Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1036: The Kingdom Assembly During the War (2)

Cornelius was old, and his voice, no longer loud, trembled slightly. Those at the back of the venue could not possibly hear him, but several heralds stationed in front of him repeated his words in booming voices.

He pulled a Papyrus Scroll from his robes, carefully unrolled it, cleared his throat, and began to read aloud. "Respected Senators of the Kingdom of Daunia! Distinguished representatives from the towns of the Kingdom of Daunia! I offer my deepest apologies for my inability to attend this Kingdom Assembly! We did not provoke this war with Carthage, Rome, and Samnium, yet we must fight on, for it concerns the very survival of the Kingdom of Daunia and the fundamental interests of every citizen!

"This war has now raged for a year. While our soldiers have fought bloody battles on the front lines, you in the rear have exhausted yourselves maintaining domestic stability and working tirelessly to gather the massive supplies required for the war. Our consecutive victories over Rome and Samnium are inseparable from your painstaking efforts!

"Recently, our Sicilian Fleet and Third Fleet nearly annihilated the Carthaginian Fleet. And just yesterday, as I wrote this letter, our land army dealt a devastating blow to Carthage's 100,000-strong force at Selinus, capturing the Carthaginian military commander, Mago—"

Cornelius deliberately paused. Just as he expected, thunderous cheers instantly erupted throughout the venue.

"Wonderful! Another great victory!"

"We won! We won! We've won the war!"

"We defeated Carthage! We are the new overlords of the western Mediterranean!"

...

Even the officials responsible for maintaining order in the venue smiled, making no immediate move to quiet the commotion. Only after a long while did they finally call for silence.

Cornelius resumed reading. "...We defeated the Carthaginian navy, and now we have broken their army. The Carthaginians have essentially lost the ability to fight Daionia. Thus, they have sent envoys to request peace talks.

"Gentlemen, I know this year of war has taken a heavy toll on the kingdom. The treasury is nearly exhausted, grain prices have soared, and a massive number of our young citizens have been conscripted, leading to labor shortages. Our troops have suffered numerous casualties, and some of our territories have been ravaged by the enemy, leaving them in desperate need of reconstruction... Many of you likely hope to secure some benefits and negotiate peace with Carthage, allowing the kingdom to return to stability.

"However, as vast as the western Mediterranean is, it cannot accommodate two dominant powers. Do we really want to watch a crippled Carthage use a truce to learn from its mistakes, recuperate, and rebuild its strength, only to challenge us again?

"I am certain your answer is 'No!' Therefore, we cannot stop at our current victories. We must fight on until we achieve our ideal result: securing absolute supremacy for Daionia. We must ensure Carthage can never challenge us again. The western Mediterranean will have only one overlord, and that will be us—Daionia!"

Cornelius's voice involuntarily swelled with power as he read these lines. Across the venue, eyes burned with fierce light as the crowd stood tall, their chests puffed with pride.

"...Therefore, I ask that you remain united. Give your utmost effort to reassure the people, maintain the kingdom's stability, and provide the army with abundant supplies until we achieve final victory!... That concludes the contents of His Majesty's letter." Finishing the recitation, Cornelius handed the Papyrus Scroll to Lysias beside him.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the venue: "Victory to King Davos!"

The shout ignited the crowd once more. "Victory to King Davos!!!"

"Victory to the Kingdom of Daunia!!!"

...

Seated near the front, Publius was completely enveloped by the fiery atmosphere. He had never imagined that on his very first day stepping into the highest sanctuary of power in the Kingdom of Daunia, he would experience the sheer magnitude of the realm's ambition—to become the sole overlord of the western Mediterranean.

While he did not share the unbridled excitement of the others, a swelling sense of pride took root in his chest. At the same time, he exhaled a long breath of relief. Fortunately, he had been lucky enough to become a citizen of this kingdom in time!

Seizing the moment, Cornelius spoke up. "It seems everyone not only has no objections to His Majesty's decision, but fully supports it. Over the next two days, we will discuss how best to fulfill His Majesty's demands. But right now, we will invite the heads of our ministries to summarize the kingdom's affairs over the past year. Since you are all interested in our military situation, let us first welcome the Minister of Military Affairs, Hylos, to the stage."

According to the standard procedures of previous Kingdom Assemblies, King Davos would first deliver a comprehensive summary of the kingdom's affairs over the past year, and only then would the ministry heads present detailed reports on their respective departments. But with Davos away on campaign, the prudent Cornelius and Lysias dared not overstep their bounds, opting to skip the first segment entirely. Normally, the departmental reports began with the Ministry of Finance, as finances were usually everyone's chief concern. Today, however, the military had become the paramount issue, prompting Hylos to take the floor first.

Tempered by years of experience, the former mercenary turned Minister of Military Affairs exuded a calm, commanding presence as he stood in the center of the venue, instantly drawing every eye.

Speaking at an unhurried pace, he provided a comprehensive yet concise overview of Daionia's wars with Rome, Samnium, and Carthage—detailing how the conflicts began, how they evolved, and their current status. He broadly outlined the strategies and tactics devised by King Davos and the Ministry of Military Affairs to counter the three hostile powers, while also highlighting the contributions made by the individual legions and fleets in the war.

Even though the crowd had already gained a general understanding of the past year's campaigns through various channels, Hylos's comprehensive and professional breakdown cast the events in a fresh light, and everyone listened with rapt attention.

For Publius, it was a sudden revelation. Now he finally understood why Daionia had dared to ignore the Carthaginian offensive early on, allowing King Davos to lead the army against Rome first. They had already undergone careful discussion and wargaming, making meticulous preparations and formulating a flawless plan. With Rome rushing hastily into battle, how could they not face defeat!

Publius grasped the terrifying advantage of the Kingdom of Daunia establishing a Ministry of Military Affairs. It allowed a group of men with rich war experience to do nothing else but manage military matters, studying how to defeat their enemies day in and day out. How could the Roman Aristocracy possibly compete, when they spent vast amounts of time on city-state and diplomatic affairs, only gathering their citizens and considering tactics when war was already upon them!

Even more shocking to Publius was the staggering string of figures Hylos listed: over the past year of war, the Kingdom of Daunia had deployed eleven Regular Legions, one reserve legion, four cavalry legions, and four fleets comprising over 700 Warships. The land army alone numbered 110,000 men (not counting the reserve troops drafted as reinforcements later on). It was a terrifyingly immense military force, and the fact that the Kingdom of Daunia could sustain such a massive army in regular operation for an entire year was a testament to its formidable national might!

As someone who had served for years as a Senator in Rome handling tedious administrative affairs, Publius understood this on a profound level. Thinking back, he remembered when the Roman Senate had rejected the Daionian envoy's request for them to "reach a truce with Volsci," arrogantly clamoring that they "did not fear Daionia joining the war." Looking back now, it was utterly laughable.

Of course, at the end of his address, Hylos's expression turned somber as he noted that, although the Daionian Army had won sweeping victories over the past year, they had also paid a steep price in casualties. So far, nearly 30,000 men had died, and over 40,000 had been wounded (these numbers included naval crews, who accounted for the vast majority of the fatalities). The Ministry of Military Affairs would do its utmost to arrange proper affairs for the fallen, distribute pensions to their families as swiftly as possible, and properly secure the future livelihoods of the dead and wounded soldiers' families, ensuring that the men still fighting on the front lines would have no worries about those they left behind.

When Hylos finally concluded his address, there were practically no questions. Everyone simply responded with enthusiastic applause.

The second to take the stage to give a summary was the Minister of Finance, Mersis. His speaking style was a stark contrast to Hylos's. The moment he opened his mouth, he began complaining about how the war had drained years of accumulated savings from the kingdom's treasury. The heartbroken agony etched onto his face was absolutely not faked.

Throughout his entire presentation, Mersis spent the majority of his time complaining about the massive amounts of gold and silver the war had consumed. Even though he mentioned the substantial war spoils seized from captured cities like the City of Rome and Syracuse, along with the precious metals already being extracted from the mines of Corsica and Sardinia—which essentially covered much of the treasury's massive deficit—his tone and expression seemed to suggest these were barely worth mentioning. If the kingdom did not halt the war immediately, it would fall into dire straits this year due to financial collapse.

From the whispers around him, Publius learned that this was simply the greedy Minister of Finance's signature style; he was perpetually complaining that the treasury lacked gold and silver.

Nevertheless, Publius was still deeply shocked by Mersis's presentation: the Kingdom of Daunia brought in a monthly tax revenue of seven to eight hundred talents, amounting to nearly ten thousand talents over the past year—and this was despite a significant drop in tax revenue due to the war. Yet even so, the former Rome's income was a mere fraction of the Kingdom of Daunia's. While Rome might have retained some measure of military capability to fight, its financial power was completely negligible by comparison. Its destruction at their hands was perhaps to be expected.