Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1063: Etruria's Plea for Help

"Yes... Your Majesty..." Publius choked out, nodding repeatedly. He made a firm decision: once this was over, he would force Lentulus out of Thurii, sending him to suffer in a town entirely devoid of Romans.

Davos smiled warmly and raised his wine cup again. "Come, drink up. Once you handle this smoothly, I believe you'll be ready to take up the post of Town Magistrate."

Publius's spirits lifted. He drained his wine in a single gulp and spoke with absolute certainty, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will round them all up. Not a single one will escape!"

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Guided by the protocol officer, Guliala stood at the entrance to the main hall of the Daonian Royal Palace. A loud voice rang out from within: "Guliala, envoy of the Etruscan League, requests an audience!"

A heavy, commanding voice immediately followed. "Let him enter."

Guliala's heart tightened. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the hall.

Sunlight streamed through the side windows, brightly illuminating the vast, soaring hall. Tall, imposing soldiers stood rigidly along both sides, their armor gleaming.

Guliala walked down the aisle the guards formed. To his left and right sat over a dozen Daionian officials in ornate robes, resting on rows of black wooden chairs. Most studied him with searching eyes. Among them was Ansitanos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom Guliala knew well.

He hurriedly bowed low in deep respect. "Most noble King Davos, on behalf of all the people of the Etruscan League, I bring you our highest greetings!"

"Welcome, envoy of the Etruscan League!" Davos smiled warmly. "The Etruscan League is Daionia's ally. Over the past few years, we have enjoyed not only frequent trade but also substantial cultural exchange. This is a wonderful trend. I hope our ties will only grow closer, as this will greatly benefit the stability of central Italy!"

"Your Majesty speaks truly!" Guliala seized the opening. "However, our Etruscan city-states wish to strengthen our ties with the Kingdom of Daunia not just in trade and culture, but in military matters as well."

Antaoris, the Rotating Chairman of the Senate, immediately interjected. "Envoy Guliala, your words are perplexing. You know that Daionia and Etruria are allies. Our treaty already guarantees unrestricted trade and cultural exchange, and it explicitly states that if one side falls into peril, the other must provide military aid. That alone proves we share deep military ties."

"Those are mere emergency measures for special circumstances. When I speak of strengthening military ties, I mean that the Etruscan League hopes to receive the Kingdom of Daunia's military support under normal circumstances as well!"

Guliala's tone grew heavy. "Respected King, as you must know, the Etruscan League's northern neighbors—the Gauls—have been relentlessly raiding our territory for years." (The Greeks had always broadly categorized these terrifying, savage tribes from the deep northern continent as Celts. The Daionians initially adopted this term as well, but after absorbing Rome into the kingdom, Roman influence gradually led them to rename the Celts of northern Italy as Gauls.) "Over the past two years, the intensity of their incursions has drastically increased. The League assembled an army to mount a defense, but..."

A mix of frustration and profound worry appeared on Guliala's face. "The northern border is too vast, and the Gauls are immensely cunning. They rarely engage our assembled Allied Forces. Instead, they ambush our isolated detachments and strike at our most lightly defended regions... The League is already buckling under the pressure. Masses of people from the city-states near the northern border are fleeing south... If this continues, the Gauls will capture Luna, Lucca, and Florentia in the north. That will allow even more of their tribes to effortlessly cross the treacherous mountains and take root in the northern lands of the Etruscan League. When that day comes... I fear the massive Gallic invasion from over twenty years ago will repeat itself!"

Murmurs swept through the hall for a long while after Guliala finished, yet not a single official stepped forward to speak.

Davos avoided Guliala's pleading gaze and turned to his Minister of Military Affairs, Alexis. (The former minister, Hylos, had stepped down two years ago, and Davos had personally appointed Alexis to succeed him after his massive contributions in the Western Mediterranean War.) "Alexis," he asked softly, "what are your thoughts on this?"

Alexis frowned in thought before speaking with grave seriousness. "Based on the Etruscan envoy's report, the situation in the League's north is quite dire. However... the Gauls have not yet launched a massive southern invasion, nor have they captured those northern border city-states. If Daionia agrees to the Etruscan League's plea and dispatches reinforcements to their northern frontier, we will likely run into the exact same dilemma. The Gauls will simply refuse open battle. They will continue to scatter their forces and harass Etruria, and we could never justify marshaling a massive army to invade Gallic territory outright...

"Mounting an effective defense against Gallic raids would inevitably demand a prolonged standoff and bitter, drawn-out fighting. Our reinforcements cannot remain garrisoned in a foreign ally's territory, so far from home, for extended periods. It would pull our soldiers away from their own affairs and impact their incomes. Furthermore, a long-term deployment in the north would consume immense quantities of the Etruscan city-states' food reserves, which would only breed resentment among the local population..."

"Your Majesty, Lord Alexis is absolutely right. Sending reinforcements at this time would be detrimental to both Etruria and Daionia. We must consider this with the utmost caution..." Most of the ministers began chiming in, clearly opposed to the idea of reinforcing Etruria.

Panic flared in Guliala's chest, but fortunately, he had come prepared. "Er... we also agree that requesting Daionian reinforcements at this juncture is less than ideal. Therefore, after extensive deliberations, the leaders of the League's city-states have reached a unanimous decision. Luna, Lucca, and Florentia will cede portions of their territory to Daionia. You may construct your own towns upon those lands. Furthermore, the entire Etruscan League will cover the construction costs and supply all short-term provisions entirely free of charge."

The hall erupted in an uproar.

Bulcos, the Minister of Agriculture, could not help but ask, "Are you saying... these ceded lands will belong to Daionia permanently?"

"Yes, forever!"

"And just how large are these tracts of land?" Bulcos pressed. "Beyond the space needed to construct the towns, will there be enough surplus land to feed the inhabitants?" He added a stark reminder: "If there isn't enough land to distribute as allotments to Daionian Citizens, then even if His Majesty agrees to your plea, the people of the kingdom will hardly be eager to migrate to Etruria. Living there is vastly more dangerous than staying within our borders!"

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Guliala responded with utmost gravity. "The Etruscan League has naturally taken that into consideration. Rest assured, the lands we are offering are vast and reasonably fertile. They should satisfy the needs of the Daionian people. Some of the areas even boast rich mineral deposits..."

His words instantly ignited a heated debate among the ministers.

Watching the frenzy, Guliala let out a silent sigh. If the Gauls' ceaseless raiding and pillaging hadn't driven masses of border citizens south—leaving the lands of those city-states barren and utterly depopulated—they never would have offered Daionia such immense tracts of land!

Alexis spoke up once more. "Etruscan envoy, will Daionia have the right to choose which lands are ceded to us? And where to build these towns?"

As the kingdom's highest military commander, Alexis asked this for a reason: he did not want the Etruscans to cede Daionia the territories closest to the Gauls. He would not allow Citizen Soldiers to be thrust to the front lines to defend against Gallic assaults and suffer casualties alone, while the Etruscans hid safely in the rear without lifting a finger.

Before Guliala could respond, Davos gave a soft cough. "I, too, am rather interested in the answer to that question," he said, his expression serious.

Guliala's heart skipped a beat; he knew he couldn't afford to dance around the issue. Bracing himself, he chose his words with care. "Respected King... the Kingdom of Daunia is powerful, while the Etruscan League is relatively weak. How could we play tricks against you? We are offering this land with the utmost sincerity, asking for your aid in joining forces against the Gauls! If Your Majesty and the ministers find the designated lands unsatisfactory, our two sides can renegotiate and select different territories."

Davos was satisfied with this guarantee. Leaning back and gripping the throne's armrests, he offered a smile. "I understand the Etruscan League's request. Please return and rest for now. We shall deliberate on the matter."

"...Yes, noble King!" Though disappointed that he had not received a definitive answer, Guliala did not dare say more. He respectfully withdrew from the royal palace.

At this, Davos looked at the ministers and spoke loudly, "Gentlemen, you have all heard the Etruscan envoy's request. Speak your minds—what are your thoughts on this?"