Chapter 461: War Preparation (III)
“The most suitable candidate is indeed Lord Sedrum!” Kunogelata and Cornelius answered more sincerely this time than before.
After Sedrum arrives in Thurii, the Greek statesmen barely know about him as he seldom took the initiative to speak at the Senate meeting. However, through the information collected by the intelligence department, Davos knew him well enough as he even knows that Sedrum had joined forces with the Lucanians to invade Thurii, but when Davos defeated them, he turned his back on the Lucanians and burned their camps. Furthermore, he was the one person that Pian – the great chieftain of Consentia, feared the most, and he was also the first to advocate the Bruttian Tribal Alliance… That is the reason why Davos didn’t give him any position at the beginning, as he wanted to wait until they completely stabilised the Bruttian region before reappointing the capable but unpredictable Bruttian chieftain. Unexpectedly, a war broke out.
Baripiri turned to look at Sedrum in surprise as he wanted to ask, ‘Aren’t some of the measures you want to enact too cruel to your kin?!’
Although Sedrum noticed his expression, he did not give a damn. A few years ago, these Bruttian tribes fought with each other, but they were forced to unite because of the bad environment. In fact, apart from his own tribe, he doesn’t care much about the other tribes. That is why the only thing on his mind is how to deal with the Bruttian rebellion as soon as possible in order to show his ability to King Davos and the Senate.
At this moment, Rodom entered again with a slight panicking on his face, “Your majesty, a messenger has arrived from…the west, saying that-” Rodom looked at the others inside and subconsciously walked forward, trying to get closer to Davos to whisper.
“The west? Could it be?!” With a slight shock in his heart, Davos immediately said, “Since the several lords happen to be here, just say it as there is no need for you to hide it to them. It seems to be some more bad news?”
“Yes!” Facing the probing eyes of Kunogelata and the others, Rodom gulp and said, “The messenger reported that two days ago, the army of Laos attempted to sneak up on the Lao fortress. Fortunately, the defenders manage to repulse them. Lord Hemon managed to confirm it later that Alobamus of Laos had declared his withdrawal from the Theonia Alliance and declared war on Theonia!”
“What?! Laos has revolted as well?!” Cornelius exclaimed, and the other three became alarmed. After all, only bad news after another had come these past few days.
“Note that it was Alobamus who betrayed us and not Henipolis!” Davos’ eyes gleamed as he said with certainty, “One after another, these disloyal Theonians jumped on the bandwagon when Theonia is in trouble, wasting all the care we have given them over the years! Just enough! We could take advantage of this war to remove them all!” The murderous intent and confidence in Davos’ words encouraged the four men.
After calming down, Kunogelata suggested, “Your majesty, although archon Henipolis did not betray us, the thousands of Laosian warriors he led would inevitably be affected. So should we temporarily block the news and only make it public after the situation become stable, which is also good for the people who are distressed these days?”
Davos nodded as he grasped what Kunogelata meant: The people had just responded to the oracle of him becoming king, yet the Laosians was now rebelling. So what would the anxious people think?
“Indeed, you are right! Rodom, you take care of the messenger and ensure that he won’t contact anyone. After I write the orders, have him return to Lao Fortress immediately. Also, send out 20 guards to take over the mountain pass post and take anyone coming from the west into custody first.”
“Roger!” Rodom turned around and left.
“Everyone, with Laos’ current strength, the rebellion of Alobamus wouldn’t be a big problem as they wouldn’t be able to break through the Lao fortress. And it would be even more not worth their time to attack the city of Vergae, which is on perilous grounds. Alobamus is now like a turtle, cowering within the city, trying to wait for Syracuse to defeat us and then reap the benefits, which is nothing more than a dream!” Davos looked at the four men, then solemnly continued, “Sedrum, your appointment as the wartime governor is just in time. After taking the appointment letter of the Senate with my signature, you immediately rush to Bruttii and remind Saru to be vigilant against Laos and not easily send his troops. And once you pacify those rebels, have Hielos lead his army to attack Laos…by then, I think Bagul and Hemon should have already completed their recruitment. So once the time comes, you advance to the north while they advance to the south and take Laos!”
“Yes, your majesty.” Sedrum became a bit concerned after hearing Laos’ rebellion. Although Vergae and Laos began to trade with each other in recent years due to Theonia, their long-term rivalry made Vergae continue to be alert. Fortunately, Saru had become more composed and shouldn’t move rashly.
After seeing off the two Bruttian statesmen, Davos asked, “Is there anything you wish to discuss?”
Kunogelata and Cornelius began looking at each other.
Kunogelata then said, “Your majesty, you are now the king of Theonia. Therefore, do you have any demands for Theonia’s current political system?”
As Kunogelata finished, Cornelius gazed at Davos with slight nervousness.
Davos lightly smiled and said, “I am already thrilled that the people could embrace me as their king, so how could I have any additional demands. I only wish that it could function normally as before.”
Hearing Davos’ words, the two statesmen became relieved.
Davos looked at them both and understood what they, and the whole Senate, had in mind. In fact, his previous authority was not much different from that of a king, that is, he has the supreme military, administrative, judicial and ceremonial authority. Now that it was legalised, he didn’t need to make any major changes.
“But-” Just as he began to speak, it made the heart of both men tighten, “Now that I became the king and as the symbol of Theonia, I would inevitably also become a prime target for the enemies of Theonia. Thus I wish to improve the safety of my family!”
“Your majesty, the Senate was already discussing the security and the rights you would get from Theonia after you become the king.” Kunogelata immediately replied. After all, as a powerful union, his treatment and identity shouldn’t be too shabby; else, they would become a laughing stock to the other powers. Hence the Senate had already considered this.
“As long as my family remain safe, there is no need to make it too complicated and spend too much energy on it.” Reminded Davos. Then he added, “Right now, our focus should still be on this damn war!”
“Your majesty, I heard that you are preparing for a naval battle against the Syracusans?” Cornelius asked.
“I was just about to tell you about it.” Davos looked at them and said with seriousness, “Among the enemies we are facing, the navy of Syracuse poses the greatest threat to us! Not only had they attacked our coast, destroyed our farms, killed our people and created panic, but they also forced us to station our troops along the way, scattering our forces and making us very passive. At the same time, they also threatened our food shipments to the southern defensive line, so we needed to increase our escorts due to the worry about their sneak attacks. I heard that they had attacked our logistics yesterday, and although we repulsed the enemy, most of the animals were wounded.
Furthermore, we should be more aware of Roscianum! Although Roscianum was the closest to us among our allies, and its officials such as Amikles and Gorkes are friendly with us, Roscianum is now suffering significant loss under the raiding done by the Syracusan navy. Hence if this goes on, I fear that the people of Roscianum would have a change of thought…”
Hearing this, Kunogelata and Cornelius’ expressions changed as they had neglected Roscianum, whose position was so important that if it rebelled, it would cut off Theonia’s territory, causing Theonia into real danger!
“So we must repel the Syracusan navy at once as we couldn’t delay any longer!” Davos said in a determined tone.
“But…but the Syracusan navy is much more powerful than our ships…” Cornelius said with a worried and stammering tone.
Davos laughed. Then he stood suddenly and exclaimed, “That’s why I had Seclian prepare for this battle in secret! Tomorrow will be a day when the Syracusan navy will cry out in pain!!”
Davos’s confidence affected the two men, and Kunogelata, who was encouraged by it, replied immediately, “Your majesty, is there anything for us to do? The Senate will do its utmost for this naval battle!”
“Good!!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Madam, master has already returned to Thurii, yet he couldn’t even come back for a visit?! And he only sent Henipolis to report…” Azune said with a slight grumble as she helped Cheiristoya walk around the garden.
Cheiristoya, on the other hand, remained calm and said softly, “He is the commander of the army and Theonia’s protector, so now that the enemy is close and he had just become the king, he has an even greater responsibility to set a good example for the soldiers and the people! He is probably thinking hard about ways to defeat the enemy right now, so it’s already good that we know he is safe. Don’t you think so, Sister Agnes?”
Agnes, who was also walking around, stroked her bulging belly. Although she was a bit disappointed, she still said with consideration, “You are right, sister. We shouldn’t be an obstacle to Davos!”