Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 127: Persuasion

He raised his hand to stop Sedorum, who was about to speak again: “In this battle, the Bruttians suffered five thousand casualties, and with the help of the Besidian warriors, we have confirmed that most of them are Cosentians. Among the more than five thousand prisoners, the majority are also Cosentians.” During the battle, Piallen had placed the main Cosentian forces in the center and on the right wing, and the Daonian counterattack had also focused on the enemy’s right wing and center, leading to this outcome.

“The remaining dead, wounded, and prisoners are all Vergaeans and Ambarnians. In other words, the important forces that the Bruttian League uses to maintain your rule and subdue the smaller tribes have been greatly weakened. As far as I know, the Cosentians have forcibly settled many minor tribes in the outer city of Cosentia. As long as I have the Besidians make promises to those tribes—granting them freedom and even greater benefits—what do you think? Will those tribes rise up in revolt and help us capture Cosentia?”

When Davos said this, Sedorum shuddered and lowered his head without speaking. Only two days ago, a riot had just occurred in Cosentia. The words of this Daonian magistrate might very well become reality!

“Furthermore, after I lead the army to Cosentia, I will not attack the city immediately! I hear that the town of Ambarnia is extremely simple in its defenses. I only need to send three or four thousand men, and we might take it easily. And Vergae—” As Davos mentioned “Vergae,” Sedorum shuddered again.

“How many warriors did you take from there? If I send ten thousand soldiers to Vergae, with the assistance of Laüs, do you think we can capture the city of Vergae?”

Sedorum clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, his expression pained, but he still said nothing.

“After capturing Ambarnia and Vergae, we will launch the general assault on Cosentia. Oh, by the way, you must be wondering why I am not attacking Clampetia.”

Davos paused, then continued: “Because Clampetia will soon be taken by the Daonian Fourth Army Corps. You don’t believe me? I think Clampetia must have requested reinforcements from Cosentia, because its stone walls cannot withstand our ballistae and siege towers.”

“Ballistae?” Sedorum finally looked up in confusion.

Davos generously gave him a brief introduction to this new siege weapon developed by Daonia.

Sedorum’s face turned very ugly. In his memory, Piallen had not voluntarily mentioned the matter of Clampetia to him, but he knew that Cosentia had sent two thousand reinforcements to Clampetia. He had even objected to Piallen about it, but Piallen had made the decision stubbornly, completely unlike his usual way of doing things... Based on various signs, he felt that what Davos said was very likely true. Piallen had long known that Clampetia could not be held, but fearing panic among the Bruttian tribesmen, he chose to conceal it and decided to risk everything on the battle.

Sedorum’s heart felt icy cold. He stammered out, “Does Daonia intend to slaughter all the Bruttians?”

“Slaughter them all? No, we Daonians are not that cruel,” Davos said earnestly. “In my eyes, Bruttians, Lucanians, and Greeks are no different.”

Sedorum stared at him in disbelief.

“You may ask, if that is so, why attack Bruttium?” Davos sighed, reached out with his right hand, pulled up a weed, and twisted it around his finger. “For a hundred years, the Bruttians and Greeks have regarded each other as enemies, killing back and forth without end. And if the Bruttian Tribal Alliance is formed, the conflict with the Greeks will only intensify. Daonia was forced to attack first, not to eliminate the Bruttians, but to bring them into the Daonia Alliance, to become part of it. The Mediterranean is vast enough; there is plenty of room for us Greeks and Bruttians to explore, to farm, to graze... Why must we plunge into deadly struggle over such a small patch of barren land?!”

Sedorum was silent for a long time, then cautiously ventured in a low voice, “Are you saying you want the Bruttian tribes to become allies of Daonia?”

“Daonia has spent a great cost and sacrificed so many of its citizens’ lives, just to make the Bruttians allies?!” Davos’s expression changed, his voice suddenly harsh. “The Daonian people would not agree, nor would the Senate!”

“Then... do you mean for us to be like the Lucanians of Nerulum...” Sedorum said bitterly. Vergae was not far from Nerulum, and he had some understanding of the situation there.

“Bruttium will be annexed into Daonia. Bruttians will become Daonian citizens. The chiefs of each tribe will still govern their own people, but the administrators of towns like Vergae, Cosentia, Clampetia, and Ambarnia will be appointed by the Daonian Senate... Besidia has already agreed to join the Daonia Alliance, and Bagiripi and Brim will even become members of the Daonian Senate. You can go to Brim for further details.”

Davos’s words caused a wavering in Sedorum’s heart, but he still asked reluctantly, “Can’t we... govern our own towns ourselves? The Bruttians are not accustomed to being commanded by outsiders; I’m afraid it will cause trouble...”

Davos spoke firmly: “All territories of Daonia must be governed uniformly by the Senate. This will never change! But if you join the Senate, one day you might be elected by the Senate as the Chief Magistrate of Cosentia, or even the Chief Magistrate of the entire Bruttian region...”

Davos painted a tempting picture, which somewhat reduced Sedorum’s resistance. He pondered for a moment, then made a helpless excuse: “...I am only the Great Chief of Vergae.”

“That doesn’t matter. You only need to decide the fate of Vergae.” Seeing that Sedorum still kept his head down, hesitant and indecisive, Davos added, “Go down and think it over carefully. There’s no need to rush your decision.”

Sedorum hastily responded and prepared to leave, his mind unsettled.

“Please wait. There’s one more thing I need your help with.”

Davos’s words startled Sedorum, making him stumble and nearly fall.

“Please go and reassure the captured Bruttian warriors. Tell them that as long as they follow our instructions, the Daonian soldiers will not harm them, and in a while they can return home safely. But if they gather together and cause trouble, attempting to escape, our soldiers will show no mercy! Moreover, once Bruttium belongs to Daonia in the future, their families will be punished as well!” Davos’s tone was severe.

“...I will go and speak to them.” Sedorum looked dejected, the wrinkles on his face deepening. After the conversation with Davos, he seemed to have aged a few more years.

Watching Sedorum leave unsteadily under escort, Martius asked a rare question: “Lord, will this old man surrender?”

Davos smiled: “His agreement just now was a good start. But if he can’t act quickly, we may no longer need him by then.”

...

The siege of Clampetia had reached its most critical moment. The walls, after days of bombardment by the ballistae, had become badly damaged. Many sections of the ditch had also been filled in. The defenders on the wall had suffered considerable casualties from the ranged attacks of the ballistae and the archers atop the siege towers.

The Third Army Corps had also paid a certain price. Due to prolonged wear and tear, five ballistae had been damaged, and two siege towers had been burned by the Bruttians using fire. Over four hundred soldiers had been killed or wounded, most of them archers. Yet Heilos still maintained a high-intensity assault on Clampetia every day. He always remembered what Davos had told him when personally giving him the order: “Now in the Mediterranean, whether it’s a Greek city-state or any other nation, besieging a city is a huge challenge. I hope that after you go to Clampetia, you will not fear difficulties or the number of casualties. You must capture that stone city and, for Daonia, summarize a set of siege tactics.”

Early in the morning, the Fourth Army Corps and the soldiers from Trina formed battle lines two hundred meters south of Clampetia’s city. In front of the massive formation, five ballistae and three siege towers were arranged in a row (the ballistae required high craftsmanship; their key components were very delicate, especially the spring assemblies. The Mathematical Academy had spent a great deal of time and money to produce only ten, and they couldn’t be repaired by the engineers in just a few days. However, although the siege towers were large, they were not complicated to build as long as there was enough manpower).

The exhausted defenders of Clampetia had never seen so many enemies below the walls. They felt a secret chill in their hearts.

The crows that had been circling in the sky, searching for carrion, seemed to sense the danger as well and cawed as they flew away.

“Legion Commander, everything is ready!” Heilos, upon hearing the report from his subordinate, immediately said, “Ballistae!”

“Ballistae, ready!” the officer commanded.

Pulleys turned, bowstrings were drawn back, stone projectiles were loaded into the sliding grooves, angles and ranges were set...

“Release!”

Five solid shots flew out with a strong whirring sound, concentrating their bombardment on the most damaged section of the wall, opening the prelude to the assault.

Then came the second volley, the third volley... Uninterrupted bombardment caused more and more cracks on the wall, growing larger and larger...

The wall, which had been hastily repaired through the night, finally could bear no more. Stone blocks fell off one after another... Eventually, with a rumbling crash, the entire section of stone wall collapsed, instantly raising a cloud of dust.

The Daonian soldiers cheered thunderously, while the defenders of Clampetia sighed in dismay, their faces ashen.

“Attack!” Amid the soldiers’ high morale, Heilos gave the order promptly.

Immediately, bugles sounded long notes, war flags waved, and war drums thundered. The soldiers shouted in unison. Led by their officers, they carried scaling ladders and advanced in loose ranks, each squad forming a wave of assault. The massive siege towers, pushed with all the might of dozens of laborers, rumbled along the leveled causeway toward the city walls.