Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 51: A Rage That Raises the Hair

Masias?! Davos remembered Antistanos telling him, "Masias was the leader of the Campanian mercenaries and later became an important general under Dionysius."

"Do you have evidence?" Davos pressed further.

"No, he came to Thurii empty-handed. The inn where he stayed and that dagger were prepared by someone named Orolas, but he only knows the name—doesn't know what Orolas looks like or what he does..." Matonis said seriously. "Right now I've sent men to the inn where he was staying, hoping to get some information about Orolas."

After hearing this, Davos asked, "And the woman?"

"So far no one at the patrol office has come forward claiming to recognize her..." Matonis sounded somewhat dejected.

"Matonis, it's only been a short while since the assassination attempt, and you've already made great progress!" Davos comforted him, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Whether she's from Thurii or another city, since she could attend the celebration, she must have left a trail. And the dagger she used is very similar in style to the one the man had—both coated with poison. She's definitely connected to Syracuse!"

Davos let out a cold laugh and ordered, "Matonis, go find Aristelas immediately. He will help you uncover the truth as quickly as possible."

"Yes, my lord." Matonis turned and left.

Only then did Kynogoratas speak, his tone worried and probing: "Lord Davos, are you planning to declare war on Syracuse? Although that assassin claimed Syracuse ordered him to do it, it hasn't been confirmed, and—"

Davos, who usually treated him with great respect, bluntly cut off the old man's words: "Let me ask you, Lord Kynogoratas, if they had truly succeeded in assassinating me this time, what would happen to Daonia?"

Kynogoratas was taken aback. After a moment's thought, he had to answer honestly: "There would be... turmoil..." Not just turmoil—civil war might break out soon. The three major ethnic groups within the alliance—Greeks, Lucanians, and Bruttians—would inevitably clash; the several legion commanders had equal seniority and prestige, with none able to overawe all the legions, while the civil officials held the advantage in the Senate. If this continued... The more Kynogoratas thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

"And what would happen to our South Italy Alliance?" Davos watched his expression, guiding him to think further. The South Italy Alliance was a league of Magna Graecia city-states led by Daonia. Daonia, with its strength far exceeding the other cities, was the pillar that held the alliance together. Once Daonia's internal turmoil weakened it, Croton and Rhegium would likely jump out to vie for power. With both sides roughly equal in strength, in the end, neither would submit to the other, rendering the South Italy Alliance a hollow shell. Moreover, Croton might even retaliate against Scylletium and Trina, which had once betrayed it. Or Croton might declare war on Daonia to exact revenge, causing the South Italy Alliance to completely collapse...

"We all know that Syracuse signed a peace agreement with Carthage, yet it hasn't disbanded its mercenary forces. Instead, it's been buying up grain and building ships on a large scale... Why? Could it be to help Sparta defeat the Theban Alliance?"

Davos's question struck at Kynogoratas's heart. Indeed, Dionysius had long harbored ambitions for Magna Graecia. If the Daonia Alliance fell into turmoil and the South Italy Alliance became a fractious mess, Syracuse—with its vastly superior strength to any single city-state or league in Magna Graecia—could easily achieve its goals...

Davos watched the old man before him. Tiny beads of sweat quietly oozed from beneath his graying temples. As a Daonian senator and the Chief Magistrate of Thurii for three consecutive terms, Kynogoratas had contributed greatly to Thurii's prosperity. Unfortunately, his greatest flaw was his fear of war.

"Lord Kynogoratas, you know me well. I won't rashly start a war with Syracuse without adequate preparation. But it's time we took action. Otherwise, allowing Syracuse—that wolf—to lurk around Daonia, coveting our land and disrupting our alliance's order at will, would be a terrifying thing!"

After hearing this sincere speech from Davos, Kynogoratas pondered for a long while and finally changed his mind. "Lord Davos, what do you need me to do?"

Davos's face lit up with joy. "At the upcoming emergency Senate meeting, I hope you will support my proposal to 'mobilize Daonian citizens in preparation for war with Syracuse.'"

Just "preparation"? Kynogoratas could hardly believe his ears. Given Davos's aggressive demeanor just now, he had thought war with Syracuse was imminent.

"Of course, that's not all. We also need to support Rhegium in establishing a colony on the island of Sicily..." Davos looked at Kynogoratas and said slowly, emphasizing each word: "I also need you to tell the other senators in the assembly the 'truth' about the assassination investigation—namely that the assassin was a Locrian, dispatched at Syracuse's request!"

Kynogoratas's eyes widened in astonishment. "Lord Davos, you mean to—"

"That's right—I'm redirecting our attack toward Locri!" Davos's expression turned slightly fierce, his words resolute. "Dionysius allied with Locri to make it a springboard for Syracuse's invasion of Magna Graecia, and Locri's existence prevents us in Magna Graecia from fully uniting into one entity. Now is the perfect opportunity to declare war on Locri. If Syracuse comes to its rescue, on the soil of Magna Graecia, against the combined army of our South Italy Alliance, I believe our chances of victory are high! If Syracuse doesn't come, we'll simply conquer this city that has betrayed Magna Graecia."

Although he had already accepted in his heart that war between Daonia and Syracuse was inevitable, Kynogoratas was far more willing to deal with Locri first than face the powerful Syracuse. When the Daonia City-State League was first founded, Locri had been a strong city in their eyes, in all of Magna Graecia—but in the eyes of Daonians now, it was no longer worth mentioning. Moreover, that Davos could devise such a strategy showed he hadn't been blinded by rage. So Kynogoratas began to actively offer advice: "It just so happens that for this celebration, the generals and council members of the South Italy Alliance's city-states have all been invited. Lord Atillikrus of Rhegium, Lord Lysias of Croton, Lord Sipros of Trina, Lord Pretinis of Scylletium, Lord Phrynires of Caulonia... are all in Thurii. They must have heard about today's shocking event. We can hold the meeting of the South Italy Alliance—which should have been in Scylletium—right here in Thurii. I believe we can reach an agreement easily!"

"I believe they're waiting for the Senate to send someone to contact them, so our Senate meeting must conclude quickly," Davos reminded him.

"I understand." Kynogoratas nodded. As he left Davos's residence, his steps were somewhat heavy, for he knew that after today, the Daonia Alliance, which had been at peace for over three years, might once again open the gates of war.

...

At the Daonia Senate meeting, the senators were more concerned about Davos's safety. In particular, the former mercenary senators, the Lucanian senators, the Amendolara senators, and some Bruttian senators all expressed their concern.

Thus, when Kynogoratas disclosed the "truth" to everyone, the senators were enraged, and Davos's proposal to "declare war on Locri" was easily passed.

Although some war hawks like Amyntas were disappointed that Davos didn't directly declare war on the real culprit—Syracuse—others like Cornelius and Antistanos, despite wondering why Syracuse hadn't stepped up and had instead pushed Locri to the front, still felt a temporary relief.

The Senate ultimately decided to send envoys to Locri with harsh demands to demand an accounting.

Back home, Davos had no time to rest. He immediately sent for his father-in-law, Atillikrus.

"Seeing that you're safe, I can finally rest easy!" Atillikrus said cheerfully the moment he saw him, warming Davos's heart.

Then Atillikrus exclaimed loudly, "Syracuse! It must have been Syracuse that sent the assassins, right! I told you long ago—"

Davos interrupted him and said decisively, "The Daonia Senate has decided to fully support Rhegium in establishing a colony on the island of Sicily. But I also hope you will keep your earlier promise and place Rhegium's fleet under Daonia's unified command."

"Now that's good news. But if I hand over the fleet, can Daonia guarantee the safety of Rhegium's coastline and trade routes?" Atillikrus became reluctant again.

"I don't think the Syracusans will have time to bully Rhegium anymore, because Daonia will send envoys to question Locri: 'Why did you send an assassin to kill me?'" Davos's words were shocking.

Atillikrus looked stunned. "How... how could it be Locri?"

"Because Daonia and the South Italy Alliance need to wage war against Locri!" Davos declared firmly.

Atillikrus was still shocked, but he had already grasped Davos's intention. Trembling, he gripped the armrest of his wooden chair and slowly sat down. "You... you mean to... no! You want to lure the Syracusans into Magna Graecia..."

"Yes. By concentrating the forces of our South Italy city-states on the soil of Magna Graecia to fight the Syracusans, I believe our chances of victory are greater! Father, I need Rhegium's full support to convince the other city-states at the South Italy Alliance meeting." Davos rarely used the word "father," showing just how much he valued this plan.