Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 993: A Surprise Attack

The people of Taunis gathered and collectively submitted a proposal to the Council: fully integrate their city-state into the Kingdom of Daunia, allowing the citizens of Taunis to become Daionian Citizens.

The Council quickly decided to convene an emergency ecclesia to vote on the issue of joining Daionia.

The resolution passed with the approval of over ninety percent of the citizens.

Taunis immediately dispatched envoys to Syracuse, expressing the strong desire of the Taunisian people to Cyprolus.

Cyprolus naturally welcomed this, but he explained that because the matter was of such great importance, he needed to seek instructions from King Davos and report it to the Senate.

The people of Leontini soon learned of this. Following suit, it wasn't long before they also sent envoys to Cyprolus.

Meanwhile, Davos's orders for Leotychides to lead an expedition to the northern coast, along with the subsequent arrival of the Third Fleet, ensured that Leotychides and Xanthiparis no longer had to worry about sitting idle.

Cyprolus, Leotychides, Xanthiparis, and Midorades swiftly convened a military council.

"His Majesty has sent word, ordering us to launch our military operations on the northern coast as soon as possible," Cyprolus said, acting with great humility as the host of the meeting. "I hope we can draft a plan today to present to His Majesty. You will be the ones deciding on it, of course. Although your expedition will increase the consumption of military rations and cause a labor shortage for the towns during the winter sowing, I will do my utmost to ensure the army is supplied with food and materials."

As he spoke, Leotychides pointed to a spot on the map.

Xanthiparis was startled. He quickly said, "Isn't that too dangerous? Palermos is a sizable city-state, and it isn't far from the main Carthaginian army. If we fail to breach the city quickly and Carthaginian reinforcements arrive, we will be trapped!"

"Neither Saedium, Solus, nor the Ruins of Himera possess a harbor large enough to accommodate the Third Fleet. We would have to waste manpower and time rebuilding them. Palermos is the only place barely equipped to house the Third Fleet," Leotychides said, directing his words at Midorades. He then turned back to Xanthiparis. "You haven't been in Sicily long, so you aren't familiar with the terrain around Palermos. It is surrounded by towering mountains, with only three land routes connecting it to the outside: a relatively long, narrow mountain pass running south to Eryx, a rugged coastal path also connecting to Eryx, and an eastern coastal road leading to Solus. As long as we block off the southern pass and the coastal path, we can easily hold back Carthaginian reinforcements. If Solus sends troops to their aid, we can wipe them out and conquer Solus in passing."

"I heard you mention that the Carthaginian army has indigenous warriors capable of traversing mountains," Xanthiparis cautioned.

"Yes, the indigenous Iberians. During the Carthaginians' assault on Saedium, they scaled the mountains and struck the rear of Saedium's defenders, leading to the fall of that friendly city-state. But as long as we stay on high alert, a Carthaginian sneak attack will be impossible. Furthermore, the mountains surrounding Palermos are over five or six hundred meters high. They aren't so easy to cross. Even if those indigenous Iberians make it over, they will undoubtedly be exhausted. By waiting for them at our leisure, we can easily crush them," Leotychides said with absolute confidence.

"Prosous, you've convinced me," Xanthiparis said earnestly. His barrage of questions had only been out of caution, hoping to draw Leotychides's attention to those potential issues. Although he was also a mercenary general from the Persian expedition, he was vastly different from Amyntas. Mild-tempered, he kept his ego in check. He didn't refuse to obey the young commander simply because Leotychides had less seniority. On the contrary, during the battle for Syracuse, he had done his utmost to carry out Leotychides's orders and earnestly assisted him in combat. As an old veteran who had retired home, having his wish fulfilled and being promoted to a Legion Commander of Daionia was already more than enough to satisfy him.

"I also agree with Lord Prosous's plan," Midorades said with a nod. He naturally wanted nothing more than to secure the port of Palermos to harbor the Third Fleet. He glanced at Leotychides, then at Xanthiparis, feeling somewhat curious. He had never worked with Leotychides before, but he had heard rumors about the young commander. Seeing him today, he found him exactly as the rumors described: ignoring hierarchy, doing as he pleased, and acting like a dictator. Fortunately, Midorades was in the navy.

"I approve of your attack on Palermos! But don't take all the soldiers with you. Don't forget that there are still enemies on Ortygia Island. The main city of Syracuse has just been occupied and is not yet fully stable, and there are thousands of prisoners within the city..." Cyprolus cautioned.

"I will only take the Seventh and Eighth Legions to the northern coast," Leotychides said simply.

Cyprolus cursed inwardly. Fortunately, he knew Leotychides well and had come prepared. "Could you leave behind the injured soldiers from those two legions? On one hand, it will help them recover. On the other, I want them to temporarily serve as officers to train and command the citizens of the Port District of Syracuse, as well as the citizens of Taunis and Leontini who will soon join the kingdom.

"Additionally, could you temporarily lend me the thousands of sets of Greek Heavy Infantry armor and weapons you captured in the previous battles? I want to arm these Port District citizens to stabilize the city's order and guard against the enemies on Ortygia Island."

Leotychides thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Midorades then spoke up. "Lord Cyprolus, regarding the prisoners in the Inner City of Syracuse, I have a suggestion... The Ninth Legion has occupied the City of Tharros on Sardinia Island. His Majesty hopes we can seize control of the precious metal production and trade on Sardinia Island as quickly as possible, which requires an immense amount of labor. Could we transport all the prisoners in the Inner City of Syracuse to Tharros? In exchange, the Ninth Legion can ship the prisoners from Tharros to Syracuse to serve as the labor you need to rebuild the city..."

Cyprolus's eyes lit up. "That is an excellent idea! However, we must first obtain the approval of His Majesty and the Senate."

The Syracusans could never have imagined this: decades ago, they had forced over 6,000 captured soldiers of Athens into the quarries to serve as hard labor, leaving none alive. Now the tables had turned. They had become slaves of Daionia and would be sent to Sardinia to toil in the mines. Fate was truly cruel!

...

The news that the Carthaginian army had resumed its siege on Selinunte reached Minoa and caught Davos's attention. Ignoring Tolmides's attempts to dissuade him, he decided to travel to Selinus to inspect the situation personally, accompanied by Alexis and Amyntas.

Under the escort of forty Warships, Davos arrived at the Port of Selinus.

Upon receiving the news, Chalcides—formerly the First Cohort Commander of the Eighth Legion and now the acting Boeotarch of Selinus—hurried to the docks to receive him.

"Your Majesty, acting commander of Selinus, Chalcides, pays his respects!"

"You've worked hard, Chalcides! Although this is the first time we've met, I have been worried about you ever since I read Prosous's battle report! I worried whether you could hold such a crucial place as Selinunte with only three or four thousand irregular troops. But you held it. Remarkable!" Davos did not hold back his praise.

Chalcides felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, in truth, after Commander Prosous led the army away, Selinunte did not face any more major offensives from the Carthaginian army. Furthermore, the Sicilian Fleet has provided us with immense assistance."

"It is only right that the Sicilian Fleet puts in some effort; this is their forward base, after all," Davos said casually. Looking around and noticing the laborers toiling on the pier, he asked, "Are they slaves? Or are they from Selinus?"

"Your Majesty, after capturing Selinunte, we granted freedom to the city-state's slaves. Many slaves and registered freemen who voluntarily applied to become Daionian Citizens were kept behind to work as laborers at the port. Another portion are refugees who fled the fall of Minoa and Agrigento; unwilling to seek asylum in Catana, they chose to come to Selinus to help resist the Carthaginians. The true people of Selinus were escorted away to Catana and Naxos long ago to become slaves of the kingdom. Now, there are no original inhabitants left within the entirety of Selinunte..."

"Selinus is located on the front lines of the war. Maintaining the stability and security of the city's order is of utmost importance. I am very glad you have achieved this," Davos said with approval.

Chalcides led Davos and his entourage out of the port and into the city. There, they were surprised to see clouds of dust billowing into the air as Daionian soldiers demolished the houses near the city walls.

"What is going on here?" Amyntas immediately asked.

"Only our four thousand or so soldiers live in the city; most of the houses are vacant. We plan to dig trenches and lay traps on the land where we demolish the houses, and we will use the reclaimed stones and bricks to build another Inner Wall. That way, even if the Carthaginians breach our outer walls, they will not be able to capture Selinunte," Chalcides said firmly.