Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 944: Fail on the Verge of Success

"With Agyrium lost as a buffer and Prosous powerless to retake it, the Sicels are facing the full brunt of the Carthaginian army. They have no idea reinforcements are on the way, and the Carthaginians excel at mountain warfare... Given this predicament, it is hard to say what the Sicels will do," Tolmides said grimly. "But if those Sicel Tribes on the western edge of the Sicily Territory all surrender to the Carthaginians, it will spell tremendous trouble for our Sicily Territory!"

Davos slammed his hand on the wooden table. "I have decided to land the entire army at Catana and drive the Carthaginian army back head-on!" he declared in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, during our discussions at the Satricum Camp, didn't you plan to land the army in the poorly defended Western Sicily to cut off the Carthaginian army's retreat?" Matonis asked.

"I did propose that plan, but its execution relied on the Carthaginians losing their naval power and being unable to threaten our landing fleet," Davos explained evenly, pointing to the Island of Sicily on the map spread across the table. "But the situation has changed. The new Carthaginian fleet has already been deployed, and there is no telling how many more Warships are nearing completion in the shipyards of the Phoenician Allied States... I am sure you all vividly remember our landing in Latium. A fleet large enough to carry our legions is simply too massive to hide from the Carthaginians. A surprise attack is impossible. When the time comes, they will mobilize every ounce of their naval strength to stop us from landing.

"Even when everything went smoothly during our landing in Latium, it still took us nearly half a day. If we try to land in Western Sicily against desperate Carthaginian resistance, the operation would drag on indefinitely. That area falls under Carthaginian control and heavily favors their military operations. Even if we combine the Sicilian Fleet with the 3rd Fleet, we wouldn't necessarily gain any advantage... Furthermore, even if we successfully completed the landing, an army of this size consumes a staggering amount of food. Supplying them would rely entirely on maritime transport, which creates yet another massive problem!"

Davos looked around the tent. Seeing that his commanders were deep in thought rather than voicing objections, he raised his voice. "Moreover, the Sicily Territory is suffering under the devastation and threat of the Carthaginian army. The citizens are desperately waiting for us to come to their rescue. If we disregard their safety and risk everything to land in Western Sicily instead, what would they think? Therefore, our most urgent priority is to drive the Carthaginians out of the Sicily Territory so our people can quickly rebuild their homes!"

Hearing this, the commanders found his reasoning sound and nodded in support.

At this point, Epithenes interjected, "Your Majesty, the plan for the entire army to land in Western Sicily might be canceled, but surely we could still send one or two legions to land there."

Davos shot him a glance. "We will not discuss this matter further today. Three days ago, the Ministry of Military Affairs ordered the reserve soldiers from various cities to assemble at the Scylletium military camp. Your task for the next two days is to integrate them into your legions as quickly as possible and bring the army back to full strength. In two days, we will set sail for Catana."

Davos had already considered this. "Keep them in their respective units, adding one Roman to the roster of each squad. With the influx of reserve soldiers, the proportion of Romans in the army will be diluted. I believe this will help stabilize the ranks and accelerate their integration into our forces..."

...

"Lord Mago, look! Our soldiers have taken the battlements!" the Adjutant cried out, practically dancing with excitement.

It was no wonder he reacted so strongly. Tens of thousands of Carthaginian soldiers had besieged the seemingly small city of Palagonia for over half a month. Until now, they had achieved little beyond racking up heavy casualties, but they had finally cracked this tough nut.

Mago, whose face had been clouded with gloom for days, finally cracked a smile. "Sound the attack bugle!" he shouted. "Have the soldiers seize this momentum and push deeper into the city! Breach the Theonians' second wall and wipe out every last one of them inside!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Woooo!..." Mago listened to the resounding blast of the bugle, watching as thousands of soldiers swarmed into Palagonia, while the sounds of slaughter echoing from within the city steadily weakened...

Mago clenched his fists, desperate to shatter the inner wall in one fell swoop—a formidable obstacle that had caused endless trouble for his besieging troops.

The Carthaginian soldiers who had seized the battlements rapidly rushed down from all directions. Howling, they charged into the streets to chase down the fleeing enemy. Driven into a frenzy, very few of them noticed that the liquid flowing in the ditches along the intersecting streets was not foul-smelling sewage, but thick, sticky tar. Nor did they notice that the countless empty houses were packed to the brim with heaps of freshly harvested wheat straw...

Standing atop the inner wall, Temenides, a captain of the Daunian 7th Legion, stared down at the enemy rapidly surging toward the base of the wall like a tidal wave. He issued a decisive order: "Close the gates!"

"Captain, many of our brothers are still retreating toward the inner city! They'll be here any second! Just wait a little longer! Please, wait!" a junior officer of the Seventh Legion beside him pleaded anxiously.

Temenides gritted his teeth and hardened his heart. "There is no time! The Carthaginians will rush the inner city before they even reach the walls! If that happens, everything we worked so hard to set up will be ruined!"

With that, he raised his voice and roared, "Close the gates!"

As soon as the command left his lips, he threw his right arm high and slashed it down fiercely. "Fire the flaming arrows!"

Over a dozen flaming arrows shot into the trenches below the wall. A ring of fire erupted instantly, rapidly racing outward along the interconnected ditches...

"Captain, here!" A guard handed a soaked piece of linen to Temenides.

Temenides glanced around at the soldiers who had already covered their faces with wet linen. He took the cloth and wrapped it securely over his nose and mouth.

Before long, the entire outer city had transformed into a sea of fire. The Carthaginian soldiers, who had been pushing forward with ferocious momentum just moments prior, panicked and desperately tried to fall back. However, the narrow streets and the crushing throngs of their own men made retreat impossible. As they madly shoved against one another—even turning their blades on their comrades in the chaos—the flames and thick smoke engulfed them...

Amidst the raging inferno of the outer city, agonizing screams echoed from every corner. Without a doubt, the voices of Theonian soldiers who had failed to retreat to the inner city in time mingled among them.

Temenides closed his eyes in agony. Leaning against the battlements, he slowly dropped to his knees and prayed silently in his heart, 'Great Hades! You are the protector of the Kingdom of Daunia, the just and stern lord of the Underworld. I implore you to grant these warriors who died fighting for the kingdom a fair judgment, that their souls may find the sanctuary they deserve...'

Temenides was not the only one praying. Every soldier and officer atop the inner wall was doing the same. Even though the solid stone walls stopped the flames from spreading inward, billowing waves of blistering, suffocating heat washed over them. Yet, everyone remained kneeling motionlessly, facing the burning sea of fire in devout repentance and prayer...

Outside the city, the Carthaginians who had been cheering thunderously at their impending victory watched in sudden shock as flames erupted from within, quickly swallowing the entire city. Their shock swiftly melted into sheer terror. "Gods! The Theonians have gone mad! They set the whole town on fire!"

"Hurry! Pull the troops back!"

"Look at that fire! It's too late! The soldiers charged in so recklessly to claim glory that they've completely jammed every city gate! There's no way they can pull back in time!"

...

Watching victory crumble into despair in the blink of an eye, Mago felt a suffocating pressure in his chest. With nowhere to vent his explosive rage, he snatched a spear from a guard and hurled it fiercely at a Numidian soldier who had just escaped the burning city and was fleeing frantically in their direction. The spear pierced clean through the man's chest.

Mago glowered at the officers and soldiers around him with a savage expression and roared, "Shut the fuck up, all of you!"

His entourage instantly fell dead silent out of fear.

...

That evening, Bomilcar entered the main tent of the Carthaginian army camp.

Mago, who had been radiating a hostile and unapproachable aura of resentment throughout the day, was now calmly tearing into a roasted leg of lamb.

Seeing Bomilcar walk in, he held up the half-eaten leg. "The mutton from Agrigento really is delicious. Want a piece?"

"No, thank you. I have already had dinner." Bomilcar pulled over a wooden chair and sat across from him. "What are your plans... going forward?" he asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Mago asked, looking at him.

"Lord Mago, the Theonians burned down the entire outer city of Palagonia, and our losses are catastrophic. According to the casualty reports that just came in, nearly 2,000 soldiers burned to death, and over 2,000 more sustained severe burns. From the time we began our siege on Palagonia until now, our casualties have already reached 7,000!" As Bomilcar continuously laid out the facts, his previously soft tone grew heavy. "We were utterly helpless against a tiny place like Palagonia, let alone the Daunian military camps, Leontini, and Catana, which boast larger areas and more troops. We cannot keep fighting like this! Otherwise, by the time the Daunian reinforcements arrive, I am afraid we won't have enough strength left to face them in a pitched battle!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Mago's face darkened as he barked impatiently.

"I believe you have already received the news from Sardinia: 'A massive Daunian Fleet carrying soldiers south from Latium to Terina...' I fear the Theonians have already won their war with the Romans, and their army is about to land in Sicily. Shouldn't we temporarily halt our offensive against Catana to fully prepare for a battle against the Daunian main force?"