Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 130: Victory in Sight

“These bastards have some nerve—are they trying to start a riot?!” Petalus, having recovered his spirits after a night’s rest, angrily appealed to Piallen: “Great Chief, give me a thousand warriors, and I’ll go bring them back in chains!”

Piallen’s brow was deeply furrowed. He shook his head, released his clenched fists, and turned to look at High Priest Philotaurus. In a low voice, he said, “High Priest, I’ll have to ask you to go… ask them what they want, and try to keep them calm.”

“Great Chief!” Petalus called out urgently. “You must not show weakness to these men! Otherwise… otherwise they’ll slip out of our control, and might even… threaten the safety of Cosentia itself!”

Since only Piallen, Petalus, and Philotaurus were in the council hall, Piallen spoke without restraint. His face was heavy with worry as he looked at the two of them and let out a deep sigh. “This whole battle’s defeat is my fault! I… I shouldn’t have taken the gamble and engaged the Daonians in a pitched battle. I thought even if we couldn’t win, with our knowledge of the terrain and our warriors’ lighter equipment compared to the Greeks, we could easily break away and fall back to the city to focus on defending against the enemy’s assault. But… sigh… I never imagined… never imagined the losses from one battle would be so severe! The Daonian Alliance is truly nothing like Croton or the other Greek city-states! I’ve failed our people!…”

“Great Chief, this isn’t your fault alone. The decision to fight Daonia to the death was made by the Council of Elders collectively.” Petalus tried to comfort his father-in-law. After a moment’s hesitation, he said quietly, “What if… we sue for peace with Daonia?”

The words stunned both Piallen and Philotaurus.

“Under these circumstances, would Daonia agree to a ceasefire?” Philotaurus expressed doubt.

“No! It’s worth a try!” Piallen’s eyes lit up, inspired by Petalus’s suggestion. He began to think further ahead: “Petalus, send an envoy to the Daonian camp and tell their magistrate: ‘Cosentia is willing to become an ally of Daonia, just like Laüs.’ If the peace offer succeeds, Cosentia can temporarily become a Daonian dependency. That would allow our captured warriors to return, and we’d have time to slowly rebuild our strength. If it doesn’t work, we must negotiate with them patiently. From what I know, that Daonian magistrate is not a particularly cruel man—he spared Castron and Croton, after all. So why can’t he loosen the noose around Cosentia’s neck? At least it would buy us some time to deal with those people in the outer city. Cosentia can’t withstand another riot now!”

…

When the Cosentian envoy arrived at the Daonian camp and Davos heard his purpose, he immediately stated: Cosentia must be fully integrated into the Daonian Alliance—there was no other path.

He flatly rejected the envoy’s request for further negotiations. With absolute superiority in hand, why would he give Cosentia a chance to catch its breath?

On the third day after the battle, the entire Daonian army broke camp and marched west. Cavalry were spread out six or seven li ahead, scouting the surroundings. The First Army Corps formed the vanguard, fully armed and ready. The Second Army Corps flanked the middle of the column, protecting the baggage camp, medical camp, engineering camp, and supply trains in the center. The half-starved Bruttian captives, under Daonian guard, carried supplies, pushed carts, and tended to the pack animals. The army corps reserves and allied forces served as the rearguard.

The marching column stretched far and wide—even on the boundless highlands, its end was nowhere in sight.

Three hours later, Davos saw the great city of Cosentia standing ahead on his left flank.

Just then, cavalry battalion commander Laedes galloped up from the front of the column, excited: “Commander, the Fourth Army Corps is heading our way!”

“That’s excellent!” Davos was overjoyed. He spurred his horse vigorously, and the warhorse broke into a gallop. His personal guard followed closely, with cavalrymen gathering around to guard against any surprises.

Upon hearing the news, Fourth Army Corps commander Heilos also rode up from the south. When he saw Davos, he reined in his horse and saluted: “Commander, the Fourth Army Corps has captured Clampetia and reports as ordered!”

“Well done!” Davos returned the salute solemnly. The Heilos before him was no longer the ordinary, unremarkable mercenary he had first met in Persia. Long-term command of troops and handling of affairs had added dignity to his demeanor and diminished some of his humility—he had already become a qualified Daonian legion commander.

“Sir, I’m late. Clampetia’s defense was stubborn—not only did it hold up the Fourth Army Corps for a long time, but it also cost us the lives of more than seven hundred brothers!” Heilos’s expression was slightly mournful; the gentleness in his nature had not changed much.

“The reason the Fourth Army Corps took so long to capture Clampetia is mainly due to my strategic plan. Don’t blame yourself. The soldiers’ sacrifices were worthwhile—you truly stormed and took a well-fortified city by frontal assault. This will be the most valuable military asset for Daonia!” Davos encouraged him. “And the Fourth Army Corps has arrived just in time!”

With that, he pointed forward triumphantly: “Come, take me to see the warriors of the Fourth Army Corps!”

Davos and Heilos galloped ahead, followed by two hundred guards in crimson cloaks (including one hundred warriors from Besidia). Rodom, holding the reins in one hand and raising the glorious military banner that Martius had entrusted to him high with the other, rode close behind Davos, passing alongside the Fourth Army Corps’ marching column.

The Daonian Fourth Army Corps soldiers ahead stopped in their tracks, ceased their chatter, and turned their heated gazes toward their supreme commander. Davos, his expression solemn, raised his right arm high above his head and extended it forward in a salute.

Instantly, a thunderous cheer erupted from the soldiers: “Hail, Daonia!!!”

“Hail, Davos!!!”

The sight made Rodom’s blood boil with excitement and filled him with envy. He felt deeply that his previous life, hidden away in a mountain hollow in obscurity, had been far too dull. A real man should gallop across the battlefield like the commander!

“Listen to them—the new recruits of the Fourth Army Corps, making a racket. I heard they came from Trina. Looks like they’ve taken Clampetia, no wonder they’re so spirited. If we hadn’t crushed the Bruttian main force, how could they have broken the city so easily! Those kids still have a long way to go! These past few days, we need to show them that in the Daonian army, our First Army Corps is still the best!…” The soldiers of the First Army Corps looked down on the Fourth Army Corps’ cheers with the attitude of veterans.

Meanwhile, on the city wall, the Bruttian warriors watched the scene outside with trepidation: the “long dragon” from the northeast and the “long dragon” from the southwest converged, raising a deafening cheer—so grand was their momentum!

Piallen’s face was somber. He had received news of Clampetia’s fall yesterday and had deliberately suppressed it. He never expected the Daonians to stage such a display outside the city. Judging by his warriors’ expressions, he knew how devastating the blow was.

Just then, Tagli’s voice came from behind: “The Daonians are so powerful, and we have too few men! Cosentia is too large—there’s no way to defend it fully. We might as well surrender!”

Petalus’s face turned ashen. He wanted nothing more than to give that old man a beating, but he held back. Yesterday, through the mediation of High Priest Philotaurus, Piallen and Petalus had reached a settlement with Tagli and the others: the Bruttian Tribal Alliance would return the original tribesmen to Tagli and the other tribal chiefs, and would no longer deprive or interfere with their rights. In return, they had finally agreed to join Piallen in defending Cosentia against the Daonians.

Only one issue remained under heated debate: Tagli and the others demanded the abolition of the Council of Elders and the delegation of alliance affairs to a Council of Tribal Chiefs.

For Piallen, agreeing to this demand would mean that the highly centralized Bruttian Tribal Alliance he had been striving for would degenerate into a loose confederation of tribes—something he could not tolerate. So he used the excuse that “Bogam is absent and Sedorum is missing” to postpone this crucial issue, provoking dissatisfaction among the other tribal chiefs. Now, they were united in appearance but divided at heart.

Facing the Daonian army pressing against the city, with such a situation within Cosentia itself, how could he withstand the enemy’s assault? Piallen was tormented with anxiety.

Fortunately, Davos did not order an assault. Instead, he began constructing a camp. Relying on his absolute advantage of 30,000 troops, he ordered the camp to be built starting just one li from the city, preparing to besiege Cosentia.

The captives were forced to dig ditches. With the First, Second, and Fourth Army Corps, the army corps reserves, and the allied forces, Davos had enough labor to build a massive camp and sufficient manpower to maintain vigilance.

Just as Davos was about to ride around Cosentia for a detailed reconnaissance, Capus reported that Sedorum was requesting an audience.

“Have you made up your mind? You want Vegium to join Daonia?” Davos suppressed the joy in his heart and watched Sedorum with a calm expression.

“Yes, Magistrate of Daonia.” After seeing the arrival of the Daonian Fourth Army Corps, Sedorum instantly realized that everything Davos had told him before was true—Daonia truly possessed strong siege capabilities. So he finally stopped vacillating, made a decisive choice, and relieved himself of days of distress. At this moment, his mood was much lighter.

Davos looked at the Bruttian Great Chief, who seemed even older than just a few days ago, and asked slowly: “Then what do you plan to do?”