Volume 3: The First Croton War, Chapter 28: The Sorrow of Kynogoratas

In the middle, both sides were pushing and shoving with all their might. A soldier from Antonios' side finally grabbed the rugby ball set on the ground, passed it back between his legs to Olivus, who immediately hurled it with all his strength toward the big man, Teginos, on the left.

Teginos caught the ball while spinning to evade an opponent lunging to tackle him, then charged forward with the ball in his arms.

Another opponent rushed in from the side.

Xenotimas timely blocked his tackle.

Teginos was a big, strong man. Once he got up to speed, he was unstoppable. Twice opponents grabbed him, but he shook them off with his powerful momentum.

He had already crossed two marker distances past midfield when Epithenis lost his composure and started shouting anxiously from the sidelines.

Just then, a player from the side and rear sprinted up with incredible speed, leaped with all his might, spread his arms in the air, and accurately and powerfully grabbed hold of Teginos' feet.

Teginos toppled onto the grass like a collapsing mountain, but luckily he held the ball tight to his chest and didn't lose it.

Epithenis' teammates rushed over, excitedly patting the player who made the tackle. He was a Lucanian. Though he couldn't understand what these Greeks were shouting, he could still feel the joy and goodwill, so he grinned widely.

Suddenly, the Lucanians on Antonios' team gasped.

"What are they saying?" Antonios asked Bacule.

"They're calling out his name. He's called Litom," Bacule pointed at the Lucanian player on the field. "A famous warrior in our tribe, and an excellent hunter!"

Antonios nodded thoughtfully.

Drax ran over, concerned: "How is he? Is he okay?!"

Teginos struggled to his feet, walked a few steps to show he was fine. Since rugby was too physical and easily caused injuries, and with Amendolara's current conditions they couldn't make protective gear for every soldier, Davos had strictly ruled: only tackles, grabs, pulls, and blocks were allowed to disrupt the attack. Pushing, hitting, kicking, or other dangerous moves that could injure someone were forbidden, or else the player would be banned from the game. So the soldiers, afraid of being banned, were cautious. Meanwhile, Davos had arranged for doctors on the sidelines, ready to intervene at any moment.

"Good! Good! Well done! We've advanced this far. Keep it up and score this point!" Olivus clapped his hands vigorously, encouraging his teammates while setting up a new tactic.

The game resumed. Olivus got the ball and threw it to Teginos.

Teginos ran two steps with the ball, saw two opponents charging at him, and immediately tossed the ball back to Olivus.

Olivus, protected by his teammates, again threw the ball to Teginos.

The big man quickly returned the ball to Olivus.

Olivus feigned a third throw to Teginos, and when the opponents' attention was drawn, he suddenly twisted his body, flicked his wrist, and hurled the ball with all his might toward the right front, then was tackled to the ground.

Amid the surprised shouts of the players on the field, the rugby ball flew twenty meters through the air. It seemed about to go out of bounds when a player from Antonios' team sprinted over, leaped high, and stretched out his hand to block the ball, but because it was too fast, he couldn't catch it. He jumped again after landing but still failed to secure it, and an opponent had already pounced to tackle him.

Amid the loud groans of the soldiers watching from the sidelines, Antonios' team lost their attack opportunity.

The slaves on the sidelines also started shouting loudly.

"What are they saying?" Antonios asked curiously.

"They're saying, 'If it were us, we definitely would have caught that ball!'" Bacule explained. "We Lucanians have grown up walking and hunting in the mountains and forests, often climbing high and low. When it comes to jumping, other races might not be able to match us!"

Antonios nodded and said, "Now it's our turn to defend. All five of you go on."

Bacule was startled at first, then got excited. Having watched the game from the sidelines, he found it very interesting and thrilling, and had long been eager to join.

"Also, I suggest that after you return, you'd better urge your people to learn Greek, otherwise you won't be able to communicate during the game!" Antonios reminded him with a hint of deeper meaning.

...

As dusk fell, over eight hundred Lucanian slaves waited anxiously at the worksite. Some began to grow restless and started arguing with the soldiers supervising them.

Just then, forty slaves returned, chatting and laughing.

"Hey, are you all okay?!" Their fellow tribesmen rushed over, asking with concern.

"Don't worry, we're fine!" Bacule comforted them, unable to hide his excitement.

"Ah, this rugby game the Greeks invented is so much fun! You should have seen it—in the last round, Bacule jumped up, caught the ball in midair, dodged two opponents' blocks in a row, and charged straight to score a try, helping his team win the championship!" one returning slave said excitedly.

"It's not 'charged,' it's 'touchdown'!" Bacule corrected.

"If my team had coordinated better, we definitely would have beaten you and made it to the finals!" Litom said defiantly.

"Brother, you have to understand—the reason you couldn't coordinate well was because you couldn't communicate! If you want to beat me next time, you have to learn Greek well!" Bacule warned him.

Litom thought it over and nodded seriously.

The waiting slaves were completely confused: What game... match... championship?

Then the returning slaves excitedly began telling them about their experiences at the Amendolara training camp. The waiting slaves, starting from curiosity, soon many became interested in this game, and silently resolved: they would work harder at the worksite next time, hoping to be chosen and also participate in this seemingly very fun game!

From that day on, the progress of all projects in Amendolara advanced by leaps and bounds...

As for the old citizens of Lucania, they were destined for a sleepless night. For example, Alcinus: he could not forget the fact that his parents had died at the hands of the Lucanians. But when he carried the ball forward, and his Lucanian teammates repeatedly blocked opponents for him, sending him to score a try, he hugged his Lucanian teammates in great excitement, casting his hatred to the winds. Returning home and recalling it, he felt extremely conflicted. This was the charm of modern team sports from a previous life: when an individual integrates into a group and wins through unity, any past hatred or conflict is dissolved by the joy of victory. This was Davos' intention in forcing each team to include five Lucanian slaves.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Davos was about to go inspect the carpenters making the elevated waterwheel when he saw Asiastes rushing in breathlessly.

"What happened?!" Davos immediately asked.

"Kynogoratas... Kynogoratas has been expelled from Thurii! He's now leading his family... and his clansmen toward Amendolara!" Asiastes panted.

What?! Davos was greatly shocked.

It turned out that after the alliance agreement was signed, Kynogoratas, on the pretext of "needing to formulate new trade plans to fill the empty treasury," had sent people to investigate the financial situation of Thurii's treasury.

While the investigation was underway, rumors began spreading in Thurii: "The hasty battle against the Lucanians was pushed through by Kynogoratas. Feris and the mercenary leaders had strongly opposed it. Even Davos, the hero who saved Thurii, had submitted a more feasible battle plan, but Kynogoratas rejected it all. Under his urging and coercion, the old general Feris was forced to fight. And during the battle, it was Kynogoratas' early flight that caused the collapse of the central phalanx, while Feris fought bravely to his death..."

With the help of those with ulterior motives, the rumor quickly spread throughout the city. Since part of it was true, the skeptical citizens went to verify the facts and selectively believed the truthful parts—because they were all relatives of the fallen. Their grief had been suppressed by Davos' victory, but now they needed an outlet, and Kynogoratas was the perfect target. So anger erupted among the people. They gathered, shouting slogans like "Kynogoratas, step down!" and "Punish Kynogoratas!" and surrounded the city hall.

Kynogoratas, sensing trouble, slipped out the back door of the city hall and returned home. But the crowd, hearing the news, surrounded his residence, leaving no gap.

Kynogoratas urgently ordered his family and slaves to reinforce the defenses to prevent the crowd from breaking in, while he stood inside the courtyard walls, shouting explanations to the furious mob.

As the two sides were at a standoff, someone suddenly shouted, "Citizens, don't forget! After Kynogoratas fled back inside the city, it was he who forced us to close the city gates! As a result, the citizens retreating in defeat couldn't enter, and more than half were killed by the Lucanians! He is a murderer!"

This reminder made many recall how Kynogoratas had frantically yelled, "Close the gates!" at the time. In the emergency, that measure had saved the entire city's populace, but now the angry crowd wouldn't consider that. They only remembered watching helplessly from the walls as their loved ones were slaughtered like lambs beneath the city. They hated their own powerlessness, and of course hated the "culprit" even more.

Thus, an even more violent conflict broke out: the people tried to forcibly storm Kynogoratas' residence, and those inside desperately resisted. The furious mob even brought a battering ram and eventually broke down the gate. Countless raging people poured into the courtyard. If Kynogoratas hadn't feigned death and his slaves hadn't loyally protected him, he would likely have been beaten to death on the spot.

That day, the people ransacked his home like thugs: one of his sons was beaten to death, another daughter was violated, many clansmen and slaves were injured, and most of the household's valuables were looted.