Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1160: Leotychides's Advice

Oliphus’s expression shifted as he realized he had nearly made a disastrous mistake. If he had actually gone through with it and King Davos found out, His Majesty would undoubtedly assume Oliphus had led the charge to humiliate Crotokatax. He would be facing the king's wrath...

He quickly forced a smile. "Haha, the drinking was just to scare Ctesus! Tonight, we're just eating and chatting! You're all in for a treat. The Messenian Gulf used to be very isolated, so the seafood is incredibly delicious. The oysters are plentiful, plump, and massive—you can eat until you burst!"

"Then I definitely have to try them!" Tegetilus quickly chimed in, realizing he too had misspoken earlier.

Plintors breathed a sigh of relief, his respect for Trotidis growing.

...

Crotokatax and his entourage arrived at the camp—no, rather, they arrived at Messene. After over a month of joint effort from the Daunian soldiers and the Messenians, this former Spartan camp could barely be considered a city. They entered the command tent and officially took over military affairs from Leotychides.

"This is my first time serving as an army commander, and I don't have much confidence in fulfilling the heavy responsibility my father entrusted to me," Crotokatax said frankly. "General Prosous, you are a renowned veteran of the kingdom and have a profound understanding of the Peloponnese. Could you give me some guidance?"

Leotychides had originally planned to pack his bags and leave as soon as the handover was complete. He hadn't expected Crotokatax to make such a request. Looking at the earnest prince, he glanced around the tent. Aside from the two of them, only Plintors and Muklu were present, speaking in low voices. Though Leotychides was being transferred, Staff Officer Tagerus would remain as Plintors's subordinate to handle routine military affairs...

Leotychides hesitated for a moment before saying coldly, "I am a Spartan prince. Will you actually trust my advice?"

Hearing this, Leotychides felt a slight stir within, but his expression remained impassive. He asked, "After defeating the Spartan army, how does Your Highness plan to deal with Sparta?"

"Sparta is the most important city-state in Greece and a crucial part of the various Greek factions," Crotokatax said solemnly. "If we destroy it completely, it will not only breed resentment among the rest of the Greek populace but also disrupt the balance of power across all of Greece and the Peloponnese. This is not what my father wishes to see, nor is it in the kingdom's interests!

"Therefore, we will treat a defeated Sparta just as we treated Carthage back then. Sparta will lose its former glory, and its system of government might undergo some changes, but it will continue to exist. The ordinary citizens of Sparta might even live better lives than they do now. From what I understand, the current living conditions of the Spartan people are quite poor..."

Leotychides listened in silence. He slowly walked over to the main seat, pulled up a wooden chair, and sat down. Turning back, he said, "Muklu, fetch me the map of the Peloponnese."

The wooden board map was placed on the table. Leotychides glanced at Crotokatax and said in a deep voice, "Now that we have occupied Messenia, only Mount Taygetus separates us from Sparta. However, invading their territory will not be easy.

"There are two routes. The first is for the army to take ships and land on the Spartan coast, repeating the method we used to capture Messenia. But the reason we successfully took Messenia was the suddenness of our action, which left the Spartans with no time to mount a defense. Furthermore, their strength had significantly declined after their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra, leaving their military forces in Messenia severely lacking. That was what allowed our army to land successfully. Landing on the Spartan coast, however, will be far more difficult.

"First, while the number of Spartan Warriors might have dropped below two thousand men, that only accounts for the young and able-bodied citizens. The elderly over fifty can still don armor and fight, and their combat prowess is nothing to scoff at. This means Sparta can hastily assemble a force of nearly four thousand troops.

"The perioikoi also live in Spartan territory. Before I left Sparta, I recall the perioikoi outnumbering the Spartans three to one. That number might have noticeably decreased by now, but forming a unit of five thousand men shouldn't be a problem. According to Spartan tradition, whenever there is a war, the perioikoi must provide ample soldiers. Given Sparta's frequent battles in recent years, their combat strength shouldn't be weak, either.

"There are also massive numbers of helots living within Sparta's borders. These helots were conquered by Sparta much earlier, and due to Sparta's stricter management, they are far more loyal to the Spartans than the Messenians are. In my memory, the helot population was seven or eight times that of the Spartans. Even with the loss of Messenia, the remaining helots still outnumber them at least three to one. Hurriedly putting together a force of ten thousand men shouldn't be a problem. Tallying it all up, the Spartans can scrape together a reliable army of around twenty thousand troops to defend against our landing.

"Second, the Spartan coast is significantly narrower than the Messenian coast, which makes it easier for the Spartans to defend. Furthermore, I received word from the navy that the Spartans have recently been pouring all their efforts into driving countless wooden stakes into the shallows near the shore... Under these circumstances, if we force a landing, we will pay a massive price even if we ultimately win.

"There is one thing... you probably don't know yet. A while ago, the First Fleet occupied Cythera, an island in the Laconian Gulf. Secilian urged me to lead the army and land on the Spartan coast. When I refused, he couldn't hold back and deployed the fleet's infantry on his own, attempting to harass the Spartan shores. It ended in failure. I heard several hundred men died..."

Crotokatax looked at Plintors in surprise.

Plintors's expression instantly turned grim. "The Ministry of Military Affairs never received any battle report regarding this."

"The battle report might still be on the way," Leotychides said mildly. "He's at Cythera right now; you can also go ask him directly."

Crotokatax felt a headache coming on. He had originally thought that getting the expeditionary army's officers to obey him would be his biggest challenge as commander. He had completely forgotten about the navy! Secilian—this hero of the kingdom and father of the navy, adorned with military honors—was the toughest one of all!

Leotychides didn't care what the two men in front of him were thinking. He pointed at the map. "The other route goes from the north of Messenia, passing through the southern part of the Arcadia Region to bypass Mount Taygetus and enter the northern part of Spartan territory... But whether the Arcadians will allow our army to enter their lands is the critical issue.

"The various city-states of Arcadia were all once allies of Sparta, but things have changed recently. They formed an Arcadian League, aiming to break away from the Peloponnesian League, and were subsequently threatened by Sparta. If not for our arrival, they would likely be at war with Sparta by now.

"The Arcadians previously sent envoys to Thebes for help. Thebes advised them to seek our aid instead, and even dispatched an envoy to Messenia to intercede on the Arcadians' behalf—"

"You mean the Thebans sent an envoy?!" Crotokatax interjected.

"He arrived three days ago. And the envoy is Epaminondas." Leotychides paused deliberately.

Sure enough, Crotokatax asked in astonishment, "The Boeotarch who led the army to defeat the Spartan army at Leuctra?!"

"That's him," Leotychides said, appearing calm. "However, I did not discuss matters with him in detail. I informed him that the new commander was arriving soon, so he agreed to stay and wait."

"The Arcadians didn't send an envoy?" Plintors asked. He and Crotokatax shared the same doubt: since Thebes was here to intercede for the Arcadian League, why had the Theban envoy arrived while the Arcadians were still nowhere to be seen?

"According to the Theban envoy, the Arcadian League's envoy who originally accompanied him was suddenly called back before they could even enter Messenia, all because Sparta sent an envoy to sue for peace with the Arcadians..."

Crotokatax blanked for a moment before realization dawned on him. He asked, "Sparta wants a truce with the Arcadians so they can concentrate all their strength on dealing with us. But would the Arcadians, who have suffered under Spartan oppression, actually agree to it?!"

"Your Highness." Leotychides sat steadily in his wooden chair. He pointed at the ground beneath his feet and said in a deep tone, "On this land of the Peloponnese, you must firmly remember one rule: 'Never trust any agreement from any city-state!' For the sake of better survival and interests, most city-states here will be allies today, enemies tomorrow, and at peace again the day after... Such things are commonplace.

"For decades, the Arcadians have consistently been Sparta's allies. It's only because they've been frequently dragged into wars by the Spartans in recent years and grown dissatisfied with Spartan tyranny that they want to break away from the Peloponnesian League. If Sparta takes the initiative to recognize their newly formed league and ceases hostilities against them, it is highly likely that their friendly relations will be restored, and they might even join forces to deal with us..."

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