Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1028: Renewed Negotiations

Henipolis thought for a moment but did not immediately answer.

"No, I don't think so," Davos said, his voice deep. "Daionia has no foundation in Africa. The Phoenician City-States would harbor secret resentment toward us. With Carthage wiped out and the shackles removed from their necks, the East and West Numidians would pursue their own interests. If we try to take Carthage's place, we will likely clash with them..."

"Africa is also home to Mauretania and the Libyans, both populous peoples. Once Carthage ceases to exist, Africa will likely plunge into chaos. We would be dragged into endless conflicts, draining a massive amount of our energy and resources. Is it worth it? After all, the Kingdom of Daunia's center of gravity lies in Italy. We must not only consolidate our rule over Italy but also continue our northward expansion strategy. We cannot neglect our core objectives for trivial gains..."

Henipolis listened carefully. After a moment of thought, realization dawned on him. "We want to seize Sicily, Sardinia, and Southern Iberia to eliminate Carthage's threat to the kingdom, yet we also want Carthage to continue existing as a major power in Africa. This will ensure the Numidians continue to rely on us. Meanwhile, Daionia can act as a detached mediator, resolving disputes among the various factions and steadily increasing our influence in Africa..."

Davos nodded. "You understand it well, Heni. That's why you must carefully manage this balance in the upcoming negotiations. Of course, our military will continue to apply pressure. I believe Carthage will ultimately agree to all our demands."

As he spoke, Davos couldn't help but recall the Carthage from the history of his past life. After the Second Punic War, they had lost all their colonies. Yet, following a few decades of development, they regained such prosperity that they made the Romans nervous, ultimately leading to their city's annihilation.

From Davos's current perspective, the Romans had been so traumatized by Hannibal that they suffered from perpetual paranoia. In reality, Carthage could no longer pose any threat to Rome by that point, as evidenced by how immediately they surrendered a large number of hostages the moment the Romans grew angry. Today's Daionia harbored no such fears. Having wiped out Rome and decisively defeated Carthage in a single war, the kingdom was far more confident and powerful.

Even in mere trade competition, Daionia did not fear Carthage. In his past life, even after Rome won the Punic Wars and became the hegemon of the western Mediterranean, it had remained an agricultural city-state with underdeveloped commerce. Under his guidance, however, today's Daionia already emphasized both agriculture and trade equally. After acquiring these Carthaginian colonies, the entire kingdom's commerce would only expand faster.

...

Davos was confident that the Carthaginian remnants hiding in these two towns numbered over ten thousand men. Stripped of their food and supplies, they would be incredibly difficult for the townsfolk to support. Furthermore, because the large army previously led by Prosous had heavily ravaged the farmlands of the western region, the wheat harvests around these towns had plummeted. It was uncertain whether the locals could even survive the winter themselves, let alone spare surplus grain to feed a remnant army. It likely wouldn't take long for these two city-states to fall into chaos over food shortages.

Over these short two days, neither Mazara nor Segesta made any major moves. However, the leaders of the Sikanoi arrived together in Selinunte.

Bordering Segesta, the Sikanoi were the first to receive news of the Carthaginian army's crushing defeat. When they saw the once-invincible Carthaginian soldiers fleeing into the City of Segesta in panic, their shock was beyond measure. Adding to their terror, hundreds of Daionian cavalry and Numidian Cavalry had periodically appeared along the edges of their territory over the last two days. Utterly frightened, this weak Sicilian mountain tribe quickly decided to surrender to Daionia. To earn the Theonians' forgiveness, they even captured Agonis, the leader of the Sikeloi tribe of the Tanikians, along with his confidants, who had been hiding in their lands.

Davos accepted their surrender and offered gentle words of comfort, easing the anxieties of the Sikanoi leaders.

But immediately afterward, right in front of them, Davos ordered his men to detain Agonis and his followers. He announced that they would be escorted to the Sikeloi region, where all the tribes that had suffered Carthaginian attacks, lost territory, and seen their people slaughtered because of Agonis would publicly try and execute him.

In Davos's words, any ally who betrayed Daionia must face severe punishment. This left the present Sikanoi leaders feeling deeply uneasy, serving as a quiet warning against any treacherous thoughts.

...

Mago's refusal to obey the Senate's orders and his stubborn insistence on attacking Selinunte sparked outrage among all the Senators outside the Magonid faction. For several consecutive days, the Senate convened meetings, fiercely debating whether to deliver the harshest punishment to this audacious military commander. In truth, many Senators secretly hoped the Carthaginian army would manage to capture Selinunte, allowing Carthage to claw back some leverage in the ensuing negotiations.

On the night of the Carthaginian army's rout, the City of Mazara dispatched several cargo ships. Braving immense risks, they slipped quietly toward Carthage under the cover of darkness. In the end, only a single vessel successfully reached its destination.

When the Senators learned the news, they were so stunned it took them a long time to recover.

First, their navy had been almost completely annihilated. Now, their land forces had suffered a catastrophic defeat. The utter ruin of both Carthage's army and navy left the Senators heartbroken and thoroughly shattered the last shred of their arrogance. To rescue the remnant forces trapped on the Island of Sicily, along with the massive number of soldiers captured by Daionia, the Senate convened an emergency meeting.

Unlike their usual endless arguments, the Magonid faction Senators took a different stance after hearing from the Mazara messenger that while Hasdrubal had luckily escaped to the City of Mazara, there had been no news of Mago at all. Consequently, they actively pushed to immediately restart negotiations and accommodate the Theonians' demands as much as possible to secure a swift armistice.

However, negotiating with Daionia under such difficult circumstances would inevitably invite further hardships and extortion. The Senators therefore actively debated where they should make concessions, where they should hold firm, and what new demands the Theonians might raise...

After two days of effort, they finalized a comprehensive diplomatic proposal. Passing a resolution on such a critical matter in such a short time was a first for Carthage.

During the meetings, the Senate also spent time pacifying the Carthaginian citizens, who were weeping with rage and grief over the disastrous news.

Once again serving as Carthage's envoy, Okriton boarded a ship for Sicily. This time, he felt the immense weight of his responsibilities.

After sailing into the waters off Western Sicily, Okriton intended to first dock at the City of Mazara. He wanted to meet Hasdrubal and learn the details of the situation so he could enter the negotiations fully prepared.

To his surprise, as his ship approached Mazara, it was intercepted by Daonian Warships. Upon learning that Okriton was a Carthaginian diplomatic envoy, they refused to let him enter Mazara's port. Instead, they advised him to sail straight to Selinunte.

Standing on the deck, Okriton watched the numerous Daonian Warships patrolling back and forth outside Mazara's port. Feeling the situation growing even more dire, he immediately ordered his ship to speed toward Selinus.

The King of Daonia had moved his headquarters westward from Minoa to Selinus. For the Daionian Army, this was a victorious stride forward. For Carthage, however, this shift signified their total defeat in the war.

Upon arriving in Selinunte, Okriton requested an audience with King Davos, but was denied. He then requested to open negotiations, which was granted.

The negotiations took place in a vacant manor in the Port District.

Okriton arrived early and waited in the receiving hall. Henipolis deliberately delayed for a long time before finally sauntering in.

Forcing down his displeasure, Okriton got straight to the point. "Over the past few days, our Senate has re-discussed the negotiation terms you proposed. We have decided to hand Corsica Island over to Daionia's jurisdiction. As for Sardinia, aside from Sant'Ibinia and Caralis, the rest of the island will also fall under Daionia's administration. Regarding Sicily, we hope Daionia will return Lilybaeum. In exchange, Carthage will relinquish... our responsibilities over the other city-states and territories in Western Sicily. Eryx, Mazara, Segesta, and Palermos are all independent city-states. Whether Daionia wishes to annex them or turn them into vassals, you may negotiate with them yourselves. Carthage will not interfere in any way."

After speaking, Okriton looked at Henipolis, his heart tight with anxiety. In truth, the absolute bottom line the Senate had given him was to agree to every single condition Daionia had previously demanded. But since this was a negotiation, he couldn't just throw all his cards on the table the moment they met; he had to haggle a bit.

Now, Okriton's greatest fear was that Daionia would leverage this recent victory to make exorbitant demands and raise new conditions.

Sure enough, after hearing Okriton's offer, Henipolis sneered repeatedly. "Lord Okriton, during your first visit to negotiate, I warned you: 'If Carthage doesn't agree to our terms soon, we might raise the price during the next talks.' Yet you pushed your luck. Not only did you drag out the negotiations, you even had your army launch an attack on Selinus while the talks were ongoing—"