Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 40: The Establishment of the Southern Italian Alliance

Fortunately, soon after Croton burned the city, Davos led the army to recover Thurii, and Diona returned home, but she was listless and unhappy all day. She is now twenty-three years old. As her father, Kynogoratas was determined to see his children happy, so he wanted to find her a good husband, which had become a worry of his.

“Sostratus, what do you think of Heilos?” Kynogoratas asked abruptly.

“What do you mean?” Sostratus was surprised that his father would bring him up.

“What if he becomes your brother-in-law?”

“You want to choose Heilos as Diona’s husband!” Sostratus’s eyes widened in shock. Seeing his father nod seriously, he quickly abandoned any thought of joking and thought carefully, then said, “Although I am a soldier under his command, he is a battalion commander and we don’t interact much normally. I only know that while he is strict in training, he is fair in his dealings and treats us well… I’ve heard he is still single, with no bad habits. If my sister marries him, she should be well taken care of! But, father, why did you choose him? None of these senators in Thurii seem willing to marry their daughters to these former mercenaries turned senators!”

“These people are still immersed in the glory of their past families, hesitating and unwilling to accept the changes in Thurii!” Kynogoratas sneered, then said solemnly, “Why do I want you to show respect to the Lord Magistrate! Because he is truly favored by the gods—so young, yet with extraordinary ability and means. The people love him, the army supports him, and the Senate is entirely under his control! If we don’t want our family’s tragedy to repeat, the best way is to become relatives of those former mercenary senators who followed him on the expedition to Persia and whom he truly trusts! Heilos, I heard, was the Lord Magistrate’s commander in Persia and took great care of him. Although Heilos has always been low-key in the Senate, one can see that the Lord Magistrate trusts him a lot. Moreover, don’t think of him as just a former mercenary. According to Cornelius, he is humble, steady, and good at learning from others and asking for advice. I believe he will have a smooth path in Daonian politics!…”

“Father, don’t get carried away with wishful thinking. Among the former mercenary senators brought over by the… Lord Magistrate, Heilos is one of the few who hasn’t married. He’s only in his thirties and a senator—I’m sure there are plenty of matchmakers in both Amendolara and Thurii. But he’s still single… It’s conceivable that he might not agree to your request!” Sostratus warned the excited Kynogoratas.

“Of course I won’t go to him directly. I’ll have the Lord Magistrate step in. I’m sure Davos will be very happy to do this!” Kynogoratas stroked his beard and smiled smugly. “I once试探地问过执政官大人, and he also cares about Heilos’ marriage. With him as the matchmaker, and Diona’s beauty and talent, how could Heilos refuse!”

“It seems from now on I need to curry favor with my sister, so she won’t be unhappy and have my brother-in-law put me in the front row of the phalanx…” Sostratus joked. This reminded Kynogoratas, who quickly said, “Sostratus, don’t go wandering around these next few days. The First Army Corps you belong to will soon march south to fight.”

“Has the South Italy Alliance agreement already been signed? Wasn’t Croton opposed before?” Sostratus asked in some surprise. With a father who was a senator, he naturally knew more about the alliance’s political affairs than ordinary citizens.

“Trina, Scylletium, and Caulonia have all expressed approval. What effect can Croton’s lone opposition have? Besides, the current war situation is very unfavorable for them! Even Lysias has rushed to Thurii, which shows how anxious the Crotonians are!” At this point, Kynogoratas was somewhat excited. “Wait for the treaty to be signed and the alliance established; then Daonia will truly become the hegemon of Magna Graecia!”

“I heard that in this new alliance, all member states are equal, with no distinction between primary and secondary! So how can there be a hegemon?”

“On the surface, that’s the case, but the strength of a city-state still determines the weight of its voice in this new alliance, especially when it doesn’t affect the interests of other allies.” Kynogoratas sincerely praised, “The Lord Magistrate is truly remarkable! He proposed this form of treaty, which continuously gained the support of other city-states, isolated Croton, and forced it to join. Once the new alliance is established, it will also dismantle the former Croton Alliance, allowing Daonia to successfully squeeze into Croton’s original sphere of influence, becoming the de facto hegemon!”

“Isn’t that just the Lord Magistrate’s full exploitation of the result of defeating Croton?” Sostratus said this as a reminder that Kynogoratas had opposed the war beforehand.

Kynogoratas was silent for a moment. Instead of directly answering his son’s question, he sighed, “I never thought I’d live to see Thurii become the center of Magna Graecia! Son, just as you said before, Thurii is bound to usher in great development!”

…

On the last day of mid-February, 398 BC, Daonia, Croton, Scylletium, Caulonia, and Trina finally reached an agreement, signed a treaty, and established the South Italy Alliance.

Due to Croton’s insistence, the treaty specifically stipulated: during discussions and resolutions, Daonia and Croton each have two votes, while the other three allies each have one vote.

The alliance headquarters was set up in Scylletium. Initially, Croton demanded the headquarters be located within its territory, which was opposed by other city-states. Later, Davos proposed setting it in Scylletium, and the other city-states agreed. Aside from Daonia, Scylletium was centrally located among the other allies, and its relatively weak strength made them all feel more at ease.

In peacetime, the South Italy Alliance headquarters was staffed by representatives from each ally to handle and negotiate inter-allied affairs.

The Croton Alliance was formally dissolved, and the new military defense alliance between Daonia and Croton was also voided. Croton’s original war reparations of 500 talents to Daonia—only the first 80 talents had been paid—were also canceled. This was one of the reasons Croton finally agreed to join the South Italy Alliance, but it made Mesis beat his chest and regret deeply.

Thus, Daonia’s effective treaties now included: the Daonia Alliance, which was dominated by Daonia. Since Daonia controlled the alliance’s foreign affairs (i.e., not allowing other allies to sign any treaties or agreements with any city-state) and military command, the other allies effectively became Daonia’s vassals. Next was the alliance agreement with Tarentum. Due to Daonia’s rapid expansion, this treaty had been revised twice—from initial Tarentine dominance to equal and mutual support—but so far it had mainly involved trade exchanges, with no joint military action. Finally, there was the newly established South Italy Alliance. Additionally, there was a non-aggression peace agreement with Pyxous to the north. Except for the Locri Alliance, Rhegium further south, and a union of one or two small city-states, Daonia had created a peaceful and stable surrounding environment with the other city-states of Magna Graecia through these treaties.

Of course, what Daonia urgently needed to do now was fulfill its treaty obligations and repel Locri.

This campaign was different from previous ones. Just reaching the battlefield would take three or four days, and relying solely on soldiers carrying rations to finish the fight in a few days was impractical. During the previous war with Croton, harassment by the Crotonian fleet had already caused Daonia considerable trouble. This campaign against Locri was even farther, the grain transport route longer, and the Locrians controlled the coastline, which would be a major test for Daonia’s logistical supply.

In response, Davos adopted the following strategy: First, Mesis was put in charge of rapidly forming a large baggage train, carrying at least enough military rations to feed 10,000 men for one month. The transport train would depart together with the reinforcements, ensuring the safety of the grain convoy while reducing labor, escorts, and unnecessary consumption of grain. Second, the war was to be concluded as quickly as possible, so Davos dispatched the most elite First Army Corps.

Preparing military grain, purchasing pack animals… these war preparations naturally required a large amount of gold and silver. This time Mesis was not stingy; instead, he bought in large quantities, as the expenses were shared equally among all the allies.

When the first rooster crowed in the city of Amendolara, Georgios had already sat up in bed. His wife Dania also opened her eyes.

“Sleep a little more,” Georgios said gently. “I have to go.”

“I can’t sleep! I want to go see you off in Thurii!” Though Dania was older than Georgios, she liked to act coy, because it made her feel younger than him, and Georgios enjoyed it too.

But today Georgios shook his head. “You’re pregnant. Traveling such a long distance and going back and forth isn’t good for the child.”

“Who says! Helpus says pregnant women should exercise more—it makes childbirth easier and the child healthier!” Dania retorted.

Georgios didn’t argue. He trusted Helpus completely—after all, he was a direct disciple of the God-Touched One, Davos. Unable to resist Dania’s repeated pleas, he had no choice but to take his wife along, plus a male slave carrying his weapons and equipment, and they left home and exited the city.

At that time, the sky was just barely light. Hired carriages from the port of Thurii had already come to Amendolara to pick up passengers, because everyone knew that early this morning, Daonia’s First Army Corps was to assemble, organize, and depart from Victory Square in Thurii.