However, Dionysius valued the safety of his rear and strictly ordered the Locrians to guard against the Ligyans and prevent a repeat of the Medma ambush. At the same time, the Locrian army had to assist the garrison of Terina in defending against the Daonian army appearing in the Oufemia Plain via Knapetia. Therefore, Dionysius forcibly kept the main force of Locri stationed in the city of Medma.
Dionysius Pantos felt very stifled. But when the news of "the Syracusan navy suffering two crushing defeats against Daonia" came, Dionysius Pantos had to be vigilant: because Daonia, having gained naval superiority, might transport his troops to the rear of the battlefield via a fleet—Siri, Hipponian, Terina, Caulonia, even within Locri itself. It should be known that most of Locri's soldiers were in Medma, with a small portion following the Syracusan army, leaving the city itself very empty.
At this time, he no longer had the mind to fight on the front lines. Besides hoping that the powerful Syracusan army would defeat the Daonians and prevent them from dividing their forces to raid the rear, he also closely monitored the enemy's movements in the surrounding area.
Soon, the Secclian fleet entered Tauriana.
Knowing this news, Dionysius Pantos became even more nervous, but because the port of Medma was blockaded by Daonian warships, he could only send scouts to scout the enemy's movements on the opposite bank of the Maro River.
One morning, Dionysius Pantos received a report from a scout: there was suspected activity in the port of Tauriana.
He had a bad feeling in his heart.
Sure enough, a few hours later, a messenger from Hipponian galloped from the north, anxiously telling him: the Ligyan army was preparing to attack Hipponian, hoping that the Locrian army could rush to their rescue immediately!
Dionysius Pantos had long been prepared. With the whereabouts of the Ligyans and the Daonian fleet revealed, he was instead relieved. He immediately left 5,000 soldiers to defend Medma and led 10,000 soldiers north quickly.
By noon, his army had already entered Hipponian territory.
Fidun was not alarmed after learning of the approaching Locrian army. Originally, after landing on the Hipponian coast, he had sent cavalry to notify the Daonian army that had landed on the Oufemia Plain yesterday afternoon, according to the prior agreement. Unexpectedly, they happened to encounter the Terinians who were preparing to enter the empty city of Terina, and only then did they learn that the Daonian army had defeated the Syracusan army in a great battle and had already advanced to the city of Siri.
The Ligyan scouts immediately rushed to Siri to contact the Daonian army, which led to Davos sending Hiros, Antonios, Hieronimus, and Ledes to lead troops to support them.
After Fidun received the good news brought back by the scouts, he was overjoyed in addition to being surprised. Therefore, with reinforcements about to arrive, he was not alarmed by the Locrian reinforcements.
Instead, he secretly rejoiced.
While sending scouts to notify the Daonian reinforcements who were on their way, he set up a battle formation outside the city of Hipponian.
An hour later, the Locrian army arrived outside the city of Hipponian.
Seeing that the Ligyans were already waiting in full battle array, Dionysius Pantos, confident in his superior numbers, was naturally not afraid. After arranging his formation, he immediately launched an attack.
Fidun had originally considered using a tactic of luring the enemy, but it would be difficult for the Ligyan army, which had not conducted many military training sessions in a year, to execute such a high-difficulty tactic well. Being serious and daring to fight, he simply chose a real, hard-hitting confrontation and placed himself at the forefront of the battle formation.
The Ligyans, with only half the enemy's strength, were naturally not a match. After fighting for a while, they were ultimately defeated due to the enemy's fierce attacks on both wings. The soldiers abandoned their armor and fled north.
Dionysius Pantos did not intend to let these fleeing Ligyan soldiers go. In fact, during this period, he had been annoyed by the Ligyan army led by Fidun. Because the always delicate Ligyan citizen-soldiers, under Fidun's leadership, were surprisingly resilient. Even after suffering a crushing defeat in the ambush by the Locrians during the siege of Medma, the Ligyans still occasionally crossed the river to harass them after retreating to Tauriana.
This was a rare and great opportunity. The Ligyans were trapped on the land between Hipponian and the Lamato River, with nowhere to escape. Dionysius Pantos could take this opportunity to wipe out this big trouble and win glory for himself.
Therefore, he led his soldiers in relentless pursuit, not giving the Ligyans any time to regroup, and preventing them from taking the opportunity to run to the warships on the coast and escape Hipponian.
Dionysius Pantos's idea was good, but the information he and Fidun knew was not equal.
The Syracusan garrison commander of Terina did not send anyone to notify Hipponian on the night he learned of his side's crushing defeat in the battle. He intended to send someone to notify them the next day, but then the team broke up, so the garrison commander simply did not send a messenger, because he believed that the returning troops to Hipponian would tell their motherland this news.
Who knew that this returning troop would encounter the Ligyan landing force not far after crossing the Lamato River, north of the city of Hipponian, and was quickly defeated. And Fidun sent a small number of soldiers to pursue the defeated soldiers, and most of them quickly advanced south, surrounding the city of Hipponian. Coincidentally, before this, the Hipponians who learned of the Ligyan landing had sent a messenger to Medma for help, so it ironically led to Dionysius Pantos not knowing the very important news that "Daonia defeated the Syracusan army," or even if he knew, he would intensify the attack in order to solve the big trouble of the Ligyans before the Daonians marched south, because based on his past battlefield experience, he would never believe that the Daonians, who had only finished the battle last night, would be able to reach Hipponian in such a short time.
But "miracles" happened like this. Having accepted Davos's order, the Daonian reinforcements quickly set off in formation. Halfway there, they received the emergency messenger sent by Fidun. Hiros, Antonios, Hieronimus, and Ledes discussed briefly and formulated a battle plan. They sent scouts to Terina first to notify Sipros, while urging the troops to speed up their march.
Starting in the morning, the Daonian soldiers, who had been marching most of the time, were now somewhat tired, but with the veterans of the First Legion setting an example and taking the lead in the front of the team to earnestly execute military orders, and having heard that after arriving at Hipponian, a victory was waiting for them, these nearly 10,000 Bruttian recruits immediately strode forward.
By the time the Daonian reinforcements waded across the Korta River, a tributary of the Lamato River, and entered Hipponian territory from the east, the Locrians had already chased the Ligyans and driven them to a small area between the coast and the Lamato River.
Although the Daonian fleet was moored here, the panicked Ligyan soldiers had no time to board the ships. Seeing that they were about to be driven into the sea by the approaching enemy, Sipros led a thousand Terinian soldiers across the Lamato River and launched an attack from the front.
The Locrians were taken aback. They thought that the city of Terina on the opposite bank of the Lamato River was the Syracusan garrison, but they did not expect the Terinians to come, catching them off guard.
Although the number of soldiers was far less than that of the Locrian reinforcements, the Locrians, after a long period of pursuit, had already scattered, with soldiers unable to find their generals and generals unable to control their soldiers. Not only did they lack formation, but they also lacked organization. They were easily pierced through the front by the Terinian attack. Just as Dionysius Pantos was urgently gathering the scattered soldiers to prepare to deal with this new threat, the deafening shouts of "Hades" rang out from the side and rear of the Locrian army.
Hiros's Bruttian troops, Hieronimus's Bruttian troops, Antonios's First Legion, and Ledes's cavalry legion, totaling more than 15,000 people, marched with rumbling footsteps, pressing towards the side and rear of the Locrians with a wide front.
Seeing such a terrifying scene, the Locrians, whose formation was scattered, had their morale plummet to the extreme. Before even engaging in battle, they fled in all directions, leaving Hiros with only the task of chasing them. And for the Daonian army, they were the most experienced in chasing defeated soldiers.
To the north was the Lamato River, to the west was the sea, to the northeast were the Terinians, and to the southeast was the Daonian army. The sailors of the Secclian fleet also disembarked and participated in the pursuit from the southwest. In addition, they had more than a thousand cavalry. The Locrians were almost surrounded… In the end, more than 9,000 people were captured, with only less than a thousand people escaping the Daonian pursuit. This did not include Dionysius Pantos. Although he had already thrown away his helmet, his dazzling breastplate, specially made to show his difference from ordinary citizens, became the target of the Daonian cavalry's attention and pursuit, and therefore he failed to escape the cavalry's pursuit.
When Hiros, Antonios, and his party met Fidun, he was focusing on cleaning the battle wounds of the Ligyan wounded.
Hiros and Antonios exchanged a glance.
Antonios took a step forward and shouted with slight respect: "General Fidun!"
Only then did Fidun raise his head from his busy work. Seeing the soldiers wearing purple-red crowns in front of him, he hurriedly wiped his blood-stained hands on his linen breastplate, told the soldiers next to him to continue, and then quickly stood up and praised loudly: "Generals of Daonia, you have come just in time! In this battle, you have completely defeated the main force of the Locrians!"
"No, General Fidun, you are wrong." Antonios's words made Fidun stunned, and then he heard him say: "This is a victory achieved through the joint efforts of Daonia, Ligyum, and Terina! It is a glorious victory belonging to our Southern Italian Alliance!"
Fidun smiled: "You are right!" This victory suddenly reduced the pressure on Tauriana, and his mood also became happy.
Antonios looked at the wounded soldiers behind him and said with concern, "Our medical camp will arrive soon. Please allow them to treat the wounded in your army at that time."
"That's wonderful! I've long heard that Daonia's medical skills are the best in all of Magna Graecia!" Phidun smiled even more happily.
The two sides exchanged greetings and introduced themselves, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
At this time, the naval commander Secrian also arrived. If it had been before the war, when the Daionian navy was first established, Secrian hadn't commanded the navy to achieve any decent victories. Even if he had gained Davos's attention, these legion commanders wouldn't have truly valued him. Now, the victories in the two naval battles, as well as this attack against Hibernian, were all due to his coordination and efforts. Therefore, the army respected him and talked to him on equal terms.
During this time, talking about the thrilling great battle of yesterday made Phidun and Secrian yearn for it, wishing they could have been there.
"General Secrian," Antonios said, taking out a papyrus scroll from his arms, and said seriously, "This is His Majesty's order for you."
Secrian immediately opened the scroll and looked at it, his face showing surprise: "His Majesty wants me to obey your command and transport the First Legion to Sicily?!"
Antonios nodded solemnly.
Phidun, who was on the side, heard this and immediately asked, "You are going to attack Sicily?!"
Antonios nodded again and said, "We know nothing about Sicily and need General Phidun's help." This was why he took out this order on this occasion.
Phidun did not decline, but said enthusiastically: "Lord Davos made a correct decision! We, the Leggium people, are very close to Sicily, so we are very clear about how powerful Dionysius's forces are in Sicily. It is not enough to just eliminate his army invading Magna Graecia. Only by weakening his power in Sicily can we eradicate his threat to Magna Graecia! I have a relatively deep understanding of the Greek city-states in eastern Sicily and am very willing to share this information with you."
Antonios immediately expressed his gratitude, so he, Phidun, and Secrian began to talk enthusiastically about this issue.
Hilos and Hieronimus were also not idle. Because it was getting late, they reassembled their troops, escorted the prisoners, and, at Sippos's invitation, returned to Trina to rest first, and would attack Hibernian City tomorrow morning.
At this time, they were all very clear in their hearts: Locri had suffered heavy losses, and the Hibernian, with its empty military strength, was already unable to resist Daonia's attack.
Therefore,
Hilos sent a messenger to report the battle situation to Davos and also asked him for instructions on how to deal with Hibernian.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
After Dionysius in the city of Siris received Damocles's report, he breathed a sigh of relief. In his previous research on Davos, he found that Davos didn't like to push people to the point of desperation and would often leave some leeway for his opponents. He used to despise this kind of womanly benevolence, but now he hoped that Davos would still do this.
"Davos is still young!" After getting this relatively satisfactory result, Dionysius couldn't help but say sarcastically, as if this verbal pleasure could temporarily offset the fear of this young man that was beginning to grow in his heart: This new king of Daonia was actually able to reverse the entire situation under such a terrible situation of being surrounded by enemies on all sides! What a terrible military command ability! As long as he is willing to negotiate!
Dionysius had even begun to imagine what harsh conditions the Daonians would propose during tomorrow's negotiations. He had already considered it. As long as the peace conditions proposed by Daonia were not too difficult, he would decide to accept them. As long as he could take these tens of thousands of soldiers back to Sicily and release the captured soldiers, just like Daonia treated Croton at the beginning, then Syracuse's power would not be greatly damaged, and his tyrannical position would not be significantly threatened, and Sicily's hegemony would still be maintained! As for the peace agreement signed with Daonia... once Syracuse's power is restored, it will just be a piece of waste paper! Dionysius never intended to abide by it. He would not be as foolish as Davos, who foolishly kept his promises in pursuit of a good reputation!
However… Davos's military command ability is too strong. It seems that he still has to think of other ways to deal with him… Dionysius pondered, and a frightening and sinister light flashed in his narrow eyes.
At this time, the attendant came in to report: "Your Excellency, the ships and sailors are ready and waiting for your order."
"Let them wait until dark. After confirming that there are no enemy ships outside the port, set off quietly." Dionysius said with a solemn expression: "Tell them that the lives of the citizens of Syracuse are entrusted to them. I hope that under the protection of Apollo, they will not be afraid of difficulties and dangers and will successfully return home!"
Although the Daionian fleet began to blockade the port of Siris after the Syracusans retreated to Siris, it could not achieve a complete blockade 24 hours a day. Especially at night, sailors needed to go ashore to eat and rest, and warships also needed to return to the port of Croton to be towed into the dock for repairs, drying, and cleaning of shipworms; otherwise, the solidity of the hull would be difficult to guarantee. Even if the squadrons were dispatched in rotation to blockade, they did not dare to disperse too much for fear of suffering losses. After all, there were still more than 30 Syracusan warships in the port of Siris. For these reasons, the Daionian fleet could not completely blockade the port at night.
So, by late at night, the defenses outside the port of Siris were estimated to be relatively lax, and the ships Dionysius sent out should be able to leave smoothly. It was just that sailing in the dark was much more dangerous. Storms, reefs, deviations from course, and even encounters with the Daionian fleet heading south could all bury these fast ships in the belly of the fish.
But Dionysius could only believe that one of the fast ships he sent out, operated by the most experienced helmsmen and sailors in the navy, would eventually return to the great port of Syracuse, so that Philistus could understand the difficult situation of the Syracusan army in Magna Graecia.
Although Syracuse's treasury was now being depleted greatly, most of the young and middle-aged citizens were already in Magna Graecia, and new warships could not be built in a short period of time, Dionysius still believed in Philistus's ability, believing that he could build an army of no less than 20,000 people, a fleet of no less than 100 trireme warships, and prepare a reserve of military rations to supply 50,000 people for two months… Of course, this was another preparation Dionysius made in case the peace talks failed. As for how things were carried out, he was beyond his reach and could only pin his hopes on Apollo…
Watching the attendant leave the hall, he also felt a little restless and decided to go to the blacksmith shop in the city to take a look.
He sent people to negotiate, and another purpose was to delay time: the most urgent problem for the Syracusan army now was not military rations (due to the large reduction in personnel in this battle, the food stored in Siris was enough for them to maintain for more than a month), but weapons and equipment.
Because after the defeat in the battle, the soldiers, in order to escape for their lives, threw away their helmets, round shields, and even some of their breastplates, spears, and sabers along the way. The enemies, in order to catch up with them, also threw away their equipment, but the victors were the Daonians. When they cleaned up the battlefield, they could pick up all these things, while the Syracusan soldiers fled into Siris empty-handed and in a mess. Fortunately, there were still several thousand sets of weapons and equipment in the city that they had plundered when they looted the city of Siris. But this was far from enough. He had to let the blacksmiths who accompanied the army and were responsible for repairing weapons use the blacksmith shops in the city to speed up the time and start forging weapons and armor again. To this end, he also ordered his subordinates to search the entire city for iron ore and scrap iron.
Now, he was going to inspect it to see how this important work was progressing.
Halfway there, he suddenly thought of something else, stopped again, and turned to walk in another direction—Phibidas's residence. Now that the war had progressed to this point, Phibidas's role as a military advisor was no longer significant, but as a Spartan, he could play a unique role in the peace talks.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early the next morning, Phibidas and Syracusan envoy Damocles came to the Daionian camp that was under construction.
This time, Davos did not come out to receive them in person, but sent the secretary Hynipolis as the person in charge of the negotiations.
And Hynipolis gave Damocles a blow as soon as they met: "Yesterday, after discussing with the legion commanders, His Majesty Davos believed that, in view of the fact that your general Dionysius's past reputation was not good, you need to do something to show your sincerity in the peace talks before our peace talks can begin."
As soon as Damocles heard this, he immediately protested: "Daonians, you are humiliating General Dionysius!"
"So what!" Hynipolis raised his head and said arrogantly: "Can Dionysius send troops to threaten our Daonia again?! Oh, I forgot, he has already tried it, but unfortunately he failed! Now you are asking for peace talks!"
Damocles was speechless for a moment, and after a moment of silence, he said aggrievedly: "What do you want us to do?"
Hynipolis sneered in his heart and said hatefully: "The Numidians and Celts you hired have wantonly plundered and killed outside the Daionian League's Asprustum and Crimisa cities, and they don't even spare the elderly and children. Our Daonians can't wait to eat their blood! Eat their flesh! Since you want to negotiate peace, please cut off the heads of this group of 'beasts' who owe countless blood debts to the people of Magna Graecia and send them to us before we talk! I think there shouldn't be many of them left after the battle the day before yesterday."
After listening, Damocles' expression changed drastically, and he loudly protested: "The war between Syracuse and Daonia is being conducted under the witness of Ares. Any tragedy that occurs during the war is normal. Sparta did not slaughter Athenian citizens after their victory because the Athenian navy ravaged the coast of its territory. We Syracusans did not exterminate all Carthaginians on the island of Sicily after defeating Carthage, even though they repeatedly slaughtered Sicilian city-states. Therefore, Daonia cannot make such harsh demands. This is not the tradition of Greek warfare!"
"Does the ancient tradition of Greece allow Syracusans to hire foreign tribes and slaughter defenseless Greek women, the elderly, and children?!" Henyopolis roared at him, baring his teeth: "Since you say this is war, then we Daonians are willing to continue fighting until we conquer Silentine and cut off the heads of these foreigners whose hands are stained with Daonian blood! Otherwise, once the peace treaty is signed, we can only watch these murderers swagger away. King Davos cannot accept it! The brave legion soldiers cannot accept it! All Daonian citizens cannot accept it!"
"…Once the treaty is signed, we can only watch them leave…" These words moved Damocles, and he feigned helplessness, saying: "The conditions you propose are too high. Can we slightly modify them, such as taking only the heads of some people or only the lives of the leaders?"
"No, this is the most basic condition!" Henyopolis replied sternly.
Damocles had no choice but to say: "Alright, I cannot make a decision on this matter. I must return and report to General Dionysius for him to decide."
After speaking, he exchanged glances with Phibidas next to him, and then, with Henyopolis' permission, he was blindfolded by the guards and escorted out of the camp.
Phibidas did not leave. As a Spartan envoy, he requested to see Davos.
This made it difficult for Henyopolis to refuse, so he could only ask him to wait there while he went to inform King Davos.
Phibidas waited for quite a long time, not because Davos was deliberately teasing him, but because he was indeed not near the main tent. He had gone to the engineering camp.
When the Daonian army occupied the Syracusan camp, they gained a lot of supplies, including some siege equipment.
Not to mention the ballistae, which Daonia had originally copied from Syracuse, but later made further improvements. Due to the application of parabolic theory, Daonia's ballistae were more refined and accurate.
The belly bow was another siege weapon of Syracuse. Its principle was similar to that of the ballistae. The engineers could roughly replicate it with just one look at the structure. After all, the most difficult part of the belly bow was the use of pulleys, which the Daonian engineering camp excelled at.
Other things like battering rams, siege sheds, arrow-shield carts…etc. were all easy to imitate.
But Davos looked at them very carefully. He needed to understand the Syracusan's siege methods and ideas through these various types of siege equipment. You must know that when Syracuse conquered the great city of Croton, Davos was really taken aback. Compared to Syracuse, who had besieged countless cities in Sicily, the Daonian army, which was good at field battles, still had relatively little experience in sieges, including Davos himself, so learning from the enemy was the quickest way to improve.
Of course, among these siege weapons, the most eye-catching and most difficult to make was the siege tower. Daonia could also make siege towers, but compared to the siege towers made by Syracuse, they were simply dwarfed. Although the siege tower in front of him had only completed the base and the first floor, its scale was quite amazing: it was 20 meters long and six or seven meters wide. Rather than calling it a tower, it was more like a wall.
Davos walked around it several times and turned to Oropus, one of the most outstanding engineers in the engineering camp, and asked: "Can it be replicated?"
The organization of Daonia's legion engineering camp was quite special. Its captain did not need to understand engineering construction. As long as he knew how to manage troops and had some battlefield experience, he could serve the engineers, ensure their safety, and provide them with the various materials they needed. When the legion issued a construction order, he was also responsible for coordinating with other troops and recruiting soldiers to serve as laborers. Therefore, most of the captains of the engineering camp were veterans who had been wounded in battle and had some disabilities.
The real treasures in the engineering camp were the engineers. If the system was still relatively crude when Davos first established the engineering camp, it has now formed a fixed engineer assessment system. It not only requires engineers to be literate and able to draw, have strong hands-on production skills, but also requires in-depth mathematical theoretical knowledge. Only in this way can they pass the assessment and become legion engineers. These engineers, in addition to cultivating their own land on weekdays, have also become sought-after talents for the citizens of the alliance to hire, building houses, workshops, making furniture, equipment, etc., and the salary is not low. When there are large-scale public works construction in various cities, they will also be invited to participate, and although the salary paid is less, their names will be engraved on the stone tablet upon completion, which is a great honor for them.
In addition to engineers, the engineering camp also has skilled craftsmen, carpenters, and blacksmiths, who are the engineers' assistants and assist the engineers in making various instruments needed for war. In addition, there are some slaves in the camp, mainly to serve the engineers.
As the legion's requirements for engineers become higher and higher, and after the engineer assessment is standardized, because of its high requirements for knowledge and hands-on ability, most of the engineers in each legion come from the laboratories of the Daonia Academy. But Oropus is different. He was originally a mercenary who went on an expedition to Persia. Because he knew some carpentry, he was transferred in after Davos established the engineering camp, but he worked hard and eventually became a skilled carpenter, and also took the initiative to participate in the adult classes of the Daonia School. Through hard work, he quickly shed the hat of illiteracy. Then, because of Davos's agreement with Mentotikers, for a period of time the legion's craftsmen entered the Mathematics Academy laboratory and became the scholars' guards. Oropus took the opportunity to study profound mathematical knowledge and eventually gained the appreciation of Maticolis, became his disciple, and passed the assessment to become an engineer. Therefore, Oropus is a typical example of self-taught talent, deeply respected by the Daonian craftsmen, and inspires them to learn from him.
"Your Majesty, replication is possible, but it will take some time." Oropus said cautiously, squatting down and laboriously picking up a very large wooden wheel: "The biggest difficulty in making this siege tower lies in these wooden wheels and axles. Such a large siege tower and such a heavy weight will eventually rely on these wooden wheels and axles to support it, so the requirements for them are very high. How large should the axle diameter be? How thick and wide should the wooden wheels be? How many sets of axles and wooden wheels can ensure that the siege tower is pushed smoothly?… These all need to be determined after repeated experiments."
"Moreover, Your Majesty, as you can see, the size and width of so many wooden wheels can basically remain consistent. It is difficult to do without a large number of highly skilled carpenters. Otherwise, if these wooden wheels have a slight difference in size, the siege tower may tilt and collapse due to imbalance during the pushing process! With the current capabilities of our engineering camp, it is still a bit difficult to do this."
Oropus said with a slight regret, stood up, looked at the siege tower in front of him obsessively, opened his arms, gestured with his hands, and continued: "Your Majesty, as you can see, the tower walls on both sides of this siege tower are not upright, but tilted inward. Although you can't see the whole picture, I can be sure that it must be a trapezoid, so that it can enhance the stability of the base. But what is the most suitable angle for the tilt of the tower wall? How high should the horizontal plate be built to ensure that the tower wall is evenly stressed and stable?…"
Davos was not too concerned about these technical details that Oropus said. He understood the meaning of Oropus's rambling words: "In short, you need repeated calculations and experiments to make a siege tower that can operate normally."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we need time." Oropus replied truthfully. He looked at the others behind him and said again: "For such a huge siege tower, we have too few people, and it is the first time we have made it…"
Although the siege camps of the various legions add up to no less than 500 people, which is actually not a small number, Davos heard the hidden meaning in Oropus's words: There are not enough excellent engineers and craftsmen.
Thinking of the Syracusans building three large siege towers in a few days, Davos was very envious of the thousands of engineering teams in the city of Silentine. That was the wealth that Davos truly desired.
"I will give you time to study and try to make this kind of siege tower, but don't be too anxious. You must thoroughly study its technology and eventually completely master it!" Davos encouraged them.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Phibidas, sitting in the main tent, was watched by four guards. He could not walk around and look around, so he could only look at the tent. As a result, he discovered a secret: the layout of Davos's tent was very similar to that of Dionysius's military tent. Except that the space was not as large as Dionysius's, it was also very simple. In addition to a few armor and weapon racks and a couch covered with straw mats and fur, the most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly the piles of paper rolls and cloth on the wooden tables at the head. This was obviously the same as Dionysius's tent, which showed that the governor was also dealing with the many affairs of the alliance while marching and fighting…
These two usurpers in the western Mediterranean! A strange feeling arose in Phibidas's heart.
Just as he was getting a little impatient, Davos returned with Hynippos. As soon as he saw Phibidas in the tent, Davos spoke before he could say anything: "I know you, Phibidas of Sparta! Ten years ago, you came to the Thurii Senate as a Spartan envoy, falsely accusing me of harboring soldiers from the Persian expeditionary force, and even threatened that 'Sparta would give Daonia a painful lesson.' I still remember those words!"
Phibidas didn't expect Davos to bring up the past as soon as he came in, and he was caught off guard. If it were according to his usual temperament, he would have stubbornly said: "That's right, I did say those words! The fact that the war with Croton occurred afterwards also proves that Daonia did harbor those mercenaries!"
However, times have changed. Sparta's current predicament and Syracuse's current situation have forced him to carefully choose his words. It's not that he doesn't understand politics, it's just that Sparta's past strength didn't require him to consider too much. But Daonia's current position in Magna Graecia in the western Mediterranean, and the strength that Davos has shown in the war, made Phibidas feel a trace of fear. This always tough Spartan said somewhat stiffly: "...That...that was just a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding?! No! I don't think so!" Davos stared at him, his sharp eyes seeming to penetrate his heart: "It is precisely because you harbor resentment towards Daonia that you accepted Sparta's order to serve as a military advisor in Syracuse, following Dionysius to invade Magna Graecia, commanding the right wing of Syracuse at the Lamato River battle to defeat the Crotonians, and again commanding the right wing in the Croton battle, attempting to defeat my Daonian army... Phibidas of Sparta, your hands are stained with the blood of Greater Greeks!"
Hearing this, Phibidas was secretly shocked. He didn't expect Davos to know so clearly about his actions in Magna Graecia during this period. However, he didn't have to answer Davos' accusations as insincerely as before: "I think you must have misunderstood. Dionysius feared your Daonian army and hoped that Sparta could send officers to help him. As an ally, Sparta naturally couldn't refuse. Because I had been to Sicily several times and was quite familiar with Dionysius, the Council of Elders sent me to help Dionysius... I was just fulfilling my duty!"
"Your duty?! Is that to help the Syracusans slaughter us Greater Greeks?! Is this Sparta's attitude towards us Greater Greeks?!" Davos sneered, a hint of anger on his face: "If that's the case, then don't blame our warriors' shields and spears for not having eyes!"
"Being able to die in battle is the glory of every Spartan!" Phibidas was not afraid of Davos' threat, but with the Daonians having already reversed the situation, he had to take into account Daonia's perception of Sparta. Therefore, he defended Sparta: "Lord Davos, you should know that when Sparta signed the alliance with Syracuse, it didn't expect Syracuse to declare war on Magna Graecia one day. Due to the existence of the alliance, Sparta had to provide assistance, but Sparta sincerely hopes that peace can be achieved between Sicily and Magna Graecia! Therefore, this time I came here on behalf of Sparta, hoping that you can seriously consider Dionysius' proposal and end this war that has already caused countless casualties!"
"Spartans, who live by killing, are actually so concerned about the lives and deaths of Greater Greeks, it's truly touching," Davos said sarcastically.
He heard the hidden threat in the Spartan's words and said firmly: "A few days ago, your Sparta already sent an envoy, Chrysophus, to Thurii, attempting to make Daonia surrender to Syracuse. I already made it clear that 'Daonia will never negotiate under the enemy's coercion. As long as there is one enemy still on our land, we Daonians will fight to the death with him!' That was before the Battle of Croton. Today, with our Daonia already holding the advantage in this war, I can also clearly tell you that peace talks are possible, but the various crimes committed by Syracuse in invading Magna Graecia must be punished! It's impossible for Dionysius to escape back to Sicily easily without paying any price!"
Phibidas met Davos' piercing gaze, feeling his uncompromising will. He didn't feel much frustration, as this was just confirming his pre-departure thoughts. His main purpose in coming to the Daonian camp was not to promote peace talks between the two sides.
"I think Dionysius is prepared for this," Phibidas replied faintly, then changed the subject: "Lord Davos... what do you think of the war currently taking place in Corinth?"
Davos was stunned, then immediately understood the Spartan's intention: "Are you referring to the war between your Sparta and Corinth, Thebes, Argos, Athens...?" Davos chuckled dismissively: "A war without any meaning, it has nothing to do with Daonia, I don't need to understand it."
"Daonia and Athens have signed a friendship agreement, and you also have frequent trade with Corinth," Phibidas stared at Davos, pointing it out directly.
"A friendship agreement is not a military alliance agreement. Any city-state that is willing to have friendly trade relations with Daonia, we are willing to sign such an agreement with them, even Sparta is no exception," Davos said with a natural and relaxed look: "The Greek mainland does not have fertile land, nor rich mineral resources. What is worth Daonians leaving their warm homes to participate in a war that does not belong to us? The roots of the Daonians are in Magna Graecia! There are still many problems within our alliance that require a lot of time and energy to solve and deal with. As long as they don't provoke us, we have no intention of participating in your messy wars on the Greek mainland!"
Phibidas stared at Davos' face impolitely, feeling that Davos' words came from the heart. Therefore, he said: "So, Daonia is also willing to sign a friendship agreement with Sparta?"
"Sparta is now Daonia's enemy, an ally of Syracuse!" Davos said coldly.
Phibidas stopped talking.
Watching the guards "escort" Phibidas out of the tent, Hynippos couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, does this Spartan want Sparta to form an alliance with us?!"
Davos stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying: "...The strength that Daonia has shown in this war has exceeded the Spartans' expectations. They are afraid that Daonia will participate in the war in Corinth, which would be unfavorable to Sparta."
"Then will we do that?!" Hynippos asked excitedly, obviously feeling happy that he could give the Spartans a headache.
"What do you think?" Davos said noncommittally.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Sibari Plain was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, and a drizzle was falling in early spring.
The victory of the Battle of Taranto gave the Daonian people hope for victory in the war, and Davos' personal leadership of the army also strengthened their confidence, finally bringing vitality to this fertile land.
The port, which had been blockaded for several months, was reopened, and foreign merchant ships arrived one after another. The port laborers finally had something to do. Most of the first cargo ships to enter the dock were full of grain and other food. Smart merchants certainly knew what the Daonians needed most at this time.
The old fishermen of Thurii (the young people had all joined the fleet as sailors) went out to sea early to catch fish to meet the urgent needs of the people's lives, while also earning a generous profit for their families.
The people in the various villages also began to replant fast-maturing crops under the urging of the village chiefs and agricultural officials, in order to avoid missing this year's harvest.
Although the young and middle-aged citizens and freemen had been almost completely drawn away due to the war, resulting in a lack of labor, a large number of prisoners filled this gap. Whether it was the swampy plains of Crimisa, the Sibari Plain of Thurii, or the mountains of Amendolara, naked prisoners could be seen from time to time, half-starved, laboriously tilling the land under the threat of the overseers' whips and shields and spears. Even in such terrible weather, with the cold rain already making the prisoners shiver, possibly making them sick, the Daonians had no pity and no intention of letting them rest. Since they had invaded Daonia, they had to pay a heavy price. This was a common view among many Daonians.
The road leading to the port of Thurii was full of pedestrians, not only people from Thurii and Amendolara, but also people from Byssinia and Castron, driving carts and carrying goods, rushing to the port market to buy grain.
At this moment, a rider came galloping, his bright red outfit particularly eye-catching. Before he could shout: "Make way!"
The pedestrians consciously retreated to the side of the road, because they knew that only messengers from the battlefield would dress like this. They all carried urgent military information, and no one could stop them, otherwise it would be illegal.
The warhorse was panting white air, its hooves flying, and the accumulated water on the road was splashed up, wetting the pedestrians' clothes. They didn't complain, but couldn't help but ask: "Did we drive the Syracusans back?!"
They were just asking casually out of concern, and didn't think the messenger would tell them the military situation. But the messenger raised his right hand high and shouted excitedly: "Victory! We have won! His Majesty Davos led the army to a great victory over the Syracusans at Croton! …"
Instantly, cheers erupted from the roadside, quickly spreading across the Ebari Plain.
The people completely dispelled their last worries and began to sing and dance, celebrating this hard-won victory.
Some devout believers simply canceled their plans to go to the port and turned to the Temple of Hades in Thurii, thanking the King of the Underworld for his protection of Daonia…
The news reached the Senate chamber, and it was met with similar jubilation.
"It seems that the decision we made before was correct! Since Lord Davos became king, victories have come quickly and continuously. Hades has responded to our prayers and has truly blessed the Daonian League!" Praexinas said loudly, feigning excitement.
"Yes, thanks to our Senate for daring to make such an amazing decision, we have today's victory!" Marigis echoed.
At this time, most of the senators no longer felt the annoyance they had when they were forced to elect Davos as king, and instead felt more fortunate. They agreed with the words of the two men.
Cunogolata no longer felt the usual revulsion at their back-and-forth banter. He turned his gaze away from them and said loudly, "Judging from the war reports brought back by the messengers, His Majesty Davos has already led the army to trap the Syracuseans in Siris. The final victory is not far from us! But now, the biggest problem for the League is grain!"
"Lord Cunogolata is right. Although the existing grain is enough to supply our troops fighting abroad for two months, the grain reserves of the Daonian people, especially the free men and the families of reserve citizens, are running out. Now that the port is open, the merchants who come to trade are raising the price of grain, forcing the people who have selflessly donated money and grain to the League to spend more money to buy grain! I am afraid that before the war ends, the Daonian people will have exhausted all their savings, which is not conducive to our post-war recovery!" Colonel Nelius said with a worried expression.
"These merchants are simply hateful!" Strombari said angrily, "The price of the grain they sell has doubled and is still rising… Marigis, as the trade official, you should think of a way to rectify these hateful merchants!"
Marigis smiled wryly, "We have already taken some measures, and we have also specifically discussed with the merchants who came to Thurii to sell grain, so we can keep the price within three times. This is the best effort we can make. But the League is now in urgent need of grain, and the people have a great demand for it. The number of people buying grain is increasing day by day, and price increases are inevitable. We can't force the merchants to sell grain at a fixed price, can we?"
"Why not!" Strombari said loudly, "We must first guarantee the interests of the people. We should immediately pass a plan to allow these merchants to sell grain at a fair price, otherwise they will not be allowed to sell goods in the League again!"
"We can't do that!" Before Marigis could speak,
Melsis shouted first, "This is a stupid act that destroys the Greek tradition of free trade! In the future, who would dare to come to Thurii to do business? If the port declines, will we still be able to collect commercial taxes!"
"With such a large territory and so many people in our Daonia, I don't believe that those greedy foreign merchants will not come to do business!" Strombari sneered. As an Amendolara native, he did not have much affection for merchants.
"Even if we use coercive means, those merchants can completely choose not to sell grain in Thurii, but instead sail to Heraclea or Croton." Marigis reminded the senators, "At that time, our people will still flock there to buy grain, and they will complain that we have added so much trouble to them! Rather than doing so, it is better to keep them in Thurii, at least we can take some measures to slightly control the price. After all, the war has not ended, and the League's grain shortage will continue. These merchants are taking the risk to transport grain here. If they cannot make a substantial profit here, I am afraid that no one will be willing to transport grain here again!"
After these words were spoken, the senators, including Strombari, looked worried. Yes, who told Daonia to be short of grain and have to rely on these merchants!
"I wonder how Anysitas's mission to Africa is going?" Cunogolata thought of Anysitas, who was carrying an important mission.
At this moment, the door of the meeting hall was pushed open, and a guard hurried in and whispered something in the ear of Cunogolata, the chairman on duty.
Cunogolata immediately showed a happy expression and said loudly to everyone, "Everyone, rest assured, Lord Anysitas is back, and with him are ten Carthaginian cargo ships, fully loaded with grain!"
The originally sparse meeting hall erupted in cheers again: "We have grain! The people are saved! Anysitas has succeeded! …"
"I didn't expect that the 'enemy of Greece' criticized by the Sicilians—Carthage—helped us!"
"I said, Hades will not let those who believe in him suffer disaster. He has once again fulfilled his promise!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Just as the senators of the Senate rushed to the port of Thurii to welcome the Carthaginian envoys, the 15,000 soldiers of the Daonian-Ligium Allied Forces led by Sylos, Hieronimus, Fidon, and Ledes set out from Trina and marched towards Hipponium.
When they arrived at the city, they found the city gate wide open, and the Hipponians took the initiative to come out of the city to surrender. Last night, the news of the "Locrian army's disastrous defeat" had frightened the Hipponians, and the Locrian routiers' refusal to enter the city to participate in the defense and their direct escape back to Medma made the Hipponians even more panicked. The Hipponians, who only had more than a thousand citizen soldiers in the city, urgently convened a citizens' assembly and finally made a painful decision… When they learned the next day that "tens of thousands of Daonian soldiers were killing towards the city of Hipponium," they surrendered without hesitation.
Before dividing the troops, Davos had discussed with Sylos how to deal with these Locrian allies, so Sylos accepted the surrender of Hipponium, but demanded that each family in the city must hand over hostages to ensure their loyalty.
Faced with the huge Daonian army, the Hipponians had no choice but to agree.
Under the low city walls, the Hipponian people cried and tearfully said goodbye to their children, a scene that was sad and moving.
Sylos was unmoved and sent a thousand-man team to escort these hundreds of children to the city of Trina. At the same time, he made a new request to the Hipponians: to collect as much grain as possible in the city and provide it to the Daonian troops as military rations, otherwise the Daonian soldiers would go hungry and their children would be the first to have nothing to eat.
Now that they were at the mercy of others, the Hipponians had to succumb again.
The Daonian Allied Forces were stationed outside the city of Hipponium, assisting the Hipponians in collecting grain and fodder, while sending scouts south to scout out the enemy's situation. At the same time, they asked the engineering camp to lead the soldiers to build siege equipment to prepare for the next step of attacking the city of Medma.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
At the same time, Davos, who learned that "Caulonia had rejoined the South Italian Alliance," wrote another letter and sent it to the city of Caulonia by fast horse. The letter read: "… I am very happy that Caulonia made the right choice. Lysias and Siprothos and I were overjoyed when we heard this news! Now, under the brave attack of the Syracusean army in Daonia, Croton, and Trina, its strength is constantly weakening, and I believe that the day of its defeat is not far away.
Therefore, we hope that Caulonia, as a member of the South Italian Alliance, will, like us, mobilize all the citizens in the city who can fight, pick up their shields and spears, and launch an invasion of the territory of Locri, so that this culprit who caused this cruel war will also suffer the pain of being ravaged by war, and that it will be afraid to send reinforcements to help the Syracuseans besieged by us in Siris because of its concern for your attack, so as to ensure that we can successfully recapture Siris and annihilate these heinous invaders! Daonia, Croton, Trina, and Ligium look forward to your actions! … … "
This letter caused the Caulonian Council to urgently convene a meeting. Obviously, the main purpose of Davos's letter was not to praise Caulonia for making the right choice, but to urge them to take action immediately and not stand idly by. The last sentence was more like an implicit threat.
Caulonia, which was on the verge of war, of course knew the serious consequences that could result from rejecting Davos's request, so the Citizens' Assembly quickly passed a resolution to "attack Locri."
Although Caulonia had a thousand citizen soldiers trapped in Siris,
Caulonia was still the South Italian city-state that suffered the least losses in this war. By the afternoon, Caulonia had quickly mobilized 4,000 citizen soldiers.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
As soon as the Caulonian troops set out to the south, Locri, whose main force had been sent out and the city was empty, had long been wary of Caulonia, its enemy for decades, and had been closely monitoring Caulonia's movements. Scouts quickly returned with the news.
At this time, Locri had been shocked by the successive bad news and was at a loss. The Syracusean army was defeated, the Locrian main force was disastrously defeated, the city of Hipponium was in danger… Now, the Caulonian army suddenly went south, certainly not to help Locri. Any rational Locrian would make such a judgment.
The sudden turn of the battle made Demodocus, the chief general of Locri, panic. He actually abandoned his almost dictatorial style of the past six months and held a rare council meeting.
However, a strange scene appeared at the council meeting. Demodocus repeatedly asked: "The damn Caulonians have violated their promise and invaded our territory! Now that the situation is urgent, what can we do to deal with it?!"
For a time, everyone remained silent, and no one responded.
Demodocus was secretly alarmed. He knew that during this period, under Dionysius's encouragement and relying on Syracuse's powerful army as support, he had been eliminating dissidents and attacking political enemies in Locri. Many decrees were implemented directly without being voted on by the council or the citizens' assembly, and he had almost taken sole control of Locri's power. But now it seemed that many people held grudges and were ready to embarrass him at any opportunity!
Just as he was secretly regretting holding such a meeting, his confidant Panticape finally stood up and said, "This matter is actually very simple. We can bring back the army stationed in Medma and repel the Caulonian forces!"
"That's easier said than done. What about Medma?!" Metrofines retorted.
"It is reported that Medma has more than two thousand citizen soldiers who can defend against the enemy's attack, so we don't need to worry about them for the time being," Panticape replied, feigning ease.
"Don't worry?!" Metrofines sneered. "The messenger from Medma previously reported that the Daunians who defeated our army had more than ten thousand soldiers, plus the Ligyans from Tauriana. I'm afraid the enemy's soldiers number more than twenty thousand! How can two thousand Medma citizen soldiers resist an attack of twenty thousand people?! The Daunian army is not an ordinary Greek army; they possess powerful ballistae!"
Metrofines anxiously reminded everyone, "Once Medma falls, the vast Daunian and Ligyan armies can attack from the west, and then join forces with the Caulonian army, and Locri will be in danger!"
Metrofines's words made the members of the council look nervous, and some couldn't help but shout, "I think... Locri should negotiate peace with Daonia!"
As soon as these words came out, they were echoed by many people.
"Idiots!" Demodocus finally couldn't help but shout, "Croton, Terina, and Caulonia of the Italic League are our mortal enemies of decades. They have all suffered heavy losses in this war. Use your pig brains and think about what kind of price we will have to pay to appease the anger in their hearts?!"
"Then the clever Chief General must have a way to repel the allied forces of Caulonia, Daonia, and Ligium!" someone said sarcastically, which caused many people to chuckle quietly.
Demodocus's face turned ashen. In the past, who would dare to talk to him like this! The defeat of Syracuse had changed the minds of the council members of Locri!
Demodocus felt a chill in his heart. He loudly reminded them, "Syracuse also suffered a more terrible defeat in the war with Carthage, but the final victory still belonged to Syracuse! Now Syracuse, which owns most of Sicily, still has abundant resources and wealth, and a sufficient population, which is far from comparable to city-states like Daonia, Croton, and Terina. The final victor will definitely be Syracuse! And if we negotiate peace with the enemy here alone, think about it, will Dionysius forgive traitors after the victory?!"
Demodocus glared at everyone. Precisely because Locri had close ties with Syracuse, the people of Locri knew better how terrible Dionysius was. Even if Demodocus's statement that "Syracuse will win" was just a hypothesis, they did not dare to take the risk because it was a hypothesis, so they all avoided Demodocus's gaze.
The reaction of the crowd temporarily relieved Demodocus. He looked at Metrofines a few more times and said firmly, "What we have to do now is to defend! Defend the city of Locri! Until the final victory comes! By then, Caulonia and even the land of Siris will belong to Locri!"
In the end, the Locri council made the decision to "recall the army from Medma and defend the territory", achieving Demodocus's purpose of convening the council to share responsibility and avoid being blamed for "abandoning allies" because of his own decision. However, the uncertain war situation also made Demodocus feel uneasy. As Dionysius's relative, he had to make some more preparations.
..................
Just as Hiero was leading his army to Hipponium, the First Legion had already boarded the Sicelian fleet and sailed south.
In the afternoon, the warships entered the port of Ligium and were once again warmly welcomed by the Ligyans.
At the same time, Antonios, the commander of the First Legion, met Atilicrus, the ruler of Ligium and Daevus's father-in-law. The good news he brought that "the main force of Locri was ambushed by the Ligyan-Daunian allied forces in Hipponium and suffered heavy losses" made Atilicrus and the members of the council present very excited.
Many people praised, "Phayllus did a good job!", completely forgetting that last night, when they learned that Phayllus had taken most of the troops from Tauriana and sailed north, they were panicked and angrily accused, "Phayllus has transferred troops without authorization, putting Ligium in a dangerous situation. He must be brought back to Ligium for severe trial!"
Then, Antonios presented Daevus's letter to Atilicrus. After reading it, he looked happy and actually read it aloud in the council. The letter began with Daevus's respectful greetings to his father-in-law and mentioned Agonis's pregnancy.
Hearing this, the councilors began to congratulate Atilicrus and complimented him, "You have found a good son-in-law!" In fact, this was indeed the case. As the war continued, the strength of the two major powers of Magna Graecia, Croton and Locri, was greatly weakened. Even the Syracusan invasion of the army and navy was severely damaged. The Ligyans suddenly realized that if there were no major accidents, Daonia's power would inevitably expand further after the war. It was said that Daevus had now become the king of Daonia, so Atilicrus's status as father-in-law was even more valuable!
Because of this, how could the Ligyans let go of the opportunity to flatter him.
Atilicrus smiled so much that he couldn't close his mouth. He was glad that he had made an extremely correct decision to marry his daughter to the "nouveau riche" Daevus, who came from a humble background.
In the letter, Daevus went on to mention: ...Although Daonia has defeated Syracuse, the war is far from over. Syracuse has abundant resources on Sicily and may send new troops to reinforce it at any time. Therefore, in order to end the war as soon as possible, we must bring the war to Sicily, disrupt the order there, destroy Syracuse's territory, and capture Syracuse's allies, so as to better weaken Syracuse's power and force it to surrender! To this end, Daonia hopes to get the full support of its ally Ligium...
The councilors who had just rushed to congratulate the Chief General stopped talking. They admitted that Daevus was right, and that attacking Sicily was the best way to defeat Syracuse, but to get Ligium's full support, the penny-pinching merchant nature made them have to consider it carefully: full support meant providing fleets, providing troops, providing material transportation, and supplying military rations... For Ligium, which was also supporting troops to fight against Locri, this would be another huge expense! And who knew when the upcoming Sicilian war would end!...
Atilicrus looked at the crowd's very different reactions and laughed inwardly. He continued to read aloud, "...After the war with Syracuse ends, Daonia will definitely seize Messana and will jointly manage it with Ligium! Daonia has no experience in managing an important strait checkpoint city and needs to rely on Ligium's strong assistance..."
"Did I hear correctly?! Daonia wants to co-own Messana with us!"
"Didn't you understand?! We are mainly responsible for managing Messana. We can finally get it and completely monopolize the strait!"
...
The councilors discussed excitedly.
"Everyone, regarding the matter of our ally Daonia needing our assistance..." When Atilicrus brought up the matter again, everyone no longer hesitated and expressed their support.
"As long as Lord Daevus fulfills his promise in the letter after the war, Ligium should fully support Daonia's attack on Sicily!"
"To get Messana, Syracuse must be defeated! Therefore, we will support Daonia!"
"Now the port is open, and the sea route is open. As long as the number of soldiers Daonia sends to Sicily is not too large, I think we should be able to supply two or three months of military rations..."
...
Atilicrus couldn't help but sigh at this scene: At the beginning, he was persuaded by his son to give up the idea of occupying Messana alone, and wrote a letter to persuade Daevus to take Messana from Syracuse. He didn't expect Daevus to have a bigger appetite, and exchanged Messana for the Ligyans' support for Daonia to gain a foothold in Sicily!
..................
The next day, Dionysius of Siris was furious at the unreasonable demands made by Daevus. While urging the craftsmen to speed up the forging of ironware, he secretly sent people to quietly dig out the bodies of the Numidians who had died from serious injuries in the past two days and had been buried, left their heads behind, and sent messengers to the Daunian camp to perfunctorily deal with Daevus, so as to continue to negotiate peace with Daevus.
In Hipponium, the Daunian-Ligyan allied forces set off in formation and marched towards Medma.
The people of Medma were angry and uneasy because of the withdrawal of the Locrian army, but the reminders and warnings from Locri made them have illusions about the Syracusans, so they decided to hold on and wait for reinforcements.
After Hiero failed to persuade them to surrender, he discussed with Phayllus, Hieronimus, and Lydes and decided to attack the city of Medma by force.
The troops began to build camps, and the engineering battalion continued to build siege equipment.
Phidias hurried to Tauromenium, preparing to bring the remaining Rhegium troops stationed there to Messana to participate in the siege.
To prevent the Locrian army from launching another surprise attack from the rear while the allied forces were besieging the city, Hiero also sent a large detachment to build a simple wooden stockade to block the mountain road leading to Locri, and dispatched reconnaissance squads to monitor the Locrians' movements at all times.
Hiero, with some experience in siege warfare, unhurriedly and methodically led the army to implement his siege plan, while the citizen soldiers who had returned to Locri did not immediately head to the northern border to repel the invading Caulonians.
Due to the capture of Diophantus, the Locrian army needed a new commander, but Demodocus's appointment of one of his confidants was opposed by the members of the council, on the grounds that Locri was in a time of crisis and urgently needed a person with military talent to lead the citizen soldiers to defend Locri, while Demodocus's choice lacked war experience and had no prestige in the army, making it difficult to command the soldiers. Once the battle was lost, Locri would lose its only force, so it must be cautious!
This was the second time in two days that the council had refuted Demodocus's proposal, a situation that had never occurred before. Demodocus suppressed his anger and watched as the councilors unanimously elected Megaris. This old man had led troops to fight Croton many times more than a decade ago, with many victories. In recent years, he had been squeezed out by Demodocus and had to step aside.
At this time, facing the strong demands of the people, Demodocus had no choice but to agree to this appointment, letting his political enemy serve as the commander of the army, while he himself felt his limbs grow cold.
Megaris immediately reorganized the troops and led more than 6,000 men to attack the enemy.
After burning down a village, the Caulonian army did not confront the enemy head-on, but quickly retreated to the border of their city-state's territory, but did not go far, instead setting up camp and continuing to maintain a threatening posture towards Locri.
The cautious Megaris was worried that the Caulonians had some conspiracy, fearing an ambush, and did not advance, but also held firm on the border, with the two sides forming a stalemate.
..................
Early in the morning, the people of Rhegium flocked to the port, not only to see off the Daonian fleet and the First Legion, but also to bid farewell to the nearly one thousand soldiers and their families who had just joined the overseas expedition to Sicily.
Most of them were refugees from Sicilian city-states such as Catana and Naxos, which were captured by Syracuse in those years. Previously, Rhegium had built cities for them on the Myle peninsula in order to counter the two new city-states (Messana and Tyndaris) built by Syracuse on the opposite side of the strait. But unexpectedly, the Syracuse army acted quickly and soon captured the new city, some people were captured and killed, some fled into the mountains, and some were rescued by the Rhegians and taken back to their city by boats.
Now the people of Rhegium are praying that this force will have a smooth journey to Sicily,
and not repeat the same mistakes.
The Daonian fleet and dozens of Rhegium ships sailed out of the port together. At the front of the fleet was the flagship of Secelianus. The young Daonian naval commander stood on the Side, looking at the opposite shore with a hint of regret in his eyes. He pointed to the front and said to Antonios, the commander of the First Legion who was on his warship: "Messana is not far ahead, why don't we take it down first! This place is very close to Rhegium, and it is easy to get Rhegium's support. After capturing Messana, we can block the strait and completely eliminate the warships in the port!"
Antonios squinted at Secelianus's commanding appearance. He had long known that this young man was aggressive and arrogant. If Amyntas were here, he would definitely criticize him: "What right does your navy have to dictate to the legion!"
But Antonios would not do that. In fact, when Davos asked for his opinion, his initial consideration was to land on the Myle peninsula between Tyndaris and Messana. These two city-states were newly built, not very strong, and far away from Syracuse, making them easy to capture, so as to serve as their forward base in Sicily (the original city of Messana was captured and destroyed by the Carthaginian commander Himilco when he led a large army to attack Syracuse. Two years ago, Dionysius led his army north and drove out the Carthaginians from the north coast, and then rebuilt the city).
"I had the same idea before, but it was opposed by His Majesty," Antonios said euphemistically.
"Oh, why?" As soon as Secelianus heard the word "His Majesty", the dissatisfied expression on his face disappeared for the most part.
"Time." Antonios uttered a word: "'It would probably take a few days to attack Messana, and in these few days, the Syracusans would have already received the news that 'we are attacking Sicily' and would definitely make defensive preparations. When we go south to attack again, the difficulties we encounter will increase. Messana is too far away from Syracuse, and its fall will not have a great impact on Syracuse's sphere of influence. We must take advantage of Syracuse's lack of preparation to raid the city-states near it, causing panic and chaos in the area it controls, and more opportunities will arise in the chaos...' These are His Majesty's original words."
Secelianus listened carefully and sighed, "His Majesty is still thinking comprehensively! But in this way, our risks will increase."
Antonios smiled: "Are you afraid of these difficulties?"
Secelianus immediately said proudly: "I am hoping that the fleet in the port of Syracuse can be attracted out, so that my fleet can defeat them and make the Daonian navy completely become the master of this sea area!"
The two laughed confidently.
The fleet sailed south along the east coast of Sicily. Along the way, they encountered many merchant ships. When they saw this large mixed fleet, especially when they discovered the "gem, black hair, double-pronged fork" symbol painted on the sails, they were all shocked, sensing that something big was about to happen. Some hurriedly retreated, while others turned around and accelerated south, obviously preparing to go back and report the news.
Secelianus was in command of the flagship, unmoved. His fleet was already sailing at the fastest speed, and the destination was not far away.
Antonios had been looking at the coast from the side of the ship. He had never been to Sicily before, and the feeling of seeing it on a map was completely different from being there in person.
Davos had told him: "From Messana south to Tauromenium, the land route can only take the narrow passage near the coast, and this road is thirty to forty miles long."
Now it seemed to be true, because after sailing for almost three hours from the port of Rhegium, the mountains on the opposite shore had never stopped in his eyes, overlapping and continuous, looking smooth and green, like a picture. But Antonios knew that this was because it was five or six miles away from him. Based on experience, he judged that these peaks were no less than a thousand meters high, and it was indeed difficult to climb.
"Lord Antonios, that is Tauromenium," said a middle-aged man next to him, pointing to the opposite shore.
This man was called Laodician, originally a Naxos nobleman. After the fall of Naxos, he led his family to flee to the interior of Sicily, near Agirium, where he gathered with other city-state exiles and gradually formed a larger village. Due to the constant harassment of Syracuse's allies and the hostility of the Sicels, their lives were quite difficult. Later, when he heard the news that Rhegium was going to build a new city for these exiles, he went there happily. Who knew that Syracuse's rapid response would destroy the newly built city of Myle in one fell swoop, and some of his relatives also died in the war. He fled to Rhegium.
Although he had experienced many twists and turns, his determination to rebuild his homeland had not changed, but had become even stronger. Therefore, as soon as he heard that Daonia was going to attack Sicily, he took the initiative to find Antonios with his remaining relatives and asked to join.
At this time, Antonios heard the words and stared intently: he saw a city standing on the highlands near the coast. The most peculiar thing was that it was a double city. The two stone fortresses were both located on the highlands, mutually supporting each other, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and controlled the narrow coastal passage.
"I heard that this is a city built by the Carthaginians for the Sicels?" Antonios recalled some brief information he had learned about the city and asked uncertainly.
"Yes, the Carthaginian general Himilco built Tauromenium for the Sicels in order to win over the Sicels and make these natives join his side when Carthage attacked Syracuse..." Laodician said with some schadenfreude: "Later, when the tyrant of Syracuse attacked Tauromenium, because the terrain was steep, he could not use siege equipment and could not capture it. In the end, the Sicels took the initiative to surrender before he got it. Now the owner of this city is those hateful Campanian mercenaries!"
Antonios listened to his explanation and stared blankly at Tauromenium: If he had chosen to attack Messana first, even if he succeeded, he would not be able to break through Tauromenium from the land and enter the core area controlled by Syracuse, but would only be able to take the sea route... and the Sicels were a force that King Davos suggested he could contact...
"...When attacking Sicily, you must remember, 'Military strength accounts for 30%, diplomacy accounts for 70%...'" Antonios's mind echoed with Davos's solemn reminder before his departure.
The fleet continued to move forward, and Antonios's vision suddenly widened: the mountains that had been making people sleepy disappeared, and what appeared were rolling hills, and the terrain became lower and flatter as they went south...
Antonios's eyes were attracted by the more distant scenery on land: it was a magnificent mountain peak. Even though it was nearly 20 miles away, its towering mountain body was still so clear, presenting a huge trapezoid, straight into the sky, like a pillar supporting the sky. What was even more peculiar was that other mountain peaks were green, while it was a hazy gray, and appeared ancient and mysterious. This was the legendary forge of Hephaestus for making divine weapons - Mount Etna in Sicily.