Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1221: Collapsing Without a Fight

It was not out of any great sympathy for Jason's impending downfall. Although the tyrant of Pherae was not overly cruel, his path to conquering all of Thessaly and claiming the title of tagus had not lacked in bloodshed. He had gradually softened his approach to unifying and governing the city-states with the help of Acidamas and others, but only a few years had passed. The memories remained fresh.

These councilors from the Thessalian city-states were far more worried that the looming battle would inflict heavy casualties on the Citizen Soldiers from their hometowns currently serving in Jason's army. Thus, they approached Patroclus with a unified request, volunteering to go and persuade their citizens to surrender.

Patroclus had achieved his goal. However, rather than dispatching these men to Thermopylae right away, he convened an emergency military council. Alongside himself, Matonis, and Lizarus, the meeting included Hylos, the Regional Administrator of the Thessaly Region. After a thorough discussion, the four men reached a consensus:

Matonis would lead the Second Legion, Fifth Legion, Ninth Legion, and the First Cavalry Legion—nearly 26,000 men in total—to temporarily garrison Thessaly. They would maintain order in the newly conquered territory and prevent any unrest or rebellion. They also had to remain vigilant against the people of Epirus in the western mountains, as rumors suggested that Alcetas, a king of Epirus, was a close associate of Jason and might attempt to provide him with aid. Furthermore, Matonis would assist Hylos in protecting the Thessaly Region's upcoming wheat harvest and escorting the subsequent supply trains transporting military rations.

Meanwhile, Patroclus and Lizarus would immediately march south with the remaining forces, numbering over 40,000 soldiers. (Patroclus had greatly exaggerated his numbers to the Thessalians; the Daionian Army currently inside Thessaly did not amount to 100,000 men, as the nearly 20,000 fleet infantry of the Daunian Navy and the 12th Legion defending Lamia were not included). After eliminating the hidden threat of Jason, they would advance into Central Greece.

For the generals of the kingdom, leading an army into Central Greece to finally conquer Athens was an unparalleled honor. It would wash away the enduring disgrace of being dismissed as barbarians by the Athenians and their fellow Greeks. Matonis only agreed to stay behind partly due to Hylos's persuasion, but also because, as a native of Thessaly himself, he genuinely wanted to do his part for his homeland.

With the difficulty of the Thessalian garrison settled, Patroclus enthusiastically led his army over the southern mountains and into Lamia. Then, the earlier scene unfolded.

The Thessalian councilors were all prominent figures in their respective city-states. The Thessalian soldiers recognized them instantly, crowding around in a frantic rush to ask for news of their home cities.

By the time Jason heard the news and rushed over, word had already spread like wildfire among the ranks: "A Daionian army of 100,000 has landed in Thessaly and conquered every city-state! The people are desperately hoping for the safe return of their Citizen Soldiers!" This dealt a devastating blow to the army's morale. The Citizen Soldiers clustered around their respective councilors, anxiously discussing their return home. The entire army was already showing signs of falling apart.

Seeing that the riot could gradually spiral into a civil war, Jason hastily ordered his mercenaries to stand down. Surveying the sea of furious faces, he realized he had lost his grip on these Citizen Soldiers. Unwilling to accept this, he strode alone into the crowd of Citizen Soldiers and shouted a guarantee: he had no intention of harming the Thessalian councilors; he merely wished to hear the truth about Thessaly straight from their mouths.

Eventually, several councilors who maintained a good relationship with him stepped forward. In front of the masses of Citizen Soldiers, they detailed the series of events that had transpired in Thessaly over the recent period, earnestly answering his every question.

Throughout this process, the guarded stares the surrounding Citizen Soldiers leveled at Jason slowly softened into pity. Jason's expression, however, only grew increasingly ghastly. Finally, his face dark and thunderous, he walked out of the crowd and swung into his saddle. Without casting a single glance back at the restless Citizen Soldiers or the councilors who had caused this terrible situation, he turned his horse around and rode away, surrounded by his mercenaries.

Jason remained completely silent on the ride back to the rear camp. Yet, the moment he entered the camp, he suddenly pitched from his horse. He vomited blood and slipped into a coma. Only after frantic work by the military doctors did his condition slightly improve.

That night, the guards stationed outside his main tent heard Jason muttering to himself: "Dorus, my good brother!... Acidamas, I am so sorry!... Polyphron, you devil!... Damn you, Daionia! You ruined everything!... Dorus, my good brother..."

Throughout the entire night, Jason's sorrowful muttering never ceased.

...

The arrival of the Thessalian councilors completely shattered Jason's army. In just a single day, the homesick Citizen Soldiers complied with the demands of the Davos Camp. They laid down their weapons, formed long lines, and marched in an orderly fashion through the camp and Thermopylae. Then, they saw tens of thousands of Daionian soldiers blanketing the lowlands of the Lamia plains. Not only did this sight thoroughly convince them of the councilors' words, but it also instantly swept away whatever faint hope they might have still harbored.

With the Thessalian Citizen Soldiers abandoning Jason, the native mountain warriors he had conscripted saw the situation turning grim and naturally had no intention of fighting for him anymore. Most of these warriors, however, were unwilling to surrender their weapons. Therefore, they chose to cross the mountains, undertaking the long, arduous trek back to their homelands—a path fraught with considerable risk.

Only the nearly 8,000 mercenaries remained loyal to him, repaying the years of care and trust Jason had shown them. (After assuming the title of tagus, Jason had expanded his mercenary forces to over 10,000 men; for this southern expedition toward the Peloponnese, he had left 3,000 of them under the command of Polydorus to garrison Thessaly.) Seeing the army collapsing and the situation turning critical, they quickly rallied, gathered around the still-unconscious Jason, and retreated to the south.

Scouts dispatched from the Thermopylae garrison quickly relayed this news to Commander-in-Chief Patroclus, who had already arrived in Lamia.

The news that Jason's army had collapsed without a fight thrilled Patroclus. He issued his orders: the Thirteenth Legion would escort these 20,000-plus unarmed Citizen Soldiers safely back to Thessaly. The soldiers of the remaining legions were to hurry and rest; they would march for Central Greece at first light tomorrow.

On a day in early September, Patroclus led his 40,000-strong army through Thermopylae. The soldiers marched in crisp, disciplined columns, their spirits soaring as they sang the "March of the Battlefield." They followed the coastal road southward for over ten li before veering south, navigating through a stretch of low mountains and hills. Meeting no resistance, they successfully entered the plains of the Phocis region the following morning.

The Phocian farmers, who had been busy harvesting their wheat fields, fled into their towns in panic. Yet the Daionian Army neither attacked the towns of Phocis nor ravaged the outlying farmland and villages. The entire army simply continued its march south without stopping. As for the weak city-states of Phocis, they could only thank the gods for sparing them; how could they dare send troops to block the Daionian advance?

By the afternoon, the cavalry legion leading the vanguard had entered the Boeotia Region, closing in on Chaeronea, the westernmost city-state of Boeotia.

The people of Chaeronea felt extremely tense as they faced the dense mass of Daionian cavalry outside their walls. However, the Daionian envoy who rode into the city quickly offered them a reassuring guarantee: Thebes was an ally of Daionia, and Chaeronea was an ally of Thebes. As long as Chaeronea refrained from any hostile action against the Daionian forces, the Daionian Army would not inflict any damage upon the Chaeronea region.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the people of Chaeronea immediately declared: since Daionia was an ally of Thebes, Daionia was naturally an ally of Chaeronea as well, and Chaeronea would do everything in its power to help its allies.

Receiving this satisfactory response, the cavalry legion did not linger. They continued to ride south, securing similar promises from every Boeotian city-state they passed. The road from Chaeronea to Thebes was perfectly flat. Even though they frequently stopped to rest, the cavalry vanguard arrived beneath the walls of Thebes by noon of the second day.

...

Throughout the war between Daionia and the Greek League, Thebes and its Boeotian League had largely remained neutral. Yet they kept a close eye on the fighting across the Peloponnese Peninsula. For high-ranking Theban leaders like Epaminondas and Pelopidas, their greatest fear was a victory for the Greek League, as it would result in a massive surge of prestige for Athens and Thessaly. Once those two powers—one to the east, the other to the north—freed up their hands to settle old scores, it would spell enormous trouble for Thebes. Therefore, even though Thebes had been forced to provide some help under pressure from the Greek League, such as offering up Port Creusis, they secretly hoped for a Daionian victory. However, the current situation indicated that the Daionian Army was at a disadvantage, leaving them fraught with anxiety.

Epaminondas, however, frequently reassured his colleagues. He firmly believed that the advantage held by the hastily cobbled-together Greek expeditionary army could not last, and that the mighty Kingdom of Daunia was bound to launch a counterattack.