Davos could feel the heavy expectations in their words. He smiled freely and said, "You don't need to worry about the Syracusans. What you should be worried about is whether we have enough manpower to govern those lands in southern Magna Graecia after defeating the Syracusans!"
As the senators were stunned, Davos turned his head and took a deep look at the hills by the river in Thurii to the east. He knew that his wife and children must also be gazing in this direction, hoping for his early victory and return…
"Let's go," he coughed lightly, turned his horse, and led the guard onto the wooden bridge.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Syracusan soldiers burned, killed, and looted in Croton for a night. The main victims were the free people and foreigners in the port area, as well as nearly half of the Croton citizens who failed to escape into the acropolis in time.
By noon the next day, most of the Syracusan soldiers were still asleep in the barracks or in the houses of Croton, recovering from the excessive physical exertion of the previous day.
Dionysius, however, got up early and began to handle military affairs with his subordinates.
The first thing that urgently needed to be resolved was the issue of the wounded. Although yesterday's victory was glorious, the losses were also great. According to preliminary statistics last night, the number of soldiers killed and seriously wounded exceeded 5,000, and there were more than 4,000 soldiers with minor injuries to varying degrees. After this battle, Syracuse lost about 1/8 of its forces. A series of tedious tasks such as treating the wounded, replenishing soldiers, and reorganizing the troops must be completed as soon as possible.
The most time-consuming and laborious task of cleaning the battlefield and burying the corpses was, on the contrary, the easiest to complete. It was only necessary to use the tens of thousands of Croton people who had become prisoners as laborers. How many prisoners wailed and cried as they carefully sorted out the remains of Croton soldiers who died inside and outside the city walls! And how many prisoners secretly kicked and cursed while dragging the corpses of Syracusan soldiers, venting their anger!
For Dionysius, these were not things he cared too much about. The second thing he cared about was the acropolis of Croton. This acropolis was located in the south-central part of the Croton urban area, built on a hill. The acropolis housed the largest Apollo temple complex in Magna Graecia, so the Croton Apollo Acropolis was also the largest in the Magna Graecia city-states.
Although retreating to the acropolis after the city fell was a final defense strategy often adopted by Greek city-states, Dionysius should have been prepared. However, after breaking through the city walls last night, the Syracusan soldiers, driven mad by the fierce fighting during the day, carried out crazy killings and looting in the urban area. Also, because it was dark, Dionysius could not effectively command the troops, resulting in a delay in the battle. As a result, more than half of the Croton people (including many soldiers) escaped into the acropolis under the organization of Milon and Lysias, which gave the acropolis sufficient manpower to defend.
At the same time,
the acropolis was located on high ground and surrounded by urban residences, making it impossible for large siege equipment to reach the foot of the city walls. Unless the surrounding residences and buildings were demolished and a solid and wide causeway was built to fill the hill, siege towers, siege vehicles, and other equipment could reach the city. Otherwise, relying solely on soldiers to attack from below would not only result in heavy casualties but also be difficult to succeed.
However, this type of siege required a long period of preparation, and what Dionysius lacked most now was time, because he still had to lead his troops to attack Daonia. He would never allow his greatest enemy more breathing room to stabilize his territory and build more troops.
Therefore, Dionysius sent an envoy, threatening the lives of the captured Croton people and soldiers, to force the Croton people in the acropolis to surrender.
However, the Croton people hiding in the acropolis had witnessed the various atrocities committed by the Syracusans in the city from a high position last night, and had endured a night of torment amidst the heart-wrenching wails of their compatriots. They both feared and hated the Syracusans. In addition, the Syracusans' brutality in Siris made them regard the Syracusans as "man-eating beasts" and completely disbelieve the envoy's proposal that "as long as they become a Syracusan ally, send troops to join the Syracusan army, Dionysius will release all Croton prisoners and return the city of Croton."
Because Ascamas, in order to prevent the Syracusans from attacking the city and looting and to protect the people who were fleeing to the acropolis, tried his best to reorganize the defeated soldiers and fought with the enemy in the city streets, and finally died in battle. The Croton people, who had lost their highest military commander, urgently elected Milon, who had saved them, as the commander-in-chief amidst grief, and Lysias and the others did not object. At this time, the Croton high-level officials, led by Lysias and Milon, not only flatly rejected the envoy's request, but also, in order to show their courage and determination to fight the Syracusans to the death, cut off the envoy's ears and nose and drove him down from the acropolis.
When the envoy cried to Dionysius, covering his bloody wounds, he did not show much anger, but sneered darkly, "Stupid Croton people, do you think that I can't do anything to you just because you are hiding on that small hill?! Tens of thousands of people hiding in that small acropolis can indeed improve the defense, but can it defend against hunger and thirst!"
Indeed, the food consumption of tens of thousands of people was a huge number. It was impossible for the people who rushed up the mountain to carry a large amount of food. Even if Milon had prepared in advance, it would not be guaranteed for a few days. What worried the Croton people even more was that there was no water source on the small mountain. The water used by the temple priests usually came from the water storage pool in the temple. Because of the heavy rain a few days ago, the water storage pool was full, but for the needs of tens of thousands of people, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Therefore, Dionysius ordered: send a small number of troops to surround the Croton acropolis.
He believed that the Croton people would not be able to hold on for a few days in the absence of water and food and would come down the mountain to surrender.
He originally wanted to order ballistae to fire stone bullets at the acropolis to increase the Croton people's fear and force them to surrender as soon as possible. But on second thought, there was an Apollo temple in the acropolis. If he deliberately destroyed it, he was afraid that it would affect the morale of the soldiers. Moreover, the sudden heavy rain last time made him, who had always been arrogant, feel worried. At this critical moment, he did not want to cause any more accidents.
Dionysius knew in his heart that the Croton people were hiding in the acropolis to prolong their lives, hoping for the rescue of the Daonians. And Daonia was the target that the Syracusan army was about to attack. However, the soldiers, who had just experienced a fierce siege battle, needed to rest, so he could only continue to send mercenary cavalry deep into the north to scout the enemy's situation.
The greedy Numidians and Celts were actually venting their dissatisfaction because they were not able to participate in the looting of the city last night.
Dionysius was not angry, but specially gave these alien people a lot of spoils. Because Phibidas had said that these alien cavalry were a sharp weapon to deal with the Daonians in the wild.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
A fast ship sailed into the port of Croton.
"General, the Daonian fleet is here!" The captain hurriedly reported to Leptines, who was inspecting the military port and directing the berthing of warships.
The Syracusan navy had just moved into the Croton military port this morning. Compared with Siris, the military port of Croton was much larger and could accommodate more warships. Moreover, its location was closer to the territory of Daonia, which made it easier for the Syracusan navy to understand the movements of the Daonian fleet and better cooperate with the land forces.
But I didn't expect that the fleet had just moved in, and the sailors had not completely disembarked, when the Syracusan fleet came to attack. Leptines was now drumming in his heart, but on the surface he maintained his composure: "How many warships are there?"
It is much more difficult to judge the number of ships at sea than to scout the number of people on land, because a fleet of hundreds of warships often occupies an area of five or six nautical miles when sailing on the sea. After all, human vision is limited, and there is no place to hide in the vast sea, so it is necessary to observe closely, which requires taking great risks.
"Um… it feels about the same as the number during the last battle." The captain could only say a rough estimate.
Then he emphasized: "Those Daonian warships have drawbridges hanging on their foremast!"
When Leptines heard this, he felt a little flustered, and the crushing defeat a few days ago reappeared in his mind.
Whether to meet the enemy or not? For a moment, he couldn't make a decision, so he ran to the city to ask Dionysius for instructions.
When Dionysius learned that the Daonian fleet was coming to attack, he pondered for a moment and resolutely issued an order: meet the enemy!
He had several considerations for this.
First of all, since the scouted situation was that the Daonian fleet was not much different in number from the last time, and they were all equipped with the so-called drawbridge, it meant that the previous analysis was correct. Due to the number of sailors and the difficulty of modifying warships, the Daonians were still using the original warships. In terms of the number of trireme warships, the Syracusan navy still had a slight advantage.
Secondly, as a commander, Dionysius knew how much the morale affected the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. The Syracusan navy had been defeated once not long ago. If they did not use victory to make up for it in time, but chose to retreat, it would undoubtedly be "destroying their own prestige and boosting the enemy's morale." Then, when encountering the Daonian fleet again in the future, the Syracusan navy would undoubtedly be shorter in fighting spirit.
Furthermore, the main force of Syracuse was concentrated in Croton, and after a day of hard fighting yesterday, they were resting. If the Daonian fleet was allowed to pass through the Croton sea and sail to the rear where the troops were empty, such as the coast near Siris or the city-states such as Caulonia, which were not sincerely surrendered, it would lead to a great passivity of the Syracusan army, so Dionysius would never allow such a situation to occur.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Although this was the second time Secillian had led a fleet on an expedition, in his heart, this was the real first time he had led a team independently. Without King Davos by his side, there was no sense of restraint that made him feel constrained.
Moreover, this was also the first time that the Daionian fleet had ventured out of the waters near Thurii and truly sailed into the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, not only Secilian, but all the sailors in the fleet were very excited, and even the oar frequency at normal speed was slightly faster than usual.
The entire fleet consisted of 150 Raven warships and 30 fifty-oared fast ships converted from ordinary cargo ships, arranged in six columns and sailing south along the coast. Since there was only a westerly breeze at the time of departure, the Daionian fleet did not carry sails.
Secolian's only task today was to completely defeat the Syracuse navy!
Therefore, when passing the waters of Crimisa, Secolian ordered: the entire team to slow down and install the Raven's drawbridge.
And he also ordered: if enemy fast ships approached, do not rush to drive them away, you can allow them to approach slightly for observation.
When the winter sun had risen to the center of the sky, the Daionian fleet had sailed close to the waters of Croton. At this time, a yellow flag was raised on the mast of the foremost trireme. Secolian, located in the center of the fleet, was greatly encouraged after learning this information: the Syracuse navy, which had suffered a crushing defeat, was so easily lured out, it was really great!
Regardless of whether the enemy had more or fewer ships, regardless of whether they adopted the "encircling" or "double column" tactics, the Daionian Raven fleet only had one tactic—the starry sky.
"Raise the black and red flags, sound the attack bugle!" Secolian gave the order without hesitation.
The sailors began to swallow the prepared rations in large gulps, because in the upcoming battle, they had to do their best. However, compared to the apprehension and nervousness of the first time, they were now more excited, not only because the last great victory gave them confidence, but also because the new decree issued by King Davos before the expedition added more motivation to the sailors, most of whom were freemen. "Win the war, and we will become alliance probationary citizens!" This became their common wish.
As for the heavy infantry on the warships, they were much calmer when they heard the bugle. They picked up the long shields that covered their heads and blocked the sunlight, and slowly stood up from the deck, slowly moving their hands and feet...
............
On the lighthouse in the port of Croton, Dionysius, with several of his men and Phobidas, looked out at the distant blue sea. Countless warships were approaching rapidly, and a naval battle was about to begin. Its victory or defeat would affect Dionysius's next plan, so Dionysius was also a little nervous at the moment, clasping his hands together...
The Daionian warships at the forefront did not accelerate to the fastest speed, because after the last naval battle, the Daionian naval generals summed up their experience, and the warship speed was too fast, which was not conducive to the release of the Raven's drawbridge.
But the Daionian captains felt that the enemy ships rushing towards them were not as fast as last time. Why was this?
They had no extra time to think about it. In the splashing waves, the warships of both sides were already close at hand.
"Boom! ... Boom! ..." One drawbridge after another slammed down, firmly nailed to the deck of the Syracuse warship.
"Hades! !" The soldiers of the Daionian First Legion shouted the name of the god of the underworld and rushed across the drawbridge.
At this moment, the cry of "Apollo! !" also sounded on the opposite ship, and more than 40 Syracuse heavy infantrymen emerged from the bottom cabin of the warship, instantly filling the originally few people on the deck.
The Daionian captains were stunned: No wonder the Syracuse warships slowed down, it turned out that there were also many heavy infantry hidden in the bottom cabins of their warships!
It turned out that Leptines had adopted Dionysius's suggestion in order to enable the fleet to compete with the opponent.
Secolian quickly received news from the fast ship. Despite being surprised, he still believed that with the ability of the Daionian legion soldiers, they would win this "land battle at sea"!
As for the legion soldiers, apart from being slightly surprised at the beginning, what followed was excitement: it was too easy to hack and kill sailors last time, and they didn't have much sense of accomplishment, but this time it was a real battle!
"Divide a team to go over there, the rest follow me!" Squad leader Melisanda quickly gave the order, and then took the lead in rushing to the front.
Since the deck surface of the trireme was not completely paved with wooden planks, the middle was the gap connecting the bottom cabin, so the soldiers on both sides were divided into two teams, fighting on both sides of the deck. The widest part of the warship was only six or seven meters, and one side of the deck could only accommodate two or three people side by side at most.
The warship rose and fell and swayed with the waves, making it impossible for the soldiers to push against each other face to face. Therefore, the competition between the heavy infantry on the warship was more of a single fight and the cooperation of two or three people.
Melisanda held a long shield in his left hand, facing the spear stabbed by the enemy, and the whole body was attached to the shield, slamming it hard. The Syracuse soldier's spear broke, and his body staggered back, supported by his comrades behind him.
Melisanda was like a maggot on a bone, quickly approaching, taking advantage of the opponent's unsteady figure, the long shield slammed again, and the round shield protecting himself revealed a gap.
Melisanda's short sword in his right hand stabbed out like lightning, and there was a scream of "Ah". The opponent covered his right rib and fell to the ground in despair.
"Throw away the spears, use sabers! Use sabers! ! ..." Melisanda heard the enemies shouting anxiously at each other, thinking: It's too late to understand now!
He used his long shield to protect his front before the enemy in front came up, but twisted his body and stabbed at the enemy diagonally in front. On such a narrow deck, the opponent couldn't dodge at all, unless he jumped into the bottom cabin, so the enemy subconsciously dodged his body to the left, while waving his saber and slashing at Melisanda's wrist.
Who knew that Melisanda's teammate took the opportunity to slam the long shield hard, and the enemy immediately lost his balance and leaned back.
Melisanda seized the opportunity, twisted his wrist, and picked up the short sword, the sharp blade cut across the arm of the enemy holding the saber, leaving a deep wound that could be seen to the bone, blood flowed, and the saber that was unable to hold it fell on the deck...
On every two warships connected together by the Raven's drawbridge, the heavy infantry of both sides were fighting fiercely.
Overall, the Daonians had a clear upper hand. Although the Syracuse people sent elite soldiers, they were facing the Daionian First Legion.
The First Legion, known as the "ever-victorious", not only had the largest number of veterans, but also had the strictest requirements for selecting recruits and the most difficult training, but many young people still flocked to it. At the same time, in terms of experience in fighting at sea, the soldiers of the Daionian First Legion were far richer than their opponents. They had not only trained for more than a month before, but also conducted actual combat three days ago.
The Syracuse heavy infantry were rushed into battle and had not yet adapted to this fighting style. They even carried spears. You must know that long weapons cannot be accurately stabbed on a bumpy warship without long-term training.
More importantly, there was a difference in weapons and equipment. Corinthian helmets, copper shields, and metal greaves were too heavy. It was not easy for Syracuse soldiers to maintain their balance on the swaying ship. They could not fully exert their power on land and could not be compared with the more flexible and close-combat Daionian legion soldiers.
But the battle on the warship was different from the land in another aspect, that is, even if they were defeated, they could not escape, either they were captured or they jumped into the sea. This forced the Syracuse soldiers to do their best to resist the attack of the Daionian legion soldiers, and in the end, they also showed their bloodiness.
Some Syracuse soldiers stubbornly resisted the opponent's attack with round shields, while risking injury, seized the opportunity and pulled the opponent into the sea together. Melisanda, who had stabbed and killed several Syracuse soldiers in a row, was accidentally pulled into the sea by the enemy.
But Melisanda was not panicked after falling into the water, because they had been trained in this regard. He quickly took off his helmet and turned the inside of the curved long shield over. The long shield floated on the sea, because in addition to the bronze ram in the center, the long shield was mainly made of wood and covered with a layer of thin cowhide.
Melisanda stepped on the water with both feet, grabbed the long shield with one hand, and used the buoyancy to pretend to be relaxed and waved to the legion soldiers on the ship who were paying attention to him: "I'm fine, you continue to fight! Continue to fight!"
The Syracuse soldier who fell into the water with him was poured into the airtight Corinthian helmet by the cold sea water, which immediately made him feel suffocated in his mouth and nose. He panicked and wanted to take off the helmet, but he was unable to untie the buckle for a while, and the round shield on his right arm sank straight down because it was wrapped in copper skin, coupled with the heavy helmet and greaves, he could not float to the surface even if he tried to step on the water, and eventually drowned in the sea.
The drawbridge operator of the Daionian warship handed a wooden oar to Melisanda floating on the sea, and Melisanda finally climbed onto the warship.
He just took a breath when he heard the lookout on the main mast shouting: "Enemy ships are coming! Enemy ships are coming!"
Everyone was shocked.
I saw a warship not far away rushing towards them aggressively, but now the warship was connected to the enemy ship and could not move at all.
"Quickly pull up the drawbridge!" The captain shouted anxiously at the legion soldiers on the opposite ship.
Melisanda also shouted along.
The drawbridge was retracted, but the enemy ship was less than 20 meters away, and the bronze ram on its bow shone brightly in the reflection of the sea water and sunlight.
"Right front!" As the captain shouted urgently, the helmsman quickly turned the stern rudder.
"Sprinting speed!" The captain's voice just fell.
The piper in the bottom cabin had already blown hard and quickly.
The top-level oarsmen led the two-level oarsmen below to quickly row the oars, but it took time for the warship to quickly transform from still to forward, but what the warship lacked most now was time.
The enemy ship that broke through the waves was already close at hand. The oarsmen on the top floor saw the ram of the enemy ship rapidly magnifying in their field of vision through the oar window, and they all fled the oar seat in horror, while shouting: "Run! Run! It's going to hit! ..."
Nearly 200 panicked sailors scrambled to the deck, and then a deafening "Boom!" resounded, the entire warship shuddering and rocking, sending sailors sprawling amidst screams.
The midship hull on the starboard side of the Daonian warship had been breached, revealing the menacing prow of the enemy vessel protruding from the gaping hole, followed by a surge of seawater.
The enemy ship's momentum did not wane; it continued to cut deeper, further widening the breach. The powerful forward thrust even caused the Daonian warship to shift sideways by several meters.
Knowing that the sinking of the ship was inevitable, the Daonian oarsmen leaped into the sea.
Poor Merisanda had barely climbed aboard before he was forced to jump back into the sea, clutching his large shield.
He overheard sailors, bobbing in the water, lamenting: "Why weren't there fast ships to intercept and cover us?!"
In reality, more than half of Daonia's 30 fast ships had already been lost in their frantic efforts.
When Leptines allowed untrained heavy infantry to hide in the captain's cabin, he had already anticipated that the Syracusans would not gain the upper hand in shipboard combat. However, this time, the Syracusan navy had nearly 50 more triremes than the enemy, so he decisively adopted the 'encircling' tactic, using the numerical advantage to have the extra warships circle around from the outside. When both sides were engaged in paired battles, these ships could seize the opportunity to cut into the battlefield and ram the immobile enemy ships.
In the previous naval battle, Daonian legionary soldiers could quickly eliminate enemy ships, allowing their own ships to quickly retract their boarding bridges and rejoin the fight. However, this time, the increased number of heavy infantry on the Syracusan ships greatly prolonged the combat time after the legionary soldiers boarded, providing an opportunity for the intruding Syracusan warships.
After nearly ten Daonian warships were successively sunk or damaged by ramming, the remaining warships realized the situation was dire. Before the legionary soldiers could eliminate the enemy ships, they hastily retracted the crow boarding bridges and began a true naval contest with the enemy. They no longer dared to use the boarding bridges to grapple with the enemy, as there were no legionary soldiers left on their ships (they were fighting on the enemy ships). Therefore, they hurriedly dismantled the crow boarding bridges.
The Syracusan warships had more naval battle experience, and the sailors cooperated more smoothly, but due to carrying more soldiers, they were slower and less agile. The Daonian warships lacked experience in ship-to-ship combat, but because they had emptied their soldiers, they had a speed advantage. The situation for both sides was somewhat the opposite of the previous naval battle.
The warships of both sides searched for opportunities on the sea, chasing, circling, charging, and ramming...
From time to time, the oars of warships were broken, warships were damaged, or even sunk...
As time passed,
Syracuse began to be at a disadvantage in the frontal confrontation between ships. After all, once the connection was broken, the Daonian fleet had more warships that could participate in the battle than the Syracusan fleet, often putting the Syracusan warships in a terrible one-on-two situation.
Leptines, who was in the rear and not participating in the battle, learned about the fleet's situation through the lookout on his flagship and became very anxious and somewhat flustered: Could it be that he was going to lose again this time?!
At this moment, the lookout shouted from above: "A fleet is coming from the rear!"
A fleet coming from the south? Is it ours?! Leptines knew that Dionysius had not sent an order to Syracuse to recall the warships in the Great Harbor, but he still eagerly hoped.
But after a while, the lookout's shout shattered his hopes: "It's a black warship! Black warships!"
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Finally arrived! Miltiades gazed at the fierce naval battle ahead, and a sigh of relief escaped his heart.
Before setting out, Sedulia and the other naval commanders had formulated this naval battle plan: Fearing that the Syracusans would see their fleet as too large and too strong and avoid battle, they decided after discussion to divide the fleet into two. The detachment of more than 60 captured Syracusan triremes, led by Miltiades, would set out from the port of Thurii and sail southeast, avoiding the reconnaissance of the Syracusan fast ships, and circle around to meet the main fleet, led by Seculi, which was sailing south along the coast in Siris.
But what they did not expect was that the Syracusan fleet, originally stationed at the port of Siris, had moved to Croton this morning. The Miltiades detachment, which had not received timely intelligence, arrived in Siris and found that it had missed its target.
Miltiades decisively ordered the fleet to turn back and finally discovered the two sides engaged in battle near Croton.
With an order from Miltiades, the detachment quickly joined the battle, attacking from both sides, sounding the final death knell for the Syracusan fleet!
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Dionysius, who had watched the entire naval battle from the lighthouse in the port, turned pale at the end and turned away silently.
Phybitas, walking at the end, continued to gaze with lingering interest at the naval battlefield that was already coming to an end in the far distance. What he was thinking was: Daonia's novel naval warfare method is quite suitable for Sparta. Should I make a suggestion to the Council of Elders when I return?
As for the possibility that Daonia's continuous victories in naval warfare might have a relatively large impact on the overall situation in Magna Graecia, causing a change in the balance of power between Daonia and Syracuse, he was happy to see it. Because the western Mediterranean still needed a city-state alliance capable of checking Syracuse, and he sensed that Syracuse's attacks on Daonia on land would be even more fierce...
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The naval battle was over, but unlike the relatively clean naval battlefield at the end of the previous naval battle, the sea near Croton was now full of scattered oars, broken planks, broken and sinking warships, floating corpses, and countless sailors and soldiers struggling and crying for help in the water.
The Daonians, piloting damaged warships, shuttled back and forth on the sea, beginning to rescue the Daonian sailors and soldiers who had fallen into the water, and arranging them as much as possible on the warships captured by the legionary soldiers.
Because before departure, Davos had reminded Seculi, 'After winning the naval battle, if conditions permit, try to rescue the Syracusans who have fallen into the water.' Therefore, the Daonian navy also extended a helping hand to them, but after boarding the ship, they would be tied up and guarded.
Some Syracusans were close to the shore when they fell into the water, so they did not accept assistance, but desperately swam to the shore. In response, the Daonians would change their attitude and drive warships directly to crush them...
The cleaning and rescue work of the entire battlefield continued until dusk. The glow of the setting sun dyed the warships on the sea orange. Only then did Seculi issue the 'Return' order.
In the vast Daonian fleet, the captured Syracusan warships were in the center, and the Daonian warships were on the periphery. Although the sailors were exhausted, the joy of victory made their shouts resound across the sea. In the melodious flute music, they vigorously pushed and pulled the oars, and the fleet slowly sailed north...
Seculi looked back at the battlefield where the fierce battle had taken place. The thrilling scene of his flagship almost being rammed by an enemy ship appeared in his mind, which made him feel excited at this moment. His gaze shifted to the far distance, where the sky and the sea were connected, vast and boundless...
A surge of pride rose in his heart, and he shouted excitedly to the captain: "From now on, we will have the final say in this sea!"
In this naval battle, except for the more than 40 triremes led by Leptines that had managed to escape into the port of Croton, the remaining Syracusan fleet was either sunk or captured.
The Daonian fleet had 23 crow warships sunk, more than a dozen damaged, and captured 68 Syracusan triremes, capturing nearly 10,000 Syracusan sailors.
What angered Dionysius the most was that only more than 2,000 of the 9,000 Syracusan heavy infantry he had sent returned. Most of the soldiers either died in battle or drowned in the sea. Less than a thousand were captured by the Daonian fleet. It could be said that he had not only lost the naval battle but also the land battle. Of course, the Daonian First Legion also suffered more than 2,000 casualties.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The Daonian army did not stop when they reached the city of Castrum. Chief General Amyntas and the city-state leaders waited in front of the wooden bridge built by Little Heracleides for Castrum to see off the Daonian army rushing to the battlefield. At the same time, they also sent more than a thousand Castrum soldiers and a hundred cavalry to join the expeditionary force as the alliance's responsibility.
Although the Daonian army hurried on its way, Davos still managed to reach the wooden bridge to express his gratitude to the Castrum leadership. Then, after exchanging a few pleasantries, some potential unpleasantness dissipated in laughter.
Since the First Legion had gone to the Daonian fleet, the vanguard of the entire army was led by the Second Legion. Although Amyntas was brave in battle, as the commander of the Second Legion, he had to be responsible for the safety of the entire legion's soldiers at this moment. Therefore, after crossing the Trionto River, he increased the marching column to ten rows, with a row of light infantry in the middle. Although the Daonian Second Legion had not yet engaged with the Syracusan mercenary cavalry, Amyntas did not take it lightly due to Davos's reminder.
In recent years, due to the large-scale development by the Daonians, not only has a large amount of swamp disappeared in the Laconia Eri River swamp area, but it has also begun to transform into high-quality plains, and the population has also increased dramatically. But what the legionary soldiers saw today were the ruins of several villages beside the road.
The Syracusan sailors who landed had invaded the alliance's territory so far! While the legionary soldiers were surprised, they were also angered by the enemy's atrocities: Fortunately, the Syracusan navy had already been defeated in the previous naval battle and could no longer harm Daonia's territory, but there were still those damned mercenary cavalry!
As the Second Legion approached the wooden bridge over the Lacoe Eli River, several scouts who had been dispatched returned rapidly, looking slightly panicked: "Reporting, Legion Commander, enemy cavalry spotted ahead, numbering approximately—"
Before the scout could finish speaking, the figures of enemy cavalry appeared on the opposite bank of the Lacoe Eli River. They had dark skin, wore their black hair loose, were clad only in thin, short-sleeved linen garments, and carried javelins. They were barefoot, and some even lacked saddles on their horses. However, the horses moved with agility and flexibility. There were about a hundred of them, and facing the massive army advancing towards them, they showed no fear, standing quietly by the riverbank, gazing at the opposite shore... Amyntas could sense the cunning and sinister nature in their gazes.
These are Numidian cavalry?! Amyntas recalled the descriptions from previous war reports, curiously sizing them up. The feeling that arose in his heart was not fear, but excitement: "Have the light infantry battalion send 200 archers to guard the riverbank and drive away the enemy cavalry on the opposite side. The rest of the light infantry will closely follow the First Battalion. Await my command, and cross the bridge quickly!"
The Second Legion acted swiftly. The archers reached the riverbank, but before they could release their arrows, the Numidian cavalry on the opposite bank immediately fled. The Second Legion easily crossed the wooden bridge.
Just as Amyntas was considering whether to deploy the Second Legion in a fish-scale-like double-line "two" formation, coordinating with the Seventh Legion to push forward and drive away the enemy cavalry that swarmed around like flies, a messenger arrived with Davos's order: Ignore those cavalry, continue marching on the main road, and must reach Crimisa before dusk!
Amyntas had no choice but to abandon his plan and resume marching in column formation.
Initially, the Numidian cavalry would occasionally rush out from both sides of the road, yelling and throwing a volley of javelins, but after a few riders were shot down by the light infantry's arrows, they became much more cautious.
After harassing them for a while, enemy cavalry suddenly arrived from the front, shouting loudly, and then the cavalry began to retreat.
Soon, the soldiers of the Second Legion could no longer see the figures of these "ugly-looking" Numidians.
The soldiers did not know what had happened, but Amyntas could vaguely guess the reason: perhaps the Daonian fleet on its expedition had won another naval victory. These mercenary cavalry were worried that the Daonian fleet would control the waters near Kroton, ram and break the pontoon bridge built on the Neto River, and block the Neto River. In that case, these mercenary cavalry wreaking havoc on Daonian territory would be unable to return to the Syracuse camp and would be isolated, becoming a discarded pawn, inevitably suffering the soldiers' vengeful strangulation.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The reality was indeed so. When the Numidian cavalry and the Celtic cavalry in the northern plains of Kroton fled in disarray across the Neto River, Daonian warships had already appeared at the river mouth.
The Numidians reported the information they had gathered to Dionysius.
"Daonia reinforcements have arrived? So quickly?!" Fascipasus was surprised. The troops had only just broken through the city of Kroton yesterday, and today the Daonians had rushed over.
"How many people?" Astagoras asked urgently.
Acheerita held up three fingers: "Approximately 30,000 people."
"30,000..." Astagoras carefully estimated: "There are approximately 10,000 Daonian soldiers in Asproustum, and nearly 10,000 in Crimisa... So, after arriving in the territory of Kroton, Daonia will gather more than 50,000 soldiers, which is not a small number!"
"Don't forget to count the heavy infantry on the Daonian warships," Fascipasus reminded Astagoras, "Daonia has at least 60,000 troops!"
"The soldiers on the Daonian warships fought with our soldiers for a long time, they don't have many people left," Astagoras retorted.
"You must admit that the fact that the Daonians were able to capture so many of our warships shows that their soldiers' losses were not too great," Fascipasus insisted on his opinion.
Phebidas silently listened to the two Syracuse generals arguing about the number of troops, and couldn't help but feel a hint of envy: Syracuse and Daonia, when these two powerful forces in the western Mediterranean waged war, the number of soldiers deployed was often more than 50,000, which Sparta and its allies could not match.
At this moment, another Numidian next to Acheerita spoke loudly in Numidian.
Fascipasus immediately stopped arguing with his colleague and asked curiously: "What did he say?"
Acheerita replied: "My subordinate said, 'Some of the enemies are wearing black armor, some are wearing the same armor as you, and some are not wearing armor at all, and they are not carrying weapons either.'"
It turned out that in the Daonian reinforcements led by Davos: the soldiers of the Second Legion were all formal citizens, wearing standard black helmets, black armor, spears, long shields, short swords, and javelins; most of the soldiers of the Seventh Legion were reserve citizens and registered freedmen, who did not have enough money to buy Daonian standard equipment, so the weapons and equipment they carried were very miscellaneous. It was not until the Tarentum soldiers were annihilated and captured that all the soldiers of the Seventh Legion were able to replace the heavy infantry equipment taken from the bodies of the Tarentum soldiers: Corinthian helmets, linen breastplates, round shields, greaves, spears, sabers. The baggage train in the rear also carried several thousand sets of heavy infantry equipment from the Tarentum prisoners, which were prepared for the Sixth Legion stationed in Crimisa; as for the spear battalion, in order not to reveal the secret in advance and alert the Syracusans, after all, the four-meter-long spears were too conspicuous, they were ordered to march empty-handed, and the spears were transported by cargo ship to the port of Crimisa to be unloaded, hence the Numidians' misconception.
"I said, how could Daonia have so many citizen soldiers! It turns out that they have conscripted all the freedmen, but they don't have the ability to equip them with weapons, even if there are more people, it's useless!" Astagoras glanced at Fascipasus and laughed.
Fascipasus did not argue with him any further, and the expression on his face also relaxed a lot. As an opponent, he certainly hoped that the Daonian army would be as weak as possible.
"Apollo bless, the Daonian reinforcements have come at the right time!" At this time, Dionysius, who had been pondering, spoke. Ever since he personally witnessed the naval defeat, he had been gloomy. His subordinates thought he was angry about the naval defeat, but who knew that he was worried about the fate of this massive army, because he had thought of a crucial problem.
Even if the Syracuse army continued north to conquer Crimisa, Kastron, and even the southern city of Thurii, using strong offensive pressure to temporarily prevent the Daonians from detaching troops to their fleet and landing in the weak rear of the Syracuse army, as long as the Daonians burned the wooden bridge over the wide Crati River, the Syracuse army, which had lost its naval advantage, would not be able to cross the Crati River to attack the heart of the Daonian League—the northern city of Thurii. Once the army stopped at the Crati River, the Daonians, having recovered, could defend the river line while sending a fleet to raid the rear of the Syracuse army, inevitably causing the Syracuse army to be exhausted and eventually defeated.
Thinking of this possibility, Dionysius broke out in a cold sweat, and his heart had already begun to beat a retreat: simply... send Phebidas to Thurii to negotiate peace?
In the large tent, Dionysius had repeatedly glanced at the Spartan who stood upright and was taciturn. He was very clear about Sparta's desire for Syracuse to quickly end the war, then provide strong assistance to them and help them quickly defeat the anti-Spartan alliance, but he would never do so.
If he still needed the Spartans to support him during the early period of becoming a tyrant, he was now well-established and did not need a powerful ally to dictate to him. On the contrary, a Sparta mired in war would lower their arrogant heads, allowing Syracuse to gain more benefits.
At this moment, Dionysius did not mind taking advantage of Sparta's eagerness to achieve his own goals. What kind of peace conditions should he propose? Implement a ceasefire based on the currently occupied territory as the sphere of influence of both sides. Would that young Daonian accept it? Or retreat to Syrinx and hand Kroton over to Daonia?
Although he had emptied the treasury and led such a large army, he had failed to occupy a single city of Daonia. Dionysius was really unwilling. But as a ruler who was very good at weighing the gains and losses, he was able to not completely drive the Carthaginians out of Sicily when Carthage was defeated and Syracuse had an absolute advantage in Sicily. Naturally, he could also temporarily swallow this unwillingness.
Moreover, this expedition had occupied so many Greek city-states, almost controlling the southern part of Magna Graecia, preventing the expansion of Daonian power to the south, and Syracuse's strength had also increased considerably. In fact, Dionysius's expedition goals had been half-achieved. As long as he returned and strengthened the navy, and waited for the treasury to be full, he believed that he could destroy Daonia by attacking Magna Graecia again!
However, just as he had the intention of retreating and wanted to use the Spartans to negotiate a truce with Daonia, he heard the news of the arrival of Daonian reinforcements. After listening to his subordinates' discussions, he changed his mind again: Although the Syracuse navy had failed, the number of land troops was astonishing, and they had won consecutive victories, and they were all experienced citizen soldiers and mercenaries, which could not be compared with Daonia's use of freedmen to make up the numbers. If he could completely defeat the Daonians in a decisive battle, he could reverse the situation and make Daonia pay a greater price!
At this moment, Dionysius swept away his previous gloom and said loudly, "We need a victory in a decisive battle to reorganize the morale of the soldiers!"
"Your Excellency," Faxipesas cautiously reminded, "The Daonian people have a naval advantage, and they may not be willing to engage in a decisive battle with us!"
"Then it's not up to them!" Dionysius sneered.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
As dusk approached, Daonian reinforcements arrived at Crimisa City.
Chief Administrator Protasilas and Sixth Legion Commander Olivos led their teams out of the city to greet them.
"Your… Your Majesty, you've finally arrived!" Protasilas had received a notice from the Senate a few days prior regarding the news of "Davos becoming the King of Daonia." Although he was surprised, he didn't have any major objections. On the contrary, seeing Davos now, he felt a sense of relief.
"Lord Protasilas, during this period of war, among all the Daonian cities, you have faced the greatest pressure, but you have done a great job! Under the heavy pressure of the Syracuse army, you have still managed to stabilize Crimisa City. On behalf of the Senate, I thank you for your efforts during this time!" Davos said sincerely. Although in Aristilas's intelligence, Protasilas's governance of Crimisa was lax, leading to political turmoil, if it weren't for Olivos's timely arrival, the situation in Crimisa would have been worse. However, after realizing his mistakes, he was able to accept advice and assisted the Sixth Legion in supervising the entire city. He also busied himself with arranging food and accommodation for the large number of people who had fled into the city, and promptly handled the surge of various affairs, greatly alleviating the conflicts between the refugees from the villages outside the city and the residents of the city, ensuring the stability of the city. Therefore, Davos's words were not just platitudes, but sincere praise.
"This is all thanks to Commander Olivos's full assistance!" Protasilas humbly looked at Olivos beside him.
"Yes, Your Majesty, our Sixth Legion has turned all of our brothers into patrolmen for the safety of Crimisa!" Olivos said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"It seems that your time as a patrol leader wasn't wasted," Davos teased. "How about I let you serve as a patrol leader in a certain city after the war is over?"
"Your Majesty, it seems that you haven't cared about me in the past few years. I haven't been a patrol leader for several years!" Olivos said, feigning grievance. "I am now serving as the deputy to the quartermaster in the Ministry of Military Affairs. According to regulations, after the war, I should be appointed to a higher-level position, such as a mid-level inspector."
"Your appointment as a mid-level public official requires the examination and recommendation of the Senate's Alliance Public Office Management Committee," Davos said seemingly casually.
Protasilas's heart stirred: It seems that even if Davos becomes king, he will still allow the Senate to exercise its power as before.
"Personally, I don't think the position of inspector is suitable for you. You can consider the position of a mid-level judge." Davos's next words were obviously a joke, so as soon as he finished speaking, Olivos shook his head vigorously: "I can't remember so many articles of the Alliance Law even if you beat me to death. Patrol leader is still more suitable for me."
Davos laughed heartily, and everyone else laughed along.
In the laughter, Davos turned his head and asked Protasilas, "What difficulties does Crimisa currently have?"
"Mainly food and accommodation," Protasilas blurted out. "The city's food reserves were already not much, and the food brought by the people who fled into the city was not much either. Some were even too rushed and only brought some rations. Plus, there are so many soldiers from the Sixth Legion… If Your Majesty hadn't led your troops here today, I would have discussed with Olivos tomorrow to send soldiers to the Senate to request emergency food aid for Crimisa!"
"The city is indeed very short on food now!" Olivos interjected. "Lord Protasilas even tried hard to persuade the residents of the city to take out their stored food and share it with the refugees who fled into the city, but… a few people expressed strong dissatisfaction with this."
Davos stared at the two of them, then looked around at the other public officials of Crimisa, and said with a serious expression, "Our war with Syracuse determines the life and death of the Alliance. In such a critical period, all the people of the Alliance should unite and face the enemy together, to defeat Syracuse and win a better future for the Alliance! Therefore, anyone who takes actions that undermine the stability of the Alliance or hinder Daonia's preparations for war at this time is not a Daonian, but an enemy of Daonia! The Senate and the city halls under its jurisdiction have the right to impose heavier penalties, even the death penalty, in accordance with the 'Wartime Act'! Don't have any concerns, and boldly manage the city!"
After hearing this, Olivos winked at Protasilas, meaning: I told you so.
Davos's serious words revealed a murderous intent, which made Protasilas's heart shudder. He and his subordinates said one after another: "We understand."
"Don't worry about the food," Davos comforted. "In the next few days, a large amount of food will be continuously transported from the port of Thurii, and tomorrow the army will also head to the Croton Plain. There will no longer be enemy cavalry roaming here. You can arrange for the people who are sheltering in the city to return to their hometowns one after another, rebuild their homes, take care of the damaged farmland, and prepare for next year's spring plowing… Lord Protasilas, you must arrange these things well."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Protasilas said, greatly relieved upon hearing Davos's words, and immediately made a promise.
"Your Majesty, will our Sixth Legion also go to the Croton Plain together?" Olivos asked quickly.
Davos smiled and said, "Aren't you planning to continue being a patrol leader in Crimisa?"
"Our Sixth Legion wants to settle the score with those Syracuse mercenary cavalry and avenge the dead people of Crimisa and the fallen brothers!" Olivos said in a deep voice. After the Sixth Legion entered Crimisa, he had sent out troops to try to drive out the enemy cavalry raging in the Croton Plain, but the inexperienced soldiers of the Sixth Legion could do nothing against the swift mercenary cavalry. Instead, a detachment was lured away from the main force and ambushed by Celtic cavalry and pelted with javelins by Numidian cavalry, resulting in their complete annihilation. Olivos was forced to withdraw his troops back into the city, not daring to leave the city easily.
Davos sensed the fire in his eyes and nodded solemnly, saying, "Your wish will be fulfilled!"
Accompanied by military music, the long marching column was approaching the city gate. Only then did Davos stop talking and enter the city with Protasilas and his entourage, followed closely by the guards.
"Although a lot of food has been transported this time, there are also many places where it needs to be distributed, and the number of people is huge. Therefore, the amount of food distributed to Crimisa City will not be too much. You must control the food quota allocated to each household, and while ensuring fairness, try to maintain it for a longer period of time so that you can last until the next shipment of food arrives," Davos said softly to Protasilas beside him as he walked.
Protasilas's heart tightened: It seems that the overall food situation in Daonia is not as optimistic as Davos said to everyone just now.
Therefore, he nodded cautiously: "I understand."
"Can Crimisa City accommodate more than 30,000 people?" Davos asked again.
"After receiving prior notice, we have made some preparations. The open spaces in front of the Temple of Hades and the Temple of Apollo have been reserved. The square occupied by the Sixth Legion can be squeezed a little more. In addition, we have also discussed with some residents with large houses, and some team officers and soldiers can be allowed to live in them. After all, the army will only stay for one night, and Crimisa City will do its best to accommodate all the soldiers."
After Protasilas introduced the arrangements they had made, he hesitated for a moment, and then said seriously, "Your Majesty, there is one thing I want to report to you."
"Speak."
"In recent years, as the swamp area near the Lacoele River has been gradually transformed into a plain and incorporated into Crimisa, the population of Crimisa has been rapidly increasing. Currently, there are nearly 15,000 citizens and probationary citizens registered in Crimisa's household registration office, and more than 20,000 registered free people. Most of them now live outside the city, cultivating farmland and grazing cattle and sheep… Moreover, the land on this plain has not yet been fully distributed, and more people may flood into Crimisa in the future. With so many people and the fertile land of the swamp plain and the Croton Plain, agriculture will definitely prosper in the future, and Crimisa also has a port, so trade will also prosper. By then, the people living outside the city will probably want to live in the city, but the current area of Crimisa's urban area is too small and must be expanded outwards to build a new city…"
"Your consideration is very long-term, and I personally agree with it. You can write a proposal, submit it to the Senate for review and approval, and then allocate the funds for building the city, but this should be considered after defeating Syracuse and ending this war," Davos said with satisfaction. Thurii needs to be expanded, Crimisa needs to be expanded… Even he himself was surprised by the rapid development of the Daonian League.
"Your Majesty, this still depends on you to defeat these damn invaders and restore peace and tranquility to Daonia!" Protasilas said sincerely.
Davos smiled slightly, and his expression changed as soon as he passed through the city gate and entered the street.
In his vision: the streets were filled with simple tents, and the roads were littered with disheveled and ragged refugees, either lying, sitting, or reclining. There were strong men, as well as old people, women, and children. They squeezed the wide streets into narrow paths that could only allow one or two people to pass through.