Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 910: Falling Back

Theagenes responded with unwavering self-righteousness. "This massive war between Daionia and Carthage here in Sicily has dragged every single Sicilian city-state into the fray. Can Syracuse be the exception? No! The Carthaginian army has already pushed as far as Gela, while Daionia's army is stationed right in Leontini. We have to make a choice, or else we'll be crushed by the power of both sides."

"However, we will not become true allies with the Carthaginians, our mortal enemies for decades. Nor will we rashly challenge the Theonians, who stripped us of our hegemony. All we must do is seize every favorable opportunity during this fierce war to reclaim the former glory of Syracuse!"

That was what Theagenes said, and it was exactly what he did.

When Cyprolus of Catana sent an envoy to the Syracusan Council, the man angrily demanded, "Your Syracusan fleet attacked the ships of Pachynus and deployed troops to capture Camarina! This is a blatant provocation against Daionia! You must immediately cease these dangerous acts, withdraw your forces from Camarina, and pay reparations to Pachynus. Guarantee that you will never take such action again, or Daionia will not sit idly by!"

Theagenes answered him without the slightest panic. "Tell me, is Daionia allied with Pachynus and Camarina? Of course not. You have neither an alliance nor even a basic agreement with these two city-states. But we do. We share a comprehensive military alliance."

As he spoke, he had someone bring out the newly signed treaty to show the Daionian envoy. With a hint of mockery, he added, "We are very grateful for Daionia's concern regarding recent events, but this is an internal matter between us and our allies. We can resolve it through our own discussions. We don't need an outsider like Daionia to worry about it."

The Daionian envoy was momentarily left speechless. After a long pause, he snapped back bitterly, "So Syracuse is preparing to join hands with the Carthaginians?!"

"How could we Syracusans ever join forces with our mortal enemies, the Carthaginians?" Theagenes replied, his expression utterly serious. "We merely wish to protect ourselves here on the war-torn Island of Sicily."

The Daionian envoy finally understood. He said coldly, "So you Syracusans want to play the crow, stealing from corpses after the beasts have fought. But no matter how much carrion a crow eats, it remains a crow. Let us hope that the peace and tranquility of today's Syracuse—paid for with the blood of Herolis and the other heroes who resisted the tyranny of Dionysius over a decade ago—will not be lost at your hands!"

When the Daionian envoy departed the city of Syracuse, a large crowd of Syracusans gathered at the news. They cursed and humiliated him, using the opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with Daionia.

Theagenes had anticipated this. Not wanting to openly break with Daionia just yet, he specifically dispatched a patrol unit to escort the man out.

Even so, the Daionian envoy left Syracuse with a bruised and swollen face, his clothes torn to shreds—an ordeal he considered a profound humiliation.

...

By the time Secilian led the fleet to Gela, Leotychides already knew that Camarina and Pachynus had submitted to Syracuse. This forced him to cancel his original plans. The consecutive string of sudden changes had also shaken his confidence in being able to hold the Southern Coast.

Thus, as soon as he saw the newly arrived Secilian, he said bluntly, "Camarina and Pachynus have already surrendered to Syracuse. I doubt Minoa will last much longer, either. We are now at a complete disadvantage, yet my army is split between Selinus and here, rendering it useless to the overall war effort. Therefore, I have decided to fully withdraw our troops from the city-states along the Southern Coast. If the Minoans and Geloans are willing to follow us, we'll return to Catania together and link up with the Seventh Legion. We must rebuild our strength before looking for an opportunity to continue defending against the Carthaginians, and possibly even an attack from Syracuse."

Secilian looked at Leotychides's stern expression, considered it seriously, and said in a deep voice, "We can evacuate the other locations, but Selinus must be kept!"

"If the armies in the other regions retreat, Selinus will become a completely isolated city. How many days could Chalcides hold out then?" Leotychides clearly lacked confidence in the idea.

Secilian, however, was quite confident. "The Carthaginians have launched several sieges on Selinus these past few days, and all have been repelled. Furthermore, our defenders haven't suffered heavy losses. From what I've seen, Chalcides carries the demeanor of a great general. He doesn't panic or rush, and he's extremely capable when it comes to defending a city. Selinus should be able to hold."

"Of course Chalcides is highly capable," Leotychides said, shaking his head slightly. "Unfortunately, he has far too few troops. As soon as we leave, Selinus will become the focal point of the Carthaginian army's attacks. They won't last long."

"With our navy's help, how could Chalcides be short on soldiers?" Secilian said urgently. "As long as he holds out for a few more days until September passes and the fields in Catania are harvested, I'll transport thousands—even up to ten thousand—of the unassigned sailors from the naval base over to him. Although these sailors lack the combat ability to clash head-on with Carthaginian soldiers, they are more than capable of helping defend the city walls.

"Selinus is simply too important! As long as it remains in our hands, our Warships and crews will have a foothold in Western Sicily. The fleet can then hunt in the western waters with relative peace of mind, and Carthaginian ships won't dare transport soldiers and supplies along the Southern Coast so easily..."

Just as Secilian was getting worked up, Leotychides cut him off and agreed crisply, "Fine. We'll do it your way. Your Sicilian Fleet will provide the reinforcements to hold Selinus. The rest of the city-states and armies will completely evacuate the Southern Coast."

Secilian froze for a moment before instantly catching on. "You planned this from the very beginning, didn't you? You just wanted to trick me into helping you defend the city!"

Leotychides replied with an entirely wooden expression, "I'm going to persuade the Geloan generals to leave this place and take refuge in Catana. Persuading the Minoans will be left to you, Lord Secilian. Here in Gela, we have the Eighth Legion standing guard, so there won't be any major problems for now. But Minoa is already in grave danger. I hope you make haste."

"Uh... listen here, Prosous. You're not His Majesty King Davos! What gives you the right to assign me tasks? This is something we should discuss first before deciding..." Secilian loudly voiced his dissatisfaction, but Leotychides had already strode briskly out of the hall...

A day later, the Fleet, loaded with Minoans, sailed eastward along the Southern Coast under the escort of the Daonian Fleet. As they passed the waters near the southeastern corner of Sicily, Secilian felt both tense and excited. He cast a wide net of fast boats and ordered the lookouts on every Warship to keep their eyes peeled for any anomalies at sea.

Much to his disappointment, the Syracusan fleet never appeared. The entire Fleet arrived safely at the port of Catana.

At the same time, the City of Minoa was conquered by Bomilcar and his army. Every single Minoan Citizen Soldier left behind to defend it fought to the death.

The Geloans also agreed to evacuate to Catania. This wasn't due to Leotychides's immense persuasive skills, but because they shared the exact same mindset as the Minoans: if it were the Syracusans laying siege to them, the citizens—reluctant to leave their homeland—might have actually considered surrendering. But the forces outside the city were Carthaginians, alongside fierce, barbaric natives. The people of Agrigento had already been brutally massacred; the Geloans had no desire to follow in their footsteps.

The Sicilian Fleet soon returned to the Southern Coast from the Catania naval base, escorting this massive Fleet. The ships carried not only grain and supplies, but also sixteen thousand sailors. Secilian had come to fulfill his promise to Leotychides.

Originally, Secilian had planned to wait until after the autumn harvest to do this. But after a conversation with Cyprolus, the latter had advised him, "Once you all withdraw from the Southern Coast, the defenders of Selinus will inevitably face far greater pressure from enemy attacks. Since this city is so crucial, don't delay. Send the sailors over as quickly as possible. You don't need to worry about the harvest of their farmlands at home; I will help take care of it."

Secilian accepted Cyprolus's advice.

The Fleet smoothly arrived at Selinus.

Secilian first unloaded the grain and weapons onto the docks. He then had 10,000 sailors remain at the port to manage and defend it, while also assisting Chalcides with the city's defense, thus making up for the shortage of troops.

After resting for a night, he ordered the remaining 6,000 sailors to crew the thirty or so simply repaired Phoenician Warships moored in the harbor (captured previously during the battle against the Eastern Phoenician Fleet from within Persia). They followed the Sicilian Fleet and the rest of the transport Fleet, hurrying toward Gela.

In accordance with the notice brought in advance by fast boats, Leotychides and the Eighth Legion, the 4th Cavalry Legion, masses of Geloans, and the refugees from Agrigento who had previously fled to Gela were all ready. They stood in orderly lines, waiting at the various docks.

Therefore, as soon as the Fleet entered the port and docked, everyone swiftly boarded the ships in order.

When the Carthaginian scouts informed Hasdrubal that "a massive Fleet has arrived at the port of Gela," he initially didn't realize that the entire city was preparing to retreat. After their victory in the pitched battle, the Carthaginian army's subsequent sieges had all ended in failure. In fact, during their attack the day before yesterday, the Daionian soldiers had even charged out of the city in a surprise counterattack, catching Hasdrubal completely off guard and resulting in a swift, humiliating defeat for his siege forces. This proved that the defenders' morale was incredibly high, forcing Hasdrubal to let his repeatedly thwarted troops rest for the past two days.