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“What did you say!!” Diaomilas knocked down his chair as he stood up.

“I abstain!” Once again, Taudeles\' affirmation was like a bolt out of a clear sky on the head of Umakas, and he only felt everything turn dark.

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

In the end, Davos became the supreme commander of the allied force. He then invited Umakas to act as his adjutant, which not only facilitated coordination and command but also gave Taranto a way out of this awkward situation.

As soon as the meeting was over, Teriphias followed Davos as they walked out of the room while talking and laughing.

Taudeles walked hesitantly behind but got caught up by Diaomilas and questioned, “Taudeles, what do you mean by this?! Are you also going to betray our alliance too?!”

Looking at Diaomilas\' furious face, the archon of Metapontum sighed and said with guilt, “To the north of Metapontum, on the upper reaches of Bradano River, is the city of Garaguso, where the Lucanian tribes gather. You must know that we used to have conflicts with these Lucanians, but it was just a minor problem. However, in the past two years, the conflict has intensified. According to the information we have received, the main reason is that the number of Lucanians in Garaguso is increasing, and the barren mountains are no longer able to support them. I had even heard that some tribes began quarrelling with each other and want to move south to obtain more land. If they truly go south, it will bring huge trouble to us, the city of Metapontum!”

“If the Lucanians dare to invade the land of Metapontum, Taranto would help you defeat these aborigines!” Blurted Diaomilas.

“Could Taranto be ready for a long-term war with the Lucanians in your current situation?” Asked Taudeles.

Diaomilas was unable to respond. At present, Taranto has two powerful enemies, Messapi and Peuceti, which have already overwhelmed them. If they were to provoke the Lucanians this time, not to mention the Council, any citizen of Taranto would have to think twice.

“I heard that when Theonia held the completion ceremony of the Temple of Hades, the Lucanians of Garaguso went to Thurii to express their desire for peace with the Theonians. With Theonia occupying most of the lands of the Lucanians, they have become the most powerful force there, and no Lucanian tribe dares to ignore them. I think that if Theonia were to protest against Garaguso, the Lucanians of Garaguso would think carefully…as the people of Metapontum all hope that war can be avoided. And that Metapontum would not be able to help you defend against the Messapi while facing the invasion of the Lucanians at the same time.” Taudeles politely expressed the sacrifice of Metapontum to Taranto. Then he said to Diaomilas with a slight apology, “It is just only a position. Isn\'t it that you Tarantines are in urgent need of a victory, and lord Davos is good when it comes to war! Rest assured, Metapontum will always remain as Taranto\'s greatest ally!”

Taudeles knew that he could not be as reckless as Teriphias. After all, Heraclea’s establishment was only more than 30 years ago, so their relationship with Taranto was not that strong and complex, and that their territory being closer to Theonia. While Metapontum is different, they have a friendship with Taranto that is over 200 years, and most of the citizens of the two city-states were either close or distant relatives, not something that could just be broken easily.

Watching Taudeles leave, Diaomilas\' resentment wouldn’t disappear quickly.

Umakas then came near and comforted him, “Now that Davos has become the supreme commander of the allied troops, it may be a good thing as he had to let his troops do their best when fighting the Messapians. Otherwise, it will damage his reputation.”

Diaomilas snorted, but he didn\'t lose his temper again and was instead at a loss: The reason he became the archon was that the rapid rise of Theonia had stimulated the Tarantines, and his radical ideas were approved by the people and passed in the ecclesia. For the first time in Taranto\'s history, they had launched a massive attack on the Messapians without regard for the lives of the citizens, not realising that perhaps the strength of Taranto had frightened its neighbours and had actually brought together the two races that had always been in conflict and had never been united, which led to Taranto’s current predicament.

“The most important thing now is that we must hold a Council meeting immediately! Tell the statesmen that Heraclea and Metapontum have changed their attitude towards Taranto!” Umakas looked with seriousness.

Diaomilas was shocked and became dejected: In just a few months, Taranto\'s status as a powerful city-state was now under great threat! How could such a situation happen? Is it true that as what that damned young man had said that war is related to the rise and fall of the city-state? But why is it that, in just less than two years after its establishment, Theonia, who has never stopped warring, has become more and more powerful?!

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

Meanwhile, outside Manduria, in the tent of the Messapi-Peuceti camp, the archons of the city-states of Messapi and the king of the Peuceti, Telemani, were discussing the new information they received.

“Are you sure that more than 10,000 foreign soldiers have reinforced Taranto?” Telemani asked with a startled look.

“This news has come from our men who sneaked into the port of Taranto. For this reason, lord Timogeras specially sent cavalry to scout near the port of Taranto, and there is indeed a huge military camp built. To be precise, it should be the reinforcements sent by Theonia, an ally of Taranto.” Said Pasimeus, archon of Rudiae.

“Theonia, it is a union of city-states just west of the Gulf of Taranto. I heard that their archon is a young man who has never lost in battle.” Said Karminus, the archon of Uzentum. Uzentum is just south of Taranto, on the east coast of the Gulf of Taranto, so he knew more about Theonia, which is on the west coast, than the other Messapian city-states.

“Never lost a battle?! How many battles has this archon of Theonia has fought in?! The head of Archytas, the military genius of Taranto, who the Greeks boasted before is still hanging on the gates of Brindisi!” Telemani then looked at Pasimeus, the leader of the city-states of Messapi, and said cautiously, “However, Theonia\'s ten thousand reinforcements is indeed a huge problem. We have been storming Manduria for two days without any progress, but we have instead lost many warriors. This damn city! You have built it to be too strong! Now that Taranto has reinforcement, they are bound to reinforce Manduria, and their troops will not be less than ours, while we are already tired from fighting for many days, so I suggest that we temporarily withdraw. Anyway, those Greek foreigners will not stay in Taranto for such a long time, and it will not be too late for us to capture Manduria after they leave.”

“Our king is right! Our warriors have been fighting for such a long time now, with many casualties, and our food is running out, and we won\'t be able to capture Manduria in just a day or two. The enemy\'s reinforcements would soon come, and if we were to fight the enemy head-on at this time, we would not have the advantage. Therefore, retreat is the best option for us.” The general behind Telemani expressed his support.

The archons of Messapi began to exchange glances. Indeed, unlike Brindisi, Manduria was built as a vanguard base for the Messapians to defend and attack Taranto, therefore, although the city is small, its walls are high and strong, but the archons of Messapi thinks that the Peucetians no longer want to fight anymore because they had already enjoyed the benefits of their agreement, that is, after taking back Brindisi, Messapi and Peuceti would jointly share its management, after all, it is one of the most important port cities on the Apennine peninsula, and hereafter the Peucetians would also enjoy the benefits of sea trade, and so they no longer want to pay anymore and pretended that the siege was difficult, hence why they wanted to go back on their words!

Pasimeus did not accuse Telemani of breaking the contract but said quietly, “King of the Peucetians, with your wisdom, you should be able to see that if we were to retreat at this time, all the victories we have won before would be lost again! The Tarantines will never stop their attack just because they have saved Manduria, and Brindisi will become their next target. Can Brindisi, who has few defenders and damaged city walls, resist the army of Taranto? And once we retreat, it would be impossible for us to assemble such a huge army in a short time! At that time, we can only watch as our people in Brindisi be slaughtered or enslaved by the Greeks!”

Telemani became startled: Just now, he was holding the mentality of taking advantage without suffering any losses and did not consider that there are more than 2,000 Peucetians who have just moved to Brindisi!

When Pasimeus saw him staying quiet, he continued, “What is more, we have made so much effort and paid so many of our warrior\'s lives to make Taranto suffer more than ever. According to the information we have received, Taranto\'s adult citizens are now either dead or disabled, and most of those who can fight are young and old, so if we are able to deal another heavy blow to Taranto in the coming battle, Taranto will no longer be able to resist our attack for time to come. Although it would be challenging for us to take Taranto, the land outside the city, especially to the west, will belong to us, Messapi and Peuceti!”

Telemani became interested. He rubbed his hands together and thought for a long time before saying, “If we really continue the battle, we must not have a head-on confrontation with Taranto\'s reinforcements, as the Greek hoplites that are in a formation are like stones, too hard to bite!”

“You are the supreme commander and have a long experience in fighting, so we will follow your orders.” Pasimeus said humbly, with lowered posture, which has satisfied Telemani.

Telemani\'s tone has also softened, “My suggestion is to lure Taranto…”