Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 90: Leading by Example

The people, long nurtured by Tarentum’s prosperous trade and fertile land, now felt the cruelty of war. They no longer had the ambition to rival Daonia; they only wished that no more of their kin would die on their own soil.

Under the strong demands of the citizens, the Senate hastily convened an Assembly. After intense debate, it was finally decided to use the victory in this battle to propose peace talks to the Messapians.

To prevent the warmongering magistrate Diomilas from obstructing the effort, the Assembly also elected the next magistrates in advance. Eumachus was still selected, and Dexithemas was chosen again as magistrate, tasked with the mission of traveling to the Messapians to conclude the peace.

As for Diomilas, the people of Tarentum were not as radical as those of Croton; no one demanded his trial, but it was thought that his life upon returning to Tarentum would be far from pleasant.

Dexithemas was on his way to the camp, while Davos was bent over his desk, hurriedly writing a reply to the Daonia Senate:

*Honored Senators, after I led the army to Tarentum, yesterday we fought a pitched battle against the thirty-thousand-strong Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces in the mountain region. We emerged victorious, with few casualties among our soldiers, but Tarentum suffered heavy losses…*

*Judging by the results of the war thus far, Tarentum’s decline is inevitable. Therefore, Triphyas, the magistrate of Heraclea, has voluntarily expressed a desire to join the Daonia Alliance, while Tudeples, magistrate of Metapontum, is wavering.*

*Gentlemen, perhaps you have not yet realized that the Daonia Alliance is no longer the small, weak league that once faced invasion from stronger states, but has become the most powerful force in southern Italy! Since Daonia has become the hegemon of the South, watched by other city-states here, we must promptly change our previously cautious and conservative approach. We must display the boldness befitting a powerful alliance, so that the city-states of the South will unite closely around Daonia to guard its security, while Daonia protects the peace and stability of all Greek city-states in southern Italy and ensures the safety of every Greek life. This is the goal that our Daonia Senate must strive to achieve!*

*Sylu, a Greek tribe living among foreigners, is seeking our aid in its time of peril. This is precisely the test we face. To refuse would sow doubt among our allies and those city-states still watching; to accept would embolden those who look to Daonia with hope. For if Daonia is willing to go as far as to go to war with the Bruttians to extend a helping hand to such a small tribe as Sylu, then when another city-state is in danger, how could Daonia not offer its full strength to help!*

*Moreover, even if defending the Sylu tribe leads to war with the Bruttians, we need not regret it, for war between Daonia and the Bruttians is inevitable! The reason the Sylu tribe has turned to us is that Cosentia is uniting the Bruttian tribes into a more powerful and fearsome Bruttian Tribal Alliance, just like the Lucanian tribal alliance of old. We all know that the Bruttian region has poor soil and scarce produce. In the past, the Bruttians often crossed the mountains to plunder Greek city-states for goods and slaves. Now, the formation of a unified Bruttian Tribal Alliance will inevitably expand outward to achieve greater development for their race!*

*But look around the Bruttii — they are either surrounded by Daonian territory or adjacent to our allies. The Bruttii are like a wild beast crouching beside Daonia. Do we wish to tame it before it grows up, or do we wait until it matures to fight it? The answer is undoubtedly the former!*

…

Davos handed the finished letter to Mariji.

After he left, Tolmides entered and reported in detail the investigation into the soldiers’ beating of a civilian.

Davos had not expected that his own actions had caused the soldiers to violate the Military Code, and he felt a surge of emotion.

He muttered quietly, “Olivus…” and for a moment could not decide how to proceed.

Tolmides seized the opportunity to advise, “Sir, it was precisely because the Tarentines were freely insulting our soldiers… and you, that Olivus and the others got angry and struck him. I don’t think they were wrong in this matter. And—”

Davos looked up at him, and Tolmides immediately fell silent.

“Yes, because of me…” Davos sighed softly and made a decision in his heart. “Go inform Capus and Drakos. Have them leave half the men to guard the camp and lead the rest to the threshing floor at the center of the village to assemble. Then summon the military judge.”

“Sir!” Tolmides heard this and wanted to advise further.

Davos waved his hand, not allowing him to say more. “Carry it out.”

“Brothers!” Davos stood atop a man-high pile of hay and addressed thousands of Daonian soldiers in a loud voice: “You came to this unfamiliar land, enduring hardship, to fulfill Daonia’s alliance with Tarentum. You fought bravely and drove back the fierce and cunning Messapians and Peucetii. I, along with the Senate and all the people of Daonia, thank you!”

The soldiers puffed out their chests with pride.

Davos paused for a long moment, then continued, “But in the course of this, an unfortunate incident occurred. Several of our brothers beat a Tarentine theater owner. At the time…”

The soldiers pricked up their ears to listen closely. Bound by military discipline, they could not move, but their eyes darted around, all guessing who had done it.

“Although the other party provoked first, the Daonian Military Code is not a decoration. If you hit someone, you must accept punishment.” Davos declared sternly, “Military Judge!”

The military judge beside him loudly proclaimed: “According to the Daonian Military Code, during wartime, soldiers who bully or beat citizens of allied states shall receive, depending on the severity, a minimum punishment of twenty lashes. However, because the other party repeatedly provoked and used vile language, forcing the soldiers present to strike in anger… after discussion with the Supreme Commander, I have decided on the punishment — each soldier involved shall be beaten with ten lashes!”

The soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief. For men who trained regularly, ten lashes was a very light punishment.

“Olivus, step forward,” the military judge called out next.

When Olivus walked out of the formation, there was another stir among the soldiers. They had not expected that a battalion commander was involved in this.

Leotychides was also quite surprised. He had not imagined that the Daonians would enforce their military discipline so strictly that they would unhesitatingly punish a battalion commander simply for beating a citizen of an allied state! In his memory, even the famously disciplined Spartan army could not do that. They were only strict in combat; in peacetime on allied lands, there were no strict constraints on soldiers’ behavior, so they often acted arrogantly, causing great resentment among the locals, as in Corinth and Megara. Leotychides, as the son of Spartan King Agis but not treated as a prince, had participated in many battles as an ordinary soldier, so he knew the Spartan army well.

Olivus walked calmly to the front of the formation. After beating the man, he had already prepared himself for punishment.

The military judge finished calling the names of the soldiers involved. Olivus saw Davos on the haystack turn his gaze toward him, and then heard him say loudly: “Furthermore, there is another person who will receive punishment under the Military Code: me!”

At these words, the entire army erupted in uproar.

Capus, Drakos, Antonios, Alexis, Amyntas, and other senior commanders were also greatly shocked by this statement. For a moment, they forgot to restrain the soldiers. Only after Davos reminded them did they barely manage to restore order.

“Why should I be punished?” Davos pointed at the soldiers lined up in front and spoke with deep emotion: “Olivus, a battalion commander, did he not know that hitting someone would violate the Military Code?! Did the other brothers not know the pain of being lashed?! No, of course they did. Every soldier in the army is familiar with the Daonian Military Code. But why did no such problem occur when the First Army Corps was in Croton, in Scylletium, and in Caulonia, yet here in Tarentum, across the gulf, they made a mistake?! Because the Tarentines were mainly insulting me. Olivus and the others acted in anger to protect my authority as the commander of this army! And I, as a Daonian magistrate and your commander, led you to aid Tarentum, yet I failed to win the respect of the Tarentines, allowing them to belittle us and insult us! This is my dereliction, my responsibility! So, if they are to be punished, I must be punished first. Otherwise—” Davos slapped his chest, “I will not feel right, and I cannot forgive myself. So don’t try to stop me! I will receive ten lashes together with these brothers! Drakos will oversee the execution, and no cheating!”

When Davos finished, the threshing floor fell silent.

Every soldier stared at their commander with emotion, their chests heaving rapidly.

Olivus felt a warmth in his eyes, and tears flowed down his cheeks. He could not help but raise his arm and shout: “Our Davos, Hail!”

He led the cry, and in an instant a huge wave of sound covered the entire village, mixed with shouts of “Hail Daonia!” and curses of “Damn Tarentum!”

Davos watched everything calmly. He reminded the equally stirred military judge: “Prepare to carry out the punishment.”

Then he walked down from the haystack and stood beside Olivus.

As soon as Dexithemas arrived at the Tarentine camp, he immediately gathered the citizen soldiers and announced the Assembly’s decision: he removed Diomilas from his position as magistrate, had the guards “escort” him back to the city, and then discussed with Eumachus how to reach a peace agreement with the Messapians.