Protesilaus shrugged and fell silent.

“Draining and filling marshes, depressions, and tidal flats is a mature technology that we Greeks apply frequently. The Thurians also used to build embankments on the upper reaches of the Crathis River during the rainy season. Technically, Lord Scombras’s proposal is achievable,” Kunogelata asked seriously. “But turning such a large marsh area into farmland requires a massive investment of manpower and resources. Have you considered all this?”

“Didn’t you just say that a large number of freedmen will flood into Theonia in the future?! We can recruit them in large numbers for this project. For these freedmen who make significant contributions to the Theonia City-State Alliance, we should not only shorten their citizenship observation period as an incentive but also consider allocating ‘allotments’ in the reclaimed marsh area to them, encouraging them to work even harder! Also… considering the breeding of mosquitoes there, I hope Herpus can send doctors to participate, treating the sick at any time and preventing epidemics…” Scombras spoke eloquently.

Although he had never served as a city-state Archon before, he had thrown himself entirely into the role of Chief Executive of Crimisa, using his long life experience to think through problems carefully, so his considerations were quite thorough.

“That’s certainly no problem,” Herpus said immediately. “We can provide help at any time!”

“Mersis, stop agonizing over the money!” Scombras turned to the Treasurer again and said loudly, “Once the marsh transformation succeeds, think of how much farmland it will provide! And how much land tax you can collect! Moreover, this income will be annual! Use your brain and think about it properly!”

Mersis raised his hand helplessly. “No need to think further, old man. I agree.”

“Does anyone else have objections?” Rotating Chairman Cornelius asked.

Everyone, including Davos, shook their heads. Scombras had settled the matter all by himself.

Next to stand up was Vesba. “My Lords, I received news from Niutum: ‘Potentia’s army is approaching Grumentum. Cincinnag, likely fearing the tribes of Grumentum he forcibly annexed might turn on him, did not march out to meet them. He is holding fast in the city of Grumentum and has simultaneously sent envoys to Niutum, hoping to ally with us to fight Potentia together.'”

“Cincinnag certainly has good ideas.” Davos smiled faintly. “What do you all think about this?”

Vesba hesitated for a moment, then said, “I don’t think it’s necessary to ally with Pyxous. Previous events have proven Cincinnag completely untrustworthy. Moreover, if Potentia and Pyxous fight, regardless of who wins, both sides will be weakened, which is very advantageous for Theonia!”

Davos was very pleased to see Vesba thinking this way, showing he had grown accustomed to life in the League and was considering the League’s interests. He said, “Lord Vesba is quite right! Of course, we won’t reject him harshly. Just say Theonia needs to rest and reorganize after a major war and cannot start another conflict.”

Vesba indicated he understood.

At this time, Hermon said, “It’s not just Cincinnag showing goodwill. The tribes originally from Grumentum have also quietly sent people to contact us, hoping to receive our help to drive out the Pyxousians and Potentians.”

“What are they prepared to offer?” Davos asked.

“They said, ‘We are willing to make Grumentum a vassal of Theonia,'” Hermon replied.

“That condition seems worth considering,” Protesilaus said, somewhat tempted, joining the conversation.

Davos looked at him, then at the other senators expressing agreement, and sneered. “These tribes once betrayed their Great Chief Lusau, and later came into conflict with Pyxous. Do the people of Grumentum think a mere sentence will make Theonia go to war with the two major powers of Lucania—Potentia and Pyxous? Is that even possible?! Right now, Crimisa and Asprostum need a large number of citizens and preparatory citizens to settle there. The Theonia army will be involved in a series of issues like reorganization and zoning for some time, and simply cannot spare enough soldiers to go to Lucania. Besides, Bagulos, how effective do you think our hoplites would be in the Lucanian mountains?”

Bagulos thought for a moment and said frankly, “We were able to capture Niutum because of a surprise attack; we didn’t fight the Lucanian warriors head-on. However, for hoplites to fight Lucanian warriors in the mountains… I fear it would be difficult to gain the upper hand. Just walking the mountain paths consumes a lot of the soldiers’ energy. Moreover, we are unfamiliar with the terrain. On narrow mountain paths, the enemy doesn’t even need to fight us head-on; just rolling a few rocks could cause us heavy casualties. Not to mention transporting food is a major difficulty…”

“Bagulos is right! When we had to pass through the mountains to Armenia in Persia, we often encountered similar difficulties. No matter how brave hoplites are, they simply cannot be effective there,” Alexis immediately said. Subsequently, the former mercenary senators also expressed their agreement with Bagulos’s words.

The senators with the most combat experience were pessimistic about fighting in the mountains, which made Protesilaus feel ashamed. He was good at recognizing his mistakes and said embarrassedly, “It seems the consecutive victories recently made me a bit arrogant.”

The senators who had agreed to accept the Grumentum tribes’ conditions also lowered their heads in slight shame. Previously in Thurii and Amendolara, war was a painful affair. But since Davos arrived, victory seemed effortless, creating an illusion for everyone: Theonia’s soldiers were invincible! This had led everyone to become somewhat conceited.

But Davos had not lost his caution. He remembered clearly from history that when Rome began conquering the Italian mainland, the greatest obstacle was not the coastal Greek city-states, nor the fierce Gallic tribes in the north, but the Samnites in the central mountains. Roman hoplites, dominant on the plains, found it almost impossible to advance when attacking the Samnites in the mountains. The fighting lasted for decades, during which the Romans suffered several disastrous defeats and were forced to sue for peace in humiliation. Davos certainly didn’t want to repeat Rome’s mistakes.

“Are we just not going to attack Lucania then? Lord Archon, don’t forget you promised us to occupy the Lucanian region!” At this moment, someone stood up and questioned Davos.

It was Polyexis! Kunogelata, Burkos, and others frowned. Capus, Amyntas, and their group looked even more displeased. Davos, however, remained calm. “Not storming the Lucanian region doesn’t mean we are giving up on it. With Potentia and Pyxous at war, the most affected are undoubtedly the small tribes scattered on the lands near Grumentum and the common people within the city. Hermon told me that Lucanians fleeing to Niutum say Pyxous and Potentia are ruthlessly plundering their cattle, sheep, and property, and forcibly conscripting them as vanguard troops…”

“Yes, Lord Archon. When these people arrive in Niutum and see that the Lucanians who became Theonia citizens live very prosperous lives, they are extremely envious! They now yearn for peace to be restored in Grumentum so they can continue living quiet lives under the protection of a powerful force,” Hermon said solemnly. “And only Theonia can help them realize this beautiful wish!”

“So I must ask you to send more people to operate near Grumentum. It would be best to infiltrate the city and make these war-ravaged Lucanians understand this point!” Davos instructed.

Hermon nodded in agreement.

“Bagulos, after you return, tell Sextus to gather the Lucanian youth of Niutum. You will conduct assault training according to the original Lucanian combat methods. However, it’s best to keep the unit organization in its current form, as that will ensure better discipline. Also, maintain secrecy; do not let the enemies to the north know.”

Davos’s words made Bagulos ask excitedly, “When do we attack?”

“Wait for the opportunity,” Davos uttered a single phrase. Then he looked around at everyone and said firmly, “I would rather let Potentia and Grumentum become vassals of Theonia than let Grumentum escape our control! The location of Grumentum is extremely important, controlling the land routes to northern, eastern, and western Italy. It must be personally controlled by Theonia!”

***

Croton’s troops had just arrived in Scylletium. After joining with small reinforcements sent by Terina and Scylletium, they continued south. The Croton fleet, meanwhile, sailed continuously southward, having long passed Scylletium and nearing the waters off Caulonia.

At this moment, the fast ship serving as scout at the very front sent back information: a Locrian fleet of about 40 ships had been spotted on the sea ahead!

Croton’s Admiral Ascamas immediately ordered: The fleet slow down, lower sails, form battle lines, and prepare to engage!

Soon, the warships receiving the order gathered together, forming a formation with triremes in the center and other variously sized warships flanking both sides. They sailed as close to the coast as possible because an east wind was blowing. Although the sails were lowered, they could still use the wind speed to save the sailors some effort, so the fleet strove to seize the windward position.

Before the formation was complete, the Locrian fleet appeared on the sea less than a nautical mile away.

Ascamas decisively ordered: Speed up and prepare to attack!

From west to east, the Croton fleet divided into five columns, with ten ships in each column, preparing to charge into the enemy’s defensive line at high speed. They intended to use their numerical superiority to achieve one-on-one or two-on-one engagements (a standard naval tactic created by the Athenians to fight fewer with more).