Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 126: Sedorum

After calming down, Davos asked again, "Capus, the First Army Corps is responsible for watching over the Bruttian prisoners tonight, right?"

"Yes."

"Make sure they don't escape, but try to make them as comfortable as possible."

Capus hesitated, then said, "I'll do my best."

"You need to understand that although they were enemies before, after this battle... well... it's safe to say that soon the Bruttians will become our own people. To make this transition smoother and avoid adding to the hatred, we must make an effort." Davos patiently explained to Capus and the others. War was always a continuation of politics, and Davos's position meant he had to see further and think more comprehensively.

Triphyas and Gorgias, who were standing nearby, exchanged a glance. The continued growth of the Daonia Alliance should be a good thing for Heraclea and Castron.

"In a little while, I might send someone to help you calm these Bruttian prisoners. However, I'm not sure if he's willing to help." Davos stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Capus was curious about who Davos meant, but being steady, he didn't ask.

"How is the medical camp doing?" Davos asked another question.

"There are too many wounded! Stesiccodas and his men are so busy they have no time to rest. Now Epithenis and the others have sent light infantry and freemen to help the medical camp carry the wounded..." Antonios said worriedly.

"So that means the Bruttian wounded have no one attending to them?!" Davos's eyes widened. He immediately saw the seriousness of the problem. "Hmm... Antonios, go find Stesiccodas at once. Tell him it's my order that he must spare one or two doctors no matter what... At the same time, have the First Army Corps detach a thousand infantry as support to first perform simple debridement, bandaging, and other wound treatment on the Bruttian wounded."

"Understood." Antonios quickly turned and left.

"And... Tolmides, I'll write two letters immediately. Have the messenger take them and rush back to Thurii, deliver them to Helpus and Mesis. I want them to dispatch as many doctors and nurses as possible, and transport more medicinal herbs, medical supplies, and food..."

After the generals had gone to carry out their assigned tasks, Davos finally had time to face Triphyas and Gorgias alone. "My lords, I apologize! I didn't expect there would be so many matters after this victory, keeping you waiting so long."

"It's nothing," Triphyas said seriously with praise. "On the contrary, it gave me an opportunity to witness the exceptional administrative ability of the Daonian magistrate! I really didn't expect that a single battle would require handling so many affairs—medical care for the wounded, handling of prisoners, building the camp, arranging sentries... I've truly learned a lot of military knowledge."

Triphyas spoke from the heart, and Gorgias beside him felt the same. Indeed, in this era, when Greek city-states fought battles, they mostly occurred near their allied territories, so logistical requirements were not high and therefore not given much attention. Only powerful states like Athens, Sparta, and Syracuse, because they needed to campaign abroad for long periods, placed higher demands on military logistics. But even so, incidents of soldiers demanding pay or lacking food still occurred frequently. Davos himself felt that the logistics of the Daonian army were still relatively crude and not yet perfected, but in the eyes of Triphyas and Gorgias, it was already quite a complex arrangement.

Therefore, Davos just smiled and said, "This battle owes much to the full support of Heraclea and Castron! With this victory, I believe the war with the Bruttians will soon end. Then the secretary of our baggage camp will carefully tally the spoils obtained and distribute them to you proportionally."

The leader of Castron had already cooperated with Daonia two or three times, and Gorgias was quite assured of Daonia's credibility. Heraclea was relatively wealthy, so Triphyas had little interest in the spoils. Of course, receiving some would not make the citizens' journey in vain and avoid complaints when they returned. He was more concerned about another matter: "Lord Davos, I also have a request."

"Please speak."

"Could you have Daonian officers use your battle methods to help train the citizens of Heraclea?" Triphyas said with some embarrassment, then explained: "Because during the battle, I noticed that Daonia's way of fighting is very different from ours in Heraclea and Castron. This difference in combat affects coordination between the various units, so..." In fact, at the very beginning of the battle, it was those 3,000 Daonian reserve troops who withstood the Bruttians' charge and later played a pivotal role as the backbone of the right wing. If even the reserve force was like this, then the strength of the Daonian Army Corps could be imagined. This was the reason that made Triphyas make up his mind and put forward this request.

Davos looked surprised on the surface but was overjoyed inside: Finally, an allied city-state had made such a request! He deliberately hesitated and asked, "Does the Senate of Heraclea agree to this?"

"I will make them agree!" Triphyas said firmly.

"In that case, after the war with the Bruttians ends, I will have Military Affairs Officer Philistos discuss the training arrangements with you." Davos said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Lord Triphyas, but Daonian military training is very strict. You should prepare the citizens of Heraclea in advance."

With Heraclea setting an example, Gorgias also hurriedly made the same request to Davos, unwilling to fall behind.

After seeing off Triphyas and Gorgias, Davos felt very tired, but he could not rest yet because there was one person he had to meet: "Go bring over that important Bruttian captured by Laedes."

…

Sedorum regretted not praying earnestly to the Goddess Amara before setting out on the campaign, so that during his escape he unluckily tripped and fell from his horse. Then his personal guard was scattered by the surging routed soldiers. He barely managed to struggle out from under his injured horse, but because he lagged behind and his attire was different from that of ordinary Bruttian warriors, he became the target of the pursuing Daonian cavalry. After becoming a prisoner, he did not conceal anything and directly gave his name. Now, with his hands bound behind his back, he was being escorted forward by Daonian soldiers. From a distance, he saw a gleaming golden military banner erected on a grassy slope, with hundreds of soldiers standing in two neat rows. Under the banner sat a man, presumably the Daonian magistrate Davos. Sedorum thought to himself, and his steps unconsciously quickened.

When they approached, the two faced each other and sized each other up. Sedorum was surprised at Davos's youth, while Davos was surprised at Sedorum's aged appearance. As far as he knew, this Great Chief of Vergae was not yet fifty years old. Davos spoke first: "Untie him."

Sedorum rubbed his wrists, reddened by the ropes, and took another step forward. Davos remained seated. Sedorum raised his white eyebrows: "Aren't you afraid I might attack you?"

Davos smiled slightly: "You speak Greek, which saves me the trouble of finding an interpreter. I don't like to look up at others, so you may sit." His voice was not loud, but it carried an irresistible force.

Sedorum hesitated, then reluctantly sat down. Martius, who was behind Davos, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Answer your earlier question," Davos said unhurriedly. "First, I have stout guards, so you would find it very difficult to succeed. Second, even if you did succeed, not only would the Bruttians' plight remain unsolved, but the angry Daonian soldiers would bring unimaginable punishment upon the people of this land!"

Sedorum snorted: "Are the Daonians not now encroaching on our land, slaughtering our tribesmen, and plundering our property? If I could give a good beating to the leader who started this war, at least it would temporarily delight the Bruttians!"

"Are the Bruttians the victims?" Davos said sternly. "No! For decades, the Bruttians have never ceased their raids and plunder against Greek city-states. Countless Greek families have been ruined by you! Now we Greeks have finally come for revenge, and you feel aggrieved? What a joke!"

"You Greeks are outsiders who have seized our land. We... of course we must take it back!" Sedorum retorted unyieldingly.

"As far as I know, you Bruttians originally lived in central Italy and migrated here only about 200 years ago, driving out the original inhabitants of this land and settling down. Now you claim to be the masters of southern Italy? Is that ignorance or arrogance?" Davos sneered.

"You lie!" Sedorum shouted in exasperation.

"It seems you really don't know. Fortunately, the Greeks have writing and records. For hundreds of years, the scholars of Thurii have gathered accounts of major events from other city-states. If you ever go to Thurii, you can see detailed historical records about the Bruttians." Davos had indeed asked Antistanos in detail about the Bruttians, so when Sedorum saw Davos's serious expression, he seemed somewhat deflated and said bluntly: "What do you plan to do with us?"

"Do you mean the captured Bruttians, or your so-called Bruttian League?"

"Of course, us unfortunate captives," Sedorum said, not backing down. "Even though we lost this battle, as long as Piallen and the others defend the city with all their strength, no matter how many soldiers you have, you won't easily break through the strong walls of Cosentia. Eventually you'll have to retreat when your food runs out."

"Don't worry, we will very easily breach Cosentia!" Davos said confidently.