Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1148: New Messenia

Dorieus paled at those words. After a long moment, he finally forced out a reply: "...We have Persia's support..."

Leotychides sneered. "What irony. I remember when we first entered the training camps, we set our sights on defeating Athens and Persia. I never imagined today's Spartan Warriors would take pride in being Persia's vassals."

Dorieus flushed red, unable to speak.

"Since you once saved my life, I will let you return to Sparta tomorrow. While you are at it, tell Agesilaus and the Council of Elders exactly what I have said so they understand why Daionia sent troops into Messenia. And tell Agesilaus—"

Leotychides stood, his voice ringing with conviction. "I, Leotychides, will be waiting for him in Messenia!"

"Guards!"

Guards entered the command tent. Still unwilling to accept defeat, Dorieus shouted with raw emotion, "Leotychides, no matter what, you are a Spartan prince! Your ancestors led the Spartans to forge Sparta's glory. Can you truly bear to destroy the motherland that raised you with your own hands?"

Leotychides answered without hesitation. "Under the rule of Agesilaus, the Council of Elders, and the Ephors, Sparta will only march toward destruction. Only under Daionia's rule will the Spartans find new life!"

With that, Leotychides waved a hand. "Take him away."

Just as he prepared to leave his tent, a guard arrived with a notice: Commander Prosous needed to see him immediately.

Muklu hurried into the command tent. The moment he saw Leotychides, he blurted, "Commander, are you truly a Spartan? And a Spartan prince?!"

"That is right. I am the only son of Agis, the former King of Sparta, and my original name is Leotychides." The commander of the expeditionary force looked at Muklu calmly, his expression earnest. "Years ago, after my father died of illness, my uncle Agesilaus seized the throne through trickery. He persecuted me and drove my mother to her death. I had no choice but to flee Sparta and come to Daionia. Considering my unique status and the need to evade Spartan pursuit, I hid my identity..."

Upon accepting this military assignment, Leotychides had anticipated his true identity leaking one day. Because he was already mentally prepared, he spoke with absolute candor, allowing Muklu to breathe a slight sigh of relief. Yet the officer still voiced his concerns. "Commander, Sparta is still your motherland. When our forces clash with the Spartan army or attack Spartan territory, will you truly be able to issue orders calmly and without distraction?"

Leotychides answered with a touch of impatience, "I have already said that I am a Daionian Citizen. Sparta is our enemy now, and I will show absolutely no mercy on the battlefield!"

Muklu nodded, though a trace of worry lingered. "I fear that if the soldiers learn of this, it might affect morale..."

"That is where I need you, my Staff Officer, to put in some extra effort. But you need not worry too much. Once I lead the army into battle against the Spartans again, all doubts will be erased," Leotychides said meaningfully.

Previously, units above the battalion level in the Daionian Army had an Adjutant, whose duty was to fully assist the military commander. In recent years, the Daionian Army had undergone new reforms, abolishing the Adjutant and introducing the Staff Officer. This change left the headcount the same but shifted responsibilities significantly. Appointed by the Ministry of Military Affairs Staff Office, the Staff Officer not only assisted the military commander with various army affairs but also held the right to advise on operations and supervise the commander. Furthermore, if the military commander was wounded or otherwise unable to command, the Staff Officer possessed temporary command authority.

"Very well, leave this matter to me," Muklu replied earnestly.

Just as he spoke, the tent flap was pushed aside. Tertotis burst in, asking urgently, "Father, I heard you are a Spartan?! Is it true?!"

Muklu shot Leotychides a look that plainly meant,

"Where did you hear this?" Leotychides asked at once, his expression turning serious.

"That Spartan prisoner has been shouting it at the top of his lungs. Many soldiers heard him. Is it true?!"

Realizing Dorieus was deliberately trying to unsettle the army's morale, Leotychides's face darkened. He immediately called for the guards and issued an order: beat Dorieus severely, then gag him.

Seeing Leotychides begin to explain the situation in detail to his son, Muklu quietly slipped out of the command tent...

...

Several Legion Commanders, military judges, Tisias, and others who caught wind of the news visited one after another. They all wanted to ask Leotychides if the rumors were true and verify the situation. Leotychides ended up speaking more in these past two days than he had in the entire previous year; naturally, his mood soured.

Although the news that Commander Prosous might be a Spartan prince caused a stir within the army, it did not hinder the expeditionary force's various departments from carrying out their work as planned after occupying Messenia.

Although the Spartans had evacuated the Messenian plains, a small number hid in the northern mountains—the garrison of the City of Pylos had decisively retreated to Messenia's northern border upon receiving the news—while others holed up in the pass fortresses of Mount Taygetus. Unwilling to accept defeat, they had begun launching surprise attacks on the Daionian Army the previous night. However, the three well-trained legions and the 1st Fleet Infantry maintained tight security and suffered no significant losses.

Another day passed. Temporarily free from the swirling rumors, Leotychides issued new orders: the Sixth Legion was to head to the northern border to build defensive camps and secure the territory, while the Fourth Legion of Theonia would construct a camp outside the pass of Mount Taygetus, blocking the Spartans' shortcut into Messenia.

Meanwhile, Tisias and other Daionian Citizens of Messenian descent led a small detachment of soldiers and tirelessly traversed every village in Messenian territory. They killed or captured Spartan magistrates and other Spartans, constantly proclaiming to the helots, "The Spartans have been driven out of Messenia by the Daionian Army! You have gained your freedom..." They passionately invoked their shared kinship, conveyed the goodwill of the Kingdom of Daunia, and encouraged the locals to rise up bravely and build their own city-state. At the same time, they distributed food and supplies confiscated from Spartan households to these impoverished helots.

Accompanying this detachment were the legion medics, who took the initiative to treat helots suffering from illnesses.

Treated like livestock by the Spartans since birth, the helots had never experienced such kindness. Moved to tears, weeping echoed everywhere as they firmly etched the name Daionia into their hearts.

The vast majority of the helots had received no education and spent their entire lives toiling in the fields, making it impossible for them to participate in the governance of a city-state. However, because Sparta inherently possessed a small population and had been embroiled in frequent wars over the past few decades, it lacked the manpower to manage Messenia. Therefore, they had appointed a small number of Messenians as village heads for various settlements. Aside from paying slightly less tax and enjoying a bit more freedom, these village heads held no other rights. When they fell victim to the periodic culls conducted by young Spartan Warriors, they simply died for nothing.

Whenever an entire village suffered a poor harvest and fell short on taxes, these village heads faced severe punishment. Minor offenses resulted in beatings with wooden clubs (Spartan clubbing was infamous throughout Greece for its extreme brutality, often leaving victims crippled or dead, a treatment they extended even to allied citizens, leading many Greeks to publicly denounce Spartans as cruel and barbaric). Heavier offenses resulted in severed hands and feet. Consequently, these village heads lived in constant terror. Yet, precisely because of this, they possessed decent administrative skills.

When Tisias gathered them together and invited them to participate in the construction and governance of a New Messenia, every one of them was ecstatic.

Of course, Messenia's future leadership would primarily be composed of this group of citizens from Daionia. Back when Davos summoned them for discussions, he specifically issued a decree: those who remained in Messenia were permitted to retain their status as Daionian Citizens.

Under Daionian law, dual citizenship was strictly forbidden. The exception made for this group was due to Davos's consideration: after defeating Sparta and conquering Messenia, the region could not temporarily be annexed into the Kingdom of Daunia. Doing so would incite the people of the entire Greek Mainland to become united against a common enemy. Thus, allowing the Messenians to govern themselves while making them fully reliant on Daionia would turn them into a crucial pillar of support for Daionia on the Greek Mainland. This particular group of people was key. They would become the backbone of Messenia's future leadership, so retaining their status as Daionian Citizens to ensure their hearts remained loyal to the kingdom was extremely important.

Tisias and his peers also knew that time was pressing. The news of Messenia regaining its independence would soon spread across Greece, and exiles would likely return one after another. They had to establish a government and create a stable political system as quickly as possible, ensuring that latecomers could only ride on their coattails.

In truth, New Messenia's political structure had already been designed within the Daonian Royal Palace: Daionian Citizens of Messenian descent and the helot village heads would form the Messenian Council (totaling 223 members, though nominally called the Council of 300, with Daionian Citizens making up sixty-five percent of the seats). This body would be responsible for drafting laws, handling diplomacy, deciding on war, and other crucial affairs. The council would then annually elect five of its members to form the Executive Committee of Generals, which would oversee the city-state's internal administration and lead troops in battle...