Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1196: Rendezvous at Sparta

Hearing this, the three Tegean councilors paled and bolted north.

With the main claimants abruptly running off, the remaining Arcadian League councilors looked at one another, completely at a loss.

Plintors immediately said in a deep voice, "The Spartan Coalition has been broken. Seizing this prime opportunity, our army is about to march into Spartan territory to thoroughly eliminate the scourge that has plagued Greece with decades of continuous warfare, restoring peace to the Greek people! We cannot afford to linger here. Once the war is over, we shall return to celebrate our shared victory with you!" With that, he offered a military salute and turned his horse around.

Listening to Plintors, the gathered councilors felt as though they were trapped in a dream. Was Sparta—their ally of decades and the undisputed hegemon of Greece for a century—truly about to fall?

Just then, Plintors turned back, his gaze settling on Lycomedes. "Ah, I forgot to mention. The Tegeans tore up our treaty and ambushed our army. They are no longer allies of the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia, but our enemies. Naturally, the captured City of Tegea is a prize of war won by the Daionian Army!

"To demonstrate that Daionia brought an army to the Peloponnese solely to honor our alliance and assist Thebes in defeating Sparta—and not out of any greed for Greek territory—and to express our gratitude for the immense assistance the Mantineians provided during this pitched battle, our commander has gifted this prize to the Mantineians. They have gladly accepted it."

With those parting words, Plintors rode off in a cloud of dust, leaving the bewildered Arcadian councilors in total disarray. "What does he mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious?! The Mantineians intend to seize Tegea's land!"

"What?!"

...

After linking up with Tagetinos, Crotokatax led nearly 18,000 soldiers into Spartan territory. Navigating a stretch of rugged mountain trails, they reached the Eurotas River Valley. They moved along the winding, narrow gorge, finally arriving at the fortified camp built by the Spartans as dusk fell.

The modest footprint of the camp could not accommodate such a vast army. The legions and cohorts had no choice but to find separate grounds to bivouac. Fortunately, the night passed without incident.

The poorly rested soldiers set out early the following morning. By full daylight, they emerged from the valley and entered the open rolling hills.

After this arduous march, Crotokatax realized all the more deeply how immensely valuable it was that the First Fleet had conquered Sparta ahead of time.

Near midday, the army finally approached the first settlement inside Spartan borders—Sellasia.

Learning that Secilian and the high-ranking officers of the First Fleet were waiting outside the settlement to receive them, Crotokatax led Plintors and the rest of the senior command staff forward on horseback.

Before Crotokatax could dismount, the dark-skinned, naturally imposing national hero stepped forward in his full military dress and rendered a crisp military salute. "Commander! Secilian, Chief of the First Fleet, reporting for duty!"

Crotokatax swung off his mount at once, returned the salute with equal gravity, and praised him warmly. "General Secilian, congratulations on capturing Spartan territory and forging such glorious renown! To rely solely on fleet infantry to storm a heavily fortified Spartan coast and scatter their defenders is an extraordinary feat. It has offered immense support to the entire expeditionary force and cleared the way for the next phase of our campaign!"

Crotokatax's generous praise brought broad smiles to Secilian and the officers behind him. Secilian let out a hearty laugh before saying earnestly, "To be frank with you, Commander, when you assumed command in Messenia, the reason I did not present myself was that the First Fleet's previous landing along the Spartan coast had ended in failure, costing nearly a thousand men. That was my own tactical misstep, and I simply lacked the face to stand before you. Now that we have finally achieved our goal, glory aside, the heavy stone pressing on my chest has at last been lifted. Only now do I dare to come before you and seek pardon."

Why had the notoriously proud Secilian lowered his stance to show such goodwill to this young commander? After holding high positions for years, he had gradually gained a measure of political acumen. He now understood why the battle-hardened King Davos would entrust such a critical war to the young Crotokatax. For the sake of his own later years and the future of his children, he needed to maintain humility to mend his earlier blunders.

No sooner had he spoken than a heavy snort sounded from behind Crotokatax. "If the First Fleet is truly so formidable that it can handle everything by sea and land alike, then whenever the next war comes, we might as well just send the First Fleet to settle it alone!"

Secilian looked over and saw Oliphus speaking. He was a senior veteran among the military elders; while Secilian did not fear him, there was no need to offend the man and risk making a poor impression on Crotokatax. He smiled and replied, "Our First Fleet was only able to take Sparta because you, Commander, led the army in Arcadia and drew away Sparta's main force. Moreover, I hear you fought a fierce pitched battle against the Spartan army at Tegea and utterly broke them—a victory just as glorious! Without that triumph and without our land forces, even if the First Fleet held Sparta, the main Spartan army would have eventually reclaimed it!"

Secilian's words were reasonable and gracious, putting the legion commanders at ease and quickly dispelling the displeasure on their faces.

This also greatly improved Crotokatax's opinion of Secilian. Taking up the thread of conversation, he said solemnly, "It is precisely through the joint efforts and coordination of our land and naval forces that we secured this victory over Sparta! Moving forward, we will still require close coordination between land and sea to successfully overcome the forces of those Greek city-states hostile to Daionia. For now, however, we must first settle matters regarding Sparta's defeat so we can free our hands to confront the other Greek city-states. Lord Secilian, what is the current situation inside the City of Sparta?"

Secilian glanced behind Crotokatax, feeling slightly puzzled. He was reasonably familiar with Ctesus, the newly appointed commander of the First Legion, who was usually a lively fellow. Yet now, Ctesus appeared quiet and somewhat unsettled.

Having no time to ponder it, Secilian first answered the young commander's query: "We have detained all the citizens within the City of Sparta. The entire city and its surrounding settlements have now been occupied by my fleet infantry and the soldiers of the Seventh Legion.

"You would hardly believe it, but when our landing force closed in on the City of Sparta, the Spartan defensive garrison had already been almost entirely wiped out. In desperation, they actually organized the elderly, women, and children inside the city to oppose us—"

"You didn't kill too many of them, did you?" Crotokatax blurted out.

Secilian gave him a look and said, "No, because we are well aware that living Spartan citizens are far more useful than corpses. At the time, I used the Seventh Legion soldiers as the vanguard to launch an assault, quickly scattering the Spartan populace. However, during the arrests, we met fierce resistance from some, and quite a few of our soldiers were injured.

"Right now, many helots have fled into the mountains, while the perioikoi have barricaded themselves inside their own towns, waiting to see which way the wind blows. My forces are limited, and maintaining control over the Spartan settlements is already stretching us thin. That is why I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

Secilian's candidness left Crotokatax with little room to press the matter further. He merely asked, "Have you spotted any routed troops coming from the north over the past few days?"

"No reports of that so far."

Secilian's reply caused Crotokatax to knit his brows slightly.

"There is no need for worry, Commander. With the Spartan citizens as hostages, the routed Spartan soldiers who flee back will have no choice but to surrender. That was precisely how I forced the surrender of the dozens of Spartan soldiers garrisoned at the northern defensive camp earlier," Secilian consoled him.

Crotokatax mused aloud, "General Secilian, before setting out for the Peloponnese, my royal father told me that he had no intention of annexing Sparta's lands. Instead, he intends to transform Sparta's political system, turning it into an allied state friendly to the kingdom..."

Secilian was taken aback. Having little expertise in civil affairs, he could not help but caution, "Those Spartan Elders and Ephors may be our prisoners, but they are an obstinate bunch and will not bend easily. How do we intend to make them comply?"

Having received guidance from Davos earlier, and having spent his time in the Peloponnese reflecting upon the practical situation, Crotokatax had already formed a plan. He said with confidence, "We can start by..."

The group continued their discussion as they walked toward Sparta. More than an hour later, they saw two towering bronze warrior statues standing on either side of the road ahead. Wearing only Corinthian helmets that revealed their muscular physiques, they held shields, spears, and short swords. They were posed in a charging stance with furious roars frozen upon their faces, as though warding off any stranger daring to enter Sparta's heartland.

"Ahead lies the City of Sparta," Secilian announced.

Everyone's spirits lifted.

Passing the bronze statues, sparse thatched mud huts began to appear along the way, looking no different from the vast majority of dwellings seen in Messenia. Crotokatax knew these were likely the residences where the helots lived.