Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 37: Its Name Is Raven

After the Battle of Coronea, Agesilaus defeated the Argives, while the Thebans defeated the Phocians. In the center, Xenophon led the mercenaries to attack the Athenian army fiercely. When the situation turned unfavorable for the anti-Spartan coalition, they voluntarily chose to retreat. Agesilaus’s forces, having suffered heavy casualties, were unable to pursue. The coalition successfully returned to camp and continued to hold Coronea. Although Agesilaus had won, he could not pass through Coronea. As enemy reinforcements continued to arrive, the anti-Spartan coalition grew stronger. Agesilaus realized that he could not stay here long, so he had to abandon his plan to attack Theban territory and was forced to lead his army westward, eventually reaching Delphi, crossing the Gulf of Corinth, and joining the Spartan forces still fighting in Corinth.

…

Seclian, now the commander of the Daonian navy, came again to Davos’s residence. His respectful attitude toward Davos was still as before. This time Davos had summoned him not only to congratulate him on his promotion but also to discuss something more important: “Seclian, I have been thinking carefully these past two days about the strategy you mentioned earlier for dealing with the Syracusan navy. I think while there is a chance of victory, the risk is too great. Instead, I have an idea that might greatly increase the Daonian navy’s chances of victory.”

“Sir, what idea?” Seclian asked eagerly. His eagerness was not feigned. If anyone else had said this, he would have thought it fanciful, but coming from Davos, whom the soldiers called the “miracle maker,” he had to take it seriously.

“Take a look at this.” Davos handed Seclian a parchment scroll. Seclian quickly unrolled it and saw a drawing of a trireme, but with something unusual: next to the mast at the bow was a wooden plank almost as long as the mast, with low railings on both sides, and at the top of the plank, beneath it, a downward-pointing spike. There was also an explanatory diagram of this device, resembling a small wooden bridge, about 12 meters long and 1.2 meters wide, with a large iron spike at the tip, and holes at the top through which ropes passed, tied to the mast.

Seeing Seclian’s puzzled expression, Davos first asked, “Seclian, tell me honestly, how big is the gap between our sailors’ ship-handling skills and those of Syracuse?”

Seclian hesitated, then said, “The Syracusan navy has fought many battles against the Carthaginians. They have more practical experience, and naturally their maneuvering skills are superior… but we are training hard, and the morale of our brothers is very high…”

“But—our sailors are still newcomers who have never been to battle, including yourself,” Davos pointed out bluntly.

Seclian blushed and wanted to argue. Davos waved his hand to silence him: “The navy is different from the infantry. If a land battle is lost, as long as the city-state still has enough citizens, a new army can be raised at any time. But in a sea battle, often a dozen or dozens of ships sink to the bottom, and thousands of sailors die or become prisoners. Once defeated, it’s hard to recover quickly because building a trireme takes at least half a year, not to mention the huge resources and money. And during that time, Syracusan warships could ravage any coast or port of Daonia, laying waste to our lands, stopping trade… So the Daonian Alliance, weaker than the Syracusan navy, cannot afford to give your fleet time to gain experience. Our navy cannot lose even once!”

Davos’s words put immense pressure on Seclian. He clenched his fists on his thighs and shouted in his heart: How is that possible?! Even powerful naval states like Athens and Syracuse have suffered crushing defeats… Then his eyes swept over the drawing on the table, and his heart stirred: Could the secret to our naval victory lie here?

“Seclian, since our fleet is inferior to Syracuse in both experience and technique, why must we compete with them in the traditional ramming tactics? On the contrary, we have the best heavy infantry among Greek city-states, with top-notch individual combat skills and teamwork. Why not bring land warfare to the sea, play to our strengths, avoid our weaknesses, and seize the initiative in battle?”

Davos’s statement “fighting a sea battle like a land battle” struck Seclian like a lightning bolt. He snatched up the drawing: “This wooden bridge… this wooden bridge…”

Davos smiled and took over: “This wooden bridge, I asked Matikoris about it. He can design pulleys on the warship to easily lift the bridge. Also, a circular track can be built around the mast base, using pulleys to pivot the bridge around the mast. When an enemy ship approaches from the front or sides, we can seize the moment to lower the bridge. The iron spike at the tip, using the force of the drop, will pierce the enemy ship’s deck, locking it in place. And then—”

“Then the heavy infantry on board can cross the bridge and board the enemy ship, engaging in close combat!” Seclian, who had been rapidly mentally simulating this novel sea battle while listening to Davos’s explanation, trembled with excitement: “Sir, this is a genius idea! Turning sea warfare into land warfare, leveraging our army’s strengths, not only can we strike the enemy, but we can also capture enemies and enemy ships, rapidly expanding our naval power!”

Had he been a traditional naval commander, he might have found it hard to accept such an innovation. But Seclian was young and newly appointed, his mind full of how to defeat the enemy, and he quickly embraced the new combat method, saving Davos a lot of explanation.

Davos smiled and asked, “Do you think this plan is feasible?”

“Completely feasible!” Seclian stared at the drawing: “But during fleet sailing, this bridge will affect the ship’s speed, and in a storm it might increase the risk of capsizing. I think if possible… it can be dismantled and stowed on deck, then reassembled before battle. Also, during battle, this bridge will affect the ship’s maneuverability… oh, I forgot, that doesn’t matter. With the bridge, our fleet’s combat method is no longer ramming but boarding. So how many infantry should be on each ship?”

Seclian bent over the table, staring at the drawing, muttering to himself and thinking hard. Davos watched him, feeling both gratified and amused, and patted him, saying, “Think about how to use this new device when you get back. I suggest you first find an engineer to install the bridge on one ship. If you encounter problems, you can go to Matikoris, head of the Mathematics Academy, to help solve them. But be respectful to him. After installation, practice new tactics with the sailors. If you need heavy infantry cooperation, go to Military Affairs Officer Philistos, who will arrange it… until you thoroughly understand and master these new tactics. Then, with my approval, it can be rolled out to the entire fleet. Be especially careful about secrecy! Remember, before engaging the enemy, they must not know our new tactics!”

“Understood!” Seclian nodded emphatically, carefully placed the drawing in his bosom, and could not wait to take his leave. Suddenly, he stopped: “Sir, this bridge device… have you named it?”

“Corvus! Its name is Corvus!” Davos revealed a mysterious smile.

That day, in the Gulf of Taranto, among the thousands of ships sailing toward and away from the port of Thurii, there was an ordinary passenger ship. On board, a fifty-year-old man looked at the distant land and sighed with emotion: “Thurii, I have finally returned…”

“Lysias, my teacher, to accomplish the Council’s important mission this time, I had to drag you to Thurii against your will. I have always felt guilty…” A middle-aged man walked up to him and apologized in a hoarse voice.

Lysias said emotionally, “Isocrates, you need not apologize. I have said many times, I came willingly, and even volunteered to be the envoy to Thurii. I love Athens and am willing to do something for it. Thurii is where I grew up, and my respected teacher Tisias lies forever here. I should have come to pay my respects long ago!” (Note: Lysias, most domestic translations use 'Lysias', but to distinguish from the Croton general Lysias, this article uses the name 'Lysias'.)

Isocrates had never truly been a student of Lysias, but he had studied Lysias’s courtroom speeches, so calling him “teacher” was not inappropriate. He too looked into the distance and lamented, “Yes, Thurii was a pan-Hellenic city founded under the leadership of Pericles, costing Athens so much material and money! How many Athenians devoted their efforts to its establishment! And now it has become just one city in an alliance. Remember, Thurii was a subordinate state of Athens. We should have condemned Daonia’s actions and protected Thurii’s interests… Yet now we come to ask for help from the Daonian Alliance that has violated our interests. Alas, Athens! The Peloponnesian War cost us so much…”

“Isocrates, you must understand that the Thurii we knew was burned down by Croton! The current Thurii was rebuilt by the Daonian Alliance…” Lysias reminded him with a hint of sadness.