NOVEL NEXT Chapter 227: Triumphal Return
After the army halted overnight in Castellon, Davos rushed over to reunite with the soldiers.
The next morning, the entire army, decked out in fresh uniform, marched in formation according to the pre-determined order for a triumphal entry into the city.
After crossing the bridge, the thousands of freedmen who had participated in the battle, along with the Greek mercenaries led by Xantiparis, who had been waiting nearby, joined the procession. Davos also switched to a four-horse chariot, followed closely by Capus, Drax, Hieronymus, and the archon of Laos, Avinogenes, in two-horse chariots. The army marched in a mighty procession toward the nearby city of Thurii.
The freedmen and families of some of the prospective citizens, who had been waiting outside the city, erupted in thunderous cheers upon seeing the soldiers from afar.
Alcines had never dreamed he would be the standard-bearer for the triumphal procession. At that time, each legion submitted its candidates, and it was Davos who personally selected Alcinius's name. He believed that in the decisive battle of the Second Crotone War, Alcinius, as a squad leader, led a group of new recruits to fight on the front lines. Facing the enemy's fierce offensive, he not only led by example but also commanded the new recruits well and responded calmly. Moreover, even when more than half of the squad was killed or wounded, he remained undeterred and bravely fought back, making him the representative of the entire army in this battle!
When Alcinius heard Davos' praise, he, who already admired Davos, was filled with gratitude to the Alliance Archon!
At this moment, he held high the commander's flag representing the entire army. Facing the cheers that came towards him and looking at the thousands of waving arms, he straightened his chest with pride...
Faced with such a spectacular scene, even the battle-hardened Tormid, who had experienced many hardships, found it difficult to remain calm. He excitedly said to Xantiparis beside him: "I have participated in so many battles over the years, but this is the first time I feel the pride of being a warrior. Davos is amazing!"
Xantiparis stared at the front and said, "Don't look around, march well, and don't embarrass us mercenaries!"
Tormid quickly straightened his chest and head, but joked, "You old guy is more serious than me!"
"Participating in the triumphal ceremony is nothing. In the future, we will also sit on the chariot like Hieronymus and accept the cheers of the people!" Xantiparis's old face also revealed a flush of excitement.
"That's right!" Tormid's enthusiasm soared: "I heard from Davos that because of this battle, our probation period as citizens of the Alliance will be greatly shortened. With a few more battles like this, we will soon be able to become official citizens of Dionysia! By then... hehe!"
............
"Cregnis! Hey, that's Cregnis!!..."
"Stop shouting! He can't hear you. He's a hero of the Alliance now!"
"Hero?! With his skinny body, I can knock him down with one hand. If it weren't for the fact that he shoots the bow better than me, I would be the one receiving cheers in the team now!"
"Yes, this guy favored by the goddess of luck! It seems that we all need to practice archery well in our spare time. The next time the recruiting officer comes to recruit, we must be selected!"
"You're right!!"
...
When the freemen's team came into the people's sight, the cheers they received were even more enthusiastic. After all, most of the people welcoming them outside the city were freemen. Seeing their former companions become heroes of the Dionysia Alliance, while envying them, it also inspired them to yearn to go into battle and kill the enemy.
Over twenty thousand soldiers participated in the triumphal procession, forming a column six or seven miles long. The rearmost contingent of freedmen had just entered the public welcome area outside the city, while the leading flag had already passed the city's triumphal arch.
Sobekos gazed up at the reliefs on the arch and said to Ledes with emotion, "Last time, I was a spectator watching the triumph, but now I'm a soldier participating!"
Ledes laughed heartily, "How does it feel?"
"Excellent! Excellent!"
"Before, our cavalry was too weak and ineffective in battle. From now on, we, the Dionysian cavalry, must be the heroes of every triumphal parade!" Ledes declared ambitiously, his gaze fixed on another towering banner, fluttering high in front of him. Although he couldn't see the words on it from behind, he knew it bore Davos's inscription: "With a small force, we defeated the Crodonian cavalry and decided the victory of the battle." It was precisely because of this achievement that Davos placed his cavalry behind the standard-bearers of the entire army.
Because the number of soldiers participating in the triumphal procession was too great to accommodate, and the Plaza de la Victoriei was prone to accidents, a rule was implemented: upon arriving at the Plaza, the parade troops were not allowed to stop but instead circled the Plaza once, exiting the city through a separate street through the East Gate.
On the western side of the Plaza, on the platform in front of the Senate Chamber, the senators paid a solemn salute to the soldiers passing through the Plaza.
Amycles, invited to observe the valiant and proud troops marching in unison across the platform, exclaimed, "I never thought we could defeat the arrogant Crotones! What a magnificent victory!" He was grateful for his decision before the war began: Castellon had firmly sided with Diolea.
His words were recognized by most of the elders, but Scombras objected: "Davos is a guarantee of victory! With him as commander, I never doubted that the war would belong to our alliance, but I think we should have taken advantage of Crotone's weakness to completely defeat him!"
His words were agreed by a few Thurii elders, and even Polyxes said: "On this issue, Davos did not consider the feelings of the Thurii people and let the Crotone people go. This is really wrong!"
As soon as the voice fell, Scombras glared at him fiercely.
"Lord Davos did the right thing!" Kunogorata said solemnly. "He who can lead the citizen militia to victory is a remarkable general! He who can leverage victory to secure sufficient benefits for the alliance is a true leader! If the war continues, Dionia will likely suffer great losses! I am fortunate that Dionia has a great archon like Davos!"
"Lord Kunogorata is right!" Cornelus echoed. "In this war, Lord Davos not only won a vast amount of fertile land for Dionia, but also extended Dionysia's influence to the southern tip of Magna Graecia!"
"Next, how to manage and distribute these newly acquired lands will be something we'll need to devote a great deal of time to discussing and resolving..." Tritodemus smiled. "This is truly a sweet, yet annoying matter!"
Everyone laughed knowingly. Senators held a distinguished position and had a lot of responsibilities to attend to, but they received no salary. To boost their enthusiasm, gain their favor, and stimulate their interest in expansion, the "War Act" proposed and passed by Davos stipulated that, in addition to the "shares" allocated to new citizens and the land awarded to meritorious citizen soldiers, each hard-working senator would also receive land as a reward. The area of land awarded could not exceed the average area of land received by soldiers who participated in the war. While the amount of land granted might seem modest, at the current rate of Dionysia's expansion, it would add up to a significant amount.
As the senators happily discussed the alliance's newfound territory, Polyxes' eyes flickered, as if he were lost in thought, while Amycles looked envious.
"Look, our hero has arrived!" Plessinlas's cry drew everyone's attention back to the square.
Davos, clad in military uniform, appeared atop a four-horse chariot. He smiled and waved to the crowd, bringing the triumphal celebrations to a climax.
The crowds leaped and shouted with excitement, waving their arms wildly and chanting Davos' name. They even ignored the guards on the roadside and, breaking the rules, joined the parade, surrounding Davos in the center. They reached out, wanting to touch Davos, the guardian favored by Hades, who had saved Thurii, twice defeated the formidable Crotone, and brought glory to the people of Dionia.
The guards were on edge, fearing any mishaps.
Davos, however, remained composed. He even dismounted from his chariot and greeted the crowd, gently greeting them and asking if they had suffered any losses in the war, if they needed the Alliance's assistance, and so on.
The people's love for their consul grew even stronger. They surrounded Davos and escorted him to the platform, only to reluctantly depart.
The senators approached.
Kunogorata was the first to criticize, "Lord Davos, that was too dangerous! You should have stayed in your chariot and waited for the guards to escort you!"
"What's so dangerous about that?" Davos laughed. "The senators and the people are like father and child. A father naturally loves his child, and a child naturally respects his father. How could he harm his own family? Isn't that right?"
Father and child?! The senators present pondered this statement, somewhat shaken. Later, this message spread, deeply moving the people, and thus the Senate elders also gained a new title: "Father."
Cunogorata's worries weren't entirely unfounded. Among the people in the forum was a man who hated the Dionysian Senate and Archon Davos—Metrophenis, the envoy from Locri. His cold hadn't fully healed, but upon learning the shocking news that the Dionysian League and Crotone had signed a peace treaty and become an ally, the envoy was filled with anxiety and anger. While he resented his own failure to live up to expectations and fall ill at such a critical moment, he also took his anger out on the Dionysian Senate.