Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 102: Crotone's Choice

Dionysius not only released them but also gave them some gifts. These Bruttian and Lucanian warriors originally thought that being captured would end miserably, but they never expected to receive such treatment and repeatedly thanked the gods for their blessing. Carrying gratitude towards Dionysius, most of the warriors still set out on the road back to the city of Asperustum. Only a few hesitated for a long time and decided to go westward, not through Clapetia, but to cross the mountain paths between the Euphemia Plain and the Bruttian mountains to return to their homeland…

…

And on that day, the Daonian Fourth and Fifth Army Corps that had retreated in defeat to Asperustum suffered a total of over four thousand casualties, with the majority occurring during the retreat. Especially devastating was the complete annihilation of the Fifth Army Corps’ First Battalion, along with the disappearance of the Fifth Army Corps legion commander Drax—this was a heavy blow not only to the soldiers throughout the army but also to the high-ranking officers like Philistos and Epithenis. Philistos, who was deeply self-reproachful, was after all an old commander accustomed to life and death, victory and defeat, from his campaigns in Persia. After the major battle’s failure, he immediately realized that the situation was extremely unfavorable for Daonia. He had to pull himself together and quickly reestablish effective defenses to block the Syracusan army from invading Daonian territory, buying time for Davos to return with the main force. Thus, in Asperustum, he began reorganizing and training the battered Fourth and Fifth Army Corps and personally took on the role of legion commander for the Fifth Army Corps. Epithenis also set aside his pride at this moment and actively cooperated with Philistos in training the soldiers, discussing with Chief Magistrate Agasia how to strengthen the city’s defenses.

At the same time, Philistos dispatched a ballista unit and an engineering camp to Croton to bolster the Crotonians’ defenses, because the Syracusans possessed ballistae; if Croton did not have them, it would make defending the city more difficult. According to the chapter on city defense in the newly compiled Daonian Military Code, there was a specific principle: “counter ballista with ballista.” As Croton was an important allied city on Daonia’s southern border, it absolutely could not be captured—otherwise the consequences would be dire. So Philistos no longer heeded the Ministry of Military Affairs’ requirement that ballistae not be exposed to outsiders. Additionally, Philistos sent fast horses to recall the team escorting over five hundred Locrian prisoners to Thurii, hoping to exchange these prisoners for the Daonian soldiers captured in the Syracusan army.

The failure of this battle also made him more cautious and careful. He also sent an urgent letter to the Thurii Senate, because he feared that the Syracusans might bypass Croton and directly attack Crimissa, which was small in size and population with relatively weak defenses. He hoped the Senate could dispatch a newly formed army corps to garrison Crimissa. This way, Asperustum, Crimissa, and Croton would form a mutually supportive triangular defense, with greater thickness, more layers, and greater security.

The Trina rout led by Sipros ultimately did not follow the Daonians into Asperustum but instead entered the city of Croton, because Asperustum was too small to accommodate so many people for a long stay. Moreover, the addition of Trina soldiers would strengthen Croton’s defensive power; Croton was only too happy to have them and did not care at all about the rations the Trina men consumed. You see, Croton and Trina were companions in misfortune in this battle, positioned on the two wings of the allied army and direct targets of the enemy’s reinforcements’ attacks and interceptions. Under the joint pursuit of Campanian mercenaries and Syracusan sailors, fewer than four thousand of the Trina men escaped. As for the Crotonians, after being attacked by Syracusan reinforcements and continuously pursued by mercenary cavalry (after the Numidian and Celtic cavalry were intercepted at the cost of their lives by the Fifth Army Corps’ First Battalion, some of the cavalry held off the Daonians to wait for infantry to encircle them, while another part turned northeast to pursue the Scylletium and Croton routs), only a little over eight thousand finally made it into the city. Both sides lost nearly half or more of their citizens.

Amid his grief, Sipros also felt secretly relieved that he had made the right decision in advance—having the people of Trina withdraw early to Daonia’s Bruttian region—so he no longer had to worry about their safety. Meanwhile, the Crotonians, who had experienced a severe defeat a few years earlier, once again fell into great sorrow. Beyond their grief, they were even more worried: once the massive Syracusan army set foot on Croton’s land, could Croton withstand the attack of this enormous force? With Croton’s army plus the Trina rout and the fewer than two thousand men from Scylletium, there were about fourteen thousand soldiers in total. Adding the emergency mobilization of freemen to fight, the Council estimated they could have around twenty thousand men to defend the city. Therefore, Croton’s generals gained some confidence.

At the emergency expanded meeting of the Council of One Thousand, when someone raised the question—since Croton had suffered such heavy losses, should they consider a truce with the Syracusans, just as they had previously made peace with Daonia, in order to regain strength—this proposal met with opposition from the majority. Even Lysias, who had always been accustomed to compromise in response to circumstances, refuted it with strong words. He declared loudly: “Gentlemen, Syracuse is different from Daonia. The tyrant Dionysius, holding such a great advantage, will never sign a relatively equal truce agreement with us. He will surely want to make our great Croton his servant, force us to pay high tribute, drain our citizens’ blood in his wars everywhere, and even change our democratic government to a dictatorship like Syracuse’s, just as he has done to other Greek city-states in Sicily! … And after Croton becomes a so-called allied city of Syracuse, we will also face bullying from our deadly enemy Locri. Because Dionysius married the sister of Demodokas, the chief general of Locri. Locri is an accomplice in Syracuse’s invasion of Magna Graecia, and in Dionysius’ eyes, its status is naturally much higher than Croton’s. In this way, Locri can use Dionysius’ power to humiliate us and even seize what is rightfully Croton’s! Citizens, faced with such a likely future, are you willing to submit to Syracusan?!”

“Fight Syracuse to the death! Even if Croton perishes, we will not become Dionysius’ slaves!” … the citizens shouted angrily, finally reaching a consensus on the issue of war or peace. And just at that moment, an envoy sent by Philistos arrived in Croton. Not only did he bring a ballista unit, but he also brought a commitment made by Philistos on behalf of the Daonian Senate: “Daonia will fight alongside Croton to jointly resist the Syracusans! If Croton has any difficulties, it can present them to Daonia, and Daonia will do its utmost to help resolve them!”

Daonia’s promise and its concrete actions (sending the ballista unit) moved the Crotonian citizens and greatly dispelled the longstanding wariness the Crotonians had held toward Daonia. For the first time, the Crotonian people felt an unprecedented sense of security that came from being backed by a powerful ally.

Philistos’ messenger galloped continuously along the road, changing horses three times at relay stations along the way. In only half a day, he brought the important battle report of “the allied army’s defeat in the battle” to the Thurii Senate, and it quickly spread throughout the entire city. Although the people of Thurii were not as sorrowful as those in Asperustum and Crimissa—after all, the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps who fought in the battle mostly came from the Bruttii region, Asperustum, and Crimissa—their shock was far greater than in those three areas. Since the founding of the new city of Thurii, every time there was a war, they had received news of victory. Having grown accustomed to victory, they now heard of defeat for the first time, and panic spread among the people…

On that same day, many citizens went to the Temple of Hades to pray, hoping the Lord of the Underworld would protect the alliance. By afternoon, even the people of Amendolara and Besidia were coming to the temple…

While the Senate was holding an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures, at Davos’ residence, Cheiristoya was meeting with several of her commercial managers to discuss the possible impact of the allied army’s defeat on her businesses.

“Madame, Syracuse should soon march on Croton, and Asperustum will also become a battlefield. To ensure the safety of the bank, should we … temporarily remove the gold and silver stored in the Asperustum bank from there?” the bank manager suggested cautiously.

“The bank in Asperustum absolutely cannot be withdrawn!” Cheiristoya said firmly. “You must understand: in the eyes of the people, the Cheiristoya Bank is not just my personal property; it also represents my husband—Magistrate Davos! In this critical situation, if even the magistrate’s property is being withdrawn, what confidence will the citizens of Asperustum have to hold fast? Hmph! Not only must the bank there not be withdrawn, it must open on time every day! Moreover, you must instruct the bank employees in that city to face every customer with even more confident smiles. If the Asperustum City Hall is financially strained and in need of money, even if there is no interest, we must still lend it to them!”

The bank manager was taken aback by this last sentence, then helplessly said, “I understand, Madame.”

“What about the restaurants?” Cheiristoya turned to another manager.

“Because of this war, the number of customers in all the restaurants has increased quite a bit, especially at the restaurants in the port of Thurii. After the maritime trade routes were cut off by the Syracusan fleet, the places those idle sailors and laborers love to go most are the arena and the restaurants. So the restaurants there are packed every day, with not enough seats, and consequently minor conflicts often break out. I have already discussed it with the Patrol Captain of the harbor, and he will assign more men to strengthen patrols in that area.”