Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1269: Chariot Racing (2)

Ignoring the clamor of the women and children, Davos looked down at the massive yellow arena, paved with a mix of fine sand and clay, and the long dividing strip running down its center. "Clotho," he asked, "how many chariot races are there today?"

As the head of the games' organizing committee, Crotokatax knew the entire schedule inside and out. He replied immediately, "There are three chariot races today."

A fresh wave of cheers erupted from the stands; the racers were guiding their chariots into their respective starting gates.

Studying the row of starting gates at the southern end of the arena with keen interest, Davos asked, "Which regions and city-states do the racers in this first match hail from?"

"We have competitors from the kingdom's Po River Region, Western Numidia, Thebes, the kingdom's Bruttii Region, Macedonia, Cyrenaica... and, ah, our own Thurii Region," Crotokatax enumerated them like family treasures.

"It seems the first round will be fiercely competitive!" Davos said in high spirits. "The racers from the Po River Region must be Gallic citizens. They are already adept at charging with chariots across complex battlefield terrain, so they should feel even more in their element here in the arena. The Bruttii Region has always been a famous pastoral area for the kingdom. Though the Bruttian Horse was historically small—better suited for climbing and serving as a packhorse—they have introduced a batch of Lusitania horses from the Iberian Peninsula in recent years and bred them in large numbers. I hear they are not inferior to Gaulish horses.

"The bay horses of Cyrenaica are also quite famous, supposedly sold in bulk to the city-state nobles of the Peloponnese in the past. Hmm... As for the Macedonian Cavalry, I trust you already experienced their prowess in the Battle of Tegea a few years ago. Then there is Western Numidia, another region renowned for producing horses; our own light cavalry legions are composed of Western Numidians. All of these competitors hail from famous horse-breeding lands. Both the horses and the drivers must be the best of the best, so I am certain the competition will be incredibly intense!" Davos rubbed his jaw, offering his critique with great interest.

"Grandpa, what about Thebes?" Christod chimed in from behind.

"Thebes... I don't think their chariots have the strength to compete against the others," Davos said with absolute certainty.

"The past is the past. Previously, the Greeks did not allow foreigners to participate in their games; even the Macedonians, who are close to them in blood, never had the chance to compete. But today, at our games, the Greeks will witness that the Mediterranean Sea is full of races whose chariot-driving skills surpass theirs!" Davos stood firm in his judgment. "Therefore, whether as an individual or a nation, one must never be complacent and closed off. We must bravely face the world and dare to compete against the strong to achieve greater heights! Chris, don't you agree with Grandpa?"

"Grandpa is absolutely right!" Christod nodded eagerly, bobbing his head like a chick pecking at grain.

Christoya, holding him close to her side, laughed and teased, "You little flatterer!"

Davos smiled amiably. "Chris, let Grandpa test you with a question. Who is Pelopidas?"

"The Boeotarch of the Boeotian League!" Christod blurted out.

"Excellent!" Davos gave a thumbs-up, then patted the couch beside him. "Hurry, come sit with Grandpa!"

Though eager, Christod first glanced at his grandmother.

"Go on, go on," Christoya waved him off, then reminded Davos, "You must not let him get too close to the front railing!"

Davos nodded.

Christod excitedly darted over to sit beside Davos and immediately asked, "Grandpa, you haven't talked about our competitor from the Thurii Region yet!"

"Ah!" Davos slapped his forehead. "How could I forget our own competitor! Clotho, who is our chariot racer from Thurii? And who owns the chariot?"

"The racer is Procris, the youngest son of the former cavalry hero Sobocos. He took first place during the earlier Thurii Region selection trials for the chariot racing events. His chariot today is provided by the Thurii Chariot Chamber of Commerce."

"Sobocus, huh..." Davos felt a pang of melancholy upon hearing that long-unmentioned name. "If I remember correctly, the current head of the Thurii Chariot Chamber of Commerce... should also be Sobocus's son, right?"

"Yes, Father. The head of the Thurii Chariot Chamber of Commerce is Pebarisius, Sobocus's eldest son. He once served as an officer in the First Cavalry Legion, but during the battle against Rome to rescue our allied state of Volsci over a decade ago, he suffered a severe leg injury. He ultimately had to retire and took over managing the carriage business left behind by his father," Crotokatax explained.

"That entire family has made significant contributions to the kingdom!" Davos sighed with deep emotion.

"Uncle Clotho, I see eight starting gates down there, but why did you only mention seven racers just now?" Apox's son, Tisiphonus, suddenly spoke up. He was three years younger than Christod but had inherited his father's clever and steady nature, boasting excellent grades in school.

Taken aback, Crotokatax quickly counted on his fingers, then apologized. "I did miss one. There is one more chariot, which should be from... Egypt."

"Oh, Egypt!" Davos exchanged a quiet, knowing look with Crotokatax.

On the fifth day after his evening conversation with his son, Davos had received definitive news from the Africa Region: Tachos had been found. After his ship was struck by a storm, it had crashed against the coastal cliffs over a hundred li west of Cyrenaica. His corpse, along with those of his retinue, were successively discovered among the reefs. According to the Regional Administrator of the Africa Region, "they all died from drowning at sea."

Because of this, Davos had urgently convened the Kingdom Executive Council just yesterday. He convinced the ministers to handle this sudden crisis according to his plan: on one hand, Daionia would dispatch envoys and a Fleet to the Africa Region to transport the bodies of Tachos and his retinue back to Egypt; on the other hand, they would temporarily suppress the news that the "Egyptian envoy delegation was destroyed by a storm" within the kingdom. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Military Affairs was ordered to notify Chalcides to quietly assemble the soldiers of several legions stationed in Sicily, ready to observe how the situation developed.

As a result, the Egyptian athletic delegation currently in Thurii, though puzzled as to why their country's envoy delegation had not yet arrived, could still participate in the various events with peace of mind.

"It's said that Egypt was the first among the Mediterranean nations to use chariots, and chariot archers remain a crucial branch of the Egyptian military to this day. It seems this first match truly will be incredibly fierce!" Davos marveled. Then he complained to his eldest son, "You're not even as attentive as our little Tisi! Tisi, come watch the race with Grandpa!" Saying this, he patted the couch on his other side.

"Okay," Tisiphonus replied, rising to his feet and walking over.

"I want to sit with Grandpa too!"

"Me too!"

...

Seeing this, the other children began clamoring one after another, refusing to listen no matter how their parents tried to dissuade them.

"Alright, alright. Bring a long couch and place it beside me so all the children can sit here," Davos said with a chuckle.

Once the children had all settled into their new seats, he put on a mock serious expression. "If you want to watch the races with Grandpa, you must agree to a few of Grandpa's rules. First, you must watch quietly—no making a racket. Second, you must actively answer Grandpa's questions. If you get them right, there will be rewards when we go home!"

"What kind of rewards, Grandpa?"

"You'll find out when the time comes. Can you follow my rules?!"

"Yes!!"

"Good children. Then let's watch the races together."

Seeing Davos beaming as he playfully teased the children, Christoya scoffed lightly and muttered, "This old fool!"

Agnes's slow, wistful voice sounded by her ear, "If only every day could be like this."

Christoya paused. Watching the heartwarming, joyous scene of Davos with the children, she too breathed a soft sigh. "Yes, if only!"

...

While Davos enjoyed family bliss in the royal viewing gallery, Sostratus, the head of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce, spotted a familiar face in the VIP section not far below. "Hey, Pebarisius! I didn't expect to see you here watching the chariot races!"

"Obviously! If I don't come watch this race, who is going to cheer for my brother?" Pebarisius, coming from a military background, spoke quite bluntly.

"I know your brother won the qualification for the Thurii Region to compete in the games' chariot races," Sostratus noted, immediately following up with curiosity, "But is his race today?"

"He's in the very first race today. There's a schedule notice posted at the arena entrance. Did you not see it?"

"Where would I find the time to look!" Sostratus pointed to the crowd of people behind him and whispered a complaint. "Look at this. I have to look after so many friends. I'm completely overwhelmed. I have no time to worry about anything else."

Pebarisius swept a glance over the crowd behind him and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Lord Sostratus, you truly have a wide circle of friends. It's no wonder you've become one of the top merchants in the kingdom. You must be raking in quite a profit during these games."

"Ugh, don't even talk to me about making money; I'll be lucky just to break even!" Sostratus sighed. "It's not like you don't know what happened the day before yesterday. A disturbance broke out in the grand market outside Thurii's main port. Many foreign merchants, unable to rent storefronts, banded together and simply laid their goods out by the side of the road to sell. As a result, they blocked off two entire streets. When the patrol guards went to drive them away, clashes broke out... You know how packed with tourists every market in Thurii has been these past few days. It nearly sparked a riot that could have caused mass casualties from a panicked stampede. Fortunately, a battalion of legion soldiers arrived just in time to quell the situation.

"Afterward, officials from the Ministry of Commerce sought me out. They hoped the Thurii Chamber of Commerce would set an example by temporarily vacating a portion of our market storefronts to lease to these foreign merchants, ensuring the games proceed smoothly. They even fed me some line about how 'this will also benefit the kingdom's future trade expansion into the Eastern Mediterranean, which is advantageous for our merchants'... Hmph. I'm already in that line of business anyway, so it's completely unnecessary!"