Volume 3: The First Croton War Chapter 21: The Alliance with Thurii (Part Two)

Upon hearing this, many in the Thurii delegation were greatly alarmed.

Kynogoratas had no choice but to propose that Thurii first hold a private discussion on this matter before making a decision.

Davos nodded in agreement. Watching the Thurii delegation walk off to a distance, he turned back to Strombopoli and gave him a thumbs-up: "Lord Strombopoli, what you just said was excellent!"

"What I said came from the heart!" Strombopoli retorted with wide eyes.

"And that's exactly what I wanted—words from the heart!" Davos laughed.

Strombopoli laughed too. Today, he had finally vented his pent-up anger right in front of the Thurians!

...

"My friends, it seems Amendolara has already reached an alliance agreement with Tarentum, and Amendolara certainly proposed these conditions with Tarentum's consent. If we do not accept this condition, there is no point in continuing these negotiations." Kynogoratas said gravely.

"Then let's end the talks! Now that the Lucanian threat is resolved, we don't need to suffer Amendolara's humiliations any longer!" Neonxis said angrily. He recalled how just a year ago, the Amendolarans had been utterly deferential to the Thurii envoys, yet now they dared to point fingers and shout at Thurii's generals. The stark contrast in attitude was unbearable for Neonxis. He hissed, "Damn Tarentum! I thought they genuinely wanted to help Thurii, but instead they're scheming behind our backs!"

Antistanos sighed helplessly: "What can we do? We lost the war! A weakened city-state cannot command respect—that's the law of history. We've all heard that the Bruttians have halted their war with Croton, and someone in the Croton Council has raised the issue of 'our unauthorized use of the old Sybaris site.' This must put us on alert. If they make a move, and with a hostile Amendolara at our rear, our situation will be very dangerous! Furthermore, we know the Lucanians hold grudges. After this war, we don't know when they will recover, but once they do and invade again, we Thurians will be the first to bear the brunt. Can we defeat them? Will we not need Amendolara's help then..."

Antistanos's words filled the others with worry. Neonxis snorted repeatedly but said nothing more.

"Actually, the key to this issue is whether Tarentum has any ambition to meddle in Thurii's affairs." Kynogoratas reminded the group, analyzing seriously: "I think Tarentum has no such intention. If they did, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to advocate and establish the Magna Graecia Defense League to jointly fight against the natives. If they wanted to interfere in Thurii, city-states like Croton and Scylletium would unite with us to oppose them, the league would collapse, and all their years of effort would be wasted. Even if they occupied our city and set up a puppet government friendly to them, they would lose more than they gain, for they would then face three powerful enemies: the Messapians to the southeast, the Lucanians to the northwest, and the Croton alliance to the southwest. If the Lucanians or Croton attacked, Tarentum, as our 'mother city,' could not simply send one or two thousand men to Thurii and be done with it. So I think Tarentum is acting this way merely because we once defeated them, and they want a small revenge. Since our ancestors could, within a few years of founding the city over forty years ago, make Thurii a major power in Magna Graecia! As long as we endure for now and work together with one mind, we can surely revive Thurii in a short time! We will repay the insults from Amendolara and Tarentum, just as our ancestors did!"

"Lord Kynogoratas is right!" Kynogoratas's words lifted the spirits of the delegation and restored their confidence. Returning to the negotiating table, the Thurians readily agreed to the first condition proposed by Amendolara.

Davos glanced at Kynogoratas across the table, recognizing that this old man, who looked somewhat gloomy, had played a crucial role.

At that moment, Antonios stood up again and said: "In early April, our magistrate Davos signed a mercenary contract with Thurii. The main terms were 'to assist Thurii in defending against and repelling the Lucanians,' with a term of six months. Within those six months, regardless of whether the task was completed or not, Thurii was to regularly pay the mercenary army its wages and a fixed amount of grain. Here is the original contract."

Antonios handed the parchment scroll to Antistanos across the table: "According to the contract, even though the Lucanians have been repelled, Thurii must continue to pay the mercenary army its wages and provisions, and the mercenaries will continue to carry out the contract's requirements—'to defend Thurii until the six-month term ends.' Now it is time for you to pay the wages and grain."

Kynogoratas nodded and was about to respond.

Neonxis quickly stood up and said: "Thurii does not intend to execute this mercenary contract!"

Not only did the Amendolara delegation erupt in uproar, but even the Thurians were shocked. Before coming, they had discussed this matter and believed it necessary to continue the contract, since Davos had become the lifelong magistrate of Amendolara. Employing Davos would be equivalent to employing Amendolara. First, this could satisfy Thurii's pitiful sense of pride; most importantly, Thurii was now greatly weakened and genuinely needed the protection of Davos's highly effective mercenary army to safely weather its recovery period. At that time, Neonxis had opposed it on the grounds of an empty treasury, but Kynogoratas had convinced him. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Neonxis went back on his word, catching the Thurii delegation off guard.

Under Kynogoratas's cold gaze, Neonxis trembled and quickly looked away. Forced to the edge of a cliff by his impulse, he stiffened his neck and continued: "First, the original contract of Thurii was signed with a mercenary army. Now that the mercenaries have become citizens of Amendolara, the identity of one party has changed. Hiring the citizen soldiers of a city-state involves far more complex interests and procedures than this simple contract can resolve. Second, you should note that the final signature on this contract is that of General Feris. It was he who originally tasked Bourkos with hiring mercenaries. When this contract was brought back to the Thurii City Hall, most of the generals opposed its terms. In the end, Feris forced it through in his capacity as chief general, claiming he would personally raise half of the wages and provisions. Thus, the contract bears only his name. Now he and nearly his entire family have fallen on the battlefield, so..."

"Bah! Not only are the Thurians selfish and untrustworthy, but they also have no shame, even slandering an old man who fought to the death for Thurii!" Strombopoli cursed again, making the Amendolarans feel vindicated and the Thurians ashamed.

Davos saw Kynogoratas urgently pulling Antistanos aside and whispering something. He quickly signaled Mariji with a look. Mariji immediately stood up and said: "We accept your proposal to void this mercenary contract! But not because of your explanation—rather, because we do not wish for Thurii to impose additional taxes on its already grieving citizens due to an empty treasury, causing them even more suffering. After all, Amendolara and Thurii were once long-standing allies!" Mariji wore a look of compassionate sorrow.

The Amendolarans, including Strombopoli, wore solemn expressions, which deepened the shame of the Thurians.

Kynogoratas looked coldly at Neonxis, who felt no sense of accomplishment from his argument.

"Amendolara and Thurii should not only cooperate militarily against common enemies but also strengthen our trade ties..." Mariji continued to speak eloquently, tactfully presenting the terms previously discussed with Davos.

Out of guilt, most of the Thurians agreed to many of the clauses. This was partly due to their psychological guilt over canceling the previous contract, but also because some clauses were actually beneficial for solving Thurii's difficulties. For example, within Thurii's city, the port area had become overcrowded due to the continuous influx of freemen, foreign merchants, and sailors, leading to lodging shortages and soaring costs, which had already sparked many complaints. Moreover, during the last war against the Lucanians, the City Hall decided to recruit freemen to fight outside the city, verbally promising that 'freemen who fought would be granted Thurii citizenship upon victory.' However, after the battle, Thurii suffered a great defeat, and the freemen also suffered heavy casualties. Eventually, when the Lucanian tribal coalition was annihilated, the surviving freemen who had fought demanded that the Thurii City Hall fulfill its promise. But after deliberation, the Thurii generals and Council decided that the Lucanians had been repelled solely through the efforts of the mercenaries and Tarentum's reinforcements, and that the freemen had not participated in the subsequent annihilation battle. On the contrary, in the earlier great battle, the freemen were the first to retreat, causing the failure of the entire campaign. Therefore, the freemen had no reason to demand citizenship.

Thurii's refusal sparked discontent among the freemen, and a tense atmosphere began to spread in the port district. Incidents of provocation, brawls, and disturbances gradually increased. The City Hall had to increase the number of port patrols to deter those dangerous elements. The problem was that Thurii now had fewer than three thousand adult male citizens, while the freemen in the port district and the city numbered far more. If a riot broke out, it would be a disaster. Therefore, Amendolara's plan to build warehouses and inns would help disperse the crowded population from Thurii's port, alleviating tensions, which was beneficial to Thurii.

In the end, both sides reached an alliance agreement, but it was not yet signed. Out of respect for Tarentum, Amendolara would first submit the agreement terms to the magistrates and Senate of Tarentum for review. Only after confirming that it did not harm Tarentum's interests would the final signing take place.