Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1210: Landing in Thessaly (2)

The people of Peleus shut their city gates tight. Driven to desperation, they took up arms and manned the walls—only to tremble at the sight of the Daionian Army surging toward them like a tidal wave.

But the Second Legion did not attack Peleus. They bypassed the small city entirely and marched straight for the river valley pass.

The Peleusians stared in stunned disbelief at the departing enemy until a sudden cry rang out: "Look! More enemies are landing!"

On the nearby beach, tens of thousands of black-armored soldiers were surging ashore. After briefly reorganizing on the sand, they sprinted swiftly toward Peleus.

Just as the Peleusians felt certain they were doomed, this Daionian army also bypassed their city and entered the river valley pass...

Fully armed, Matonis was getting on in years. After running with his soldiers for a while, his stamina failed him. Even as he was forced to stop and catch his breath, he did not forget to order his Adjutant to act in his stead and urge the men forward.

Among the landing sites selected by the Ministry of Military Affairs, Peleus offered the best geography and location. The only concern was that the Thessalians might dispatch an army to blockade the river valley pass once word spread. The Second Legion had to race against time to tear open this gateway to the Thessalian heartland.

Although the soldiers of the Second Legion had rested and built up their strength on the ships, a long, continuous run in full armor with weapons in hand would exhaust anyone. Yet they gritted their teeth and pushed on, sustained by a fierce conviction.

Before the operation, Matonis had rallied the legion with an impassioned speech: "This amphibious landing is an unprecedented military campaign! It will undoubtedly be recorded in the history of the Kingdom of Daunia and remembered by future generations. It is precisely because the Ministry of Military Affairs considers the Second Legion the absolute best among the participating forces that they entrusted us with the most critical assault mission of this landing!

This unyielding spirit kept the Second Legion soldiers moving without pause. Furthermore, over the past two years, the Peleusians had constructed a smooth road through the river valley pass to facilitate trade with the Thessalian city-states south of the mountains. This road greatly aided the Second Legion's rapid advance.

Finally, the Second Legion's light armor battalion leading the charge spotted the valley exit—and the defensive camp blocking it.

To the soldiers, however, the camp looked far too rudimentary. There were no trenches in front of it, and likely no traps either. The perimeter wall was a wooden palisade barely three meters high, and there were only two watchtowers inside... Most importantly, only a sparse handful of defenders manned the wooden walls, letting out panicked shouts upon seeing the Daionians arrive.

Originally, to show his sincerity to the Peleusians, Jason had ordered the Larissans to dismantle the checkpoint at the valley entrance. Only recently, after a warning from Iphicrates, had Jason sent messengers back to Thessaly ordering the city-states to heighten their vigilance against a Daionian amphibious assault. Although the Larissans doubted the Daionian Army would land on the remote and narrow Peleus coast, they hastily constructed a defensive camp at the valley entrance just in case. Due to the rush, the construction was sloppy, built more for peace of mind than actual defense.

Currently, the only mercenary force in Thessaly was commanded by Polydorus, stationed outside Pherae primarily to secure the city and the Almyros Coast. It was unrealistic for Larissa to deploy Citizen Soldiers to garrison the valley camp long-term. Instead, they stationed a small number of citizens there, rotating them every few days. Their plan was to dispatch a large force to defend the camp only upon hearing that the Daionian Army had landed on the Peleus coast.

Who could have known that shortly after the messenger from Peleus arrived at the camp to report the emergency, the Daionian Army would appear before them like troops descending from heaven? Their speed was simply too fast; the messenger sent to alert Larissa had likely not even reached the city yet!

Had the Peleusians deliberately delayed their warning? The panicked defenders could not help but harbor such suspicions, but the grim situation outside the camp left them no time to ponder.

Just as the Daonian Light Armor Battalion took position outside the camp, the light infantry battalion carrying the siege ladders arrived. After handing the wooden ladders over to the light armor battalion, the light infantry began to fan out their formation and close in on the camp.

The sparse arrows fired by the defenders caused no damage to the Daionian soldiers. Instead, they were answered by a sky-blotting rain of arrows. Amidst the screams of the defending garrison, the light armor soldiers hooked ladder after ladder onto the wooden palisade, swiftly capturing the valley camp.

Accompanied by cheers, news of the victory quickly traveled from one end of the valley to the other. Upon hearing it, Matonis breathed a sigh of relief and summoned a messenger. "Go immediately and inform Legion Commander Lizarus. Tell him, 'The river valley pass has been cleared. He can lead his army to land on the Peleus coast!'"

"Yes, sir!"

Two Fleets were landing in northern Thessaly. One, led by Matonis, comprised the Second Legion, the Fifth Legion, and the Second Cavalry Legion, aiming for the Peleus coast. The other, commanded by Lizarus, consisted of the Third and Ninth Legions. Their target was the coast south of the Macedonian town of Dion, further north, from which they would cross the mountains southward into Thessalian territory.

Because the route for Lizarus's army was longer, more treacherous, and carried the risk of encountering native mountain tribes, Patroclus had spent his few days in Sparta carefully questioning Spartans who had previously fought in Macedonia. After acquiring more information and repeatedly weighing the options, he decided to amend the landing plan drafted by the Ministry of Military Affairs. He ordered Lizarus's Fleet to wait off the Peleus coast. Once Matonis's force succeeded in their assault, Lizarus could lead his own troops through the river valley pass into Thessaly, saving them from the lengthy detour. But if Matonis failed, both forces could continue north, land in Macedonian territory, and support each other as they crossed the mountains.

Therefore, when Lizarus received the news that the Second Legion had secured the mountain pass and entered the Thessalian heartland, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered his Fleet to approach the Peleus coast.

Wave after wave of Daionian troops landed and swiftly rushed into the river valley pass. Watching this scene repeat endlessly, the Peleusian citizens on the walls gradually went from sheer panic to a state of numbness. That is, until three battalions of the Ninth Legion—the last to land—stepped ashore. Instead of hurrying past Peleus, they hoisted their siege ladders under their commanders' orders and marched straight toward the city.

Behind these troops followed an elderly man of extraordinary bearing, accompanied by a group of administrative officials.

With the path to the Thessalian heartland cleared, the Daionian Army finally slowed its rapid advance to assault Peleus. After all, once the city was captured, supply ships could enter its port, eliminating any hidden risks to the army's logistics.

But just as the Daionian Army deployed their formations and prepared to lay siege, the gates of Peleus opened.

Having witnessed the immense scale of the Daionian landings, the Peleusian populace was terrified by the sheer number of their enemies. Furthermore, with no young, able-bodied citizens left in the city to form a primary fighting force, they had long lost the will to fight. Surrender was entirely expected.

When the Peleusian officials approached in fear and trembling, begging the Daionian Army not to harm the city's inhabitants, the elderly leader replied amiably, "Rest assured. As long as you cooperate fully and engage in no hostile acts, we will absolutely guarantee the safety of your lives and your property!"

At this, the old man looked at the still-anxious Peleusian officials and added meaningfully, "Let me tell you a secret. This place is the homeland of our great King Davos. He grew up in Derix..."

The Peleusian officials were both shocked and bewildered. After a long pause, an elderly Peleusian softly said, "Derix... that was a village near the Macedonian border. It was destroyed by the Macedonians decades ago..."

Reminded by the old man, the other officials suddenly recalled that such a village had indeed existed. Back then, marginalized by the other Thessalian city-states and unwilling to be confined to this small lowland, Peleus had taken advantage of Macedonia's involvement in the Peloponnesian War to quietly build villages northward along the coast, hoping to expand their territory. However, as soon as the Peloponnesian War ended, the Macedonians swiftly dispatched an army to destroy the villages and plunder the people, forcing Peleus to accept a humiliating peace...

That was over thirty years ago. The ruins of Derix were now overgrown with weeds, leaving no trace of human habitation, and many Peleusians had long forgotten that painful memory. They never imagined that a king would emerge from that remote little village!

"Before I came here, His Majesty the King instructed me that as long as the people of Peleus sincerely surrender, they must not be harmed in any way, for this is his homeland, and the people here are his kin!"

After the old man spoke these solemn words, the Peleusian officials not only shed all their fears but joyfully led the Daionian Army into the city, acting less like men forced to surrender and more like hosts welcoming allied troops.

In reality, King Davos had never said anything of the sort. The old man still clearly remembered his conversation with the King when he was summoned that day: "Hylos, I hear you have been extremely busy lately, coming home late every night?"