Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1081: Promotion and Authorization

"I think Patroclus will make better use of the 500 soldiers in his Mountain Scout Corps. They are the true key to victory."

...

The spectating officers murmured among themselves while the two candidates on the field kept their eyes fixed on the map, deep in thought.

Tolmides spoke up once more. "I declare the tactical examination officially open!"

"Clang!" A crisp bell rang out. The two men stood up simultaneously and took a few steps back. Ten soldiers carried several wide wooden boards into the arena and erected them over the wooden map, blocking both men from seeing the entire board. Naturally, as the defender, Sextus held the advantage of vision and could see a larger portion of the map, while Patroclus's line of sight was restricted to the southwestern corner.

Several tactical handlers carrying game pieces took their places beside the two men. These pieces were small wooden carvings of heavy infantry, light infantry, javelin throwers, cavalry, and the like. Placing them on the map gave the serious tactical examination the slight feel of a board game.

Matonis picked up two dice and rolled a 7. The referees consulted their charts and announced loudly, "Day 1: Heavy rain!"

Hearing this, the two men pondered for a moment before using white chalk to write down their Day 1 actions on their personal small wooden boards. The handlers then took their boards to the referee panel.

After reviewing the orders written on the boards, the referees ruled them viable.

Matonis rolled the dice again. He glanced at Patroclus and called out, "Day 2: Heavy rain!"

A minor commotion rippled through the spectating officers, but Patroclus's expression remained unchanged. After a moment of thought, he wrote down his next decision.

...

While most of the officers in the Thurii Military Camp were gathered in the tactical simulation room watching the two men undergo their examination, King Davos arrived at the camp, accompanied by the Minister of Military Affairs, Alexis.

Receiving the news, the commander of the First Legion, Leotychides, hurried over to receive him.

Upon learning that a tactical examination was underway, Davos instructed Leotychides not to disturb them just yet. He took his guards and went to wait in the military conference room.

"Prosous, who do you think will win?" With idle time on his hands, Davos struck up a conversation with Leotychides.

"Patroclus has a sharp mind; his actions are decisive and bold. Sextus is meticulous and steady; he holds his composure well. Both are excellent officers. From what I've heard, Sextus is defending and Patroclus is attacking in this exam. This arrangement perfectly suits their respective combat styles. However, the defender holds the advantage when fighting in the mountains. If Patroclus wants to win, he might need a bit of luck."

"Indeed, luck is a crucial factor in deciding victory or defeat in war, though that is for the gods to decide. But in an examination, it relies entirely on the luck of the referee rolling the dice..." Davos joked before changing the subject. "What are your thoughts on whether we should dispatch legions to the border to build fortresses for defense?"

"Your Majesty, I believe rotating the legions to garrison the border for six months or more at a time would be no problem at all. In truth, the time each legion spends at the border wouldn't be very long. The kingdom has nearly 20 legions; it would take at least a few years to cycle through them all once. Furthermore, these legionary soldiers own multiple slaves at home, meaning their households have more than enough labor to manage their domestic affairs..." Leotychides answered without hesitation.

Henipolis curled his lip, grumbling internally: 'Of course you'd say that, Prosous. Is there anything in your eyes besides the military?! Ever since you became the Legion Commander of the First Legion, the citizens of the entire Thurii Region have been complaining endlessly about the way you run them into the ground. They've even given you the nickname "Iron Man"...'

Davos, on the other hand, wore an expression of attentive listening, nodding from time to time.

The two conversed for quite a while before Davos seemed to remember something and asked, "Prosous, you haven't been home at all in the past six months, have you?"

Leotychides paused, then replied, "Your Majesty, I just took over the First Legion and wanted to familiarize myself with it as quickly as possible, so—"

Davos waved his hand, advising him with genuine concern, "There is no need to rush. Judging by the current situation, the kingdom won't be fighting any major wars in the near future, nor will the First Legion be deployed to the battlefield anytime soon. You have plenty of time to get to know the First Legion. You really must set aside some time to go back and be with your family! Your home is right inside Thurii City, which isn't far at all, yet you haven't gone back to see them once in half a year. Your family even went looking for you at the Ministry of Military Affairs! Those who don't know the truth might think I, Davos, have imprisoned you here, and I don't want to suffer that false accusation!"

Davos delivered the joke and patted Leotychides on the shoulder, speaking in a mild but unquestionable tone. "Go home tomorrow and rest for a few days. Let yourself relax properly, and give the soldiers a chance to relax too, all right?"

Leotychides hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"That's more like it. You have to know how to balance work and rest!" Davos laughed.

The corners of Henipolis's lips quirked up.

As they were speaking, the Palace Guard Commander, Martius, entered the military conference room. "Your Majesty, the tactical examination has concluded."

"Who won?" Henipolis asked first, full of curiosity.

"Sextus won," Martius reported to the equally curious Davos. "Patroclus had a streak of bad luck. Heavy rains poured for several consecutive days right before the battle began, hindering his army from crossing the river. He still insisted on having the Engineering Brigade build a bridge to draw Sextus's forces into defending the opposite bank. Meanwhile, he secretly split off a portion of his army to build rafts upstream and took the risk of forcing a crossing.

"Sextus had stationed numerous scouts to monitor the upstream banks and discovered this maneuver. He quickly dispatched troops to intercept them, but the referee panel ruled that, due to the distance, Sextus's army couldn't arrive in time.

"Although Patroclus's forces successfully crossed the river, the surging waters drowned quite a few of his soldiers. Sextus decisively led his army in a retreat back to the mountains. Patroclus immediately established a defensive camp on the far bank, and it took several days for his entire army to finish crossing. As they marched toward the mountains, his troops were constantly harassed by Samnite light infantry sent by Sextus, which slowed their advance.

"Sextus used this time to construct a rudimentary defensive mountain stronghold at a strategic chokepoint along the only accessible route, heavily garrisoning it. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle of siege and defense there. Because the mountain paths were narrow, Patroclus couldn't fully deploy his numerical superiority. Furthermore, heavy rain was rolled multiple times at critical moments, severely impeding Patroclus's offensive. Consequently, when the time limit expired, his army had still failed to break through the blockade.

"However, he had secretly dispatched 1,000 soldiers, primarily composed of troops from the Mountain Scout Corps, who scaled the peaks and navigated hidden trails to launch a surprise attack on Sextus's main camp. But since Sextus's main forces remained intact and Patroclus's rations were completely depleted, the panel ultimately awarded the victory to Sextus... That being said, based on their respective performances, the referees unanimously ruled that both men had passed the tactical examination."

After listening attentively, Davos remarked with some feeling, "Even though it was merely discussing warfare on paper, it still allowed the two of them to experience the hardships of fighting in the mountains!... Still, since this tactical exam was set against the backdrop of the Samnite mountains, did the referees take into account that military campaigns should avoid the spring rainy season?"

"I asked Tolmides about that. He said the campaign was set during the summer. Therefore, when designing the charts, only two of the twelve weather options involved rain—light rain and heavy rain. But as luck would have it, the worst option was rolled repeatedly during the exam."

When Martius finished, Davos also felt a bit surprised. After a moment, he shrugged and said, "This just goes to show that the fickleness of war is entirely beyond our control. I think today's tactical examination was excellent. It taught them a very good lesson..."

As Davos was speaking, the clamor of approaching footsteps echoed from outside the door.

Davos ceased speaking. He took his personal helmet from Henipolis's hands and placed it on his head.

Minister of Military Affairs Alexis led the Chief of Staff Tolmides, the Second Legion's commander, Matonis, and the other generals into the conference room. After respectfully saluting Davos one by one, they took their places along the sides.

Patroclus and Sextus walked in next. They already knew what was about to happen, so their expressions were filled with excitement. After giving Davos a military salute, they stood perfectly straight.

Davos swept his gaze around the room, then spoke with a solemn expression. "Begin."

Minister of Military Affairs Alexis stepped forward. He unrolled the Papyrus Scroll bound by a black cloth strip in his hands and read aloud, "In recognition of Patroclus and Sextus's outstanding past military achievements, and having passed the general officer examination with excellent results, His Majesty King Davos and the Ministry of Military Affairs have jointly decided to promote both men to the rank of Legion Commander!"

The moment his voice paused, cheers erupted around them, and smiles broke across Patroclus and Sextus's tense faces.

Alexis continued, "Furthermore, Patroclus is appointed as the Legion Commander of the Fourteenth Legion (primarily stationed in the Latium region), and Sextus is appointed as the Legion Commander of the Eighteenth Legion (stationed in the Southern Iberian Region). Both are to depart for their new posts immediately, without delay!"

Standing to the side, Philesius and the others felt quite surprised. It made perfect sense for the two men to be promoted to Legion Commander, but granting them immediate active duty postings right after their promotion was something rarely seen in recent years!