He extended his hand, stopping Sedorum from speaking further. “In this battle, the Bruttians suffered 5,000 casualties. With the help of the Besidiae warriors, we have confirmed that the majority of them were Consentians. Among the more than 5,000 prisoners captured, most are also Consentians.”

During the battle, Pianlun had deployed his main force of Consentian warriors in the center and right wing. The focus of Theonia’s counterattack had also been on the enemy’s right wing and center, leading to this result.

“The other casualties and prisoners are all Vergaeans and Ambalians. In other words, the important forces the Bruttian League uses to maintain your rule and suppress other small tribes have been greatly weakened. As far as I know, the Consentians forcibly settled many small tribes in the outer city of Consentia. If I have the Besidiae people make promises to these tribes, offering them freedom and more benefits… tell me, will these tribes take the opportunity to rise up and help us capture Consentia?!”

At this point, Sedorum shuddered all over, lowering his head in silence. Just two days ago, a riot had occurred in Consentia. The words of this Theonian Archon could very well become reality!

“Furthermore, after I arrive at Consentia with my army, I won’t siege the city immediately! I heard Ambalia city is extremely crude; I might easily take it with just three or four thousand men. And Vergae city—” Davos mentioned the word “Vergae,” and Sedorum shuddered again.

“How many warriors did you bring from there? Do you think that if I send ten thousand soldiers to Vergae, with the assistance of Laos, I can take Vergae city?”

Sedorum clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his expression painful, yet he still didn’t say a word.

“After taking Ambalia and Vergae, I will launch a general attack on Consentia. Oh, right, you must be wondering why I don’t go attack Clampetia?”

Davos paused, then continued, “Because Clampetia will soon be captured by the Theonian Fourth Legion. You don’t believe me? I think Clampetia must have requested reinforcements from Consentia because Clampetia’s stone walls cannot withstand our ballistae and siege towers.”

“Ballistae?” Sedorum finally raised his head in confusion.

Davos generously gave him a brief introduction to this new siege engine developed by Theonia.

Sedorum’s face turned ugly. In his memory, Pianlun hadn’t voluntarily mentioned Clampetia to him, but he knew about Consentia sending two thousand reinforcements there. He had even raised objections to Pianlun about this, but Pianlun had made the decision forcefully, which was completely unlike his usual style… Based on various signs, he felt that what Davos said was extremely likely to be true. Pianlun had long known Clampetia couldn’t be held, but fearing panic among the Bruttian people, he chose to conceal it and decided to gamble everything on a pitched battle.

Sedorum’s heart felt cold as ice. He squeezed out a sentence tremblingly, “Does Theonia want to kill all Bruttians?”

“Kill all? No, we Theonians are not that cruel,” Davos said seriously. “In my eyes, there is no difference between Bruttians, Lucanians, and Greeks.”

Sedorum stared at him in disbelief.

“You might ask, if that’s the case, why attack Bruttium?” Davos sighed, plucking a blade of grass with his right hand and twirling it around his finger. “For a hundred years, Bruttians and Greeks have viewed each other as enemies, killing back and forth without end. If a Bruttian tribal alliance is established, the conflict with the Greeks will only intensify. Theonia was forced to launch a preemptive attack, not to exterminate the Bruttians, but hoping to incorporate the Bruttians into the Theonian League, to become a part of the League. The Mediterranean is large enough; there is enough room for us Greeks and Bruttians to explore, plant, and graze… Why engage in a death struggle over this tiny bit of barren land!…”

Sedorum was silent for a long time before tentatively asking in a low voice, “You want the Bruttian tribes to become allies of Theonia?”

“Theonia spent a huge price and sacrificed so many citizens’ lives just to make the Bruttians allies?!” Davos’s face changed, and his voice suddenly became heavier. “The people of Theonia will not agree, and the Senate will not agree!”

“Could it be… let us be like the Lucanians of Niutum…” Sedorum said bitterly. Vergae was not far from Niutum, so he had some understanding of the situation there.

“Bruttium will be incorporated into Theonia, and Bruttians will become Theonian citizens. Tribal chiefs will still govern their respective tribal people, but the administrators of towns like Vergae, Consentia, Clampetia, and Ambalia will be appointed by the Theonian Senate… Besidiae has already agreed to join the Theonian League, and Bagilipi and Brim will become members of the Theonian Senate. You can ask Brim for further details.”

Davos’s words caused a waver in Sedorum’s heart, but he still asked somewhat unwillingly, “Can’t you let us… manage our own towns ourselves? Bruttians aren’t used to being commanded by foreigners; I fear there will be trouble…”

Davos spoke firmly, “All Theonian territories must be under the unified governance of the Senate; this will absolutely not change! But if you join the Senate, one day you might also be elected by the Senate as the Chief Administrator of Consentia, or even become the Chief Administrator of the entire Bruttian region…”

Davos painted a rosy picture, somewhat lessening Sedorum’s resistance. He pondered for a while, then pushed back helplessly, “…I am only the Great Chief of Vergae.”

“It doesn’t matter. You only need to decide the affiliation of Vergae city.” Seeing him still bowing his head in hesitation, Davos added, “Go down and think about it carefully. No need to rush into a decision.”

Sedorum hurriedly agreed and prepared to leave, distracted.

“Please wait. There is one more thing I need your help with.”

Davos’s words made Sedorum panic inside; he stumbled a few steps and nearly fell.

“Please go appease those captured Bruttian warriors. Tell them, ‘As long as they do as we ask, Theonian soldiers will absolutely not harm them, and after a while, they can return home safely. But if they gather to cause trouble or attempt to escape, our soldiers will show no mercy! Moreover, when Bruttium belongs to Theonia in the future, their families will also be punished!’” Davos’s tone was stern.

“…I will go talk to them.” Sedorum looked melancholic, the wrinkles on his face deepening. After the conversation with Davos, he seemed to have aged several years.

Watching the unsteady Sedorum being escorted away by soldiers, Martius asked a rare question, “Lord, will this old man surrender?”

Davos smiled. “Him agreeing to my request just now is a good start. However, if he doesn’t seize the time, we won’t need him anymore.”

***

The Siege of Clampetia had reached its most critical moment.

After days of bombardment by ballistae, the city walls had become dilapidated, and the moat had been filled in multiple places. The defenders suffered significant casualties from the ranged attacks of ballistae and archers atop the siege towers.

However, the Fourth Legion had also paid a price. Due to prolonged wear and tear, five ballistae were damaged. Two siege towers had been burned down by Bruttian fire attacks. Soldiers had also suffered over 400 casualties, mostly archers.

Yet Hylos maintained high-intensity offensive pressure on Clampetia every day. He always remembered what Davos said when personally giving him the order: ‘Currently in the Mediterranean, whether for Greek city-states or other nations, siege warfare is a huge problem. I hope that after you go to Clampetia, you will not fear difficulties or casualty numbers. You must capture that stone city and sum up a set of siege experiences for Theonia.’

At dawn, soldiers of the Fourth Legion and Terina lined up two hundred meters south of Clampetia. In front of the massive formation, five ballistae and three siege towers were arrayed in a row. (The requirements for making ballistae were high, and their key components were very delicate, especially the spring bundles. The Academy of Mathematics spent a lot of time and money to build ten, and engineers couldn’t repair them in three to five days. However, although siege towers were large, they weren’t complicated to make as long as there was enough manpower.)

The physically and mentally exhausted Clampetia warriors had never seen so many enemies under the city walls from atop the ramparts, and they couldn’t help but feel terrified.

Even the crows hovering in the air looking for carrion seemed to sense danger, cawing as they flew away.

“Legion Commander, all preparations are complete!” Hearing his subordinate’s report, Hylos immediately said, “Ballistae!”

“Ballistae ready!” the officer ordered.

Axles turned, bowstrings were drawn, stone shots placed in grooves, angles and ranges set…

“Loose!”

Five solid shots flew out with a powerful wind sound, concentrating their bombardment on the most dilapidated section of the wall, raising the curtain on the siege.

Then the second round, the third round… Continuous bombardment caused more and larger cracks in the wall…

The wall, which had undergone overnight emergency repairs, finally couldn’t bear the load. Blocks of stone wall fell down… Finally, with a crashing roar, the entire section of the stone wall collapsed, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust.

Theonian soldiers cheered thunderously, while Clampetia warriors sighed, their faces ashen.

“Attack!” While soldier morale was high, Hylos issued the order in a timely manner.

Immediately, long bugles sounded, war flags waved, and war drums beat. Soldiers shouted in unison. Led by officers, they carried scaling ladders, advancing in loose formations by squad. Huge siege towers also rumbled toward the walls along the level causeways, pushed by the full strength of dozens of laborers.