Chapter 723: The Samnites Plan

Everyone agreed with Katamentalus, so they sent ten thousand soldiers to help the Hernicans defend Ferentinum after their discussion.

Ten thousand men were the most the Volscians could send, even leaving Volsci defenceless once they left. Thus, they had entrusted their defence to Amintas, showing that the First Legion had won the complete trust of the Volscians with their fierce battle earlier.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hernican envoy of whom the Volscians speak has gone to Amintas in private, hoping to ally with Theonia and gain the support of this southern power.

Tapirus took over the negotiations, having received authorisation from King Davos.

Forced by the situation, the Hernicans soon drew up a draft treaty of alliance with Theonia. However, Tapirus reminded the other side that Theonia would need more time to send an army to support the Hernicans due to food shortages.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

When the news that the Carthaginian army had landed in Sicily and was attacking Theonian territory spread to the Samnite mountains, the morale of the Samnite tribes increased.

Lesguk thinks they should wait, as the war in Sicily has just begun, and the situation is still unclear...

But the other tribal chieftains could not wait any longer and finally decided to send troops to fight Theonia. However, they began to disagree about where they should attack.

Chieftain Usibek, representing the Caudini, insisted on attacking the Campanian region. Not only was the Campanian league weaker, but they could also rescue the more than two thousand captured Caudini warriors, which would strengthen their army.

Lesguk disagreed, arguing that since the Samnite Coalition had declared war on the Theonians, their greatest enemy was, therefore, the Kingdom of Theonia. As Great Chieftains, they should consider how best to fight Theonia and weaken them so that they can defeat the Theonians in this great war and eliminate their ability to retaliate against them.

Then, under Usibek's angry gaze, Lesguk said aloud, "I propose we attack the Dauni territory!"

He then calmly analysed, "Firstly, the Dauni territory is adjacent to the Caudini and Pentri tribes, making it easy for us to send our troops. As we will lead many warriors this time, we will have a big problem with the food supply, so a short journey means we will use less food along the way. Furthermore, the vast territory of the Dauni means that we have even more places to attack and put the Theonians on the defensive..."

Then Badani, the great chieftain of the Pentri, and Konteruk, the great chieftain of the Caraceni, nodded thoughtfully.

"Secondly, the Theonians had only occupied Dauni territory for two years. As far as I know, the Dauni have not yet wholly joined Theonia, and as they had just formed their army in the Dauni region, our attack will be easier and may even cause chaos there.

Moreover, the Theonians are now at war with the Romans because of the Volscians, so they will likely not send further reinforcements once the war between them intensifies. But if we attacked Campania, the Theonians would find it easier to move their troops due to its proximity. In contrast, if we attacked Dauni, Theonia would have to choose between saving the Volscians or saving Dauni!"

"The Theonians will surely send a large army to rescue Dauni, which would help Rome! While we have attracted a large army for ourselves!" Usibek replied angrily.

"That wouldn't be a problem since we could just retreat to the mountains again, which is convenient for us anyway." Lesguk smiled. Then he said, "But moving their army back and forth wouldn't be convenient for the Theonians since it would give the Romans more time to wipe out the Volscians. And once the Romans conquered the Latium region completely, we can even make way for them to attack Campania..."

"Would the Romans listen to you just like that?" Usibek sneered.

"Unless the Romans want to face Theonian retaliation in the future, they must intensify their attacks while they still can! And I hear that Rome's newly elected dictator, Camillus, is wise." Lesguk patiently said, "And once Theonia sent their army to deal with the Romans and Carthaginians, we can attack Dauni again and even attack Peuceti in the south, and besides-"

Lesguk looked at Usibek and continued, "We could capture as many prisoners in Dauni as we want and then ask the Theonians to exchange them for the captured Caudini warriors!"

Usibek's eyes brightened as he asked impatiently, "Will the Theonians agree?!"

"From how the Theonians have treated their people in the past, they would probably agree! And if they want the full loyalty of the Daunians, they will have to agree!" said Lesguk noddingly.

Konteruk suddenly asked, "Why don't we attack Potentia first to recapture the land that you Hirpini have lost*?" (Referring to Compsa)

Lesguk prepared for this question as he responded, "The mountain paths in the Potentia region are rugged, which would waste our time trying to conquer them completely. And that would be enough for the Theonians to mobilise a large army to counterattack! The defeat of Berani, our former chieftain, has taught us that lesson. Moreover, the city of Abellinum lay in the way of the Pontentia region so that if our army were to pass through it, it would inevitably provoke a strong reaction from Garni and probably lead to war, which would be against our ancient traditions!"

Lesguk spoke with such conviction that the old-fashioned Konteruk repeatedly nodded until he said, "This was originally an internal matter between your Hirpini tribe. But since Garni has become a critical issue that seriously affects the survival of our people, I propose that when the war is over, the entire Coalition will do its best to force the tribes of Abellinum to expel Garni. Then you would send a new chieftain. But if the tribes of Abellinum refuse to do so, we would ask the priests to pray to god Savoni and announce that we no longer recognise Abellinum as Samnites and will wage war against them!"

"I agree with this proposal!" Usibek immediately agreed, followed by Badani.

So Lesguk hastily expressed his gratitude, relieved that he could finally remove the thorn in his throat.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the military conference room of Theonia's royal palace, Davos and several officials from the Ministry of Military spent several days studying the ongoing war.

The Chief of the Army Staff, Philesius, stood in the centre of the room, leaning against the massive, carefully sculpted topographical map of the Italian peninsula and Sicily made of clay and cement. He explained to everyone while pointing to Minoa's location with a stick, "Your Majesty. Commander Prosous has written that he will take fifteen thousand men, then join with citizens from friendly city-states and go to Minoa to take the initiative and meet the main force of Carthage. And according to our analysis, he has a high chance of winning."

"Prosous is bold and determined, so let him do it." Davos nodded approvingly, already understanding the situation. Then he said jokingly, "I'm afraid the Eighth Legion's actions would embolden Seclian."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The First and Second Fleets sent ships to scout Sicily's southern and northern coasts. Still, they've found no sign of the enemy fleet, so Lord Seclian's wish to fight the Carthaginian fleet remains unfulfilled," replied Philesius.

Davos frowned, leaned down, looked at the map, and muttered, "Carthage's naval strength isn't that much less than ours, and they've never fought against us. So logically, they shouldn't avoid a fight... Be careful; the Carthaginian navy could bypass Sicily and attack our coast in Italia!"

"We have already considered this and informed the Third and Fourth Fleets to increase their vigilance. In addition, the merchant ships sailing in and out of the various ports haven't reported any sightings of the Carthaginian fleet," said Tolmides.

"Tell them to keep exploring and not let their guard down. Also, remind Seclian not to be too aggressive and ensure the Eighth Legion's victory over the Carthaginian army!" Davos warned.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will send someone to inform Seclian immediately," replied Philesius.

Davos turned to Deputy Quartermaster-General Arpenst and said, "Can we still manage the food supply for the entire fleet in Sicily?"

"Your Majesty, with Catania bearing part of it and the food shipped from Egypt... the supply could barely last the fleet for twenty days," Arpenst answered seriously, word by word.

The Quartermaster-General was Kapus, but with the Eleventh Legion newly formed in the Dauni region and the bad relations between Theonia and the Samnites this year, the Dauni region desperately needs someone with high prestige, extensive battlefield experience and strong administrative skills to lead them. After much deliberation, Davos has finally decided to send Kapus to serve temporarily as Legatus of the Eleventh Legion. But since this was somewhat of a demotion from his position as the Quartermaster-General, Davos didn't force him to resign from his current post. But now is the time of war, and the post of Quartermaster-General is crucial, so whoever holds it must not only do the job but do it well. So Kapus recommended his assistant, Arpenst, to act in his stead.

Arpenst was a senior officer who had followed Davos since their days in Persia. But he was inconspicuous and average compared to his colleagues in the Senate and the Legion. However, after the South-Italian War, he was transferred from his position as the senior centurion of a light infantry brigade to the Ministry of Military, where his diligence and earnest work ethic quickly gained him a foothold and the attention of several of his commanding officers.