The adults wore expressions of anxiety about losing their homes, discussing their hatred for the Syracusans, the progress of the war, and their hopes and dissatisfactions with their own army; the children, on the other hand, treated the refuge as a playground, frolicking and playing together…
When the street became too noisy, residents from the houses on both sides would come out to express their dissatisfaction. In most cases, the refugees in the street would heed the advice and temporarily restore quiet.
At this time, someone would lament: "If only I had my own house in the city, I wouldn't have to fear the enemy's invasion!"
His words naturally sparked another round of debate.
Although the street was chaotic, it was relatively clean, but a whiff of urine suddenly wafted over, and Davos immediately covered his mouth and nose, looking at Protesilaus.
Protesilaus said helplessly, "Your Majesty, we have followed the doctor's advice and arranged for people to clean the streets every day, and warned them to urinate and defecate by the river to prevent the outbreak of disease, but those children…"
Since Protesilaus had already taken effective measures, Davos naturally had nothing more to say. As they approached, the bored refugees noticed Davos and excitedly shouted, "It's Lord Davos!"
"Lord Davos is here!"
…
The news of "Davos becoming the King of Daonia" had been officially conveyed by the Senate to the subordinate cities, but the refugees in Crimisa were preoccupied with worrying about their homes being trampled by the enemy and did not pay much attention to it, so they still used the familiar title.
At this moment, they stopped complaining and arguing, and flocked towards Davos, and the guards immediately prepared to protect him.
"Lord Davos, you've finally come. The Syracusans burned our villages, and we've lost our homes!"
"Lord Davos, when will you lead troops to drive away those ferocious foreigners?! When will we be able to return to our land?!"
"Lord Davos, my father died at the hands of those damned foreigners. You must kill them all to avenge us!"
…
The people were like wanderers who had finally seen their parents, pouring out their suffering and anger during this time to Davos.
The guards and Olivos saw the crowd gathering more and more, fearing danger, and wanted to drive them away, but Davos stopped them.
Then, with a heavy expression, he listened to their pain, patiently comforted them, and made a solemn promise to "defeat the Syracusans and help them rebuild their homes"…
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Hieron led more than a thousand loyal Laosian soldiers out of the mountain pass and arrived at the Laos River Fortress. After joining forces with the 3,000 Lucanian reserve soldiers led by Bagulus, they went south along the Laos River and soon reached the outskirts of Laos City.
Here, Silos, the military commander of the Brutian region temporarily appointed by Davos, had replaced Salu, the administrative officer of Vigge City, and led more than 3,000 Brutian reserve soldiers who had arrived a day earlier and set up camp.
The joining of the three units brought the total strength of the Daonian side to nearly 8,000 people.
Alobomas, inside the city, was worried all day long after receiving this news. He regretted not decisively leading his troops out of the city yesterday to defeat the enemy from Brutium first. At that time, he had concerns. Although he had gathered 5,000 soldiers in Laos City, he knew the combat effectiveness of the Daonian soldiers because of his long-term dealings with Daonia. Unless he led most of his troops to attack, he had no confidence in defeating the opponent. And if he really did that, he was worried about chaos in the city.
In recent days, rumors have been spreading in Laos City, and civilians and slaves have a lot of resentment towards officials and tribal leaders, and even several major conflicts have occurred. Moreover, the news of the "Syracusan naval battle defeat," which was originally blocked, was also spread, which further fueled their arrogance. Under such circumstances, how dare Alobomas transfer the main force of the troops away from the city. Therefore, for the time being, he could only hold on to Laos City and hope that Syracuse could defeat Daonia on land to change the bad situation in Laos.
To this day, he still couldn't figure out how Syracuse's powerful navy could be defeated by the Daonian fleet pieced together. Could it be that Daonian Consul Davos was really blessed by the gods?!
Due to Bagulus's modesty, the command of the entire army after the merger was handed over to Silos, the former commander of the Fourth Legion and a member of the Senate, who was more experienced in military affairs and more trusted by Davos.
At this moment, inside the newly built large tent, Silos, Bagulus, and Hieron, as well as Elianos, Hieron's most trusted commander, were discussing matters.
In addition, there was a special person in the tent, namely Tratus, the head of Davos's intelligence department, who had been commissioned by the chief administrator Aristas to be responsible for espionage activities in Laos on the west coast during this period.
After Tratus introduced the actual situation of the current turmoil in Laos City, he greatly encouraged Silos and Bagulus's confidence in taking Laos. After all, if Alobomas fully defended, it would be impossible for 8,000 people to capture a stone city guarded by 5,000 people. As a hastily assembled mixed force, they were not even equipped with an engineering battalion, let alone possessing crossbows.
At this moment, Hieron said something that shocked everyone in the tent.
"Lord Hieron," Silos calmed down and asked, "Are you really going to do this?"
"Of course!" Hieron raised his head, with hatred in his eyes: "When I became the governor of Laos, I wanted to do this, but that group of greedy wolves would not give me a chance to show it! But now—" Hieron sneered twice: "Since they betrayed me, then I will let them taste what it's like to be betrayed by the people!"
For the rest of the day, the Daonian army began to build siege equipment, and Tratus also contacted his subordinates in the city through special means.
… … … … … … … … … … …
The next day, while Davos led his army from Crimisa to the Neto River, Silos also led his army to array outside Laos City.
Looking at the enemy under the city like a tide, with war flags fluttering, the Laosians on the city, whether soldiers or generals, inevitably felt a little nervous. After all, for many years under the wings of Daonia, they were accustomed to seeing and hearing about the bravery and continuous victories of Daonian soldiers.
Seeing this scene, Alobomas laughed and said: "The Daonians are just intimidating us, they dare not attack the city! The lives of the family members of those thousand soldiers under Hieron are in our hands, they have no fighting spirit at all. And apart from them, the Daonians have not many more soldiers than us, and we still have tall city walls, moats, deer villages, and traps. Unless the Daonians are crazy, they dare not come to die with their little troops!"
"What the governor said is too right! Our Laosian warriors are not afraid of any intimidation! I hope the Daonians can come to attack the city so that we can take the opportunity to defeat them!"
"With Asinu above, it's time for the Daonians to see the power of our Laosian warriors!"
…
The subordinates showed their courage to Alobomas one after another.
At this time, more than 20 riders ran out of the Daonian army formation under the city and stood less than 100 meters away from the city. The leader shouted: "Laosian warriors, I am the son of Avinogis, your governor Hieron!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than 20 voice transmitters repeated his words at the same time, so that the people on the city could hear clearly.
"My lord, it's that kid! Let's shoot him to death!" The subordinate's face changed, and he suggested to Alobomas.
Alobomas waved his hand. He had mixed feelings for this nephew, with guilt for taking his power, pain for violating his brother's promise, and heartache for his disappointment and fear of his reckless actions.
Alobomas knew: he must bravely face this young man and cut off these negative emotions in his heart in order to truly become a qualified ruler of Laos! So he wanted to hear what this nephew had to say first, and then refute him.
"Laosian warriors, we are descendants of the noble Sibus people, but for decades we have been reduced to slaves of foreigners. Under the leadership of my father, you who are unwilling to be slaves bravely rose up to resist, drove away the foreigners, and became the masters of Laos!"
After Hieron and his subordinates finished transmitting the sound, he shouted loudly again: "But have you really become the masters of this city?! Most of you have no land, cannot hold city-state positions, cannot participate in the formulation of various city-state plans, and have no political power at all, but because of poverty, you have to belong to various clans and tribes for survival, desperately grazing and planting farmland for those officials and leaders, in order to exchange for a pitiful bit of food to fill your hunger.
And those officials and leaders who don't have to do anything enjoy the delicacies, occupy the city-state positions in Laos, occupy all the land in Laos, and promulgate various laws that are beneficial to their rule over you. Look at those fat generals and leaders around you, do you really think you are the masters of this city?! Have you really gained freedom?!…"
"Shoot the arrows! Shoot the arrows quickly!" Alobomas ordered in exasperation. He did not expect that this audacious nephew would reveal the secret of their rule over Laos in public: Damn it! Damn Hieron! Does he no longer want our family to rule this city?!
Alobomas's order was conveyed, but not many warriors responded to the order. More people really looked at the leaders who came to scold them as Hieron said, muttering in a low voice: "He's right, these people are indeed much fatter than us…"
Under the protection of his guards, Hynepolis dodged the incoming arrows, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his might, "I, Hynepolis, the true ruler of Laos, solemnly swear in the name of Hades and Acinuth, that if you help me kill these vile rebels, I will allocate land to you, grant you the right to participate in politics, appoint you to city-state public office, and give you true freedom!"
The warriors on the city wall heard him clearly. Land, rights, freedom… these were all things they had dreamed of. Coming from Hynepolis, they mostly found it believable, because the rumors spreading in the city in the past few days had already made them aware that this young man was being usurped by those officials and leaders who wanted to continue oppressing and exploiting them precisely because he wanted to improve their situation.
Now, there was a great commotion among the warriors on the city wall, and even the warriors shooting arrows at Hynepolis greatly decreased.
Just as they were discussing and their morale was wavering, the spies that Therratus had arranged in the ranks shouted loudly, "We want land! We want freedom!…"
These shouts resonated with everyone, making the city wall even more chaotic.
Seeing this situation, Hilos was overjoyed and immediately ordered the attack.
The bugle sounded continuously, and the soldiers carried the siege ladders towards the city.
The chaos on the city wall not only did not subside, but it was expanding. The leaders and officers rushed to reprimand the rioting warriors, telling them to concentrate on defense, or they would be punished. Under the instigation of some individuals with ulterior motives, some warriors beat up these big shots who usually treated them like pigs and dogs.
Among the more than 5,000 warriors on the city wall of Laos, besides one-third of them being the personal guards raised by the tribal leaders and officials, the vast majority came from the poor people in the tribes and the poor people in the port. They were the main force that was moved by Hynepolis's words. The city wall fell into chaos and was losing control.
Seeing the Daonian soldiers quickly clearing the traps under the moat, Arobasmas was anxious, but could not think of a good way to change this critical situation for a while.
At this moment, a messenger rushed to the city wall: "Lord Arobasmas, bad news! Bad news! The poor people in the port have rioted! There are too many of them. Most of the troops in the city have been transferred to defend the city. The remaining ones have either been defeated or have surrendered. Now they have occupied the city hall and are attacking your mansion!"
"What?! What did you say?!" Arobasmas was struck by lightning, his eyes suddenly darkened, his body swayed a few times, and he fell to the ground.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Devers led his army,
Stepping on the solid foundation of the Crimisa-Asproustum Avenue, he soon arrived a mile away from the north bank of the Neto River and began to build a camp.
At this time, he had under his command the First Legion (after the naval victory, the Daonian fleet entered the port of Crimisa, and all the soldiers of the First Legion on the warships, as well as the captured Syracuse sailors, went ashore. These prisoners would provide labor for the people of Crimisa to rebuild their homes, and then the damaged and captured ships continued north to return to the Turii military port for rapid repairs), the Second Legion, the Sixth Legion, the Seventh Legion, and the Spear Brigade, totaling more than 40,000 people.
In addition, Philius, having received the news, left 3,000 soldiers to cooperate with the more than 1,000 reserve soldiers organized by Agasia to defend the city of Asproustum. He and Epitenes led the Fourth Legion and part of the Fifth Legion, totaling more than 12,000 people, and also rushed to meet Devers's army via the avenue.
Hieronimus had already quelled the rebellion in the Bruttian region and was leading the more than 5,000 Bruttian reserve soldiers he had previously summoned on their way to the Croton Plain (this is why Hilos only brought more than 2,000 Bruttian soldiers to attack Laos).
The naval commander Secilian also led a hundred raven warships and 40 regular trireme warships to sail again to the waters near Croton.
On this day, several Daonian armies arrived successively on the north bank of the Neto River, and the number of troops led by Devers was rapidly growing.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, stripped to the waist, wielded iron shovels and pickaxes, digging trenches, building earthen walls, and setting up tents… What a spectacular and lively scene it was.
Devers, the new king of Daonia, and the legion commanders Antonios, Amintas, Epitenes, Philius, Olivas, Matonis, and Capus were preparing to discuss the next battle plan in a temporary military tent.
At this moment, Dionysius sent an envoy, Damocles.
After meeting Devers, Damocles presented a letter written to him by Dionysius.
"To the young ruler of Daonia, since I led a large army to land in Magna Graecia, I have won every battle. Terina, Scylletium, and Croton have been conquered one after another, Caulonia has also expressed its submission, and Rhegium is hiding behind the mountains, trembling with fear. Annihilation is just a wave of my hand away. Now, I only have Daonia as an enemy in front of me. Do you, who are praised by the ignorant Greater Greeks as a 'battle-winning general,' have the courage to engage in a real, face-to-face battle with me? Whoever wins or loses will end this long war with countless casualties. I await your reply! Signed—Dionysius, General-in-Chief of Syracuse, Master of Sicily, Conqueror of Magna Graecia."
After Devers finished reading the letter written by Dionysius, he sneered in his heart: Is this Dionysius's declaration of war?! This tyrant really thinks of himself as a young and vigorous child, and wants to use such a clumsy trick to make himself accept the battle. Hmph…
The Syracuse envoy Damocles, seeing that Devers remained calm after reading the letter, immediately said, "Respected Lord Devers, our general-in-chief has also sent you a gift, but it was blocked by the guards outside the tent."
Devers became somewhat interested. He glanced at Martius, the captain of the guard standing beside him.
Martius understood and immediately walked out of the big tent, and soon brought in a Syracuse attendant, who was holding a beautifully decorated wooden box in his hand.
"This is the gift sent by Dionysius?" Devers asked, glancing at the wooden box.
"Yes."
Devers nodded to Martius.
Martius took the wooden box, placed it on the table in front of Devers, and then opened the lid. Inside was a human head.
"Take it out," Devers said calmly, already having a general guess in his mind.
Martius carefully took it out and placed it on the table.
Although the head was covered with lime powder and slightly rotten, Devers could still recognize who it was.
Amintas, who was curiously peering over from Devers's left, exclaimed, "It's Dracos!"
This immediately shocked the other legion commanders, who rushed forward to examine it, and the big tent became somewhat chaotic for a while.
The Syracuse envoy Damocles said at this moment, "Lord Dionysius asked me to tell you that this is only the first one!"
Amintas stepped forward angrily, grabbed Damocles, and punched him hard.
Damocles fell backward, his nose bleeding profusely.
"Go back and tell that shameless and brutal tyrant that he will be the second one! We will cut off his head and kick it like a football. He had better wash his head clean so that it will be easier for us to cut it off!" Amintas pointed at him and scolded sternly.
The anger of the Daonian generals was within the Syracuse envoy's expectations. The broken nose did not increase Damocles's fear, but made him somewhat gleeful. He covered his nose with his hand, slowly stood up, and looked at Devers, who was staring at him coldly in front of him, and said in a muffled voice, "Lord Devers, when are you going to have a battle? I'd better go back and tell General Dionysius to prepare."
Devers said calmly, "Let him wait."
Damocles was stunned: This response was too vague.
But he had no chance to ask again. Martius drove him and his attendant out of the big tent, and the guards blindfolded them and escorted them back to the south bank of the Neto River.
At this moment, in the big tent, Devers and the legion commanders faced Dracos's head and bowed deeply and respectfully to express their condolences and respect.
There was a broken blood hole in the forehead of Dracos's head on the table, silently narrating the bravery and unyieldingness of the deceased, making everyone present couldn't help but think of the tragic scene at that time.
"Your Majesty, when will we fight Syracuse to the death?!" The usually steady Philius couldn't help but ask Devers at this moment.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Legion requests to take the lead in the battle!" The usually unruly Epitenes also solemnly asked Devers for battle at this moment.
"Epitenes, don't try to snatch it from me! Our Second Legion was personally established by Dracos before his death. Revenge for Dracos is the strong desire of the brothers. I hope Your Majesty can fulfill their request and place the Second Legion in the position where the Syracuse people are likely to attack the most fiercely!" Amintas shouted loudly, looking like he was the only one who could do it.
"Speaking of the legion established by Dracos, the Fifth Legion is also the same. Moreover, Dracos was injured and captured and died in the hands of the enemy in order to cover the retreat of the main force of the Fifth Legion! Therefore, please give the Fifth Legion a chance to avenge—" Philius actually took the initiative to compete.
Seeing the atmosphere of requesting battle in the big tent becoming more and more intense, Devers loudly interrupted Philius's words: "Who said I am going to have a battle with Syracuse now!"
As soon as Devers's voice fell, Antonios, who had been relatively quiet, showed a "just as expected" expression, and the silent Capus also had a flicker in his eyes.
The junior members among the two legion commanders—Matonis and Olivas—although they had not stood up to compete before, were also eager to try, and at this moment they also lost their energy.
Not to mention the three legion commanders who were still arguing.
"Your Majesty, you are not planning to engage in a decisive battle with Syracuse?!" Amyntas asked in surprise.
Davos looked at Amyntas, then glanced around at the others, and then calmly analyzed, "Amyntas, you must understand that our fleet has already defeated the Syracusan navy twice, and the coastline of Magna Graecia is now under our control. Now we hold the initiative in the war! We can make full use of the fleet to land at any point on the coast behind the main Syracusan army's camp, attack their weakly defended cities, and cut off their food supply lines, returning the tricks that the Syracusans previously used on us to them, so that even if Dionysius has a larger army than us, he will be exhausted by our movements and have no place to use his strength. It is precisely because Dionysius is worried about these things that the Syracusans are now eager to fight a decisive battle with us, hoping to reverse the decline and even deliberately send envoys to anger us. You must not easily fall for the enemy's tricks!"
Although Davos's words were addressed to Amyntas, they were actually telling the other legion commanders the strategy he would take next.
Silence returned to the tent, and everyone was pondering Davos's words.
Amyntas scratched his head and still asked somewhat unwillingly, "Does this mean we will not engage in a decisive battle with the Syracusans?"
This question made Davos ponder for a while before he said, "It depends on the development of the situation next, and we must first patiently do our own thing well. Hieronimus's troops are still on their way, Hilos's troops are still besieging Laos, the spear battalion still needs to strengthen its training… As long as our plans are implemented in place, we will weave a large net, and the Syracusans will become the fish in this net, and we can control their fate at any time. At that time, I will use Dionysius's head to make a sacrifice for the dead Drakos and the warriors!"
… … … … … … … … … … …
Dionysius listened to the envoy's report in Croton. He was equally puzzled by Davos's last words, "Let him wait." Could it be that Davos wanted to discuss it with his subordinates before sending an envoy to inform me of the date of the decisive battle?
Dionysius subconsciously tried to think in a positive direction, so he decided to wait and see.
At this moment, a sentinel from the port reported, "We have discovered dozens of Daunian warships passing by Croton and heading south."
Dionysius's face changed suddenly upon hearing this.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Following Davos's instructions, Secrian assembled a fleet of 60 ordinary triremes, personally leading them to circumnavigate the southern coast of Magna Graecia. Midolades led the main fleet, mainly composed of Raven warships, to blockade the sea between Croton and Siris, monitoring the movements of the Croton army.
This was the first time since the establishment of the Daunian League that its own fleet had completed a circumnavigation of the Magna Graecian coast. Therefore, both Secrian and every sailor seemed exceptionally excited.
Before departure, they put up all the sails. Even with only a weak south wind, all the sails were raised to the main mast, and the League's emblem of "black hair entwined with a double-pronged fork" fluttered in the wind.
Secrian's fleet sailed relatively quickly. After rounding the cape of Croton, it took only a little over an hour to reach the waters near Siris.
"Get closer!" Secrian ordered the fleet to approach the port of Siris.
At this time, Siris no longer had the bustling scene of a port city serving as the headquarters of the Italic League. The vast city had no Sirisians, only Syracusan soldiers, freemen, and slaves. The arrival of the Daunian fleet made them extremely nervous. They immediately deployed their forces and sent cavalry to notify the main camp in Croton.
Because at this time, there were only three thousand defenders in the city, but the grain and other supplies for the entire Syracusan army were mainly concentrated here. Hundreds of freighters that had just transported goods from Sicily and had not yet returned were also docked in the port. In addition, there was a fleet responsible for transporting supplies from Siris to the Syracusan camp. However, after this, these materials would probably no longer be able to travel by sea and could only be transported by land. There were so many ships, but there were no warships. If the Daunians forcibly broke into the port, it might cause some damage to the port.
However, Secrian's fleet had no plans to take action in Siris for the time being. After giving the defenders a scare, it continued to sail south and then reached Caulonia.
This time, Secrian did not make a feint but sent a fast ship to request entry into the port.
The Caulonians had already heard the news of the "Daunian fleet's great defeat of the Syracusan navy." While feeling surprised, they were more or less looking forward to it. But when the Daunian fleet actually arrived, they were a little at a loss. Finally, the chief general, Phrynichus, made the decision: "Meet them! We must meet them!"
In fact, there was no Daunian envoy on the fast ship, but a public letter written by Davos to the Caulonian Council was handed to the welcoming personnel.
In the letter, Davos did not criticize "Caulonia's surrender to Syracuse." Instead, he apologized for the forced retreat of the Daunian legions in the past, expressed deep condolences for the tragic fate of the Sirisians, and expressed anger at the brutality of the Syracusans. At the same time, he expressed understanding and gratitude for the choices made by Caulonia in the critical situation at that time.
In the letter, Davos also confidently stated that Daonia had emerged from its predicament and was gathering a large army to engage in a final battle with the Syracusans, believing that the final victory must belong to the Magna Graecians! The hostages that Caulonia was forced to hand over to the Syracusan camp would be safely rescued, so they should rest assured!
Phrynichus read the letter repeatedly several times. When he handed the letter to others, his heart was still filled with emotions. He couldn't help but ask the Daunian sailor who delivered the letter, "I heard that Lord Davos has become the king of the Daunian League?"
"Yes, all of our Daunian citizens believe that 'only Lord Davos can fully possess Hades's protection to defend our homeland, so we unanimously elected him as king.' And on the second day he became king, we miraculously defeated the Syracusan navy, whose number of warships far exceeded ours. This proves that the King of the Underworld agrees with our choice!" The sailor said excitedly.
Those around him were affected by his enthusiasm and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"A great man like Lord Davos should be king!" Phrynichus said these words not as a perfunctory remark but from his heart. He solemnly said, "Please tell Lord Davos that we Caulonians have not forgotten that we are Magna Graecians! If Lord Davos has any requests, as long as they are reasonable, we will do our best to fulfill them. We will not succumb to the Syracusans!"
"Lord Phrynichus is right. We will not succumb to Syracuse! As long as the Daunian army comes to the Oenotrian Plain again, we will immediately rise up in resistance and drive these vile Sicilians out of Magna Graecia!" Others also made promises one after another.
After Phrynichus discussed it with the Council, he immediately wrote a reply to Davos.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Inside the large tent temporarily erected by the Daunian soldiers on the north bank of the Neto River, the other legion commanders had already dispersed, and only Philistus remained in the camp.
"Your Majesty, I — —" Philistus wanted to apologize to Davos with guilt.
Davos had already guessed what he was going to say and preemptively said, "Philistus, I want to express my sincere gratitude to you! The plan I made in advance now seems impossible to implement… Croton, Terina, and Siris are not city-states that have joined our Daunian League, so how could they easily listen to our command! Furthermore, their troop quality and military training level are far inferior to ours. It is simply impossible to complete the task of blockading the Syracusans south of Caulonia and the Lamato River in such a wide area in a short period of time!
What's more, we have all underestimated the Syracusan army. This is also an army with strong command, strict training, and decisive and rapid action! And their tyrant, Dionysius, is also very extraordinary! He carried out clever tactical deception before the battle, allowing more than 20,000 troops to quietly transfer from Caulonia to Hyberian under your noses without being detected. Also… he decisively appointed a Spartan as the commanding general before the battle, thus successfully resisting your fierce attack on the left flank. Finally, he seized the opportunity and deployed reinforcements… You did not lose this battle unjustly!"
So much time had passed since the Battle of the Lamato River, and its entire battle process had already been thoroughly investigated by Aristyllus.
Philistus also understood this in his heart, but he continued to say with guilt, "Your Majesty, if I… if I could have insisted on my own opinion, this battle could have been avoided! But I — —"
"No, this battle could not have been avoided at all!" Davos said firmly, "You think it could have been avoided because you are considering the problem from the perspective of us Daunians. But for the Sirisians and Terinians, having the strength to possibly confront the Syracusans, would they allow the Syracusans to burn, kill, and plunder in their homes without attacking? Of course not!
Not only them, but Croton would also firmly stand by their side. As the de facto leader of the entire Italic League, can we refuse?! We can't refuse… because all the Magna Graecians are watching our performance, and this is the responsibility that Daonia must bear if it wants to lead Magna Graecia! In fact, you helped me bear this responsibility!"
Davos sighed, placed his hands on his shoulders, and said sincerely, "Even I would have lost facing Syracuse's overwhelming military advantage, with the sea becoming their navy's domain, and with Dionysius, that terrifying opponent, as their commander! Moreover, you successfully preserved most of the soldiers from two legions and, in coordination with Croton, held out until reinforcements arrived, giving us hope for a comeback. Not only should I thank you! All the people of Daonia should thank you!"
These words brought tears to Felicius's eyes, tears of relief.
"Draco's death was not your fault! I understand him; he never admitted defeat. Therefore, whether he deliberately covered the retreat and was captured or crashed to his death, he made what he believed was the most correct choice! All we can do is capture Dionysius and use his head to commemorate Draco's heroic spirit!"
"Yes! ... Yes!!" Felicius nodded repeatedly.
"How are the Fifth Legion soldiers doing?" Davos asked with concern. The Fifth Legion, composed of Bruttian people, had witnessed the tragic death of their legion commander, who had personally created it. Moreover, the Bruttian region had been turbulent recently, so Davos was naturally concerned about their condition.
"The soldiers are eager to fight the Syracusans and avenge Draco!" Felicius replied immediately.
"That's good." Davos encouraged him, saying, "When I led the army away from Thurii, I met your wife, Delia. She asked me to tell you, 'She and the children are doing well and hope you can lead the soldiers to drive the enemy out of Magna Graecia soon!'"
Felicius arrived with a depressed mood, head bowed and body shrunken; he left with a light heart, striding confidently.
Davos watched his departing figure, thinking to himself: Felicius's personality is too gentle, his will not firm enough; he is really not a general who can stand alone. In the future, he should still work in the military affairs department, handling paperwork.
He actually had another reason to thank Felicius that he didn't say: The defeat at the Lamato River greatly weakened the Greek forces in southern Magna Graecia, and they no longer had the ability to resist Syracuse, but wasn't this the same for Daonia?
… … … … … … … … … … … …
The Daonian fleet continued south, approaching the sea near the city of Locri.
It can be said that among these port cities on the east coast, only Locri's port still had frequent merchant ship traffic, even busier than before the war. Because the Syracusan navy's blockade and suppression of the allied city-states of Southern Italy forced merchant ships traveling on the eastern and western Mediterranean routes to transit or trade in the port of Locri.
"Lower the sails!" Secilian looked at a patch of sails in the distance,
his eyes flashing with a cold light: "Attack!"
As the horns sounded, the fleet's warships gradually spread out, the sailors excitedly quickening their rowing pace. The merchant ships posed no threat to them, giving them a sense of crushing their opponents, and also allowing them to hone their combat experience.
Driven by the high-speed rowing, the warships reached a terrifying speed of 13 knots. Other merchant ships simply could not escape without the aid of strong winds. Compared to the trireme warships, the size of the merchant ships was undoubtedly like children facing adults, completely mismatched. Soon, they were overturned one after another by the warships' impacts.
The sea was filled with broken ships, people crying for help, goods of all sizes... Ships in the distance, seeing this tragic scene, fled in all directions in fear. Soon, outside the port of Locri, no other ships could be seen except for the Daonian fleet.
Secilian led the fleet back and forth around the port several times before sailing away triumphantly.
Locri was angry about this, but helpless, because two days ago, the Syracusans, under the pretext of resisting the Daonian fleet, had taken away their 30 trireme warships. Seeing the enemy ships flaunting their power outside the port, everyone felt a bad premonition.
"It seems the Syracusan fleet has been defeated again!" Demodocus said with a gloomy expression.
"Yes!" Panticape worriedly said, "From now on, the Daonians' warships will control the east coast, which will greatly impact our maritime trade! I'm even more worried that Syracuse will also be defeated on land by Daonia. You should know that the young Archon of Daonia has returned to Thurii."
"It's impossible for the Syracusans to be defeated on land!" Demodocus retorted without hesitation, "You and I have both seen the Syracusans' army of over 80,000 men. No Greek city-state can resist them, including Sparta!"
Having said that, Demodocus was still somewhat agitated inside. He knew very well that due to Dionysius's support, Demodocus had controlled Locri's highest authority for many years, and was already a de facto "tyrant." To this end, he fiercely suppressed political enemies and cruelly suppressed those who opposed him, and the people were dissatisfied with him. And during this period, this dissatisfaction was intensifying, because in order to ensure the supply of materials for the combat troops and part of the Syracusan army, he levied a relatively high "special war tax" on the city-state's people to increase the treasury income for purchasing war materials. Once the Syracusan army was defeated, he could hardly imagine what those seemingly gentle and peaceful people would do under the instigation of his political enemies?
"The city is too empty now. If the Daonian army lands here, we'll be in great danger!" Demodocus suddenly said, "We must bring back the troops stationed in the city of Medma."
Panticape was stunned: "What about the city of Medma?"
"Ligium's army has already suffered heavy losses. Even if they want to attack the city of Medma, they won't be able to take it quickly. We can reinforce them at any time," Demodocus replied.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
The Daonian fleet continued south, soon reaching the southernmost tip of Magna Graecia.
Secilian's flagship was at the forefront of the formation, carefully leading the fleet around the tip of the peninsula, turning north, and entering the Strait of Messina.
After sailing for a while, they approached Ligium.
It was already dusk. Although Secilian was more curious about the city of Messina, Messina's port was at the narrowest point of the strait, at least a dozen miles away.
Previously, when the Syracusans rebuilt the city of Messina, which had been destroyed by the Carthaginians, they relocated the city site, and the port was once abandoned, but it was quickly occupied by immigrants, mainly Syracusans, Locrians and their allies, and vigorously developed. Before the outbreak of the Greater Greek War, Syracuse also sent a fleet to station there to maintain port security, control ships entering and leaving the strait, and incidentally blockade the port of Ligium. Although a few days ago, all of the trireme warships from the Messina fleet had been transferred to Silertium to participate in the naval battle with Daonia, leaving only 30 or so medium and small warships in the port, this was not something that Ligium could resist. If the Syracusans' fast ships hadn't spotted the arrival of the Daonian fleet from afar and quickly withdrawn the warships back to the port, Secilian's fleet would certainly have seen the Syracusan warships cruising outside the port when it arrived at the port of Ligium, and a battle would have been inevitable.
Considering that it was getting late and that he still had matters to attend to as instructed by King Davos, Secilian temporarily suppressed the urge to have the fleet continue north and led the way to the port of Ligium.
The people of Ligium had not seen foreign ships enter the port for two months. Upon hearing that the Daonian fleet was coming, they were overjoyed and rushed out of the city, heading for the port.
Under the guidance of Ligium's patrol boats, Secilian's fleet entered the military port. While the Daonian sailors were still disembarking, the people of Ligium surged over, surrounding the warships, and loudly asking about the situation outside.
It was no wonder they were so eager, because Ligium had been tightly blockaded by the Syracusan fleet for more than a month, and they knew nothing about the outside world. Generally speaking, it is difficult to completely blockade a coastal city, after all, warships cannot stay in the seawater for a long time; they need to be regularly repaired, dragged ashore to bask in the sun, and cleaned of shipworms, and the sailors also need to go ashore to rest, eat, and drink. However, Messina was too close to Ligium, the two cities being only a dozen miles apart across the strait, and the Syracusans were determined to completely blind the people of Ligium, thereby causing them to panic. Therefore, they divided the fleet stationed at the port of Messina into several groups, taking turns blockading Ligium without interruption. In addition, the land route between Ligium and the outside world was blocked by Locri on the east side, while on the west side, the Locrian army was stationed in the city of Medma, blocking the way. Since the last battle failed, the Ligium-Taurena allied forces had completely withdrawn south of the Maro River.
Therefore, the arrival of the Daonian fleet gave the people of Ligium a great surprise, especially when they learned that the Daonian fleet had completely defeated the Syracusan navy and become the new controller of the coast near Magna Graecia, cheers erupted in the military port. The people of Ligium, surrounding the Daonian sailors, sang and danced, welcoming the Daonians into the city of Ligium as if holding a celebratory parade.
That night, Attilicrus, the chief general of Ligium, hosted a banquet for Secilian.
At the banquet, at the request of the guests, Secilian recounted the Battle of Taranto, eliciting cheers and exclamations from the crowd...
At this time, Attilicrus coughed a few times and asked loudly, "General Secilian, out of friendship for Daonia, Ligium generously lent all of our trireme warships, and even suffered a long blockade by the Syracusans because we had no fleet. Now that Daonia, with our help, has successfully defeated the Syracusan navy, shouldn't our warships be returned to us?"
What do you mean, 'with your help'?! It sounds like the people of Rhegium also participated in the naval battle! Sekeli'an inwardly grumbled, but he didn't show it on his face, after all, Artilikrus was not only an important figure in the Rhegium city-state's political arena, but also King Davos' father-in-law.
Fortunately, Davos knew what kind of personality his father-in-law had. Before the fleet set off, he had instructed Sekeli'an: "Daonia is very grateful for the great help given by the allied state of Rhegium. We will return Rhegium's warships soon!" Sekeli'an replied without hesitation. Currently, hundreds of captured trireme warships in good condition or slightly damaged are parked in the Thurii military port. Because there are not enough sailors, they can only be left idle. Even because there are too many warships, the military port can no longer accommodate them, and some have to be transferred to the commercial port. Rhegium's request to return the warships just helps them solve some difficulties.
"When the warships are returned, can they also be equipped with the kind of 'wooden bridge' you just mentioned?" Artilikrus asked again.
Sekeli'an didn't expect the chief general of Rhegium to make such a request, and was stunned for a moment. Don't think that installing the crow's beak bridge seems simple, but he had heard His Majesty Davos say that it involves the application of profound pulley knowledge and complex mechanical manufacturing, so a few bridge operators can easily rotate the base and raise and lower the bridge. Sekeli'an still remembered that the scholar Matikoris from the Daonia Academy even proudly declared, 'Except for Daonia, no other Greek city-state can make a crow's beak bridge, unless they have a deeper understanding of pulleys!'
"What? Can't you do it?" Artilikrus saw that Sekeli'an didn't speak, and asked again with displeasure on his face.
Sekeli'an simply said: "I can't make the decision on this matter, only His Majesty Davos can. Moreover, the crow's beak bridge is only one reason why we can defeat the Syracuse navy. More importantly, it is our Daonia's powerful legion of heavy infantry, especially during the second battle with the Syracuse navy, the Syracuse people also sent almost the same number of heavy infantry on each warship as we did, but they still suffered a disastrous defeat…"
As he spoke, Sekeli'an simply said directly: "Daonia and Rhegium are allies. With us providing protection at sea, Rhegium will not be disturbed by enemies from the sea. There is no need to spend money and equip the navy."
When Artilikrus heard this, his face suddenly sank, and he stared straight at Sekeli'an, and said angrily: "Davos hopes in his letter to me that we Rhegium can send troops to board your fleet and land in Hibernia or other places in southern Magna Graecia to attract and contain the Syracuse army and create conditions for your land attack. But—"
Artilikrus' face darkened: "Before, we Rhegium people took the initiative to attack Medma in order to help you, but suffered heavy losses and no longer have the strength to do such a risky action. Please tell Davos, I'm really sorry! Moreover, since Daonia is already so powerful, it is fully capable of defeating the Syracuse people independently!"
After speaking,
He stood up: "I have something else to do, please enjoy yourselves."
Artilikrus actually left the living room straight away and left.
The guests looked at each other, and Sekeli'an felt even more embarrassed. It was supposed to be a lively banquet, but it ended unhappily.
.........…
In the evening, in the backyard of Artilikrus' mansion, Alcibiades criticized Artilikrus: "Father, your performance at the banquet today was too radical, leaving a very bad impression on the visiting Daonians! If they return to their hometown and spread this matter everywhere, it will not only affect Agnes, but also affect our family's business in the Thurii shipyard!"
"Do you think I am angry and furious because of that lowly Daonian?" The anger on Artilikrus' face at the banquet had long disappeared. He said to his son meaningfully: "I am doing this for my king son-in-law to see."
"Doing it for Davos to see? What do you mean?" Alcibiades looked puzzled.
Artilikrus was a little helpless: As an ancient immigrant family in Rhegium, which had once ruled the city-state for decades, his family had always occupied a pivotal position in the Rhegium political arena. But his two children didn't know what was going on, and they didn't have any of the political talents inherited from the family. His daughter Agnes married the Daonian governor... oh, now she is the King of Daonia. She is lucky enough to become a princess and also the chief priest of the influential Hera Temple in Thurii, with a respected status, but she has been simple-minded since she was a child and is not an opponent of another shrewd and capable princess at all; and his son Alcibiades is shrewd, but he uses it all in doing business and is not interested in politics. His current general position was still forcibly given to him by Artilikrus.
Although Alcibiades had always been indifferent to political affairs, as Artilikrus' successor, he still often gave him instructions, hoping that one day he would wake up. This time was no exception: "Now the Syracuse people have lost the sea, and it seems that it will be difficult to take it back in the short term. As long as the Daonians deal with it properly, they will at least not lose this war. Then, after the Syracuse people retreat back to Sicily, the Daonian League, which has not suffered too much loss in this war, will definitely become an unshakable overlord in the Magna Graecia region. If we Rhegium don't want to become its vassal, we must make our own voice!"
"There's nothing wrong with becoming a vassal of Daonia," Alcibiades said disapprovingly: "Becoming a vassal will bring trade benefits. Daonia's territory is already so large now, and according to what you said, it will be even larger in the future, which will be more helpful to my family's trade! Moreover, my brother-in-law is the ruler of this powerful country, will my sister let me suffer!"
Artilikrus didn't expect this lazy son to have such an idea. He was a little angry for a while, but soon turned to helplessness, because he vaguely felt that there were probably more than just Alcibiades who held this idea in the city of Rhegium. Since Rhegium and Daonia formed an alliance, it has not only been guaranteed in terms of security, but also has gained a lot of benefits in trade. Due to environmental reasons, Rhegium has more merchants and fewer farmers, which leads to Rhegium people being smooth and very likely to give up the independence of the city-state for their own interests, just like before there was no Daonian League, Rhegium people could also ignore the racial conflict between Carthage and the Greeks and form an alliance with Carthage. This is not only to confrontation Syracuse, but also the attraction of Carthage's huge trade market.
"Even if you become a vassal, you must become a powerful vassal, so that you can be valued by Daonia," Artilikrus suddenly became a little discouraged. He sighed and turned to remind his son: "Do you know why I insist on those warships unique to Daonia?"
"Why?"
"Messina!" Artilikrus glanced at him and emphasized: "Once Dionysius is really defeated by Davos, Syracuse may be in chaos. By then, he will not have the extra strength to protect the newly built city-state across the strait. We can take it back and let it become a sub-state under the control of Rhegium! With the port of Messina, we can control the entire strait, which is of great benefit to the city-state and your business!"
Alcibiades was greatly moved by this, his eyes flickered, imagining the huge benefits brought by taking Messina, but soon his expression returned to calm: "Father, Messina is so important, do you think my shrewd brother-in-law didn't see it! There is a saying circulating among our Greek merchants, 'Huge profits mean huge risks.' The reason why my business has developed so smoothly is because I never do things beyond my ability. And Rhegium wants to obtain Messina, is it ready to take the risks?"
Artilikrus was stunned. After receiving the news of the Daonian fleet's continuous victories, he was overjoyed and thought about Messina. His desire temporarily blinded his reason, and he almost forgot that the city of Messina was the target of public criticism. Syracuse, Carthage, and now there may be another Daonia are all staring at this strait pass.
After thinking for a long time, Artilikrus' face regained its energy, and he said with relief: "Alcibiades, I have only now discovered that you will become an excellent general!"
.........
The next day, Sekeli'an led the sailors to the port to board the ship.
Sekeli'an originally thought that the Rhegium people's attitude towards them would change because of the banquet last night, but he didn't expect that not only the enthusiasm of the people remained the same, but Artilikrus also came to see him off in person, and his attitude was even more enthusiastic than when he greeted him yesterday. He didn't mention the discord yesterday, and actively expressed to Sekeli'an: Rhegium is willing to fulfill its responsibilities as an ally and fully cooperate to help Daonia defeat Syracuse. For specific actions, you can consult General Fidun stationed in Taurina.
At the same time, Artilikrus also entrusted Sekeli'an to take a letter to Davos.
Although he didn't understand why Artilikrus' attitude had suddenly changed, this was undoubtedly a great thing. Sekeli'an's mood was exceptionally good, and his voice when giving orders was also particularly loud: "Go to Messina!"
............
In 715 BC, the Cumae colonists from Euboea Island in mainland Greece and the Chalcis people from north-central Greece jointly built a city on the lowlands of Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula near the strait. Because the shape of its port was very similar to the sickle used by farmers to harvest grains, the colonial city was named "Zankle" (meaning sickle).
A century later, due to the Spartan invasion of Messenia, a large number of fleeing Messenian people immigrated here, thus changing the entire city. Even the original name was changed to "Messina", but the symbol on the issued coins was always "a sickle and a dolphin."
A few years ago, the Carthaginians destroyed it, and then Dionysius rebuilt the city. However, the residents of the city have become colonists from Syracuse and Locri and their allies.
Messina is only about 13 miles away from Rhegium. The Dionysian fleet arrived in an instant. Secelian stood at the bow, looking at the entire city of Messina with great interest: Compared with the city of Rhegium, Messina itself is not large, because it is located in the lowlands between the mountains and the sea, and the area is narrow. There are not even large rivers around the city. Instead, its extremely long arc-shaped breakwater, built with a mixture of rocks and artificial mortar, and the harbor surrounded by counter-arguments, attracted Secelian's attention.
Seeing teams of Messinians being urgently assembled on the breakwater, some running towards the ships at the pier, and some holding bows and arrows and climbing the sentry towers on the breakwater... Secelian didn't care at all. He didn't intend to lead the fleet into the harbor at all, but just did what he did in Locri outside the harbor—sinking merchant ships entering and leaving the harbor, showing off his power, and then continuing to sail north.
The Syracusan colonists in Messina never expected that they, who now dominate the western Mediterranean, would be attacked in this way. The anger and frustration in their hearts can be imagined.
The fleet passed through the strait and arrived at Tauromenium more than an hour later.
The people of Tauromenium and the Rhegium citizen soldiers stationed here cheered when they learned that the Dionysians had defeated the Syracusan navy.
Secelian originally thought that it would take some effort to persuade Phayllus, because Phayllus had previously led his troops to attack and failed, and was once ordered to return to Rhegium for trial. Later, because there was no military talent among the citizens of Rhegium who could replace Phayllus to fight against the terrifying Syracuse-Locri allied forces, he was finally allowed to return to Tauromenium to regain military power with the support of Atilius Crassus. Secelian was worried that he would be afraid of attacking the Syracuse-Locri allied forces because of this.
But when Secelian explained his intentions to this Rhegium commander, Phayllus did not hesitate. He immediately expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Dionysians to contain the Syracuse-Locri allied forces, but because Secelian had not contacted Hyllus in the Bruttium region, he was temporarily unable to discuss an effective plan.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
At the same time, Hieron II had just gotten up.
Yesterday, the Dionysian army cooperated with the rioting civilians in the city, and coupled with the fact that nearly half of the defending soldiers had no intention of fighting, Laos was finally captured.
Arobas, in despair, did not want to be humiliated by his nephew after being captured,
and committed suicide.
Hieron II did not let it go. He issued an order: All those who participated in the rebellion and worked for Arobas should be punished!
It should be known that when Arobas usurped the throne, almost the entire city-state's bureaucracy had turned to him. Hieron II originally wanted to take this opportunity to overthrow all those who opposed him and hindered him, but he did not expect that in this way, the rioting civilians would be like they had obtained the legal right to rob the city-state officials, leaders, and rich people who had oppressed and exploited them on weekdays. The hatred and violence buried in their bones were completely released, which was a disaster for the city. Soon, the entire city fell into a frenzy of killing and looting.
Hieron II saw that the situation was not good and ordered: Stop looting and killing, or you will be severely punished!
But the poor people who had already been blinded by the killing could not obey the order, and even attacked the soldiers who delivered the order.
Hieron II had no choice but to ask Hyllus for help.
Hyllus immediately sent all his troops to stop the riots caused by the poor people of Laos, and ordered: Once encountered resistance, kill without mercy.
More than 5,000 formally trained Dionysian soldiers entered the city and began to suppress the rioters who broke into various mansions to loot.
By dusk, the riots were quelled. What followed was groaning and wailing covering the entire city. Lars, which had become increasingly prosperous after years of efforts by Avinages and Arobas, became devastated and full of dead and wounded in one day.
Hieron II, who rode into the city on horseback, could not bear to watch.
What made him even more uneasy was that the eyes of the people who were holding the corpses of their relatives and crying beside the road were full of hatred... …
Hieron II, who was deeply remorseful and frightened, did not feel much comfort even after seeing his rescued mother safe and sound. At night, he lay in bed, and as soon as he closed his eyes, the tragic scene he saw during the day appeared in his mind, and his ears were filled with the cries of the people. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, until he fell asleep due to exhaustion when dawn was approaching.
He didn't wake up until noon, so he had breakfast and lunch together.
His mother was having a meal with him. Although Arobas rebelled, he only placed his brother's widow under house arrest. Other treatments were the same as usual, so the woman was not harmed. She was just worried about her son's safety. Now that Hieron II had returned safely and defeated the rebels, she was in a good mood: "Child, Aristander came to you several times this morning, but I turned him away."
"What did he want from me?" Hieron II asked listlessly, chewing on the bread and thinking about other things.
"He asked how to deal with those imprisoned civilians? I told him to release them all." Hieron II's mother was a Lucanian noble and a cousin of Tulla, the former chief of Laos. Tulla married her to Avinages in order to better control and win over Avinages, the leader of the former Sybaris descendants. Therefore, Avinages and his wife did not have a good relationship.
Later, Avinages united with the Dionysians and overthrew the Lucanian rule of Laos. Tulla and his forces were almost completely slaughtered. The reason why he did not deal with his Lucanian wife was partly because she was Hieron II's biological mother, and partly because the Lucanians had gradually integrated with the Greek descendants of Sybaris after decades of ruling Laos. When Avinages rebelled, many small Lucanian tribes expressed their support and submission. Therefore, having a Lucanian wife could reassure the uneasy Lucanians.
But this woman kept the hatred of her family's destruction in her heart. Today, she finally had a real smile: "Those 'black pigs' (a derogatory term used by the Lucanians of Laos in the past for Sybaris slaves) who only knew how to roll around in the mud should have died long ago! Son, you did a good job. It was these people who killed your Uncle Tulla's entire family! Do you know that your uncle's second daughter, your cousin, was so beautiful. I had already agreed with Tulla that she would be your wife in the future, but those damn—"
"Enough!" Hieron II slammed the wooden cup filled with wine on the ground, and the wine splashed everywhere.
The woman was startled.
"I'm full." Hieron II stood up, not looking at his mother, and turned to leave.
"Hieron!" the woman cried pitifully.
Hieron II did not turn back. He was holding his breath in his heart: He punished those officials and tribal leaders who helped Arobas usurp the throne, not to retaliate against their betrayal, but to establish a better political system, a system like Dionysia, where everyone owns land and has the right to participate in politics. He and his mother, who hated the people of Laos, were different! But—
As soon as he thought of the corpses all over the ground and those pairs of hateful eyes... his surging spirit immediately vanished, and he began to doubt himself again: Did I really do something wrong? Just like Arobas said, am I being too radical? …
Arobas... Hieron II thought of his only uncle's corpse when he saw it last night. He did not feel any joy of revenge in his heart. Instead, the scene of his uncle playing with him when he was a child kept appearing in his mind, which made his heart feel empty and unsettled.
He wandered aimlessly all the way and finally came to the city hall next to his mansion.
In the center of the city hall's conference hall was a beautiful chair. He walked up to it and slowly sat down, facing the circular layers of stone benches in front of him.
This council hall was built by Hieron II's father three years ago with reference to the Greek city-states, but unlike Dionysia and other Greater Greek city-states, there was an extra chair in the center of this hall, a chair specially for the lifetime ruler to sit on. He didn't know if his father and his uncle felt superior and different when they sat in this chair, but he didn't have this wonderful experience at all. Instead, he felt like a lamb being focused on by dozens of pairs of hungry wolf-like greedy eyes, which made him sick and uncomfortable. After he ascended the throne as ruler, he came to the council hall a few times and didn't want to come again.
At this moment, he sat in the chair, staring blankly at the empty venue, until Aristander hurried in: "Your Excellency, I've finally found you."
Hieron II came back to his senses and looked at the anxious look on the face of this loyal subordinate that his father had left him, and asked listlessly: "What's wrong now?"
"Those released poor people are unwilling to leave, but instead keep asking when you will fulfill the promise you made, Your Excellency." Aristander's words made Hieron II inexplicably angry: "Fulfill? ! They still want me to fulfill my promise? ! Look at what they have done, I have been merciful to them by not executing them one by one! …"
Hieron II shouted and vented his dissatisfaction. He did not expect that the poor people, who used to be pitiful in his eyes, would turn into ferocious rioters in the blink of an eye, and were so greedy. But he was just saying it out of hatred. Of course, he would fulfill the oath he made to the gods himself, and the current situation in Laos would not allow him to go back on his word.