Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 70: The Dionian Legions Arrive

To prepare for this massive war, Dionysius had not only raised taxes on the Syracusan populace, drained his own treasury, and borrowed from the city-state of Cyrenaica in Africa—he even contemplated robbing the sanctuary at Delphi, which held silver and gold offerings donated by Greek city-states over centuries, amounting to not just thousands or tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands and millions in wealth (in historical fact, Dionysius did, during his occupation of Magna Graecia, send mercenaries disguised as bandits to try to rob Delphi, but the scheme ultimately failed). And if he captured Rhegium, he could not only seize vast riches directly to fill the treasury gap, but also completely monopolize the Strait of Messina; the taxes from passing merchant ships alone would fund his long-term occupation of Magna Graecia. As for the purely military consideration of removing the "thorn" of Rhegium at his back before advancing north, he actually didn't pay it much mind.

Phoebidas, not being in Dionysius's position, could not view the war from an economic perspective and thus couldn't understand his hesitation. With Spartan stubbornness, though he had already stated his reasons for choosing Caulonia before departure, he decided to repeat them to strengthen Dionysius's resolve: "Rhegium may be cut off by Locri and isolated from the South Italy Alliance, but attacking it is not easy! I've seen the map you gave me. To the north of Rhegium, impassable mountains lie in the center; the eastern coast can only be reached by narrow mountain paths, and to approach from the western coast, you must first cross the Maro River and capture its subordinate state of Taurina before opening a path to Rhegium. The Rhegians will surely join Taurina in full defense of the south bank of the Maro River, where the terrain is narrow and ill-suited for deploying the bulk of the Syracusan army. Breaching Rhegium's territory will take time. Meanwhile, the South Italy Alliance will use that time to muster their forces, prepare defenses at Caulonia and Trina, and possibly attack Locri while we are besieging Rhegium, catching us between two fronts… If we drag things out until that magistrate of Daonia returns with his main force from Lucania, this war in Magna Graecia will become difficult!"

Phoebidas's last two lines gave Dionysius a jolt, even though he said with feigned nonchalance: "It won't be so easy for Davos's Daonian army to return from the Lucanian highlands—his troubles are just beginning! As long as we press forward, seize the moment before the South Italy Alliance is ready for war, and keep attacking north, we will surely crush their coalition. By then, Rhegium will be like a fish in a net—no escape. And even if the main Daonian force returns from Lucania, it won't do much to change the whole battlefield."

Dionysius said nothing, but Phoebidas's persuasion had already made up his mind.

…

By dusk, the doors to the South Italy Alliance headquarters were flung open. Eurypatus's attendants shouted, "Sir! Sir! The Daonian army has arrived!"

Eurypatus, weary and drowsy with fatigue, could hardly believe his ears. So soon!

That afternoon, at his urging, he had watched Scylletium's City Hall send riders into the city and countryside to notify all citizens. Under the usual Greek custom, even the quickest citizens would take at least a day to settle their household affairs before retrieving their weapons and armor from home and heading to Scylletium's central square. To complete the muster and roll call of citizen soldiers within a day would be considered fast. And then there was unit formation, baggage preparation… everything readied for the final march. Pretinis, the chief general of Scylletium, had assured him they would set out in three days at the earliest.

Eurypatus had been fairly satisfied with Scylletium's performance that day compared to his own city's past preparations, so earlier, when Antistanos spoke of Daonia's quick response, he had taken it as a scholar's expression of goodwill, not really believing the Daonians could pull it off. Thus, when Daonia actually sent troops on the very day they learned of the Syracusan invasion and actually arrived at Scylletium, the surprise for Eurypatus was immense.

"Lord Antistanos, this is wonderful! I am truly grateful!…" He hurriedly thanked the equally weary Antistanos.

Antistanos, without arrogance, waved a hand and said, "This has nothing to do with me. Thank the Daonian soldiers who rushed all the way here. Eighty-some stades from Asperustum to Scylletium! To cover that in a single day is no easy feat!"

"You're right!" Reminded by Antistanos, Eurypatus rushed out of the city.

By the time the two arrived, the soldiers of the Fourth Army Corps were already beginning to set up a simple camp beside the road south of Scylletium. Seeing them stripped to the waist, drenched in sweat, Eurypatus felt a pang of guilt.

Guided by the soldiers, they found Commander Philistos, who was sitting on the grass discussing matters with legion commander Epithenis.

"Lord Antistanos, what brings you here?" Epithenis, sharp-eyed, called out first.

"After all your hard work rushing here, of course I had to come and see you," Antistanos said earnestly. The Fourth Army Corps' rapid arrival had stunned Scylletium and the other South Italy Alliance delegates still present, setting a fine example that gave Antistanos more weight in alliance discussions—and he took pride in that.

"Coming empty-handed to visit!" Epithenis said, half joking and half serious.

"Epithenis!" Philistos shot him a warning look, signaling him not to go too far.

Antistanos didn't take it to heart; they often met in the Senate, and he knew Epithenis's character. So he laughed: "Then what would you like me to bring?"

"It's not for me—it's for these soldiers, who've marched all day without time to find water and now have to set up camp…" Epithenis pointed at the busy soldiers, then at his own parched lips. "Look, we're all dying of thirst!"

"Oh dear, this really is—" Eurypatus, overcome with emotion, turned to his attendants: "Go back to the alliance headquarters at once. Gather everyone and have them go to every inn in the city to buy oxygala, then bring it here…"

"Hey, we have nearly ten thousand men here, and by nightfall, the Fifth Army Corps—another ten thousand—will arrive. It's not just the water—we came too fast, the baggage camp is still behind, likely arriving tomorrow. Eating just these hard, cold bread rolls won't restore the strength the soldiers lost on the long march." Epithenis pulled out his own rations, shook them in front of Eurypatus, and reminded him bluntly.

"He's just joking!" Philistos glared at Epithenis. "We have bread and dried meat that will fill our stomachs. You don't need to worry."

"I can't solve the food supply for so many soldiers here in Scylletium, but once you reach Caulonia, I guarantee the people of Caulonia will make sure you eat your fill!" Eurypatus expressed his apology while subtly urging the Daonians onward. He also issued another order to his attendant: "If the inns in the city don't have enough oxygala, send word to the citizens of Scylletium: anyone who brings homemade oxygala here will be paid double the price per jar…"

The attendant acknowledged and left.

"We are truly grateful!" Philistos stepped forward to express thanks.

"This is Eurypatus, the envoy from Caulonia," Antistanos quickly introduced.

"Oh." Epithenis curled his lip, thinking: So he's from Caulonia—he should be the one paying for the water.

"I really didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. I've prepared nothing—otherwise, I would have hosted a banquet to show my gratitude!"

"A banquet isn't necessary. Our Military Code forbids commanders and soldiers from feasting during wartime. We have enough rations for a few days, but I'm worried about the baggage camp's supply chain. If it falters, we may need Caulonia to provide food first." Now a commander, Philistos had to think through such details.

"Of course, that's no problem. Tomorrow I'll send word to City Hall to prepare military provisions. As I said, the people of Caulonia will make sure Daonia's citizens eat their fill!" Eurypatus agreed readily.

Watching the countless soldiers digging ditches with picks, sweating profusely yet working energetically, Eurypatus couldn't help but ask: "You're already exhausted from the journey. Why not just pitch tents and rest? Why dig trenches?"

"This is mandated by the Daonian Military Code, mainly to provide a safer, more comfortable camp for the soldiers," Antistanos explained offhandedly. Having been around Daonia for a long time, old-timers like him knew some of the army's regulations.

"Your military standards are truly strict!" As a citizen, Eurypatus had served in the army many times. Comparing his own experiences with the Daonian soldiers before him, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This is the simplest method of camp construction. Since we arrived late and night is coming soon, we only need to dig a ditch and raise an earth rampart. Since we're in allied territory, there's little danger. In a war zone, building a proper camp takes days!" Epithenis was both boasting and complaining. "And the Fourth Army Corps doesn't just have to build its own camp—we have to build one for the Fifth Corps too."