The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

Some people have already backed out, saying: Crotone is already enough for Locri to deal with, and now it has an even more powerful ally. Locri is no match at all, and should withdraw the army immediately!

At the same time, many people objected, believing: This is a rare opportunity to strike Crotone hard! Moreover, Dionysia and Crotone are defensive allies and should not send troops to intervene. Moreover, Dionysia has just ended the war and should have suffered heavy losses. The hatred with the Crotone people cannot be eliminated immediately. They are unlikely to help Crotone wholeheartedly, and we should take this opportunity to attack!

The two sides argued until the chief general Demodocus brought the good news that "Siracusa agreed to provide assistance", which made the council turn worry into joy and agree to continue the war.

When Theopanthus was dispatched to attack Crotone, most of the Locrian council members were still hoping that Dionysia would not send troops. As a result, the council hadn't even finalized a plan for how Locri would respond if Dionysia did.

Now, with the Dionysians on the front lines, Theopanthus was at a loss: Attack?! ...That would mean war with the Dionysian Alliance! As a member of the council, he understood the Locrian council's wishful thinking. They were so eager to defeat Crotone that they couldn't tolerate any uncertainty. Dionysia was undoubtedly the biggest uncertainty. The ability to defeat Crotone, a city Locri had always eluded, coupled with Metrophenis's description of the triumph at Thurii, had instilled fear in Diopantus. If he launched an attack there, Dionysia would join the war, escalating it. Although Locrian ally Syracuse had agreed to aid, it was now fully engaged in a war with Carthage and could offer no further assistance beyond a limited naval contribution. Therefore, the council would undoubtedly blame him for the eventual defeat.

But if he didn't fight?! ... Retreating would not only damage his own honor but also the prestige of the Locrian city-state. He would also be blamed if he returned...

As Diopantus hesitated, some soldiers began to clamor.

"Dionysians, don't get so cocky! You tell us to retreat, and we'll retreat?! We won't!"

"You're right, we Locrians are no pushovers! Locri has been in Magna Graecia for centuries, and what the heck is Dionysia? They've never even heard of it!"

"We won't retreat, how dare you do anything to us!"

...

The soldiers' shouting made Diopantus anxious and angry: he had only a thousand men under his command, a small number of them sailors. Along the way, many soldiers had dragged sheep and cattle, looted a ton of supplies, their eyes blinded by greed, no longer acting like soldiers. And how dare they dare to challenge the Dionysians?!

Diopantus began to consider retreating, but before he could issue the order, the enemy drums began to beat, and the still phalanx began to move, with a more measured clattering of footsteps, like a thick iron wall pressing down on them. The Locrian soldiers, who had been shouting and shouting, were instantly hushed.

Diopantus sighed and declared, "Retreat!"

The order had barely been given, the bugles hadn't even sounded, and the Locrian soldiers were already running, their formation broken.

Diopantus was completely unable to stop their soldiers' chaotic, frantic retreat. As if pursued by death, he simply fled, leaving all his loot scattered across the ground.

Asistes hadn't expected to force the Locrians back so easily. He dispatched a small force to clean up the battlefield, then led his army slowly behind the Locrians, watching them scramble to board their ships and sail away from the coast. Only then did he lead his soldiers back and return all the supplies they had found to the Crotonians, who had come to express their ambivalence, a gesture that left them both grateful and ashamed.

Of course, Diopantus was unwilling to return to Locri. After sailing south for a while, he led his troops on a landing at the coast of Cilicium, not yet an ally of Dionysia

.

Within the city of Sparta, a vast building sprawled. Plain stone pillars supported a roof that provided shelter from the wind and rain. Three sides were open to the wind, one side housed a kitchen, and the vast hall was filled with long wooden tables and chairs. This was the Spartan dining hall.

At mealtime, Spartans gathered here from all directions, lined up in order, received their portion of the "communal meal," and then ate in the dining hall, which could accommodate 500 people at a time. On sunny days, tables were even set out on the grass, where thousands of Spartan citizens, regardless of age or rank, dined together, sharing roughly the same meal. This not only demonstrated the equality of all Spartan citizens but also emphasized their unity. The Spartans, with their emphasis on discipline and obedience, ensured that these grand dining occasions were always orderly. This was the Spartan communal dining system, for which Greece was famous.

The food they received was not free; rather, they had to pay the city-state the produce from their "allots" allocated to them in order to enjoy public meals. While these "allots" were their own, citizens themselves had no right to use them. Instead, they were managed by the city-state and cultivated by helots. Once a citizen lost their "allot" and could no longer pay for their produce, they lost their right to participate in public meals, becoming marginalized members of the city-state (the Perians). Therefore, the communal dining system established by the Spartans was not only a dining system and a key political activity, but also a certification of Spartan citizenship.

Since the Peloponnesian War, Sparta's dining hall had rarely seen the spectacle of dining with thousands of people. With citizens constantly away on the battlefields and often accompanied by death, the number of people dining here never exceeded 500 at a time. Even after the victory, this number never returned to normal. The Spartan fleet patrolled the Aegean Sea, and some of the strategically located cities conquered by Sparta needed Spartan garrisons to maintain their loyalty. While most of these soldiers were mercenaries, Pherians, and helots, true Spartans were required to serve as commanders and senior officers.

That day, there were no more than a hundred Spartans dining in the dining hall.

Phoebidas sat at the table, chewing his bread, and reflecting on the recent ascension of the new king. Agesilaus's ascension had surprised many, but he was delighted. He had had several close encounters with Agesilaus and believed him to be a kind and wise man who would make a good king.

"Hey, look! Those damned helots over there!" a man at the next table suddenly shouted. Following his finger, Phoebidas saw the expressions of the two men dining at the opposite table immediately become uneasy. Though they were also shirtless, their figures and skin coloring differed from those of real Spartan citizens.

"Those are new citizens. Being able to enjoy public meals means they've earned enough merit during the war to convince those conservative old men on the council to grant them freedom, citizenship, and even allotments of land. That's quite a feat! We should respect true warriors!" another man said gently.

"Hmph, who knows if it was Lysander's doing?! During the war, under the pretext of defeating Athens, he used his power to convert many Pitheans and a few helots into Spartan citizens!" the man said indignantly, his voice low.

"No matter how brave we Spartans are, we can't withstand the casualties caused by frequent battles. Without these new citizens, we wouldn't have been able to defeat Athens."

"But look at how many real Spartans are here, while several of my comrades have temporarily lost their citizenship and become inferiors because they couldn't pay their share of the public meals!... If this continues, will Sparta still be Sparta?!"

"Hmm... you're right..."

"I tell you, we..." the man whispered, leaning close to another companion.

Spartans were known for their quietness, especially at mealtimes, but this citizen was not only talkative but also chattering, making it hard not to catch Phoebidas's attention. Just as he turned to see who this person was, someone tapped him on the shoulder: "Phoebidas, King Agesilaus requests you come over."

"Yes," Phoebidas quickly stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth, gulped down his oatmeal, wiped his mouth, stood up, and followed the guards to the front of the dining hall. He instinctively turned back to look at the man from before. He had already finished his meal and left the dining room, leaving only his back.

Phoebidas shook his head, dispelling any doubts, and approached the new king of Sparta. Agesilaus was different now, more calm and dignified.

Phoebidas saluted respectfully.

"Sit down, Phoebedas," Agesilaus said, smiling. "We're old friends, no need to be so polite!"

Phoebedas, upon hearing this, dropped his modesty and sat down directly across from Agesilaus.

"Are you full? Not yet, I have more," Agesilaus said, pushing a plate over.

The Spartan king also attended public meals, and the food was the same as that of other citizens. His only privilege was receiving a double portion. This wasn't to allow the king to eat more, but rather to allow the Spartan king to use the extra portion to invite others to dine together—not necessarily Spartan citizens, but even foreigners. The previous king, Agis, had entertained Alcibiades in this way.

Spartan public meals weren't exactly gourmet, but they were a political gesture, signifying that the invited guests were guests of honor, allowing the Spartan king to leverage this power to win over those he disliked, resolve conflicts, and cultivate close ties... And today, Agesilaus bestowed this honor upon Phoebedas.

Thank you Li Shibin for your reward! Your support is my biggest motivation for writing!

The Battle of Cyrene was a battle between other city-states, so I kept it simple. I will describe the Battle of Dionia in detail later.