Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 991: Does Carthage Want to Negotiate Peace?

Davos said with a serious expression, "Daionia has never had any enmity with the Phoenician Region in the east. Yet they dispatched a fleet, traveling thousands of miles to launch a sneak attack on the Daunian Navy. Their total annihilation is exactly what they deserve! If they send another army, I will welcome them with open arms. We recently acquired quite a few mines and happen to be short on slaves."

Elacra's heart chilled, but he had no choice but to press forward with the topic. The Eastern Phoenician Joint Fleet had been entirely wiped out within Carthage's sphere of influence. If the Carthaginians did not take remedial action, they would be too ashamed to face their fellow Phoenicians from the Eastern Mediterranean, who had provided Carthage with immense support.

"What must we pay to ransom these Phoenician sailors from the Eastern Mediterranean whom you have taken captive?" Elacra's tone softened.

Davos looked at him and said with a hint of mockery, "When your army captured Agrigento, Agyrium, and Gela, you originally had the chance to redeem them through a prisoner exchange. But the army led by Mago slaughtered all the civilians in those cities!"

Elacra fell silent for a moment before saying softly, "What if Carthage wants to declare a truce with Daionia?"

Davos was somewhat taken aback to hear this. He blinked and teased, "Did I hear that right? Carthage, the hegemon of the western Mediterranean, actually wants to halt this tremendously costly war just for these captives?"

Having finally managed to voice this proposition under the guise of ransoming the captives, Elacra ignored Davos's mockery and seized the opening to continue. "You are absolutely right, Your Majesty. This is indeed a war of immense attrition for both sides! I am saying, if—if our two sides declare a truce, would these captives be released?"

This time, Davos did not joke around. He said with a stern expression, "If a truce is reached, the captives will naturally be released. However, you were the ones who tore up the treaty! You were the ones who provoked this war! And now you are the ones who want to end it! You wanting to start the war was beyond our control, but you wanting to end it will not be that easy!"

"Then... what conditions do you require to accept a truce?" Elacra asked seriously.

"But as the most esteemed figure in the Kingdom of Daunia, you surely have some demands of your own regarding a truce, do you not?" Elacra pressed on, refusing to give up.

"To be honest, from the outbreak of the war until now, I have been rushing everywhere and truly have not thought about a truce. But now that you have brought it up, I do have one doubt." Davos paused intentionally.

"What doubt?" Elacra asked instinctively.

"If... if the Carthaginian Senate wishes to discuss a truce with us, will your military commander, Mago, agree to it?"

Elacra hesitated for a moment before answering immediately, "Lord Mago will naturally agree. Carthage is different from Daionia; we have no king, but we do have a Senate. All important affairs of the city-state are decided by the Senate."

Davos immediately broke into a smile and raised his wine cup. "War truly is a headache. Achieving peace would be a good thing for the people of both our sides! ... I welcome your arrival today. Come, let us drink!"

Believing he had understood the implication behind Davos's words, Elacra quickly raised his cup to drink with him, and tactfully refrained from asking any more questions.

...

After sending Elacra off, Henipolis asked impatiently, "Your Majesty, are you truly preparing to negotiate peace with Carthage?"

Davos smiled faintly. "I do want to negotiate with Carthage, but I am afraid they will find it very difficult to agree to my terms."

"What terms?" Henipolis asked directly, without any hesitation.

This time, Davos did not avoid the question. "At the very least, Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia must belong to the kingdom, and they must hand over part or all of their territory in Southern Iberia..."

As Henipolis listened, his eyes unconsciously widened. It took him a long while before he managed to say, "I think the Carthaginians would find it very difficult to accept these terms..."

Davos glanced at him and said leisurely, "I did not mention these terms to that envoy because I was afraid of alerting the Carthaginians. In truth, I do not wish to declare a truce with Carthage at this time either. We finally managed to create the advantageous situation of closing the doors to beat the dog. How could I possibly waste this perfect opportunity by opening the doors again and letting the dog escape? ... Perhaps when this dog is completely beaten to death, that will be the time for me to present these terms."

Henipolis suddenly understood, but he also reminded him with some concern, "Your Majesty, what if the Phoenician Region in the Eastern Mediterranean sends more reinforcements, or if Persia truly sends reinforcements..."

Davos said without a care, "For Persia to transport reinforcements from thousands of miles away to fight us, with their enemy Egypt and the city-states of the Greek Mainland—who could become their enemies at any moment—standing in the way, they would have to take an enormous risk! The disastrous defeat of the Athenian army when they attacked Syracuse is a clear lesson. That Artaxerxes likely lacks such boldness. Furthermore, according to our intelligence, the Persians are still preparing for another invasion of Egypt. On top of that, the Ducetians have launched a rebellion in the Persian heartland... The current Persia has neither the capability nor the possibility of dispatching an army thousands of miles away to aid a foreign city-state with which they share no close ties.

"As for those eastern Phoenicians, from what I know, their strength is far inferior to that of Carthage. The only thing worth mentioning was their navy, and we have entirely wiped that out. What is there to worry about?"

Hearing these words, Henipolis put his heart at ease.

"Right, the Sicilian Fleet captured quite a few Phoenician sailors from the Eastern Mediterranean yesterday. Have Martius bring over a few captives who speak Greek. I want to ask them some questions regarding the situation in Persia."

"Yes, Your Majesty." As Henipolis walked out, he muttered to himself, "Actually, the Eighth Legion also captured quite a few Numidian slaves during the previous battle at Minoa. Yet, despite the Carthaginians coming several times to discuss ransoms, they never once mentioned them. It's as if they have forgotten them entirely."

A flash of inspiration crossed Davos's mind, and he immediately asked, "Heni, where are those Numidian captives right now?"

"Your Majesty, they are doing hard labor in Catana."

Davos finally remembered. Prosous had reported this to him back then, but because he had just landed and was swamped with affairs, he had not paid it much mind.

"Send someone back to Catana to notify Cyprolus. Tell him to send all these Numidian captives to Minoa!"

Henipolis's heart stirred, and he hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, are you planning to—"

The corners of Davos's mouth curled up slightly. "Since the Carthaginians do not treat the Numidian slaves as human beings, then let us be the ones to care for these pitiful Numidian slaves."

...

After leaving Minoa, Elacra did not return directly to Carthage. Instead, he took a ship to Mazara and then traveled to the Carthaginian camp outside Selinunte, where he met the Carthaginian military commander, Mago.

"You didn't come specifically to see me, did you?" Mago asked directly upon meeting him. The moment Elacra had set out as the Carthaginian envoy, Pretasdrubal had dispatched a fast ship to Sicily to inform him.

"Lord Mago, do you know about the City of Hadrumetum being ambushed and burned to the ground by the Daunian Navy?" Elacra asked in return.

"Yes, I just heard." Mago said calmly. "Daionia is a powerful nation. Fighting against them, it is inevitable that such situations will occur. The Senate probably won't blame Morbal, will they? I think he is far superior to Annobas. Not long after taking office, he resolved this army's food transport issues and even won a naval battle. This old man is truly formidable!"

"But he actually proposed to the Senate that we 'negotiate peace with Daionia.' Lord Mago, what do you think of this?" Elacra stared straight at him, asking this crucial question.

Mago raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "Morbal has only just joined this war. His understanding of the overall battle situation is still too shallow. He only knows that our navy is inferior to Daionia's, but when it comes to the army, we are stronger than the Theonians. I have absolutely no doubt that Carthage will ultimately win this war!"

"Since we are stronger than the Theonians in land warfare, why hasn't Lord Mago launched an attack against them? The news we received in Carthage was that you have been leading the army in a constant retreat! Is it not because you fear an attack from Daionia?" Elacra questioned bluntly.

"Fear the Theonians?" Mago gave a contemptuous laugh, then his expression turned helpless. "Hasdrubal defeated a Daionian army of equal numbers in the battle at Gela. In field battles, we do not fear the Daionian Army at all! However, the Daunian Navy controls the coast of Sicily, making our food supply difficult. To prevent the soldiers from deserting due to starvation, I had no choice but to retreat to the west, hoping to crush Daionia's main force in a pitched battle. But that King of Daonia clearly knows their land forces are inferior to ours, so he refused battle and led his army to set up defenses on Mount Minoa. Naturally, I would not lead my troops to attack an enemy defending from high ground. That would result in catastrophic casualties for our soldiers..."

"Are you just going to continue this standoff with the Theonians indefinitely?!" Elacra could not help but ask.