第六卷 双雄会 第一百三十六章 持续作战（上）

“Daonia, Hail!!!...”

“Daonian Navy, Hail!!!...”

“King Davos, Hail!!!...”

“Hades, Hail!!!...”

...

The citizens shouted themselves hoarse, joyfully venting the humiliation and fear that had built up in their hearts during this period. At the same time, it made them feel that they were not only spectators of this victory but also participants, because it was their effort and perseverance that had made Davos king, that had secured Hades’ protection for the alliance, and that had led to this immediate victory!!!

As long as Davos remained king, their alliance would always be safe! From this moment, that belief began to take root in the people’s hearts.

Now, the great stone that had been pressing down on the people’s hearts suddenly vanished. Many behaved wildly: some wailed loudly; some knelt on the ground, devoutly singing the Hymn to Hades; some rushed into the sea, shouting at the top of their lungs; others excitedly hugged those around them, regardless of gender, to share the joy in their hearts. Even little Patroclus took this opportunity to hug Cynthia, the girl he had secretly admired.

Even more insane was that some prostitutes in the crowd declared that, to celebrate Daonia’s hard-won victory, they would be free tonight.

Even the head of Cheiristoya's Restaurant in Thurii excitedly announced to the crowd: tonight, all Cheiristoya's Restaurants in Thurii would provide free drinks to guests celebrating the victory.

The cheers of the Daonian citizens along the entire coast reached their peak.

While the citizens were cheering the victory, the Daonian fleet, while rescuing sailors who had fallen into the water, split off half of its warships, gathered them together and, under Davos’s leadership, immediately turned north.

When they passed the mouth of the Crati River, three hundred cargo ships carrying most of the soldiers of the Second Army Corps also joined them, and they proceeded in a mighty array toward the coast of Heraclea.

Since yesterday, Diomilas and Eumachus, who were outside the city of Heraclea, had felt somewhat puzzled: the Daonians had suddenly tightened their blockade of the territory, set up a sentry post at the Saraceno River, and posted a company to guard it—anyone could enter but could not leave.

In fact, Thurii had taken the same measures at the wooden bridge over the Crati River and at Thurii’s South Gate, and even the harbor had been sealed: no ship was allowed to leave the Crati River and enter the sea.

These harsh measures suddenly cut Tarentum off from news from Thurii, making the two Tarentine magistrates leading the army feel uneasy: What was happening in Thurii?

After repeated analysis, they finally guessed that the most likely possibility was that Davos had returned, because only he had the authority to enforce such a tight blockade.

But a guess was still a guess. Without solid evidence, they could not make a decisive decision. The two magistrates even argued about it.

Eumachus demanded: immediately withdraw the forces besieging Heraclea and fall back to Metapontum, to avoid being attacked by the returning main force of Daonia.

Diomilas objected, arguing that Tarentum had paid a huge price to finally bring its army to the walls of Heraclea and to be able to invade Daonian territory. They could not lift the siege because of a baseless rumor. If they did, they would be mocked by the people of Tarentum and even impeached by the Senate!

After some debate, the two reached a compromise: every day, send out large numbers of scout cavalry to cross the Sinni River and ravage the lands of Amendolara while also scouting whether a large Daonian force had appeared to the south. At the same time, build more pontoon bridges over the Agri River to facilitate the army’s retreat.

They also sent men back to Tarentum, hoping the Senate would send spies to the long-disdained city of Castron to try to learn something about the recent situation inside Thurii.

In anxious observation, a calm day passed.

The next morning, news came from the Tarentine fleet: the Daonian fleet had suddenly sailed out of the Crati River and encountered the Syracusan navy at sea; a battle had broken out between them.

The commander of the Tarentine fleet also asked: should the Tarentine fleet also join the battle?

Upon hearing this news, the two magistrates breathed a huge sigh of relief. Without even thinking, they knew that this reckless move by Daonia was clearly suicide, but they were glad to see Daonia take such a “brave action” because it would lighten the psychological burden on the Tarentine army. After all, more than a hundred triremes hiding in the Crati River—who knew when they might suddenly sortie? Just because Syracuse could easily defeat them didn’t mean Tarentum could do the same. Therefore, for the two magistrates, the pressure at sea was still somewhat heavy. It was just that now the Syracusan navy dominated the Gulf of Taranto, sharing the burden for Tarentum. If this naval battle could cripple the Daonian fleet, Tarentum would have no more pressure from the sea routes at all.

But regarding the fleet’s request, both magistrates refused. Ever since the Tarentine fleet suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces a few years ago, it had taken several years of accumulation to finally have thirty-five triremes and twenty other warships. There was no need to waste them in a naval battle that was clearly a sure win for the Syracusans. Besides, even if the Tarentine navy joined, the Syracusans might not appreciate it—they might even think Tarentum was trying to steal the glory. Moreover, although Tarentum and Syracuse had joined hands against Daonia, Tarentum, as a powerful state of Magna Graecia, had its own pride.

The two magistrates rejected the fleet’s request and instructed them: report the outcome after the battle is over.

Then they paid no further attention to the matter and began pondering how to capture the city of Heraclea.

Over the past few days, the allied forces of Daonia and Heraclea had been remarkably patient. They let the Tarentine soldiers run rampant over the lands of Amendolara. Even when soldiers led captured cattle and sheep to the city walls and taunted them, they still kept the city gates tightly shut and did not come out.

This greatly troubled the two magistrates. Using nearly twenty thousand troops to storm a city defended by more than ten thousand soldiers—they knew they were not capable of that. They heard that the Syracusans had a powerful siege weapon. The Senate had already sent men to Scylletium to request a lease, but they wondered if that arrogant Sicilian tyrant would agree. If Dionysius did not agree, the Tarentine army would have no choice but to besiege the city until Heraclea ran out of food. That would take time, let alone the fact that the Daonian main force could return at any moment, and Heraclea, being the closest to Thurii, would surely be their first target for relief.

Would they really have to wait until the Syracusans captured Croton and their army approached Thurii before Tarentum had its chance? Diomilas thought unwillingly...

Inside the city of Heraclea, Triphyas, who had been busy calming the citizens, worrying about the city’s defenses, and settling the reinforcements in recent days, had finally slept in late. Just as he got up and was about to eat breakfast, his servant reported that the Daonian general wished to see him.

To be honest, Triphyas was somewhat afraid to meet that Daonian legion commander—Matonis. The Daonians, in order to defend Heraclea, had seen their own territory ravaged by the Syracusans. Every time on the city walls he saw Matonis’s eyes blazing with anger but his fists clenched, forcibly suppressing his pain, Triphyas’s guilt grew wildly.

Matonis strode into the living room. Triphyas was still gulping down barley porridge. “Legion Commander Matonis, have you eaten breakfast? Would you like some?”

Through their interactions during this period, Triphyas knew that this Daonian legion commander, a former mercenary, disliked formalities. The more casual you were, the more relaxed he became.

“I’ve eaten,” Matonis said, then reached for a wooden chair and sat down beside Triphyas. “I’ve come to tell you something very important!”

“Oh, go ahead!” Triphyas quickly put down his barley porridge and wiped his mouth with a linen cloth.

“Last night, a messenger who infiltrated the city from Thurii told me a very important piece of news!”

Triphyas immediately pricked up his ears. Of course he knew about the infiltration last night, but the man had come seeking Matonis, so he couldn’t press the matter. Still, after several days of silence from Thurii regarding Heraclea, they had suddenly sent a messenger who risked infiltration—this could not be simple.

“His Majesty Davos has already returned to Thurii with his army!”

“Davos is back? That’s wonderful!” Triphyas shouted excitedly. Then he paused. “Wait… what did you just say? His Majesty Davos?”

“The Daonian people received an oracle from Hades and together elected Lord Davos as the King of Daonia!” Matonis said proudly.

A king! Triphyas stroked his chin. This was Daonia’s internal political affair; he had no right to question it. Besides, now was not the time to consider that. “So then Lord Davos… King Davos will soon lead his army north to drive back the Tarentines?”

“The messenger told me that His Majesty would lead the Daonian fleet out to sea this morning, seek an opportunity to engage the Syracusan navy in a decisive battle, and ordered us to prepare to sally. Once the naval battle is won, we are to immediately attack the enemy camp, pinning down the Tarentines so that His Majesty’s main force can arrive by sea and encircle the Tarentine army here!” Matonis said with excitement.

“This plan… is very good.” Triphyas looked stunned and hesitated. “But can the Daonian fleet defeat the Syracusan navy? Keep in mind that the Syracusan navy is far stronger!”

“I believe in His Majesty Davos. He always does what he says!” Matonis said firmly. He stood up and declared loudly, “If Magistrate Triphyas is unwilling to send out troops, then I will lead my Army Corps out alone!”