Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 7: Preparations for War in Syracuse and the Recovery of Trade in the Tua Union

Davos gently stroked Christhoya's smooth, still-flat belly and said, "Until our child is safely delivered, understood!"

Despite Davos's overbearing tone, Christhoya enjoyed his stern attitude. She rested her head on his chest and replied softly, "I know..."

...

Davos carefully moved the sleeping Christhoya aside, got out of bed cautiously, and tiptoed into the side room. There, he fumbled to light the oil lamp in front of the niche by the window. The flickering light illuminated a bronze statue of Hera, smiling as she adjusted her robe.

Davos knelt in earnest prayer for the first time, tears of excitement glistening in his eyes. But what he said was not a hymn to Hera: "Dear Mom and Dad, do you know? Your son is going to have a child in this world. I hope you will bless him to come safely into this world, grow up healthy, continue my bloodline, and carry on my cause..."

In the palace on the island of Ortygia, Dionysius was discussing important matters with Philistos and Leptines. At that moment, his intelligence chief, Hipparinus, approached and handed him a report.

Dionysius glanced over it and couldn't believe it. "Is this true?!"

"When have I ever been wrong with the information I've confirmed?" Hipparinus said coldly.

Dionysius paid no attention to Hipparinus's attitude—after all, Hipparinus was his father-in-law and one of the staunch supporters who had helped him seize power in Syracuse. Dionysius exclaimed, "Unbelievable! That young mercenary leader has won again! And this time, he defeated Croton, which has always been a headache for the Locrians!"

"He just used a sneak attack," Leptines said after reading the report his brother handed him, clearly unimpressed by Davos's method of victory.

"My brother, you need to understand: whether it's a sneak attack or a frontal battle, as long as you win, it deserves praise! And he has defeated larger forces twice in a row, which shows he's indeed a formidable general!" Dionysius said seriously. He suddenly sighed. "Davos... Davos... What a pity... such a pity..."

"My lord, do you still want to recruit him?" Philistos asked from the side.

Dionysius shook his head. "He clearly isn't content with just being a mercenary leader. He's already succeeded in becoming the lifelong magistrate of Amendolara. Now that he's beaten Croton, he's probably thinking about how to bring Thurii under his rule as well... This young man is no simpleton. I underestimated him before. It seems we need to keep a closer eye on him from now on!" he said gravely.

"Understood," Hipparinus replied.

Seeing Leptines' dismissive expression, Dionysius sighed inwardly. His brother was loyal and diligent but lacked cunning—yet that was precisely why he entrusted him with important tasks instead of those who harbored ulterior motives. He had to keep the bloody lesson of his father-in-law Hermocrates in mind! (Hermocrates was Dionysius's former father-in-law, the leader of Syracuse, the hero who defeated the Athenian invasion. After the Syracusan democrats, fearing his dictatorship, incited the people to exile him, he still led the Sicilian populace to resist the Carthaginian attack. In the end, the Syracusan democrats, terrified by his brilliance, tricked him back to Syracuse and killed him.)

"By the way, how is Herollis doing now?" Dionysius remembered the man he had sidelined.

"He's been very quiet these past few months," Hipparinus said.

So Dionysius said to Philistos, "Herollis has rested long enough. Phil, go call him back to help you prepare for this war."

"Yes!" Philistos was delighted.

Dionysius looked at Philistos, then at Hipparinus, and thought of Herollis far away in Egypt. These were the men who had steadfastly supported him during his hardest times—and because of them, he was where he was today! Herollis should still be loyal to him. This incident was just a small warning to keep him from speaking recklessly in the future.

After instructing Philistos to handle this matter, Dionysius felt much more relaxed. He turned his attention to the most important issue on his mind: "How is the relocation of the Leontinians to Syracuse going?"

"It's been completed. They are busy adapting to the new environment; their behavior has been stable so far," Philistos replied.

"Good." Dionysius turned to Leptines. "How is the progress on the device those craftsmen were making?"

"It's been a success!" Leptines was waiting for his brother to ask. He said excitedly, "Its power is incredible! It's truly a weapon of the war god! It can hurl a ten-catty stone over a hundred meters. If you hit an ordinary city wall with a dozen stones, it will definitely collapse!"

"Excellent! Go reward those craftsmen on my behalf and have them make more of these things. But ensure secrecy—if anyone leaks information, I'll kill his whole family!" Dionysius said viciously. "Next year, I'll give the Carthaginians a big surprise!"

"Why not attack now?" Leptines asked in confusion. "We've already conquered the Greek city-states of eastern Sicily except for Messina. We have a huge army and this powerful siege weapon. The Carthaginian cities in western Sicily cannot withstand our assault."

"We have to be careful when dealing with Carthage, because they can ship tens of thousands of soldiers from Africa at any time. We must be absolutely certain before we go to war!" Dionysius said unequivocally.

During this period, Kynogoratas had been busy with the reconstruction of Thurii, sleeping in the camp every night, and rarely had a chance to return to Amendolara.

He had just finished dinner when his eldest son, Sostratus, came back upon hearing the news, a broad smile on his face. "Father, you're finally back!"

"Hmph," Kynogoratas grunted. "I heard you've been idling around all this time and not taking part in the reconstruction of Thurii. Are you still a citizen of the Thua Alliance?!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if I were cheering when Thurii was destroyed! To work alongside the murderers of my brother and the violators of my sister? Not a chance!" Sostratus said indignantly. But then he explained, "And I haven't been idling. I attended four military training sessions organized by Amendolara. Honestly, the military training in Amendolara is quite complex and very grueling—after each session, I was almost dead tired! No wonder their... I mean, our citizen soldiers are so capable. And also, the rugby ball game the magistrate invented is really interesting..."

Mentioning his dead siblings reopened the wound in Kynogoratas's heart, and his expression darkened.

Seeing this, Sostratus quickly changed the subject and pretended to be excited. "Besides the military training, I've been helping out under Commercial Officer Mariji the rest of the time. Father, you wouldn't believe it. Since we spread the news that 'Thurii's reconstruction requires a massive amount of supplies,' swarms of merchant ships have come from all directions. Add to that our low market taxes, good service, and strict management, and merchants from all city-states are full of praise. The traders who've moved in have already filled up our port. The original market built earlier is no longer enough—we need to expand it. But right now, all the manpower is with you. I estimate that no later than the day after tomorrow, Mariji will come asking you for people."

"Is that true?!" Kynogoratas had been staying in the city of Thurii all this time and hadn't had a chance to visit the port. He couldn't believe that two months ago, Mariji had led people to hastily build a port and market near the estuary and the site of old Sybaris, and in such a short time, it had become so prosperous.

"Of course it's true! I've been keeping accounts for Mariji, and I remember clearly. We spend about ten talents a day buying materials for reconstruction, while the customs revenue and profits from sales also reach eight talents. Otherwise, where do you think all the supplies for your city-building—besides wood and stone—came from?" Sostratus spoke with confidence.

"Davos really knows how to delegate! I never expected that the Persian Mariji would be so capable in commerce!" Kynogoratas exclaimed.

He glanced at his son and said coolly, "Go on, tell me what you came for." Kynogoratas knew his son well.

"Well... well... the warehouses and inns at the foot of the mountain in Amendolara were burned down by the Crotonians, and now those Crotonian prisoners are almost finished rebuilding them. I heard from Mariji that he's going to auction off these new warehouses and inns, leasing them to the citizens of the Thua Alliance to operate for profit... I'd like to participate, but I don't have enough money. I wanted to... borrow some from you, Father."

"How much do you need?"

"Well... five... five talents." Sostratus plucked up the courage to say. That was almost the majority of Kynogoratas's wealth.

"Are you planning to lease all of them?"

"Yes, Father. Now that Thurii is teeming with merchant ships, and our port isn't truly built yet, large numbers of merchants and sailors can't find places to eat or sleep, and goods have nowhere to store. But Amendolara has ready-made warehouses and inns, and with the road between the two cities being built quickly, I believe taking over those warehouses and inns will make our family a fortune!" Sostratus said confidently.

Kynogoratas was silent for a while, then looked at his son and spoke solemnly, "Son, since I was expelled from Thurii, I have reflected on my past actions. I feel that I was once too aggressive and often didn't consider others' feelings. That's why, when the trouble came, no one was willing to help us..."