Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 992: Mago's New Strategy and the Choice of the Taunisians

That tone grated on Mago's ears. His eyes widened, but then he recalled Pretasdrubal's warning. Lowering his gaze, he asked as evenly as possible, "I heard the Senate sent you to bring up the matter of a truce with the Theonians. How did the King of Daonia respond?"

Mago's sudden, predatory intensity startled Elacra. He hurriedly answered, "The King of Daonia is very willing to negotiate a truce with Carthage!"

"Doesn't that just prove the Theonians know they are outmatched?" Mago demanded loudly. "They fear facing defeat if the war drags on, so they want to secure their current gains through a truce. Are we really going to stop fighting them under these circumstances?!"

Elacra froze for a moment before muttering, "Right now... looking at the current situation, Carthage is the one at a disadvantage!"

Mago stared at him coldly for a moment. Then he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Elacra's arm, and ordered, "Come with me!"

Elacra stumbled as Mago dragged him out of the main tent, his heart filled with both confusion and dread.

Mago led him to an open clearing in front of the main tent, pointed toward the rear, and asked, "What do you see?"

Elacra steadied himself and answered blankly, "A wall under construction... It looks very long..."

"It doesn't just look long, it is long!" Mago affirmed. "It will stretch from the coast east of Selinus all the way to the coast on the west, enclosing both Selinunte and our camp!"

"Since the Theonians dare not face us in a pitched battle, we have to take the offensive!" Mago stared straight ahead, his voice heavy. "Our target is Selinus! Selinus is the base of the Daonian Fleet. The Daonian Fleet can patrol the western waters every day and blockade our shipping routes largely because the Port of Selinus plays such a huge role. If we can capture it and strip the Daunian Navy of its foothold in Western Sicily, we will shatter their naval advantage and lessen their threat to the western waters and the African Coast. But precisely because Selinus is so important, the Theonians will never just give it up. They will mount a desperate defense. Ultimately, the main forces of the Daionian Army will likely sail into Selinus to fight us..."

Hearing the first half of the plan pleased Elacra, but the second half rekindled his fears. "Doesn't that mean we'll be attacking while the Daionian Army defends?! Didn't you say that kind of assault would cause massive casualties among our soldiers?!"

"The Theonians do have some experience defending cities, but besieging Selinunte is much easier than assaulting Mount Minoa!" Mago said confidently. "Admika and I spent days analyzing the situation. We decided to build an outer wall first to protect our entire camp. This will let our army focus entirely on the siege without worrying about the Daionian Army striking from the east or landing on nearby beaches to ambush us while our backs are turned."

With that, Mago pointed forward again. "What do you see over there?"

Elacra peered through the gaps between the countless tents, spotting something in front of Selinunte. He gasped in surprise, "You're building an Inner Wall too?!"

Mago gazed at the unfinished earthen wall that had sat abandoned for so long, and the memory of the Daionian Army's night raid surfaced in his mind. He exhaled softly and said, "Not only am I building an Inner Wall to encircle Selinunte, but I will also use it as a foundation to raise multiple earthen mounds. From those mounds, we will build perpendicular walls stretching forward to connect with the walls of Selinunte... Once that happens, the Theonians will lose their defensive advantage. Fighting on equal footing, we will absolutely defeat them!"

Hearing this, Elacra felt an inexplicable surge of confidence, though he remained slightly doubtful. "Lord Mago, this plan of yours is a massive undertaking! Building all these walls and mounds... won't that take a very long time?!"

"Do not forget I have over 100,000 soldiers!" Mago proclaimed proudly. "They only started building the outer wall two days ago, right after we received the military rations from Carthage. You saw the wall's progress when you entered the camp. Do you really think it will take long to finish my plan?"

...

The day after Leotychides and Xanthiparis led the army to capture the main city of Syracuse, Cyprolus, the Governor of Sicily, hurried to Syracuse. He met with Leotychides, Xanthiparis, and the newly surrendered Hicetas and his nephew Samoratis, who had just submitted to Daionia, to discuss how to handle the captured Syracusan soldiers and urban residents, and how to stabilize order in the city as quickly as possible...

They quickly reached a consensus: with the exception of a few inner city residents who had immediate family ties to the people of the Port District, the rest would be reduced to kingdom slaves of Daionia.

Cyprolus, who had spent years in Catana, was the driving force behind this decision. He argued that because Syracuse had been the hegemon of Sicily for so long, the Syracusans remained incredibly arrogant despite their current ruin, clinging to dreams of restoring their past glory. Forcing such a restless population under Daionian rule meant they might revolt at the first sign of trouble, especially now when Daionia was at a critical juncture in the war. Therefore, reducing them all to slaves and deporting them from the Island of Sicily was the safest approach.

For Hicetas and Samoratis, their rebellion had ultimately led to the fall of Syracuse, making them irreconcilable enemies with the inner city residents. Naturally, they had no desire to live alongside them. Furthermore, once the people of the Port District became Daionian Citizens, they understandably wanted to continue living in Syracuse and receive their allotted land there. But the vast majority of Syracusan land remained in the hands of the inner city residents...

Therefore, for all parties involved, the residents of the Inner City of Syracuse could only become the sacrifice.

Meanwhile, the officials Cyprolus had brought from the finance, census, agriculture, commerce, and judicial departments began taking over the affairs of the Inner City of Syracuse. They cataloged the captured wealth and spoils, counted the residences in the inner city, surveyed the Syracusan land, and registered the people of the Port District—carefully explaining the rights and obligations they would assume upon becoming Daionian Citizens...

With their long-held desires finally coming true, the people of the Syracuse Port District burst with boundless enthusiasm. Under Hicetas's leadership, they actively assisted the Daionian officials. They even worked alongside the soldiers of the Seventh and Eighth Legions to construct a towering wall across the Isthmus, completely severing Ortygia Island from the main city. Every single day, Warships from the former Syracusan fleet patrolled relentlessly around Ortygia Island.

The earth-shattering changes taking place in Syracuse did not go unnoticed by the nearby people of Taunis and Leontini, and they grew jealous.

Taunis was a coastal city with very little territory. Leontini's situation was slightly better, but it still lacked the land needed to satisfy its growing population. Now, seeing the people of the Syracusan Port District—who had once been much worse off than them—receiving fertile plots of land and fine mansions, they felt a deep sense of injustice. They had also participated in the battle for Syracuse, sacrificing far more than the Port District residents, yet they only received a meager share of the spoils. It was completely unfair!

Driven by the fierce demands of their people, the high-ranking officials of both city-states hurried to Syracuse to petition Cyprolus.

Looking troubled, Cyprolus helplessly explained that the distribution of spoils between Daionia and its allies after a victorious war was strictly dictated by their treaties. Land was not included in that agreement, and he had no authority to unilaterally change it. Furthermore, according to Daunian Law, only Daionian Citizens could be granted land. If the people of Taunis and Leontini wanted land in Syracuse, there was only one path open to them—they had to become Daionian Citizens!

The leaders of the two city-states returned empty-handed, but Cyprolus's words, fanned by those with ulterior motives, rapidly spread through both cities.

Other rumors also rapidly took root among the citizens of both cities. For instance: even after the Port District residents received their shares, Syracuse would still have plenty of land left over. The Senate of Daionia would undoubtedly notice this and relocate landless citizens from other parts of Daionia to Syracuse. By then, there would be no extra land left.

Or another: becoming a Daionian Citizen was vastly superior to being a citizen of Taunis or Leontini. Not only would you never have to worry about lacking land or suffering invasions from powerful enemies, but you would also carry the pride of being a kingdom citizen of a mighty nation...

Over a decade ago, when Taunis, Leontini, and Catana had all simultaneously won their independence from Syracusan rule, the people of Taunis and Leontini had watched the people of Catana—who had lived in even greater misery and been treated as slaves by Dionysius—begin to rebuild their homeland. They watched them gradually grow wealthy and achieve a proud status that commanded respect... As those ten-plus years quietly slipped by, the seed of longing to become Daionian Citizens had unknowingly been planted in their hearts. The shockwaves from the conquest of Syracuse merely served as the final push that caused this hidden seed to blossom and bear fruit.

Thanks to Hanhai Huangsha for the tip! Your support is my motivation to write!!

(End of Chapter)