Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1040: The Choice of the Hanno Faction

Crotokatax scratched his head, his expression unusually boyish. "He said I did well, but told me to stay safe... because my father wrote back to me too."

Asistes laughed heartily. "You all came looking for me in such a rush earlier that I haven't even had time for dinner. Since today is the first day of the new year, why don't you join me? We can eat and discuss how to run tomorrow's fishing competition. I've decided to put you in charge of organizing it."

"Me?" Crotokatax asked in surprise.

"Not confident?" Asistes looked at him with a faint smile.

"No problem!" Crotokatax immediately agreed.

...

Daionia's two new conditions shocked Okriton, leaving him too afraid to continue the negotiations. Using the excuse that the Senate needed to discuss the matter, he boarded a ship back to Carthage without a moment's delay. However, he did not report to the Senate right away; instead, he secretly informed Hanno first.

That very night, Tepanco and several other key senators of the Hanno faction hurried to Hanno's estate.

After Okriton repeated the details of his negotiations with the Daionians in Sicily, everyone's expressions turned grim.

"If we refuse to negotiate, the Daionians can continue wiping out our remaining forces in Sicily, claim all of Western Sicily for themselves, and then muster their armies for a massive landing in Africa to attack Carthage," Samors sighed, his expression bleak. "It isn't that we want to negotiate, but the enemy is strong and we are weak. This grim reality leaves us no choice!" Since Montadler, Samors was the Hanno faction's foremost military expert. He currently commanded several thousand Carthaginian Citizen Soldiers stationed in East Numidia to suppress rebellions and restore order. Hanno had specifically recalled him for this meeting, showing exactly how highly he valued the commander's insight.

"The Daionians want Corsica, Sardinia, and Western Sicily! Now they're demanding Southern Iberia, and they expect us to surrender our lands in Numidia! If we agree to all of this, do you think it will satisfy them?!" Drevika retorted. "No. Our weakness will only feed their greed. Not only will they come up with new demands, they might even launch an invasion of Africa to threaten Carthage itself! Since the situation is already this dire, why shouldn't we take a harder stance? It might actually make the Daionians think twice!"

Hanno listened to their debate without making his stance known. He turned his head and asked, "Tepanco, what are your thoughts?"

Tepanco mused for a moment before replying, "The critical issue here is that we must first determine whether the Daionians actually want to negotiate. If they do, then we must use every ounce of our effort to parley with them in hopes of securing a favorable truce. If they do not, then we need to mobilize for war immediately and prepare to defend against a Daionian Army invasion of Africa!"

Hanno listened, then turned to Okriton. "You have been negotiating with the Daionians for some time now. In your judgment, do they genuinely want peace, or not?"

It was a heavy question, and Okriton did not answer right away. He thought deeply for a long moment before finally speaking. "During my negotiations with the Daionians, I only met the King of Daionia once, at the very beginning. His attitude toward me was fairly friendly. After that, my repeated requests to see him were denied. I don't believe this is because his anger toward Carthage is growing. Rather, it's precisely because he wants peace. He likely worries that if he listens to my pleas, he might make a rash decision that interferes with his envoys' plans.

"Second, I deliberately provoked their envoys several times. I even threatened, 'We will break off the talks, let Carthage fully prepare for war, and fight Daionia to the bitter end!' Yet, when I returned to the negotiating room the next day, the Daionian official was still waiting for me. He offered some mocking remarks, but he still allowed the talks to continue. From what I observed, that official is an incredibly arrogant man. The fact that he was willing to endure that provocation shows that they truly want these negotiations to succeed.

"However, the Daionians naturally want to extract as much as possible from these talks, just as we hope to concede as little as possible. That is perfectly understandable. Because of this, both sides were watching how the war unfolded. Unfortunately, Mago failed. Since the Daionians now hold a commanding advantage, it's only natural that they want to demand more.

"Furthermore, I gathered from my conversations with their officials that the Daionians did not pay a heavy price to defeat Mago's army. I carefully observed the Daionian soldiers I came across. Every single one of them was arrogant and full of energy. I couldn't detect the slightest hint of war-weariness among them..."

Everyone in the room paled.

After a moment, Tepanco offered a strained reassurance. "...Perhaps they were just putting on a show for you, trying to apply pressure."

"That fool, Mago! He is a sinner to Carthage!" Drevika cursed bitterly.

Hanno, who usually clashed bitterly with the Magonid family in the Senate, did not loudly condemn Mago this time. Instead, he sighed, his face lined with worry. "Drevika, you made a good point earlier. The Daionians' greed can grow. Perhaps the King of Daionia truly wanted peace before, but as the disparity in our strength widens, it's inevitable that their ambitions might change! Looking at the current situation, we must admit that Daionia holds an absolute advantage on both land and sea. We must do everything in our power to strengthen the defenses of the City of Carthage and crush any notion the Daionians might have of wiping us out! Samors, what do you suggest?"

Samors hesitated, remaining silent for a moment.

"Look at the situation we're in. Just say what's on your mind!" Hanno snapped, growing impatient.

"Lord Hanno, then I will speak plainly," Samors said, throwing caution to the wind. "Our army in Sicily has suffered a devastating defeat, and the entire sea is completely blockaded by the Daunian Navy. There is no hope of escape for our surviving troops on the island; they will inevitably surrender. Now that the Daionians have proposed such harsh terms, they certainly won't release any prisoners before an agreement is reached. So, once Daionia finishes dealing with Sicily and actually lands in Africa to assault the City of Carthage, how many soldiers can we muster to defend the city? How much food do we have to ensure the City of Carthage can withstand a prolonged siege by the Daionian Army? And how many foreign allies can we count on to come to our aid when Carthage is in peril?"

Samors's barrage of questions made the other men in the room turn pale.

As the current year's Suffet, Okriton offered a dry cough and attempted a strained reassurance. "The young and able-bodied citizens of Carthage already suffered heavy casualties when they first followed Monteadno to Sicily. Afterward, Mago forced us to conscript over 10,000 more Citizen Soldiers, who are all now trapped on that island. Meanwhile, there are nearly 8,000 citizens stationed in Numidia under your command.

"If we enforce another draft within the city, we can raise a little over 4,000 troops at most, and that includes the elderly and the young. (Although Carthage was the most prosperous city-state in the western Mediterranean and appeared heavily populated, its actual number of citizens was quite low. The vast majority were slaves, especially Numidian slaves. The Phoenicians were a relatively small ethnic group across the Mediterranean Sea. Because of this, even though their level of civilization and technological prowess had surpassed the Greeks for centuries, they had consistently found themselves at a disadvantage during the waves of migration and conflict in the western Mediterranean.)

"However, I can guarantee that our food supplies are abundant. Due to the Daonian Fleet's blockade, the vast majority of the rations we gathered from Numidia and our allied states for the army in Sicily couldn't be shipped out. We have enough stockpiled to feed the entire city for over three months, and don't forget that the citizens have their own private reserves at home. We could easily withstand a Daionian siege for half a year!

"As for the foreign allies you mentioned... the Phoenician City-States all across Africa will come to Carthage's aid. The Daionian Army will struggle to move a single inch across this continent."

Okriton's reassurances clearly missed their mark. Samors's expression remained grave as he spoke in a low voice. "Although the City of Carthage is shielded by lagoons and hills, 4,000 men are simply not enough to hold off a Daionian assault. We need to recall the 8,000 soldiers currently stationed in Numidia to fortify the city's defenses.

"Furthermore, I do not share Lord Okriton's belief that the Phoenician Allied States will come to our aid. On the contrary, I believe the Phoenician Allied States of Africa will become a massive burden. We've already drafted the vast majority of their able-bodied citizens and sent them to Sicily. Once the Daionian Army lands in Africa, those allied states won't have the strength to defend themselves. They will likely come begging us for help, and when that happens, do we send reinforcements or not?

"If we do, we'll only weaken our already meager defenses and expose our reinforcements to the constant threat of Daionian ambushes. But if we don't, will the Phoenician Allied States ever trust us again? They might just surrender to the Daionians completely! And another thing—"