Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 106: The Bruttians Are Shaken

Bogam quickly read the letter, then carefully said to Nikurus, who had not yet calmed down: "The letter says that some survivors from Besidia have fled to Cosentia… Nikurus, you can go to Cosentia first and confirm whether this is true."

After speaking, he handed the letter over.

Nikurus stared blankly at the papyrus Bogam handed him, as if it were not paper but blazing fire. He hurriedly avoided it, plopped back into his seat, his eyes dazed: "What should I do? What should I do?…"

Listening to Nikurus's helpless murmurs, Pangaelus and Bogam exchanged glances, their eyes also filled with shock and confusion: Just a moment ago they were celebrating victory, full of confidence, about to leave the city to fight the Daonians! In an instant, this confidence and arrogance were shattered by this astonishing news. What should we do? They too were painfully pondering…

"I must go back! I must go back immediately! Retake my Besidia, rescue my people!" Nikurus abruptly stood up and strode out.

Pangaelus, hearing this, hurried forward to dissuade him: "Don't be so hasty. We still don't know exactly what happened in Besidia. Let's first send scouts, and wait for news from Piallen and the others. It won't be too late to act after we've all discussed it."

"It's not your Clampetia that's been occupied, so of course you're not in a hurry! If we wait any longer, my people in Besidia will all be dead!" Nikurus dropped these words unceremoniously and left Pangaelus's residence without looking back.

"Great Chief Nikurus is right. Now is not the time for waiting." Bogam walked over to the somewhat dazed Pangaelus and said: "Besidia has fallen, and our defense plan against Daonia has already failed. Now, our greatest worry is that the main Daonian force will break out from Besidia city, and we will all be in danger! I must immediately lead the warriors of Ambarnia to rush to Cosentia, meet with Piallen there, and then discuss the next steps."

"If you all leave, what about the enemy here?!" Pangaelus said in panic.

"Haven't you realized? We've all been deceived by the Daonians!" Bogam said somewhat angrily. "The enemy here is just bait the Daonians used to distract us. Their real offensive focus is in the direction of Besidia!"

Bogam took his leave and departed. Pangaelus stood frozen for a long time, then cursed a few times: "Damned cowards!…" He didn't know if he was cursing the Daonians or those two great chiefs.

…

In Vergae, Great Chief Piallen of Cosentia, Chief Petalus, and Great Chief Sedorum of Vergae were discussing the matter of withdrawing troops.

Originally, after the Daonians' initial fierce attacks and capture of one camp, the Bruttians' stubborn resistance gradually weakened the Daonian offensive. In recent days, they had almost ceased attacking. Therefore, Sedorum had an idea. He suggested to Piallen: "Great Chief, judging by the Daonians' current activity, their fighting spirit is waning. We can completely withstand their next attacks. So I suggest leaving only a small contingent of Cosentian troops to assist in defending Vergae, while the main force can first return to Cosentia to serve as a reserve for the entire war, ready to deal with Daonian attacks from other directions, and also greatly reduce the pressure on food supply…"

Indeed, tens of thousands of Cosentian warriors stationed in Vergae had little to do most of the time. It was only in the past two years that the Bruttian tribes had united. The conflicts and grudges of decades would not disappear quickly. Moreover, this was the first time the two cities had been in close contact for so long, and conflicts and disputes were inevitable. Therefore, Piallen thought Sedorum's proposal was acceptable and would help reduce friction.

After discussion, he finally decided: He would lead 8,000 warriors back to Cosentia, while Petalus would lead 2,000 to continue assisting the Vergaeans in defending the city.

Petalus was a member of the "Council of Seven Elders," the highest authority of the Bruttian Tribal Alliance, and the youngest. Piallen had no sons, and there was no outstanding figure in his tribe. Moreover, as a great chief with lofty ambitions, Piallen had been striving to unify the Bruttian tribes. Thus, he was not narrow-minded. He married his daughter to Petalus, the chief of the second largest tribe in Cosentia, and did his utmost to help and promote Petalus. Despite opposition from his own people and other great chiefs, he insisted on making Petalus one of the elders of the newly formed tribal alliance. Not only because Petalus was his son-in-law, to strengthen Cosentia's weight in the Council of Elders, but also because he hoped that after his death, Petalus, as his son-in-law, would truly merge the first and second largest tribes of Cosentia into the most powerful tribe in the Bruttian region. Then Petalus's leadership in the alliance would be unshakable, allowing the tribal alliance to develop steadily and sustainably.

Petalus gladly accepted this decision. He was also willing to stay in Vergae for a longer time to deepen his understanding of the city and strengthen friendships with the Vergaean chiefs. Although Nikurus and others despised Sedorum and secretly called him "traitor" and "coward," Vergae's strength was not weak and was worth Cosentia's courting.

Now that the fighting had lasted this long, several chiefs felt the Bruttian situation was good. Their previous worries about the Daonians' strong forces had greatly diminished. Therefore, they were chatting pleasantly until a messenger burst into the council hall in panic.

The shocking news of "Besidia has fallen" stunned everyone present.

Even the usually composed Piallen expressed strong suspicion about this news, just like Nikurus. It wasn't until he confirmed the letter from High Priest Philotaurus that he seemed still unwilling to believe it.

If he was like this, how much more so the others? The entire hall fell into a cold silence…

After a long time, Sedorum spoke bitterly: "We've been deceived! The Daonians' attacks on Vergae and Clampetia were only to disperse our forces and divert our attention. Their real target should have been Besidia!"

As the newly established Great Chief of the Bruttian Tribal Alliance, Piallen had already adjusted his emotions after that period of silence. Suppressing the pain brought by this sudden blow, he said loudly: "We still have hope! It is certain that the main Daonian force is here. There are also nearly ten thousand Daonians at Clampetia. So the enemy in Besidia should not be too many. We should immediately gather a large army and quickly retake Besidia before the enemy can concentrate a large force there!"

Sedorum then said: "Even if we cannot retake Besidia, at least we should block the road from Besidia to the Cosenza Plateau!"

Piallen glanced at Sedorum. He felt the Great Chief of Vergae was somewhat pessimistic, but clearly there was no time to dwell on it. He said to Petalus: "I will ride ahead to Cosentia to urge the other newly joined tribes to provide as many warriors as possible, and also inform Nikurus and Bogam to bring their troops back to Cosentia to rally. Meanwhile, you lead the ten thousand Cosentian warriors back at full speed!"

"Understood, Great Chief!" Petalus felt much more at ease after hearing Piallen's arrangements.

"Elder Sedorum, I'm sorry, but you will have to rely on yourself here!" Although the other great chiefs were not yet accustomed to it, Piallen insisted on using the new alliance titles to address them.

"Rest assured, Great Chief." Sedorum replied confidently, "Since Vergae is not the focus of the Daonian offensive, I am confident I can hold this place! However… I wonder what Great Chief Nikurus will do upon hearing this news."

Sedorum's words reminded Piallen. His expression changed: "You're right. I must set off immediately."

Piallen and Petalus left one after another. Sedorum stood there, staring blankly.

Saru, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and said: "Great Chief, do you think… can we retake Besidia?"

Sedorum sighed: "Who knows… That Daonian magistrate has been playing us for fools. After capturing Besidia, do you think he hasn't prepared for this?"

Saru's mouth fell open, stammering: "You mean… you mean… we will lose?!"

Sedorum sighed again: "Only the gods Amara and Brutus know that…"

With the outbreak of war between Daonia and the Bruttians, more than half of Thurii's citizens had marched out. The city became somewhat desolate, except for the Temple of Hades, which was overcrowded. After the shock of the ceremony and the relentless propaganda by Chief Priest Pleisinas and his subordinates, the people of Thurii and Amendolara had come to have great faith in this great god of Olympus, known for his stern, cold, and fearsome nature.

The entire hillside was filled with people prostrating and praying, hoping that the Daonian army would defeat the Bruttians soon and that their loved ones would return safely.

Pleisinas, leading the priests, acolytes, and holy maidens of the Temple of Hades, comforted the praying people every day, doing their utmost to help them, providing water, shelter, and even doctors…

For the safety of Thurii, the Senate decided to temporarily strictly check pedestrians entering the city gates; only citizens could enter or leave.

Compared to the desolation within Thurii, the port and market remained busy: cartloads of grain, salted fish, meat, and weapons continuously streamed from the port and market out of Thurii, where they were then uniformly allocated by Mesis. At the beginning of the war, a portion of these supplies were sent to the military camp west of the city (where the Second Army Corps had originally been hidden). Most went through the mountains to Laüs. A smaller portion was shipped by sea to Scylletium and then sent to Trina.