, but Davos thought while pacing back and forth: He was happy to see these Lucanian tribes being dismantled and eventually all integrated into the league, but he was worried that excessive actions would cause resentment from the leaders of these small tribes, which would not be conducive to Daonia's future penetration into the Lucanian region to the north, so he had to be cautious: "But before that, after returning to Thurii, I will first let your father and Hermon go to Nium to test the attitude of those tribal leaders and try to persuade them. Therefore, the distribution of these soldiers' 'shares' may be delayed…"
Bagulus and Asistius agreed.
"If some soldiers of the Third Legion also settle here, it will be very troublesome for the entire legion to train and assemble in the future!" At this time, Hieronimus raised an objection.
Davos smiled and said: "Not only the Third Legion, but also the First and Second Legions will probably have many soldiers who will settle in Aspro Tum and Crimisa. Who told us to have obtained so much land so quickly? If we don't distribute these lands to citizens, reserve citizens, and registered free people who have made meritorious service in the legion, are we going to leave the land idle so that the enemy can attack! When the land is distributed, I am afraid there will be more than three legions… As for the specific personnel arrangements and organization, I will gather with Filius (military officer), Lafias (census officer), Burkos (agricultural officer), as well as you, Capus, Drax, and the captains to discuss a suitable plan…"
Hieronimus reluctantly agreed, while Bagulus and Asistius were a little excited: the expansion of the team meant that they also had the opportunity to become legion commanders.
At this moment, Davos also realized: In less than a year since arriving in Thurii, he had experienced four wars. Under the circumstances of successive victories, whether it was land, population, or army, they had expanded so quickly like blowing air! Perhaps it was time to stop and properly integrate the internal affairs of the league!
"Hey, isn't that Aristocrates!" Izam suddenly said loudly.
Everyone hurriedly looked down the city and saw Aristocrates riding a horse to the moat, preparing to wave and call for the gate to open.
It was getting dark, and Aristocrates had come to find him, there must be something important! Thinking of this, Davos hurried down the city.
As soon as he arrived at the city gate, Aristocrates had already entered the city. Seeing Davos, he was tired but smiling: "Lord Davos, I brought good news from the letters from Thurii today! Congratulations, your wife gave birth to a son for you yesterday morning!"
Davos was overjoyed. He immediately took a deep breath, but the excitement in his heart did not diminish at all: "A child! I have a child! My child! ! ! …" Davos suddenly hammered Hieronimus next to him and shouted excitedly.
"Congratulations, sir! This is Hera's blessing! ! ! …" Hieronimus, Bagulus, Asistius and others, including the soldiers around who knew the news, congratulated Davos.
Davos smiled so hard that he couldn't close his mouth, and hugged them enthusiastically to express his inner joy. At the same time, he joked with them: They had to work hard and not fall too far behind him.
Then he planned to take the guard back to Crimisa, quickly arrange everything, and then rush back to Thurii overnight, but he was strongly blocked by Hieronimus and others, even at the expense of violating Davos's wishes and forcibly keeping him in Aspro Tum City overnight. Because it was getting dark, and it was a mountain road, and there were many rivers, and the war had just ended, if something unexpected happened, they would not be able to explain to the people of Daonia.
… … … … … … …
The next afternoon, Christoia finished feeding the child and fell into a deep sleep.
Asuna held the child in the courtyard for a while to bask in the sun, and found that the child had pooped, so she had to return to the outer room of the bedroom, wash it clean with warm water, put on a brand new diaper, and ordered the other female slaves to take the dirty clothes to wash.
Then, she put the child back in the crib, and leaned on the bedside to sing to the child. Gradually, the child closed his eyes, and Asuna also took the opportunity to take a nap by the bed. In a daze, she felt someone gently pat her shoulder: "Asuna."
She woke up immediately, looked back, and couldn't believe her eyes: "Master, you are back!"
Davos made a gesture of silence: "How is Christoia's health?" he asked softly.
"Lord Herpus said that she and the child are very healthy, but the madam still needs to recuperate for a while. She is sleeping in the bedroom now." Asuna said softly, making way: "Master, come and see the little master, he is very cute!"
Davos tiptoed forward, carefully looking at his child with excitement and curiosity. In fact, the child who was only a few days old had red, wrinkled skin and was not good-looking. But Davos watched with such fascination that he couldn't help but reach out a finger and gently touch the child's red and tender face.
The originally sleeping child seemed to feel itchy and scratched his face with his small hand.
Davos felt it was very interesting and touched him again.
While the child was reaching out to scratch his face, he opened his big and bright blue eyes. The father and son looked at each other at close range, and then the child pursed his small mouth and cried loudly.
Whether in his previous life or in this life, Davos was a father for the first time and had no experience at all, and was at a loss.
Asuna picked up the child calmly and began to coax him softly.
"Asuna, is the baby hungry again?" Christoia's weak voice came from the bedroom.
"No, the master is back!" Asuna said excitedly.
"Ah!" Christoia exclaimed in surprise.
Davos strode into the bedroom and saw Christoia lying weakly on the bed, but her complexion was still good.
"You are back!" Her eyes sparkled with joy.
"I'm back!" Davos sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and kissed his wife.
"Thank you for your hard work!" he said softly.
Christoia supported her body and leaned into Davos's arms, her face filled with happiness: "Have you seen our child?!"