Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 973: Rebellion

Samoratis was the son of Tesitis, an old sailor from the Port District of Syracuse who had earned widespread respect for his masterful sailing and vast maritime experience. During the War of Southern Italy, with the aid of the Syracusans, Tesitis and a few others had united the people of the Port District to help Herolis overthrow the tyranny of Dionysius. Later, during Herolis's first period of rule over Syracuse, Tesitis had been elected as a general.

However, Theagenes, Phalecus, and others conspired to drive Herolis out, subsequently abolishing several policies enacted during his rule. These reversals directly harmed the interests of the Port District's people—such as forcing them to return land previously acquired from mercenaries. Furious at the news, Tesitis rushed to the Council to argue with Theagenes, Phalecus, and the rest. A bitter quarrel ensued. Tesitis returned home seething with resentment, collapsed, and soon died of grief.

Samoratis had still been young at the time, but the tragedy sparked a deep hatred within him toward men like Theagenes and Phalecus. Furthermore, because Tesitis used to frequently recount how the Theonians had helped them in the past, Samoratis grew up harboring a strong and lasting fondness for the Theonians.

Tesitis had died for the interests of the port, and its people never forgot him. Once the political situation in Syracuse stabilized and the residents of the Port District regained some of their rights, they elected Tesitis's younger brother, Hicetas, to serve as general. Meanwhile, the now-grown Samoratis gradually gained prestige in the Port District on the legacy of his father's name.

Now, Samoratis loudly reminded him, "Have you forgotten how my father died? Have you forgotten how they treated you?! Selecaecus is a despicable villain who only managed to enter the Council because he had the backing of Theagenes! He constantly fabricated lies to slander your reputation and elevate his own, yet he somehow became a hero in the eyes of the ignorant masses!

"And these senior officers—which one of them hasn't received benefits from Phalecus and his cronies? They constantly oppose your proposals in the Council. As a result, your motions never pass, leaving the people of the Port District to think you're incompetent and incapable of getting anything done!

"And look at the soldiers down there, desperately trying to charge the platform! Why are they so eager to follow Selecaecus, while you can't even command them? Because their fertile lands are the only ones that haven't been confiscated by the Council! Theagenes and his faction did this deliberately! They want to fracture the Port District's unity, to make us hate and fight each other. If we let this continue, all the hard work of my father and you, Uncle, will be for nothing! We will lose everything! We'll be reduced to penniless paupers again, entirely at the mercy of the people of the city!

"Uncle, we cannot let this go on! We've had enough of Syracuse's insidious and hypocritical rule! We want to become Theonians! We want to live completely new, prosperous lives!"

Samoratis's words hammered heavily against Hicetas's heart. His gaze toward his nephew, initially pained and solemn, gradually softened. Overcome with emotion, he said, "Samoratis, you have truly grown up. Your father would be extremely gratified!"

Hitacus had served as the general representing the Port District for several years. Though his suppression and isolation at the hands of the Council's Democratic Faction and Neutral Faction had caused some of the port's populace to feel dissatisfied with and misunderstand him, he remained the most prestigious figure in the district. Many people still believed in him and followed him.

Furthermore, the soldiers clamoring to charge the platform—screaming, "Hitacus is murdering people! He's a traitor! He wants to sell out Syracuse!" as they tried to rescue the captured senior officers—were mostly men who had been intentionally favored by the Council. They enjoyed relatively comfortable lives. The disparities in wealth and the enjoyment of different political rights naturally fostered a sense of superiority when they faced their former comrades. Their arrogance and contempt had caused the rift to grow increasingly deep.

Hitacus's order gave the inferior-feeling soldiers an opportunity for revenge. Combined with the intentional guidance of Artemis's subordinates in the crowd, over half the soldiers raised their spears and short swords, launching an attack on the "enemies" Hitacus had pointed out.

The soldiers desperate to rescue their senior officers were mostly clustered at the base of the platform. Upon hearing Hitacus's words, some sensed the danger and wanted to turn and flee. Others, however, intensified their assault, wanting to storm the platform and capture Hitacus to resolve their crisis. Some even audaciously hurled javelins at Hitacus.

Because they were positioned in the center of the plaza's front, the other soldiers answering the call quickly surrounded them, attacking from all sides. The soldiers on the platform also rained javelins down from above. Lacking the command of their senior officers, they struggled to organize an effective defense, and the surging attacks from all directions struck fear into their hearts. Before long, shouts of surrender rang out constantly from within the encirclement. But the blood-roused port soldiers did not stop their assault. They continuously thrust their weapons into the comrades who had formerly paraded their superiority, and harrowing screams echoed endlessly...

"Uncle..." Even Samoratis, who had previously demanded they rebel against Syracuse, felt a trace of pity.

"Since we have decided to defect to Daionia, we need a group of thoroughly united soldiers willing to follow us. Therefore, killing them is an absolute necessity!" Hicetas had been indecisive and hesitant just moments before, but once he made his decision, he was like a completely different man. After uttering these ruthless words, he silently crossed his arms and watched.

Samoratis listened, deep in thought.

At that moment, a guard beside them suddenly shouted, "Lord Hicetas, look! The Council has sent people!"

Hitacus hurriedly turned his head and saw two men dressed in white tunics appear at the southern edge of the plaza, followed by a small squad of soldiers.

"Samoratis, hurry and take a squad to capture them!" Hicetas said immediately.

Samoratis accepted the order and hurried off.

Although the dense crowd obscured the view of the emissaries sent by the Council, preventing them from clearly seeing what was happening in the plaza, the screams reached their ears with crystal clarity. Sensing the danger, they turned and fled without lingering.

Seeing the capture fail from his spot on the platform, Hicetas's expression darkened even further. He turned and said to the guards in a deep voice, "Have the soldiers accelerate their attacks!"

More than ten minutes later, the sounds of slaughter and screams in the plaza gradually subsided. The ground below the platform was littered with corpses, and blood flowed like a river.

Gripping their spears, the soldiers looked at the corpses of their former comrades. The intent to fight in their eyes gradually gave way to blankness.

At this moment, Hicetas loudly proclaimed from the platform, "Brothers, we have no retreat! Follow me, and together we will join the Kingdom of Daunia! Over a decade ago, Tesitis and your fathers won us our dignity through battle. Today, we must likewise win ourselves a brand-new future through battle!"

As soon as his voice fell, people below the platform responded loudly, "Hicetas, we are willing to follow you and fight those damned people of the city!"

"Defeat the people of the city! Take back everything we've lost!"

"Join Daionia! We want to live just like the Catanians!"

...

The atmosphere in the plaza boiled over once more, and the soldiers' emotions became fanatical again.

Seizing the momentum, Hicetas shouted, "Follow me! We fall back to the Great Harbor first!"

The soldiers responded loudly.

But Samoratis was somewhat confused. "Back to the Great Harbor? Why not attack the urban district directly?!"

"You don't understand," Hicetas said sternly. "Although it seems the city has no spare troops left, the Council previously did not conscript the citizens over the age of fifty. Most of these citizens participated in the War of Southern Italy and the several rebellions that followed. While their bodies aren't what they used to be, they are rich in experience, and the vast majority are heavy infantry. The Council has already discovered the changes here. I fear they have already started conscripting these citizens. In the main city alone, they can rally at least 3,000 men. Meanwhile, look at us..."

Samoratis subconsciously looked at the plaza. It was much emptier than before. The number of soldiers had decreased by nearly half; this included over 500 men who had been killed, as well as those who did not agree with Hicetas and had quietly slipped away, unwilling to betray Syracuse. Furthermore, the vast majority of the remaining soldiers were light infantry.

Seeing Samoratis fall silent, Hicetas continued, "But if we fall back to the port, we will have many sailors willing to follow us. We can rely on the Inner Wall to block the Council's attacks, and we can use ships to establish contact with the great Daionian army outside the city. What do you think?"

Hicetas's final question was not aimed at his nephew, but at Artemis. Although he still harbored a trace of resentment toward this Daionian spy for using such methods to force his hand, he now had no choice but to show him respect in order to improve any bad impression his earlier hesitation might have left on the Theonians.

"Good! Good!" Hicetas said, showing a look of gratitude. He then shouted to the surrounding soldiers, "Follow me, we are going to the Great Harbor!"