Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 964: The Grand Assembly at Minoa

Davos glanced up at the sky, then gazed down at the exhausted but excited faces below the city walls. "You have all worked hard!" he said calmly. "Following the wartime camp regulations in the Theonian Military Law, half of each legion will defend the hill while the other half hastens to construct the camp under the engineers' direction. See to it."

Davos's orders fell far short of their expectations. Amyntas, Matonis, and the others were a little disappointed, but they still answered loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Watching the generals leave, Davos remembered something else. He looked around and asked, "Where is Tolmides?"

"Your Majesty, he has already gone to supervise the legions building the camp," Plintors replied.

"Find Tolmides immediately. Tell him to have the legion commanders detach some men alongside the Engineering Brigade to rapidly repair the original port of Minoa so the Sicilian Fleet can dock. You are in charge of this."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Plintors accepted the order and hurried off.

Davos turned back to gaze down the hill.

By now, large groups of Carthaginian infantry were pouring onto the west bank of the Platani River. The Carthaginian cavalry, which had initially crowded the riverbank, retreated to the rear flanks to yield the front. The soldiers were stringing out along the water, gradually taking the rough shape of a battle formation...

Davos's gaze finally settled on a group of mounted generals ahead of the Carthaginian infantry phalanxes on the west bank of the Platani River. At their center rode a commander in a crestless golden helmet, a golden breastplate, and a dark red armored skirt, draped in a blue cloak. He was pointing at the hill and speaking, while the others gathered around to listen.

The man Davos was watching was indeed Mago. Right now, the Carthaginian commander was narrowing his eyes at the hilltop: Daionian soldiers were pouring steadily from the ruins of Minoa, arranging themselves into a defensive line...

"My lord, it seems the Theonians have no intention of offering battle," one general noted.

"I wouldn't commit my men to battle right after a march either," another general reminded him tactfully.

Mago raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

It wasn't until he saw the Daionian soldiers planting abatis in front of their defensive formation, clearly with no intention of coming down, that he finally issued his orders. "Leave the cavalry to monitor their movements and guard against surprise attacks! The rest of you, lead the men in building our camp!"

...

While Davos led his army west along the Southern Coast, the other Daionian force—centered around the third legion of Theonia—did not rest for long after entering Agyrium. The very next day, using the newly formed Sicel troops as their vanguard, they continued their march westward.

Strangely, they did not encounter any Sicel Tribes along the way, nor did they suffer any harassment. Two days later, the army arrived smoothly at the central town of the Island of Sicily—Henna.

This was yet another empty city.

The battle-hardened Lizarus and Epithenes did not rejoice at this. Instead, they grew more cautious, dispatching extra men from the Mountain Scout Corps alongside Sicel warriors to reconnoiter the enemy's movements.

A day later, Lizarus received news: a massive number of Carthaginian soldiers had gathered near Kephaloidion, fighting alongside some Sicel warriors. Initial estimates put their strength at over 30,000 men.

Lizarus appeared rough and boisterous, but he was actually quite meticulous. Whether it was leading the third legion of Theonia alone to crush the Caudini in Campania, or splitting his forces during the assault on Rome to rout the northern reinforcements while simultaneously pushing into the City of Rome from the wooden bridge, his battle record undoubtedly proved this trait. Serving as the temporary commander of several legions for the first time, he had become extremely cautious upon entering this unfamiliar mountainous region. After receiving the intelligence, he immediately consulted with Epithenes and Clerus. Ultimately, they decided that until they had a clear picture of the enemy's troop deployments to the west, the army would remain stationed in Henna while they reported the situation to King Davos on the Southern Coast.

...

Although it was already early November, the midday sun by the sea in Minoa remained scorching hot.

Yet Davos and several senior generals stood by the temporarily repaired port. Enduring the blistering heat, they waited patiently for a massive Fleet outside the harbor to dock.

As transport ships docked one after another, countless soldiers stepped onto the pier, instantly bringing the long-abandoned port to life.

"Your Majesty, they are here," Henipolis reminded him softly.

"Come, let's welcome the heroes who conquered the Samnites!" Davos smiled, striding forward.

The others followed closely behind.

"Your Majesty!" Alexis strode over to Davos and delivered a solemn military salute.

"You've worked hard!" Davos looked at him with deep emotion. Returning the salute, he stepped forward and pulled the highly decorated general into a firm embrace.

"Alexis, you're a bit late. You were the only one missing!" Amyntas's feelings were somewhat complicated, but that didn't diminish the bond between old comrades. He gave him a warm hug as well.

Immediately after, Matonis, Oliphus, Trotidis, and the other generals stepped up to greet him one by one.

"Your Majesty, Tenth Legion Commander Melisander reporting!" Melisander saluted crisply, his voice exceptionally loud and clear.

The smile on Davos's face grew even brighter. "Ah, Melisander! You performed exceptionally well in the previous battles! I'm sure your parents will be incredibly proud when they see the battle reports. After the Samnite War ended, did you visit home?"

"Not yet."

"Then earn even greater merit in the upcoming war against Carthage, and return home loaded with honor," Davos encouraged, patting his shoulder.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Next, Melisander braced himself and greeted the other generals. Most of the officers present were old comrades of his stepfather, Philesius. Whenever they spoke to him in the patronizing tone of an elder, he always felt a bit awkward.

Another man stepped forward, bowing to Davos in a unique ceremonial greeting. "Greetings, King Davos!"

"Great Chief Polet, I never expected you to personally lead your troops here. Thank you so much!" Davos hurried forward to pull him up, speaking with genuine joy and gratitude.

"For over ten years, Potentia has enjoyed Daionia's protection. It is thanks to your generous aid, Your Majesty, that the tribes of Potentia have weathered hardship time and again. We have always regretted never having the chance to repay this profound kindness. Now that the opportunity is finally here, we must naturally give our all!"

Polet spoke with absolute sincerity. Davos nodded repeatedly as he listened, but then smiled and corrected him, "Daionia and Potentia have long been a single family. Let us not speak of debts and gratitude like outsiders. We will continue to fight side by side like brothers."

"Yes! Yes!" Polet nodded repeatedly.

Davos shifted his gaze to the man beside him. "You are... Chief Tatoni of Abellinum?"

"You still remember me?!" Tatoni asked in surprise.

"For the past few years, you have been the one leading Abellinum's team to compete in Thurii's Festival of Hades. How could I not remember?" Davos smiled, then spoke seriously, "This time, it is all thanks to the tremendous help of Abellinum that Daionia ultimately won the Samnite War!"

"There is no need for formalities. We are already a family, aren't we!" Tatoni replied straightforwardly.

Davos paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Right! You are absolutely right! A slip of the tongue on my part! I will penalize myself with a cup of wine at the banquet later!"

After that, Davos met with the reinforcement leaders of the Caudini, Pentri, and Caraceni.

Shortly after, making an exception, Davos hosted a simple banquet inside the camp's main tent to welcome the leaders of the Potentian warriors and the Samnite Reinforcements. The atmosphere was quite lively.

Once the banquet concluded, the guards cleared away the leftover food and wine. They set up a map of Sicily in the center of the tent, and the military council began.

Tolmides, a Staff Officer of the Ministry of Military Affairs, stood before the map with a wooden pointer. He first bowed slightly to Davos, who nodded in acknowledgment. Turning to face the crowd, Tolmides said, "Gentlemen, His Majesty has asked me to first brief everyone on the current tactical situation in Sicily... Here in Minoa, we have concentrated the First Legion, the Second Legion, the fourth legion of Theonia, the Sixth Legion, the Roman Reserve Cohort, and the First, Second, and Third Cavalry Legions, totaling nearly 50,000 men. Now, with the addition of the Tenth Legion, the Potentian warriors, and the Samnite Reinforcements—totaling 16,000 men—our forces number 66,000. In the lowlands west of the City of Minoa, the army led by Carthaginian military commander Mago has established a camp. According to intelligence gathered by our cavalry scouts and sentries over the past two days, they have approximately 60,000 infantry and over 7,000 cavalry—"

"Over 7,000 cavalry?!" Melisander exclaimed in shock, then instantly realized his breach of etiquette and shot an apologetic look at Tolmides.

Tolmides took the interruption in stride to explain, "Yes, Carthage commands a vast amount of cavalry, and their combat effectiveness is incredibly strong. That is exactly why the Carthaginians have been arraying their formations at the foot of the hill these past two days in an attempt to force a decisive battle, and why His Majesty has consistently avoided engaging them."

As he spoke, Tolmides pointed his stick at a town icon on the map not far due north of the City of Minoa. "This is the Sicel town of Kephaloidion. According to reports from the Mountain Scout Corps, a joint Carthaginian-Sicel army of over 30,000 men is garrisoned there. Meanwhile, our third legion of Theonia, the Lucalian Reserve Legion, and our Sicel warriors—totaling 20,000 men—have occupied Henna and are currently locked in a standoff with them."