Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 87: The Siro Tribe's Request for Aid

Polyxides' words struck a chord with the majority of senators' concerns. Senators born in Thurii and Amendolara, including Kynogoratas, had all experienced the disaster of their cities being destroyed, and thus harbored a deep fear of war deep inside. Antaoris, Euricpus, and Pleades of Crimissa, being newcomers and closer to Cornelius, Kynogoratas, and the others, supported their decision.

Since the senators of the war party had either been sent by Davos to other cities to hold important positions—such as Heilos, Sestas, and Butler—or had followed him to Tarentum, like Capus, Drakos, Antonios, and Alexis, only the Military Affairs Officer Philistos and the Commercial Officer Mariji remained to decisively state: We should support the Silus tribe, stop Cosentia's annexation, and not allow the Bruttian Tribal Alliance to grow stronger.

Even Mesis, another trusted subordinate of Davos, wavered because he feared the war would consume large amounts of money and resources.

Vespa and Hemon, originally from Lucania, based on similar past experiences, successively expressed support for the Silus tribe.

Overall, few supported the Silus tribe, and the majority of senators opposed interfering in the internal affairs of the Bruttii to avoid provoking war.

Polyxides was just beginning to feel smug that his opinion had gained majority support in the Senate for the first time and was about to pass.

At that moment, Pleisinas stood up: "Honorable senators, I recall that before Lord Davos left, he briefly mentioned the matter of the Bruttii, saying with concern, 'The Bruttii could become a major hidden danger for our Daonia Alliance!' Therefore, any decision involving the Bruttii, I believe, must be made known to the Archon Lord Davos, and he should make the final decision, especially when we cannot reach a consensus."

Pleisinas was no ordinary senator. As the Chief Priest of the Temple of Hades, he devoted most of his energy to temple affairs: training young priests and maidens, perfecting the temple's various systems, and supervising the construction of temples in other cities... It was clear that Davos, as the High Priest, held him in high regard and gave him free rein, and Pleisinas repaid Davos' trust with outstanding performance. The fact that the worship of Hades had been accepted by the people of other Daonian cities in such a short time was inseparable from his efforts. Therefore, he not only had a certain reputation among the Daonian people but also carried weight in the Senate.

His statement made others have to reconsider the true intention behind his words, after all, Davos stood behind him.

Philistos and Mesis were also trusted subordinates of Davos, but one focused on military affairs and the other was obsessed with money; neither was particularly sensitive politically. Mariji was no stranger to politics, but unfortunately, being a Persian-origin citizen, when Davos was not in the Senate, most senators from Thurii and Amendolara would often intentionally or unintentionally ignore his opinions.

Polyxides believed that Pleisinas was deliberately sabotaging his success. He couldn't help but stand up again and said heatedly, "Davos! Davos!! Without Davos, can the Senate decide nothing and do nothing?!"

Pleisinas pretended to be surprised and said, "Lord Polyxides, in your eyes, have we done nothing?! Lord Kynogoratas and Lord Cornelius exhaust their energy every day for the prosperity and stability of Thurii and Amendolara! Lord Burkes has traveled to every city and village of Daonia, supervising the people in cultivating the fields! Lords Vespa and Hemon closely monitor the situation of the tribes in the Lucania region, always ready to mediate their conflicts and disputes! Lord Strombopoli has minted silver coins for Daonia that rival the 'Owls'—our own alliance's coinage! Lord Antistanos is establishing new schools in each city of Daonia! Lord Helpus is reportedly calling on the city-states of Magna Graecia to organize the first medical symposium in all of Greece! Lord Protesilaus proposes new bills at regular intervals to improve Daonia's laws! The alliance's Public Office Management Committee, led by Lord Tritodemos, concerns itself every day with the appointment and performance of officials in each city! Lord Eanilus oversees the construction of warships and diligently trains the navy! Lord Scombrus..."

Whenever Pleisinas mentioned a senator's work, he would bow respectfully to that person, and the senator named would respond with a smile. He spoke unhurriedly, covering almost all the senators: "The reason we have so much to work on and find joy in it is because of Lord Davos' genius leadership, which has made Daonia strong today and allowed us not to fear invasion by other city-states, enabling us to govern our ever-growing alliance territory peacefully! Among us, who has better military talent than Lord Davos? Better leadership ability? Stronger judgment of the situation?..."

"No one!" Although only Mesis answered, all the senators remained silent, more or less agreeing with that statement in their hearts.

"Since that is the case, when facing such a major matter concerning the security of the Daonia Alliance, even if Lord Davos is not present, we should first hear his opinion before making a decision. Because no one can make a more correct judgment than him!" Pleisinas' words left the small faction of senators, led by Polyxides, who were dissatisfied with Davos' excessive control over the Senate, with nothing to say. Indeed, Davos had made no mistakes in his decisions so far, which was why Daonia had developed so rapidly.

At that point, Kynogoratas stepped forward to support the proposal "to leave the matter of the Silus tribe to Lord Davos for a decision."

The senators of Amendolara, led by Cornelius, and the Thurii senators Antistanos, Bourkos, Eanilus, Massisacus... all agreed in succession, and the matter was thus settled.

After the meeting adjourned, Pleisinas and Helpus walked out of the hall together. They were discussing whether some freemen and foreigners who were followers of Hades, unable to afford medical treatment, could first be treated by the hospital, with the costs then covered by the newly established relief fund of the Temple of Hades (the money also came from donations made by Daonian citizens when they prayed at the temple).

"Chief Priest!" Pleisinas heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw Mariji quickly catching up: "If it hadn't been for you just now, the request for help from the Silus tribe would probably have been rejected!"

Over the past two years of practical administrative work, Pleisinas' mind had become more mature and composed than before. He immediately said humbly, "I actually didn't do much; it was mainly Lord Davos' prestige that played the key role. Don't be fooled by Polyxides' loud protest; his persuasive ability is actually quite ordinary."

"Yes, Polyxides has been quite active lately!" Mariji said with implication.

"Don't worry, he can't do anything," Pleisinas replied immediately.

"This Polyxides is so annoying. How did he ever get into the Senate in the first place?!" Helpus, who cared about medicine and was not very interested in politics, interjected.

Pleisinas coughed dryly.

Back then, after Davos led his army to repel the Croton army and wanted to take control of Thurii, in order to appease and stabilize the Thurian populace, and also to recruit talented people, he had brought into the Senate survivors of the fire who were prestigious, influential, or learned—including Pleisinas, who had once opposed Davos. This method proved effective: not only did the Thurian people quickly accept the Amendolarans led by Davos, but it also unearthed many talents, such as Bourkos, Pleisinas, Antistanos, and the naval commander Eanilus...

Helpus' thoughtless remark made Pleisinas somewhat embarrassed. Mariji stepped in to smooth things over: "Lord Philistos is hosting a banquet tonight. Lord Pleisinas, would you be interested in attending?"

Pleisinas' eyes lit up. He knew that although he enjoyed Davos' favor, those whom Davos trusted most were still the former mercenary elders and citizens who had gone through life-and-death situations with him. Moreover, these people were united and formed the most powerful political force in Daonia, even more so in military matters. Was the invitation now an indication that he was being accepted by this group?

...

The next day, when Davos, Diomilas, Eumachus, Triphyas, and Tudeples discussed the army's next course of action, they diverged once again.

Triphyas believed: Although the allied forces had achieved a "victory" in this battle, the casualties among the soldiers were severe. It was not advisable to continue advancing. Instead, they should withdraw into the city to rest and recuperate, then counterattack when the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces invaded again.

Diomilas tended to agree with this opinion, but as the commander of this Tarentine army, such heavy losses among the citizen soldiers with little gain would turn the people's anger upon him once they learned of the situation. He needed a decent victory to avoid being impeached by the Assembly. Therefore, he suggested: Rest briefly, then continue north to attack Brundisium. If the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces blocked them, they would engage in a pitched battle. This time, fighting on the plain, the Greek heavy infantry and the phalanx formation would have their chance to shine, and the Messapian-Peucetii cavalry had already suffered heavy losses earlier. So, although the Greek allied forces were fewer in number, they would surely have the upper hand in this battle. If the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces avoided battle, then they would capture Brundisium, rescue the captured Tarentine people, seize spoils, and take the indigenous people of the city prisoner. They would then march them back to Tarentum and turn them into slaves to appease the populace and make up for their mistakes.

Eumachus had similar thoughts, but Tudeples, because Metapontum had suffered too many casualties, for once explicitly supported Triphyas' opinion.