Chapter 85 - Dionysius’s Cruelty

"And there's also…" Aelianthus hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"What else?!" Hynippus asked impatiently.

"Some people have come to the town hall, claiming that their relatives did not betray you, but were beaten to death by the mob, and they hope you can seek justice for them…" Aelianthus said.

"Wronged, you say?" Hynippus grabbed his hair in frustration. He was most afraid of hearing this now, so he pushed the burden away, saying, "This matter is entrusted to you to handle. Also, the matter of distributing land to the poor, you must also begin to prepare for that."

Aelianthus was stunned when he heard this, and then shouted, "Lord, I have never done these things before, I don't know how!"

"If you don't know how, you can find someone." Hynippus paused as soon as the words left his mouth: Find someone? Almost all the officials in Laos City had been killed by the mob. It was probably difficult to find anyone with administrative experience in the city.

Hynippus slumped down: Did he have to handle these matters himself? But from the time he took office as Archon until now, he had always issued orders, and most of them were not carried out. He had never really handled government affairs, and he didn't even know where to start. Moreover, he had always hated those tedious and complicated government affairs, just thinking about them gave him a headache…

Thinking again of the piles of bills, city-state affairs, letters, etc., that he had seen in Davos' study when he lived in the Thurii Idetus residence, and that Davos spent most of his time there handling official business when he returned home… Hynippus suddenly felt: Maybe he really wasn't suitable to be an Archon!

Just as the two men were staring at each other, not knowing what to do, Hilus walked into the hall: "Lord Hynippus, now that the situation in the city has stabilized, I would like to ask when you can prepare ships for us? Lord Davos must be anxiously awaiting news of our actions?!"

Oh, there's also this matter! Hynippus was absent-minded all day and had forgotten this important matter. He immediately looked at Aelianthus: "Immediately have the port prepare ships to transport the Daunian troops to Knapetia."

Aelianthus complained with a troubled expression: "Lord, the port is in chaos now, the sailors have all run into the city, and the port managers have either been beaten to death or have hidden themselves. Where can we find people to prepare so many ships?"

Hynippus was stunned again, and he looked at Hilus helplessly.

Hilus didn't expect the situation to be like this and seemed a little anxious.

Hynippus looked at him apologetically. He was quite familiar with Hilus, because Hilus had entered and exited the Great Davos residence quite a few times. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed through his mind: "Lord Hilus,

I remember that you have served as the city's administrative officer twice."

Hilus didn't know what he meant by saying this at this time, and nodded in acknowledgment.

"And Lord Bargulus, he is still serving as the administrative officer of Grumentum." Hynippus became more and more excited as he spoke: "You see, the order in Laos City is now in chaos, most of the administrative officials have been killed by the mob, and the entire city has been unable to operate normally. I would like to ask you to help me manage this city so that Laos can return to normal as soon as possible, so that you can also smoothly go to Krapetia."

After Hynippus finished speaking, the two people present thought they had misheard.

"Lord Hynippus, you're not joking, are you?" Hilus blurted out.

"In such a terrible situation, do I have the mood to joke with you?!" Hynippus said impatiently, "Do you want to take a ship or not? Otherwise, you can only lead your team on land!"

Traveling by land to Knapetia required crossing the entire Cosenza Plateau. Although there was a main road, it would still take at least two days. For Laos to return to normal operation, it would probably take until tomorrow to be able to set sail with high efficiency. It seemed that the time required was about the same, but Hilus was no longer the mercenary who only knew how to lead troops to fight. After several years of administrative management, he sensitively realized the significance of taking over the administrative management of Laos: "I will return to the barracks now and discuss it with Lord Bargulus." After Hilus finished speaking, he left in a hurry.

"Lord, it doesn't seem very good to do this." Aelianthus vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"What's not good about it?" Hynippus immediately retorted, "If you think it's not good, why don't you do all these things."

Aelianthus was embarrassed and couldn't speak.

Hynippus smiled, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter, because he had already thought of a brilliant idea that would allow him to escape this city that had become a quagmire and was full of hatred for him.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

It was almost noon, and Dionysius stood on the broken walls of Croton, retracting his gaze that had been looking north. He said coldly, "It seems that the young man from Daonia has no intention of accepting the challenge and fighting us."

"What should we do then? Lord, should we take the initiative to attack them?!" Astagoras asked eagerly, "Cross the Neto River and attack the Daunian camp?"

Dionysius glared at this reckless general and said coldly, "Foolish, that's exactly what the Daunians want! Croton was defeated by the weaker Daonia because it rashly crossed the river. Do you think I would be so stupid?!"

Astagoras didn't dare to speak anymore. He felt that Dionysius was in a bad mood now.

"Phasiphasus, how long can our current grain reserves last?" Dionysius then asked.

"Including the grain obtained from within the city of Croton, it can probably last for more than a month."

More than a month! With the Daunian fleet controlling the east coast and unable to obtain aid from Sicily again, they could only plunder grain from Locri and these conquered city-states, but how much could they get?! Dionysius anxiously calculated in his mind, his eyes swept over the slightly anxious generals and ministers beside him, and finally landed on this great city with hundreds of years of history behind him, and suddenly said, "Burn it! Burn the city of Croton!"

"What?!"

"Destroy the walls of Croton and burn this city!" Dionysius issued the order in a cold tone: "Then withdraw all the troops stationed here back to their original camps!"

Although the Syracuse generals and soldiers preferred to live in comfortable houses compared to the simple tents, Dionysius had already made a decision, and no one dared to object.

"Lord, what about those people in Croton? The citadel is so high, we can't burn them!" Phasiphasus reminded.

"Don't worry about them, let them ask for help. Isn't Daonia their ally! Doesn't that young man claim to be trustworthy! I want to see if the Daunians will save their allied state!" Dionysius's eyes were cold: "But as long as the people of Croton dare to escape from the citadel in large numbers, drive them back."

"Understood!" Phasiphasus and the other generals really understood this time: This was to force the Daunians to cross the river to rescue Croton!

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The city of Croton was burning fiercely in the fire…

This was another Greek city destroyed in Magna Graecia four years later, but for the Syracusans, they had done such things more than once. Among the cities they had captured in Sicily, many were destroyed by their hands. Dionysius claimed to be the "Protector of Sicily," but in fact, he destroyed many ancient city-states, including Greek cities. This destructive ability was no weaker than that of his opponent Carthage, so the Syracuse soldiers skillfully placed combustibles everywhere in the city of Croton, and soon the entire city was set ablaze.

The raging fire turned the sky of Croton red. The people in the citadel saw their homes burning in the fire and cried out in grief. Before long, the grief on the faces of the people turned into horror, because the fire spread over, threatening to surround the citadel.

Fortunately, Lysias and Milon had prepared in advance and had already sent people to risk going out of the city to cut down the trees and weeds around the hillside. Although the fire did not burn the citadel, the scorching air and billowing smoke caused great trouble for the tens of thousands of people in the citadel. They not only felt unbearably hot, but also had difficulty breathing.

But the citadel had very little water to begin with. Milon originally wanted the people to endure it a little longer, but many weak old people and women fainted one after another, and finally had to agree: Let everyone go to the pool to wet their clothes and apply them to their faces to get through the difficulties.

After the protective measures were completed, most of the water in the pool had been used up. Some of the people gathered in the temple and prayed devoutly to the statue of Apollo, hoping that he would bless them to overcome this disaster. Some people even confessed to the huge statue, because they believed that it was Melanthus's burning of Thurii, protected by Apollo, that had caused today's retribution!

Lysias looked at the burning city below the mountain with a dazed expression, his heart full of worries about the safety of the people in the citadel. He knew: Without water, everyone would not be able to last for a few days.

"Lysias." Milon walked over from a distance, strangely with a hint of relief on his face at this moment: "Don't worry, the Syracusans have retreated, and then they set fire to the city, there must be something special going on. I guess… maybe the Daunian reinforcements have arrived, and the Syracusans did this in order to fight the Daunians with all their strength!"

"Is what you said true?!" Lysias immediately cheered up and asked loudly.

"The Daunian reinforcements have arrived, that's very likely!" Milon firmly believed in his judgment: "Didn't we already get the news a few days ago that the Daunian fleet had defeated the Syracuse navy? Without the help of the navy, Syracuse has lost the opportunity to threaten the Daunian rear, and Daonia has defeated the invading Tarentum army. They now have no worries and can send troops to reinforce us."

As a Crotonian general who had fought against Daonia, Milon was quite familiar with the tactic of "sending warships to harass the Daonian territory's coast." What shocked him was that the Daonians had actually continuously defeated several powerful enemies, emerged from the predicament of being surrounded on all sides, and had the opportunity to fully confront Syracuse, especially their great victory at sea, which completely exceeded everyone's expectations!

How did that young man do it?! After being exiled, Milon was not idle. During his time in hiding in Greece, he collected a large amount of intelligence information about Daonia and studied Daonia's military and politics. He thought he already understood this rapidly rising alliance, but he didn't expect that Daonia's performance in this war with Syracuse would once again subvert his understanding.

"So, the Daonians are really here!" Lysias became excited, but then he remembered something, and the joy on his face turned to anger: "They should have come sooner! If the Asproustum garrison had been able to go out of the city to assist us when the Syracusans were besieging the city, Croton would not have been captured so quickly!"

Milon did not speak. The inaction of the Asproustum garrison was a thorn buried in the hearts of Lysias and other Crotonian leaders.

"Milon, even if the Daonian reinforcements arrive, the Syracusan army is so powerful now, can Daonia repel them? What if... then we're all finished!" Lysias became anxious again.

It's no wonder he would be so worried. After all, they had witnessed the terror of the Syracusan army with their own eyes. The well-fortified city of Croton was captured in such a short time. Could the Daonians withstand such a large and ferocious Syracusan army? If the Daonians were also defeated, the Crotonians' only hope would be gone! Many Crotonians had such conflicting feelings.

"Based on my understanding of Davos, since he dares to lead his army here, he must have the confidence to win." Although they were trapped in the acropolis due to the city being captured and could not get news from the outside for the time being, Milon had more confidence in Davos than any Crotonian. As the saying goes, "The one who understands you best is always your enemy." He loudly suggested, "What we need to do now is to send scouts out of the city after the fire is extinguished to find out the situation. If we find the Daonian army, immediately ask them for help!"

"You're right." After listening to Milon's words, Lysias also calmed down slightly. He thought for a while and added, "We also need to notify Sippus and ask him to send people out of the city to investigate together."

The Trina army also suffered heavy losses on the day the city fell. In the end, Sippus led the remnants of his troops and retreated into the acropolis with the Crotonians. Lysias' reminder made Milon realize that his carefulness and prudence were exactly what he lacked, because Trina's relationship with Daonia was much closer than Croton's. With their request for help, the Daonians would definitely pay more attention.

Lysias and Milon, these two famous political figures of Croton, had been fighting for more than ten years. When the war forced them to work together, they realized that their strengths complemented each other.

It's really sigh-worthy...

......................

Davos was watching the training of the spear phalanx in the camp's drill ground when news suddenly came at noon: there was an anomaly in the port of Croton.

Upon receiving the news, Midolades immediately led more than a hundred crow warships to the mouth of the Neto River, quickly picked up the soldiers of the First Legion, and rushed to the port of Croton, where they happened to encounter the Syracusan fleet rushing out of the port, attempting to escape.

The cunning Syracusans forced the captured Crotonian sailors to drive the remaining merchant ships and sailboats in the port out of the port, while their 40-plus warships were mixed among these ships. After leaving the port, they immediately fled south.

Midolades' fleet was hindered by these ships, and no one could complete the blockade of the port. Once the Syracusan warships, which had no intention of fighting, were running at full speed, the crow warships full of soldiers could not catch up. Therefore, the Daonian fleet only captured a few warships and watched helplessly as most of the Syracusan warships successfully fled south.

Because the results of the battle were meager, the soldiers of the First Legion were somewhat listless after disembarking.

"Melisanda!" Melisanda, who was leading the soldiers ashore, heard a shout and turned his head to see Philius standing not far away, waving to him.

Melisanda hurriedly instructed his subordinates and ran over: "Father, is there anything?"

"It's nothing, just came to see you." Philius said lightly, not revealing his concern: You know, this adopted son had fallen into the sea twice in the previous naval battle, which really worried him for a day: "How were the results of today's battle?"

"They got away." Melisanda said unwillingly.

Philius was about to comfort him when the adjutant Tormid rode over: "Legion Commander Philius, His Majesty wants to hold a military meeting, please go to the main tent immediately."

"Understood." Philius casually asked, "Tormid, why is His Majesty calling a meeting at this time?"

Tormid glanced at Melisanda and then smiled: "I guess... is it to discuss why the Syracusan fleet suddenly fled from the port of Croton?"

Melisanda's heart stirred.

At this moment, the soldiers who had landed suddenly became agitated, and someone shouted, "Look! There's a fire over there!"

Beyond the Neto River to the south, beyond the line of sight, wisps of black smoke rose straight into the sky…

After a while, these plumes of smoke merged into a thick column, and the firelight reddened the sky there…

Pheryllus and Tolmidis stared in that direction.

"Is that Croton?" Tolmidis asked uncertainly.

"It is Croton!" Merisanda said in a deep voice. He had sailed near Croton twice and knew the city's location.

Pheryllus and Tolmidis exchanged solemn glances.

The soldiers in the camp and the sailors at the river mouth flocked to the north bank of the Neto River, gazing in astonishment at the reddened sky…

As the news of "Croton being burned" spread through the crowd, many old citizen-soldiers of Thurii cheered loudly. Some were even moved to tears, kneeling on the beach and praying to the goddess of vengeance, thanking her for finally answering their years of pleas.

The commotion in the camp naturally alarmed Davos and the legion commanders in the main tent. By the time they reached the north bank of the Neto River, a fast ship from the sea had already relayed the situation observed at the port of Croton back to the camp.

The soldiers were just watching the excitement, while Davos and the others pondered the reason for the Syracusans' actions.

"Your Majesty, the Syracusan fleet has fled, and they have burned down the city of Croton, which they had captured with such difficulty. This shows that after losing their naval advantage, they cannot cross the river to engage us in a decisive battle. To prevent our fleet from attacking their rear and cutting off their food supply, it seems they have decided to retreat," Amyntas said, stating his judgment first.

"Your Majesty, we must not let them easily retreat to Syracuse! Such a large force defending Syracuse is simply impossible for us to conquer. Moreover, if they retreat to Syracuse, Terina and Caulonia will be completely controlled by Syracuse, and the Locrian League is their ally. Fighting there will be very unfavorable for us!" Matonis urgently reminded him loudly.

"Then do you think we should have a decisive battle with the Syracusans here?!" Antonios, as Matonis's old superior, reminded him with a reprimanding tone, "Crossing the river to fight them when the Syracusans are prepared is exactly what Dionysius wants! Didn't the news say that Croton, except for the citadel, has been burned? Dionysius wants to exploit our eagerness to rescue Croton to achieve his goal of fighting a decisive battle with us here!"

"But we led the army here not to have a decisive battle with the Syracusans, but to compete with the Syracusans to see who consumes food faster?!" Amyntas unreservedly expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Competing to consume food is not necessarily a bad thing," Capys said seriously. "Our fleet has already cut off the connection between this Syracusan army and Sicily. Syracuse cannot provide assistance to its army in Magna Graecia. Dionysius probably has to rely on the Locrian League to provide military rations, but Locri is not a city-state that produces grain. How can it possibly meet the food needs of such a large army! With the full support of the people and allies from the vast lands behind our alliance, and with Ansitano already heading to Carthage to discuss selling grain, how can the Syracusan army outlast us! I think within two months, the Syracusans will collapse on their own due to lack of food, and then we will easily destroy them!"

"Lord Capys, don't forget that it's not just our soldiers consuming military rations now, but also the people of Asprustum and Crimisa. Due to the enemy cavalry's burning, killing, and looting, they are also receiving aid from the alliance. Therefore, the number of people consuming our military rations is greater than the Syracusans. Even if there is still assistance from the allies, and we can still buy grain, these are all savings donated by the people. Can we just watch them all be consumed!" Epitenes retorted impolitely. As a legion commander who has been fighting on the front lines, he naturally knows the situation better than others.

"Everyone, don't forget that the people of Croton in the citadel are still waiting for our rescue! Although Dionysius may be using this to gain some initiative in the battle, this is an unprecedentedly huge war. Not only are the people of Magna Graecia and Sicily concerned, but also mainland Greece, Carthage, and other Mediterranean countries. We of Daonia have always kept our promises. Faced with the allied people in dire need of rescue, are we going to stand by and watch this time!" Pheryllus was originally a cautious person, but this time the actions of Dracos also aroused his desire for revenge.

Davos' heart stirred. He knew that Pheryllus's words were mainly directed at him.

"Your Majesty, Lords, is it possible…" Olives, seeing everyone's eyes converging, appeared slightly nervous: "Could it be that… Legion Commander Hiros is leading the Lucanian soldiers to attack Terina, thus forcing the Syracusans to retreat?"

Davos's heart stirred again.

"Olyphus, I don't think this situation you're describing is possible. If you calculate the time, unless Hiero can capture Laos in a day, immediately take a boat to Ctenopea, and then quickly launch an attack on Terina... We are all veterans of the battlefield, is such a situation likely to occur?!" Antonios expressed serious doubt about Olyphus's speculation.

"Even if it's impossible, we should still engage in a decisive battle with the Syracuseans here as soon as possible, creating an opportunity for Hiero to attack the enemy's rear!" Amyntas said, seizing the opportunity.

"If we hastily engage in a battle here, and if we are defeated... what's the point of Hiero even retaking Terina!" Kapus reminded.

"How could our legion be defeated!" Amyntas roared.

… …

The legion commanders argued fiercely inside the tent.

Apart from Alexis, the commander of the Third Legion who was far away in the Lucanian region, and Hiero, the former commander of the legion who was still in Laos, this tent gathered all the legion commanders of Daonia: Antonios, commander of the First Legion, Amyntas, commander of the Second Legion, Epitenes, commander of the Fourth Legion, Phellius, acting commander of the Fifth Legion, Olyphus, commander of the Sixth Legion, Matonis, commander of the Seventh Legion, Kapus, commander of the spear battalion (former legion commander), and Hieronimus, the former legion commander who had hurriedly arrived yesterday at dusk with 5,000 Lucanian reserve soldiers. It could be said that the tent was full of stars.

In the past, with these experienced senior generals backed by strong legions and the strict Daonian military system, they would often argue about how to attack the enemy. But today, apart from the taciturn Hieronimus, everyone held their own opinions, and some even disregarded their past combat friendships, developing to the point of cursing, which precisely illustrated their fear of the Syracusean army across the river. After all, this was an army with nearly 10,000 more soldiers than the Daonian army, and had also experienced countless battles, and also had a capable commander. They knew very well that this was not an army that could be easily defeated.

At the same time, the legion commanders argued endlessly, also because Davos had not expressed his own opinion. It was not that he was deliberately being reserved, but that he had not made up his mind, so he did not stop the legion commanders' fierce arguments, hoping that this clash of ideas could help him sort out some thoughts. Although the Daonian fleet already had an absolute advantage in the battle between the two armies, he would not arrogantly assume that the same was true on the land.

For such a war that was related to the rise and fall of their respective countries and the lives and deaths of their people, even if he had made a lot of careful preparations, he still needed to be calm and cautious.

At this time, the captain of the guard, Martius, came in to report: "Your Majesty, several envoys from Croton and Terina have arrived on the opposite bank."

The legion commanders stopped arguing and all looked at Davos.

Davos pondered slightly and asked a crucial question: "Although the city of Croton was burned, the Syracusean cavalry are still patrolling on the opposite bank, how did they get here?"

"According to the officer who accompanied them, it seems that the Syracuseans did not intercept them," Martius said.

"Your Majesty, this is obviously a conspiracy by the Syracuseans!" Antonios loudly reminded.

"Just because it's a conspiracy, does that mean we won't go and save our allies?!" Amyntas loudly questioned.

Davos glanced at them and asked his captain of the guard: "Did you ask them what they came for?"

"Of course they came to ask for help," Martius revealed a hint of disdain, then, feeling that this was disrespectful to the allies, he quickly put on a straight face and said: "Oh, they also said that there is not much water left in the acropolis, and it won't last for a few days."

Davos nodded and fell into thought.

Everyone's gaze moved with Davos's pacing, but no one spoke, so as not to disturb Davos's thinking.

After a while, Davos stopped and looked at Martius: "Go out and tell those envoys to go back, I will not see them."

Everyone was stunned.

Phellius just shouted: "Your Majesty—"

Davos waved his hand and said with a firm expression: "I have already made a decision, don't say anything more!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Have those Crotonians who were captured confessed everything?" Dionysius asked when Astagoras came in.

"Lord, they all said that Davos didn't even receive them, and just drove them away."

"Didn't even see them?! Are you sure they are telling the truth?" Dionysius was a little suspicious.

"Of course, I can be sure. Several of the Crotonians were so frightened by my torture devices that they peed and pooped, they wouldn't dare to lie," Astagoras said confidently, grinning.

Dionysius thought for a while and said with a sneer: "Release them all, let the Crotonians in the acropolis know how afraid the Daonians they are hoping for are of our Syracuse, and dare not cross the river to rescue them!"

"Yes, Lord." Astagoras turned and left the tent.

"It seems that the Daonians will not engage in a decisive battle with us. Lord, what should we do next?" Fasipessas asked with some worry.

Dionysius did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the silent man in the corner of the tent: "Phibidas, what do you think that new king of Daonia is trying to do?"

"How could I guess what you cunning people are thinking?" Phibidas said simply, directly and sarcastically: "According to what we Spartans would do, either attack or retreat, without hesitating too much."

Dionysius did not show displeasure at Phibidas's mockery. He turned to look at the intelligence officer Androsthenes: "What's the situation in Bruttium?"

"Lord, ever since the Daonian elder Sedullum took office as the administrative officer of Consentia, he used bloody means to suppress the tribes who wanted to rebel, and also summoned the tribal leaders, and brutally killed Petarus and Bergham in front of them. Now, none of the tribes in Bruttium dare to express their dissatisfaction with Daonia. Therefore, my subordinates have not found any good way for the time being…"

Speaking to the end, Androsthenes's voice became weaker and weaker. Recently, the performance of the Magna Graecia intelligence department he led was really unsatisfactory: first, the sudden military control after the Sixth Legion entered Crimisa caused him to lose many capable people, and also cut off the news from Crimisa; then, the comprehensive martial law in Thurii made him unable to understand any situation in the central area of Daonia; then, when the naval battle failed, he was also severely reprimanded by Dionysius, and now, even in Bruttium, the only place where he could understand the situation, his subordinates could not play any role…

"I'm asking you about the troop movements of the Daonian army in the Bruttium region!" Dionysius glared at him and asked impatiently.

Androsthenes was still sweating profusely, and quickly said: "Since that Daonian elder named Hilorimus conscripted 5,000 Lucanian warriors and went to Thurii; and another elder, Hiero, led more than 2,000 people to Laos, there have been no more troop movements in the Bruttium region, and it seems that the source of troops in Bruttium is also somewhat exhausted."

"What about Laos?" This was what Dionysius was most concerned about.

"Because the Vige people have strictly blockaded the entire mountain pass, our people cannot find out the battle situation in Laos, and the spies in the city of Laos have not sent any news…"

Before Androsthenes could finish speaking, Fasipessas said: "Lord, Laos is considered a large city on the west coast of Magna Graecia, and Arolobomas has been in charge of Laos for many years. It's probably not that easy for the Daonians to capture the city of Laos."

Although Dionysius did not answer, he also agreed with this view in his heart. In this way, at least he does not have to worry about the rear for the time being, so he does not need to consider withdrawing the army back to Syrinx for the time being.

Dionysius knew very well: giving up Croton, which had been won at a great sacrifice, and retreating back to Syrinx, would not only greatly dampen the morale of the soldiers and cause dissatisfaction among the generals, but also mean that Syracuse had abandoned the offensive since the landing and adopted a defensive posture, handing over the initiative of the war to the Daonians. As time went on, this would only make the situation of the Syracusean army in Magna Graecia worse, so he must force Daonia to engage in a decisive battle again as soon as possible!

"Fasipessas, you immediately lead 2,000 people to use belly bows and ballistae to launch rockets and incendiary objects at the Crotonian acropolis on the hill!" Dionysius issued the order, and the generals and ministers in the tent were stunned.

"Lord, there is the Temple of Apollo in the acropolis!" Damocles loudly reminded.

"I think Apollo will never allow Hades to occupy Thurii for a long time, so he blessed us to occupy Croton in a short time, and allowed us to burn the city of Croton, and now he certainly won't care too much about our little offense to his temple…" Dionysius sneered in his heart, but on the surface he patiently enlightened them: "Besides, I don't intend to burn down the acropolis, but just want to make the Crotonians feel panic, consume their water, and force them to ask Daonia for help again."

Dionysius's order was quickly executed. Dozens of ballistae and belly bows were carried by thousands of Syracusean soldiers to the foot of the hill and began to catapult fireballs and rockets into the acropolis.

The terrified Crotonians tried to save water by covering the fire with soil, which also resulted in many people being burned.

With the Syracuseans' intentional indulgence, they once again sent envoys to Daonia for help, successfully crossing the Neto River, but Davos's answer was still: "I will not see them!"

The legion commanders couldn't help but feel sorry for Croton's tragic situation, but Davos knew he absolutely couldn't let the Syracusans take the initiative. Recklessly leading his army across the Neto River would fall right into Dionysius's trap. More importantly, time was of the essence. Just as Antonios had said, it would take Hylos and his troops time to conquer Laos and then attack Syracuse's rear. Therefore, he needed to stall for time, until Hylos's army successfully attacked Trina. Only then would Daonia be able to seize the initiative in the war!

However, Davos's beautiful plan wasn't so easy to realize. The Syracusans were constantly launching rockets at the Croton citadel, and the Croton citizens were tirelessly fighting fires, sending messengers to the Daonian military camp time and time again.

After being repeatedly and ruthlessly rejected by Davos, some messengers broke down in tears in front of the main tent: "Please, save the people of Croton! Our water is almost gone, and everyone is starting to drink urine, but what about the children?! My child is only two years old! I would rather exchange my life for him to continue living, please save us!…"

Some messengers cursed loudly: "Davos, everyone says you are a famous general of Magna Graecia, invincible in every battle, but I think you are just a coward! Daonians, are your hearts made of iron?! You watch your allies struggling in the fire just a few miles away, and you are unwilling to lend a hand!

"Bah! What Daonians always keep their promises is all a lie! You liars, even if tens of thousands of Croton citizens are suffocated or burned to death, we will curse you in hell!"

…

All the Daonian soldiers who heard their cries and curses lowered their heads in shame. Even legion commanders like Philius and Antonios pleaded with Davos several times. One can imagine the pressure Davos was under. He sat alone in the main tent, gripping the wooden chair armrests tightly. Although he didn't say a word, his heart was gradually softening. After all, how could Davos remain indifferent to seeing tens of thousands of living beings burned to death because of him!

Fortunately, it was already evening. Considering that the Daonian army couldn't cross the river at night, the Syracusans also stopped attacking the Croton citadel.

Davos didn't sleep well that night. He knew that although he had narrowly escaped today, the cruel and cunning Dionysius would continue to use this method to force him to fight tomorrow. What should he do then?… What exactly was the situation on Hylos's side? There had been no news for so long. Although the road had been repaired, it was still slow to transmit messages across the mountains!

…

Lysias and Milon were even more stressed. They not only had to help the injured citizens and comfort the restless ones, but also had to consider the increasingly scarce water supply.

If it hadn't been for Milon, who was knowledgeable in military affairs, advising him against it, Lysias would have already cursed out loud at the "ruthlessness" of the Daonians and Davos.

He even thought in his heart: if… if we really can't hold on anymore, why not… just like the Syracusans… surrender…

In the Syracusan military camp, Dionysius was restless. Davos's patience made him waver: Could it be that the Daonians would rather watch their allies die than lend a hand?!… Perhaps, Davos is really afraid to engage us in a direct land battle. If this continues, it will be unfavorable to Syracuse. Could it be that we really have to retreat…

That night, Dionysius also couldn't sleep, until he heard a commotion outside the main tent.

Just as he turned over and sat up from the bed, the intelligence officer Adrostini barged into the tent: "What's going on?! What kind of guard captain are you?! Letting people barge in at will!"

He loudly scolded the guard captain who followed in, which made Androstini next to him tremble with fear. He hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty, and said tremblingly: "Your… Your Excellency… Urgent intelligence from Trina, the Daonians have captured Laos!"

"What?! The Daonians captured Laos so quickly?! Is this news accurate?!" Dionysius's face changed drastically, and he asked repeatedly.

"It was a scout we planted in Laos who risked being hunted down by the Daonians and secretly sailed a small boat to Trina. It should be absolutely certain! It is said that the Daonians incited a riot among the poor civilians of Laos, attacking from both inside and outside, which led to the capture of Laos city."

Androstini had calmed down at this moment and explained seriously.

"So, the Daonians in Laos will soon head south?!" Dionysius muttered to himself anxiously.

"Your Excellency, perhaps… perhaps we should retreat…" Androstini said softly, summoning his courage.

"Retreat?!" Dionysius suddenly looked at him, the cold light flashing in his eyes frightening Androstini into kneeling down again.

Dionysius glared at him, and gradually a strange smile appeared on his face: "You're right, we should indeed retreat!"

After speaking, he turned to the guard captain and gave the order: "Immediately notify Fasipesas, Astagras, Acheritas, Phibidas… and others to come to the main tent for discussion!"

Androstini breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground, only then realizing that his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

…

The next day, at dawn, the Croton Plain was shrouded in a light mist, adding a touch of chill to the otherwise warm coastal area.

Davos got up early for breakfast, and as usual, it was bread, wheat porridge, and beef jerky, no different from the ordinary soldiers, except for a sea fish.

That was the catch from the Daonian fleet sailors stationed at the mouth of the Neto River yesterday, who sent a lot to Davos, and he mostly transferred it to the guard to share.

Although the breakfast was good, Davos didn't have much appetite.

Just then, Maltius, accompanied by Izam, walked into the tent.

"Your Majesty, my men have brought good news! The enemy is dismantling their camp and beginning to retreat!"

Hearing the news brought by Izam, Davos was a little surprised.

"My men sneaked near the enemy camp and heard the Syracuseans whispering in panic, saying that 'Trina has been attacked by our Daonian army'…" Izam excitedly explained further.

"Has Hilos already captured Laos? Why haven't we received a report?" Maltius was puzzled when he heard the news, so he interjected.

"It takes different amounts of time to cross the western mountains to get here and to take a boat to Knapetia and then to Trina." Izam explained to him, then excitedly said, "Your Majesty, we—"

Before Izam could finish his excited words, Maltius also shouted excitedly, "Your Majesty!"

Looking at the eagerness in their eyes, Davos knew what they wanted to express.

Even the usually taciturn and cautious Captain of the Guard, Maltius, was like this, let alone the other soldiers.

With the morale of the army so high, it was the general trend.

Davos took a light breath and said loudly, "Maltius, go and call Tolmid, and have him notify all the legion commanders, um… and have Midolades come to the tent quickly for a military meeting!"

"Yes!"

"Izam, order your soldiers to continue to monitor the enemy's movements, and report to me immediately after confirming that all the enemies have retreated across the Tachinadi River!"

"Yes!"

The two men gave a forceful military salute and left quickly, as if on the wind.

After giving the order, Davos himself felt relieved, and his whole body became much lighter.

He turned around and sat down, grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite, now he felt a little hungry.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Midolades."

"Here, Your Majesty!"

"Unite the engineering camps of all the legions, temporarily under your command.

Immediately build four pontoon bridges on the Neto River.

All the ships needed must be provided by you.

You must meet the requirements of the engineering camp as soon as possible, without any prevarication!"

"Understood!"

"In addition, in the lower reaches of the Neto River, you will lead all the warships to ferry the previously designated legion soldiers across the river.

After the entire army crosses the river, you will lead the fleet around the coast between Croton and Siliting, monitoring the movements of the Syracusean army.

The specific measures are up to you to judge and decide."

"Yes!"

"Lydes!"

"Here!"

"Your cavalry legion will be the first to cross the river.

I want you to withdraw them all to the south to scout the enemy's retreat, and report back at any time.

However, you must not engage in combat with the enemy, especially when encountering mercenary cavalry!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lydes was a little frustrated.

He knew that Davos was a little uneasy about the combat effectiveness of the cavalry.

Although he was unwilling in his heart, he had to admit that those alien cavalry were indeed stronger than his men.

He secretly clenched his fists.

"All legion commanders and army commanders, come here and take another look at the location where your legions and troops will cross the river, and make the final confirmation!

I ask you to organize your soldiers to cross the Neto River as quickly as possible, and then quickly reorganize your formation, can you do it?!"

"Yes!" The legion commanders replied in unison, then squeezed in front of the map to carefully check the marks that Davos had made on the Neto River with a pen.

"Your Majesty, why do these arrangements you have made seem like preparations for a decisive battle, rather than chasing after a retreating enemy?!" Amintas couldn't help but ask as he watched.

Not only him, but other legion commanders also had similar doubts: all legions were lined up along the river, crossing at the same time.

After crossing the river, they quickly formed their respective columns, and the position of each legion seemed to have special considerations.

Also, the cavalry was not sent out to pursue, but only to scout…

Davos swept his deep gaze over them and said in a deep voice: "There is no need to rush to pursue the enemy.

As long as the Syracuseans retreat, we will follow the enemy, and such a large army will always have times of chaos.

What I am worried about is that the enemy will retreat and then return.

You must know that the commander of the Syracusean army, Diolinus, is a cunning person.

I would rather be cautious than rash, especially now that we have control of the entire war!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

By noon, the fog had dissipated under the continued sunshine.

Through the cooperation of the engineering camp and the legion soldiers, four pontoon bridges had been erected in the middle reaches of the Neto River.

In the lower reaches, hundreds of warships of various sizes were moored at intervals on the north bank.

The legion commanders, battalion commanders, company commanders, and squad leaders of Daonia had all made careful arrangements. The Neto River began to be bustling at this moment. Nearly 60,000 Daonian soldiers, already lined up and waiting, began to rush towards their respective target locations under the leadership of their respective officers.

The crossing point of the First Legion was close to the estuary. As the first company commander of the fourth battalion of the First Legion, Leotichides, according to the arrangement of the entire army, led 200 company soldiers, lined up in neat columns, waiting on the shore. In front of them stood a three-story oar warship, 30 meters long and six meters high.

"Hey, Prossos Uss (the pseudonym Leotichides took in Daonia), let's have a competition to see which company reaches the opposite bank first and forms the best formation!" Haitbarus, the company commander of another company next to him, shouted loudly.

Before Leotichides could answer, the soldiers clamored first: "The Second Company should take a look at their training level before daring to compete with us!"

"Compete then! Who's afraid of who! But if you lose, you'll be punished to do frog jumps!"

"Hey, what's going on! They won't let us board the ship yet, and they've already started moving!"

...

"Everyone be quiet and stay focused!" Leotichides roared, and the entire company immediately became silent.

Leotichides' company had extremely strict training, and he himself was stern and rigid. He would physically punish soldiers who were not serious in training, and even beat and scold them for serious offenses. Many citizens, upon entering his company, felt that they could not bear it and asked to transfer to other companies. However, in every legion competition, Leotichides was not only first in the competition and tactical trials of the officers, but his company also often ranked among the best in various events such as queue formation, attack, defense, camp construction, and siege. Therefore, there were many citizens who admired him and were willing to join his company, and the soldiers both respected and feared him.

"You can board the ship now!" The captain of the warship shouted loudly to the company on the shore.

"First squad, second squad, board the ship!" Leotichides shouted immediately.

The leading soldiers of the two squads quickly placed the ten-meter-long scaling ladders on the side of the ship. After the hooks at the top hooked onto the wooden railings, the soldiers climbed onto the deck one after another with swift movements. Soon, the two squads, a hundred people, were all on the warship, and the waterline of the entire warship sank by one grid. Fortunately, this was near the estuary, the river was deep, and each company was temporarily responsible for building a short, simple pier.

The warship raised its iron anchor, turned its rudder, and extended its oars. The huge hull began to slide south, and the speed became faster and faster. Even in the downstream, the widest part of the Neto River was only 80 meters, and the warship quickly reached the opposite bank. After the soldiers disembarked, the warship returned at an even faster speed.

In less than ten minutes,

the entire company had completed formation on the south bank of the Neto River.

At this time, Leotichides showed a hint of a smile, obviously satisfied with the performance of the soldiers.

"Pithias!" he shouted.

"Present!" The first squad leader responded loudly.

"Go ask the Second Company if they have formed their ranks?"

"Yes." When Pithias ran over, the soldiers of the company laughed.

Soon, a shout came from the side: "Your company didn't agree! That's why we slowed down!"

"You're cheating!" The soldiers of the First Company laughed even louder.

Leotichides actually liked this lively atmosphere of cooperation and competition in the Daonian Legion very much, which allowed him to relive the kind scenes of fighting with other warriors in Sparta, and also to forget those suffocating and painful things of the past.

He looked ahead, thinking in his heart: Battalion Commander Kuttips should be blowing the assembly bugle for the company.

...

On the north bank of the midstream of the Neto River, Davos stood on horseback on a high bank, overlooking the thousands of soldiers on the river bank.

Under the leadership of the military flags, they stepped onto the pontoon bridge in an orderly manner and advanced towards the south bank.

I don't know which officer came up with the idea of having the company they led sing the Hades hymn loudly to overcome the soldiers' fear of the constantly shaking pontoon bridge when crossing the river, but soon the singing resounded throughout the entire river section, and each legion, battalion, and company sang their own songs, as if they were competing to see who sang better, sang louder, and who was more combat-effective... ...

On the four pontoon bridges, four "long dragons" advanced rapidly towards the unknown south bank, with flags fluttering and songs flying... ...

This scene made Davos, who was overlooking, also feel excited, his face flushed: The Daonian League, after his hard work in the past few years, actually has such a large-scale army!

"Your Majesty, should we set off?" Kapus reminded from the side.

"You can't wait either?!" Davos smiled.

Davos arranged for the spear battalion led by Kapus to cross the river last. Although Kapus knew that he must have a deep meaning, the soldiers saw that the other legions were crossing the river in a rush, and they naturally couldn't wait to shout that they wanted to cross the river as soon as possible. This newly formed team was not as disciplined as the other legions, so this performance was normal.

Davos didn't embarrass Kapus either, and said, turning around: "Let's cross the river too."

The guards cheered immediately, and surrounded Davos. Hundreds of riders rushed down from the river bank, raising dust... ...

...

"Lord, the Daonian cavalry is approaching!" The scout galloped all the way to report urgently.

Dionysius, who was in the rear of the army and slowly marching towards Siris, was immediately refreshed when he heard the news: "How many cavalry are there?"

"There are about 1,000 cavalry."

"No matter how many Daonian cavalry come, they are just here to die. I will lead my men to kill them all now!" Achiri Taa loudly requested to fight.

"Don't worry." Dionysius, however, breathed a sigh of relief and showed a smile: "The Daonians have crossed so many cavalry across the river at once, their infantry must also be following across the river. Achiri Taa, if you lead the cavalry to rush over at this time, you will scare back the enemies that I have managed to lure across the river."

"Then what should we Numidians do?" Achiri Taa still didn't quite understand Dionysius's meaning.

"Your cavalry continue to retreat!" Dionysius stared at Achiri Taa, and then looked at Gaba, who was silent on the side, and gave a clear instruction in a loud voice. Only after the two nodded unwillingly did he feel relieved, and then said to the adjutant: "Let the messenger rush to the front of the team to inform Fasipesas to start leading the army back!"

"Yes!"

...

In the port of Laos, more than 6,000 Daonian soldiers were boarding ships one after another.

"Lord Bagules, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to stay in Laos for a few more days." Hilos said to Bagules, who came to see him off.

"Don't worry." Bagules responded solemnly: "Although I also long to go to the battlefield with you and participate in the battle, as a member of the Senate, I understand the importance of Laos to the alliance. I will handle the affairs here until the Senate sends someone to take over!"

Hilos also said solemnly: "Lord Bagules, please rest assured! Whether it is Bruttian soldiers or Lucanian soldiers, I will treat them equally. When the war is over, I will try my best to let them all go home safely!"

Bagules laughed heartily: "I entrust my brothers to Lord Hilos to command, and I am most relieved! I have already warned them that they must strictly follow your orders. If there is any violation, you can punish them according to the 'Military Law'!"

"Thank you!" Hilos sincerely thanked Bagules.

At this time, the messenger arrived: "Lord, the soldiers have finished boarding the ship, please give your instructions!"

Hearing this, Hilos immediately looked towards the city, with a slight hint of anxiety on his face. He said to Bagules again: "His Majesty is anxiously waiting for our actions. We have already delayed for a day yesterday, and time is tight! Lord Henipolis has not arrived yet, I will not wait for him, please convey my apologies to him."

"Um...um...you wait a little longer, he should be here soon..." Bagules persuaded with a strange expression: "Henipolis said...there is something very important to tell you."

"Something very important?" Hilos looked at Bagules with a suspicious look and asked: "What is it?"

"Um, wait for him—" Bagules was thinking about how to prevaricate when a clear voice came from behind him: "Lord Hilos, I've kept you waiting!"

Hearing this, Bagules breathed a sigh of relief.

Hilos widened his eyes, because it was Henipolis in full armor who was walking towards him.

Do you need to wear armor for a send-off? Hilos remembered: Even when he recaptured Laos and the army entered the city, this young governor was wearing casual clothes.

Just as he was a little puzzled, Henipolis, leading 50 soldiers also in full armor, came to him: "Lord Hilos, let's go!"

"Go? With you?" Hilos thought he had misheard.

"When I left Thurii, His Majesty Davos once promised me to participate in and witness this war as his secretary, and Laos, as an ally of Daonia, has the responsibility to participate in the upcoming battle, so I am now going to fulfill my duty!" Henipolis said with a serious expression, but there was a hint of smugness in his words.

"You...but what about Laos?" At a time when Laos was waiting to be rebuilt, its governor actually left, which was why Hilos felt unbelievable.

"Yesterday, you and Bagules handled the affairs in the city very well. I have already talked to Lord Bagules and asked Aeliandos to fully cooperate with him. There is absolutely no problem, right, Lord Bagules?" Henipolis winked at Bagules.

Bagules shrugged helplessly in the face of Hilos's questioning gaze: "I have no choice. If I didn't agree to Lord Henipolis's request, I wouldn't be able to gather so many ships at all."

"Let's go, Lord Hiros, or we'll be delayed again!" Heni Polis urged triumphantly, leading the guards as they strode towards the pier.

Hiros had no choice but to accept Heni Polis's fact of joining the expedition and once again solemnly saluted Bagules: "Laos is entrusted to you."

Somewhat ashamed, Bagules returned the salute with equal solemnity: "Rest assured, may Hades bless your victory in the south!"

… … … … … … … … … … …

Just after Davos crossed the Neto River, he received a report from the messenger Tolmid: "Your Majesty, a squadron of Syracuse scouts has appeared ahead, and our cavalry is pursuing them."

"Leides's cavalry regiment has already been deployed, right? How could they have not discovered them and allowed them to intrude so close to our army?" Davos's tone was calm but carried authority.

The well-meaning Tolmid hurriedly explained: "Reportedly, these enemy horsemen were hiding behind the ruins of Croton, which is why they weren't discovered. Now, Leides is reorganizing his men to thoroughly search the ruins of Croton."

"Dionysius is certainly putting in a lot of effort to scout our army's movements!" Davos said with a sneer. He sat high on his horse, gazing ahead, his vision filled with squadrons of Daonian soldiers in small square formations. His expression began to turn grave: "I fear my worst fears are coming true… Tolmid!"

"Yes!"

"Notify the soldiers of each legion to don their weapons and equipment and march south at a normal pace! Tell Leides not to disperse his cavalry to search Croton. I want his cavalry to closely follow the Syracuse army, constantly reporting the enemy's movements, while fully concealing our army's movements! Let the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade handle the search of Croton."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tolmid then asked softly: "Should we notify the Crotonians in the citadel that we have crossed the river?"

Davos pondered for a moment and nodded: "Send someone to tell Lysias… Hmm, just say that we are leading the army to their aid and that a fierce battle with the Syracuse army is possible. Ask them to send as many troops as possible to join us!"

"Understood, Your Majesty!" Tolmid immediately turned to issue orders to the messengers.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Lord, my men have returned." Aciritas galloped to Dionysius's side: "Ten men were sent out, but only two returned, and they are covered in wounds. Although they are skilled riders, having to pass through so many enemy riders—"

"I know.

You have done well, and you will be rewarded handsomely later!" Dionysius impatiently interrupted his complaint: "Tell me quickly, what's the situation?"

"The Daonian army has crossed the river, and there are many, many of them…" The Numidian civilization was far less advanced than Carthage and Greece. Once the numbers exceeded ten thousand, they mostly lost count.

Listening to Aciritas's exaggerated words, Dionysius's initial worries dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face. The talk of retreating due to the rear being attacked was just a facade to lure the enemy across the river. He had only one goal in mind—to defeat the Daonian army. Only by achieving this goal could the Syracuse army escape its predicament. Dionysius had always been very clear about this.

His gaze swept towards Phibidas beside him, who nodded forcefully in agreement.

Dionysius resolutely ordered: "Order the entire army to halt its advance, immediately turn around, cross the Tacina River, and march north quickly!"

At this moment, his army had already crossed the south bank of the Tacina River. The entire army was about ten miles away from the Neto River, which would take more than two hours of normal marching to reach. Therefore, he had to act quickly to prevent the enemy from realizing the trick and escaping back to the north bank of the Neto River. However, it would probably take several hours for an army of tens of thousands of people to cross the Neto River… He had enough time…

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Around noon, the fleet entered the port of Knapetia.

The port of Krapetia was not large. Although two administrators had expanded it after it joined the Daonian League, the port's natural conditions were not good, and its capacity to accommodate ships had not been significantly improved. Therefore, transport ships could only slowly queue up to enter the port one by one…

"Lord Hiros, welcome to you! It's been more than two years since I last saw you. When I heard you were coming this time, I came to the dock early to wait for you!"

Asistes gave Hiros, who had just disembarked, a warm embrace and then said: "His Majesty is really ruthless. These past few years, he's either kept me in Lucania or sent me to this remote Bruttian region, without giving me any leisure time to properly gather with you old brothers. The last time you were appointed as the administrator of Cosenza, I originally wanted to go to Cosenza to congratulate you, but I didn't expect the war to break out so quickly…"

Asistes spoke excitedly without stopping as soon as he came up, and Hiros only replied: "His Majesty is doing it for your own good."

"That's for sure. His Majesty treats me like a brother. He won't blame me even if I complain a few words." Asistes said with a brazen face.

"Lord Heni Polis, hello!" Heni Polis stepped forward to greet him.

When Heni Polis went to Thurii to study, Asistes had already gone to Niotum. He had only seen Heni Polis a few times each time he returned to Thurii to report to Davos, but he remembered this young man who was the only one lodging in Davos's residence.

"Lord Heni Polis, it's a pleasure to see you!" Asistes immediately returned the greeting warmly, then he remembered something and looked puzzled: "Your presence here suggests that Laos has been recovered. Shouldn't you be in Laos reorganizing the affairs of the city-state that has just experienced war?!"

These words actually had a bit of a reprimanding tone, but Heni Polis didn't mind. He frankly said: "Lord Bagules is now stationed in the city of Laos, and he is doing very well. As for me, I have to fulfill the promise I made to His Majesty to serve as his military secretary, so I came with Lord Hiros. I heard that Lord Asistes was His Majesty's first secretary, and I still need to ask you for advice and teach me some experience on how to serve as His Majesty's secretary."

Asistes laughed, his eyes glancing at Hiros. Seeing Hiros nod to him, he then said: "No problem, we can exchange ideas together. I think you will definitely do better than me, because I don't have your writing skills. I received a lot of criticism from His Majesty back then…"

Just as Asistes was modestly encouraging Heni Polis, a person behind him stood out: "Lord Hiros, we have been waiting for you for a long time!"

"You are?" Hiros sized up the stranger who spoke.

"Let me introduce you." Asistes hurriedly said: "This is the general of Terina—Blomaras. After the defeat of the allied forces in southern Italy, he led the people in the city to retreat to Knapetia, avoiding the tragic fate of Siris."

Blomaras solemnly said: "Lord Hiros, the citizens of Terina will follow you in battle to reclaim our homeland!"

"Your wish will soon be realized!" Hiros confidently promised.

"And this one—" Asistes pointed to another man beside him and introduced to Hiros: "Flararios, the captain of the Daonian fleet's trireme, has been waiting for you in Knapetia for a day on the orders of the naval commander Secrian."

Flararios stepped forward and gave a military salute: "Lord Hiros, our fleet is now anchored in the port of Tauriana. General Secrian has ordered me to discuss with you. After receiving the time of your attack on Terina, I will immediately return and tell General Secrian. He will lead the fleet, fully loaded with 4,000 soldiers from Regium, to land on the coast of Hipponium and cut off the route for Locri's reinforcements…"

After listening, Hiros couldn't help but sigh: "Now that our navy is stronger, it is of greater help to the army's offensive!"

He turned to look at the pier, where only a few hundred soldiers had landed, and the transport ships were lined up one after another, extending all the way to outside the port.

He looked back at Blomaras, the general of Terina, who was looking at him with anticipation.

"General Blomaras, how many soldiers do you have under your command?" Hiros suddenly asked.

"500 men." Seeing Hiros frown slightly, Blomaras added: "Including the older citizens, I can lead 900 men to fight with you."

"How many soldiers can Knapetia spare?" Hiros asked Asistes again.

"Knapetia has 1,500 reserve citizen soldiers, and I can send 1,000 to support you," Asistes said without thinking.

"How many enemies are there in the city of Terina?" Hiros then asked.

"Hmm… According to our reconnaissance these days, there may be 4,000 people, but more than half are citizen soldiers from Hipponium and Medma," Blomaras replied.

Hiros lowered his head and pondered for a while, then made up his mind and said in a deep voice: "I will now return to the ship and lead the fleet to land on the coast of the Ofeimya Plain and advance on Terina."

"What?!" Asistes was taken aback and hurriedly persuaded: "The soldiers have been bumping around at sea for several hours. They should be allowed to rest ashore, and it's not too late to set off tomorrow. What's more—" Back then, Asistes had fought alongside Hiros in Persia and knew that once Hiros had an idea, it was difficult to change his mind, so he pointed to Flararios and said: "You haven't coordinated with our fleet yet. Secrian hopes that the Regium army will launch an attack on Hipponium first to lure the enemies in Terina back to defend, so that you can easily capture it when you attack Terina."

"General Secrian certainly hopes to do that!" Flalios immediately echoed.

"The soldiers rested for a whole day yesterday, and have been on the ship all day today, so their physical strength and spirit are still relatively abundant. But look now—" Hilos pointed to the densely packed troop transport ships waiting on the pier and said anxiously, "It will take who knows how long to get more than 6,000 soldiers ashore! Moreover, I used to be the chief executive of Cosenza, and I know how large the urban area of ​​Knappetia is. Just helping to resettle the refugees from Trina is probably enough to fill the city of Knappetia."

"You don't have to worry about accommodation, I will try my best to arrange it! If there is really no room, you can camp outside the city." Yasistestes said confidently.

"I know that the outside of Knappetia is mountainous. Camping here is not as good as camping on the plain in front, where the soldiers will sleep better." Hilos remained unmoved and continued, "Moreover, you have been monitoring Trina's movements, and Trina's enemies are probably also paying attention here all the time. Our fleet has been staying outside the port for so long, how could the enemy not know! If they know we have arrived, even if Hibernian is attacked, they will strengthen their defenses against Trina! Instead of this, I might as well lead the army to attack Trina first, attracting the Hibernian garrison to come to rescue, and then Secrian will lead the Ligim people to attack the empty Hibernian defense. The possibility of success is greater!"

After he finished speaking, the others were a little moved. In fact, Yasistestes and Flalios both understood that Secrian had some selfish motives in specifying that plan, wanting the Daonian army to gain more achievements. However, Hilos didn't care about military exploits at this moment, and considered more about how to benefit the overall battle.

"Actually, whether attacking Trina or Hibernian is not the most important thing! The most important thing is—" Hilos looked at Yasistestes and said seriously, "His Majesty's army is now confronting the Syracuse army in Croton. The sooner we attack the enemy's rear, the sooner we can put the enemy in a passive position and allow His Majesty to gain the initiative, so that he can better defeat the main force of Syracuse and win this war! I have already delayed a lot of time in Laos, and now we must act as soon as possible!"

Yasistestes was deeply moved by Hilos' heartfelt words and immediately stated: "I understand, Lord Hilos! I will not stop you from landing in Ofimia. I will organize manpower to transport food and supplies for the troops, and immediately gather a thousand soldiers to set off from the land to meet you in Ofimia!"

"Lord Hilos, I will now gather the citizens of Trina, they have been looking forward to this day for a long time!" Bromaras said excitedly.

"Lord Hilos, my warship will set off with you, I want General Secrian to get the news as soon as possible!" Flalios also said immediately.

"Okay, let's meet in Trina!" Hilos solemnly performed a military salute.

"Alas,

Originally, I prepared a banquet tonight and wanted to invite you to my home to be a guest and meet my wife and children, but it seems that there is no chance this time!" Yasistestes sighed, and gave a few instructions to a port official next to him. The man ran to the pier to direct the ships and clear the waterway so that the troop transport ships could leave the port smoothly.

"Lord Hilos, may Hades bless you and everything goes smoothly!" After Yasistestes sent his sincere blessings, he asked again: "Lord Henipolis, would you like to be a guest at my home, and by the way, I can talk to you about how to be a good secretary for His Majesty?"

Henipolis was a little moved. He turned his head to look at Hilos.

Hilos suggested: "You should stay in Knappetia and go to meet His Majesty after he leads the army into the Ofimia Plain."

Henipolis hesitated for a moment and finally said: "Lord Yasistestes, thank you for your invitation! I came with Lord Hilos, so I should go with him."

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Yesterday, they were attacked by Syracuse rockets for most of the day. Lysias and others led the citizens and were busy until evening. They were tired and thirsty, and fell directly on the square outside the temple, sleeping until dawn.

The Syracuse rocket attack that worried them the most did not come again, and looking down from the acropolis, they could not see a single enemy. Lysias, Milon and others, who were surprised, decided to send people out to investigate after discussion.

In fact, the messengers who were sent from the acropolis to the Daonian camp for help many times yesterday were able to return safely, and they already knew the intentions of the Syracuse people, but this only slightly weakened the resentment of Lysias and other Croton leaders towards Daonian for not providing assistance.

The scout quickly returned to the acropolis to report: not only could they not see the enemy in the city, but even the Syracuse camp outside the city had disappeared!

Lysias looked at Milon in surprise and joy, and said in disbelief: "Could it be that the Syracuse people have retreated?!"

"Very likely." Milon pondered and said, "If the Syracuse army is going to attack the Daonian camp on the north bank of the Neto River, they would not demolish their own camp."

"So we can leave the acropolis!" Hisplos licked his parched lips and said excitedly.

His words received enthusiastic responses from others. They had not had water for most of the day, and everyone's throats were smoking.

Lysias was also undecided at the moment, and asked hesitantly: "Milon, what do you think?"

"As far as I know, Dionysius is an extremely cunning person. He may deliberately lure us out of the city, and then let his thousands of cavalry quickly kill back. More than half of us are women, children and the elderly. Once we leave the acropolis, it will be difficult to escape their pursuit!" Milon said worriedly.

"Are we going to stay in the acropolis and die of thirst just because we are worried about the Syracuse people's tricks?!" Sitipolos asked loudly.

"Of course not." Milon said sternly: "We can send people to continue to investigate the movements of the Syracuse people to the south, and at the same time send messengers to the Daonian people on the north bank of the Neto River to request protection, and also ask them to send a fleet to transport water to the port, and then transport the water to the acropolis while there are no enemies in the city…"

"Good idea, let's do it!" Lysias immediately decided, and the others also agreed.

At this moment, the messenger sent by Davos arrived at the acropolis.

The news that "the Daonian army has crossed the river" cheered the Croton leaders, but Davos's speculation about "there may be a battle with the Syracuse people" made them feel nervous.

"Although I was a little dissatisfied with the 'indifference' of the Daonian people before, now that they have really crossed the river, I don't want them to come over…" Lysias said with a solemn expression.

"Yes." Milon also felt the same way. He said with contradictory feelings: "According to the messenger's description just now, the number of Daonian troops is about 55,000, and according to my previous understanding of the Syracuse army's siege situation, they probably have no less than 70,000 soldiers, a difference of more than 10,000 people! If Daonian and Syracuse really have a battle here today, we must fully assist Daonian! Otherwise…"

"This is a must! If Daonian is also defeated, we will all become slaves of that Sicilian tyrant!" Siplos did not know when he arrived at the Croton leaders' council hall and said loudly, "We Trina people have decided to go to meet the Daonian army immediately!"

The Croton councilors looked at each other and then discussed.

Finally, Lysias said loudly: "We Croton will also send General Milon to lead most of the Croton citizen soldiers to join the Daonian army!"

Milon squeezed out a smile: "I just want to take the citizen soldiers to ask for a glass of water to drink!"

He wanted to relax the atmosphere in the solemn meeting hall, but everyone looked nervous and no one laughed.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Just as Croton was gathering more than 4,000 soldiers and Siplos was leading nearly 900 Trina people to prepare to go down the mountain, the Daonian army had reached the front of the former Syracuse camp.

Dionysius relied on his strong military strength. In addition to building relatively tight defensive facilities on the side facing Aspru Tusstum, he only set up earth base and wooden fences in the camp on the side located in the core area of ​​Croton, and did not even dig trenches. He even hoped that the Croton people would attack the camp, so that he could severely damage them. Therefore, when retreating, he only needed to push down the earthen wall, which did not hinder the Daonian army's advance much.

At this moment, Davos received a report from the scouts: the Syracuse army had stopped retreating and quickly turned around, approaching them, and the enemy's cavalry also began to attack, driving away the Daonian cavalry.

Dionysius is really here! Since there had been some speculation and preparation in advance, Davos did not feel too surprised. The more he thought about it, the more he issued orders: "The entire army slowly retreats, while guarding against the enemy's cavalry attack! Notify Ledes, don't fight the enemy's cavalry head-on, retreat first!"

Although Tolmid was puzzled, he still rushed to issue military orders.

Since the Daonian army did not adopt the usual column marching method after crossing the river, but spread out in a line, marching south with a large wide front. The troops of more than 50,000 people stretched for seven or eight miles from west to east. In order to ensure the rapid transmission of military orders, Davos and Tolmid discussed a method, that is, two orderlies were set up every kilometer at the rear of the entire team to ensure the rapid and convenient transmission of orders between Davos and the various legions.

The Seventh Legion is located at the far right of the main force, adjacent to the Tachinardi River. Legion Commander Matonis, after hearing the words of the orderly, said that he could not understand: "Why retreat?! The enemy is chasing after us, retreating at this time will only lead to a decline in morale and confusion in the formation! We should go up and fight the enemy! … …"

The messenger did not answer, only emphasizing again: This is King Davos's order!

Matonis was speechless for a moment. He angrily gave a loud order: "Tell the captains of each battalion to lead their brothers to retreat, a very slow retreat!…"

For the experienced legion commanders, Davos didn't need to give more detailed instructions. They all knew how to deal with the attacking cavalry, and the seventh battalion of the legion was sent to the front of the formation.

When the Numidian and Celtic cavalry pursued the Daonian cavalry and arrived in front of the Daonian formation, they saw a long line of infantry retreating, guarded by skirmishers formed by light infantry behind the heavy infantry, who shot arrows at the enemy cavalry, preventing the Numidian cavalry from getting close to the formation and throwing javelins.

Although these foreigners were fierce, they wouldn't be foolish enough to charge into such a large military formation. They stopped their pursuit and maintained a safe distance from the Daonian army…

… … … … … … … … … … … …

"What did you say?! The Daonians are retreating!" Dionysius, who had just crossed the east bank of the Tachinadi River, became even more anxious when he heard Akhelias' report. He was afraid that the Daonians would realize they had been tricked and quickly retreat back to the north bank of the Neto River before he could lead his troops there, rendering the past two days' efforts futile.

"Order the troops to advance faster, don't let the enemy escape!"

"Yes!"

"Wait a minute!" Phibidas suddenly shouted loudly.

Although Dionysius was displeased that he interrupted his order, he also knew that this taciturn Spartan would only speak at this critical moment if there was a reason.

"You just said that the Daonian 'formation' was retreating. You used the word 'formation', why?" Phibidas asked Akhelias directly.

Akhelias disliked Phibidas' rude tone, but he knew that Spartans were not to be trifled with, and said impatiently: "That's right, I said 'formation' because the Daonians were retreating in formation."

Dionysius' heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

"What kind of formation?" Phibidas pressed.

Akhelias thought for a moment, then simply drew a 'horizontal line' forcefully on the muddy ground with his toe: "Like this, very long, very long…"

Phibidas bent down, looked at the ground, and asked: "Which direction are we in?"

"Here."

Akhelias pointed to the front of the 'horizontal line' with his toe.

Phibidas' guess was confirmed. He raised his head, looked at Dionysius, and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid the new Daonian king was prepared for our plan. He's setting up a large net, waiting for us to rush into it. By then, your soldiers will be exhausted, without a complete formation, and will be no match for the Daonians. All that awaits you is defeat."

Dionysius looked down at the ground that had just been smudged by Akhelias's foot and fell into deep thought. Although he was unwilling to believe that the seduction plan he had painstakingly implemented had been seen through by the young man from Daonia, and that he had been seduced by the other party instead, Phibidas' words were like a slap in the face, making his face burn. Fortunately, this war was a matter of survival, and he had no intention of dwelling on these matters. He coughed a few times and said, "Then what do you think we should do now?"

"Stop advancing immediately, arrange the formation, and press on at a normal speed!" Phibidas drew another 'horizontal line' in front of the 'horizontal line' with his foot.

"If we do that, it will take too long, and the Daonians may escape completely," Dionysius said worriedly.

As an observer, Phibidas was able to maintain a calm attitude: "Let them escape, it's better than being defeated by them."

Dionysius was silent after hearing this. He was indeed caught in a dilemma, full of contradictions.

He turned his head and looked back at the sky filled with dust stirred up by the huge, rapidly marching army…

He looked closely at the dense mass of soldiers passing quickly in front of his guard. Although their armor, shields, and spears were still slung over their shoulders, their undershirts were already soaked with sweat, and the sound of their rapid breathing gathered together, even deafening…

Looking ahead again, the vast Croton Plain was unusually quiet except for the occasional mercenary cavalry galloping by, but the Daonian army might be waiting in full force in a place he couldn't see…

Dionysius hesitated for a while, and finally made up his mind: "Phibidas, do as you say. I've decided to let you arrange the formation."

Phibidas didn't decline, looking excited. This was exactly what he had hoped for.

"Do I need to withdraw my men?" Akhelias asked.

"You and Gaba's cavalry continue to drive away the enemy's cavalry, preventing them from spying on our formation. At the same time, you must closely monitor the enemy's movements," Phibidas began to issue orders: "Also… tell me the detailed situation of the Daonians' formation…"

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Time had passed noon, and there was still no sign of the Syracuse army, and Davos was suspicious. Fortunately, although the Daonian cavalry was suppressed and unable to observe the enemy, the Daonian fleet was rampant at sea. They had circled to the coast of the southern Croton plain, and because they did not find the Syracuse army that should have been retreating, Midolades, feeling suspicious, decisively sent fast boats to land quietly on secluded beaches, sending sailors ashore to investigate, and soon they discovered the secret of the Syracuse people.

It turned out that the Syracuse people were forming a formation! Receiving the news from the returning fast boat, Davos's mood was a little complicated, not sure if it was regret or anticipation.

He whispered to himself: "It seems you, Dionysius, are still cautious. Since you're not coming, then I'll go over. Let's have a fair and square showdown!"

"Order, the entire army turns around and marches south!" Davos's pride soared, and he issued the order loudly.

"Why are we going south again?!" Many soldiers were confused and dissatisfied with the back-and-forth orders.

But the legion commanders and senior officers had already sensed the approaching battle, and warmongers such as Amintas and Matonis were already excited.

"Report, Your Majesty, 5,000 reinforcements from Croton and Trina have arrived!"

Davos's spirits were lifted when he heard this: "That's great! Who are the leading generals?"

"Trina is Xippos, Croton is Milon."

Davos was stunned: "Milon? Milon who was expelled from Croton?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have already confirmed it, it is him! After this war broke out, he was recalled by Croton, and after the fall of Croton, he was urgently elected as a general by the Acropolis citizens," Tolmid had foreseen that Davos would have questions, so he had investigated in advance.

These two generals were old acquaintances! After the Second Croton War, Davos had some understanding of Milon's command abilities. And he was in frequent contact with Xippos, and Davos even believed that "he is a broad-minded, flexible-minded political figure in the heart of the South Italian Allied City-States who can best see the overall situation".

Both of them were capable, and Davos felt much more at ease. He asked again: "Are the reinforcements they lead all heavy infantry?"

"There are only 300 light infantry, and the rest are all heavy infantry," Tolmid replied.

"In that case…" Davos thought for a moment and said, "Let them form a line on the left end of the First Legion and advance with the army."

"Forming a line on the far left?" Tolmid, who understood Davos's battle plan, asked with some concern when he heard this: "Your Majesty, that may be the focus of the enemy's attack. Can they withstand the enemy's attack?"

"The Syracuse people have occupied their city and slaughtered their relatives. Their hatred for the Syracuse people far exceeds ours, and their fighting spirit is even more vigorous than our soldiers! I believe that even if they fight to the last man, they will never retreat!" Davos said slowly but firmly.

"I understand." Tolmid didn't hesitate any longer and turned to prepare to head to the messengers, but was called back by Davos: "Go and tell Milon and Xippos in person that because the military situation is urgent, I cannot go to meet them. The great battle is about to begin, and I hope they will do their best to prepare and work together to avenge the Syracuse people who have invaded our homeland and harmed our people!"

"Yes."

… … … … … … … … … … … …

The troops of Croton and Trina descended the hill, detoured to the north gate of the city, and all they saw along the way were broken walls and ruins, which further increased the anger in the soldiers' hearts. Milon and Xippos had a hard time controlling them to only disperse and not chase after the small number of Numidian cavalry that came to harass them, and finally caught up with the Daonian army marching south. After receiving the order conveyed by Tolmid, Milon and Xippos breathed a sigh of relief.

Because their troops came from the east, they happened to be located on the far left of the entire Daonian army formation. They only needed to deploy their troops and connect with the Daonian First Legion, without having to expend more effort. You should know that the soldiers were a little out of breath after rushing all the way.

Seeing that the two commanders were somewhat relaxed, Tolmid couldn't help but remind them: "My lords, according to His Majesty's pre-war analysis, our left wing will be the focus of the enemy's attack. You must be vigilant!"

"Why?" Milon and Xippos asked in unison.

Before each battle, Davos would explain his combat intentions to the legion commanders and senior officers in detail to ensure that they could execute them smoothly. Moreover, the great battle was about to begin, and Tolmid had no need to hide anything. He said solemnly: "Because the number of Syracuse soldiers is greater than ours, His Majesty ordered the Seventh Legion to march along the east bank of the Tachinadi River after crossing the Neto River. In this way, the best choice for the Syracuse people to take advantage of their numerical advantage is to focus their attack on our left wing."