Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 106: The Rescue of Heraclea

If before Garagusus had only feared Daonia’s power, now they added a measure of respect and admiration. In their minds, there was nothing to fear from Syracuse — the Daonians, who could defeat the mighty Samnites against the odds, would surely win final victory.

Thus, without the Daonians even asking, Garagusus took the initiative to raid Metapontum from the south.

The people of Metapontum discovered that the peaceful, secure northern region they had enjoyed after joining the Daonia Alliance had once again been ravaged by the Garagusans now that they had returned to Tarentum’s fold. They began to regret their choice, and complaints against the city government established by Isarocas and against Tarentum grew steadily — but that is a story for later.

…

Meanwhile, the Heracleans strengthened their city’s defenses while urgently sending messengers to Thurii for help.

Upon receiving Heraclea’s plea for aid, the Daonian Senate, though shocked, quickly made a decision. It ordered the newly formed Seventh Legion, the only force remaining in Thurii, to race to Heraclea’s rescue.

But by this time Thurii’s military strength had been stretched to its limit. With the Seventh Legion pulled away, the Sybaris Plain — aside from the navy fleet and the freemen in the port — had no decent defensive force left.

Given Thurii’s defensive void and the shortage of able-bodied young men, it was no longer feasible to conscript new troops; that would throw the entire daily affairs of the city into paralysis. The Senate therefore decided to immediately form the Eighth Legion in Bruttium and dispatch it to Thurii to defend the Alliance’s heartland.

The resolution passed quickly.

Petalus, Kaduruk, and Bogam — who normally said little in the Senate — all volunteered to go to Bruttium to recruit and organize the new unit.

But the deep-thinking Rotating Chairman Kynogoratas politely declined their offers, explaining, “Hieronymus has been in charge of military training across all regions and is very familiar with the reserve soldiers in Bruttium. He is the best choice.”

To avoid upsetting the Bruttian senators, he added a special explanation: “Gentlemen, I believe you should know that the way Daonian legions mobilize citizens and form units is vastly different from the armies of other city-states. Only the Ministry of Military Affairs understands and can carry out this process. Moreover, the Daonian Law explicitly stipulates that only the Ministry of Military Affairs is responsible for forming legions…”

The Bruttian senators grumbled under their breath and sat down resentfully.

Hieronymus became the sole candidate to go to Bruttium and form the legion. His logistics duties were temporarily handed over to Mesis.

The crisscrossing rivers and marshes in Heraclea slowed the march of Diomilas’s force. He finally managed to reach the north bank of the Basento River and join up with Eumachus’s troops, bringing the total Tarentine force here to over 15,000 men.

After a brief discussion, the Tarentines split their forces again.

Diomilas led 8,000 men upstream along the Basento River, hurrying to cross at a shallow ford.

Triphyas stood on the city wall, saw the enemy’s dividing movement, and immediately understood their intent.

Even though his forces were far outnumbered, Triphyas made a resolute decision. He dispatched over 3,000 mixed heavy and light infantry to march parallel to the Tarentines on the opposite bank, attempting to block them from crossing.

This forced Diomilas to proceed cautiously, continuing upstream where the water was shallower and the river narrower, while also choosing a longer wading section to avoid being easily intercepted by the Heracleans.

Heraclea’s territory, after all, was a small plain built up by the alluvial deposits of several rivers. The terrain was very flat, and it was now the dry season. In fact, it didn’t take Diomilas long to find a suitable spot.

He deployed his troops in a formation stretching about a li along the riverbank, and at the sound of the attack bugle, they waded across together.

Faced with such an assault formation, the Heracleans had no intention of engaging in a direct fight. Their only aim was to delay the Tarentines from reaching the city. So they merely hurled javelins and shot arrows at the Tarentines. Combined with the mud that sucked at their feet, this caused some chaos and casualties among the Tarentines.

But by the time the Tarentines had struggled ashore, the Heracleans had long since fled.

Diomilas reorganized his troops and prepared to march east. He needed to reach the walls of Heraclea quickly, first burn the bridge over the Agri River not far south of the city — cutting off the fastest route for Daonian reinforcements — then set up pontoon bridges across the Basento River to bring Eumachus’s forces across, and finally lay siege to Heraclea.

But just then, several Tarentine cavalrymen galloped up to the opposite bank of the Basento River and shouted across to Diomilas that Daonian reinforcements had already arrived on the south side of the Agri River pontoon bridge.

Diomilas was taken aback: How could the Daonians have reinforced so quickly?

He did not know that the highway connecting Heraclea and Thurii had allowed Heraclea’s messenger to reach Thurii in just over an hour. From the Daonian Senate’s swift decision to the assembly of the Seventh Legion at the naval base and their departure, only a little more than an hour had passed.

This time included some delays caused by Seclian’s obstruction. The naval commander had even run to the Senate to protest. He had already been furious when a newly formed legion was transferred to Crimissa. Now, just a day later, the only legion still training had also been pulled away, wasting more than ten days of his training efforts. He had hoped to lead the fleet in a new tactic to defeat the Syracusan navy, giving the Daonian people a huge surprise and redeeming his own reputation. Now, with all the infantry on his ships gone, his beautiful plan had come to nothing.

Seclian’s anger was understandable, but the authority of the Senate was not something a young, non-senator commander could change.

In the eyes of Kynogoratas and the others, whether the navy put to sea or not was not the main issue — after all, it was unlikely to be a match for the powerful Syracusan fleet; at best it would be blockaded. But if Tarentum captured Heraclea, their army would step onto the territory of Amendolara, which would be a disaster for Daonia, currently fully engaged in the southern war.

So Kynogoratas first gently criticized Seclian for his shortsightedness and disregard for the big picture, then comforted him: “Lord Davos will soon return with his army. Your navy fleet will not lack infantry support…”

Seclian could only return dejectedly. Still not fully emerged from the joy of being promoted to naval commander a few months earlier, he now realized that his words carried no weight in the Senate.

…

After the Seventh Legion was assembled, the legion commander immediately ordered a forced march.

That commander was none other than Matonis, the City Warden of Thurii.

Before Davos led the army to Potentia, Philistos had asked him about the two new legions and the candidates for their commanders.

After consideration, Davos decided to appoint Matonis and Olivus as legion commanders. First, both had served as battalion commanders for many years, possessing not only rich battlefield experience but also extensive experience commanding large formations. Second, both held important positions — Matonis as City Warden of Thurii, Olivus as logistics adjutant in the Ministry of Military Affairs. The new legions were meant to defend Thurii, so they could hold dual appointments. Though the new legions might be disbanded after the war, having legion commander on their records would make it easier to promote them to full legion commanders later.

One could say Davos had thought carefully for both men, but neither was particularly willing, especially Matonis. He didn’t want to idle in the rear while his comrades fought hard at the front.

However, Davos, facing his old close comrades, didn’t bother persuading. He simply issued a direct order and forced them to accept. Now they finally had a fight on their hands: Olivus led the Sixth Legion to Crimissa, while Matonis led the Seventh Legion to rescue Heraclea.

Matonis had long been bottling up grievances with no outlet. So upon receiving the order, he not only urged his troops to speed up but also abandoned his horse and ran at the very front of the column. With him setting the example, the Seventh Legion naturally marched quickly, sprinting along the flat highway. In just under three hours, they reached the Agri River pontoon bridge.

In truth, this newly formed legion was incomplete. Because it had only recently been established, it had no cavalry squadron, reconnaissance squads, or engineering camp. Moreover, most of the soldiers were preparatory citizens and registered freemen, who lacked enough money to purchase a full set of new legionary equipment. Their arms and armor were mismatched. Some heavy infantry battalions looked no different from light-armored infantry battalions, and due to the hasty departure, they had not even brought doctors or baggage.

The Tarentine warships in the river, despite being defended by Heraclean troops and screened by boats, had repeatedly tried and failed to destroy the Agri River pontoon bridge. Instead, they had lost two ships to flaming arrows. They finally anchored at the mouth of the Agri River, where they happened to spot the arrival of Daonian reinforcements. They immediately sent a fast boat to the north bank of the Basento River to report to Eumachus, leading to the earlier urgent message relayed by the cavalry to Diomilas.

The Tarentines had not acted decisively, had not marched quickly enough, and combined with the poor land transport between Metapontum and Heraclea (compared to the Daonian highway), along with the Heracleans’ determined resistance, the Daonians gained the upper hand in this race.

Diomilas had witnessed the Daonian army’s combat effectiveness firsthand and was therefore cautious. Since the Daonians had arrived, he could not rashly advance. So he ordered his troops to halt on the south bank of the Basento River, sent word for Eumachus to build a pontoon bridge on the north bank, then crossed his forces and reunited them. Only after learning the detailed situation of Heraclea City would he take further action.

Matonis, though fierce in battle, was not reckless. By the time the Seventh Legion reached Heraclea, the soldiers were exhausted. He could only take them into the city to rest.

Olivus led the Sixth Legion to Crimissa.

The current Chief Magistrate of Crimissa was Protesilaus. Scombrus had recommended him to the Senate just before his own term ended, and Davos had supported the appointment. In fact, he had been in office for less than a year. Now, he was already leading the city’s officials outside the city walls to welcome the arriving force.