Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 78: Crisis: The Ramato River Defense Line

"Second brother is back?!" Puamot let his helmet fall to the ground, paying it no mind as he asked excitedly, "Where is he?!"

"Big brother, I'm back!" With a booming shout, Pollet's burly figure appeared inside the hall.

Puamot hurried forward and gripped him tightly with both hands: "Second brother, you're back! Wonderful, you're back!" Puamot's excited voice was choked with emotion. He had never missed his warlike younger brother as much as he did today. Yes, balancing the interests of the tribes and governing the towns were what Puamot excelled at, but when it came to marching and fighting, boosting morale, that was his brother's forte—the one who had been causing trouble since childhood. And more importantly...

"Did Thurii send reinforcements?" he asked urgently.

"They did! Led by Lord Davos himself, the two strongest army corps of Daonia—twenty thousand men!" Pollet replied, equally thrilled.

"Excellent! Finally here! God Asinu be praised!" Puamot relieved, pressed his hand to his chest, a hint of color returning to his pale face. "Where are they now?"

"They didn't come directly to Potentia. Instead, they went to Pyxous and are preparing to attack Poseidonia..." Pollet, seeing his brother so happy, unconsciously lowered his voice.

"Attack Poseidonia?" The smile that had just appeared on Puamot's face froze, replaced by anger. "Our city of Potentia is on the verge of being breached by the Samnites, and this Davos takes his reinforcements to a coastal town a hundred miles away that even we hardly care about! What sinister intention does he have? Does he want to see us destroyed before swooping in to pick up the pieces?!"

Pollet rarely saw his steady, always gentle elder brother flare up like this, but he had no mind to laugh now. "Big brother, listen to me! Listen! Lord Davos attacking Poseidonia is precisely to end the Samnite siege of Potentia, and even defeat them!"

Puamot, who had been about to smash a wooden chair, set it down with a clatter at his brother's shout, still skeptical: "Is that so?"

"Yes." Pollet met his gaze without flinching, speaking solemnly. "After receiving your urgent message, I wanted to return to Potentia from Thurii immediately, but Lord Davos sent someone to stop me. Because he was personally leading the relief force and needed a guide who knew Potentia and the Samnites to provide useful advice, so I set out with the Daonian reinforcements... Only after Lord Davos finalized the plan at Pyxous to drive back the Samnites did he send me hurrying back to Potentia to coordinate with him in future military actions. He originally wanted to send an escort to bring me back, but I refused.

This is where I played as a child. I know every slope, every trail, every cave, every boulder. No matter how tight the Samnite blockade, I can slip through. Bringing them along would have been the real danger..."

Listening to Pollet's account, especially after learning Davos's plan, Puamot gradually calmed down. "So the Daonians have already begun their march on Poseidonia, and what we need to do now is keep a close watch on the Samnites down the mountain..."

"Yes." Pollet nodded again.

Puamot let out a long breath, his whole body relaxing. "Second brother, now that you're back, I entrust you with the heavy responsibility of leading Potentia's warriors against the Samnites!"

But Pollet shook his head. "Not yet, big brother."

"Why?" Puamot was puzzled.

"Because that would make too much noise. If the Samnites find out that I—who should be in Thurii—have returned, they might guess that Daonian reinforcements have already arrived. Then Lord Davos's plan could fail! I even suggest you keep my return a secret for now!"

Puamot thought for a moment, then said, "Second brother, you're right! I didn't expect that after a trip to Thurii, you've become so meticulous in your thinking!"

Pollet felt a little embarrassed. "That was all due to Lord Davos's advice."

"Lord Davos?" Puamot finally noticed the oddness in Pollet's address. "I remember you didn't used to call him that," he said slowly.

Pollet recalled the days he had spent marching with the Daonian army corps and his many conversations with Davos, then answered seriously, "He truly is an extraordinary man."

...

Sipros had hoped that the Syracusans, after a day of forced march, would rest the next day, giving Trina, Croton, and Scylletium some buffer time to prepare the defense on the north bank of the Lamato River.

But the men of Magna Graecia had underestimated Dionysius's resolve. When he threw himself fully into a task, his efficiency and cunning were terrifying. Recall how once, when the Carthaginian general Himilco led a large army to repeatedly defeat the Syracusan forces and press right up to the city walls—if not for Spartan support, Dionysius would have been driven from the tyrant's throne by an angry populace. Yet even in that crisis, Dionysius took his cunning to the extreme: exploiting the plague that troubled the Carthaginians, he led his army out of the city by night, advancing by land and sea, feinting east while striking west, hiding his main force, causing the experienced Himilco to misjudge the situation and suffer a crushing defeat.

This time, to conquer Magna Graecia, Dionysius had assembled an enormous army and vast supplies. To lure some factions into causing trouble for Daonia, Syracuse had paid a heavy price. So if this expedition failed, Dionysius's rule in Syracuse would be shaken. Ever since departing Sicily, his nerves had been taut. Though outwardly he dismissed Daonia—to give his men confidence—inwardly he held deep wariness.

Thus, he well understood the importance of time for the Syracusan army. Before yesterday's march, he had the Locrians send an urgent message to Hipponion to have them roughly prepare a camp in advance. When the army arrived, though still chaotic, it was much more orderly than when they had landed at Locri; at least most soldiers got a decent night's sleep. So early the next morning, Dionysius began assembling his troops. Despite the soldiers' grumbling, his authority forced them to obediently strike camp and march north.

At the same time, he ordered the Syracusan fleet to also sail north from Hipponion's harbor and enter the Lamato River.

By noon, this immense, unevenly formed army reached the confluence of the middle Lamato River and its tributary, the Corta River.

Trina had scouts watching Hipponion day and night, and Hipponion likewise had scouts watching the north bank of the Lamato. So Dionysius knew that a long stretch of the Corta River was fordable, and the defenses on the opposite bank were thin. Thus the army turned south and headed straight for the middle Corta River.

Scout cavalry on the opposite bank reported back urgently. Sipros, Trina's chief general, learned of the Syracusans' move and groaned inwardly. In command of Trina's nearly seven thousand soldiers—essentially the entire city—he fretted but dared not act rashly. Watchmen at the harbor lighthouse had also sent urgent news: countless Syracusan warships had appeared in the bay off Trina, with many soldiers visible on board.

Sipros feared they might land on Trina's northern coast, so he had to stay alert and dared not split his forces to aid Scylletium.

Scylletium, after receiving urgent reports from the Trinians and the riverbank guards the previous night, had only hurriedly increased its forces on the north bank of the Corta River to twelve thousand men that morning. Yet no sooner had they settled in than the Syracusan army arrived.

Arcesias, the Scylletian commander, saw Syracusan soldiers appear on the opposite bank, their numbers growing—an endless, vast host—and felt a chill of fear. He kept cursing: Why hadn't Croton's reinforcements arrived yet?! The forces he commanded were spread too thin along this fordable stretch of riverbank!

And Croton, which he was cursing, had received Trina's messenger's urgent plea the night before, recognizing the gravity of the situation. Late at night, they had sent men to summon all eligible citizens from within and outside the city.

Early the next morning, citizens gradually gathered in the square.

By late morning, fourteen thousand men had assembled, with more still arriving...

But Lysias and the generals could wait no longer. They ordered Astamas to lead this portion of the army forward first, while the remaining citizen soldiers and supplies would catch up later.

Just as Arcesias was cursing the Crotonians, Croton's forces were hurrying on the road to Scylletium.

But Dionysius clearly intended to give the southern Italian coalition no breathing room. Under his pressure, the Syracusan army swiftly reached the south bank of the Corta River and began forming battle lines.

During the time the land army was deploying, some Syracusan warships entered the Lamato River.

Unlike Thurii, which straddled both sides of a river, Trina was on the north bank. The land south of the river belonged to Hipponion, so the Lamato River served as the boundary between two city-states. Since they had belonged to opposing alliances—the Croton Alliance and the Locri Alliance being mortal enemies—there had been little contact between the two cities, much less a pontoon bridge on the river. Moreover, most of Trina's original warships had been handed over to Daonia. Even if they had retained them all, they would have been no match for the powerful Syracusan navy. So the Trinians could only watch helplessly as enemy ships sailed one by one up the Lamato River. And as luck would have it, the gods favored the Syracusans: a southwest wind blew, easing the rowing effort for the Syracusan sailors as they pulled against the current.