Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 913: Catana Military Conference (3)

"Once the meeting ends, I'll send someone to handle it," Cyprolus agreed readily, drawing a flurry of thanks from Secilian.

Cyprolus looked at Leotychides. "We don't need to worry too much about the sea right now," he said gravely. "But on land, how do we counter the Carthaginian army's offensive?"

Leotychides didn't hesitate. Pointing to the map spread across the table, he slowly laid out the plan he had already formulated. "Now that Carthage and Syracuse have colluded, the friendly city-states along the Southern Coast have all fallen to them. It won't be long before the Carthaginian army converges in the southeast to attack our southern border and our two allied states, Leontini and Taunis.

"The Carthaginians haven't shown any signs of moving against the northern coast, and I suspect they will avoid attacking it for the time being. Doing so would divide their forces, and the narrow northern terrain isn't suitable for deploying large armies. Although the city-states there are smaller than those on the Southern Coast, capturing them one by one would cost Carthage a massive amount of time. As long as we keep enough troops in Mylae, we can block the Carthaginians outside our territory for a long while. What worries me most is the center of the Island of Sicily—"

Leotychides tapped his right index finger on the map's icon for the city of Henna. "The Carthaginian army from Iberia includes many races skilled in mountain warfare," he said grimly. "Coupled with the Tanikians guiding them through familiar terrain, the Sicels are completely outmatched. That's why Kephaloidion fell to them, and it's why they are currently besieging Henna. I've decided not to reinforce Henna. Instead, we'll withdraw alongside any Sicel tribes willing to follow us—"

"You're abandoning Henna?!" Cyprolus was startled. He offered a solemn warning: "More than half of the Sicel tribes are gathered there. I fear most of them won't be willing to leave their homes."

Cyprolus had phrased this rather tactfully. In truth, he knew perfectly well that the moment the Daionian Army stopped reinforcing Henna, the Sicel tribes there would likely all defect to Carthage under the threat of invasion. This stemmed from the different approaches Daionia had taken toward the Sicels compared to the Samnites over the past decade.

With the Samnites, Daionia had maintained a superficial alliance while quietly absorbing and assimilating the mountain race's various tribes through trade, culture, and even religion—especially in the Abellinum and Naconia regions. This was exactly what had caused the Samnite Tribal Alliance and their priesthood to panic and ultimately provoke a war. In fact, it was precisely what Davos had hoped for, since expanding northward was the Kingdom of Daunia's strategic focus.

As for Carthage to the south, Davos's original strategic vision had been to avoid hostilities with them until Daionia had conquered the entire Italian Peninsula. "Maintaining peace with Carthage" had become their primary objective, leading the kingdom to sign two peace treaties with the Carthaginian empire. Therefore, when dealing with the Sicels caught between the two powers, Daionia's Sicily Territory relied more on trade to win them over, despite their formal alliance. They avoided more aggressive measures so as not to provoke the Sicels into a conflict that would hand Carthage a convenient excuse for war.

Daionia hadn't completely ignored the western Sicel region. Instead, they acted as the leader of the alliance, mediating tribal conflicts, using trade and aid to keep them in line, and maintaining control by conscripting their warriors during wartime. Recently, the Sicel forces assisting the Eighth Legion in battle had primarily been drawn from these western tribes.

Evidently, Daionia had adopted a strategy of gradual encroachment—focusing their efforts on assimilating the eastern Sicel tribes before eventually turning to the west. They simply hadn't expected war with Carthage to erupt so quickly, just a few years later, right when their assimilation of the east was finally showing results.

"I agree with Lord Prosous; abandoning Henna is the right call." Brelius stood up and leaned over to scrutinize the map. "Look here. Henna sits right in the center of Sicily. It's closer to Kephaloidion and further from our sphere of influence. Now that the Carthaginians hold Kephaloidion, Agrigento, and Gela, the town is dangerously exposed. It's already practically surrounded by Carthaginians.

"If we send a small relief force, it won't accomplish anything—Henna will still fall easily to the Carthaginians. But if we send too many reinforcements, we'll weaken our defenses elsewhere. The Carthaginians could bypass Henna entirely and strike our more vulnerable towns. They could march north from Gela and directly attack Hena, for instance. So, it's better to be decisive. Pull our forces back and tighten our fist!" Having said his piece, Brelius glanced at Leotychides.

Leotychides didn't look back at him. Instead, he addressed Cyprolus: "The upcoming battles will be fierce, and the survival of the Sicily Territory is at stake. Even the slightest misstep could lead to a catastrophic defeat. Given the Carthaginians' current advantage, I have serious doubts about whether the western Sicel tribes are still loyal to the kingdom. If we march to reinforce Henna and they suddenly turn on us—"

Cyprolus fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I agree. We abandon Henna and withdraw to the eastern region with the tribes willing to follow us. What's the next step?"

Leotychides then turned to Brelius. "Lord Brelius, how about your Seventh Legion takes charge of holding the southern defensive line?"

"You mean the line stretching from Palagonia to Taunis?" Brelius could answer so quickly because his legion was currently garrisoned at a newly built camp near Lake Leontini, just north of Leontini itself, giving him a solid grasp of the local geography.

"Yes," Leotychides nodded. "The Eighth Legion will station itself at Agyrium and take responsibility for defending the western line from Hena to Herbita."

Brelius examined the map again, noting that the western defense zone was mostly composed of Sicel towns and settlements. A thought immediately struck him: 'I'm a newcomer here. I'm completely unfamiliar with the Sicels and hold no prestige among them. It would be hard to keep them in line if something went wrong... but the southern line lies almost entirely within the Plain of Catania, anchored by two Greek city-states that have been allied with Daionia for over a decade. Fighting there will be much smoother.'

He pretended to mull it over for a moment before speaking. "I essentially agree with your defense plan, Lord Prosous. However, given the current situation, the southern line might become the focal point of the Carthaginian army's offensive. The Seventh Legion only has a little over eight thousand men. That might not be enough."

"It's not just the southern line; Hena and Agyrium might also bear the brunt of the Carthaginian attacks," Leotychides said, tapping the map. "The Sicily Territory as a whole can still mobilize at least twenty thousand more citizens for war. If any sector suffers heavy losses, it will be reinforced immediately."

"A quick reminder," Cyprolus interjected. "The autumn harvest is just ten or so days away! I want you to hold off on conscripting any more citizens until it's over. We need to ensure there's enough manpower in the territory to bring in the crops as quickly as possible. That way, we'll have an ample food supply for the rest of the war."

"I doubt we'll need to draft any more soldiers in the short term. For the Carthaginians to launch an offensive, I'd say it will take at least another ten days. We can easily hold out with our current forces until the harvest ends. However, we do need to watch out for Carthaginian cavalry slipping into the Plain of Catania and ravaging our farms and villages..."

Once Leotychides finished speaking, Brelius gave a serious nod. "I have no further questions. The Seventh Legion will hold the southern line!"

"I have a question," Secilian said loudly. "What exactly is going on with Syracuse?! Can we confirm that they've colluded with Carthage and entered the war against Daionia?!"

"Syracuse is indeed in contact with Carthage, but we can't be certain yet if they intend to declare war on Daionia," Cyprolus said carefully. "I sent envoys to question the Syracusan Council, and judging from their chief general Theagenes's response, Syracuse wants to exploit our war with Carthage for their own gain. However, they aren't quite ready to tear off the mask and act as Carthage's accomplices on the front lines. For now, it's best we avoid provoking the Syracusans. We just need to keep our guard up against them while focusing all our efforts on fending off the Carthaginians."

Leotychides and Brelius both nodded. It was the safest approach.