Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 943: Fall of Agyrium

The previously quiet soldiers of the Roman Reserve Cohort began to cheer, drawing a volley of curses from the captive soldiers of the Roman Aristocracy. The aristocratic veterans still believed that Rome's downfall was inextricably linked to the plebeian soldiers surrendering to Daionia and turning against them, naturally making Sextus, the plebeian leader, their greatest traitor.

Sextus turned a deaf ear to the curses. He signaled the 10 Roman soldiers behind him to prepare, took a deep breath, and led them in singing loudly: "Oh, Tiber River, mother of the Romans, for a century you have held Rome in your embrace, selflessly giving us your sweet nourishment..."

Hearing this familiar song, Max froze. He subconsciously began to hum along, his eyes slowly turning red...

"Oh, Tiber River" was an ancient ballad that every Roman learned to sing in childhood. Sounding here and now, however, it carried a distinct bitterness for the soldiers of the Roman Aristocracy, who were about to leave Rome behind and scrape by in a foreign land.

The curses faded as the singing swelled. The melodious, mournful ballad echoed across the wilderness, laced with the faint sound of sobbing...

"Look, the swollen river roars, the lone wolf howls on the Capitoline Hill. Oh Romans, toiling on the land caressed by the Tiber River, working hard yet happy..." Max sang with deep emotion. Suddenly, he noticed the surrounding Daionian soldiers clapping a light rhythm and humming along to the tune.

"It's a beautiful song, isn't it!" an officer said, raising his wine cup with an amiable smile.

Beside every bonfire, the Daionian soldiers raised their wine cups to the Romans...

That night, the men drank and danced to their hearts' content, purging all the anxiety, sorrow, fear, and weariness they had accumulated during the war.

"Matonis, did you not sleep last night?" Davos frowned at the commander of the Second Legion, who was slumped in a wooden chair, drowsy and half-asleep.

"...Your Majesty." Matonis quickly propped himself up. Stifling a yawn, he defended himself, "Last night, Amyntas dragged me into drinking with him. Even after the bonfire party ended, he wouldn't stop... I got completely drunk, and I have no idea when I got back to camp..."

Hearing Matonis's tactful accusation, Amyntas shot him a sideways glance. Sticking out his chest, he said proudly, "Boy, now you know who's really getting old!"

"And who was the one I threw in the dirt yesterday!" Matonis shot back.

"Alright, haven't you two had enough? Do you want me to give you a few more jugs of wine so you can really finish the job?" Davos's face darkened. The two commanders immediately fell silent, though they continued to glare at each other.

"Last night, you led the men in making as much noise as you wanted, but don't forget to thank Midorades. He deployed the fleet infantry to maintain order at the banquet and stood guard over the sleeping soldiers to prevent any accidents..." Davos spoke with a serious expression. Although he had only dared to host such a massive bonfire party because the army was deep in the kingdom's heartland, there were still security issues to consider. For instance, once the legionaries relaxed their vigilance in revelry, would those surrendered soldiers of the Roman Aristocracy take the opportunity to mutiny? To prevent this, he had thousands of fleet infantry sleep with their weapons ready, keeping a close eye on the camp. Fortunately, the night had passed peacefully, giving him greater confidence in managing these Roman nobles moving forward.

"Your Majesty, with the army stationed here, securing the camp is the duty of our 3rd Fleet," Midorades said humbly.

Davos gave a slight nod. He produced a letter and had Henipolis pass it down the table.

Midorades unrolled it, and his eyes immediately widened. "The Carthaginians are sending a new fleet of nearly 200 warships to guard Sardinia?!"

As soon as he said this, the other generals reacted with surprise and scrambled to pass the secret letter around.

"What? Are you afraid?" Davos asked flatly.

Midorades instead grinned. "Your Majesty, this is wonderful!" he declared in excitement. "Our 3rd Fleet can finally fight a real naval battle!"

Davos leveled a serious look at him. "The Carthaginians have nearly 200 warships, while the Third Fleet has only 150. Are you confident you can defeat them?"

"Of course!" Midorades answered without hesitation. "They may have the numbers, but they still rely on traditional naval tactics. Multiple past naval battles have shown that our maneuvers hold a massive advantage. Moreover, Carthage assembled this new fleet so quickly and rushed them to the battlefield without a period of integration. When it comes to real combat, whether their warships can coordinate well with each other will be a serious problem.

"Furthermore... according to tradition, newly built warships must undergo a period of sea trials and refitting before their reliability can be guaranteed. These new Carthaginian warships clearly haven't been rigorously tested, making them highly susceptible to mechanical failure in the heat of battle..."

Hearing this, Davos turned to ask Tolmides, "What is the status of our own newly built warships?"

"Two days ago, a message from the Ministry of Military Affairs stated, 'Thurii has 26 warships built, Tarentum has 23, Brindisi 20, Crotone 15, Terina 17...' So far, 213 triremes have been completed within the kingdom, and they are progressively undergoing sea trials. Following standard procedures, they should be ready for service around the end of this month." After fluently reporting the status of the new ships, Tolmides asked, "Your Majesty, do we need these warships to enter service ahead of schedule?"

Davos shook his head. "No, just stick to normal procedures. But once those warships are commissioned, allocate 50 to the Third Fleet immediately."

Hearing this, Midorades was instantly overjoyed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Davos tapped his knuckles against the table and said sternly, "The fact that the Carthaginians deployed this new fleet to Sardinia instead of Sicily shows how vital the island is to them. Moreover, having such a fleet operating in Sardinian waters poses an immense threat to the Latium region we just conquered, and to the entire western coast of our kingdom! Therefore, Midorades, your mission now is to find it and wipe it out! Then continue to relentlessly raid the coast of Sardinia and sever its contact with Carthage!"

"Your Majesty, the Third Fleet will definitely fulfill the heavy responsibility you've entrusted to us!" Midorades responded resolutely.

"But before that, the 3rd Fleet must first escort the army landing in Sicily." Davos swept his gaze across the generals in the room and said slowly, "Accompanying the intelligence on this new Carthaginian fleet is a battle report from Sicily... The Carthaginians have captured Agyrium."

Agyrium had fallen?! The generals were all astonished. During their stay at the Satricum Camp, knowing they would soon head south to fight, they had thoroughly studied the Sicilian theater. They knew the massive Carthaginian army had been deadlocked at Palagonia and Hena, unable to advance a single inch. Yet now, right as they were about to land, the strategic map had violently shifted.

"What is Prosous doing?! How could he lose Agyrium so easily!" Amyntas bellowed angrily. "With the Carthaginians occupying it, they can thrust straight into the Aetna region! Not only is Catana threatened, but Naxos is threatened as well! ..."

"As the commander in Sicily, Prosous already achieved the impossible by routing Carthage's first expeditionary force while heavily outnumbered, capturing Selinus, and throwing Western Sicily into chaos. Later, facing a sudden attack from the 100,000-strong Carthaginian army led by Mago and the treacherous Syracusans, he managed to withstand their assault despite a staggering disparity in strength. He secured the safety of the major towns in Sicily and bought us the time we needed to land... For Prosous to achieve all this relying solely on the provincial forces of the Sicily Territory was incredibly difficult. We shouldn't be too harsh on him," Davos corrected mildly. His unsparing praise for Prosous—or Leotychides, to use his true name—left Amyntas visibly embarrassed.

Although several of the other generals still looked unconvinced, they all held their tongues.

"Your Majesty, the fall of Agyrium actually changes very little for us." Plintors used to fade into the corners during past military meetings, but his brilliant combat record in the Latium region had significantly elevated his status. Not only was he now seated near Davos at the large, map-carved wooden table, but he also began to speak up proactively. "If we look at this map, we can see that Carthage taking Agyrium barely threatens our Sicily Territory. This is a mountainous expanse with abysmal logistics. Even if the Carthaginians bypass Agyrium and march on the Aetna region, their offensive will starve out as long as Naxos and Catana lock down their gates. That isn't even factoring in Hena and Herbita, which remain perfectly positioned to threaten their rear."

"Don't ignore the Sicels, Plintors," Tolmides interjected, finally catching an opportunity to refute his peer. "Agyrium might not be formally incorporated into the kingdom, but it used to be the ancient center of the Sicels and holds tremendous cultural significance. Now that it has fallen into Carthaginian hands, I fear it will cause the eastern Sicel Tribes to waver in their confidence in us."

"Haven't these eastern Sicel Tribes maintained incredibly tight relations with us? They're practically on the verge of integration," Oliphus objected. "Surely they wouldn't surrender to the Carthaginians that easily."