Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 76: A Shocking Turn in the Election

"If the Messapian-Peucetii allied forces dare to retreat, we'll go and destroy Brundisium! I don't believe these natives will just ignore it!" Diomilas shouted fiercely.

Davos glanced at him with slight surprise—this idea was actually quite good! He noticed that Diomilas used the word "destroy." Clearly, this seemingly ill-tempered Tarentine magistrate had wisely realized that even if Tarentum recaptured Brundisium, the city-state's current strength was insufficient to hold it, and doing so would only increase casualties. Moreover, after multiple contests, Brundisium's defenses were probably not strong; if the Messapian-Peucetii forces did not interfere, destroying it could be easily accomplished. But would the Messapians, who had expended great effort to recapture Brundisium, accept that? Diomilas's proposal undoubtedly struck at the Messapians' vital point.

For Davos, Tarentum's strength had been severely damaged. If the Messapians and Peucetii were allowed to continue their rampage and expansion, this region of Greek settlements in eastern southern Italy would face great trouble. With Daonia growing powerful, Davos, who now regarded southern Italy as Daonia's backyard, certainly did not want to see such a dire situation unfold. Thus, he had led 14,000 soldiers to Tarentum not for a sightseeing trip—his goal was the same as the Tarentine Senate's: to defeat the Messapian-Peucetii allied forces! Moreover, the two sides were evenly matched. Davos firmly believed that with Daonian Army Corps' capability, final victory would belong to Daonia! So he finally said, "I agree with Lord Diomilas's proposal. Daonia is willing to reinforce Manduria."

Now it was Diomilas's turn to look at Davos in surprise.

"That's excellent! Since everyone's opinions are aligned, we'll set out together when the sun is at its zenith!" Eumachus seized the opportunity to say.

"Time is very tight," Triphyias complained.

"Wait a moment!" Diomilas stood up, looking at everyone, and said loudly: "There's a saying at the port of Tarentum: 'No matter how many sailors a ship has, it must obey the helmsman's orders to reach its destination safely.' By the same token, such a large army as ours must have a commander whom everyone follows, so that there is no chaos during battle."

"Diomilas is right. The Messapian-Peucetii allied forces are very strong. We must unite and follow orders to fight if we are to win. Therefore, it is necessary to elect a supreme commander for the allied forces to command all our armies!" Eumachus immediately chimed in: "Of course, all plans and orders will not be decided solely by this supreme commander; they still require everyone's joint deliberation and approval before execution, except in emergencies."

Eumachus glanced at Davos, clearly intending these words for him: "All lords present are commanders of their respective city-state armies. I suggest we each nominate the person we consider most suitable, including ourselves, and the one with the most votes becomes the supreme commander."

"Who is the commander of Tarentum's expeditionary army?" Davos asked.

"It is Magistrate Daiomelas of Tarentum." Eumachus took the opportunity to heap praise on his colleague: "His military ability is even greater than Archytas. He has led troops many times in battles against the Messapians, which is why he was elected magistrate by Tarentine citizens this year. Previously, with Archytas, he captured Manduria and Brundisium, and he is very familiar with the region we are about to fight in. I believe he can lead the allied forces to victory!" After saying this flattery of Daiomelas, he naturally understood the other implication of Davos's question, so he quickly added: "I will not vote; I will act as the arbiter of this election."

The Tarentine magistrates' responses, echoing each other, sounded fair but actually showed their determination to secure the supreme command. A vote?! Davos sneered inwardly: Heraclea and Metapontum were both Tarentine subject cities; apart from his own vote, he had no chance of winning!

Davos had already made up his mind: even if Tarentum gained overall command of the army, no one except himself would be able to command his troops. Reasonable orders could be considered, unreasonable ones would be ignored. But that would make an already patchwork army of multiple city-states even more fragmented. Facing such a large-scale battle, victory would be very difficult. So he decided to contend for the position. "I believe this method of deciding the supreme commander is not appropriate. War is a brutal affair; a single battle can leave thousands dead or injured. A capable general can minimize casualties among his own soldiers and achieve maximum victory at a minimal cost. Therefore, the selection of the supreme commander should depend on the candidate's ability and past record. Additionally, we must consider another point: we are a coalition army of multiple city-states. Although everyone says they will obey orders, when battle comes, they will inevitably think more about their own city-state's troops. That cannot be avoided. Therefore, the more soldiers who can fully obey the supreme commander's orders, the more smoothly the battle can proceed!" Davos swept his gaze across the room and emphasized: "Based on these considerations, I believe I am the most suitable supreme commander!"

As soon as Davos finished speaking, Diomilas jumped up and shouted: "You beardless young pup, how much battle experience do you have?! Hah! And you want to be supreme commander! Impossible! The soldiers of the Daonian army are as young and foolish as you are—how can they compare to Tarentine citizen soldiers who have fought the savage Messapians for years!"

Facing Daiomelas's insults, Davos calmly uttered a single sentence: "As a commander, one must have a cool head to handle complex battlefield situations. Based on that alone, you are unqualified!"

Diomilas was angered again and was about to unleash a tirade.

At this point, Eumachus stood up to stop him. Inwardly, he also felt that Davos was the most suitable candidate for supreme commander, but the Tarentine senators, for political reasons, had demanded that he do his utmost to secure the position. The war with the Messapians had already severely drained Tarentum. If they lost command in the upcoming battle, what would Heraclea and Metapontum think? What would other Magna Graecia city-states think? Would they believe that Tarentum's strength was failing and that it could only rely on Daonia? The proud Tarentines could not bear that disgrace.

"Lord Davos has proposed another suggestion. Since we are a coalition, the armies of each city-state should be equal. To save time, why not let all the lords vote to decide whether to adopt Lord Davos's proposal or my earlier one? Let the vote begin now!" Eumachus smiled, but his words were rather decisive and cunning, trapping Davos with his own words.

At that moment, the council chamber fell into a brief silence.

"I agree with Eumachus's proposal!" Diomilas spoke first.

Davos opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Eumachus secretly rejoiced: since Davos didn't object, Daiomelas becoming supreme commander was as good as done.

"I agree with Lord Davos's proposal!" A voice suddenly broke the calm in the room, shattering Eumachus's fantasy.

The two Tarentine commanders and Davos almost simultaneously looked at the speaker.

Triphyias?! How could it be Triphyias?! Eumachus's face showed disbelief.

"Triphyias, say that again! Who do you support?!" Diomilas was willing to believe he had misheard, demanding Triphyias reconfirm his choice, but his tone was very rude.

Triphyias was also quite nervous. He avoided Daiomelas's fierce glare, turned to look at the equally surprised Davos, and forced a smile.

Davos's heart stirred: Tarentum was declining—could it be that Heraclea, for its own safety, was about to cozy up to Daonia?

Actually, Davos had only guessed one of the reasons. More importantly, Triphyias, the magistrate of Heraclea, had sensed that the alliance of the two fierce tribes, the Messapians and Peucetii, would make it even harder for the weakened Tarentum to defend its territory. Previously, the citizens of Heraclea had already complained greatly about the casualties suffered by the Heraclean citizen soldiers who accompanied the Tarentine army. Such situations would only increase in the future. To change this predicament, the only way was to jump off the sinking ship that was Tarentum, and Daonia, which was closer to Heraclea, was undoubtedly a better refuge.

Davos, of course, couldn't think that far at the moment, but Heraclea's voluntary alignment delighted him tremendously. No friendship or treaty, no matter how long-standing, was as reliable as interests and power! Davos sighed inwardly, put on a smile, and nodded to Triphyias.

"Lord Davos, magistrate of Daonia, has never lost a battle he commanded. He is a famous general who has shaken southern Italy! I firmly support him as supreme commander!" Triphyias's tone grew even more resolute.

"I nominate myself as supreme commander!" Davos quickly followed up. Originally, he had no hope for such a rigged vote, but he hadn't expected Triphyias to deliver a big surprise.

Now the situation was 1:2.

Eumachus hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Even worse than losing the supreme commander was Heraclea's attitude toward the Tarentine alliance. His heart was in turmoil; unable to disguise his emotions, he looked at Triphyias with equal hatred.

As for Daiomelas, he was more concerned about the election. He turned his gaze to Tudoples: with his support, the votes between himself and that young man would be 2:2, and Eumachus, as the arbiter, would find a way to get him the command.

As he thought this, he saw Tudoples, under everyone's gaze, slowly lower his head.