Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1195: The Arcadian League's Reaction

Initially, Agesilaus had planned to reinforce both his northern and southern fronts to completely block the Daionian Army at the borders. It was a passive defensive strategy forced upon him by a severe shortage of troops. Agesilaus knew perfectly well it could not last. A Sparta that could only sit back and take a beating would inevitably be abandoned by its allies and lose its hegemony. That was why, when the Persian reinforcements finally landed at Corinth, he saw a real chance to defeat the Daionian Army. It was this glimmer of hope that pushed him to gamble and lead his main force north. He had originally prepared to fall back and defend if the battle turned against him, but things rarely went as planned...

Earlier, while the Daionian Army was constructing its camps in Arcadia, soldiers from the Mountain Scout Corps had infiltrated the northern reaches of Spartan territory. Having gathered a preliminary understanding of Sparta's northern defenses, two companies of the Seventh Legion carefully advanced southward along the river valley.

Yet when they reached the Spartan defensive camp, they found it completely empty. The company commanders, bewildered but thrilled, immediately occupied the camp. Curious, they split their forces to continue probing south, only to run straight into a unit of fleet infantry—men Seklion had dispatched north to deliver news of his victory to the Daionian main forces.

Now, reading this battle report, Crotokatax felt a complex knot of emotions. He had finally won a massive pitched battle and was on the verge of claiming the monumental glory of conquering Sparta. He never expected the 1st Fleet to snatch that honor away first, even if they were nominally under his command.

As an officer of the Ministry of Military Affairs Staff Office, Plintors cared little for inter-service rivalries or squabbles over military merit. He was more accustomed to considering issues from a strategic level. Seeing what was on Crotokatax's mind, he offered quiet comfort. "Looking at the report, the 1st Fleet's landing was arranged meticulously and cleverly. But even so, they paid a significant price. It shows that the Spartan garrison still put up a strong fight.

"According to our earlier reconnaissance, Sparta's northern defenses were also very strict. Furthermore, the northern mountains crisscross the terrain, making it difficult for our army to deploy while heavily favoring the Spartan defenders. Pushing into Sparta from the north would inevitably cost us heavy casualties, and it would likely drag the fighting out for a long time. The current situation in Greece is complex; the longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.

"Fortunately, Secilian strictly executed your orders and launched his amphibious assault in time... This gives us ample time to calmly handle the challenges from the other Greek city-states."

After hearing this, Crotokatax fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he let out a self-deprecating smile and said frankly, "Lord Plintors, I admit I am a little jealous that the 1st Fleet conquered Sparta. But I think the 1st Fleet's success actually had very little to do with my orders. It was mainly due to Lord Secilian's ability. No wonder my father praises him as one of the finest military commanders in the kingdom!

"But you are right. The 1st Fleet conquering Sparta this quickly is a good thing for our army and for the kingdom. We should gladly accept Secilian's invitation, hurry to Sparta, and settle the post-war affairs as quickly as possible to meet these new challenges."

Crotokatax agreed with Plintors's suggestion and immediately passed the news down the chain of command.

Before long, it predictably caused a commotion among the troops. Although the constraints of Military Law and the unit officers ensured it did not disrupt the march, the legionaries' endless stream of curses directed at the 1st Fleet echoed all along the way. It made Crotokatax realize, for the first time, just how deep the contradiction between the Daionian army and navy truly was, and how deeply his soldiers thirsted for glory.

As the army neared the southern border of Tegea to link up with Tagetinos, they ran straight into a delegation of councilors from the Arcadian League.

After the great battle ended, Crotokatax had been so busy handling post-war matters that he hadn't sent anyone to inform the Arcadian League. Meanwhile, the Mantineian guides had been in such a hurry to return to their mother city and relay the Daionian commander's decisions to their council that they had not gone to Megalopolis either.

It wasn't until the second day, when the Arcadian League councilors saw a vast crowd returning from Tegea through the territory of Megalopolis—comprising the Daionian Army and tens of thousands of prisoners—that they went over to inquire. Only then did they learn that the Daionian Army had fought a massive pitched battle against Sparta the previous day and won a final victory.

Naturally, they were also shocked to discover that during this decisive battle against Sparta, the Tegeans had suddenly betrayed them and attacked the Daionian Army's flank, causing significant trouble. Infuriated, the Daionian Army had captured Tegea after the battle, taken the surviving citizens prisoner, and planned to send them back to Messenia.

The Arcadian League councilors were shocked by the cruel decision made by the Theonians. Three of their own members were Tegean councilors, after all. Yet, despite their repeated pleas and protests, the Daionian soldiers escorting the captives refused to release them. Thus, an Arcadian delegation led by Lycomedes had to hurry toward Tegea, prepared to plead for mercy from the Daionian Army's commander, and happened to meet them halfway.

Faced with the Arcadian councilors' request for an audience, Crotokatax felt a headache coming on. Right after the battle that day, overcome with rage over Adoris's death, he had issued that command. Now, a day later, his emotions had stabilized, and he slightly regretted that the order had been too cruel. However, the command had already been executed and welcomed by the soldiers; changing it arbitrarily now would only weaken his authority. He could only stubbornly stand by it. Now, having the victims' representatives show up on the road demanding an explanation made him feel very awkward.

Seeing his dilemma, Plintors volunteered to represent him and meet with the Arcadian League councilors.

Crotokatax expressed his gratitude to him.

Riding his horse out of the column, Plintors hurried to the roadside ahead. The moment he saw the Arcadian councilors, his face turned as cold as frost. "Arcadians!" he said resentfully. "It was your pleas that won our trust in the first place, leading our kingdom to form an alliance with you. That was why we dispatched a large army to your rescue when Mantineia fell under siege.

"On the way, we learned that another ally, Tegea, was also facing a fierce assault from the Spartans and was in grave danger. To rescue Tegea, we ignored the exhaustion of our march and engaged the Spartan army in a pitched battle. Who knew it was all a conspiracy!

"Those damned Tegeans! They colluded with Sparta, set a trap, and even sent troops to launch a sneak attack on the rear and flank of our army during the battle. They caused our forces to pay a heavy price of over three thousand casualties! Furthermore, General Adoris, the son of our great King Davos, was killed in action because of it!

"The Tegeans collectively betrayed our covenant and violated their sacred oaths. Of course they must be severely punished! We do not even know if this punishment will be enough to calm His Majesty's grief-stricken fury. Anyone who knows our history should know that the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia keeps its promises, but we also hate traitors! Now that Tegea has betrayed us at such a critical moment, we cannot help but harbor deep doubts about whether your city-states can still honor our alliance!..."

Plintors's interrogating posture took the Arcadian League councilors by surprise. They had never imagined that Tegea's betrayal had caused such severe consequences: over three thousand casualties! That number of dead and wounded Daionian soldiers was equivalent to the entire able-bodied male population of one of their own city-states! And even a son of the King of Daonia had died in battle!

Just now, the Daionian Army had routed the Spartan Coalition in a pitched battle, clearly demonstrating Daionia's formidable might. The Arcadian councilors, beginning to fear that military power, genuinely worried that the Daionian king would take his anger out on their city-states. They frantically began to declare their stances: "We Mantineians have a blood feud with Sparta, and we are the ones who proposed this covenant! We would never betray Daionia like Tegea did!"

"It is the same for us in Phlius! The Spartan mercenaries destroyed our villages and ruined our fields! Our people hate the Spartans to the bone; we would never cooperate with them!"

"Since we Orchomenians swore in the names of the gods and signed the alliance agreement with Daionia, we will certainly abide by it for its duration! We will never go back on our word!"

...

Eager to defend themselves and prove their innocence, the Arcadian councilors completely forgot the original purpose of their trip. Only the Tegeans were left pleading loudly. "General, we admit that the Tegeans made a grave mistake, but many of them were likely not acting voluntarily! They were coerced by the Spartans and Tegea's pro-Spartan nobles and had no other choice! We hope you can forgive their crimes. The Tegeans will be eternally grateful and will fully assist the Daunian Allied States in the future!..."

Plintors looked at the few Tegean councilors with an exceptionally pitiful gaze and said softly, "You don't know yet, do you? Before our army even arrived at Tegea, the pro-Spartan faction colluded with the Spartans and incited the populace to massacre all the anti-Spartans and their families in the city. By the time we breached the City of Tegea, we found only a very small number of survivors. They are the only ones who were not punished, and they are currently receiving treatment in the city. May Hades bless you, and let us hope your relatives are among them..."