Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Chapter 62: Arrival

Davos looked at the triremes besides him, only to see someone waving at him at the side of the ship.

“Hey, Xenophon, I didn't think that I would have a chance to say goodbye to you!”

“Davos, I accepted the request of Anaxibius and hurried to Byzantium to gather our mercenaries again and rush to Asia Minor. I did not expect that you are going to Magna Graecia! Stay, let's continue fighting together side by side!” Xenophon made a sincere request to Davos.

Davos secretly thought ‘that was close', then shruggered his shoulders and seriously said, “I'm sorry, I have already signed an agreement with Thurii and made an oath to Hades!”

“That is…unfortunate!” Xenophon, who respected the gods, expressed his regret, “We won't be able to fight together!…”

“It seems that Sparta is going to war with Persia. I can only wish you the protection of Zeus in the next war!” Davos said it from the bottom of his heart.

“I wish you the same!” Xenophon sincerely said, “I would have like to invite you to Athens to meet my teacher, Socrates. He would have been interested with your new ideas! And one of his students, my good friend Plato, have similar point of view as you. You two would've been good friends! Unfortunately…”

“One day I will go to Athens! I believe you would be able to finished the story of our battles in Persia. Don't forget to send me a copy.” Davos only knew that Xenophon later wrote the Anabasis, but he doesn't remember Xenophon's life experience. After all, he was not a historian in his previous life.

“Don't worry, I'll make you another copy.” Xenophon laughed.

Davos vaguely remembered that Socrates was convicted and was poisoned by the Athenian authorities. He didn't know the exact time, but he remembered that Socrates could have chosen to be expelled from Athens, but he insisted on staying and wanted to wake up the numb Athenian citizens with his death. So Davos gave up the decision to remind Xenophon and just waved and said, “Goodbye!”

“Goodbye!”

Who knew that this goodbye would have a great change, friends becomes enemies. Which is hard to predict…

As the fleet moved forward, the ships of Sparta gradually disappeared under the blue sky…

Seeing that Davos was still standing at the stern, Burkes couldn't help but walk over and said, “Still missing your Athenian friend??”

“Xenophon is a talented and capable person!” Davos was disappointed. After all, Xenophon was the first historical celebrity that connect this world with his previous life.

“Athens is built up by a group of talented people to create its glory!” Burkes said with deep thoughts, “Even we have the same glory as Athens, Only after Thurii is established it has prosper!”

“Oh, is it?” Burkes' words succeeded in arousing Davos' interest.

“At that time, the leaders in charge of the establishment of Thurii were two highly capable Athenians, Lampon and Xenocritus, as well as Protagoras, a famous scholar in Athens, who had made the laws for Thurii. Athens also invited Hippodamus, a famous Greek architect, to design the city of Thurii and was responsible for its construction at the same time, though other celebrated names in Athens moved to Thurii. One was Herodotus, a scholar who writes history. The other one is Lysias, a famous orator. There was even Cleandridas, a Spartan, who took control the war for Thurii. As a result, Thurii can keep the peace with Crotone to the south. Fight for the Siritris plain with Taranto to the north. Defend against the invasion of Lucanians and Bruttii to the west. Strengthen trade with Greece. Therefore, in one fell swoop, it became a great power in Magna Graecia!” Burkes couldn't help recall the past.

Davos listened carefully.

Then, Burkes' proud expression faded, “Unfortunately, Athens lost to Sparta. Now Sparta is the overlord of Greece…”

“Does it have a huge impact on Thurii?” Asked Davos.

Burkes didn't want to say more, and just replied, “When you arrive to Thurii, you will find out.”

Davos smiled and comforted him, “Don't worry, Sparta's hegemony won't last long.”

Davos' astonishing words immediately attracted Burkes' attention, “Why?”

“Because the Spartans are starting to take bribes.” Davos said half-jokingly, “The unique system that have come from ancient times for Sparta was intended to train the Spartan citizens into a fierce warriors, only in this way can several Spartans suppress the more numbered Helots, and dominate Greece with external rule. For this reason, only by letting the Spartan citizens maintain a plain and simple life can they ensure basic equality. Otherwise, the citizens of Sparta will raise objections, ‘why do you eat well and wear warm clothes? while I accept cruel training since I was a kid, and I need to be 30 years old to get out of the single life in the military camp.’ So they closed their gates, commercial trades are banned, the use of more portable currency are banned, banned debate, banned drama, banned poetry, banned writting and selling books other than military affairs. Everyone says that Spartans are terrible because the Spartans have no other entertainment except fighting and killing! Now, Sparta has become the hegemon of Greece, the strategic areas need to be garrisoned, their fleets needs to sail, and the Spartans needs to leave their country and stay out for half a year and they will of course touch things that they haven't been exposed to before. It's not easy to maintain a plain and simple life, but it's too easy to destroy it! Once the spirit of the Spartans to dominate Greece has been eroded, how long can Sparta maintain their hegemony!!”

Burkes had never heard anyone use such simple and vivid language to analyze the political system of Sparta, just like a sharp dagger stabbing at the fragile core of the Spartan system, which sounds very reasonable. He looked at Davos in a daze, this young man made him feel a little awe, and he suddenly remembered the rumor regarding Davos being ‘God's Favored’. He opened his mouth and found that his voice was dry. He coughed several times and couldn't help but ask, “If it's so, who will be the opponent of Sparta in Greece?”

Davos shrugged, “I'm not a god, how would I know,” He raised his head and looked up at the seagulls flying in the blue sky, Thebes, Macedonia… a string of city-state names flashed through his mind, and he doesn't know why there was a sense of pride in his heart…

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

After being stopped by the Spartan warship, Burkes ordered the fleet to travel both day and night for fear of further accidents.

A few days later, after arriving at the island of Euboea, they went ashore to replenish food and fresh water, and then sailed through the Cyclades Islands, bypassing the Attica Peninsula in Athens, because there was no time to go ashore, and Davos could only regretfully look westward on the ship to the famous classic, Athens, which was not in sight.

Then, the fleet passed through Argos, and carefully bypassed the Peloponnese Peninsula, until they reached the island of Zakynthos, and finally went ashore for a night. The next day, they sailed northward to the island of Corfu. Then they turned to the west and entered the Gulf of Taranto, named after the powerhouse in Magna Graecia, Taranto.

This is a calm harbor, the wet sea breeze can't lift a wave. The blue water is like a smooth and clear blue silk, countless ships are like silver shuttling around, weaving a beautiful picture on this huge blue silk.

When the mercenaries saw this beautiful scene, their bodies and minds which was exhausted by the long sea voyage, had suddenly became excited and began to make trouble.

Burkes' large fleet has also attracted the attention of those interested parties, a few triremes with a “person riding dolphins” on their sails came to meet them.

“It's okay, it's Taranto's ship.” Burkes talks to Davos as the fleet's leading ship moved forward.

“Are we in the waters controlled by Taranto?” Asked Davos curiously.

“Not yet. This is just an agreement between several city-states in this gulf, in order to maintain information between each other, just in case.” Explained Burkes.

Seeing the warship of Taranto turning around and leaving, the fleet continues to move forward…

About an hour later, Burkes pointed in front of him and said, “Ahead is Thurii.”

Davos quickly held on to the ship's side and looked at it with his wide gaze. More than 500 meters ahead was a green coastline, including a white “streamer” from west to east, straight into the sea; at the end of the “streamer”, countless white sails gathered, thousands of seagulls swirled in the sky, but there was no shadow of the city to be seen…