Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 917: The Safety of Apulia

Before Sedorum could finish speaking, Philesius interjected, "The Ninth Legion is still stationed in Apulia. Following His Majesty's warning, the Ministry of Military Affairs specifically ordered the legion to remain behind and guard Udiae rather than accompany Alexis on his expedition to the Samnite mountains, precisely to prevent this kind of situation. I am confident that Legion Commander Tagetinos will easily defeat the invading enemy."

"I believe our legions can easily crush that motley crew," Sedorum said, his mood growing complicated as he brought up the past. "But I worry that once these exiled leaders of the Messapii, Peuceti, and Dauni return to Apulia, they will cause turmoil throughout the region—just like the Bruttii did during the War of Southern Italy." The chaos in the Bruttii Region back then had given him the opportunity to display his talents, laying the foundation for his current position as Rotating Chairman of the Senate. However, the unrest and riots had also plunged the entire territory into war, decimating the population and causing many tribes to vanish completely.

"Please rest assured, my lords. The Peucetian area has been integrated into the kingdom for almost ten years. The people there live free and prosperous lives, taking pride in being Daionian Citizens. It is impossible for them to be incited to riot by stray dogs they have long since forgotten, only to return to an era of poverty ruled by kings and chieftains. On the contrary, they will cooperate with the kingdom's army to drive out the thugs attempting to steal their happiness!"

The speaker was Tollex, former chief of the great tribe in Silvium—the central town of the Peucetian area—and future father-in-law of Prince Adoris. The Peucetian Senators naturally followed his lead, and he commanded significant prestige among the Peucetian people. His words therefore greatly reassured the Senators present.

Following him, Apirosias, another influential Senator from the Messapia Region (who was also the father-in-law of Palace Secretary Henipolis), stood up and declared loudly, "Messapia has been part of Daionia even longer. I can assure you all that the Messapian people will only view these former Messapians landing in Apulia as outsiders and thugs out to destroy their peaceful lives. The public will fully support the kingdom's army in defeating them!"

The successive speeches by the Peucetian and Messapian Senators unconsciously drew the gazes of the others toward another figure: Lugesonbron.

This Senator from Dauni had an extraordinary background: he was the former king of Dauni. During Daionia's conquest four years ago, he had opened the gates of Lusenia and surrendered early, allowing Alexis to smoothly conquer the Dauni region. To appease the Daunian people and stabilize public sentiment, Lugesonbron had received a warm reception and a banquet hosted by Davos. Not long after, he became a Senator of Daionia, making him the youngest in the Senate (he was only twenty-seven at the time, and was still no more than thirty-one now).

Since joining Daionia, this weak-willed former Daunian king, who struggled to command respect, had kept a low profile. He showed little interest in politics; attending the regular Senate meetings was merely a routine task. He rarely spoke up or engaged in debates. Instead, he devoted his energy to the sport of football. Not only did he practice frequently himself, but he also spent money to form a team to compete in the Thurii Region's football tournaments. Because of this, the Thurians jokingly called him the "football senator."

Being the rare center of attention in the Senate left him inevitably nervous. He stammered, "You... you don't need to worry about Dauni. Because... because back then, not many Daunians fled."

Reminded of this, the Senators came to a realization, feeling even more reassured.

"Once these thugs land in Apulia, I suggest that Lord Tollex, Lord Apirosias, and Lord Lugesonbron travel to Peuceti, Messapia, and Dauni respectively. They can assist the regional magistrates in calming the public and organizing the defenses..." Sedorum voiced his opinion loudly.

The majority of the Senators agreed with this proposal, and neither Tollex nor Apirosias raised any objections. Only Lugesonbron was highly reluctant. Yet, given the atmosphere, he did not dare argue and could only silently accept the task.

"Since the entire Apulia region has to prepare for war, does this mean we shouldn't notify the towns of Apulia to participate in this year's Rugby Championship finals?" Lysias asked.

"Absolutely not!" Tollex immediately voiced his opposition. Expression serious, he warned, "Even if those exiled remnants harass the Peucetian area, it won't cause panic among the people. But if you stop them from participating in the Rugby Championship finals, I fear it truly will cause turmoil throughout the entire region!"

"The same goes for the Messapia Region," Apirosias quickly added. "The people already view the Rugby Championship finals as a major festival. They will absolutely not allow their towns' teams to be absent. If you ask me, the enemy chose the wrong time to attack Apulia. The public will only strike back with greater fury against thugs ruining their enjoyment of the games."

"I've long heard that the people of Apulia are obsessed with rugby matches. It seems those weren't just rumors!" Lysias marveled, taking back his previous words.

The Messapians and Peuceti were both rather fierce peoples. After being conquered by Daionia, the public had remained disgruntled, making the Rugby Championship finals the perfect venue to express their unyielding defiance and resistance. During those early years, their players had lacked refined rugby skills and employed incredibly simple tactics, but they relied on a stubborn refusal to lose, repeatedly staging comeback victories against powerhouse teams from Magna Graecia during the finals. Whenever a winning team returned to their city, the players were hailed as heroes by the public, further driving the local growth of the sport. Although this antagonistic sentiment had disappeared in recent years as the people of Apulia fully assimilated into Daionia, rugby remained the most popular sport in the region, with local enthusiasm for it even surpassing that of Thurii.

While some Senators less familiar with the Apulia region curiously listened to former magistrates of the region's towns quietly explain why the locals loved rugby so much, they suddenly heard Sedorum ask Hylos, "Do these Apulian remnants have Sparta's support in launching this attack against us? And if so, have the Spartans dispatched their own troops to participate?"

Many Senators felt their hearts tighten.

Hylos smiled. "For the rebel army led by Vadarka to be able to gather forces in the Peloponnese, they must have obtained the consent of the Spartans. However, there is currently no intelligence indicating that armies from Sparta or any other Peloponnesian city-states have joined them. I imagine everyone knows the most important reason for this—the Spartans are currently too busy fighting the new alliance formed by Athens and Thebes."

Hearing this, Vespa let out a long sigh of relief, repeating, "That's good. That's very good!"

One Senator in the hall teased, "You might be relieved, Lord Vespa, but Lord Bagulas won't be happy. I'm afraid he's still hoping to catch a few Spartans over in Udiae!"

Just as laughter echoed through the hall, Antaoris stood up and said resentfully, "Sparta is in a tight spot right now, yet they still haven't forgotten to cause trouble for us. It seems their hostile attitude toward the kingdom hasn't changed at all. Once we've dealt with Carthage, we definitely need to show the Spartans what we're capable of."

These words earned unanimous agreement from the Senators.

When the regular Senate meeting concluded, Vespa declined Hermon's invitation to grab a few drinks and chat at the Christoya Restaurant in the city. Instead, he headed straight back to his own estate.

Just as he entered the rear courtyard, he ran into his daughter-in-law, Andrea.

"Father, you're back!" Andrea stepped forward to greet him, asking with concern, "Today's Senate meeting seemed to finish much later than usual. You must be exhausted!"

Vespa glanced at her and said naturally, "There were quite a few topics on the agenda today, and the debates were rather intense. One of the topics actually had a lot to do with Bagulas."

"What is it?" Andrea immediately asked.

"The Messapii, Peuceti, and Dauni who fled to the Greek Mainland back when the kingdom conquered the Apulia region have gathered an army..." Vespa did not hesitate in the slightest to tell Andrea about matters that should have been strictly classified.

Even though the Kingdom of Daionia was relatively tolerant of women, they were rarely allowed to participate in politics, and this was especially true in Lucanian tradition. Furthermore, since Andrea was a foreign-born daughter-in-law, Vespa's initial demands on her had been quite harsh. The reason for his earth-shattering change in attitude was twofold. First, his sense of superiority as a Lucanian chieftain no longer existed; as Daionia grew increasingly powerful and the Senate was flooded with new talents, he constantly felt a sense of crisis. Second, serving as a trusted assistant to Queen Christoya had greatly tempered Andrea over the years. With Bagulas stationed abroad year-round, Vespa frequently had to rely on his daughter-in-law to analyze the political situation for him and heed her advice.

After hearing him out, Andrea didn't show the same concern that Vespa had upon initially hearing the news. Instead, she comforted him, "You don't need to worry, Father. Since the Ministry of Military Affairs is fully prepared and the Senate has made meticulous arrangements, Apulia won't descend into chaos. Bagulas will be perfectly safe over there. Moreover, I actually think this is a good thing. The kingdom can take this opportunity to wipe out these fugitives in one fell swoop, bringing complete stability to the Apulia region once and for all."

Vespa stared at his daughter-in-law's calm, confident face. Stunned for a moment, he finally murmured, "Yes... Yes, you're absolutely right..."