Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1043: Alexis's Attack Plan

Oliphus had expected to miss out on the fighting, so Davos's orders came as a delightful surprise. Missing out on the commander's role had disappointed him slightly, but the king's personal explanation had put his mind at ease. He immediately made a solemn vow: "Rest assured, Your Majesty! I will work closely with Tagetinos and complete the conquest of Sardinia as quickly as possible."

As a newcomer to the Daionian Army, Sextus naturally had no objections either.

Seeing these two generals receive their orders gave the remaining unassigned commanders a glimmer of hope. But Davos met their gazes and spoke with calm finality. "The Seventh Legion will temporarily divide its forces to garrison Lilybaeum, Mazara, Selinus, and Palermos to stabilize order across the west. The Tenth Legion and the Mountain Scout Corps will remain in Lilybaeum as reserves, ready to respond to any sudden emergencies. The Sixth Legion, Eighth Legion, Lucanian Reserve Legion, and the three cavalry legions can disband for now. The soldiers have fought for a year; let them return home. This will also ease the strain on our food supplies. However, you Legion Commanders cannot go home just yet. You must remain in your respective camps. The moment an order arrives, you are to assemble your men immediately and march to the designated battlefield. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Your Majesty!" No matter how disappointed they felt, not a single general dared voice an objection.

"Your Majesty, what about the navy?" Secilian asked, unable to hold back any longer.

"How could we attack Carthage across the sea without the navy?" Davos maintained his serious expression. "The Sicilian Fleet and the Third Fleet will not only escort the expeditionary army safely to the shores of Africa, but you will also be responsible for the security of all future transport fleets. Furthermore, starting today, the navy will cease patrolling the western waters. You will shift your focus to Carthaginian waters, blockade the Port of Carthage, intercept ships belonging to Carthage and its allies, and launch coastal raids against our enemy. You will also coordinate closely with Alexis's army until the war ends... That is the navy's mission. It will be arduous. Can you handle it?"

"Doesn't that just prove how essential the navy is? Better to have a job to do than sit around idle. The Sicilian Fleet gladly accepts the task." Secilian let out a hearty laugh. He deliberately glanced over at the Legion Commanders who were about to disband their troops and head home, putting on such a smug display that Epithenes and the others wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp.

Compared to Secilian, Midorades offered a much more solemn response. "Your Majesty, the 3rd Fleet will accomplish its mission."

Davos ignored Secilian's little performance and turned his gaze to the Sicilian commander, who had remained quiet throughout. "Prosous, you have one final task. After returning to the east, Osgia Island will remain under your responsibility. It no longer bears any strategic weight on the war as a whole, so I am not setting a deadline for its capture. However, I expect you to minimize supply consumption and keep troop casualties as low as possible. Can you do that?"

"Gentlemen, you all know your orders. Please return to your posts and execute them faithfully. Alexis, stay behind for a moment."

The military council had been kept exceptionally brief; Davos had no intention of giving his generals time to bargain once the orders were issued.

Once Alexis was the only one left in the hall, Davos asked quietly, "What are your thoughts on landing in Africa and attacking the City of Carthage?"

Although Alexis had only just received the appointment, following the massive battle at Selinus, Sicily was practically secure in the kingdom's grasp. As long as the war continued, an invasion of Africa and an assault on Carthage were inevitable. Senior commanders like Alexis and Leotychides had already been pondering the next offensive—this foresight was precisely why they held such high ranks within the Daionian Army. Consequently, Alexis remained entirely unruffled. "Your Majesty, do we have a map of Africa?"

Davos immediately had Henipolis retrieve a map and spread it across the table.

Alexis stepped forward, studying the map with sharp focus before speaking gravely. "Three legions, combined with the cavalry and infantry from Numidia, puts our estimated troop count at over fifty thousand men. It is a massive force. I read the battle reports from when you led the landing in Latium, Your Majesty. It took nearly an entire day, requiring the First Legion and the Third Legion of Theonia to make landfall first and hold off the Roman attacks before the rest of the army could safely set foot on Latium soil. This proves that an amphibious landing is a time-consuming, grueling, and highly perilous operation.

"Furthermore, half the landing force will consist of Numidian slaves. They have not undergone strict training, nor have they ever fought alongside us. If we are attacked by the Carthaginians upon landing, they are likely to panic and disobey commands... Rather than an asset to our army, they would become a burden, and potentially even a danger.

"Therefore, I propose that our army and the Numidian troops do not land together. We should split the operation into two phases. I will take the three legions ashore first and establish a camp. We can transport the Numidian slaves across the following day. This approach not only improves our landing efficiency but also guarantees our safety."

Davos listened with quiet approval.

Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "I agree with your suggestion. We can execute the landing in two phases. Where do you think we should make landfall?"

Alexis had already considered this, and he continued, "Though we annihilated Carthage's army of a hundred thousand in Sicily, I believe they still retain some fighting strength. If we land near Carthage, we will face a frantic resistance that could cause our landing to fail. Conversely, if our landing site is too far from Carthage, it might give the Carthaginians ample time to mount their defenses.

"Furthermore, I have heard that the coast directly west of Carthage is crisscrossed with rugged hills and mountains. This would make it difficult for the landing force to march on the City of Carthage. Therefore, my chosen landing site is here—"

Davos looked at where he was pointing. It was exactly Hadrumetum—the Phoenician City-State that had once harbored the Eastern Phoenician Fleet before the Sicilian Fleet launched a surprise attack and burned it to the ground.

This was exactly the landing site Davos had envisioned, but he was not surprised. After all, Hadrumetum was undeniably an ideal staging ground: the city sat along a vast, flat sandy beach capable of accommodating a large-scale landing. The neighboring Phoenician City-States were relatively weak and posed no threat to the landing Daionian Army. Furthermore, at a distance of over a hundred

"I agree with your reasoning." Davos nodded and said thoughtfully, "Alexis, as long as our troops can secure a firm foothold in Africa and advance methodically, defeating Carthage is only a matter of time. However, I have a few ideas on how to handle Carthage, and I would like you to hear them out first."

Although Davos spoke politely, Alexis immediately sat back in his seat and said earnestly, "Please go on, Your Majesty."

Davos recounted what he had previously told Henipolis in much greater detail, and finally emphasized, "Of course, war is not something we can control, and sometimes the situation shifts far beyond our expectations. As the frontline commander, you are completely free to take whatever actions you deem most appropriate based on the actual circumstances. I am telling you all this just so you know what to expect."

Alexis pondered for a moment before earnestly replying, "I understand, Your Majesty. I will do my best to guide the war in that direction!"

This was one of the reasons Davos had selected Alexis to be the expedition commander: Alexis had a political mind, capable of pondering and solving political issues while commanding a war, unlike Amyntas, whose head only ever held room for warfare.

In fact, through careful observation, Davos had discovered that Leotychides—a commander he highly valued—was not entirely oblivious to matters beyond combat, despite his obsession with studying warfare and his poor social skills. For instance, the political measures he had adopted while pacifying the Sicels and leading the initial invasion into Western Sicily a few years prior had been quite excellent. However, the reason Davos had ultimately passed him over for supreme command this time was due to his relative lack of seniority; his prestige simply was not high enough to suppress those disgruntled senior generals.

"Before you depart, are there any other requests you need me to help fulfill?" Davos asked with concern.

"Er... Your Majesty, could you assign one more person to me?" Alexis took the opportunity to ask.

Davos smiled. "Plintors?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. With his assistance, I won't have to worry about any flaws in the plans I devise, and I will have even more confidence in achieving victory!" Alexis spoke with absolute candor, not in the least worried about giving Davos the false impression that his victories were solely reliant on Plintors's planning.

"I agree to your request. Keeping Plintors by my side here in Lilybaeum is indeed a waste of his talents." Davos agreed without a second's hesitation, then asked again, "Any other requests?"

"No."

"I do have one request of you now, however." Davos wore a wide smile. "Accompany me for a cup of Thurii Wine, in anticipation of the swift victory you will soon bring me!"