Aristocrates understood that Davos's mention of the "Thurii tragedy" referred to the event two years prior when Thurii counterattacked Lucania and rashly entered the mountains, ultimately perishing entirely on the banks of the Lao River.
He pondered, still somewhat unwilling to give up: "But… it's such a good opportunity to miss, it's too much of a pity!"
"Aristocrates," Davos said with a slight smile, "Let me ask you, which is stronger now, Daonia or Pyxous and Potentia?"
"Of course, it's our Daonia that's stronger! Pyxous and Potentia combined are no match for us!" Aristocrates replied without hesitation.
"Since that's the case, what we should do is like eating bread, take a bite and chew it slowly, digest it, and turn it into our own strength, until we are full, rather than taking bite after bite without swallowing, which could eventually choke us," Davos explained patiently.
"I understand, Lord!" Aristocrates said sincerely, his intelligence allowing him to understand Davos's meaning: they needed to spend time and energy establishing a firm foothold in the Lucanian heartland, and then use Daonia's strength to slowly crush Pyxous and Potentia head-on.
"So, for now, we still need to negotiate with the envoys from Pyxous and Potentia, and sign peace agreements with them, such as mutual non-aggression, to appease them and prevent them from blatantly causing trouble around Grumentum, but the duration of the agreement should not be too long," Davos said, a hint of killing intent revealed in his gentle tone.
"As for Galasus… It is said to be located deep in the mountains, rarely contacting the outside world, and the living environment is relatively harsh. We can consider forming an alliance with it to strengthen trade…" Davos said, stopping as he heard voices outside the living room. He immediately ceased the conversation and said with a smile, "An interesting guest has arrived."
"An interesting guest?" It was rare for Aristocrates to hear Davos give someone such a compliment. He looked curiously towards the door, and when the slave manager, Bazo, led someone in, he suddenly understood: It was him!
Sippus, a Terina native, had a slender, spear-shaft-like figure that was quite noticeable when several envoys from the southern city-states came to Daonia for assistance. Equally noteworthy was his behavior. Not only was he the first envoy from the Croton alliance to fully support Daonia's proposal to create a South Italian alliance, but also, the commander of the First Legion, Capus, later mentioned in his report to Davos that during the reinforcement journey, the Terina envoy, Sippus, strongly requested to march with the Daonian army, sharing meals and living quarters with the soldiers. It was reported that in the Terina citizens' assembly, he also lavishly praised the Daonian army's combat power and proposed that Terina strengthen cooperation with Daonia…
Aristocrates remembered Davos's evaluation after hearing about this person's performance:
Sippus is a smart man with a flexible mind, good at observation, and knows how to adapt!
Therefore, for the completion ceremony of the Temple of Hades, he was one of the distinguished guests specially proposed and heavily invited by Davos.
At this moment, Davos, while watching Sippus, was thinking about the content of his conversation with the Elia envoy that Christoia's restaurant had secretly reported last night.
Davos was clear in his heart: After Daonia defeated Croton and gradually became the most important and powerful force in southern Italy, it would naturally attract the attention of many people. And Daonia's unique political system would naturally not escape the eyes of those who were interested, but few could analyze it as incisively as Sippus…
"Sippus, Daonia's best friend, welcome to you!" Davos said loudly and happily, "I've been busy with the celebration these past few days, and I was originally planning to host a banquet for you after the celebration to express my gratitude, but I didn't expect…"
Sippus respectfully saluted and said, "Consul, I insisted on coming to visit because I was truly compelled to do so. The city-state urgently requests that I convey a proposal to you."
"Oh… what proposal?" Davos gestured for Sippus to sit down and speak.
Sippus glanced at Aristocrates, hesitating to speak.
"Let me introduce you, Aristocrates, a very talented young man, my exclusive secretary (actually just a clerk, because he has not yet obtained the qualifications of a prospective citizen), you can rest assured," Davos's words moved Aristocrates.
Sippus nodded to him, sat on the wooden chair, and then asked, "Does Consul know the Bruttians?"
As soon as these words came out, Davos roughly understood Sippus's intention: "I know something about this neighbor to the west of the Daonian League. The Bruttians are natives of Italy, and they also live in tribal form, but compared to the Lucanians, their numbers are small, and the danger to Daonia is much lighter. I heard that they often attack your Terina."
Davos looked at Sippus with a smile and said.
"Not only Terina, but they also occasionally invade Astroustum and southern Thurii," Sippus reminded.
"But after all, the number of times is small, and since the establishment of the Daonian League, the Bruttians' harassment of us has completely disappeared," Davos said with a relaxed expression.
"In fact, since last year, the Bruttians have suddenly stopped invading all Greek city-state territories, which is not only because the Croton, Siris, and our Terina allied forces inflicted heavy damage on the Bruttians—" Sippus paused, feeling Davos's gaze focusing on him, he deliberately increased his volume and said, "More because major changes have taken place within the Bruttians."
"What changes?" Davos's heart stirred, but he still said calmly.
"Terina is adjacent to the Bruttian town of Cosenza, and has been fighting with the Bruttians for many years. They are relatively familiar with them, and also have some sources of information." Sippus's expression became serious: "Last year, we received news that the Bruttian tribal leaders gathered in Cosenza to discuss the formation of a tribal alliance."
"Is this true?!" Davos was startled and couldn't help leaning forward. No wonder he was a little unable to hold back. The reason why he pretended to be indifferent before was because when he learned that Sippus's visit this time was related to the Bruttians, he didn't want to appear too enthusiastic, and lose too many bargaining chips in the discussion of attacking the Bruttians in the future. After all, the Bruttians could not pose as great a threat to Daonia as the Lucanians.
As far as he knew, the Bruttian tribes in that small mountainous area they occupied were always divided: the northern tribes centered on the city of Vibo Valentia, because they bordered Laos, they had close relations with the Lucanians in the past, and their figures were seen in the Lucanian tribal coalition that invaded Thurii before; the central part was centered on the large city of Cosenza, and was the most powerful; to its east, other Bruttian tribes lived in the upper reaches of the Crati River, and they built the small city of Byssinia, and they often crossed the mountains to plunder the southern Sibaritide plain; to the southeast of Cosenza was another small city, Amantia, which was said to have been built by the tribes who escaped from Astroustum when it fell to Croton; and to the south of Cosenza was the city of Cosenza, which bordered Terina, and was also the culprit of the invasion of Terina.
The Bruttian mountains are high and densely forested, with rugged roads, and possess the only plateau in southern Italy. Vibo Valentia and Cosenza control the narrow passages along the western coast on both the north and south sides. Byssinia and Amantia block the only two mountain roads connecting to the eastern coast, making this area a fortified place. Since the Bruttians claimed it as their habitat, they have always been the ones rushing out of the mountains to invade others, and they have almost never been invaded, but there are more internal tribal wars there. Most of the wars were started by Cosenza, the most powerful, which Delusion to annex other tribes. Except for Cosenza, which had close relations with Cosenza and remained neutral, Vibo Valentia, Byssinia, and Amantia often joined forces to resist Cosenza. Because frequent inter-tribal wars consumed the strength of the Bruttians, their threat to the Magna Graecia city-states was not too great. But now that the Bruttians, who have always been in constant conflict, are actually going to establish a tribal alliance, their threat to the Greeks is greatly increased, especially to Daonia, whose large territories border the Bruttian mountains.
"This is certainly true," Sippus said affirmatively: "Because in May of this year, the Bruttian tribal alliance has been established! It is reported that the Bruttian tribes elected the great leader of Cosenza, Pianren, as the great leader of the new alliance, and the great leader of Vibo Valentia, Sedorum, the great leader of Byssinia, Licum, the great leader of Amantia, Burgam, and the great leader of Cosenza, Pangeim, as the elders of the alliance, with Cosenza as the center of the tribal alliance, governing all Bruttian tribes…"
After listening to Sippus's words, Davos couldn't sit still anymore. He couldn't help standing up, pacing slowly, and asking in a deep voice: "Where did you get this news from?"
Seeing Davos's performance, Sippus knew that this matter had aroused great attention from the highest authority of Daonia, and he was immediately relieved.
But he didn't know that the reason why Davos cared so much about this matter was not only because the Bruttians forming a tribal alliance might pose a danger to the territory of the Daonian League, but more importantly, Davos had already been considering the issue of the Bruttians.
With Croton also defeated by Daonia, the establishment of the South Italian League left Daonia with almost no forces in southern Italy that could contend with it.
Another powerful city-state in Magna Graecia, Rhegium, located on the "toe" of Italy, maintained neutrality in the disputes of Magna Graecia, prioritizing shipping and trade over hegemony. Locri now harbored a grudge against Thurii, but it was separated from Thurii by the South Italian League, with Croton alone being enough to handle. Thurii only needed to provide slight reinforcements for Locri to be overwhelmed. As for its patron, Syracuse, it was still entangled with Carthage in the short term and had no spare capacity to pay attention to this land north of Sicily.
Therefore, Davos wanted to turn southern Italy into the most stable base of the Thurian League, with the only consideration being the Bruttians.
It should be said that the area where the Bruttians lived was high in altitude, the land was not fertile, and it was not near the sea, so it was not coveted. However, due to its existence, Thurii's territory from Aspru Tum to Grumentum became a slender "S" shape. Especially in the east, Aspru Tum, Crimisa, the allied city of Castellone, Thurii, and Amendolara were lined up along the coast, forming a narrow corridor. For Greeks who loved the sea, this was nothing unusual, but for Davos, who had been influenced by more than 2,000 years of history, he felt a deep unease: such a territory was too flat, lacked depth, and had an excessively long coastline. Once a powerful foreign enemy invaded, any place could easily become a target for the enemy's attack, and the Thurii army's march to rescue on the narrow territory would lengthen the army's supply line, making it another easily attacked target. This had already been initially demonstrated in the war with Croton. Therefore, while the Thurii navy was being built, Davos set his sights on the Bruttian mountains.
Although the traffic between the Bruttian mountains and the Thurii territory was not very convenient, if it was owned, Thurii's territory in southern Italy would be united into one piece. The valley path north of Aspru Tum, the mountainside path north of the southern city of Thurii, and the south bank of the Crati River could all be rebuilt into passages between Thurii and Bruttium. Not to mention that the soldiers of Grumentum and Niu Tum could directly cross the west coast of the Bruttian mountains to reach Terina more quickly. Moreover, the Bruttians were weak and disunited, making them easier to conquer.
Davos originally planned to launch a plan against the Bruttians after the three territories of Aspru Tum, Crimisa, and Grumentum, which had recently joined the league, had stabilized. Some time ago, Davos had Izamu send people to Bruttium to gather information, but he did not expect the Bruttians to be heavily guarded, and Izamu's mountain reconnaissance team basically did not speak Bruttian. Not only did they not obtain any information, but they also lost a few men. Davos had to suspend reconnaissance, but he did not expect the Terina envoy, Sippus, to bring him amazing news.
"The Bruttian region is different from Lucania. It is surrounded by Greek city-states," Sippus said seriously. "Therefore, every year, some Greeks or slaves flee to Bruttium for a series of reasons such as crimes and persecution by political enemies, and gradually form a unique tribe there… Many years ago, we in Terina had close ties with this tribe. We secretly sell them some goods they urgently need, and they pass on some news from the mountains to us. Relying on this tribe, Terina has repeatedly prevented the Bruttians from invading in advance.
And this time… they contacted us several times in a row for several days, very anxiously,
Because the union of the Bruttian tribes threatened their survival, so this news should not be suspected of its authenticity!" Sippus emphasized again.
Davos was quite surprised: "What is the name of this tribe?"
"Siro, which means 'Hellen'."
Davos nodded. Without asking Sippus, he could guess that a tribe composed of Greeks could survive in that mountainous area, it must have been by exploiting the disputes between the tribes, and may even have served as mercenaries or black market traders. Now that the Bruttians had completed their integration, this tribe of foreigners would lose its soil for survival.
Davos still had a question in his mind: "Why don't the Bruttians form a league like Lucania, but instead concentrate their power? Wouldn't the other tribes object?"
After listening, Sippus showed a wry smile, looked at Davos, and said, "I don't know the specific reason… Perhaps… it learned it from its neighbors, maybe. At least until now, no major turmoil has been heard in the Bruttian region."
Davos heard the sarcasm in Sippus's words, and he was shocked: The previous Lucanian tribal alliance was loosely organized, and each tribe had its own interests, making it impossible to truly concentrate their power. The danger to Thurii would be much smaller. But if, like Thurii, power could be highly concentrated, then it would be worth Thurii's vigilance!
Davos sat back in his chair, looked at Sippus, and said solemnly, "Terina sent you to tell me this news, do you have any suggestions?"
Sippus had learned about Davos's speaking style last time, so he no longer beat around the bush and said frankly: "The Terina council hopes that Thurii can take the lead and lead the South Italian League to launch an active attack on the Bruttians, and eliminate this tribal alliance of the Bruttians before it becomes a real threat, and give the people of Magna Graecia peace!"
"The South Italian League…" Davos muttered softly, stroking his chin, and after pondering for a while, he said, "Launching a war is a major event, especially against such a large force as the entire Bruttian people! Moreover, Thurii has only just ended the war not long ago, so the Senate needs to make a decision on this issue, which may take some time…"
Sippus nodded to show his understanding.
"In that case, Sippus, you should stay in Thurii for a while and experience the life of the people of Thurii. At the same time, it will also be convenient for us to discuss the issue of attacking Bruttium with you at any time."
Davos extended an invitation, and Sippus immediately agreed. He smiled and said, "Thurii is a city that is completely different from other Greek city-states! I like its architecture and cleanliness, and more importantly, it has delicacies that other places don't have!"
Davos laughed heartily. Until he sent Sippus away, he did not ask Sippus what he had said in Christoia's restaurant, 'What are the flaws in Thurii's political system?' Because he didn't want others to know for the time being that Davos had eyes and ears all over Thurii, because no one likes the feeling of being monitored at all times.
In fact, Davos's approach was not an innovation of this era. As early as 70 years ago, Hiero, the successor of the tyrant Gelo of Syracuse, had implemented a "spy system", which aroused great resentment from the people. Davos, who cared about his reputation, would certainly not be foolish enough to expose these dark sides. In fact, without asking, he was very clear about the biggest problem with the current political system in Thurii.
After the Thurii Senate intentionally did not hold public assemblies, ordinary citizens no longer had the opportunity to participate in politics. If this were in Persia, it would not be a problem at all. But this was in Greece, and the enthusiasm of Greek citizens for participating in politics was well-known among Mediterranean countries and city-states. Even the most conservative oligarchy, Sparta, allowed its citizens to express their opinions on the laws and proposals that were made, not by voting, but by the loudness of their voices to support "yes or no". The reason why the political situation in Thurii is still relatively stable is because after experiencing the ravages of war, the populations of these Greek cities in the Thurian League have been sharply reduced, and the remaining people are still busy repairing their homes. The fear of war makes them eager to receive strong protection, and the army under Davos's command can give them a great sense of security; and the original free people, who make up the majority of the population, have always been marginalized in the city-states. They are busy making a living, and at the same time, they have no right to participate in the affairs of the city-states, so they have neither developed the habit of participating in politics nor are they enthusiastic about politics; and those Lucanian citizens are even more so. Originally, in their tribes, the elders and chiefs had the final say, and now in the league, the Senate decides everything, and they have no discomfort at all.
Davos knew that such a stable situation would not last forever. When the league became stronger and the people became wealthier, they would probably have higher demands. But Davos was not worried about this, he had already taken corresponding measures to deal with it. For now, let the people of Thurii continue to familiarize themselves with the existing system until they become accustomed to it…
… … … … … … … … …
At the end of July, Dionysius led the Syracuse army to launch a full-scale attack on Motya, the core town of Carthage in Sicily.
The causeway they built from the coast had already connected the island on which Motya was located in the bay, and siege equipment could be directly transported to the city. Thus, a fierce siege began: the Motyans used bows, javelins, and burning pitch to kill and wound the Syracuse soldiers; the Syracuse people used dozens of crossbows to bombard the walls of Motya, forcing the defenders to stand on the walls…
After several days of fierce fighting, the battering ram used by the Syracuse people broke a large gap in the walls of Motya, and the Syracuse army poured in, and the walls of Motya fell.
Dionysius was extremely excited, he believed that victory was already at hand, but who knew that the bloody battle had just begun.
Because the Carthaginian reinforcement warships had been defeated by crossbows in the bay before, the residents of Motya had already realized that they would be fighting alone after witnessing all this. The Motyans knew that the decades of conflict and war between Carthage and the Greeks in Sicily had accumulated countless hatreds, and there was no way out of surrender, so they decided to fight to the death.
The city of Motya, though small in area, was Carthage's most important stronghold in Sicily. With a significant population, Motya's residents had to build their dwellings tall, generally six or seven stories high, like pointed towers, to accommodate everyone.
When the Syracusan soldiers stormed into the city, they were surprised to find that the residents of Motya had no intention of surrendering and were fiercely defending every street and every house. When the soldiers tried to break through the barricades on the streets, the residents of Motya could hurl stones, javelins, and even boiling water and hot oil from the upper floors of their dwellings, causing heavy casualties to the Syracusan soldiers.
Dionysius had to pause the offensive and gather countless engineers, spending time to build siege towers of the same height as the Motyan dwellings. They were six stories high, with wheels underneath, and enormous in size… Once everything was ready, the Syracusans launched another attack.
Ten siege towers were pushed by a large number of laborers, entering the city of Motya from the east, west, south, and north along the widened breaches in the city walls and roads, slowly approaching the dwellings. They lowered the connecting bridges at the top, attaching them to the roofs of the dwellings, and the Syracusan soldiers used the wooden ladders inside the towers to reach the exits, attempting to attack the dwellings through the connecting bridges. The residents of Motya hurled burning wood and pitch at the siege towers and desperately tried to prevent the enemy from entering.
Thus, the most peculiar scene in the siege of Motya occurred: both sides were fighting in mid-air, with limbs and blood constantly falling from the sky. Even more soldiers and residents, covered in flames, fell from the tens of meters high floors, their screams incessant, and the ground was covered with corpses…
Due to the desperate fighting of the Motyan residents, the Syracusan attack made little progress, and the battle fell into a stalemate…
… … … … … … …
Sparta's new king, Agesilaus, and the elders were now unable to focus on the war in Asia Minor, because a conspiracy that threatened their rule had been uncovered.
Cinadon, a former Spartan citizen, had been demoted to an inferior status because he could no longer afford the cost of public meals, and thus no longer enjoyed the privileges of a Spartan citizen. Initially, he was motivated by resentment and wanted to retaliate against the Spartan nobles, but after long observation and constant contact with other ruled classes within Spartan territory, he gradually realized how terrible the Spartan system's inhumane slaughter and oppression of the Helots was, and how unfair it was to the Perioeci and inferiors who also contributed sweat and blood to the city. Therefore, he decided to overthrow the rule of the Spartan nobles.
During this period, with the frequent occurrence of wars, Spartan citizens, Perioeci, and even Helots were constantly conscripted to fight. The domestic land gradually became barren due to the lack of labor, but the city-state's tax burden was increasing, causing dissatisfaction with Sparta to increase sharply among all classes. Therefore, under Cinadon's secret contact and propaganda using various opportunities, a large number of people within Spartan territory were inspired by his claims and joined his organization, even including disgruntled people among the Spartan citizens.
As time passed, the number of people in this rebel organization increased day by day. Just as they were preparing to take some action, a participant, out of fear, informed the Council of Elders.
The king, elders, and ephors were shocked by the news. Because of the urgency of the situation, they hurriedly held an informal meeting and decided to send Cinadon to lead some young people to a town in the suburbs to carry out a "purge." The so-called "purge" was an open and legal official action that the Spartan government formulated to periodically kill some Helots every year, fearing that the Helot population was too large and threatened Spartan rule. It not only allowed the Helots to always remember the terror of Sparta but also trained the bloodthirsty nature of young Spartan citizens.
Cinadon received the order without suspicion, but instead felt happy, not because he had the right to arbitrarily kill any Helot he encountered, but because he felt that he had the right to roam freely, which could be used as an opportunity to contact the organization and launch a riot.
However, he thought too simply and lacked vigilance. As a result, shortly after leaving the city, he was secretly arrested by Spartan warriors who had been lying in ambush and taken back to prison. The Spartans, who had exploited and oppressed the Helots for many years, were very experienced in torture. After severe torture, Cinadon, who had suffered greatly, finally revealed some important leaders of the organization.
While the inspectors were searching the city for rebels, they also escorted the bruised and battered Cinadon around the city to show the public, while declaring to the onlookers: Cinadon was a despicable traitor who vainly attempted to incite the Helots to launch a riot, overthrow Spartan rule, and seize Spartan wealth to become king himself.
Cinadon had no chance to defend himself. As soon as he opened his mouth, the Spartan warriors whipped his body and struck his mouth with iron-spiked clubs. Cinadon, covered in blood, staggered and fell to the ground before completing the entire route, convulsing and dying amidst the angry and disdainful gazes of the public.
The Spartan government successfully eliminated Cinadon from a physical standpoint, ruined his reputation, and made the Spartan people, who did not know the truth, hate these rebels. However, the number of people involved in the conspiracy was too large, and the matter was far from over. The two kings, elders, and ephors were busy stabilizing the domestic situation in the following period.
… … … … … … … … …
The Daonian rugby tournament lasted for more than ten days. The wonderful games and fierce confrontations not only made the Daonian people and their allied dignitaries crazy but even attracted foreign merchants who came to Thurii for trade. By the semi-finals, the arena was not only packed, but there were countless people shouting outside the arena.
Chief Executive Cuno Golatas urgently increased the number of patrols to strengthen the maintenance of order at the venue and avoid accidents.
The final was still between the two strong teams, Thurii and Amendolara.
From the whistle to the end, the audience stood and cheered for the two teams…
In the end, Amendolara narrowly won, avenging last year's defeat.
As the disappointed audience prepared to leave, the host of the tournament announced loudly: "Next, there will be a football exhibition match to thank the public for their full support!"
Football, as the name suggests, is a ball kicked with the feet, but how can you play a game by kicking a ball with your feet? Many viewers who had not seen this sport sat down again with doubts and curiosity.
The staff in the arena moved the goalposts and re-chalked the lines.
Just as the audience was whispering to friends who knew the situation, the players from both sides entered the field, and the referee stood in the center of the field holding a truly round ball.
With a whistle, the game began.
The audience was surprised to find that the round ball could bounce on the ground, and the players used their feet and various parts of their bodies to touch the ball, but they could not use their hands, which was exactly the opposite of rugby.
When they saw the players controlling the ball with their feet, making various wonderful moves, and dribbling past the opponents who were trying to steal the ball, the audience widened their eyes in surprise; and when they saw the players running like the wind with the ball and scoring with a powerful shot, the audience could not help but cheer in unison.
When the audience really began to immerse themselves in the game, some people had already realized that Daonia had invented a ball sport that was no less than rugby, and it would surely sweep the Daonian League and Greater Greece!
At the end of the game, the host of the tournament announced: "Next year, on the day of the founding of the state, a football tournament will be held in Daonia to celebrate!"
The audience left the arena with lingering interest. For a period of time afterwards, their conversations would still revolve around the rugby tournament and the football tournament to be held next year. And the merchants, while thinking about the business opportunities brought about by this grand event, brought these novel topics to other ports and cities, and the reputation of the Daonian ball sports tournament was slowly expanding its influence in Greater Greece…
Just as the rugby tournament was coming to an end, the senators in the Senate Hall looked solemn. Originally, they were just discussing a proposal to launch a war against the Brutii, when an envoy from Tarentum arrived…
… … … … … … … …
Previously, Tarentum had gathered a large army to seize Manduria, a stronghold town specially built by the Messapians to attack Tarentum, and then spent several months and paid a huge price to obtain Brindisi, an important port city of the Messapians, which suddenly doubled the territory of Tarentum.
While rejoicing, the Tarentines did not dare to be careless. Although the Messapians had been severely damaged, they would never give up. Centuries of struggle with the Messapians had given the Tarentines a deep understanding of the habits of this race. Therefore, Tarentum sent more soldiers to the newly occupied cities and stepped up the repair of the city defenses.
For several months in a row, the Apulia region (that is, the "heel" area of Italy) had been very calm.
Based on the estimated strength of the existing Messapians and the geographical location and importance of Brindisi and Manduria, the Tarentum Senate had carefully considered in advance. Therefore, they allowed the young Archytas to lead more soldiers to guard Brindisi, which was farther away from Tarentum and more important, while not deploying too many people in Manduria, which was only 40 miles away from Tarentum, because the troops from Tarentum and Brindisi could come to support at any time, and with the strength of the Messapians, it was impossible to focus on attacking two towns at the same time.
On the morning of the fifth day after the start of the Hades Festival, Archytas, who was inspecting the progress of construction at the port of Brindisi, received a messenger from the Tarentum Senate.
"Manduria has been attacked by the Messapians?! How many people?!" Archytas was somewhat surprised.
"According to the scouts, there are many enemies, no less than ten thousand, and their attack is very fierce! The Senate has sent two thousand people to Manduria and has temporarily contained the enemy's offensive…"
The messenger continued to relay the Senate's orders: "Lord Dio Miles believes that the Messapian army attacking Manduria is likely the last of their strength. Therefore, the Senate orders you to ensure the safety of Brundisium, lead as many soldiers as possible back, and join forces with the reinforcements from Heraclea and Metapontum to march on Manduria and completely defeat the Messapians! Completely secure the newly occupied territories!"
Archytas lowered his head in thought: Previously, in the struggle for Manduria and Brundisium, Tarentum had suffered nearly 5,000 casualties. The Messapians' casualties would not have been lower than Tarentum's, as evidenced by the Messapian corpses buried after the war. Although the Messapian League has seven or eight city-states, only Rudiae can be considered a large city. If they can send out another army of over ten thousand, Messapia's manpower should have reached its limit… Why not attack Brundisium, which is wedged into Messapian territory, but instead attack Manduria, which is closer to Tarentum and easier to get reinforcements?
But then he thought again and immediately cursed himself for being muddleheaded: Brundisium has 8,000 Tarentine citizen soldiers stationed there, while Manduria only has 2,000. Which city is easier to capture is obvious.
He looked up at the messenger who was still waiting for his reply and asked, "How many men have Metapontum and Heraclea sent?"
"Due to their considerable losses last time, it is said that the two cities have only sent 3,000 men this time," the messenger replied.
Archytas' expression darkened slightly: Of course, he knew how the allied states had fared in the previous battles. But Tarentum alone enjoyed the final victory, while Heraclea and Metapontum only received some compensation. However, isn't this how Daunia defeated its opponents and rapidly grew stronger?
Thinking of this, he no longer felt guilty and instead became concerned about the league of city-states across the bay that stirred complex emotions within him: "Has the Senate… sent envoys to Daunia for assistance?"
The messenger hesitated, shook his head, and looked strange.
Archytas' mind raced, and he immediately understood: Not only did Dio Miles, one of the newly elected magistrates this year, consistently dislike the Daunian League, but others also shared this sentiment to some extent. As a major city-state in southern Italy with a history of 300 years, seeking help from a newly established league of city-states that was less than two years old was truly a matter of losing face and honor. What would the allied states and other city-states of Greater Greece think! Moreover, Daunia is not like Heraclea and Metapontum, which consider Tarentum as their leader. Daunia and Tarentum are equal defensive allies, and Daunia's overall strength may even be… stronger than Tarentum's now. Asking Daunia for assistance would require paying a certain price. Therefore, Tarentum would never send envoys to Daunia unless it was in a critical situation.
Archytas pondered for a moment and then said decisively, "I plan to have Pebericius lead 2,000 soldiers to stay and defend Brundisium. I will take 6,000 men back with me. You will come with me because I don't have enough cavalry to escort you back alone."
The messenger breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed. He had been terrified by the Messapians' elusive light cavalry. The cavalry squad escorting him had lost more than a dozen lives to safely deliver him to Brundisium.
In the afternoon, the freemen who heard the news rushed to see off the 6,000 Tarentine citizen soldiers leaving the city with anxiety. Although Tarentum looked down on the emerging Daunian city-state league, which lacked historical depth, it had begun to learn from Daunia in how to handle occupied territories. After capturing the two towns, the Senate immediately promised the foreigners and freemen in Tarentum that as long as they were willing to move to Brundisium and Manduria, they would receive land and become Tarentine citizens. Brundisium and Manduria would also become dependencies of Tarentum. Therefore, although they knew there were risks, many freemen still brought their families and came willingly. Now that the war had broken out again, and a large part of Brundisium's defensive forces had left, how could they not be nervous?
Between Brundisium on the east coast of Apulia and Tarentum on the west coast lies an east-west mountain range, but otherwise, the terrain is flat. Therefore, Archytas' army could reach Tarentum in two directions: one was to go north around the mountains and head west directly to Tarentum; the other was to go directly west, passing through Manduria, around the mountains, and reaching Tarentum. Archytas naturally chose the former because, apart from Igratia, the only Messapian town to watch out for, the route was very safe. Choosing the latter meant being constantly vigilant against ambushes from some Messapian towns centered on Udiae, hidden in the dense forests to the south.
Archytas' army had not been out of the city for long when they bypassed the mountains. At this time, scouts reported: A small group of Messapian cavalry was spotted lurking nearby.
Archytas didn't pay much attention. Although Tarentum had seized Brundisium, Messapian cavalry still patrolled this area from time to time on the route between Tarentum and Brundisium, affecting the movement of personnel and supplies between the two cities. Tarentum had repeatedly sent soldiers to attack these cavalrymen, but they relied on their fast horses to run away early. After the troops returned without success, they reappeared again. Tarentum had no way to deal with these Messapian cavalry and had to consider building new villages and strongholds between the two cities to completely occupy this area after Brundisium was completely stabilized. Prior to this, Tarentum had specially formed troops to ensure the connection and transportation between the two cities. Heavy infantry combined with archers could effectively deal with these agile cavalrymen, and Archytas was doing the same.
After bypassing the mountains, the terrain leading to Tarentum was flat and open. Archytas divided the marching column into five rows, with the smaller number of light infantry in the center and the heavy-armored citizen soldiers on the outside. The entire marching column was about three miles long. Tarentum and Brundisium were about a hundred miles apart, and Archytas estimated that they would be able to reach Siggeum by evening at the current speed of the new army.
Archytas controlled the marching speed of the troops, advancing slowly.
However, as time went by, more and more Messapian cavalry appeared. They patrolled around the marching troops, attacking and killing Tarentum's scouts, forcing Archytas to withdraw his already small number of cavalry, thus preventing him from learning about the surrounding situation beyond the troops' line of sight.
As a commander, although Archytas was very aware that there were no powerful Messapian forces near the northern hills between Brundisium and Tarentum after the last war, this feeling of being like a blind man made him uneasy. He immediately ordered: The troops to speed up their march and reach Siggeum as soon as possible.
Siggeum was a village north of Tarentum, which had been built into a small stronghold fortress with sturdy earthen walls and multiple watchtowers to defend against Messapian incursions before Brundisium was captured because it was adjacent to Messapian territory.
The bugle was blown, and the company officers who received the order began to urge the chattering and joking soldiers.
At this moment, a loud bugle call sounded simultaneously in front of the team.
The soldiers of the advance team were stunned: Could it be that our army has arrived?
"This is the sound of an attack!" Some soldiers had already begun to exclaim.
Just as the team was in turmoil, Archytas' order came: Stop advancing! Immediately deploy the formation to the west, with the light infantry in front and the heavy infantry in the rear!
The company officers immediately took action, commanding the soldiers to begin forming ranks.
Under the protection of the cavalry, Archytas rode his horse to the front of the team.
A hundred meters away, the loosely formed Messapian cavalry stared at him like wolves, while he looked further ahead through the gaps in the enemy cavalry. He wondered: Now that the main force of the Messapians is in Manduria, if it is their army that has come, how many soldiers can they spare to block his troops from returning to Tarentum?
Just as he was pondering, the Tarentine marching column began to slowly deploy its formation to the west. The company officers and soldiers shouted to each other, finding their positions, the noise shaking the sky.
In front of the formation, Archytas and the Messapian cavalry not far away were quietly confronting each other…
Here they come! Archytas' eyelids twitched, he blinked hard, and stared even wider: He saw a row of small black dots appearing on the horizon a few hundred meters away, gradually getting bigger and longer…
As the team got closer, Archytas and the others could see more clearly: The same attire of round shields, bronze helmets, and spears, the same dense formation, but this could not confirm that it was the Tarentine team, because the Messapian soldiers also had the same equipment, thanks to the Athenians!
As they got even closer and could see the raised flags, the adjutant exclaimed: "General, it's the Igratian army!"
Igratia was the northernmost city-state in Messapian territory, adjacent to the territory of the Peucetians. Whenever there were conflicts between the Messapians and the Peucetians, Igratia was the first to bear the brunt. Therefore, as a border city, its military capabilities were stronger and it was closest to Brundisium. When Tarentum forcibly attacked Brundisium, the Igratians came to reinforce, but were repelled by Archytas.
Archytas had specifically set up outposts north of Brundisium to monitor Igratia's movements. Now that Igratia's army had appeared here, and Archytas had not received any warning, it was clear that the northern outposts had met with misfortune.
At this moment, Archytas had no mood to mourn. He stared at the enemy's formation, and with the mind of a mathematician, he quickly estimated that the enemy's strength was less than 3,000 men.
Less than 3,000 men dare to stop him from going home?! Archytas did not feel relieved, but instead felt more puzzled.
But now he had no time to think about it. The originally quiet Messapian cavalry shouted and charged over. He led the cavalry and hurriedly turned their horses around, retreating back into the formation, while the light infantry who were already at the forefront of the phalanx stepped forward, preparing to shoot the arrows in their hands.
The cunning Messapian cavalry swiftly bypassed, exposing the infantry phalanx behind them.
Subsequently, the Messapian army halted its advance, resuming a standoff with Archytas' forces a hundred meters away.
Archytas could no longer wait. Possessing twice the enemy's strength, coupled with a sense of unease, compelled him to immediately order the signal for attack!
In Tarentum, many were envious of or looked down upon the Daunian League, but not Archytas. He not only had a good relationship with the Daunian magistrate, Daunus, but also carefully studied Daunian military tactics, incorporating some into his own troops. Increasing the number of light infantry, organizing them separately, and fully utilizing their ranged attacks was a major change in the army he led.
While the light infantry took the initiative to attack the enemy, Archytas, positioned behind the right flank of the formation, which far exceeded the enemy phalanx in length, commanded the right-wing heavy infantry to advance, preparing to encircle the enemy's left flank.
The Messapian phalanx remained stationary; instead, the Messapian cavalry, encircling the Tarentine formation, took action. They approached from all directions, throwing javelins at the Tarentine soldiers, attempting to disrupt and hinder the enemy's advance.
Archytas remained unmoved. The signal for attack continued to sound, and the heavy infantry quickly entered charging range.
"Ooh!... Ooh!..." A resounding, drawn-out blast from a cow horn suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Archytas was taken aback. Was that sound coming from behind?!
"Enemies behind! Enemies behind!!..." Some soldiers at the rear of the right flank began to shout in alarm. In the distant, dispersing morning mist, vague human figures could be seen, and the rumbling of footsteps could be heard.
It was a trap! The Messapians had set an ambush here! The thought flashed through Archytas' mind like a "thud": Should he continue forward or retreat? He had to make a decision immediately.
Fortunately, he had learned from the Daunian army's practices, where the commander did not lead from the front within the phalanx but remained outside it. Previously, this had led to accusations in the Senate that he was adopting decadent aristocratic customs in battle, not fighting alongside the citizens, and behaving in a cowardly manner.
He had not changed his approach due to the criticism, so now he was able to make adjustments before engagement: "The entire army, halt! Immediately retreat to the left rear in a unified formation!" Archytas immediately issued orders to the messengers and horn blowers, hoping to transform the terrible situation of being attacked from both sides into a frontal engagement with the two enemy forces through retreat.
The war horn sounded. Messengers raced behind the phalanx, shouting loudly.
For a typical Greek city-state army,
retreating to the left rear was a complex tactical maneuver, difficult to execute even in training, let alone on the battlefield. However, Archytas believed that the army he led, which had been campaigning for half a year, was like a Daunian army, and strictly trained by him, could accomplish it.
In multiple engagements with the Messapians, he had learned of the tribe's courage and tenacity. He lacked confidence in being able to defeat the western enemy, who had half his strength, in a very short time, and he did not want to be caught in a dangerous situation where he was attacked from both sides. The only solution was to immediately disengage from the current battlefield and redeploy for attack. Since the main force of the Messapians was attacking Manduria, he believed that the number of enemies here, even if greater than his army, would not be much greater. He was confident in defeating them in a frontal battle!
The phalanx stopped advancing and began to slowly retreat, but as the Tarentine army ceased its forward movement, the Messapian infantry began to charge. At the same time, the Messapian cavalry intensified their attacks, howling and even driving their horses into the phalanx in an attempt to disrupt the Tarentine retreat.
This desperate fighting style of the Messapian cavalry alarmed Archytas. He sensed the Messapians' determination to annihilate his army here, making it difficult to maintain his previous composure.
Should he continue to retreat or strengthen his defense? Archytas was once again faced with a difficult choice.
But time was short. The Messapian cavalry had already charged to the front. The light infantry hastily retreated to the sides. Obstructed by the Messapian cavalry and unable to fully retreat, the Tarentine heavy infantry had no choice but to turn and face the enemy, immediately falling into a passive position.
Archytas no longer had time to regret. Faced with such a predicament, he instructed the light infantry to use arrows to disperse the Messapian cavalry and ordered the company officers to shorten the length of the heavy infantry phalanx, thickening the ranks. At the same time, he ordered the soldiers at the rear of the phalanx to quickly turn around to face the approaching enemy and advance a dozen meters, transforming the entire formation from the original "long serpent formation" into a "two-line formation," where two parallel lines protected each other's rear.
Archytas believed that even if his troops were temporarily at a disadvantage, they could rely on their solid defense to repel the Messapians!
The Messapian cavalry in the rear had already withdrawn to the flanks. The rumbling of footsteps and deafening shouts clearly transmitted from the morning mist…
When the dark mass of enemies approached, the Tarentine soldiers were shocked: Not only was the number of enemies astonishing, but they were also not dressed as Messapian soldiers. They carried wooden shields and spears, wearing simple helmets and breastplates.
"Lord Archytas, it's the Peucetians! It's the Peucetians!!" Upon receiving the scouts' report, Archytas was equally shocked: The Messapians and Peucetians had joined forces! For decades, the Messapians and Peucetians, who had harbored hatred and frequently engaged in wars and conflicts, had actually united!!
Watching more and more Peucetian warriors charge forward, Archytas trembled all over, not only worried about the safety of his troops but also concerned about the situation of Tarentum…
… … … … … … … …
"Congratulations, Peucetian King! The Tarentines are already surrounded by us!" Timocrates, the magistrate of Egnatia, said flatteringly.
"Yes, that Archytas who has caused you many defeats is surrounded by my brave warriors. Quickly eliminate them! Then go on to attack Brundisium!" King Tremellius of the Peucetians said with a look of joy, not forgetting to taunt the Messapians.
However, half an hour later, the Tarentine banner within the encirclement still stood firm. Apart from making the encirclement smaller, the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces had made no substantial progress. On the contrary, the concentrated strength of the Tarentine soldiers made the attack even more difficult.
The Peucetian king personally led over ten thousand warriors, and with the soldiers of Egnatia, the combined force outnumbered Archytas's army by more than double.
Even with the enemy surrounded, the battle was so difficult.
The Peucetian king, the magistrate of Egnatia, and the Peucetian generals all stared at the dusty battlefield with solemn expressions.
"Fight! Tarentines, fight! Descendants of the hero Taras, do not stop wielding your spears! Remember, for every enemy you kill, your parents, wives, and children will gain a measure of safety!…" Archytas, in the center of the encirclement, rode back and forth, dodging the constant stream of arrows and javelins while shouting loudly to boost morale.
His voice was already hoarse, and his warhorse was constantly panting, but he was oblivious. He knew that this time he was likely in great danger, but even if he died in battle, he would inflict heavy losses on the enemy and reduce the threat to his motherland.
The Tarentine formation had changed from a "two-line" to a circular formation. Encouraged by him, the light infantry in the center tirelessly shot arrows from their hands, heedless of the bowstrings cutting their fingers and the muscles in their arms being strained. The heavy infantry pressed tightly together, working together to withstand the enemy's powerful collisions, while raising their spears and constantly stabbing and retracting from above the tightly packed shield wall. Once a spearhead broke, they would immediately draw their swords and continue to thrust and slash… They knew that there was no way out and that they could only fight to the death. Therefore, even as their comrades fell around them, their fighting spirit remained unshaken.
… … … … … … …
An hour passed, and the Peucetian king's face was already ashen, because the Tarentine banner still stood firm, and his own generals were requesting a pause in the attack, as the warriors were exhausted and suffering considerable casualties.
"Worthless, a bunch of worthless people! Are you still descendants of the heroic Arcadian King Lycaon! Look at the Greeks surrounded by you. They are not as tall as us, nor do they outnumber us. If you are afraid even in this situation, I can only replace you and let true warriors lead my soldiers!…" Tremellius roared, waving his arms, nearly sweeping the face of the general in front of his warhorse with the spear in his hand.
"Respected Peucetian King, Archytas is indeed a famous general of Tarentum, and the army he commands is indeed a powerful fighting force! We still need to retake Brundisium and should not deplete too much of our strength here!" Timocrates suppressed his schadenfreude and advised.
"You mean to stop fighting?" Tremellius glanced at him sideways, saying contemptuously.
"The Tarentines are fighting to the death because they have no escape. If our encirclement could leave a passage open…" A sly smile appeared on Timocrates' face.
"You mean—" Tremellius was not an incompetent king. In his youth, he had led troops to conquer all around for the sake of Peucetian power. At this moment, he was just too fixated on victory. Reminded by Timocrates, he immediately understood and turned his gaze to the Messapian and Peucetian cavalry waiting on both sides of the battlefield. Together, they numbered nearly a thousand, but because the enemy was surrounded, they had lost their use.
"I have the same idea!" Tremellius straightened his chest and said loudly to cover up his previous lapse. He spurred his horse forward, pointing his spear at the Tarentine banner standing in the center of the chaotic battlefield: "Just don't let Archytas get away!"
Because the Peucetians had more troops and generals, and the Messapians urgently needed their help, the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces, after discussion, chose to have the Egnatian infantry on the western side of the encirclement leave a passage open.
This time, Timocrates truly shot himself in the foot. Retreating during battle, even a small portion, is extremely dangerous. A single misstep can lead to a complete rout.
Fortunately, the Tarentum soldiers had been in a state of complete defense for a long time. When the enemy in front of them disappeared, most of them had not fully reacted. Seeing the enemy collapsing before them, exposing a large gap, the already exhausted Tarentum soldiers were somewhat unable to believe their eyes, yet overjoyed.
"The enemy has been driven back by us!!!"
"The enemy is running away! We... we have won!!!"
How could the soldiers in the midst of the battlefield, shrouded in the shadow of death for more than an hour, consider so much? Just like a drowning person about to die would clutch at a floating straw, they cheered, joy seemingly replacing exhaustion. They rushed out of the gap, regardless of everything, and also drove the adjacent soldiers to follow them involuntarily.
When Archytas realized that the situation was abnormal, the entire army was like a flood bursting a dam. Not only were the soldiers rushing towards the gap, but the accumulated high morale was also quickly taken away.
"Stop! Don't panic! Maintain your formation, and then charge out again!..." Archytas desperately tried to calm the chaotic soldiers, but it was in vain. On the contrary, the Peucetians increased their offensive, further forcing the Tarentines to flee towards the gap, and Archytas was also pushed towards the gap by the crowded flow of people.
"General, it's no use, we should escape quickly!" the adjutant urged anxiously from the side.
The soldiers whose morale had wavered were completely unable to resist the Peucetians' full-scale attack, and casualties began to increase. The continuous screams entered Archytas' ears, making him even more anxious. Seeing that the surrounding guards were also looking panicked, he had to brace himself and shout hoarsely: "Follow me and kill our way out! Follow me and kill our way out!!..."
Archytas attempted to command the soldiers to concentrate their strength and charge west, striving to widen the gap and even defeat the Iapygians, so that more people could escape the encirclement. However, on one side were the victorious enemies, and on the other side were the soldiers with no will to fight. Most people only cared about escaping, ignoring his orders.
The citizen soldiers of Tarentum still lacked training and experience! He sighed inwardly. At this moment, he was actually thinking in his mind: If Deionysius led the Daunian army, what would he do in this situation?
Just as he was distracted, the guards had already surrounded him, and under the pushing of the soldiers, rushed out of the gap.
"General, let's escape quickly!" the adjutant urged anxiously.
Escape, where can we escape to? In Archytas' vision: teams of enemy cavalry were galloping on the flat plains in the distance,
reaping the lives of the Tarentum soldiers who only cared about escaping with javelins and spears; and nearby, several teams of enemy cavalry were rushing towards him aggressively, shouting something loudly...
"It's a pity, the lifting machinery I haven't finished researching..." Archytas sighed again. In academics, he had regrets. In politics, he had always advocated that the Greek city-states of southern Italy should unite to resist foreign enemies, and this ideal, Daunia seemed to be completing...
At this moment, he threw all his nostalgia and regrets behind him, drew his saber, and took the lead, charging towards the enemy...
............
As the sun set in the west, and the weary birds returned to their nests, the dust and mist of the battlefield dissipated, the sounds of killing faded away, leaving only corpses strewn across the field, and blood flowing like a river.
Tremonius, accompanied by Timocrates and the Peucetian generals, came to Archytas' body.
This Greek mathematical genius, the young military general on whom the people of Tarentum placed high hopes, was lying among several horse corpses, with three javelins in his body. Strangely, there was no pain or anger on his pale face, but rather a great deal of peace...
"I thought he was some remarkable figure, but he's just a young man without a beard!" A Peucetian general muttered disdainfully.
Tremonius glared at him until he closed his mouth.
He stared at Archytas' body, and after a moment said: "Cut off his head and show it to the Greeks in Brundisium, and bury his body."
............
Until late at night, a few soldiers managed to escape back to Tarentum after all kinds of hardships, and the people learned the news that 6,000 soldiers were almost completely annihilated, and the whole city was plunged into great grief.
Compared to the failure of the battle, the sacrifice of a large number of citizens, and the unknown whereabouts of Archytas, the Senate was even more shocked by the alliance between the Peucetians and the Messapians, which doubled the pressure on Tarentum.
The Tarentum Senate held an emergency meeting late at night, and the result was that the failure of this battle even reduced the number of senators by nearly one-twentieth, because at least six senators, including Archytas, who accompanied the army, had no news so far.
Everyone discussed with grief how to deal with the difficult situation that followed. After this battle, Brundisium would inevitably be besieged by the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces, and the main force of the Peucetians was still besieging Manduria. The casualties of nearly 6,000 young and strong citizens, coupled with the successive battles in the previous months, had resulted in the loss of as many as 10,000 Tarentum citizen soldiers, which could be said to have hurt their vitality. Not to mention the nearly 6,000 citizen soldiers trapped in the two cities, therefore, Tarentum still had enough strength left to defend, but not enough to attack.
However, just abandoning the territory that the citizens had exchanged with blood and lives, not only could the senators of the Senate not accept it, but the people would never agree to it, so the only way was to request reinforcements.
But who to ask for help became the focus of everyone's debate. Now it seems that the strength of Heraclea and Metapontum, as affiliated allied states, can only send three or four thousand people at their limit. Tarentum will face a possible attack of twenty to thirty thousand by the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces, and this force is far from enough. Asking for help from a city-state with great strength is Tarentum's only choice, so Tarentum does not have many options.
Sparta in the east, as Tarentum's mother state, has always had a good relationship. Tarentum stood on Sparta's side in the Peloponnesian War, which added weight to the friendship between the two city-states. This was the choice of some conservative senators led by Consul Diomilas; Daunia in the west, as Tarentum's allied state, has rapidly become an alliance with six cities and two affiliated city-states within two years. The battles it has participated in have almost never failed, and one of them even mobilized an army of 20,000 people. Its strength can be seen. It can deal with the large number of Messapian-Peucetian allied forces. This is the opinion of another Consul Eumachus and some senators; some individual senators also mentioned Syracuse in the south. Due to the relationship with Sparta, Tarentum and Syracuse still have some exchanges, but as a city-state of Magna Graecia, Tarentum is equally wary of Syracuse's intervention in South Italian affairs. Moreover, Syracuse at this time is still fighting Carthage, how can it have the spare capacity to aid Tarentum, so it is not within the scope of consideration.
After discussing to the end, most people were inclined to ask Daunia for help. As Eumachus said: "When Daunia's Consul Dionysius was still a mercenary leader, our Tarentum had selflessly helped them. Archytas led our citizen soldiers to help them defeat the Lucanians; when they secretly occupied Amendolara, it was we who risked offending other Magna Graecia city-states, selflessly helped them, recognized the legitimacy of their occupation of Amendolara, provided them with food, and protected them from the attack of Thurii; when Thurii was burned down, when Daunia was attacked by Croton, it was we who extended our friendly hands to them... It is because of our Tarentum's selfless help time and time again that there is today's Daunia City-State Alliance (Of course, Eumachus directly ignored the fact that Tarentum did not send reinforcements according to the alliance agreement)! We Tarentum people do not ask for rewards because we give others favors. But we should also give the Daunians, who have been uneasy in their hearts for enjoying our help, a chance to repay us!..."
"That's right, Consul! We should generously give Daunia a chance to repay us!..." In fact, whether it is from the distance between the city-states and the current state of strength, Daunia is the best choice for asking for help. There is already an alliance agreement between the two states, and Sparta still has Persian wars to deal with. It is only because of Tarentum's shame for not sending troops to aid Daunia several times in the past, and the self-esteem of being a long-standing strong state of Magna Graecia, that such hesitation has arisen. Eumachus's euphemistic words well satisfied the senators' vanity, and finally made the opinion of seeking help reach a consensus.
............
"Archytas is dead?!!" Dionysius looked incredulous.
"Yes, Consul. This morning, several soldiers who escaped back to Tarentum said that they saw the Messapians carrying away General Archytas' body on the battlefield..." Tarentum envoy Polydorus said in a somber tone.
"How could a group of soldiers busy escaping see clearly?!!" Dionysius still refused to believe this fact: "Maybe he was injured and captured?"
"We also hope that General Archytas is still alive, but even if he is still alive, falling into the hands of the Messapians, he will..." Polydorus said, and then could not continue.
Dionysius understood what he meant: As the main military general of the Tarentum army, the Messapians had almost never won against him, especially this time attacking Manduria and Brundisium, causing so much damage to the Messapians, the Messapians probably hated not being able to drink his blood and eat his flesh! This time, if he really fell into their hands, Archytas' fate could be imagined!