Davos, sensing his doubt, specifically explained: "Capys has completed the initial plan, and our left flank is already safe. Victory is only a matter of time. But I didn't expect Matonis and Olives' legions to perform so well, pushing the right flank so far forward. It's clear that the enemy's left flank is quite weak. Now I want to put even more pressure on Syracuse's left flank. Do you think it will collapse?!"
"I'll go notify Izamus now. I'm afraid he's been waiting impatiently," Tolmid said, understanding Davos' plan, and rode towards the reserve team on the side rear.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
At this moment, Dionysius, having learned that "the cavalry was repelled and the right flank's rear was attacked," was pacing around anxiously. He didn't expect that his eager anticipation of a great victory on the right flank would be met with such a result.
"You immediately find Astagoras and have him reorganize the cavalry for me. Immediately attack the Daonians again, or he and his family can reunite in the underworld!" Dionysius roared violently.
The messenger quickly rode off to the rear to find Astagoras.
"Your Excellency, a messenger from Silus has arrived with an urgent report!" An attendant rushed over, looking nervous.
"Whatever it is, we'll talk about it after the battle. I don't have time now!" Dionysius glared at him irritably, scaring the attendant into silence.
Just then, another scout rushed over: "Your Excellency, several thousand Daonian soldiers have crossed the Tacina River and are flanking the left wing!"
What?! Hearing this news, Dionysius completely panicked.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"Are you saying that what you saw was an empty camp!" Hilos asked again, somewhat uncertain after hearing the scout's report.
"Yes, General. I and several other subordinates approached the wooden palisade of the Syracuse camp, but we didn't see any activity inside." After hearing the squad leader's words, Hilos fell into thought: According to previous battle reports, Syracuse has an army of seventy to eighty thousand men. If so many soldiers are not in the camp, where could they be? The answer is obvious. His Majesty Davos must have led reinforcements to Croton! The Syracuse people cannot abandon the camp and retreat to Syracuse, otherwise his scouts would have seen His Majesty Davos' army by now. Therefore, the most likely possibility is that the Syracuse people are engaged in a battle with Daonia!
With this startling answer, Hilos' heart pounded. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, pondered for a moment, and resolutely ordered: "Order the entire army to immediately stop building the camp, put on their armor, take up their shields and spears, and form a column to march towards Croton!"
Adjutant Hegesistratus, upon hearing this order, exclaimed "Ah!" immediately: "Are you saying… we're marching towards Croton now?!" It's no wonder he was nervous. The direction of Croton is where the Syracuse army is stationed. Hilos' small force dares to venture deep alone. Once the Syracuse army presses over from the north and the Syracuse garrison blocks from the south, this unit will have no chance of survival.
"I'm certain that His Majesty is currently engaged in a battle with the Syracuse people. We must immediately rush to help His Majesty win this battle that will determine the life and death of Daonia!" Hilos said resolutely.
Although Hegesistratus had only worked with Hilos in Consentia for a few months, they had a relatively harmonious cooperation in political affairs. He knew that Hilos was a steady person and not reckless.
This time, Hilos stepped down as the chief administrator of Consentia, and Sedorum took over, also serving as the wartime governor of the Bruttium region. With Sedorum's understanding of the Bruttium region, he didn't need Hegesistratus' assistance at all, and might even find him a hindrance in Consentia. You should know that the source of Daonia's conquest of the Bruttium region was the riots of their Siren tribe. Who knows if Sedorum might harbor resentment. Therefore, Hegesistratus requested Hilos to recruit soldiers and manage the Bruttian warriors, and eventually became the adjutant of this temporary force.
Now that Hilos has made a rational judgment, what Hegesistratus can do is obey and appease the Bruttian warriors.
Not long after the order was conveyed, General Bromaras, the commander of Trina, who had already joined the unit, rushed over and was subsequently persuaded by Hilos' words: "If this battle is won, the city of Trina will not need to be forcibly attacked and will easily return to our hands. But if the battle is lost, even if we retake Trina today, it will be retaken by the Syracuse army tomorrow, and the entire Magna Graecia will be in danger!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
After the battle had lasted for two hours, the Syracuse side, except for the center, which could still basically maintain a balance, was in trouble on both the left and right flanks: The right end of the right flank suffered heavy losses under the combined attack of the spear brigade and the Cretan reinforcements. If it weren't for the lack of coordination between the spear brigade and the Cretan allied soldiers, who were temporarily entangled together and unable to deploy smoothly, and the Syracuse right flank being thick enough, with some experienced soldiers taking the initiative to split off from the rear of its center and left end to block the spear brigade's further westward advance, the right flank would probably have collapsed already;
However, on the left flank, its soldiers were far less elite than the right flank. Being able to maintain morale even when encountering a flank attack was already commendable. Although the attack of the light infantry was far less effective than that of the spear phalanx, Dionysius' military reforms had only just begun, and the drawbacks of the large phalanx had not been fully emphasized. Once the battle began, not only low and mid-level officers, but even senior generals had already lost control of the troops. Moreover, the composition of the left flank was complex, and once the rear was attacked, it was impossible to conduct effective command in a timely manner, so that the soldiers in the rear ranks could uniformly turn backward to intercept the enemy. Therefore, the formation began to become chaotic.
Originally, Dionysius, with his superior numbers, could have completely prevented this situation from occurring, but unfortunately, he was still bound by Greek military tradition and did not retain the awareness of a reserve force. He also wanted to defeat Daonia in one fell swoop and win the battle, so he pressed all the troops in his hand from the beginning. Now, wanting to transfer troops from the camp to resist the Daonian army attacking the left flank was already too late in terms of time.
The chaos that appeared on the left rear of the left flank quickly infected the soldiers fighting in the front ranks. These Magna Graecian soldiers were already not very motivated. The ears, covered by almost airtight helmets, initially faintly heard the shouts of killing from the rear, but later the sound became louder and louder, and when the support from the rear weakened or even disappeared, they began to panic. Coupled with the fierce attack of the enemy in front, fear instantly occupied their entire bodies, prompting them to disregard everything and turn around to flee, even pushing down their teammates in the rear. When one, two, or three soldiers successively fled, panic would spread rapidly like a plague… Soon, the entire left flank could not hold on and began to collapse.
When this news was urgently transmitted back to Dionysius, he already looked defeated: He was powerless to do anything about this battle. Even the guards around him had been sent to assist the left flank earlier, but… he had lost this gamble, lost to that new king of Daonia whom he both valued and despised…
Despite how unwilling he was, Dionysius knew that he had to admit this fact, and he had to make a decision quickly.
"…Retreat…" He uttered this word with difficulty, and then immediately turned his horse and went back.
Fortunately, the attendant was by his side, otherwise he might not have been able to hear what he was saying clearly.
"Your Excellency, this…" The attendant was also unwilling and still had some expectations, so he instinctively wanted to persuade him.
If it were in the past, if anyone dared to question his decision, Dionysius would either scold them or secretly remember it for future reckoning. But now he didn't have the heart to do so. What he was thinking about was how to minimize the losses of the Syracuse army after the defeat in the battle, because the collapse of the left flank might lead to the Daonians blocking the Tacina River and cutting off the Syracuse army's return route. He had to let the army retreat to the west bank of the Tacina River camp as soon as possible (previously, in order to lure the Daonian army across the river, he had ordered the demolition of the camp on the east bank of the Tacina River, in the core area of Croton).
When dozens of buglers sounded the retreat, Dionysius said to the attendant again: "Send someone back to the camp to notify Artemis (the commander of the camp garrison) to send out troops to meet us back to the camp on the east side of the camp!"
"Yes, Your Excellency!" The attendant suddenly remembered something and reminded him: "Previously, a messenger from Silus reported that five or six thousand Daonian soldiers had landed on the Euphimia Plain, preparing to attack Trina."
Upon hearing this, Dionysius was furious: "Why didn't you say such an important thing earlier?!"
The attendant felt wronged but dared not argue.
Originally, Dionysius had planned to retreat to the camp for defense first, but now it seemed that retreating to Syracuse was the safest…
… … … … … … … … … … …
Phibidas, at the front of the Syracuse right flank's center, even though he had undergone strict military training since childhood, was now somewhat exhausted after two hours of constant fighting. But the enemy in front of him, even after he had stabbed several of them down, still had new enemies rushing up to fight him bravely, forcing him to use all his skills and be careful to deal with them.
In fact, he already felt that there was a problem with his offensive plan, because looking around, the Daonian left flank array in front of him not only hadn't collapsed, but its attack was becoming more and more fierce, while the pushing force behind him was becoming weaker and weaker. He could vaguely hear the shouts of killing from the rear. Although he was extremely anxious in his heart, he did not dare to be distracted in the slightest.
Finally, the retreat bugle sounded.
The soldiers on the right flank of Syracuse, who were struggling to resist the spear battalion and the Crete reinforcements, were granted amnesty. They turned and fled. The originally solid formation collapsed in an instant, and the fleeing soldiers, like a flood from a breached dam, vented outwards at a rapid speed…
Seeing the soldiers beside him fleeing, Phibidas did not panic. He threw the lance in his hand at the enemy at the first moment, then smashed the round shield at the opponent, forced a little space, and immediately turned and ran away, while also throwing away his helmet. Although he had experienced many battle failures before, Phibidas was still frustrated by the failure of the battle while running away quickly…
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Your Majesty, the enemy has retreated! We won! We won this battle! Daonia won!" Tolmid looked at the soldiers in the center of Syracuse, who were retreating like a tide, and was extremely excited.
Davos listened to the cheers of the guards around him, and finally showed a smile on his face: "Order each unit to spare no effort and pursue the enemy with all their strength!"
"Yes!" Tolmid responded loudly.
"Your Majesty—" A shout came from behind. Davos turned around and saw Rodom looking excited, and immediately understood what he was thinking, and said with a smile: "The guard can also participate in the pursuit."
Immediately, cheers rang out around him, only Martius and a few other guards remained unmoved and stayed by Davos' side.
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Chief Akili Ta, Lord Dionysius orders you to lead your men and kill them again with me!" Astaglas finally found Akili Ta, who had already fled to the east bank of the Tachinadi River.
Akili Ta's face, covered by disheveled hair, was uncertain. He shirked and said, "My men have all run away, and it is difficult to gather them together in a short time."
"Akili Ta." Astaglas sneered: "You are a smart man. If we Syracuse are defeated this time, with what you have done on the land of Daonia, do you think the Daonians can spare you alien races! There is a Mediterranean Sea between Magna Graecia and Numibia. Can you ride your horses back to Numibia?!"
Akili Ta's face changed drastically. He was only concerned with escaping, and didn't think about it carefully for a while.
At this moment, his subordinates exclaimed: "Chief, the enemy is chasing us again!"
Akili Ta had already made a decision in his heart: "General Astaglas,
Let's repel these cavalry first."
Astaglas happily saw the change in Akili Ta's attitude, and immediately led more than 300 cavalry to join the remaining 200 cavalry around Akili Ta to meet the enemy.
At this moment, a "rumbling" sound of footsteps came from the left front. Astaglas and Akili Ta subconsciously looked to the north. The increasing noise made them feel uneasy.
Soon, when countless Syracuse soldiers appeared in their sight, rushing towards them like a tide, everyone changed color.
"Retreat quickly!" Akili Ta quickly turned his horse around and fled in a panic with the Numibian cavalry, and many Sicilian cavalry followed closely behind.
We were defeated?!… Astaglas couldn't believe this fact, and was stabbed off his horse by the pursuing Daionian cavalry in a daze…
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Daonia has won! We won! Croton has won!!…" Lysias and the scouts they sent out ran all the way to the ruins of the north gate of Croton, shouting excitedly and incoherently.
The Croton people watching the battle on the city had already burst into tears. Although they were far away from the battlefield and could not see clearly, all the soldiers were running south. Could it be that Syracuse had won! At this time, countless people shed tears of excitement: Croton was finally saved!!!
Lysias had been standing nervously in front of the battlements, paying attention to the battle. As soon as he relaxed, he realized that his legs were so sore that he could not stand. What he faced was a pile of rubble and a devastated urban area. The ecstasy of surviving a near-death experience suddenly turned into deep sorrow: Although the people of Croton were saved, the city of Croton no longer exists…
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
When deciding to retreat, Dionysius also planned to have the garrison of the camp prepare for the reception and block the chasing troops behind, so that the fleeing Syracuse soldiers could successfully enter the camp. Facts have proved that this is fundamental impossible to achieve.
Because the mobilization of the garrison in the camp was discovered by the Daionian troops in Asprostrum, who were closely monitoring the movements of the camp. At the same time, the news brought by the mountain reconnaissance team that "Daonia won the battle" made Agasia extremely excited. Although he was the chief executive, he was also a mercenary and had rich combat experience. He decisively took action and personally led 3,000 garrison troops to attack the Syracuse camp, which blocked the road south of Asprostrum.
The Syracuse garrison was disturbed by the news of the failure of the battle, and was divided into troops to leave the camp. Facing the Asprostrum army that was attacking with all its strength, they had no intention of fighting. After barely resisting for a while, they easily allowed the excited Daionian soldiers to break into the camp.
Dionysius also wanted to reorganize the army during his escape, but the relentless pursuit of the Daionian army made his efforts futile. The attendants he sent out were either caught up or knocked down by the fleeing soldiers, who snatched their war horses.
Sixty to seventy thousand people kept pouring into the Tachinadi River, and the entire river was almost cut off. The slippery silt and the subsequent pursuit by Daionian soldiers left a floating corpse after the terrified Syracuse rout crossed the river.
The garrison of the camp was frightened by the tide of fleeing soldiers, and had no idea of receiving them. They took the lead in turning around and fleeing.
The surging tide of fleeing soldiers crushed the narrow camp gate, and some fleeing soldiers simply pushed down the wooden fence and poured into the camp. However, the pursuers also entered the camp.
At the same time, shouts of killing from Daionian soldiers also rang out on the north side of the camp. It was the Asprostrum army that rushed into the camp and was chasing the retreating garrison.
The Syracuse rout was afraid of being cut off from their return route, so they dared not stay in the camp any longer, so they continued to flee south…
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"General Hiros, the Syracuse people have been defeated by us! They are fleeing to Silting! There are too many of them!…" The scout galloped over and said excitedly and nervously.
At this time, Hiros had already led his team across the Tachinadi River and entered the territory of Silting, and was marching towards the northeast, preparing to reach the Syracuse camp.
Upon receiving the scout's report, Hiros immediately realized that this was a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy. He immediately asked: "How far away are the Syracuse people from us?"
"When I came back, they had already run into the 'corridor'."
Hiros had served as the chief executive of Asprostrum. During his tenure, he had surveyed the terrain in this area many times and was relatively familiar with it. He of course knew that the "corridor" mentioned by the scout actually referred to the southern plain of Croton on the west bank of the Tachinadi River. This narrow strip of coastline between the territory of Silting. Its north side is a continuous mountain range, and its south side is the ocean. This coastal corridor is about 36 miles long and the narrowest point is ten miles wide, and his army is at least 15 miles away from entering this corridor. It doesn't seem difficult to get there and intercept them before the Syracuse rout runs out of the corridor. But you need to know that his army is walking on uneven hills, while the Syracuse people are running on the flat beach, not to mention that they are rout, and their speed is quite fast.
Hiros pondered for a moment and immediately ordered: "The whole army is marching at full speed, run for me!"
This run made the soldiers complain. You must know that at least half of this Daionian-Trina coalition army were heavy infantry. Fortunately, these soldiers from Bruttium have developed the habit of obeying discipline and strictly executing orders after years of training, while the Trinians are supported by the flames of revenge. More importantly, the news of "Daonia's victory in the battle" gave them great encouragement.
When they arrived at the corridor, the distance between the head and tail of the team was four or five miles long. Many soldiers sat directly on the ground, panting heavily, and they were drenched in sweat, shouting for water. In the next half an hour, Hiros, who was equally exhausted, tried his best to reorganize the team while trying his best to let the arriving soldiers have a good rest and recover some strength as soon as possible.
Most of the soldiers had arrived, but there were still stragglers arriving one after another, in twos and threes.
At this moment, the scout reported: The Syracuse rout was only two miles away from the troops.
The rational Hiros did not let the soldiers with limited physical strength block the rout head-on. He knew that the tens of thousands of rout who were determined to escape back to Silting would not only be blocked by his thousands of people, but also likely to put these tired and inexperienced soldiers into the torrent of escape.
So he immediately ordered the troops to line up with their backs to the mountains and diagonally to the coast, leaving a gap several miles long for the rout to pass through. This way, even if their attack was fierce, the Syracuse people would not resist too much because they were determined to escape.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Daionian pursuit continued until dusk before the bugle for retreat sounded.
According to the statistics after the war, in this battle that determined the fate of Magna Graecia, Syracuse suffered nearly 20,000 casualties, most of whom were injured or died during the escape. More than 10,000 people were captured, which was more due to Hiros's credit. He first let the soldiers continue to kill and injure the rout running on the edge of the "coastal corridor", and then decisively ordered an attack, immediately intercepting the tail of the rout army. In the end, more than 30,000 Syracuse soldiers fled into Silting.
On the Daionian side, nearly 7,000 people were killed or injured, especially the Crete reinforcements suffered the most casualties, almost half of them were lost. Secondly, the spear battalion and the cavalry corps, as the key to reversing the battle situation in the entire battle, also paid a price of more than 2,000 people.
The result of the battle: Daonia defeated Syracuse's 65,500 soldiers with 58,000 soldiers, and ultimately won a great victory.
After issuing the "ceasefire" order, Davos turned and headed towards the Syracusan camp.
The road was filled with corpses and wailing wounded soldiers, their blood pooling into rivulets flowing into the sea, staining the coastline red.
Crows, drawn by the scent of death, flocked in droves to peck at the fresh flesh, barely flinching at the sight of people, only cawing.
In the blood-red glow of the setting sun, the battlefield strewn with corpses was eerily desolate, dampening Davos's victory-fueled excitement.
Arriving at the Syracusan camp, he found it already filled with Daonian wounded, injured during the pursuit.
The wounded from the main battle were being treated by medics from the Daonian camp north of the Neto River.
The wounded in the Syracusan camp were being treated by doctors from Aspruzio, but they were clearly understaffed, and many wounded soldiers could only lie and wait, leading to considerable resentment.
Seeing this, Davos immediately dismounted and strode over.
"Your Majesty?!"
"It's His Majesty Davos!"
"Your Majesty!!"
"Lord Davos!!"
… …
As soon as Davos approached, the wounded soldiers cheered excitedly.
"Warriors, I have come to heal you," Davos said, his hands gently pressing down, his expression gentle. "Please wait patiently, you will all receive treatment and recover soon!"
"To receive treatment from Your Majesty is a blessing from the gods! Rest assured, we won't make a sound, we won't disturb your treatment!" a wounded soldier shouted.
"That's right! We'll all be very quiet!" the other wounded soldiers echoed.
Davos saw that the speaking soldier looked somewhat familiar.
So he asked, "What's your name?"
"Tapirus, Your Majesty. I am the manager of Christoia's restaurant in Thurii. I was conscripted into the spear brigade this time and serve as a company commander," the wounded soldier replied fluently.
It turned out that after Davos issued the order to pursue, the soldiers of the spear brigade, hampered by their spears, also discarded their weapons like the enemy.
Since they were not wearing armor, they naturally ran faster, and they actually captured many fleeing soldiers.
But Tapirus was unlucky; the wounded soldier he caught up with was fierce and refused to surrender, instead drawing the saber from his waist and slashing his thigh.
If his subordinates hadn't swarmed forward and knocked the enemy down, he would probably have gone to the underworld.
"Oh, I know you," Davos recalled seeing this person in his own residence, so he stepped forward to examine his wound.
Davos not only had theoretical knowledge of treating illnesses and injuries, but also had considerable experience in treating wounds, as he often helped out when there was a shortage of medical personnel during his half-year campaign in Persia.
Even his guards, having witnessed it firsthand, were very familiar with the materials and procedures for treatment.
While Davos was treating the wound, Martius had already begun instructing his men to find pottery jars to boil water, find cloth, cut down trees, and make wooden boards.
The sharp Greek saber had cut a deep, bone-deep gash in Tapirus's left thigh, a bloody mess.
The doctor had Tapirus endure the pain, lifting and flexing his left leg, then reached out and pressed around the wound before smiling and saying, "Tapirus, it seems Hades has truly blessed you.
Your wound is large, but it hasn't damaged the main artery, nor has it severed any tendons or bone, so it's not a very serious injury, and you will recover quickly."
Although he didn't understand the medical terms Davos used, this news made Tapirus overjoyed, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Davos.
Davos stood up and instructed Martius, "After the water boils, clean his wound and bandage it…"
Martius nodded to show he understood.
Davos walked to a wounded soldier who had been shouting the loudest from pain and squatted down: This was a young Bruttian warrior, his face pale, his eyes looking at Davos with some apprehension.
Ever since the wounded soldiers promised to remain quiet, he had been clenching his teeth, not making a sound, but his still-childish face was covered in sweat.
His right shoulder drooped unnaturally, his right calf bent outward, he held his right shoulder with one hand, touched his foot with the other, his body hunched over, his expression pained…
It turned out that he had been too excited while chasing the enemy and hadn't slowed down when crossing the Tacina River, resulting in a fall on the riverbank, landing on his right shoulder first, causing a dislocation.
His comrades behind him didn't have time to dodge, and a foot without restraint landed on his right calf, resulting in a fracture.
Davos placed his hand on his right shoulder, and the wounded soldier flinched.
"What's your name? Where are you from? Which legion?" Davos asked softly.
"M… Mocrus, lives in Cosenza, came… came with General Hieronymus…" the wounded soldier stammered, enduring the pain.
Although his accent was a bit strange, he spoke Greek fluently for a Bruttian. He seemed a bit ashamed that he wasn't a legion soldier and emphasized, "But… but my father is a company commander in the Fifth… Fifth Legion!"
"Oh, you and your father are both good citizens of the League!" Davos praised sincerely, knowing that living in Cosenza meant that this soldier's family had broken away from the tribe and become true citizens of the League.
"But… but I came here and found out… found out that my father had already died in battle in… in Siris…" Perhaps infected by Davos's gentle gaze, Mocrus spoke the words he had been holding in his heart for days, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.
Davos's mood also became somewhat heavy because of this, and he comforted softly, "Mocrus, you haven't lost your father, he has transformed into a heroic spirit and gone to the carefree Elysian Fields.
In the future, when the annual Hades Festival is held, you can go to the Hall of Heroes in the Temple of Hades in Cosenza to worship him, and maybe he will meet you in a dream…"
"Is that true?!" Hearing this, Mocrus's eyes lit up, seemingly forgetting the pain, and looked at Davos with hope.
"Of course it's true!" Davos comforted him while taking advantage of his happiness and relaxation to exert force with both hands.
Mocrus let out a scream, startling everyone around him.
"Alright, your right arm can move now, but you can't use your right hand for the next two days!" Davos instructed.
Mocrus happily rotated his right shoulder, nodding repeatedly.
"Lift your right foot a little, let me see," Davos added.
"Your Majesty, will my foot be okay?!" Mocrus immediately complied, asking with both anticipation and unease.
Davos didn't answer him immediately, carefully examining Mocrus's right calf.
Although it was bent badly, the subcutaneous bruising wasn't severe, and there was no obvious hematoma, so the blood vessels shouldn't have been damaged.
He reached out and carefully palpated the calf.
Out of extreme trust in Davos, Mocrus endured the excruciating pain without making a sound.
After the examination, Davos confirmed that Mocrus's right calf had no large fragments or tendon ruptures besides the broken bone, and he breathed a sigh of relief, then said with certainty, "Don't worry, after treatment, you only need to rest for three months, and your calf will be as good as new!"
Mocrus finally smiled, thanking him sincerely, "Your Majesty, thank you very, very much!"
… … … … … … … … … … … …
By the time Agasia received the news and called several doctors from Aspruzio, Davos had already treated a dozen wounded soldiers.
With these doctors taking over, he didn't continue the treatment, but talked to Agasia about important matters: "This Syracusan camp cannot accommodate all the legion soldiers, so tonight two or three thousand people need to rest inside Aspruzio, especially these wounded soldiers!"
"Your Majesty, I have already asked the people in the city hall to arrange this matter, and there is absolutely no problem!" Agasia's answer surprised Davos, who glanced at him.
Being able to see the problem and take the initiative to solve it is a quality possessed by an excellent administrative officer, and he didn't expect Agasia, who had been working outside for the past few years, to have developed it.
Looking at Agasia's somewhat aged face (in fact, he was only 40 years old), Davos wondered if he had emerged from his initial troubles, and couldn't help but feel some emotion.
At this time, it was already getting dark, and the pursuing soldiers gradually returned to the Syracusan camp, beginning to rebuild the large number of tents abandoned by the fleeing soldiers.
Bonfires were lit everywhere, and the entire camp became lively and noisy…
The Syracusan prisoners also returned to the camp with the soldiers. According to previous practice, they were stripped of their armor and clothing, naked and exposed in the late winter evening.
Even on the coast, they were shivering with cold. The Daonian soldiers responsible for escorting them had no pity, and if they walked slowly or disobeyed, they would be poked with spears, causing them to scream constantly.
The onlookers just laughed and even cursed these prisoners.
Davos didn't stop the soldiers' actions. He knew that from the time the Syracusan army landed in Magna Graecia until today, no fewer than ten thousand Daonian soldiers and civilians had died at the hands of the Syracusans.
In particular, the outskirts of Aspruzio and Crimisa were almost all ruins, and the soldiers needed a channel to vent their anger.
Moreover, compared to those severely wounded Syracusan soldiers who fell on the road back to Siris, constantly wailing but ignored, and finally could only close their eyes and wait for death, these prisoners were already lucky.
Davos thought for a while and said, "Agasia, you can temporarily put aside the administrative affairs of Aspruzio tomorrow and be responsible for escorting these prisoners back to Thurii."
Agasia was stunned for a moment, and said with some embarrassment: "Your Majesty, these prisoners probably number no less than ten thousand! There are only more than two thousand citizen soldiers in Asproustum. I still have to leave some soldiers to guard the city. I simply can't keep an eye on so many prisoners..."
"The several thousand soldiers of the spear battalion will be under your command and return to Thurii with you." Davos already had a plan in mind. After this battle, the number of Syracuse's army will be far less than the army he leads. Moreover, they have experienced a disastrous defeat. The regular legions of Daonia are fully capable of defeating them. Next, I'm afraid it will mainly be siege warfare, and the spear battalion will be useless.
"Alright." Agasia nodded in acceptance. He looked at the procession of prisoners passing by not far away and said worriedly: "Now that there are more than ten thousand more prisoners, the food within the League is probably even more strained."
"Ansitanos set sail for Carthage a few days ago. I believe that this time we will be able to sign some agreements with Carthage," Davos said with confidence.
"Carthage?" Agasia frowned: "Didn't they reject our request for alliance before?!"
"The situation now is different from when the war just started—" Davos was about to explain it to him in detail when a loud shout came from a distance: "Lord Davos!"
Davos looked intently: A team was walking towards him, surrounding two people. The leader was Sipros.
Davos hurried to meet him, with the guards closely following.
"Thanks to you Daonians, we have finally won this important battle! We defeated the ferocious Syracusans! Magna Graecia is saved!" Sipros excitedly gave Davos a strong hug.
Davos patted him on the shoulder and said seriously: "If you hadn't held off the full force of the Syracuse's attack on the left flank, the outcome of this battle would have been hard to say. So, it should be said that we, the Southern Italian League, worked together to win this battle that concerns our life and death!"
"That's fair enough. Our citizens didn't die in vain!" A cold voice came from the side.
Davos turned his head to look: The speaker was a burly middle-aged man with a dignified expression on his square face covered with a thick beard, and his eyes looking at Davos were somewhat complicated.
"General Milon?" Davos had already guessed his identity.
"I am Milon, who was defeated by you a few years ago and ultimately forced to leave Croton." Milon's tone seemed a little unkind.
Davos didn't mind at all and said with emotion: "There is a saying in the East called 'No discord, no concord!' Back then,
Your rapid march towards Thurii really frightened the people of Daonia. I have long wanted to meet you, but I didn't expect that a few years have passed, and I only met you today. But fortunately, today Daonia and Croton are allies in life and death. I am very honored to be able to fight side by side with you in such a battle that concerns the life and death of Magna Graecia, and defeat a strong enemy! I believe that the most correct choice made by the Croton council in this war was to recall you, which enabled Croton to persevere until today, accumulate strength for our Southern Italian League, counterattack the Syracusans, and win time, so that we have today's victory! On behalf of Daonia, I thank you and the Croton citizens who fought to the death!"
After Davos finished speaking sincerely, he solemnly gave Milon a military salute. In fact, he didn't know what Milon had done after returning to Croton. These praises to Milon were more of a compensation for Daonia's delay in rescuing Croton.
So, as soon as he finished speaking, the Croton soldiers behind Milon straightened their chests, filled with pride: This is the praise from Davos, the famous and undefeated general of Magna Graecia!
Even Milon himself was a little excited and hurriedly returned a military salute: "It is also my honor to fight alongside Lord Davos!"
"This is all the arrangement of the goddess of fate! Now that our Southern Italian League is as close as a family, we must make sure that the Syracusans have no return!" Sipros took the opportunity to echo.
"Lord Davos." Milon hesitated for a moment and said: "Croton may not be able to send troops to participate in the future attacks on the Syracusans. Now our acropolis has also been burned by the Syracusans' rockets, and the citizens urgently need to rebuild their homes!…"
"I understand." Davos said solemnly: "Croton has sacrificed a lot in this war! If you have any difficulties, please don't hesitate to tell us, Daonia will do its best to provide assistance! In addition, please rest assured to entrust these wounded from Croton to us for treatment, we will do our best to treat them!"
What the Croton people needed to hear most at this time were these promises made by Davos, the new king of Daonia! For this reason, Milon sincerely thanked Davos again and then led the team back to the Croton acropolis.
"Lord Davos, our Trina soldiers will continue to attack the Syracusans together with the Daionian army!" Watching the Croton team leave, Sipros immediately said loudly.
"Very welcome!" Davos said happily. He knew what Sipros's fundamental purpose in doing this was: "I think that when we attack Silting tomorrow, the city of Trina should be easily retaken."
"May Apollo bless us!" Sipros also had the same idea. He didn't think that after the disastrous defeat of the Syracuse army, the thousands of enemies in the city of Trina would dare to stay there, foolishly waiting for the attack of tens of thousands of Daionian troops alone and helpless.
"Your Majesty! Lord Davos!…" Just as the two of them were talking, a familiar shout came from not far away.
Davos opened his eyes in surprise and saw a young figure appearing in front of him: "Why are you here?!"
Henippolis shrugged and said easily: "I am here to fulfill my promise—to serve as Your Majesty's secretary."
"Heni, there is no need to rush to be my secretary at this time! You are the consul of Laos. Laos has just been taken back from your rebellious uncle. At this time, you should stay with the people of Laos and restore order to Laos as soon as possible after the war!" Davos stared at his relaxed look and couldn't help but earnestly reminded him.
"Your Majesty, you don't have to worry. Laos now has Aeliandos maintaining order in the city, and Bagulus helping to manage government affairs. At the same time, Hemon, the administrative officer of Nium, is always providing assistance. Whether I am there or not will not have any bad impact on the governance of Laos."
Henippolis's words stunned Davos: "You let Bagulus handle the affairs of Laos for you?!"
"Isn't it okay! The laws I want to implement were originally learned from Thurii. Bagulus, as the administrative officer of Grumentum, should be very familiar with this aspect and can fully cope with the various difficulties brought about by the political reform of Laos. Instead, I will hinder him from exercising his power there…" Henippolis said plausibly.
For a moment, Davos was speechless, but the expression on his face still showed rebuke: The highest consul of a city-state did not share the difficulties with the people of his city, but ran away by himself. What would the people of Laos think if they knew about this!
It's just that in such a public occasion, Davos couldn't say these words. Just as he was thinking about criticizing Henippolis in private later, Henippolis saw through his thoughts, stepped forward and leaned closer, and said in a low voice: "The reason why I came with the army of Hilus is because there is a very important matter I want to discuss with Your Majesty!"
Seeing that he said it so solemnly, Davos subconsciously asked: "What's the matter?"
Henippolis glanced at Sipros next to him. Not only did he not let him avoid it, but he deliberately made his voice a little louder: "After this incident, I finally realized that my interest is not in managing city-states, and Laos cannot continue to develop safely and prosperously without Daonia, so I decided to merge Laos into Daonia!"
Davos was shocked when he heard this. In his eyes: When Henippolis said this, his expression was extremely serious, obviously after careful consideration.
Immediately, countless thoughts ran quickly through his mind, but he forcibly suppressed them and only said one sentence: "Let's talk about this in my tent later."
Then he turned around and introduced: "This is General Sipros, the chief general of Trina!"
Henippolis hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects: "Lord Sipros, I have seen you several times in Lord Davos's mansion before."
"Oh, is that so." Sipros smiled reluctantly. He used to go to Thurii every time to discuss matters at Davos's mansion, but how could he remember the young man he happened to meet in the courtyard. At this moment, he was shocked by the news he had just heard. It seemed that the high-spirited young man in front of him did not know what kind of impact it would have on the Daionian League and other city-states of the Southern Italian League once Laos took the initiative to request to join the Daionian League? And what should Trina, which has also experienced war and is dilapidated, do?
Sipros sighed secretly in his heart: "Lord Henippolis, congratulations on taking back Laos!"
Henippolis noticed the worry that flashed across his face, smiled secretly in his heart, but expressed his gratitude at the same time and said: "I just separated from General Bromaras. He should be escorting the prisoners with Lord Hilus now. The Trina warriors played a big role in intercepting the defeated Syracuse army this time!"
Sipros hurriedly asked about the approximate location of Bromaras and hurriedly led the soldiers away.
"This time, thanks to Hilus leading the army to arrive in time, otherwise the results would not have been so great!" Davos said with emotion, watching Sipros's departing back.
"Your Majesty, you wouldn't know, but Hilos has been urging us to hurry these past two days to buy time. We haven't had much rest, but unexpectedly, he actually managed to do it." Henipolis interjected from the side.
"Opportunity favors the prepared," Davos murmured thoughtfully, turning to look at Henipolis: "Let's go, come with me to the main tent and let's talk properly about what you mentioned…"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The next morning, as Davos led the combined forces from the original Syracuse camp and the city of Asproustum, setting out to advance on Sillyon, the passenger ship carrying Ansitanoos had already rounded the southwestern tip of Sicily. A strong south wind filled its sails, propelling the ship rapidly towards the African continent south of Sicily.
Ansitanoos had set out with Seclian's fleet a few days prior, separating from the fleet after passing through the Strait of Messina.
With no Syracusan warships patrolling the northern coast of Sicily, the passenger ship proceeded smoothly. Countless merchant ships plied this route, forcing the ship's helmsman to maintain a high degree of vigilance, carefully controlling the rudder to avoid collisions.
Around midday, the outline of land appeared ahead. Where those tens of thousands of ships converged lay the powerful Phoenician city-state established on the African continent—Carthage.
Carthage was situated on a peninsula formed by a series of sandstone hills.
On the city's northeast and southeast borders, two narrow, wing-shaped strips of land extended outwards. The latter almost divided the sea in two, enclosing a vast lagoon (now known as Lake Tunis). A continuous and precipitous line of sandstone cliffs protected the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal plain to the south was protected by a series of sturdy walls, moats, and ramparts.
In the city's northeast corner, on the lagoon's seaward side, were two magnificent harbors. The outer sides of the harbors were enclosed by long, high walls, which also served as breakwaters. The two harbors were connected, sharing a sea entrance 21 meters wide that could be closed with chains.
The first harbor was for merchant ships, with dock areas built from massive sandstone blocks, solid and durable. Behind the docks stood a row of tall, wide warehouses, with countless laborers pushing carts back and forth between the docks and warehouses, transporting various goods in a constant stream.
After entering the commercial port, merchant ships moored at the docks one after another. The central channel was not allowed to be occupied for long periods, as it was reserved for Carthaginian warships entering and exiting. The military port was located inside the commercial port, separated by a very high double wall with only a single water gate connecting them, its width only sufficient for two triremes to enter side by side…
Ansitanoos, aboard the passenger ship, kept watch from the bow as they approached the shore.
Even after disembarking, he still gazed towards it, but the tall, thick double walls blocked his view, preventing him from seeing the interior of the military port.
However, during his last visit, Ansitanoos had learned some details about the military port from the locals: it was said to be a circular military port, a stroke of genius by Carthaginian architects based on the specific terrain of the port. They had maximized the flexible use of available space, with the military port surrounding a small island. Huge docks were located in the spaces around the harbor and the island, and the embankments were full of dry docks, said to easily accommodate more than 300 triremes…
Ansitanoos disembarked, accompanied by his retinue, and walked into the city with the bustling crowd.
The bustling crowd in the port area included various Mediterranean races, and even some races from beyond the Mediterranean could be seen here, such as: extremely tall, fair-skinned Germanic people, Britons with indigo patterns painted on their bodies, and people with skin as black as night, said to come from tribes south of the African desert, near the rugged peaks that Carthaginian adventurers called the "two-wheeled chariots of the gods" (now Mount Cameroon)… These were all part of the "outside world" that Ansitanoos, as a historian, could not imagine but yearned for.
In the Mediterranean, only the Carthaginians had the ability to achieve this! While marveling at this, Ansitanoos ignored the occasional strange glances cast by passersby.
Many Greeks traded in Carthage, and some even settled there, but Carthage's several wars with Syracuse had resulted in heavy Carthaginian casualties. As a result, the Carthaginian attitude towards Greeks had changed. It was said that Greeks residing in Carthage were expelled, their property confiscated, and some were even beaten to death on the spot. Only recently had the situation improved somewhat.
Carthage's main city was built on a hill, namely Byrsa Hill, with the Carthaginian citadel at the top.
Within the citadel was the Temple of Eshmun, famous throughout Africa. However, the temple did not enshrine Melqart, the supreme god of the various Phoenician city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean, but another high god, Baal Hammon. In the eyes of the Carthaginians, Baal Hammon was the Lord of the Furnace, the Master of the Crescent Moon, the protector of Carthage. His massive bronze statue, clad in a robe, wearing a conical headdress, sporting a long beard, holding a spear in one hand and his palm facing upwards in a gesture of blessing, stood in the center of the citadel, overlooking the city of Carthage. Baal Hammon's wife, the secondary goddess Tanit, held a position in the hearts of the Carthaginians no less than that of her husband. She was the city's female protector and guardian, and was also enshrined in the Temple of Eshmun.
With the Temple of Eshmun as its center, Carthage's urban area was arranged in a radial pattern down the hillside.
Ansitanoos walked towards the city center, practically climbing a mountain. The narrow streets, sloping hills, and crowded people forced him to be careful to avoid falling.
In contrast to the poor roads, Carthaginian citizens' homes were almost all six-story buildings. They stood in rows on both sides of the street, mostly built of huge sandstone blocks, plastered with white plaster, which not only ensured protection from the natural environment, but also shone like marble in the sunlight. A few of the houses had outer walls built directly of marble, with colorful and unique patterns, which were amazing. The further into the city he went, the more obvious this became, demonstrating the extent of Carthaginian wealth.
After passing through the narrow streets, the area suddenly opened up, and the Carthaginian city square was in sight: this square was actually behind the military port, not far from where Ansitanoos had landed, but because he had to go around the military port, he had traveled a longer distance. Around the square were the Carthaginian Senate and the Temple of Melqart.
Ansitanoos did not go to the Senate, but instead went straight through the square to another district. This district was different from the others, not only were the roads wide and there were no high-rise buildings, but they were all courtyards, each courtyard occupying a large area.
Based on his memory, Ansitanoos arrived at the front of a luxurious mansion, which was home to one of Carthage's two Suffetes (i.e., the highest magistrates), now the true ruler of Carthage—Hanno the Great.
The last time Ansitanoos visited Carthage, he had also come to visit Hanno first, but unfortunately Hanno was at his estate outside the city at the time and they were unable to meet. Therefore, this time Ansitanoos hoped he would have better luck.
In fact, Hanno had been staying in the city for some time, because the news of the Syracusan army's continuous victories in Magna Graecia had made the Carthaginian Senate uneasy, and they were constantly monitoring the progress of the war in Magna Graecia. As the servant came in to report, Hanno was on the rooftop terrace, completely naked, lying on a comfortable couch basking in the warm sunshine, with a young maid massaging him with oil.
"An envoy from Daonia requests an audience!" Hearing the servant's words, Hanno fell into thought. Things were different now. Daonia, as the only force in Magna Graecia still resisting Syracuse, had just sent news of the "Daonian fleet's great victory over the Syracusan navy in the Thurii Sea," which had confirmed their strength. This forced the Carthaginians to abandon their previous contempt and face this emerging Greek city-state alliance that they did not yet fully understand.
"Take him to the drawing room to wait for me," Hanno said.
When he put on his gorgeous robe and walked into the drawing room, he saw Ansitanoos standing in front of the statue of Baal Hammon, gazing intently at the god.
"Do Greeks also have reverence for our Carthaginian deities?" Hanno said as he walked towards his seat.
"Respected Lord Hanno!" Ansitanoos hurriedly gave him a solemn salute, then returned to his seat and said in a humble but respectful manner: "I am somewhat curious about your state's deity Baal Hammon, because Sophocles once mentioned that 'your god Baal Hammon has a great similarity to Cronus' (Sophocles was a famous Athenian playwright who has passed away)."
Hanno "hmph"-ed, a layer of anger covering his face: "Foolish Greeks, when the Phoenicians created trade prosperity in the Mediterranean centuries ago, you Greeks were still huddled in pitiful and barren lands. And when we Carthaginians sent fleets across the Pillars of Hercules and sailed far into the ocean, you Greeks had only just established city-states in the Western Mediterranean. If you had a little bit of intelligence, you would be able to tell that it is your gods who resemble our gods…"
"What you say may be true, and it would be better if there were more evidence to prove it! Could you show me some information on this?" Ansitanoos did not refute, but instead earnestly requested.
Hanno was somewhat stunned. He had originally thought that this Daonian envoy would angrily argue with him because of this. The earnest and pragmatic attitude displayed by the other party made him feel a trace of goodwill and curiosity.
"Envoy of Daonia, I imagine you haven't come this time to study and research the Carthaginian gods." Hanno said with a hint of a smile, his words carrying a deeper meaning, "Unfortunately, our answer remains the same as last time. Carthage will always uphold its agreement with Syracuse, so you may be disappointed."
"Lord Hanno, we of Daonia will not put Carthage in a difficult position, nor do we have any intention of forming another alliance with you." Ancytalus said earnestly, "I have come this time on behalf of the Daonian Senate, hoping to engage in trade with Carthage."
"What kind of trade?" Hanno asked, his heart stirred.
"Grain!" Ancytalus said directly, "We Daonians are fighting fiercely against the Syracusan invasion. Due to the extensive destruction of our territory by the Syracusans, the entire alliance's food supply is extremely strained. If we cannot purchase large quantities of grain from outside, our army will not be able to hold out for long and will be unable to fight due to lack of food! At that time, the Syracusans will be able to easily defeat our soldiers, occupy Daonia, and thus achieve their goal of completely controlling Magna Graecia."
Hanno's right eyelid twitched. He pondered for a moment and said, "If it's just purchasing grain, we might consider it. This year, Africa has had plenty of rain, resulting in a bumper grain harvest. Carthage does have a lot of surplus grain, but I've heard that Daonia has a large population. The amount of grain you need is probably not a small number. Your war with Carthage has lasted so long, do you still have the money to buy grain?"
"I've heard that Carthage has also been short of funds recently and is unlikely to give us preferential grain prices, and our treasury is indeed almost exhausted. However, the people of Daonia have enthusiastically donated the silver coins they have treasured at home, all to defeat Syracuse and restore peace to Magna Graecia, so we can afford to buy grain!" Ancytalus said passionately.
His words shook Hanno, not only because of the Daonian people's determination to fight Syracuse to the death, but also because the phrase "Carthage is also short of funds" touched his sensitive nerves.
Why would Carthage, such a wealthy city-state, be short of money?! That's because the several wars with Syracuse have caused huge losses to the Carthaginian treasury, and although the war has ended, the Carthaginian treasury continues to be depleted. In order to guard against the powerful Syracuse, the Carthaginian Senate decided to rebuild the defensive circle in western Sicily to ensure the safety of the city, and for this reason, they appointed Mago as the commander of the army in Sicily, giving him some autonomy.
After Mago took office, he not only recruited laborers and purchased large quantities of materials to build defensive fortresses, but also, because the Carthaginian citizen soldiers suffered heavy casualties in the war, he also recruited tens of thousands of mercenaries from regions such as Celtic, Numidia, and Iberia to make up for the lack of troops. To this end, the Carthaginian mint had to produce a large number of highly valuable amber gold and silver coins every month to pay the mercenaries' salaries. The bulk of Carthage's monthly trade income and mineral income from Iberia and Sardinia was spent on this.
But this is not the main problem that Hanno is worried about. What he is most worried about is: the devastation of Magna Graecia by the Syracusan army has made the Carthaginians increasingly nervous, so that with the support of those allies of the Magonid family, Mago's power in Sicily is constantly expanding. A few days ago, he also sent a letter requesting the Senate to grant him the power to mint coins in Sicily, in order to save the trouble of ships transporting large amounts of gold and silver coins back and forth, as well as potential dangers, such as encountering storms that could lead to shipwrecks… The Senate has been arguing about this matter for several days.
During this period, Hanno has been feeling uneasy: Mago's constantly expanding power in Sicily has threatened his political dominance in the Carthaginian Senate. He had finally seized the leadership of Carthage from the Magonid family, and he would never allow Mago to take it back!
Seeing Hanno frowning and falling into deep thought, Ancytalus then said, "Of course, if you allow it, we hope to use Syracusan prisoners to offset part of the cost of purchasing grain."
"Syracusan prisoners?" Hanno was somewhat puzzled. Although he had received news of the Daonian navy's victory, he was not very clear about the specific battle situation.
"Our fleet defeated the Syracusans at sea off Thurii and captured tens of thousands of Syracusan sailors. During my two visits to Carthage, I deeply felt the Carthaginian people's hatred for the Syracusans. I think that if we can let the Syracusan prisoners be their slaves, perhaps it can help them vent their hatred…" Ancytalus said unhurriedly.
Hanno's eyes lit up: exchanging grain for Syracuse slaves might win the favor of the Carthaginian people.
Of course, this is not the most interesting thing for Hanno. He leaned forward slightly, stared at Ancytalus, and asked in a deep voice: "Your fleet was able to defeat the Syracusans, which is very surprising! But can your army defeat Syracuse's powerful army?!"
The Carthaginians have always believed that their navy is the most powerful in the western Mediterranean. In the previous wars with Syracuse, the reason for the two disastrous defeats of the navy was not due to a real showdown at sea, but because they were trapped in ports and bays, either attacked by ballistae, or because surprise attacks caused the sailors to not even get on the ship. The Carthaginians were not convinced, so although the Daonians' victory in the naval battle was surprising, it did not give Hanno a big shock, but the huge Syracusan army did make the Carthaginians feel fear.
"Lord Hanno, if you understand Daonia, you will know that since the establishment of the Daonian League by our King Davos, he has never encountered defeat in his command of operations, and on many occasions, he has won more with less. Previously, Daonia suffered some setbacks, that was because His Majesty King Davos was leading his troops to fight the Samnites in the north. Now he has led his troops back to Thurii, and the victory in the naval battle was achieved under his planning.
Before I left Thurii, he had already led his troops to Croton, preparing to resist the large Syracusan army there. Although the number of our soldiers is less than the Syracusan army, all the soldiers and generals are full of confidence in His Majesty Davos and are willing to obey his orders and fight the Syracusans to the death! As long as we have sufficient food, I believe we will definitely be able to defeat the Syracusan army in the end!" Ancytalus said excitedly, which was rare for him.
Hanno stroked his beard and his eyes flickered. Although he had never commanded an army, he had discussed the war in Magna Graecia many times with his subordinates who were familiar with military affairs and the senators who were attached to him: If the Daonians can really defeat the Syracusan army, and the Syracusan navy has also suffered a disastrous defeat, the Syracusan soldiers who invaded Magna Graecia may not be able to return to Sicily. Then, does Carthage still need to worry about a Syracuse with greatly weakened strength?! The safety of Carthage's north is guaranteed, so there is no need to defend against Syracuse on the island of Sicily, and there is no need to spend money to maintain a large number of mercenaries. Mago's position as governor of Sicily can also be revoked! …
Hanno's mind turned countless thoughts, and then he said with a smile: "Tomorrow morning, you go to the Senate, I will invite you in and tell the senators the requirements of Daonia."
Ancytalus was overjoyed when he heard this. With the words of Suffete Hanno, the matter of purchasing grain will definitely be approved by the Carthaginian Senate.
"Thank you, Lord Hanno!" Ancytalus said gratefully in a loud voice.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
The news of the Syracusan army's disastrous defeat reached Trina that night, causing panic among the defending soldiers in the city. It was only because it was too late and they were afraid of accidents that they did not dare to retreat to Siris in the dark.
Early the next morning, more than 3,000 Trina defenders began to prepare to retreat.
But shortly after leaving the city, an accident happened: more than a thousand Hibernians were unwilling to go to Siris and only wanted to return south to their own city-state.
After some negotiation and argument, the Syracusan garrison general reluctantly agreed. By the time they started to retreat eastward again, more than an hour had passed. What was worse, they were carrying a lot of supplies looted from Trina, which slowed down their movement. Just after crossing the Lamatus River, they were discovered by the Daonian outpost cavalry.
Upon receiving the news, Ledes sent someone to report to Davos in the rear while urgently leading more than a thousand cavalry to harass them in order to delay the enemy's time to escape back to Siris.
The first and second legions at the forefront of the marching column also sent out light infantry and light infantry battalions to intercept them after receiving the news.
The two thousand Trina defenders felt bad when they discovered the Daonian scouts. Under the general's strict orders, they put on their armor, picked up their shields and spears, abandoned their excess baggage, and accelerated their marching speed.
However, the undulating hilly road was not easy to walk. About half an hour later, the Trina defenders were still six miles away from Siris, but the Daonian cavalry corps had already arrived.
Before the cavalry corps could throw their javelins, a thousand Caulonian soldiers suddenly knelt down and surrendered, causing the already panicked Trina defenders to fall into chaos and disarray.
Seeing this situation, Ledes decisively ordered: the cavalry directly charged the enemy.
The Syracusan defenders of Trina immediately collapsed. Under the pursuit of the cavalry corps, they were either killed in battle or captured. In the end, only a hundred or so people escaped back to Siris.
The Hibernians who retreated south were also unlucky. They ran head-on into the Ligurian army that had landed on the coast north of the Hibernian city on the Sikelian fleet.
How could Phayllus let go of this great opportunity to fight more with less? He immediately led his army to attack fiercely.
The Hibernian garrison on the city wall watched in horror as their compatriots were easily defeated by the Ligurian army outside the city, scattering and fleeing, but they did not dare to go out of the city to meet them, and instead closed the city gate tightly.
An hour later, more than 5,000 Ligurian soldiers surrounded the city of Hibernia.
.....
At this time, Davos had already led the army into the territory of Silting.
During the march, he had been thinking about what kind of military action to take next in order to completely defeat Syracuse and end the war, so he had been very quiet along the way.
Hennipolis, who was beside him, looked high-spirited.
Last night in the big tent, Davos finally affirmed his idea and carefully considered several proposals for him to safeguard his interests, so when he got up early today, he no longer had to think about the city of Laos, and felt exceptionally relaxed all over.
He excitedly talked to Tolmid for a while, and then chatted with Martius, wanting to know the details of yesterday's battle, and seemed very active.
The Daonian army arrived outside the city of Silting without any hindrance.
This was originally within Davos's expectations.
He took the guards around the city to scout: the city wall of Silting was about seven meters high, and the circumference of the city wall was more than one mile.
It did not have a moat, but a trench in front of the city, with three city gates in the west, south, and north.
The port was surrounded by the city wall and integrated with the city.
Compared with Thurii and Croton, it was not a big city, but it was much larger than towns such as Trina and Hibernia.
According to the results of the interrogation of the prisoners last night, Davos roughly understood the strength of Syracuse in the city of Silting: there were 4,000 garrison troops in the city of Silting, as well as more than 20,000 civilians and slaves from Syracuse and its allies, who were mainly responsible for the transportation of food and supplies.
In addition, there was a special group of nearly a thousand people that Dionysius had gathered in Sicily, including knowledgeable mathematicians, skilled construction engineers, mechanical engineers, carpenters, shipbuilders, etc.
Dionysius was able to break through the city of Croton precisely because of the crossbows, siege towers, belly bows, and various siege equipment and facilities they made, which was also the group of people Davos most coveted.
In addition, there were Croton and Silting soldiers captured in the Lamato River battle in the city.
Dionysius had already sold some of the prisoners to slave traders, and there were still three to four thousand people.
In addition, now that the defeated soldiers of Syracuse had also retreated to Silting, the number of people in the city was probably as high as more than 60,000.
If Dionysius had not already killed, sold, and plundered the people of Silting, the city of Silting would not be able to accommodate so many people.
Davos looked at the Syracuse soldiers densely packed on the city wall,
imagining whether these Syracuse soldiers who had just experienced defeat would still maintain their composure when he issued the order to attack the city.
Of course, Davos would not rashly attack a town with more than 30,000 soldiers and possibly 20,000 reserve soldiers.
He had other plans to implement.
On the city wall, Dionysius looked down at the team of people galloping quickly a hundred meters away from the city with a complex expression, and squeezed out a gloomy voice from between his teeth: "I heard that Davos of Daonia likes to go to the front to observe the enemy's situation before every big battle, presumably he must be among them!"
"Do you want to fire crossbows at them, hoping that Apollo will bless you so that the stone bullets will hit him on the head?" Phibidas said mockingly.
His arms and waist were wrapped in bandages, looking like a mummy.
He was seriously injured in yesterday's battle and escaped by chance.
After treatment, he slept until noon today.
Hearing that the Daonian army had arrived, he still braced himself and went to the city wall.
Dionysius did not speak.
Phibidas guessed right.
He really had such an idea in his heart.
"I never thought that our so powerful army would be defeated by this young man we call?" Phibidas's exclamation was full of doubt.
After escaping back to the city yesterday, he had no time to explore the details of the battle, so he still did not understand how the Syracuse army was defeated.
"It was precisely because your battle deployment was completely seen through by the Daonians, and they made targeted arrangements that we failed..." Dionysius closed his eyes with a painful expression: the temporary change of formation on the left wing of Daonia, the spear phalanx hidden behind the cavalry, the flanking attack on the right wing of the Daonian reserve team...
He did not want to recall the nightmarish battle scene of yesterday.
He somewhat resented and pushed the main responsibility for the failure on the Spartans, but he was unwilling to admit a fact: the Syracuse soldiers were not as good as the Daonians in quality.
Even if the strength of the left, middle, and right routes was greater than the opponent's, they failed to give the opponent enough pressure, so that the opponent dared to boldly draw troops and implement their plan.
This time it was Phibidas's turn to be speechless.
Although he had not yet figured out the reason for the failure, it was a fact that his tactics did not work.
"However, it's just a defeat in a battle.
Years ago, we were defeated by the Carthaginians in a battle, and we were also surrounded by a large army, and even the people rioted.
The situation was more critical than today.
But under my command, with the help of Spartan allies, we finally defeated Carthage.
I heard that the Carthaginian general Himilco also committed suicide!" At this time, Dionysius looked around at his subordinates with low morale.
He realized that he could no longer indulge in failure and must cheer up, otherwise the next battle would be even more difficult.
At the same time, he could no longer be critical of Phibidas, because in such an extremely unfavorable situation for Syracuse, Syracuse would rely more on Sparta: "Don't think that the Daonians are proud because of their victory today, but with the protection of Apollo, we Syracusans will let these Daonians, who were just freemen a few years ago, know that the final victory will only belong to Syracuse!"
"Lord Dionysius is right.
In the past few years, when facing Carthage, which time did we not win after defeat and eventually become the master of Sicily?
Is Daonia stronger than Carthage!" Damocles immediately echoed loudly.
"The Daonians are not scary.
We must re-boost the morale of the soldiers and wait for the opportunity to give the enemy a counterattack!" Fasipesas also said loudly.
The generals and ministers were encouraged, and their faces began to show radiance.
Even the frustration in Phibidas's heart dissipated a lot.
Only Androsthenes, the head of intelligence on the periphery of the crowd, was puzzled: since Dionysius was not afraid of Daonia, why did he secretly send an envoy?
.....
After Davos circled the city for a week, he returned to the army and issued an order: build a camp one mile away from the city.
His plan was to take advantage of the enemy's recent defeat and low morale to set up camp in a place so close to the city, and then quickly advance to the two wings and under the city to achieve the ultimate goal of completely besieging the city of Silting.
As soon as the order was issued, half of the 50,000 troops began to dig trenches and build earthen walls.
The other half was fully armed, vigilant against Syracuse's sneak attack out of the city.
Only Sipplos led more than a thousand Trina soldiers to march quickly to the west.
They were eager to take back their homeland—the city of Trina.
Just as Davos was urging the entire army to speed up the construction of the camp, Tolmid reported: the Syracuse envoy is asking to see you!
"Oh, it's you again!" Seeing the Syracuse envoy, Davos smiled meaningfully: "This time Dionysius sent you here, is he ready to surrender to me?"
"Lord Davos, our Syracuse is the overlord of Sicily.
Not only do we have 70,000 citizen soldiers and 500,000 people, but also a dozen great states are our allies, ready to listen to our summons," Damocles said proudly.
"Even if we fail in the naval battle and in the battle, losing a lot of warships and soldiers, this failure is nothing.
Our Syracuse can organize an army no less than the number of the current army to come to Magna Graecia at any time.
Can Daonia do it?!"
"Since Syracuse is so powerful, you should go to the port of Silting to welcome the arrival of your new army, what are you doing here with us!" Secretary Hennipolis said sarcastically.
Damocles ignored him, but looked at Davos, and said with a solemn expression: "Because if the war between Syracuse and Daonia continues, no matter who wins or loses in the end, it will weaken the strength of us Greeks in the Western Mediterranean, and will benefit the native forces who hate us Greeks, such as the Carthaginians, the Messapians, and the Samnites... I think neither Lord Dionysius nor Lord Davos would want to see such a situation occur.
Therefore, Lord Dionysius sent me to represent him to ask Lord Davos a question.
He proposed, 'Both sides cease fighting, and ask Lord Davos if you agree?'"
"What an absurd joke!
Who led the army to invade Magna Graecia before, burning, killing, looting, and doing all kinds of evil!
At that time, why didn't your tyrant consider that such a brutal invasion and slaughter would greatly weaken the strength of the Greeks on the Italian peninsula and benefit the nearby natives!
Oh, now that you have been defeated, you think of peace and maintaining the interests of the Greeks—ha!" Heripolis laughed loudly: "I just want to know if Dionysius knows the meaning of the word 'shameless'!"
Damocles avoided answering, but said confidently: "It was not Syracuse who started the war first, but the Southern Italy Alliance.
If you had not attacked Locri, we would not have accepted the invitation of our allies to come to Magna Graecia—"
Hennipolis laughed angrily and said angrily: "I now know what is called—"
At this time, Davos raised his hand and waved, Hennipolis stopped talking, but glared at the Carthaginian envoy hatefully.
"Since Dionysius wants to negotiate, what are the conditions he's offering?" Davos asked calmly, as if Damocles' previous words had never been spoken, which only added to Damocles' pressure.
He bowed and said, "Lord Dionysius's proposal is that the Syracusan army returns to Sicily, returning all occupied territories and towns of Magna Graecia, as well as prisoners. However, the South Italian League must also guarantee that no war will occur with the Locrian League…"
"What?!" Hagnonides, unable to restrain himself, shouted loudly again, "Do you take us for fools?! After slaughtering so many Daunian citizens, turning the lands outside Crimisa and Asprustum into ruins, and stirring up civil strife in the Bruttian region… Now that you've been defeated and trapped in Sybaris, we're about to settle accounts with you for all these blood debts, and you think you can rely on a negotiation to smoothly escape back to Sicily? Not so easy!"
This time, Damocles did not ignore him. He looked at Davos and said seriously, "Negotiations aren't solely dictated by Syracuse. You can also propose your own conditions."
Davos pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Come back tomorrow. I need to seriously consider this matter and also discuss it with Terina and Sybaris."
Upon hearing this and seeing the conflicted expression on Davos' face, Damocles was immediately delighted: It seems this negotiation really has hope!
After Damocles left, Hagnonides finally couldn't restrain himself and asked with a surprised expression, "Your Majesty, do you… do you really want to negotiate with the Syracusans?!"
"Do you think it's possible?!" The calm expression on Davos' face suddenly turned sharp.
"But you just… just—" Hagnonides seemed to realize something.
"The Syracusan envoy's words just reminded me that even if we eliminate the enemy here, Syracuse can still piece together another large army to continue fighting us. Therefore—" Davos stared intently at the bustling camp ahead and said resolutely, "Our sights can't be limited to Magna Graecia. As the saying goes, 'If you don't kill the wolf, you'll be bitten by the wolf.' We must find every possible way to completely kill this vicious wolf of Syracuse!"
Hagnonides immediately became excited, "Your Majesty, are you preparing to attack Sicily?!"
Davos nodded. Considering that this young man would be his confidant in the future, he revealed a hint of his plans, "Aristyllus's men have already been active in Sicily. Taking advantage of this victory, we need to add another push—"
At this moment, Tolmidus came to report with a joyful expression, "Reporting, Your Majesty,
Secilianus has sent a messenger. His fleet, carrying 5,000 Rhegian soldiers, has landed on the Hipponian coast and already surrounded the city of Hipponium!"
Davos had previously heard Hylas mention Secilianus's plan, so he wasn't too surprised. He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then issued an order, "Tolmidus, go and summon Hylas, Antonios, and Hieronimus."
"Yes." Tolmidus turned and left.
"Hagnonides, I'll dictate, and you record. Write a letter."
"Okay." This was the first time Hagnonides had received a task as a scribe, and he answered excitedly. At this moment, the main tent hadn't been built yet. He looked around and quickly found a wooden board, cut out a piece of papyrus, and lay down on the grass, asking, "Who is the letter for?"
"To the Chief General of Rhegium, Lord Artilikrus."
"Oh." Hagnonides' eyes darted around. He knew that this was Davos's father-in-law.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Before long, several generals had arrived.
Davos didn't exchange pleasantries with them but went straight to the point, "Time is of the essence! The Rhegian army has landed on Secilianus's warships and surrounded the city of Hipponium. Medma's garrison is likely to head north to rescue them. I order you to lead your respective troops to Hipponium immediately, repel the Locrian reinforcements, and capture the city of Hipponium. I will send you an additional siege battalion."
As Davos spoke, his gaze swept across the faces of these trusted generals, finally landing on Hylas: Capturing Laos, marching quickly to Terina, decisively heading north to cut off the Syracusan army's return… The series of military actions taken by Hylas independently during this period amazed Davos.
Therefore, he said slowly, "This operation will be commanded by General Hylas. You must all obey his orders!"
Laedes heard this and had no objection. The cavalry had always been subordinate to the infantry, and there were few independent military actions. The siege and attack on Sybaris rendered the cavalry useless, and he was already delighted to be sent out to fight.
Hieronimus frowned but didn't say anything. Back in Persia, he was an officer in the mercenary army, while Hylas was just a squad leader. His qualifications were much greater than Hylas's. Now, he had to listen to Hylas's command. It was impossible for him not to have any thoughts, but Hieronimus didn't have much desire to fight for power as long as he was valued by the commander and had a place to display his talents. Moreover, in Magna Graecia these past few years, Hylas's performance had been obvious to all, and he admired him in both military and political affairs.
Antonios felt uncomfortable. After all, Hylas used to be his subordinate, but now he had to listen to Hylas's command, which made him feel very awkward. Moreover, he believed that his ability was no less than Hylas's, and he led the most powerful First Legion of Daonia. If those proud soldiers heard about this, they would probably cause an uproar.
Thinking of this, he was about to speak.
Hylas had already preemptively said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Lord Antonios is more suitable to be the commander of this military operation. Not only is he experienced, but the First Legion under his command is also the most reliable force in this operation! Having him as the commander will ensure that all the brothers who go to battle are willing to obey orders!"
Antonios glanced at him and then turned to look at Davos.
Davos smiled slightly. After several years of training, Hylas had become much more tactful in his speech.
Davos shook his head lightly, "Antonios cannot be the commander of the attack on Hipponium. The First Legion under his command has even more important tasks to perform!"
Antonios was puzzled when he heard this: Is there anything more important than attacking Sybaris and invading Locri?!
"General Hieronimus, Commander Laedes, you two will fully assist Hylas in repelling the Locrians and capturing Hipponium as soon as possible!" Davos clenched his fist and waved it forcefully, "Then advance on Medma, and if there's an opportunity, take it, leaving the Locrians with no foothold on the west coast of Magna Graecia!"
Hieronimus and Laedes immediately stated that they were willing to fully obey Hylas's command.
"What I said just now was just my suggestion. The specific actions still depend on you to formulate them flexibly based on the battlefield situation. You don't need to ask me for instructions. I believe the results you achieve will exceed my expectations." Davos encouraged the three of them and then said to Hylas, "This time going to Hipponium involves cooperating with the Rhegian army, you must handle your relationship with them well."
"I will, Your Majesty." Hylas nodded cautiously.
"But you don't need to worry too much. The commander of Rhegium is called Phayllus. I heard that he is a brave and skilled warrior, and also a very easy-going and sensible Rhegian." Davos comforted him.
Then, he looked at Antonios and said solemnly, "After the First Legion arrives at Hipponium and assists Hylas and the others in repelling the Locrian reinforcements, if it's easy to capture the city of Hipponium, then the First Legion will participate in the siege; if the siege takes a long time, then the First Legion should not stay in Hipponium for too long. Secilianus's fleet will be docked on the coast of Hipponium, and all the soldiers of the First Legion will board the ships and head to Rhegium."
"The First Legion is going to Rhegium?!" Antonios was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, to Rhegium." Davos took a letter from Hagnonides and handed it to Antonios, instructing him earnestly, "Give this letter to Lord Artilikrus of Rhegium. If he provides you with military rations and other assistance as stated in the letter, then the final destination of the First Legion will be Sicily. If he refuses, then the First Legion can only return to Hipponium."
"Sicily"—when Davos uttered this word, the generals present were shocked.
"What? Are you scared?!" Davos looked at Antonios teasingly.
Antonios had originally been somewhat dissatisfied with Davos's choice of Hylas as the commander of the expedition, but now that he learned that he would lead the army away from Magna Graecia and embark on a solitary expedition to Sicily across the sea, he couldn't help but feel a lot of pressure. However, Davos's provocation forced him to bite the bullet and say, "The First Legion… is willing to go to Sicily."
"The First Legion's combat power is the strongest in the Daunian army, and many of the soldiers are old brothers who participated in the Persian expedition back then. They have rich experience in fighting in enemy territory. Therefore, if the First Legion cannot implement this battle plan, it is even more impossible for other legions to gain a foothold in Sicily!" Davos said to Antonios with great expectations.
Antonios squeezed out a smile in response.
"You don't need to be too nervous. Although most of Sicily is now under the control of Syracuse, Syracuse relies on powerful military force and brutal killings to deter those originally independent Sicilian city-states, forcing them to submit. Dionysius has supported tyrants to help him rule these city-states and levied high tributes to maintain his large military expenditures. The Greek people of Sicily, and even the people within Syracuse, have long been very dissatisfied with Dionysius!"
"And now, Syracuse's massive army is tied down in Magna Graecia. The news of their naval defeat and failed battle will surely give the people there new ideas! The strength of Daonia is not comparable to Syracuse. Even if we completely annihilate the army within Siris, Syracuse only needs a few years of rest to regain its strength and become a major problem for Daonia. Therefore, for the sake of Daonia's future, we must take advantage of this opportunity when Syracuse has suffered a major blow to completely destroy its hegemony in Sicily!"
Davos's words greatly moved the generals present. Just as they were deep in thought, Davos continued to say to Antonios, "I have already sent people to operate in eastern Sicily, contacting various city-states with people and forces opposed to Syracuse. I believe the news of 'Syracuse's army suffering a crushing defeat in Magna Graecia' will surely prompt them to take action!
The most important thing for the First Legion in Sicily is not to annihilate many enemies, but to contact these forces dissatisfied with Syracuse, overthrow the tyranny of their city-states, break away from the Sicilian League led by Syracuse, and ultimately isolate Syracuse!…"
Davos's words invigorated Antonios. He now understood somewhat: one of the reasons Davos sent him to command the expeditionary force to Sicily was because he was the most skilled at socializing among the legion commanders.
At this moment, Hynepolis also spread out the map of Sicily on the grass, and everyone gathered around.
Davos asked, "Legion Commander Antonios, where do you think would be a good place for the First Legion to land in Sicily?"
This was a test for Antonios. Not only him, but the others were also looking at the map, deep in thought. They were not like Davos, who considered things more comprehensively and long-term. They were very familiar with Magna Graecia, but Sicily was relatively unfamiliar to them.
Antonios squatted halfway on the ground, staring intently at this map that was still very unfamiliar to him, wanting to memorize every city, every river, every mountain marked on it. His gaze moved from Syracuse, Tauromenium, Leontini, Catania, Naxos all the way north, finally stopping at that corner only a strait away from Rhegium…
…
At dusk, Caulonia suddenly became lively because more than 2,000 citizen-soldiers who had been forced to follow the Syracuse army on the expedition had returned.
The people embraced their relatives, asking about their well-being, and at the same time thanking Daonia for its benevolence. People who had lost their relatives wept bitterly, cursing the Syracusans for bringing them disaster. And the people whose relatives were still besieged in Siris were worried, praying to Apollo to protect them in the upcoming battle.
At this time, in the council hall of Caulonia, the councilors were arguing endlessly over a letter that the soldiers had brought back from Davos.
Chief General Phrynichus finally couldn't help but stand up and said loudly, "Citizens of Caulonia, now is the critical moment related to the survival or death of Caulonia. If you still hold a vague attitude and want to keep delaying, without giving a clear answer to the Southern Italy League, Caulonia's situation will be very dangerous!"
His speech reduced the noise of the argument in the council hall. Someone stood up and retorted with dissatisfaction, "Lord Phrynichus, you're wrong. Now that Daonia has defeated the Syracusans and besieged them in Siris, we have escaped the danger of being slaughtered and plundered by the Syracusans, and we are completely safe!"
"Completely safe?!" Phrynichus sneered a few times, looked around at the others, and asked loudly, "Is that what you all think?!"
"Of course not!" Someone stood up in the hall. Phrynichus recognized that it was Eurypatus.
"I agree with your opinion, Phrynichus. Caulonia is now very dangerous! Everyone, when you were listening to the letter from Davos, the Archon of Daonia, I don't know if you noticed what was said in the letter, '…After repeated discussions with Generals Croton and Terina, we unanimously agreed to return the more than two thousand Caulonian soldiers captured in the battle against the Syracusans and in the battle to capture Terina to their homes…'
You may only see the goodwill of Daonia in safely returning our citizen-soldiers, but you did not see the phrase 'repeated discussions' mentioned in the letter. What does this indicate?!" Eurypatus emphasized his tone: "It shows that the people of Croton, the people of Terina, and even some people in Daonia are dissatisfied with our sending troops to participate in Syracuse's military actions! Defending the city of Terina, attacking Croton, participating in the battle with Daonia, these actions of ours have made them feel resentful!"
"But we were forced to!" Someone shouted from the crowd, "If we didn't do this, Caulonia would have suffered the same disaster as the people of Siris!"
"That's right! As Caulonia's ally for many years, they should understand that we had no choice but to make this decision!" People in the hall echoed.
"Yes, they understand, so they released our citizens. Now it's time for us to respond to Daonia's goodwill!" Eurypatus said with a solemn expression: "Don't forget what Davos said at the end of the letter, 'After winning the battle, the Southern Italy League is fully counterattacking the Syracusans and their accomplice, the Locri League, determined to completely eliminate them! Therefore, I hope Caulonia will seriously consider the issue of rejoining the Southern Italy League, take up shields and spears, and join the ranks of resisting the invaders. All the allied states of the Southern Italy League are eagerly awaiting your answer!…'
Everyone, is this a request from Davos, the Archon of Daonia? No! This is his warning to Caulonia! It is the ultimatum given to us by the Southern Italy League! If we still do not make a clear statement on this, the Southern Italy League will regard Caulonia as an accomplice of Syracuse and Locri. Perhaps in a few days, what the Southern Italy League sends to Caulonia will no longer be their envoys, but their army!"
The hall suddenly became even quieter, but some people still expressed disagreement: "Eurypatus, it's not that we are unwilling to resist Syracuse. Don't forget, we still have a thousand citizen-soldiers in Siris! Once Dionysius knows that Caulonia has betrayed him, with his brutal nature, our compatriots will probably die miserably at his hands! Then who dares to bear the responsibility in the face of the anger of the soldiers' families!"
"Yes, it's not that we don't want to fight against the Syracusans who are oppressing us, but this is related to the lives of our citizens and must be approached with caution! At least compared to the ferocious Syracusans, Croton and Terina have been Caulonia's allies for decades, and Daonia has always been known for its generosity and magnanimity. They should forgive our hesitation!" Someone in the hall echoed.
Phrynichus finally couldn't restrain himself and said loudly again: "Everyone, you think too highly of our former allies! Siris was tragically massacred! Terina was captured, and the people were displaced! Croton was even burned down, and it is said that almost half of its people were killed or injured! The Daunian League's citizen-soldiers are said to have suffered no less than 10,000 casualties, and the outskirts of Crimisa and Aspurustum have become ruins! Compared to them, even if we include the loss of these thousand soldiers, Caulonia's losses are still relatively minor!"
"Lord Phrynichus, what do you mean by these words! Are you saying that the lives of our thousand soldiers are not important!" Someone immediately questioned.
"The Southern Italy League will not think they are important. They will only think that we have made too few sacrifices! Don't forget that our soldiers once invaded their territory and attacked their cities, although it was only forced, but if we regard their final goodwill as tolerance towards us and do not make a decision quickly, anger and jealousy will grow wildly in their hearts like weeds, prompting them to list Caulonia as an object that must be eliminated, just like Syracuse and Locri. Who can Caulonia rely on then?! Syracuse? We all know very well that if Syracuse wins this war, it will only support Locri in annexing us! In this great war that has engulfed the city-states of all of Magna Graecia, either fight and survive, or fight and perish. No city-state can safely both survive and not fight! Everyone, you are deciding the fate of Caulonia, and I am willing to bear the anger of the people and be the first to vote in favor of Caulonia rejoining the Southern Italy League and declaring war on Syracuse and Locri!"
The hall was deathly silent. Phrynichus's heavy and emotional speech deeply touched everyone present, prompting them to weigh the gains and losses more deeply.
"I am willing to be the second person to support Caulonia's declaration of war on Syracuse!" Eurypatus stood up.
Then the third person…
In the end, the council passed the proposal of "declaring war on Syracuse" by a slight majority. Then, in an emergency citizens' assembly, although many citizens expressed strong opposition, and some even rushed to the stage, trying to beat Phrynichus, the more than 2,000 citizens sent back by Daonia played a key role, even giving Caulonia a greater majority of votes than the council to rejoin the Southern Italy League.
…
Since the Locrian army repelled the Rhegian attack on Medma, 15,000 Locrian soldiers have been garrisoned in Medma.
The leading general, Diocles, constantly received news of "Syracuse's victory in the north." He was very eager to lead his army with the Syracusans to enter Daunian territory and defeat the Daunian army, in order to wash away the shame of being forced to retreat by the Daunians without a fight in the territory of Croton back then.