Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1166: Plintors' Suspicions

"This way, the camp will serve not only as the Daionian Army's bivouac and ration depot in the Arcadia Region, but more importantly, it will protect this area. It will defend against the Spartan army coming from either the north or the south, preventing them from threatening the new city of Megalopolis."

At this point, he looked at Lycomedes and said solemnly, "Constructing the camp will take at least three days. Once it is mostly completed, His Highness Crotokatax will lead the main force further east, pass through Tegea, and head north to relieve Mantineia and defeat the Spartans..."

His words caused a stir among the Arcadian councilors. They murmured among themselves for a moment, generally agreeing with the Theonians' plan and finding it quite thorough.

Lycomedes was the first to respond. Understanding why Plintors had looked directly at him, he declared, "We Mantineians are confident we can hold out for at least a month!"

Someone else chimed in, "Once our soldiers have finished assembling, they will march for Mantineia as quickly as possible to fight the Spartans alongside you."

Plintors responded with a serious expression, "Our soldiers are thrilled to have the opportunity to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Arcadian citizens! However, given the current situation, I have a suggestion for your consideration... This is the center of your league, and while there are many surrounding villages, it lacks adequate protection. Although we will build a camp to the east to block the Spartan invasion, we aren't familiar with the geography here. We don't know if the Spartans might cross the mountains, bypass our camp, and launch a surprise attack on Megalopolis... Therefore, I suggest that the army you assemble remain stationed here to defend against any Spartan ambush alongside the forces we leave at the camp."

Crotokatax felt a surge of surprise when Plintors made this proposal, as it differed from the plan they had agreed upon earlier. Still, he swallowed his doubts and voiced no immediate objections.

Plintors' words, however, tempted the Arcadian councilors. After a brief discussion, they expressed their agreement.

By now, their attitude toward Crotokatax and his men had greatly improved, becoming far more enthusiastic. After all, the Spartans were invading Arcadian territory, yet the Daionian Army was stepping directly to the front lines to bear the brunt of it, sparing the Arcadians from heavy casualties. It was hard for them not to feel a twinge of guilt.

Daionia's original military plan had been to have the Arcadian League dispatch an army to fight alongside the Daionian Army. This would not only deepen the friendship between both sides, but having Arcadian troops as guides would undoubtedly help the Daionian Army acclimate to this unfamiliar war zone much faster.

"I imagine Lord Plintors must have an important reason for doing so," Crotokatax replied mildly.

Plintors had dared to change the plan on the fly because his time with Crotokatax had given him a deep understanding of the prince's habit of considering others. Crotokatax's current understanding nature put him at ease, further solidifying his resolve to assist the young prince to the best of his ability.

Plintors rallied his spirits and said earnestly, "Your Highness, to avoid straining our alliance with the Arcadian League, you magnanimously chose not to pursue the matter of that recent assassination attempt. But even if the assassins hailed from Olympia, how did they know we were meeting the Arcadian League's councilors today? How did they manage to don robes of the exact same color as the Arcadian councilors, evade the Arcadian patrols, and slip into the ranks? We have to consider these questions deeply, as this will impact our upcoming battle against the Spartans."

"Are you suggesting," Crotokatax said thoughtfully, "that there is a spy among the Arcadian councilors?"

Plintors pressed further. "The Arcadian League was only recently formed, but the alliance between these Arcadian City-States and Sparta lasted for decades. They were the longest-standing and most steadfast of all Sparta's allies. Even though they have now betrayed Sparta, I imagine there is no shortage of pro-Spartan citizens within their borders..."

Crotokatax pondered this with a grave expression before saying hesitantly, "You're worried that when we fight alongside the Arcadians, they might suddenly turn from friend to foe? Is that why you proposed having the Arcadian army remain in Megalopolis rather than converging with us?"

"Your Highness," Plintors said sincerely, "in the kingdom's past wars, His Majesty has often shrewdly incited internal rebellion among the enemy to hasten our ultimate victory. Precisely because of this, we must be all the more careful that the enemy doesn't use the same strategy on us. This is especially true now, as we must go all out against the formidable Spartans. If the allies at our side were to suddenly attack us, the consequences would be unimaginable... Therefore, to be safe, keeping the Arcadians out of the frontal battle is the more secure choice for us."

"Besides, our army's current strength is enough to deal with the Spartans. Without the Arcadian army dragging us down, our command over the troops will be much smoother, and our combat maneuvers will be more decisive!"

"I understand. Thank you for the warning, Lord Plintors. I agree to execute the new plan." Crotokatax still seemed slightly doubtful. "It's just that... without our allies' assistance, how will we get the local populace to help us in the upcoming battles? How do we avoid being seen as the enemy?"

"Your Highness, not all the Arcadian City-States had a close relationship with the Spartans in the past."

Plintors' hint made Crotokatax's eyes light up. "You mean Mantineia! It seems that while the camp is being built, we should send someone to have a good talk with Lycomedes. Hopefully, he can assign us some Mantineians to act as guides."

"Yes, Your Highness," Plintors said respectfully. This was not a pretense; it came from the bottom of his heart. In his eyes, although this young prince lacked military experience, he was not only adept at listening to his subordinates' advice, but he could also quickly draw inferences from a single hint. He was absolutely not a puppet to be easily fooled. He was truly worthy of bearing the bloodline of the deity Hades.

By now, they had caught up with the marching main force.

Under the direction of their officers, the soldiers on the long march had already begun singing the March of the Battlefield. Crotokatax immediately rode closer to the marching column and, disregarding his status, sang aloud alongside the troops. He even bobbed his head in excitement as he sang. Rather than finding it laughable, the soldiers felt a deep sense of endearment toward him.

The robust, heroic singing washed away the soldiers' fatigue and echoed through the hills and mountains. It made the Arcadian councilors pause to listen. Even though the lyrics were unclear to them, it didn't stop them from exclaiming, "The Daionian soldiers' morale is incredibly high!"

"It's not just their morale. Look at their equipment, look at their march. This is a well-trained army. They are fully capable of standing against Sparta!"

"Just standing against them?! You and I have both followed the Spartans into battle many times. The Spartan Warriors are indeed well-trained, but how many of them are there?! Now look at this Daionian Army. It's been so long, and I still can't see the end of their column! The number that Daionian general gave is probably accurate—they have over thirty thousand soldiers. The few Spartan Warriors likely won't be a match for them!"

"Can you really judge an army's combat strength just from watching them march? I think we'll only know who is stronger after both sides actually fight!"

"Regardless, having mighty Daionia as an ally brings us great peace of mind!"

"Don't forget, we used to have mighty Sparta as our ally, yet why did we still have to form a league? Ah! I'm just afraid that in driving away an old wolf king, we're welcoming a new one!"

"The key issue is that this new wolf king's beliefs differ somewhat from ours. They consider Hades to be the king of all gods! Otherwise, why would the Olympians have tried to assassinate that Daionian commander?! Everyone, don't forget that Zeus is also the patron god of our Arcadian League!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a heavy silence fell over the group.

Lycomedes hurriedly spoke up in a loud voice. "Gentlemen, our treaty with Daionia states very clearly that both sides will respect each other's religious beliefs and will absolutely not slander or interfere with one another... You have absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard! Right now, the great Spartan army is attacking. This concerns the very survival of our league. We need our powerful ally, Daionia, to help us repel the enemy. This is what we must focus on right now; everything else can be set aside for the time being!"

"Lycomedes is right!" several councilors agreed loudly, though others remained silent.

Lycomedes felt a sense of helplessness. This was the current state of the league. He had expended too much energy trying to persuade them over the past few days, and now, he was simply starting to feel tired...

...

Over in Thebes, at the residence of Epaminondas, Pelopidas had just arrived for a visit.

"Epaminondas, what's been going on with you these past two days? You vanish the moment every meeting ends. What are you doing hiding at home?!" Pelopidas demanded, adopting an interrogating posture the moment he saw him.

Epaminondas knew his close friend well and replied mildly, "It's quiet at home. It helps me calm down and think."