Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1205: The Daionian Army's New Operations

Unable to break through the front lines, the generals of the Allied Forces held a council and decided on a new approach. They left their main force to continue the northern assault, aiming to confuse and pin down the Theonians, while dispatching over ten thousand soldiers to detour toward Argos.

Drawn primarily from the Thessalian and Athenian armies, this detachment consisted mostly of Illyrian and Thracian peltasts. Led personally by Iphicrates, they planned to cross the mountains along Sparta's northeastern border and launch a surprise attack on Tethia (not Tegea). Capturing the town would provide the Allied Forces with a forward relay base, vastly improving their position for a southern offensive.

However, these secret maneuvers could not escape the mountain scouts. Upon receiving the intelligence, Plintors immediately guessed the Greeks' intentions. At his suggestion, Crotokatax swiftly adjusted their deployments.

When Iphicrates and his peltasts finally reached Tethia, panting heavily from their trek over the mountains, they were shocked to find the Daionian Army already arrayed in formation, waiting for them.

Iphicrates decisively ordered a retreat, but the Daionian Army launched a rapid pursuit. Although the Illyrian and Thracian highlanders were adept at running through the mountains, their exhaustion allowed the well-rested Daionian light infantry to run many of them down. Before a battle could even begin, the Allied Forces lost nearly a thousand men as prisoners. Even Iphicrates was left thoroughly frustrated.

The generals of the Allied Forces had no choice but to convene another council. Ultimately, they decided to shift their focus and concentrate their strength on Messenia, where the northern terrain was much flatter and broader than Sparta's border.

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Following the conquest of Sparta, the Daunian 1st Fleet received new orders from the Ministry of Military Affairs: cease routine patrols in the Aegean Sea. Aside from a few Warships assigned to defend the waters south of the Peloponnese, the main fleet was to merge with the 3rd Fleet. Together, they would coordinate with the fully assembled Ninth Legion and Tenth Legion to assault four islands along the western coast of the Greek Mainland. From north to south, these were Korkyra, Leucas, Cephalonia, and Zakynthos.

Korkyra had only recently allied with Athens, while Leucas, Cephalonia, and Zakynthos belonged to the Peloponnesian League. Following the Daionian Army's surprise attack on Messenia, they had refrained from striking these three islands to avoid inciting the Greek city-states to become united against a common enemy. Even as transport fleets carrying supplies sailed past these islands daily, Daionia had merely dispatched the 3rd Fleet on occasional patrols as a deterrent.

Korkyra had suffered through multiple wars over the past few years, wavering like grass in the wind as it sided first with Sparta, then with Athens. Faced with the overwhelmingly powerful Daionian Army, the Korkyraeans immediately surrendered. The Daionian landing forces confiscated their dozen remaining Warships and placed the island's ports under strict control.

Soon after, the weaker islands of Leucas and Cephalonia surrendered in turn. Only the people of Zakynthos offered any resistance. However, deploying two Daionian legions alongside nearly ten thousand marines to attack such a small island was the very definition of using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. In less than four days, Zakynthos was completely conquered.

The capitulation of Korkyra, Leucas, Cephalonia, and Zakynthos meant the Daionian Fleet could now completely blockade the western coast of the Greek Mainland.

Across the water from Zakynthos, the Eleans grew incredibly tense. They hastily recalled the troops they had sent to attack Messenia and deployed them along their own coast to defend against a potential Daionian landing, inadvertently relieving some of the defensive pressure on Messenia.

Meanwhile, Leotychides led his army aboard a Fleet provided by the Phoenician Allied States, headed by Carthage. Escorted by the Daonian 2nd Fleet, they sailed east along the coast of Africa. They encountered two severe storms along the way, but the Phoenicians had navigated this route for years and were highly familiar with the sea conditions. By putting ashore in time to seek shelter, they ensured the transport ships and the Fleet suffered no major losses.

Seven or eight days later, the massive Fleet entered the waters near Egypt. To prevent any accidents, Leotychides quickly landed his army on the beaches near the western Nile Delta.

In truth, there was no need for him to be so tense. The King of Persia, Artaxerxes, had only just arrived in Phoenicia with the Immortals. While over a thousand Persian Warships had already gathered in Tyre, they hailed from various regions—including the Phrygian Fleet led by Timotheus—and lacked unified command. The appointment of a wartime naval commander would only be decided after Artaxerxes personally met with the various admirals.

During this period, the Persian naval commanders in Tyre were busy currying favor and gathering intelligence, leaving them little energy to manage their fleets. Over a hundred thousand sailors from different regions idled in Tyre's crowded ports, inevitably leading to friction and conflict. Merely maintaining order gave the Tyrians and the fleet commanders severe headaches; they had absolutely no inclination to proactively execute combat missions.

Only Timotheus insisted on leading the Phrygian Fleet to patrol the waters around Egypt once every four days, both to scout for the enemy and to familiarize themselves with the sea conditions. Even though this duty was relatively light, the Phrygian sailors still harbored plenty of complaints.

It just so happened that on this day, the Phrygian Fleet had not gone out on patrol. But even if they had, their meager dozens of Warships would have stood no chance against the Daonian 2nd Fleet guarding the transports.

Hundreds of thousands of Persian troops had amassed in Phoenicia, projecting overwhelming might. Egypt was separated from them only by the small region of Jerusalem, and the distance by sea was even shorter. Thus, news that the Persian army was about to invade had already spread throughout Egypt. The arrival of nearly forty thousand Daionian troops served as a massive boost of confidence for the panicked Egyptian populace.

The Daionian reinforcements were first warmly welcomed by the people of the City of Naucratis, which boasted a strong Greek colonial tradition. The city's Persian officials went to great lengths to satisfy any demands Leotychides made.

When the Pharaoh, Tanis, received the news, he was overjoyed and personally set sail to greet them. This was an unprecedented honor for the Daionian reinforcements.

In return, Leotychides agreed to the Pharaoh's request to have his soldiers march fully armed in neat columns along the banks of the Nile toward Memphis—essentially conducting an armed parade.

Upon hearing the news, the Egyptian people lined the route to cheer them on. The imposing sight of the Daionian Army significantly bolstered their confidence in fighting the Persians.

After completing their transport mission, the Daonian 2nd Fleet and the Phoenician Fleet began their journey westward back home. However, upon reaching the waters of Cyrenaica, the Daonian 2nd Fleet did not continue west. Instead, they turned north, passing Crete to enter the Laconian Gulf and rendezvous with the Daunian 1st Fleet.

In late July, while the Allied Forces continually failed to breach the defensive lines set up by the Daionian Army in Messenia and along Sparta's northern border, all the port towns along the eastern and southern coasts of the Italian Peninsula belonging to the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia suddenly bustled with activity. Hundreds, even thousands of cargo ships converged on the various ports. The townspeople, supporting the old and carrying the young, gathered at the docks to see off the armies made up of their loved ones. As the soldiers boarded the ships, the crowds prayed to Hades to bless them with a glorious return.

On this day, from Ariminum in the far north, to Sipontum in the central east, to Brindisi and Hodrum in the southeast, and further down to Locri, Scylletium, Crotone, Thurii, and Tarantum in the south... ship after ship fully loaded with soldiers sailed out from these port towns. They gradually formed long, serpentine lines across the sea, crossing the Adriatic Sea and passing by Korkyra, Leucas, Cephalonia, and Zakynthos.

These islands were now fully controlled by Daionia, allowing the fleets to stop and rest at any of them to replenish their food and water. Moreover, the various Daionian fleets fully utilized these islands to enforce a strict blockade along the western coast of the Greek Mainland. This kept the Greek populace—particularly the Eleans—completely oblivious to the fact that thousands of ships packed with Daionian soldiers were continuously passing through the nearby waters.

These troopships then converged in the Messenian Gulf and the Laconian Gulf, steadily entering the ports to land their forces ashore.

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Due to the approach of the Allied Forces, the Spartans found themselves restricted once more. Their adult men were confined to temporary quarters at the Port of Helos, while the women and children were forced back into the warrior training camps to live. They were guarded by thousands of fully armed Helots who had already been granted land.

Agesilaus was infuriated by this and lodged a protest with Crotokatax, but the prince provided a very solid justification: one of the main reasons the Allied Forces had declared war on Daionia was to "save Sparta." To ensure the safety of the Daionian Army, and to prevent certain Spartans from doing something foolish that would plunge the entire Spartan populace into a dire predicament, these measures were absolutely necessary.

Now reduced to meat on the chopping block, Agesilaus, despite his rage, was powerless to change anything and had no choice but to withdraw in resentment.

Having finally turned the tables to become the masters, the Helots were incredibly strict and diligent in guarding their former overlords. This left the Spartan Warriors feeling profoundly stifled, a furious fire burning in their hearts.

Today, however, they stared in astonishment as the Laconian Gulf filled with a dense armada of ships. Fully armed Daionian soldiers disembarked in a continuous stream, swarming the entire Spartan coastline. Just how many soldiers were there?!

(End of Chapter)