Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 34: Heilos's Decision

The captain continued loudly, "The Army Corps engineers often tell us, 'Building wide, flat roads makes travel easy for us; digging ditches carries away sewage and trash, keeping the city clean; elevated aqueducts bring clear stream water directly into the city, saving us the trouble of fetching water back and forth and allowing continuous use of water…' Chief Magistrate Heilos also told us that Lord Davos said, 'Every convenience facility Thurii has, other Daonian cities should also build. Every Daonian citizen, whether in Thurii or another city, should enjoy a clean and convenient life!'"

The captain's impassioned voice drew the attention of some soldiers at work. Sisprontis, afraid of causing a misunderstanding, said nothing more. The captain, meanwhile, had no desire to talk further with this Crotoniate envoy who looked down on Lucanians.

Sisprontis walked on in silence. He even saw people who looked like scholars using instruments to measure something on a street corner—it was a set square, used to check if a building was vertical—and others drawing lines with lime powder on the roadside, marking where soldiers should dig drainage ditches. Everyone was focused, and this stirred something in Sisprontis.

Greeks could build solemn, magnificent temples, large-scale arenas, exquisite and sturdy theaters… They possessed the finest architectural technology in the Mediterranean of this era. Yet they never applied it to infrastructure that improved the common people’s lives. The people were accustomed to material simplicity, focusing instead on the political life, sports, competitions, and theater of the polis. It seemed only Daonians invested large amounts of manpower and resources into roads, bridges, sewers, aqueducts—the infrastructure other Greek city-states were unwilling to build. Sisprontis had never been to the newly built Thurii, but the Daonian road was quite famous throughout southern Italy. It seemed even the barbarous Lucanian mountaineers longed for the lifestyle Daonia had created; there must be something appealing about it… Sisprontis pondered these things as he unknowingly arrived at Asperustum’s City Hall, where he met Heilos, appointed just two days earlier, and the temporary garrison commander, Asiastes.

After hearing Sisprontis’s request, Heilos and Asiastes were both taken aback: Having just fought a bloody battle with the Crotonians, they were now to become allies, and the former enemies were asking for their help…

Even these battle-hardened commanders found it emotionally difficult to accept at first.

Heilos said cautiously, "Helping Croton defend against Locri means Daonia would have to go to war with Locri. This is too significant a decision for us to make; it requires approval from the Daonia Senate."

"We understand that. Another of our envoys has already taken a fast ship to Thurii. But Locrian troops have already invaded our land, burning our villages and slaughtering our people… By the time the Daonia Senate’s order arrives, how many Crotoniates will have lost their lives? How many homes will have been burned!" Sisprontis pleaded bitterly, even weeping as he spoke, "Ever since its founding, Daonia has always kept its promises. As Croton’s ally, will you simply stand by and watch Crotoniates suffer without offering aid?!"

The two commanders, still inexperienced in politics, felt awkward. Asiastes, after much persuasion, managed to take the tearful Sisprontis away, saying the matter was critical and they needed to discuss it.

Once he returned to the hall, Heilos had calmed down after some thought: "Asiastes, I intend to agree to the Crotoniate envoy’s request and send troops to the west bank of the Tacchinardi River to prevent the Locrians from entering Croton’s core territory."

"What?! To initiate war with Locri without the Senate’s permission—Lord Davos will be very angry!" Asiastes recalled how, back in Nerulum, Sestas had acted on his own, leading to Davos criticizing him. He shook his head vehemently: "No, this absolutely won’t do!"

"Who said stopping the Locrians necessarily means going to war with them? We can do it like this…" Heilos carefully laid out his reasoning.

After hearing him out and thinking it over, Asiastes showed some concern: "Wouldn’t that be too risky? What if the Locrians, disregarding everything, actually attack our troops?"

"Asiastes, you have to understand: although the Daonia Alliance has been founded less than a year, our reputation in Magna Graecia is high. It’s not only because of our successive military victories, but also because Lord Davos has led us in adhering to our principles. When we were weak and facing pressure from a powerful Croton, we still did not abandon our alliance with Thurii. Now our ally begs us for help; if we can help but don’t extend a hand, what force will the defensive alliance treaty we just signed with Croton have? What will the Crotoniates think? When we came here, Lord Davos and the Senate warned us to maintain peace and friendship with Croton. Can that be achieved? Will other Magna Graecia city-states still believe that we Daonians keep our promises? I know Lord Davos—faced with this situation, he would unhesitatingly send troops to protect Croton. If Locri dares to attack, he would not hesitate to counterattack!"

Heilos spoke earnestly, and Asiastes was moved. He defended himself quietly: "I’m not against sending troops; I just wanted to get Lord Davos’s orders first."

"At the fastest, it’ll take over a day for a round trip. By the time orders arrive, the Locrians will probably have crossed the Tacchinardi River and caused heavy damage to Croton’s outskirts. If we’re going to help Croton, we need to show up when they need us most!"

Heilos was resolute and his words forceful. Asiastes was convinced: "Alright, I agree to send troops. But we must send a fast courier to Thurii to explain our decision!"

"That’s only right!" Heilos nodded.

Sisprontis received notification from Heilos: Daonia would fulfill the alliance treaty and dispatch troops from Asperustum to help defend Croton’s territory. He was overwhelmed with gratitude and repeatedly thanked Heilos and Asiastes.

Once Heilos made the decision to march, the whole of Asperustum swung into action. The 2,500 men of the Third Army Corps were quickly assembled, and under Asiastes’s command, they immediately set off southward. Heilos kept only 500 men to guard the city.

…

Locri’s thousand-man raiding battalion had encountered almost no resistance and smoothly closed in on the Tacchinardi River, leaving a trail of ruins behind. If this had been the Archaic period centuries ago, warfare between city-states was still relatively mild: both sides would agree on a time and place for battle, sometimes even with duels between champions beforehand, and the victors rarely pursued. But nowadays, inter-city warfare had become brutal; the losing side was often destroyed, its people enslaved or killed. So when a strong power attacked, the weak naturally stayed behind their city walls and defended. In such cases, attackers, unwilling to storm fortifications, would resort to destroying crops, burning villages, and slaughtering civilians to force the enemy out. This was common practice. For example, during the Peloponnesian War, Sparta attacked Athens by land; Athens, knowing it couldn’t match Sparta on land, had its people take refuge within the Long Walls, and Attica was ravaged into a desolate wilderness.

These measures also served to break the enemy’s will to fight—just as Daonian soldiers had done on the northern plain of Croton and Crotoniate soldiers had done on the Sybaris Plain. For Locri, decades of enmity with Croton meant they had an added purpose: venting their fury. So they were thorough, which also slowed their march.

When they heard that the Tacchinardi River was just ahead, Locrian soldiers could hardly wait to cross it and rush into the heart of Croton to loot and burn. As they excitedly reached the west bank of the Tacchinardi, they discovered an army blocking their path.

Diopantos, the commander of this Locrian force, felt uneasy: Hadn’t naval intelligence said that Croton had dispatched all its soldiers and the city was thinly guarded? Could these be newly recruited freemen?

He looked closely: the army ahead was arrayed in a neat phalanx formation. Every soldier was tall, standing straight, fully armed with helmets, breastplates, greaves, round shields, and spears—full heavy infantry equipment. The whole phalanx was silent as a mountain. The oppressive aura made the previously loud Locrians fall quiet.

"Look at that banner!" someone shouted, pointing to a large red flag held high in the center of the opposing phalanx.

Locrian soldiers with sharp eyes could see a small bronze figure at the top of the banner: a winged figure holding a sword.

"It looks like the Death god," someone said uncertainly.

The Death god?! Diopantos recalled that Metrophanes, who had just returned to Locri a few days ago, had spoken at the Council about what he had seen in Daonia. He suddenly realized: this unusual army ahead was not from Croton, but from Daonia—the force that had recently forced Croton to sue for peace. Daonia, a mysterious city-state alliance that hadn’t existed a year ago but had quickly become a major power in Magna Graecia!

Diopantos tensed up and hurriedly began to reorganize his scattered ranks.

At that moment, a small cavalry unit galloped forward and reined in about fifty meters from the Locrian formation. The commander, wearing a helmet with a purple crest, spoke loudly, while the other cavalrymen served as heralds: "I am Asiastes, battalion commander of the Daonia Alliance’s Third Army Corps! Daonia and Croton have signed a defensive alliance treaty. Under this treaty, Daonia is responsible for protecting the safety of Croton’s territory! Locrians, Daonia has no wish to go to war with you. But if you remain on Croton’s land, we will be forced to drive you out!"

A stir ran through the Locrian ranks.

Damn it! Diopantos cursed inwardly. The thing he most feared had come to pass.

When news of the Daonia-Croton alliance had reached Locri a few days earlier, it had shocked the entire Council. Everyone had railed against Croton’s shameless cowardice.