Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1142: Advancing Toward the Peloponnese

This wave even reached Argos. In truth, the Spartans had never managed to control the city-state, but their overwhelming power had gradually fostered a faction of pro-Spartan politicians within the Argive government. Now, angry commoners were beating most of those wealthy politicians to death with clubs.

The Thebans undoubtedly benefited the most from this upheaval. As the victors of the battle, their influence across the Greek Mainland surged. Not only did this prompt the remaining Boeotian city-states to align with them—accelerating Thebes's unification of Boeotia—but even Sparta's friendly neighbors began showing goodwill and seeking alliances. This included the Phocians and the Locrians (referring to Locris in Central Greece, divided into southwestern and northwestern sections around Boeotia, not Daionia's Locri), as well as the Euboeans.

They recognized Sparta's waning strength and wanted military backing from a new major power to fend off their own regional threats: the Phocians and Locrians worried about Thessaly, while the Euboeans feared Athens.

The Thebans viewed these overtures with mixed feelings. They rejoiced at their enhanced strength but worried that with the Spartan threat still unresolved, they were likely gaining several more powerful enemies. A rift had long existed with Athens, and while Thessaly was an ally, Jason's recent actions clearly revealed his ambitions. He was currently recruiting troops in the north, and the moment he led his army south, they would likely cross blades.

Strongly urged by Pelopidas and Epaminondas (the Battle of Leuctra having made Epaminondas the most prestigious figure in Thebes), the government decided to forge an alliance with the Phocians, Locrians, and Euboeans. They needed to bolster their strength as quickly as possible to face the coming challenges.

With this, nearly all of Central Greece—save for Attica and Athens—fell under Theban influence.

Yet Thebes was no longer Sparta's greatest threat. That danger now came from the Arcadia Region in the Peloponnese.

Arcadia lay in the center of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Geographically, Laconia—Sparta's home region—was walled in by towering mountains to the east and west, and the sea to the south. Only its northern border, connecting to the Arcadia Region, offered relatively gentle terrain that allowed armies to march in and out with ease. Because of this, ever since its rise to power, Sparta had continuously interfered in the affairs of the Arcadian city-states, attempting to bring them completely under its control.

Due to this long-term Spartan suppression, the Arcadia Region had never produced a city-state capable of wielding any real influence on the Greek Mainland. Even before the Corinthian War, Sparta had brazenly invaded Mantineia's territory over its insubordination (Mantineia being located in northeastern Arcadia), diverting a river to completely destroy the city. Sparta's ferocity temporarily cowed the Arcadians, but it also left them increasingly vigilant and uneasy.

But within days, envoys from the other city-states in the Arcadia Region flocked to Sparta to plead on Mantineia's behalf.

Battered by years of war, Sparta suffered from a severe lack of manpower and resources, forcing it to rely heavily on its allies. Because the Arcadians contributed so much to their campaigns, the Spartans reluctantly agreed to the request. In return, the Mantineians were forced to make a promise: they would once again acknowledge Sparta as their hegemon and send their citizens to fight in Sparta's wars.

The issue appeared settled, but that was far from the truth. The Mantineians accelerated their efforts to construct walls and rebuild their city. To prevent another flooding disaster, they even dug a new channel to redirect the flow of the Ophis River. Their newly designed city stood stronger, uniquely fortified, and incredibly difficult to conquer.

While building their city, the Mantineians were secretly carrying out another vital task. One of their leaders, Lycomedes, had come to a realization during his long years of exile: the Arcadian city-states had to unite. Only by forging an alliance could they find the strength to refuse Sparta's unreasonable demands and protect the safety of the Arcadian people.

Working tirelessly, Lycomedes traveled extensively to persuade the other Arcadian city-states. His efforts progressed smoothly, as these cities had long suffered under Spartan oppression. With Lycomedes taking the lead, almost every city-state—save for a few exceptions—agreed to form the Pan-Arcadian League.

However, a dispute broke out over which city-state should serve as the league's capital. The Arcadian city-states were relatively equal in strength; no single city held enough overwhelming power to dominate the others. Yet, if they simply selected one at random, that city's power would rapidly expand once the league was established—an outcome the rest firmly wished to avoid.

It was Lycomedes who finally proposed a solution: pool the league's resources and construct an entirely new city to serve as its capital.

His proposal won unanimous approval. After extensive discussions, they selected a site for the new city and began negotiating the league's political structure in meticulous detail...

In short, by 371 BC (the twenty-third year of the Kingdom of Daunia), preparations for the Pan-Arcadian League were largely complete, and implementation had begun in earnest.

Sparta caught wind of Arcadia's plans to form a league, but their war against Thebes had reached a critical juncture. They simply had no energy to spare to stop it. Furthermore, the Arcadian city-states were still supplying troops and grain for the war effort. Therefore, the Spartans turned a blind eye, intending to deal with the issue only after resolving the Theban problem.

What they had not anticipated was how the Battle of Leuctra would abruptly upend the geopolitical landscape of Greece. The remaining holdout Arcadian city-states were deeply shaken by the outcome. Prompted by Lycomedes's active persuasion, they too began requesting to join the Pan-Arcadian League.

These recent additions included Tegea, located in southeastern Arcadia. Sparta had long considered Tegea a steadfast ally and an impenetrable gateway to its northern frontier. Tegea's defection pushed the Spartans past their breaking point. Their ephors dispatched envoys to threaten the Arcadian city-states, demanding they dissolve the league immediately or face the wrath of the Spartan army.

The Arcadians naturally refused to yield, but they were well aware of Sparta's might. Knowing they could not withstand a direct confrontation on their own, they sought external support. Their first choice for assistance was Athens.

Following the Battle of Leuctra, Athens rejoiced at Sparta's declining power, but simultaneously worried about the rise of its neighbor, Thebes. In response, Athens made a move: it invited the city-states of its Maritime Alliance and representatives from across the Peloponnese to reaffirm the terms of the previous King's Peace. They formally stipulated that if any sworn member was attacked, the other members were obligated to come to their aid.

On the surface, Athens's actions appeared to be an extension of the Peace of Callias previously signed in Sparta, offering a show of support to the recently defeated Spartans and their allies. In reality, Athens was trying to expand its influence across the Peloponnese Peninsula, aiming to usurp Sparta's position of leadership while simultaneously maneuvering to win Persia over to its side.

Mantineia and several other Arcadian city-states had participated in this oath-swearing. According to the agreement, Athens was obligated to provide assistance, which was why the Arcadians dispatched envoys to the Athenian capital.

As the Arcadian envoys hurried toward Athens, a massive Fleet was sailing across the Adriatic Sea, heading straight for the Peloponnese Peninsula. It carried the expeditionary army of Daionia, bound for Sparta.

Given the mobilization speed of the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia, once an expeditionary order was issued, most regions could assemble their forces within four to five days (though in vast, mountainous regions like Lucania, it took considerable time for military camps to notify local towns and for citizens to travel to the assembly points). Even factoring in King Davos's strategic discussions with the Ministry of Military Affairs and the time needed for military preparations, the entire process never took more than 15 days.

The reason the army had been ordered to deploy a full two months later was the news of a truce between Thebes and Sparta. A subsequent wave of anti-Spartan uprisings across the Peloponnese Peninsula had drawn the attention of Daionia's high command. They deliberately paused the military campaign to observe how the situation would develop, waiting two months before restarting it.

To prevent the Spartans from discovering the expedition prematurely, Daionia publicly declared that they were "launching a punitive campaign against the Lusitanians for repeatedly harassing the Southern Iberian Region." Because of this cover story, the army did not board their ships at Brindisi, but rather at Crotone.

The camp of the Fourth Legion was already stationed in Crotone. The First Legion and Sixth Legion were positioned to the north and south, respectively, neither too far away. The three legions quickly boarded the waiting Fleet at the port of Crotone and sailed east under the escort of the 1st Fleet.

The massive Fleet passed the heel of Italy and rested for a night in Hodrum. The next day, they crossed the Adriatic Sea and sailed south along the western coast of the Greek Mainland.

Wherever the Fleet passed, every city, town, and village trembled in fear, including places like Corcyra Island. The people of Greece had never laid eyes on such a colossal armada. It consisted of over 300 troopships, over 500 cargo ships hauling supplies, and 550 Warships. Over 1,200 vessels in total covered the sea, stretching a full five or six li from front to back. Even then, this dense formation was only possible because they had chosen to sail during a period of excellent sea conditions.