Chapter 671
On the third day, the fully equipped Legio III left the Grumentum and sailed to Poseidonia before entering the port of Naples by sea. "..
Naples was a pearl among the Greek colonies in central Italy. It was the second colony built by the Greeks in Italy after Cumae. It had a long history. But at the beginning, it was just a small port called Partenope (meaning pure eye, which was the name of an ancient Greek siren). As time went by, it continued to expand and finally became the largest city-state in the Campania region. Later on, it was renamed Naples, meaning "new city."
In the process of Naples' development, Syracuse had provided a great help. A hundred years ago, Dillon, the tyrant of Syracuse, sent an army to help Cumae and Naples repel the Etruscans' attack. Later on, Syracuse sent troops to help Naples defend against the Samonai's attacks. So in the past, Naples and Syracuse had a close relationship and were close allies.
However, since the rise of Diónia and the complete destruction of Syracuse's hegemony in the Southern Italian War, Naples, which had strongly supported Dionysius in the Southern Italian War, had no choice but to surrender to Diónia (a large number of Campanian mercenaries under Dionysius' command were provided by the Campanian Alliance, which was led by Naples).
In the process of Naples' expansion, the Samonai had also helped it a lot. For a hundred years, the Samonai had constantly attacked from the eastern mountains to the western lowlands, capturing many towns built by the Etruscans and the Greeks in Campania. Even the ancient city of Cumae had been destroyed, and the big city of Capua had been occupied by them. A large number of people fled to Naples, which they thought was the safest, causing the population of Naples to skyrocket. This was also the reason why there were so many Campanian mercenaries in the Western Mediterranean.
Under the constant attacks of the ferocious Samonians, the Campania Alliance, which was initially formed to defend the natives and protect the safety of the city-state, was only left with a few towns along the coast. If not for the Campania Alliance's timely alliance with Diónia, most of the land would have belonged to the Samonians in less than twenty to thirty years.
On this day, the Neapolitans, who had been notified beforehand, had specially cleared half of the port to allow nearly a thousand passenger ships from Diónia to dock.
Many Neapolitan citizens brought their families to the port to watch curiously.
"I heard that the Legio III from Diónia is coming to Naples this time …"
"What does this' legion 'mean?"
"That's a unique army of Diónia. It's very different from our other city-states. I heard that this army has many advantages, which is why they have an advantage in battle …"
"Since the Legio III is here, then there must be the First and Second Legions. Why didn't the First and Second Legions come to Napoli? Naples is the leader of the Campania Alliance! "
"Idiot! It's not that Diónia is looking down on us, but their Legio III is the closest to us. They're stationed in Lucania Municipality, so it's the most convenient for them to come to Campania. And don't underestimate this Legio III. In the Southern Italian War ten years ago, they defeated the Samonians' army that invaded Potentia and captured Capusa and Enona alone. Therefore, they're very experienced in dealing with the Samonians! "
"If the Legio III is so powerful, then wouldn't the First and Second Legions of Diónia be even more terrifying?!"
"I heard that the Kingdom of Diónia has ten legions, and each of them has achieved a lot in the past wars. I think any one of them is enough to fight against the ferocious Samonians."
"Ten legions?! My god, Apollo above, how many soldiers does Diónia have?! "
"Therefore, the alliance between the Campania Alliance and the Kingdom of Diónia is very correct! With the help of Diónia, we will no longer be afraid of the wolf-like Samonians. "
"Look! Look! The Diónia soldiers have begun to come ashore. Hey, why is the armor on their shoulders black? "
"I know that. Diónia regards Hades as their kingdom's protector and worships black. It's said that their king is a descendant of Hades. "
"Speaking of Hades, a temple of Pluto has been built in our city last year. It's said that the priests are sent from Turín. They are very hospitable to the people who come to worship. Not only do they take the initiative to answer all kinds of questions, but they also treat the believers for free and provide some useful help … I've just been there once a few days ago.
I just went there once a few days ago. A priest with some status spent a lot of time listening to me talk about my troubles and enlightening me … So, the other temples can't be compared to the Temple of Hades at all. No wonder this god is so popular in Southern Italy. I heard that even the Samonese in Nasera have begun to worship him. "
"Is it really that good?! Then I'll go to the Temple of Hades tomorrow to worship! "
"Stop talking. Look, the Diónia soldiers have begun to line up. Wow! They're really fast, and there's almost no soldiers talking at all. It's not like our militia gathering. The noise can be heard ten miles away from the city. This is the army that can fight against a strong enemy! "
"Oh, look! There are so many flags in the Legion of Dionysia, and all of them are shining in gold. It's so beautiful! "
"Idiot, those flags are used to command the battle, not to look good."
"Look! The Diónia actually sent so many cavalrymen. I'm afraid that this is more than the number of cavalrymen of the Campanian Alliance. "
"What's so strange about that? I heard that Diónia has four cavalry legions, and each of them has nearly 2,000 cavalrymen."
"Oh, Apollo above, Diónia is really a powerful country!"
…
The people of Naples were discussing and commenting about the Legio III of Diónia, but few of them criticized the Legio III for having so many foreigners (mainly the Lucanians) in the Legio III. This was because Naples had been surrounded by many different races since its establishment. The Oronci and Etruscans were to the north, the Samonians to the east, the Lucanians to the south, and the Phoenicians from the Sardinian Island to the west. After living for a hundred years, they had gotten used to living next to these foreign races. Their culture was deeply influenced by each other, so the Neapolitans were not as xenophobic as the Greeks of other cities. Moreover, many of the people in the city were of mixed blood, so one could imagine how tolerant they were toward the foreigners.
When the army of the Kingdom of Diónia set foot on the territory of the Campanian Alliance for the first time, the Legio III immediately won the cheers of the surrounding Neapolitan people with their strict discipline and mighty military demeanor. It could be said that they had successfully established the image of the Dionysian Army.
Just as the various battalions of the Legio III and some of the cavalrymen of the Second Cavalry Legion that were transferred over by Chou lined up neatly, the commander of the Legio III Legion, Lizaru, and the official of the Diónia's Foreign Ministry, Karias, were talking to the high-ranking officials of Naples who came to welcome them.
"Welcome, our great allies of Diónia! Thank you very much for your timely arrival. We can finally rest assured! For the past two days, there has been a continuous flow of Cayutini's warriors passing through Lola and Susella in the east. The people of the Campanian Alliance are very uneasy! "The chief general of Naples, Onosius, said excitedly.
"Has Cayutini's army started their attack?" Lizaru asked immediately.
"Not yet. However, based on past experience, they will probably rush into the territory of the Campanian Alliance in the next two days. I'm afraid the scale of the Samonians' invasion this time will be far greater than before! "Mithides, a well-respected member of the council of Naples, replied with a gloomy expression.
The envoy of Diónia, Karias, also had a gloomy expression. He was a Turií, a student of Ancitanos. A few years ago, he was still studying history in the Diónia Academy while serving as a teacher in the Turií Academy. After Ancitanos became the foreign minister, he recruited his good student from the academy to serve as a civil servant of the Foreign Ministry due to the lack of manpower. Previously, Karias had also gone on a diplomatic mission to a foreign country and successfully completed the mission given by the kingdom. He did not expect to be humiliated by Cayutini. Furthermore, Cayutini had launched such a huge attack after that. It was obvious that they were taking revenge for the warning he had given to Cayutini.
However, Lizaru smiled. "Cayutini's people came at the right time. The soldiers are looking forward to a big battle!"
"You must be Legion Commander Lizaru. I've long heard of your name!" Onosius said in an obsequious manner.
"You've heard of me?! I've never fought in any big battles. Am I that famous?! " Lizaru's expression darkened. He subconsciously thought of how he made a fool of himself during the Corinth Tournament. That was a sore point for him.
Onosius was stunned. He did not know why his enthusiasm was met with such a cold expression.
"Legion Commander Lizaru, who doesn't know that you played an important role as the first captain of Legio III when we defeated the Samonians back then! This time, we are all looking forward to you leading the Diónia Legio III to make a name for themselves in Campania! " Mithides said sincerely. It was obvious that he had already understood the army that Diónia had sent out beforehand.
At this moment, Lizaru was a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, another Neapolitan general, Aialos, asked a timely question to divert his embarrassment. "General Lizaru, how many reinforcements did you bring this time?"
"Ten thousand," Lizaru answered crisply.
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