Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1144: An Uneasy Xenophon

It was no mere coincidence that the expeditionary forces of the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia had landed and camped within the borders of Elis. As an anomaly within the Peloponnesian League, Elis had always been part of Davos's calculations. Furthermore, the Region of Elis and the Arcadia Region directly bordered Messenia. Many Messenians had fled to these two regions; the seven or eight Elis citizens who had just been singing were originally from Messenia. Previously, to maintain military secrecy, the Theonians had not publicized their movements. Now, however, they needed the people of the entire Greek World to know that Daionia's deployment of troops to the Peloponnese was not only to fulfill their alliance, but also to help the Messenians restore their nation. Passing through Elis perfectly helped them achieve this goal.

After a single song, the relationship between Tisias and the people of Elis rapidly grew closer. The locals began discussing matters of cooperation with him. After all, they were already preparing to join forces with the Arcadians against Sparta. Now that the Daionian Army, marching to attack Sparta, was right in front of them, how could they pass up an even better opportunity for an alliance?

...

At dusk that day, the commotion caused by the Daionian Army landing on the coast was simply too massive. The news reached far more than just the people of Elis; it quickly spread to neighboring city-states like Olympia and Pisa. It also reached Triphylia, a small city not far east of Olympia that originally belonged to Elis before being forcibly seized by Sparta.

Within a village subordinate to Triphylia named Scillus stood a large, sprawling estate. This was the home of the respected hero of the Persian expedition and renowned Athenian scholar, Xenophon.

Banished from Athens after returning from his Persian expedition over twenty years ago, Xenophon had been forced to lead mercenaries once again. He followed the King of Sparta, Agesilaus, to fight in Asia Minor. He repeatedly distinguished himself in battle, earning Agesilaus's high regard. Thus, he became an honored guest of Sparta and was granted this plot of land. Xenophon had lived here for nearly two decades, treating it as his second home.

Aside from occasionally riding out to war with the Spartan army, he spent most of his time in this peaceful village. He devoted himself to deep thought and writing. Sometimes, he took his children and servants hunting in the nearby forests to relax, living an incredibly comfortable, idyllic life. He had even raised his own funds to build the Temple of Artemis near Scillus, offering annual sacrifices in the hope that the goddess would bless the region and keep it forever peaceful.

Tonight, just as always, he sat in his study with an oil lamp lit, beginning to outline his new work,

Just as he was deep in thought and putting pen to parchment, a sudden shout shattered the village's tranquility. The noise didn't fade; instead, it threw the entire village into an uproar.

"The villagers said a few priests from Olympia happened to be traveling to a village in Elis for a funeral. They saw it with their own eyes—Daionian ships moored on the beaches, stretching as far as the eye could see..."

Xenophon's expression turned stern. After a moment of thought, he told his son, "Go out and tell the villagers that I said not to panic. Even if the Daionian Army is truly marching inland, they are still a long way from us. We have plenty of time to prepare. Tell everyone to go home and rest. Gathering and making a commotion in the dead of night will only breed panic and lead to accidents!"

Not long after his son went out, the clamor gradually died down. Xenophon's immense prestige in the village was clear to see.

Any desire to write had completely vanished from Xenophon's mind. He paced anxiously in the courtyard, recalling the recent matter of Sparta seeking an early end to their peace treaty with Daionia. He had felt deeply unsettled about it at the time, but unfortunately, his words carried little weight. Even Agesilaus's fierce opposition hadn't been enough to stop it. And look what happened now. Not long after the treaty was terminated, the massive Daionian Army had set foot on the soil of Elis. Just how monumental an impact would this have on the Peloponnese, and on the situation across the entire Greek Mainland?!

Having recently visited Thurii, Xenophon possessed a profound understanding of the Kingdom of Daunia's true strength. The thought that this terrifying behemoth had finally slipped its cage and lunged at the Greek Mainland sent a shiver down his spine. Only one thought occupied his mind:

...

Early the next morning, the Daionian sailors pushed their vessels off the beaches. The soldiers swiftly boarded, and the massive Fleet continued sailing south.

Seeing that the Theonians had truly departed, the people of Elis finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now, they would eagerly await the dramatic upheaval about to unfold in the south.

There was now one extra person traveling with this Daonian Fleet: Ionicus, the Elis councilman of Messenian descent who had been speaking with Tisias earlier. He had volunteered to accompany the army to serve as a liaison between Elis and the Daionian Army, as well as to act as a guide. The commander, Leotychides, had approved his request, which was why he now stood on the Flagship of the First Fleet.

Pointing toward the coast ahead and to their left, he said with a trembling voice, "Once we pass that cape, we will enter the waters of Messenia!"

"Don't be nervous. With so many Warships in our fleet, the Spartan fleet wouldn't dare attack," Tisias comforted him from the side.

"I'm not nervous. Just a bit excited," Ionicus said, letting out a long breath.

Looking at him, Tisias nodded in profound empathy. "Me too," he whispered.

At that moment, the lookout atop the Flagship's mainmast shouted, "The scout ship ahead has raised a yellow flag!"

Standing at the bow and gazing forward, Secilian immediately turned to the Flagship's captain. "Tell the first squadron of the 1st Fleet to maintain formation and keep advancing. Ignore them unless they initiate an attack."

"Yes, sir!"

Secilian dared to issue such an order because he was already fully aware of the enemy's strength. Sparta had no more than forty Warships at their disposal, and over half of those came from their allies. They posed absolutely no threat to the 1st Fleet. Across the entire Greek Mainland, perhaps only the Athenian Fleet could rouse Secilian's interest.

In reality, the vessels that had appeared ahead of the 1st Fleet were merely two Spartan patrol boats. They had originally intended to warn the Daonian Fleet to steer clear of the coastal shipping lanes. But seeing the 1st Fleet ignore them completely and surge straight ahead—hundreds of Warships slicing through the waves toward them—the Spartan sailors were thoroughly terrified. They quickly brought their ships around and retreated south.

Compared to their army, the Spartan navy was severely lacking. Aside from the Battle of Aegospotami won under Lysander's leadership in the past, they had no other glorious naval victories. In recent years, they had suffered back-to-back humiliating defeats at the hands of the Athenian Navy, resulting in abysmal morale. Right now, they didn't dare challenge the colossal Daonian Fleet.

Soon, no more Spartan Warships appeared anywhere near them. The entire Daonian Fleet smoothly sailed south along the coastline. On one hand, hugging the coast made it easier to protect the troopships and supply vessels; on the other hand, it allowed them to casually observe the situation on land.

But mostly, the sailors just saw rolling mountain ridges. Only near the coast could they spot stone towers spaced every one or two li apart.

Ionicus spoke with a heavy tone. "These are towers the Spartans forced the Messenians to build. But their true purpose is to monitor the Messenians and prevent them from escaping. There are quite a few facilities like this along the northern border of Messenia's territory, too. The Spartans turned all of Messenia into a giant cage to imprison the Messenians... I still remember when my father and nearly two hundred others couldn't bear Sparta's cruel oppression and slaughter any longer. They desperately fled Messenia, but in the end, fewer than fifteen of them made it to Elis alive..."

Tisias fell silent for a long moment after hearing this. Quietly clenching his fists, he said with sheer hatred, "Today, Daionia has come to smash this cage. Such tragedies will never happen again!"

As the two were venting their mutual resentment toward Sparta, a voice interrupted them: "Why don't I see anyone in these towers?"

Ionicus turned around to see Leotychides, the commander of the Daionian Army. He hurriedly explained, "There used to be people. Every tower had a garrison of at least ten soldiers. But now... Sparta goes to war year after year, suffering citizen casualties year after year. As a result, they don't even have enough manpower to defend Laconia, let alone spare warriors to garrison these towers!"

Ionicus wore an expression of undisguised schadenfreude, while Leotychides's face looked a little strange.

Ionicus then added, "However, the City of Pylos up ahead will definitely still have Spartan warriors garrisoned there. It is Sparta's stronghold on the western coast of Messenia."