Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 30: Mission to Syracuse

“Young man, don’t be so angry.” Antistanos sat still, gently comforting his student. He pointed to a pottery jar on the small table beside him. “Come, try this Carthaginian honeyed mare’s milk drink. It’s refreshing. The drink tastes quite good, both sour and sweet, very special. I just had my attendant buy it from the Syracuse market.”

“I won’t drink it!” Henipolis plopped down angrily onto a wooden chair, which creaked painfully in protest.

“Heni.” Antistanos knew his student’s temper and was not offended. Instead, he spoke in a coaxing tone. “You are going to be the magistrate of Laüs one day. You cannot act on impulse. If we go back without even seeing Dionysius, not only will we have failed our mission, but we will also be blamed, and the Syracusans will laugh at us for not knowing proper etiquette—”

“It’s Dionysius who doesn’t know etiquette by not receiving us in time! How can you blame us instead!” Henipolis shouted defiantly, interrupting Antistanos.

“They could say, ‘Because they were busy negotiating with the Carthaginians, they couldn’t find time to receive us…’ After all, to the Syracusans, Carthage is far more important than our Daonia.” Antistanos said calmly.

Henipolis snorted, looking at Antistanos. “Teacher, in reality, Dionysius just wants to snub us and embarrass Daonia, doesn’t he?!”

“If Dionysius were really such a petty man, he wouldn’t have become the tyrant of Syracuse. This is probably just him handling different matters with different priorities.” Antistanos stroked his graying beard, his eyes shining with wisdom. “So we must not rush, just wait patiently… This is a good chance to see how much weight the Daonia Alliance holds in Dionysius’s heart.”

Though young and hot-tempered, Henipolis was no fool. On the contrary, it was his talent that made Antistanos willing to keep this student by his side on the embassy to Syracuse. “Alright then, let’s see who runs out of patience first, Dionysius or us! This afternoon, I’ll go to the city theater to watch a play. Honestly, although Syracuse is bigger than Thurii and has a larger population, it lacks the vibrant energy of Thurii. There are no ball games to watch, no good food to eat. The only thing to do is go see a play.” Henipolis said teasingly, grabbing the pottery jar from the table and taking a big gulp. Then he spat it all out on the ground with a “pfft.” “This stuff is sour and fishy, terrible! Much worse than beer!”

“Young people don’t know how to appreciate it.” Antistanos quickly took the jar, afraid Henipolis would spill all the drink. “You should know that this drink was learned by the Carthaginians from the Numidians and then slightly improved to make it more suitable for sailors at sea. In Numidia, this isn’t just for quenching thirst; it’s part of their food…”

“What does Numidia have to do with us? By the sound of it, you seem to want to study the history of that people again.” Henipolis said dismissively, thinking he knew his teacher well.

“Not me. The owner of the house where you usually stay is very interested in this. He has asked me about Numidia many times.” Antistanos took a sip of the drink and said.

“You mean Lord Davos?!” Henipolis immediately became interested. “Why would he ask about Numidia? Daonia Alliance is separated from Numidia by the sea, Sicily, and Carthage. There’s no way for direct contact.”

Antistanos pointed to his own chest and said slowly, “There are always one or two people in this world who think from a height that others cannot reach, because their minds are infinitely vast.”

“Lord Davos is indeed a remarkable man!” Henipolis said sincerely. Suddenly he remembered something. “Teacher, now that the Carthaginians have chosen to cease fire, I’m afraid it will be disadvantageous for us to meet Dionysius, and even more harmful for Daonia!”

Antistanos looked at his student appreciatively and asked, “Why?”

Henipolis knew that the teacher was testing him again, so he carefully organized his thoughts before speaking. “In the western Mediterranean, Syracuse has always been the most powerful Greek city-state, yet it has been confined to the island of Sicily. The main reason is the Carthaginians. The strong Carthaginian presence on Sicily not only keeps the Syracusans constantly on guard but has also threatened their survival many times. Syracuse already has a hard enough time dealing with Carthage; how can it have energy to care about matters outside Sicily?

“But in reality, the Syracusans have always been interested in Magna Graecia. I remember that decades ago, the Syracusan tyrant Hieron once sent troops into Magna Graecia. But in recent years, the situation in Sicily has changed greatly. Carthage suffered two major military defeats. I heard that this time they also had over twenty thousand casualties, forcing them to propose a truce. I’m afraid they no longer have much power to threaten Syracuse.”

Antistanos nodded in approval of his student’s insight, but he did not think Syracuse would launch a military action against Magna Graecia. So he said: “The Carthaginians’ defeat lies in the fact that although they seemed to be at war with Syracuse, they were actually opposing the power of the entire Greek city-states. How could the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta, as well as city-states like Neapolis in Campania, allow foreigners to completely occupy Sicily, thereby cutting the trade routes between the eastern and western Mediterranean, and even threatening their rear (referring to Sparta)? I believe that after these two devastating defeats, the Carthaginians will become wiser and will not easily start a war in Sicily again. With their strong power in Africa, they will still be the greatest threat to Syracuse.”

“You are absolutely right, teacher! However, at least for now, Syracuse’s strength is far greater than Carthage’s. After this round of peace talks with Carthage, I’m afraid the Carthaginians will retreat significantly to western Sicily. It is now obvious to everyone that Syracuse will unify Sicily, possibly in the near future.” Henipolis said worriedly.

“Yes, this is a matter that our alliance must keep watching closely.” Antistanos said thoughtfully.

“We cannot just watch. I believe Dionysius will not be satisfied with dominating Sicily. Dionysius is a greedy man. These two wars with Carthage were both initiated by him to expand his territory. Once Sicily stabilizes, I’m afraid he will set his sights on Magna Graecia.”

Although Antistanos did not agree with Henipolis exaggerating Syracuse’s war threat, as a scholar he enjoyed debating with his student, as it helped inspire him. So he frowned and asked, “Why must it be Magna Graecia?”

“Because to the south of Sicily is Carthage; no matter how arrogant Dionysius is, he wouldn’t dare to run wild on Carthage’s true territory. To the east is Sparta’s sphere of influence. To the west is the Iberian Peninsula, not only a long voyage away but also reportedly home to many Carthaginian colonies. Unless Dionysius loses his mind, he would never launch a distant expedition and repeat Athens’ mistake. Therefore, the only possibility is Magna Graecia to the north, separated from Sicily only by the narrow Strait of Messina. In half a day, Dionysius could send 100,000 troops onto Magna Graecia’s soil.

“Moreover, I believe Dionysius has long coveted Magna Graecia. Otherwise, why would he have married a woman from Locri and allied with Locri? Now, even while fighting Carthage, he doesn’t forget to send spies to disturb Daonia. His ambition for Magna Graecia is very obvious!”

“Heni, you need to understand that having ambition is one thing, but being able to wage war is another. Dionysius may covet Magna Graecia, but Magna Graecia now has our Daonia Alliance.” As Antistanos spoke, a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind: If Thurii were still the old Thurii, the various large and small city-states of Magna Graecia facing a behemoth like Syracuse would have a truly unimaginable future. Thank Hades for sending Davos, who established the Daonia Alliance and almost united the power of Magna Graecia, forcing Dionysius to treat this matter with caution!

“And Syracuse is at war year after year. I’ve heard the treasury is already running deficits, and the people are greatly dissatisfied. I’m sure you’ve felt this while wandering around the city these past few days. Under such dire conditions, can Syracuse launch a large-scale war like the one against Carthage? I think it’s impossible. Moreover, our purpose in coming to Syracuse this time is to let Dionysius know the determination of our Daonia Alliance and completely dispel his unrealistic ambitions!” Antistanos said confidently.

Henipolis was infected by his confidence and nodded solemnly.

At that moment, an attendant entered the guest room and said, “Lord Antistanos, someone outside is looking for you. He says he was sent by Philistos.”

Philistos, a high minister of Dionysius? Antistanos and his student exchanged glances…

…

Antistanos was invited to attend a banquet hosted by Philistos that evening.

Just at dusk, the carriage sent by Philistos arrived at the inn. Antistanos and Henipolis got into the carriage.

The residence of Antistanos’s embassy was in the city center of Syracuse. The original Syracusan colony was on the island of Ortygia. Until decades ago, when Gelon became the tyrant of Syracuse, he led a large number of immigrants to expand inland. This expanded urban area became the current city center of Syracuse, where most temples, theaters, markets, etc., are concentrated. But this already sizable area was only a small part of the later expansions of Syracuse.

In the decades after the reign of the tyrant Gelon, the Syracusans extended the city northeastward, incorporating an area along the coast three times the size of the central district into the city of Syracuse, called “Achradina.” This coastal area also included a rich quarry.