Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 984: Sneak Attack on Tharros

In truth, the raid Midorades and Tagetinos planned was a replica of the stratagem the Third Fleet had used to capture Alalia. Midorades had long wanted to strike the financial and processing hub of Sant'Ibinia, but his previously failed raid on Sardinia Island had exposed his lack of strength. The City of Sant'Ibinia's unique terrain meant that even if his fleet infantry succeeded in their initial assault, escaping the subsequent pursuit of the Phoenician Allied Forces would be extremely difficult. Now, however, the addition of the Ninth Legion had drastically bolstered his forces, and he finally decided to put the plan into action.

After discussing the operation with Tagetinos, they refined the plan to secure a greater victory. They carefully interrogated captives taken during their earlier raids on Sardinia to grasp the exact situation inland. While patrolling Sardinia Island, they scouted the coastal terrain multiple times to devise a secure landing method, and then conducted numerous drills back in Alalia before finally setting the operation in motion.

The first few cargo ships to enter the Port of Sant'Ibinia were vessels the Third Fleet had seized earlier, but the crews sailing them hailed from Alalia. These men were of mixed Phoenician and Greek descent. Although their appearances and accents were indistinguishable from native Phoenicians, they had been a despised underclass in Alalia with zero social standing, relegated to manual labor at the docks. After the Third Fleet captured Alalia, these men were allowed to apply for Daionian citizenship. Even before becoming full citizens, they could lease land, and upon achieving citizenship, they would receive their own allotments. This policy naturally won their absolute loyalty, leaving them eager to prove their worth in battle.

Previously, when the Third Fleet's Warships loitered off the coast, their decks had been empty save for the fleet infantry. This tricked the scouts from the City of Sant'Ibinia into a fatal misjudgment. In truth, the soldiers of the Ninth Legion were hiding down in the holds; only after the Warships squeezed into the port did they finally emerge to storm ashore.

Attacking the City of Sant'Ibinia was merely Midorades's ploy to lure out the Phoenician Allied Forces. Neither he nor Tagetinos had any immediate intention of holding it. Sant'Ibinia was far from the core Phoenician territories on Sardinia, and its transportation links to other Phoenician towns were poor. If their only goal was to disrupt Sardinia's precious metal supply to Carthage, seizing Sant'Ibinia would have sufficed. However, since they had already successfully crippled the Phoenician Allied Forces as planned—capturing hordes of routed troops and cutting off their retreat so the rest could not flee south in time—the southern half of Sardinia was now left completely defenseless. Naturally, Midorades and Tagetinos's appetites grew. They immediately shifted their crosshairs to Tharros. If they could take this major Phoenician stronghold on Sardinia, gaining its excellent port and abundant supplies, the Ninth Legion's subsequent operations on the island would be vastly easier.

Drawing on their experience capturing Alalia, the Daionian soldiers finalized their preparations and set the plan in motion.

To ensure the Alalians who had joined the Kingdom of Daunia would give their all, Midorades made a promise: if this operation succeeded, he would petition the Census Department to immediately grant them the status of preparatory citizens.

Elated, these Alalians took the helms of the fifteen cargo ships anchored in the Port of Sant'Ibinia. Loaded high with dazzling silver ingots, the vessels sailed out of the harbor.

To ensure sufficient cargo capacity for transporting precious metals, these Carthaginian cargo ships had wide beams and long hulls, requiring at least twenty sailors each. There simply were not enough Alalians participating in the operation to crew them all, especially since some of them had to pose as officers of the Phoenician Allied Forces. Therefore, the Daonian Fleet Infantry filled in as the bulk of the sailors, while the Alalians served mainly as captains and helmsmen.

By dusk, as the sky darkened, the Fleet arrived at the Port of Saros.

Faced with the interrogation of a Carthaginian patrol ship, the captains—already experienced in this ruse—answered unhurriedly: "The Allied Forces have routed the army that attacked Sant'Ibinia. For safety's sake, Lord Gizebe ordered us to transport all the smelted silver blocks to the City of Tharros for storage."

Thrilled by the news of the Phoenician Allied Forces' victory, the patrol ship's crew let down their guard. Their eyes were drawn entirely to the dazzling silver blocks filling the ships; lacking any shred of vigilance, they completely failed to notice that the sailors hidden in the evening gloom were actually Greeks.

Thus, the Fleet was permitted to enter the port.

The City of Tharros occupied a highly unique geographical position. It was built beside a vast lagoon, connected to a large outer bay by a long, narrow channel. Because of this, Tharros possessed two ports: one situated in the bay and another built directly inside the city proper. Considering the extreme importance of the silver, the patrol ship decided to direct the Fleet into the inner port.

However, the distance from the bay to the inner port was eight li, and they had to pass through the narrow channel and two separate water gates. Because it was night, the patrol ship leading the way navigated at a crawl. The trailing crews were burning with anxiety, yet they did not dare show it. According to their original plan, the Fleet was supposed to dock at the outer port, seize it, and open the water gates to allow the Third Fleet—fully loaded with Ninth Legion soldiers—to enter before rushing to reinforce the troops deceiving the city gates.

Now that the plan was disrupted, the Alalians posing as captains were at a complete loss. The Daonian Fleet Infantry posing as sailors panicked slightly at first, but having conducted numerous coastal raids against the Phoenicians, they possessed tremendous nerve. They quickly regained their composure, quietly consoled the Alalians, and began making emergency preparations.

...

Meanwhile, the sentries atop the walls of Tharros saw over a thousand Phoenician Soldiers escorting more than a hundred captives, kicking and beating them as they herded the prisoners to the base of the wall. Their officer then shouted up to the defenders: "Lord Gizebe has led the army to crush the Theonians and is on his way back! We were sent ahead as the vanguard to bring the good news to the people!"

By this time, the news of the "Allied Forces' victory" had already echoed back from the lagoon's water gates. With the two reports corroborating each other, the sentries suspected nothing. They not only threw open the city gates but also rushed down excitedly to ask for the full story of the victorious battle. Instead, they were greeted by the thrust of sharp spears.

After slaughtering the wall sentries, the thousand Daonian Fleet Infantry disguised as Phoenician Soldiers left a hundred of their own—along with the hundred or so posing as captives—to secure the north gate. The remaining nine hundred surged down the streets, cutting down any Tharrosians they encountered to sow chaos as they pushed relentlessly toward the city center.

Most of the citizens of Tharros had not slept peacefully that night, anxiously worrying over their family members marching with the Phoenician Allied Forces. Hearing sudden war cries erupt from all directions, followed by fleeing civilians screaming, "The Theonians have breached the city!", plunged everyone into absolute terror.

At that moment, the alarm bell in the central plaza began to violently ring. Although the Phoenician Allied Forces had conscripted a vast number of Tharros's citizens, a portion of them still remained in the city. Hearing the bell for emergency mobilization, they instinctively strapped on their armor, snatched up their weapons, and rushed swiftly toward the city square.

Tharros was a heavily urbanized Phoenician town with a massive footprint. Compounded by the darkness of the night, the Third Fleet's infantry struggled to navigate the unfamiliar streets, taking quite a few wrong turns. By the time they finally reached the central square and the adjacent City Hall, over four hundred Tharrosian Citizen Soldiers had already gathered there.

A fierce battle instantly erupted between the two sides.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Tharrosians fought to defend their home and displayed incredible valor. Their fierce resistance meant the Daonian Fleet Infantry, despite boasting twice their numbers, could not break them quickly. Furthermore, after weathering the initial panic, the general populace of Tharros rallied under the organization of the City Hall officials. They converged on the square from every direction, ultimately surrounding the attackers.

To travel swiftly, the Daonian Fleet Infantry were wearing the light armor typical of the Phoenician Allied Forces: only a leather helm, a round wooden shield, and a single spear, with no breastplates to protect their torsos. Their defenses were terribly weak. Yet, utterly fearless, they followed their officers' commands and quickly formed a defensive circular formation, locked in a brutal melee with enemies on all sides.

Tharrosian civilians were constantly skewered by spears, but men from the rear immediately stepped up to take their place. The endless roars of slaughter and agonized screams ironically helped the city's populace gradually calm their nerves. With the City Hall officials sprinting about and spreading the word, the square became the sole focal point for everyone in Tharros that night. Desperate to drive out the invaders, more and more citizens gathered their courage, grabbing rusted spears and wooden clubs as they rushed into the fray.

The entire square was illuminated as bright as day by blazing torches. The Daonian Fleet Infantry found themselves trapped, surrounded by three tight layers of furious enemies and completely walled in.

...

The Fleet manned by the disguised Theonians finally dropped anchor in the inner port. Even though it was already night, considering that the cargo ships' payload was precious silver, the officials decided it had to be unloaded and securely stored in the warehouses immediately to ensure its safety. Thus, while some port officials went to rouse the resting dockworkers, others demanded that the ships' crews help unload the freight.

Afraid that a refusal would spark an argument and raise the enemy's suspicions, the Alalian captains agreed, but they intentionally dragged their feet to stall for time.

Just then, the crews spotted a crowd of people marching toward the docks. They were bare-chested and looked like laborers coming to unload the cargo, yet many of them were gripping spears and shields. The crews instantly went on high alert.

With an average of twenty sailors across the fifteen cargo ships, there were over three hundred men in total, two hundred and forty of whom were Daonian Fleet Infantry. The company commander of the fleet infantry—and the actual commander of this naval detachment—decisively roared, "Prepare for battle!"