Lost in thought, Davos didn't steer his ship northwest with the fleet, but went straight ahead, through the second water gate, towards the true harbor of Tarentum.
Although it was wartime, the port of Tarentum was still very busy, even more so than usual, because the ongoing war had increased the city's demand for various materials. Therefore, despite the full assistance of the port personnel, it took Davos' ship a long time to dock.
Davos was not in a hurry. He carefully observed the port, comparing its differences with the port of Thurii…
Once ashore, Davos and his party, especially the fully armed guard led by Malthius, attracted the attention of many Tarentines. They stopped their work and watched curiously. Those who knew the inside story guessed that this might be the Daonian reinforcements, but no one showed any welcome, and there was no cheering as was common in the port of Thurii. They just watched indifferently, and some even showed sadness in their eyes. Davos noticed that many women were wearing black cloths on their heads, and the shadow of war failure had already enveloped the people of Tarentum.
The Tarentum Senate, out of the pride of an old powerful state, did not go to the port to greet them, but waited at the city gate.
"They're here!" With this shout, everyone perked up and looked forward.
Walking towards them was a young man with a calm expression and steady steps, exuding a composure far different from that of ordinary young people, but as the chief magistrate of a city-state alliance, he was indeed too young.
Eumachus nudged Diomedes, who was still in thought, preparing to remind him.
Diomedes understood what he meant and said preemptively, "Don't say it, I understand. Who told us to be asking for their help?"
After speaking, he strode forward and said, "Welcome, young magistrate of Daonia. We await the arrival of the Daonian reinforcements, our close allies, like dry fields await rain. Thank the gods, you have finally arrived!"
Eumachus frowned, worried that Davos would be displeased by these words.
Unexpectedly, Davos immediately said apologetically, "I am truly very sorry! I believe you also know that the Daonian League has been established for less than two years. This is the first time we have sent nearly 20,000 reinforcements, which is almost two-thirds of the population of Thurii citizens. Moreover, it is the season for the upcoming harvest, and it is also the first time to transport so many soldiers across the sea. The affairs are too complicated, and we have no experience, so we have only arrived today. I hope it has not delayed important matters."
"Not late! Not late! You have come at the right time!" Eumachus quickly interjected, "I really didn't expect Daonia to send such a large force. This is a great help to us! Lord Davos, we Tarentines are very grateful for your generous assistance!"
At this time, Polydorus had the opportunity to interject and introduce, "Lord Davos, this is Eumachus, the magistrate of Tarentum."
Judging from his words just now, this magistrate at least had some goodwill towards Daonia. Davos bowed respectfully.
"This is Diomedes, the magistrate of Tarentum," Polydorus continued to introduce.
And this one… Davos glanced at him: narrow eyes, a thin nose, thin lips, and a stern expression, obviously prejudiced against Daonia. According to Aristilas's intelligence, there were many such people in the Tarentum Senate, but Davos still bowed respectfully and greeted him.
Next, they paid their respects to the senators of the Tarentum Senate. The Tarentum Senate originated from the Spartan Council of Elders, but compared to the Spartan Council of Elders, which only had 30 seats, Tarentum had many more senators, and the senatorial seats in the Tarentum Senate, like the magistrates, were elected annually by all citizens.
"This is—" Before Polydorus could finish speaking, the old man in front of him raised his eyebrows and glared, pointing at Davos and scolding, "You still have the face to come to Tarentum? You swore that you would promote our school in Amendolara, and we sent apprentices to Amendolara to help you. Who knew that you not only made them betray the school, but also let them use money to lure more apprentices away from Tarentum! My son regarded you as a friend, and is this how you repay the Pythagorean school's selfless help to Daonia! I tell you, Tarentum does not welcome you!"
Davos did not expect to meet someone from the Pythagorean school here, and was quite embarrassed. He quickly turned to look at Polydorus, "Who is this?"
"Archytas's father—Histiaevus," Polydorus replied.
Davos was moved. He took a step forward, and regardless of the old man's displeasure, bowed respectfully, "Archytas is my good friend. I will definitely avenge him, defeat the Messapians, and bring back his remains. I hope you can grieve in moderation, Uncle!"
"We don't need Daonia's help. We Tarentum can also defeat the Messapians and retrieve my son's remains!" Histiaevus said stubbornly, with tears in his eyes.
Just then, a cavalryman galloped over, repeatedly shouting, "The fleet is back! The fleet is back!…"
Upon hearing the news, the senators of the Senate immediately abandoned Davos and his party and ran towards the port.
Polydorus hurriedly explained to him. Davos expressed his understanding and offered to go and see the situation together.
Standing on a high place outside the port, looking down at the beach: in the central pier of the crowded port of Tarentum, warships were slowly entering in a row…
Polydorus widened his eyes and counted the number of ships. The more he counted, the more panicked he became. In the end, his voice was trembling, "Only… only 19 warships, 25 passenger ships…"
If Davos hadn't supported him in time, he would have collapsed to the ground.
Davos also frowned. According to Polydorus, when the Tarentum fleet left the port, it had 80 warships and 100 troop carriers, carrying 4,000 soldiers. Now only 1/4 of the ships have returned. Tarentum's losses are huge, not only in warships and soldiers, but also in sailors. A trireme needs nearly 200 sailors to be fully manned. One can imagine how much damage this has caused to the manpower of the port of Tarentum…
This also gave Davos a warning: before gaining absolute control of the sea, one must be very cautious about using ships to transport soldiers across the sea to fight!
Everyone in the port was plunged into great sorrow. Even from this far away, Davos could still hear the deafening cries, which could not help but move even him, who was accustomed to life and death.
Polydorus was still craning his neck to look forward, hoping that there were still lagging warships that had not entered the port in time. In the end, he finally gave up, tightly grasped Davos's hands, and said repeatedly, "Lord Davos, Tarentum really needs Daonia's full assistance!"
Davos nodded, thinking to himself: Counting this naval battle, the war between Tarentum and the Messapians has probably resulted in the deaths and injuries of as many as 10,000 Tarentum soldiers, which has indeed damaged their vitality.
Since the Tarentum Senate was busy dealing with the aftermath, the originally scheduled joint war meeting had to be postponed.
Davos didn't mind, as he could go back and build the camp with the soldiers.
… … … … … … … … … … …
The failure of a major naval battle will have far-reaching effects. Providing compensation for the casualties is only the most basic. There is also the repair of the remaining warships, accelerating the rebuilding of the new fleet, appeasing the merchants in the port, and ensuring that the sea trade routes have not been cut off by the enemy… etc. These complicated aftermath affairs cannot be resolved in a day or two, but the urgent war situation forces Tarentum to temporarily put them aside the next day and immediately convene a joint war meeting to launch a land counterattack against the Messapian-Peucetian coalition as soon as possible to reduce the enemy's threat to the city of Tarentum.
Considering that he had neglected the magistrate of Daonia due to the sudden incident yesterday, Eumachus decided to invite him personally.
Eumachus rode to the northwest corner of the bay, and the scene before him surprised him. Before him stood a huge military camp, with trenches, fences, camp gates, watchtowers, tents… everything was complete. This was only one day, and the Daonians had built a "city" in this relatively sparsely populated area. This efficiency was too high!
Of course, Eumachus did not know that because Daonia attached importance to camp construction during wartime, under Davos's initiative, the army engineers had standardized some of the camp facilities after research and repeated experiments. For example, the materials needed for the camp gates and watchtowers were all made in Thurii in advance and transported by the logistics battalion. After arriving at the destination, they were assembled according to the actual situation, which saved time and effort. Of course, the prerequisite was to have strong logistics transportation capabilities and good road conditions.
While Eumachus was surprised, he heard someone calling him. Upon closer inspection, it was Timias, a theater owner in the city of Tarentum. He couldn't help but ask strangely, "What are you doing here?"
"Of course, I'm doing business." Timias pointed to the several flamboyantly dressed women beside him and said helplessly, "With the failure of the war against the Messapians, the citizens no longer have the mood to watch plays, nor do they have the mood to play with the girls. I haven't had any income for two months now. I heard that the Daonian reinforcements have arrived with nearly 20,000 people, so I came here to see if there was an opportunity to make money, but the guards here won't let us in!"
Hearing this, Eumachus felt slightly embarrassed. Timias's theater mainly relied on performing some vulgar and lewd dramas to attract people to make money. At the same time, he also worked part-time as a pimp for the rich, providing prostitutes and male prostitutes, because they were mostly actors, of high quality and more popular. But he didn't expect him to be pimping to the Daonian camp. So, he advised, "The war is about to start, don't disturb the Daonians' rest here."
"What if there's a war! Before which war have I, Timias, not provided good service to the soldiers? Even you, Oumacas, I've served you at your door more than once, and I didn't see you complaining that it affected your rest!" Timias said loudly and confidently. Several women nearby also flirted with Oumacas, chiming in with sweet voices.
"Alright, alright, if you want to stay here, then stay here! I have urgent business!" Oumacas said, both anxious and angry. He couldn't lash out in public, so he finished speaking with some annoyance, spurred his horse forward, and told the gate guards to announce his arrival.
"Lord Oumacas, when you see the Archon of Daonia, could you please say a word for us, to let us in…" Seeing that Oumacas was about to enter the camp, Timias cheekily approached him again, but Oumacas ignored him completely and went straight inside.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
When Davos came out of the camp, Timias and the women still wanted to surround him, but Martius led the guards to drive them aside, infuriating Timias, who began to curse loudly.
Oumacas pretended not to hear. Davos laughed and pointed to a bustling and noisy area in front of the camp, saying, "The people of Taranto are indeed clever. We just set up camp yesterday, and today a lively market has automatically formed here. To be honest, it provides great convenience for our army to purchase necessary supplies. However, prostitution is strictly prohibited in the army. According to the 'Daonian Military Law,' violators will be deprived of their citizenship. Therefore, even if that person enters the military camp, no one will dare to violate military law and engage with him."
Oumacas blushed slightly, smiled in agreement, and sighed, "Your military law is strict; no wonder your battle record is outstanding."
The location for the war council was in Oumacas's estate on the outskirts of Taranto.
In the conference room, Davos not only saw Daomilas but also Triphilius, one of the Archons of Heraclea, and Tudeprestes, one of the Archons of Metapontum.
Daomilas still wore the same expression as yesterday, but at least he didn't say any more rumors. It was estimated that the bad news of the naval defeat had dampened his spirits.
Tudeprestes greeted Davos very politely, behaving in a proper and restrained manner. On the other hand, Triphilius shook hands and embraced Davos, chatting and laughing. After all, Heraclea was close to Amendolara. When Davos led the mercenaries to gain a foothold in Amendolara, they had dealings with Heraclea, and in less than two years, they had established a close relationship.
After everyone was seated, Oumacas solemnly said, "Lords, thank you for providing us with selfless assistance when Taranto encountered difficulties! Daomilas and I represent the Taranto Senate and the people of Taranto in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to you!" After speaking, Oumacas bowed respectfully to the three.
Daomilas reluctantly followed suit. Davos and the other two also returned the courtesy politely.
After this series of formalities, they moved on to the main topic.
Daomilas stood up and said, "Manduria has fewer than 4,000 soldiers stationed there and has been under siege by the Messapian coalition for two days! According to reliable sources, the Messapian coalition has as many as 30,000 troops. If we don't take action immediately, Manduria will suffer the same fate as Brundisium! The Taranto Senate has decided to send us immediately to relieve Manduria and seek an opportunity to engage the Messapian coalition in a decisive battle. Does anyone disagree?"
His gaze swept over Tudeprestes and Triphilius, and finally landed on Davos. Heraclea and Metapontum, as subordinate city-states of Taranto, had always followed orders, so Daomilas's question was naturally directed at Daonia.
Both Archons gave affirmative answers, but Davos did not speak immediately. Instead, he stood up, went to Oumacas's side. On the wooden table in front of him was a detailed map of Taranto, which clearly showed Manduria marked not far south of the Taranto label. He gestured with his finger and asked, "How far is Manduria from here?"
"Less than fifty li." Oumacas replied.
Fifty li. Davos estimated that at the Daonian legion's normal marching speed of fifteen li per hour, it would take less than three hours to arrive. Manduria was located on a 'coastal corridor,' with the sea on one side and mountains and forests on the other. However, Manduria was not located on the coast but relied on the mountains and forests. But thinking that Taranto was not far to its north, the Messapians must have considered Taranto's naval strength when building this city, so they played to their strengths and avoided their weaknesses.
"How wide is it here?" Davos pinched the 'corridor' on the map with two fingers.
"Six li at its narrowest." Oumacas replied.
Six li. The length of a 30,000-strong army spread out in formation would far exceed this length. Davos thought for a moment and asked, "How many soldiers is Taranto planning to send?"
Oumacas was about to answer, but Daomilas couldn't restrain himself any longer and shouted, "Do you agree to send troops or not? Make a decision quickly and don't ask this and that, delaying our time! —"
"Daomilas!" Oumacas hurriedly called out, fearing that his excessive words would anger Davos.
Daomilas had only seen that Davos not only didn't show respect to him as an Archon but also acted as if he were the host of the meeting, which had made him momentarily indignant. Now, remembering the instructions of the Senators and the dangerous situation of Taranto, he snorted and swallowed his anger.
Davos remained calm, looked at Daomilas, and slowly said, "Starting a war not only concerns the life and death of a citizen-soldier but also the rise and fall of a city-state. As war strategists, we must carefully consider everything. Does Taranto have another opportunity to experience failure?!"
The others were moved by Davos's words. Daomilas snorted again and muttered softly, "This is just an excuse for your cowardice."
Davos chuckled and said nothing.
Cowardice? None of the others present would agree with Daomilas's words. After all, the battles Davos had commanded in the past had always been victories of the few over the many, which had already proven everything. On the other hand, Taranto's urgent request for Daonian reinforcements when facing the Messapian coalition's attack, who was being cowardly?
Oumacas saw Triphilius winking at Tudeprestes, with a hint of sarcasm on his face. He couldn't hold his face any longer and hurriedly smoothed things over, "Lord Davos, please forgive Daomilas's rudeness. He is also anxious about Taranto's current… terrible situation, and he spoke impulsively without thinking!"
Oumacas apologized while winking at Daomilas repeatedly.
Daomilas held his breath and didn't apologize, but he didn't say anything more.
"Taranto will send 10,000 soldiers on the expedition." Oumacas continued, "Adding your reinforcements, the total military strength will reach 27,000, which is not much different from the number of the Messapian coalition. After relieving Manduria, the number of Taranto soldiers will increase to 14,000, and the total army will be 31,000. This is a considerable number, and repelling the Messapian coalition is not a problem at all."
"If things can develop as you say, that would be best, but—" Davos forcefully pointed to the Manduria icon on the map: "If the Messapian coalition not only doesn't engage us in a decisive battle but retreats instead, have you considered that?"
"That's impossible! The Messapians are easily angered and tyrannical, fond of fighting, and regard retreat as cowardice." Daomilas immediately retorted.
"The Messapians were able to unite with the Peucetians to ambush Archytas, obviously they don't only know how to be brave and fierce." Having arrived in Taranto, Davos also learned the truth about Archytas's defeat. At this time, he patiently analyzed: "As far as I know, the Messapian infantry is not as good as our heavy infantry. I believe the Peucetians are even more so. Their cavalry is strong, but the area of Manduria is narrow. If the two sides engage in a decisive battle, it will be unfavorable for their cavalry to attack and favorable for our heavy infantry to fight. A smart person wouldn't fail to consider this… Here, perhaps, is their ideal battlefield," Davos pointed to the larger gap between Manduria and Brundisium, where there were no mountain or forest markings.
"However, once the enemy retreats, we will join forces with the Manduria garrison, and our strength will increase again. The Messapian coalition will face a difficult choice, and choosing to retreat directly is not impossible." Davos reminded again.
"That makes sense." Triphilius nodded in agreement. Heraclea's strength was not very strong. Previously, following Taranto in the conquest of the Messapian region had already resulted in considerable losses. Of course, he hoped to force the Messapians to retreat without losing a single soldier and fulfill his obligations as an ally smoothly.
Tudeprestes had the same mindset.
Oumacas and Daomilas exchanged glances, both with worry on their faces. They were both clear in their hearts: if the Messapian coalition really chose to retreat as Davos said, it would not be a good thing for Taranto.
Greek city-states often benefited from a quick victory when organizing armies of tens of thousands of people to fight abroad. After all, over time, not only would the consumption of materials be huge, but also a large number of citizens would be away from the country for a long time, and most of the city-state's affairs would be abandoned. Before the war ended, the city-state's order would be chaotic, and the houses and fields would be empty, and it would probably perish. Therefore, so far, only Athens, Sparta, and Syracuse have the ability to fight for a long time, and they all have powerful city-state alliances behind them to provide support.
If the Messapian coalition retreats, the tens of thousands of Daonian reinforcements will certainly not be able to stay for long. When the Messapians attack again, will Taranto ask Daonia for reinforcements again? Taranto has finally gathered such a large army, and only hopes to achieve success in one battle, giving the Messapian coalition a heavy blow, in order to change Taranto's decline.
"If the Meap coalition forces dare to retreat, we will go and destroy Brundisium!" Dao Miltonas shouted fiercely.
Davos gave him a slightly surprised look. This idea was indeed good!
He noticed that Dao Miltonas used the word "destroy", and it was obvious that this Tarentum executive officer, who seemed to have a bad temper, wisely realized that even if Tarentum regained Brundisium, Tarentum would not be able to hold it with its current strength. Instead, it would increase more casualties, and Brundisium's city defenses, which had experienced many battles, should not be strong. If the Meap coalition forces did not stop them, destroying it would be easy. But could the Messapians, who had worked so hard to regain Brundisium, accept it? Dao Miltonas' idea undoubtedly hit the Messapians' vital point.
For Davos, Tarentum's strength had been severely damaged. If the Messapians and Puchetii continued to rampage and expand, the Greek region in eastern South Italy would be in great trouble. With Daonia's strength, Davos, who had already regarded southern Italy as Daonia's backyard, certainly did not want to see this bad situation. Therefore, he led 14,000 soldiers to Tarentum not for tourism, but for the purpose of defeating the Meap coalition forces, which was consistent with the ideas of the Tarentum Senate! Moreover, with the number of people on both sides being equal, Davos firmly believed that with the ability of the Daonian Legion, the final victory would belong to Daonia! So he finally said: "I agree with the proposal of Lord Dao Miltonas. Daonia is willing to reinforce Manduria."
This time it was Dao Miltonas' turn to look at Davos in surprise.
"That's great! Since everyone has reached an agreement, when the sun is in formation, we will send troops together!" Yumas said opportunistically.
"Time is tight." Triffias complained.
"Wait a minute!" Dao Miltonas stood up, looked at everyone, and said loudly: "There is a saying circulating in Tarentum Port, 'No matter how many sailors a ship has, it must obey the command of the helmsman to reach its destination smoothly.' The same principle applies. Our huge army must have a commander to make everyone obey his command so that there will be no confusion during battle."
"Dao Miltonas is right. The Meap coalition forces are very powerful. We must unite and obey orders to fight, so that we may be able to win. Therefore, it is necessary to elect a commander-in-chief of the coalition forces to command all our troops!" Yumas immediately continued: "Of course, all plans and orders are not decided by this commander-in-chief alone, but still need to be discussed by everyone and implemented after agreement, unless it is in an emergency."
Yumas looked at Davos. These words were obviously for him: "All of you here are commanders of the armies of your respective city-states. I suggest that you elect the person you think is most suitable, including yourself. The person with the most votes will serve as the commander-in-chief."
"Who is the commander of the Tarentum expeditionary army?" Davos asked.
"It is Dao Miltonas, the executive officer of Tarentum." Yumas took the opportunity to praise his colleague: "His military ability is even stronger than Architas. He has led troops to fight against the Messapians many times before, so he was elected as the executive officer by the citizens of Tarentum this year. He and Architas once captured Manduria and Brundisium together, and he is very familiar with the area where we are about to fight. I believe he can lead the coalition forces to victory!" After finishing his praise for Dao Miltonas, he certainly understood that Davos' question had another meaning, so he quickly explained: "I will not participate in the voting, but will act as the arbitrator for this election."
The two executive officers of Tarentum answered in unison, which sounded fair, but in fact, they had already made it clear that they were determined to win the position of commander-in-chief. Voting decision?! Davos sneered in his heart: Heraclea and Metapontum are both affiliated city-states of your Tarentum. Except for my own vote, it is impossible for me to win!
Davos had already made up his mind that even if Tarentum won the command of the entire army, no one would want to command his army except himself. Reasonable orders could be considered, and unreasonable ones would be ignored. However, in this way, the army, which was originally a combination of multiple city-states, would be even more scattered. It would be very difficult to win such a large-scale battle. So he decided to fight for it: "I think it is not appropriate to use this method to decide the commander-in-chief. War is a very cruel thing. Thousands of people are killed or injured in a battle. An excellent general can minimize the casualties of his soldiers as much as possible and obtain the greatest victory at a smaller cost. Therefore, the choice of commander-in-chief depends on the ability and past achievements of the selected person.
Another point that must be considered is that we are a joint army of multiple city-states. Although everyone says that they will obey the command, when it comes to battle, they will more or less consider more for the army of their own city-state. This is inevitable. Therefore, the more soldiers who can completely obey the command of the commander-in-chief, the more they can dominate the smooth progress of the battle!" Davos glanced at everyone and said in a serious tone: "Based on the above considerations, I think I am the most suitable commander-in-chief!"
As soon as Davos finished speaking, Dao Miltonas jumped up and shouted: "How much battle experience do you have, you kid who hasn't even grown a beard yet?! Hmm! You actually want to be the supreme commander! That's impossible! The soldiers of the Daonian army are as young and stupid as you. How can they compare with the Tarentum citizen soldiers who have been fighting the ferocious Messapians for many years!"
Facing Dao Miltonas's insult, Davos calmly uttered a sentence: "As a commander, you must have a calm mind to deal with the complex battlefield situation. Based on this alone, you are not qualified!"
Dao Miltonas was angered again and wanted to curse.
At this time, Yumas got up to stop him. From the bottom of his heart, he also felt that Davos was the most suitable candidate for supreme commander, but the senators of the Tarentum Senate, out of political considerations, asked him to try his best to fight for this position. Because the war with Messapia had already severely damaged Tarentum's vitality, if they lost the command in the next battle, what would Heraclea and Metapontum think? What would the other Great Greek city-states think? Would they think that Tarentum was not strong enough and could only rely on Daonia?! The proud Tarentum people could not afford to lose face.
"Lord Davos has put forward another suggestion. Since we are a coalition army, the armies of all city-states should be equal. In order to save time, I think it is better to let you all vote to decide whether to adopt Lord Davos' suggestion or my previous suggestion? Let's start voting now!" Yumas had a smile on his face, but his words were quite decisive and cunning, using his words to hold Davos back.
At this time, the conference room fell into a brief silence.
"I agree with Yumas's proposal!" Dao Miltonas said first.
Davos opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Yumas was secretly happy: Davos did not object, and the matter of Dao Miltonas becoming the supreme commander was finally settled.
"I agree with Lord Davos's proposal!" A voice suddenly interrupted the silence in the room and also shattered Yumas's fantasy.
The two Tarentum commanders and Davos looked at the speaker almost at the same time.
Triffias?! How could it be Triffias?! Yumas had a look of disbelief.
"Triffias, say it again! Who do you support?! ! " Dao Miltonas was willing to believe that he had misheard and asked Triffias to make a choice again, but his tone was very rude.
Triffias was also quite nervous. He avoided Dao Miltonas's aggressive gaze and turned to look at Davos, who was also surprised, and barely squeezed out a smile.
Davos's heart moved: Tarentum is beginning to decline. Could it be that Heraclea, for its own safety, is beginning to embrace Daonia?
In fact, Davos only guessed one of the reasons. More importantly, Triffias, the executive officer of Heraclea, had already felt that the alliance between the two fierce races of Messapia and Puchetii would make it more difficult for Tarentum, whose strength had been damaged, to defend its territory. Previously, the citizens of Heraclea in the city had complained a lot about the casualties of the Heraclea citizen soldiers who followed the Tarentum army on the expedition, and such situations would only increase in the future. To change this situation, the only way was to find a way to jump off the dilapidated old ship of Tarentum, and Daonia, which was closer to Heraclea, was undoubtedly a better shelter.
Davos certainly couldn't think of so much for a while, but Heraclea's active defection made him overjoyed. Even long-term friendship and alliances are not as reliable as interests and strength! Davos sighed in his heart and smiled at Triffias to show his gratitude.
"Daonian Executive Officer Davos has never failed in the battles he has commanded. He is a famous general who is well-known in Southern Italy! I firmly support him as the commander-in-chief!" Triffias's tone was even more firm.
"I recommend myself as the commander-in-chief!" Davos followed closely. Originally, he had given up hope for this kind of rule-based voting, but he did not expect Triffias to give him a big surprise.
Now the situation is 1:2.
Yumas did not expect the situation to turn out like this, and what was worse than being the commander-in-chief was Heraclea's attitude towards the Tarentum alliance. His heart was in a mess, and it was difficult to hide his inner emotions. He looked at Triffias with the same look of resentment.
Dao Miltonas was more concerned about this election. He turned his attention to Tudepris: With his vote of support, my number of votes and that young man's are 2:2. As an arbitrator, Yumas will find a way to help me get the command of the army.
As he thought this, he saw Tudepris slowly lower his head under everyone's gaze.
A sense of unease arose in Diomedes' heart.
"I… I abstain…" Tudeprestes managed to say.
"What did you say?!!" Diomedes knocked over his chair in dismay.
"I abstain!" Tudeprestes' affirmative words fell like a thunderbolt upon Eumachus, and he felt a darkness before his eyes.
… … … … … … … … …
In the end, Davos was appointed commander-in-chief of the allied forces, and he invited Eumachus to serve as his adjutant, which facilitated coordination and command, and also gave the Tarentines a way out.
As soon as the meeting ended, Thrissyphilles followed Davos closely, and the two left the room chatting and laughing, heading straight out.
Tudeprestes hesitated as he walked behind them, and Diomedes caught up with him, questioning, "Tudeprestes, what do you mean?! Are you also preparing to betray our alliance?!"
Looking at Diomedes' flushed face, the Metapontum magistrate sighed and said with guilt, "North of Metapontum, upstream on the Bradanus River, there is a city called Galasus, inhabited by a Lucanian tribe. As you know, we used to have occasional conflicts with these Lucanians, but they were minor issues. However, in the past two years, the conflicts have been escalating, mainly because the Lucanians in Galasus are increasing in number, but the barren mountains there cannot support more people. It is said that some tribes are arguing about migrating south to acquire more land. If they really move south, it would be a big trouble for us in Metapontum!"
"If the Lucanians dare to invade the land of Metapontum, Taras will certainly help you defeat these natives!" Diomedes blurted out.
"With Taras' current situation, are you prepared to wage a long-term war with the Lucanians?" Tudeprestes retorted.
Diomedes was speechless. Now, Taras has two major enemies, the Messapians and the Peucetians, and is already overwhelmed. To provoke the Lucanians would be something that any citizen of Taras, let alone the Senate, would think twice about.
"I heard that when Daonia held the completion celebration for the Temple of Hades, the Lucanians of Galasus even made a special trip to Thurii to express their willingness for peace to Daonia. Therefore, Daonia, which occupies most of the Lucanian land, has become the most important power there, and no Lucanian tribe dares to ignore it. I think if Daonia protests to Galasus, the Lucanians of Galasus should seriously consider… The people of Metapontum all hope to avoid war. Metapontum cannot both assist you in defending against the Messapians and face the invasion of the Lucanians at the same time." Tudeprestes subtly expressed the sacrifices Metapontum was making for Taras. Then, he said to Diomedes with a hint of apology, "It's just a commander-in-chief. Lord Davos is good at fighting, and Taras urgently needs a victory, isn't that a good thing! Metapontum will always be Taras' best ally!"
Tudeprestes knew that he could not be as reckless as Thrissyphilles. After all, Heraclea was only established more than 30 years ago, and its relationship with Taras was not as strong and complex, and it was so close to Daonia's territory. Metapontum is different, it has more than 200 years of friendship with Taras, and most of the citizens of the two countries have relatives who are either close or distant, which cannot be broken off easily.
Watching Tudeprestes leave, the anger in Diomedes' heart was still difficult to dissipate.
Eumachus stepped forward and comforted him, "Since Davos has become the supreme commander of the allied forces, then when fighting the Messapians, he will have to let his army fight with all its strength, otherwise it will damage his reputation. In this way, perhaps it is a good thing."
Diomedes snorted, but did not lose his temper again. He felt a little lost in his heart: The reason why he was able to become a magistrate was because the rapid rise of Daonia stimulated the people of Taras, and his radical proposals would be recognized by the people and passed in the Citizen Assembly. Taras launched the first large-scale offensive against the Messapians in history, disregarding the lives of its citizens.
But he didn't expect that perhaps Taras' strength had frightened the surrounding neighbors, and actually caused two races that had always been in conflict and had never united to unite, causing Taras to fall into its current predicament.
"The most important issue now is that we must immediately convene a Senate meeting! Tell the senators that Heraclea and Metapontum have changed their attitude towards Taras!" Eumachus looked solemn.
Diomedes was shocked, and then saddened: In just a few months, Taras' position as a strong city-state was facing a huge threat! How could it have become such a situation? Could it be true what that damn young man said, that war is related to the rise and fall of a city-state? But why has Daonia, which has not stopped fighting for less than two years since its establishment, become stronger and stronger?
… … … … … … … … …
At the same time, in the main tent of the Messapian allied forces' camp outside the city of Manduria, the magistrates of the Messapian city-states and King Tremellius of Peucetia were discussing the new information they had received.
"Are you sure that Taras has received reinforcements of more than 10,000 foreign soldiers?" Tremellius asked with a solemn expression.
"This news was sent by our people who infiltrated the port of Taras. For this reason, Lord Timocrates also sent cavalry to venture to the vicinity of the port of Taras to investigate, and a huge military camp has indeed been built there. To be precise, it should be reinforcements sent by Daonia, Taras' ally." said Pachymelus, the magistrate of Uria.
"Daonia, that is a city-state alliance that was only established on the west side of the Gulf of Taranto. I heard that their magistrate is a young man and has never been defeated." said Calminius, the magistrate of Uxentum. Uxentum is located directly south of Taras, on the east coast of the Gulf of Taranto, so it knows more about Daonia on the west coast than other Messapian city-states.
"Never been defeated?! How many battles has this Daonian magistrate participated in?! The head of Archytas, the military genius of Taras who was once touted by the Greeks, is still hanging on the Brindisi city gate!" Tremellius said disdainfully. He looked at Pachymelus, the leader of the Messapian city-states, and said cautiously, "However, those more than 10,000 reinforcements from Daonia are a big problem. We have been attacking Manduria fiercely for two days without any progress, and we have lost many warriors. This damn city! You built it too strong back then! Now that Taras has reinforcements, it will inevitably reinforce Manduria. Their strength will not be less than ours, and we are also very tired from continuous combat. I suggest a temporary retreat. Anyway, those Greek foreigners cannot stay in Taras for long. After they leave, it will not be too late for us to capture Manduria."
"The king is right! Our warriors have been fighting continuously, with considerable casualties, and food is running out. Manduria cannot be captured in a day or two. The enemy's reinforcements are coming soon. If we fight the enemy head-on at this time, we will not have an advantage. Retreat is the best option." The generals behind Tremellius expressed their support.
The Messapian magistrates exchanged glances. Indeed, Manduria is not like Brindisi. Its initial establishment was as a forward base for the Messapians to defend against and attack Taras, so although the city is small, the city walls are high and strong. However, the Messapian magistrates believed that Peucetia did not want to fight anymore because they had already enjoyed the benefits of the alliance, that is, after recapturing Brindisi, Messapia and Peucetia would jointly manage this one of the most important port cities on the heel of the Apennine Peninsula, so that the Peucetians could also enjoy the benefits of maritime trade, and they wanted to renege on the deal by pretending to have difficulty in attacking the city!
Pachymelus did not accuse Tremellius of wanting to renege on the agreement, but said calmly, "King of the Peucetians, with your shrewdness, you should be able to see that if we retreat at this time, then the fruits of our victory that we have gained before will be lost again! The Tarentines will never stop their offensive because they have saved Manduria. Brindisi will be their next target. Can Brindisi's few defenders and dilapidated city walls withstand the Tarentine army? And once we retreat, it will be impossible to gather such a large joint army again in a short period of time! At that time, we can only watch our people in Brindisi being slaughtered by the Greeks, or becoming their slaves!"
Tremellius was stunned: Just now, he was holding the mentality of only taking advantage and not suffering losses, but he had not considered this point. More than two thousand Peucetians had just moved to Brindisi!
Seeing that he was not speaking, Pachymelus continued, "In addition, we have made such great efforts and sacrificed the lives of so many warriors to inflict unprecedented damage on Taras. According to the information we have received, most of the adult citizens of Taras are either dead or disabled, and most of those who can fight are young and old citizens. If we can inflict heavy damage on Taras in the next battle, Taras will be unable to resist our attack for a long time. Although it will be very difficult for us to occupy the city of Taras, the land outside the city, especially the land to the west, will belong to us, Messapia and Peucetia!"
Tremellius was tempted. He rubbed his hands together and thought for a long time before slowly saying, "If we really want to continue fighting, we cannot engage in a direct battle with the Tarentine reinforcements. The Greek hoplites lined up are like stones, too hard to chew!"
"You are a veteran commander. We will listen to your opinion on how to fight next." Pachymelus lowered his posture and said humbly, which made Tremellius very satisfied.
His tone also became more gentle: "My suggestion is to lure the Tarentines…"
After all, the Daonian military camp was close to the city of Taranto, far from the battlefield, and did not need to be built very complex and strong. Therefore, the next day when Davos attended the battle meeting, the entire military camp was in a state of rest. According to military law: in peacetime, each squad in the military camp may have one person granted leave to go out, and must return before sunset.
Now, however, they were in a state of semi-preparedness, and it was not certain when the army would go to the battlefield. Therefore, Antonios, who also served as the military affairs officer, issued an order: all soldiers on leave could only wander around the military camp, and must return upon hearing the bugle.
The soldiers were not idle in the camp; most of them were keen on some competitive games, all organized by the upper echelons of the legion, such as tug-of-war, rugby, soccer... and so on. The soldiers enjoyed it. But one thing was forbidden: gambling was not allowed, and once discovered, military law would be enforced.
The purpose of a few soldiers being granted leave was to see the famous city of Taranto in southern Italy. After all, most of them were not merchants or rich people, and they had to work in the fields all year round, without time to travel to Taranto, which was only separated by a bay. But since it was stipulated that they were not allowed to enter the city of Taranto, they could only stroll around the market in front of the military camp.
Therefore, the merchants of Taranto began to shout vigorously.
"Come and see! A divine object from the eastern power of Egypt—hippopotamus skin! Look how thick it is! Use a knife to Row hard twice... See, there is no trace at all! If it is made into leather armor, it will be light and strong, and you don't have to worry about being hurt in battle!"
"This brother, have you seen this kind of straight sword? Look, it's double-edged and very sharp! ...It doesn't matter, take it and try it... Is it a bit heavy?! This is a short sword used by the natives of the Iberian Peninsula. It is said that the Carthaginians have never been able to conquer the Illyrian Peninsula because they suffered from this weapon!"
...
Because they wanted to earn the soldiers' money, the most numerous in the small market were merchants selling weapons, followed by food.
"Try this date from Libya. Don't look at it small, it's very sweet, much sweeter than figs!"
"Salt-cured ostrich meat from the Bedouins! If you haven't tasted it, come and try it! ...What is an ostrich? ...Uh, let me tell you, it's the biggest bird I've ever seen, as big as a horse, but it can't fly, it can only run, and it runs faster than a horse in the desert!"
...
It should be said that as a famous trading city-state in Greater Greece, Taranto has more abundant and diverse goods than Thurii, which can be seen in this temporary market.
The soldiers strolled through it with great interest. They were not just browsing without buying. As citizens and prospective citizens of Daonia, the land distributed again and again was enough for them to live a prosperous life. Afterwards, they took the surplus grain and livestock to the market to sell, earning extra pocket money, plus the sharing of spoils after each victory, their pockets were relatively bulging.
Olyphus was also one of those who asked for leave. He temporarily handed over military affairs to his adjutant and strolled around the temporary market to relax.
At this time, he was standing in front of a metal jewelry stall, picking up a palm-sized gold ornament and examining it carefully.
"This is an idol of the Egyptian god Horus, from the hands of a famous sculptor from the Memphis Temple. Look, how exquisitely it is carved! Wear it, and you will be blessed by Horus!" The merchant strongly recommended to him.
Olyphus gently shook his head, put the thing down, and said regretfully: "The thing is good, but unfortunately I believe in Hades."
"Occasionally worshiping other gods, Hades will not blame you, their fields of control are completely different..." The Greeks' attitude towards gods was close and not obsessed. They believed in many gods, singing different songs on different mountains, worshiping the sea god when going to sea, worshiping the war god in battle, worshiping Hermes in business, worshiping Apollo in competition... so the merchant would persuade him like this.
But Olyphus still shook his head and left the stall.
The merchant was so angry that he cursed behind his back: "Daonians are all stubborn!"
If it were before,
Olyphus would have turned around and gone back to argue with the merchant, but now he felt that his status was different and he disdained to care.
Walking forward, he saw several large tents set up in front, with several tender and beautiful women standing in front of the tents, and a fat merchant shouting loudly: "The cheapest price! The most comfortable enjoyment! Just pay five drachmas, and you can be happy with the most beautiful girl in Taranto..."
Olyphus frowned. Since that incident on the way to Persia, he, who had always been romantic, had turned over a new leaf. Now, whenever someone mentioned the word "prostitution", he felt disgusted.
He turned around to go back, but Timias happened to take a fancy to him, rushed over to grab him, and shouted urgently: "Don't go, seven drachmas, two girls, what do you think? I'm losing a lot!"
Without saying a word, Olyphus waved his left hand, which was being held, with force, and Timias took a few steps back and sat on the ground.
The theater owner of Taranto spent a lot of effort, but failed to make a deal. He was finally angry, stood up and cursed: "Damn Daonians! A bunch of country bumpkins! Don't know how to enjoy happiness! What military law regulations! The Taranto army has never heard of it. It's just a bad thing that your lowly magistrate came up with to facilitate your rule! He wants you to have no freedom, no democracy, and obediently obey his orders! You still don't know how to resist, you only deserve to be ruled by dictators, and obey his orders like slaves! ..."
Olyphus listened, his anger soaring, and he strode over.
The other soldiers nearby were also indignant when they heard these words: this fat man not only insulted them, but also insulted their great commander!
In an instant, Timias was surrounded by water.
He looked at the angry faces in horror, and shouted sharply: "What do you want to do?! This is Taranto! --"
Before he could finish speaking, Olyphus said: "Beat him!" and punched him directly in the fat face with his right fist...
The people of Taranto in the market heard screams from the crowd surrounded by Daonian soldiers, but no one dared to come forward to dissuade them.
"Woo! Woo! Woo! ..." The bugle sounded in time.
"It's the assembly call!" the soldiers exclaimed.
All the soldiers in the temporary market put down what they were doing at the same time and quickly ran back to the military camp. In a blink of an eye, there were no Daonians in the market. The speed at which the Daonian soldiers returned to the camp was so fast that it seemed that the previous excitement was just a dream. Only the theater owner lying on the ground was still groaning...
When the camp gate opened again, it was an army in full armor that came out. They marched out of the east, north, and south camp gates at the same time, which accelerated the speed of leaving the camp.
The merchants of Taranto saw these Daonian soldiers who had been talking and laughing in the market before, but at this moment they were still relaxed, but this casualness did not affect the neatness of their marching columns and the speed of their actions.
Two legions left the camp, but the camp was not unguarded. There were also some logistics battalion soldiers and a reserve team composed of more than a thousand Daonian free people. They served as supplements to the legion, usually serving as guards and chores for the logistics battalion, and also participated in battles at critical times. Therefore, the task of the reserve soldiers was also complicated and arduous, but every time there was an expedition, countless free people scrambled to join it, because it allowed the free people to accumulate merits and shorten the time to become prospective citizens.
In fact, a Daonian legion, in addition to the seven battalions of soldiers responsible for combat, also had a medical battalion, an engineering battalion, a logistics battalion, a reconnaissance team... Its actual number far exceeded 7,000. If it was marching within Daonian territory, Davos would try to arrange a single marching column, although this column would extend the team very long, but the flat and solid road system would instead speed up the march. However, even the suburbs of Taranto, the richest city-state in southern Italy, were dirt roads, and the effect was the same no matter where they went, as long as they didn't step on farmland. Therefore, Davos simply divided the army into four columns, each column with five rows, advancing in a wide front.
Dust flew and noise shook the sky all the way.
Many Taranto people watched on the roadside. Faced with the mighty military appearance of Daonia, the Taranto people had mixed feelings, but at a time of city-state crisis, such a number and such appearance of reinforcements also gave their terrified sense of security.
Before long, the Daonian army arrived outside the city of Taranto.
When Youmakas received the notice, he was greatly surprised by the speed at which the Daonian army assembled. You must know that the citizen soldiers of Taranto were still gathering in the square one after another.
Daomiras was also a little stimulated, but he retorted: "The Daonian soldiers are all in the military camp, and they can set off as soon as the bugle sounds. Unlike us, we have to notify every district and every street..."
Youmakas had to rush out of the city to apologize to Davos and ask the Daonian army to wait outside the city for a while, while inviting Davos into the city to drink some wine and rest at his mansion. After all, it was noon in early autumn, and the sun was still very hot.
Davos politely declined Youmakas's kindness. How could he abandon his suffering subordinates and enjoy comfort alone?
Before long, Triphilius led a thousand Heraclea soldiers out of the city to join the Daonian army.
After another while, the two thousand Metapontum soldiers led by Tude Pries also arrived.
More than an hour later, the city gate of Taranto opened again, and the noisy voices vented out...
"Oh! Oh! Is this going to the battlefield or to the cemetery! Why are you crying like this? Is it just a fight with the natives! ..." Olyphus had no good feelings for the Taranto people because of what happened in the morning, and when he saw this chaotic farewell scene, he kept sneering.
But what concerned Matonis was another matter. He craned his neck to look westward for a while, and said with a frown, "It took so long for the Tarentum army to assemble! I also saw that many of the Tarentum soldiers were probably just adults. How much fighting power can such an army have!"
"Don't expect anything from them. When the time comes, we still have to rely on ourselves. The only thing these pampered Tarentum people need to do on the battlefield is to wait for us to defeat the enemy, clean up the battlefield, and collect the spoils of war," Olivus said with contempt.
"Olivus, don't be too dismissive! Lord Davos said that the Messapians are not only brave in battle, but also tenacious in character and difficult to deal with. We must pay high attention to them, unite the Tarentum people, and do our best to defeat them!" Georgoris reminded him.
Georgoris was originally the captain of the Third Legion, but according to the new legion organization regulations: the first and second legions, whether officers or soldiers, should be composed of citizens, reserve citizens, and free people living in Turii and Amendolara as much as possible; the third legion is composed of people from Grumentum and Neutum; the fourth legion is composed of people from Crimisa and Asprustum. This is mainly to facilitate army management, training, mobilization, and expeditions, and improve combat efficiency. Of course, it can also easily lead to cliquism in each legion and local hegemony, but Davos considers: at least in the early stage of the alliance, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and the above-mentioned shortcomings can be solved in the future by increasing the mobility of the team officers. Georgoris still lives in Amendolara and has not moved elsewhere, so he was transferred from the Third Legion to the First Legion and still serves as the captain.
Olivus was used to bullying Georgoris, and wanted to refute him unconvinced. Alexis said, "Georgoris is right. This war is different from the past. It involves cooperating with other city-states, especially Tarentum. We must not only pay great attention to it, but also carefully handle the relationship with the Tarentum army. Otherwise, at the critical moment of the battle, if our allies do not fully support us, misfortune will befall us. You must know that Turii is separated from here by a bay. It will be difficult for us to go back then..."
Alexis is a veteran captain, and Olivus couldn't say anything, and the other captains agreed with Alexis's words.
Aminthas patted Olivus on the shoulder hard and said loudly, "To be honest, I don't like these Tarentum people who are like women! But for the sake of victory, we can only endure it for the time being. When we defeat the Messapians, I would like to see if the Tarentum people will say thank you to us!"
After speaking, he laughed loudly, and Olivus also laughed.
"Okay, everyone, hurry back to your teams. The Tarentum army is also out, and it's time for us to set off!" Kapus, the commander of the First Legion, reminded everyone.
Not long after the huge farewell team left the city gate, the women among them hesitated whether to continue forward, because in front of them, sitting and lying on the ground were densely packed Daonian soldiers, talking and laughing loudly, saying rude words, and many people were bare-chested, which made the conservative Tarentum women feel shy.
The Tarentum soldiers were also somewhat dissatisfied because of this, pointing at the Daonian people who were resting, saying strange things.
"They are indeed rude bumpkins!" Diomedes did not see with his own eyes what the Daonian army looked like when they first arrived. Now that he sees this situation, he also expressed his dissatisfaction: "Where is Davos? Tell him to assemble his army quickly!" Diomedes emphasized the word "army" to show his disdain.
"It should be there," Youmakas said, pointing to the largest and most dazzling of the dozen or so flags erected in front.
"The military flag is indeed made very fancy!" Diomedes snorted and followed Youmakas on horseback.
Davos, like the people around him, took off his armor and only wore a linen lining inside. He sat casually on the mud and talked to the soldiers.
Martius, the captain of the guard, was the first to see the approaching Tarentum consul.
He whispered a few words in Davos's ear, and Davos turned around unhurriedly.
"Lord Davos, when are we leaving?" Youmakas asked before Diomedes could speak.
Davos glanced at Diomedes, who looked unhappy, and said lightly, "It's time to leave. The soldiers have been in the sun for more than an hour and are almost dried out."
Diomedes heard that Davos was implicitly criticizing the slowness of the Tarentum army's actions, which was the real reason for the Daonian soldiers' laziness. He couldn't help but cough a few times.
"Sound the horn to assemble!" Davos stopped dwelling on the issue and decisively issued the order.
As soon as the bugle sounded, the soldiers who were resting in various poses immediately acted quickly, helping each other put on their armor; the team officers at all levels began to call their subordinates to return to the team, and the flag bearers were also waving the flags in their hands, shouting the team names to mark the positions for the soldiers.
For a time, dust filled the air and it was noisy, but it soon returned to calm.
What was presented in front of Diomedes was no longer a chaotic scene of soldiers sitting together in piles, chatting, sleeping, but rows of infantry columns in full armor and neatly arranged...
Diomedes gasped. As a Tarentum general who had experienced many battles, he understood in his heart that to achieve this, it meant that the army had strict training and strong discipline.
Looking back at the Tarentum side, the soldiers and the people were mixed together, still hugging and saying goodbye to each other, and some soldiers were even crying and weeping, without any appearance of going to war to kill the enemy.
Diomedes couldn't save face. Without saying a word, he turned his horse's head and hurried back...
At this time, Triphilas and Tudepres also rushed over.
Davos, who was already in military uniform, said seriously, "Before we set off, we need to discuss the marching order."
He glanced at everyone: "My suggestion is that the Daonian army should be at the front, Heraclea and Metapontum in the middle, and Tarentum at the end."
Youmakas understood Davos's intention as soon as he heard it: once they encountered an enemy attack, the Daonian army would be at the front to block it, giving the troops behind time to react and prepare.
This suggestion was indeed selfless. Youmakas nodded to express his agreement, and Triphilas and Tudepres had no objection. Their army was the weakest and they couldn't ask for more to be protected in the middle.
"According to what you said last time, the terrain from here to Manduria is flat. I plan to divide the army into five columns, increase the spacing between the columns, and march side by side. This will make it easier to deal with sudden enemy attacks and shorten the time to reach Manduria, and it will also be beneficial to protect the baggage train in the middle," Davos continued.
Youmakas hesitated for a moment. Don't look at Davos's relaxed words, if they haven't been trained in this area, the columns may be mixed together while walking.
"I have to discuss this matter with Diomedes before I can decide," he said cautiously.
The other two had no objection. They had fewer soldiers, which made it easier to manage.
"In addition, I suggest that the scouts sent out should be mixed with Daonian and Tarentum cavalry." Without knowing the enemy's situation at any time, the commander is equal to not having eyes and ears. Therefore, despite hearing that the Messapian cavalry was powerful, Davos still asked Lydes to bring two hundred cavalrymen by boat. As a transmigrator who knows something about ancient military history, cavalry is a type of soldier that Davos wants to focus on training. Therefore, even if there are losses, it is worth it to let the Daonian cavalry know their shortcomings and work hard for it. At the same time, he also brought Izam's mountain reconnaissance brigade to understand and familiarize themselves with the terrain and mountains of this land, in case of future needs.
Since the start of the war, Tarentum has suffered heavy losses in cavalry, and some nobles have even refused to join the army. Youmakas couldn't ask for more for this proposal.
When he went back to convey Davos's suggestions to Diomedes, Diomedes thought for a while and replied, "What Daonia can do, Tarentum can certainly do!"
After reorganization, the Daeta Allied Forces began to set off.
In fact, after the Mapu Allied Forces learned that the Greek army was marching, they quickly withdrew the siege and retreated to a camp two miles south of Manduria. Therefore, the Daeta Allied Forces entered Manduria city smoothly at dusk without any fighting or even any losses to the scouts.
The reunion with the garrison greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers, especially the Tarentum people. At the same time, the increase in strength allowed the commanders to discuss briefly and decide to rest for one night and then advance directly to the Mapu Allied Forces the next day. The only thing that gave them a headache was that the small city of Manduria was suddenly crammed with nearly 30,000 people, which seemed a bit crowded. How to arrange the accommodation for the soldiers was a troublesome matter.
The next day, as soon as it dawned, Sorikos led a mixed cavalry squad to approach the Mapu Allied Forces' camp to scout the situation, but found that the camp was empty.
Sorikos immediately sent someone back to report the news, and at the same time, under the guidance of the Tarentum cavalry, divided the cavalry squad into two groups. One group went south towards Ugentum, and the other group went east towards Brindisi to continue searching for traces of the enemy.
When Davos and the others learned the news, they realized that the enemy was going to escape, and immediately assembled the army. During this process, the cavalry came again to report that they had found traces of the enemy's army to the east.
The commanders' first reaction was: the Mapu Allied Forces were going to retreat to Brindisi.
"We can't let them retreat to Brindisi, otherwise we will be forced to attack the city, and the casualties of the soldiers may be very serious! We must catch up with them and have a decisive battle on the spot!" Diomedes shouted eagerly. He still remembered the tragic situation of capturing Brindisi before.