Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1274: Mobilization to Declare War on Persia
Previously on Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece...
Nearly half of the athletes in the Marathon failed to finish the race. Several even collapsed midway and fell into comas, requiring emergency hospital treatment—a sight that left the spectators sighing in dismay.
That evening, the celebratory banquet held at the Daonian Royal Palace marked the final event of the games. In keeping with the tradition of other Greek games, Daionia hosted an exceptionally grand affair, inviting not only the champions of every event but also the prominent envoys from all the friendly participating city-states.
King Davos personally hosted the banquet, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.
During the feast, he clinked glasses with Callistratus, Iphicrates, Epaminondas, Agesilaus, and others. Now standing at the pinnacle of power with authority over the entire Greek World, he treated these famous historical figures from his past life like anyone else. He showed no undue curiosity and kept their conversations brief to avoid arousing suspicion among the other city-states' envoys. Because of this, Agesilaus's hopes of making a few requests to King Davos—whom he had finally managed to meet—came to nothing.
As the banquet drew to a close, Davos made two announcements. First, given the success of these games, the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia would host them every four years in the summer, striving to make them the grandest festival in the Mediterranean Sea. Second, the Greek council would convene an expanded meeting the following day. The envoys of the Greek city-states who attended the games, as well as the envoys of other allied states, were invited to discuss matters of vital importance.
Matters of vital importance?! ... The envoys returned to their lodgings brimming with speculation. Some could barely sleep a wink all night.
At the Greek League meeting the next day, Davos once again attended in person to preside over the assembly.
Facing a hall packed with envoys and council members from the various city-states, he solemnly proposed declaring war on Persia and forming an allied army to attack Asia Minor. The suggestion utterly shocked everyone in attendance.
In truth, King Davos was not the first to propose this idea to the envoys of the Greek city-states. A decade earlier, the Athenian orator Isocrates had repeatedly declared at the Greek games and other public venues that the Greek city-states should cease all conflicts and internal friction. They needed to unite, he argued, to defend against the threat of Daionia to the west, while bravely launching an offensive against their mortal enemy, Persia, to the east. By utterly annihilating the culprit responsible for the endless civil unrest on the Greek Mainland, the Greeks could seize enough land to support a larger population...
Although the leaders of the Greek city-states scoffed at Isocrates's speeches, they still left an impression on the general public. Yet, after the Greek War, rumors spread through Athen targeting this early advocate, claiming that if not for his constant instigation, Athens would never have joined the Anti-Daonian Alliance, which ultimately led to their current predicament. Because of this, the citizens had ostracized him a few years prior, exiling him to Asia Minor.Now, immediately after putting forward his proposal, King Davos announced that whether the Greek council agreed or not, the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia would mobilize an army of over 100,000 men to launch an offensive against Persia!
This sent shockwaves through the envoys.
At the same time, Davos made another offer: if the allied states dispatched troops to form a joint army, Daionia would split the spoils of war with them evenly after every victory. Furthermore, once Persia was defeated, Daionia would carve out portions of the conquered Persian territory to serve as their overseas holdings in Asia Minor, distributed according to each state's contribution to the war...
Everyone knew that Persia was a wealthy kingdom, and the King of Persia was the richest man in the world. For the Greek city-states—with their small territories, poor land, and tight finances—profiting from Persia to enrich themselves was an incredibly tempting prospect.
As for powerful Greek city-states like Athens and Thebes, Daionia's control over the Greek League left them with no room for further expansion. Defeating Persia and claiming territory in Asia Minor would provide them with an alternative route to build their national strength. Thus, most of Daionia's allied states were swayed by Davos's proposal. Moreover, Daionia had steadfast supporters within the Greek council—such as Messenia, Arcadia, and Zakynthos... Consequently, the resolution to declare war on Persia was ultimately passed.
The next step was to carefully discuss the formation of the Greek expeditionary army and draft a plan for the invasion of Persia.
A few days later, the news that Daionia had declared war on Persia spread throughout the kingdom. The public enthusiasm, which had not yet faded from the successful hosting of the games, ignited once more.
While the populace eagerly discussed this momentous event in the streets and alleys of every town, Davos summoned Leotychides to his office in the Royal Palace.
"Did you watch the games?"
"Since many of the events were held simultaneously, I only saw a portion of them."
"What did you think?"
"Although the Greek city-states achieved good results in the traditional athletic events, the champions, runners-up, and third-place finishers in any competition closely tied to the military were almost entirely athletes from our kingdom. This shows that the military aptitude of a Daionian Citizen far exceeds that of the other allied states."
"You!" Davos laughed helplessly. "You can't go three sentences without bringing it back to the military."
"Your Majesty, you didn't summon me this time just to chat, did you?" Leotychides asked calmly.
"I can hear the resentment in your voice. You aren't still upset with me for transferring you from the First Legion to the Thurii Military Camp to serve as the chief instructor for the reserve Legion Commanders, are you?" Davos asked, half joking and half serious.
Leotychides remained silent.
The year before last, Davos had issued a new directive to the Ministry of Military Affairs: the position of Commander would be established above that of Legion Commander, serving as the highest rank for frontline officers. Any Legion Commander who had led multiple legions or joint forces to successive victories could be promoted to this post after passing an evaluation by the Ministry of Military Affairs. Not only was this a massive leap in salary and status for the military officers of the Kingdom of Daunia, but it also granted the honor of directly entering the Senate without an election. In the event of a war, the kingdom could directly appoint these Commanders as military supreme commanders.
This served as a great incentive for all the kingdom's officers. However, Davos knew that transferring prestigious, highly decorated generals away from active duty during peacetime to hold idle positions would inevitably spark dissatisfaction among leaders like Leotychides, who cared little for titles and were wholly devoted to the army. Yet, to ensure the future stability of the royal family and the kingdom, he had to do his utmost to perfect the military system while he was still on the throne, easing the burden on Crotokatax and future generations.
Naturally, Davos kept these hidden thoughts to himself. He merely cleared his throat a few times before saying in a gentle tone, "You've heard the news that the kingdom has formally declared war on Persia, haven't you?"
"I am aware. I suppose Your Majesty's reason for summoning me has something to do with it," Leotychides said with a placid expression.
Davos spoke slowly, "After discussing the matter with the Ministry of Military Affairs, we agreed that you are the best candidate to serve as the supreme commander of this newly formed allied army. I just don't know if you are willing."
A change instantly came over Leotychides's usually wooden face. He immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I am willing to bear this responsibility!"
A hint of a smile flashed across Davos's lips. He picked up a booklet resting on his desk and said, "In that case, the position of supreme commander for the Greek expeditionary army is yours! These are the matters tentatively finalized by the Greek League council over the past few days. Take a look at them first."
Leotychides took it at once and leafed through it carefully. Suddenly, his expression shifted. He asked, "Your Majesty, why is there a separate clause listed right after the entry stating that Sparta will dispatch 3,500 troops and 40 tons of wheat... saying that Agesilaus will deploy 500 Spartan Warriors?!"
Davos looked at him and said meaningfully, "That was added after Agesilaus sought me out for a private discussion. Agesilaus will personally lead all the Spartan Warriors from the lands of Laconia to participate in this military operation. He hopes that after Persia is thoroughly defeated, the kingdom will carve out a decent territory in western Asia Minor specifically for the true Spartans..."
"Agesilaus wants to relocate the entire Spartan populace out of Laconia and have them colonize Asia Minor?!" The usually calm Leotychides revealed a touch of astonishment.
"Yes." Davos nodded and spoke in a soft voice. "After Laconia formed its new government, the political situation was relatively stable at first. But as the former helots gradually grew accustomed to their new status as citizens and shed their fear of the Spartans, their hatred for Sparta grew by the day... Ah, this was a flaw in my original considerations! After all, the number of helots who suffered persecution and died at the hands of the Spartans over the years is uncountable. That kind of hatred cannot be erased so easily!
"Although the helots dare not start open conflicts due to the kingdom's regulations, they can still suppress the Spartans through the ecclesia or other political means. After all, their citizen numbers account for more than half of Laconia's population, and the perioikoi also bear grudges against the Spartans. Because of this, the Spartans have had a difficult time over the past year or so. Colonizing Asia Minor might be a better choice for them..."
Over the past few years, Leotychides had deliberately tuned out any news coming from Sparta, so he was completely unaware of the dire straits the Spartan populace was living in. After hearing Davos's words, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, yet he also felt deeply melancholy. Laconia was, after all, the homeland where the Spartans had lived for hundreds of years. Were they truly just going to leave it behind like this?...
A moment later, he redirected his attention back to the roster and voiced his doubts. "The combat prowess of the Spartan Warriors is incredibly strong. I have no objections to them deploying troops independently, but why let Agesilaus lead them? He is almost eighty years old. Can he even fight?"