ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 669 Rescue the Campania Alliance
On the third day, the fully-equipped Third Legion left Grumentum, took a ship to Poseidonia, and entered the port of Naples by sea.

Naples is a pearl among the Greek colonial cities in central Italy. It is the second colonial city built by the Greeks in Italy after Cumae and has a long history.But at first it was just a small port called Parthenope (meaning pure eye, which is the name of a sea monster in ancient Greece). As time went by, it continued to expand and finally became Campany. The largest city-state in the Asia region, it was later renamed Naples, which means "new city".

Syracuse once provided great help in the development of Naples.A hundred years ago, Dilon, the tyrant of Syracuse, sent a large army to help Cumae and Naples repel the Etruscan attack.Later, the Syracuseans sent troops many times to help Naples resist the invasion of the Samnites. Therefore, Naples and Syracuse had a close relationship in the past and were close allies.

But since the rise of Dionia, the hegemony of Syracuse was completely destroyed in the South Italian War. Naples, which had strongly supported Dionysius in the South Italian War, had to turn to surrender to Dionia ( A large number of Campania mercenaries under Dionysius were provided by the Campania League headed by Naples).

The Samnites also helped Naples a lot during its expansion.For hundreds of years, the Samnites have continuously invaded from the eastern mountains to the western lowlands, capturing many towns established by the Etruscans and Greeks in Campania. Even the ancient city of Cumae was destroyed, and the large city of Ca Pua was also occupied by them, and a large number of fleeing people poured into Naples, which they considered the safest place. This caused the population in Naples to explode and overflow. This is also the reason why there were so many Campania mercenaries in the Western Mediterranean in the past.

Under the constant attacks of the fierce Samnite people, the Campania League, which was originally formed for the purpose of defending the natives and protecting the security of the city-state, was left with only a few towns lined up along the coast. If If the Campania League had not formed an alliance with Dionia in time, most of this land would be owned by the Samnites in less than 30 to [-] years.

On this day, the Neapolitans, who had been notified in advance, specially vacated half of the port to allow nearly a thousand passenger ships carrying soldiers from Dionia to dock.

Many people from Naples came to the port with their families and watched curiously.

"I heard that the third legion of Dionia who came to Naples this time..."

"What does this 'legion' mean?"

"That is a unique kind of army in Dionia. It is very different from our other city-states. I heard that this kind of army has many advantages, so it will have an advantage in battle..."

"Since the third legion is here, there must be the first and second legions. Why don't the first and second legions come to Naples? You must know that we, Naples, are the leaders of the Campania League!"

"Idiot! It's not that Dionia looks down on us, but that its third legion is the closest to us. It is stationed in the Lucania area, and it is most convenient to come to our Campania. And don't underestimate this third legion. The three armies, in the South Italian War more than ten years ago, defeated the Samnite army that invaded Potentia, and also captured Capusa and Enona on their own, so they dealt with the Samnite people, They are very experienced!”

"The third legion is so powerful, wouldn't the first and second legions of Dionia be even more terrifying?!"

"I heard that the Kingdom of Dionia has ten legions, each of which has gained a lot of military exploits in previous wars. I think any legion is enough to fight against the fierce Samnites."

"Ten legions?! Oh my god, Apollo, how many soldiers are there in Dionysia!"

"So it is very correct for the Campania Alliance to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Dionia! With the help of Dionia, we will no longer be afraid of those Samnites who are like evil wolves."

"Look! Look! The Dionian soldiers have begun to come ashore. Hey, why are the armors on their shoulders black?"

"I know this. Dionia uses Hades as the protector of their kingdom, advocating black, and their king is said to be a descendant of Hades."

"Speaking of Hades, last year we built a temple of Hades in our city. It is said that the priests were sent from Thurii. They were very enthusiastic towards the people who came to worship, and not only took the initiative to answer various questions , and also provide free medical treatment to believers and provide some useful help...

I just went there a few days ago. A well-established priest spent a lot of time listening to me talk about my depression and enlightening me... Therefore, other temples cannot be compared with the Temple of Hades. It is no wonder that this temple This god will be so popular in southern Italy, I heard that even the Samnites in the city of Nasera have begun to believe in him. "

"Is it really that good?! Then I will also go to the Temple of Hades to worship tomorrow!"

"Stop talking, look, the Dionian soldiers have begun to form a team. Wow! Their movements are really fast, and almost no soldiers are talking. It is not like our citizen soldiers gathering. The sound will be so noisy even ten miles outside the city. If you can hear, this is an army that can fight against powerful enemies!"

"Oh, look! There are so many flags in the Dionysian Army, and they are all shining with gold. They are so beautiful!"

"Idiot, those flags are used to direct battles, not for good looks."

"Look! The Dionysians actually sent so many cavalry, which probably exceeds the number of cavalry in our Campania Alliance."

"What's so strange about this? I heard that Dionia has four cavalry regiments, each with nearly 2000 cavalry."

"Oh, Apollo, Dionia is such a powerful country!"

……

The people of Naples commented and discussed the Third Dionysian Legion that landed in the port, but few people criticized the third Legion for having so many foreigners (mainly Lucanians), because Naples Since its establishment, it has been surrounded by many foreign races, including the Olonchi and Etruscans in the north, the Samnites in the east, the Lucanians in the south, and the Philippines on the island of Sardinia in the west. Nikki people.Hundreds of years of living have made them accustomed to living next to these foreign races, and their cultures have penetrated and influenced each other deeply. Therefore, the people of Naples are far less xenophobic than the Greeks in other city-states, and many people in their city-states are still mixed. , one can imagine the tolerance towards foreigners.

The first time the army of the Kingdom of Dionia set foot on the territory of the Campania League, the Third Army immediately won the applause of the surrounding Naples people with its strict discipline and majestic military appearance. It can be said that it was a successful initial establishment of Dionia. Image of the Onian army.

Just as the various brigades of the Third Army and some of the cavalrymen from the Second Cavalry Army were arranged in neat columns, Lizaru, the commander of the Third Army, and Karias, an official of the Dionysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were talking to the former Come and greet them with talks from the top of Naples.

"Welcome, great Dionian allies! Thank you very much for your timely arrival as promised. We are relieved! In the past two days, Cavutini warriors have been crossing Lola (Nola) and Sacera in the east. Suessula), the people of the entire Campania League are very disturbed!" Naples Chief General Onosius said excitedly.

"Has Kautini's army begun to attack?" Lizaru asked immediately after hearing this.

"Not yet. But based on past experience, they may rush into the land of the Campania League in the next two days. The scale of the Samnite invasion this time will probably be far greater than before!" A respected member of the Council of Naples Metides replied with a melancholy look on his face.

Dionysian messenger Karias also looked unhappy.He is a native of Thurii and a student of Ansitanos. A few years ago, he was studying history in the Dionia Academy and serving as a teacher at the Thurii school.After Ansitanos became Minister of Foreign Affairs, due to lack of manpower, he recruited several of his students from the academy to serve as civil servants in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Karias had been on several missions to foreign countries before and successfully completed the tasks assigned by the kingdom. Unexpectedly, he was humiliated in Cavutini, and Cavutini subsequently launched such a large invasion. It was obviously A warning to Cavutini before taking revenge on him.

Lizaru smiled: "The Kautini people came just in time, the soldiers are eager for a big battle!"

"This must be Commander Lizaru. I have heard of your name a long time ago!" Onosius said flatteringly.

"Have you heard of me?! I haven't fought in any big battles, am I that famous?!" Lizaru's face darkened, and he subconsciously thought of the joke he made at the Corinthian Games. heart disease.

Onosius was stunned. He didn't know why his enthusiasm was exchanged for the other party's cold face.

"Captain Lizaru, who doesn't know that you played an important role as the first captain of the Third Army when they defeated the Samnites? We are all looking forward to you in fighting against the Kautini invasion this time. The third legion of Dionia led by him became famous in Campania!" Metides said sincerely, obviously he had known about the troops sent by Dionia beforehand.

At this time, Lizaru felt a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, another Naples general, Aialos, diverted his embarrassment with a timely question: "General Lizaru, how many reinforcements did you bring this time?"

"1 people." Lizaru replied simply.

Ten thousand!Several generals in Naples were a little surprised.

(End of this chapter)