Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 121: Spartan Mediation

Agesilaus had invited only a few close friends, as his honored guests, to return with him to his long-departed mother city. Xenophon was among them.

While recovering his health, Agesilaus kept a close eye on the war in Corinth and the news from Magna Graecia.

One day, Xenophon came to visit Agesilaus at his home.

Agesilaus warmly welcomed him into the living room.

As soon as they sat down, Xenophon expressed his heartfelt gratitude: “King Agesilaus, today the Council of Elders informed me that they will accept me as a Spartan guest-friend and grant me a plot of land at Scillus. I sincerely thank you for your selfless help, giving me, an exile, a home at last!”

“Scillus—that's a fine place! The land is fertile, close to the forest, often teeming with herds of wild deer, and it's near Olympia in Elis. It'll be much more convenient for you to attend the games in the future.” Agesilaus smiled in congratulations, then added earnestly: “Xenophon, this is Sparta's compensation to you. If you hadn't wholeheartedly aided us Spartans, how would Athens have driven you out? Sparta will never betray a friend who has truly helped it!”

Though Agesilaus spoke with sincerity, Xenophon had little desire to dwell on the charge of “treason” Athens had laid against him. He changed the subject and asked, “How goes the war in Corinth?”

“According to the latest intelligence, the Corinthians have suffered heavy casualties and their lands lie fallow. Many have grown weary of the conflict. Some are even secretly contacting Praxiteles, trying to negotiate a ceasefire…” Agesilaus said.

“That's good news! If we intensify our attacks, the peace faction in Corinth will surely grow stronger, and Corinth will eventually turn to Sparta.” Xenophon said cheerfully.

“But there is also bad news.” Agesilaus’s expression turned grim. “The Corinthians and Argives have quietly formed an alliance!”

“An alliance? What kind of alliance?” Xenophon asked curiously. Corinth and Argos were already members of the anti-Spartan coalition, so forming a separate alliance seemed redundant.

“Just like what your good friend did in Magna Graecia, Corinth and Argos have removed the boundary markers between their cities, granting their citizens equal citizenship. They have merged…” Agesilaus said heavily.

Everyone knew that Sparta and Argos had been bitter enemies for centuries. Unlike Athens, even after Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War, it only dismantled Athens' empire and left it a chance to survive. But if Argos were defeated, it would be either destroyed or severely crippled, because Argos had always opposed Sparta. Even during the Greco-Persian Wars, when all the Peloponnesian city-states joined the anti-Persian coalition under Spartan leadership, Argos refused—preferring to secretly serve as a Persian collaborator, all because of Sparta. Therefore, Sparta did not want to see Argos grow even slightly stronger.

Xenophon understood these complex relationships well. He thought for a moment, then smiled: “Actually, you needn't worry. This union between the two city-states might actually benefit Sparta.”

“Oh? Go on.” Agesilaus was intrigued. He leaned forward, assuming a posture of attentive listening.

“Right now, the anti-Spartan coalition is united against us—Thebes, Corinth, Athens, Megara, and Argos have all sent troops. The merger of Corinth and Argos only makes Argos more eager to aid Corinth, but since Argos has always been a mortal enemy of Sparta, it doesn't add much to the pressure on Sparta. On the contrary—” Xenophon paused to organize his thoughts, then continued: “Corinth and Argos are both long-established city-states with deeply rooted political traditions, customs, and interests that are vastly different. For example, Corinth is ruled by aristocrats, while Argos is more like Sparta—”

Agesilaus nodded. He understood Xenophon was referring to “oligarchy.”

“Corinth worships Poseidon; Argos venerates Zeus and Agamemnon (the ancient city of Mycenae lies within Argive territory, and the Argives often boast of their ancient Greek royal lineage, claiming superiority over Spartans). Corinth thrives on commerce; Argos lives by farming and herding. Corinthians are shrewd and slippery; Argives are conservative and straightforward… These are two completely different city-states. Their hasty merger, likely forced by the pressure of our Spartan army's attack, may well trigger more conflict and friction between their peoples, driving those disgruntled Corinthians further toward Sparta…”

Agesilaus’s eyes lit up. “Xenophon, you make a good point! At tomorrow's meeting of the Council of Elders, I will relay your opinion to the other elders.”

He stood up excitedly, paced back and forth, then added: “Also, I will write to Praxiteles, advising him not to attack Corinth too aggressively but instead to send people to sow discord and contact Corinthian opponents…”

Xenophon nodded inwardly—this was why he was willing to follow Agesilaus. There was no shortage of power struggles between Sparta's two kings; the most famous was the conflict between Cleomenes and Demaratus before the Greco-Persian Wars. Pausanias had struck against Lysander not only out of fear that Lysander threatened the kingship but also because Lysander fully supported the other Spartan king, Agesilaus. And this time, the Council of Elders had recalled Agesilaus from the front on the pretext of “recuperation,” replacing him with a trusted subordinate of the new king, Agesipolis. The reasons behind that were worth probing. Yet Agesilaus, without holding a grudge, still offered advice to Praxiteles—such was his magnanimity.

Thus Xenophon said sincerely: “King Agesilaus, your advice will greatly aid Sparta in conquering Corinth!”

Agesilaus smiled. “Xenophon is right—the integration of city-states is never easy. It took Sparta and Messenia decades to become one. However—” He looked puzzled. “Daonia has managed to unite different Greek city-states like Thurii, Amendolara, and Crimissa, and even brought in Lucanians and Bruttians, maintaining basic stability over the past few years. How did your old friend accomplish that?”

After Daonia's rise, Xenophon had naturally pondered the reasons for the rapid growth of this city-state league, based on the information he had gathered, given his connection to Davos. But since the helots were the foundation of Sparta, there were things he could not say. So instead of answering directly, he sighed: “The Daonia City-State League has only been established for a short time. Rushing into war with Syracuse will only bring it endless trouble!”

“I fear it's more than trouble—it's already become a disaster for Daonia!” Agesilaus said gravely. He then briefly recounted the series of battles that had occurred since Syracuse's invasion of Magna Graecia.

After returning to mainland Greece, Xenophon had first been busy leading his mercenaries against the anti-Spartan coalition, then followed Agesilaus to Sparta and busied himself settling down. He had neither the energy nor the channels to follow the war in Magna Graecia, and he never expected that in just one month the situation there had been completely overturned. Daonia was now surrounded by enemies and in dire peril.

Agesilaus continued: “In truth, we hadn't expected the war in Magna Graecia to progress so quickly. Originally, we thought we might mediate once both sides reached a stalemate, to allow Syracuse to send reinforcements quickly for our war against Corinth—especially its fleet, to help break the Athenian blockade at sea. But given the current situation, Dionysius, with his overwhelming advantage, is certain not to agree to a ceasefire. So I've been wondering whether we could persuade Daonia to surrender voluntarily…”

Xenophon genuinely thought Agesilaus simply wanted to end the war in Magna Graecia quickly so that Syracuse could aid Sparta. He had no idea that Agesilaus had another important reason in mind: a Syracuse that grew too powerful was not what Sparta desired, because it might then refuse to cooperate with Sparta. Therefore, preserving a Daonia capable of threatening Syracuse would help maintain the balance of power in the western Mediterranean and prevent the situation there from slipping out of Sparta's control.

Xenophon recalled the days years ago when he and that young mercenary commander had fought and fled together through Persia. The more difficult the times, the more tenacious Davos became, often coming up with good ideas to save the mercenaries. So he warned Agesilaus: “From what I know of Davos, he will never accept the suggestion that Daonia surrender to Syracuse. He will fight to the death!”

Agesilaus sighed. “Nevertheless, we have to try. What do you think of sending Cheirisophus to Thurii?”

Cheirisophus! Xenophon could no longer clearly picture that Spartan ephor who had fought alongside them in Persia. Since Cheirisophus had returned to Sparta with Thibron, three or four years had passed, and Xenophon had not seen him again. He said with emotion: “Back in Persia, Cheirisophus and Davos were on good terms.”

“Yes, he even proposed to the Council of Elders that Davos be accepted as a Spartan guest-friend!” Agesilaus said equally emotionally. “So for that young commander of Daonia, Cheirisophus would be an ideal envoy.”