Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 36: Agesilaus's Intentions

Phoebidas gladly accepted. He was still a little hungry, so he picked up another piece of bread, slathered it with honey, and took a big bite.

Agesilaus patiently waited until he finished eating before saying, "Could you tell me in detail about your last mission to Magna Graecia?"

Phoebidas perked up. He remembered that when he reported back to the Council of Elders, King Agis had just passed away, and the elders were preoccupied with funeral arrangements and electing a new king, paying little attention to anything else.

Just when Phoebidas had briefly summarized his mission to Magna Graecia, the new Spartan king showed concern for Daonia. So Phoebidas immediately recounted the full details of his mission to Daonia without any exaggeration.

Agesilaus propped his head on one hand and stretched out his lame leg, listening carefully with a contemplative expression.

When Phoebidas finished, he said, "It seems the Daonians gave you a hard time. You don't have a good impression of them."

"I'm angry because Daonia lacks the respect due to Sparta, but personally—" Phoebidas paused, a strange expression crossing his face, and he said honestly, "Actually, I rather admire Daonia..."

"Oh?" Agesilaus looked surprised. "Why?"

"Perhaps because of the toughness they displayed..." Phoebidas recalled the scene and said with emotion, "Though I only made a brief stop in Thurii and didn't have deep contact with the Daonian citizens, I got the impression... their soldiers are also very disciplined. I even heard that the Daonian Senate holds a celebration ceremony for victorious generals and soldiers. It felt... it felt..."

Phoebidas pondered and then blurted out, "Daonia is like the Sparta of Magna Graecia..."

Agesilaus was taken aback, then quipped with a smile, "You're comparing an alliance ruled by a tyrant to our Sparta, where citizens are free and equal."

"Although Daonia has only one magistrate, and he is lifelong, they also have a Senate. And from my experience in the Daonian Senate, those senators seem able to influence the drafting of Daonian laws. The relationship between the magistrate and the senators... well, how to put it? It's not like Syracuse, where Dionysius alone calls the shots!" Phoebidas said earnestly.

"You seem to have a poor impression of Syracuse," Agesilaus remarked, glancing at him.

"I think anyone who hears that Syracuse can mobilize such a huge army to attack Carthage would probably feel uneasy!" Phoebidas said bluntly. "Those tens of thousands of infantry aren't the main issue, but they also have several thousand cavalry and a massive fleet no weaker than ours! Dionysius is an ambitious man!"

Agesilaus looked at him and smiled. "Phoebidas, I'm glad you see that. In the later stages of the war with Athens, we began to pay attention to the West. It was through our alliance with Syracuse that Sparta was able to intervene in Western affairs. Carthage is Persia's ally in the Western Mediterranean. We need an ally in the Western Mediterranean that can restrain Carthage and protect Sparta's rear. That's why we support Syracuse, and it also allows us to deepen Sparta's influence among the Greek powers in the West. However, some of Sparta's past practices—unrestrainedly allowing Syracuse to expand and swallow the Greek states of Sicily—might eventually cause trouble for us. We don't want our allies to be too weak, but we also can't let them become too powerful."

"Respected King Agesilaus, you're right! But for now, Carthage still holds an advantage in Sicily, and Sparta's strength is concentrated in Asia Minor. At this juncture, perhaps we should continue supporting Syracuse for the time being," Phoebidas said, understanding Agesilaus's subtle implication, but still speaking frankly out of concern for the city-state.

"We don't need to do anything. The force to curb Syracuse's expansion has already appeared." Agesilaus showed no displeasure; instead, he smiled reassuringly. "It's Daonia, the one that made you unhappy."

"Daonia?!" Phoebidas was first stunned, then shook his head. "It can't compare to Syracuse in terms of territory, population, trade, or military power. Syracuse is far stronger."

"That's true now, but Daonia is expanding quickly." Agesilaus's expression grew complex as he spoke. "I just received news from Magna Graecia: Daonia defeated Croton and even forced Croton to cede territory and sign an alliance treaty..."

"When did this happen?!" Phoebidas's eyes widened. He had barely left Magna Graecia, and Daonia had already defeated Croton again?!

Phoebidas looked incredulous. "Croton is clearly stronger than Daonia, and this time the Crotonians should not have repeated their previous mistake. How could..."

"A hundred years ago, before the war between Sybaris and Croton, many Greek city-states thought the same, but the result was that the weaker Croton won!" Agesilaus sighed. "Cheirisophus was right: Davos is a military genius. Though Sparta unfortunately missed him, letting him lead Daonia to counter Syracuse isn't bad."

"Will Daonia definitely come into conflict with Syracuse?" Phoebidas was still preoccupied with how Daonia defeated Croton, so his reply was somewhat distracted, tinged with strong skepticism.

Agesilaus didn't mind and said, "Now Syracuse has already occupied the eastern part of Sicily. With our support and its own accumulated strength, driving the Carthaginian forces out of eastern Sicily is not too difficult. It might even be possible... to expel Carthage from Sicily entirely. Even if that fails, Syracuse will certainly become the leader of the Sicilian Greek city-states. As you said, Dionysius is an ambitious man. Will he be satisfied with that?" As he spoke, Agesilaus dipped his finger in the barley porridge and drew a rough map of Sicily on the table.

Phoebidas shook his head.

"Will he lead his army into Africa?" Agesilaus asked.

Phoebidas shook his head vigorously. No way. That was Carthage's stronghold, built over centuries. If Syracuse dared to set foot on African soil, Carthage would ensure they never returned—just like the army led by Dorieus, the brother exiled by King Cleomenes a hundred years ago.

"Then the only place Syracuse can expand its power is here—" Agesilaus casually drew a rough outline above Sicily. "Magna Graecia. It is separated from Sicily only by a narrow strait. Both are Greek city-states, and Dionysius has always been harsh toward his fellow Greeks..."

"You're right," Phoebidas agreed. Neither he nor Agesilaus even considered the Greek mainland east of Sicily. They believed Dionysius would never dare offend those ancient, powerful states on the Greek mainland.

"Now that Daonia has subdued Croton, south of Croton the only powerful city-states left are Locri and Rhegium. Locri is allied with Syracuse and is a sworn enemy of Croton, while Croton is now allied with Daonia. Therefore, conflict between Daonia and Syracuse is only a matter of time..." Agesilaus analyzed.

Phoebidas stared at the table and shook his head. "Daonia is still too weak."

"As soon as Dionysius's army sets foot on Magna Graecia, apart from the Locrian alliance and Tarentum, I suspect all other city-states will rally around Daonia." Agesilaus's expression grew solemn. "We don't want another Syracuse in the Western Mediterranean. But as long as Daonia can cause enough trouble for Syracuse—and I believe that Davos can manage that—and prevent Dionysius from conquering Magna Graecia quickly, then it will be time for Sparta to step in and mediate. Don't forget, Tarentum in Magna Graecia is a friendly colony of Sparta."

Recalling his experiences in Tarentum, Phoebidas sneered. "Tarentum won't necessarily listen to us."

"When Daonia and Syracuse both grow strong, it will listen." Agesilaus gave a cold smile and pressed three fingers on the table. "Syracuse, Daonia, and Tarentum—these are the three key city-states that will maintain stability in the Western Mediterranean. This is the conclusion the Council of Elders reached after learning that Syracuse's army was attacking western Sicily and that Daonia had defeated Croton. So stop agonizing over Daonia matters."

"Respected King Agesilaus, I understand!" Phoebidas realized that the cold old men in the Council of Elders wouldn't care about the inner turmoil of a young general, and that Agesilaus had come specially to console him. For this, Phoebidas was deeply grateful.

Agesilaus smiled faintly, as if it were no effort, and said, "I called you here for another matter as well."

Phoebidas immediately leaned forward, looking serious.

Note: Agesilaus and Phoebidas underestimated Dionysius's audacity. In history, Dionysius actually sent mercenaries along with pirates to attack the Greek mainland. Not Sparta, of course, but the sanctuary of all Greeks—Delphi—attempting to plunder the centuries-old sacred treasury of the Temple of Apollo to compensate for his treasury emptied by years of war.