The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

Fortunately, Crotone burned down soon after, and Davos led his army to recapture Thurii. Diona returned home, but she was depressed all day long. She was now 23 years old. As a father, Kunogorata wanted his children to be happy, so he wanted to find a good husband for her, which also became a concern for him.

"Sostatus, what do you think of Helos?" Kunogorata asked abruptly.

"What do you mean by what?" Sostatus was surprised why his father suddenly mentioned him.

"If he becomes your brother-in-law."

"You want to choose Xilos as Diona's husband!" Sostatus widened his eyes in surprise. Seeing his father nod seriously, he quickly gave up the idea of ​​joking. After thinking carefully, he said, "Although I am a soldier under him, he is the captain. I don't have much contact with him. I only know that although he is strict in training, he is fair in his work and is quite caring towards us... I heard that he is still single and has no bad habits. If my sister marries him, she should be well taken care of! But, father, why did you choose him? It seems that none of these elders in Thurii are willing to marry their daughters to these elders who were once mercenaries!"

"These people are still basking in the glory of their past families, hesitant and unwilling to accept Thurii's changes!" Kunogorata sneered and said solemnly, "Why should I ask you to respect the Archon? He is truly favored by the gods. He's so young, yet possesses immense ability and means. The people love him, the army supports him, and the Senate is completely under his control! If you don't want my family's tragedy to repeat itself, becoming a truly trusted relative of these former mercenary senators who followed him on the Persian expedition is undoubtedly the best way! Helos, I heard he was once the Archon's captain in Persia and was extremely caring towards him. Although Helos has always kept a low profile in the Senate, it's clear that the Archon has great trust in him. And, despite his former mercenary background, Cornelus says he's humble, steady, and willing to learn and seek advice from others. I believe he will have a smooth future in Dionysia's political arena!"

"Father, don't just think about good things. Dai... Among these former mercenary senators brought by the Archon, Xilos is one of the few who are not married. He is only in his 30s and is a senator. I believe there will be many people in Amendolara and Thurii who want to propose marriage to him, but he is still single now... It is conceivable that he may not agree to your request!" Sostatus reminded Kunogorata who was talking excitedly.

"Of course I won't go to him directly. I will ask the Lord Archon to come forward. I believe Davos will be happy to do this!" Kunogorata stroked his beard and smiled proudly, "I once tentatively asked the Lord Archon. He is also very concerned about Xilos's marriage. With him as a matchmaker, and Diona's talent and beauty, how could Xilos not agree!"

"It seems that from now on, I have to please my sister more, lest she be unhappy and let her brother-in-law arrange me at the forefront of the phalanx..." Sostatus also joked, which reminded Kunogorata. He hurriedly said, "Sostatus, don't go out and wander around these two days. The First Legion you belong to will soon go south to join the war."

"Has the agreement of the Southern Italian Alliance been signed? Hasn't Crotone always opposed it before?" Sostatus asked in surprise. With a father who is a senator, he naturally knows more about the alliance's politics than ordinary citizens.

"Trina, Cyritin, and Coronetia have all expressed their approval. What good can Crotone achieve by opposing it alone? Besides, the current war situation is very unfavorable to them! Even Lysias has rushed to Thurii, which shows how anxious the people of Crotone are!" At this point, Cunogorata was actually a little excited: "Wait for the treaty to be signed and the alliance to be established, Dionysia will truly become the leader of Magna Graecia!"

"I heard that in this new alliance, all allies are treated equally without distinction of priority! Then what leader is there!"

"On the surface, that's the case, but the strength of a city-state still determines the weight of its words in this new alliance, especially when the interests of other allies are not involved." Cunogorata praised sincerely: "The Archon is really amazing! He proposed such an alliance method, thereby continuously gaining the support of other city-states, isolating Crotone, and forcing it to join. And once the new alliance is established, it will also disintegrate the old Crotone alliance and allow us, Dionysia, to smoothly squeeze into Crotone's original sphere of influence and become the de facto leader!"

"Isn't this the result of the victory over Crotone, which the Archon has fully exploited?" Sostatus' words served as a reminder to Cunogorata, who had previously opposed the war.

Cunogorata remained silent for a moment, not directly responding to his son's question. Instead, he sighed, "I never thought I'd live to see Thurii become the center of Magna Graecia! Son, just as you said before, Thurii will surely experience great development!"

On

the last day of mid-February 398 BC, Dionia, Crotone, Cilicium, Corumnia, and Trina finally reached an agreement and signed an alliance, establishing the Southern Italian League.

At Crotone's insistence, the alliance specifically stipulated that Dionia and Crotone would each have two votes in deliberations, while the other three allies would each have one vote.

The alliance's headquarters would be located in Cilicium. Initially, Crotone requested that the headquarters be located within its territory, but the other city-states opposed it. Later, Davos proposed Cilicium. The other city-states agreed because, aside from Dionia, Cilicia was centrally located among the other allies, and its relative strength was relatively low, which reassured them.

The Southern Italian League headquarters was manned by personnel from each of the allies, handling and negotiating inter-alliance affairs.

The Crotone League was officially dissolved, and the newly signed military defensive alliance between Dionia and Crotone was also nullified. Crotone only paid the initial 80 talents of the 500 talents originally owed to Dionia, with the remainder also nullified. This was one of the reasons why Crotone ultimately agreed to join the Southern Italian League, a fact that left Melses with deep regret.

At this point, Dionysia still had several alliances in effect: the Dionysian League, centered on Dionysia. Because Dionysia controlled the alliance's diplomatic power (meaning it prohibited other allies from signing any treaties or agreements with any city-states) and military dominance, the other allies effectively became Dionysia's vassals. Secondly, the alliance with Tarantum. Due to Dionysia's rapid expansion, the treaty was revised twice, shifting from a Tarantulian-centered alliance to one of equals and mutual assistance. To this day, the alliance was primarily trade, with no military alliance. Finally, there was the newly established Southern Italian League. Furthermore, there was a non-aggression peace treaty signed with the Picosides to the north. With the exception of the Locrian League, the further south Ligim, and a coalition of one or two smaller city-states, Dionysia and the other city-states of Magna Graecia, through alliances, had created a peaceful and stable environment for themselves.

Of course, Dionysia's most pressing task now was to fulfill the alliance and repel Locri.

This battle was unlike any previous one. Just reaching the battlefield would take three or four days. Relying solely on soldiers carrying rations and resolving the battle in a few days was no longer feasible. The previous battle with Crotone had already caused Dionysia considerable suffering from the Crotone fleet's harassment. This time, the battle with Locri was even farther away, requiring longer routes for food transportation. Furthermore, the Locri controlled the coastline, presenting a significant challenge to Dionysia's logistics.

Davos's strategy was this: First, under the leadership of Melses, a large supply train was quickly assembled, carrying at least a month's supply of rations for 10,000 men. This transport would depart alongside the reinforcements, ensuring their safety while reducing labor, guards, and unnecessary food consumption. Secondly, Davos dispatched his most elite First Legion.

Procuring rations, purchasing pack animals... these war preparations naturally cost a fortune. This time, Melses was not stingy, instead making lavish purchases, as the costs were shared equally by all the allies.

When the first rooster crowed in Amendolara, Giorgis had already sat up, and his wife, Dania, had also opened her eyes.

"Sleep a little longer," Giorgis said gently, "I'm leaving."

"I can't sleep! I'm going to take you to Thurii!" Although Dania was older than Giorgis, she loved to act coquettishly, as it made her feel younger than Giorgis, and Giorgis relished the feeling.

But today, Giorgis shook his head: "You walked such a long way while pregnant. It's not good for the baby to go back and forth."

"Who said that! Helps said that pregnant women should exercise more, so that the childbirth will be smooth and the baby will be healthy!" Danya retorted.

Giorgis was silent. He trusted Helps very much. He was the direct disciple of the God-favored "Davos". Unable to withstand Danya's repeated requests, he had to take his wife and a male slave with his weapons and equipment, leave home, and leave the city.

At this time, the sky was just getting light, and the hired carriages from the port of Thurii had already rushed to Amendolara to grab customers, because they all knew that Dionysia's First Legion would gather, organize, and set off at the Victory Square in Thurii this morning.