Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1212: Landing in Thessaly (4)

The people of Lamia were not particularly panicked. For centuries, they had continuously modified the hills surrounding their city, making the slopes facing the urban area entirely unscalable. Furthermore, the hilltops were over a hundred meters away horizontally; shooting arrows down from that distance posed little threat to the citizens below.

But the Lamians soon gave in to panic: palm-sized round stones began shrieking down from the peaks on both sides. Even the sturdiest houses were crushed as easily as paper. Any civilian unfortunate enough to be struck died a gruesome death, and not even the temple on the acropolis could escape the bombardment. In just over ten minutes, Lamia's central district was reduced to utter chaos.

With the Lamians in a state of terror, Patroclus sent a messenger with a stern ultimatum: if Lamia surrendered immediately, Daionia would guarantee the safety of its citizens. Otherwise, the city would be utterly destroyed and its entire population reduced to slaves!

Daionia's war in Greece had become the focal point for all of Greece. The Lamians, of course, knew the miserable fate that had befallen the people of Tegea. Having just witnessed the massive numbers and ruthless methods of the Daionian Army, they realized they could not withstand the assault. Left with no other choice, they opened their gates and surrendered.

Patroclus kept his word and did not harm the surrendered populace. However, he dispatched two battalions to garrison the acropolis, thoroughly seizing control of the city-state.

It was already afternoon. Continuing to lead the army over the northern mountains and into Thessaly was no longer realistic, but Patroclus did not let his soldiers rest. Instead, he ordered them to advance south.

In truth, apart from the 12th Legion and the Gallic Battalion, the rest of the legions had not participated in the battle. Having had ample rest outside the walls of Lamia, they were eager to secure a victory with their own hands.

Thus, the high-spirited soldiers of the Tenth Legion, the Eleventh Legion, and the Third Cavalry Legion marched rapidly along the very route the Persian army had taken to invade Greece decades ago. They swiftly crossed the Spercheios River and approached Heraclea by dusk.

Heraclea lay directly opposite Lamia, separated by a little over a dozen li. Situated at the northern foothills of the mountains in Central Greece, it served as the northern gateway from Thessaly into Central Greece. Past the city, two roads led south. One headed directly south, winding through narrow mountain trails that ultimately entered Doris. However, the northern border mountains were lofty and continuous, the paths rugged and treacherous, and transportation extremely inconvenient, making it highly unsuitable for a large army. Consequently, the Persian army of the past had not chosen this route. Instead, after reaching Heraclea, they turned east, passing through Thermopylae near the coast, and continued south along the shoreline. This choice had sparked the legend of the Spartan king Leonidas leading three hundred warriors in a lone stand against the Persian host, ending in his heroic sacrifice.

To secure long-term control over the route south, Jason was forced to rebuild the city of Heraclea. Yet, just months later, the Daionian Army landed in the Peloponnese, igniting a new war. When Jason led his massive army south once more, Heraclea was little more than a newly erected ring of earthen walls without even a city gate. He left behind a garrison of 3,000 soldiers and hurried south.

For any Greek city-state, 3,000 soldiers was a substantial force. Even with the city's defenses incomplete, occupying such a strategic chokepoint was more than enough to repel any potential attacks from the southern Greek city-states and secure the Thessalian Army's rear.

But Jason never imagined the attack would come from the north, nor that it would feature such an overwhelming number of soldiers striking with such ferocity. The 3,000 Thessalian soldiers were quickly surrounded and routed by the Daionian troops furiously pouring into the city.

By now, night was about to fall. Patroclus stood atop the earthen wall, gazing east. The glow of the setting sun cast a golden sheen over the land, rendering the landscape perfectly clear to his eyes. Yet even so, he could not make out the silhouette of Thermopylae, famously nicknamed the "Hot Gates" (the pass had numerous hot springs nearby, causing it to always be shrouded in steam, hence the name).

Suppressing a pang of regret, he issued an order: the soldiers were to make camp where they stood and rest up to fight again tomorrow.

...

While the various southern Daionian armies were gathering at Lamia, the northern legions successively passed through the river valley gorge. Four infantry legions and one cavalry legion, along with the Balearic Slinger Battalion (2,000 men)—totaling nearly 40,000 troops—took a brief rest at the mouth of the valley before Matonis and Lizarus simultaneously issued the order: march south, target Larissa.

This time, the army did not force-march. The soldiers arranged themselves in broad columns and marched south in a mighty procession along the southern bank of the Peneus River, treading across the flat, soft earth. The Third Cavalry Legion rode at the very vanguard.

The city of Larissa was situated in the center of the northern Thessalian plain, nestled along the banks of the Peneus River. Boasting vast farmlands and a massive population, it had once been the foremost power of the northern plain and had long served as the central hub of Thessaly. However, after the rise of Pherae, Jason conquered this neighboring city-state and deliberately suppressed it, leaving its strength greatly diminished. During Jason's recent military mobilization, he had explicitly demanded that Larissa provide no fewer than 5,000 soldiers.

Consequently, Larissa had drafted more than half of its able-bodied citizens into the army. Then, just a few hours ago, they received an order from Polydorus: the Daionian Army was landing on the coast of Mirdoros; all city-states must dispatch reinforcements as quickly as possible!

Larissa was forced to urgently dispatch another 1,000 Citizen Soldiers.

By the time the messenger from Peleus arrived seeking aid, the Larissans had virtually no soldiers left to send. Yet they knew perfectly well: the fall of Peleus meant little, but if the Daionian Army passed through the river valley gorge and burst into the northern Thessalian plain, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Thus, Larissa scraped together nearly 300 soldiers (including some citizens over the age of fifty), rushing them to defend the camp at the valley mouth while simultaneously sending messengers to Polydorus for help.

Halfway through their march, Larissa's reinforcements saw the horizon ahead shrouded in billowing dust, and felt the earth itself trembling faintly beneath their feet.

The Daionian Army had arrived! ... The Larissans stared at the countless shadowy figures within the dust cloud, nearly scared witless, and turned to flee.

At the same time, Daionia's Second Cavalry Legion spotted them and immediately gave chase. The utterly demoralized Larissan reinforcements threw up their hands and surrendered.

Although it was already afternoon, Matonis and Lizarus learned from interrogating the prisoners that Larissa's defenses were hollow, severely lacking in both soldiers and commanders. Furthermore, the Thessalian garrison forces were entirely concentrated on the Almyros Coast, completely ignorant of the Daionian Army's incoming assault from Peleus. Both commanders recognized this as a prime tactical opportunity and instantly ordered the army to accelerate their march.

Larissa was nearly forty li from the valley mouth, all of it flat and smooth terrain. The soldiers of the Theonia Legion had gradually recovered their stamina during their normal march; upon receiving the order, they broke into a run once again.

By the time the distant silhouette of the city of Larissa came into view, the sun had already dipped behind the western mountains. Only a few wisps of afterglow lingered on the horizon, and night was fast approaching.

Matonis and Lizarus were both decisive commanders. Having already made up their minds, they would not easily alter their plans. The order to "assault the city of Larissa" was promptly issued.

With the Peneus River and its tributaries acting as a natural barrier, Larissa inherently possessed a defensive advantage. However, having dispatched their reinforcements just hours ago and received no reports of any anomalies, their vigilance had naturally waned as the evening grew late. By the time the sentries on the walls finally spotted the enemy surging toward them like a tidal wave, they struck the alarm bells in terror.

The panicked Larissans scrambled to close the city gates while urgently mobilizing the civilians to man the walls. The city dissolved into a chaotic mess, leaving them no time to burn the pontoon bridges spanning the river.

The Daionian soldiers stormed across the pontoon bridges over the Peneus River tributary, rapidly arriving beneath the walls of Larissa. Throughout this advance, they did not face a single volley of arrows or javelins from the battlements. Only when the wooden siege ladders were hooked onto the walls did the hastily gathered Larissan civilians, clutching rusted weapons, frantically scramble up to the ramparts. Failure, naturally, was inevitable.

"Reporting to both commanders! We have taken the city of Larissa!" the messenger shouted excitedly to Matonis and Lizarus.

"Which unit breached the walls first?" Matonis asked with a smile.

"The Eighth Battalion of the Second Legion."

Matonis's smile grew even more radiant as he turned to his side. "Ah, Lizarus, my apologies, but it seems my men have claimed the top honors once again!"

Lizarus replied coldly, "The Larissans barely put up any resistance. You call that an achievement? The Second Legion merely took advantage of marching at the front of the column!"

"Now look here, Lizarus, don't be ungrateful," Matonis shot back. "If the Second Legion hadn't cleared the river valley gorge in time, and if I hadn't sent word to you immediately, you and your troops would still be crawling through the mountains of Macedonia!"

"That is because the Ministry of Military Affairs trusts my capabilities. They entrusted me with the most grueling task, and left the easiest one to you."

...

The two veteran generals, both in their fifties, bickered and picked at each other's faults like children. The surrounding staff officers and guards, unable to step in and mediate, could only stand as still as clay statues while desperately holding back their laughter.

After squabbling for a while, Matonis suddenly remembered something. He turned to the rather uncomfortable messenger standing nearby and ordered, "Immediately inform the troops entering the city: they are strictly forbidden from looting the property of the Larissan citizens or harming their lives. Any violations will be punished by Military Law!"

"Yes, sir!"