Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 66: Syracuse Gathers Strength

Davos flipped onto his horse, pressed down on the slightly restless warhorse, and said with full confidence, “Gentlemen, wait for news of my victory!”

With that, he turned the horse’s head, squeezed hard with both legs, and the restless steed carried him off, racing north along the column of men. Cheers and hopeful shouts rose from the people all along the way: “Lord Davos, please bring them home safely!”

“May Hades bless you with an easy victory!”

…

There were two routes from Thurii to Potentia. One crossed the wooden bridge over the Crati River, headed west to Besidia, then to Cosentia, turned north to Vergae, then to Laüs, sailed by ship to Pyxous, and finally reached Potentia—or from Laüs took the land route through Nerulum, Grumentum, and finally to Potentia. The second route went west from Thurii, traversed the Thurii-Udine Road, reached Nerulum, then headed north to Potentia.

Because of the completed Thurii-Udine Road, a large army could get from Thurii to Nerulum in as little as three days. For Davos, who deeply understood the principle of speed in war, he naturally chose the latter route.

On the second day of entering the western mountain region, Davos received an urgent dispatch from Grumentum: the Samnites had taken the city of Poseidonia.

Davos fell into thought. Soon he summoned the two legion commanders, Antonios and Amyntas, to discuss the matter. They eventually altered the original plan, and Davos sent a messenger racing back to notify Grumentum and Pyxous to prepare immediately.

Three days later, Davos led his army to the Lao River Fortress. There he unexpectedly met Henipolis.

“Heni, what are you doing here?!” Davos asked in slight surprise.

“It’s been a long time since I saw you, my lord! When I heard you were leading an army to Potentia, I came specially to greet you.” Henipolis smiled happily as he offered his greetings.

Davos looked at Henipolis, who was not much younger than himself, and felt a touch of warmth, but he still asked cautiously, “How is the situation in Laüs now?”

“Very stable!” Henipolis blurted out. Seeing the doubt on Davos’s face, he added, “Really, it’s much better! Ever since Teacher Antistanos advised me, I now consult my uncle on matters, and my uncle is willing to enforce some of the laws I’ve issued…”

“That’s good.” Davos nodded and did not press further. After all, Henipolis was now the ruler of his own city-state, and Davos had no desire to interfere in Laüs’s internal affairs. He looked at Henipolis gravely and said, “But your timing is perfect—I was about to look for you. I’ve just heard that the Samnites have occupied Poseidonia.”

“I’ve heard that too.” Henipolis was a bit puzzled. “What effect does that have on Laüs?”

Davos spoke bluntly, “I plan to have the army board ships at Laüs harbor and sail to Pyxous. I calculate that for a passenger ship with a capacity of fifty men, I would need at least four hundred ships to transport this force—and that’s not counting the cavalry and the baggage camp… Heni, do you think Laüs can provide that many ships?” Davos looked at Henipolis with concern.

“No problem at all!” Henipolis said cheerfully. “Laüs can conscript merchant ships to transport your troops… but I have one small request.” As he said this, a crafty grin appeared on his face.

“What request?” Davos had no time for jokes and asked directly.

“As a member of the Daonia Alliance, Laüs is obliged by treaty to send troops to campaign alongside Daonia. I want to lead the Laüs army myself and go with you to Potentia!” Henipolis looked at Davos expectantly. After the initial novelty of being a city-state magistrate had worn off, he had grown rather tired of dealing with so many affairs and so much opposition every day. He wanted to get out for a change, and Davos’s arrival offered him a perfect opportunity.

“Agreed.” Davos thought for a moment and then gave his consent. As an ally of Daonia, Laüs had the duty to send troops, and having Henipolis lead them would also add a bit of prestige to this young new magistrate.

Just as Davos changed his marching route and turned toward Laüs, the Syracusan harbor was already filled with over a thousand ships, and thousands more lay outside the harbor. It was as if all the passenger vessels and merchant ships from the Sicilian city-states under Syracuse’s control had been gathered together on the sea off Syracuse, turning the Great Harbor—the naturally formed circular bay outside the Syracusan port—into a land of planks. Tens of thousands of people were bustling about in the harbor and the city, busy with preparations for the army’s great overseas expedition…

Phoebidas, who had come from Sparta, stared at the magnificent spectacle, completely dumbfounded.

Dionysius glanced at him, pointed at the dense crowds of troops waiting to board the ships gathered in the harbor, and said with emotion, “Decades ago, the Athenians sent over forty thousand soldiers to Sicily, trying to conquer Syracuse. We Syracusans did not yield then, but we were terrified every day, thinking disaster was about to befall us… But today—” Dionysius thrust his fist forward with force, his tone swelling with pride and boldness: “If the Athenians dared to come again, I would need only half my army to make sure they never went back!”

Phoebidas, still unyielding, retorted, “Dionysius, need I say more? The very reason you are sending out such a massive army is precisely because of your enemy—the Daonians!”

Dionysius twitched the corner of his mouth a few times, then burst into laughter. “The Daonians are probably racking their brains right now over how to defeat the Samnites… Phoebidas, the reason I am mobilizing a powerful army of nearly eighty thousand men is mainly to deal with the South Italian Coalition. True, none of these Greek city-states of Magna Graecia is very strong on its own, but together they are a bit troublesome. Besides, after defeating those city-states, we’ll need to station some troops inside their walls to make them submit, don’t you think?”

Hearing Dionysius’s complacent laughter, Phoebidas found it grating.

He recalled that the last time he came to Syracuse, Dionysius had not been so arrogant, and had shown some respect to him as the envoy of Sparta. But now Sparta was mired in the quagmire of war, while Syracuse’s power had swelled. Sparta’s need for Syracuse was far greater than Syracuse’s need for Sparta. Times had changed… Phoebidas suppressed his resentment and said nothing more.

Dionysius, for his part, knew when to stop. He no longer provoked this young and hot-tempered Spartan general, since he still needed him in the fight against Daonia.

The two fell into silence, both gazing down at the harbor from the watchtower.

After a while, the naval commander Leptines climbed the watchtower built at the western end of Ortygia. He said respectfully to Dionysius, who had been feeling a bit impatient, “Brother, the soldiers have all boarded the ships. They are waiting for you to come down and give the order, so that you can lead them to Magna Graecia.”

“Understood.” Dionysius nodded, then said to Phoebidas, “We should go down too. Don’t keep the army waiting.”

With that, he turned and descended the tower, and Phoebidas followed.

An ornate chariot pulled by four horses was waiting at the bottom of the tower. Dionysius stepped straight onto it, without inviting Phoebidas to ride with him.

Guards led a warhorse over, and Phoebidas and Leptines mounted up in turn.

“Move out,” Dionysius ordered. The hundred cavalry in front rode ahead; the charioteer shook the reins, the horses neighed, and began pulling the chariot forward.

The hundred cavalry behind followed the chariot, with Dionysius tightly surrounded in the middle. The entire procession passed through the high wall that separated Ortygia from Syracuse proper, drove through the city center, where many citizens had already gathered on both sides of the streets.

As the cavalry passed, they cheered. Dionysius kept waving from the chariot in response, which left Phoebidas, riding alongside at the chariot’s rear flank, confused. Hadn’t they said that the Syracusans hated Dionysius’s autocratic rule? Why did it look like Dionysius was still beloved by the people?

In truth, the Syracusans’ feelings toward Dionysius were complex. On one hand, they resented his oppressive rule and his harsh exactions. On the other, they enjoyed the security, strength, glory, and pride that Dionysius brought them. Conquering Magna Graecia would inevitably send a flood of wealth and land back to Syracuse—exactly what the common people craved.

At that moment, Dionysius stood on the chariot, reveling in the sensation of waving to the crowd. It had been seven or eight years since he had held a public assembly, for fear of assassination or uprising. He even thought to himself: I’ve heard the Daonians have a victory ceremony called a “triumph” that grants returning generals immense glory. After conquering Magna Graecia this time, I will hold my own triumph in Syracuse!

The procession entered the harbor, where officials were already waiting before the docks.

“Lord Dionysius!”

“Lord General!”

“Plenipotentiary General!”

Everyone bowed and paid their respects.

Dionysius, clad in golden armor, stepped down from the chariot and waved farewell to them all.

Finally, he came to Philistos, gripping his hands firmly. “Phili, after I leave, Syracuse is entrusted to you!”

“My lord, rest assured! I will do my utmost to ensure Syracuse’s safety until you return victorious!” Philistos said solemnly. “Once Masias has finished destroying the city the Rhegians built on the Mylae Peninsula, tell him to return with his army at once and garrison Syracuse!”