Although the Locri fleet had fewer warships, they still launched an attack without hesitation. The warships of both sides quickly sailed towards each other and crossed paths. The Locrian ships did not stop to engage in close combat but continued to accelerate forward, which took the Crotoniates by surprise. As a result, they easily disengaged from the Crotoniate fleet at the slight cost of one or two warships.
Could the Locrians be trying to escape?! Ascamas was quite surprised by the Locrian fleet's performance.
However, the Locrian fleet's actions once again took him by surprise. After pulling away from the Crotoniate fleet, the Locrian fleet turned around again, posing as if to attack.
Ascamas didn't have time to think about why the Locrians were making such a fuss.
His fleet also took corresponding actions.
The two fleets approached each other rapidly again, but this time the Locrian fleet did not flee again.
The warships of both sides were intertwined, circling and colliding with each other.
Naval battles are different from land battles. Land battles emphasize formations, and a broken formation often means defeat. However, once a naval battle begins, the formation is broken, and it often becomes a one-on-one duel between warships. Victory depends on the quality of the warships and the crew's skillful ship handling techniques.
Croton and Locri have had feuds for decades, and they know each other very well. Ascamas was very clear about the fleet's strength, the composition of the crew, and even the characteristics of the generals. He firmly believed that with his fleet having six more triremes, a total of ten more warships than the Locrian fleet, it was only a matter of time before he won this naval battle.
In the battle, Ascamas' flagship skillfully and quickly reversed, narrowly avoiding the enemy ship's impact on the middle of the flagship. After turning danger into safety, it instead placed the enemy ship sideways in front of his flagship's bow—the bronze ram. This was a great opportunity, and how could he let it go? He immediately ordered the sailors to row backward quickly, and the flagship quickly changed from retreating to advancing.
But the enemy ship also quickly rotated, turning its bow towards Ascamas' flagship.
Although the enemy ship reacted quickly, the experienced Ascamas did not give up. As the flagship rapidly approached the enemy ship, and was about to get close and cross paths, Ascamas shouted: "Stop rowing!"
The boatswain, who was listening to orders in the hold, immediately conveyed the message to the sailors. The well-trained sailors immediately retracted their oars, while the enemy ship had just turned its bow and had not had time to retract its oars. The twenty-meter-long trireme, with its huge inertia, broke most of the oars on the side of the enemy ship that was close to it, leaving the enemy ship in a predicament of being unable to move forward due to the lack of oars.
Just as the sailors cheered,
and Ascamas was preparing to turn the bow and completely sink it, a fleet of three triremes suddenly appeared behind the Crotoniate fleet and immediately launched an attack on the Crotoniate warships.
The Crotoniate fleet was in a dangerous situation of being attacked from both the north and the south.
In the end, the Crotoniate fleet suffered a crushing defeat, with ships sunk and ships captured, as well as serious damage. Ascamas led a few warships out of the enemy's encirclement.
On the way to Croton, Ascamas was constantly thinking in frustration: Where did the Locrians get those extra warships?
… … … … … … … … …
The victory at sea inspired the Locrian army besieging Caulonia. Early the next morning, when the Crotoniate reinforcements arrived near the city of Caulonia, the Locrian army, despite the fatigue of attacking Caulonia during this period, immediately launched a decisive battle.
The Crotoniate army did not avoid the challenge.
Thus, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle in the suburbs north of the city of Caulonia.
In terms of troop strength, the Locrians had a slight advantage, but because they had to divide some of their forces to besiege Caulonia, the number of people on both sides was similar. However, the Locrian army consisted mostly of heavy infantry and light armored soldiers, while the Crotoniates had a clear advantage in light infantry composed of carefully selected freemen.
The Locrian generals, fearing the impact of the Crotoniate heavy infantry, thickened the columns. The Crotoniates, due to their limitations, had also learned a lot of experience from the painful lessons of fighting the Daunian army. Immediately after completing their formation, they sent light infantry to attack. The Locrian light infantry quickly collapsed due to their small number.
Then, the Crotoniate light infantry began to throw javelins at the Locrian army, causing considerable casualties to the Locrian infantry.
In this situation, the Locrians immediately blew the horn to attack.
Faced with the overwhelming charge of heavy infantry, the Crotoniate light infantry did not have the strict organization and discipline of the Daunian light infantry, nor did they have experienced veterans to stabilize the morale of the army, nor did they have the subtle and flexible command of excellent light infantry generals such as Epithenes, Zipetes, and Alponius, nor did they have the stimulation of material rewards such as citizenship and land. Moreover, the Crotoniate heavy infantry dense formation had no extra space for them to retreat. They could only flee the battlefield in panic from both sides, and as a result, many light infantry did not have time to escape and died under the charge of the Locrian heavy infantry. After finally escaping, under the efforts of the generals, the light infantry tried to regroup, but were immediately attacked by the Locrian cavalry and dispersed again.
However, the harassment of the light infantry also consumed and dispersed the energy of the Locrian infantry. Now, only infantry-on-infantry combat remained on the battlefield. One side had just escaped the sea of suffering from Daunia, and their bodies had not fully recovered; the other side had been attacking Caulonia continuously and had not been able to get enough rest. One side had fewer soldiers, but had the belief of washing away shame and defending their territory; the other side had more soldiers, but their morale was slightly low due to the previous attacks by light infantry.
The two sides fought for nearly two hours, and the Locrians finally collapsed and retreated from the battlefield.
In this battle, the number of casualties on both sides, Croton and Locri, was similar, about people, but more of those killed in Croton were freemen.
Although Locri was defeated, the casualties were not serious, and it withdrew its siege of Caulonia.
The Crotoniate reinforcements were able to enter the city of Caulonia smoothly and were warmly welcomed by the people in the city, but the situation was not favorable to Croton.
The Locrian army retreated and camped south of the city of Caulonia, still eyeing the city of Caulonia.
The Locrian fleet patrolled the sea, blockading Croton's sea routes. The suffering that Daunia had previously endured, Croton was now experiencing.
At this time, the city of Croton had exhausted its elite troops, while Locri still had spare strength. Two days later, more than a thousand Locrian soldiers landed on the coast between Croton and Sybaris, looting and plundering all the way, and invading Croton's territory to the north.
After experiencing the shock of the naval defeat, the Crotoniate people were once again terrified when they heard the news of the Locrian invasion. The council accused Lysias of acting arbitrarily, causing the city's troops to be empty and unable to send troops to repel the enemy's invasion.
Lysias did not refute the council's criticism of him. He was also shocked by the fleet's defeat. At this time, he could only propose that the council conduct a city-wide mobilization and send envoys to Daunia and the city of Aspurustum for help.
In this situation, Croton actually had no other way to think. However, it had only just ended the war with Daunia, and the voices of scolding Daunia throughout the city of Croton had not yet disappeared, but at this moment, it had to beg it for help. Both the councilors and the people were a little embarrassed.
Aspurustum was not far from Croton. Sisyphus hurried on his horse and arrived at the south gate of the city of Aspurustum in less than two hours.
Although Daunia had achieved peace with Croton, the city defenses of Aspurustum had not been relaxed, but had become more stringent. A team of sentries patrolled back and forth on the city, and guards were stationed in front of the city gate. Although there were very few pedestrians entering and leaving the city gate, they still conscientiously performed their duties, which enabled Sisyphus to patiently accept the guards' interrogation.
When the captain of the city guard appeared in front of him again, he brought the order of the administrator, Hilos: He was allowed to enter.
As soon as he entered the city, he was shocked by the scene in front of him: The main street under his feet, which was not very wide, was dusty. Some people were digging ditches on both sides of the street with T-shaped hoes, and some people were hammering and chiseling the stones piled on the side of the road with hammers and awls, and then paving the cut stones on the dirt road. Some people were demolishing some buildings that hindered the passage of the road and rebuilding brick walls…
Those who transported soil, those who transported stones, those who transported garbage… Countless strong men were busy and did not stop, turning this place into a large construction site. Everyone was working hard, and almost no one stopped to take a look at him.
"What are you doing?" Sisyphus asked curiously.
The captain of the city guard replied: "Because we will move here in the future, so we are building our home. The roads in this city are too narrow, and the roads are uneven, and there is garbage and sewage everywhere…"
The captain said a lot about the shortcomings of this city. Sisyphus found it very funny. He often came to the city of Aspurustum and felt that it was no different from the city of Taranto. Where were the problems that the Daunians said? He immediately asked: "You are not Greeks, are you?"
"We are Lucanians, but we are Daunian citizens!" the captain of the city guard said loudly.
"Your Greek is good," Sisyphus praised, then changed the subject: "I heard that your Lucanian area is full of mountains, the land is barren, and you often don't have enough to eat. I didn't expect you to care so much about the living environment."
"Since our tribe joined Daunia, we have long since stopped starving!" The captain shouted with a flushed face as if he had been humiliated: "The place where we used to live was indeed not as good as the houses here, but it is far worse than Thurii that I have seen!"
The captain continued loudly, "The legion engineers often tell us, 'Building smooth roads makes it easier for us to travel, digging ditches can take away sewage and garbage and keep the city clean, and elevated aqueducts can bring clear stream water directly into the city, saving us the trouble of fetching water back and forth, and allowing us to use water continuously...'" * W w W . suimeng . l ā
Chief Executive Hiilos also told us that Davos said, 'Any convenient facilities that Thurii has, other Daonian cities must also build, so that every Daonian citizen, whether in Thurii or in other cities, can enjoy a clean and convenient life!'"
The captain's excited voice attracted the attention of some working soldiers. Sisproutes was afraid of causing any misunderstandings and didn't want to say anything more. The captain also didn't want to talk too much with this Croton envoy who looked down on the Lucanians.
Sisproutes moved forward silently. He even saw scholars measuring something at the street corner with instruments (a right-angle measuring instrument, used to measure whether buildings are vertical), and others using lime powder to draw lines on the roadside, telling the soldiers where to dig ditches... Everyone's expression was very focused, which touched Sisproutes somewhat.
The Greeks can build solemn and grand temples, large-scale arenas, and exquisite and solid theaters... They have the most advanced construction technology in the Mediterranean in this era, but they will not apply them to infrastructure that improves people's lives. The people are also accustomed to the simplicity of material life and put their energy into the political life, sports, competition, and drama of the city-state... It seems that only the Daonians are investing a lot of manpower and material resources in roads, bridges, ditches, aqueducts, and other infrastructure that other Greek city-states are unwilling to do. Sisproutes has not been to the newly built Thurii, but the Daonian Avenue is quite famous throughout southern Italy. It seems that even the barbaric Lucanian mountain people yearn for the way of life created by Daonia, and there must be something attractive about it... Sisproutes thought to himself, and unknowingly came to the Asproustum City Hall, and met Hiilos, who had just taken office less than two days ago, and the temporary garrison officer Asistestes.
After listening to Sisproutes' request, Hiilos and Asistestes were both a little surprised: they had just fought a bloody battle with the Crotonians, and in the blink of an eye they became allies. The Crotonians, who were once enemies, are now asking them for help...
Even these two generals, who had been in battle for a long time, found it difficult to accept emotionally for a while.
Hiilos said cautiously: "Helping Croton defend against Locri means that Daonia will go to war with Locri. Such a major decision cannot be decided by us and requires the permission of the Daonian Senate."
"Of course we understand that our other envoy has already boarded a fast ship and is rushing to Thurii. However, the Locrian army has invaded our land and is burning our villages and slaughtering our people... By the time the Daonian Senate's order arrives, how many people will lose their lives in Croton! How many houses will be burned down!" Sisproutes pleaded bitterly,
Speaking, he even burst into tears: "Daonia has always kept its promises since its establishment. As an ally of Croton, can we just stand by and watch the Crotonians suffer without helping?!"
The two generals, who did not have much political experience, felt a little embarrassed. Asistestes tried to persuade him, using the importance of the matter and the need for discussion as reasons, and forcibly took Sisproutes, who was wiping away his tears, away.
After he returned to the hall, Hiilos had calmed down after thinking: "Asistestes, I am prepared to agree to the Croton envoy's request and send troops to the west bank of the Tacina River to prevent the Locrians from entering the core area of Croton."
"What?! You are going to start a war with Locri without the permission of the Senate. Lord Davos will definitely be very angry!" Asistestes thought of Sesta's unauthorized actions in Niotum, which caused him to be criticized by Davos, and immediately shook his head like a rattle: "No! This is definitely not possible!"
"Who said that stopping the Locrians necessarily means going to war with them? We can do this..." Hiilos carefully stated his considerations.
After listening, Asistestes thought carefully, with a hint of worry on his face: "Wouldn't it be too risky to do this?! What if Locri ignores everything and really launches an attack on our troops?"
"Lysistratus, you must understand that although the Daonian League has been established for less than a year, we have a very high reputation in Magna Graecia, not only because of our repeated military victories, but also because Lord Davos leads us to always adhere to our beliefs! When we were very weak, facing the pressure from the powerful Croton, we still did not give up our alliance with Thurii. Now that our allies are pleading with us for assistance, if we don't lend a helping hand when we can, then what is the validity of the defensive alliance treaty we just signed with Croton?! What will the Crotonians think?! When we came, Lord Davos and the Senate warned us to maintain a peaceful and friendly relationship with Croton. Can that be achieved?! Can the other Magna Graecian city-states still believe that we Daonians can keep our promises? I understand Lord Davos, and facing this situation, he would definitely send troops to protect Croton without hesitation! If Locri dares to attack, he will launch a counterattack without hesitation!"
Hylas finished these words earnestly, and Lysistratus was somewhat moved. He whispered in his own defense: "I don't disagree with sending troops, I just wanted to get Lord Davos's instructions first."
"This round trip will take at least a day. By the time the order arrives, the Locrians will probably have crossed the Tacina River and caused great damage to the suburbs of Croton. Since we want to help Croton, we must appear when they need us most!"
Hylas's expression was firm and his words were powerful, and Lysistratus was moved: "Alright, I agree to send troops. However, a messenger must be sent urgently to Thurii to explain our decision!"
"That's what should be done!" Hylas nodded and said.
Cispius Protius received Hylas's notification: Daonia will fulfill its alliance and have Aspustum send troops to help Croton defend its territory. He was extremely excited and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Hylas and Lysistratus.
Once Hylas made the decision to send troops, the entire Aspustum began to mobilize. 2,500 soldiers from the Third Legion were quickly assembled and led by Lysistratus, immediately setting off south, with Hylas leaving only 500 soldiers to guard the city.
… … … … … … … …
This thousand-man raiding force from Locri advanced smoothly towards the Tacina River, leaving behind a trail of destruction, encountering almost no resistance. If it were the Archaic period hundreds of years ago, wars between city-states would have been relatively gentle. The two sides would agree on a time and place for a decisive battle, and there would even be duels between warriors before the battle. The victorious side would rarely pursue the defeated. But now, wars between city-states have become extremely brutal. The defeated side is often destroyed and its people annihilated. Therefore, when the powerful side attacks, the weak can only hide in the city to defend. In that case, the attackers, unwilling to attack the city directly, choose to destroy farmland, burn villages, and massacre civilians… such atrocities are commonplace.
Moreover, these methods can also weaken the enemy's fighting will, just like what Daonian soldiers did in the northern plains of Croton and what Crotonian soldiers did in the Sybaris plain. The decades of hatred between Locri and Croton added another purpose to the Locrians when they did these things—to vent their anger. So they did it thoroughly, which also slowed down their march.
Hearing that the Tacina River was not far ahead, the Locrian soldiers couldn't wait to cross it and rush into the heart of Croton to burn, kill, and plunder. When they excitedly arrived at the west bank of the Tacina River, they found an army blocking their way.
Diophantus, the general leading this Locrian force, felt uneasy. Didn't the navy's intelligence say that Croton had sent out all its soldiers, leaving the city with empty defenses? Could these be newly recruited freedmen?
He looked closely and saw that the army in front of him was arranged in neat phalanxes, each soldier tall and upright, wearing helmets, breastplates, greaves, round shields, and spears—fully equipped hoplites. The entire phalanx was as silent as a mountain, and the oppressive aura made the Locrians, who had been talking and laughing loudly, begin to quiet down.
"Look at that flag!" Someone pointed to a large red flag held high in the center of the opposing phalanx and exclaimed.
Locrian soldiers with good eyesight could see a bronze statue of a figure with outstretched wings and a sword in hand at the top of the flag.
"It looks like the god of death," someone said uncertainly.
The god of death?! Diophantus remembered what Metrofines, who had just returned to Locri a few days ago, had said about his experiences in Daonia at the council. He immediately realized that this unusual army in front of him was not from Croton, but from Daonia, which had forced Croton to seek peace not long ago—a mysterious city-state alliance that did not exist a year ago but had quickly become an important force in Magna Graecia!
Diophantus immediately became nervous and hurriedly began to reorganize his disorganized troops.
At this moment, a small team of cavalry galloped over and stopped about 50 meters in front of the Locrian formation. The general in the middle, wearing a helmet with a purple crest, spoke loudly, while the other cavalry acted as relayers: "I am Lysistratus, commander of the Third Legion of the Daonian League! Daonia and Croton have previously signed an alliance defense treaty. According to the treaty, Daonia has a responsibility to protect the security of Croton's territory! Locrians, Daonia has no intention of going to war with you, but if you still remain on Crotonian land, we will have to drive you out!"
There was a commotion in the Locrian ranks.
Damn it! Diophantus cursed inwardly. The thing he was most worried about had finally happened.
When the news of the alliance between Daonia and Croton reached Locri a few days ago, it shocked the entire council, and everyone angrily denounced Croton as shameless and cowardly.
Some people had already started to back down, suggesting that Croton was already more than Locri could handle, and now it had an even more powerful ally, Locri was no match at all, and the army should be withdrawn immediately!
At the same time, many people opposed this, believing that this was a rare opportunity to strike a heavy blow against Croton! Moreover, Daonia and Croton were in a defensive alliance and would probably not send troops to interfere. Furthermore, Daonia had just ended a war and its losses should be considerable, and their hatred for the Crotonians could not be immediately eliminated, so their help to Croton could not be wholehearted, and they should seize this opportunity to step up their attack!
The two sides argued endlessly, until the chief general, Demodocus, brought the good news that "Syracuse had agreed to provide assistance", which turned the council's worries into joy and agreed to continue the war.
When Diophantos was sent to attack Croton's territory, the Locri councillors still had the illusion that Daonia would probably not send troops, so the council did not even finalise specific measures on "how Locri should respond in the event that Daonia sent troops".
But now, with the Daonians waiting in full battle array ahead, Diophantos was at a loss for a moment: Attack?! ... That would mean war with the Daonian alliance! As a member of the council, he knew in his heart the wishful thinking of the Locri council, they were too eager to defeat Croton, and therefore could not accept the existence of any variables, and Daonia was undoubtedly the biggest variable, able to defeat Croton, who Locri had never been able to defeat, coupled with Metrophines' description of the triumphal scene he had seen in Thurii, Diophantos was somewhat daunted, if he launched an attack here, leading to Daonia joining the war, expanding the war, although Locri's ally Syracuse had agreed to provide assistance, but it was now fully engaged in a war with Carthage, and besides providing a little naval assistance, it would not be able to give any more help, so the gang in the council would definitely put the blame for the final failure of the war on his head.
But if he didn't attack?! ... To retreat like this would not only damage his own honour, but also the prestige of the Locri city-state, and he would be blamed just the same when he returned...
As Diophantos hesitated, some of the soldiers began to clamour.
"Daonians, don't think you're so great! You tell us to retreat, and we retreat?! We're telling you, we're not retreating!"
"That's right, we Locrians are not to be trifled with! Locri has been in Greater Greece for hundreds of years, what is Daonia? Never even heard of it!"
"We just won't retreat, what are you going to do to us!"
...
The soldiers' clamour made Diophantos anxious and angry: he had only a little over a thousand men in his hands, and a small half of them were sailors. Along the way, many of the soldiers had dragged sheep and pulled oxen, plundering a lot of supplies, their eyes blinded by greed, and they no longer looked like soldiers.
And they still had the nerve to compete with the Daonians?!
Diophantos had a change of heart, but before he could give the order, the rhythmic drumming began on the other side, and the static phalanx moved, making a relatively neat "whooshing" sound of footsteps, like a thick iron wall pressing straight over, and the Locri soldiers who had been shouting and yelling just now fell silent.
Diophantos sighed and said, "Retreat!"
As soon as the order was given, before the bugle had even sounded, the Locri soldiers had already turned around and run, their formation completely scattered.
Diophantos was completely unable to stop the soldiers' disorderly and frenzied retreat, as if death was chasing after them, wanting only to hasten their escape from this place, abandoning the stolen goods all over the ground...
Asistes had not expected to force the Locrians back so easily, and he sent a small number of soldiers to clean up the battlefield, leading his army unhurriedly behind the Locrians, until he saw them scrambling onto their ships and sailing away from the coast, before leading his soldiers back, and then returning all the salvaged supplies to the Crotonians who came to express their gratitude with mixed feelings, which made the Crotonians even more grateful and ashamed.
Of course, Diophantos was not willing to return to Locri like this, and after the fleet sailed south for a while, he led his troops to land on the coast of Siris, which was not yet an ally of Daonia...
.........
Within the city of Sparta, there was a building that occupied a vast area, with simple and unadorned stone pillars supporting a roof that sheltered from the wind and rain, with three sides open to the elements and one side being a kitchen, and a vast hall filled with long wooden tables and chairs, which was the Spartan citizens' dining hall.
When it was time to eat, Spartans gathered here from all directions, lined up in order, collected their share of the "public meal", and then ate in the dining hall, which could accommodate 500 people at the same time. On sunny days, the tables were even set up on the grass, with thousands of Spartan citizens, young and old, of all levels, eating together, each person's food being roughly the same, thus embodying the equality of all Spartan citizens, and constantly emphasising their unity. And the Spartans, who emphasised discipline and obedience, ensured that this grand dining scene was always orderly, which was the public meal system for which Sparta was famous in Greece.
The food they received was not free, but was produced by the "allotment" allocated to citizens by the city-state, and handed over to the city-state in order to enjoy the public meal. Although it was said to be the citizens' own "allotment", the citizens themselves had no right to use it, but it was managed uniformly by the city-state and cultivated diligently by the Helots, and once a citizen lost his "allotment" and was unable to pay the produce, he lost the right to participate in the public meal and became a marginalised person in the city-state (i.e. the Perioeci), so the public meal system created by the Spartans was not only a dining system, but also an important political activity and a certification of Spartan citizenship.
Since the Peloponnesian War, the spectacular scene of a thousand people dining in the Spartan dining hall has been difficult to reproduce, with citizens fighting abroad for long periods of time and accompanied by death, and the number of people dining here at one time has never exceeded 500, even after the war was won, the number has not recovered, because the Spartan fleet is patrolling the Aegean Sea, and some of the important geographical locations conquered by Sparta need Spartan garrisons to maintain their loyalty, although most of these soldiers are mercenaries, Perioeci, Helots, but the authentic Spartan citizens must serve as commanders and senior officers.
On this day, there were only a little over a hundred Spartan citizens dining in the restaurant.
Phebidas sat at the table, chewing on the bread in his hand, recalling the recent coronation of the new king, Agesilaus' accession to the throne was unexpected by many, but he was pleased because Agesilaus had had several in-depth contacts with him, and he believed that he was an amiable and wise man who would be a good king.
"Hey, look! Those are two damned Helots over there!" A man at the next table suddenly shouted, and following the direction of his finger, Phebidas saw that the expressions of two men dining at the opposite table immediately became somewhat unnatural, although they were both bare-chested, they were different from true Spartan citizens in terms of physique and complexion.
"Those are new citizens. To be able to enjoy the public meal means that they have gained enough merit in the war to move the conservative old men on the council to grant them freedom and citizenship, and even give them allotments, which is quite difficult! For true warriors, we should respect them!" Another man said in a gentle tone.
"Hmph, who knows if Lysander had a hand in it?! During the war, he used his power to turn many Perioeci and a few Helots into Spartan citizens on the grounds of defeating Athens!" The man lowered his voice and said indignantly.
"No matter how brave we Spartans are, we cannot withstand the casualties caused by frequent fighting, without these new citizens, we could not have achieved victory over Athens."
"But look around you at how few of us are true Spartans, and several of my comrades have temporarily lost their citizenship and been reduced to the lower classes because they could not pay their public meal share in full! ... If this goes on, will Sparta still be Sparta?!"
"Well ... you're right ..."
"I'm telling you, we ..." The man leaned closer to another companion and whispered something.
Spartans were usually taciturn, especially when dining, and this citizen was not only talkative, but also whispering to each other, making it difficult not to attract Phebidas' attention, and just as he turned his head to see who this person was, someone gently patted him on the shoulder: "Phebidas, King Agesilaus invites you to come over."
"Okay." Phebidas immediately stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth, drank the oatmeal porridge in one gulp, wiped his mouth, stood up and followed the guard towards the front of the dining hall, he subconsciously turned his head to look at the man from just now, who had finished his meal and left the restaurant, and could only see his back.
Phebidas shook his head, dispelling the trace of doubt in his mind, and came to the new Spartan king. Agesilaus at this time was different from his former self, with a little more composure and a little more majesty.
Phebidas saluted respectfully.
"Sit down quickly, Phebidas." Agesilaus looked at him with a smile: "You and I are old friends, no need to be so polite!"
Hearing this, Phebidas really did not hesitate and sat down directly opposite Agesilaus.
"Are you full? If not, I have more here." Agesilaus said, pushing a plate over.
The Spartan king also had to participate in the public meal, and the food was no different from that of other citizens, the only privilege was that he could receive a double portion of the public meal, not to allow the king to eat more, but so that the Spartan king could use this extra portion of the public meal to invite others to dine with him, not necessarily Spartan citizens, even foreigners. The previous king, Agis, had entertained Alcibiades in this way.
The Spartan public meal was not very tasty, but it was a political gesture, meaning that the invited person became the king's guest, allowing the Spartan king to use this right to win over those who were estranged, resolve conflicts, cultivate cronies ... And today, Agesilaus gave this honour to Phebidas.
Phibidas accepted with pleasure. He was still a little hungry, so he picked up another piece of bread, spread it with honey, and chewed it heartily.
Agersilaus waited patiently for him to finish eating before saying, "Could you tell me in detail about your last mission to Greater Greece?"
Phibidas's spirits lifted. You see, when he returned and reported to the Council of Elders, it was just after the death of King Agis, and the elders were busy with the funeral and electing a new king, paying no attention to other matters.
Just as Phibidas had briefly finished explaining his mission to Greater Greece, the new king of Sparta expressed concern for Dionysia, and Phibidas immediately recounted the details of his mission to Dionysia without any exaggeration.
Agersilaus supported his head with one hand, stretched out his lame leg, listened carefully, and looked thoughtful at the same time.
When Phibidas finished speaking, he said, "It seems the Dionysians embarrassed you, and you don't have a very good impression of them."
"My anger stems from Dionysia's lack of due respect for Sparta, but as for me personally—" Phibidas paused for a moment, a strange expression on his face, and said truthfully, "Actually, I quite admire Dionysia..."
"Oh?" Agersilaus said with some surprise, "Why?"
"Perhaps it's because of the toughness they displayed..." Phibidas recalled the situation at the time and said with emotion, "Although I only made a brief stop in Thurii and didn't have in-depth contact with the Dionysian citizens, my feeling was... the discipline of the Dionysian soldiers is very strong, and I even heard that the Dionysian Senate holds celebrations for generals and soldiers returning victorious. My feeling... my feeling..."
Phibidas pondered and blurted out, "Dionysia is like Sparta in Greater Greece..."
Agersilaus was stunned for a moment, then smiled jokingly; "You actually compare a city-state alliance ruled by a tyrant to our Sparta, where citizens are equal and free."
"Although Dionysia only has one consul, and he is for life, they also have a Senate, and from my experience in the Dionysian Senate, those senators seem to be able to influence the enactment of Dionysian laws. The relationship between the consul and the senators... uh... how should I put it? Anyway, it's not like Syracuse, where Dionysius is the only one who calls the shots!" Phibidas said seriously.
"You don't seem to have a very good impression of Syracuse," Agersilaus glanced at him and said.
"I think anyone who hears that Syracuse can mobilize such a huge army to attack Carthage probably wouldn't be in a very good mood!!" Phibidas said bluntly, "Those tens of thousands of infantrymen are nothing, the key is that he also has thousands of cavalrymen and a huge fleet that is no weaker than ours! Dionysius is an ambitious man!"
Agersilaus looked at him and smiled: "Phibidas, I'm very happy that you can see this! In the later stages of the war with Athens, we began to pay attention to the West. It was through the alliance with Syracuse that Sparta was able to intervene in Western affairs. Carthage is Persia's ally in the Western Mediterranean. We need an ally in the Western Mediterranean to contain Carthage and protect Sparta's rear security. That's why we support Syracuse, and it also allows Sparta's power to gradually deepen its influence among the Greek forces in the West. But some of Sparta's past practices, such as blindly allowing Syracuse to expand and allowing it to annex the Greek forces in Sicily, may eventually cause trouble for ourselves. We don't want our allies to be too weak, but we can't let them become too strong either."
"Respected King Agersilaus, you are right! But now, Carthage still has the upper hand in Sicily, and Sparta's forces are concentrated in Asia Minor. At this time, we should still continue to support Syracuse for the time being," Phibidas understood Agersilaus's veiled meaning, but he was still thinking about the city-state and said frankly.
"We don't need to do anything, the power to restrain Syracuse's expansion has already appeared," Agersilaus did not feel unhappy, but smiled at him with relief: "It's Dionysia, who made you feel unhappy before."
"Dionysia!" Phibidas was first surprised, then shook his head: "It simply cannot be compared with Syracuse, whether in terms of territory, population, or trade and military power, Syracuse is much stronger."
"That's true now, but Dionysia is expanding very quickly," Agersilaus said, with a complex look on his face: "I just received news from Greater Greece that Dionysia defeated Croton and forced Croton to cede territory and sign an alliance treaty with it..."
"When did this happen!" Phibidas's eyes widened. Not long after he left Greater Greece, Dionysia actually defeated Croton again!
Phibidas looked incredulous: "Croton's strength is obviously stronger than Dionysia's, and this time the Crotonians shouldn't make the same mistake as last time, how could it be..."
"100 years ago, before the battle between Sybaris and Croton, many Greek city-states also thought so, but the result was that the weaker Croton won!" Agersilaus sighed: "Chrysopeus was indeed right, Davos is a military genius. Although Sparta regrettably missed him, it's not bad to let him lead Dionysia to contend with Syracuse."
"Is Dionysia bound to clash with Syracuse?" Phibidas was still thinking about how Dionysia defeated Croton, he was a little absent-minded, so his reply was not very careful, with a strong tone of doubt.
Agersilaus didn't care and said, "Now Syracuse has occupied the eastern part of Sicily. With our support and its own accumulated strength, it is not too difficult to drive the Carthaginian forces out of eastern Sicily, and it may even be possible... to completely drive Carthage out of Sicily. Even if it can't be done, Syracuse will definitely become the leader of the Greek city-states in Sicily. As you said, Dionysius is an ambitious man, will he be satisfied with this?" Agersilaus said, dipping his finger in the oatmeal and drawing a simple map of Sicily on the table.
Phibidas shook his head.
"Will he lead troops into Africa?" Agersilaus asked.
Phibidas shook his head vigorously. Just kidding, that's Carthage's base camp, which has been built for hundreds of years. If Syracuse dares to send troops to set foot on African soil, Carthage will definitely make them go and never return, just like the army led by Dorieus, the brother of King Cleomenes of Sparta who was exiled a hundred years ago.
"Then the only place where Syracuse can expand its power is here—" Agersilaus casually drew a rough outline above Sicily: "Greater Greece, it is only separated from Sicily by a narrow strait, and they are both Greek city-states. Dionysius has always been very cruel to his Greek compatriots..."
"You're right," Phibidas nodded in agreement. He and Agersilaus never thought about the Greek mainland east of Sicily, they thought that Dionysius wouldn't dare to offend these ancient and powerful states on the Greek mainland, no matter how bold he was.
"Dionysia has now subdued Croton. To the south of Croton, the only powerful city-states left are Locri and Rhegium. Locri and Syracuse are allies, and they are mortal enemies with Croton, and Croton is now an ally with Dionysia, so a conflict between Dionysia and Syracuse is only a matter of time..." Agersilaus analyzed.
Phibidas stared at the table and shook his head, saying, "Dionysia is still too weak."
"As long as Dionysius's army sets foot on the land of Greater Greece, except for the Locrian League and Taras, I'm afraid the other city-states will unite around Dionysia," Agersilaus said solemnly: "We don't want another Syracuse to appear in the Western Mediterranean, but as long as Dionysia can create enough trouble for Syracuse, I believe that Davos can definitely do it, so that Dionysius cannot conquer Greater Greece in a short time, then it will be time for Sparta to come out and mediate. Don't forget, there is also Taras in Greater Greece, which is a friendly sub-state of Sparta."
Phibidas recalled his experience in Taras and said with a pout, "Taras may not listen to us."
"It will listen when Dionysia and Syracuse are both strong," Agersilaus sneered, holding up three fingers and supporting them on the table: "Syracuse, Dionysia, and Taras are the three important city-states that maintain the stability of the Western Mediterranean situation. This is the result of the Council of Elders' discussion after learning that the Syracuse army attacked western Sicily and Dionysia defeated Croton, so you don't have to worry about Dionysia anymore."
"Respected King Agersilaus, I understand!" Phibidas understood that those indifferent old men in the Council of Elders would not care about the entanglements in the heart of a young general, and Agersilaus specially came to comfort him. For this, Phibidas was extremely grateful.
Agersilaus smiled faintly, as if it was just a matter of lifting a hand, and he said again, "I called you here, there is one more thing."
Phibidas immediately leaned forward, looking serious.
"Regarding the supervision of the Iris City-State in executing the treaty, ceding land, and resettling immigrants, matters have been temporarily put on hold due to the death of Akis. I have recommended to the council that you be responsible for this. I wonder if you are willing to go?" Agersilaus said with a serious expression.
"I am willing!" Phibidas blurted out. During this time, apart from military training and attending the King's funeral, he had nothing else to do. Seeing others being dispatched overseas one by one to carry out important tasks, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. Now, Agersilaus was placing such a lucrative opportunity in front of him, how could he not be moved and grateful!
"Thank you very much, King Agersilaus, for your trust in me! Your ascension to become our king is a gift from Zeus to Sparta!"
Hearing the flattery from Phibidas, a talented member of the younger generation of Sparta, Agersilaus smiled.
After Agersilaus and Phibidas left, there were only a few dozen people left in the cafeteria. A young man with a linen cloth draped over his head emerged furtively from behind a pillar, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at Agersilaus's back.
He hurriedly went to collect his share of the public meal, and the cook distributing the food jokingly said, "Leotychides, why are you dressed like this, just like a woman."
A Perioeci dared to mock him! If it were in the past, Leotychides would have angrily beaten him, perhaps even cutting off his limbs. But now, the former king's son had no intention of arguing. He found a corner, sat down, and chewed on the bread, tears inexplicably welling up in his eyes: the failure to compete for the throne had made him a laughingstock in Sparta, while his usurping uncle had given half of his father's inheritance to those tribesmen who were struggling to make a living, thereby gaining the support of the royal family. While those people praised Agersilaus for his benevolence, some suggested that he and his mother should be expelled from Sparta, on the grounds that, 'He and his mother are not Spartans, but have become a disgrace to Sparta'. Although the Council of Elders rejected this absurd proposal, the way Spartans looked at Leotychides became increasingly contemptuous.
"What did I do wrong?! Why does the Goddess of Fate punish me like this?! In order to prove myself, I participated in the 'Agoge' (the brutal military training that Spartan boys underwent from a young age), which the king's descendants were not required to participate in, and I always performed excellently in every training session. In every battle, I always desperately fought at the front. My arguments always left my peers speechless, and my writing was better than theirs, but why?! Why?! They can't see these things, but they always use these rumors to humiliate me and my mother!! Damn Agersilaus! Damn the Council of Elders! Damn Akis, if you hadn't been bad to my mother, how could so many rumors have arisen!" In the end, Leotychides even began to blame his deceased father: "I can't endure such humiliation any longer! I want to take my mother away from this disgusting place! I want to leave Sparta!!"
Leotychides finally made up his mind, and his steps became vigorous and powerful again. As he approached his destination, he saw many people gathered at the entrance of his house,
each shaking their heads and sighing, their expressions solemn. A sense of unease rose in his heart.
"Leotychides!" A tribesman with whom he usually had a good relationship saw him and said sadly, "Your mother committed suicide."
Theopompus's troops ravaged the territory of Siris, and the Siris garrison was forced to leave the city to meet the enemy, while the Locrians retreated early.
The next day, the Locrians reappeared.
When the Siris garrison chased to the coast as they had the day before, they found nearly two thousand Locrian soldiers waiting in formation.
The Siris garrison, which had been chasing all the way and was no longer in formation, quickly collapsed. Under the pursuit of the Locrian cavalry, the Siris people suffered hundreds of casualties, retreated into the city, and held it tightly, sending people to Coronea's Croton army for help.
As the leader of the alliance, the Crotonians had to send 3,000 men to assist Siris, but the Locrians retreated from the sea again.
Just when the Crotonian reinforcements were hesitating whether to stay in Siris or return to Coronea, 3,000 Locrian, Medma, and Hipponian allied forces marched along the west coast, crossed the Laüs River, and entered Terina.
Having learned a lesson from Siris, the Terina people did not dare to act rashly, but instead asked Croton for help.
As soon as the Crotonian reinforcements left Siris and entered Terina, the Locrians landed on the coast of Siris again.
The Crotonian army was mobilized back and forth, but could not touch a single hair of the Locrians, and was full of fire with nowhere to vent.
Siris and Terina were equally miserable. The newly sown farmland was destroyed, and the people's war-weariness began to rise.
At this time, the Crotonians finally realized that the more than 20 warships that suddenly appeared during the naval battle were not secretly built by Locri in the past year, but were reinforcements from Syracuse.
This news made the Crotonian envoy very panicked.
During this time, Davos, who returned to Thurii, spent his time at home with his wife, taking care of his newborn child, and educating his adopted son and daughter, in addition to handling alliance affairs, and his life was quite fulfilling and happy. Even when the Crotonian envoy came to Thurii to ask Daonia for help, it did not cause him any anxiety, because Hylas and Acesistratus quickly forced back the Locrians who invaded Crotonian territory.
For this reason, the senators of the Senate also praised Davos for choosing the right administrator of Asproustum.
In his letters to Hylas and Acesistratus, Davos praised them for taking decisive and correct measures in such a complex situation, and encouraged them to be bold in times of crisis, and not to delay the opportunity because of too much consideration for their own feelings and waiting for the Senate's orders.
The excellent performance of Hylas and others also completely put Davos at ease, and put more energy into the resettlement work of Asproustum and Crimisa.
But just then, he got the news from Aristyllas that "the Crotonian envoy, the Siris envoy, the Terina envoy, and the Coronea envoy went north together", and in connection with the war situation between Croton and Locri that Aristyllas had reported to him in the past few days, the purpose of these city-state envoys to Thurii was obvious.
Davos's first thought: This is a rare good opportunity to expand Daonia's strength and influence. Compared with fighting Locri, it is not unacceptable.
But then, he began to hesitate again: Thanks to Aristyllas from Catana's "special attention" to Syracuse, he also knew the truth about the Crotonian naval battle failure. Syracuse is Locri's true ally, and it also sent reinforcements in this war. If Davos wants to fight Locri, he will inevitably offend Syracuse. Is it worth it?
Davos had to consider this carefully.
In his previous life, he did not know much about the history of Syracuse, only knowing that Archimedes and Syracuse were one of the culprits that triggered the First Punic War, and the Romans easily crushed Syracuse, it seems that the strength of Syracuse is not worth mentioning, but it must be known that it was the Romans who used the power of the entire Italy to attack Syracuse, which was in decline.
When Davos crossed over to this era of the Mediterranean world, in Greater Greece, he felt the reverence of the Greek city-states of Italy for this great state of Sicily. Decades ago, Syracuse repelled Carthage and dominated Sicily and Greater Greece, and now it seems to be restoring its former glory and has a tendency to unify the Greek city-states of Sicily. Sicily may seem to be just an island, but the land is fertile and it is a famous wheat-producing area in the western Mediterranean (mainly due to volcanic ash), and the Greeks colonized it extensively here very early, coupled with the fact that Sicily is located near the center of the Mediterranean, making it an important hub for trade between the eastern and western Mediterranean, so Sicily's commerce and agriculture are relatively developed. Just looking at Syracuse occupying only the southeastern part of Sicily, it can organize such a large army, it is conceivable that its war potential is huge, which is comparable to Daonia, which is still in its infancy.
However, Davos is not a frog in a well, blindly unable to see the potential danger. On the contrary, countless examples in previous history and those political, economic, and geographical doctrines all tell him that no matter how Daonia avoids it, once Syracuse really defeats Carthage and unifies the Greek city-states of Sicily, then Daonia, which is rising rapidly beside it, will inevitably attract its attention and become an obstacle to its expansion, or even the next target of attack. It is better to take advantage of Syracuse being trapped in the quagmire of war with Carthage and seize the time to strengthen itself so that it will have the strength to confront Syracuse in the future.
So after careful consideration, Davos finally made a decision and persuaded the Senate.
Sisprotes was the envoy of Croton. Because he accompanied Lysias to successfully reach a truce with Daonia and sign a treaty of alliance, and then "persuaded" the Daonian garrison of Asproustum to send troops to help Croton alone, forcing back the Locrians, so almost everyone in the Crotonian Council (except Lysias) unanimously elected him to be the envoy to Daonia. It was the first time that he was so valued by the Crotonian senators, and the other three city-state envoys who accompanied him along the way also followed his lead. Sisprotes could not help but feel a little elated.
Entering the city of Thurii, the envoys felt that this newly built city was not as prosperous and vast as the Crotonian city, but it was no longer crowded and noisy.
Flat, wide streets, neatly divided blocks, orderly houses… all gave the impression that the Daonians valued hygiene and order. And the towering aqueducts spanning the city, the slowly turning giant water wheels, the uniquely shaped fountains, and the gurgling streams on both sides of the road… all demonstrated that the Daonians, as Greeks, also had their own characteristics and pursuits in architectural art and technology.
What made the envoys linger the most were the white and towering triumphal arch, the majestic victory square, and the grand and magnificent Senate hall, which clearly demonstrated Daionia's ambition and pursuit. If it had been before, they might have secretly ridiculed Daoria's overestimation of its capabilities when they saw these, but after experiencing the Second Croton War, they had to face up to this city-state alliance, and they clearly realized that this emerging city, from the very beginning of its establishment, showed its difference from other Greek city-states, as well as its extraordinary aspirations.
Not to mention, just look at the Temple of Hades that is about to be completed on the distant hill. Daionia is the only city-state in all of Greece that uses the King of the Underworld as its patron god.
Just as the envoys were carefully observing the center of this emerging city-state alliance with thoughtful expressions, while walking west towards the Senate, the people of Thurii came out of their homes one after another, heading east in groups and with great joy.
"I heard them say something about… distributing land?" the envoy from Siris asked curiously.
"Yes, I heard it too." The envoy from Terina asked more directly: "Are you going to distribute the newly occupied land to the citizens?"
"Gentlemen, Daionia does not have any forcibly occupied land. All of it was obtained legally according to the alliance agreement!" Praexinas, who came to greet them, immediately corrected them in a serious manner.
The envoys did not refute, but slandered in their hearts.
"According to the 'Daionian Military Law', the 'Daionian Citizenship Law', and the promises made by the Senate before the war, all citizens and reserve citizens who participated in this war will receive land." Praexinas continued without concealment: "Based on the merits of the citizen soldiers in the war and the actual conditions of the land in Aspruentum, Crimisa, and the northern plains of Croton… During this period, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Military Affairs under the Senate have done a lot of work. Today is the day to announce the results of the land distribution. Not only the people of Thurii, but also the people of Amendolara and Neutum will come. Because there are too many people, it can only be held outside the city… If you envoys are interested, you can go and take a look after the meeting is over."
"Let's hurry to the Senate first and do our job well. The people of our city-state are still looking forward to our news!" Seeing that the other envoys were a little tempted, Sisprotes loudly reminded them, taking the opportunity to cover up the shame in his heart. After all, what Daionia was distributing was the land that Croton had been forced to cede.
… … … … … … … … … …
Sisprotes knew that this mission would not be as easy as the last one,
But he did not expect that, faced with the requests of the four city-state envoys, the Daonian Senate's attitude against sending troops was very firm.
… … What "The war has just ended, and Daionia's losses are also very large. There is not enough money and food to immediately cope with another war!" … …
… … What "The Daonian citizens have just put down their shields and spears, and they have also been allocated land. They are all ready to take a good rest and plant wheat on the newly allocated land before the spring is over, so that they can catch up with the harvest. Therefore, there can be no combat * *!" … …
… … What "Daionia does not need to be an enemy of Locri, so as to provoke Syracuse, this powerful city-state!" … …
In short, thousands of words can be summed up in one sentence: Daionia only wants to recuperate and does not want to meddle in other people's affairs.
Therefore, the envoys of Siris, Terina, and Caulonia expressed their willingness to sign a "Defense Alliance Treaty" with Daoria, just like Croton, but they were strongly opposed by the Daonian senators. Their reason was very simple: Because with Daionia's current strength, almost no force in southern Italy dares to provoke them, while Caulonia, Terina, and Siris are often invaded by Locri and the Bruttians. If they sign this treaty, it is equivalent to these three city-states hiring a powerful city-state alliance to protect their safety for free, which is obviously beneficial to them, but not beneficial to Daionia in any way.
The negotiations in the Senate fell into a stalemate, and Sisprotes was anxious, but there was nothing he could do.
At this time, the envoy of Terina said eagerly: "What if I request to join the Daonian League?"
The envoy of Terina was not a temporary whim. When passing through Castron, Amicles and others had warmly entertained them. At the banquet, the councilors of Castron had mentioned intentionally or unintentionally the many benefits that Castron had gained after joining the Daonian League. At the same time, they had also personally seen the stability and wealth of the people in Castron, which had touched the envoys to some extent.
When Sisprotes heard this, he was suddenly shocked and shouted subconsciously: "Siproes, do you know what you are saying?!"
"Save Terina!" Envoy Siproes said confidently: "We Terinians have always abided by the alliance agreement in the alliance, responded to your Croton's call, paid tribute on time every year, and which war have we not actively sent troops and food! What we have gained now is the Locrians' large-scale destruction of Terina's territory. Terina is a small country, but it lives in the gap between Hibernian (a city-state in the Locrian League, south of Terina) and the Bruttians. If we cannot repel the Locrians as soon as possible, and the Bruttians come, the Terillians will probably starve to death!"
Sisprotes wanted to say: If Terina runs out of food, Croton can provide assistance.
But he immediately swallowed the words that came to his lips. Croton had suffered heavy losses in the two wars with Daionia, and because of the subsequent blockade by the Locrian fleet, the people of the whole city were also facing a food crisis. This was also the main reason why Croton was eager to agree to the three allied states in its alliance to ask Daionia for help.
He warned loudly: "Don't you know that if you join the Daonian League, you can no longer have any alliance relationship with other city-states! If Terina withdraws from the Croton League, then Croton will immediately withdraw the Croton internal troops that are helping to defend in Terina, and we will no longer give Terina any help in the future if there are enemies invading!"
Sisprotes' words were aimed at Terina, but also a reminder to the envoys of Siris and Caulonia, and even the Daonian Senate. After all, the main force resisting Locri in the south at this time was Croton. If it quit, not only would the other city-states be in big trouble, but it would also be an obstacle to Daionia's plan.
Therefore, the envoys of Siris and Caulonia, who had some ideas, all remained silent, and the envoy of Terina, Siproes, was now in a dilemma.
Seeing this situation, Davos said slowly: "Envoys from the Croton League, if Daionia agrees to your request and sends troops to repel Locri, then Locri, and even Syracuse, are likely to concentrate their anger of defeat on our Daionia. Any rational Daonian citizen would not allow us to make such a stupid decision that is completely harmful to the interests of our alliance in order to help you."
Davos' words made the envoys look gloomy.
Davos then changed the subject: "But as you just said, whether it is Daionia or Croton, Siris… conflicts and even wars caused by contradictions and interests are ultimately matters between the city-states of our Magna Graecia. But like Locri, colluding with Syracuse in Sicily and intervening in the wars of our Great Greek city-states is undoubtedly bringing a hungry wolf into the flock, threatening the safety of the entire Great Greek city-state. We must take advantage of Syracuse's being busy fighting Carthage to end the war with Locri as soon as possible, so as not to give Syracuse an excuse to interfere. Therefore, whether to send troops or not, our Daonian Senate feels very embarrassed! The people need a good reason to make them feel that they are not fighting a meaningless battle for outsiders, and Daoria does not want to be abandoned after helping you, and face strong enemies alone in the future!"
The envoys fell into silence, and the meaning of Davos' words had been expressed very clearly.
Sisprotes was upset. He remembered Lysias's warning before leaving: Daionia may not want the considerable amount of gold, silver, and materials that the various city-states promised to give in order to urge it to send troops, and it may not sign a defense alliance treaty with the various city-states. What they want may be more…
At this time, Davos said loudly again: "I have a proposal for you to consider."
In the moment he paused, every envoy pricked up his ears.
"Daionia, Croton, Siris, Caulonia, and Terina, our five city-states jointly form an alliance to jointly resist and attack enemies who dare to invade us, and the allied states will not invade each other. Conflicts can be resolved through negotiation!…"
Hearing this, the envoys all looked like they had expected it, but the gloom on Sisprotes's face was even deeper, while the others were obviously a little tempted, especially the envoy of Terina, Siproes, became active again and asked first: "May I ask, Lord Consul, who will be the leader of this alliance?"
As soon as this question was asked, Sisprotes suddenly became nervous.
Davos smiled slightly: "Alliances, whether large or small, should treat each other equally. When problems are encountered and it is difficult to reach an agreement, a vote can be taken by one city-state…"
Davos's answer was beyond the envoys' expectations. They originally thought that Daionia's proposal to establish a new alliance was to gain the leadership of this alliance. Except for Sisprotes, the other envoys' eyes lit up.