Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1211: Landing in Thessaly (3)

"Your Majesty, our army is at war with Sparta in the Peloponnese. It is consuming an enormous amount of rations and supplies, most of which ship out of the Port of Thurii. To ensure everything proceeds smoothly, the workload for officials across all departments in the Thurii Region has naturally increased. Now... the Kingdom Administrative Office and the Ministry of Military Affairs have notified all regions to assemble their legions. This means gathering even more supplies and preparing more transport ships for the upcoming great battle.

"Consequently, the burden on Thurii's officials has grown much heavier. As the Regional Administrator of the Thurii Region, if I do not lead by example, how can I expect my subordinates to work with full dedication?"

"It sounds like you harbor some resentment! Do you know our first target in this expanding war?"

"Your Majesty, I have been away from the army for many years—"

"It is Thessaly!"

"Thessaly?!"

"We left Thessaly over thirty years ago. I imagine you have entirely forgotten what your homeland looks like... When we departed, the various city-states of Thessaly were still endlessly warring against one another. Yet today, Thessaly has a tagus. This Jason is quite capable; he has already brought Thessaly into the Greek League and is currently amassing an army to march south and fight us. This could pose no small trouble."

"So, Your Majesty, are you planning to wait for Jason to lead his grand army south, and then have our forces sail in to launch a surprise attack on Thessalian territory?"

"You claim you've been away from the army for years and are out of touch with military affairs, yet your battlefield instincts remain as sharp as ever!"

"It won't be easy, but it will also exceed the enemy's expectations. Furthermore, we hold naval superiority. As long as the army is meticulously prepared and trained, they can absolutely pull it off!"

"Your Majesty, once the army lands and conquers those city-states, how will we deal with the entirety of Thessaly?"

"You know as well as anyone how fickle the Greek city-states are. Even if we win this war and force their surrender, in a few years, another Greek city-state will inevitably rise against us and form another Anti-Daonian Alliance... Therefore, Thessaly is of vital importance to us! It is bordered by Macedonia to the north and the Greek states to the south. As long as we hold it firmly, we can completely suppress the expansion of the southern Greek city-states and punish them at any time. We can also turn north to subdue Macedonia—a kingdom that appears ignorant, backward, and chaotic, but actually boasts vast territory and enormous potential..."

"Do you mean... making the various city-states of Thessaly into dependencies of the kingdom?"

"No! I don't intend to let Thessaly become a second Carthage, nor do I plan for them to become another Tarentum! I want to completely integrate the entirety of Thessaly as part of the kingdom's territory, allowing our former compatriots to become citizens of the kingdom! This is precisely why I summoned you today. I wish to appoint you as the Regional Administrator of the Thessaly Region, and I want to hear your thoughts.

"Of course, it's still uncertain whether Thessaly can be successfully conquered. Even if we do occupy it, integrating it into the kingdom will be a daunting task. Not to mention, you are currently a Regional Administrator in the central region of the kingdom. Suddenly transferring you to a distant territory where everything is uncertain... Alas, it truly is asking too much of you! It's perfectly fine if you refuse; I can choose someone else—"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Thessaly!"

...

Hylos did not regret accepting King Davos's appointment so readily. On the contrary, the news that the landing forces had successfully passed through the valley pass excited him. Now, his only concern was whether the army could advance further and smoothly capture Larissa, considering it was his hometown.

...

Just as the soldiers of the Second Legion landed on the coast of Peleus, the massive Fleet led by Patroclus arrived at the northern tip of Euboea Island. Every vessel quickly furled its sails and began steering west.

The coastal waters of the Greek Mainland were dotted with numerous islands and featured winding coastlines. Although most captains in the Fleet possessed rich navigational experience in the Aegean Sea, they still piloted their ships with the utmost caution to safely pass through this long, narrow channel.

At the northern tip of Euboea lay a city-state named Artemisium. When its people saw the sudden appearance of countless ships in the waters near their port, panic swept through them. They shut their city gates and closed off the harbor, and all the young, able-bodied citizens took up arms and rushed to the walls to stand guard.

Under their terrified gazes, this massive Fleet did not approach the coast. Instead, it slowly sailed away toward the west.

Finally, this Daionian Fleet entered the Maliac Gulf.

Between the towering mountains of Thessaly's southern border and the continuous mountain ranges of Central Greece's northern border flowed a river named the Spercheios. Millions of years of rushing water had carved out a long, narrow floodplain along its banks. At its estuary lay a sizable expanse of mudflats; only on the northwestern side of the gulf was there a cobblestone beach and a port.

The Daionian Fleet closed in without a moment's pause. Patroclus was among the first to land alongside the 12th Legion. He did not order the disembarked soldiers to attack the nearby small port; instead, he commanded the Twelfth Legion to march rapidly to the west.

These soldiers from the plains of Campania and the mountains of Samnium had served under Patroclus several years ago, achieving the glorious annihilation of the invading Gallic army. Trusting his leadership completely, they formed columns without hesitation. Their leather-sandaled feet crunched against the hard, slippery cobblestones as they stumbled and sprinted westward.

The city of Lamia was situated about fifteen li from the landing site. Roughly an hour later, the soldiers of the Twelfth Legion arrived at its walls, panting heavily.

Seeing Lamia's gates tightly shut and its walls swarming with soldiers, Patroclus's heart sank: the Lamians were already prepared!

He had mentally prepared himself for this possibility. After all, the Fleet had traveled slowly through the narrow channel, most likely giving the Lamians ample time to mount a defense.

Since a surprise attack was no longer an option, Patroclus quickly adjusted his mindset. He called for a messenger, ordering him to ride back to the landing zone and notify the rear forces to capture the port first before coming to rendezvous.

After the messenger departed, he ordered the soldiers of the Twelfth Legion to rest on the spot and recover their stamina, while he personally led his guards closer to observe Lamia's defensive deployments and the surrounding geography.

Lamia was somewhat similar to Peleus; it too had been founded by Thessalians. However, because the city was located outside Thessaly's traditional territory and had poor transportation links, the other Thessalian city-states kept their distance. Some even refused to acknowledge Lamia as a Thessalian city-state.

The Lamians themselves also despised their Thessalian identity, preferring to grow closer to the Greeks to the south. Even though some Greek citizens viewed them as barbarians, Lamia did indeed maintain much deeper ties with the southern Greek city-states, largely because maritime travel to the south was far more convenient.

After Jason became the Thessalian Tagus, he did not immediately force Lamia to join the Thessalian League, fearing it would trigger the vigilance of the southern Greek city-states. It wasn't until the Battle of Leuctra—when the Greek hegemon, Sparta, suffered a disastrous defeat—that he finally stopped hiding his ambitions. While leading his army north from Thebes back to Thessaly, he destroyed the City of Heraclea (not the Heraclea located in Magna Graecia within the Kingdom of Daunia) and occupied Thermopylae. Under the threat of his military might, Lamia capitulated, though rather unwillingly. Thus, when Jason mobilized his forces this time, Lamia did not provide many soldiers.

Now, the Lamians considered themselves fortunate. Facing the surprise attack by the Daionian Army, they still possessed enough strength to protect themselves.

An hour later, the Tenth Legion, the Eleventh Legion, the Third Cavalry Legion, and the Gallic Battalion arrived one after another...

Standing on the city walls, the Lamian Citizen Soldiers almost stopped breathing: countless Daionian soldiers clad in Black Helmets and Black Armor filled the entire river plain south of Lamia. They looked like a roaring black tide rolling in from the coast of the Maliac Gulf, stretching as far as the eye could see. Most striking of all were the Daionian soldiers standing directly beneath the walls (who were actually Gallic soldiers). Tall and powerfully built with ferocious expressions, wearing Horned Helmets and Chainmail Armor, and wielding greatswords, they roared like thunder. They resembled humanoid beasts, striking fear into every heart...

Just as the Lamian Citizen Soldiers were awestruck by the formidable might of the Daionian Army, Patroclus did not immediately issue the order to attack. He had carefully observed Lamia beforehand: the Lamians had likely adopted the city-building habits of the Greeks. Rather than building their city on the flat river plain, they situated it near the northern ridges, enclosing a low hill within the urban area to serve as its acropolis. The city was surrounded to the north, left, and right by hills towering over 200 meters high. While these natural barriers provided the city with protection, they also restricted its expansion. Consequently, the Lamians could only expand southward into the plains, giving the entire city a shape resembling a clay jug with a long neck and a round bottom. This geographic layout gave the Lamians the impression that they held a strong defensive advantage, believing they only needed to focus on defending the southern wall to guarantee the city's safety.

Patroclus ordered the Twelfth Legion and the Gallic Battalion to attack the southern and northern hills, respectively.

Though the hills were not particularly low, their slopes were gentle. The Lamians had set up defensive camps at the summits, but their troop numbers there were small. More than half of the Twelfth Legion consisted of Samnite Soldiers, and both they and the Gauls were incredibly fierce fighters who excelled at mountain warfare. After paying the price of some casualties, they captured the hilltops.