Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 955: Teacher Ansitanos

With the young and middle-aged citizens drafted for the war and absent for so long, families faced a severe labor shortage. Many households had to buy more slaves just to ensure their crops were planted and harvested and their workshops kept running. As a result, the slave market boomed.

In Thurii, only two places remained largely untouched by the war. The first was the Thurii School. The teachers held their classes as usual, and even if a student's father died in battle, the child would gradually emerge from his grief through his teachers' guidance and the playful company of his peers. The second was Theonia Akademia. Whether highly learned professors or students pursuing advanced studies, everyone remained focused on their research and education. Yet this did not mean they turned a blind eye to current events.

Behind the classrooms of the Institute of Literature, Ansitanos sat beneath a large tree, recounting the history of Egypt. Over twenty students surrounded him, sitting casually on the grass. They listened intently, jotting down key points on their wooden boards and constantly raising their hands to ask questions. The atmosphere was relaxed and lively.

Ansitanos glanced up at the sky. "That will be all for today. We will continue the morning after next—"

He paused, noticing a hand raised high. He asked gently, "Aeonis, do you have another question?"

"Teacher, His Majesty King Davos is currently leading the army against mighty Carthage in Sicily. Can we win?"

Ansitanos frowned. "That is not part of the curriculum—"

"Teacher, please tell us!"

"Teacher, don't you always say that we study history to glean experience from the past, so we can make wiser choices in a crisis? Isn't this war with Carthage the most difficult moment our kingdom has ever faced? So, can we win? Could you use your historical methods to break this conflict down for us?"

"Please, Teacher, just tell us a little!"

...

The students' pleas drew a helpless sigh from the good-natured Ansitanos. "Alright, then. I will talk to you about this war."

The students immediately erupted in cheers.

Ansitanos did not speak right away. He pondered for a moment before saying, "I cannot reveal specific details about this war, as they involve the kingdom's state secrets. Furthermore, I do not know much about military matters, nor can I analyze the strategies and tactics employed by either side. I can only share my perspective based on what I know of both factions' current situations and my analysis of the Mediterranean Sea's history..."

The students instantly sat up straight, ready to listen with rapt attention.

Clearing his throat, Ansitanos spoke slowly. "Earlier, I mentioned that Egypt was once conquered by the Assyrians from Mesopotamia, even though Egypt had previously been a powerful kingdom in the Eastern Mediterranean. Let us discuss Assyria again. Assyria, which dominated the eastern portion of the Eastern Mediterranean, was later destroyed by the rising Persians. This is also mentioned in the book 'The Histories' by Herodotus. Those arrogant Persians then attempted to conquer the entire Mediterranean Sea to the west, but they were defeated by a coalition of city-states led by Sparta and Athens from the Greek Mainland—powers they had looked down upon. Herodotus provides a detailed description of this. Afterward, Athens and Sparta began to dominate the Eastern Mediterranean...

"Why am I telling you this? If you carefully read the histories of these nations, you will find that they all went through a process of growing from weak to strong, and then declining from strong to weak. A nation is like a person; it must experience childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age... an entire lifespan, though it might also die prematurely along the way.

"During its adolescence, because it is weak, it endures bullying, is forced into unequal treaties, and tries hard to build good relations with the strongmen around it. By its youth, possessing a robust physique and vigorous energy, it wants to measure itself against powerful opponents. In its middle age, its strength and energy decline somewhat, and its character becomes steady as it strives to maintain the honors it has won. And in its old age, frail and weak, its wealth is easily snatched away by others, and even its life is difficult to preserve... Tell me, in which period is a kingdom the most terrifying?"

"Its youth, of course!"

"No, I think it's its middle age!" ...

The students scrambled to voice their opinions.

Ansitanos waited until they had all expressed their views before speaking again. "My opinion is its youth. This is when a nation is most energetic, most enterprising, and most united. It is like streams gathering between high mountains; even if massive rocks block the way ahead, the water will rush down until it converges into a wide river. Assyria and Persia essentially wiped out the powerful nations that hindered them in one vigorous push during this period, expanding rapidly to establish their status as hegemons.

"But when it reaches middle age, it faces not only strong external enemies but many internal conflicts as well. The entire country must spend far more energy resolving these issues, and the nation's wealth is heavily squandered on internal friction. As a result, it not only stops its outward expansion, but is sometimes forced to shrink inward. Tell me, which country fits this description?"

"Teacher, it's Persia, right?" one student hurried to say. "Over twenty years ago, Persia suffered an internal rebellion over the throne, and His Majesty Davos even fought in that war. Later, when Sparta invaded Asia Minor, the Persians actually lacked the ability to repel them. The Spartans eventually sued for peace, but only because of the Corinthian War. And a few years ago, the Persian army attacked Egypt, only to be repulsed once more... Doesn't this perfectly match the situation you described?"

"Exactly right, Asidatis! My thoughts are identical to yours," Ansitanos praised without hesitation. He then asked the other students, "So, what period do you think our kingdom is in now?"

"It's the adolescent period!" several students said in unison, while others hesitated to speak.

"Our kingdom has only been established for a little over a decade, or twenty years if we count from the founding of the alliance. If we look strictly at the timeline, the Kingdom of Daunia, with its brief history, truly resembles an adolescent." Ansitanos first validated the reasoning behind the students' conclusion before continuing. "However, from other perspectives, that is not the case at all. The land directly owned by our kingdom far exceeds that of any Mediterranean city-state, including Carthage. Our kingdom's number of citizens also vastly surpasses those nations. Furthermore, our annual revenue is far beyond compare, falling only slightly short of Carthage's. We don't need to actively court the surrounding factions and tribes, because they will either proactively form alliances with us, or fearfully seek the backing of other powerful forces.

"The kingdom is still expanding, and our territory keeps growing. We recently defeated Rome and Samnium, acquiring a vast amount of land. Although our citizens fear death, they desire to win honor in war even more, and their families do their utmost to support them rather than hold them back. Our great king and our Senate will absolutely never bow to external pressure; instead, they respond to enemy provocations with even more proactive action... The entire kingdom displays a vigorous, upward spirit, brimming with boundless vitality and hope, much like the morning sun rising on the horizon. I believe you all feel this as well. Is this not a period of youth?!"

The students nodded excitedly in agreement.

"Teacher, what about Carthage, then?" someone asked impatiently.

"Carthage's situation is a bit complicated," Ansitanos mused. "Carthage was founded two hundred years ago, a sufficiently long span of time. In the past, it suffered numerous defeats in its contests with Syracuse, but following that, it still managed to conquer Numidia and Southern Iberia in succession.

"Numidia does not have a unified country, and its various tribes have long been under the influence and control of Carthage. Conquering them was actually very easy, as their capacity for resistance was weak. Carthage has a small population; its citizens occupy vast tracts of Numidian land and drive hordes of Numidian slaves to farm for them. They easily enjoy a luxurious life without putting in much effort...

His Majesty Davos once said, 'A life too comfortable will lead the Carthaginians to corruption and degeneracy.' His Majesty's judgment was correct. That is why, during our first war with the Carthaginian army, we won a victory with fewer numbers and defeated them with ease...

"However, the Carthaginians' conquest of Southern Iberia was different. From what I understand, Carthage originally had little influence there, yet the region was inhabited by many fierce natives. It was very difficult for the Carthaginians to ultimately conquer Southern Iberia and absorb its land, resources, and population for their own use. This showed that the Carthaginians there possessed a strong enterprising spirit. Therefore, when the Carthaginian army attacked Sicily once again—this time relying primarily on the Iberian army—our Sicilian forces alone were no longer a match for them...

"If we look at the Carthaginian mainland and Southern Iberia as a whole, I feel that Carthage is neither in its youth, nor has it fully reached middle age. Instead, it is in a transitional period between the two. However, you must understand that Southern Iberia is actually ruled independently by Carthage's Magonid family. They have significant conflicts with the other nobles on the mainland. In what will likely be a long and arduous war, whether the two sides can set aside their differences and fight with all their strength remains to be seen.

"So, looking at it comprehensively, Carthage is a man in his prime. It appears robust and possesses strength, but its development is fundamentally unsound, harboring quite a few hidden ailments. With our vigorous, perfectly healthy, and highly enterprising kingdom fighting against it, I firmly believe that even if we suffer a few defeats along the way, final victory will inevitably belong to us!"