Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 69: A Choice

Kynogoratas stood on the steps before the Senate, looking back at everything before him. The harmony and stability of the square stirred painful memories within him, and his expression gradually hardened. "The Daonia Alliance did not come this far easily. We absolutely cannot allow the Syracusans to destroy it!"

Cornelius, who also bore painful memories, had lost his usual gentleness. "Even if we have to give up all our gold and silver, we must win this war! Only then can the people of Daonia have a future!"

...

Seclian had been incredibly busy these past few days. On one hand, he had to reorganize the motley fleet that had just gathered in Thurii from various allied cities, establish the subordination of each squadron, arrange lodging and food for the sailors, and handle numerous tasks like maintaining the warships and installing the "Corvus." On the other hand, he also had to participate in and guide the construction of the dry docks, the building of the naval harbor, and the establishment of a cordon to prevent anyone from approaching and watching the naval drills, lest secrets be leaked...

The stretch from the harbor to the Temple of Hera had become a massive construction site. Thousands of Daonian citizens were energetically building and expanding the naval base. With assistance from the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Thurii City Hall, Seclian's burden was somewhat lightened, but what worried him most was that the two new army corps had not yet been formed, making it impossible for him to practice his new tactics.

So when news arrived that "the great Syracusan army has landed at Locri, and the Syracusan fleet of nearly five hundred warships is arrayed off the northern coast of Locri to protect the Syracusan troop transports," not only did it align with Davos's earlier warnings and plans, but Seclian himself felt no desire to go into battle.

At the South Italy Alliance headquarters in Scylletium, the representatives of the various city-states, led by Antistanos, set aside unnecessary quarrels in the face of the approaching crisis and quickly reached an agreement: each city-state in the South Italy Alliance would do its utmost to dispatch as many troops as possible to form a joint army. The temporary command of this joint army was given to Philistos. Had Davos been leading the expedition, the command would naturally have fallen to him, but since he was absent, the representatives all agreed that Philistos's prestige was insufficient to command the full respect of the other city-states' generals, so he would serve only provisionally. For any important decisions, Philistos would have to consult and decide collectively with the generals of the other city-states. Additionally, the joint army could freely march, station, and camp anywhere within the territory of any South Italy Alliance city-state. Military grain supplies would be provided proportionally according to each city-state's strength. Naturally, Daonia would contribute the most, followed by Croton and Rhegium. Fortunately, it was only late October, the autumn harvest had just ended, and all city-states had ample surplus grain. The special grain reserve granaries established in the Daonia Alliance a few years ago were also fully stocked, so there was no immediate fear of shortages.

Once the agreement was reached, the representatives immediately returned to their respective city-states to urge the dispatch of troops. Only two did not leave.

Antistanos remained because Daonia had a pre-arranged plan in place before Davos's departure. He only needed to wait in Scylletium for the arrival of the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps.

The other person was Eulipatos, the envoy from Caulonia. Since Caulonia was already the frontline of the battlefield, the entire city-state had begun a war mobilization to prepare for defense against Syracusan attacks. As an envoy, he bore great responsibility and had to stay here to urge the other city-states' reinforcements to hurry to Caulonia.

"Lord Antistanos, are you sure the Daonian army has already set out?!" he asked again, urgently.

"When I left the city of Asperustum to come here, our Fourth Army Corps was already gathering its soldiers in the square. Based on my understanding of our alliance's army, they should be on the road by now."

"That's good! That's good!" Eulipatos said, but he couldn't sit still, as if his backside were covered in sores. He then asked, "And... and has your Fifth Army Corps also set out?!"

"The commander of the Daonian Fifth Army Corps has no other hobbies; his only joy is battle. As soon as he receives the order, he will surely call up the troops and depart immediately. I even think the Fifth Army Corps might have set out even earlier than the Fourth." Antistanos said seriously.

Eulipatos calmed down a bit.

Antistanos noticed that he kept lightly stamping his feet and tapping the wooden table with his right hand, looking anxious. So he couldn't help reminding him again: "I suggest you go nearby to the Scylletium City Hall and urge them to mobilize the citizens quickly."

Scylletium? Eulipatos was a bit puzzled: According to the agreement, their troops were not going to Caulonia.

Antistanos explained earnestly: "Although Scylletium, Trina, and Croton are responsible for defending the northern bank of the Lamato River, if the Syracusans manage to cross the Lamato River and circle around to the north of Caulonia, then our South Italy Alliance's plan to block the Syracusans within the territory of Locri and its allies will fail!"

Eulipatos suddenly realized this and immediately stood up. "You're right. I'll go find Lord Pretinis right away."

That day, in Locri, Dionysius encountered difficulties.

He had originally planned for the entire fleet to sail north from Syracuse early in the morning, reach Locri within a day, and complete the landing as quickly as possible. So he had specifically asked his most experienced sailors to choose a day when the Daonian main force was on an expedition to Potentia, and when the sea was calm.

The massive fleet did indeed reach Locri smoothly. But then, during the process of entering the harbor, they ran into major trouble.

Locri did not have a natural harbor like Syracuse, which could easily accommodate thousands of ships as a temporary anchorage. Locri's harbor was also far smaller than Syracuse's; its maximum capacity was about five or six hundred ships at a time. Moreover, as a single city-state, Locri's manpower was limited. It had never handled the entire landing procedure—docking, unloading, transporting, departing, rotating, and so on—for tens of thousands of ships. This required abundant labor, orderly organization, strong management, and rich experience... none of which Locri possessed.

Furthermore, to maintain secrecy and achieve a surprise attack, Dionysius had only sent a fast ship to notify Locri the day before, so Locri's preparations were insufficient.

This led to a situation where large amounts of supplies unloaded from the ships could not be cleared away in time, piling up on the docks and blocking the soldiers' path ashore. The Syracusan soldiers had to clear the way themselves. After having been at sea for nearly a day, the soldiers were exhausted and eager to rest, naturally feeling frustrated. A single word could spark conflicts with the dock laborers.

Meanwhile, ships that had finished unloading tried to squeeze out from the dense gaps between vessels, while ships waiting to unload tried desperately to dock. The Locrian officials in charge of coordination could not possibly manage so many ships. Collisions and sailors falling overboard were common occurrences. There were even a few ships that, after being rammed, suffered hull damage, took on water, and ultimately capsized—tragic accidents.

Outside the harbor, thousands of ships were anchored on the sea. Both sailors and soldiers desperately wanted to get ashore and rest sooner, while the ship owners were anxious to complete their tasks and leave. They worried that even though the sea conditions were good now, the Mediterranean climate was changeable. If a sudden storm hit, all those ships would be slammed against the coast, leaving no room to escape—everyone would be crushed together...

Dionysius was among the first to go ashore. Seeing the Locri harbor quickly descend into chaos, he was extremely anxious and even lost his temper with his brother-in-law, Demodocus, who had come to welcome him.

But losing his temper was useless; the problems were there and had to be solved quickly. So Dionysius sternly ordered those who had already landed to act as laborers, obey the commands of the Locri harbor personnel, help move cargo, clear the docks, and mediate conflicts. At the same time, he reluctantly issued an order for all troop transports still outside the harbor to land on the nearby beaches of Locri, letting the soldiers come ashore there.

After issuing these commands, Dionysius knew that the dire situation in Locri's harbor would improve considerably. But countless new issues would follow. Without two or three days of processing and rest, the Syracusan army would probably not be able to set out.

To avoid seeing what annoyed him, Dionysius left several generals and ministers to coordinate and direct the landing, while he and Phoebidas and a few others left the harbor and entered the city of Locri.

It was Phoebidas's first time in Locri. He was cautiously observing the city's architecture when he heard Dionysius ask quietly: "Phoebidas, where do you think our first target of attack should be?"

Phoebidas glanced at him, then looked at the others who were farther behind, separated by guards. He was puzzled: because earlier in Syracuse, he had already expressed his opinion to this tyrant. Why hadn't he made up his mind even now?

So he reaffirmed: "My first choice is still Caulonia."

Hearing this, Dionysius fell silent. He understood Phoebidas's intention: to launch a swift attack before the various city-states of the South Italy Alliance could prepare for war, preventing them from uniting. But the reason for his hesitation was not that the Syracusan army landing in Magna Graecia was like a wolf among sheep—there were too many fat sheep, and he couldn't decide which to eat first, giving him decision paralysis. Rather, it was because he already had a target in mind: Rhegium.

Rhegium had opposed him many times, even humiliated him—for example, refusing his marriage proposal and then marrying the woman he had sought to the enemy of Syracuse, the archon of Daonia. But these were only secondary reasons. The main reason was Rhegium's wealth and its geographical location.