Chapter 279

Diomilas felt a surge of unease in his heart.

“I… I abstain…” Tudepris said reluctantly.

“What did you say!!” Diomilas lost his composure and knocked over his chair.

“I abstain!” Tudepris’s affirmation, repeated once more, struck Eumachus like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. He felt his vision go black.

***

In the end, Davos assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces. He then invited Eumachus to serve as his deputy, which facilitated coordinated command and gave the Tarantines a way to step down gracefully.

As soon as the meeting ended, Triphias followed closely behind Davos. The two left the room talking and laughing, walking straight away.

Tudepris walked hesitantly behind them and was caught up by Diomilas, who questioned him, “Tudepris, what is the meaning of this?! are you also planning to betray our alliance?!”

Looking at Diomilas’s flushed face, the Archon of Metapontum sighed and said with guilt, “To the north of Metapontum, on the upper reaches of the Bradano River, there is a city where Lucanian tribes gather—Garaguso. As you know, we used to have conflicts with these Lucanians from time to time, but they were all minor issues. But in the last two years, the conflict has intensified. According to the news we received, the main reason is that the Lucanian population in Garaguso is increasing, but the barren mountains there cannot support more people. It is said that some tribes are clamoring to migrate south to acquire more land. If they really come south, it will be big trouble for us in Metapontum!”

“If the Lucanians dare to invade the land of Metapontum, Taranto will definitely help you defeat these natives!” Diomilas blurted out.

“With Taranto’s current condition, are you prepared to fight a long-term war with the Lucanians?” Tudepris asked in return.

Diomilas was speechless. Now, Taranto had two great enemies, the Messapians and Peucetians, and was already overwhelmed. To provoke the Lucanians as well? Let alone the Senate, any citizen of Taranto would think twice.

“I heard that when Theonia held the completion celebration of the Temple of Hades, the Lucanians of Garaguso specially went to Thurii to express their desire for peace to Theonia. Therefore, Theonia occupies more than half of the Lucanian lands and has become the most important power there; no Lucanian tribe dares to ignore them. I think if Theonia protests to Garaguso, the Lucanians there should consider it carefully… The people of Metapontum all hope to avoid war. Metapontum cannot face the invasion of Lucanians while assisting you in defending against the Messapians.” Tudepris tactfully expressed the sacrifices Metapontum had made for Taranto. Then he said apologetically to Diomilas, “It’s just a commander-in-chief position. Lord Davos is good at fighting, and your Taranto urgently needs a victory. Isn’t that just right! Metapontum will always be Taranto’s best ally!”

Tudepris knew he couldn’t act as unscrupulously as Triphias. After all, Heraclea was only established over 30 years ago, so its relationship with Taranto was not that solid or complex, and it was so close to Theonian territory. Metapontum was different; it had over 200 years of friendship with Taranto. Most citizens of the two states had close or distant relatives, a bond not easily broken.

Watching Tudepris leave, the resentment in Diomilas’s heart was still hard to dissipate.

Eumachus walked up and comforted him, saying, “Since Davos has become the supreme commander of the allied forces, when fighting the Messapians, he will have to commit his army fully to the battle. Otherwise, it will damage his reputation. Looking at it this way, maybe it’s a good thing.”

Diomilas snorted but didn’t lose his temper again. He felt somewhat lost in his heart: The reason he could become Archon was that Theonia’s rapid rise stimulated the people of Taranto, so his radical proposals were approved by the people and passed in the Citizens’ Assembly. For the first time in Taranto’s history, a large-scale offensive was launched against the Messapians regardless of citizen lives. But unexpectedly, perhaps Taranto’s aggression frightened its neighbors, causing two races that had always been in conflict and never united to join forces, leading Taranto into its current predicament.

“The most important issue now is that we must convene a Senate meeting immediately! Tell the Senators that the attitudes of Heraclea and Metapontum toward Taranto have changed!” Eumachus looked serious.

Diomilas was shocked, then dejected: In just a few months, Taranto’s status as a great power faces a huge threat! How did it become like this? Is it really as that damned young man said, that war concerns the rise and fall of a city-state? But why has Theonia, established less than two years ago, never stopped fighting yet becomes stronger and stronger?

***

Meanwhile, in the large tent of the Messapian-Peucetian coalition camp outside Manduria, the Archons of the various Messapian city-states and the Peucetian King Tremoni were discussing the newly received news.

“Are you certain Taranto received reinforcements of over ten thousand foreign soldiers?” Tremoni asked with a grave expression.

“This news was sent out by our men who infiltrated the port of Taranto. For this, Lord Timocrates specially sent cavalry to risk scouting near the port of Taranto. A huge military camp has indeed been built there. To be precise, it should be reinforcements sent by Taranto’s ally, Theonia,” said Pasimelus, the Archon of Rudiae.

“Theonia, that is a city-state alliance established only recently on the west side of the Gulf of Taranto. I heard their Archon is a young man and has never lost a battle,” said Carminus, the Archon of Uzentum. Uzentum was directly south of Taranto, on the east coast of the Gulf of Taranto, so they knew a bit more about Theonia on the west coast than other Messapian city-states.

“Never lost a battle?! How many battles has this Theonian Archon participated in?! The head of Taranto’s military genius Achilita, whom the Greeks bragged about before, is still hanging on the city gate of Brindisi!” Tremoni said disdainfully. He looked at Pasimelus, the leader of the Messapian city-states, then said cautiously, “However, the ten thousand-plus reinforcements from that Theo-what-nia are a big problem. We have stormed Manduria for two days without any progress, instead losing quite a few brave warriors. This damned city! You built it too solidly back then! Now that Taranto has reinforcements, they will inevitably reinforce Manduria. Their military strength will not be less than ours, and we are also very tired from fighting for days. I suggest a temporary retreat. Anyway, those foreign Greeks can’t stay in Taranto for long. It won’t be too late for us to take Manduria after they leave.”

“The Great King is right! Our warriors have fought continuously, casualties are not small, and food is running out. Manduria cannot be taken in a day or two. The enemy’s massive reinforcements are coming soon. If we fight the enemy head-on at this time, we hold no advantage. Retreat is the best method.” The generals behind Tremoni expressed their support one after another.

The Messapian Archons exchanged glances. Indeed, Manduria was not like Brindisi. It was originally built as a forward base for the Messapians to defend against and attack Taranto, so although the city was small, the walls were high and solid. However, the Messapian Archons believed: The Peucetians don’t want to fight anymore because they have already enjoyed the sweetness of the alliance treaty—that is, after retaking Brindisi, Messapia and Peucetia would jointly manage this most important port city on the toe of the Apennine Peninsula. From then on, the Peucetians could also enjoy the benefits of maritime trade. Using the difficulty of the siege as an excuse, they don’t want to pay anymore; they want to renege on the debt!

Pasimelus did not accuse Tremoni of wanting to break the contract but said calmly, “King of the Peucetians, with your shrewdness, you should be able to see that if we retreat at this time, then the fruits of victory we obtained before will all be lost again! The Tarantines will never stop their offensive just because they saved Manduria. Brindisi will be their next target. Can the few defenders of Brindisi and the dilapidated city walls withstand the army of Taranto? And once we retreat, it will be impossible to gather such a huge joint army again in a short time! At that time, we can only watch helplessly as our clansmen in Brindisi are slaughtered by Greeks or become their slaves!”

Tremoni was stunned: Just now, holding the mentality of only taking advantage and not suffering losses, I actually didn’t consider this point. More than two thousand Peucetians have just moved to Brindisi!

Seeing him silent, Pasimelus continued, “In addition, we have made such great efforts and paid the lives of so many warriors to inflict unprecedented heavy damage on Taranto. According to the news we received, Taranto’s able-bodied citizens are now either dead or disabled. Those who can fight are mostly young and old citizens. If we can inflict heavy damage on Taranto in the subsequent battles, Taranto will be unable to resist our attacks for a long time. Although it will be very difficult for us to capture the city of Taranto, the land outside the city, especially the land to the west, will belong to us Messapians and Peucetians!”

Tremoni was tempted. He rubbed his hands together, thought for a good while, and then said slowly, “If we really want to continue fighting, we cannot have a frontal battle with Taranto’s reinforcements. Greek heavy infantry in formation are like rocks; they are too hard to crack!”

“You are a battle-tested commander. regarding how to fight next, we will follow your opinion.” Pasimelus lowered his posture and said humbly, which made Tremoni feel very satisfied.

His tone also became gentle: “My suggestion is to lure the Tarantines…”