Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 115: The Noble and the Despicable

Epithenis, though reluctant, had to obey the order. Even the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps were unwilling, but they had to follow the command, watching helplessly from atop the city wall as their legion commanders and their comrades remained kneeling on the ground, tied up...

Time passed second by second...

Some of the captive soldiers collapsed from exhaustion.

Drakos felt his body drying out severely, but he suppressed it with the greatest willpower, not uttering a single sound. As a legion commander, he understood the malicious intent of the Syracusans in tying them there, and he also understood why the city of Asperustum had made no move. In such a perilous situation, the only thing he could do was keep silent, not to provoke the fragile nerves of his brothers on the wall, lest they fall into danger. Perhaps in the end, when the Syracusans saw their scheme fail, they would obediently withdraw...

But Drakos had thought too well of the Syracusans. Astagoras, seeing no movement from the city wall, grew impatient. He glanced at the Campanian mercenary leader Endimennas beside him and said, "Send someone up to cut off a captive's head and see if these Daonians can still keep their composure."

Endimennas hesitated but eventually agreed.

In the historical tradition of Greek warfare, it was not allowed to slaughter Greek captives before the battle line. Astagoras did not want to incur that sin, so he had the mercenaries do it. Endimennas, blinded by greed, reluctantly accepted.

The mercenaries chose as their target Taturu, who was next to Drakos, specifically to further provoke the Daonians. When the mercenary raised his gleaming short sword high and swung it down forcefully from Taturu's unresisting neck, the blood from the neck spattered onto Drakos's body, and rage burned again in his weakened frame.

He understood now—the Syracusans had never intended to let them go.

Hearing the uncontrollable cries of grief and uproar from the wall ahead, the weeping of the captive soldiers around him, and the sharp pain in his lungs, he finally made up his mind.

He straightened his body with effort, mustering all his strength, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Hail Daonia! Hail the Daonia Army Corps! ... Cough, cough ... Hold Asperustum, and in the future, avenge me and my brothers! Avenge us!!" With that, he used his last ounce of strength to smash his head violently against a sharp rock protruding from the ground in front of his knees.

In that moment, he recalled the scene in the square of Amendolara where Davos, smiling, had presented the military banner to him, his body wrapped in bandages. "Lord Davos..." A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Thud!..."

Then, several more Daonian captive soldiers followed Drakos's example and dashed their heads against the ground, dying...

Astagoras and Endimennas, witnessing this tragic scene, stood stunned like clay idols, only recovering after a long while. They had not expected the Daonians to be so fiercely resolute! Especially Drakos, a significant figure among the Daonians, who had not begrudged his own life, unwilling to suffer humiliation, and had died like this...

"Quick! Tend to them!..." Astagoras, usually valiant in battle, shouted in some panic, an inexplicable fear stirring in his heart.

"Commander!" Epithenis, a man who rarely shed tears, now had tears streaming down his face. He stood before Philistos, grieving and indignant: "Because of our weakness, Drakos... Drakos died a valiant death..."

Philistos, guilt-ridden, clenched his teeth, his fists tight, his gums splitting and blood seeping out. He was unaware of it, his voice squeezing through gritted teeth, so pained and yet filled with boundless resentment: "Drakos... Drakos feared we would fall for the Syracusans' trick, so he chose... chose to go to the Temple of Heroic Spirits! By Hades above, I swear! I, Philistos, swear that I will defeat Syracuse, and bring the corpses of that tyrant and his men to pay homage to Drakos's heroic spirit!!"

Epithenis grunted, his eyes also filled with infinite hatred as he looked at the Syracusans below the city, then walked toward the soldiers.

Soon, the entire city resounded with the Hymn to Hades: "King of the Underworld, lord of justice. Hades, dark-haired and dark-eyed. I, a valiant warrior, come to your solemn temple. You ask what I did in life? I loved wielding shield and spear, drinking the blood of enemies! You ask if I ever trembled or feared? Never! For I come to boast of my deeds before you! ..."

The solemn, majestic hymn echoed over Asperustum, finally transforming into a deafening shout: "Hail Legion Commander Drakos! Long live the Daonia Army Corps! Kill all Syracusans!!! ..."

The Syracusan soldiers below the city heard this, and their expressions changed.

Astagoras became disheartened, waving his hand limply: "Let's go back. Report to the lord..."

...

When Astagoras briefly recounted what had happened at Asperustum to Dionysius, the tent fell silent.

Now, the Syracusans held absolute advantage in the entire campaign, yet the grave expressions on everyone's faces in the tent made it seem as if the Syracusans had lost a battle.

Dionysius coughed a few times and said in a low voice: "We must speed up our siege preparations! I hope we can launch an attack on Croton city the day after tomorrow! Asperustum... for now, maintain vigilance."

"Yes, lord!" Phasipesas stood up in response, then immediately turned and left the tent, hurrying to urge the engineers, craftsmen, and soldiers to accelerate the work.

At that moment, everyone in the tent seemed to feel a sense of urgency: they must destroy the Daonia Alliance while it was still weak, or they might suffer its retaliation!

Even the proud Phoebidas was moved. He couldn't help thinking of the Spartan Aristodemos from decades ago—that valiant Spartan citizen, one of King Leonidas's 300 guards, who had missed the Battle of Thermopylae due to an eye disease. A year later, at the Battle of Plataea, he charged to the forefront and died bravely, redeeming his honor and earning widespread praise from his countrymen...

The Daonian citizens' devotion to honor, their courage, and their will to fight seem no less than ours! Phoebidas thought with mixed feelings.

This day was destined to be unforgettable for the people of the Daonia Alliance!

Although the Syracusans had not yet begun their assault on Croton city, their mercenary cavalry had already crossed the Neto River, galloping across the Croton Plain on the Daonian side. House after house was set ablaze, village after village began to be destroyed...

On the northeastern border of Daonia, the Tarentines, with nearly twenty thousand soldiers and a numerical advantage, were unwilling to confront the Daonia–Heraclea combined army in front of Heraclea city. Diomilas sent some soldiers south across the Agri River into the Amendolara territory of Daonia, beginning wanton destruction, trying to force the newly formed Seventh Army Corps of Daonia to leave Heraclea city.

The first water wheel in the entire Greek world, the pride of the Amendolara people, was burned to ashes in the flames.

In the Bruttian region of the Daonia Alliance, Petalus's rebels had been wiped out, but Bogam had learned his lesson. Leading over two thousand of his followers, he refused to engage Hieronymus, who had come to suppress them, using the complex terrain of Ambarnia and the protection of Lake Chechita to keep the pacification forces at bay. This forced Heilos to postpone his plan to gather soldiers and form new regiments to support Thurii in order to stabilize the Bruttian situation.

At sea, the Syracusan naval commander Leptines finally rendezvoused at Scylletium with the warships scattered along the east and west coasts of Magna Graecia, gathering a formidable fleet of over four hundred ships. They sailed north along the eastern coast of Magna Graecia, preparing to force the Daonian fleet out for a decisive battle.

The people of Crimissa, Castron, and Thurii each saw this massive fleet covering the entire sea and began to tremble...

What the Daonian people did not know was that in the west, at Laüs, the city-state's de facto ruler, Achradamas, had been tempted after learning that "Syracuse had decisively defeated the South Italian Allied Army, quickly occupied Trina and Scylletium, and conquered Caulonia."

But the news that "Davos had completely routed the Samnites" soon arrived, making him hesitate again.

It was only when news came one after another that "Tarentum betrayed the alliance and invaded, the Bruttian elders rebelled, and the Syracusan army marched on Croton city" that Daonia found itself besieged on all sides and in grave danger. Achradamas believed that under these circumstances, even Davos's brilliance could not prevent defeat.

But he did not act immediately. He had to wait—wait for the army led by Davos to leave Lucania and return to Thurii, because he did not want to be the first to bear the Daonians' wrath.

When his spies told him that "Henipolis had led his troops and followed the Daonian main force back to Thurii," he breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was reluctant to raise weapons against his nephew and those Laüs soldiers—their departure removed his psychological obstacle.

On that day, he imprisoned the family of his brother Avinogis, summoned the officials and leaders of Laüs, and declared: Laüs secedes from the Daonia Alliance!

He also sent a force of 1,500 soldiers to the Lao River Fortress, claiming to be "responding to the Daonian magistrate's request to reinforce Thurii."

The officer Tagros of the Lao River Fortress, previously warned by Davos, had already heightened alert. He insisted that the Laüs men produce a decree from the Daonian Senate and the Ministry of Military Affairs, or he would refuse them entry!