Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1051: The Theban War Continues

News that Daionia had defeated Carthage and forced an armistice spread throughout the Kingdom of Daunia, sending citizens everywhere into jubilation.

Before long, this news reached the Greek Mainland, shocking many city-states—especially Sparta.

When Daionia was previously besieged by multiple factions, Sparta had secretly played tricks, instigating exiled forces in Apulia to reclaim their former territories. But now, relying solely on its own strength, Daionia had cleanly annihilated Rome, subdued Samnium, and defeated Carthage, becoming the undisputed dominant power in the western Mediterranean.

Sparta, on the other hand, was bogged down in a quagmire of war, long unable to break the stalemate in Central Greece. The guilt-ridden Council of Elders worried that their previous actions could not be hidden from the men of insight in the Kingdom of Daunia. If Daionia were to suddenly turn hostile and demand justice from Sparta now, it would undoubtedly make the situation far worse.

Thus, Sparta hastily dispatched envoys to Thurii. In the name of an allied state, they congratulated Daionia on winning the war against Carthage while tentatively requesting that Daionia provide some assistance to Sparta in its ongoing conflict.

Davos had long since seen through the Spartans' intentions. He neither dropped all pretenses to accuse them of their dirty deeds during the Western Mediterranean War, nor did he agree to their request. Instead, he tactfully explained that while Daionia had indeed won the war, the subsequent thorny issues—rebuilding homelands, restoring order, pacifying the public, and resuming trade—still required the kingdom's united efforts to slowly restore pre-war prosperity. Therefore, they lacked the time and energy to concern themselves with the affairs of other nations.

Sparta was temporarily reassured.

Davos used similar words to respond to the envoys from Athens who arrived seeking help shortly afterward.

As for the people of Thebes, they were still under siege by the Spartan army. Exhausted from fending off constant attacks, they were largely unaware of the major events happening in the western Mediterranean, nor did they have the energy to find out.

Agesilaus accepted the appointment with unwavering resolve, declaring that since the elders and citizens deemed him the best candidate, he would give it his all.

He led the army to the Spartan border to make sacrifices and presented the results to the soldiers as an auspicious omen, sending the entire army's morale soaring.

Because the mountainous terrain on the southern edge of the Boeotia Region, adjacent to the Isthmus of Corinth, was heavily defended by Thebes, and because Athens had joined forces with them, taking the land route across the Isthmus and over the mountains into the Boeotia Region was not only difficult but fraught with danger.

Agesilaus led his troops on a forced march. After arriving at the port of Sicyon, not far west of Corinth, they boarded ships and sailed across the Gulf of Corinth, landing on the beaches of the Boeotia Region. Since he had sent word ahead for a Spartan army stationed in the region to preemptively capture a mountain pass near the landing site, his entire army crossed the mountains without hindrance. They entered the plains of the Boeotia Region and quickly joined forces with the pro-Spartan city of Thespiae, located just twenty li west of Thebes.

Agesilaus originally thought his swift military maneuvers would disrupt the Theban defensive deployments. Instead, he found that the Thebans and their allies had erected palisades and earthworks, dug trenches, and set up abatis across every strategic strongpoint surrounding the city of Thebes...

If the Spartan army wanted to approach the city, they had to conquer these strongpoints one by one. The Theban Army would not just sit back and let them act freely; wherever Agesilaus directed his attacks, Thebes deployed heavy forces to defend.

Because Thebes was fighting on interior lines, they could mobilize their troops with greater flexibility and speed. Moreover, the Theban Army did not merely hunker down in defense; they launched timely sorties to attack Spartan Coalition soldiers who had strayed from the main force or were resting during meals. This series of defensive strategies, primarily the handiwork of Epaminondas, gave Agesilaus a severe headache. After half a year of campaigning, he had yet to achieve any breakthrough progress.

When autumn arrived, the soldiers from Sparta's allied states began returning to their homes in droves. Agesilaus also needed to lead the Spartan Warriors back to their country, so he appointed Phoebidas to command the mercenaries and stay behind in the Thespiae area to await an opportunity to attack Thebes.

Phoebidas, who was deeply despised by the people of Thebes, adopted a far more vicious strategy. He dispatched multiple small detachments to bypass the Theban defensive strongpoints, slaughtering the civilians hiding in the rear and relentlessly destroying their farmlands...

The people of Thebes were utterly enraged by this. Ignoring Epaminondas's warnings, they rashly mobilized their army and attacked Thespiae.

However, Phoebidas was well prepared. He arranged his formations specifically for this encounter and successfully repelled the Theban Army's assault in a pitched battle. Seeking to expand his victory and weaken Theban forces, he personally led his troops in a fierce pursuit of the routed enemy. In their panic, the Theban cavalry and some of the infantry fled blindly, ending up trapped in an impassable gorge.

Driven into a corner, the routed Theban troops rallied and decided to fight to the death. Meanwhile, because the pursuit had been too fast, the heavy infantry of Thespiae had fallen far behind. Only Phoebidas and a few hundred Thracian peltasts stood in the path of the Theban cavalry.

It happened far too suddenly. Phoebidas had barely managed to get his Thracian mercenaries into formation when the Theban cavalry launched a desperate frontal charge. The momentum generated by hundreds of galloping warhorses was undoubtedly terrifying.

The Thracians, already exhausted from the long sprint, lost their nerve. Before the Theban cavalry even reached them, the Thracians broke and fled.

The Theban Army seized the momentum to attack fiercely, causing the Thracian mercenaries to rout entirely. Phoebidas mingled among the fleeing soldiers, attempting to escape.

But how could the Theban cavalry let him slip away? They kept their eyes firmly glued to him, swiftly encircling him and stabbing him to death in a flurry of spears. Then, they drove the routed troops forward to disrupt the belatedly arriving Thespian heavy infantry. The Spartan Coalition suffered a crushing defeat.

The Theban Army pursued the enemy until nightfall before finally withdrawing to their camp.

In this battle, the people of Thebes turned defeat into victory. Not only did they kill their most hated enemy, Phoebidas, but they also weakened the mortal threat to their heartland, Thespiae. The Theban populace cheered for this triumph, and the citizens of other Boeotian city-states under Spartan control were greatly inspired.

Taking advantage of this favorable opportunity, Thebes dispatched their army once more, launching proactive strikes against Thespiae and the surrounding city-states subordinate to Sparta. This forced Sparta to send out an army in the middle of winter to help defend Thespiae.

In the early spring of the following year (377 BC, the 17th year of the Kingdom of Daunia), the Council of Elders and the Ephors of Sparta once again appointed Agesilaus as commander of the Allied Forces.

This time, Agesilaus created a diversion, feinting to the east while striking in the west. He led his army along the land route, force-marching through the Isthmus of Corinth. Taking advantage of the Thebans' lack of preparedness, he smashed through their mountain defense lines in one fell swoop and invaded the area east of the city of Thebes. Using Plataea as his base, he wantonly ravaged the land. Although he secured some victories, the Thebans' resistance remained extremely stubborn, preventing the Spartan army from achieving any breakthrough progress.

By autumn, Agesilaus had no choice but to withdraw his troops and return home once again.

At this time, a severe food shortage gripped Thebes. Due to the devastation of war, their farmlands had yielded no harvests for two years. In the history of his previous life, the people of Thebes would have sent a fleet to the northern towns of Thessaly to purchase grain. But this time, Pelopidas proposed crossing the Adriatic Sea to buy grain from the Kingdom of Daunia.

Some raised objections, arguing that Daionia and Sparta had a long-standing Friendship Agreement and maintained close relations, making it impossible for Daionia to sell grain to Thebes.

Pelopidas replied, "The distance is short and the route is convenient anyway; there is no harm in trying. But if we succeed, not only will we have opened a new channel for purchasing grain, we will also have probed the Theonians' attitude toward this war. The significance of that is immense!"

Ultimately, Pelopidas's suggestion was approved. Thebes dispatched three Triremes carrying ten talents. Taking advantage of the Spartans' winter respite and the relaxed naval blockade of the Gulf of Corinth, they risked sailing out of the gulf, crossed the Adriatic Sea, and arrived at Hodrum, a port city on the eastern coast of the Kingdom of Daunia.

When the magistrate of Hodrum heard that the Thebans had come to buy grain, he considered the political implications and dared not make a decision on his own. He immediately dispatched a messenger to Thurii for instructions.

Upon learning of this, Davos set the tone for the matter with a seemingly joking remark: "If the Spartans could let the fugitives of Apulia tour our country, why can't we give the Thebans a little help? Especially since this is merely an ordinary commercial transaction."

Therefore, the city of Hodrum not only sold the grain to Thebes at a low price but also sent cargo ships to assist with the transport.

In truth, the Spartan fleet had already received news that the Thebans had sent a fleet out to buy grain. They had made their deployments and were just waiting to capture the Theban fleet when it returned to the Gulf of Corinth.

However, when the sailors of the Spartan fleet saw ships bearing the flag of the Kingdom of Daunia among the Theban fleet, they were completely stunned and dared not act rashly. They could only watch helplessly as the Theban ships landed on the northern shore of the gulf and unhurriedly unloaded their cargo.

Afterward, the commander of the Spartan fleet hastily reported this incident back to Sparta. The Council of Elders and the Ephors were all deeply shocked and hurriedly dispatched envoys to Thurii.

Davos did not even make an appearance. Antaoris, the Rotating Chairman of the Senate, received the envoys instead. Facing the Spartans' questioning, he brushed it off using the king's exact words: "This is merely an ordinary commercial transaction, not worth making a fuss over."