Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 119: A Great Battle Is Imminent

But this battalion commander was strict with his soldiers on two things: first, during battle, the soldiers were only allowed to advance, never to retreat—otherwise, he would expel any coward from the battalion. Second, they must never lose to Olivus's Sixth Battalion in anything.

This competitive spirit might seem somewhat laughable, but in Daonia's army, such rivalries between companies, battalions, and even army corps were not uncommon. Moreover, instead of forbidding this competition, officers at all levels actively encouraged it. Tug-of-war, rugby, football… all the popular sports and games in the camp were nothing but group contests between squads and platoons, fierce battles for victory.

Leotychides felt that it was precisely because officers at every level valued winning and losing that these Daonian citizen soldiers—formerly farmers, fishermen, merchants, and the like—had so quickly developed a sense of honor for their units, and would fight with such zeal in battle!…

“Prosous, I heard you Laconians and Spartans are enemies. Have you ever fought Spartans?” Heitbarus was a chatterbox; he had only been quiet for a moment before he started talking again.

After that incident on the ship and the fierce fighting against the Peucetii, the friendship between him and his teammates—especially with Heitbarus—had actually become quite amicable. Upon hearing this, Leotychides, to hide the unease on his face, did not look up but continued bending over, digging the earth, and muttered softly, “I’ve fought.”

Heitbarus grew interested and moved closer, asking, “Do you think the Spartans are stronger, or are we stronger?”

Leotychides hadn’t expected such a question and was momentarily taken aback.

The other teammates also seemed intrigued and gathered around. Their squad leader, Sitalcis, surprisingly did not scold them.

In fact, Heitbarus had asked the right person. Leotychides was indeed the best one to answer this question: he was a Spartan, had spent six months in the Daonian army, had participated in battles, and had a good understanding of the military situation of both powers.

Faced with his comrades’ curious gazes, Leotychides found it hard to refuse, but for a moment he didn’t know how to begin. He put down his pickaxe, brushed the dirt from his hands, thought carefully, and then said, “Spartans begin their brutal ‘agoge’ combat training from the age of six. Apart from a little time learning to read, they live in barracks until adulthood, and the coming-of-age ritual is to go out alone and kill any Helot they encounter…”

“Oh, that’s too cruel!” one teammate exclaimed.

Leotychides remained unmoved and continued, “After reaching adulthood, Spartans do nothing but fight, fight, and fight again until they die… So Spartans are the best warriors in the world. They know every detail of combat, and killing an enemy is as easy as drinking water!” As he said this, his pride as a Spartan welled up again.

Some teammates let out dissatisfied boos.

“Prosous, praising Spartans like that—are you really a Laconian?!” someone reproached him unhappily.

Leotychides was startled. During this time, he had gotten along well with his teammates and had let his guard down a bit. He quickly added, “But the number of Spartan warriors is too small. Their able-bodied citizens probably number only about half of one of Daonia’s army corps. Even counting the Perioeci, they just barely exceed ten thousand. And among the city-states I know, Daonian soldiers are the best who do not live for fighting! Moreover, your military system is very unique and very comprehensive. Personally, I think some of your institutions are even better than Sparta’s! Most importantly, Daonia has many soldiers. After this victory over the Bruttians, their numbers will likely increase further…”

“I understand what you mean, Prosous. In one-on-one combat, we can’t beat Spartan warriors. But in a real large-scale battle, Spartans can’t defeat us, because they are too few, right?!” Heitbarus interjected.

“Our Daonian army corps emphasize teamwork and coordination. No matter how strong a single Spartan warrior is, he can’t stand against four or five of our closely cooperating Daonian army soldiers!” Pesialus added.

“That’s right! Just like in rugby—no matter how good a running back is, without help from his teammates, he can’t score on his own!” another teammate chimed in.

Leotychides recognized him—a Daonian preparatory citizen. During his training in the recruit camp, he had often violated discipline and been punished. In the last battle against the Peucetii, a soldier in Leotychides’ squad had been seriously wounded, so this man had been brought in to replace him. But now he had already become a qualified army soldier. This was the terrifying aspect of Daonia’s military system: in a short time, through training, sports, competitions, and other methods, it could turn undisciplined Greeks into competent soldiers.

The Spartans, a state built on military power, had learned a lesson through long years of conquest: for a city-state’s army to be strong, individual combat ability was secondary. What mattered was strict discipline, unconditional obedience, and persistent training. Most Greek city-states could neither understand nor achieve this, but the newly founded Daonia had demanded it from the start. It was said that all of this was the work of the divinely favored magistrate Davos. Compared to Sparta, Daonia’s truly terrifying aspect was this young man!

Leotychides did not want his teammates to develop the mistaken impression that Sparta was weak, so he reminded them, “Although Spartan warriors are few, Sparta rarely fights alone. Don’t forget, it is the hegemon of the Peloponnesian League, and now the overlord of all Greece. Countless allied soldiers fight for it. Moreover, most Spartan generals are competent commanders…”

“Hey, I was only comparing Sparta to our Daonia. As for allies, Daonia also has them—Laüs, Castron…” Heitbarus said discontentedly.

“And Heraclea… The South Italy Alliance also counts—Croton, Scylletium, Trina, and…”

“Caulonia.”

The teammates vied to shout, and Leotychides felt a pang of emotion: In the eastern Mediterranean, many city-states turned pale at the mention of Sparta; even great powers like Athens and Corinth feared the Spartan warriors. But these Daonian soldiers before him discussed the relative strengths of Daonia and Sparta without any fear. It wasn’t ignorance—their successive victories had given them confidence.

Their shouting finally alarmed their platoon leader, Parmenion, who was not far away. He looked furious and shouted, “Don’t dig the ditch properly! What’s all this idle chatter?! Aren’t you afraid of the Military Code?!”

The teammates quickly scattered and went back to their tasks.

Squad leader Sitalcis came over and said in a low voice, “Prosous, what you said was good! But next time, remember to change ‘you’ to ‘we.’”

Leotychides was taken aback and felt embarrassed: deep down, he had not truly integrated into Daonia and considered himself a Daonian…

…

While the soldiers of the First Army Corps were busy, Davos was conversing with Triphyas, the commander of the Heraclean allied forces.

“You want to invite our engineers to build bridges in Heraclea?”

“Yes, Lord Davos. I had heard in Heraclea before that your Daonian bridge-building techniques are excellent. After leading my troops here and crossing the two wooden bridges in Thurii, I gained a deeper appreciation. As you probably know, Heraclea’s territory is crisscrossed by many rivers. The main city of Heraclea is built on a delta formed by the Agri River and its tributaries. For us Heracleans, the rainy season from March to April each year is the most unbearable.” Triphyas sighed helplessly. “The river swells, and the pontoon bridges are often broken. We often have to sail out to sea and then come back ashore just to reach our farmland for cultivation. So we urgently need several sturdy, true bridges, like the wooden bridge over the Crati River!”

After hearing Triphyas’s request, Davos readily promised, “Heraclea is an ally of Daonia, and we are happy to provide such assistance!”

“I heard that Little Heracleides is a master bridge builder, but he also holds a public office in Daonia overseeing roads. Heraclea is willing to donate 50 tons of wheat to Daonia to thank Little Heracleides and his team for their help in their spare time,” Triphyas said earnestly.

Davos did not refuse. Daonia was currently short of grain, and Triphyas’s offer was like charcoal in the snow. This made Davos think even more highly of him. Although Heraclea had a dense network of waterways and fertile land, 50 tons of wheat was by no means a small amount. This lavish gift was not merely payment for bridge-building; it indicated Heraclea’s attitude. Davos kept this in mind.

With this agreement, the conversation between Davos and Triphyas became even more intimate and casual.

Davos even mentioned happily that he had not expected the area around Cosenza to have such excellent pastures, fully suitable for raising warhorses.

Just as the two were talking cheerfully, the herald Tolmides rushed over with a tense expression: “Commander, Laedes has sent an urgent report: ‘A large force of Bruttians has been spotted marching toward this position!’”

“How many?” Davos asked immediately.

“According to the scout cavalry’s estimate, perhaps twenty thousand!”

Twenty thousand! Davos’s composure wavered: The Bruttian League clearly intended to force a decisive battle here!