Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1171: Confident Agesilaus

Agesilaus was not surprised. He had marched the army here precisely because of the messenger Archidamus had sent to Sparta; the situation had merely grown more severe. After a moment of thought, he asked, "How many days will the provisions stored in the camp last?"

"If we count the army you brought—"

"Do not count them for now. After receiving your message, I had the soldiers pack five days' rations."

"About seven days. That is why I have been sending men to forage across Tegea's territory over the past two days. Unfortunately, the Tegeans holed up inside their city long ago, so we have not found much."

"Halt all foraging in Tegea's territory immediately," Agesilaus said sternly. "Furthermore, absolutely no one is allowed to destroy the Tegeans' villages or fields, and looting their homes is strictly forbidden!"

"Father, why? We placed so much trust in the Tegeans, and they betrayed us! We must punish them severely to show these city-states in the Peloponnese what happens when they betray Sparta!"

Agesilaus looked at Archidamus's bewildered expression and sighed inwardly. His son fought bravely and made friends easily, earning considerable prestige among the Spartan people. Yet he suffered from one glaring flaw: he was reluctant to think deeply, lacked meticulousness, and failed to see the broader picture. This was, of course, a common failing among most Spartan citizens. When Sparta was at the height of its power, they could afford to act that way. But now, amidst widespread betrayal and the invasion of formidable enemies, such heavy-handedness would not serve as a deterrent. It would only backfire.

However, Agesilaus knew his son's stubborn nature. He had no intention of wasting breath on persuasion; he would let the ensuing reality teach the boy a profound lesson. Thus, he declared in a tone that brokered no argument, "That is an order!"

Though Archidamus was nearly forty years old and had led armies independently on numerous occasions, he still harbored a deep reverence for his aging father. Rather than voicing outright opposition, he merely warned, "I am afraid the mercenaries will not be so willing to follow that order."

Archidamus felt it best not to press the issue further and pivoted to another matter. "Father, the elders must have met with the envoys from Corinth by now. What decision did the Ephors and the Council of Elders reach regarding their proposal?"

Agesilaus spoke at a measured pace. "The Corinthians have always been cunning and fickle. They have brought disaster upon Sparta in the past"—referring to the Corinthian War—"and remained almost entirely neutral during our war with Thebes. Yet the Council of Elders is still willing to take them at their word. This is not just because of what their envoys claimed, that the Daonian Fleet raided their ports, inflicted immense humiliation upon them, and now they demand revenge. It is also because Daionia severely damaged Corinthian interests long ago, and they have been harboring a deep-seated grudge ever since—"

"Wait... Daionia damaged Corinth's interests? What interests?" Archidamus could not help but interrupt.

Seeing the confusion on his son's face, Agesilaus massaged his forehead but patiently explained, "Sparta's fundamental interests lie in the Peloponnese. The Athenians' core interests are rooted in the Aegean Sea. But the Corinthians expanded westward long ago. They established numerous colonies throughout the western Mediterranean, including places we are very familiar with, like Korkyra and Syracuse. By trading with those colonies, they once amassed incredible wealth. But now... heh..."

Sudden realization dawned on Archidamus. Daionia had annexed all the city-states of Magna Graecia, breeding deep resentment within Corinth. No wonder they had so readily agreed to open the ports on the eastern Isthmus, allowing Sparta to transport troops and grain...

"The Corinthian envoys claimed they would unite all the Greek city-states to stand against Daionia, and we believe they can do it. The Corinthians may be lacking on the battlefield, but they are exceptionally skilled at this sort of thing..." Unlike most Spartans, Agesilaus spoke without mockery; instead, there was a trace of genuine admiration in his tone.

He vividly remembered his youth, nearly a decade into the Peloponnesian War, when Sparta was struck by a severe crisis. They had suffered disastrous defeats on both land and sea, and the helots at home were defecting in droves. Sparta's prestige plummeted. Simply managing their domestic chaos left them overwhelmed, completely incapable of dispatching another army. Worse still, Sparta's treaty with Argos had expired, and rather than renewing it, Argos had forged an alliance with Athens. The Peloponnesian League teetered on the brink of collapse; Mantineia and Elis, driven by their own agendas, clashed with Sparta.

Severely weakened, Sparta was forced into signing the Peace of Nicias with Athens. However, because Sparta failed to strictly honor the terms, war threatened to erupt again at any moment. With the Argives growing restless, Sparta faced a monumental crisis. It was then that the Corinthians stepped forward. Through a series of miraculous diplomatic maneuvers, they not only restabilized the Peloponnesian League but also sowed discord between Athens and Argos, ruining their coordination. That maneuver allowed Sparta to weather the storm and ultimately claim victory in the war...

Agesilaus exhaled softly, sweeping the memories aside, and spoke with grave seriousness. "Daionia is a power from the western Mediterranean. They spent the last two decades rising to prominence by annexing our Greek colonial city-states. To the city-states here on the Greek Mainland, Daionia is not only a foreign entity, but it also conflicts with their interests to varying degrees.

"Now, these outsiders have not only dispatched an army to run rampant across the Peloponnese, but their fleet is also sailing the Aegean Sea with impunity. This will inevitably make many city-states feel angry and threatened. Therefore, the Council of Elders concluded that Corinth's goal of assembling a temporary coalition against Daionia is entirely feasible."

Agesilaus let out another heavy breath, his voice dropping to a murmur. "However... we cannot rely on this alliance the Corinthians speak of right now."

"Because forging an alliance that encompasses more than half the city-states on the Greek Mainland and raising a massive army cannot be done in a short time. And time is exactly what we lack, right, Father?" Drawing upon his years of experience campaigning against other Greek city-states, Archidamus correctly guessed his reasoning.

"The Council of Elders verbally agreed to the Corinthian envoys' proposal, but we all know perfectly well that we cannot rely on an alliance that does not even exist yet. Meanwhile, the Daionian Army has already marched to our doorstep, and because of our dwindling provisions, we cannot sustain such a massive force of our own for long..."

Agesilaus lightly pounded his crippled leg, his expression solemn. "There is something you likely do not know. Over the past two days, the Daonian Fleet has not just been sailing the Aegean Sea. Several of their warships, packed with soldiers, have repeatedly approached our coast, posturing for another landing. This has placed immense pressure on the Council of Elders. It took a massive effort on my part to convince them and the Ephors to risk dispatching these seven thousand soldiers.

"As it stands, there are fewer than a thousand young warriors left within Sparta. We are relying primarily on the elderly, the perioikoi, and a fraction of the helots to defend our territory. Our numbers are insufficient, and the danger is immense. Therefore, what we need to do now is defeat this Daionian Army as quickly as possible, then fall back to defend Spartan territory!

"As long as we secure this victory, we will win greater support from the Persians and restore Sparta's prestige in the Peloponnese. Furthermore, it will buy us more time. Once the Greek League that the Corinthians spoke of is formed, we can stand beside them against Daionia. Then, we will have much greater odds of victory!"

As Agesilaus spoke, his emotions gradually grew more impassioned.

"However, the commander of that Daionian Army seems quite cautious," Archidamus noted with renewed concern. "For the past few days, those Daionian soldiers have been constantly reinforcing their camp. They show no intention of fighting a decisive battle with us anytime soon. Perhaps they intend to wait until our provisions run dry before making a move. Are we really going to launch a frontal assault on the Theonians' camp?"

"The Theonians will come out!" Agesilaus replied with confidence.

...

Pausanias was the former Spartan king. More than a decade ago, when the Corinthian War broke out, he and Lysander had been ordered to each lead an army in a joint assault on Thebes.

The Spartan Council of Elders and the Ephors had made a fatal error. When selecting their commanders, they considered only the two men's abilities and positions, forgetting that their opposing political ideologies had long caused them to view each other as enemies. Consequently, when Pausanias was supposed to promptly rendezvous with Lysander's army, he delayed his march and failed to arrive. This left Lysander to face the Theban onslaught alone, resulting in a disastrous defeat and the great Spartan hero perishing on the battlefield.

When the news reached Sparta, the citizens were overwhelmed with grief. Whipped into a frenzy by Lysander's supporters, they strongly demanded that Pausanias stand trial. Ultimately, Pausanias was exiled from Sparta, forbidden from ever returning.

For a Spartan king who deeply loved his homeland, this punishment was far crueler than killing him. Pausanias eventually chose to settle in Tegea, simply because it was very close to Sparta.

Tegea was an ally of Sparta. Due to its vital geographical location, Sparta treated it far better than its other allies, so the two states had always maintained close ties. During his decades-long reign, Pausanias had dealt with the Tegeans extensively. Because he was a rare moderate among the Spartan upper echelons, the majority of the allied states held him in high esteem.