Some people were already thinking of retreating, arguing that Croton was already enough for Locri to handle. Now that Croton had gained an even more powerful ally, Locri was no match and should withdraw its troops immediately!

However, many others opposed this, believing it was a rare and excellent opportunity to strike a heavy blow against Croton! Furthermore, Theonia and Croton had a defensive alliance, so Theonia likely wouldn’t intervene militarily. Besides, having just ended a war, Theonia must have suffered significant losses, and their hatred for the Crotoniates couldn’t have vanished instantly. Their help to Croton wouldn’t be wholehearted. Locri should seize this opportunity and press the attack!

The two sides argued endlessly until the First General Demodocus brought the good news that “Syracuse agrees to provide aid.” Only then did the Council turn from worry to joy and agree to continue the war.

When Diophantos was sent to raid Croton’s territory, most Locrian councilors still clung to the hope that Theonia wouldn’t send troops. Consequently, the Council hadn’t even finalized specific measures for “how Locri should respond if Theonia sends troops.”

But now, with the Theonians waiting in battle array ahead, Diophantos was at a loss. Fight?! …That would mean war with the Theonia City-State Alliance! As a Council member, he understood the wishful thinking of the Locrian Council. They were too eager to defeat Croton and thus couldn’t accept the existence of any variables. Theonia was undoubtedly the biggest variable, capable of defeating Croton, which Locri had never managed to do. Coupled with Metrophanes’ description of the Triumph he witnessed in Thurii, Diophantos felt somewhat intimidated. If he launched an attack here and caused Theonia to join the war, escalating the conflict, although Locri’s ally Syracuse had agreed to help, they were currently fully engaged in war with Carthage. Apart from providing a bit of naval assistance, they couldn’t offer more help. Therefore, the gang in the Council would definitely blame him for the ultimate failure of the war.

But if he didn’t fight?! …Retreating like this would damage not only his own honor but also the prestige of the city-state of Locri. He would face censure upon his return regardless…

While Diophantos hesitated, some soldiers began to clamor.

“Theonians, don’t think you’re so great! You tell us to retreat, and we retreat?! Let me tell you, we’re not retreating!”

“That’s right! We Locrians aren’t to be trifled with! Locri has been in Magna Graecia for centuries. What is Theonia? Never even heard of it!”

“We just won’t retreat! What are you gonna do about it?!”

…

The soldiers’ clamoring made Diophantos anxious and angry. He only had a little over a thousand men, and nearly half were sailors. Along the way, many soldiers had dragged sheep and pulled cattle, looting plenty of supplies. Their eyes were blinded by greed; they no longer looked like soldiers. Yet they still had the gall to challenge the Theonians?!

Diophantos thought of retreating, but before he could issue the order, rhythmic drumming sounded from the opposite side. The stationary phalanx moved, emitting the orderly thud-thud of marching feet, pressing forward like a solid wall of iron. The Locrian soldiers who had been shouting just moments ago instantly fell silent as winter cicadas.

Diophantos sighed and said, “Retreat!”

As soon as the order was given, before the military horn could even sound, the Locrian soldiers turned and ran, their formation completely disintegrating.

Diophantos was entirely unable to stop this disorderly, frantic retreat. It was as if the God of Death were chasing them; they only wanted to flee faster, discarding their looted goods all over the ground…

Axistes hadn’t expected to force the Locrians back so easily. He sent a small portion of soldiers to clean up the battlefield and led the army to follow the Locrians at a leisurely pace until he saw them scramble onto their ships and sail away from the coast. Only then did he lead his soldiers back, returning all the recovered goods to the Crotoniates who came to express their gratitude with conflicted feelings. This made the Crotoniates feel even more grateful and ashamed.

Diophantos was certainly unwilling to return to Locri just like that. After the fleet sailed south for a distance, he led his troops to land on the coast of Scylletium, which was not yet an ally of Theonia…

***

In the city of Sparta, there was a building occupying a vast area. Plain stone pillars supported a roof that sheltered from wind and rain. It was open on three sides, with a kitchen on the fourth. The spacious hall was filled with long wooden tables and chairs. This was the dining hall for Spartan citizens.

At mealtime, Spartans gathered here from all directions, lined up in order, received their share of the “public meal” (Syssitia), and then ate in the dining hall, which could accommodate 500 people at once. On sunny days, tables were even set up on the grass. Thousands of Spartan citizens, regardless of age or rank, ate together. Everyone’s food was roughly the same, reflecting the equality of Spartan citizens and constantly emphasizing their unity. The discipline and obedience emphasized by the Spartans ensured this grand dining scene was always orderly. This was Sparta’s famous Syssitia system.

The food they received was not free; it had to be produced from the “allotments” distributed by the city-state to the citizens and contributed to the city-state before they could enjoy the public meal. Although called the citizen’s own “allotment,” the citizen actually had no right to use it. Instead, it was managed by the city-state and cultivated by Helots. Once a citizen lost their “allotment” and could not contribute produce, they lost the right to participate in the public meal, thereby being reduced to a marginalized person of the city-state (a Perioeci). Therefore, the Syssitia system created by the Spartans was not only a dining system and an important political activity but also a certification of Spartan citizenship.

Since the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan dining hall had struggled to recreate the spectacular scene of a thousand diners. Citizens were away on campaigns for long periods, accompanied by death. The number of diners at one time here had never exceeded 500. Even after winning the war, this number did not recover because the Spartan fleet patrolled the Aegean Sea, and some strategically important city-states conquered by Sparta required Spartan garrisons to maintain loyalty. Although most of these soldiers were mercenaries, Perioeci, and Helots, the commanders and high-ranking officers had to be genuine Spartan citizens.

On this day, there were no more than a hundred Spartan citizens dining in the hall.

Phoebidas sat at a table, chewing on the bread in his hand, recalling the recent accession of the new king. Agesilaus becoming king had surprised many, but Phoebidas felt happy because he had had several in-depth interactions with Agesilaus and believed he was a kind and wise man who would be a good king.

“Hey, look! There are two damned Helots over there!” a man at the adjacent table suddenly shouted. Following the direction of his finger, Phoebidas saw the expressions of two men dining at the opposite table immediately become somewhat unnatural. Although they were also bare-chested, their physique and skin color were different from true Spartan citizens.

“Those are new citizens. Being able to enjoy the public meal means they earned enough merit in the war to move those conservative old men in the Gerousia to grant them freedom and citizenship, and even allocated them allotments. That is quite difficult! We should respect true warriors!” another man said in a gentle tone.

“Hmph, who knows if it’s Lysander’s doing?! During the war, under the pretext of defeating Athens, he used his power to turn many Perioeci and a few Helots into Spartan citizens!” the first man whispered indignantly.

“No matter how brave we Spartans are, we can’t withstand the casualties caused by frequent battles. Without these new citizens, we couldn’t have achieved victory over Athens.”

“But look around, how many here are true Spartans? Meanwhile, several of my comrades lost their citizenship temporarily and were reduced to lower classes because they couldn’t contribute enough to the public meal share!… If this goes on, will Sparta still be Sparta?!”

“Hmm… you have a point…”

“Let me tell you, we…” The man leaned close to another companion and whispered something.

Spartans were usually taciturn, especially during meals. This citizen not only talked a lot but also whispered to others, making it hard not to attract Phoebidas’s attention. Just as he turned his head to see who this person was, someone tapped his shoulder gently. “Phoebidas, King Agesilaus invites you over.”

“Alright.” Phoebidas immediately stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth, drank the oatmeal porridge in one gulp, wiped his mouth, stood up, and followed the guard toward the front of the dining hall. He subconsciously looked back at the man from earlier, but the man had finished eating and left the restaurant; only his back was visible.

Phoebidas shook his head, dispelling the slight doubt in his heart, and came before the new King of Sparta. The Agesilaus of today was different from before; he had a bit more composure and majesty.

Phoebidas bowed respectfully.

“Sit down, Phoebidas.” Agesilaus looked at him with a smile. “We are old friends; no need to be so polite!”

Hearing this, Phoebidas truly stopped being modest and sat directly opposite Agesilaus.

“Are you full? If not, I have more here.” Agesilaus said, pushing a food tray over.

The Spartan King also had to participate in the public meal, and his food was no different from other citizens. The only privilege was that he could receive a double portion. This wasn’t so the king could eat more, but so he could use the extra portion to invite others to dine with him—not necessarily Spartan citizens, but even foreigners. The previous king, Agis, had treated Alcibiades in this way.

Spartan public meals were not actually delicious, but this was a political gesture. It meant the invited person became the king’s guest of honor, allowing the Spartan King to use this right to win people over, resolve conflicts, and cultivate confidants… And today, Agesilaus gave this honor to Phoebidas.