Chapter 754: Unifying the Carthaginian Navy

The enraged people of Selinus shouted angrily, "If you Carthaginians dare to leave, we people of Selinus will surrender to Theonia!" And their threat had once again made Milkpilles hesitate.

Just as the two sides began to argue again, the landing soldiers of the Eighth Legion had arrived near Selinus.

Upon hearing the news, Milkpilles immediately went to the top of the city wall and saw the enemies outside wearing black armour. They all appeared well-organised and had high morale, reminding him of how the Theonian army had defeated and pursued the Sacred Band. As a result, he felt a chill as his confidence wavered about whether he could lead the remaining army out of the city to repel the enemy or evade the enemy's attack and return to Lilybaeum.

After an emergency discussion with his equally frightened officers, Milkpilles decided to stay in the city and hurriedly sent a messenger to Lilybaeum.

The messenger arrived in Lilybaeum and reported to Muntebaal that the Theonian army had advanced on Selinus, cutting off the retreat of Milkpilles and the routed troops. He also informed that Selinus was short of food and hoped that Muntebaal could send the army to rescue them.

After recovering from yesterday's disastrous defeat, Muntebaal didn't mock them as Milkpilles had imagined. On the contrary, he considered the possible punishment he would receive from the Senate and had to repair his relationship with Milkpilles to save his meagre life. So he immediately issued a rescue order, asking the generals to mobilise the soldiers quickly, but this time he would personally lead the troops forward to rescue Selinus.

But the time they took to prepare gave Theonia's main force enough time to rush to Selinus. So by the time Muntebaal arrived, he witnessed the Theonian army already lined up outside the city and could only prepare to face them.

After the sound of the salpinx, the two sides immediately engaged in battle. However, the demoralised Numidian soldiers quickly retreated. And even though the wide field allowed the Numidian cavalry to use their strength, it didn't affect the overall situation.

In the end, Muntebaal's reinforcements got routed quickly, forcing them to flee hastily back to Lilybaeum. And since the Theonian army only suffered a slight loss, Milkpilles, standing atop the city wall watching the battle, stopped his plan to leave the city and launch an attack.

On the other hand, Leotychides didn't allow the soldiers to pursue the routed enemy. Instead, he had them build camps outside Selinus to besiege the culprit that had led to more than a decade of war between Carthage and Syracuse.

Meanwhile, Muntebaal, who had fled back to Lilybaeum, had not given up and had sent a messenger to Palermos to order Hasdrubal to lead the Iberian troops and rescue Selinus.

Hasdrubal, who had already been ignoring Muntebaal's orders, became even more indifferent upon hearing of the Carthaginian army's crushing defeat by the Theonians, despite having more troops.

Unfortunately for Milkpilles, he could only watch as the Theonian camp outside the city grew larger and stronger every day. He even heard reports from his scouts that the Theonians were building tall siege towers inside the camp, which naturally increased his anxiety.

The only positive aspect was that the Theonian naval blockade hadn't yet tightened. Therefore, the boat they dispatched managed to avoid enemy interception and arrived safely in Carthage to request assistance.

After a few days, the Carthaginian Senate finally stopped arguing and reached a consensus: Remove Muntebaal from his position as supreme commander of the Carthaginian army and deport him back to Carthage for trial. They then appointed the Iberian governor, Mago, as the new supreme commander of the army. But while he was still away, the elder Bomilcar would temporarily take command of the military in Sicily.

Bomilcar belonged to neither the Magonids nor the Hanno faction and was a neutral member of the Senate. However, unlike Adrusbal, Bomilcar had good relations with the other two factions, so he won the approval of the majority of the Elders as Acting Supreme Commander.

After his appointment, Bomilcar sailed to Lilybaeum immediately and announced the Senate's decree to Muntebaal, who had already anticipated this outcome and was then taken without resistance by the guards. After all, as the head of a prestigious family in Carthage, he would have seriously affected the future of his kin and the family's reputation if he resisted or escaped.

Bomilcar personally escorted Muntebaal to the port. However, before boarding the ship, Muntebaal, a grizzled veteran, warned him, "...You must never treat the Theonians like the enemies we have faced before. Not only were their soldiers fight bravely, but their generals were also cunning. Moreover, the fighting capability of the Numidian forces is worrying, so we must remain vigilant when fighting them, even if we have more troops than they do!..." Bomilcar thanked him for his reminder.

After receiving Bomilcar's thanks, Muntebaal let out a long sigh and said, "Even after all the Senate's worries, they still made the leader of the alien race, Mago, the supreme commander of the Carthaginian army! That's not good for Carthage!"

Bomilcar watched in silence as Muntebaal boarded the transport ship. After returning to Lilybaeum, his next task was to resolve the conflict between the Carthaginian and Iberian fleets.

Mago didn't want the Senate to control the Iberian fleet since he had built it with the money raised by the Magonids. And thus, Adhimilk, the Magonid fleet commander, opposed having the fleet under the Carthaginian fleet, which Anibal commanded.

Bomilcar, as acting supreme commander, invited Anibal and Adhimilk to a meeting at the commander's residence in Lilybaeum. He then solemnly announced the senate's decision: The Iberian fleet must accept the command of Anibal, commander of the Carthaginian fleet, which was the Senate's condition for agreeing to Mago's appointment as supreme commander of the Carthaginian army.

Adhimilk looked at Anibal, who gave him a friendly smile. But he wasn't fooled by the smile, for he had heard Mago say that Anibal was hostile to the Magonids.

Previously, Anibal was once close to the Magonids in the Senate, which led to his appointment as the commander of the Carthaginian fleet when Himilco led the army against Syracuse twenty years ago. In that battle, he defeated Syracuse's main fleet led by Leptines in a naval battle. But after the Carthaginian army suffered a crushing defeat under Syracuse, the troubled Himilco made a private agreement with Dionysius to survive. However, he did not inform Anibal for the sake of secrecy. As a result, Himilco and his close followers managed to escape successfully in a dozen boats, while Anibal's fleet was besieged in Syracuse's great harbour, almost losing everything. He only narrowly escaped when his subordinates risked their lives to rescue him. From that moment on, he harboured a deep hatred towards the Magonids and joined the neutral faction.

And the only reason the Senate continued to entrust him with the heavy responsibility of commanding the Carthaginian fleet was to check and balance Mago, who already took a tight hold on the military.

Although Adhimilk knew of Mago's desire to be the supreme commander of the Carthaginian army, he was uneasy about bringing the Iberian fleet under Anibal. But his loss in the naval battle not long ago had worn away his stubbornness, so he didn't dare to object outright and said, "Lord Mago was the one who built this fleet with his own hands, so I cannot make the decision and must seek Lord Mago's consent."

Bomilcar did not persist and promptly dispatched a messenger to Iberia to seek Mago's opinion. He also sent a messenger to Hasdrubal, who was currently in Palermos, hoping the talented and promising general would lead his troops south to rescue the Carthaginian army under siege.

Hasdrubal was so pleased by Bomilcar's humble tone that he almost immediately decided to lead the army. But Khilletztartus, fortunately, reminded him, "Who will take the credit for defeating the enemy and saving the Carthaginian army? Perhaps the Senate will think that since Bomilcar can command us, there would be no need for Lord Mago to be the supreme commander..."

Thus, he followed the advice and did not respond to Bomilcar's request. Instead, he continued to stay in Palermo, watching the battle unfold. And Bomilcar could do nothing about it.

A few days later, Bomilcar received Mago's reply. He agreed to Bomilcar's proposal of allowing the Iberian fleet to follow Anibal's command but requested that Anibal not interfere in the fleet's management.

As a result, the Carthaginian and Iberian fleets were placed under Anibal's command, bringing the total strength of the Carthaginian navy to around five hundred and forty warships, including four hundred and thirty-two triremes, which were the main force in the battle and could be described as powerful.

Given the critical situation in Selinus, Bomilcar promptly tasked Anibal with leading the Carthaginian fleet to escort transport ships, which would deliver provisions and soldiers from Lilybaeum to Selinus.

By this time, the Theonian army had already launched several attacks on Selinus. As a result, Milkpilles was forced to keep sending boats to Lilybaeum, seeking help. Although the Carthaginian Senate had already sent the first group of four thousand soldiers to Lilybaeum, Bomilcar did not dare lead them by land to rescue Selinus due to the current state of the Carthaginian army. Instead, he set his sights on the sea, where Theonia's military presence was relatively weak, to transport reinforcements to bolster Selinus' defences and use them to wear down the enemy, draining their morale and giving Mago and his army time to arrive.

But Anibal repeatedly refused Bomilcar's request because they still needed to settle the command of the Iberian fleet, and it would be impossible for them to cooperate immediately on the battlefield, which could easily lead to defeat. On the other hand, the strength of the Carthaginian fleet alone is no match for Theonia's.

Despite the Carthaginian fleet docking at various city-state military ports at the western end of Sicily, Anibal could still track the movements of the Theonian fleet in Sicily, gaining some understanding of its strength. At the same time, he urged Bomilcar to resolve the issue with the Iberian fleet as soon as possible.