Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1045: Dido and Haca

Tension gripped the senators. The members of the Magonid faction, in particular, trembled.

“Let us retreat into the hall first,” Hanno quietly advised the momentarily panicked senators, still maintaining his composure. “Send someone to notify General Samors immediately. Have him bring his army here to disperse the crowd.”

The senators returned to the hall. As they waited for the army's arrival, they nervously resumed their meeting. This time, they met with far less resistance, passing a resolution to “resume peace negotiations as soon as possible, based on the majority of Daionia's terms,” and dispatching envoys to reach a ceasefire agreement with Daionia as quickly as possible.

Only when Hanno stepped out of the Senate hall under the protection of the arriving army and announced the new resolution to the crowds who still refused to leave did he draw cheers from the citizens.

But Hanno also reminded them that even with the resumption of peace talks, they could not lower their guard. If they failed to repel the Daionian Army invading Africa, the chances of successful negotiations would be very small, and Carthage would lose even more of its interests.

Therefore, he urged the gathered citizens to actively prepare for war and defend Carthage.

The citizens responded enthusiastically.

But the matter did not end so smoothly. That night, several senators of the Magonid faction were beaten by the citizens on their way home; one of them was even knocked unconscious.

While the entire city was urgently preparing for war, the Senate condemned this violence and dispatched investigators, but the inquiry yielded no results.

By the time the Carthaginian envoys met with Alexis, the Daionian Army had already begun its siege on Ruspina.

Upon learning the envoys’ purpose, Alexis stated clearly that King Davos’s orders were to attack Carthage. Until he received a direct command from His Majesty to halt the offensive, he would not stop.

As the frustrated Carthaginian envoys departed Ruspina, they were surprised to find quite a few Numidians present, interacting amicably with the Daionian soldiers.

It turned out that the troopships that had encountered the storm had gradually returned to Hadrumetum. Alexis allowed the East Numidians to first return to their homelands and reunite with their families before regrouping to assist the Daionian Army in attacking Carthage.

Alexis had chosen not to have these East Numidians join the battle immediately because they were almost entirely infantry with mediocre combat strength, and every one of them was desperate to return home. He worried that bringing them into the army would not only consume a large amount of military rations but also drag down the legions in combat. However, he strongly urged the Numidian Cavalry to stay; excluding those who had drowned at sea and those who insisted on leaving, roughly 2,000 Numidian Cavalry remained to fight.

Once the Carthaginian envoys were gone, Alexis ordered his army to launch an assault on Ruspina. The Engineering Brigades of the various legions had already hurried to construct some siege weapons, and Alexis had gained a basic understanding of the entire city's defenses.

In this region, Ruspina, much like Hadrumetum, was one of the few relatively large Phoenician City-States. Yet, in Alexis’s eyes, it was still a small city, and one lacking carefully constructed defensive facilities. Based on his observations, he carefully adjusted his siege deployment, firmly believing he could capture the city within a few days.

Alexis had several reasons for rushing his attack on Ruspina. First, although he had already ordered his soldiers to hasten the repairs to the port at Hadrumetum, a lack of sufficient labor and construction materials—combined with being surrounded by enemies in an unfamiliar environment—meant the port could not be rebuilt in a short time. Furthermore, the fate of the second Fleet made him aware that these waters were windy during this late winter season. He needed to provide a safe harbor for the fleets continuously delivering supplies to him as soon as possible, which would also greatly improve unloading efficiency. Capturing a coastal city as quickly as possible was the best choice.

Secondly, the Daionian Army had just arrived. To establish a firm foothold, they had to build a solid rear; only then could they confidently attack Carthage. Therefore, a city like Ruspina, which lay very close to Hadrumetum, had to be conquered first.

Furthermore, Alexis had another idea in mind. Early on the second morning after the army landed, he had received reports from his cavalry scouts: the Phoenician city of Adis to the west was heavily garrisoned. (While the overland route from Hadrumetum to Carthage was indeed flat, it followed a specific path. A series of mountain ranges lay between Carthage and Hadrumetum, extending eastward to form the Cape Bon Peninsula; though the flat valley floor between them was not narrow, Adis sat firmly on its western side. As soon as Carthage learned of the Daionian Army’s landing at Hadrumetum, they had immediately sent reinforcements to Adis.) Alexis hoped that by attacking the Phoenician City-States near Hadrumetum, he could attract the Carthaginian army to come to their rescue, thereby wiping out Carthage’s effective strength in open-field battles.

...

Just as the Carthaginian envoy Okriton was taking a ship back to Sicily to reopen negotiations with Henipolis, several senators of the Magonid faction had already fled to Sexi in Southern Iberia. Out of resentment and fear, they widely publicized the events in Carthage, heavily embellishing the tale. Upon hearing this, the members of the Magonid family stationed in the city, along with the local officials, were deeply shocked.

Inside the governor's estate, Dido urgently summoned Haca. The moment she saw him, she asked anxiously, “I heard that our army in Sicily was either wiped out or taken captive! Now no one knows if my father and brother are dead or alive, and the fate of so many of our kin is unknown! And yet, right at this moment, that cursed Hanno struck a ruthless blow against our faction in Carthage! He sent assassins to murder Uncle Pretasdrubal and drove the rest of our people out of Carthage... What do we do now?!”

While Dido was speaking, Haca was supported by servants as he lay back in a wooden chair. Ever since Mago had led the army to land in Sicily, Haca had been primarily responsible for managing all affairs in Iberia. In addition to overseeing the logistics and transportation for the Iberian army, he also had to constantly monitor the movements of the indigenous Iberians both inside and outside their territory. Six straight months of day-and-night toil had caused his health to deteriorate; he had lost a drastic amount of weight, and even walking was difficult for him.

“Not only what you’ve said, but I also received another piece of news...” Haca touched his forehead and said softly, “Tepanco, an important leader of the Hanno faction, has proposed to the Senate that our uncle and my brother be tried in absentia. He stated they must face severe punishment for causing such a disastrous defeat and plunging Carthage into danger, while simultaneously using this to appease the Carthaginian citizens—”

“Appease the Carthaginian citizens?! Then who will appease us?! For the sake of Carthage, the vast majority of the adult men in the Magonid family went on the expedition to Sicily, and we still haven't heard from them!” Hot tears welled in Dido's eyes, but anger distorted her beautiful face, giving her a somewhat fierce look. “Also, we have spent so many years in this backward, barbaric place fraught with danger. We put in so much effort and lost so many family members to acquire these lands—wasn't it all for the benefit of Carthage?! Otherwise, how could Iberia have dispatched so many soldiers after Carthage declared war on Daionia?! But the Carthaginian Senate ignores our contributions! Without our consent, they want to hand over the lands we fought so hard to acquire to the Theonians! My father and brother fought bravely for Carthage, and now their fate is unknown. Instead of receiving Carthage’s respect and sympathy, they are to be put on trial, allowing their honor to be humiliated. The Carthaginian Senate is pushing the Magonid family to a dead end!”

Gritting her teeth, Dido said sternly, “Haca, since the Carthaginian Senate intends to ruthlessly strike us down, why should we still let them manipulate us? Let us simply break away from Carthage and no longer obey the Carthaginian Senate’s orders!”

Haca listened quietly and was not surprised by Dido’s words. In fact, she had vented similar anger to him many times over the past two days. Her absolute decisiveness this time was because she had heard the results of the Carthaginian Senate’s intent to severely try Mago and Hasdrubal. According to past Carthaginian military tradition, commanding generals who suffered major defeats and faced severe trials by the Senate were almost always crucified. The only one to ever escape such punishment was Mago’s brother, Himilco; even though he ultimately committed suicide, the citizens at the time still complained to the Senate that they had been too lenient with him. And now, the military defeat Mago had suffered was even greater than Himilco’s. Coupled with the fact that the Magonid family’s power in the Senate was almost entirely gone, and with Hanno and his allies obstructing them, Mago and Hasdrubal were likely in true danger of being executed. It was no wonder Dido’s emotions had run out of control.

“You aren't serious, are you?” Haca asked softly.

“Of course I am serious!” Dido walked over and looked down at Haca, speaking sternly with a resolute gaze: “Since Carthage views us as enemies, then we are no longer Carthaginians! Haca, gather all the officials in our territory and announce to them that the Iberian colony is independent and no longer has any ties with Carthage!”

Haca rubbed his forehead and sighed softly. “Right now, the primary officials in our territory are our Magonid kinsmen. If we declare independence, they probably won't have major objections, but it will inevitably cause panic among the Carthaginian and Phoenician citizens within our territory.

“Moreover, you should know that the greatest direct danger we face comes from the indigenous Iberians both inside and outside our territory. Because we have blockaded news of the defeat, they currently remain relatively quiet, but over time, they will inevitably find out. When that time comes, they will certainly use ‘demanding compensation’ as an excuse to attack our territory. We do not have enough troops in our lands, and once we break away from Carthage, we will have no hope of reinforcements. We will be unable to resist the attacks of these fierce natives; our lands will be occupied by them, and our people will be brutally killed!

“More importantly, if we declare independence, Carthage might not be able to do anything to us for the time being, but Daionia already views our territory as something in their pocket. If they end up with nothing, won't they be furious? Won't they kill our uncle and my brother because of it? And then send an army to seize this land? ...Have you considered all of this?”