Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 109: Luring the Enemy

This was also one of the main reasons for the rebellion of Bogam, Petalus, and their followers: the Daonia courts had become widespread among the Bruttians, causing the authority of the tribal chiefs to vanish and potentially leading to the eventual disintegration of the tribes.

In Cosentia, the temples were not only dedicated to Hades and Hera but also included temples to the Bruttian highland goddess Maara, the Bruttian patron deity Brutus, and the mighty god Heracles. For every festival, the Chief Magistrate, regardless of personal belief, was required to perform sacrifices at these temples to show respect. This was a strict rule set by the Senate for all local magistrates—for example, the Temple of the Lucanian mountain god Acipirus was also established in Grumentum.

Outside the city of Cosentia, there was a training camp. The main duties of the Ministry of Military Affairs in the inner city were to inspect and register the able-bodied tribesmen from each tribe, check their weapons and equipment, notify and urge the Bruttians listed in the rolls to participate in training, and also verify and tally the tribesmen's achievements, coordinating with the City Hall to grant them rewards, such as allotments.

This department also had to carry out some secret tasks, such as monitoring the growth of each tribe's strength, secretly encouraging tribesmen to become independent, and so on. This was another important reason Petalus and others had criticized.

The outer city was originally the area where Piallen, the Great Chief of Cosentia, had forcibly relocated various small Bruttian tribes. After the Daonians took control, they designated separate jurisdictions and settlement areas for these small tribes further beyond the city, serving as a protective barrier for the outer perimeter of Cosentia. At the same time, this could also keep away nocturnal beasts—such as wolves from disturbing the city—bringing peace to Cosentia.

The outer city now housed the largest livestock trading market in all of Magna Graecia. Not only merchants from within the Alliance, but even people from Scylletium, Trina, and Croton would take the trouble to come here and buy. Bruttian horses and other livestock were somewhat cheaper than at the big market in Thurii.

The outer city also had an arena where rugby, football, and horse racing matches were frequently held. The Bruttians were just as fanatically obsessed with these competitive games as the Thurians, allowing them to vent their usually suppressed wildness both inside and outside the arena.

The outer city also had a theater. At first, the Bruttians' interest in it was far weaker than in the arena; initially, it was even sparsely attended. The people who dared to open theaters in Cosentia were shrewd. They quickly discovered that the Bruttians were not interested in Greek dramas that featured irony, humor, displays of wisdom, and stories of human fate. Instead, they were fascinated by the stories of the Greek gods, especially Heracles. The adventures of this immensely powerful deity—when he was still mortal—using his strength and wisdom to constantly overcome powerful enemies and win countless beautiful women, most captivated the Bruttians' attention. After all, in Bruttian legends, they claimed to be descendants of Heracles. So the theater owners began to stage a large number of adapted Greek god stories in simple, straightforward language with dramatic, twist-filled plots, cultivating a large following of theater enthusiasts. This also allowed the Bruttians to begin to understand Greek culture and traditions.

The outer city also had a school. At the time of its founding, just like the theater, it was little attended, but now it was quite popular. This was due to the increase in independent Bruttians. Cosentia allowed Bruttians who had left their tribes to come and live in the outer city; the cost of purchasing land was very low, and they allowed people to live first and rent later, with a repayment period extending up to ten years. As a result, as more and more Bruttians left their tribes, most chose to live in Cosentia, because it was the center of the Bruttii region and also very lively. The increase in Cosentia’s urban population in turn promoted the city’s prosperity. After the independent Bruttians had broadened their horizons, it became a natural progression for them to attend school and improve themselves in order to have a better development for themselves and their children.

Now the outer city district of Cosentia was almost completely filled with Bruttians. Inns and restaurants were full of customers every day. The Chief Magistrate of Cosentia even proposed to the Senate to expand the outer city of Cosentia further outward.

Somewhat different from the expansion of Thurii, the expansion of Cosentia meant that the more Bruttian population the City Hall directly controlled, the more it could stabilize the Bruttii region. It should be noted that half of the soldiers of the Fifth Army Corps came from various tribes, while the other half came entirely from Bruttians directly under the administration of Cosentia.

This was another major reason for the rebellion of Bogam, Petalus, Kaduruk, and their followers. The tribesmen are to the tribe like water—only when the water source is abundant can the farmland of the tribe yield a good harvest. But Daonia was secretly and continuously draining the water away, causing the farmland to wither and die. How could Petalus and the others just sit and wait for death!

Kaduruk dared to sneak back into Cosentia precisely because the Daonian Senate had moved the various tribes out of Cosentia city. Therefore, he did not have to risk being questioned by the city guards to enter the city.

Kaduruk's tribe was located by the Crati River, very close to Cosentia.

This was a piece of fertile land with abundant water and grass, a reward given by Davos to Kaduruk for his timely submission. Since the Bruttii region had achieved peace and unity, there were not only no fences around the tribal settlement but also no tribesmen standing guard at night. Only hounds crouched outside the grass huts, alert for wild beasts that might carry off the livestock.

Kaduruk returned several times each year, but tonight he saw hardly any of the hounds scattered around, which made him breathe a sigh of relief but also left him somewhat puzzled.

He led his men, tiptoeing around the grass huts, heading toward the large courtyard in the center.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!...”

“Who is it?”

“Open up! The Great Chief is back!”

“Who?”

“Open the door quickly! It’s me! Kaduruk!”

Perhaps hearing the familiar voice, the person inside the courtyard opened the door a crack, lifted an oil lamp to look outside, and hurriedly opened the wooden door.

“Great Chief! Why have you come back at this hour?!”

Kaduruk did not answer but walked straight in.

After his men entered, they hurriedly closed the door and stood around the courtyard, looking around with vigilance.

“Where is Vitotiru?” Kaduruk had barely spoken when he heard a surprised voice from ahead: “Great Chief, you’ve returned! Why didn’t you notify me in advance so I could send someone to welcome you!”

Vitotiru hurried out of the hall, his face full of surprise.

Then the fire basin in the center of the hall was lit, and the whole courtyard began to have light.

Kaduruk frowned, because the excited Vitotiru had shouted somewhat loudly: “Keep your voice down! Go quickly and summon Daru, Gilion, and Corax! I have important matters to discuss with you!” Kaduruk said in a deep voice. Although he was forced to live in Thurii, serving as a senator and attending every session, in order not to lose control of his far-off tribe in Cosentia, he had appointed Vitotiru—a somewhat respected tribesman but mild and lacking in drive—as the tribal steward to handle ordinary affairs. At the same time, he appointed three of his loyal clan heads to assist Vitotiru in managing the tribe. Important matters were decided by the four of them. In reality, the four often had difficulty reaching a consensus and ultimately had to send someone to Thurii to ask for his final decision. Thus, over these years, although he was far away in Thurii, he had never lost his grip on the tribe’s power.

“It’s so late—what’s the point of calling them?” Vitotiru was both puzzled and somewhat unwilling.

“Hurry and call them! Ask less questions!” Kaduruk was getting impatient.

“Tarik, go quickly and call all three of them here.” Vitotiru reluctantly gave the order to his subordinate.

“Yes!” The subordinate immediately picked up the oil lamp and was about to go out.

“Go with him.” Kaduruk pointed to one of his own attendants, still maintaining his vigilance.

The two opened the door and went out, while Kaduruk led Vitotiru into the meeting hall.

“Great Chief, what important thing has happened?” Vitotiru asked doubtfully.

Kaduruk glanced at him and said in a low voice: “We must lead the tribe to leave before dawn!”

“Why?!” Vitotiru was shocked.

“Because the Syracusans have come to attack! The Daonia Alliance is about to collapse! For the survival of our tribe, we must quickly go and join the Syracusans!” Kaduruk tried to put on a stern expression, but his tone seemed somewhat exaggerated.

“…We… We want to defect from Daonia…” Vitotiru’s expression changed drastically, his voice trembling.

“What defection!” Kaduruk was immediately furious. “This is Bruttii! This is the land where our ancestors lived for generations! The Daonians forcibly occupied this place by force and took away our freedom! Now we must break away from Daonia’s control! After Syracuse completely defeats Daonia, we will take back this land!” Kaduruk shook his fist, speaking with hatred. The oppressive life he had endured in Thurii over the past few years left him furious and aggrieved. At this moment, the flickering flames of the fire basin reflected on his face, twisted by anger, making him look somewhat ferocious and terrifying.

“Defection is defection; the highest penalty under Daonian law for this crime is death!” Along with a voice that suddenly sounded from the rear side door of the meeting hall, a figure was cast on the wall by the firelight.

Kaduruk’s heart shook violently upon hearing this. He subconsciously looked at Vitotiru, who, as a short, stout old man, moved with unprecedented swiftness to distance himself from Kaduruk.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen figures surged out from the side room. The firelight illuminated the face of the one in front, and it was none other than Heilos.

“Run! It’s an ambush!” Kaduruk was greatly alarmed, immediately turning to run back, while loudly warning his men.

However, at that moment, the courtyard gate was also pushed open, and fully armed soldiers rushed in.

“Arrest them all!” Heilos coldly gave the order.

Within a short time, Kaduruk and his attendants were captured.

“Heilos… I… I came back to handle urgent tribal affairs. Without any reason, you brought men to break into my tribe’s meeting hall, injured my men, and bound me… Hurry… hurry up and untie me! Otherwise, I will report your crimes to the Senate! And… if you alarm my tribesmen and they see you treating their chief like this, it will surely cause unrest. If a big disturbance breaks out, the Senate will likely take away the position of Chief Magistrate of Cosentia that you just obtained! Let me go—let’s talk properly.” Kaduruk, with his hands bound behind his back and pressed to the ground, still put on a fierce front and threatened.

“If you have any grievances, you can plead them to the Senate once you are escorted back.” Heilos did not want to say more to him. He turned to Vitotiru and said seriously: “I will report your merits to the Senate. But for now, your primary task is to stabilize the entire tribe—no disorder of any kind. I will send people to assist you in stabilizing the situation. The Senate will also watch your performance and decide whether to let you succeed this traitor as a senator. Work hard.”