Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1115: Hasdrubal

"Yes, sir."

"Maximus!" A middle-aged man in a white robe walked over.

"Kopanis." Maximus broke into a smile when he saw who it was. "We just finished a battle yesterday. Shouldn't you be treating the wounded in the field hospital instead of wandering around here? Aren't you afraid Lord Hasdrubal will reprimand you?"

"We didn't take many casualties yesterday, and none were severe. A single doctor and two nurses are more than enough; they don't need my personal attention. Staying cooped up in the field hospital gets stifling, so I came out for some fresh air and to watch over the troops while they train. Legion Commander Hasdrubal even praised my sense of responsibility when he saw me," Kopanis said with a touch of smugness.

According to current Ministry of Military Affairs requirements, a legion's field hospital chief had to be a graduate of the Medical School of the Daonian Academy, possess over a decade of medical experience, and have extensive expertise in emergency care. However, the Border Legion was stationed long-term on the dangerous northern frontier of Etruria. Unlike in the Regular Legions, where medical staff could simply go home once a war ended and were rarely summoned during routine training, these senior Daionian doctors already had established families and comfortable lives. Almost none of them were willing to take the position of field hospital chief for the Border Legion.

As a result, the Ministry of Military Affairs had no choice but to lower the requirements for the Border Legion's field hospital chief and introduce a six-month rotation system. Even then, few doctors signed up. Kopanis had graduated from the academy only five years ago and wasn't even thirty yet. The main reason the Ministry chose him—aside from his adequate medical skills—was his willingness to serve long-term in the Border Legion.

Because of his youth, he occasionally acted out of line. But since he and his medical staff had accomplished a great deal over the past year or so, everyone remained tolerant of his behavior.

Maximus smiled and said nothing.

Kopanis dropped his smile and spoke seriously. "I received word from Pisae yesterday. In a few days, Rome will be shipping a batch of herbs, bandages, and other medical supplies. I need a pack train to pick them up from the port in Pisae."

So Maximus asked directly, "How many medical supplies?"

"About a ton... hmm, maybe two tons..." Kopanis stammered. "You know how it is. The field hospital has been stationed here for over a year and we've only been resupplied once, yet we constantly treat wounded soldiers... We're almost completely out of herbs and bandages—"

"Exactly how much cargo is it? If you can't remember, just give me a rough estimate," Maximus said in exasperation. Having worked with the young man for a year, he knew Kopanis had no head for numbers.

This time, Kopanis spoke fluently. "I heard it's two cargo ships' worth."

Maximus thought for a moment. "I'll assign thirty wagons to you. But for safety's sake, I'll also have to request a company from Lord Hasdrubal as an escort."

"Request what from me?" Hasdrubal had appeared beside them at some point.

Maximus and Kopanis immediately explained the situation.

Hasdrubal nodded in approval, then asked, "Maximus, have the Etruscans delivered all the military rations they promised us for the year?"

Maximus quickly brought him up to speed on that matter as well.

Hasdrubal immediately frowned. "That won't do. You must press them to deliver the grain as soon as possible."

"Yes, Legion Commander!" Maximus replied loudly. Then, with a hint of suspicion, he asked softly, "Is something going on?"

Hasdrubal hesitated, but ultimately decided to share his suspicions so they would be on guard. "Autumn is harvest season, the time when the natives plunder the most. According to the Etruscans, the Gauls are usually at their most rampant around this time. Yet so far this year, Gallic raids have actually decreased. This is abnormal."

"Over the past few days, soldiers from the Mountain Scout Squad have returned with reports that the neighboring Gallic tribes in the northern mountains suddenly migrated further north. Our scouts tried to push deeper to investigate, but the Gauls had heavily reinforced their security and stationed more manpower there. We suffered several dead and wounded scouts without gathering any further intelligence. This stark anomaly is likely not a good sign. We must heighten our vigilance and prepare our defenses!"

After exchanging a few more words with his subordinates, Hasdrubal went over to the heavy infantry to lead their training.

"Lord Hasdrubal is overthinking it. Maybe our presence just made the Gauls realize that raiding here costs too much, so they've moved elsewhere," Kopanis said dismissively.

Maximus gave him a serious look. "If that were true, the Gauls wouldn't be the most terrifying enemy in the eyes of all the tribes in northern Italy. Hurry up and get those supplies transported. We might be getting very busy soon..."

As a Roman who had personally experienced his motherland being captured by the Gauls, Maximus knew intimately how terrifying they were. Even though he hoped Hasdrubal's instincts were wrong, reason told him they could never be too vigilant against the Gauls.

Only as dusk approached did Hasdrubal assemble the troops and lead them back to camp under the fading sunset.

The very first thing the soldiers did upon returning wasn't to eat dinner, but to visit the baths. When the engineers originally chose the site for the Border Legion's camp, they had deliberately selected a spot beside a river. During construction, they had buried ceramic Water Pipes between the camp and the river to draw water directly into the base—some for drinking, and the rest for bathing.

The Legion Commander's residence sat next to the central headquarters. It was quite large, boasting its own private kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, guest bedroom, servants' quarters, stables, and a small private bath. It was arguably luxurious, primarily because the Ministry of Military Affairs allowed commanders' families to accompany them to the front, which naturally required housing for their servants.

In reality, Hasdrubal had been stationed here for over a year and had never once brought his wife and children to live in the camp. As a result, he had only two servants tending to his daily needs, and he usually ate his meals in the communal mess hall. To keep the residence from going to waste, he allowed his Adjutant and several senior officers to move in. Occasionally, he would go hunting in the mountains, and if he bagged a good amount of game, he would host a small banquet at his residence for his subordinates and mid-to-high-ranking officers.

Today, however, there were only two people in the dining room—Hasdrubal and his Adjutant, Gisco.

Even though Gisco was a member of the Magonid family and had previously commanded armies tens of thousands strong on his own, becoming a Theonia Legion Adjutant was no easy feat. According to Military Law, a legion Adjutant was a mid-level officer requiring at least five years of service, participation in at least one war, and prior experience as a squad leader, platoon leader, or even company commander. After that, they had to study for a year at the Ministry of Military Affairs Staff Office before taking up the post. It was only due to Hasdrubal's insistence and a special decree from Davos that Gisco had undergone a few months of special training to become the Etrurian Border Legion's Adjutant.

Hasdrubal, who was reading a letter, looked up in shock. "Carthage and Daionia have formed an alliance?!"

"It's not an alliance of equals. Carthage has submitted to Daionia as its suzerain!" Gisco pointed out.

"What?!" Hasdrubal was stunned, but a flare of anger quickly crossed his face. "When I heard Haca mention this in Thurii last year, the Carthaginian Senate hadn't responded after Okriton's return. I thought they were finally showing some backbone, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect them to be even weaker than before! What a disgrace to us Carthaginians!"

"Dido told me the reason Carthage agreed this time is because the Seventeenth Legion sent by the Ministry of Military Affairs—stationed in Lilybaeum and recruited from the Western Sicily Region—easily wiped out the rebellious Massylii Tribe. They enslaved every captive and divided their lands among the other tribes of Western Numidia... The Carthaginian Senate must have been terrified of becoming the next Massylii, so they took the initiative to ally with Daionia—"

"Cowards!" Hasdrubal snorted coldly. Then, remembering something, he asked, "How did Carthage handle Hanno, Tepanco, and the rest of their ilk?"

"Exactly as we demanded. They were exiled from the City of Carthage!"

"Mere exile? That's far too good for those bastards!" Hasdrubal was far from satisfied. He immediately asked, "How did Dido react to this news?"

In the past, back in Southern Iberia, Hasdrubal had been entirely consumed by his military campaigns and rarely crossed paths with Dido. Even though they were cousins, they weren't particularly close. It wasn't until he led his legion to the northern border of Etruria that he found himself stationed close to Dido, who resided in Rome. Because they were both living in a foreign land, their familial bond had grown precious, and their interactions had increased—primarily with Dido offering him help and support—causing their relationship to improve rapidly.