Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 34: Dionysius's Plan

Back at the inn, Henipolis, still excited, followed Antistanos into the room and couldn't help asking, "Teacher, was that Syracusan spy Hermes sent by Dionysius himself, or by his opponents?"

"What, are you confused?" Antistanos smiled.

"Originally I was certain that Dionysius was the one behind it, but after hearing Philistos and the others defend themselves..." Henipolis scratched his head.

"You could say Philistos put on such a good act that he fooled you. A man of Philistos's stature probably has several secretaries under him, so of course the handwriting would be different. Besides, he had already taken precautions—even the signature was written by someone else. Polyxides had never dealt with him before, so it's perfectly normal that he was kept in the dark." Antistanos gave a contemptuous smile. "In fact, their performance wasn't flawless. If you'd watched closely, you would have noticed that the minister called Herollis across from us looked a little uncomfortable when Philistos was defending himself—clearly they hadn't fully coordinated..."

"Oh, I see!" Henipolis recalled the scene and suddenly understood, then said angrily, "But Teacher, why didn't you expose him on the spot?"

"Why expose him?" Antistanos chuckled. "Philistos and the other guests putting on such an elaborate show just proves they are wary of Daonia and dare not fall out with us. That's a good thing. Now it remains to be seen whether Dionysius is willing to sign the treaty we proposed..."

...

The next day, Antistanos met Dionysius in person.

In a spacious but unadorned—even somewhat crude—palace, the tall, handsome Dionysius (one of the reasons the hero Demodokas, who had resisted the Athenian army in Syracuse, had married his daughter to him) received Antistanos.

As the rumored cold master of Sicily, he greeted the Daonian delegation warmly and expressed his welcome, while also apologizing for not having met them sooner. He said, "I have already learned from Philistos that Daonia wishes to sign a treaty of alliance with us in Syracuse. This is an excellent thing! You must know that Syracuse has suffered great losses in repeated wars—its treasury, its grain supplies, its population—and urgently needs to rest and recover. I am very grateful that Daonia is extending a helping hand at this moment. I will send Philistos as my representative to discuss the alliance with you in detail. I hope that Syracuse and Daonia can henceforth maintain friendly relations and set an example for the other Greek city-states of the western Mediterranean!"

The meeting was brief. Soon Antistanos left Ortygia with a mixture of doubt and delight.

Philistos, who had seen off the Daonian delegation and returned, also asked Dionysius in confusion, "Lord, are you really prepared to ally with Daonia?"

"Phili." Dionysius addressed his trusted minister by his nickname, speaking in a low, serious tone. "At the banquet at your house last night, one of the Daonian envoys said something right. Carthage may have suffered a heavy blow, but they are powerful in Africa, and now they are expanding into the Iberian Peninsula. I've heard they are even sending fleets west, through the Pillars of Heracles, to explore unknown lands... When Carthage comes back next time, they will be even stronger than before. Yet Syracuse is confined to this little island of Sicily, with little room to expand its territory—unless it expands outward!"

Philistos had discussed this many times with Dionysius and knew full well where his expansionist ambitions lay, but he still warned worriedly, "But Daonia's strength is not weak, and they have united most of the other city-states and native peoples of southern Italy."

"You are right." Dionysius nodded gravely. "When I first took the position of plenipotentiary general with your help, I already had the idea of one day conquering Magna Graecia. That's why I married Doris (the daughter of a Locrian noble). But I never imagined that in just a few short years a Daonia Alliance would rise in Magna Graecia!"

Dionysius's face showed annoyance. He gritted his teeth and said, "Maybe that Davos really does have the favor of Hades, but so what! The western Mediterranean may be vast, but it can only accommodate one Greek hegemon!"

"But we have just ended the war with Carthage and need to recuperate... Shouldn't we hold off for a while?" Philistos reminded him softly.

"We cannot wait any longer!" Dionysius shook his head. "The Daonia Alliance is growing fast—every year it gains strength. I have studied Daonia carefully, and I have to say that young man named Davos knows how to deal with the natives. Some of our methods for handling the Sicels were learned from them. At their current rate of rise, the Samnites to the north of Daonia may not be able to stop their expansion. Their power will keep spreading north until they control all of Italy. What will we in Syracuse do then? Become their vassals?!" Dionysius's eyes grew cold. He clenched his fist and brought it down heavily, speaking in a firm, harsh tone: "We must strike while they are still weak and internally unstable, and crush them with all our might!"

"Then should we still negotiate the alliance with Daonia?" Philistos asked again.

"Negotiate? Of course we will! A non-aggression pact can be signed—it will make them lower their guard. As for a real alliance... Hmph, Syracuse has never been in the habit of signing equal treaties with other Greek city-states!" Dionysius said coldly.

He had clearly forgotten about Sparta, but Philistos was not foolish enough to correct him. He nodded and said, "I understand."

"And... speed up the negotiations with Carthage... Hmm..." Dionysius paced back and forth, weighing his options carefully before finally making up his mind: "We can return to them the lands west of Selinus and Panormus (west of Solus), but they must pay substantial war reparations, open their grain markets to us, and provide wheat at fair prices. They must also sign a long-term peace treaty. This is the price they pay for breaking the agreement and provoking war again (though this time it was Dionysius who started it). That's the gist of it. Take your men and negotiate, and wrap it up quickly!"

Philistos nodded to show he understood.

"Alright, that's all." Dionysius signaled Philistos to carry out these instructions immediately.

Philistos hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uh... Lord... about Hermes—the Daonian delegation said they could return him to us. What do you think?"

"What would we do with him if he came back?! How would we deal with him?!" Dionysius's face darkened, a murderous look in his eyes. "Seeing his cowardly performance at the public trial in Thurii made me sick! Tell them that Syracuse respects Daonian law. Since that man committed crimes in Thurii, we support him being punished under Daonian law!"

Philistos sighed inwardly, walked out of the great hall, and thought of Antistanos, with whom he had shared pleasant conversations the night before due to their common interests. A wave of guilt washed over him. He looked up at the distant sea and silently apologized in his heart: Antistanos, I'm sorry. This is all for Syracuse...

While Antistanos was negotiating with Philistos, in Thurii, Davos received Seclian in his study at home.

"Lord Magistrate!" Seclian gave a solemn military salute the moment he entered.

"Seclian, our hero! I've told you many times—this isn't a training ground, no need to be so formal." Davos studied the young naval commander. A few years of experience had added a measure of steadiness to his bold face. Davos nodded approvingly and smiled as he gestured. "Sit down, sit down! Let's talk business."

Seclian sat upright, facing Davos.

"Now that Eanilus has been sentenced, has it affected the sailors in the navy?" Davos got straight to the point without further pleasantries.

"Not really," Seclian answered immediately. "The soldiers learned of Eanilus's crimes through the public trial. Besides, Eanilus rarely participated in training and seldom led the men personally, so everyone has been training as usual without any issues. However, we do have one concern: will the three new triremes planned for this year still be launched on schedule?"

"There's no need to worry about that. Eanilus's crimes do not involve his family or his shipyard. The Senate has already sent people to reassure them, and they have given their assurances. The Senate's plan for the navy—five triremes launched each year—will not change. In fact, it will only increase, not decrease!" Davos promised him.

"That's excellent!" Seclian exclaimed excitedly. "The Senate made the right decision! Even though we now have thirty triremes, to protect both the eastern and western coasts properly, we should at least double the fleet to be safe."

Davos nodded, stroking his chin, and began to think.

Seclian thought his suggestion might have put his esteemed magistrate in a difficult position and felt a little nervous.

Then Davos spoke: "If we include the warships of allied Daonian city-states like Metapontum, Heraclea, and Rhegium, plus those of the South Italy Alliance such as Croton and Scylletium, how would you assess the strength of our navy?"