Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 990: Destroying Hadrumetum

To better control the Numidia region, the Carthaginians had long stationed a 20,000-man army inland to suppress any rebellion from the Numidian tribes and maintain regional stability. Since the outbreak of war with Daionia, however, this force had dwindled to fewer than 10,000 men.

"Since the Daionian soldiers attacking the City of Hadrumetum number five or six thousand, the army in Numidia alone probably won't be enough to repel the enemy," Pretasdrubal argued. "We must immediately issue an emergency mobilization within the city and our neighboring allied states. I believe the people will do everything they can to defend their homeland. We can raise a sufficiently large army to converge with the forces in Numidia and drive the enemy back."

Faced with a crisis in Carthage, Hanno did not oppose Pretasdrubal's proposal this time. Instead, he added, "Furthermore, we must notify the neighboring allied states to prepare their defenses, preventing this Daionian Army from attacking other allies after capturing the City of Hadrumetum. We also need to send ships to scout the waters around Carthage, in case the Theonians have another Fleet coming to harass Africa..."

This time, the helpful suggestions put forward by the Senators were swiftly approved and immediately implemented, displaying an unprecedented level of efficiency.

The entire population of the City of Carthage soon learned that the Theonians had attacked the City of Hadrumetum, plunging the citizens into absolute panic.

Four hours later, the City of Carthage barely managed to assemble an army of nearly 10,000 men. Led by Tepanco, they marched rapidly eastward, converging along the way with the forces rushing back from Numidia.

As they advanced eastward together, the sky darkened, yet they had no need to light torches. In the direction of the City of Hadrumetum, roaring flames shot into the sky, illuminating the eastern horizon.

Had the Theonians not only massacred the people of the City of Hadrumetum but also burned the entire city to the ground?! As the Carthaginian soldiers stared at the distant blaze, their hearts filled with both fury and dread.

By the time Tepanco arrived with the army, he found the situation was not as disastrous as he had imagined. The City of Hadrumetum had indeed been reduced to ruins, but the vast majority of its people were unharmed. Seeing the fire dying down, they ignored the risk of burns and rushed into the ruined city, sifting through the ashes to salvage whatever belongings they could...

Once he confirmed that both the Daonian Fleet and the Daionian Army had departed, Tepanco breathed a sigh of relief. But his next headache immediately presented itself: what was he supposed to do with these thousands of homeless, destitute Hadrumetum citizens? Resettling the victims of this disaster was a responsibility that Carthage—the leader of the Phoenician City-States in the western Mediterranean—had to shoulder!

...

Meanwhile, the Sicilian Fleet had long since departed the port of Hadrumetum and entered the waters of Western Sicily. They were fast approaching the sea near Minoa.

During the return voyage, Secilian had deliberately taken extra precautions. To prevent the Carthaginian Fleet from lying in wait along the route to Selinus, he ordered his ships to take a slight detour eastward, heading straight for Miloa.

Little did he know that Morbal had already led the Carthaginian Fleet out early that morning, as was his custom, positioning them between the waters of Western Sicily and Carthage. On one hand, he wanted to scout the movements of the patrolling Daonian Fleet and look for battle opportunities. On the other, he aimed to intensify the Fleet's training under combat readiness, accelerate the integration of the new Warships, and develop tactics to counter Daionia.

Therefore, when the fast clipper found the Carthaginian Fleet and delivered the news to Morbal that the Daonian Fleet had launched a surprise attack on Hadrumetum, he was completely taken aback.

He did indeed want to lead his Fleet to the waters near Selinus, waiting in ambush to intercept the returning Daonian Fleet. However, by the time he ordered his ships to change course and sail toward Selinus, the Sicilian Fleet had already bypassed Cossus Island, bringing them closer to Selinus than the Carthaginian Fleet.

Secilian led the Sicilian Fleet in a rapid assault and a swift return. They captured the City of Hadrumetum, annihilated the Eastern Phoenician Joint Fleet, and burned the entire city to the ground... It hadn't taken them much time at all, and the fleet infantry had refrained from excessive slaughter.

Of course, a primary reason for this was the direct orders from the King of Daonia, Davos. He didn't want the kingdom's citizens to turn into bloodthirsty monsters. Nor did he want the excessive slaughter of unarmed civilians to provoke extreme hatred among the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, which would lead them to be united against a common enemy. Burning the city, on the other hand, would not only spread panic across Africa but also severely increase Carthage's financial burden.

Though the crewmen of the Sicilian Fleet were exhausted, they sang joyfully. The dark cloud of their defeat a few days prior had been swept away. In high spirits, they steered their Warships into the port of Minoa. A small number of these Warships also carried treasures looted from the treasury of the City of Hadrumetum, as well as captured crew members from the Eastern Phoenician Joint Fleet.

...

The burning of the City of Hadrumetum delivered an unprecedented shock to Carthage and the people of the Phoenician Allied States in Africa. By the second day, a massive crowd of Carthaginians gathered before the Senate to petition. They strongly demanded that the navy step up its patrols along the African Coast and bolster the defenses of Carthage and its allies to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

The neighboring Phoenician City-States also sent envoys, demanding Carthage's protection.

With their own safety under direct threat, the Senate naturally had no energy left to discuss sending reinforcements to Sardinia. Furthermore, an issue they had been debating for the past few days finally reached a conclusion: Elacra, a Senator of the Neutral Faction, was dispatched to Minoa as an envoy to seek an audience with the King of Daonia, Davos.

It was right around noon, and Davos was having lunch in his main tent. He specifically ordered a servant to set up an extra table. As soon as Elacra walked into the tent, before he could even speak, Davos invited him to join the meal.

"Noble King Davos, representing the Carthaginian Senate, I am here to discuss matters of great importance with you. I have no time to—"

Before Elacra could finish his sentence, Davos interrupted him. "Envoy of Carthage, you've traveled a long way, so you must be hungry. Eat something first. Otherwise, no matter how strong a man is, if he stays hungry for too long, he won't be able to accomplish a thing!" Davos said with a double meaning.

Helpless, Elacra sat down at the table. Laid out before him were a hot bowl of fish soup, a plate of hard, salty beef jerky, a thick bowl of Wheat Porridge, two pieces of baked bread, and a wine cup filled with wine. The meal was exceedingly simple.

Elacra's expression turned slightly sour. Even though he had no appetite to begin with, for this to be called a reception for an envoy of Carthage was a stretch—the food was far too shabby.

At that moment, Davos spoke slowly. "Aside from the wine, the food on your table is exactly what the Daionian soldiers are having for lunch today. You and I are eating the same fare as they are."

'The Daionian soldiers eat such rich food?!' Elacra was startled, but then he quickly decided the King of Daonia was deliberately lying to him. After all, the Daionian Army in Sicily reportedly numbered as high as 100,000 men.

Watching his expression, Davos knew he didn't believe him, but he didn't bother to explain further.

In no mood to eat, Elacra raised his voice once more. "The Carthaginian Senate sent me here as an envoy to discuss several matters with you, Your Majesty!"

Davos took a sip of wine and nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"The day before yesterday, your Daonian Fleet attacked the City of Hadrumetum. You indiscriminately massacred the citizens and burned the entire town to the ground... Your actions were far too brutal! Even though Hadrumetum is an ally of Carthage, they didn't send troops to participate in this war. Yet they suffered such a horrific disaster. This has incited the fury of every Phoenician City-State in Africa against Daionia!—"

"Envoy, the fact that the City of Hadrumetum didn't deploy troops to fight doesn't mean they haven't participated in this war. Did they not build new Warships for you? Did they not provide you with rations? ...At the very least, we are certain they provided a naval base for the fleet from the Eastern Mediterranean's Phoenician Region! And it was precisely this fleet that ambushed our Sicilian Fleet, resulting in the death of our fleet commander!" Henipolis retorted unceremoniously. "Your Carthaginian army can mercilessly destroy Minoa, Agrigento, Gela, and other city-states that maintain friendly ties with Daionia, but we can't burn down a single Hadrumetum?! Furthermore, one Hadrumetum isn't nearly enough to console the people of our friendly city-states who lost their homes!"

Hearing the implicit threat in Henipolis's words, Elacra forcibly swallowed his urge to argue back. He grabbed the wine cup on the table and took a fierce gulp, only to choke and cough violently. It took him quite a while to recover before he spoke again in a deep voice: "You just mentioned the fleet from Eastern Phoenicia stationed inside the City of Hadrumetum. In truth, Carthage never invited them to join the war. Instead, after learning that we were at war with you and facing difficulties, they took the initiative—out of our shared bloodline—to seek the King of Persia's consent and sent a fleet to aid us...

"I know you've captured quite a few crew members from this fleet. The Carthaginian Senate hopes you will release them and let them return safely to the Eastern Mediterranean. This will prevent Tyre, Sidon, and the other city-states of the Phoenician Region—under intense pressure from the captives' families—from petitioning the King of Persia again, which would only lead to a further escalation of the war."

'The Carthaginians are threatening us!' Henipolis frowned slightly, instinctively looking toward Davos.