Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 114: Dionysius's Conspiracy

After Achilita and Gaba heard this, they were thrilled—this was exactly what they were best at and most wanted to do.

Phoebidas remained silent. In his heart, he did not fully agree with Dionysius's plan, but he also suddenly realized: perhaps Sparta really should learn from Syracuse how to besiege a city.

At that moment, Dionysius added in a sinister tone, "Before we attack Croton, let's first see how Asperustum handles what comes next..."

...

Inside the city of Asperustum, Philistos was comforting the five hundred or so legion soldiers who had been exchanged for more than five hundred Locrian prisoners taken by Daonia. He felt a deep regret, for he had not been able to secure the release of Drakos, the legion commander of the Fifth Army Corps and a senator of the Daonian Senate. Nor had Dionysius released Brim, the battalion commander of the First Battalion of the Fifth Army Corps and an important leader of Besidia, who was also a senator. Instead, he had insisted on a one-for-one prisoner exchange.

Philistos noticed that all the returned soldiers were Bruttians from the Fifth Army Corps. Since the Fifth Army Corps had been at the rear during the retreat, they had suffered the most captures, but he did not dwell on this.

In truth, Dionysius had deliberately released these Bruttians, and he had done so with a kindly demeanor right in front of the other captured Daonian Greek soldiers and Lucanian soldiers. He even planned to secretly release a few more Daonian legion soldiers in a few days—ones his intelligence operatives had observed harboring resentment.

Philistos reorganized these five hundred soldiers into the Fifth Army Corps. Though regret lingered, he breathed a slight sigh of relief because half of the returned soldiers were Besidians. Besidia was the most steadfast Bruttian tribal confederation within the Bruttian region that relied on the alliance. Since the Bruttians had merged into the alliance, there had never been any unrest, and they had raised no objections to the Senate's laws that disadvantaged certain tribes in the Bruttian area. Moreover, Philistos had a good relationship with Bagiripi, so it eased his mind that more Besidians had come back.

Just then, a messenger rushed over: "Commander! Legion Commander Epithenis requests that you come to the city wall immediately. The Syracusans are doing something outside the city that he cannot decide on—only you can make the decision."

Hearing this, Philistos felt a shock.

---

Drakos woke from a nightmare.

Ever since he had led the First Battalion to intercept the enemy cavalry and was heavily surrounded, he had fought desperately with his men until a javelin from an enemy horseman pierced his lung and he fell and was captured. Though treated by a Syracusan doctor, he had been continuously burning with fever, sometimes unconscious, sometimes lucid.

Now, struggling to open his dry, heavy eyelids, he heard a piercing scream. Then someone beside him shouted in grief and anger, "Don't come over! Don't come over! May Acipirus bless, I beg you to protect them..."

What's happening? Drakos strained to open his eyes. The blurred images before him gradually became clear. He found himself lying on a mixture of stones and dirt, and a hundred meters ahead loomed a city—a city he knew well: Asperustum.

How had he ended up here? His mind was foggy; he couldn't remember at all. He tried to push himself up from the ground, but he found his hands and feet bound behind him with ropes, making it impossible to exert any force.

He struggled a few times with no effect. Instead, the sharp pain from his wound nearly made him faint again.

Then, someone nearby noticed his movement and said in surprise, "Legion Commander Drakos! Legion Commander Drakos, are you awake?!"

"Who... who are you? What... what's going on?" Drakos asked weakly, his lips parched.

"Reporting to the Legion Commander, I am Eturu, squad leader of the First Squad, Fourth Platoon, Third Battalion, Fourth Army Corps. The Syracusans brought a few dozen captured soldiers from our Fourth Army Corps, along with you, to the front of Asperustum. They tied each of our hands and feet, drove wooden stakes beside each of us, tied the ropes to them, and sent men to shout beneath the city walls, telling them, 'Your Drakos and captured soldiers from the Fourth Army Corps are here.' Then the Syracusan army withdrew a hundred meters. But every time our comrades inside the city rushed out... rushed out to save us, these damned Syracusans would... would hit them with javelins and arrows... shoot them..." At this point, Eturu broke down sobbing.

His crying stirred grief in the other bound soldiers.

What?! Drakos was instantly alarmed. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he forced himself up using his shoulders. The excessive strain made his vision darken and his head spin. Gasping, he struggled to control his swaying body... After a long moment, he finally managed to kneel steadily.

When he opened his eyes again, what lay before him were over a dozen corpses bristling with arrows and javelins. The nearest dead man was barely a meter away. Looking at the ashen face, Drakos recognized him: Hagaik, a soldier of the Fifth Army Corps. This Bruttian youth from a small tribe in Cosentia had a stubborn, rebellious nature. When he first joined the Fifth Army Corps, he repeatedly violated military regulations and was punished many times by the strict Drakos, yet he never yielded. Once, he even confronted Drakos on the training ground. In the end, Drakos challenged him to a wrestling match and won cleanly. Hagaik was convinced, trained diligently from then on, and performed excellently. Drakos eventually promoted him to platoon leader. He never expected to see him die here... and die for him!

A surge of anger welled up inside him. The cries of the nearby soldiers only made him more irritable. He roared, "What are you crying for! What's so scary about dying? We'll meet again in the Temple of Heroic Spirits!"

---

Philistos looked grimly at the line of bound, kneeling people beneath the city wall. He never expected to see such a sight when he came up to the battlements. "Are you... are you sure those people are Drakos and the captured soldiers?"

Epithenis, usually lively and flamboyant, now frowned deeply. His voice was heavy: "Before I came up, the soldiers... had already confirmed it with their lives! I've now strictly forbidden anyone from leaving the city without permission. But not only is Drakos there, there are also soldiers from the Fourth Army Corps. Look at my men—they all want to rescue their comrades, neighbors, and possibly relatives... So they all hope we can dispatch the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps. That way, even if the enemy presses forward, we can hold them off and successfully rescue Drakos and the other soldiers."

Philistos looked down the city wall at the nearly hundred shockingly strewn corpses leading all the way to the bound captives. Behind the captives, a hundred meters away, the Syracusan army phalanx appeared to be resting.

He turned back to look at the soldiers of the Fourth Army Corps stationed on the city wall. Their faces were filled with anger and anxiety.

Philistos's gaze finally fell on Epithenis. "What's your opinion?"

"I think it's worth a try," Epithenis hesitated, then spoke thoughtfully. "The Syracusans did this precisely to lure us out. So when we leave the city, they likely won't block us immediately. We'll have enough time to form ranks, slowly approach Drakos and the others, fend off their attack while rescuing them... Although the Syracusans outnumber us, the terrain here is narrow—a cliff to the left, a mountain ridge to the right. No matter how many troops they have, they can't deploy fully and can't outflank us from the rear. We... we should be able to retreat safely into the city."

Philistos was silent for a long time, then said slowly: "Since you already know the Syracusans are hoping we'll go out to rescue them, and you still insist on leading the troops out of the city—do you really think the Syracusans will let us return safely?!" Philistos showed a pained expression and said bitterly, "A few days ago, everyone thought we could defeat the Syracusans by luck, and I didn't hold firm... And then what? We failed! The allied army was defeated, and we lost over three thousand soldiers, making the entire situation in Magna Graecia so disastrous! Haven't we learned our lesson yet? Dionysius is not easy to deal with. Since he's already set up this scene beneath the city, he certainly has a plan to counter any rescue attempt. For the safety of Asperustum, and even more for the safety of the alliance, we... we cannot leave the city!"

Philistos rarely shouted at anyone like this. It was an outburst of the pressure he had been suppressing. Epithenis was a bit stunned; his face darkened: "Are we just going to watch Drakos and the soldiers suffer humiliation and do nothing? Don't forget—Davos once said back in Persia, 'In the unit I lead, everyone is family. We never abandon anyone lightly!'"

Epithenis's words lashed at Philistos's guilty heart. He gripped the battlements, his fingers digging into the crevices of the stones. The rough gravel pricked his palms... Although he and Drakos were not particularly close, as a fellow senator, legion commander, and comrade-in-arms for years, he too wished he could rescue Drakos and the soldiers. But as the highest military officer on the southern front of Daonia, he bore heavy responsibilities. In such a desperate situation, he had to prioritize the alliance's safety first. He had already failed once; he could not afford to make another mistake. If Asperustum fell, the Syracusans would drive straight through, and he would truly become a traitor to the alliance!

"Hold the city strictly. No one is allowed to leave. That is an order!" Philistos said firmly. "I will bear all the consequences."