Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 16: Joining Forces

Davos urgently summoned senior officers including Philistos, Capus, Drakos, Hieronymus, and Epithenis to discuss countermeasures regarding the alliance proposed by Laüs.

Afterward, he demanded an emergency session of the Senate. Following debate, Davos's proposal was approved.

That night, Achradamas was once again brought to Davos's residence.

"How has our distinguished guest from Laüs rested?" Davos joked.

Achradamas's eyes darted around, and upon noticing the additional people surrounding Davos, he asked somewhat anxiously: "Magistrate, you've already reached a decision?!"

"Yes, our Senate has deliberated and decided to accept Laüs as an ally of the Thua Alliance!" Davos said with a smile.

"Excellent!" Achradamas could barely contain his excitement. Before arriving, Avinogis had thoroughly explained the procedures for negotiating and signing treaties with Greeks. For a matter of such magnitude, the Greeks would convene a full assembly, and without two or three days of heated debate, there would be no result. That was why he had urged Davos earlier. He hadn't expected the Thua Alliance to render a decision in just half a day. This nascent power was indeed something different.

"It's just that I hear Nerulum has dispatched seven or eight hundred warriors to garrison Laüs. Can you and your brother easily take the city?" Davos asked with concern.

After their previous conversation, Achradamas was no longer surprised at how well-informed Davos was about Laüs. He replied with exceptional confidence: "Taking Laüs is no problem at all. We have over a thousand warriors, and the slaves in the port are also descendants of us Sybarites. They are willing to follow our orders! Our families have lived within the walls of Laüs for generations. Those newly arrived Lucanians don't even know how many alleys are in the city. How could they be a match for us? The real trouble will come after we take Laüs. Nerulum, even Grumentum, will surely attack us. That's why we need your support!"

"So you're saying the risk is low during the actual seizure of the city, but after taking Laüs, we might provoke a ferocious Lucanian reprisal. Is that right?" Davos asked patiently.

Achradamas nodded involuntarily.

"Then I have a better plan. One that lets you take Laüs smoothly without having to bear the subsequent risk!" Davos's voice dripped with temptation.

"What plan?" Achradamas asked eagerly.

"First, help us take Nerulum. Cut off the Lucanians' route south to reinforce Laüs. By then, you won't even need to attack Laüs. Cut off from reinforcements, the Lucanians inside the city will have no choice but to surrender."

Davos's reasoning was sound. It greatly tempted Achradamas, but he worried: "Nerulum isn't built of stone, but it won't be easy to take. If we can't capture it quickly, and Grumentum comes to its rescue, our plan will be exposed..."

"We have no intention of storming Nerulum," Davos said with a smile.

Achradamas was puzzled.

"How many warriors does Nerulum have?" Davos pressed.

"Originally, nearly six thousand. After your victory, a little over two thousand remained. Now, with eight hundred sent to Laüs, only about a thousand warriors are left in the city," Achradamas answered truthfully.

"Can anyone else besides these warriors fight?" Davos asked.

"The rest are old men, women, and children. Nerulum's territory isn't large, and its land is barren. It can't support many clans. The reason it had so many warriors was that Laüs supplied it with a massive amount of grain every year!" Achradamas's hatred surged as he remembered the years of oppression and exploitation Nerulum had inflicted on Laüs.

Davos smiled: "My request is simple. You just need to help us trick our way through the gates of Nerulum. Leave the rest to us."

...

Achradamas set off for Laüs. Traveling with him were Asiastes, a secretary subordinate to the magistrate of the Thua Alliance, and Izam, the captain of the mountain scout squad. They carried the treaty to sign it with Avinogis, to confirm that the signatory was indeed Avinogis himself, and then to further discuss the capture of Nerulum and Laüs.

Meanwhile, the senior officers of the Thua Alliance, using the map of Nerulum's city district left by Achradamas, began planning their assault and secretly initiated a war mobilization. Although, as Achradamas said, only about a thousand warriors remained in Nerulum, Davos decided to adopt a "strike a rabbit with a lion" tactic. Except for the First Battalion, which would remain to guard the Thua Alliance, the Second, Third, and Seventh Battalions, totaling three thousand men, would carry five days' rations and prepare for a surprise attack on Nerulum.

In addition, Davos planned to host a banquet for two people.

"Chief Vespa, please, have a seat!"

"Magistrate, you are too kind. I am no longer a tribal chief, but merely a prisoner of the Thua Alliance," Vespa said in a flat tone.

"That is only temporary. Once you become a citizen of the Thua Alliance, you will still be the leader of this tribe!" Davos said, as both comfort and a promise.

Vespa's heart stirred.

Davos then turned to the somewhat tense Bacule: "Haha, the most famous rugby running back in the camp. The road-building has made you even stronger, hasn't it, Andria?"

Andria, who was following behind Cheiristoya, blushed and looked down without speaking.

"Magistrate!" Bacule touched his head and let out a simple, foolish laugh.

"Sit down! Sit down!" Davos gestured for his guests to sit, then announced in a clear voice: "There are no strangers here today. Chief Vespa, Bacule, you are both my old friends! You already know my wife, Cheiristoya."

Cheiristoya nodded and smiled at the two men.

"And I don't think this one needs any introduction," Davos said, pointing at Andria, and laughed: "I'm still waiting to attend your wedding!"

Andria and Bacule both turned crimson. Vespa showed a look of resignation and Hetushu. Although he didn't really like the idea of Bacule marrying a Greek woman, under their current circumstances, marrying a Greek woman would actually greatly benefit the tribe.

"So today, we're going to forget all formalities. Sit however you like, eat however you like! I've prepared some novel foods that haven't been introduced to the restaurant yet. You are the first to taste them. I hope you enjoy them!" Davos's words piqued everyone's curiosity. Even Vespa, who rarely ventured out, knew that Cheiristoya's restaurant was famous throughout the Alliance.

Davos set the example himself. He pulled up a wooden chair and sat at the dinner table instead of reclining on a couch. Davos had long been dissatisfied with the reclining posture of Greek banquets—it was terrible for digestion and health. Having Cheiristoya and Andria attend the banquet was also a breach of Greek tradition. But in the eyes of Vespa and Bacule, it made Davos seem bold and generous, showing that he truly didn't consider them outsiders.

Slaves first placed fruit and snacks on each guest's table, then set down a jar of wine and a jar of golden liquid.

Curious, Bacule took a sip. A cool sensation flowed straight through him, prompting him to blurt out: "What is this? It's delicious!"

"It's beer, the drink of the Egyptians," Andria explained, showing off what she had learned to her beloved. "The slaves brewed it carefully according to the Magistrate's instructions. It tastes even better this way."

"Hmm. Much better than that insipid wine. This is a real man's drink!" Bacule took another big gulp and then announced loudly.

Influenced by his son, Vespa took a sip, then drank several more gulps in silence.

Seeing this, Davos exchanged a knowing smile with Cheiristoya and said: "Good beer deserves good food!"

Cheiristoya immediately signaled Asuna.

Asuna directed the servants to bring to each table an iron contraption, level with the wooden table. On top of it sat an earthenware pot filled with water and seasoned with spices. The servants lit wood and placed it into the hollow iron chamber beneath the pot.

Vespa and the others watched all this with curiosity as the slaves also brought two plates to each person.

"Is this mutton?" Vespa asked, uncertainly, looking at the thin, curled slices of meat on the platter, red and white interspersed.

"This is mutton. This is beef," Davos said, pointing to them. "I call this dish 'boiled mutton and beef slices.'" As he spoke, the water in the earthenware pot had already begun to boil. Davos picked up a slice of beef with his hand and dropped it into the boiling water. The beef rolled in the water and soon turned white. He scooped it out with a slotted wooden ladle, placed it on a wooden plate with dipping sauce, dipped it a few times, picked it up with his hand, and put it in his mouth, his face beaming with delight.

Vespa and the others followed suit. After eating, they all showed expressions of surprise. Bacule even said: "I've never tasted beef this good. How is it made?"

"After slaughtering the sheep or cow, you skin it, debone it, and drain the blood. Then you place it in a cellar. Next, you send people to the high mountains to collect large amounts of ice, put it in the cellar, and seal it to create an icehouse. After a day, you take out the frozen meat. Then you can slice it into thin, crispy pieces. Drop it into boiling water, and it cooks in an instant..." Davos patiently explained.

"And this thing here—what is it?" Bacule pointed to the small plate in front of him and continued.

"That's the dipping sauce. It adjusts the flavor of the meat. This sauce is made from sea shrimp, shellfish... hmm... and seaweeds, all chopped and mixed together, fermented, and then a little bit of spice from India is added. As for the exact method, you'll have to ask my chef."

"This food looks simple, but it's such a hassle!" Bacule sighed, giving up any thought of trying to make it at home.

Davos smiled slightly, then turned to Andria: "Our great merchant, do you think this 'boiled meat slices' dish of mine would be popular in our restaurant?"

...