"Who said I was unwilling to send troops?!" Teriphaeus quickly changed his tune, rising to grab him: "Didn't the messenger say we should wait for news of the naval victory? Look…"
Teriphaeus patiently analyzed for Matonis: "Once the naval battle is won, it will definitely be impossible to send messages by land. During the day, the Tarentum cavalry patrols the south; your messengers simply can't get through… Which means, we can only send troops when we see the Daonian fleet approaching from the sea." By then, the overall situation will be settled, and Teriphaeus would be more than happy to comply.
Who knew, Matonis shook his head and said: "Your suggestion won't work; it's too slow! The Tarentum fleet has blockaded the port of Heraclea, and they will definitely receive the news first. By the time our fleet arrives and we take action, the Tarentum people outside the city will have already run away! So—"
Matonis glared at Teriphaeus, and said in a deep voice: "We must closely monitor the enemy camp outside the city. As soon as the Tarentum people try to retreat, we will immediately attack!"
"Ah?!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Having persuaded Teriphaeus, Matonis immediately ordered his adjutant to summon the battalion commanders of the Seventh Legion to the main tent for a meeting (the Seventh Legion's camp was built on the square of Heraclea).
After a while, all seven battalion commanders arrived.
Matonis didn't wait for them to sit down before saying directly: "Time is tight, so I'll make it brief. His Majesty Davos has led the First and Second Legions back to Thurii—"
"Ah, Lord Davos is back!"
"That's great, Amendolara is saved!"
"It's not just Amendolara that's saved; the Tarentum people are doomed too! Lord Davos will lead us to defeat them!"
… …
The battalion commanders shouted and jumped for joy.
"All of you shut up!" Matonis roared, startling them: "You are all veterans; you should know the provisions of the 'Daonian Military Law.' What punishment will be given to subordinates who interrupt their superiors during instructions?!"
Matonis glared fiercely at them, and the battalion commanders subconsciously touched their buttocks: "I'll remember the matter of the caning for now, and your performance will be assessed next. His Majesty Davos has sent orders that he will lead the army from the sea today and land on the coast between Heraclea and Metapontum, requiring us to do our best to hold back the enemy outside the city so that the main force can arrive in time and join forces to encircle and annihilate the Tarentum people! Do you understand?!"
"Understood!" The battalion commanders no longer dared to shout or yell.
But their excitement was overflowing.
Matonis paced back and forth in front of them, then stomped his foot hard: "I know that in the past two days, because I strictly forbade the soldiers from leaving the city to drive away the enemies in Amendolara, many soldiers in the legion have been scolding me in private, saying 'I am a timid rabbit, a cowardly lamb, and not worthy to be the legion commander!' Some people even scolded my parents!…"
Matonis's roar made the battalion commanders as quiet as cicadas in winter: "I know that some soldiers in the legion are from Amendolara, but this should not be a reason for them to insult their superiors. 'A soldier's duty is to obey orders.' This is a basic provision in the military law. I have remembered all the soldiers who scolded me in private. You go back and tell them that in this attack, if they don't perform more bravely than me and charge faster than me, then what qualifications do they have to scold me!"
Matonis widened his eyes, panting heavily, like an angry bull: "Then, after the war is over, I will make them stand at attention in the square and let the people of the entire legion take turns going up to scold their whole families! Do you understand?!"
"Under… understood."
"Hurry back and prepare!"
"Yes!"
After the battalion commanders left, the adjutant said cautiously: "Legion Commander, will you doing this—"
"Will what?!" Matonis glared, and snorted: "With such a new legion that has no good equipment and no strict discipline, if I don't motivate them like this, how can they perform well!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the afternoon, a fast ship rapidly approached the Agri River.
"What did you say?! The Syracuse navy was defeated? How is that possible?!" The two Tarentum magistrates exclaimed in disbelief.
"Did the fleets of other city-states join the battle to help the Daonians?!" Yomacas hurriedly asked.
"No, the Daonian fleet fought independently from beginning to end. They installed a kind of wooden bridge on their warships, which could hook the Syracuse people's warships, and then send a large number of soldiers to rush onto the deck…" The captain of the fast ship recalled the scene he had seen before, and it was still like a dream. The Daonian fleet's method of combat completely subverted the traditional naval warfare indoctrination he had received since childhood.
Daomiras was stunned for a while, and thought of a key question: "Did the Daonian fleet suffer heavy losses?"
The captain shook his head and said: "It seems that their fleet did not suffer much damage."
"Is Hades really blessing these barbaric and rude Daonians?!" Daomiras looked surprised, but also looked dejected. He looked at Yomacas somewhat distractedly.
Yomacas was also looking at him.
Both of their eyes were filled with fear, because they both knew that once Syracuse's naval advantage was broken and the Daonian fleet controlled the Gulf of Taranto, the Tarentum fleet's strength would be unable to resist it alone. The Tarentum coastline would be threatened by the Daonian fleet, then their army, far away from the city of Tarentum, would be in danger.
The two shouted almost in unison: "We must retreat immediately!"
In order not to attract the attention of the Heracleans, the two quietly summoned the captains and issued them the order to retreat.
The Tarentum soldiers began to pack their belongings and luggage.
The most headache for the two magistrates was the mountains of grain piled up in the camp. In order to ensure the convenience of food supply, the Tarentum people used freighters to transport food and pile it up in the camp for the use of a huge army of 20,000 people for more than ten days. Now that they suddenly had to retreat, this became a problem.
Tarentum did not have a department specifically responsible for logistics and transportation. Considering that this was a near-sea operation, Tarentum did not consider hiring labor to transport from land. The supplies were all transported by sea. At this moment, it would take too much time to send a fast ship back to notify the port of Tarentum and summon freighters to transport them. However, they did not dare to easily burn or discard so much grain and supplies, because the act of arbitrarily wasting city-state supplies would inevitably be impeached by the Senate.
So, Daomiras came up with an idea: let some soldiers carry supplies by land to Metapontum, and at the same time recall the Tarentum fleet still cruising in the sea near Heraclea, load the grain into the cabins on the ships, and transport it back to Tarentum.
"What if the enemies in the city come out to attack us?" Yomacas was a little worried.
"These cowardly Heracleans and Daonian soldiers have been shrinking in the city these days. I don't think they will suddenly have the courage to take the initiative to attack. By the time they know the news that the Daonian fleet has won, we will have already returned to Metapontum." In fact, Daomiras, based on the traditional combat experience of the Greeks, did not even think that the Daonian army could immediately launch a rescue of Heraclea after a fierce naval battle.
However, the performance of the Daonian Legion in the battle against the Meipu Allied Forces that year left a deep impression on Daomiras. He had to be careful, after all, this Tarentum army almost gathered all the young and middle-aged citizens of Tarentum, and could not tolerate any mistakes. Therefore, although Daomiras did not think that there was any danger in the Tarentum army's retreat, he still arranged for 4,000 soldiers to serve as the rearguard.
In order not to attract attention, the Tarentum army did not even dismantle the tents.
But even so, the Tarentum army's retreat was still slow and disorganized. It was impossible for the poorly trained Tarentum people to make "army retreat" a special training program like the Daonians, training once every seven or eight days, so as to achieve quickness, speed, clear division of labor, and order.
The Tarentum people thought they could hide it from Heraclea, but they did not expect that the Daonian Seventh Legion had long expected them to retreat and had been closely monitoring the city walls. Some signs were quickly discovered by them, such as: the cavalry patrolling the camp no longer appeared, there was a lot of noise in the camp, warships frequently entered the Agri River… and so on.
"Legion Commander Matonis!" Teriphaeus asked excitedly at this moment: "It seems that the enemy is really retreating. Could it be… could it be that your fleet really defeated the Syracuse people?!"
"I have already said that His Majesty Davos always keeps his word!" Matonis glanced at him, and retorted coldly.
"You're right!" Teriphaeus didn't care about Matonis's attitude, and continued to ask excitedly: "Should we attack now?!"
Matonis held the battlements with both hands and said calmly: "Don't worry, wait a little longer."
"Still waiting?"
"Yes, wait until the Tarentum soldiers are all ready to leave, wait until they have already begun to cross the river…" Matonis's eyes flashed with cold light, like a wolf preparing to pounce on its prey.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Daomiras watched the soldiers passing through the pontoon bridge, and a voice in his heart kept urging: Faster! Faster!…
Seeing teams of soldiers reaching the other side through these pontoon bridges and other soldiers quickly following, Daomiras relaxed slightly.
But at this moment, a shocking roar suddenly erupted outside the camp, and his heart suddenly sank: Damn, the enemy troops from the city of Heraclea must have come out!
"Messenger! Messenger!"
"General, what is it?"
"Quickly, inform Eumachus to have the soldiers who are still carrying grain onto the warships return to the camp immediately! They must cooperate with the garrison to repel the enemy!" After saying this, Dio Milas, feeling uneasy, ordered again: "Have the troops stop crossing the river, unload their baggage, and return to the camp to fight!"
With such a flip-flopping order, the Tarentum soldiers heading towards the pontoon bridge were reluctant: Why can others leisurely stay on the opposite bank while we have to go back and fight to the death?!
With this mentality, their movements were sluggish, and their assembly was very slow.
Dio Milas was extremely anxious. Although he had left 4,000 men to defend the outer camp, he heard the sounds of fighting growing more and more intense. He was not only worried about the garrison but also enraged by the sluggish movements of the troops before him. Finally, he made a great decision, even at the risk of offending these citizens, to issue strict orders to make them return to defend.
He led his guard to the front of the pontoon bridge. A fast ship, weaving through the Agri River channel almost blocked by trireme warships, docked at the riverbank. The captain jumped off the ship and stumbled towards Dio Milas, shouting as he ran: "General, bad news! The Daunian fleet is attacking! Behind them are many troop transport ships, filled with soldiers!..."
Dio Milas's mind buzzed with confusion. For a moment, he didn't even have time to think: Why didn't the Daunian fleet rest after the great battle?
At this moment, Dio Milas had only one thought: The Daunians want to encircle us!
The soldiers crossing the river all heard the captain's shouts, and there was an uproar. "Cross the river! Cross the river!..." The soldiers cried out in panic, pushing and shoving, and the formation began to stir…
Dio Milas calmed down and, seeing the chaotic scene, immediately abandoned the decision to return to the camp to defend. He was still hesitant: Should we abandon the 4,000 soldiers and retreat immediately?!
But soon he didn't need to consider this question.
"The Daunians are attacking!!"
"Let's run!!"
"The main camp has been breached!!"
…
Terrified and chaotic shouts came from the east of the camp. The sound grew louder and louder, and Dio Milas could even see the routed soldiers when he turned his head.
This shocked him: The camp was breached so easily?!
In fact, the reason for the rapid collapse of the Tarentum garrison was very simple: the Daunian Seventh Legion had made careful preparations in advance, and when attacking, Matonis, as the legion commander, actually charged to the front. The soldiers who had been stimulated by him before were unwilling to fall behind. Their swift and fierce attack made the Tarentum soldiers feel very strenuous when defending. At this time, their fighting spirit had already been taken away by the retreating troops. They did not have enough mental preparation at all. The first thought that popped into their minds when they encountered setbacks was: Why are they all retreating, and we still have to fight hard here?!
Therefore, when the Heraclean army, closely following behind, outflanked the garrison from both sides of the camp, the Tarentum soldiers collapsed almost at the first touch.
"Retreat! Retreat!!..." Dio Milas had only this one choice at this moment.
In fact, he didn't even need to order it, the soldiers had already seen that the situation was not good and were already retreating…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Mitolades, leading 70 trireme warships, arrived near the Heraclean coast and received a report from a fast ship: the Tarentum warships were clustered at the mouth of the Agri River.
Mitolades was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately ordered the fleet to spread out in a fan shape, preparing to wipe out the Tarentum warships in one fell swoop.
The Tarentum warships panicked and tried to leave the riverbank. Because of the chaos, they even collided and squeezed in the river channel. Some small warships even capsized in the river. The fleeing fleet had no intention of salvaging their drowning companions. They had only one thought: Escape the Daunian fleet's encirclement and flee back to the port of Tarentum!
However, many Tarentum warships had too much grain piled up in their holds, which greatly affected the warships' flexibility and speed. Compared to the Daunian fleet, which was equipped with "Corvus bridges" and loaded with heavy infantry, making them somewhat bulky, they no longer had much of an advantage. However, as the Daunian fleet rapidly approached, the Tarentum sailors couldn't even spare manpower to throw away the cumbersome grains. Their fate could only be capture.
Davos's flagship did not participate in the battle between the fleets. It landed on the coast not far north of the mouth of the Agri River along with the subsequent troop transport fleet.
As soon as Amintas jumped off the ship, he immediately ordered the horn player to sound the attack horn. Then, without waiting for all the soldiers to arrive and reorganize their formation, he directly led the 50-man squad on the same ship to kill the retreating Tarentum army not far away.
The Daunian fleet commanded by Secrian had already won a great victory with the help of the First Legion. The Second Legion had not yet shown any performance, which Amintas, who had always been competitive, could not tolerate.
The fierce momentum of the squad led by Amintas frightened the already panicked Tarentum soldiers on the north bank of the Agri River, making them completely forget that their numbers were much greater than the enemies rushing towards them. Just as they were hurriedly organizing resistance, other Daunian Second Legion squads also arrived one after another, like sharp daggers stabbing into the weak body of the Tarentum crossing force on the north bank. The Tarentum soldiers collapsed and fled in all directions. Some soldiers even desperately wanted to cross the river and escape south.
Amintas commanded his troops to take advantage of the situation and pursue them southward. Tarentum soldiers were constantly squeezed into the river…
Chaos only leads to more chaos. When one of the pontoon bridge planks broke due to being overwhelmed, causing the entire pontoon bridge to fall apart, hundreds of people fell into the river in panic, floating and sinking… All the Tarentum soldiers who saw this tragic scene were completely disheartened.
While the 12,000-strong allied forces of the Seventh Legion and the Heraclean army on the south bank continued to pursue the fleeing Tarentum people to the north.
The Tarentum soldiers, who had completely lost their fighting spirit, scrambled to escape for their lives, and the entire army was completely chaotic. Even if the two magistrates shouted loudly in the crowded crowd, it was difficult to organize them again to stop the Daunian allied forces' attack. Therefore, they retreated again and again, and were finally driven to the banks of the Agri River.
With several pontoon bridges completely blocked, and facing the fierce pursuit of the Daunian allied forces behind them, some Tarentum soldiers even took off their armor in desperation and jumped into the river one after another. For a time, the river was full of floating and sinking heads, just like a large ant nest thrown into a small puddle, which was shocking.
The soldiers who did not go into the river saw their teammates on the opposite bank also panicking, and behind them were the gradually aligned black armies that surrounded them. The Tarentum people were completely desperate. With tears in their eyes, they threw down their weapons in frustration and turned to surrender to the equally frightening Daunian allied forces who were attacking them…
By dusk, the Tarentum army was relentlessly pursued by the legions led by the two most valiant generals in the Daunian army, and was finally surrounded on both sides of the Agri River pontoon bridge. Except for nearly a thousand people who ran away from the initial crossing force, more than 12,000 people were captured, more than 2,000 were killed or injured by shields and spears or trampled to death by each other, and more than 2,000 were drowned alive in the river.
In addition, the Daunian fleet also captured more than 50 Tarentum warships, including 35 triremes. Since the Tarentum fleet had no intention of fighting and resisted weakly, its sailors did not suffer heavy casualties, and nearly 7,500 sailors were captured.
At the same time, the Daunian army also seized a large amount of supplies, including dozens of tons of grain.
The Daunian army did not suffer much loss in this battle, which can be said to be another hearty victory.
Therefore, after learning about the battle situation, Davos was in a very happy mood. When he met Teriphidas, the chief general of Heraclea who came, he smiled sincerely and said: "Lord Teriphidas, on behalf of all the Daunian people, I thank you! If it weren't for your Heraclean people bravely blocking the Tarentum attack, I am afraid that the Tarentum army would have rushed into the territory of Thurii!"
Teriphidas hurriedly said modestly: "Lord Davos, we Heracleans are only defending ourselves. We should sincerely thank Daonia. You sent reinforcements in time under such difficult circumstances. In order to protect Heraclea, the land of Amendolara has been damaged instead. I really don't know… how can I…"
Davos had to comfort him at this time and said: "We are allies, and we should help each other. Fortunately, Hades blesses us, the Tarentum people have been basically wiped out, and we have not suffered great losses. This is the most gratifying thing!"
"Yes, I didn't expect the victory to come so quickly!" Teriphidas looked at Davos with an admiring look and exclaimed: "Lord Davos, I didn't even expect that you Daunians would defeat the Syracuse navy. This is too amazing!"
Davos smiled slightly and said in a relaxed tone: "If the Syracuse fleet dares to invade again, we will defeat it again! From now on, the Gulf of Taranto should also change owners!"
Davos's domineering words completely reassured Teriphidas about maritime security: "Lord Davos, when… are you going to attack Tarentum?" Teriphidas asked euphemistically. He actually wanted to know Davos's general battle plan for the future. Since Davos returned to Thurii, the battle situation in Magna Graecia has changed so much in just two days, which has restored the confidence of Daonia's allies.
"Tarentum…" Davos chuckled softly, clearly no longer regarding the once-powerful Greek city-state of eastern Magna Graecia, whose army and navy had both been annihilated, as a threat. Although he coveted Tarentum's land, the timing wasn't right. "I think… the strikes against Tarentum should cease for now. Daonia's primary enemy is still Syracuse. Once we deal with them, all our problems will be solved."
"You're right." Teriphaes nodded and asked, "What about Metapontum?"
"I'll have the Seventh Legion stay here for now and march north to retake Metapontum tomorrow. If the Tarentines are smart, they'll flee back to their own territory tonight…"
Davos was clearly confident about retaking Metapontum, and Teriphaes agreed. He immediately said, "Heraclea will also send troops to accompany the Seventh Legion, hoping to liberate Metapontum from Tarentine occupation as soon as possible!"
Davos frowned slightly, detecting the hidden meaning behind Teriphaes' words. It seemed Teriphaes was worried that Daonia would occupy Metapontum after retaking it and refuse to leave. Davos glanced at him and asked blandly, "I heard Tudeprestes didn't die in battle?"
"It seems so, but Heraclea was also under siege at the time, and he didn't escape here. I wonder if he fled north?"
North? Caraguso! Davos pondered, then said seriously, "Regardless, we will find him as soon as possible, bring him back to preside over Metapontum, and allow that war-torn city to recover its prosperity! Daonia will do its best to help Heraclea and Metapontum recover, because in times of crisis, you chose to trust the Daonian League, and Daonia should repay that precious trust!"
Teriphaes felt ashamed of his petty thoughts and sincerely thanked Davos again, humbled by Davos' magnanimity.
At that moment, two legion commanders walked over from afar. Davos hurried to greet them with a smile: "The heroes who created this glorious victory are here!"
"Your Majesty!"
"King Davos!"
The two immediately stood at attention and saluted. Davos returned the salute and praised loudly, "Amintas! Matonis! The two of you joined forces to annihilate the Tarentine army, removing the threat to Daonia's north and allowing us to concentrate all our strength against the powerful enemy in the south! I thank you both on behalf of the Daonian Senate!"
Amintas chuckled and said, "It's mainly thanks to Your Majesty's planning that we were able to fight so easily. To be honest, these Tarentines are too weak. I hardly put in any effort before they surrendered…"
"Yes,
the Tarentines' combat strength isn't even as good as the Tarentine reinforcements led by… Archytas back then. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have waited for you to come; I should have attacked them independently two days ago," Matonis said with some regret.
"You've become arrogant since becoming a legion commander. You dare to say you could have stormed the Tarentine camp with your ill-equipped recruits!" Amintas immediately retorted.
"My new legion is new, so what! They held off a Tarentine army twice their size and even routed them!" Matonis retorted unhappily.
Davos, seeing the two arguing, thought to himself: According to what he knew, Tarentum's strength had been greatly weakened after the war with the Messapians, and they were also facing the betrayal of Heraclea and Metapontum. Unwilling to accept this, they had learned from Daonia and granted citizenship to many freedmen, thereby supplementing the city-state's manpower (Croton had also adopted a similar policy). However, the increase in citizens did not lead to increased training but rather lowered the overall military quality of the citizen-soldiers…
Davos stopped the two from continuing their argument and said with satisfaction, "Matonis, I didn't misjudge you when I recommended you to be the commander of the Seventh Legion! You were able to control the army and remain patient even when the Tarentine army divided its forces to harass Amendolara. This is the demeanor of a general, and it created the conditions for us to encircle and annihilate the Tarentine army this time!…"
Matonis, praised by Davos, scratched his head in embarrassment. To escape the awkward situation, he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I also caught two big fish in this battle!"
"What big fish?" Davos vaguely guessed what they were, but he still feigned interest.
"Brothers, bring them up!" Matonis waved his hand forward with great momentum.
A moment later, soldiers pushed forward two prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs.
"Two Tarentine magistrates, it's been a while," Davos said with a mixture of sarcasm and emotion.
Dioomylas lowered his head and said nothing.
Eumachus looked up at Davos and pleaded earnestly, "Lord Davos, I beg you to treat these Tarentines you have captured kindly!"
"I will," Davos said blandly, "as long as the Tarentine Senate pays the corresponding price."
Dioomylas suddenly raised his head and shouted, "Davos, you ungrateful villain, don't forget how Tarentum selflessly helped your weak people in the beginning!"
Davos' eyes suddenly sharpened. He said coldly, "Of course, I haven't forgotten, and neither have the Daonians! So when Tarentum was under attack by the Messapian-Peucetian alliance and was in dire straits, Daonia, despite having other military plans, still unhesitatingly accepted your request for help, immediately sent troops, repelled the Messapian-Peucetian alliance, and saved Tarentum! But you didn't appreciate the blood and sacrifice that Daonian citizens paid for this. In the following years, you repeatedly provoked Daonian citizens at sea, ramming our fishing boats, capturing our fishermen, and even spreading rumors against the Daonian League within Tarentum. I heard that you even sold statues of me for people to urinate on at home… Daonians could tolerate these petty tricks, considering that you had helped us in the beginning, but—"
Davos' eyes flashed like lightning, and he shouted sternly: "You should never, ever have, when our Daonia was invaded by foreign enemies and faced difficulties, Tarentum, as an ally, tore up the alliance and became an accomplice of Daonia's enemies, leading troops and wielding shields and spears to mercilessly attack allies who had fought alongside you!—"
"That's because you, as allies, broke the alliance first, digging away Metapontum and Heraclea, two allied city-states that once belonged to Tarentum!" Dioomylas shouted, unwilling to be outdone.
"Whether you believe it or not, our Heraclea never had any secret contact with Daonia beforehand. Joining the Daonian League was the will of all the citizens of Heraclea, because Tarentum has always treated Heraclea like a dog, and we don't want to be dogs anymore, it's that simple. I think Metapontum also chose to secede from the Tarentine alliance for the same reason…" Teriphaes, who had been watching silently, hurriedly explained.
Dioomylas glared at Teriphaes with eyes that seemed to split apart: "Do you think I would believe the words of a traitor!"
Davos sneered: "Yes, there's no point in saying this to you now. Daonia's consistent principle is 'Treat friends sincerely and enemies fiercely.' Especially traitors, we will never let them go easily! Given the current situation in Tarentum, even if I don't send troops again, what will the Messapians, who know that the Tarentine army has been defeated, do? Turii was once burned down by a great fire. How will the century-old enemy destroy Tarentum?! I'm very interested…"
Dioomylas and Eumachus immediately turned pale.
Dioomylas still threatened stubbornly: "Tarentum is… is a sub-state of Sparta! Sparta will not allow Tarentum to be bullied by other city-states!"
"Sparta?!" Davos didn't even blink, snorting coldly: "Do you think Sparta still has the strength to help Tarentum now! The war on the Peloponnese peninsula, I heard, is already enough to give the Spartans a headache. They even asked Syracuse for assistance…"
"Davos, don't be complacent! The army of Syracuse is coming! I also look forward to… looking forward to the day Turii is destroyed again!" Dioomylas simply went all out and shouted fiercely.
"You won't see that day. As long as I'm here, the army of Syracuse will never be able to enter Daonian territory again. Dionysius will not only have to spit out what he won before but will also lose even more!" Davos said confidently, waved his hand, and several soldiers stepped forward to escort the two away.
Eumachus still pleaded unwillingly: "Lord Davos, Tarentum has indeed made a mistake this time! But please think of Archytas! Think of Archytas!—"
"Shut up, Eumachus! You're embarrassing Tarentum!"
"You should shut up, you damn war maniac covered in grease (Dioomylas' family produced olive oil)! If it weren't for you, how could Tarentum have fallen to this point!…"
The two's quarrel gradually faded away as the soldiers walked away…
… … … … … … … … … … … …
In the central tent of the Syracusan camp, Dionysius was discussing the upcoming siege with his generals.
In the morning, a fast ship sent back by the Syracusan navy told Dionysius an astonishing piece of news: Davos, the Archon of Daonia, had returned to Turii and had also been elected king by the Daonian people!
Davos had defeated the Samnites, who had more than 40,000 fierce warriors, so quickly?! Dionysius, shocked, once again felt the urgency of time: Syracuse must capture Croton as soon as possible before Davos leads the main force to come to the rescue, in order to take the initiative in the entire war, which is why there was this emergency meeting.
After everything was arranged, Faxipesas was still a little worried: "Lord, what if it rains again in the next few days..."
"You can rest assured about this. I specifically asked several old fishermen who have lived here for decades, and they all agreed that it will be sunny from tomorrow onwards. Look, the rain is already much lighter today!" Dionysius looked around at everyone and encouraged them: "Everyone, you must seize these two days to build enough siege equipment as soon as possible! Faxipesas, your task is a bit heavy. In order to prevent the siege tower from being unable to be pushed to the north gate of Croton due to the muddy ground, you must build at least five solid causeways. Can you do it?!"
"General, you have already assigned me enough manpower, so there is absolutely no problem!" Faxipesas promised.
"Very good!" Dionysius looked at everyone with confidence: "Everyone, two days later, we will attack Croton again! After this battle, I will celebrate your victory in the Temple of Apollo in Croton. Don't let me down!"
The generals swore in unison: "Apollo is above, we will definitely break through the city of Croton!"
The atmosphere in the tent was enthusiastic, and Dionysius was also infected by it. He smiled and said to Master Phibidas, who had been silent all along: "That Davos actually dared to call himself a king. Has Sparta not punished him for this?"
You should know that before the Greco-Persian War, Sparta had a title called "Liberator", and they also claimed to be liberators, because they overthrew one tyrannical regime after another on the Greek mainland and even on the islands of the Aegean Sea, such as the descendants of the tyrant Pisistratus of Athens, the Aleuadae family of Thessaly, and so on. Therefore, the Greeks once believed that Sparta extremely hated autocratic regimes.
Phibidas glanced at Dionysius and slandered in his heart: You only know how to talk about Davos, why don't you look at yourself first?!
Of course, he couldn't answer like that, but replied coldly: "Isn't Syracuse's punishment enough?"
Dionysius laughed loudly.
Just then, the tent curtain was lifted, and the attendant rushed in, whispering something in Dionysius' ear.
Dionysius' smile suddenly froze on his face, and his expression immediately became extremely ugly. He roared "Ah!" and kicked over the table beside him. Then, he grabbed the attendant and roared: "Where is Leptines! Where is that damn bastard? ! Tell him to get over here and see me! ! "
The attendant was shocked by Dionysius' anger and said in a trembling voice: "Lord... Lord Leptines... is injured and is in his camp... receiving treatment..."
"Tell that coward to get over here immediately! Even if he's dead, you have to carry his body over here!" Dionysius roared, his tone cold and hard.
"Yes... Yes..." The attendant ran out of the tent in panic.
The tent was silent, and only Dionysius' rapid breathing and pacing could be heard.
"Could it be that the fleet has encountered setbacks?" Finally, someone asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.
Dionysius glared at him and found that the speaker was Phibidas. Only this Spartan dared to speak when Dionysius was furious.
Dionysius looked at him, turned back and sat back in the wooden chair, and took two heavy breaths: "It's more than just a setback, it's a complete defeat!"
A complete defeat?! Everyone in the tent was shocked.
"Lord, could it be that... the Carthaginians have joined the war?" Faxipesas asked cautiously.
Everyone's heart tightened: With the strength of the Syracuse navy, only the Carthaginians can be considered opponents in the western Mediterranean. If Carthage joins the war, Syracuse in Sicily may be in danger!
Faced with more than a dozen pairs of slightly panicked eyes, Dionysius felt even more suffocated: "Don't think too much. Carthage did not join the war. It was the Daunian fleet... that defeated our navy single-handedly, causing our 300 ships... to lose two-thirds of them, including nearly 200 triremes..."
What! ! ! The tent was like a pot that had exploded, and everyone couldn't believe this fact: The Syracuse navy, facing the Daunian fleet, whose strength was far weaker than its own, would actually be defeated so miserably!
You must know that after the last naval battle was defeated by Carthage, after several years of construction and accumulation, Syracuse finally managed to reach 500 warships, including more than 300 triremes. This time, Leptines left dozens of warships to guard the port of Syracuse, and all of them followed the team on the expedition to Magna Graecia. Later, dozens of warships were stationed in Messina to block Rhegium and control the strait. The remaining warships were all led by Leptines himself and participated in this naval battle. As a result, they were actually defeated, and defeated by a Daunian fleet that didn't even have a single warship a few years ago! This is simply…
"Stop arguing!" Dionysius, who was already annoyed, was even more upset by the generals' dispute: "What exactly happened in this naval battle? We'll know everything when Leptines comes later. Now, keep quiet for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the tent fell silent again. Only this time, the uneasy and irritable people became everyone in the tent.
At Dionysius's command, Leptines arrived swiftly. He stumbled into the tent, falling to his knees with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Great... Your Excellency... I... I am guilty!"
Dionysius saw that his head and arms were wrapped in linen, stained red with blood, his appearance miserable. A trace of pity arose in his heart, but it was immediately overwhelmed by a surge of anger: "You've come at the right time! Everyone is eager to know how you managed to lose over 300 warships!"
His voice was laced with endless hatred, causing Leptines to shiver uncontrollably.
Dionysius, seeing his pathetic state, grew even more enraged. He grabbed a piece of iron sheet that a guard had just picked up from the table and hurled it, striking Leptines' forehead. Blood immediately flowed, but he didn't dare to cry out.
"Speak!" Dionysius roared, pointing at him.
"Yes! Yes!" Leptines responded repeatedly.
The generals, who had initially been furious with him, now felt some pity for him, except for Phibidas, who remained calm. Spartans were beaten with sticks by their instructors for disobedience from childhood. As adults, they were beaten if they failed training assessments, and even more so for battlefield failures. Spartans were harsh on their own citizens, and even harsher on helots and allied soldiers. This violent discipline often made other city-states reluctant to approach Sparta, but Spartan citizens were long accustomed to it. Therefore, Phibidas even thought to himself: generals who caused such great losses to the city-state should be hanged and beaten to death.
Leptines tremblingly recounted the entire naval battle in brief.
After listening, Dionysius's expression turned somber as he pondered: "Are you saying... the Dionaeans installed wooden bridges on their warships, which they used to hook onto approaching ships, and then relied on boarding to achieve victory?"
"Yes... yes, that's right. Their wooden bridges are very flexible and can rotate in all directions, preventing our warships from flanking them," Leptines quickly explained.
"Now that you knew ramming tactics were ineffective, why didn't you retreat in time?!" Dionysius scolded angrily.
Leptines was speechless.
"He wanted to capture the new Dionaean king and end this war," Phibidas sighed. "Therefore, that Davos anticipated your plan, using himself as bait to lure your warships into a desperate attack, leading to the massive capture of your ships and your crushing defeat... Davos is truly a remarkable commander!"
Dionysius glared at him, but Phibidas didn't care.
Phasipas discovered a problem in Leptines's account and quickly asked, "General Leptines, according to you, the warships captured by the Dionaeans didn't suffer much damage. Wouldn't they soon be able to use these ships against us?!"
The expressions of the others changed.
"Uh... This..." Leptines didn't know how to answer.
"Humph! If the Dionaeans want to expand their fleet, they'll need that many sailors!" Dionysius's words reminded the generals present: That's right, Syracuse had lost hundreds of triremes. To restore them to combat readiness would require at least thirty to forty thousand sailors. Based on what we know about the Dionaean League's territories, their young men have already been drafted into the expanding army and navy to cope with the multiple ongoing wars. They shouldn't be able to produce such a large number of young men. Moreover, not everyone can immediately become a qualified sailor; it requires long-term coordinated training. Experienced helmsmen are even harder to find!
The generals breathed a sigh of relief.
"Leptines, your failure has caused great trouble for our army!" Dionysius said with a look of disappointment and asked coldly, "I'm asking you now, if the Dionaean fleet comes to attack, do you have the confidence to lead the remaining warships to turn defeat into victory?"
The generals immediately turned their attention back to Leptines, making him even more nervous and fearful. He subconsciously touched the bandage wrapped around his head, the wound beneath it self-inflicted with a knife, in order to gain some sympathy from his brother.
"Speak!" Dionysius roared, frightening him into saying, "If... if we can lure the Dionaean fleet into the deep sea and slowly engage them, I... I have some confidence in defeating them. Their warships have such a large wooden bridge erected on the foremast, which easily causes the ship to be top-heavy, not only... not only will the speed and maneuverability be worse, but it will also be more prone to capsizing in rough seas, but... if it's in coastal waters—" Leptines cautiously glanced at Dionysius, then lowered his head and said in a quieter voice, "Directly resisting their attack, our fleet is afraid... will still fail..." By the end, his voice had completely faded.
Dionysius was no longer as enraged as he had been at first. After calming down and thinking about it, he had to admit that the Dionaeans' novel naval tactics had caused Syracuse a great deal of trouble. Anyone in command of the fleet under those circumstances would have suffered a great loss.
At this moment, Dionysius glanced at everyone in the tent, his gaze landing on a person in the corner: "Androsthenes, what's going on with you?! The Daonian fleet used such strange devices, and you didn't even notice, causing our fleet to suffer such great losses. Do you think you should be punished?!"
Androsthenes' face turned pale instantly. In fact, the intelligence chief of Syracuse was Hipparinus, and he was just one of the leaders, following the army on the expedition. The Daonian fleet had already been training new tactics before the war began. Androsthenes remembered that the intelligence from Thurii at the time mentioned that the Daonian fleet was conducting closed training in the Crati River. However, neither Dionysius, Hipparinus, nor he took it to heart. At most, they paid attention to the number of Daonian triremes, who the generals were, and other information. After all, Syracuse had too great an advantage in naval power, and no one took the insignificant Daonian fleet seriously.
Who knew that now Dionysius seemed to want to place all the blame for this failure on Androsthenes, but he didn't dare to refute it. Who told him that he was neither the tyrant's own brother nor his father-in-law?
Androsthenes cursed inwardly, but his face showed fear and trepidation as he said: "Lord, I... I..."
Dionysius waved his hand: "Your guilt will be thoroughly investigated after the war is over! From now on, you must collect Daonian intelligence more carefully, without any omissions, understand?!"
Although Dionysius hated his brother's incompetence, he had to defend him, because defending him was defending his own dignity. Therefore, he wanted to cleverly share the blame for the naval defeat.
Although Androsthenes was temporarily spared punishment, he was secretly suffering in his heart: now Thurii and Crimisa have been under strict military blockade, and it is already very difficult to transmit intelligence.
"Leptines, if we install this wooden bridge from the Daonian warships on our warships, do you think it's feasible?" Dionysius turned his gaze to the naval commander still kneeling on the ground.
The generals all felt a little surprised: this is equivalent to abandoning Syracuse, and even the naval experience and traditions that have been proven effective by the Greek city-states for hundreds of years, to learn from a new city-state alliance that has only won one naval battle. Is this feasible?!
But Dionysius was not a person who stuck to old ways. On the contrary, he was a reformer, a pragmatist. This was proven by both the reorganization and reform of the army and the advancement of siege technology.
"I... I don't know, because I have never conducted any training in this area..." Leptines was obviously a conservative, and he reluctantly said: "Moreover, the wooden bridge on the Daonian warship rotates so flexibly, I'm afraid there are some special devices. I think... it can't be done in a short time,
And... it has to be equipped on warships to fight the Daonians. This... this all takes time to train..."
"Then work with engineers and craftsmen to study it carefully!" Leptines' dullness made Dionysius' anger flare up again: "If it's really too late, equip our warships with enough soldiers when the Daonian fleet attacks! Don't the Daonians want to turn naval battles into land battles? Then let's have a good fight at sea!"
"But Lord..." Leptines carefully reminded him: "We don't have enough triremes anymore..."
"Fool!" Dionysius scolded: "Recall the fleet in Messina to me, and also the one in Syracuse harbor! In addition, send someone to notify Philistus to speed up the construction of new warships, understand?!"
Leptines nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Get out of here and go and execute it!" As soon as Dionysius finished speaking, Leptines left the tent much faster than when he came in.
Dionysius didn't bother to pay attention to these things. He knew very well in his heart: despite taking these measures, the Daonian fleet's strength had already gained the upper hand in the short term.
For Syracuse, which was fighting across the sea, sea control was crucial. Once it was lost, it meant that the expeditionary army's connection with the motherland was cut off. It was a minor matter that the Syracuse army's morale was fluctuating, but what Dionysius feared most was that he would not be able to obtain resources from the mainland and would not be able to control the politics of Syracuse. Moreover, Davos had already led the main force back. Now, without the harassment and containment of the Syracuse fleet, he could lead his army south at any time, which made Dionysius waver on the matter of "whether to fully attack Croton."
At this moment, Dionysius pretended to be calm and said: "Now that our fleet has suffered a defeat, tell me what we should do next?"
"Lord, of course, we must attack Croton with all our strength as we said before!" Astagoras said without hesitation: "Although we no longer have the advantage at sea, on land, the Daonians cannot resist our powerful army! As long as we capture Croton, there will be no major obstacles to the north. We can go straight to the city of Thurii. Even if Daonia has more warships, it will be useless. Then, whether to fight or make peace is up to you to decide!"
"Lord, I also agree with General Astagoras' opinion." Phasippus seemed to sense Dionysius' thoughts and also said: "While the Tarentines are still threatening Thurii in the north, we should seize the time to take Croton! If we retreat at this time, and let the Daonians and Crotonians join forces, the number of soldiers they gather may cause us even greater trouble!"
"Lord Dionysius." Enamenes, the leader of the Campanian mercenaries, also stood up and said: "The soldiers are now in high spirits, because they all know that Croton is a very wealthy city-state. If we give up attacking it..."
The generals in the tent were all in favor of attacking Croton, which made the scales in Dionysius' heart tilt towards the attack, but he did not make a decision immediately, but turned his gaze to the only person who had not spoken and asked: "Phybiadas, what is your opinion?"
The usually outspoken Phybiadas rarely hesitated for a moment. From Sparta's point of view, maintaining a balance between Syracuse and Daonia was more beneficial to Sparta, so a peace talk was actually a better option. However, Phybiadas, who was in the middle of it, was aroused by Davos' outstanding performance. He wished he could personally defeat this young governor who was praised by the Great Greeks as a "famous general", so he said: "They all make a lot of sense. Attacking Croton can allow us to take the initiative. More importantly, it can force the Daonians to rush to rescue Croton before they have completely pacified other wars and are not fully prepared, so as to ensure that we have an advantage in the decisive battle with Daonia. If you are worried that the Daonian army may suddenly attack when we are besieging the city, don't you have so many cavalry? Why not let them scout further north?!"
Dionysius glanced at Phybiadas, then glanced around at the generals, and laughed: "What do I have to worry about! The Daonians only won one naval battle, and they think they can make us Syracusans retreat! No! This will only make us more focused on the land offensive!"
Dionysius suddenly stood up, drew his saber, and with a "bang", he slammed it into the table, and said sharply: "From now on, all troops will seize the time and prepare for the siege. Two days later, we will attack Croton with all our strength!"
"Take Croton!!" Everyone shouted in unison.
.............
"Mother, I'm back!"
"We're back!"
With a "bang", Cynthia pushed open the wooden door of the backyard with force.
"Mother, we won! We defeated those terrible enemies! Don't look at how many ships they have, they were all captured by us!" Adoris ran excitedly to Christoia.
Before Christoia could answer, a woman next to her said with a smile: "I told you, right? Davos... His Majesty has Hades' blessing, he will definitely win, you don't have to worry!"
Before she finished speaking, Agnes stood up with a happy face: "I'm going to thank Artemis!"
Saying that, she waddled towards the statue of Artemis on the garden side.
"Walk slowly, be careful of the fetus!" Christoia said with concern, and Agnes' personal maid had already rushed up to support her.
"Isn't Agnes a priestess of Hera?" The woman looked slightly surprised.
"You have to know that before Agnes came to Thurii, she was the high priest of the Temple of Artemis in Regium. During this period of time, she stayed at home because she was pregnant, and she could only pray to the hunting goddess every day, in order to protect Davos' safety. She has really worked hard!" Christoia said with emotion.
"Aunt Andrea, hello!" At this time, Cynthia bowed and greeted the woman.
"Cynthia, I haven't seen you in a few years, and you've become a big girl!" Andrea looked at Cynthia happily, and then put her in her arms.
"Mother, let me tell you a secret, when we were celebrating the victory, there was a boy who hugged—"
"Shut up, Adoris! If you dare to talk nonsense, I'll beat you!" Cynthia's face turned slightly red, and she threatened loudly.
"What exactly happened?" Christoia asked with a smile.
Under Cynthia's glare, Adoris dared not speak.
"Mom, I saw Dad! He was so majestic!" Little Crito ran to Christoia after hugging his mother, Agonis, excitedly.
"Really!" Christoia looked at her son and smiled gently, "Then, would you like to become an excellent general like your father?"
"Yes!" Little Crito nodded earnestly.
"I want to be a brave general like Father in the future!" Adoris chimed in from the side.
Christoia smiled, embraced them both, and said, "If you want to become a general when you grow up, you need to start studying hard at school and participating in training diligently from now on. Only then can you become a general in the future, understand?"
"I will," Adoris said immediately.
"Me too!" Little Crito echoed his older brother.
"Did your father return to the military camp after the victory?" Christoia asked with concern.
"No, Father went north with the fleet. Henni told me that Father is leading the army to take the opportunity to repel the invading Tarentines…" Cynthia replied.
Hearing this, Christoia became worried again.
"Don't worry, Christoia. His Majesty will surely return victorious!" Andrea quickly comforted her.
"Yes, Madam," Asuna interjected from the side, "Hades is now protecting His Majesty. His Majesty has never lost a battle!"
Christoia hugged her two children and revealed a smile: "If we can repel the Tarentines, Thurii will be completely safe."
"Yes, His Majesty is fighting continuously for the safety of the people of the League, without even having time to return home. If the gods don't protect him, who else would they protect!" Andrea praised Davos incessantly, then she remembered something and turned her head to shout, "Eumartius, don't squat there, come over and meet Christoia's children. Don't you always say that you have no one to play with!"
Andrea called out several times, and then heard an "Oh" from the garden. A child stood up from the flower bushes, with a bit of awkwardness and shyness on his face.
Little Crito saw him, immediately broke free from his mother's embrace, ran over quickly, and looked up at him: "Brother, what were you looking at just now?"
"…Ants," Eumartius uttered the word awkwardly.
"What's the point of looking at ants? Let's go find Henni and play ball together!" Adoris also came over and said.
Eumartius hesitated a little, and Little Crito stepped forward to hold his hand, urging, "Big brother, let's go play together."
Eumartius couldn't help but nod.
The children hopped and skipped to the front yard.
"I'll go take a look too," Cynthia said, and followed them out.
"Cynthia really looks like an older sister now!" Andrea said, watching Cynthia's departing figure, her eyes twinkling.
"They've all grown up, and we're getting old!" Christoia said with some emotion, then she asked with concern, "Andrea, Eumartius is so old now, why is he still like a child?!"
"Ah!" Andrea sighed, worry creeping onto her face: "You know that that person (referring to her ex-husband) was not good to me and the child, often beating and scolding us. Eumartius was frightened since he was a child, and has always been timid… Bagules is good to Eumartius, but… those Lucanians all like brave children. Eumartius's personality… doesn't get along very well with Bagules, and in Grumentum… Eumartius doesn't like to go out, so… he has no friends there…"
"Your youngest son should be almost three years old, right? Why didn't you bring him with you today?" Christoia asked instead.
"His grandfather (referring to Vespasius) hasn't seen him for two years. He just came back yesterday and has been with him, unwilling to let him out," Andrea said helplessly.
"It seems that your two children receive very different care at home…" Christoia said meaningfully.
"Alas!…" Andrea sighed again, her face full of sorrow. One is a stepson, and his personality is not pleasing; the other is her own son, and it is obvious who Bagules' family likes more. But in Andrea's heart, she loves her eldest son more. After all, this child has been with her during her most difficult times and is her spiritual pillar. She knows Eumartius's sensitivity, and the new family's alienation will only make him more introverted, but as a mother, she can't find a good way to solve it.
"Don't worry," Christoia gently comforted her good friend. She looked at the open backyard gate and said, "I think Little Crito likes Eumartius very much, and Eumartius is also willing to play with him."
"Yes, I'm also very surprised. This child usually doesn't easily agree to other people's requests. Although Little Crito is young, he has a charm that makes people want to be close to him!" Andrea said, half complimenting and half happy.
"I have a suggestion," Christoia said seriously, "Why don't you let Eumartius live with me? I have many children here, and they are close in age. They go to school together and play together. Eumartius won't feel lonely, and his personality will become more active… What do you think?"
Hearing Christoia's words, Andrea was a little tempted: This is the residence of the new King of Daonia! Who in the entire League could have such an honor!
But as a mother, she instinctively refused: "Madam, thank you for your concern for Eumartius, but that would be too—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a deafening cry of "Wah! Wah! Wah!…" came from the stroller next to Christoia.
"Look, even little Eunice agrees to let Eumartius stay," Christoia said with a smile.
… … … … … … … … … … …
The children ran to the front yard, but did not find Helliopolis. Finally, Aristius told them: "His Majesty Davos sent him to the military camp, saying he had important things to tell him."
While the children were disappointed, Cynthia asked: "Did my father come back?"
"Yes, His Majesty led the army to annihilate the invading Tarentine army and has returned to the military camp!" Cynthia saw that Aristius, who was usually serious, also looked a little excited at the moment.
The children were already excitedly shouting: "Victory! Father has won again!…"
They rushed back, eager to tell Christoia the news of their victory.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Davos returned to the military camp at dusk.
The two consecutive great victories made the entire city of Thurii jubilant. In particular, when the people saw tens of thousands of Tarentine soldiers and Syracusan sailors stripped naked, tied in strings like pigs and sheep, and escorted to the copper and stone mines of Thurii, the line stretched for several miles. The people stood on both sides of the road, cursing loudly and throwing stones at them, and the haze that had shrouded their hearts during the war was mostly gone.
Many people even lit bonfires in Victory Square, dancing and singing around the Thurii Fountain, which showed miracles, thanking Hades for his protection and cheering "Long live King Davos!".
When the patrol team asked Cuno Golatas, the chief administrator of Thurii, whether to disperse them to avoid disturbing the order of the city and disturbing other people's sleep?
The always rigorous Cuno Golatas smiled tolerantly at this moment: "Let them dance and make noise, Thurii hasn't been so happy for a long time, but you must maintain order."
"Yes!" The patrol captain left excitedly.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Compared to the revelry of the people all night, most of the soldiers who had just returned to the military camp were exhausted from the continuous hard fighting, and fell asleep as soon as they entered their tents.
Davos was also sleepy, but because he had important matters to deal with, he had to brace himself.
But when Martius walked into the big tent, Davos had already fallen asleep on the desk.
Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, Martius remembered the hard work of the battle today and couldn't bear to wake him up. He hesitated in the tent for a while, but still walked forward again: After all, Davos still called Helliopolis over so late, there must be something important! As Davos's guard captain, it was his duty to convey messages, and he couldn't delay important matters!
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty…"
Davos opened his eyes dazedly.
"Your Majesty, Helliopolis is here," Martius said softly.
"Henni?… Oh, right." Davos came back to his senses and hurriedly asked, "How long has he been here?"
"Just arrived."
"That's good." Davos rubbed his numb cheeks vigorously and said, "Let him in."
"Yes." Martius turned around, but was stopped by Davos again: "Why are you on duty?!"
"I let the others go to sleep first."
"Nonsense! You've only just recovered, and your body hasn't fully recovered yet. How can you not take care of your body like this! Go and rest immediately, and call another soldier to take your place. Otherwise, you don't have to follow me tomorrow, go home and take care of yourself!"
Davos got angry, and Martius didn't dare to argue anymore, and obediently left the tent.
As soon as Helliopolis entered the big tent, he expressed his excitement: "Davos… Your Majesty, congratulations on winning the naval battle and annihilating the Tarentine army. This is simply amazing! You have achieved such a brilliant victory in one day. I really should have refused your request and should not have returned to report to Madam Christoia about your situation and the reason for not returning home. I should have insisted on staying by your side so that I could have witnessed the whole battle…"
"I can tell you the whole battle in detail," Davos interjected.
"That's different." Henyopolis stubbornly shook his head and said, "What you tell me will contain some of your own views, which will only interfere with my judgment of the entire historical event and the battle process. Teacher Ansitanos once said, 'Eyes are the best pen for a historian, they will record everything truthfully and accurately.' So I decided that I will never leave your side in the time to come!"
Henyopolis looked at Davos, his eyes filled with stubbornness and a hint of cunning.
Davos sighed inwardly and said slowly, "Some things are not what you want them to be, they are often beyond our control. Henyopolis, the reason I called you here at this time is because I just received news about Laos…"
"What news?!" Henyopolis asked subconsciously, Davos' serious expression making him feel uneasy.
Davos said in a deep voice: "Your uncle Arolobelmas launched a rebellion, forcibly took office as the Laossian Archon, and announced that Laos was withdrawing from the Daonian League, and also sent troops to attack the Lahe Fortress."
"What?!". Henyopolis couldn't believe his ears: "Uncle Arolobelmas rebelled?! That's impossible! That's impossible! …"
Seeing Henyopolis shaking his head and roaring loudly, Davos silently took out the intelligence he received yesterday and handed it to him.
Henyopolis grabbed it and read it over and over again, suddenly becoming quiet…
After a while, he choked up and said: "Why? Why would he do this?! He is my only uncle, I trust him so much! I have trusted him since I was a child! …"
Davos looked at the tearful Henyopolis and said softly: "People change, especially when your uncle holds great power and is in charge of all the affairs of the Laossian city-state. It is inevitable that he will have some other ideas, and if there are other forces tempting him, such as Syracuse…"
Henyopolis, with red eyes, listened to Davos's account, and suddenly he remembered something, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed: "Mother! My mother is in danger! …"
"Your mother is fine. According to reliable sources, she is only being watched by Arolobelmas, and your uncle has not harmed your mother in the slightest. After all, your mother used to take good care of this younger brother of your father's." Davos saw Henyopolis looking suspicious, and emphasized: "Aristilas told me."
Having lived in Davos's mansion for so many years, Henyopolis certainly knew that Aristilas was specifically collecting information for Davos, so he felt a little relieved, and then he said with hatred: "I must go back immediately, take back Laos, and severely punish that ungrateful traitor!"
Obviously, Arolobelmas's betrayal broke his heart.
He hated to even mention his name.
"You can." Davos expressed his approval and reminded him: "Hymon, the chief executive of Neutum, and Salu, the chief executive of Vig City, are gathering troops. You lead your troops to join them and jointly attack Arolobelmas. Arolobelmas will definitely not be able to stop you. But—"
Davos changed the subject and said: "Laos City was originally painstakingly independent from the Lucanian tribal alliance by your father, and it has been painstakingly managed for so many years. You can't bear to see a war cause heavy casualties to the Laossians and the city suffer serious damage, right?"
Henyopolis nodded repeatedly.
"Henyopolis." Davos stared at him and said in a deep voice: "Some of the bills you wanted to promote in Laos were not implemented because they were obstructed by Arolobelmas and others. But giving the Laossian civilians more rights so that they can also enjoy land like Daonian citizens is what these civilians, who make up the majority of the Laossian population, wholeheartedly hope for! Before, because Arolobelmas and others blocked the news, the Laossian people didn't know the truth very well. Now we only need to publicize these facts, and the Laossian people will know, who is really good to them?! Who should they support?! So you can do this…"
Listening to Davos's plan, Henyopolis's eyes gradually brightened, and he immediately nodded and said: "Your Majesty, I will do what you say! I will let that person know that I was right in the first place!"
When Henyopolis left, Davos gave him a strong hug and loudly encouraged him: "Henyopolis, I wish you a smooth return to Laos as soon as possible, my secretary is still waiting for you to take office!"
Henyopolis nodded confidently: "Your Majesty, wait for my good news!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early the next morning, the Daonian Seventh Army and the Heraclea army marched north. When they arrived at Metapontum, its city gates were wide open. The remnants of Taranto and the pro-Taranto Metapontum people such as Isalocas had already fled to Taranto last night.
The allied forces easily occupied Metapontum. Matonis, the commander of the Seventh Army, who was eager to return to Thurii, did not covet the power of the temporary chief executive of the occupied territory. He directly handed over the defense of Metapontum to Heraclea's Archon, Triphilas, and then led the army back.
Soon, the changes in Metapontum were noticed by the spies sent by Tudepres. After contacting Triphilas, Tudepres said goodbye to the Galagusans who had taken them in, and promised: From now on, Metapontum will strengthen trade with Galagusa, especially in terms of food.
After returning to Metapontum, Tudepres relied on the strong support of Daonian and Heraclea to regain power. The first thing he did was to lead the remaining pro-Daonian personnel to avenge the relatives and friends who were killed, and completely eliminate the pro-Taranto citizens in the city. Those who were expelled were expelled, those who were arrested were arrested, and those who were executed were executed. For a time, the city of Metapontum was filled with bloody storms and everyone was in danger. After these few tossings, the population of Metapontum was sharply reduced and its strength was greatly damaged.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Just as the Seventh Army was returning to Thurii, the Taranto envoy had already set foot on the land of Thurii.
Yesterday's news that "the Daonian fleet won a great victory over the Syracuse navy, and at the same time almost annihilated the Taranto army and navy" spread back to the city of Taranto one after another, not only shocking the Senate, but also making the Taranto people very frightened and uneasy while worrying about the safety of their relatives. As a result, when a rumor spread saying that "the Daonian army is marching towards Taranto", it caused a huge panic. Many people rushed home to pack their luggage, preparing to rush to the port and take a boat to escape this already defenseless city.
In such a critical and terrible situation, the Taranto Senate had only one way to go—to seek peace with Daonian.
To this end, the Senate did not even convene a citizens' assembly, and that night urgently elected two temporary Archons, Dixitimass and Histiavis, the father of Achitas, and sent Histiavis to Thurii the next day, attempting to get Davos to open up to Taranto because of his old friendship with Achitas.
Davos knew the purpose of the Tarantos and did not meet Histiavis at all, but instead sent Cunogolata and Ansitanos to negotiate with Histiavis.
Earlier, Ansitanos was treated impolitely when he visited Taranto, and now seeing the humble but anxious Histiavis, even the gentle him felt a little happy in his heart.
Faced with Histiavis's suggestion that "Taranto is willing to make peace and truce with Daonian, and make certain war reparations, hoping to release the Taranto prisoners of war", Cunogolata and Ansitanos just sneered.
Cunogolata even ridiculed: "Daonian had a covenant with Taranto before, but you ignored the sacred oath. When we needed your help the most, you betrayed us instead! Let us sign an agreement with you again so that you can sneak attack us when we are fully dealing with Syracuse?! Do you think we are so stupid! To be honest, we don't know whether Poseidon will be angry that you have defiled his divine name, but we dare not trust you Tarantos anymore!"
Histiavis was ashamed and indignant after hearing this, and he shouted sadly: "Then what do you Daonians want us Tarantos to do?!"
"Daonian will not sign any treaty with Taranto before this war is over, but these more than 12,000 Taranto citizens and nearly 2,000 sailors… Well… Daonian is at war and does not have so much food to support them, so whether they can survive until the end of the war depends on whether you Tarantos can provide enough food." Cunogolata replied coldly.
"I understand. Daonian wants our food. Only with food can the safety of the Taranto prisoners of war be guaranteed, right?" Histiavis's sad and indignant voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"That's right. Mining requires plenty of physical strength, otherwise it is difficult to guarantee health." Cunogolata said threateningly.
"Then when can they be released?" Histiavis asked again.
"Daonian will not release them before the end of the war, otherwise who knows if they will pick up their shields and spears to invade our territory again!" Cunogolata said solemnly: "Before that, Daonian will not sign any agreement with Taranto, but as long as Taranto remains calm during this period, Daonian will not invade Taranto's territory, this is His Majesty Davos's personal promise!"
Hearing this, Histiavis didn't have to worry about the safety of Taranto for the time being, after all, Davos's credibility was well-known.