The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

Theaprotis stood there, mouth agape.

Davos rubbed his sparsely bearded chin, lost in thought. Becoming an alliance—truly a brilliant move! The greatest obstacle to getting the Crotone people to agree to cede Asprustum and the lands north of the Neto River was Crotone's security. An alliance would eliminate this obstacle. Everyone in Magna Graecia now knew that the Dionysian archons were known for their commitments.

Crotone, weakened after the war, could find refuge under Dionysian protection. So, did Dionysian need this alliance? Of course! With so much new territory, immigration, administration, and the formation of new defense forces would take considerable time. The biggest concern was that the immigrants would clash with the Crotoneans near the border, potentially sparking another war. This alliance would allow the Dionysians to safely annex, assimilate, and consolidate this territory. Therefore, an alliance was the best option for both sides.

Davos studied Lysias with a complex expression, thinking: His own city-state had been humiliated, and facing a hated enemy, yet he could come up with a clever proposal to form an alliance with them. Without great composure and rationality, it would be difficult to do so!

Seeing that Davos remained silent and stared at him, Lysias felt a little uneasy. He urged, "Lord Davos, do you agree to this proposal?"

Davos regained his composure and said, "What kind of alliance?"

"A separate offensive and defensive alliance between the Dionysian Alliance and Crotone!" Lysias said solemnly.

Davos pondered for a moment, then understood Lysias's clever trick. He didn't want Dionysian forces to join the Crotone Alliance and influence Crotone's allies like Cilitum, Trina, and Coronia. Davos didn't care, believing that as long as he was strong enough, other city-states would naturally come to his aid.

"The Dionysian Alliance can only form a defensive alliance with Crotone!" Davos responded calmly. It was fine for the Dionysian Alliance to protect Crotone, but helping Crotone expand, for example: if Crotone attacks Locri in the future, Dionysian will also have to lead its army to participate according to the alliance agreement... Davos would certainly not do such a stupid thing, and the weak Lysias had no choice but to agree...

The negotiations continued until the afternoon, and a preliminary draft was reached: First, the Dionysian Alliance and Crotone formed a defensive alliance (putting this item first, first of all, to appease the people of Crotone). The following were the effects of the treaty: second, Dionysia would unconditionally release all captured Crotone allies and allow them to return to Crotone; third, Crotone would transfer the city of Asprustum and half of the land on the northern plain of the Neto River (mainly the land near the Crimea) to the Dionysian League; fourth, Crotone would pay a lump sum of 500 talents to help the Dionysians migrate to Asprustum...

The validity period of the treaty was finally set at five years. Davos initially requested a two-year term, but Lysias strongly requested an increase to five years. , compared with the situation when the agreement was reached half a year ago, it is completely opposite, which shows that the strength of both parties has changed.

Crimea was not mentioned in the treaty. Davos believed that Crimea was a neutral city-state and did not belong to the Crotone League. Crotone had no right to discuss it. Lysias, on the other hand, considered minimizing the stimulation of the treaty on the people of Crotone. He even turned the compensation into aid. Of course, it would be better not to mention Crimea if it were possible. In fact, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the city of Asprustum and half of the land in the plain north of the Neto River belonged to Dionia, and Crimea belonged to Dionysia. With Crimisa already surrounded by the Dionysians, what other options did it have?

Lysias and Thesprotes returned to Crimisa. Myron immediately questioned Lysias about the status of the negotiations. Fearing further trouble, Lysias explained that the negotiations had only just begun and that some of the Dionysian demands required discussion by the council before a decision could be made. Then, he hurriedly boarded his ship and departed Crimisa.

Myron felt uneasy: With the fall of Asprustum and Locri's declaration of war, Crotone now had few options left. It all depended on how harsh the Dionysian terms would be.

.........

What is even more uneasy are the people of Crimea. Although they are trapped in the city, what happens in the outside world is transmitted through the port and cannot escape their eyes and ears. Lysias has appeared in the city many times. What is he doing here? They also know in their hearts that small city-states are struggling to survive between large countries, and they are quite sensitive to the situation.

Antaoris, the chief general of Crimea, once took the initiative to find Lysias. Lysias avoided the question and did not have an in-depth conversation about the fate of Crimea, and Milon has been avoiding him intentionally or unintentionally recently... All these made Antaoris feel that this peace talk would be difficult. Crimisa was in a critical position. Having fully supported Crotone, it might end up being abandoned by Crotone! The thought of this pained Antaeus.

He then secretly conferred with Eurips, Pleiades, and others, deciding not to sit idly by and wait for death. Instead, he proactively approached Dionysia to find a way out for Crimisa.

Although the entire city's defense had been entrusted to the Crotones, the Crimisas, after all, were the local tyrants. Their men secretly left the city in the dead of night, crossed the blockade, and reached Dionysia's camp. After he explained his intentions, the guards brought him before Davos.

"Crimisa wants to surrender?" Davos said with a teasing smile: "Your entire city is controlled by the Crotone people. What benefit can your surrender bring to me?" The

visitor was speechless for a moment. Seeing Davos's indifferent expression, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "We Crimisa still have more than 300 citizens who can fight. When you attack the city, we are willing to attack the Crotone people from the rear and help you capture the city of Crimisa, and then-" "

Then, when the war is over, the Crimisa people will continue to remain neutral!" Davos looked at him and said playfully.

"No! No!..." The visitor shook his head hurriedly. By then, Crimisa had already offended Crotone, so how could it remain neutral again: "Crimisa is willing... willing to join the Dioria Alliance!"

"It's too late!" Davos said seriously, "We don't need you to take any risky actions, nor do we need Crimea to join the Dionysian Alliance. There is only one way for Crimea to go!"

Davos emphasized his tone and said decisively, "Become part of the Dionysian Alliance! The Crimeans will become citizens of the Dionysian Alliance! Then the Crimeans' land and property will be protected, and Crimea's generals and parliamentarians will also be voted by the Dionysian Senate, and some will become members of the Senate!..." When Lysias and Thesprotes read the draft covenant to the council of Crotone, they expected outrage and debate, but in reality, opposition was minimal. Just before Lysias returned,

the

Dionysian army reappeared in the heart of Crotone, displaying its might and destroying a village outside the city. Witnessing this from the city walls, the council hastily assembled several thousand men to intervene, responding to popular demand. They were easily defeated and fled back in disgrace. Fortunately, the Dionysian soldiers did not exploit their victory to attack the city, but instead retreated.

The frustration felt by the Crotone people is understandable. Furthermore, this agreement, literal meaning, wasn't a truce for the defeated, but rather a mutual aid alliance. While some land was "transferred," most Crotones were grateful for the successful return of captured Crotone citizens and the alliance with Dionia. The Dionysian Archon Davos, who had twice triumphed over Crotone with fewer troops, had already instilled a deep fear in them. Some even believed the rumors that Davos was a descendant of the gods, favored by Hades. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief to finally become allies of Dionysia, no longer an enemy of Davos. Some even suggested: Now that the alliance had been signed, could Dionysia be invited to send troops to join the Crotonine army south to repel Locri...

............…

At the end of January 398 BC, after sacrificing a lamb to the god Apollo outside the city of Crimisa, the Dionysian archon Davos and the Crotonine general Lysias formally signed the alliance, bringing the Second Crotonine War to a close.

When news of the war's end spread, many Crotonine soldiers in Crimisa cheered. Their morale had plummeted during their battles with Dionysia, a force they had previously dominated Magna Graecia, and their frustrations were palpable. Now, a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

"See! These are the voices of the citizens! They are tired of fighting Dionysia!" This scene prompted Lysias to exclaim, responding to Myron's earlier complaint that he had compromised too much during the talks.

From the window, Myron watched with a sense of loss as the soldiers on the street threw down their shields and spears as if relieved, and rushed to the restaurants to drink wine, as if they had won a victory. For a long time, he was speechless.

Then, a guard entered: "General, Antaeus is asking when we are leaving?"

"Damn Antaeus! Don't think that just because Crotone has been defeated, the people of Crimisa can disrespect Crotone!" Myron suddenly cursed, venting all his anger. "Go tell them not to provoke me, or I will reduce this city of Crimisa to ruins with a single command!"