Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 969: Capturing the Euryalus Fortress

In Minoa, Davos finished reading a battle report from the Ministry of Military Affairs. In high spirits, he turned to his secretary. "Tagetinos led the Ninth Legion and the Third Cavalry Legion to completely crush the enemies invading Apulia, and even captured that former Peucetian prince, Vadarka."

"Does that mean the war in Apulia is over?" Henipolis asked in pleasant surprise.

Davos nodded.

Cheers erupted from the staff officers inside the tent. With peace restored to the core regions of the Kingdom of Daunia, they could finally devote their full attention to the war against Carthage without any lingering worries.

"Your Majesty, should we transfer the Ninth Legion and the Third Cavalry Legion to Sicily?" Tolmides asked.

Davos pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "We've already set our plans. For the foreseeable future, we will maintain a defensive posture in our standoff with the Carthaginian army. Our current troop strength is more than enough; the focus now rests on the navy's performance. Bringing those two legions here would be a waste of resources. I think... we should have them join Midorades. Together with the Third Fleet, they can escalate the offensive on Sardinia and push to capture the entire island. That would completely cut off its support to Carthage and free up the Third Fleet to reinforce Sicily.

"As for the defense of Apulia... judging by the current situation, there won't be any major battles there. Let the Eleventh Legion take responsibility for the defense of the entire region."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will relay your orders to the Ministry of Military Affairs right away." Tolmides agreed with the decision. Remembering something else, he added, "Should we appoint an official Legion Commander for the Eleventh Legion? Lord Capus has been serving as the acting commander for almost a year now. The Ministry of Military Affairs is currently swamped with work, and Hylos has repeatedly requested that he be transferred back to his original post to help ease their burden..."

Davos thought it over and nodded. "Very well. Have Capus return to Thurii to resume his duties as logistics officer. As for the new Legion Commander of the Eleventh Legion, let Hylos and his people decide. But it must be done quickly—we have to ensure the legion's stability!"

"Wooo! Wooo! Wooo!..." As the military horns sounded, the Daionian soldiers abandoned their siege and began to retreat.

After cheering for their victory, many of the Syracusan soldiers, who had fought bitterly on the walls all day, collapsed directly onto the walkways, too exhausted to stand.

Theagenes, however, appeared quite energetic. He took off his helmet, wiped the sweat from his face, and ignored his fatigue as he walked along the walls. He commended the soldiers one by one, thanking them for their heroic battle and for protecting the city of Syracuse.

In the wake of their victory, the Citizen Soldiers naturally offered their respects to the defense commander of the Western Sector.

Before long, his Adjutant hurried over. "My lord, the casualty reports have been tallied. We have 352 dead and 517 wounded."

Hearing this, a smile broke across Theagenes's face. "Today must have been the Theonians' fiercest assault," he said excitedly, "yet they failed to put us under much pressure or inflict heavy casualties. At this rate, we can easily hold our city! By contrast, the Theonians' losses today must be far greater than ours. I doubt they can sustain an offensive like this for much longer!"

"You are entirely right, my lord!" the Adjutant replied. "It's a pity the Theonians took their dead and wounded with them when they retreated, so we can't know their exact casualties. However, they left quite a few siege weapons behind outside the city..."

"Send a squad out to burn them all—no!" Theagenes suddenly paused mid-sentence. He thought for a moment before continuing, "Dismantle a few of the Daionian siege weapons and bring the pieces inside. We will display them to the public as spoils of war. It will give the people more confidence."

The Adjutant nodded in understanding and hurried off to oversee the task.

Theagenes gripped the battlements and gazed down at the battlefield outside the city, a surge of heroic pride swelling in his chest. After the Theonians had pitched their camps outside the eastern and western sectors, everyone knew the forces threatening the Western Sector were the strongest. When the Executive Committee of Generals met to assign command of the western defense, even Phalecus—a man with extensive military experience—had hesitated. As the chief general, Theagenes had volunteered for the task, and his proposal was easily approved. Judging by the flow of battle over the past few days, he was increasingly certain his gamble had paid off. The Western Wall was towering and sturdy. Its proximity to the main city meant reinforcements could arrive at a moment's notice, making it highly defensible. Once this war ended, he could use the great triumph of defeating the Theonians to wash away the lingering regret of having missed the uprising against Dionysius. He would forge an unparalleled reputation among the citizens, utterly crush the Neutral Faction led by Phalecus, and finally unleash his true ambitions!

Staring into the blood-red sunset in the west, Theagenes harbored only one hope in his heart: that the Carthaginians would soon defeat the main forces of Daionia!

...

The Syracusans had gradually begun to adapt to life in wartime. Deep into the night, squads of sentries patrolled back and forth along the sweeping walls. Having exhausted themselves in the day's bitter fighting, the citizens slept soundly, and the entire city was unusually quiet.

Theagenes was no exception. After a hasty dinner, he collapsed into bed and slept deeply until a servant shook him awake. "Master, disaster! The Theonians have breached the city! The Council sent someone to urge you to attend a military meeting immediately!"

The lingering haze of sleep vanished as Theagenes jolted awake in shock. "What? The Theonians breached the city?! Nonsense! How is that possible?!"

There was no time to think. He hurriedly threw on his clothes, mounted the horse his servant had prepared, and rushed toward the Council under the escort of a few cavalrymen from his clan.

The sky was just beginning to lighten. This was normally the time when people slept their deepest, but now, lights flickered on one by one in the houses across the city. Shouts of panic echoed everywhere. "Disaster! The Theonians are in! We're finished!"

"Don't panic! I already told you, it's just a rumor!"

"Hurry! Hurry! Bring me my armor! City Hall is already demanding we assemble! Watch the children, stay inside, and don't run around!"

...

Wailing, cursing, the barking of dogs, the neighing of horses... the entire city quickly boiled over in chaos, and the streets rapidly filled with people.

Theagenes finally fought his way to the Council, where Phalecus and the other generals were already deep in a heated debate.

"What in the world happened?!" Theagenes demanded anxiously.

Phalecus looked at him, his expression grim. "The fortress on Euryalus Peak has been captured by the Theonians!"

"How is that possible?!" Theagenes thought he had misheard. "That is the Euryalus Fortress, the hardest place in all of Syracuse to breach!"

"It is the truth," Phalecus said in a heavy voice. "The survivors who fled back told us that deep in the night, while the garrison was fast asleep, over a hundred Theonians quietly scaled the walls. The sentries spotted them, but they swarmed into the fortress in a flash. Our men tried to fight back, but they were caught completely off guard. Many didn't even have time to don their armor. (In truth, the soldiers of the Daonian Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion weren't wearing armor either, but compared to the poorly trained Syracusan Citizen Soldiers, these elite Daionian soldiers were like tigers tearing into a flock of sheep during the melee.) In the end, our forces were utterly routed by the Theonians, and only a handful managed to escape..."

"Quickly, send the army to take it back!" Theagenes shouted frantically.

"We hardly need your reminder for that, chief general," Kuchillas sneered coldly. "We've already ordered Steisikos to lead the troops from the eastern camp to retake the Euryalus Fortress! (Anticipating that the Daionian Army might launch a sudden assault at night or before dawn, the Syracuse Executive Committee of Generals wanted to ensure the citizens could man the defenses in time, bypassing the delays and chaos of a full emergency mobilization. Thus, while the Daionian Army encamped outside, the Syracusans constructed two makeshift camps near the eastern and western gates, garrisoning 2,000 Citizen Soldiers in each every night to respond to any crisis.) I seem to recall a certain someone boasting right here a few days ago that he would absolutely repel the Theonians' assaults and hold the Western Sector. And look where we are now."

The corners of Kuchillas's mouth curled up in a cold smile. "War isn't so simple. In the end, it will still fall to us to protect Syracuse!"

The Euryalus Fortress was situated at the intersection of the eastern wall and the Western Wall. It had been assigned to Theagenes's sector because the enemy forces on the west were larger and stronger, which meant he had been granted command over a larger contingent of Citizen Soldiers. Consequently, the remote and isolated Euryalus Fortress also fell under his defensive jurisdiction. At the time, Theagenes had raised no objections. The terrain there was treacherous—notoriously difficult to attack and easy to hold. Factoring in the logistical nightmare of transporting rations to the peak, he had only garrisoned two hundred men there. The outpost had been entirely quiet over the past few days; if not for tonight's disaster, he would have practically forgotten the fortress even existed.

Hearing Kuchillas's biting sarcasm and feeling the accusing stares of several generals fixed upon him, Theagenes felt the blood rush to his head. He fought back the urge to explode, forcing his voice to remain as steady as possible. "Stationing two hundred men at the Euryalus Fortress was a unanimous decision. I don't recall anyone else realizing the Theonians might strike there, nor anyone insisting we reinforce its defenses. But what's done is done, and we must take it back immediately! I will personally lead the two thousand troops from the Western Sector camp to reinforce Steisikos!"