Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 52: The Trouble Caused by Mercenaries

Croton mobilized its army to reinforce Crimissa, a move so large that it was quickly detected by the scouts Aristelas had stationed at the Croton docks.

Early the next morning, when the mercenaries’ messenger arrived at Davos’s residence, Davos had already learned from Aristelas about Croton sending reinforcements. He immediately judged that Timasion’s mercenary force was in grave danger.

Thus, when the mercenary messenger Pikoles pleaded with Davos, “Lord Davos, Commander Timasion’s mercenaries have captured Crimissa. We hope to join the Daonia Alliance and urgently request reinforcements from Daonia!”

Davos, his expression heavy, told this former comrade—who had once served as an interpreter in Menon’s camp and later under his own command, but chose to leave at Byzantium—“Pikoles, you’re too late. I’ve just received news that ‘yesterday at noon, nearly ten thousand Croton troops set sail from the harbor.’ They should reach Crimissa by afternoon. I don’t think Timasion and his men can hold Crimissa…”

“Ten thousand?!” Pikoles was stunned by the news.

“I’ve already sent people to gather information. We should have the full picture from Crimissa by noon,” Davos continued.

“Maybe… maybe Timasion and the others are still holding out…” Pikoles snapped back to reality, clutching at straws as he begged, “Lord Davos… Commander, for the sake of our time fighting side by side, I beg you… I beg you to send troops immediately to Crimissa and rescue them! If you wait until you get the news, it’ll be too late!…”

That cry of “Commander” stirred a flicker of emotion in Davos, but he still shook his head and said, “Alas… it’s not as simple as me ordering troops to march. It needs the approval of a majority of senators in the Senate. And without reliable news, they won’t agree. Because if the people of Crimissa have retaken the city, Daonian troops entering Crimissa territory would violate the agreement—that means war! War with Croton!!”

Davos’s patient explanation clearly didn’t sink in for the frantic Pikoles. He shouted almost hysterically, “No matter what, if we’re going to rescue our brothers, we’ll end up fighting Croton anyway! What are you afraid of! You’re the lifelong magistrate of Daonia—you give the orders here! Send troops, I beg you, Lord Davos! The lives of Timasion, Cleanho, and all our mercenary brothers are waiting for your rescue!!…”

Davos shook his head, feeling it was futile to argue with him. “Go rest for now. When I have news, I’ll inform you.” With that, he gestured for a servant to escort him out.

Pikoles shoved the servant away and roared, “Davos, if it weren’t for Timasion and the brothers helping you, you’d have died in Persia long ago! But look how you treat your former comrades! Since we arrived here, not only have you given us no help, we’ve suffered plenty of grievances. Now Timasion’s life is in danger, he asks for your aid, and you refuse—making excuses about needing Senate approval…”

Pikoles cursed Davos for his ingratitude. Davos grew angry, thinking to himself: You claimed you were going to Syracuse, but instead you attacked and occupied Crimissa. When did you ever speak honestly to me! You wanted to use me and Agasia and the others, to make Daonia take the blame for you, without ever considering what a passive position that would put Daonia and me in! Now that you’ve failed, you come begging, but without a shred of apology. Who is being ungrateful here? Do you really think I’m so easy to push around?

Given his current status, he saw no need to argue with a simple-minded mercenary. He simply had his guards throw Pikoles out of the mansion.

The commotion in the hall was loud. Cheiristoya, supported by Asuna and heavily pregnant, came down from the second floor and asked with concern, “I heard arguing downstairs. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Davos said, forcing a smile and gently chiding, “You’re about to give birth. You should be resting, not wandering around.”

Christhoya knew better than to press further. She placed a hand on her swollen belly and said, “The baby kept kicking me and woke me up.”

“Be good, little one. Let your mother rest!” Davos pressed his cheek against Christhoya’s belly and whispered softly.

“Oh, he kicked me again!” Christhoya exclaimed in delight.

“Madam, he’s so lively—he must be a boy!” Asuna said with a smile.

“Naughty little thing!” Davos patted the belly gently and said tenderly, “Christhoya, let me walk you around the courtyard.”

At that moment, both he and Christhoya wore expressions of pure happiness.

…

Pikoles, thrown out of Davos’s mansion, immediately regretted his outburst. The front door was tightly shut; no matter how much he knocked, it wouldn’t open. He had no choice but to go find Philistos and the others.

But Philistos, Capus, Antonios—either they avoided him, or when they did meet him, they expressed regret and said they couldn’t help.

Finally, Agasia told him, “With the mercenaries causing so much trouble in the Alliance lately, Lord Davos and they have been under a lot of pressure in the Senate. Especially this time, when Timasion attacked Crimissa without telling Daonia, it led to senators like Polyxides directly criticizing Davos by name in the council, accusing him of using the Daonia Alliance for the mercenaries’ profit! This was the first time Lord Davos faced such severe criticism and humiliation since becoming magistrate! Under these circumstances, Davos cannot possibly deploy troops on his own!”

Pikoles listened, half-understanding, and realized they had oversimplified things.

By noon, news from Crimissa arrived: the mercenary force was completely annihilated.

Davos sat in silence by himself. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh.

The incident seemed to be over, but Davos knew it was far from finished.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, a passenger ship from Croton docked at Thurii’s harbor. Two men came ashore: Lysias, the general of Croton, and Antaoris, the chief general of Crimissa.

What did this mean? The senators present for the reception all had slightly changed expressions.

Two bodies were also carried off the ship: Timasion and Cleanho.

This grieved Philistos, Agasia, and the other mercenary senators.

So the Senate meeting that day began with unusual tension and gravity.

Antaoris, the chief general of Crimissa, spoke first. With tears and sobs, he recounted the crimes the mercenaries had committed in Crimissa the previous day and the suffering of its people. Then he burst into loud wailing: “Why did the people of Crimissa live in peace for decades, only to suffer war’s devastation twice in quick succession?! Did we unknowingly offend Ares, and did he pour his wrath upon the citizens of Crimissa?!…”

Lysias surveyed the hall. He noticed some Daonian senators looked uneasy, while in the front row, Magistrate Davos listened attentively, occasionally nodding as if he shared their pain. Smiling inwardly, Lysias stood, walked to the center of the hall, embraced Antaoris, then turned to face the Daonian senators and bowed: “Honored Magistrate and esteemed senators of the Daonia Alliance Senate, as an envoy from Croton, I must say that Croton sent reinforcements in time yesterday, saving Crimissa from being overrun by a band of brigands! In the interrogation of prisoners after the battle, we learned that these brigands were mercenaries from Asia Minor, who once fought alongside Lord Davos and some of you senators in Persia for over a year. They were invited by you to Magna Graecia, registered in your Alliance’s census, and were preparing to become Daonian citizens. Is that the truth?!”

“That’s right.” Davos admitted without evasion.

Lysias hadn’t expected such a straightforward answer. He was taken aback for a moment, then raised his voice: “According to prisoner confessions, they were ordered by the Daonia Alliance to launch a surprise attack on Crimissa, intending to turn Crimissa into a Daonian ally—”

“Rubbish!”

“Bullshit!”

“That’s slander!”

Amyntas, Drakos, Agasia, and others leaped up to curse.

“Deny it all you like, but facts are facts! The corpses of the two bandit leaders are still on the dock, and some of you were shedding tears just now.” Lysias pointed forward, his expression stern, and shouted, “Daonians, you have violated the armistice with Croton. Do you still deny it?!”

Antaoris glared furiously, pointing at Davos and the others as he cursed: “Ever since you foreigners came to Magna Graecia, there has been no peace! No, it is not Crimissa that angered Ares—it is you, with your constant expansion and aggression, who have brought war to every city-state in Magna Graecia! The grievances of over a thousand dead Crimissa citizens must be avenged. Daonia must be punished!”

The chamber erupted in an uproar.

Davos stood and walked in front of Antaoris. He sneered and said, “I had intended to express Daonia’s apologies to Crimissa and even offer some compensation, even though Daonia had nothing to do with this.”

Antaoris opened his mouth to retort, but Davos looked at him and roared, “Shut up!”

Startled, Antaoris froze.

“But I see now—you two city-state generals came here together not to get to the truth, but to join forces to suppress Daonia! Go on, speak out the conditions you’ve already prepared. Let us hear how harsh they are!” Davos saw through their intentions, and his preemptive words left Lysias stunned, while also alerting the senators who were still confused.