Chapter 439
Not only did Dionysius release them, but he also gave them some gifts.
These Bruti and Lucanian warriors originally thought that they would meet a tragic end after being captured, but they did not expect to receive such treatment. They thanked the gods for their blessings.
With gratitude towards Dionysius, most of the warriors embarked on their journey back to Asprostom. Only a few hesitated for a long time before deciding to head west. They did not pass through Clapetitia, but crossed the mountain trail between the Orfemia Plains and the Bruti Mountains to return to their hometown …
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On this day, the Fourth and Fifth Legions of Diónia that retreated back to Asprostom suffered a total of more than 4,000 casualties. More than half of them were lost during the retreat.
In particular, the First Brigade of the Fifth Legion was completely annihilated, including the Fifth Legion's Commander, Drax. This was a huge blow to the soldiers, as well as to the military higher-ups such as Felicius and Epthenis.
After all, Felicius was a veteran general who had seen life and death in Persia. After the defeat in the battle, he immediately realized that the situation was extremely disadvantageous for Diónia. He had to pull himself together and build an effective defense as soon as possible to stop the Syracuse army from invading Diónia's territory. This was to buy time for the Devers to lead the main force back. Therefore, in Asprostom, he reorganized the Fourth and Fifth Legions after the defeat and personally served as the Fifth Legion's Commander.
At this moment, Epthenis also put aside his pride and actively cooperated with Felicius in training the soldiers. He discussed with the governor, Agathia, how to strengthen the city's defense.
At the same time, Felicius also sent a ballista unit and an engineering battalion to Crotone to strengthen the Crotone's defense. This was because the Syracuse had cannons, and if the Crotone did not, it would increase the difficulty of defending the city. According to the newly compiled "Military Law of Diónia", the chapter on defending the city specifically mentioned the principle of "using ballista against ballista". As an important ally of Diónia's southern border, Crotone must not be occupied. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, Felicius no longer cared about the Ministry of Military Affairs's request to not leak the secret of the ballista unit.
In addition, Felicius also sent fast horses to pursue the troops that escorted more than 500 Locrian captives to Turií. He hoped that these captives could be exchanged for the Diónia soldiers held captive in Syracuse.
This defeat made him more cautious. He also sent an urgent letter to the Turií Senate. He was worried that Syracuse would bypass Crotone and attack Crimea instead. He hoped that the Senate would send a new legion to Crimea. The three cities, Asprostom, Crimissa, and Crotone, would be able to support each other. Their defenses would be thicker, more layered, and safer.
The Triene soldiers led by Cypross did not follow the Diónia into Asprostom. Instead, they entered Ciudad Crotone. This was because Asprostom was small and could not accommodate so many people for a long time. Moreover, the addition of the Triene soldiers would also strengthen Crotone's defense. Crotone was overjoyed and did not care about the rations consumed by the Triene soldiers.
After all, the armies of Crotone and Trillas were in the same boat in this battle. They were positioned on the two flanks of the allied army and were the direct targets of the enemy's reinforcements. Under the joint pursuit of the Campanian mercenaries and Syracuse sailors, less than 4,000 Triene soldiers managed to escape. On the other hand, the Crotone soldiers were attacked by the reinforcements of Syracuse and the continuous pursuit of the mercenaries. After the Numibian and Celtic cavalry were intercepted by the First Brigade of the Fifth Legion, in order to vent their anger and atone for their mistakes, a portion of the cavalry stalled the Diónia soldiers while waiting for the infantry to come and surround them, while the other portion turned northeast to pursue the Siletinian and Crotone soldiers. In the end, only about 8,000 people managed to reach the city.
Both sides had lost more than half of their citizens.
Cypross was grieving, but he was also secretly glad that he had made the right decision in advance. He had allowed the Triene citizens to evacuate to the Bruti region of Diónia. He no longer needed to worry about their safety.
The Crotone citizens, who had experienced a terrible defeat a few years ago, were once again plunged into great grief. Apart from grief, they were more worried about whether the Syracuse army would be able to withstand the attack of this huge army when they set foot on Crotone's land.
The Crotone army, Triene soldiers, and less than 2,000 Siletinians made a total of about 14000 people. Coupled with the emergency mobilization of free citizens by the council, it was estimated that there would be 20,000 people defending the city. Therefore, the generals of Crotone had some confidence.
In the emergency, enlarged council of a thousand, someone raised the question: Now that Crotone had suffered heavy losses, should they consider a truce with Syracuse, just like the truce with Diónia in order to recover their strength?
This proposal was opposed by most people. Even Lysias, who had always been used to going with the flow, refuted it sternly. He said loudly, "Everyone, Syracuse is different from Diónia. The tyrant Dionysius, with such a great advantage, will never sign a relatively equal truce with us. He will definitely want our great Crotone to become his slaves. He will make us pay a high tribute, let our citizens fight for him, and even change our democracy to a dictatorship like Syracuse's, just like what he did in Sicily and the other Greek city-states! …
Furthermore, after Crotone becomes the so-called alliance city-state of Syracuse, we will still have to face the bullying of our nemesis, Rockley. This is because Dionysius married the sister of Rockley's chief general, Demodorcas. Rockley is the accomplice of Syracuse's invasion of Greece. In the eyes of Dionysius, Rockley's position is naturally much higher than Crotone's. This way, Rockley can use Dionysius's power to humiliate us, and even fabricate the benefits of Crotone! Citizens, faced with such a possible future, are you willing to submit to Syracuse?! "
"Fight Syracuse to the death! Even if Crotone perishes, we don't want to become Dionysius's slave! " The citizens shouted angrily, finally coming to an agreement on the issue of war and peace.
At this time, the messenger sent by Felicius arrived at Ciudad Crotone. Not only did he bring the ballista troops, but he also brought the promise that Felicius made on behalf of Diónia's Senate: Diónia will fight alongside Crotone against Syracuse! If Crotone has any difficulties, they can bring it up to Diónia. Diónia will do its best to help! "
Diónia's promise and actions (bringing the ballista troops) moved the citizens of Crotone, greatly reducing the wariness that Crotone had always had against Diónia. For the first time, the citizens of Crotone felt a sense of security when they were backed by a powerful alliance.
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Felicius' messenger galloped along the main road without stopping. After changing horses three times at the relay station, it only took him half a day to bring the important battle report of the alliance's defeat to Turií's Senate. The news quickly spread throughout the city.
Although the citizens of Turií were not as sorrowful as the citizens of Diónia in Aspustum and Crimissa, most of the soldiers of the Fourth and Fifth Legions who participated in the battle came from Bruti, Aspustum and Crimissa. However, the citizens were far more shocked than the people from these three regions. Ever since the new city of Turií was built, every time there was a war, they would receive news of victory. Having gotten used to victory, this was the first time they heard of defeat. Panic spread among the citizens …
On that day, many citizens went to the Temple of Hades to pray, hoping that Pluto would protect the alliance. In the afternoon, even the citizens of Amendola and Abyssinia rushed to the temple …
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While the Senate was holding an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures, in the residence of the Devers, Cristoya was discussing the possible impact of the alliance's defeat on her businesses with several business executives.
"Madam, Syracuse will soon march towards Crotone, and Aspuztum will also be the battlefield to ensure the safety of the bank. To ensure the safety of the bank, should we … withdraw the gold and silver stored in Aspustum Bank temporarily? "the bank executive suggested carefully.
"The bank of Aspustum must not be evacuated!" Cristoya said firmly, "You must understand that in the eyes of the people, Cristoya Bank is not my personal property. It represents my husband, the Archon of Devers! In this critical situation, even the Archon's property has to be evacuated. How can the citizens of Aspustum still have the confidence to hold on? Yes! Not only can the bank not be evacuated, but it must also be open on time every day!
Also, you must ask the employees of the bank in the city to face every customer with a confident smile. If Aspustum's financial situation is tight and needs money, you must lend it to them even if there is no interest! "
The bank executive was stunned when he heard the last sentence, then said helplessly, "Madam, I understand."
"How is the situation in the restaurant?" Cristoya turned to another executive.
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