Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1204: Daionia vs the Greek Expeditionary Army

The vast majority of the generals approved of the first proposal. They agreed with the second as well, though there were a few dissenting voices.

"We agree with your proposal, General Iphicrates. Securing our rear is absolutely crucial, and Creusis must remain in our hands!" This enthusiastic response came from the generals of the Athenian Maritime Allies.

"Thebes is a traitor! Their collusion with Daionia led to the dire situation Greece faces today, and they must be punished! Not only should we control Creusis, but we must also grant independence to the other city-states of the Boeotian League!" clamored the generals from Phocis and the Locrians.

"We have the advantage in numbers, so Thebes will likely agree to our demands. There is no need to provoke the Thebans further, lest they abandon their neutrality and side with Daionia. Defeating the Daionian army must remain our top priority!" argued the generals from Corinth, Argos, and Megara.

Only the handful of generals from the Boeotian city-states that had joined the Greek League remained silent.

Iphicrates's proposal quickly won the generals' approval. This made Jason realize that merely possessing a massive army did not guarantee him command over the entire Allied Forces.

A few days later, the armies of the Greek League rapidly began to assemble in Corinth.

Around the same time, the messenger sent by Crotokatax arrived in Mantineia.

"The Daionian commander wants us to recall everyone stationed in Tegea and hold Mantineia for the time being..." Lycomedes told the rest of the council with a grave expression after reading the letter.

Exactly at this juncture, an envoy from the Greek League arrived in Megalopolis and threatened the Arcadian League: "You must immediately tear up your treaty with Daionia and join the Greek League, or face the wrath of the Allied Forces."

Staggered by the Greek expeditionary army's numbers, and knowing the main Daionian force had fully retreated into Spartan territory, the Arcadian League buckled under the threat. Most of the council members wavered, and a few explicitly supported accepting the envoy's demands. Only Lycomedes and the other Mantineian members remained staunchly opposed. Thanks to their fierce resistance, the Arcadian League gave the envoy no immediate response.

That night, however, the envoy secretly met with council members from various city-states—pointedly ignoring Lycomedes.

Consequently, when the Arcadian League resumed discussions the next day, they passed a resolution by a large majority to sever ties with Daionia and join the Greek League. Unable to accept this outcome, Lycomedes furiously denounced the league's shortsightedness, declaring that such treacherous behavior would surely incur the wrath of the gods.

Lycomedes then led the Mantineian council members out of Megalopolis to return to their motherland. For all intents and purposes, this signaled Mantineia's formal break from the Arcadian League.

Hearing Lycomedes's report, the councilmen of Mantineia grew tense. One urgently asked, "The Greek League has already amassed a grand army in Corinth and is about to invade the south. Since Mantineia did not betray our treaty with Daionia like the other Arcadian city-states, we will undoubtedly be the first target of their attack. Shouldn't Daionia honor our alliance and come to our rescue?!"

Facing the agitated Mantineian councilmen, the envoy, Callias, spoke calmly. "Given the current situation, the enemy's numbers clearly exceed those of our Daionian forces here in the Peloponnese. It would not be wise to meet them in a head-on clash right now. Therefore, Prince Crotokatax hopes that you can hold the city of Mantineia until new Daionian reinforcements arrive in the Peloponnese. Only then will we engage the enemy in a decisive battle!

"Daionia is a powerful nation. Our regular army alone numbers no fewer than 200,000 men. Given enough time for them to reach the Peloponnese, we will undoubtedly emerge victorious in this war! Of course, the enemy is a formidable force right now. If you feel you lack the manpower, we will dispatch reinforcements to assist you in defending the city."

Astonished to hear that the Kingdom of Daionia boasted an army of no fewer than 200,000 men, the Mantineian councilmen gradually settled down. The way they saw it, the Daionian army was already terrifyingly capable—they had easily conquered the mighty Spartans with a mere 30,000 troops. If they had that many men to spare back home, casually sending another few tens of thousands to crush this so-called Greek expeditionary army would be a breeze.

"The Daionian commander wants us to abandon Tegea. Is this a temporary retreat? Or a permanent surrender?" Lycomedes asked anxiously. Mantineia's split from the Arcadian League had undone all his hard work, and the root cause was Tegea. He did not want Mantineia to come out of this war completely empty-handed.

"A temporary retreat, of course," Callias replied loudly, understanding the Mantineians' mindset. "Since Daionia has already promised that the lands of Tegea belong to Mantineia, we will never go back on our word! Furthermore, I bring another promise from Prince Crotokatax—"

Callias retrieved a letter from his robes and handed it to Lycomedes.

Lycomedes took the letter. After reading it, he looked up at Callias in surprise.

Callias adopted a solemn expression and announced loudly, "Our wise King Davos once said, 'Only in times of peril will you know who your true friends are.' We haven't been in the Peloponnese for long, but we have already suffered numerous betrayals. Yet Mantineia has stood firmly by our side from beginning to end, unwavering even with a massive enemy army bearing down on you!

"Your actions have earned Daionia's trust. That is why Prince Crotokatax makes this vow: once this war is won, we will throw our full support behind Mantineia to rebuild the Arcadian League!"

Callias's words sent a wave of excitement through the council chamber. The members eagerly voiced their agreement, declaring that Mantineia would do exactly as Daionia asked and defend the city with all their might until Daionian reinforcements arrived.

Swept clean of his gloom, Lycomedes began to formulate a plan. This new Arcadian League could no longer operate as a loose, equal partnership. Instead, much like Thebes's role in the Boeotian League, Mantineia had to become its absolute, undisputed center!

...

A few days later, the Greek expeditionary army marched into the Arcadia Region. When their attempts to force a surrender failed, they completely encircled the city of Mantineia.

The very next day, the Thessalian Army—the most eager faction of them all—spearheaded an assault on the city. However, the Mantineian defenders, now bolstered by two Daionian battalions, repelled the allied offensive with relative ease.

Over the next few days, the expeditionary army's siege made little progress. They were forced to settle into a blockade while their main force continued pushing south to seek a decisive battle with the Daionian army.

Two days later, the vanguard of the Thessalian Army occupied the City of Tegea.

Although Tegea was an empty city by this point and fell without a fight, the news still sent shockwaves through the rest of the Peloponnese city-states, who remained oblivious to the truth.

Soon after, the Arcadian League fulfilled its new treaty obligations by dispatching 3,000 soldiers. The long-hesitant Elis finally sent an envoy to the coalition to request membership. Even the Achaean city-states, which had previously remained strictly neutral, sent their own envoys with the exact same request.

In a flash, the power of the Greek League surged, and its prestige soared.

Following their deliberations, the expeditionary army's generals, led by Iphicrates and Jason, reached a decision: the armies of Elis, the Arcadian League, and the Achaean city-states would march on Messenia, while the main allied force would strike at Sparta.

Splitting their forces, the Greek expeditionary army continued pushing south until they reached the borders of the Arcadia Region. What they did not expect was that ever since the Daionian expeditionary force occupied Spartan territory, the Ministry of Military Affairs had issued a strict order in accordance with King Davos's directives: noting that the Greek city-states were forming an allied army in a vain attempt to defeat the expeditionary force, Prince Crotokatax was to lead his troops in firmly holding their ground in Messenia and Laconia, biding his time until the right moment to counterattack.

Crotokatax obeyed the order. Taking the advice of Plintors and several other officers, he constructed multiple defensive encampments along the critical mountain passes and thoroughfares on the northern borders of Sparta and Messenia. Not only did tens of thousands of soldiers participate in the effort, but the perioikoi and the former helots also eagerly answered the call...

Thus, over a short span of just two months, the Daionian army established a relatively comprehensive network of fortifications along both borders.

The Greek expeditionary army soon found itself stonewalled by these complex Daionian-style fortifications. This was especially true in northern Sparta, where the continuous mountain ranges and narrow passes completely nullified the coalition's sheer numbers. Even finding a place to set up camp and rest became a massive problem. Holding the chokepoints along the dangerous terrain, the Daionian army did more than just halt the enemy advance—they frequently launched night raids, inflicting continuous casualties on the expeditionary troops who were forced to scatter their camps.