Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 954: Advancing into Western Sicily

"I was thrilled when I received Lord Cyprolus's orders in Hena!" Brelius said earnestly. "Lord Lizarus, Lord Epithenes, you have no idea how terribly the Carthaginians have ravaged the Sicel Tribes! Your arrival finally gives us a chance for revenge. Everyone has been waiting for you!" As he spoke, Clerus pointed to the Sicel soldiers trailing behind him. They all stared with fervent eyes at the marching Daionian forces, with their fluttering banners, orderly ranks, and imposing aura.

The two Legion Commanders were also sizing up the auxiliary force Clerus had assembled. Most were Sicel light infantry armed with javelins in short-sleeved tunics, but a small fraction were lightly armored, equipped with leather shields, spears, and black leather helmets and cuirasses.

Noting the commanders' curiosity about the light infantry's armor, Clerus explained, "They are Sicels who became citizens over the past few years. They regularly answer the call to participate in military training at the Catana camp, so they count as reserve soldiers for the legions."

"How many men do you have?" Lizarus asked directly.

"A total of 4,700 men," Clerus replied. "Among them, 780 are Daionian Citizens; the rest are tribesmen from the various clans."

Lizarus and Epithenes exchanged a glance, a hint of a smile touching their faces. King Davos had previously ordered Clerus to muster the Sicels to assist them in battle, but neither commander expected him to gather so many. Between the fully manned third legion of Theonia and the Lucanian Reserve Legion—totaling 16,000 men—along with the nearly 1,000 soldiers from Rome integrated into their ranks, this influx swelled their total strength to 23,000 men.

To them, this was a massive figure, giving them absolute confidence that they could crush the enemy in the mountains.

"Legion Commanders, it's getting late. We should hurry and move the soldiers into the city," Clerus suggested.

"I think it's best if we camp outside the walls. With two full legions, I'm afraid there won't be enough room in the city," Epithenes said, shaking his head. He had been studying Agyrium ever since he spotted it in the distance. Although it was once a central hub for the Sicels, its timber walls were relatively low and its footprint didn't appear particularly large. Assuming the city was still populated by its residents, he felt camping outside was the most practical choice.

No wonder these Sicel warriors looked so fervent! Epithenes once again swept his gaze over the soldiers standing behind Clerus. He considered this a good thing—hatred brought strength, ensuring that these Sicels would fight the Carthaginians with everything they had.

"Do you know where the Carthaginians retreated to?" Lizarus asked, more concerned with the Carthaginian army's movements.

"According to some of the Sicel Tribes, the Carthaginians have fallen back to Henna," Clerus explained. "As for the exact situation, I've only just finished assembling the army and haven't conducted any detailed reconnaissance."

"Select ten Sicel warriors from your ranks who are intimately familiar with the mountainous terrain to guide our scout squads and investigate the enemy's condition as quickly as possible. We need that information to formulate an attack plan," Lizarus immediately instructed Clerus. He then turned to Epithenes. "We shouldn't rely too heavily on Izam. He must serve His Majesty first; by the time he relays intelligence to us, there will inevitably be a delay. It's much faster to gather the information ourselves."

Epithenes nodded in agreement. "Let's head inside, then. The men have been marching for most of the day; it's time they rested."

"Into the city!" Lizarus gestured behind him.

Standing at the very front of the marching column, the standard-bearer of the third legion of Theonia waved the pegasus banner, leading the soldiers through the gates of Agyrium.

The Sicel warriors standing on the walls and lining the road welcomed them in their own way.

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Later that evening, the army led by Davos arrived at Gela.

This famous Greek city-state on the Southern Coast had been burned to ruins by the Carthaginians. It was Mago's idea; even as he withdrew his forces, he refused to leave any empty cities intact for the Theonians to use.

Gela was not alone in this tragic fate; Ecnomus, Agrigento, and Minoa did not escape the same doom. Agyrium was the sole exception, spared only due to a plea from Agonis, the leader of the Sikeloi tribe of the Tanikians. After all, Agyrium was the town where his ancestors had lived. He fully expected that once the Carthaginians drove out the Theonians, he would reestablish Agyrium as the royal capital of the Sicels. Naturally, he didn't want it destroyed, nor would allowing its destruction help him build prestige among the other Sicel Tribes.

To ensure Agonis's continued loyalty, the Carthaginians agreed to his request.

Davos already knew that Gela had been destroyed. However, because the Carthaginians had retreated in a hurry, they hadn't taken the time to thoroughly dismantle the city after setting it ablaze. As a result, Gela's walls still stood relatively intact.

The day prior, Davos had ordered Secilian to dispatch ten Warships to land there. The crews had performed a fairly thorough cleanup and basic repairs on the city. Therefore, even though it was already dusk by the time Davos arrived with the army, the exhausted legion soldiers did not need to build a camp. They simply marched straight into the city, headed to their assigned sectors, pitched their tents, and rested.

Furthermore, based on the constant stream of reports from the Mountain Scout Corps, Davos knew there were no signs of the Carthaginian army within dozens of miles. The only potentially hostile presence was in the city of Camarina, which was garrisoned by just over 1,000 Syracuse soldiers—posing no possible threat to the Daionian Army.

Even so, Davos reminded the Legion Commanders to strictly adhere to wartime protocols for camping in enemy territory. They were to set up the necessary defensive perimeters and organize sentries and patrols to prevent night raids.

On that very same day, Alexis, commander of the Apulia theater, finalized the defensive deployments for his designated regions—assigning the Eleventh Legion to guard the Dauni region, intimidate the newly surrendered Samnites, and deter any harassment from across the Adriatic Sea, while the Ninth Legion was tasked with defending both Messapia and Peuceti. With those arrangements complete, he took command of the fully replenished Tenth Legion, the Third Cavalry Legion, and four Reserve Brigades. Gathering a total force of nearly 14,000 men, he boarded ships at the port of Tarentum and set sail for the Island of Sicily.

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The war had dragged on for almost a year, and the casualties among Daionian Citizens were by no means small. Even the Thurii Region, despite its massive population of nearly 300,000, had been significantly impacted. After all, it served as the recruiting ground for the First and Second Legions. Because those two legions were the primary vanguard in battle, their casualty rates were consistently high. Every so often, passenger ships would arrive at the port carrying severely wounded soldiers and the ash-filled urns of the fallen.

During this time, the residents of the Thurii Region lived in dread of officials from the Census Department showing up at their doors, for it meant a loved one was gone forever.

Following their ledgers, the Ministry of Military Affairs would notify the next batch of citizens to prepare for imminent deployment. Unlike the beginning of the war, when families were filled with hopes of their kin earning martial merit, rewards, and glory, they were now plagued with restless anxiety.

More and more people draped in black veils appeared inside and outside the city, and the sound of weeping periodically echoed across the Sybaris Plain. Every day, an endless stream of citizens visited the various Temples of Hades. Some prayed that the souls of their fallen kin would safely reach the Elysian Fields; others prayed for the safe return of family members still fighting; and still others simply prayed for the war to end as quickly as possible.

The priests of Hades were exceptionally busy. Not only did they have to perform solemn urn-entombment rites for the citizens who had sacrificed their lives for the kingdom, but they also had to comfort grieving families, solemnly assuring them that the Elysian Fields were the final resting place for the souls of such heroic warriors!

More often than not, they had to rely on divinations and oracles to soothe the unsettled masses.

Trade across the various markets inside and outside the city began to visibly decline. This was primarily because the bereaved relatives lacked any strong desire to spend money in the immediate aftermath of their loss, a trend fundamentally tied to Daionia's funeral culture.

Even though the dominance of the Daunian Navy kept the sea lanes largely unobstructed, the economic slump directly dampened the port's prosperity. The dwindling number of incoming merchant ships directly hit the incomes of the port workers. In turn, their reduced earnings crippled their purchasing power, leading to even weaker overall consumption... It was a vicious cycle birthed by the war.

The sole stroke of fortune was the recent abundant harvest. Every household had enough surplus grain stored away, meaning the fluctuations in market food prices had little impact on them.

At this time, only two markets saw a surge in prosperity.

One was the weapon and ironware market. Because the army had claimed ultimate victories across several battlefields, the vast majority of captured arms were sold to domestic arms merchants at low prices. Whether the merchants resold them directly or melted them down to forge new weapons, the final prices were lower than usual. Driven by a desire to earn martial merit and secure a better future within the kingdom, most Daionian Citizens bought extra weapons and armor as backups for when they marched off to war.

The other was the slave market. Among the captives taken by the Daionian Army, a small fraction remained unreleased for various reasons—such as the soldiers recruited by the fugitives of the Messapii, Peuceti, and Dauni who had crossed the Adriatic Sea to assault the Apulia region... These slaves were ultimately resold to slave merchants.