CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 187 PROVOCATION

"The Dionian League has no intention of waging war against any Greek city-state. But if any city-state wishes to provoke war, bully us, and invade our land—Comrades, what will our answer be?!"Davos looked around the hall and asked loudly.

"Fight to the death! Destroy the enemy!"

"Fight to the death!" the veteran former mercenaries shouted in unison.

Phibidas walked out of the council chamber with a dark expression. Dorobisis came up to him, and seeing his gloomy face, quickly asked,"How did it go?!"

"Go! Get on the ship! We’re leaving!" Phibidas snapped.

Under the "escort" of patrolmen, Phibidas and his party hurried back, boarded the passenger ship, and sailed toward the open sea under the watch of two patrol vessels.

"If my ship rammed into them"—Phibidas pointed angrily at the patrol boats on either side hemming in his vessel—"would they sink?!"

"Ah?..." Dorobisis was stunned. Before entering the council chamber, he had already sensed that this diplomatic mission might fail, but he hadn’t expected Phibidas to be this furious. What exactly had happened inside? Sensibly, he dared not ask.

Phibidas gazed at the city of Thurii disappearing from view and buried the humiliation deep in his heart. In a cold voice, he said, "We’re going to Castiglione!"

"Archon, I fear that driving away the Spartan envoy will not be good for the League," Cornelius said worriedly.

"I told you long ago to drive those mercenaries out! You insisted on keeping them, and now trouble has come!" Polyxius said discontentedly.

Faced with this reproach, Capps, Agacia, and the others—once comrades-in-arms with those mercenaries—found it hard to respond. At this moment, Prexinus stood up and said:

"Didn’t those mercenaries who broke the law receive punishment under League law? And haven’t other freemen committed crimes as well? Why should we single out mercenaries for expulsion? Gentlemen, the League is in dire need of manpower right now. It is precisely our openness, freedom, and equality that have attracted so many foreigners and freemen to us. There is no reason to rashly drive away those who seek refuge in the League—doing so will only damage our reputation and sow doubt in the hearts of all Greeks who wish to join us!"

"But... what if Sparta declares war on us?" Oriphis asked worriedly.

"So what? Do you intend to accept Sparta’s unreasonable demand, and let Lord Davos lead our citizens to Asia Minor?!" Prexinus snapped.

"I... I..." Oriphis glanced at Davos guiltily and dared not speak again.

"Sparta may not even dare to fight us!" Davos said confidently. "We are no small city-state, but a powerful force in Greater Greece! Victory will not come easily to them. And most of their strength is now tied up in Asia Minor—fighting Persia is no easy task, nor will it end quickly. I’ve also heard that not long ago, Sparta fought a war with Elis, the city-state in charge of the Olympic Games... This shows that even within the Peloponnesus, there are many who resent Sparta. Would they really dare to start another war here in Greater Greece at such a time? I have my doubts!"

Although he said this aloud, Davos was already regretting in his heart that he had rashly agreed to Agacia’s proposal without thorough consideration. There is never certainty in this world—if Sparta went mad and truly declared war on the Dionian League, Davos was not afraid of fighting, but his carefully planned program of expansion would be delayed again.

The Spartan fleet’s voyage toward Castiglione was unexpected by the League. Patrol boats immediately reported the news to the Senate.

After urgent deliberation, Davos and the senators decided to send an envoy to Castiglione at once, carrying the Senate’s order: Castiglione must refuse to receive the Spartan envoy.

The messenger, riding hard along the newly built Thurii–Castiglione highway, reached the city quickly. But by the time he arrived, the chief general of Castiglione, Amiclis, along with other generals and some members of the Hundred-Man Council, had already reached the port to welcome the Spartan envoy. After all, as a remote small city-state, they dared not be discourteous to an envoy from Sparta, the hegemon of the Greek world.

When Phibidas disembarked and was just about to exchange formalities, an aide rushed up and handed Amiclis a papyrus slip. Amiclis’s face changed upon reading it. He immediately said to Phibidas,"Honored Spartan envoy, something urgent has arisen. Please wait here for a moment!"

Without waiting for a reply, he led the generals and council members a short distance away.

"Something seems to be going on," Dorobisis said curiously as he watched them huddle and argue in low voices.

Phibidas said nothing. He kept his eyes fixed on the group, feeling a bad premonition.

Amiclis returned with a resolute expression:"Honored Spartan envoy, I regret to inform you that as a member of the Dionian League, Castiglione has just received strict orders from the League: we cannot allow you to enter the city. Therefore—" He gestured apologetically, and a squad of soldiers stepped forward.

"You are insulting Sparta! Have you considered the consequences?!" Phibidas roared. His original plan had been to enter Castiglione, sow discord between it and Dionia, and perhaps persuade it to leave the League, since it had only recently joined. He also wanted to linger here, slip soldiers into Thurii’s harbor, capture some escaped mercenaries, and thus both appease the Spartan Gerousia and take revenge on the League. Now all of that was impossible.

Watching the furious Spartan leave, Amiclis allowed himself a moment of relief, but worry soon crept in: Dionia was bold—too bold—to provoke Sparta. If the Spartans really came with an army, what would Castiglione do?

But Phibidas was not yet ready to give up. He turned his ship toward Tarentum.

As one of the strongest powers in Greater Greece, Tarentum was, in his view, beyond Dionia’s influence. Moreover, Tarentum was a Spartan colony, and relations between the two were friendly.

The founding of Tarentum was rather dramatic. Centuries ago, Sparta had coveted the fertile lands of Messenia to the west of Laconia and waged intermittent wars for nearly a hundred years before finally annexing it and reducing the Messenians—Greeks of the same race—to helots. But because Spartan men were often away at war, the women, lonely at home, had affairs with the Perioikoi, resulting in children whom Sparta refused to recognize. Eventually, their leader, Phalanthus, after much effort, gained permission from Sparta to consult the Delphic Oracle. The oracle gave a puzzling prophecy: "Seek the place where rain falls from a clear sky to build your city."

Sparta allowed Phalanthus to lead these illegitimate children and other exiles to found a colony. They sailed westward across the Adriatic, into the Gulf of Taranto, but found no place matching the prophecy. After long months at sea, discontent spread among the followers. Phalanthus confided his frustration to his wife, who cradled his head in her lap to comfort him. But his sensitive wife began to weep, and when her tears fell on his forehead, he suddenly understood the prophecy—her name meant "clear sky." They landed at what is now the Bay of Puglia and built a city there, naming it after Taras, son of Poseidon.

Though Tarentum’s founders had left Sparta for lack of citizenship and later developed a democratic system—albeit one resembling Sparta’s dual kingship, Gerousia, and Assembly—it remained on good terms with Sparta. During the Peloponnesian War, Tarentum steadfastly supported Sparta, even refusing the Athenian fleet entry and supplies during its Sicilian expedition, which earned Athens’ wrath and led it to support the Messapians against Tarentum.

Phibidas’s arrival in Tarentum was warmly welcomed. But after the pleasantries, he immediately denounced the Dionian League’s arrogance and lack of respect for Greek traditions, warning the Tarentine elders:"The Dionian League worships force, thrives on aggression—it is a danger to all the city-states of Greater Greece!"He advised Tarentum not only to avoid alliance with Dionia but to actively curb its expansion.

The new Archons, Diomilas and Eumachus, evaded direct answers, laughing and making small talk. Only when pressed did they smile and say:"There must be some misunderstanding between Dionia and Sparta. Tarentum is willing to help mediate." Beyond that, they said nothing more.