Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1048: The Battle of Adis (1)

Dido had never expected the Daionian official to propose such an idea. For a moment, shyness, frustration, worry, and anger—countless emotions tangled into a chaotic knot in her heart.

Carthage and Greece shared similar customs regarding marriage, with major decisions generally left to the elders. But Dido's situation was unique. Her mother had passed away early, and her father was currently in a coma. Furthermore, her father doted on her and had long since agreed to let her choose her own husband; otherwise, she would not still be unmarried at twenty-four. Thus, the choice to marry rested entirely in her own hands. She just never imagined her marriage would be inextricably linked to her father's life, her family's survival, and the future of countless people across Southern Iberia.

As clever as she was, how could she fail to see that this was a trap set by the King of Daonia and his subordinates? Yet, with her mind in turmoil, she had no desire to expose it, nor did she dare make a hasty decision.

However, after visiting the comatose Mago once again, she finally made her decision. She agreed to marry the Daionian prince, Crotokatax.

The incorporation of Carthage's new colonies in Southern Iberia into the Kingdom of Daunia was also swiftly finalized.

Two days later, when Henipolis met with Okriton upon the latter's return to Lilybaeum, he directly informed him that the people of the Southern Iberian colonies had "voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Daunia." He then declared that, since the Iberian colonies were no longer within the scope of negotiations, the kingdom was adding a new condition: Hadrumetum and its surrounding territories must be ceded to Daionia.

The betrayal of the Magonid family caught Okriton completely off guard. However, with Carthage currently unable to even fend for itself, it had no strength left to launch a punitive expedition against Iberia, hundreds of li away. Feigning a fierce outward stance, he protested to Henipolis: unless Daionia handed over the treasonous Magonid family, Carthage would refuse further negotiations.

The two sides parted on bitter terms.

With Hadrumetum as a warning and Ruspina serving as an example, Thapsus opened its gates and surrendered on the second day of its siege.

Alexis did not launch an immediate assault. Instead, while his soldiers built the camp, he dispatched scout cavalry and the Mountain Scout Squad to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the enemy situation and the surrounding terrain.

Upon learning of the Daionian Army's approach, Samors in Adis grew extremely tense. He ordered his troops to hold their ground, forbidding any sorties and reinforcing their defenses.

The standoff continued into early February. During this time, the Phoenician Allied States west of Carthage successively dispatched reinforcements, swelling the Carthaginian garrison defending Adis to over 20,000 men.

But at the same time, Samors received grim news: a massive Numidian Army had appeared south of Adis.

The Carthaginian Senate had previously dispatched numerous envoys to the various tribes of East Numidia, leveraging old ties and promising lavish rewards in an attempt to sway them into remaining neutral. However, the East Numidian tribes had already established an alliance with Daionia. Furthermore, anyone with eyes could see that Carthage was an empire in decline. Why would they pass up such a golden opportunity to strike a fallen foe and free the East Numidians from Carthaginian control once and for all?

Ultimately, the East Numidian tribes gathered over 15,000 warriors. They had initially planned to march on Hadrumetum to rendezvous with the Daionian Army, but Alexis dispatched a messenger ordering them to advance directly on the City of Carthage from the south.

Meanwhile, Alexis relocated his own camp further west, bringing it to less than five li from Adis.

This plunged Samors into a difficult dilemma. When he first heard of the approaching East Numidian army, he had begun drafting a plan to avoid a pincer attack: he would leave a detachment to hold Adis while quietly leading his main force south. There, he would quickly crush the numerous but weaker East Numidians before rushing back to resume the standoff against the Daionians.

However, with the Daionian Army suddenly advancing their camp practically to the gates of Adis, any Carthaginian troop movements within the city would be nearly impossible to hide from Daionian eyes. If he marched his main force out to attack the East Numidians now, they would very likely face a pincer attack from the Daionians.

While Samors hesitated, another piece of bad news arrived: another Daionian army (in truth, a mixed force of nearly 10,000 men drawn from partial cohorts of the Tenth Legion and the infantry of the Sicilian Fleet) had landed on the western coast of Carthage. They besieged the city of Diarrhytus (a Phoenician city-state located roughly 100 li west of the City of Carthage and adjacent to Utica). In a panic, Diarrhytus sent envoys to Carthage pleading for aid, demanding the return of the Citizen Soldiers they had previously sent as reinforcements.

Samors knew all too well that since the western Phoenician City-States had been severely depleted by the massive conscription of their Citizen Soldiers, their defenses were hollow; they likely stood no chance of repelling a Daionian siege. If Carthage failed to send timely reinforcements, the entire western coast could easily fall, just as the eastern coast had. But with formidable enemies bearing down on Carthage from both the east and the south, how could he dare move his troops—the only capable army Carthage had left?

Yet sitting idle was no solution either. Information could only be suppressed for so long. Once the soldiers from the Phoenician Allied States learned that their homelands had been or might be attacked by the Daionians, they would undoubtedly desert the army without hesitation and rush back. Should that happen, his army would lose a third or more of its strength, making the war to defend Carthage even more difficult to fight.

Samors finally reached a decision. Rushing back to Carthage, he laid out the danger their army currently faced before the senate. He proposed that the best way out of their current predicament was to take advantage of the fact that the Citizen Soldiers of the Phoenician Allied States were still present, and risk a decisive battle against the Daionian Army east of Adis. Once the Daionians were crushed, he could lead his victorious army to defeat the advancing East Numidians. This would resolve the majority of the crisis facing Carthage, allowing them to finally return and relieve the Phoenician Allied States.

After a heated debate, the senators ultimately agreed to his proposal. As Hanno stated, "...While this is a colossal gamble, it offers us at least a sliver of hope. It is far better than doing nothing and allowing the Daionians to steadily tighten a heavy siege around Carthage until our eventual destruction..."

To increase their odds of victory, the senate issued an emergency mobilization order.

When Samors returned to Adis, he brought an additional 3,000 soldiers with him. They were either old men or young boys; Carthage was pouring every last ounce of its strength into the impending decisive battle.

Although Adis was not far from Carthage, these unusual 3,000 soldiers were not a small number. The Daionian scout cavalry quickly spotted them and reported the intelligence back to Alexis.

Early the next morning, just as Alexis was waking up, he received another report from the scout cavalry: the Carthaginian Army was continuously pouring out of Adis, marching in the direction of their camp.

The Carthaginian Army, which had firmly held its ground in Adis, was suddenly marching out! ...Alexis, however, showed no surprise. Maintaining his usual rhythm, he carefully washed up, leisurely finished his breakfast, and methodically donned his armor... Only after everything was fully prepared did he summon Plintors. With his guards and 300 Western Numidian cavalrymen, he rode out from the camp.

They advanced west for just over three li before the clamor reached their ears. Ahead, thousands of Carthaginian soldiers were arraying themselves into battle formations across the flat, grassy plain...

Gripping his reins with both hands, Alexis wore a smile as he turned to Plintors. "It seems that just as we predicted, the Carthaginians can no longer wait to seek us out for a decisive battle."

"That much was obvious. After all, they could only choose this path if they wanted a glimmer of hope," Plintors said, his gaze fixed solemnly ahead. "But exactly because of this, the desperate Carthaginians will pour everything into winning this battle. Even though we surpass them in strength, we absolutely must not underestimate them. I believe that even if we emerge victorious, we will pay a steep price... Lord Commander, I advise avoiding a decisive battle with the Carthaginians at this moment. If we wait a few more days, once Legion Commander Melisander and his forces successively capture the Phoenician City-States to the west, the strength of this Carthaginian Army will inevitably be weakened and their morale will plummet. If we advance then, victory will come much more easily."

Alexis fell into deep thought. After a good while, he shook his head. "Plintors, your advice may be right, but I cannot take it. If we refuse the battle, waiting to attack until the soldiers of Carthage's Phoenician Allied States all desert, the Carthaginian Army will soon face a joint offensive from us and the East Numidians. They would very likely abandon Adis and retreat directly to the City of Carthage. The City of Carthage boasts high walls, a massive population, and advantageous terrain. Even if we added all the fleet infantry of the fourth legion of Theonia and the Numidians, we could lay siege to Carthage for months and still fail to capture it."

At this, Alexis sighed. "Didn't the person in charge of the Fleet that delivered our provisions the day before yesterday say it? Because the Tenth Legion has also landed in Africa, the demand for supplies has surged. Our stockpiles of rations at Lilybaeum and Selinus are completely exhausted. His Majesty has already sent word to Catana and Thurii to urgently prepare another massive quantity of military rations... Furthermore, the seas between Sicily and Africa are rough this season. The Fleet has encountered numerous storms during transport, already losing more than ten ships...

"The longer this war continues, the greater the losses our Daionia will suffer. Now that we have the chance to crush Carthage's main army in a single stroke and bring this war to an early end, why should we give it up? Besides... we've remained idle here for so long that Amyntas and the others are already full of complaints. If we avoid this battle only to wait for the results of the Tenth Legion out west, those proud soldiers of the first, second, and third legion of Theonia would probably come out to protest. So, we absolutely must fight this battle!"

Upon hearing this, Plintors found it very reasonable and immediately said, "Lord Commander, I am your Staff Officer. It is my duty to offer you different suggestions for your consideration. But since you have made your decision, let us begin preparing for this battle."