However, Hystiavias was uneasy that Daonia did not sign an agreement with Tarentum at this time. He reluctantly reminded them: "So you are already full of confidence in defeating Syracuse?! I heard that so far, Dionysius's army still occupies an absolute advantage on land!"
"Isn't Syracuse defeating us what you hoped for!" Cunogolata retorted: "You will no longer have to worry about the safety of the city-state and the life and death of the captured citizens."
Hystiavias was speechless for a while, and then he couldn't help but ask: "If this war continues for a long time, won't our Tarentum have to keep sending food to Thurii? You must know that our food reserves are not sufficient."
"Since this is the case, you still dare to tear up the alliance and start a war with us!" Cunogolata sneered.
Ansitanos interjected: "How many times has a war of this scale happened in the entire history of Greece? It is impossible for it to last."
Hystiavias hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Okay, I will convey Daonia's proposal to the Senate, but I hope you understand that Tarentum is a sub-state of Sparta."
Cunogolata and Ansitanos looked at each other, and Cunogolata said lightly: "So what? Does Sparta also plan to join the war?"
Hystiavias stopped talking. He found that the Daonians at this time were not afraid of any threats. Perhaps, as the other party said, Taranto could only hope for Syracuse's victory... …
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
While Cunogolata and Ansitanos were negotiating post-war matters with the Tarentum envoy, Davos was also discussing the food issue with Bagili Pi, Kapus, Mariji, and Melsis.
"Your Majesty, the grain in the Thurii granary has been transported to the troops in the south during this period, and it is almost empty now. I estimate that the Cosenza granary still has half of its reserves, but its transportation is a bit difficult, and the attack on Laos is about to begin. At that time, the supply of food will still need to be provided from the Cosenza granary. As for the current situation of the Grumentum granary, I don't know much about it..." Agricultural Officer Bagili Pi explained to Davos in detail the current food situation in Daonia.
"I am more clear about the situation in the Grumentum granary. The war with Samonai ended relatively quickly, and there were some spoils, so not much was consumed. However, the grain output in Grumentum was originally low, and the reserves were not very good. However, the number of livestock is huge and the price is low, which can barely support the Third Army's counterattack against the Samonai area. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Lucanian area will squeeze out food to supply Thurii, and transportation is also a big problem. So let's not think about the Grumentum granary."
Davos introduced to everyone the situation he learned when he led his army through Grumentum.
"Your Majesty, in this case, if we want to organize a war against the Syracuse people with a scale of more than 50,000 people, food is the problem we urgently need to solve!" Kapus said worriedly. During this period, he took over the logistics affairs from Hilos and also had a detailed understanding of this: "Three days ago, Aspulus Tum and Crimisa sent back news that their food was a bit tight. These days, due to concerns about harassment by the Syracuse fleet, the supply team has been busy increasing guards to avoid attacks by enemy sailors, so there has been no large-scale transportation of grain to these two cities where the legions are stationed, and I don't know what their situation is now.
Moreover, now Thurii has the First, Second, and Seventh Legions, as well as the logistics transport team, and the 6,000 people newly recruited by Your Majesty, which is nearly 32,000 people. The grain consumed every day is huge. If the food problem cannot be solved, even the troops in Thurii will have to disband in a few days due to lack of food."
"Don't forget, there are also Syracuse and Tarentum prisoners, probably about 25,000 people!" Melsis loudly reminded everyone: "Even if you only give them a little food every day to maintain their basic survival, it is a lot of food consumption. I think it is better to treat them all as slaves and sell them for money."
Davos looked at Melsis's eager and greedy appearance. He didn't feel disgusted, because the war consumption and the stagnation of the port market meant that the treasury only had outflows and no inflows, and it was already running out. Therefore, he could fully understand Melsis's eagerness.
It's just that he shook his head and said: "The Tarentum prisoners cannot be sold. That is the most important tool for us to control Tarentum. With them, Tarentum will obediently and continuously send food. Coupled with yesterday's gains in Heraclea, I think at least it can alleviate the food shortage in Thurii. As for the Syracuse sailors... Mariji, now that the Syracuse people's blockade of our port has been broken, I believe trade will slowly recover. Can these Syracuse sailor prisoners be sold?" Davos, who was a modern man in his previous life, always hated the slave trade, but for the sake of Daonia's survival, he couldn't care so much.
After Davos finished speaking, Melsis also looked at Mariji eagerly, reversing his previous attitude of hating Mariji.
Mariji nodded and saluted Davos, and then slowly said: "Your Majesty, although we defeated the Syracuse people at sea, we have not completely eliminated their power at sea. Our most important trade route—the Strait of Messina is still controlled by the Syracuse navy.
The situation in the eastern Mediterranean is better. The Tarentum fleet was completely annihilated, and Syracuse's ally—the Spartan joint fleet is now suppressed by the Athenian fleet, which is friendly to us. Therefore, if the blockade of the Strait of Messina cannot be broken quickly, in the future For a period of time, only our maritime trade to the eastern Mediterranean will slowly recover, but the original trade to the east does not occupy a major position in our Daonian market."
Commerce Officer Mariji did not talk about the issue of slaves first, but gave a brief estimate of the port market situation.
Davos then said: "I understand what you mean. I will urge Secrian to lead the fleet to seize control of the Strait of Messina as soon as possible! But with the arrival of merchant ships, can our port guarantee normal operation?"
Davos asked the key question. During the war, it was not enough to have merchant ships arriving. The operation of the entire port required a lot of management personnel, a large number of porters and sailors, and patrol teams to maintain law and order... etc. The more prosperous the port, the more manpower was needed. Now, in order to cope with the war, a large number of young and middle-aged laborers have been transferred from Daonia, not only formal citizens, reserve citizens, free people, and even unregistered free people have been recruited. The originally bustling port and market are now very deserted. What you can see more are women, the elderly, and even children busy at the market stalls. The lack of labor is evident.
Of course, Mariji knew that sufficient labor was also an important issue. He didn't have a better solution to this, so he could only reluctantly say: "Your Majesty, I will find a way to solve this problem... As for this batch of Syracuse prisoners, such a large number, it is true that it is difficult to find a city-state that can afford the cost and is not afraid of Syracuse and dares to take over in the short term... Well, I do have a target." Mariji said with emphasis: "We can try Carthage, and we can even use these slaves to exchange for food from Carthage."
As soon as he finished speaking, Melsis began to mutter: "Carthage, they have been frightened by the Syracuse people. They refused to form an alliance with us before. I don't think they will agree to buy these prisoners."
Mariji ignored him and waited for Davos's reply.
Carthage! After Mariji's reminder, Davos's eyes lit up: Before the war, Carthage was against forming an alliance with Daonia. But as the war continues to the present, whether the Carthaginians will maintain their previous attitude is uncertain. After all, Syracuse and Carthage have always been mortal enemies. Although they have maintained peace during this period, it does not mean that the Carthaginians will just watch Syracuse continue to expand its power in Magna Graecia, and even turn Magna Graecia into Syracuse's backyard. Because in that case, Syracuse, which is even more powerful, will pose a greater threat to Carthage's sphere of influence in Sicily.
Thinking of this, Davos made up his mind and said: "It seems that we need to send someone to Carthage again immediately to explore the Carthaginians' attitude towards this war. If they are willing to buy these slaves, we can further make some demands on Carthage, such as food trade. You must know that this war is not only related to the survival of our Daonia, but also related to the rise and fall of Syracuse. I don't know how long it will last, so the food from Tarentum alone is not enough to guarantee the sufficient food supply for the Daonian army that is being formed! And Carthage is famous for its abundant food production and is not far from Daonia, which can meet our war needs, otherwise where else can we buy food? Euxine Sea? Or Egypt? These places are too far away from us to provide timely protection, and accidents are prone to occur..."
"Your Majesty, Cyrenaica can also be considered." Mariji added.
Cyrenaica? Davos was stunned. He really hadn't thought of this Greek city-state located in Africa, adjacent to Carthage and Egypt. Daonia had never had contact with it before, but it is said that Cyrenaica has a good relationship with Sparta (because it is the sub-state of Sparta's sub-state), but it has always maintained neutrality among the Greek city-states, and it is a city-state mainly based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Silphium grass is just one of its special products. In addition, it is also rich in horses, cattle, sheep, wheat and flax.
"Mariji, you remind me. It seems that while sending people to Carthage, we also need to send people to Cyrenaica to make contact. The more channels for purchasing food, the more security we have!" Davos corrected in time.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask, you have been talking about buying food, but where will the money come from?! You must know that the national treasury can't even produce a drachma now!" Melsis questioned loudly, not at all considering Davos' new status.
Of course, Davos wouldn't care about such a small problem. He lightly supported the back of the chair with his right hand. On the way back to Thurii with the army, he had thought about this issue. Now, after understanding the true financial situation of Daonia, his ideas became even more solidified: "Melsis, do you remember when we were at war with Croton for the second time, the national treasury was also exhausted. What measures did we take at that time to overcome the difficulties?"
Melsis slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh, how could I forget this! War bonds! We can issue war bonds again!"
"No, we will not issue war bonds! The consumption of this war is huge. If we issue bonds, even if the war is won, the alliance will be severely affected by the huge debt, which will seriously affect its future development!" Davos stood up, his eyes firm, his tone firm and heavy: "This war is not only related to my interests, nor is it only related to the interests of you senators in the Senate, but it is related to the life and death of thousands of people in Daonia, related to whether we will be eliminated, slaughtered, or enslaved by Syracuse? Or completely defeat Syracuse, pull it down from the throne of the Greek hegemon in the Western Mediterranean, and win a broader and more glorious future for the people of the alliance?!"
"Therefore, this is a national war! It requires everyone in our alliance to fully invest their strength and gather them together to compete with Syracuse in the final battle! Whoever can persevere to the end will win the victory in this battle for hegemony!"
"Therefore, I propose that the Senate advocate for the people of the Daonian League to donate, and I will be the first donor! Except for maintaining the normal supply of three meals a day for my family and slaves, I will donate all the remaining food reserves! The profits earned by the banks, restaurants, and shops run by my wife in the past few years, in addition to maintaining normal expenses, will all be donated to the alliance for the needs of the war!"
Davos's words shocked the four people present.
Kapus shouted excitedly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to be the second donor!"
"Me too, Your Majesty!" Mariji followed closely and said, "The alliance is my home. If it is gone, it is useless to leave more gold and silver. I am willing to dedicate my loyalty to the alliance!"
"Don't forget us Bithynians, Your Majesty!" Bagi Li Pi said sincerely: "The Bithynians are already inseparable from the alliance. I will not only donate myself, but I will also return to Bithynia to call on others to donate as well!"
Melsis saw that the other three had expressed their views one after another,
He hesitated for a long time before gritting his teeth and said: "Okay, I will also donate."
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the afternoon, the Senate passed a resolution: In order to win this great war with Syracuse, the people of Daonia are called upon to unite and donate money and food to the alliance, which is already short of money, to help the alliance overcome this difficulty!
This news quickly spread throughout Thurii, Amendolara, Bithynia…
While the people were still discussing fiercely, another shocking news came quickly: Davos, the new king of Daonia, was the first to stand up and generously donated to the alliance: 51 talents, 3,500 drachmas, and more than three tons of wheat, dozens of cattle and sheep… Libazo, the chief slave of Davos's residence, led a transportation team consisting of dozens of carts loaded with property to Victory Square, where the public officials of the national treasury led by Finance Officer Melsis received the supplies.
Every citizen was deeply touched when they saw the pack train passing by.
However, such stimulation was continuous, because immediately afterwards, Cunogolata, Cornelius, Scombrolas, Lafias… all the senators of the Senate announced that they would donate property and grain to the alliance.
When they saw carts loaded with goods entering from various city gates of Thurii and constantly heading to the square, the people finally couldn't help it. They passed on slogans that they didn't know when they came out: "The alliance is our alliance. If the alliance prospers, the family will be rich. If the alliance perishes, the homeland will not exist!" "We don't want to be slaves of the brutal Syracusans. As long as we unite and dedicate ourselves and carry the war to the end, victory will surely belong to Daonia!"…
If the people were somewhat confused and pessimistic about the prospects of the war before yesterday, after the two great victories, they had regained their confidence in victory. The new king Davos and the senators took the lead in donating, and these rapidly spreading slogans made the people realize the difficulties currently facing the alliance, awakened their sense of responsibility as Daonians, so everyone began to take action.
Not only that, even the soldiers in the military camp collectively petitioned Davos, hoping to return to their homes, prepare property and food, and donate to the alliance.
Davos readily agreed and announced: "The First, Second, and Seventh legions are temporarily disbanded. Return to the military camp to report by noon tomorrow, those who are late will be punished according to military law."
The Turii region, which had been deserted and desolate for many days, finally became lively again on this day. The people, with their slaves, carrying or lugging money chests and money bags, leading pack animals laden with the grain stored in their homes, came from Amendolara, from Bisinia, from the outskirts of Turii, the port of Turii, the urban area of Turii... converging from all directions, flocking to the square…
"Pariandolos, you're here so fast!" Agilas saw Pariandolos and his son Patroclus standing in front of him and shouted loudly.
"Uncle Agilas!" Patroclus waved excitedly.
"Little Kros, I heard that you assisted your father in managing the village and repelled the sneak attack by the Syracuse sailors. Well done! You have already become a soldier of Daonia!" Agilas was very gratified to see such an outstanding performance from the mischievous little fellow of the past.
"But the legion still refuses to let me serve!" Patroclus complained.
"You are not yet 18 years old, which does not meet the requirements of the Military Law. Wait two more years," Agilas comforted him, remembering his age.
"Wait again?! By the time I can join, this war will be over!" Patroclus said aggrievedly.
"Don't worry, after this war ends, there will be another war. You will have plenty of battles to participate in the future!" Agilas said with emotion.
At this moment, Pariandolos had handed over the supplies he was carrying to the slave and turned around to give a military salute.
Agilas returned the salute.
Agilas was a veteran legion soldier, and Pariandolos was also a legion soldier. Although both had retired from active service due to injuries and illnesses, one with a limp and the other with a disabled hand, the mark of the Daonian Legion had been imprinted in their bones.
In such a crowded and noisy environment, the fact that two disabled people were saluting each other did not seem funny or interesting to the surrounding people. On the contrary, the gazes they received were filled with respect.
"Lord Agilas, you have difficulty moving around, there is no need to come in person. You could have just had the slaves send the things to the square," Pariandolos said with concern.
The reason why he called him Lord Agilas was because he had been promoted to Demos official.
With the continuous influx of foreign immigrants and the rapid development of the Daonian League in recent years, the suburbs of various cities, especially Turii, were no longer the sparse villages on the vast plains that they were initially. Not only did the population begin to become dense, but the number of villages also continued to increase, and towns appeared, so that villagers who were far from the urban area or the market and were usually busy with labor could buy what they needed nearby, or enjoy entertainment and sports nearby during the agricultural slack season. More importantly, in order to facilitate the management of these scattered farmsteads by various cities, some administrative tasks could be handed over to these towns, such as: tax collection, military training, etc.
Therefore, the administrative officials of various cities in the alliance successively suggested to the Senate: an additional administrative division should be set up between the cities and villages.
It happened that Davos's proposal to "establish local councils in various cities" was passed in the Senate, and Sesta took the opportunity to inspect the situation in the suburbs of various cities, and also referred to the political systems of other city-states, especially Athens, and finally proposed to the Senate: to add a Demos (i.e. township).
However, the Demos that Daonia was going to implement was not like the composition of the Athenian Demos. An Athenian Demos had to include a seaside village, a mountain village, and an urban area, none of which were adjacent to each other. This was too complicated to manage. Instead, the Daonian Demos was to place the surrounding villages under its jurisdiction, which was more convenient for management, thus improving administrative efficiency.
At the same time, according to regulations, the administrative officer of the Daonian Demos was to be nominated by the city's administrative officer from the village chiefs of the subordinate villages who had performed well, and could only take office after being appointed by the public official management committee of the Daonian League. Compared with the village chief elected by the villagers, the Demos officer had already entered the public official register of the Senate, and the Demos officer, whose regional administrative power was only lower than that of the city's administrative officer, was already considered a middle-level official in the League. It was not an exaggeration to call him "Lord," and Pariandolos's village happened to be under his jurisdiction.
"What lord, aren't I the same as you." The Demos system had just begun to be implemented, and was soon temporarily terminated due to the Syracuse invasion, so Agilas had not yet adapted to this change in identity: "You and I were both legion soldiers, participated in battles, and know best the importance of military food supply to the army. Without food, the soldiers will go hungry, and even the most powerful army will be defeated, so I must come! I have to set a good example for the people in our area! In addition to leaving enough rations for me and my family to last until next year's autumn harvest, I have donated all the other grains, hoping that Davos the Great... His Majesty will be able to use these donated materials to organize a powerful army and completely defeat the Syracuse people, so that our land will no longer be destroyed by these damned enemies!"
"You're right, Lord Agilas! If we don't support the legion first, who else will!" Pariandolos excitedly said, only to hear a chorus of shouts around him.
"Although I am not a legion soldier, I am a citizen of Daonia. Donating to the alliance to defend our homeland is our duty!"
"My husband died in Bruttium, and the children are still young and unable to join the army. However, my family has always been cared for by the soldiers' committee, and today is the day for me to repay them!"
"I am just a free man, but I love the Daonian League because only here can we poor people have opportunities and hope. Therefore, although I don't have much savings, I am willing to donate a portion to the League, hoping that it can defeat the enemy and continue to exist!"
… …
On this day, regardless of men, women, old people, children, citizens, free people, or slaves, people of different identities gathered together for a common purpose, forming several long lines, moving from the east, west, south, and north towards the center of the alliance—Victory Square and the Senate… …
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"Brother, you're back!" Cunogolata's youngest son, Dica Occlat, watched Sosta Tatus, who had been conscripted into the Seventh Legion some time ago and served as the company commander, walk into the courtyard, couldn't help but be very happy, and excitedly stepped forward and said, "Brother, your Seventh Legion annihilated the Tarantum people. This battle was fought so beautifully! Tell me the detailed process of the entire battle!"
"I don't have time now, I'll tell you later, okay?" Sosta Tatus asked as he strode inside, "Where's Father?"
"He went to the square to donate."
"I knew it would be like this. This old man didn't even wait for me. At least if two people go together, they can donate less." Sosta Tatus complained, but the smile on his face looked more like he was teasing.
Although his brother's previous answer disappointed Dica Occlat, the words that this brother, who had always been focused on money, had just said made him curious: "Brother, are you going to donate too?!"
"Of course!" Sosta Tatus replied affirmatively: "Everyone else has donated, if I don't donate, it will be too conspicuous! Moreover, if you want to donate, you have to donate more, so that you can attract the attention of His Majesty Davos and the senators. Brother, you have to know that if we win this war, a large area of land in the south is waiting for us to occupy, and Syracuse's prosperous commercial market will be taken away by us… …"
Looking at Sosta Tatus, who was excitedly indulging in fantasy, Dica Occlat knew that the man in front of him was still the brother he knew. He had never changed, and donating was just to get more benefits.
After Sosta Tatus finished talking about his vision for the future, he asked, "Where's your sister-in-law?"
"Sister-in-law should be in the house… …" When he mentioned his sister-in-law,
Dica Occlat's words became respectful, not because Sosta Tatus's wife was virtuous, but because—
"Sosta Tatus, why are you back?! You're not a deserter, are you?! I heard Father say that deserters in our alliance will be beheaded! You go back to the barracks quickly! I'll have your father and my father go to His Majesty Davos to plead for you!" A Lucanian woman came out of the main building and shouted in surprise when she saw Sosta Tatus.
"I'm not a deserter, I'm—" Sosta Tatus hurriedly defended.
Who knew that his wife wouldn't listen to his explanation at all, strode forward, and grabbed his ear with one hand: "You're going to lie to me again, aren't you?!"
Sosta Tatus immediately howled like a pig being slaughtered: "Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! Be gentle… …"
Dica Occlat couldn't help but laugh when he saw this familiar scene.
After Cunogolata returned to Thurii, considering that his eldest son Sosta Tatus was almost 30 years old and still single, he had been thinking about finding a marriage for his eldest son.
Just when he was still looking for a candidate for his daughter-in-law, Sosta Tatus finally took the initiative to tell him after knowing his father's plan: He wanted to marry Hemeng's second daughter, Krina.
Cunogolata was a little surprised, but he still obeyed his son's opinion. After all, intermarriage with Lucania was always advocated by Consul Davos, and they enjoyed many alliance benefits, and Hemeng was a Lucanian senator, so the marriage between the two families was a good match.
Cunogolata was not a conservative person, so he quickly went to propose marriage. Hemeng, of course, couldn't ask for more to be able to climb up to the influential Greek senator Cunogolata in the alliance. Sosta Tatus successfully married Krina as his wife.
Krina's beautiful appearance was not the main reason why Sosta Tatus married her. What he valued was Hemeng's influence in the Lucanian region, which would facilitate his future business in the Lucanian region.
According to Greek tradition, the newlyweds should live independently after marriage, but Cunogolata, who had suffered disasters, now cherished his family extremely and did not allow Sosta Tatus and his daughter-in-law to move out.
After the marriage, Sosta Tatus found that his wife was far more powerful than other Lucanian women. She had a bold personality and decisive actions, which actually made him suffer from "fear of his wife."
Cunogolata was happy to see this happen, because his daughter-in-law not only managed the affairs of the family in an orderly manner, but more importantly, she was able to tame this rebellious and somewhat unconventional eldest son.
"I swear to the god Asinu, I am not a deserter! It was really His Majesty Davos who let us go home, you can ask others!" Sosta Tatus was eager to explain, and in a hurry, he blurted out the wrong words again.
"When did you believe in the god Asinu?! You want to lie to me again, don't you want to live?!" Krina's finger exerted force again.
"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!… …"
Dica Occlat found this quarrel between the couple funny, and stepped forward to persuade: "Sister-in-law, it is true that His Majesty Davos let them come back, because the soldiers also want to donate money to the alliance."
Facing his younger brother, Krina's attitude was much better. She let go and asked uncertainly: "Did His Majesty Davos really let you come back because you wanted to donate?"
"Of course!" Sosta Tatus rubbed his red ears and complained loudly: "How dare you doubt your husband's words!"
Krina ignored him at all and continued to ask: "How much are you going to donate?"
Although Sosta Tatus wanted to donate more, he knew that his wife was even more generous in her actions. Just as he was hesitating, Krina had already made a decision for him: "Then donate all the money you have in Christoia Bank."
As soon as Sosta Tatus heard this, he jumped three feet high, forgetting his fear of his wife, and immediately scolded: "You spendthrift woman! That money is nearly six talents! Is it easy for me to earn money? You just donate it all so easily!"
"What did you say?!" Krina's eyebrows stood on end, and with a wave of her hand, a scream immediately rang out in the courtyard… …
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Melisanda, the squad leader of the Second Legion, was on his way to his home. His home was not in Thurii, because he no longer lived with his mother and Filius. He was married and had moved out. There was a tortuous story about this marriage.
When Arsinis died in the Bruttium War, his will stored in the Temple of Hades was taken out (since the establishment of the Temple of Hades, Plessinas, at the suggestion of Davos, allowed the temple to open this function, using the people's trust in the prestige and divine power of the god of the underworld, so that they can completely rest assured that the content of the will will not be leaked. Since Daonia is mainly an alliance formed by immigrants, there are fewer old people. So far, the wills stored in the Temple of Hades are mostly soldiers before they go on expeditions. They don't know when they will die in battle, so they write their wills before each expedition and store them in the temple, transferring the functions originally undertaken by the legion's logistics camp to the temple).
Since Arsinis had no relatives, in his will, he gave half of his inheritance to his newly married Lucanian wife, and allowed her to divorce and remarry, and gave the other half of the inheritance to his good friend—Melisanda, and hoped that he would take care of her a little more before his wife remarried.
When Melisanda received this will, he burst into tears.
But what Arsinis didn't know before his death was that his wife was pregnant before he went on the expedition. Out of nostalgia for his friend and to fulfill his last wish, 18-year-old Melisanda decided to take good care of his wife Hepna and let her successfully give birth to Arsinis's child. In frequent contact, Melisanda and Hepna, who were not much older than him, developed feelings for each other and eventually got together. After marriage, Melisanda lived in the Amendorara mansion that Arsinis had given him.
Melisanda and the comrades of the Second Legion who also lived in Amendorara were chatting and laughing as they walked north. After crossing the Sisno River, the scene that came into his eyes was shocking: burned villages, felled forests, destroyed farmland, and blocked canals… … The ruins of the Tarantum soldiers' scourge were everywhere. The soldiers cursed the Tarantum people, and even regretted that they were too lenient to them in yesterday's war, and should have killed them one by one to relieve their hatred.
Fortunately, the city of Amendorara was not damaged by any war. After entering the city, Melisanda said goodbye to his comrades and pushed open the door of his house.
"Master, you're back!" the female slave shouted excitedly.
"Where's your mistress?" Melisanda's eager eyes passed through the atrium and looked towards the main building.
"Madam is praying for you at the Hades altar! Since you went on the expedition, madam has been praying every day!" the female slave said respectfully.
Hepna was particularly concerned because her ex-husband Arsinis died on the battlefield. When Melisanda went on the expedition, she specially opened up a room in the courtyard as the Hades altar, and prayed for her husband's safety every day.
"Oh, the old lady is also there. She has been living here during this time," the female slave added.
Melyssander wasn't surprised by this. He knew his mother actually preferred living in the small town of Amendolara. She had only chosen to reside in the bustling city of Thurii to take care of Philius. After Philius went to war, she felt even more alone, so she naturally chose to come to Amendolara and live with her daughter-in-law and grandson.
Melyssander walked along the corridor.
"Brother! Brother! ..." A little girl ran towards him.
"Little Doris!" Melyssander went forward and picked up Doris, his mother and Philius' three-year-old daughter.
"Brother! Brother! ..." Another child came staggering towards him.
"Be careful, my darling." Melyssander hurriedly used his other hand to hold him, and then corrected him with a wry smile: "I'm not your brother, I'm your father, you should call me Daddy, understand? Call me Daddy!"
This boy was little Alcines, the son of Alcines and Heptuna. Melyssander had taken care of Heptuna during her pregnancy, so he treated little Alcines as his own son.
It was quite interesting, his stepfather's daughter with his mother was much younger than Melyssander, but about the same age as his two-year-old stepson, little Alcines, more like siblings. And little Alcines also loved to play with this little aunt.
"No, call him Brother! Call him Brother!" the mischievous Doris incited from the side.
Little Alcines looked at Doris in confusion, then looked at Melyssander, and actually called out again: "Brother! Brother!"
Melyssander was both annoyed and amused. He patted Doris's bottom twice and said pretending to be fierce: "If you teach little Alcines badly again, Brother will spank you!"
Doris immediately burst into tears.
"Melyssander, how old are you? Don't you know to give in to your younger sister!" A woman's voice came from the front, sounding more like relief than blame.
"Mother!" Melyssander stood up and called out affectionately, then turned to the young and slender figure beside Delia and said softly: "I'm back, Heptuna."
Heptuna stared at her husband, who had already shed his childishness and become more robust and burly, carefully examining him until she confirmed that there were no injuries, and then she gave Melyssander a smile.
"Didn't King Davos give the order that you could only return home for a reunion after defeating the enemy?! Why are you back now!" Delia asked in surprise.
She called Davos by his new title so smoothly because it was these loyal followers of Hades who put Davos on the throne.
"Because His Majesty allowed us to return home to participate in the donation, and we will return to the military camp tomorrow," Melyssander replied.
"Ah, going back tomorrow!" Heptuna blurted out. She didn't expect the time together to be so short.
"When the war is over and peace is restored, you can keep Melyssander at home for as long as you want, but now they must drive away those enemies who are destroying our land!" Delia educated her daughter-in-law. She had personally witnessed the devastation of her hometown by the Tarentines, so she didn't want such a thing to happen again.
"You're right, Mother," Heptuna replied respectfully.
Melyssander gently brushed away his son's little hand that was scratching his face and said: "His Majesty will soon lead us south to defeat the Syracuseans. The biggest problem now is that the food supply is a bit insufficient—"
"I heard that the situation at your father's place (referring to Aspruustum) is not very good..." Delia was very worried, not only because she heard that the soldiers on the front line were short of food, but also because the failure of the great battle had even reached her ears in the heartland of Daonia, with some bad words blaming her husband, such as his command ability being poor, etc. It was conceivable how much pressure Philius was under on the front line: "The money and food to be donated, Heptuna and I have already prepared. It's good that you're back, we'll send it to Victory Square together later."
"That's great!" Melyssander said happily, which saved him a lot of effort.
"Melyssander, my son, you must help your father more when you go south this time!" Delia instructed again.
What can I do to help him? Father is the commander in the south, and I am just a squad leader in a legion. Melyssander thought in his heart, but he agreed readily.
Heptuna took little Alcines from his arms, Delia held Doris, and the family entered the main building.
...
"What did you say?! His... His Majesty can't come home yet?!" Asuna asked anxiously: "But I heard that the soldiers in the military camp have all been dismissed and gone home!"
Aristilas said calmly: "His Majesty still has important things to do and will be back later, so he asked me to tell Madam first."
"I understand, we'll wait for him to come back," Christoia responded with a smile.
Aristilas bid farewell and left.
"Sister, won't Davos be coming back today?!" Disappointment and worry were intertwined on Agnes's pretty face, looking a little pitiful. Although she was already 24 years old, she had always been loved by her father before marriage, and after marrying into Thurii, she was also favored by Davos. Usually, she was either at home or in the temple, and had not experienced any major storms or setbacks. This time, she was pregnant for the first time, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy and needed someone to accompany and comfort her (the rate of difficult childbirth was still very high in this era, even in Daonia, where medical care was relatively advanced), but Davos had been away on an expedition for more than a month, and had not been by her side all the time. It was not easy to hear that he was coming back, but in the blink of an eye, he said that it would be postponed, so her mood was naturally uncertain.
Although Christoia's mood was also a bit depressed, as the mistress in charge of the entire mansion, she still cheered up and tried her best to comfort her: "Sister, don't worry, our husband, you know him, he said he would come back today, he will definitely come back today! You, don't worry, go to the bedroom and sleep for a while, lest you be too sleepy to sleep when he comes back."
"Okay... Sister, don't forget to wake me up later," Agnes said softly, and she was helped into the main building by a female slave.
Christoia breathed a sigh of relief and felt bitter for a moment: Agnes has me to comfort her, but who will comfort me!
...
At this moment, Davos was carefully examining a weapon placed on the table in the main tent: It was a spear, the shape and style were similar to the thrusting spear used by heavy infantry, the only difference was the length and diameter of the shaft. It was four meters long, two meters longer than the spears usually used by soldiers, and the diameter of the shaft was also thicker.
As soon as Davos picked it up, the weapon merchant Teos hurriedly shouted: "Your Majesty, be careful of the top of your head!"
Davos's height plus the length of the spear almost pierced the high roof, so he had to hold it up at an angle, shook a few spear flowers, and made a few thrusts, then asked with satisfaction: "This spear is well made, is every spear like this one?"
Teos said frankly: "Your Majesty, you asked me to make 6,000 such spears in such a short period of time, of course I can't make every spear as smooth as the one in your hand, but I can guarantee to you that they can be used to kill enemies without any problem! And in terms of quality, this batch of spears is more durable, because with your Majesty's approval, we cut down the cedars in the Amendolara mountains and used the wood for building warships to make the spears, so that the long shaft will not have large vibrations when stabbing after the iron spearhead is attached, and it is not easy to break..."
Davos nodded: "Are they all made?"
"Only 1,400 have been found, because Lord Capus is in a hurry, so I sent them over first."
Davos frowned and said: "We must hurry up, I'm afraid we won't be able to stay in Thurii for a few days, and we will have to go to the battlefield again, so we must make all of these spears as soon as possible, distribute them to every soldier, and give them time to train, time is tight!"
"Your Majesty, we have tried our best! It's just that we have to cut trees, transport, cut, plane wood..." Teos began to complain.
Davos interrupted him: "I will let Capus transfer manpower from the logistics camp to you to help you complete some less important processes, such as cutting trees, transporting, etc., and your people will complete the final production of the spearhead and shaft, will that work?!"
"If that's the case..." Teos carefully calculated for a moment, then said loudly: "I should... can guarantee that after three days... no, the day after tomorrow, I can send you all the spears!"
"Then thank you! Regarding the cost of this batch of weapons, the national treasury is tight on money now, so I can only calculate it for you after the war is over. But don't worry, I will let Mercis add 10% interest to you."
As soon as Davos finished speaking, Teos hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate all of these spears to the alliance, and I have also donated three talents to the alliance, and I have already asked my family to take them to Victory Square. Your Majesty, you have set an example for us, as a citizen of the alliance, although I cannot go to the battlefield, I am also willing to contribute my strength to the alliance to win this war!"
"Good! Well said!" Davos praised loudly: "Of course, your contributions will be recorded, and the Senate will reward you for this when the war is won!"
Davos hinted, causing Teos's spirits to rise, and he immediately took out a few papyrus papers from his arms and handed them to Davos.
Davos took it and glanced at it. It was densely filled with writing. He looked at Teos with some confusion.
"Your Majesty, these foreign merchants in the Amendolara industrial manufacturing area heard that the alliance was calling on citizens to donate, and they also expressed that 'they hope to participate in the donation to help the alliance overcome this difficult time.' This is a list of donated materials they drafted," Teos explained.
In fact, although these foreign merchants who auctioned off land in Amendolara in those years and produced and sold featured goods benefited greatly from some of the preferential laws promulgated by the League, most of them were still hesitant and waiting to see, except for a few who joined the League, such as Theos and Dicopolis. Especially after the outbreak of the war with Syracuse, the failure of the Southern Italy Allied Forces' battle and even the destruction of the handicraft manufacturing area by the Tarentum cavalry made them look down on the prospects of the League. If it hadn't been for the blockade of the Gulf of Taranto by the Syracuse and Tarentum fleets, they would have sailed away long ago.
However, Davos's return, annihilating the Tarentum sea and land forces in one day, and defeating Syracuse's powerful navy, created a miracle of war out of the impossible, shocking these foreign merchants. Infected by the fanatical Daonian people, they also began to believe that Daonia was indeed blessed by Hades. As foreign merchants doing business in the Mediterranean and daring to invest in Daonia, they were not lacking in adventurous spirit, let alone vision. When they began to have hope for Daonia's prospects in this war, they suddenly realized that if Daonia really won the war, then Daonia's power would inevitably expand rapidly like after the previous wars, and Daonia's influence would be involved in the southern part of Magna Graecia and even the eastern part of Sicily. Then, the most important trade circle in the western Mediterranean would be under the control of Daonian power, which meant something to anyone doing business in this area!
Therefore, at the instigation of Dicopolis and Theos, these merchants made a bold investment and entrusted Theos to send the list of supplies to Davos, the new king of Daonia, whom they recognized as a descendant of Hades.
Davos once again carefully read the huge amount of supplies recorded on the papyrus. The sincerity of these foreign merchants was evident. Of course, Davos also knew what they desired, so he said, "Theos, go back and thank them for me, and tell them that the League will never forget the traitors who stabbed us in the back when we were in trouble! But it will never forget the friends who helped us when we were in our most difficult time! There is an old saying in the East that goes, 'A drop of water of kindness should be repaid with a spring of water!'"
After sending Theos away, Davos came to the training ground of the military camp. Here, the freemen recruited by Capys were training.
Capys hurried to the sidelines when he saw Davos arrive.
"Have all the soldiers been recruited?" Davos looked at the field. The training ground, which could accommodate more than 30,000 people, was occupied by the teams gathered by the freemen, but it still seemed very empty.
"Only 2,570 people have arrived," Capys explained. "The others will not be able to arrive until tomorrow morning because they are going to donate at Victory Square."
Davos expressed his understanding, then looked at the relatively neat formation on the field and asked, "Are they all freemen who have received more than one year of military training?"
"Your Majesty, there are not so many freemen in the port who have received our training.
I transferred personnel from the logistics team to make up the 6,000 people," Capys said truthfully.
"Then will there be problems with the subsequent transportation of supplies?" Davos asked again.
"I have retained the management personnel and team officers of the logistics team and recruited freemen from the port to supplement the number. Now that Syracuse's maritime advantage has been broken, there should be no more enemies landing behind us and attacking our logistics team. Completing the transportation task should not be a problem," Capys explained.
"Alas, robbing Peter to pay Paul!" Davos sighed. This war made him see that Daonia's population resources were still scarce, and he had no better way in the short term: "Distribute the spears and let them practice the formation first. Let me take a look."
… … … … … … … … … … …
Tapirus was once a slave in Christoia's restaurant. After more than four years, he has been freed from slavery and become a freeman, and he is already in charge of a restaurant in Thurii. When Capys transferred personnel from the logistics team, he took the initiative to participate, because it would take too long to become a citizen of the League through normal channels. Only by participating in the battle can the time limit be shortened the fastest. Therefore, Tapirus believes that this is a rare opportunity. Although there is a danger to life, the risk is worth taking, because King Davos is back, and this unit was formed at his request!
Many freemen joined this team with this strong idea in mind.
Tapirus was appointed as a squad leader because of his high military quality (having participated in one and a half years of military training), and he can also do arithmetic and is literate (skills practiced in the restaurant). But the position he is now standing in is the left front of a detachment, which is the position of the detachment leader, because the veterans who should have been transferred from various legions to serve as the team officers of this new team have been disbanded and returned home, and will not be able to return to the team until tomorrow, so they are temporarily replaced by new recruits.
At this time, city-state slaves carried bundles of spears and distributed them to each freeman.
Is this the weapon we are going to use?! Tapirus looked at the spear in his hand in surprise. It was much longer than the stabbing spear used in ordinary training.
The freemen were a little excited after receiving their own weapons, and some even waved them. Who knew that the freemen who were not yet proficient in using this kind of spear would either have the spearhead connected to other spears, or the tail of the spear would touch the teammates next to them. For a time, the formation was chaotic and noisy.
A rapid bugle call immediately sounded on the training ground. The freemen hurriedly got ready. Although the spears were still colliding with each other, few people were shouting loudly. Those who had long-term military training experience knew that if they did not obey the orders, the team officers would pull the violators out and cane them in public after taking off their pants, which would be too detrimental to their dignity!
"You all pay attention!" Several training instructors shouted loudly in front of the team: "When standing, hold the gun like this…"
Tapirus followed the instructor's posture, placing the spear on his left side, with the tail of the gun touching the ground, his left arm straightened down to hold the barrel of the gun, and his right hand across his left shoulder to hold the spear.
The soldiers did the same one by one. The spears no longer collided, but stood straight like a neat and dense grove.
Davos was satisfied that the freemen on the field could quickly achieve the prohibition of orders and quickly master the essentials of holding a gun.
"It seems that their more than a year of military training has not been in vain!" he said with relief.
At this time, the long bugle call sounded again, and the flag bearers of each detachment immediately pointed the black team flag forward.
"Forward!" Tapirus shouted, and the drummer rhythmically struck the military drum, and the soldiers began to step forward with their guns.
As the footsteps moved forward, the originally neat formation became more and more uneven, the formation became a little scattered, and the originally straight spears swayed left and right with the movement of the body, colliding with each other and making a "crashing! crashing! … …" sound.
Seeing Davos frowning, Capys explained: "Your Majesty, because the team officers who were veterans have been disbanded and returned home, the control of the entire team and the maintenance of the formation, the execution of orders, are much worse."
"I understand," Davos said, his eyes always fixed on the performance of the freemen on the field.
The bugle call changed again.
"Defense!" Tapirus shouted.
The soldiers in the detachment who were moving forward stopped and began to gather in the middle: the soldiers in the first row put their spears down flat, and the soldiers in the next few rows held their spears diagonally forward, close together, until the spears in the sixth row could still cross the shoulders of the soldiers in the first row, forming part of the spear wall. At this time, the original scattered array became a dense and thick spear phalanx.
Davos's brow still did not relax. He turned his head and said to Capys, "Do you know why I want to transfer the freemen to use this extended stabbing spear?"
"Because it is to deal with the Syracuse cavalry," Capys said without thinking. Obviously, he had given serious thought to Davos's move.
"That's right. Our cavalry cannot resist those Numidians and Celts who have grown up on horseback since childhood. I designed this super-long spear to deal with the Syracuse mercenary cavalry. But, what I want is not to use this rigid and stiff defensive formation to stop the cavalry's attack. What I want is to use the attack to smash the enemy cavalry's attack!" Davos stared at Capys with piercing eyes.
Capys was a little surprised: "Let them attack the Syracuse cavalry with four-meter-long spears?!"
"Yes," Davos said affirmatively: "And they are required to attack at the speed of a charge, and to maintain a relatively dense formation as much as possible during the attack. Therefore, I am not prepared to equip them with armor, only need to hold the gun with both hands to move and run, which should be lighter and more flexible."
Davos's conceived super-long spear phalanx is not to learn from the Macedonian spear phalanx of the previous life. He does not look up to that clumsy formation. Daonia already has its own heavy infantry legion phalanx, and its combat effectiveness is no worse than that of the Macedonian phalanx. What he wants to learn from is the famous Swiss pikemen of the Middle Ages in Western Europe. These sturdy mountain people from the mountains can even launch a group charge of the entire phalanx with 4-meter-long spears and halberds against the heavy-armored heavy cavalry of the Middle Ages, and repeatedly defeat the French heavy cavalry, thus becoming famous in Western Europe and becoming an important means of livelihood for the Swiss in the Middle Ages. Even the French royal family and the Holy See hired them as palace guards.
Your Majesty, if they are not equipped with armor—" As the responsibility of the leading general, Capys had to remind: "Their casualties may be very large under the attack of bows and arrows and javelins!"
"They only protect the flanks of the entire formation and will not be placed on the front. Besides, at this time, it is too late to make protective armor for them specifically," Davos replied.
Davos hadn't failed to consider the spearmen's weak defenses, but spearmen weren't part of his future plans for the Daonian army. In his mind, it was only a temporary unit. In the future, Daonia could cultivate stronger cavalry to deal with the enemy's cavalry.
"Sound the march, get them running, and then charge one more time so I can see," Davos urged, glancing at the sky.
Although Davos said this, having freemen who had never used such long spears before hold them and charge as a group was still risky. Therefore, the instructors repeatedly guided the recruits through the movements at the front of the line.
"Woo woo woo!…" The bugle sounded three crisp notes in a row, and under the guidance of the instructors, the freemen raised their spears vertically with both hands and began to jog slowly.
The previously hard-won orderly formation began to become crooked again as the speed increased, and the gap between the front and rear rows also widened.
At this moment, the bugle sounded more urgently, and the recruits roared. The first row of soldiers leveled their spears, while the soldiers in the rows behind held their spears diagonally in turn to avoid accidentally injuring the soldiers in front while running. Seen from the side, the spears rose from low to high, creating a three-dimensional effect, but it didn't last long. The formation of thousands of people fell apart during the charge. Some were too far ahead, and some were lagging behind, completely disorganized. Moreover, a few people fell while running, also accidentally injuring several teammates.
Kapus looked at Davos somewhat uneasily.
Davos, however, remained calm. He had already changed the four-meter Swiss halberd from his previous life into a simpler spear, reducing its weight, but it was obviously not something that freemen who were using it for the first time and had never been on the battlefield could easily master. He thought for a moment and said, "I have a suggestion. Don't charge in a unified large formation. It's too rigid and easily causes the formation to break down. Instead, use squads as individual units, like the staggered advance of heavy infantry phalanxes before engaging the enemy. Use this method to attack the enemy's cavalry. This will make it easier for the officers to control the soldiers, ensuring dense small phalanxes in each local area while also making the overall formation more flexible and able to occupy a larger area. For the Syracuse cavalry from the Numidian plains and the Po River plains, our ultra-long spearmen should also be more flexible in order to catch them…"
After listening carefully to Davos's suggestion, Kapus was greatly enlightened. He immediately stated, "Your Majesty, I will immediately have them train according to what you said."
Davos once again solemnly reminded him, "Lord Kapus, there isn't much training time left for them. You must find a way within two or three days to make these freemen initially familiar with the use of this spear and the changes in the offensive formation!"
Kapus nodded heavily and strode onto the training field.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Davos was busy all day,
Finally stepping into the moonlit night, he returned to his own residence.
Pushing open the door, he heard a burst of cheers: "Master… No, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, you're back! Congratulations on becoming the King of Daonia!"
"Your Majesty, congratulations on defeating the Syracuse navy and annihilating the Tarentines!"
… …
Davos becoming the King of Daonia made the slaves in his mansion feel that their status had been elevated, and they felt honored.
Davos nodded to them one by one, and finally came to the slave steward, Libazos: "You've worked hard taking care of the house during this time!"
"Your Majesty, this is my duty!" Libazos said respectfully: "The Madam and the young masters are all waiting for you in the inner courtyard!"
"They haven't slept yet, even though it's so late?!" Davos was a little surprised, but more so touched. Then he said sternly to Libazos: "Tell them all to go to rest, blow out all the candles in the corridor, and put them away. Is now the time to celebrate! Moreover, how can we be so wasteful, aren't you afraid of public criticism!"
Although Davos spoke euphemistically, Libazos heard the rebuke in his words, and he hurriedly lowered his head to apologize.
"The higher your position, the more you should be low-key and cautious! You must always remember this sentence and restrain them well. Otherwise, if anyone has a problem, I will settle the score with you first!" Davos's warning made Libazos secretly vigilant.
Davos pushed open the door to the backyard, and Asuna was already waiting there, saying happily: "Your Majesty, welcome home!"
"Asuna, thanks to you during this time, Christoia was able to give birth to Eunice smoothly, and both mother and daughter are safe. Thank you!" Davos sincerely thanked this backyard manager.
Although Asuna was excited, she didn't dare to respond, but said: "The two Madams and the children are all waiting for you in Madam Christoia's bedroom!"
"Oh, it looks like it will be lively tonight!" Davos said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, have you had dinner?"
"I've been too busy and haven't had time to eat. Just prepare two loaves of bread for me, a bowl of barley porridge, and a glass of wine will do."
"Okay, Your Majesty, I'll prepare it for you soon."
As soon as Davos pushed open the bedroom door, a figure quickly rushed into his arms, calling out eagerly, "Daddy, you're finally back, I missed you so much!"
Davos smiled and picked up Little Clow: "Daddy missed you too. Let Daddy see if you've gotten fatter during this time?"
Little Clow immediately puffed out his cheeks.
Davos was amused and gently pinched his chubby little face.
"Father!" A clear voice came from behind him.
"Synthia, I've only been gone for a month, but you seem to have grown taller again," Davos said with a smile to his adopted daughter. He walked over holding Little Clow and put his hand on Synthia's head, making a gesture to measure her height.
"Fath… Father." Adoris, next to Synthia, called out a little nervously. It was strange, Adoris was usually naughty, but as soon as he saw Davos, he became nervous and well-behaved like a girl.
"Adoris, haven't you let the teacher complain to your mother?" Davos joked.
"No… No," Adoris hurriedly shook his head.
"Father, school has been temporarily suspended," Synthia interjected.
"School suspended?" Davos was a little surprised, but on second thought, it was normal. He said, "Then you all stay at home during this time. Synthia, you are the older sister, so you must take good care of these two younger brothers and ease the burden on your two mothers."
"Yes," Synthia nodded seriously.
"Synthia is very sensible, busy with everything, and has helped me and Agnes a lot. But some people, not to mention helping, even after being away from home for so long and returning to the city, are unwilling to come home and take a look!" Davos raised his eyes and looked over. Christoia was sitting on the wooden bed, looking at him angrily, while Agnes was lying on her side on the bed, her face also full of resentment.
"I—" Davos was about to speak when he realized that this was not the time to make excuses. He immediately said softly, "Didn't I come back?"
Christoia snorted: "It would have been better if you hadn't come back. As soon as you come back, you send out most of the money we've worked so hard to earn over the years!"
Agnes secretly patted Christoia's hand. It was not easy for her, with her traditional personality, to look forward to her husband's return, and she didn't want to spoil the warm atmosphere, or even have an argument.
Without Davos needing to explain, Little Clow said loudly, "Mom, don't blame Daddy!"
"Hey, it's still my baby who's thinking of me!" Davos happily kissed Little Clow's pink face again and again: "Come on, let Daddy take a look at your little sister."
Eunice was lying beside Christoia. At this moment, she was awake, but she wasn't crying.
As Davos approached his daughter, Christoia hurriedly reminded him, "Be careful, don't scare her."
"Don't worry, I'm Herpus's teacher."
"Does a doctor also know how to raise children?"
"I am a favored one of the gods, I know everything, including your… body," Davos whispered the last word close to her ear.
Christoia immediately blushed and gently hit him, and the previous resentment disappeared without a trace.
Davos gently picked up Eunice, and this little person was also curiously looking at him with her big, bright blue eyes.
"Hey, baby, I'm your daddy," Davos said gently to her.
"Ah… Ah…" Eunice cried out, her little hands grabbing at Davos's face.
Davos let her scratch randomly with her hands, turned his head and smiled at Christoia, and said, "Eunice's grip is quite strong!"
At this moment, Christoia looked at the father and daughter tenderly and nodded lightly when she heard the words.
"Daddy, my strength is greater than my sister's!" Little Clow said unconvinced.
"You're the older brother, of course you're stronger," Davos said with a smile: "Little Clow, do you think your sister is very pretty?"
At this time, Little Clow didn't understand what pretty meant. He just nodded following his father's meaning: "Yes, pretty."
To be honest, the redness at birth had faded, and the wrinkled skin had been filled with sufficient milk. Eunice had a full forehead, bright eyes, a cute little nose, rosy lips, and tender skin… she was indeed a beautiful baby.
Davos turned his head and said to the children, "Do you think little Eunice looks like Daddy?"
Synthia shook her head: "Doesn't look like it."
Seeing that her sister said this, Adoris also said softly: "… Doesn't look like it."
"Sister looks like Mom," Little Clow was the most direct.
Davos laughed and said, "Fortunately, she doesn't look like me. If she looks like Christoia, little Eunice will be a great beauty in the future!"
Christoia glared at him, reached out and said, "Give me the child. It's the first time you've seen her, holding her for too long, she'll cry in a while."
Davos reluctantly handed Eunice to Christoia, turned his head and said to the children, "Children, our family is now more lively, you have one more sister. And here—" He gently placed his right hand on Agnes's lower abdomen: "Your Agnes mother will add another younger brother to you next year. As older brothers and sisters, you must set a good example and take good care of them, understand!"
Cynthia and Adonis nodded repeatedly, and little Chloe excitedly asked, "Can I play with them?"
"Of course you can," Davos said with a smile.
Little Chloe immediately jumped for joy.
"I haven't been to the temple for divination yet, so I don't know if it's a boy or a girl!" Agnes said sweetly. There were priests in the Temple of Hera she was in charge of who specialized in divining the gender of pregnant women. Since it was still early in her pregnancy and her belly hadn't fully shown yet, she hadn't gone yet. However, Agnes prayed silently to Hera, whom she served, every day: grant her a healthy boy.
"I am favored by the gods, and I say it's a boy, so you will definitely give birth to a boy!" Davos, of course, knew her thoughts, so he said seriously.
"Really?!" Agnes blinked, half-believing.
"Alright, now we have five children!" Davos said loudly to Christoia and Agnes with a smile, "You still need to keep working hard to get ten and form a small team!"
Christoia immediately spat, "Giving birth is so hard, do you think it's as easy as marching and fighting!"
Davos burst into laughter, and the bedroom was filled with happy voices and laughter.
It was late at night, the children had all gone to sleep, and Eunice was also carried to the outer room by Asuna. The three people in the bedroom were all feeling sleepy.
Agnes finally couldn't help but look at Davos and said faintly, "I... I'm going back to sleep..."
"What are you going back for!" Davos grabbed her and blurted out without hesitation, "Sleep here tonight, let me keep you company!"
"How can this be?" Although Agnes was tempted, she looked at Christoia with difficulty.
"Sister, stay here," Christoia said seriously, "Davos is going back to the barracks tomorrow, and we don't know when he'll be back. Let's sisters keep him company and talk tonight!"
Indeed, they could only talk. Christoia had just given birth and couldn't have sex; Agnes was in the early stages of pregnancy and also couldn't show affection with Davos.
Blowing out the candle and lying between Christoia and Agnes, the intoxicating fragrance of their bodies lingered in his nostrils, and their slender fingers were held in his hands. Davos felt a sense of happiness, a feeling of "wishing to stay here forever and not wanting to attend court early"...
"When will this war end?" Agnes leaned against her husband's side and asked softly.
"I'm afraid it will take a few more months... Hmph..." Davos replied. Agnes's hair was against his face, making him feel a little itchy. His hands were held by his two wives, so he couldn't pull them out. He could only try to blow them away with his mouth.
"That long!" Agnes's soft voice was full of disappointment.
"Don't worry, before you give birth, I will definitely be able to end the war and return to Thurii to be with you!" Davos comforted her.
"Really?!" Agnes was a little surprised.
"Really!" Davos said in a deep voice.
"Sister, look how good he is to you! When I was pregnant with little Chloe and Eunice, he never said anything like that!" Along with Christoia's dissatisfied voice, a sharp pain came from Davos' left hand. He endured it and didn't cry out.
"Then I'll wait for you to come back, and you must be careful on the battlefield!" Agnes laughed softly and kissed him affectionately on the side of his face. Before long, a slight snoring sound was heard in Davos' ears.
Agnes had actually fallen asleep.
"This is the advantage of being pregnant, you can sleep whenever you want, unlike me because of Eunice... Mmm..." As soon as Christoia sighed, Davos turned around and kissed her rosy lips.
This long kiss almost made her breathless.
"Agnes is still in bed--" Christoia quickly took a breath and said shyly, but Davos kissed her again.
During this time, due to the pregnancies of his two wives and the subsequent tense war, Davos, who had been abstinent for a long time, felt a little unable to hold back. The repeated passionate kisses melted Christoia's reserve, but she still retained a trace of hesitation: "My dear, I still have a little bit below..."
"I understand," Davos whispered softly in her ear, "Darling, you can use your mouth and hands..."
Christoia bit him lightly on his strong shoulder with embarrassment.
Davos then untied her clothes, bent down, and gently sucked on the forbidden area where their daughter usually nursed...
Soon, a suppressed, alluring moan came from the bedroom...
......
With the support of the Persian satrap Pharnabazus, the Athenian general Conon, after his victory at the Battle of Cnidus, took another measure that greatly shocked the Spartans - that is, reoccupying the island opposite the Laconian Gulf - Cythera, and making it an Athenian naval advanced base. This not only controlled the passage of the Spartan allied fleet entering and leaving the eastern Mediterranean, but also monitored the movements in the Laconian Gulf.
What worried the Spartans most was that they feared the Athenians would incite the Helots within Sparta to flee to Cythera, as they had done during the Peloponnesian War, leading to instability in the Spartan rear.
Now even Spartan ships entering and leaving the Laconian Gulf had become extremely cautious, fearing they would run into the Athenian fleet.
Just as the passenger ship carrying Chrysops was departing from Gythium, Sparta's only good harbor located at the mouth of the Eurotas River, he saw the tense expressions of the captain and sailors, which made him involuntarily look towards the dimly visible, gray outline of land on the distant sea to the northeast. That was the island of Cythera occupied by the Athenians.
Chrysops was immediately filled with worry for Sparta: At sea, the Athenians had gained the upper hand, and the Spartan allied fleet did not even dare to station in the Laconian Gulf, but retreated to the west of the Peloponnese; on land, due to the stubborn defense of the anti-Spartan alliance at the Isthmus of Corinth, the Spartan army could not advance an inch, forcing the Ephors to finally decide to replace the commander again, allowing Agesilaus, who was recuperating, to return to the battlefield.
Chrysops was cautiously optimistic about this personnel change: He did not deny that he favored the command ability of this frail Spartan king. Agesilaus's military achievements in Asia Minor over the past few years had already earned him a great reputation.
However, the anti-Spartan alliance had the support of the Persians. Chrysops, who had been to Persia, knew that this meant Sparta's enemies had endless financial support. Even if they failed again and again, they could still recruit another large army at any time, while the number of Spartan citizens was limited. Therefore, his mission to Thurii this time was of great significance. He had to quickly make Daonia and Syracuse stop the war so that Syracuse, the hegemon of the Western Mediterranean, could free up its hands to assist Sparta. With the support of Syracuse's powerful navy and large army, Sparta would have more confidence in ending this war victoriously!
But would Daonia agree? The image of a 19-year-old young man's immature face appeared in Chrysops' mind. That was the first time he had seen Davos. Since their parting in Asia Minor, five or six years had passed, and he had not seen this young man again, only hearing about him from rumors. And every time news came, Chrysops was surprised: The young man of the past was now the ruler of a powerful force in the Western Mediterranean, daring to compete with Syracuse, the hegemon of the Western Mediterranean! Things were different now. How could he persuade him? Chrysops was not completely sure, but he could only do his best.
And the other person he was going to visit gave him an even bigger headache: Dionysius. All the Spartans who had come into contact with this tyrant of Syracuse said he was greedy, overbearing, and vindictive. Now to make him end a war where he had the upper hand, how could he agree without benefits that satisfied him!
Chrysops sighed heavily, temporarily suppressing these troublesome issues, and asked loudly, "How long will it take to reach Thurii?"
"About two days," the captain replied.
......
The process of Arobromas usurping Laos was very smooth. Due to his years of management, the city's leaders and officials all chose to support him, rather than the inexperienced Hennipolis, who, as soon as he took office, wanted to harm their status and interests. In addition, the only troops loyal to Hennipolis were taken away by himself, so Arobromas easily controlled the entire city. The only price he paid was a scolding from his sister-in-law.
After the plan to seize the Laos fortress failed, he did not panic, but decisively withdrew his troops and reinforced the city's defenses to defend against a possible attack by the Daunian army. He believed that as long as Laos could hold out for ten days or half a month, he believed that on the east side of the mountains, the Syracuse army's attack on Daonia would make greater progress, and the entire situation in Daonia would change greatly. At that time, perhaps Laos would still have a chance to expand!
Arobromas was fully immersed in his defense plan, and some rumors in the port, manipulated by those with ulterior motives, began to spread and grow.
"Hennipolis is a good magistrate! He enacted many laws beneficial to us commoners so that we could gain more rights, but the nobles led by Arobromas refused to implement them!"
"Do you know? Our magistrate enacted a 'land plan' to distribute land to us poor people, but Arobromas threatened his nephew and forced him to withdraw the law!"
"Brothers, we helped the Avinogis family drive out the Lucanians, but our lives haven't changed much. We still have no money, no land, and we're still doing the same hard, heavy labor as when we were slaves before. People like Arobromas still treat us like slaves and order us around. We can't go on like this anymore!"