Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1006: The Secret of Lilybaeum

Leotychides was also aboard the Flagship of the Third Fleet. Because he had proposed and planned this night raid for King Davos, and had gained a solid understanding of the City of Lilybaeum by interrogating Carthaginian prisoners, Davos appointed him temporary commander of the operation—even though Matonis, Legion Commander of the Second Legion, held greater military seniority.

The moment Leotychides entered the port, he scrutinized his surroundings, comparing the environment to the intel extracted from the Carthaginian prisoners. A wall over ten meters tall encircled the entire bay, with a guard tower rising every forty meters. Bathed in the light of clustered torches, the ramparts teemed with Carthaginian soldiers. If the Second Legion had not already captured the natural breakwater, the incoming Warships would likely be weathering a storm of flaming arrows from all sides.

But even with Lilybaeum Port successfully breached and the lighthouse captured, Leotychides did not believe the Daionian Army could conquer the rest of Lilybaeum in a single day. His original plan had only been a night raid to destroy Lilybaeum Port, preventing the Carthaginians from using it to transport supplies and reinforcements to their main army in the short term.

However, King Davos's reply had urged them to make every possible attempt to occupy the entire city. At the very end of his handwritten order, the king had added a single line: Secilian might have a way to break the city.

What could Secilian, a master of naval warfare, possibly know about sieging a city on land? Leotychides had been pondering this question incessantly. He turned his gaze toward the natural breakwater to the west. Warships of the Sicilian Fleet were moored along the embankment, which was now densely packed with countless legionaries. Most stood in formation waiting for orders, while a small few sprinted toward the lighthouse under the command of their officers. At the same time, soldiers continuously emerged from the lighthouse carrying their wounded comrades. Orders from the officers echoed intermittently along the embankment's walls, where countless dark silhouettes shifted. Further ahead, flames roared along the ramparts, illuminating the arrows streaking through the night sky. The firelight glinted off the Black Helmets and Black Armor of the legionaries as they hoisted heavy battering logs, preparing to charge through the wall of fire.

Watching this, Leotychides could not help but break a sweat. In his view, capturing the gate tower was indeed the key to unlocking Lilybaeum's defenses, but the walkways atop the walls were simply too narrow for the troops to deploy. Once the Carthaginians reinforced that chokepoint, taking it quickly would be nearly impossible without a miracle. If only they had more time!

"Go find out where Secilian is," Leotychides murmured to his Adjutant, Tagerus.

Tagerus immediately called out to several passing Warships of the Sicilian Fleet. Their crews all gave the same answer: "Lord Secilian is in the Port District."

...

Despite their confusion, the members of the Mountain Scout Detachment faithfully executed their orders. In truth, the task was easy to complete. The laborers were already gathered on the docks, preparing to unload cargo. By the time the lighthouse guards sounded the alarm, the leading dozen cargo ships had already rapidly approached the pier. The scouts burst out from beneath the linen tarps and vaulted ashore, taking the huddled laborers prisoner before they even realized what was happening.

Guarded by ten scouts, the laborers were escorted to the edge of the pier. From there, they watched the Daionians, wielding sharp blades, plunge the Port District into chaos. Terrified, not a single laborer dared to move.

Just then, the fierce Daionian soldiers who had been glaring at them suddenly snapped to attention. They pounded their right fists against their left breasts and shouted, "Lord Secilian!"

"Good work, brothers!" Accompanied by this deep voice, a group of men appeared in front of the laborers. The man at the forefront wore a black helmet with a purple-and-red crest and a black breastplate. His piercing gaze slowly swept across the laborers' faces.

The laborers lowered their heads in fear.

"Are all the dock laborers here?" Secilian asked in a deep voice.

"Except for a small few who refused to listen and tried to resist or run..." one of the scouts replied. "We cut them down."

Secilian removed his helmet, handed it to a subordinate, and strode toward the laborers.

The frightened laborers ducked their heads even lower.

Secilian came to a halt in front of a scrawny young laborer. When he spoke, his voice was suddenly hoarse: "Setonus. Look up and see who I am!"

The young laborer trembled at the sound of that voice. He subconsciously raised his head, only to see the man standing before him hunch his back, let his eyelids droop, and stare at him with dull, lifeless eyes.

"Phocors! You're Phocors! You're alive, this is wonderful!" the young laborer shouted, jumping with joy. Caught up in the moment, he reached out to grab Secilian.

The soldiers flanking Secilian immediately swatted his hands away on alert. The young laborer snapped out of his excitement, staring in shock at the man and the soldiers surrounding him, and once again became terrified.

"Stand down, they are my saviors!" Secilian said to his soldiers, straightening his posture. He ordered them to step further back and not worry about his safety.

When he turned back to the laborers, the men who had just been stealing curious glances at him immediately ducked their heads again.

His expression earnest, he spoke softly, "I am Phocors, and I am also Secilian, commander of the Daonian Sicilian Fleet. As you all know, that storm destroyed many Warships from both Carthage and Daionia. I was swept by the waves all the way to the shores near Lilybaeum Port. If you had not cared for me during that time, I might not have lived to see today. You are my saviors!..."

Secilian's earnest words caused a stir among the laborers. The young laborer, Setonus, could not help but ask, "You... you're really Secilian?! The one they call the 'Undefeated General in Naval Warfare'?"

"With so many Daionian soldiers right here, would I dare lie?" Secilian laughed.

"Gods, I actually lived with the noble General Secilian, the favorite of Poseidon! It's unbelievable!" Setonus exclaimed, his excitement flaring back to life.

"General Secilian... you know we aren't Carthaginians," an older laborer mustered the courage to ask. "When you lived in this port... we all treated you well. You... you won't let these soldiers hurt us, right?!"

"Uncle Ages... General Secilian is such a good man. How could he possibly hurt us!" Setonus immediately rushed to his defense.

Secilian took over, smiling as he said, "Of course I will not harm the men who shared hardships and suffered alongside me! On the contrary, I will petition His Majesty the King to allow all of you to join the Kingdom of Daunia! I am sure you all know that by becoming a Daionian Citizen, you can receive land, serve in the military, and hold public office. It is far better than suffering under Carthaginian oppression here!"

"If the Lilybaeum soldiers didn't watch us every single day, we would have found a chance to leave long ago! Lord Secilian, we are willing to follow you to Daionia!" one laborer shouted in response. The others immediately nodded in agreement.

Secilian was not surprised by their reaction. Having lived here for a time, he knew full well that these laborers included Greeks, Greek-Phoenician descendants, and Numidian slaves. There was not a single pure Phoenician or Carthaginian among them, and they felt no sense of belonging to Carthage.

Thinking of this, he raised his voice: "According to Daunian Law, to become a Daionian Citizen as quickly as possible, you must make a contribution to the kingdom. Therefore, I need your help right now, so we can conquer this town as quickly as possible!"

"You want us to... help attack Lilybaeum's inner city?!" Setonus pointed at the towering walls ahead, an expression of dread on his face.

The other laborers clearly shared his fears. Their previous excitement vanished in an instant, and they hung their heads again, not daring to meet Secilian's eyes.

"Of course I am not asking you to fight and kill like our soldiers," Secilian immediately denied. His eyes searched the crowd before landing on a seedy-looking middle-aged laborer. "Carmilus. I once heard you accidentally mention that there is a secret tunnel in the Port District leading directly into the inner city. Where is this tunnel?"

"Ah! When... when did you hear me say that?" Carmilus jolted in fright, his first instinct being to deny it.

"It was when I bought you drinks at the tavern. You said it after you got drunk," Secilian said, staring him down with a faint smile on his lips.

This Carmilus had a nasty habit of thieving and alcoholism. He frequently sneaked into the homes of Port District residents late at night to steal goods to exchange for alcohol. For this, he had been caught by the port patrols twice, losing an ear and a finger as punishment. The other laborers despised him and kept their distance, but Secilian had intentionally associated with him, figuring that a man who frequently broke into people's homes might know secrets that others did not. To his surprise, he had actually obtained such a valuable secret, and he had kept it in mind ever since.

There was a tunnel from the Port District leading into the inner city?! The laborers were absolutely stunned to hear this. One of them immediately voiced his doubt, "Carmilus, you must be lying. We've never heard a word about this. How is that possible!"

"With your status, how could you possibly know such an important secret?!" Hearing the doubt, Carmilus immediately felt he was being despised. Puffing out his chest, he haughtily shot back, "I risked my own life to obtain this important secret—"