Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 971: The Intelligence Department in Action

The Syracusan army retreated in defeat once again.

Before long, another Syracusan general arrived with 3,000 soldiers, only to find a field of groaning casualties and an army crippled by abysmal morale.

After hearing the account of the battle from the injured Steisikos, both commanders realized the Theonians had come thoroughly prepared. Retaking the Euryalus Fortress would be a grueling task, and they deeply regretted their previous neglect of the stronghold's defenses.

Merging their forces, the two generals earnestly began planning their next assault.

Meanwhile, the defense of the Euryalus Fortress fell to Diocassis, commander of the Eighth Legion's Fifth Battalion.

During the recent string of battles, one of the Eighth Legion's battalion commanders had been severely wounded, and the First Battalion's commander remained stationed to guard Selinus. This left two temporary vacancies in their ranks. Thanks to his outstanding combat record, Diocassis had been promoted from company captain to battalion commander. Leotychides, who thought highly of him, had entrusted him with this critical mission. As a result, even after repelling the enemy's attack, Diocassis did not let his guard down. He gathered Tarentus and the other two battalion commanders to discuss and perfect their defensive strategy for the fortress.

Once all the arrangements were in place, his thoughts turned to their food supply.

To ensure a swift raid, the soldiers had not carried rations. The fortress warehouses held some grain, but it was stockpiled for a garrison of two hundred. For a Daionian Army of over 3,400 men, Diocassis estimated the food would barely last a day. Transporting a large amount of grain and supplies up the mountain and into the fortress from outside the city walls would be extremely difficult—which was one of the reasons Leotychides had only dispatched around 3,000 troops here in the first place.

Tarentus sought out Diocassis with an urgent request. "We need doctors and nurses up here. The wounded require immediate treatment and care!"

Earlier, Tarentus had personally led a hundred scouts over the wall. They had to storm the fortress, intercept the few sentries rushing in from the adjacent walkways, and secure the climbing ropes hanging down the ramparts. Heavily outnumbered, the vanguard scouts had fought with the strength of ten men each. Their rapid, ferocious assault had thrown the already caught-off-guard defenders into chaos, paving the way for the reinforcements to arrive—though it had cost them some casualties in the process.

"You're absolutely right," Diocassis agreed instantly, seizing the opportunity to add, "However, the mountain paths here are treacherous, and it's getting dark. That shouldn't be an issue for your scouts, though. I'd like you to send a small squad down to the field hospital to bring up some doctors and nurses, along with a few engineers and carpenters."

Tarentus paused in surprise. "Engineers and carpenters? Do you want them to install ballistae on the fortress?"

"That's one reason," Diocassis replied seriously. "I also want them to rig a pulley system on the wall so we can easily hoist up the supplies brought to the base of the ramparts."

"I'll send two squads down immediately," Tarentus promised.

Just then, a soldier rushed in. "Commander, the enemy is attacking!"

Diocassis and Tarentus exchanged a glance, hurried out of the barracks, and climbed up to the battlements.

This time, the Syracusan army wasn't just advancing from the south; numerous soldiers were also rapidly closing in on the fortress along the walkways of the eastern and western walls.

The messengers dispatched by Steisikos had informed Theagenes and Phalecus of the difficulties their troops faced in assaulting the stronghold. Even though the Daionian Army outside the western wall had already launched an attack and the Daunian Allied Forces outside the eastern wall were massing, the two generals still detached several hundred soldiers. To recapture the fortress and wipe out the intruders, these reinforcements marched north along the wall's walkways to join the fray.

With the enemy converging from three directions, Diocassis remained unbothered. They had already laid out their countermeasures.

The further north the Syracusan walls stretched, the narrower the walkways became. Building fortifications on high ground was no simple task, and the natural elevation already made attacking difficult, negating the need for the massive, thick walls found near the main city. Thus, where the eastern and western walls approached their intersection, the walkways were only wide enough for four men to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Diocassis had stationed two companies of heavy infantry on each side. They formed an incredibly dense shield wall bristling with spears, blocking any enemy attempt to storm the fortress via the ramparts.

Meanwhile, the light infantry positioned on the fortress's eastern and western stone walls readied their bows and javelins, unleashing ranged attacks on the enemy soldiers crowding the nearby walkways.

The Syracusan soldiers on the ramparts already found it arduous enough to break through the Daionian heavy infantry blockade. Because the walls followed the terrain, the intersection sat at the highest point, forcing them to attack uphill. Constantly wary of flanking fire from the fortress, they could barely muster a fraction of their strength, posing absolutely no threat to the Daionians holding the line ahead.

As for the endless tide of Syracusan troops surging from the south, the Daionian defenders atop the fortress brought out woven, spherical straw cages. Drenching them in pitch and setting them ablaze, they hurled them down the slope. One flaming ball after another rolled into the Syracusan formations, sparking immediate pandemonium. The soldiers scrambled back in panic, shoving against each other and leaving many trampled or injured in the chaos.

These straw cages, stored in the warehouses, were originally stockpiled by the Syracusan garrison to fend off enemies struggling up the mountain to besiege them. Turned against their former owners by the Daionians, the weapons proved just as devastating.

...

When the news that the Mountain Scout Corps had successfully seized the Euryalus Fortress reached Leotychides, he did not hesitate. Mustering the troops in the camp, he issued the order for a forceful siege once again.

Although the army had fought a fierce siege just the day before and suffered significant casualties, that had been a feint to cover the scouts' night raid. Now, they needed to press the attack to help the occupying force at the Euryalus Fortress secure their foothold inside the city. Leotychides deployed 10,000 soldiers. Carrying scaling ladders and pushing siege weapons, they advanced in three waves, launching an assault stretching from the middle of the Western Wall all the way down to the coastal section.

Furthermore, he held back a reserve force of 3,000 men—one heavy infantry battalion and two light armor battalions. His intention wasn't merely to support the main siege; he harbored deeper ambitions. If the battle tilted in their favor, he planned to throw these reserves into the Euryalus Fortress to the north, linking up with the vanguard to decisively seal their victory in one fell swoop.

To that end, he dispatched numerous messengers to maintain close contact with the forces holding the fortress, keeping a constant pulse on the situation inside.

At the same time, he sent riders racing to the eastern outskirts of Syracuse to inform Xanthiparis of the successful night raid, urging him to push the Allied Forces to intensify their assault on the eastern wall.

...

While most of the Syracusan Citizen Soldiers were locked in bitter combat with the Theonians to the east, west, and north, one contingent remained quite leisurely. In the plaza beside the Temple of Apollo, 4,000 soldiers from the Port District showed no sense of impending battle. They sat, lay down, chatted, played games, or slept...

In stark contrast to his troops' relaxed demeanor, their commander, Hicetas, sat high upon the plaza's platform, looking heavily burdened by his thoughts. What he didn't know was that among the thousands of soldiers resting below, several pairs of eyes never left him.

"Artemis, it's been days and the old man still hasn't made a move. It looks like he doesn't plan to defect to our kingdom after all!"

"If he won't do it, we should just ditch him and go straight to Samoratis and the others. We know them better, and they're more sympathetic to the kingdom. I'm sure we can convince them to pledge their allegiance!"

"Don't be so hasty," Artemis replied softly. "If Hicetas had firmly decided to defend Syracuse to the death, he would have had me arrested long ago and purged the entire Port District. But he didn't. That means he is still considering my offer, just hesitating. We need to give him a little more time and continue persuading him. Besides, his prestige in the Port District is incredibly high. Without his backing, Samoratis and the others would find it very difficult to sway the majority of the port's citizens to our side. If word got out prematurely, the Syracusan Council would definitely be alerted. All our previous efforts would be wasted, and worse, it would impede Commander Prosous's progress in conquering the city and jeopardize the kingdom's war against Carthage!"

"Artemis, I'm afraid we can't wait any longer! There was a massive commotion in the city earlier. Word is that our army has already taken the Euryalus Fortress, and Commanders Prosous and Xanthiparis are leading a full-scale assault on the city itself. Almost all the Syracusan Citizen Soldiers have been sent out to hold the line, leaving only this force at the port. What better opportunity could there be? Think about it! If Hicetas leads these 4,000 men in an uprising right now, the Syracusans have no spare troops to quell it! Whether he strikes west or east against the defenders, it will shatter the Syracusan army and allow our forces to breach the city effortlessly!"

"He's right! Artemis, do you hear that? Our legions are attacking fiercely! We have to seize this perfect chance paid for by the blood and lives of our brothers!"

"Alright, let me think..." Artemis muttered. "Look, we might as well take the risk. Since Hicetas can't make up his mind at a time like this, we'll force his hand! Here's what we'll do..."