"But I heard that he led the army to conquer the Numidia region in the past ten years or so, so he can't be completely incompetent." Keithgo was slightly puzzled.
"Humph, the Numidia region has been influenced by Carthage for decades. How many tribes are willing to actively rely on Carthage? Moreover, the Numidians have always been a disorganized bunch. How could they unite to resist the Carthaginian army? The Senate could conquer Numidia even if they sent a woman as commander."
Hasdrubal said disdainfully: "Uncle said that Monte Adorno is greedy for wine and lust, and cannot endure hardship. It is said that when he commanded the battle in Numidia, he was afraid of the hot weather and never personally directed the battle on the front line, but hid in the tent and remotely commanded... Hanno appointed him as the commander of the army, which is simply a joke!
Hanno is also a fool who knows nothing about military affairs! He only sent 40,000 people from the city to fight against Daonia, thinking that by capturing a few towns and winning a few victories, he could make Daonia submit and gain some advantages... He thought that war was like doing business, where you can haggle!"
"Yes, since we have already started a war with Daonia, we should take advantage of Daonia's weakness due to the drought and do our best to defeat it!" Keithgo said with a worried look: "If we don't change our thinking as soon as possible, this expedition may be..."
"Isn't that a good thing? Hanno's failure is beneficial to our return to the center of Carthage!" Hasdrubal said with a relaxed expression.
"But... what if Monte Adorno directs our army haphazardly?" Keithgo was a little worried.
Hasdrubal glanced at him: "Have you forgotten what Uncle Mago said! We don't have to listen to Monte Adorno's command at all. We control our own army!"
Keithgo thought for a while and suggested: "In that case... it would be best if we could lead the army to act independently."
"I will make this request to Monte Adorno. I think he probably doesn't want to stay with us, who always argue with him and are unwilling to listen to his command." Hasdrubal showed a wicked smile on his face.
At this time, the lookout's shout rang out from the mast: "We're almost to Sicily!"
Hasdrubal and Keithgo perked up and walked in unison towards the bow, looking at the vaguely visible outline of the land in the distance.
Hasdrubal said with excitement: "Keithgo, let's make a big splash together!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"I didn't expect Carthage to send such a commander, who can win battles without going to the battlefield. That's also a kind of ability!" Davos felt pretty good after reading the intelligence about the Carthaginian army.
"Copy this intelligence about the Carthaginian army and send it to Prossos immediately. I believe he will make good use of it." Davos took out a portion from a pile of intelligence on the desk and handed it to Aristilas.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Aris, do you think it's true that Hanno only sent 40,000 troops... oh, plus the Iberian troops, a total of 60,000 to Sicily? Does he really think that with these 60,000 troops, he can defeat my Daonia and completely occupy Sicily?" Davos suddenly asked.
Davos sometimes asks his close ministers when he is thinking about important state affairs, in order to verify his own ideas or broaden his thinking. Aristilas was prepared for this, and he said calmly: "Perhaps the Carthaginian Suffete Hanno never thought of completely occupying Sicily or completely defeating our Daonia. He just wanted to obtain some victories and then force us to sign some agreements that would be beneficial to them..."
"...That makes sense." Davos nodded thoughtfully. After a while, he stroked his chin and said in a deep voice: "It is also possible... that the Carthaginians don't want to send so many troops at once to increase the pressure on logistics, but rather to increase them later depending on the development of the war... But in any case, this Carthaginian ruler—Lord Hanno—is good at playing politics, but he obviously doesn't have the boldness of the Magonid family. Perhaps in his heart, he doesn't regard this war as a decisive battle between Daonia and Carthage, which should be a good thing for us..." As Davos spoke, his voice gradually became lower and he fell into thought again.
Aristilas stood quietly aside without speaking.
After a while, Davos looked at him again and said: "At yesterday's Tribune Assembly, the tribunes from Uzentum, Messagne, and Udie all mentioned that unfamiliar Messapian people were entering and leaving the residences of some former Messapian tribal leaders in towns and villages. Send someone to investigate this carefully."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"It's best to find out who their backers are! It seems that some people want to take advantage of our war with Carthage to create more trouble for us!" Davos looked sharply ahead, but in fact, he already had a suspect in mind.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do it immediately!"
At this time, the palace guard came in to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Secrian has arrived."
"Quick, let him in!" Davos said happily.
Aristilas immediately took his leave.
Secrian, who was already in his forties, was still slender and agile, showing no signs of middle-aged men's weight gain. He strode into the office, came to Davos, and quickly and decisively gave a standard military salute: "Your Majesty, I'm here!"
"Looking at you like this, it seems that you can't wait any longer." Davos joked.
"Isn't that right, Your Majesty! I've been in that small bay in Tarantum for almost ten years, and I've almost forgotten how to drive a warship!" Secrian also joked.
"It seems I need to reconsider changing a naval commander." Davos said seriously.
"Is there a better naval commander in the kingdom than me!" Secrian immediately responded.
Both of them laughed heartily.
"This time, I'm sending you to Sicily to command the First and Third Fleets to fight against the Carthaginian navy. Fleet Commander Flarios of the Third Fleet is your former subordinate, so it's easier to command. Do you have any other requests?" Davos said sternly.
"Can the Second Fleet also be placed under my command?" Secrian asked his request without hesitation.
Davos shook his head: "Midolardes' fleet needs to contain the Romans on the west coast. Besides, after the First Fleet of nearly 60,000 people goes to Sicily, most of the military rations will be supplied by the kingdom. You also know that the kingdom has just experienced a drought, and the cities of Southern Italy are short of food. I have given priority to allocating the grain transported from Egypt to your fleet. If you add another 30,000 to 40,000 people, I'm afraid most of your navy will have to go hungry."
The Kingdom of Daonia now has four fleets. The First Fleet is mainly stationed in Tarantum, the Second Fleet is stationed in Trina, the Third Fleet is in Catane, and the Fourth Fleet is in Brindisi. Since a large number of people are needed to form a fleet, in principle, they are assigned nearby. For example, the main force of the First Fleet is stationed in the northwest corner of the large port of Tarantum, and the land from there to Metapontum is basically allocated to the sailors and helmsmen of the First Fleet, and some sailors come from Tarantum, Metapontum, Heraclea... Therefore, every time the First Fleet trains, they can bring enough rations and arrive at the base in time.
In addition, the main combat force of the Daonian fleet is the Raven warship, and the main combat method is boarding battles, which requires a large number of infantry to board the ship and fight. During the Southern Italian War, the infantry was entirely provided by the army legions, but after the establishment of the kingdom, Secrian suggested to the Ministry of Military Affairs that he believed that each time the legions participated in naval operations, it would be difficult to coordinate in peacetime training (because the fleet's station and the legion's station were not together, and it was impossible to train with every legion), and the power of the legions could not be fully exerted in war (because they would be drawn to the fleet to fight from time to time). It would be better for each fleet to equip its own infantry dedicated to the navy, so that they could devote themselves wholeheartedly to sea battles and the invasion of enemy coastlines...
The Ministry of Military Affairs debated endlessly about his proposal. The report was finally passed to Davos, and Davos readily signed "Agree". Because, he knew very well that the navy was always used for offense, and they needed to have their own marine corps.
For this reason, the navy's station needs to have enough land to accommodate the sailors and fleet infantry. Therefore, the Second Fleet is in Trina, where there is the Euphimia Plain; the Third Fleet is in Catane, where there is the fertile Catania Plain; the Fourth Fleet is in Brindisi, and Brindisi itself is a naval base; and the First Fleet, in addition to Tarantum, also has a sub-fleet stationed in the military port in the southern part of the Sibari Plain. Therefore, the scale of each fleet is quite large, especially the First Fleet, whose number completely exceeds the sum of five army legions. Once it is far away from the station, the consumption of grain is huge.
Secrian certainly knew the advantages and disadvantages of this, so he no longer insisted, and then raised a sensitive question: "When I go to Sicily, who will be in charge of the command? Me or the newly appointed Sicily commander, Prossos?"
Davos stared at him and said solemnly: "In principle, the navy is your responsibility, and the army is Prossos's responsibility. The navy and army will work together to jointly defend our territory in Sicily and eliminate the invading Carthaginian army. When you and Prossos discuss military plans, the governor of Sicily, Siplos, will also participate. When you two disagree, he will make the final decision. Once the plan is established, it must be fully implemented without any shirking or delay."
Seclian smiled: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I am also a member of the Senate, how could I mess things up without considering the overall situation!"
Davos also smiled and said: "With you stationed in the southern sea area, I am very relieved! However, after you have completely controlled the sea around Sicily, do not completely block the sea passage between Carthage and Sicily."
"Why?" Seclian was stunned and blurted out.
"Because we need to give Carthage hope, let them constantly consume their own resources and send Carthaginian citizens to Sicily..." A cold light flashed in Davos's eyes.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"General, how could you allow Hasdrubal to lead his army to attack the northern coast of Sicily alone!" Milerfio stormed into the military camp and questioned Mont Adorno loudly.
Mont Adorno did not rebuke Milerfio's rudeness. He shrugged and asked helplessly: "If we don't let him go, what can we do? Just because he refused to send his troops as the vanguard, he has been arguing with me here for three days, seriously affecting my command of other troops. Could I punish him with military law?!"
Milerfio was speechless for a moment. He immediately realized that Hasdrubal was the most important member of the Magonid family. Punishing him for a disagreement on military strategy was not something Mont Adorno, with his ordinary background and strength, dared to do. If he really did, it might give Mago an excuse to withdraw the expeditionary army. Mont Adorno was afraid to act rashly.
Milerfio said unwillingly: "We can report Hasdrubal's rude behavior of refusing to obey military orders to the Senate and let them punish him!"
Mont Adorno secretly shook his head. Milerfio was still too young. The war hadn't even started, and he was already suggesting that he ask the Senate for help. Wouldn't that make the senators think he was too incompetent? How could Hanno be willing to entrust him with the command of the army!
Thinking of this, a sneer appeared on his face: "Actually, it's a good thing that Hasdrubal wants to lead his army to attack the northern coast. If he attacks with all his strength, he can help us attract the attention of the Daonian army and disperse their forces; if he stations his troops without advancing, the Senate and the people will see it completely. When the time comes, a comparison with our achievements will only make the Magonid family lose face. I believe that if Mago, who attaches great importance to family reputation, knows about this, he will definitely ask Hasdrubal to attack desperately."
Milerfio thought for a while and smiled.
"How are your soldiers doing now?" Mont Adorno asked with concern again.
"They are eager for battle!" Milerfio replied simply.
"That's good." Mont Adorno nodded with satisfaction. It should be known that the Sacred Band army led by Milerfio was the main force of this Carthaginian army: "Go back and prepare, we will soon advance east along the southern coast as well."
"Yes, General!" Milerfio bid farewell excitedly and left.
After sending away Hanno's son-in-law, Mont Adorno breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to ask the servant to bring a can of wine when the guard came in to report: "General, that Sicel leader named Akonis is here to see you again."
"No!" Mont Adorno waved his hand impatiently. A Sicel leader who had lost his people and was living in Lilybaeum like a stray dog was not worthy to see him!
Hasdrubal quickly led his mixed army of 20,000 men to board ships and leave Lilybaeum, heading north and landing in Panormus, a coastal city-state in northwestern Sicily.
This was a city-state established by the Phoenicians, and it had always been under the rule of the Carthaginians. Hasdrubal's family reputation made him warmly welcomed, but the people were also surprised to see that there were not many Phoenicians or Carthaginian citizens in this large army. Basically, they were all foreigners in strange clothes, so they refused to let them approach the city.
Fortunately, the flat land around Panormus was the widest among the towns on the northern coast, so Hasdrubal and Kisgo led the army to build a temporary military camp outside the city.
Due to its excellent geographical location and environment, Hasdrubal, on Kisgo's suggestion, decided to use it as the rear base for his troops. Therefore, he spent several days thoroughly building the camp, storing food and supplies, leaving a small number of soldiers to garrison, and began to lead the army to attack east.
This time the army took the land route. After only two hours of marching, they arrived at another Phoenician town—Solus. The reason why Dionysius's army and Mago's Carthaginian army fought fiercely here for several months was not because it was a big city, but because this small town completely blocked the land passage between the mountains and the coast, making it difficult to attack.
Hasdrubal's army stayed here for a while before continuing to move forward. The road ahead was more difficult. On the left was the sea, and on the right were towering mountains with an average altitude of about 1,000 meters. This passable coastal passage was also uneven, with the narrowest point being less than two miles. The marching speed of the entire army slowed down.
Around 3 pm, they finally came out of this narrow coastline and stepped onto the soft land. What appeared in front of them was a low hill.
Hasdrubal was excited because the guide told him that Himera was ahead.
Hasdrubal immediately ordered the army to rush to the banks of the Himera River, build a temporary camp, and prepare for the night.
He and Kisgo, however, rode fast horses with their guards to this place of great significance to the Magonid family.
Decades ago, his ancestor Hamilcar led the Carthaginian army to besiege this largest Greek city-state on the northern coast of Sicily. As a result, the then Syracuse tyrant Dionysius led reinforcements and eventually defeated Hamilcar's army.
More than a decade ago, Hasdrubal's father, Himilco, led a large Carthaginian army to land on Sicily again, captured this city-state that had brought shame to the Magonid family, and Himilco built an altar to Baal Hammon, appeasing the spirits of his ancestors and washing away the previous shame by sacrificing thousands of prisoners in a blood sacrifice ceremony.
When Hasdrubal and the others arrived, there was no longer a city of Himera in front of them, but a ruin covered with weeds, only the river called Himera flowing through the ruins.
On the east bank of the Himera River, there were one or two Greek villages, and the people in the villages were fleeing east with their families.
The guards wanted to step forward to chase and kill them, but Hasdrubal stopped them: "Don't worry, they can't escape in the end!"
He dismounted and wandered slowly in the ruins for a while. When the follow-up troops arrived at the river one after another, he said to Kisgo with a solemn expression: "When I win, I will build an altar here. This time it's our turn to wash away the shame for the family!"
Kisgo nodded solemnly as well.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early the next morning, Hasdrubal gathered his troops and continued marching, riding his horse at the head of the team.
Ahead was the Himera River, and further east belonged to the sphere of influence of the Greeks. The Carthaginian army crossing this river meant declaring war on the Greek forces in Sicily.
Hasdrubal did not hesitate to spur his horse across the Himera River, thus opening the prelude to the war between the two largest forces in the western Mediterranean, the Daonian Kingdom and Carthage.
At noon, the Carthaginian army marching along the coastline stopped advancing. In front of them, a Greek town—Cephaloedum—blocked their way.
Compared with the city of Solus, the terrain of Cephaloedum was even more dangerous. On the sea side was a mountain with an altitude of 300 meters, and on the inland side were continuous mountains with an average altitude of 400 to 500 meters. The narrowest point in the middle was only 400 meters, and the city of Cephaloedum guarded it.
As soon as Hasdrubal saw the dangerous terrain, he immediately ordered the troops to form dense columns in front of the city (because the terrain was narrow, they could not spread out in front), extending for several miles, blowing military horns, thundering military drums, and the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky.
Then, he sent his men to the city to persuade them to surrender, otherwise he threatened to massacre the city, but was sternly rejected.
So, Hasdrubal ordered the troops to retreat half a mile away, and while building a temporary camp, began to prepare siege equipment.
When Dionysius attacked the many Carthaginian towns in Sicily, the Carthaginians suffered enough from crossbows, belly bows, and siege towers. In recent years, they have been concentrating their efforts on research and development. Carthage is, after all, a powerful city-state, and its civilization is no less than that of Greece. Except for super siege equipment because of the complex process, the large number of people required, and the difficulty in manufacturing, siege equipment such as crossbows and belly bows have long been able to be made by themselves, and can also be used to assist allies, such as Rome.
The soldiers began to assemble crossbows and belly bows, and cut down trees to make ladders and siege vehicles.
The people of Cephaloedum also sent messengers from the port to Milai, asking the Daonians for help.
The next day, Hasdrubal led his army to attack the city of Cephaloedum.
The people of the city had already been reminded by the Daonians half a month ago, and under the guidance of the Daonians, they had reinforced the city defenses. The narrow terrain prevented the Iberian army from exerting its advantage in numbers, and only being able to attack its west city wall was also conducive to the people of Cephaloedum concentrating their forces to defend.
After a day of fierce fighting, they didn't even attack the top of the city, and the Iberian army had to withdraw to camp.
The next day, Hasdrubal led his army to fight again, but still failed to capture the city.
The same was true for several days in a row.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Two days after the Iberian army left, Mont Adorno led the large Carthaginian army from Lilybaeum, marching east along the road on the southern coast.
The army first arrived at Mazara in the afternoon.
Mazara was a town founded by the Phoenicians, long under the jurisdiction of Carthage, and only about 30 li away from Lilybaeum. However, the Carthaginian army moved slowly, not only with a large amount of baggage, but also because Mago brought some Carthaginian merchants and even prostitutes. As a result, the team was bloated, the formation was somewhat scattered, and the marching speed was slow.
The next day, the team continued to move forward, and again arrived at the city of Selinunte, about 40 li from Mazara, at dusk.
Selinunte was established by Greek colonists and was once famous in Sicily for its wealthy agriculture and fishing industry. During the Peloponnesian War, it clashed with Segesta, which was not far away to its northwest, resulting in the Athenian army's expedition to Sicily. In the subsequent long-term battle between Carthage and Syracuse, Selinunte and Segesta, a pair of Greek colonial towns in western Sicily surrounded by Phoenician towns, were repeatedly captured. Most of their Greek residents fled to eastern Sicily, and later most of the immigrants were Phoenicians. Therefore, when Dionysius signed an agreement with Carthage, he agreed to assign Selinunte to Carthaginian jurisdiction.
On the third day, the Carthaginian army arrived at another town, Therae, at dusk. Although the Carthaginian soldiers were tired from the march, the expressions on their faces were very excited.
Looking at the name of this town, you know that there are hot springs here. Initially, it was because there were hot springs in Mount Calogero that the Selinuntines built a village here. After the Carthaginians occupied this place and strengthened friendly relations with Dionysius, the thermal baths of Thurii inspired the Carthaginian merchants. So they vigorously developed this place and built several thermal baths similar to Thurii, attracting countless Carthaginians to enjoy the sulfur hot springs. This village quickly developed into a town.
The soldiers simply built a camp and went to take a bath in batches, while Mago even summoned several women to bathe with him.
The next day, after being washed by the hot springs, the Carthaginian army, whether generals or soldiers, were all energetic and marched eastward briskly.
In the afternoon, the army arrived at Heraclea Minoa. This was a Greek colonial city, located on a hill on the east bank of the Halicarsus River, overlooking the fertile lowlands on the west bank and guarding the port to the east. In the past ten years, this city-state has had close ties with Dionysius, and even established friendly and close ties with the city of Heraclea under the kingdom because of its name. Therefore, the Minoans did not hesitate to reject the Carthaginian surrender.
Mago had expected this, and he ordered the army to camp on the west bank of the Halicarsus River.
For the next three days, the Carthaginians were preparing for the siege, and the Carthaginian fast ships sent to explore the eastern coast reported that they had not found Dionysius sending reinforcements to Minoa.
Mago was immediately relieved.
He decided to launch a full-scale attack on the city of Minoa tomorrow.
What he didn't know was that the Sicani tribes in Enna, the central inland city of Sicily, northwest of Minoa, had already sent a thousand warriors, who were crossing the mountains and wading through the valleys, heading towards Minoa.
The next day, the Carthaginian army crossed the Halicarsus River and arrived at the city of Minoa, lined up, surrounded the city of Minoa, and then blew the attack horn.
Minoa was not large and did not have many people. The number of young and middle-aged citizen soldiers who could fight in the city was less than 4,000. There was no moat in front of the city, and the height of the hill where it was located was less than 150 meters, and the slope was gentle. However, the Minoans completely followed the guidance of the officers sent by Dionysius, not only setting up a large number of traps, but also cutting down all the trees on the hill, and even digging away the rocks that could be used as cover for the attack, using them as stones to defend against the enemy.
Because of the existence of the hill, the large siege equipment made by the Carthaginians had to spend more manpower to push to the front of the city, and their movements were bound to be very slow. The attack of the crossbow was also greatly reduced in accuracy and power due to the long distance. Therefore, the Numidian soldiers, who were the main force of the attack, carried the siege ladders and rushed to the front, and as a result, they were deeply troubled by the traps.
Moreover, the Minoans pushed round, polished stones down the hill towards the densely packed Carthaginian army below the city. The stones rolled down the mountain, crushing many Numidian soldiers along the way, and even destroying the siege equipment, eventually leading to the rout of the siege troops…
After learning about the battle situation in the big tent, Mago was not in a hurry, and ordered the troops to reorganize their formation and continue the attack.
Seeing the slow progress of the demoralized Numidian soldiers towards the city of Minoa, Milo rushed into the big tent anxiously, and asked Mago to send his Sacred Band troops to serve as the main attack, but was rejected by the commander. He earnestly persuaded, "Attacking such a strategically important and heavily fortified city cannot be successful in a day or two. We must be patient! Our Sacred Legion troops, Carthaginian citizen soldiers, and even the Phoenician soldiers of the allied states are all precious and cannot be wasted in a difficult and long siege. The Numidians are not only numerous, but also lowly. If a batch dies, another batch can be pulled in. This is also conducive to the stability of the Numidian region…"
Milo was silent.
In the afternoon, the Carthaginian army attacked the city and began a fierce siege.
When the battle reached a fever pitch, bugles sounded outside the north city of Minoa, behind the battlefield. Thousands of Sicani warriors rushed out of the northern mountains and attacked the Carthaginian army that was fighting fiercely.
Due to the information returned by the fast ships, the careless Mago did not send scouts or reconnaissance riders to explore the enemy's situation around the battlefield after the siege began, nor did he set up a reserve force specifically as a guard behind the siege troops, especially on the north side of the city of Minoa.
The Sicani warriors only wore cloth robes and carried spears and javelins, so they were fast. In a blink of an eye, they climbed the hills and ran to the city, attacking the Numidian soldiers who were attacking the city with all their strength. The Numidians, who were originally demoralized, were immediately defeated.
The defeat of the Numidians outside the north city quickly affected the troops in other directions. The soldiers shouted in panic, "The enemy's reinforcements are here! The enemy's reinforcements are here!…" They scrambled to run down the mountain, their speed even exceeding that of the Sicani who were chasing them. These mountain people stared blankly as thousands of Numidian soldiers fled quickly across the Halicarsus River, even dragging the Carthaginian troops who came to stop them into the camp together.
Milo led the Sacred Band cavalry and infantry, bypassed the defeated soldiers, and went to stop the enemy's reinforcements. As a result, he found that these lightly armed and small number of enemies did not enter the city of Minoa, but quickly ran into the mountains again.
The dignified Carthaginian army of tens of thousands was actually defeated by only a thousand Sicani mountain people! Philo felt infinite shame and anger in his heart.
However, Mago was calm. In his opinion, although the Sicani attack led to the defeat of the siege troops, the casualties were not large (less than 1,000 people). For a siege of this scale, it was nothing. On the contrary, the Sicani attack exposed the intentions of the Dionysians. As long as the Carthaginian army strengthened its defenses, the Sicani could not cause any further losses to the army.
After listening to Mago's comfort, Milo returned to the camp, still feeling uneasy. He vaguely felt that Mago was not aggressive enough and seemed to be incapable of commanding such a large army, so he immediately wrote to his father-in-law Hanno, expressing his concerns to him.
Two days later, a fast ship from Carthage brought Hanno's autograph letter. In the letter, Hanno warned Mago to go all out in this war and achieve some victories as soon as possible, so that the Senate would know that his decision to appoint Mago as the commander of the army was the right one!
At the same time, he also warned Mago not to be careless again and cause losses to the army! Otherwise, even if some people in the Senate do not impeach him, he will not be able to face the anger of the people!
After reading the letter, Mago felt the pressure. He finally stopped sleeping in the big tent and personally reorganized the army, directing the soldiers to launch an attack on the city of Minoa.
The Minoans seized the two or three days of rest time to rearrange the defensive facilities that had been destroyed by the Carthaginians, once again causing great trouble to the Carthaginian army.
During the Carthaginian siege, the Sicani roamed the edge of the battlefield, harassing them from time to time, and once almost set fire to the Carthaginian camp. Although Mago had been prepared for this, the losses caused were not great, but they restrained a lot of the Carthaginian's energy. In the Carthaginian army, not only the cavalry, but even the infantry were from the plains and deserts of Africa, and they were completely unable to deal with this Sicani force that moved over the mountains as if they were on flat ground.
After racking his brains, Mago remembered the Sicani people who lived in the western mountainous area of Sicily and were attached to the Carthaginians. So he sent someone to order Semimre of Lilybaeum to quickly organize a Sicani force and send them to Minoa to fight.
The news that "a thousand Sicani warriors defeated the Carthaginian army of 40,000 besiegers" also reached the ears of Leotychides, the Dionysian Sicilian commander who was closely monitoring the battle in Catana, which made him feel very surprised.
After inquiring in detail about the entire battle process, he stared at the map and fell into deep thought.
After a long time, he took out the information about this Carthaginian army given to him by the intelligence department and looked at it repeatedly several times, and finally made up his mind.
Soon, the Sicilian wartime governor, Siplos, rushed over, "Lord Prosus, you called me here in such a hurry, is there a change in the battle situation?!"
"Yes, there's a change." Leotychides' tone was always bland and unemotional: "The Sikel raiding force routed the Carthaginian army of forty thousand besiegers."
Ciprus thought he had misheard and asked in surprise, "Is that true?! Are you talking about those thousand poorly equipped Sikel light infantry?!"
"I never lie in war." Leotychides fixed his gaze intently on Ciprus, but his tone remained calm: "I have decided to change the previously designated plan and lead the Eighth Legion to Minoia to meet the Carthaginians."
"Good! As expected of a commander valued by His Majesty! Much better than that dogshit plan you made before!" A voice of praise rang out from outside the door, and the naval commander Secelian strode into the conference room.
Leotychides raised an eyebrow.
Ciprus asked in surprise, "You want to lead the army to directly engage the Carthaginians?! That's too risky! The Carthaginian army has more than 40,000 men. Are you going to gather all the Dionian citizens in Sicily?! If the battle is lost, the kingdom's territory in Sicily will be in danger! I think it would be safer for you to continue implementing the previous plan!"
After all, according to regulations, Governor Ciprus had the right to participate in military conferences and raise objections, so Leotychides had to explain in detail: "The previous plan was based on the judgment that the Carthaginians would send an army of eighty to one hundred thousand men, but unexpectedly they only sent 60,000, and 20,000 of them went to the north coast. According to the intelligence obtained previously, half of this 40,000-strong Carthaginian army is composed of Numidians who have been oppressed by Carthage. Their morale is not high. An attack by only a thousand Sikels can force them to retreat. This also shows that their commander is incompetent.
According to intelligence, the Carthaginian commander, Monte Adorno, is fond of pleasure, does not like to personally be on the battlefield, and does not like to be close to the soldiers. Therefore, he cannot fully utilize the advantage of having more troops. Even if we have fewer soldiers, the Eighth Legion and its reserve troops have far superior combat power and morale than the enemy, and we can completely defeat them.
Moreover, we cannot watch this Carthaginian army slowly conquer our allied states one by one by relying on its superior numbers, consolidating the entire army through battles and victories, and boosting the morale and combat power of the Carthaginians… Once the Carthaginian army conquers the south coast, it will become very difficult to fight them."
"Your idea is right. The previous plan was completely passive. I just arrived yesterday and heard about your previous plan. I wanted to talk to you about it." Secelian said grandly in the tone of a superior to a subordinate.
Although as a senator of the Senate, Secelian's qualifications and kingdom position were indeed higher than Leotychides, it still made Leotychides feel a little uncomfortable. But then he thought that his subsequent military operations would still rely on the navy,
So he suppressed his emotions and said lightly: "I am also basing this on what is said in the 'Dionian Military Law', 'All military plans must be formulated according to the actual situation.' Since the situation has changed, the plan I formulated must also change accordingly."
Unlike Cornelius, who was prone to anxiety, Ciprus, once persuaded, immediately asked bluntly: "How many people are you taking to participate in the battle?"
"The entire Eighth Legion and the Fourth Cavalry Legion, as well as some reserve soldiers, probably around 15,000 people. The other reserve soldiers will be stationed in the main camp. The allied troops of Leontini and Taormina will not be transferred. They still need to guard against the Syracusans."
After Leotychides finished speaking, Ciprus was surprised again: "Prothous, isn't 15,000 people a little too few?!"
"Not at all." Leotychides said confidently: "I will entrust Crellus of Hera to organize the Sikel warriors and reach Minoia via mountain roads. And I will lead these 15,000 soldiers, take a sea route to disembark at the port of Camarina, march west along the south coast, and incorporate the armies of the friendly city-states along the way into the team. When we reach Minoia, I estimate that the number of troops should be at least 30,000…"
"Hey, I was so anxious just now that I forgot about Camarina, Gela, Agrigento… these friendly city-states." Ciprus exposed his shortcomings, but a relieved smile appeared on his face: "Prothous, the decision you made is correct! Through this frontal battle with Carthage, we can show the city-states close to us the kingdom's protection of them, and deepen our friendship with them through battle!…"
Leotychides didn't think as much as Ciprus. He only wanted to win, turned his head and said to Secelian: "I hope that the transport fleet and the transportation of food and supplies can be protected by the fleet led by you, Lord Secelian!"
"This is the duty of our navy!" Secelian replied readily, and the following words revealed his true purpose: "I can just use the protection of you to lure the Carthaginian fleet to engage in a decisive battle with us!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The news that "the Carthaginian army landed in Sicily and began to advance into Dionian territory" was transmitted to Rome, which excited the senators. The dictator Camillus believed that the time had come and immediately issued the order to "march on the Hernici".
Soon, he led more than 40,000 troops composed of Roman citizen soldiers and Latin allied soldiers who had been assembled in the Field of Mars, left the city of Rome, and marched directly towards the southeast.
The Hernici were an ancient indigenous people in central Italy. They mainly lived in the lowlands between the Hernici Mountains and the Lepini Mountains. This was a long strip of hilly lowland about 150 li long and only about 20 li wide, with the Trerus River flowing through the middle. To the west and south of their residential area were the Volsci, who were close to the Lepini Mountains, to the east were the Marsi and Aequi, who lived deep in the mountains, and to the north were some Latin city-states, mainly Praeneste.
The Roman army passed through the Latin allied city of Gabii and camped outside the city of Praeneste at dusk.
The Hernici were very panicked when they heard the news that "the Roman army was coming", and hurriedly sent people to the Volsci for help.
The next morning, the Roman army continued to march south, passing through the Latin allied city of Tolerium, and soon arrived at a town adjacent to the Hernici and Latin peoples—Signia.
This was a small Hernici city located at the foot of the Lepini Mountains. It did not have a large population, but its terrain was relatively dangerous, and it was an important passage for the Hernici tribes living in the Lepini Mountains to leave the mountains.
Camillus immediately sent 5,000 people to surround the small city and began to manufacture siege equipment. Once preparations were complete, they would begin to attack the city.
At the same time, he led 35,000 people across the Trerus River without stopping and arrived at another important Hernici town close to the Latin region on the east bank of the Trerus River in the afternoon—Anagnia, and divided another 10,000 people to surround it.
He led the remaining 25,000 people, bypassed the city of Anagnia, and began to build a large camp a few miles south of it, glaring at the central town of the Hernici—Ferentinum.
Previously, the Hernici had suffered a disastrous defeat in the war in which they joined forces with the Volsci to attack the Roman Latin allies. Not long after that, their strength had not recovered at all. How could they have the ability to organize enough warriors to rescue the besieged towns? They could only huddle in various towns, fortify the city defenses, and at the same time look forward to the rescue of the Volsci.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
When the news that "the territory of the Hernici was attacked by the Roman army" reached Bolae, the Volsci alliance leaders who had gathered here felt very nervous. They had just repelled the Romans and were still discussing how to recapture Antium, Velitrae… and other towns occupied by the Romans. Unexpectedly, the Romans had launched another war so quickly on the east side of the Volsci.
Aminthas, who was invited to participate in the meeting, felt puzzled. He asked in surprise: "Did the intelligence previously sent back say that 'the Romans stationed 10,000 people in Antium, Velitrae, and Satricum respectively?'! Where do the Romans have so many soldiers to attack the Hernici?!"
Cata Montaros, the chief magistrate of Bolae, said helplessly: "The Romans don't have that many young citizens, but they also have many Latin allies, and many Etruscan city-states conquered by Rome. They are fully capable of launching another war while fighting us, the Volsci! This is what makes the Romans so terrifying!"
I'm afraid the Romans are going to concentrate all their strength to fight a big battle! But what about our Dionia…? Aminthas thought of his First Legion, which had just replenished its troops, and sighed secretly: With the combat power of the Roman army, the First Legion of less than 10,000 people is not enough to help the Hernici repel the Roman attack!
Printoris next to him saw Aminthas's tangled expression and hurriedly asked: "Why don't we contact the Aequi and Marsi to deal with the Romans together?! I heard that these two races are right next to the Hernici. I think if the Hernici are destroyed by the Romans, these two races, which are also at odds with Rome, will also face the threat of the Romans directly!"
Tulus, the chief magistrate of Setia, replied: "The Hernici must have contacted the Aequi and Marsi. The question now is whether we should rescue the Hernici?"
"Of course we must rescue them!" Cata Montaros said loudly without hesitation: "Our Fabrateria, Frusinum… are located south of the Hernici territory. If the Hernici are destroyed, then they will also be attacked by the Romans. It would be better to rescue the Hernici now than to rescue them then!"
What Kataios Montauros said was recognized by everyone. After discussion, they decided to send 10,000 people to assist the Heracleans in defending the city of Filentum.
Ten thousand soldiers—this was already the maximum force that the Volsci could send. After these 10,000 people left, the territory of the Volsci would inevitably be empty of defense. Therefore, they entrusted the important task of defending the Volsci territory to Amyntas, which just shows that the bloody battles of the Daonian First Legion had won the full trust of the Volsci.
The Heraclean envoy, who had received hints from the Volsci, privately approached Amyntas, hoping to form an alliance with Daonia and obtain the support of this southern power.
Tapyrus, who had been authorized by King Davos, took over the negotiations.
Under the pressure of the situation, the Heracleans quickly drafted a treaty of alliance with Daonia. However, Tapyrus reminded the other party that Daonia was unable to send troops to support Heraclea in the short term due to food shortages.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The news that "the Carthaginian army landed in Sicily and attacked the territory of Daonia" also reached the Samnite mountains, and the Samnite tribal alliance was also greatly encouraged.
Although Liguske believed that the war in Sicily had just begun and the situation was not clear, and that they should wait and see…
However, the other tribal chiefs could no longer wait, and finally passed the decision to "send troops to Daonia" at the meeting, but there were some disputes over the direction of the attack.
Chief Ussibuke, representing the Kaudini, insisted that they should attack the Campania region, attack the weaker Campania League, rescue the more than 2,000 Kaudini warriors who had been captured, and thus strengthen the Samnite Allied Forces.
Liguske opposed this, believing that the Samnite tribal alliance's dispatch of troops this time was a declaration of war against Daonia, so the biggest enemy of the Samnites was the Kingdom of Daonia. How to maximize the attack on the Daonians, weaken Daonia's strength, and make it suffer defeat in this large-scale war, unable to fight back against the Samnites, was the primary issue for the chiefs to consider.
Then, facing Ussibuke's angry gaze, Liguske said loudly: "My suggestion is—attack the Daonia region!"
After speaking, he calmly analyzed: "First of all, the Daonia region is adjacent to the various tribes of the Kaudini and Pentri, which is convenient for us to send troops. You must know that the warriors we lead this time will definitely not be few, and food consumption will be a big problem. Short distance means less consumption on the road. And the area where Daonia borders us is large, which means that there are many places we can attack,
Making it impossible for the Daonians to defend against…"
Chief Badani of the Pentri and Chief Kontruke of the Kalacheni nodded thoughtfully.
"Secondly, the Daonia region is a newly occupied area by the Daonians two years ago. As far as I know, the Daunians have not completely submitted to Daonia, and the Daonian army in the Daonia region has just been established, so our attack will be easier, and may even cause chaos in this area.
Moreover, now the Daonians are at war with the Romans because of the Volsci. As the war between the two sides expands, Daonia is likely to send more reinforcements. If we attack Campania, it will be very convenient for Daonia to mobilize troops nearby, and if we attack Daonia, Daonia will face the difficulty of choosing: whether to rescue the Volsci or Daonia?"
"Then do you need to say that the Daonians will definitely send a large army to rescue Daonia! We are helping Rome, but we are bringing a large army to ourselves!" Ussibuke questioned angrily.
"What does it matter, we can just retreat back to the mountains, anyway, it's very convenient." Liguske said with a smile: "But for the Daonians, it is not convenient to mobilize a large army back and forth, which will provide the Romans with more time to eliminate the Volsci. When the Romans completely conquer the Latin region, we can even open the way for them to facilitate their attack on Campania…"
"Will the Romans listen to you so much?" Ussibuke sneered.
"As long as the Romans don't want to be retaliated against by Daonia in the future, they must step up their attack now. I heard that the newly elected dictator of Rome, Camillus, is a smart man." Liguske said patiently: "And once Daonia's army is transferred to deal with the Romans and Carthaginians, we can attack Daonia again, and even attack Putheti further south, and besides—"
Liguske looked at Ussibuke and said seriously: "In Daonia, we must capture as many prisoners as possible, and then ask the Daonians to exchange for the captured Kaudini warriors."
Ussibuke's eyes lit up and he asked eagerly: "Will the Daonians agree?!"
"According to Davos's past treatment of his people, he is likely to agree! And if he wants to gain the complete submission of the Daunians, he must agree!" Liguske said affirmatively.
At this time, Kontruke asked: "Why not attack the Potentia region first to regain your Hirpini's lost land (referring to Capua)?"
Liguske was prepared and said: "The mountain roads in the Potentia region are rugged, and it will take longer to completely occupy it, which is enough for the Daonians to mobilize a large army to counterattack. The failure of the old chief Veranius before is a lesson. What's more, there is Abellinum blocking before the Potentia region. Our army must pass through it, which will inevitably cause a strong reaction from the Hirpini, which may trigger a war, which will violate the ancient traditions of the Samnites!"
Liguske's words were reasonable and well-founded, and the conservative Kontruke nodded repeatedly. He finally said: "Originally, this is an internal affair of your Hirpini tribe, but now the Hirpini have become a serious problem that affects the survival of our entire Samnite people, so I suggest that after this war is over, the entire alliance will do its best to force the Abellinum tribes to expel the Hirpini, and you will send new chiefs to station there. If the Abellinum tribes refuse to comply, we will pray to the sky god Savonis with the priests of the Samnite priesthood and announce that we do not recognize the Abellinum people as Samnites and launch a war against them!"
"I also agree with this proposal!" Ussibuke immediately expressed his approval.
Immediately, Badani also nodded in agreement.
Liguske hurriedly expressed his gratitude, and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart: The thorn in his throat was finally about to be removed.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the military conference room of the Daonian Palace, Davos and the main officials of the Department of Military Affairs had been studying the ongoing war here for several days.
Chief of Staff Philius stood in the center of the conference room, relying on the huge topographical map of the Italian Peninsula and Sicily, which was carefully sculpted from soil and cement, and explained, pointing to the position of Minoa with a wooden stick: "Your Majesty, Commander Prosous of Sicily wrote a letter saying that he will lead 15,000 soldiers, and unite with the citizen soldiers of friendly city-states, to take the initiative to attack Minoa and meet the main force of Carthage. After our analysis, he has a greater chance of winning."
"Prosous is very bold and determined, so let him do it." Davos nodded in appreciation. He already understood this situation, and at this moment he also joked: "I'm afraid the actions of the Eighth Legion have stimulated Sekelian, right."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The fast ships of the First and Second Fleets have repeatedly explored the southern and northern coasts of Sicily, but have not found any trace of the enemy fleet, so that Lord Sekelian's wish to fight the Carthaginian fleet has not been realized." Philius replied.
Davos frowned, bent down and looked down at the entire map, and said in a deep voice: "Carthage's naval strength is not much different from ours, and they have never fought against us. It is unreasonable that they would avoid war… Be careful, the Carthaginian navy may bypass Sicily and raid our Italian coast!"
"Our staff has also considered this, and has notified the Third and Fourth Fleets to be vigilant, and the merchant ships coming and going in the ports have not reported that they have found any trace of the Carthaginian fleet." Tolmid interjected.
"Continue to investigate carefully, and don't relax your vigilance. Also remind Sekelian not to be too rash, and first ensure the victory of the Eighth Legion in this battle with the Carthaginian army!" Davos warned.
"Okay, Your Majesty, I will send a fast ship to notify Sekelian immediately." Philius responded.
Davos turned to look at the Quartermaster General Alpus: "Can the food supply to the Sicilian fleet still cope?"
"Your Majesty, there is grain transported from Egypt, and Catania also bears a part… It can barely support about 20 days." Alpus replied earnestly, word by word.
The original Quartermaster General was Kapus, but because the 11th Legion in the Daonia region was newly built, and the relationship between Daonia and the Samnites deteriorated this year, the Daonia region urgently needed a general with high prestige, rich battlefield experience, and strong administrative ability to sit there. Davos thought about it and finally decided to send Kapus to temporarily serve as the commander of the 11th Legion. Changing from Quartermaster General to Commander of the 11th Legion was actually a demotion, so Davos did not let him resign from the position of Quartermaster General. But now is wartime, and the position of Quartermaster General is very important. Not only does someone have to do this job, but they also have to do it well, so Kapus recommended his assistant Alpus to act as his agent.
As a senior team officer who also followed Davos back from Persia, Alpus has always been unremarkable and ordinary compared with his other colleagues, whether in the Senate or in the Legion. After the Southern Italian War, he was transferred to the Department of Military Affairs as the captain of the light infantry battalion, but he quickly gained a foothold with his diligent and down-to-earth work style, and also won the attention of several main officers.
After some contention, Capsus transferred him to the military supplies department as a military supply adjutant. In these past few years, he has undertaken a large amount of work and has alleviated a lot of Capsus's burden. Since taking over as acting chief of military supplies, Arpurns has maintained a steady performance as usual, without any mistakes, which finally put Davos at ease.
At this time, Davos comforted him, saying, "You don't need to worry. The grain issue will soon see a great improvement. Sostratus's organized Thurii merchants and Elder Alcibiades's organized Rhegium merchants have purchased large quantities of grain in the Ionian Sea and the Egyptian region, which will soon be transported here. In addition, the second batch of grain provided by the Egyptian Pharaoh will also be transported here soon. All of this grain will be used as military provisions."
"That's really great!" Arpurns finally revealed a smile.
"What are your views on Rome's attack on the Hernici?" Davos turned to look at the Minister of Military Affairs, Hilos.
Hilos exchanged glances with Hieronimus, Philius, and Arpurns, and said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, after discussion in the Ministry of Military Affairs, we believe that although Rome is our enemy, this time, their change of attack direction, shrinking the defensive line on the coastal side and focusing on attacking the inland Hernici, is indeed a good strategy. It prevents our Third Fleet from playing a role. At the same time, the Romans have stationed a considerable number of soldiers in several coastal towns, which makes our allied forces with the Volsci Don't dare to ... Don't dare to ... Dare not dare ... Don't dare to ... them to launch a strong attack, as that would lead to more casualties for the already small allied forces. In this way, the Romans can fully attack the weak Hernici. Even with the Volsci's rescue, we believe they cannot withstand the Roman attack, unless the Aequi and Marsi fully come to their aid, otherwise the Hernici will be in danger. Therefore, Amyntas wrote a letter requesting reinforcements."
"Your Majesty, we have just initialed an alliance agreement with the Hernici," Philius interjected from the side.
Davos nodded, staring at the area where the Hernici lived on the map, and didn't speak for a moment.
The others also remained silent, waiting for Davos to make a decision.
At this moment, the adjutant Aristilas hurriedly pushed the door open and entered the conference room: "Your Majesty, battle report from the Latin region!"
Davos took it and his eyelids twitched. He handed the papyrus scroll to Hilos next to him.
Hilos hurriedly took it, and after reading it, he was shocked: "The allied forces of more than 10,000 men organized by the Aequi and Marsi attacked the Latin city-state—Bolae, trying to attract the Roman army attacking Hernici back to rescue, but they were ambushed by more than 20,000 Roman troops who quickly set out from Rome, suffering a crushing defeat!"
"How could the Romans have more than 20,000 more troops?!" The others present were equally shocked upon hearing this.
Aristilas calmly replied: "It is estimated that it may be troops from the Roman colonial cities north of the Tiber River and the Etruscan allied states."
"It seems that the Romans have been planning this for a long time!" Davos said with emotion: "Camillus's trick of 'luring the enemy to bite the hook' is well used."
The others present were all veterans who had experienced many battles and understood Davos's meaning: Camillus placed the Roman army on the front line, deliberately leaving the rear defenseless, but in fact, he had already hidden troops in Rome. The allied forces of the Aequi and Marsi, because of their smaller forces, did not dare to confront the Roman army head-on, and adopted the method of attacking the rear, attempting to force the Roman army to return to rescue. As a result, they were ambushed by the Romans who were prepared, after all, Rome is only more than 50 li away from Bolae.
Philius once again leaned over the map, carefully observed it again, and his eyebrows knitted together: "Your Majesty, after this crushing defeat of the Aequi and Marsi, I am afraid they are already unable to rescue the Hernici. The Romans can confidently attack them. Here—"
Philius pointed to the Roman army's camp and said in a deep voice: "Originally, there were already more than 40,000 Roman soldiers. With the addition of these newly added 20,000 people, it is far beyond what the Hernici and the Volsci reinforcements can resist. I believe the Romans will soon be able to eliminate the Hernici's forces, and then attack the Volsci's towns in the east, or—" Philius drew a line with a long wooden stick in the lowlands between the Lepini Mountains and the Ausoni Mountains, with a worried look on his face: "They will then lead the army westward, attacking the Volsci in the coastal plains from the east. At that time, even with the First Legion, it will not be able to stop so many Roman soldiers. If the garrison troops in these Roman colonial towns in the southwest also take the opportunity to attack, I believe the Volsci will soon be wiped out, and the Romans will completely conquer the Latin region!"
Hilos also interjected at this moment: "Your Majesty, you used to tell us to pay attention to Rome. To be honest, we didn't take it too seriously, but now it seems that its war potential is too amazing! Look, it has more than 40,000 people attacking the Hernici, more than 20,000 people defeating the allied forces of the Aequi and Marsi, and it is said that there are nearly 10,000 garrison troops in each of the three cities of Antium, Velitrae, and Satricum. This is nearly 100,000 troops, which means it can organize a huge army of at least 100,000 people. Assuming that these troops do not all have the same combat power as the Roman army that confronted the First Legion at the beginning, it will also cause us a lot of trouble!"
The other military department officials also expressed their agreement with Hilos's words.
"Rome's huge army is indeed a big trouble." Davos looked around at them and said in a deep voice: "But the biggest trouble is their dictator Camillus! Although Carthage is powerful, their ruler Hanno clearly has no war experience and does not understand the significance of this war. The generals and troops sent out are like playing a game, but Camillus clearly knows that the war with us is related to Rome's life and death. He used all his strength from the beginning.
I have received intelligence that he even proposed and passed in the Roman Senate proposals such as 'distributing newly conquered land to landless civilians and actively absorbing refugees from the Latin and Etruscan regions as Roman citizens'… In this way, it may not only alleviate the fierce contradictions between the nobles and commoners in the Roman city-state, but also rapidly increase the number of Roman soldiers that can be recruited. Everyone, Rome is not just creating a big trouble for us, but is truly threatening our Daonian Kingdom!"
Davos's words made everyone's faces gloomy. Even Hieronimus, who usually didn't like to talk, couldn't help but scold at this time: "This Rome! Not only did they steal our military system, but they also copied our Daonian political system!"
Whether Rome's military system was created by themselves or learned from Daonia was a topic that military department officials would occasionally talk about in their leisure time, but at this moment, the people present obviously had no intention of discussing this issue further. Everyone stood by this three-dimensional map, staring with cautious eyes at this familiar and unfamiliar city-state on the banks of the middle reaches of the Tiber River.
Suddenly, Tolmides said: "Your Majesty, I have an idea. After the Romans eliminate the Hernici, if they occupy the towns in the Volsci's eastern mountainous area, then their sphere of influence will be adjacent to the Samnites. With the habits of the Samnites, will they coexist peacefully with such a powerful new neighbor?! As long as we think of a way, maybe we can make these two forces have a fierce conflict. At that time—"
"The Samnites wouldn't be so stupid, would they?" Philius questioned: "They just ended a war with us, and now the Romans are at war with us. Don't they know that the enemy of the enemy is a friend?!"
"Of course the Samnite leaders know, but those Samnite tribal warriors and clansmen living on the Roman border may not listen for the sake of their interests, and once the conflict escalates, it will not be something the leaders can control…" Tolmides defended.
As he was speaking, Aristilas, who had just left not long ago, entered the conference room again. He said to Davos in a hurried tone: "Your Majesty, urgent military intelligence from the Daunian region!"
Davos opened it and then, with a solemn expression, looked up at the curious gazes of the crowd and slowly said: "There is no need to discuss the possible conflict between the Samnites and Rome anymore. This morning, the Samnites invaded our Daunian region!"
"What?!" Everyone's faces changed drastically.
Hilos hurriedly took the battle report from Davos's hand, and several people scrambled to read it.
"The Samnites have successively raided the Daunian cities of Ausculum, Vibinum, and Gerunum. Only Gerunum, because it is located on the Frentani border, was captured because the Frentani have always been friendly to our Daonia and therefore lacked precautions. The citizens of the other two cities repelled the enemy's raids, but are now surrounded. Your Majesty, the Samnites have declared war on us!" Philius read the battle report and exclaimed.
"Isn't that just right? It saves us from worrying every day about when the Samnites will betray the kingdom. Since they are stupid enough to leave the troublesome mountainous areas and come to the plains to fight, it's a good opportunity for us to completely eliminate the big trouble of the Samnites!" Davos's calmness was not feigned. The Samnites' attack more than ten years ago would have made him nervous, but now the Daonian Kingdom's strong national power has given him enough confidence. Even if he encounters a drought, he has enough confidence to completely defeat this vicious wolf that is blocking Daonia's path to expansion northward. It can even be said that the Samnites' betrayal was the result of his deliberate manipulation.
Davos's relaxed attitude and confident words were like drinking a glass of cool pulp for the people in the room, calming their tense mood.
Alphens was the first to agree: "Your Majesty is right, at least when fighting the Samnites in the Daonia region, our military food consumption will be very low!"
"However, Your Majesty... the battle report says that the number of Samnites attacking our three towns is no less than ten thousand. Based on this, it is likely that the Samnites have concentrated the tribesmen of four tribes to attack with all their strength this time. The 11th Legion of Capua cannot resist this alone, and reinforcements must be sent to them," Hiros suggested with some concern.
"Although there are many Samnites, most of them are light infantry and cannot pose a real threat to the 11th Legion in frontal combat!" Hieronimus comforted.
"Don't be careless about the Samnites!" Philius reminded cautiously: "The Ministry of Military Affairs once received news that the Hirpini tribe had tried to buy armor from our arms dealers. Although they did not succeed, it also shows that Lesguk, the great chief of the Hirpini who once fought against us, is well aware of the shortcomings of the Samnite warriors and is seeking to change. Once they get in touch with the Carthaginians..."
The others felt a sense of urgency when they heard this.
At this time, Davos said after thinking: "Relying on the Eleventh Legion alone is indeed not enough... How about this, appoint Alexius as the commander of eastern Daonia, under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Legion, the Tenth Legion, and the Eleventh Legion, as well as the Second Cavalry Legion, and the reserve soldiers of these legions, responsible for the war against the Samnites. However, remind him not to transfer all the troops to the Daonia region. He must leave enough troops to guard against certain enemies that may exist in the east, and some sabotage activities they may carry out to disrupt the stability of the Peucetii, Messapia, and Daonia regions..."
Although Alexius and Prossous were also appointed as regional commanders, the troops that Alexius could command were much more than those of Prossous. The several officials of the Ministry of Military Affairs did not object to this. Not to mention that Alexius was their old comrade-in-arms, whether it was seniority or battle achievements, Prossous could not compare. Moreover, the Daonia region was closer to the core area of the kingdom, and the enemy's invasion had a greater psychological impact on the people. In addition, it was indeed more convenient for logistics supply.
Only Davos's last sentence startled them again. Philius asked with some panic: "Your Majesty, does the kingdom have new enemies?!"
Hiros, who was more politically sensitive, asked more directly: "Your Majesty, does this enemy refer to Sparta?"
As soon as the word "Sparta" was uttered, the faces of Philius, Hieronimus, and Tormides changed.
Davos remained calm, but looked at them, half-jokingly and half-dissatisfiedly, provoking them: "You are all veterans who have fought with me to defeat countless powerful enemies. Why are you afraid when you hear that the enemy is Sparta?!"
"Your Majesty, we... are not afraid, just a little surprised," Philius hurriedly explained.
"What's so surprising?" Davos said with a slight rebuke: "We all know very well that Sparta signed a friendly agreement with us under the pressure of the situation. With the domineering character of the Spartans, how could they allow other forces to share hegemony in Greece with them? I am afraid they have long regarded Daonia as their enemy in secret. Otherwise, they would not have taken in some fugitives from Messapia and Peucetii. This time, our Daonia is at war with several forces, I am afraid that the Spartans will feel that their opportunity has come..."
The Ministry of Military Affairs is not an ordinary kingdom agency. It must command the entire kingdom's army to deal with the threats that the kingdom is facing now and will face in the future. Therefore, as senior officials of this department, you must stand at a higher level to analyze the various countries and forces in the Mediterranean, not only to deal with the present, but also to make predictions and preparations for the future!…"
Davos's words were somewhat euphemistic, but they made the people present feel ashamed. For a time, the meeting place was a little silent.
Davos threw out the topic at the right time: "If Sparta wants to intervene in this war, what will they do? And how should we respond? You go back and think about it carefully, discuss it seriously, and then write a plan for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The five said goodbye and left.
Davos walked to the map, pressed his hand on the icon of "Rome", looked at the Hernici area, which may now be full of troops, and then moved his gaze to the southwest of the Latium region, the newly established Roman colonies, and finally returned his gaze to the city of Rome…
He pondered for a long time, and a bold plan was brewing in his mind…
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The news of "Samnites invading the Daonia region" quickly spread throughout Thurii. The people did not show much panic about this. After all, the thrilling South Italian War was more than ten years ago, and the Samnites were defeated by the Daonian army. They firmly believed that the brave and large army was enough to repel the invading enemies, so the pace of life of the people remained the same as usual.
Merchants, on the other hand, smelled business opportunities, whether it was the Ministry of Commerce's purchase and transportation of war materials, the repair of weapons, or even the sale of spoils and prisoners... all of which could make a lot of profit.
However, in the emergency Senate meeting, the senators from the Daonia region urgently requested: King Davos to take immediate military action to save the people of Daonia who are suffering from the ravages of war, not only to repel the Samnites who tore up the alliance and invaded brazenly, but also to give them a heavy lesson!
The proposal of the Daonia senators was supported by the Peucetii senators and Culom, the senator of Galacus. After all, the city of Galacus is located in the northern mountainous area, adjacent to the Samnites, and the same is true for Peucetii. Its northern city of Velosa had been invaded by the Samnites several times in the past, and even occupied it once.
In fact, Davos was happy to see this situation happen: a powerful foreign enemy would force these newly attached regions to unite against the enemy, so as to more quickly bridge some of the contradictions between them and accelerate integration.
Davos announced the news that "the Ministry of Military Affairs appointed Alexius as the commander of the east, responsible for commanding the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Legions, as well as the Second Cavalry Legion, to encircle and suppress the Samnites" at the meeting, eliminating the senators' concerns. Because in the minds of many senators, Alexius is a famous Daonian general second only to Davos, and what's more, the Daonia region was conquered by him, and he should be more familiar with the situation there.
After stabilizing the emotions of the senators, Davos proposed: Appoint Antonios, the administrative officer of Lucenia, as the wartime governor of the Daonia region, in charge of all the towns in the Daonia region, to assist Alexius in responding to the invasion of the Samnites.
The senators did not have much objection to this. Although a few years ago, Antonios was once snubbed because of the Laodicean affair, but after he became the administrative officer of Lucenia, he performed well in the past two years. Lucenia, as the former central town of the Daunians, has always been politically and socially harmonious under his management. Moreover, he is also the hero who conquered eastern Sicily in the South Italian War. Alexius can be described as a strong alliance, which adds to the senators' confidence in defeating the Samnites.
In addition, Ansitanos suggested: Send envoys to the Forentani region to inquire about their views on the Samnites' invasion of Daonia, so as to judge their position and decide whether the kingdom should regard them as enemies.
After all, judging from the current war situation, the town of Grumentum, which is close to the Forentani border, was attacked and lost by the Samnites. This would not be possible without the cooperation of the Forentani.
Even Anta Ories proposed: Send the Fourth Fleet to strengthen patrols of the Forentani coast. As long as any abnormal ships are found docked in the ports of the Forentani towns, they should be sunk immediately (this is actually worried that the Carthaginians will transport war materials, such as armor and grain, to the Samnites who do not have ports).
Their proposals were all passed.
Compared to the Carthaginian army landing in Sicily, the senators reacted more strongly to the Samnites' invasion, and their opinions were consistent, and their fighting spirit was high. This may be because the Daonia region is too close to Thurii, and it is easy to affect other surrounding areas. Unlike Sicily, which is far in the south and separated by a strait, although Carthage is more powerful, from the declaration of war to the present, the army is still slowly marching outside the territory of the Daonian kingdom, and the excessively long preparation time has dissipated too much of the senators' worries. Of course, at the same time, this is also related to the fact that the "Laodicean case" caused many Sicilian senators to fall from power, resulting in few Sicilian senators left in the Senate now.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
At night, the moonlight was like water, pouring into Christoia's bedroom through the wooden window.
Davos had been busy all day and did not return home until evening. After a hasty dinner and washing up, he entered Christoia's bedroom, collapsed on the soft bed, and did not want to move.
Christoia, who had lived with Davos for nearly 20 years, knew that it was because of the major event of "Samnites invading the Daonia region" that her husband was so tired today. Having become accustomed to this, she should let him sleep well as usual so that he could recover his energy and better face the heavy affairs of the kingdom. But today, she had to wake up the drowsy Davos: "Your Majesty, don't sleep yet, there is something you still need to decide."
"What's the matter so late that you're not sleeping?!" Davos opened his eyes hazily, his face a little displeased.
The stern King Davos in the eyes of outsiders rarely gets angry at home. Such emotions are already the worst performance.