Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 75: Military Council

“What’s so bad about war? Before every campaign, I, Timias, have always provided good services to the soldiers. Even you, Eumachus—I’ve come to your home more than once and never heard you complain it disturbed your rest!” Timias declared loudly, completely unabashed. Several women nearby chimed in, casting flirtatious glances at Eumachus and adding coquettish words in support.

“Fine, fine, if you want to stay here, then stay here! I have urgent business!” Eumachus, a mix of frustration and anger he couldn’t properly vent in public, spurred his horse forward and told the gate guards to go in and announce him.

“Lord Eumachus, when you see the Daonian magistrate, could you put in a word for us? Let us in…” Timias sidled up again with a grin as Eumachus prepared to enter the camp. Eumachus ignored him completely and strode straight inside.

…

When Davos came out of the camp, Timias and the women tried to crowd around him, but Martius led the guards to push them aside. Timias fumed and began cursing loudly.

Eumachus pretended not to hear; Davos, on the other hand, burst out laughing. He pointed at a noisy, bustling area in front of the camp and said, “The Tarentines really have quick minds. Yesterday we just pitched camp, and today a lively market has already sprung up here by itself. To tell the truth, it provides great convenience for gathering essential supplies for our army. But prostitution is strictly forbidden in the military. According to the Daonian Military Code, violators lose their citizenship. So even if that man managed to get into the camp, no one would dare break the law to deal with him.”

Eumachus’s face reddened slightly. He gave an echoing smile and sighed, “Your military code is strict. No wonder your record is so impressive.”

The war council meeting was held at Eumachus’s estate on the outskirts of Tarentum.

In the meeting room, Davos not only saw Daiomelas but also Triphyas, one of the magistrates of Heraclea, and Tudeples, one of the magistrates of Metapontum.

Daiomelas wore the same expression as the day before—at least he didn’t make any snide remarks, probably because the bad news of the naval defeat had dampened his spirit.

Tudeples greeted Davos politely, his manner proper and measured. As for Triphyas, he shook hands with Davos, embraced him, and joked around. After all, Heraclea lay right next to Amendolara. Since Davos first established a foothold with his mercenary force in Amendolara, there had been dealings with Heraclea, and in less than two years, a fairly close relationship had developed.

Once everyone had sat down, Eumachus spoke gravely again: “Gentlemen, thank you for offering us selfless aid when Tarentum is in difficulty! On behalf of the Tarentum Senate and the people of Tarentum, Daiomelas and I express our heartfelt gratitude to you!” Having said that, Eumachus bowed seriously to the three men.

Daiomelas followed suit reluctantly, and Davos and the other two returned the courtesy.

After these formalities, they got down to business.

Diomilas stood up and said, “Manduria is defended by fewer than four thousand soldiers and has been under siege by the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces for two days! According to reliable information, the allied force numbers a full thirty thousand. If we don’t act immediately, Manduria will suffer the same fate as Brundisium! The Tarentum Senate has decided to send us at once to relieve Manduria and seek an opportunity for a decisive battle with the Messapian-Peucetii Allies. Do any of you have objections?”

His gaze swept over Tudeples and Triphyas before finally resting on Davos. As subordinate city-states of Tarentum, Heraclea and Metapontum always obeyed orders, so Diomilas’s question was naturally aimed at Daonia.

Both magistrates gave affirmative answers, but Davos did not speak immediately. Instead, he stood up and walked around to Eumachus’s side. On the wooden table before them lay a detailed map of Tarentum, clearly showing the marked position of Manduria not far south of the symbol for Tarentum. Using his fingers to measure, he asked, “How far is Manduria from here?”

“Less than fifty stades,” Eumachus answered.

Fifty stades. Davos calculated: at the normal marching speed of fifteen stades per hour for the Daonian Army Corps, they could arrive in three hours. Manduria was situated on a “coastal corridor,” with the sea on one side and mountains and forests on the other. Strangely, the city of Manduria was not built on the seashore but leaned against the mountains. Thinking about it, since Tarentum was not far to the north, the Messapians must have considered the naval strength of Tarentum when founding this city, thus playing to their strengths and avoiding weaknesses.

“How wide is this area?” Davos used two fingers to pinch the “corridor” on the map.

“Six stades at the narrowest,” Eumachus replied.

Six stades. The deployed formation of a thirty-thousand-man army would exceed that length long before they reached. Davos thought it over and asked again, “How many soldiers is Tarentum planning to send?”

Before Eumachus could answer, Diomilas could no longer contain himself. “Decide whether you agree to send troops or not, and stop asking this and that, wasting our time!”

“Diomilas!” Eumachus cried out, afraid his harsh words would anger Davos.

Diomilas had spoken out of irritation only because Davos not only failed to show respect to him, as a magistrate, but also acted as if he were the host of this meeting, ignoring everyone else. Now, remembering the senators’ instructions and Tarentum’s perilous situation, he snorted and swallowed his anger.

Davos remained calm. Looking at Diomilas, he said slowly, “Launching a war concerns not only the life or death of a citizen-soldier but also the rise or fall of a city-state. As decision-makers in war, we must consider everything carefully. Does Tarentum have another chance to suffer a defeat?”

The others were moved by Davos’s words. Diomilas snorted again and muttered under his breath, “That’s just an excuse for cowardice.”

Davos chuckled lightly and said nothing.

Cowardice? No one else in the room would agree with Diomilas. After all, every battle Davos had commanded in the past had been a victory against odds—that said it all. On the other hand, wasn’t it Tarentum that had been frantically urging Daonia to send reinforcements when facing the Messapian-Peucetii attack? Who was the real coward?

Eumachus noticed Triphyas winking at Tudeples, a hint of mockery on his face. Embarrassed, he quickly stepped in to smooth things over: “Lord Davos, please forgive Diomilas’s rudeness. He is anxious about Tarentum’s current… dire situation. That’s why he spoke so rashly and without thinking!”

While apologizing, Eumachus kept motioning to Diomilas with his eyes.

Diomilas held in his anger. He did not apologize, but he also said nothing more.

“Tarentum will dispatch ten thousand soldiers for this expedition,” Eumachus continued promptly. “Together with your reinforcements, the total force will reach twenty-seven thousand, not much different from the size of the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces. Once we relieve Manduria, the number of Tarentine soldiers will increase to fourteen thousand, making the whole army thirty-one thousand—a very large army. Repelling the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces should not be a problem at all.”

“I hope things turn out as you say, but—” Davos pointed emphatically at Manduria’s symbol on the map. “Have you considered the possibility that the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces might avoid battle altogether and retreat instead?”

“Impossible! The Messapians are hot-tempered, savage, and love fighting. They consider retreat cowardly,” Diomilas immediately retorted.

“Messapians were able to ally with the Peucetii to ambush Archytas. Clearly, they are not simply reckless brutes,” Davos said, patiently analyzing. Now that he was in Tarentum, he had learned the truth about Archytas’s defeat. “From what I understand, the Messapian infantry is inferior to our heavy infantry, and I believe the Peucetii are even more so. Their cavalry is strong, but in the narrow terrain around Manduria, a pitched battle would not favor their cavalry but would favor our heavy infantry. A clever enemy would not fail to consider this… Here, perhaps, is their ideal battlefield.” Davos pointed to the larger gap between Manduria and Brundisium, where there were no markers for mountains or forests.

“However, if the enemy retreats and we join forces with the Mandurian defenders, our strength will increase. The Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces would then face a difficult choice. It is not impossible that they might simply choose to withdraw,” Davos further cautioned.

“That makes sense,” Triphyas nodded in agreement. Heraclea was not particularly strong. Having followed Tarentum in campaigns against the Messapian region, it had already suffered considerable losses. Naturally, Triphyas hoped to drive off the Messapians without losing a single soldier, fulfilling the obligations of an ally as smoothly as possible.

Tudeples held the same sentiment.

Eumachus and Diomilas exchanged glances, worry showing on their faces. They both knew deep down: if the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces retreated as Davos predicted, that would not be good news for Tarentum.

Greek city-states that mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers for external campaigns usually benefited from a quick battle. After all, prolonged operations consumed massive resources, and with so many citizens away from their homeland for a long time, most civic affairs would fall into neglect. Before the war ended, the city’s internal order would be in chaos, houses and fields would lie vacant, and the city itself might even wither away. So far, only Athens, Sparta, and Syracuse had the capacity for prolonged war—and all three had strong city-state alliances backing them.

If the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces retreated, the thousands of Daonian reinforcements would naturally not be able to stay long either. When the Messapians attacked again, would Tarentum then have to go begging for reinforcements from Daonia? Tarentum had finally gathered such a massive army, hoping to achieve everything in one decisive blow and inflict a heavy defeat on the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces, thereby reversing its decline.