Investigation (Part 2)

The group descended the gentle slope and stepped onto the wide riverbank, which was much easier to traverse than before: the ground was soft, the path flat, almost level with the river surface.

“You said earlier that the Thurians hate this hot spring marsh. Why?” Asiastes was still hung up on the previous question.

The guide glanced at him and said, “Because of the hot springs, the marsh water is warm all year round, so there are countless mosquitoes that bite fiercely. The Thurians hardly ever come here.”

Asiastes widened his eyes and looked toward the opposite bank. The dense mist greatly obscured his vision, adding a touch of mystery to the marsh.

Davos remained silent, staring at the wide riverbank, the Tino River, and the hot spring marsh on the opposite shore, lost in thought.

After about half a li, the riverbank came to an end. They had to dismount and walk to ascend the gentle slope, because the muddy ground was too slippery to ride.

After climbing the gentle slope and leaving the wide riverbank, the way ahead was entirely uphill. The farmlands grew fewer, while the trees became more numerous and denser, until there was no trace of any human construction in sight.

At this point, Davos and the others had reached an open area on the hillside, but the guide refused to go further: “Beyond that ridge ahead is the Lucanian camp—it’s too dangerous!”

After much persuasion, Davos and the others got the guide to agree to take them for a distant look.

Standing atop the hill, facing the biting mountain wind, they looked ahead. A higher hill lay before them; originally it should have been a lush green scene, but many trees had been felled, clearing a large area. Countless tents were scattered chaotically across it, and Lucanians, tiny as ants from a distance, filled the space densely…

“Wow, quite a lot of people!” Even Asiastes, who had seen the vast Persian hosts, couldn’t help remarking.

Davos said nothing. He observed carefully for a long while, then pointed to a spot ahead and asked, “What place is that?”

The pale-faced guide looked blankly and asked, “Where?”

“On the right side of the hill… it seems… Lucanian troops keep emerging from there…” Davos pulled the guide over and pointed again.

The guide widened his eyes, confirmed carefully, and said, “Oh, that’s a valley pass. There’s a mountain path that leads all the way to the Lucanian territory.”

“How long is the mountain path?” Davos continued.

“I’ve never walked it, but I’ve heard it’s over forty li. It doesn’t sound too far, but the mountain road is difficult; it would probably take a day or two to travel. Oh… that’s right, earlier the Thurian army was ambushed while marching on this mountain path and was defeated…” The guide said with a fearful expression.

Davos gazed at the continuous mountain ranges behind the hill and fell into silent thought.

“Thurii should build a fort here, then the Lucanians wouldn’t enter so easily,” Laedes said.

“Thurii originally had a camp here, but after decades without any major incidents, and with the poor conditions here, few citizens were willing to garrison it. Unexpectedly, the Lucanians launched a large-scale attack, and as a result…” The guide said dejectedly.

“If the Thurians had held here, there’d be nothing left for us to do.” Davos said flatly: from the fact that this mountainous area was almost undeveloped, it was clear the Thurians had never paid any attention to it; it would be strange if they had held. This was the common flaw of the Greeks—a seafaring, trading people—they had no interest in mountainous land.

Urged repeatedly by the guide, the group set off on the return journey.

Seeing that Davos and his party looked relaxed, this household slave whom Bourkos considered his trusted subordinate had heard his master say that all these men around him were battle-hardened warriors, so he couldn’t help asking, “Chief Davos, do you think we can defeat these Lucanians?”

“We’ll only know after we fight,” Davos said calmly.

This time, they descended eastward along the right edge of the Sybaris Plain. Here too were endless forested hills, with a cheerful stream accompanying them as they traveled east, eventually converging into a river. As Davos galloped along the southern bank and saw soldiers cutting down trees on the opposite bank, he remembered that this was the river Philistos had mentioned—the guide called it the Sybaris River.

Seeing that dusk had arrived, Davos abandoned his plan to continue northward reconnaissance. He dismounted, forded the river, and joined the soldiers in smoothing tree trunks and carrying the timber back to camp.

After dinner, having listened to the reports from Philistos and the officers and confirmed that the mercenary army was running smoothly, Davos sent them off and settled down. Using a tree branch, he sketched the terrain he had observed during the day on the ground, modifying it repeatedly until he was satisfied. He stared at it for a long time, firmly memorizing the pattern combined with the scene. Of course, it was just a rough sketch; next, he would need to send scouts to further refine it—such as the approximate area of the Sybaris Plain, the width and depth of the Crati River, the size of the wide riverbank, and so on.

In war, intelligence work is paramount, and terrain reconnaissance is the most critical part of intelligence! The half year of campaigning against the Carduchians had taught Davos a great deal. Combined with his knowledge from his previous life, he had always believed that a famous general also needed “ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent talent” to become one. There had never been a general who could command troops to victory while sitting comfortably in a court, so he tirelessly practiced what he preached…

The next day, led by the guide, Davos and his party continued their reconnaissance northward. Crossing the Sybaris River, the land between the forests and the gulf was about ten li wide. The land here was even flatter; it was still part of the Sybaris Plain, but the Thurians had not planted wheat here; instead, they had planted olive trees and opened vineyards.

According to the guide, the wine produced here was famous throughout Magna Graecia. This made Davos think of stories from his previous life about the ancient Sybarites’ extravagant use of wine for bathing—probably from this very wine.

But now, one vineyard after another was overgrown with weeds and unattended.

“That’s because Lucanians from the city of Amendolara often wander nearby. The people are afraid and dare not come,” the guide explained.

“Thurii should send troops to protect its citizens!” Asiastes said scornfully.

“After their recent defeat, Thurii probably lacks sufficient troops. Protecting the city of Thurii is their primary concern,” Davos said.

“Chief Davos is right!” The guide took the chance to escape the awkwardness.

“Wasn’t it said that there aren’t many Lucanians in Amendolara? We could provide protection for the Thurians here—for a small protection fee, of course,” Asiastes joked.

“Asi, in the future you will also lead troops independently. Remember one thing: don’t easily disperse your forces!” Davos said seriously. “Our main task now is to help Thurii defeat the Lucanian army. Everything else can wait for now. Once we win, Amendolara will be no problem at all!”

Asiastes and Laedes listened attentively, nodding repeatedly.

The group continued forward until a river blocked their path.

“This is the Saraceno River, the boundary between Thurii and Amendolara,” the guide said.

“So beyond this is the territory of Amendolara,” Davos pointed ahead.

“Yes, we could encounter Lucanians at any moment. Let’s turn back here,” the guide said with a look of reluctance.

But Davos was clearly interested: “Can this river be forded on foot?”

Before the guide could answer, the impatient Asiastes had already spurred his horse into the river. In an instant, he crossed the dozen-meter-wide river to the opposite bank.

“The water only reaches mid-thigh,” Asiastes gestured while standing by his horse.

“Laedes, Philistos left a hundred soldiers at the logging site as a precaution. Go bring them here. We’ll cross the river together and take a look,” Davos immediately ordered.

“Yes!” Laedes ran back excitedly.

The guide could only wait helplessly.

A dozen minutes later, Laedes rushed back with over a hundred fully armed soldiers.

Though panting, the soldiers also looked excited. Seeing them, Davos felt more confident: “Let’s cross the river!”

The guide didn’t understand why these people were so excited—didn’t they know the terrible Lucanians were on the other side? But as a slave, he couldn’t stop them and followed behind, trembling with fear.