"You’ve been in Sarabia for so long and haven’t gone to see Naisuya yet. You can take the chance to visit her later," Maximus reminded once more.
The Governor Mansion in Sarabia was quite spacious. Maximus arranged for the oldest group of children in the team to stay there to facilitate tasks, including Naisuya.
"She’s busy with her studies and work now. She probably forgot about her mother long ago," Acronis said with pride in her teasing tone.
Karina listened to their warm conversation from the side, feeling a tinge of envy...
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Metapontum, a coastal town in Tarentum Bay, was legendarily founded by Nestor and his Pylian people from Troy. It became very wealthy due to agriculture and maritime trade, attracting the covetous eyes of the northern mountain people, who attacked and destroyed the city state along with its neighbor Siris.
Later, the Achaeans rebuilt it, restoring its prosperity, and even attracted mathematician Pythagoras to reside there and design coin molds for Metapontum.
In the decades since, the Metapontum people lived in peace and were even too lazy to involve themselves in the Marci War.
However, since February of this year, one of the rebel leaders, Enomai, and his forces entered the Metapontum region, and warfare has been raging ever since. All villages were plundered, and Metapontum City was besieged. The rebel army launched multiple sieges, and without Metapontum’s well-equipped defenses, Governor Silanuus’s appropriate responses, and aid from neighboring towns via sea routes, it might have fallen.
By early March, after several days of rest, Enomai’s army launched another attack on Metapontum City.
The battle cries thundered beneath the city as both sides fought fiercely; Enomai roared incessantly from behind, his heart filled with anxiety.
Earlier this year, he and Cross led the army, departing Campania first, following Ania Avenue southward. Cross selected this marching route, believing that the direction had the most cities built by Greeks, who were skilled in management, naturally leading to an accumulation of wealth, thus providing more resources for their army.
This turned out to be true. The army swept through, and despite lacking time to conquer larger towns like Poseidon, Brentum, and Branda, it quickly resolved the material shortage crisis. The journey through the Lucania Mountains encountered some minor problems but ultimately reached its destination—the Turi Plain.
The largest town here is Turi.
Turi’s predecessor was Xubalis. The Xubalis people were indulgent in luxury and were eventually destroyed by Croton. Later, under the initiative and support of Athens’ great Governor Pericles, Turi was established on the ruins of Xubalis.
The Turiians learned from Xubalis’s downfall. Their city walls were solid and thick, with well-equipped defenses, making it impossible for Cross and Enomai’s armies to conquer. Nonetheless, they encamped on the Turi Plain, raiding the surrounding areas.
Turi’s military strength was insufficient, making them dare not venture out of the city to fight. They could only watch from the city walls as the rebel army continuously plundered the farms and villages.
Meanwhile, the reputation of Free Italy quickly spread throughout the Bruttium region (including the Turi Plain in the front part of Italy’s boot), and displaced farmers and the poor from the region flocked to the Turi Plain, eagerly requesting to join the rebel army.
The substantial increase in material wealth and rapid expansion of the army’s strength, however, led to friction between Cross and Enomai. This rebel army was primarily led by Cross, and their forces camped together and often acted in unison. But due to Cross’s rather selfish nature, he often distributed more loot to his own troops, which naturally provoked Enomai’s dissatisfaction after several instances. The two argued, and eventually, in a fit of anger, Enomai led his forces away from the Turi Plain, traveling along the coast northward in search of a new encampment.
His final choice of Metapontum was because he found it to be quite wealthy and able to support his troops. Moreover, not far to its east was the territory of Tarentum, where the main force led by Spartacus was stationed. Compared to the selfish and stingy Cross, Spartacus was undoubtedly more trustworthy, and Enomai could rely on him to ensure the safety of his forces.
However, the lessons learned on the Turi Plain also made him unwilling to merge into Spartacus’s main force. This was due to the pride of a rebel leader, and he also wanted to prove to Cross that he could lead his troops independently and live well.
Still, the wealth of Metapontum was clearly incomparable to that of the Turi Plain. After plundering the surrounding areas, he still felt unsatisfied, thus wanting to capture the town. With Maximus already occupying Pompeii and his forces living better than anyone else, Enomai sought to emulate him.
But as it turned out, this coastal town, much smaller than Turi, was not so easy to conquer. Repeated failures in sieging made him extremely agitated. Ignoring the casualties of his soldiers and the advice of his subordinates, he vowed to capture the town. This was not only due to his stubbornness but also because he needed this victory to reinvigorate his prestige within the troops.