Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 64: Alexis Avoids Battle

“But——” Seclian rubbed his nose. “Since you’re about to take the First Army Corps, which has been training with us in the ‘new tactics’ for several months, I’ll need to drill those tactics again with the newly formed legion soldiers. But that won’t take much time. I believe I can soon lead this brand-new fleet south to force a decisive battle with the Syracusan navy. I’m sure the Syracusan navy will be in for a big surprise!”

Seclian spoke with high spirits, evidently full of confidence in the new tactics.

Davos shook his head inwardly and warned him earnestly, “Seclian, even if you defeat the Syracusan fleet somewhere in the Ionian Sea, our warships will inevitably suffer damage. Soldiers who fall into the water need rescue, damaged ships need emergency repairs, and captured vessels need to be towed back… You’ll have so much aftermath to deal with. But you must understand that Syracuse doesn’t have just one fleet. What if——” Davos emphasized his tone, “What if an enemy reinforcement appears while you’re busy?!”

Seeing Seclian eager to explain, Davos raised a hand to stop him and continued, “Even if enemy reinforcements don’t show up, handling all that aftermath is no easy task. And we have only this one fleet. I want it to grow stronger with each battle, not weaker. So I suggest you arrange the first naval battle at…”

After listening to Davos’s detailed plan, Seclian was convinced. “I understand, sir! I will carry out your plan! … However, there’s one thing I need your help with now, or else it will affect the navy’s preparations.”

“What is it?”

“With the arrival of warships from the other allied states, our dry docks are no longer enough.”

That was a problem! Davos thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll have Lord Kynogoratas accelerate the construction of more dry docks along both banks of the Crati River, from Thurii to the river mouth, and establish a naval base to meet your needs.”

…

The Daonian Third Army Corps arrived at the Pinio Valley. The Pinio River is a tributary of the Basento River, the largest river flowing through the city of Potentia. Though it was only a small stream, it was sufficient to meet the water needs of an entire army corps. The valley had soft soil, lush grass, and steep, unclimbable mountains on both sides—an excellent place to set up camp. So Alexis chose the open area at the mouth of the valley to build the camp.

The entire army unloaded their gear and had just begun digging the ditch when the reconnaissance captain Krigorus rushed over to report: “Legion Commander, our scouts have spotted Samnites heading this way about five li to the north. There are around 20,000 of them!”

Twenty thousand! Alexis’s heart clenched. The Samnites had come so quickly and in such numbers, far exceeding his expectations. This showed how fierce the Samnites were and how strong their desire for revenge.

Alexis looked regretfully at the unfinished ditch before him. If he had only two or three more hours, the Third Army Corps could have built a crude camp, giving them a fighting chance against the attacking Samnites!

“Retreat!” he ordered decisively.

What?! The herald thought he had misheard.

“Retreat immediately!” Alexis shouted again.

After the bugle sounded, Litoru arrived after a while.

“Legion Commander, we just reached the campsite and now we’re retreating?! Surely the trumpeter didn’t mistake the command?!” Litoru’s tone carried a note of accusation.

“He didn’t sound the wrong call. Over twenty thousand Samnite warriors are charging at us. We cannot fight a pitched battle with twice our numbers when the camp isn’t built and the men are exhausted. We must retreat first and then look for an opportunity to fight.” Alexis explained a few more sentences out of respect for the first battalion commander.

“Retreating without even engaging will damage morale! The soldiers and the Daonian people will think we are cowards! We’ll never be able to hold our heads up in front of other corps soldiers!” Litoru retorted rebelliously. “And I think even if it’s 9,000 against 20,000, our corps can withstand their attack and defeat them!”

“Lord Davos once said the Samnites are extremely fierce. Even if we could defeat them, if the Third Army Corps gets crippled, do you think we’ll be able to take part in battles later?! More importantly, that would disrupt Lord Davos’s subsequent plans!” Alexis suppressed his anger and explained again.

“I think what Lord Davos really wants is for us to beat back the enemy here and build the camp!” Litoru argued back without backing down.

“Carry out the order!” Alexis decided to stop arguing. The Daonian Military Code emphasized military discipline: during war, subordinates must absolutely obey their superiors.

Litoru glared furiously at Alexis, but in the end he chose to obey. This showed that Litoru had already risen above the level of a tribal warrior and become a qualified Daonian general.

He forced a military salute, and as he turned back, he deliberately said loudly in a sulky tone, “If Lord Hieronymus were still the legion commander, he would never retreat!”

Alexis pretended not to hear his petulant remark. He now had to think carefully about how to retreat safely.

The city of Potentia was built on the upper reaches of the Basento River. The ground there was relatively flat but at a higher elevation, almost like a small plateau. The city itself was constructed on a large, gently sloping hillside.

The Potentians had spent decades building a large city out of stone. Now Puamot and the tribal leaders stood on the walls every day, anxiously observing the movements of the Samnites outside the city.

“Great Chief, look! The Samnite army is heading south!” Sasidat pointed into the distance where the dust and noise of the Samnites were thick.

Puamot’s heart stirred, and he shouted excitedly, “People, the Daonian reinforcements must have arrived!”

This statement immediately made the leaders and warriors excited: the powerful Daonians had come to save them!

This good news relieved much of the worry they had been feeling over the past few days.

“Should we send out troops to meet them?” a leader said excitedly.

“No!” Puamot refused without hesitation. He said cautiously, “The only thing we can do now is to hold this city with all our might and wait for the Daonian reinforcements to arrive!”

The Samnites reached the Pinio Valley only to see a half-finished circular ditch several li long.

“The Daonians are as timid as rabbits! They ran away!” Legkuk panted heavily, driving his spear into the ground with a regretful expression.

“Father, most of the Daonians are heavy infantry. They can’t have fled far. We should take this chance to chase them down and rout them!” Gerni, burning with vengeance, said urgently to the Hirpini great chief.

Veroni was certainly not willing to have come all this way for nothing. He immediately ordered the army to continue the pursuit.

But the reckless Samnites soon fell into an ambush by the Third Army Corps’ light infantry battalion. After suffering several hundred casualties, they still couldn’t catch the lighter-equipped Lucanian skirmishers, who were equally adept at climbing mountains. Even though furious, Veroni had to become cautious.

Thus, the Third Army Corps finally shook off the Samnite pursuit and entered a military camp at the border between Grumentum and Potentia by evening.

Having set out from Grumentum the day before, only shown their faces briefly in the Potentia region, and then been forced back to Grumentum today, both Alexis and the soldiers of the Third Army Corps felt rather downcast.

Poseidonia, a coastal city not far north of Elea (not the Aegean Sea’s Poseidonia), was a colony founded by the Sybarites. It was once a Greek city-state in Italy famous for its roses and three temples of goddesses (two Temples of Hera and one Temple of Athena). But a hundred years ago, the southward migration of the Lucanians caused this Greek city-state to fall after years of sustained attacks, becoming a town within the Potentian tribal coalition.

For decades, Poseidonia had not suffered any invasion. Elea to the south could barely defend itself, let alone attack others. The Samnites to the north preferred the mountains and would rather attack the stronger, better-defended city of Potentia than come wandering to the coast. So when the Lucanians of Poseidonia learned that the Samnites had launched a major attack on Potentia, they didn’t show much concern for the city’s safety. They made only light preparations and spent more energy discussing how many warriors to send to reinforce Potentia.

But today, the sentry on the tower sounded the alarm.

When the leaders and warriors scrambled onto the walls, they were stunned: the Samnites outside the city were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see. There was no telling how many there were…

Torlec, the Pentri great chief, stood before the formation, gazing at the small city ahead. He watched and listened to the panic and shouting of the Lucanians on the walls, but he paid it little attention. Instead, he turned to his subordinates and said, “Bring up those things the Syracusans sent us… what are they called?”

“Great Chief, they are called ballistae.” A nearby leader reminded him.

“I know that, I don’t need you to tell me.” Torlec glared and said, “Bring up the bal… ballistae. Let’s see how powerful these things are!”

Six ballistae were placed before the formation, operated by Syracusans.

Lead balls the size of fists smashed into the walls of Poseidonia, sending stone chips flying everywhere, adding to the panic of the Lucanians…