Polykles's words struck a chord with the majority of the Senate's elders. Those senators who hailed from Thurii and Amendolara, including Cunnagoratus, had all suffered the calamity of city destruction and therefore harbored a deep-seated fear of war. Antaolis of Crimisa, Euriclepus, and Pleiades, being newcomers and closer to Cornelius and Cunnagoratus, supported their decision.
The pro-war senators had either been dispatched by Davos to other cities to hold important positions, such as Hiros, Sesta, and Batler, or had followed him to Taranto, like Capus, Dracos, Antonios, and Alexis.
Only the military affairs officer, Philius, and the commerce officer, Marigi, resolutely stated that they should support the Siris tribe, stop Cosenza's annexation, and prevent the Bruttian tribal alliance from becoming too powerful.
Even Mersis, another confidant of Davos, hesitated, fearing that the outbreak of war would consume a large amount of money and resources.
However, Vespas and Hermon, who came from Lucania and had similar experiences in the past, successively expressed their support for the Siris tribe.
In general, there were few people who supported the Siris tribe, and most senators opposed interfering in Bruttian internal affairs to avoid triggering a war.
Polykles was complacent that his opinion had gained the support of the majority in the Senate for the first time and was about to be passed.
At this moment, Praexinas stood up and said, "Esteemed senators, I remember that Lord Davos briefly mentioned the Bruttians before he left. He said worriedly, 'The Bruttians may become a major hidden danger to our Daonia!' Therefore, any decision involving the Bruttians, I believe, must be made known to Governor Davos and decided by him, especially when we cannot reach a consensus."
Praexinas was no ordinary senator. As the chief priest in charge of the Hades Temple, most of his energy was devoted to the affairs of the temple, cultivating young priests and priestesses, improving the various systems of the temple, and supervising the construction of temples in other cities... It can be seen that Davos, who was the high priest, valued him quite highly, letting him do as he pleased, and Praexinas also repaid Davos's trust with outstanding performance. The acceptance of Hades's faith by the people of other cities in Daonia in such a short period of time was inseparable from his efforts. Therefore, he not only had a certain reputation among the people of Daonia, but also carried weight when speaking in the Senate.
As soon as he spoke, others had to re-examine the true meaning of his words, after all, Davos stood behind him.
Philius and Mersis were also Davos's confidants, but one focused on military affairs and the other was obsessed with money, and neither was very politically sensitive. Marigi was no stranger to politics, but unfortunately, he was a Persian citizen. When Davos was not in the Senate, most senators from Thurii and Amendolara would often intentionally or unintentionally ignore his opinions.
Polykles believed that Praexinas was deliberately ruining his good deeds. He couldn't help but stand up again, and said indignantly: "Davos! Davos!! Is it true that without Davos, the Senate can't decide anything or do anything!!"
Praexinas feigned surprise and said: "Lord Polykles, in your eyes, are we not doing anything?! Lord Cunnagoratus and Lord Cornelius devote their energy every day to the prosperity and stability of Thurii and Amendolara! Lord Bulkos travels all over the cities and villages of Daonia, supervising the people to cultivate the fields! Lord Vespas and Lord Hermon closely monitor the situation of the tribes in the Lucania region, and go to resolve their conflicts at any time! Lord Stromboli has created our own alliance's silver coins for Daonia that can be compared to the 'Owl'! Lord Ansitanos is creating new schools for various cities in Daonia! It is said that Lord Herpus is calling on the city-states of Greater Greece to hold the first medical discussion in all of Greece! Lord Protesilaus proposes new proposals from time to time to improve the laws of Daonia! The Alliance Public Office Management Committee, headed by Lord Tritodemus,
is concerned every day with the appointment and performance of officials in every city! Lord Enanilous supervises the construction of warships and works hard to train the navy! Lord Scombras..."
Every time Praexinas mentioned the deeds of a senator, he would respectfully salute that person, and the senator whose name was mentioned would also respond with a smile. He spoke unhurriedly, and mentioned almost all the senators: "The reason why we have so many things to worry about, and enjoy it, is because of Lord Davos's genius leadership, which has led to today's powerful Daonia, which allows us to not worry about being invaded by other city-states, and to peacefully govern the increasingly large alliance territory! Who among us has more outstanding military talent than Lord Davos? Who has more outstanding leadership ability? Who has a stronger ability to judge the situation?..."
"No one!" Although it was only Mersis's answer, all the senators were silent, and more or less agreed with this sentence in their hearts.
"Since this is the case, when encountering such a major event related to the security of the Daonia alliance, even if Lord Davos is not here, we should listen to his opinion before making a decision. Because no one is better than him at making the right judgment!" Praexinas's words made it impossible for the very small number of senators, led by Polykles, who were dissatisfied with Davos's excessive control over the Senate, to say anything. Indeed, Davos's decisions so far have not been wrong, which is why Daonia has developed so quickly.
At this time, Cunnagoratus stood up to support the proposal to "leave the issue of the Siris tribe to Davos to decide."
The Amendolara senators, led by Cornelius, and the Thurii senators Ansitanos, Bulkos, Enanilous, Masisakus... also agreed, and the matter was settled.
After the meeting, Praexinas and Herpus walked out of the venue together. The two were discussing whether some freedmen and foreigners who were believers of Hades could be treated in the hospital first because they could not afford medical treatment, and then the newly established relief fund of the Hades Temple would pay for it (this money was also donated by the people of Daonia when they prayed at the temple).
"Chief Priest!" Praexinas heard someone calling him. He looked back and saw Marigi catching up quickly: "If it weren't for you just now, I'm afraid the Siris tribe's request for help would have been rejected!"
After two years of engaging in specific government affairs, Praexinas's mind was much more mature and stable than before. He immediately said modestly: "I didn't actually do anything. The main thing is that Lord Davos's prestige played a major role. Don't look at how loudly Polykles was shouting, his ability to persuade is actually very average."
"Yes, Polykles has been very active recently!" Marigi said meaningfully.
"Don't worry, he can't do anything." Praexinas replied immediately.
"This Polykles is so annoying, how did he get into the Senate in the first place?!" Herpus, who didn't care about medicine and didn't care much about politics, interjected.
Praexinas coughed a few times.
In the beginning, Davos led his army to defeat the Crotonian army and wanted to control Thurii. In order to appease and stabilize the people of Thurii, and also to absorb useful talents, he recruited people of fame, status, and talent who survived the burning of the city into the Senate, including Praexinas, who had opposed Davos. Facts have proved that this method is very effective. It not only allowed the people of Thurii to quickly accept the Amendolara people led by Davos, but also did indeed discover many talents, such as Bulkos, Praexinas, Ansitanos, naval commander Enanilous...
Herpus's unthinking words made Praexinas a little embarrassed. Marigi stepped forward to smooth things over: "Lord Philius is going to hold a banquet tonight. Lord Praexinas, are you interested in attending?"
Praexinas's eyes lit up. He knew that although he was valued by Davos, Davos trusted the most the original mercenary elders and citizens who had gone through life and death with him, and these people were more united and were the most powerful political force in Daonia, especially in the military. Now that he has received an invitation, does it mean that he has been recognized by this group?
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The next day, when Davos, Daomilas, Eumachus, Triphylias, and Tudeprestes were discussing the next course of action for the army, another disagreement occurred.
Triphylias believed that although the allied forces had won this "victory" in the battle, the soldiers had suffered heavy casualties and should not continue to attack, but should withdraw to the city to rest and wait for the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces to invade again before resisting.
Daomilas inwardly inclined to this opinion, but as the commander of this Taranto army, the citizen soldiers had suffered such heavy casualties, but the results were meager. After the people know the situation, they will inevitably vent their anger on him. There must be a decent record to prevent him from being impeached by the Citizen Assembly. Therefore, he suggested: After a short rest, continue north and attack Brundisium. If the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces block them, then engage them in a decisive battle. This time the battle will be on the plains, and the Greek hoplites and Greek phalanxes will be useful, and the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces' cavalry has already been severely damaged, so this time the Greek allied forces, although fewer in number, will definitely have the upper hand. If the Messapian-Peucetian allied forces avoid battle, then occupy Brundisium, rescue the captured Taranto people, obtain spoils of war, and capture the natives in the city and send them back to Taranto to become slaves, in order to please the people and make up for their mistakes.
Eumachus also had similar ideas, but Tudeprestes clearly supported Triphylias's opinion because Metapontum's soldiers had suffered too many casualties.
Finally, the four men turned their gazes to Davos, the supreme commander of the allied forces, who held the power of decision.
At this moment, Davos was struggling internally. After experiencing Dio Mylas' unauthorized actions, the collapse of the Metapontum and Heraclea allied forces, he had become disheartened with such joint operations, fearing that he would be dragged down by incompetent allies again. Treriphas just wanted to take the army back to the city, while he wanted to lead the army back to Thurii immediately. However, doing so would undoubtedly damage the alliance with Taranto and could also affect the image of "keeping promises" that Daonia had worked hard to establish…
As he hesitated, a guard came in to report: Messapia had sent an envoy.
Everyone was surprised.
Davos' heart stirred, and he asked for the Messapian envoy to be brought in to hear what he had to say.
… … … … … … …
Originally, after the Messapia-Peucetii allied forces had gathered the routed soldiers and reorganized their army, the Messapian leaders, led by Pasimelus, believed that although the outcome of this battle was not good, and the allied forces had chosen to retreat and the cavalry had suffered heavy losses, the losses of the Taranto army should be even more severe. Compared with the Taranto army, the strength of their own army was even more advantageous than before the war. In the next battle, they should take the initiative and continue to launch attacks on Taranto.
King Tremonius of Peucetii, who had been openly and secretly complained about by several Messapian leaders for failing to stop the reinforcements and causing the good situation to be ruined, expressed strong opposition. He emphasized that the main force of the Greek allied forces, the Daonian army, had a unique formation, was well-trained, and had amazing combat power. They were able to defeat the Peucetii people who occupied the favorable terrain in mountain combat, so in plain combat, the Messapia-Peucetii allied forces were probably not a match for the Greek allied forces, which were mainly composed of the Daonian army.
The Messapian city-state leaders knew something about the combat power of the Peucetii people, and the fact that Tremonius, who had always been unruly, said such things made everyone feel unbelievable.
At this time, Timocrates stood up to endorse Tremonius. He emphasized again the horror of the Daonian army, because in the case of Igratia heavy infantry being thicker than the Daonian heavy infantry formation that fought against them, they were actually beaten back by the enemy, eventually leading to defeat!
At the same time, he also reminded everyone that the Daonian heavy infantry could throw javelins, which could cause great damage to infantry at close range.
The faces of the city-state leaders finally became solemn.
Calminus, the leader of Uzentum, said worriedly: "I heard that Daonia is a large city-state alliance on the bay, governing five or six city-states, and many allied states. Its strength is stronger than Taranto. It can easily send tens of thousands of people to reinforce Taranto. Even if we finally defeat it, I think it can send tens of thousands of people again. Can we withstand such losses?"
After a short period of silence, Pasimelus slowly said helplessly: "Perhaps we should negotiate peace with Daonia…"
Negotiate peace?! Everyone looked surprised.
Only Tremonius looked calm. Pasimelus saw it and sighed inwardly: It seems that the Peucetii people don't have much fighting spirit. If they continue to fight, I'm afraid they won't do their best.
Pasimelus' hope for peace talks began to grow stronger. He cheered up and said seriously: "The Daonians have never had any conflicts with us and are relatively far away from us. The reason why they are fighting with us is because they are allies of Taranto and came here to fulfill their alliance. Defeating us will not bring any benefits to Daonia, but will lead to casualties due to the battle. If we propose peace talks, do you think Daonia will be willing to accept?! As long as this powerful outsider leaves, there will only be Taranto left, and we will be able to…"
… … … … … … … … …
Timocrates, the leader of Igratia, volunteered to go to the Greek camp. After the guards confirmed that he was not carrying any weapons, they allowed him to enter the military tent.
In the military tent, besides the guards, there were five Greek generals. Timocrates' eyes fell on the youngest general: He should be Davos, the Daonian leader,
The culprit who forced the Messapia-Peucetii allied forces to send an envoy to the Greek camp!
Out of caution, he nodded to the young general and then asked in Greek: "Davos, the Daonian leader?"
"It's me," Davos nodded.
"It is my honor to meet you!" Timocrates respectfully performed a Messapian ceremony and then said: "I am Timocrates, the leader of Igratia, representing the Messapia-Peucetii allied forces, and I am here as an envoy to discuss how to end this meaningless war."
As expected, they want to negotiate peace! Although Davos was happy in his heart, he said calmly: "I think you have chosen the wrong negotiation target. You should discuss it with the leaders of Taranto, Yomarkas and Dio Mylas."
He turned his body slightly and pointed his left hand to the two people behind him.
"You want to negotiate peace just after being defeated by us?!" Dio Mylas hated the Messapian people in the first place, and was even more angry because Timocrates ignored Taranto as soon as he came in: "Go back and tell your companions who are wearing animal skins that Taranto will not accept peace talks! We will continue to attack and retake Brindisi! If you have the courage, you can come and stop us!"
"Defeated by you?" Timocrates sneered with a mocking expression: "You and I know clearly who suffered greater losses in the previous battle. If this is considered a defeat for us, we don't mind doing it a few more times. Without the timely reinforcements from the Daonians, you would probably have become a corpse. How dare you yell at me here!"
Facing Dio Mylas' roar, Timocrates continued loudly without showing any weakness: "The Messapian and Peucetii warriors are ready, even if they sacrifice their lives, they will kill the enemies who dare to invade our territory! I just don't know if the Tarantines have such courage?"
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Dio Mylas to refute, he immediately turned to Davos and said: "The bravery of the Daonians has won the respect of the Messapian people. King Tremonius of Peucetii admires you very much and specially asked me to say hello to you on his behalf! I just want to ask Lord Davos, the Daonians crossed the bay and fought with us, who have never had any conflicts or contradictions in the past. If you win, you will not get any benefits; if you lose, your bones will be buried in a foreign land. Is it worth it?"
Davos was well aware that this Messapian leader had been constantly trying to sow discord between Daonia and Taranto in various ways as soon as he came in. He emphasized his tone and said: "Taranto is a friendly ally of Daonia. It is Daonia's duty to abide by the alliance and assist the ally in defending against foreign invasion! Moreover, Daonia has an obligation to maintain the peace of the neighboring Greek city-states, because only when the neighbors do not have wars can the Daonian people have a peaceful life."
Davos' words vaguely revealed his expectations and ambitions for Daonia.
Treriphas and Tudepres listened and their eyes lit up.
Yomarkas, on the other hand, was thoughtful.
Timocrates' face changed slightly. He heard the warning that Davos gave him, and he quickly reacted: "Lord Davos, according to what you said, you are here to help Taranto resist invasion. But in fact, Taranto is not being invaded by us Messapian people, but is seizing our Messapian land! Manduria is a Messapian city-state! Brindisi is also a Messapian city-state! Since the beginning of this year, the Tarantines have launched a large-scale attack on our Messapian land, seized our Manduria and Brindisi, killed countless Messapian warriors, and turned countless Messapian people, including women and children, into Taranto slaves! We are fighting back only to retake our own land and avenge our people! Lord Davos, you said that Daonia has an obligation to help neighboring countries maintain peace and resist invasion. Does that also include helping allies invade other countries' land and kill other countries' people?!"
Timocrates' words were impassioned, and Yomarkas and Dio Mylas' expressions changed drastically, but Davos secretly praised in his heart: Smart, he's getting to the point!
He immediately put on an embarrassed expression: "This… This…"
"Damn Messapian, don't pretend to be pitiful!" Dio Mylas retorted angrily: "Who has been invading whom all these years! Who is the real victim! Every summer, who runs to the land of Taranto, plundering food and killing people! This year we launched an attack only to respond to the call of the goddess of revenge and repay the blood debts you have owed Taranto all these years!"
Faced with Dio Mylas' powerful rebuttal, Timocrates said calmly: "Why do we invade Taranto every year? The reason is very simple, this land of Taranto originally belonged to us Messapian people! Hundreds of years ago, your ancestors drove away the still weak Messapian people who lived here and occupied this land!"
"So what! Hundreds of years have passed, this land now belongs to us Taranto!"
"Since you can take it away, then of course we want to take it back!"
"Unfortunately, you can't do it! On the contrary, in a few years, Manduria will also become a city-state of Taranto!"
"Dio Mylas!" Yomarkas loudly interrupted their shouting. The two of them had deviated from the topic as they quarreled, and looking at the three city-state leaders headed by Davos, they already looked impatient.
Yomarkas quickly said: "Messapian, you didn't come here specifically to quarrel, did you?"
"Of course not, I came for peace! As Lord Davos said, Messapia and Taranto have lost too many people in the war!" Timocrates immediately looked solemn.
"I said—" Deomiros had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Eumarkos: "Let us hear the terms of the Messapian peace talks."
Timogoras cleared his throat and said, "Taranto and Messapia and the Peucetians will immediately cease fighting and return to their respective territories, returning prisoners of war to each other. The two sides will sign a peace agreement for a period of two years, during which they shall not invade each other. After two years, they will decide whether to renew the agreement depending on the situation…"
"What does 'return to their respective territories' mean?" Eumarkos keenly noticed the problem with this statement.
"Of course, it means returning to the state before the war started, and the occupied territories must be returned!" Timogoras said matter-of-factly.
Deomiros cursed loudly and roared, "You want us to give up Manduria? Keep dreaming! If you want it, fill it with Messapian lives!"
The negotiations quickly broke down. Timogoras was not in a hurry and left a sentence: "I hope you will consider it carefully again. The Messapian camp welcomes your arrival at any time!" After saying that, he turned a deaf ear to Deomiros's curses and strode away. He could see that, apart from Taranto's stubborn attitude, Daonias's consul Davos and the generals of Metapontum and Heraclea were all somewhat tempted by the peace talks. The Greek coalition was not monolithic, and there was room for maneuver.
What Timogoras could see, Eumarkos could of course also see. Therefore, he explained to Davos: "We cannot agree to such peace talk requirements. Even if we agree, it will not work, because the people of Taranto will not agree to give up Manduria, which was bought with the blood of its citizens, for nothing!"
Davos smiled: "I understand, but negotiations are like buying and selling goods, and you can bargain. The Messapians don't necessarily have to take back Manduria."
Eumarkos became anxious upon hearing this: "The Messapians are not sincere. The peace agreement they proposed is only for two years. In two years, Taranto will not be able to restore its former strength and will not be able to cope with their possible re-invasion!"
Davos pondered for a moment, just as he was about to speak, the curtain was lifted and Tolmid came in: "Consul, the Senate has sent an urgent letter saying that the Bruttians are acting suspiciously!"
Davos stood up abruptly and asked urgently: "Where is the letter?!"
"The messenger is waiting for you in your military tent, sir!"
Davos looked anxious and walked straight out without saying a word.
The remaining four looked at each other.
"Bruttians?" Eumarkos felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.
Deomiros had even less of an impression of it.
"The Bruttians are aborigines living in the mountainous area west of Daonia. They are adjacent to Daoria. They used to go down the mountain to rob the people and property of Thurii, Castron and other city-states…" Triarius explained in detail.
"This… the Bruttians shouldn't be strong, right?" Eumarkos asked with some lucky.
Triarius thought seriously, seemingly solemn, but deliberately exaggerating the facts: "The Bruttians have little contact with the outside world, because no other race has ever been able to invade their land (Vigo voluntarily surrendered to the Lucanian Allied Forces, strictly speaking, the Lucanians did not enter the land of the Bruttians.). It is said that they have dozens of tribes and five or six large cities. Their strength is probably stronger than that of the Peucetians."
After hearing this, Eumarkos and Deomiros felt uneasy.
… … … … … … … … …
After leaving the military tent, the anxiety on Davos's face disappeared without a trace. He even had the leisure to joke with Tolmid: "The performance just now was good."
Tolmid also smiled. Back then, he was known as the "First Adjutant of the Mercenaries". One of the main reasons was that he was good at understanding the intentions and difficulties of the leaders and doing his best to help them achieve or resolve them. It was because he felt Davos's inner conflict that he used the opportunity of the Silus tribe to shout loudly in the tent. He was not sure whether Davos would accept his unauthorized actions.
Because this was his first time as Davos's exclusive adjutant, although the two sides had interacted in Persia, Davos and his status were now very different. Davos's words dispelled the unease in his heart.
"What is the specific situation?" Davos asked leisurely. Through his understanding of Bruttium during this period, even if this race is moving towards unification, he does not think that Bruttium can pose a major threat to the Daonian League now.
"I heard that a tribe composed of Greeks in Bruttium sent people to our Senate for help, because it refused to obey Cosenza's order to be incorporated, and Cosenza is going to send a large army to destroy them. You can ask Maricius for the details. He is waiting for you in your military tent." Tolmid said seriously.
"Oh, Maricius is here too." Davos's heart moved, but his pace remained unchanged: A tribe of Greeks?… It's about Silus… This is really a case of someone offering a pillow just when you're feeling sleepy, killing two birds with one stone!…
He thought all the way and soon arrived at his military tent.
After reading the urgent letter sent by Cornelius, the rotating speaker of the Senate, and listening carefully to Maricius's narration, a sly smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It can't be because of Polyxis that you, the busiest business officer of the alliance, came here to send me a letter, right?"
"Polyxis, who only knows how to chatter in the Senate and has no power, is nothing! Why should I pay attention to him!" Maricius raised his eyebrows: "I came to Taranto mainly to take this opportunity to understand the situation of the port of Taranto. However, Lord Davos, Polyxis has indeed been too active recently, which will cause some senators to have other ideas…" He took a few steps closer and lowered his voice, seemingly wanting to remind Davos of something.
Davos looked calm, but his heart turned a few times: He didn't care much about Polyxis's usual dissatisfaction with him, because few other senators in the Senate would respond to him, and he also needed such a "opposition" to exist to show that the Senate was not his one-man show. But if Polyxis thought that his indulgence towards him was weak and could be bullied and became too rampant, leading to some possible chain reactions, then he would need to make him wake up a little…
Seeing that Davos was a little absent-minded, Maricius knew that his words had worked, and he turned to another matter: "Sir, I heard from the reserve soldiers stationed in the Taranto military camp that 'these past two days, many Taranto people have been blocking the camp gate, not only loudly scolding the Daonian soldiers, but also demanding that criminals be punished.'"
"What criminals? What happened?" Davos frowned and asked repeatedly. He was very sensitive to matters of military discipline.
"It is said that… some soldiers in our legion beat up a Taranto theater owner in the market outside the military camp."
"How can there be such a thing!" Davos was furious when he heard this, and shouted loudly: "Tolmid!"
Tolmid responded and entered.
"You go and notify Capys and Dracos and let them send military judges to thoroughly investigate who in their respective legions participated in the fight in the market before the expedition!" After saying that, his anger seemed to subside a little. After thinking about it, he added: "And what caused it?"
After Tolmid left, Davos temporarily put the matter behind him and turned to ask Maricius: "What is the price of grain in the Thurii market now?"
"Relatively high! Because of the war in Sicily, and the war here, especially the war between Syracuse and Carthage has lasted for a long time, and the number of participants is too large, the demand for grain is very large, which has also affected the price of grain in the Thurii market…" When it came to trade, Maricius knew it like the back of his hand: "However, the wheat in our Daonian territory is growing very well this year. In another ten days, after the people have harvested the wheat, the price of wheat in Thurii should have a large drop…"
Davos stroked the few tender beards on his chin, paced back and forth, and finally said: "Then after you go back, tell Melsis to use the national treasury to quietly purchase grain, at least to ensure the reserves for four legions and two months of food."
Maricius's eyes lit up. He didn't even think that Davos's practice of using the national treasury without the consent of the Senate violated the laws of Daonia. This Persian, who still followed the king system in his bones, thought it was a matter of course. What he was interested in was: "Sir, have you decided to support the Silus tribe and take action against the Bruttians?"
Davos glanced at the excited Maricius, his peaceful tone carrying a hint of warning: "I am just making the worst-case scenario, but I hope you can keep this secret and not do extra things!"
The extra thing, of course, refers to Maricius using the news that he learned in advance that a war was about to be launched to seek personal gain.
Maricius was so shrewd that he immediately made a solemn guarantee, and then asked: "Sir, if we go to war with the Bruttians, what about Taranto?"
Davos smiled faintly: "Taranto can't fight anymore, especially with your arrival. I'm afraid those two Taranto consuls are discussing how to negotiate peace with the Messapians."
Maricius's eyes lit up again. He remembered the Taranto people wearing black veils and with sad expressions that he saw along the way when he came from Taranto. The defeat of Taranto was definitely a good thing for him as the Daonian business officer. He saw the hope that the port of Thurii would surpass the most prosperous port of Taranto in the Gulf of Taranto!
… … … … … … … … … …
In fact, it was the people of Taranto who first proposed peace talks with Messapia. After learning the truth of the war from the wounded citizen soldiers, they hated Deomiros's recklessness and were also disappointed with the prospects of the entire war. A few months ago, they pushed the Senate to launch a war against Messapia, but after a few months, Taranto had been bleeding, but had gained very little.
For a long time, the people nourished by Tarentum's prosperous trade and fertile land felt the cruelty of war. They no longer had the ambition to compete with Daonia, only hoping that their homeland would no longer have relatives sacrificing themselves.
Under the strong demands of the citizens, the Senate organized a hasty citizens' assembly. After fierce debate, it was finally decided to use the victory of this battle to propose peace talks to the Messapians.
To prevent the obstruction of the warmongering Archon Deomilas, the Citizens' Assembly also elected the next Archon in advance. Humacas was re-elected, and Dixitimars once again served as Archon, shouldering the mission of going to Messapia and completing the peace talks.
As for Deomilas, the Tarentines were not as radical as the Crotonians and did not demand his trial, but it is unlikely that his life would be easy after returning to Tarentum.
Dixitimars was on his way to the camp, while Davos was at his desk, writing a quick reply to the Daonian Senate: "My Lords, after I led my army to Tarentum, I fought a battle with the 30,000-strong Messapian Allied Forces in the mountains yesterday and won. Our soldiers suffered few casualties, but Tarentum suffered heavy casualties..."
Judging from the results of the war during this period, Tarentum's decline is inevitable. Therefore, the Archon of Heraclea, Triphylias, took the initiative to express his desire to join the Daonian League, and the Archon of Metapontum, Tudepres, is also wavering.
Gentlemen, perhaps you have not yet realized that the Daonian League is no longer the weak city-state that used to suffer the aggression of strong nations, but has become the most powerful force in southern Italy! Now that Daonia has become the overlord of southern Italy and is attracting the attention of other city-states in southern Italy, we must change our past cautious and conservative style in a timely manner and show the courage that a strong alliance should have, so that the city-states of southern Italy can be closely united around Daonia, defending Daonia's security, and Daonia will also safeguard the peace and stability of all Greek city-states in southern Italy, protecting the lives and safety of every Greek. This is the goal that our Daonian Senate must strive to achieve!
Siris, as a Greek tribe living among foreigners, is asking us for help in times of crisis, which is precisely the time to test us. Rejecting him will make our allies and the city-states that are watching us suspicious; and accepting him will encourage the courage of the city-states that have expectations for Daonia, because Daonia is willing to go to war with the Brutii to extend a helping hand to Siris, such a small tribe. Then, when other city-states are in danger, how can Daonia not do its best to help!
In addition, even if a war with the Brutii breaks out as a result of defending the Siris tribe, we don't have to regret it, because war between Daonia and the Brutii is inevitable! The reason why the Siris tribe is asking us for help is because Cosenza is uniting the Brutii tribes to form a more powerful and terrifying Brutii tribal alliance, just like the Lucanian tribal alliance in the beginning. We all know that the Brutii region is barren and unproductive. In the past, the Brutii people often crossed the mountains to plunder the Greek city-states to obtain supplies and population. Now, the establishment of a unified Brutii tribal alliance will inevitably expand outwards in order to obtain greater development for its race!
But look around Brutium, either surrounded by Daonia's territory or adjacent to our allies. The Brutii are like a beast lying next to Daonia. Do we want to tame it before it grows up? Or fight it after it grows up? The answer is undoubtedly the former!
...
Davos handed the letter to Mariji.
After he left, Tolmid came in and told Davos in detail about the investigation into the soldiers beating the people.
Davos did not expect that his own reasons had caused the soldiers to violate military law, and he was a little moved.
He whispered: "Olyphus..." and found it difficult to make a decision for a while.
Tolmid took the opportunity to persuade: "Sir, it is because the Tarentines arbitrarily insulted our soldiers... and you,
Olyphus and the others couldn't bear it and beat him. I don't think they were wrong. And—"
Davos looked up at him, and Tolmid immediately closed his mouth.
"Yes, for me..." Davos sighed softly and made a decision in his heart: "Go and notify Capus and Dracos, let them leave half of the men to guard the camp, lead the rest of the soldiers to gather at the threshing floor in the center of the village, and then call the military judge."
"Sir!" Tolmid wanted to persuade him again when he heard this.
Davos waved his hand, not allowing him to say more: "Go and execute it."
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
"Brothers!" Davos stood on a pile of straw as tall as a man, facing thousands of Daonian soldiers, and said loudly: "In order to fulfill Daonia's covenant with Tarentum, you have come to this strange land, fought bravely, and repelled the fierce and cunning Messapians and Puchetii. I, the Senate, and all the people of Daonia thank you!"
The soldiers all puffed out their chests proudly.
Davos paused for a while, then continued: "But in the process, something bad happened. Several of our brothers beat up a theater owner from Tarentum. At that time..."
The soldiers pricked up their ears and listened carefully. Although they couldn't move around due to military regulations, their eyes darted around, guessing who did it.
"Although the other party provoked first, Daonia's military law is not a decoration. Anyone who hits someone will be punished." Davos shouted sternly: "Military judge!"
The military judge next to him said loudly: "According to Daonia's military law, soldiers who insult or beat the people of allied nations during wartime will be punished with at least 20 lashes, depending on the severity of the circumstances. However, because the other party repeatedly provoked and used vicious language, the soldiers present were forced to take action in anger... After discussing with the commander-in-chief, I have made a decision on the punishment—the offending soldiers will each receive ten lashes!"
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. For them, who often received military training, ten lashes was a very light punishment.
"Olyphus, step forward." The military judge then shouted.
When Olyphus walked to the line, there was another small commotion among the soldiers. They didn't expect that a centurion would be involved in this matter.
Leotichides was also quite surprised. He didn't expect that in order to maintain military discipline, the Daonians would not hesitate to punish the offending centurion simply for beating a citizen of an allied nation! Because in his memory, even the equally disciplined Spartan army could not do this. They were only disciplined in combat, but usually on the territory of allied nations, the soldiers' actions were not strictly restrained, so they were domineering, and the local people had a lot of resentment, such as Corinth, Megara, etc. In the beginning, Leotichides, as the son of the Spartan King Agis, did not receive much treatment as a prince. He also participated in many battles as a soldier, so he knew the situation of the Spartan army better.
Olyphus walked to the front of the line calmly. After hitting someone, he was already prepared to be punished.
After the military judge called out the names of the offending soldiers, Olyphus saw Davos on the straw pile looking at him, and then heard him say loudly: "In addition, there is one more person who will receive military punishment, and that is me!"
As soon as these words came out, the whole army was in an uproar.
Capus, Dracos, Antonios, Alexis, Amyntas and other senior generals were also shocked when they heard this sentence, and they even forgot to restrain the soldiers for a while. It was not easy to restore order to the team under Davos's reminder.
"Why should I be punished?" Davos pointed to the offending soldiers in front of the line and said loudly with sincere emotion: "Olyphus, as a centurion, doesn't he know that hitting someone will violate military law?! Don't the other brothers know the pain of being punished with military lashes?! No, of course they know. Every legion soldier is familiar with Daonia's military law.
But why didn't the brothers of the First Legion have such problems in Croton, Siris, and Caulonia, but made mistakes here in Tarentum across the bay?! Because the Tarentines were mainly insulting me, Olyphus and the others acted in anger to maintain my prestige as the commander of this army! And I, as the Archon of Daonia and your commander, led you to aid Tarentum, but failed to win the respect of the Tarentines for you, and even allowed them to despise us and insult us! This is my dereliction of duty, it is my responsibility! So if you want to punish them, you must punish me first, otherwise—" Davos patted his chest: "I won't feel good here, and I can't forgive myself, so don't try to dissuade me! I will accept the punishment of ten lashes with these brothers! Let Dracos supervise the execution, and no fraud is allowed!"
After Davos finished speaking, there was silence on the threshing floor.
Every soldier stared at their commander with excitement, their chests rising and falling sharply.
Olyphus only felt a heat in his eyes, and tears flowed down his cheeks. He couldn't help but wave his arms and shout: "Long live our Davos!"
With his lead, a huge wave of sound instantly covered the entire village, mixed with praises of "Long live Daonia!" and curses of "Damn Tarentum!"
Davos stared at everything calmly. He reminded the equally excited military judge: "Prepare for the execution."
After speaking, he walked down the valley pile and stood next to Olyphus.
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
As soon as Dixitimars arrived at the Tarentum military camp, he immediately summoned the citizen soldiers, first announced the resolution of the Citizens' Assembly, removed Deomilas from his position as Archon, and let the guards "escort" him back to the city, and then discussed with Humacas how to reach a peace agreement with the Messapians.
After some discussion, both agreed that to succeed in negotiations, they should first obtain Daonia's support.
So they rushed to the Daonian military camp, just in time to hear cheers of jubilation erupting from within.
As the two were feeling puzzled, Daonia's adjutant Tormid arrived, bringing Davos's order: to allow the two into the camp.
"Are you training?" Yumas asked curiously.
Tormid said with a face full of respect, "Are you referring to the cheering? Our commander, Lord Davos, is receiving a caning!"
"What did you say?!" Yumas thought he had misheard.
Tormid solemnly recounted the previous events in brief. Yumas and Tiximas were dumbfounded: Daonia's Archon was not only punishing the soldiers who had beaten a Tarantum citizen, but also punishing himself?!
Not only did they not feel grateful, but they felt fear rising in their hearts, growing stronger and stronger: an Archon of a League actually accepting punishment for such a trivial matter was unheard of in the Greek history they knew!
Both had served as Archons several times and commanded city-state armies, so they knew the importance of discipline in the army. The Daonian army's requirements for military discipline were so strict, no wonder they could defeat the ferocious Putian!
"Terrible Davos!…" Tiximas sighed in a low voice.
Yumas happened to hear it and was immediately stunned, then understood the meaning of Tiximas's words: Davos could be so ruthless to himself in order to achieve his goals!
Moreover, through his interactions with Davos during this period, Yumas deeply felt that having such a lifelong Archon in Daonia was probably not a good thing for Tarantum… The only consolation was that the citizens of Tarantum had finally reached a consensus on the peace talks.
Otherwise, given the current morale of the Daonian soldiers, who knew what would happen if they attacked Messapia again! Damn Timias! Couldn't these undisciplined Tarantum people think more about the city-state before making trouble?!
… … … … … … … … …
When the two Archons saw Davos, he was lying in the military tent receiving treatment from the doctor. Learning of their intentions, Davos was surprised but immediately expressed his support.
After everyone discussed, the Tarantum Allied Forces marched east at dawn the next day.
Halfway to Brindisi, the Messapian Allied Forces blocked their way, and the two sides lined up facing each other.
After an hour of stalemate, the Tarantum Allied Forces never sounded the attack horn. The Tarantum people, mindful of their reputation, expressed their intentions euphemistically in this way, and the shrewd Pasimerus quickly understood the Greeks' intentions.
After witnessing the Daonian soldiers' tight formation and high morale, the words Tremoni had said weighed even more heavily on his mind.
He no longer prevaricated and sent Timogoras out again.
Negotiations began between the two sides.
By dusk, a peace agreement was reached between Tarantum, Messapia, and Putian: both sides would immediately cease fire, Tarantum would return Manduria to Messapia, each side would return prisoners and soldiers' corpses, and Tarantum, Messapia, and Putian would not invade each other for ten years…
In addition, Tarantum also signed a trade agreement with Putian.
Tarantum's return of Manduria was actually a last resort. The Tarantum Senate had discussed it beforehand and ultimately agreed that after Messapia and Putian joined forces, Manduria alone could no longer stop the Messapians' invasion, because they could collude with the Putians to invade from the wider east of Tarantum.
And successive defeats had sharply reduced the number of Tarantum citizens. If citizens were sent to Manduria, it would not only dilute Tarantum's strength but also make them vulnerable to encirclement without rescue.
Before the negotiations, the two Archons had clearly stated to Davos that in order to thank Daonia for their selfless assistance,
they were willing to hand over Manduria to Daonia free of charge.
Davos was not a shortsighted person, and he knew very well that Tarantum wanted to drag Daonia into the water and drive Daonia to confront Messapia and Putian for a long time, sheltering Tarantum from the wind and rain.
Davos certainly did not want to be such a sucker, and Daonia's current strength did not allow it to fight on two fronts, so he politely declined.
Only then did Yumas and Tiximas use Manduria as a bargaining chip and use the trade agreement to impress Tremoni, ultimately forcing Pasimerus to concede and sign the ten-year peace agreement.
When the agreement was signed, Tremoni made a small request to meet Daonia's Archon Davos, but Davos politely refused on the grounds that his injuries had not healed and it was inconvenient to meet people.
… … … … … … … …
While Tarantum was holding peace talks, the Daonian Senate finally passed a resolution to support the Silus tribe after reading Davos's reply.
When discussing the selection of envoys to Cosenza, Mariji immediately stood up and recommended Poluxis, praising his eloquence and saying that he would definitely be able to persuade the Brutti tribe alliance of Cosenza to let Silus go.
Then, Melsis and Felixus competed to praise Poluxis, believing that he was the best candidate for the envoy.
The former mercenary senators' stance frightened Poluxis, and he immediately felt that Davos's confidants were deliberately targeting him. If he really went to Cosenza and Mariji and the others made trouble, he was afraid that he would not be able to return!
He was a man who would not easily take risks, so he hurriedly got up to refuse. Under the verbal siege of Mariji and the others, Poluxis did not hesitate to belittle himself, almost begging for mercy.
Only then did Mariji and the others give up teasing him, and finally Antaolis, who had just joined the Senate and had no specific affairs, took the initiative to request to go.
… … … … … … … … …
The Tarantum Allied Forces returned to Tarantum with the released Tarantum people and the remains of the soldiers, including Achita's pieced-together body, of course.
After being reminded by Archon Yumas, the Tarantum Senate even forbade the people from leaving the city, so that the Daonian army could return to camp smoothly.
After attending Achita's funeral, Davos and some of the soldiers left behind took a boat back to Thurii.
… … … … … … … … …
After accepting the mission to be an envoy, Antaolis set off for Cosenza that afternoon with three followers.
He did not take the road from Thurii to the west, through the mountain pass to Laos, and then to Vig City. Although it was safe, most of the road was mountainous and took too much time. Instead, he chose to take the trail on the south bank of the Crati River, going up the river to Bisinia, and then turning south to Cosenza.
After crossing the wooden bridge over the Crati River, Antaolis and his party walked west along the south bank of the Crati River. The terrain gradually became higher, and the road became narrower. After passing the last sentry post of Thurii, there was a dirt road that could accommodate three people side by side: on the left was a steep mountain wall, and on the right was a steep slope more than ten meters high, with the turbulent Crati River below.
Antaolis looked down and saw the dark cyan river roaring and constantly hitting the black and yellow reefs, making a shocking roar. One after another millstone-sized whirlpools appeared and disappeared, and he did not know how deep the bottom was…
Antaolis felt that his legs were a little weak, and the four people carefully supported each other forward.
Some sections of the road were soaked in rainwater, and the soil was soft and collapsed, and some sections could only allow one person to pass.
The group walked for four hours, but it felt like they had walked for a day, and their physical strength and energy were consumed very quickly. Fortunately, the trail began to gradually descend, and the road became wider and wider. Suddenly, the eyes suddenly opened up: continuous green mountains, the Crati River, which had become narrower and the water flow was more rapid, and in this landscape, there was a relatively flat depression. And on this relatively flat land stood a small city—Bisinia.
Antaolis and his party were stopped by the Brutti sentries at the exit of the road. After explaining their intentions for a long time, they were escorted through the defensive camp blocking the road and entered the city of Bisinia, and were finally taken to Bisinia's simple council hall.
It was said to be a hall, but it was just a larger thatched cottage with firewood burning in the earthen pit in the center of the wooden house. In Thurii City, the weather in early September was still relatively warm, and most people still wore thin, bare-shouldered summer Botons, but it was already a bit cold in the mountains of Bisinia, not too far from Thurii. The fire pit could not only provide lighting but also drive away the cold.
The three people sitting around the fire pit were all wearing leather jackets. The youngest of them stood up and walked to Antaolis, with a hint of curiosity in his fierce eyes: "Greeks, what are you doing in the mountains?! Don't you know that we Brutti don't welcome you!"
After listening to the translation of his follower, Antaolis said calmly: "I am the envoy of Daonia, and I am ordered by the Senate to be an envoy to Cosenza, and I have important matters to discuss with the great leaders of Brutti."
"Important matter?! What important matter?!" he asked with great interest.
Antaolis said seriously: "I'm sorry, I can only say it when I see the great leaders of Brutti."
The young man's face immediately changed, and he shouted with a fierce look: "If you don't say it, don't even think about passing through Bisinia! I now suspect that you are Greek spies! Come on, take them down, whip them ten times each, and then lock them in the sheepfold!"
Antaolis and his followers' faces changed.
"Wait, Kanaru!" At this time, the man next to him stood up and stopped him: "They are Daonians. Before Chief Nikuru and the others reply, it is best not to hurt these people!"
"Since when have we Bruttians been so friendly to the Greeks! Just because they are Daunians, are we afraid of them!" Kanaru roared indignantly. Although the Bruttians had been relatively isolated for the past year, they were still aware of major events happening in the outside world. The sudden rise of a powerful city-state alliance around Bruttium had indeed put pressure on the tribal leaders. However, young people like Kanam were unwilling to accept it: "We are wolves, and the Greeks are just sheep. Even if there are many sheep and they are fat, they cannot defeat wolves!"
"Alright, Kalam, don't forget what your father told you before he left. You certainly don't want him to hear again that you didn't listen to our advice and get angry, and then take away the rights you just gained and transfer them to your brother." Another older man stepped forward to persuade him.
Kanaru seemed to remember something, and his expression changed slightly. He turned and strode out angrily, glaring fiercely at Anta Olis as he left.
Anta Olis was listening intently as his attendant whispered a translation of their conversation. He saw the old man walk over and say in a gentle tone: "Envoy of Daunia, my name is Bagiri Pi, and I am a leader of Bisinia. This is Brim, also a leader of Bisinia."
Anta Olis smiled, bowed, and introduced himself.
"We will immediately send someone to quickly inform Consentia of your arrival. You will stay in the city of Bisinia to rest for the time being. Once the news of permission to enter arrives, we will send someone to escort you to Consentia."
… … … … … … … … …
The Bruttians slept simply, covering themselves with animal skins and sleeping directly on the wooden floor around the fire pit.
Anta Olis and his party were exhausted after an afternoon of trekking and fright. After dinner, they fell to the ground and slept, quickly falling into a dream, filled with snores.
In the darkness, only one person still had their eyes open.
Among Anta Olis's three attendants, one was his most trusted slave, who carefully took care of his food, clothing, and accommodation along the way; another was Ade Pigis, a translator specially found by the Senate for Anta Olis because he did not understand the Bruttian language. He was a registered freeman of Daunia whose mother was Greek. She had been abducted by the Bruttians, humiliated, and became pregnant with him. From childhood, he was a slave of the Bruttians, experiencing all the hardships of life. Finally, he seized an opportunity to escape the Bruttian mountains and eventually came to Thurii. He had a deep hatred for the Bruttians but was very able to endure; the last attendant who hadn't fallen asleep was recommended to Anta Olis by Mariji, who said he was from the Department of Military Affairs. Considering the possibility of war with the Bruttians in the future, it was necessary to understand the internal situation of the Bruttian region. In reality, he was a reserve citizen of Daunia named Antra Polis, the younger brother of Deiphobus's personal intelligence officer, Aristas.
Since Izam's reconnaissance team had followed Deiphobus to Tarentum, Antra Polis was indeed fulfilling his reconnaissance duties in this area. At this moment, he was trying to recall everything he had seen during the day: the approximate time it took to travel from Thurii to Bisinia, the difficulty of the road, the location and solidity of the city of Bisinia, the approximate number of people and soldiers in the city, and judging the personalities of the Bisinian leaders through conversation… and so on. Antra Polis recalled it again and again, until he had clearly engraved them in his mind. There were still some vague areas that he needed to further confirm the next day.
After finishing this task, Antra Polis turned his gaze to Anta Olis, who was sleeping opposite him—this was his other target. He would closely monitor and observe the performance of this Coremissan who had newly joined the Senate during his mission to Consentia.
This was not the first time Antra Polis had done such a thing. In the beginning, he was somewhat resistant. He said to his brother Aristas: Hiero, the former tyrant of Syracuse, once created a system of espionage, extensively monitoring the private lives of citizens, and therefore had a bad reputation. He did not want Deiphobus, whom they depended on, to become such a person.
However, Aristas persuaded him: Hiero's bad reputation was mainly because he was too dictatorial, excessively suspicious, and oppressed the citizens, which caused public resentment. Deiphobus, as a broad-minded and calm-headed lifelong consul, knows how to safeguard the freedom of the people and should not make such mistakes. Moreover, he is outstanding in ability, and the rapid rise of the Daunian League has already explained everything. He is the best commander that the two brothers are optimistic about to confront Syracuse and rebuild Catania. Therefore, consolidating his leadership position and preventing people with ulterior motives from creating chaos has become one of Aristas's important responsibilities.
After being persuaded by his brother, Antrippolis had tracked and investigated the movements of several senators. It should be said that the vast majority of senators supported and recognized Davos's position as lifelong Archon. Although a very few, like Polyxenus, were dissatisfied with Davos, they only expressed it verbally and took no concrete action. As for Antaolis, he was the leader of the three from Crimisa who entered the Senate. Since arriving in Thurii, he had kept a low profile, rarely interacting with other senators except when attending Senate meetings, which aroused Aristeas's curiosity. This mission was a good opportunity to understand this Krimisan, and also to provide Davos with a reference for future use and appointment of senior officials. At least from his current performance, although Antaolis is a nobleman from Crimisa, he is hardworking and courageous. Antrippolis has high expectations for his future performance.
The next afternoon, a messenger arrived from Consentia, informing them that Antaolis and his party were granted entry into Consentia.
Bagelipii also sent ten warriors, ostensibly to "escort" the Daunian envoys to Consentia.
The group left the city and began to travel west along the mountain road. They were soon intercepted.
Canarus, riding a horse, appeared before them and said smugly, "Greeks, I haven't even entertained you yet, and you want to leave so soon!"
Antaolis and his companions immediately felt tense.
At this moment, the Bruttian warriors responsible for the escort stepped forward to persuade Canarus, but were stopped by his men: "Don't worry, I won't let you return empty-handed."
After making this promise, his expression turned grim, and his eyes revealed a fierce light: "Give them five lashes each! Let them know that Greeks don't get through my Bysinnia city so easily without paying a price!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before Antaolis and his companions could react, they were swarmed by Bruttian warriors and forced to the ground.
Each of them received five lashes, leaving their skin torn and bleeding. Addepeges became enraged and cursed loudly in Bruttian.
Canarus listened and laughed, shouting, "Give him three more lashes!"
Addepeges wanted to continue cursing, but Antaolis whispered, "Addepeges, don't forget what we're here to do!"
Addepeges was shocked by these words and slowly lowered his head.
Seeing that the Greeks were no longer reacting, Canarus felt bored. He didn't dare to go too far, lest he incur his father's wrath, so he shouted, "Cowardly Greeks, leave." He jerked the reins and galloped east along the road.
Antaolis and the four of them supported each other, struggling to move forward.
Although the terrain became higher, the road was no longer rugged. The rolling mountains gradually receded to the sides, and ahead was a gently undulating grassland. Dense, resilient grasses were dotted with colorful wildflowers, forming a vast, colorful carpet that stretched into the distance… Herds of cattle, sheep, and horses grazed peacefully on the slopes, or galloped and frolicked, while scattered thatched huts sat among them, some already with smoke rising from their chimneys.
The number of people seen on the road gradually increased. They drove cattle and sheep, carrying goods, appearing in various places on the slopes, heading in the same direction.
By evening, Antaolis saw a towering, massive dark shadow in the distance by the moonlight. He knew Consentia had arrived.
Since it was past the time for entering the city, Antaolis and his party had to set up tents outside the city for the night.
Early the next morning, the escorting Bruttian warriors immediately reported to the city.
Soon, Antaolis and his party were welcomed by a line of guards sent by the tribal alliance and invited to enter the city of Consentia.
After breakfast, Antaolis was taken to the council hall of Consentia, which was much more imposing than the thatched hut in Bysinnia.
One person sat in the center, with three people on each side. The central seat was clearly higher, indicating a hierarchy.
Antaolis thought about the news that the Bruttian tribes had formed a tribal alliance under the leadership of the chief leader in Consentia, while respectfully bowing and saluting: "Respected great chiefs, I am Antaolis, the envoy of Daonia, bringing greetings from the Daonian Senate!"
Before Addepeges could translate, the person in the center spoke in Greek: "Envoy of Daonia, welcome to Consentia, the center of the Bruttian tribal alliance. I am Pianron, the great chief leader of the entire tribal alliance."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person closest to him on the lower left stood up and asked in Greek: "Bruttium and Daonia have never had any contact. I wonder what the envoy is here for this time?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone else in the council hall focused their attention on Antaolis.
Antaolis did not expect the Bruttians to bring up the issue so directly upon their first meeting. He did not answer immediately, but turned to ask: "May I ask who you are?"
"I am Sedulum, the great chief leader of Vige, and also an elder of the tribal alliance." Sedulum was the only one among the great chief leaders who had interacted with Daonia. A year ago, when the Lucanian League attacked Thurii, he led his people to attack the camp of the then mercenary leader and now Archon of Daonia, Davos. Later, Davos devised a plan to encircle and annihilate the Lucanian allied forces, allowing Sedulum to seize the opportunity to defect from the Lucanian League. After that, due to Vige's proximity to Laos, the turmoil within Laos, Avinogis's rise to power, Laos joining the Daonian alliance… a series of events occurred one after another like a revolving lantern, and he was aware of them all. Therefore, although he had never met Davos or directly dealt with Daonia, he was wary of Davos and Daonia. So when he learned that Daonia had sent an envoy, Sedulum warned the others to be cautious, because Daonia's strength now clearly exceeded that of Bruttium.
Antaoris nodded to him, then surveyed the people present. Their gazes towards him were filled with wariness and scrutiny, further diminishing his expectations for the success of this mission.
Antaoris secretly encouraged himself, quickly adjusting his emotions to make his words more powerful: "Great chieftains of the Brutii, Daonia, as the leader of the Greek city-state alliance in southern Italy (here, he was clearly exaggerating Daonia's prosperous status), has the responsibility to maintain peace among the Greek city-states in southern Italy and protect the lives and property of the Greeks. Daolia has been doing this for more than half a year. A few months ago, Daonia presided over the mediation of the war between Croton and Locri, and a few days ago, at the request of its allies, sent troops to aid Taranto in resisting the invasion of the Messapians and the Peucetians…"
Antaoris paused, noticing that the expressions of the people became solemn.
"The Sirus—a tribe composed of Greeks—have always lived peacefully in this mountainous area, maintaining friendly relations with the surrounding tribes. But now their survival is threatened. Your newly formed tribal alliance is threatening this small tribe, which has never harmed any Brutii, to immediately leave their home where they have lived for decades and accept your incorporation into Cosenza. They have no choice but to seek help from Daonia. In order to protect the lives and property of the Greeks in southern Italy, the Daonian Senate has reached a consensus and sent me here, hoping that the Brutii tribal alliance will stop threatening the Sirus tribe and restore their peaceful life!"
Antaoris finished speaking with confidence. The people present did not seem too surprised; they exchanged glances. During yesterday's discussion about the reason for the Daonian envoy's visit to the Brutii, someone had actually guessed it: the Daonians were here for the Sirus.
And the person who guessed it was Pangeru, the great chieftain of Knapetia, whose settlement was not far north of Knapetia. At this moment, he stood up in anger: "Arrogant Daonians, the Sirus live on Brutii land. Their food and clothing are produced from this land. They are a Brutii tribe. This is an internal affair of the Brutii and has nothing to do with you Greeks! If you are only here for this matter, you can go back! The Brutii do not welcome you, nor do they like an external force interfering in Brutii affairs!"
Antaoris sneered: "The Brutii region is only called that because a large number of Brutii tribes are gathered here. In fact, this mountainous area is neither a country nor under the jurisdiction of a city-state, so there is no unified territory or border! Everyone knows that the Sirus are a tribe composed of Greeks and have lived on this land for a hundred years. They have the right to continue to live independently here!"
Nicuru, the great chieftain of Bisinia, had a fiery temper like his son Canaru. He immediately burst into abusive language and shouted: "What right do the Daonians have to interfere in the affairs of our Brutii people! We were originally planning to deal with the Sirus tribe in a few days, but now that you have said this, I have decided to send a large army to destroy it this afternoon!"
"If Daonia can allow Crimisa, Asprustum, and Niuutum to obtain independent survival rights, then letting go of the Sirus would not be a big problem," Bargam, the great chieftain of Ambarnia, mocked without yielding.
Antaoris stood quietly, as if he had not heard their curses.
At this time, Sedorum asked loudly: "What will happen if we reject the demands of you Daonians?"
The curses in the hall suddenly subsided a lot.
"I am only ordered to convey the Senate's demands to you. If you do not accept them, the Daonian Senate needs to discuss before making the next decision," Antaoris said calmly, but his tone became heavier: "However, Daonia has always kept its promises, and even at a great cost, it will not allow its allies to be bullied. The previous examples have already illustrated everything. And as I just said, my Daonian Consul Davos, in order to fulfill the alliance with Taranto, is leading 15,000 soldiers in the land of Taranto to fight against the Messapians who are invading our allies. And just as I was about to embark on a mission to Cosenza, war reports have already arrived, stating that Davos led his army and defeated the 30,000 allied forces of the Messapians and Peucetians in the mountains. The Messapian-Peucetian allied forces suffered countless casualties and were forced to sign a peace agreement with Taranto. Soon, Davos will lead the victorious army back to Thurii to hold a triumphal ceremony!"
Threat! This is a blatant threat! Everyone looked at each other. Great Chieftain Nicuru jumped and cursed, and even threatened not to be afraid of war with Daonia.
"Quiet! Quiet!" Philotarus, the high priest of the Brutii, stood up to maintain order in the hall.
"Daonians, our Brutii warriors are not afraid of war!" Pianren, who was sitting in the center, said: "But the Brutii and Daonia are neighbors. Once a conflict occurs, it will persistently damage the relationship between the two races, leading to continuous war. In order to avoid the possible sacrifice of countless people due to the Sirus tribe, the Brutii are willing to make concessions. We will not punish the Sirus for violating orders, but let them leave the Brutii peacefully."
"What are you saying, Pianren! The Brutii will never yield to Daonia!" Nikuru immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.
"What about the land? The land where the Silus have lived for generations, are you just going to take it away?!" Antaolis also reacted quickly, quickly questioning.
Pianren glanced at Nikuru, who, despite the dissatisfaction on his face, said nothing more.
The high priest Philotalu solemnly admonished Antaolis: "Not enslaving the Silus people is already the greatest goodwill of our Brutii tribal alliance. The Daonians should not be too greedy!"
Antaolis shook his head and said in a firm tone: "But the Senate's order to me is, 'The Silus' right to independent survival in Brutium must be guaranteed!'"
A glint flashed in Pianren's eyes, and his tone became indifferent: "Since that's the case, we'll make a decision after we discuss it."
"Moreover, we don't understand the current situation of the Silus tribe, and we need to send people to understand it before we can make a judgment," Sedorum quickly interjected.
After the guards escorted Antaolis away, the discussion in the council hall became more intense.
"Daonia is bullying us too much, saying they are protecting the Greeks of southern Italy. I think they just don't want to see us Brutii unite, so they are deliberately creating trouble for us!" Pangelu said angrily.
The high priest Philotalu nodded, encouraging everyone: "Therefore, we Brutii must unite more closely to not be afraid of the Greeks and Lucanians!"
"How about we get rid of these annoying Daonians—" Nikuru waved his hand, making a decapitation gesture.
"That won't do!" Sedorum hurriedly dissuaded him: "Whether it's the Greeks or the Lucanians, they all have rules for treating envoys kindly, even in times of war. We Brutii are becoming a powerful alliance, and we should abide by these universally recognized principles of various races to better deal with them. Moreover, killing the Daonian envoy will only anger the Daonians, and war will be inevitable."
"What is Daonia! My people and I are not afraid of them at all!" Nikuru said without showing any weakness.
"Of course we are not afraid of Daonia! But once a war breaks out, our great cause of unifying Brutium will be severely affected!" Pianren said solemnly.
"I think it's better to imprison them for a few days, and release them after we solve the Silus problem. By then, even if they want to protect the Silus, the Silus tribe will no longer exist, and they will have to accept this fact," Bogaru suggested.
Sedorum was inspired by this and had a flash of inspiration, saying: "Everyone, I think this is a good idea, we can also modify it slightly…"
After Sedorum finished speaking his thoughts, everyone thought this method was good, only Nikuru sneered, and said impatiently: "Why make it so complicated, it's like we Brutii are afraid of the Daonians!"
Pianren ignored him and cautiously reminded: "Elder Sedorum's suggestion, I think it can be implemented. However, we must also be prepared, in case the Daonians do not accept our approach, then we must be prepared to deal with the possible war!"
After a brief silence in the hall, Nikuru spoke first: "I admit that Daonia's strength is stronger than ours, but as long as they dare to enter the Brutii mountains, I guarantee that they will never return! Because no one knows the mountains and plateaus here better than us. Amala (the snow mountain and plateau goddess worshiped by the Brutii) has sheltered us Brutii people to live here quietly for hundreds of years, and will continue to protect us Brutii people!"
Nikuru's words boosted everyone's spirits.
The high priest Philotalu said: "In addition, we also need to find allies to jointly fight against Daonia, to reduce the pressure of facing Daonia alone."
Allies? The Brutii region is already surrounded by Daonia and its allies. Where can we find allies? Just as everyone was racking their brains, Sedorum suddenly shouted excitedly: "The Lucanians! We can go to the Lucanians! After Daonia seized Grummentum, it has already threatened the territorial security of Piccos and Potentia. If they don't want to become the next Grummentum, they should be willing to ally with us."
Pianren's eyes lit up. The reason why he didn't think of the Lucanians was because two years ago, the Lucanians were still the most feared enemies of the Brutii. When the city of Vigg was surrendered to the Lucanian tribal alliance and the situation in the Brutii region was the most critical, Pianren even considered leading the tribe to move south. For this reason, he also led the Cosenza army to join forces with Clapetia to attack Trina to the south, and a fierce battle broke out with the Crotone alliance. But in just two short years, the once powerful Lucanians have fallen to this point, which cannot but arouse Pianren's vigilance.
"Chief Sedorum is a good friend of the Lucanians, no wonder only you can think of the Lucanians. Therefore, it is best for you to come forward to discuss the alliance with the Lucanians," Nikuru said loudly sarcastically, completely disregarding that Sedorum and he were both elders of the Brutii Alliance.