Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 64: Attack on Bruttians?

Another powerful Greek city-state in Magna Graecia, Rhegium, was far away at the "toe" of Italy, remained neutral in the conflicts of Magna Graecia, and cared more about shipping and trade than about hegemony; Locri was now on bad terms with Daonia, but between it and Daonia lay the South Italy Alliance, and Croton alone was enough to keep it occupied—with just a bit of reinforcement from Daonia, it wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure. As for its backer, Syracuse, in the short term it was still entangled with Carthage and had no strength to spare for the land north of Sicily. Therefore, Davos planned to turn southern Italy into the most stable stronghold of the Daonia Alliance, and the only thing he had to consider was the Bruttians.

To be fair, the region where the Bruttians lived was high in altitude, the land was not fertile, and it was not near the sea, so it was not particularly coveted. However, because of its existence, Daonia's territory stretched from Asperustum all the way to Grumentum in the shape of a long, thin "S". Especially in the east, Asperustum, Crimissa, the allied city of Castron, Thurii, and Amendolara were lined up one after another along the coast, forming a narrow corridor. To Greeks who loved the sea, this was perfectly normal, but to Davos, influenced by over two thousand years of history, it caused deep unease: this territory was too flat, lacked depth, and had an excessively long coastline. Once a powerful foreign enemy invaded, anywhere could become a target for attack, and the Daonian army marching to rescue along the narrow, elongated territory would stretch its supply lines, making them another easy target. This had already shown its drawbacks in the war against Croton. Therefore, while the Daonian navy was being formed, Davos had already turned his gaze toward the Bruttian mountains.

Although transportation between the Bruttian mountains and Daonia's territory was not very convenient, if Daonia could control them, its territory in southern Italy would become one solid block. The small valley paths north of Asperustum, the mountain trails south of the northern part of Thurii and along the southern bank of the Crati River could all be turned into passages between Daonia and Bruttium, not to mention that soldiers from Grumentum and Nerulum could directly cross the west coast of the Bruttian mountains to reach Trina more quickly. Moreover, the Bruttians were weak in strength and disunited, making them an easier target for conquest.

Davos had originally planned to wait until the three newly joined territories—Asperustum, Crimissa, and Grumentum—had stabilized before launching the plan against the Bruttians. A while ago, Davos had also sent Izam's men to scout Bruttium, but he hadn't expected the Bruttians to be heavily guarded. Moreover, Izam's Mountain Scout Unit members barely knew any Bruttian language. Not only did they fail to obtain information, but they also lost a few men. Davos had to suspend the reconnaissance. He hadn't expected that the envoy from Trina, Sipros, would bring him startling news.

"The Bruttian region is different from Lucania; it is surrounded by Greek city-states on all sides," Sipros said seriously. "Therefore, every year, some Greeks or slaves flee to Bruttium due to crimes, persecution by political enemies, and a series of other reasons, gradually forming a unique tribe there... Many years ago, our Trina established close ties with this tribe. We secretly sell them some urgently needed goods, and they pass us news from the mountains. Relying on this tribe, Trina has multiple times forestalled Bruttian raids.

This time... they contacted us repeatedly and anxiously for several days, because the unification of the Bruttian tribes threatened their survival. So there should be no doubt about the truth of this news!" Sipros emphasized again.

Davos was quite surprised: "What is the name of this tribe?"

"Siro, meaning 'Hellen.'"

Davos nodded. Without asking Sipros, he could guess that such a tribe composed of Greeks could survive in those mountains only by exploiting the conflicts between the tribes, perhaps even acting as mercenaries or engaging in black-market trade. Now that the Bruttians had completed their integration, this foreign tribe would lose the soil for its survival.

Davos still had another question: "Why don't the Bruttians form an alliance like Lucania, but instead centralize power? Wouldn't the other tribes oppose this?"

After hearing this, Sipros showed a wry smile, glanced at Davos, and said, "I don't really know the specific reasons... Maybe... they learned it from their neighbor, who knows. At least so far, no major upheaval has been reported in the Bruttian region."

Davos caught the mockery in Sipros' words and felt a jolt: the previous Lucanian tribal alliance was loosely organized, with each tribe having its own interests; it was impossible to truly concentrate their strength, so the danger to Daonia was much smaller. But if, like Daonia, they could centralize power highly, then Daonia should be on guard!

Davos sat back down in his chair, looked at Sipros seriously, and said, "Did Trina send you to tell me this news with any suggestions?"

Sipros had experienced Davos's speaking style last time, so he stopped beating around the bush and said frankly: "The Council of Trina hopes that Daonia can take the lead and have the South Italy Alliance launch an active attack against the Bruttians, to destroy this tribal alliance of the Bruttians before it becomes a real threat, and to restore peace to the people of the Greek city-states of Magna Graecia!"

"The South Italy Alliance..." Davos muttered softly, stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Launching a war is a major matter, especially against a large force like the entire Bruttian people! Moreover, Daonia has only just ended its war not long ago. So for the Senate to make a decision on this issue, it will probably take some time..."

Sipros nodded to show understanding.

"In that case, Sipros, stay in Thurii for a while and experience the life of the Daonians properly. It will also make it convenient for us to discuss the issue of attacking Bruttium with you at any time."

Davos extended the invitation, and Sipros immediately agreed. He smiled and said: "Thurii is a city completely different from other Greek city-states! I really like its architecture and cleanliness, and more importantly, it has delicacies not found elsewhere!"

Davos laughed heartily. Until he saw Sipros off, he did not ask Sipros what he had said in Christhoya's restaurant about 'the flaws in Daonia's political system', because he did not want others to know for the time being that Davos had eyes and ears all over Thurii. After all, no one likes the feeling of being watched at any time.

In fact, Davos's practice was not unprecedented in this era. As early as seventy years ago, Hieron, the successor to the Syracusan tyrant Gelon, had implemented a 'secret police system' which aroused great resentment among the people. Davos, who cared about his reputation, would certainly not be foolish enough to expose these dark sides. Actually, without asking, he knew very well the biggest problem with the current political system of Daonia.

Since the Daonia Senate purposely stopped holding the Assembly, ordinary citizens had no opportunity to participate in politics. If this were in Persia, it would not be a problem at all. But this was Greece, where the enthusiasm of Greek citizens for political participation was famous among the Mediterranean states and city-states. Even the most conservative oligarchic state, Sparta, allowed its citizens to express opinions on formulated laws and proposals—not by voting, but by using the volume of their voices to support 'yes or no'. The reason that the political situation in Daonia was still stable was that, after suffering from war, the population of these Greek cities in the Daonia Alliance had sharply decreased. The remaining people were still busy repairing their homes. Fear of war made them crave strong protection. The army under Commander Davos could give them a great sense of security. The original freemen, who made up the majority of the population, had always been marginalized in their city-states. They were busy making a living and had no right to participate in the affairs of their city-states, so they had not developed the habit of political participation, and their enthusiasm for politics was low. As for the Lucanian citizens, needless to say, in their tribes, the elders and leaders had always made the decisions. Now in the alliance, the Senate decided everything, and they felt no discomfort.

Davos knew that this stable situation would not last forever. When the alliance grew stronger and the people became wealthier, they would likely have higher demands. But Davos was not worried about this; he had long had corresponding measures in place. For now, it was better to let the Daonian people continue to familiarize themselves with the existing system until it became second nature...

...

In late July, Dionysius led the Syracusan army in a full-scale assault on Motya, Carthage's core town in Sicily.

The causeway they had built from the coast already connected to the small island where Motya lay in the bay, allowing siege equipment to be transported directly to the city walls. Thus, fierce siege warfare began: the Motyans used arrows, javelins, and threw burning pitch to kill the Syracusan soldiers; the Syracusans used dozens of ballistae to bombard the walls of Motya, forcing the defenders to stand on the walls...

After several days of intense fighting, the battering rams used by the Syracusans smashed a large breach in the walls of Motya. The Syracusan army poured in, and the walls of Motya fell.

Dionysius was extraordinarily excited. He believed victory was already in hand, but little did he know that the bloody fighting had just begun.

Because the Carthaginian relief ships had previously been defeated by the ballistae in the bay, the residents of Motya, witnessing all this, already realized they would have to fight alone. The Motyans knew that the decades of conflict and war between Carthage and the Greeks in Sicily had accumulated countless hatreds. Surrender was no way out, so they decided to fight to the death.