Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 71: The Current State of Picosis

“They’ve come a long way, so of course they’ll arrive here late,” Philistos consoled him. “The Fifth Army Corps owes the Fourth a favor. They’ll repay it someday.”

Epithenis let out a cold laugh. “Lord Commander, do you think Drakos is the kind of man who knows gratitude?”

…

While the Syracusan army was landing at Locri, Davos and his troops had already reached Pyxous. Earlier, he had sent a messenger to notify Antaoris, the Chief Magistrate of Pyxous, to strictly seal off any news of the army’s arrival. To that end, Antaoris had even dispatched the port’s only five small warships to temporarily intercept merchant vessels heading north, forcing them to dock at Pyxous’s harbor—provoking widespread complaints. But when Davos arrived and heard of this, he praised Antaoris for being decisive, meticulous, and unafraid to take responsibility.

At that moment, Antaoris was accompanying the magistrate Davos on an inspection of the city and harbor of Pyxous. Davos was quite satisfied with the order and construction of the entire city and asked, “How many Daonian citizens does Pyxous have now?”

“Full citizens number 4,523, preparatory citizens 3,351, and registered freemen 5,117, for a total of 12,991. The overall population of Pyxous is about 53,000…” Antaoris rattled off the figures like he knew them by heart.

“Oh, Pyxous has quite a large population!” Davos was somewhat surprised.

“Lord, Pyxous was originally a major city in Lucania, no less than Grumentum or Potentia. Besides, being a coastal city, it attracts Greek freemen far more than inland Lucanian cities like Grumentum or Nerulum,” Antaoris said with a hint of pride.

“So you’re saying quite a few Greeks have settled here?” Davos asked immediately.

“Yes. Together, Greeks who are Daonian full citizens, preparatory citizens, and freemen number about 4,230 or so. That number increases every day, with most being Greeks from Tympalia.”

“After only three years, Greeks in Pyxous are almost half the population!” Davos was taken aback again, then asked with concern, “Do they often clash with the Lucanians?”

“There are some incidents, but nothing too severe.” Antaoris’s expression was relatively relaxed. “Because before Pyxous was incorporated into Daonia, it suffered multiple defeats. The Lucanian men of fighting age in the city suffered heavy casualties, leaving much land vacant, and most of those who remained lost their fierce, combative spirit. Moreover, their tribal settlements are mostly in the eastern mountains, focused on herding, while the Greeks here prefer the flatlands near the coast, so the two sides manage to coexist peacefully. Another factor is… well, the Greeks from Campania in particular have some habits surprisingly similar to the Lucanians, so they get along fairly well…”

“It seems you’re quite enjoying life here! And you’ve done an excellent job as Chief Magistrate—you’re very familiar with the city’s citizenry!” Davos praised him repeatedly, then, intrigued by what Antaoris had said earlier, asked, “Lord Antaoris, could you tell me more about the characteristics of these Campanians?”

“Lord, the Campanian Greeks are, aside from us Daonians, the Greeks who least resemble Greeks that I have ever seen.”

Antaoris’s remark caught Davos’s attention. “Oh, how so?”

Antaoris thought for a moment and then said seriously, “I suspect it’s because the Campanian Greeks have always been surrounded by foreign peoples—to the north the Volsci, to the south the Lucanians, to the east the Samnites, and to the west, not far off, the Phoenicians on the large island of Sardinia. So, on one hand, compared to freedom-loving Greeks elsewhere, the Campanians are very united and prefer to act in groups. On the other hand, some of their customs have been influenced by their neighbors—for example, they love eating beef and mutton, and they worship some non-Greek deities. Some Campanians have even built altars to Savoni, a god revered by the Samnites (their war god), believing it protects them from wild beasts… Here in Pyxous, these traits are also quite evident.”

Davos smiled and said earnestly, “Our alliance includes Greeks, Lucanians, Bruttians, and now Campanian Greeks. In the future, perhaps even more peoples will join. So when handling conflicts between groups, we must first adhere to one principle—tolerance. Tolerate their religions, tolerate their customs. Second, fairness—under Daonian law, everyone and every race is equal; no favoritism. And third, guidance—guide them to embrace our way of life: entertainment, competitions, military training… and most importantly, religion. Hades is Daonia’s Patron Deity—never forget that! As time goes by, I believe that no matter who they were before, they will eventually become Daonians.”

Antaoris listened attentively, then nodded sincerely. “Lord Davos, you are absolutely right.”

“I’m just talking. In truth, you’ve already been doing this in managing the city, haven’t you?” Davos said with a self-deprecating laugh. “To accelerate the integration of these peoples, the best way is to find common ground between them. Lately, I’ve been discussing this with Antistanos, and I’ve discovered a secret—”

Davos glanced at Antaoris, who was listening intently, and emphasized, “Heracles, the mighty hero, is very famous among all the peoples of Italy. Some tribes even claim to be descendants of his offspring… I plan to propose in the Senate to build a temple of Heracles in Thurii and initiate a festival in his honor, so that people of all races in Daonia can celebrate this deity… Ah, the plan was put on hold because of the war. I think Pyxous could try it first. What do you think?”

“Lord, that’s an excellent idea!” Antaoris praised sincerely. “In fact, there are already several altars of Heracles in Pyxous, among both the Lucanians and the Campanians. I will do my utmost to build a grand temple of Heracles, making Pyxous the center of Heracles worship in this region!”

“Are you trying to steal Thurii’s thunder? I’m afraid Kynogoratas will fight you over it,” Davos joked, and both men laughed.

They chatted and laughed on their way back to City Hall. In this harmonious atmosphere, neither of them brought up Euricpus or Pleiades—there was no need, as they were already in the past.

Back at City Hall, the First Army Corps commander Antonios and the Second Army Corps commander Amyntas were already waiting.

“Lord, the camp has been completed, and the soldiers have begun to rest,” Antonios reported as soon as Davos entered. “Additionally, a messenger from the Third Army Corps has arrived with news that the Third Army Corps is already on the road to Pyxous and is expected to arrive by dusk.”

“This Alexis—before even engaging the Samnites in battle, he was frightened into withdrawing from Potentia. That’s truly a disgrace to our Daonian army!” Amyntas sneered in dissatisfaction.

“If the Third Army Corps had truly clashed head-on with the Samnite main force, I’d now have to face an army of over 40,000 Samnites with barely 20,000 men from the First and Second Army Corps. How would we fight then?! Alexis sacrificed his own reputation for the sake of the overall victory. That cautious approach was undoubtedly the right one! You should learn from him, Amyntas in particular!” Davos said sternly. The Third Army Corps’ encounter at Potentia had occurred several days ago; Davos had already learned the full details from Antaoris.

Amyntas muttered a few complaints but didn’t dare speak loudly.

“Lord, these Samnites seem quite ferocious. First they set an ambush, then they took the initiative to send a large army for a direct assault, giving the Third Army Corps no chance to catch their breath,” Antonios interjected. “If they learn we’re preparing to attack Poseidonia, won’t they send another large army to strike back?”

“It’s better if the Samnites do come—I’m afraid they won’t,” Davos began to lay out the plan he had been considering over the past few days, carefully explaining it to the three men in the room. “According to intelligence, in past battles with the Lucanians, the Samnites have usually won more than they lost, and the Campanians have long suffered their raids. The Samnites must be very proud of their fighting ability. And now, with this being the first time the Samnites have mobilized so many warriors, it probably only feeds their arrogance. The Syracusans have a hand in this—” He glanced at Antaoris.

Antaoris nodded. “Over the past few days, our patrol ships have repeatedly reported sighting large numbers of Syracusan cargo ships heading north into the harbor of Poseidonia. I suspect they’re most likely delivering grain for the Samnites.”

“Damn Syracusans!” Amyntas cursed. “Lord, we should take advantage of the fact that the Samnites don’t know we’ve arrived and quickly capture Poseidonia, cutting off their grain supply!”

“That’s one option.” Davos didn’t nod. “But Antaoris told me that the Samnites have their own port town south of Campania—Irna. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to dispatch an army of over 40,000 before capturing Poseidonia. Taking Poseidonia alone would only add a minor inconvenience to the Syracusans’ grain transport, but it would prolong the time needed to drive the Samnites back. Besides, Dionysius of Syracuse has long been preparing to invade Magna Graecia. So we cannot afford a prolonged war of attrition with the Samnites!”