Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 930: Palagonia Fortress

"My lord, he seems to be here about something else this time," Tagerus said softly.

"Then let him in." Leotychides rubbed his eyes, though his expression didn't relax in the slightest.

So as soon as Astemis stepped through the door, Leotychides warned him preemptively, "I hope you aren't here to discuss a cavalry sortie. I've already told you, it isn't time yet."

"Lord Commander." Astemis froze for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "I've thought of a way to reduce the threat of the Carthaginian cavalry."

Leotychides finally turned to look at him. "What way?"

Astemis spoke earnestly, "Lord Commander, Carthage has a massive amount of cavalry, but the majority are Numidian Cavalry. As far as I know, the horses these Numidian slaves ride are small but fast. They also share another trait—they can endure hunger quite well, capable of carrying the Numidian slaves into battle on nothing but grass. However, they must graze constantly..."

Leotychides felt a stir of interest. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "You mean?"

Seeing the bad-tempered commander take an interest, Astemis immediately perked up, his words flowing more smoothly. "The Carthaginians have scattered thousands of cavalry across our Plain of Catania. I suspect it isn't just to destroy our villages and blind our scouts, but also to feed their horses. It's autumn now, and the grass has already begun to yellow. Since the Carthaginians have already burned our villages, we can use the cover of night to boldly torch the wild grass on the plain. That way, the Carthaginian cavalry won't dare move around the plain so frequently."

"Burning the grass across the entire plain..." Leotychides pondered this for a long while before saying hesitantly, "Astemis, you are a Catanian and should be very familiar with the conditions here. Even if this plain is burned bare, it will only take a rainstorm or two for the grass to sprout again."

Leotychides made a swift decision. "Tagerus, go invite Cyprolus here immediately. I need to discuss this with him."

"Yes, my lord." Tagerus ran out at once. Cyprolus had just left not long ago, so he should be able to intercept him on the road. As he ran, he thought to himself:

Back in the kitchen, Leotychides stared at the map and muttered, "I don't know if this method will actually work, but we have to try. Even if the current situation is highly unfavorable to us, we shouldn't lose faith. We must strive to find opportunities..."

"Lord Commander, you are right!"

...

Just as Leotychides had analyzed, Mago had indeed targeted his attack on Palagonia.

The defenses on the northern side of Palagonia were equally tight, but compared to the south, the terrain was open, making it favorable for troop deployment.

Mago had learned from his previous failed attack on the south. While constructing the camp, he ordered his engineers to begin assembling ballistae. Upon his order to attack, dozens of ballistae began bombarding the watchtowers within the trap zone.

At the same time, he ordered the tens of thousands of Numidian Infantry raised by Carthage to excavate earth. Since Palagonia was located at the foot of a mountain, the soil was relatively hard. The soldiers had to dig dirt from farther away and transport it back, filling in all the traps and trenches on Palagonia's northern side to pave a broad, safe path. While clearing the perimeter, to prevent the enemy from sallying out for a sneak attack, he deployed his elite troops in formation at the front, ready to strike at any moment.

Moreover, he transferred 10,000 soldiers stationed in Gela, increasing the number of troops in the Carthaginian Camp to 60,000. This ensured he had ample forces to defend against attacks from Leontini and the Amendolara military camp while simultaneously assaulting Palagonia.

Although the defenders never ceased their harassment, Carthaginian casualties were light, and their morale remained high. While the progress of clearing Palagonia's outer defenses was slow, it pushed forward steadily.

Three days later, the Carthaginian army advanced to within a hundred meters of the city walls, forcing all the Daionian defenders to retreat inside and cease their sorties.

Mago was finally able to get close and observe this small city that had caused him so much trouble. After circling more than halfway around it, he was deeply astonished. "This is the village the Syracusans spoke of?!"

The adjutant beside him explained, "My lord, I remember the Syracusans only saying that Palagonia to be a village. Ever since the Daionian Army garrisoned Palagonia a few months ago and relocated the villagers, they forbade anyone from approaching. The Syracusans don't know what Palagonia looks like now, either."

Mago cast a sideways glance at him. "You certainly know how to make excuses for the Syracusans."

Terrified, the adjutant didn't dare say another word.

Mago stared at Palagonia ahead. Amidst dense layers of abatis stood a white city. Its area wasn't large, but its shape was unlike any city Mago had ever seen. It was encircled by a wall over four meters high, featuring multiple protruding circular towers. To his amazement, inside these walls sat a circular structure that rose two or three meters higher than the outer defenses—like a large circle enclosing a smaller concentric one.

Although Mago had never laid siege to such a strange city, his years of combat experience told him this small city of Palagonia was highly unusual. Unconsciously, he spurred his horse forward, wanting to get a closer look.

Suddenly, the guards beside him shouted frantically, "My lord, watch out!"

Several black dots abruptly appeared in the sky ahead, whistling through the air.

Mago hurriedly clamped his legs around his horse's belly, but his mount didn't move. A nearby guard quickly jabbed his spear into the horse's rump. The warhorse neighed and bolted forward, nearly throwing Mago to the ground.

At that moment, several stone projectiles smashed down. Miserable shrieks instantly rang out as the area where Mago had just been standing turned into a bloody mess of mangled flesh.

Mago barely managed to rein in his horse and turn back. Seeing the carnage, he frowned and ordered, "Fall back."

As they retreated, he made sure to ask his adjutant, "Where did the enemy's stone projectiles come from?"

The adjutant shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen clearly. Mago glared at him again; even though this young adjutant was a member of the Magonid family, Mago couldn't help but entertain the thought of replacing him.

"My lord, it seemed... it seemed they were fired from the walls," a guard said.

Mago froze. "Are you sure they came from the walls and not from inside the city?"

"My lord, I saw it too. They were definitely fired from the walls," another soldier chimed in.

Mago pulled his reins and turned to look at the bloodstained stone projectiles on the ground, then raised his head toward the walls of Palagonia. There wasn't the slightest movement there now, but Mago's expression grew solemn.

Meanwhile, on the Palagonia tower directly facing Mago, a Daionian captain wearing a helmet adorned with a purple crest bent over, peering out through the gaps in the crenelations.

"Good shot. The stones landed quite accurately. It's just a pity that big fish got away!" he said, turning around with a hint of regret.

"Captain, should we keep firing?" the ballista's spotter asked.

Ten years ago, the spotters for Daionian ballistae had been exclusively students from Theonia Akademia's Academy of Mathematics, responsible for providing firing parameters and correcting trajectories. Now, ten years later, any citizen who had graduated from a regular school in a Daionian city and possessed a good grasp of mathematics could serve as a spotter. This was the result of widespread education and improvements to the ballista itself.

The captain shook his head. "He's already on high alert; another sneak attack is impossible. Don't waste the stones. You'll be busy enough when the enemy assaults the walls."

"Captain, rest assured. The Carthaginian ballistae have been running rampant these past few days, destroying several of our watchtowers. Now it's our turn to show them what we can do!"

As soon as the spotter finished speaking, a nearby gastraphetes shooter chimed in. "That's right! As long as the Carthaginian ballistae dare to enter our range, we'll destroy them!"

Their words drew enthusiastic agreement from the surrounding soldiers.

The captain felt satisfied that his soldiers could maintain such fierce fighting spirit while besieged by the massive Carthaginian army. Of course, he knew very well that the source of their confidence stemmed primarily from this city.

Six months ago, Palagonia was still a village with only a handful of residents. When Leotychides decided to use it as a frontline stronghold against the Carthaginian army, he didn't merely reinforce the walls, dig trenches, and lay traps based on the existing village. Instead, he completely leveled the village and built a fortress in its place.

The Ministry of Military Affairs had continuously researched and improved Daionian military technology. In recent years, inspired by King Davos, the Ministry's engineers designed a new type of defensive citadel. They incorporated it into the regular training regimens of all military camps—specifically, city building and offensive and defensive drills. Deeply impressed by its formidable defenses, Leotychides decided to implement it in actual combat.

He not only assembled the soldiers of the Eighth Legion but also asked Cyprolus to mobilize the citizens of Catana. Tens of thousands of people worked in shifts, using Palagonia's existing stone bricks and timber, Davos' cement fired from Mount Etna's volcanic ash, along with massive quantities of stone provided by Naxos (which had stone mines near Tauromenium) and copious amounts of timber supplied by Hena and Agyrium...