The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe
Chapter 71 Exploration

Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Exploration

Originally, Vespa intended to exploit the chaos between Amendolara and Thurii to plunder freely. However, his scouts reported that Amendolara’s residents were preparing to abandon the city, carrying large amounts of supplies.

Seeing this opportunity, Vespa and his tribe struck swiftly. In a bloody encounter, they captured the fleeing citizens and seized Amendolara with little resistance. For Vespa, this felt like divine intervention from the god of Mount Asinu. Not only did his tribe achieve an easy victory, but they also secured abundant resources, occupied a mountain city—the preferred dwelling of Lucanians—and acquired a significant number of "slaves."

However, Vespa quickly realized the difficulties of holding onto the city with his tribe of barely over a thousand warriors. First, he had to assign hundreds of warriors to guard the thousands of captives. He also needed to prepare for the possibility of Thurii attempting to reclaim Amendolara. Most concerning was the threat from Grumentum. Vespa’s tribe had previously resisted being annexed by Grumentum, and now they had taken advantage of the Lucanian Tribal Alliance’s war with Thurii to seize a city that Grumentum might consider its rightful spoils. The vengeful Grumentum leader, Akpiru, would not let this slide.

Yet Vespa could not bear the thought of abandoning Amendolara and returning to the harsh life of wandering the mountains. After years of displacement, his people had finally found some semblance of stability.

While Vespa hesitated, good news arrived after several days: a plague had broken out among the Lucanian forces preparing to besiege Thurii, forcing them to retreat. Vespa was overjoyed, offering repeated thanks to Mount Asinu’s Divine.

In the following months, Thurii, weakened from its military losses, did not send troops to retake Amendolara. Vespa and his tribe enjoyed a rare period of peace and stability.

However, this spring, a Grumentum envoy arrived in Amendolara, bringing Akpiru’s orders: Vespa was to join the Lucanian Alliance for a second attack on Thurii. Vespa readily agreed but secretly sneered at the lack of discussion regarding Amendolara’s post-war ownership.

By now, Vespa understood that to retain control of Amendolara, he needed the Lucanian Alliance and Thurii to wear each other down. Only in such a scenario could his tribe survive in the gaps and buy time to integrate Amendolara’s resources to rebuild their strength. Consequently, when Vespa heard that mercenaries were continuously arriving in Thurii, he felt relief rather than concern. He instructed his people to avoid provoking the Greeks by staying within the city, allowing Thurii to prepare for war without interference.

That morning, scouts reported a group of about a hundred Greek soldiers entering Amendolara’s territory. This news startled Vespa. It was the first time since the previous year’s war that Greek troops had ventured into the area. Were they planning to attack the city? Why only a hundred men? Was this a vanguard force? Was Thurii aiming to eliminate this threat before dealing with the looming Lucanian Alliance? Yet, based on months of observation, this did not align with Thurii’s usual cautious approach.

Curious and suspicious, Vespa climbed the city walls to observe. Below, about a hundred Greek soldiers stood idly near the Sisno River, seemingly in no hurry to move. No reinforcements were visible in the rear.

"They’re here to scout," Vespa concluded. To counter this, he decided to demonstrate his tribe’s strength and dispel any illusions the Greeks might harbor. Vespa ordered his son, Bagule, to lead a thousand warriors out of the city, leaving just over a hundred to guard the captives.

Bagule and his warriors marched out of Amendolara’s gates with great fanfare.

Seeing the armed Lucanians, Asistes shouted nervously, "Leader, look at their weapons!"

The warriors were equipped like Greek hoplites, with helmets, round shields, and spears. This sight surprised Asistes, who momentarily thought Amendolara might have been reclaimed by a Greek army.

Juleios scrutinized the warriors and smiled. "It looks like the Lucanians looted the weapons of Amendolara’s citizens and equipped themselves. But they’re far from being real hoplites."

Indeed, Greek hoplites maintained tight formations and advanced slowly in straight lines before engaging in battle. In contrast, the Lucanians’ formation was loose and disorganized.

The guide, seeing the Lucanian warriors emerge, grew increasingly anxious. Juleios, however, appeared unbothered, even making light of the situation. This almost drove the guide to curse out loud.

Finally, Juleios issued the order: "Retreat. Let’s head back."

The guide, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted, spurred his horse and dashed away. The soldiers turned in unison and began jogging back. Juleios lingered for a moment, allowing his troops to gain some distance before he and his companions, Asistes and Ledes, followed at a leisurely pace. The guide, already far ahead, felt a twinge of embarrassment.

The Greeks retreated calmly, and the Lucanians pursued at an equally measured pace, maintaining a safe distance. It was only after the Greeks crossed the Saraceno River that the Lucanians stopped their pursuit, halting on the river’s north bank.

"A thousand... a thousand men..." Juleios mused aloud. "Asistes, do you think the Lucanians in Amendolara are eager to fight us or hesitant?"

"They don’t want to fight. Look at their cautious pursuit," Asistes replied without hesitation.

Juleios turned to the guide. "I’ve heard from Bourkos that there aren’t many Lucanians in Amendolara. Do you know their numbers?"

The guide hesitated. "That’s the general belief in Thurii, but no one seems to know exactly how many Lucanians are there."

Juleios smirked mysteriously and changed the topic. "What’s north of Amendolara?"

Feeling more at ease now that they were back on Thuriian territory, the guide answered confidently, "About twenty miles north is the Sinni River, and beyond that is the Agri River. Across the river is the city of Heraclea, situated on the fertile plains of Siris."

"Who controls that land?" Asistes asked curiously.

"It was a point of contention between Thurii and Tarentum," the guide explained with a hint of pride. "Thurii won twice, but Tarentum is a powerful city-state in Magna Graecia. They kept sending reinforcements, and the war dragged on for years. Eventually, both sides signed an agreement to jointly establish the city of Heraclea."

"I didn’t realize Thurii was so strong in the past," Asistes remarked.

The guide’s eyes lit up. "That was thanks to General Cleandridas, a Spartan! Even when Thurii lost to the Lucanians last year, it was because of an ambush. In a fair fight, the Lucanians are no match for us."

Asistes seemed ready to argue, but Juleios interrupted. "It’s still early. Let’s head south and take a look."

The guide, puzzled by Juleios’ seemingly tireless drive to explore, couldn’t understand why this young mercenary leader insisted on investigating every direction. The western and northern areas, home to Lucanians, made sense, but the south had no enemies. Still, the thought of venturing into safer areas brought the guide some relief.

Crossing a bridge west of Thurii, Juleios’ group entered the fertile delta between two rivers. Here, they saw carts hauling copper ore and stones along a rugged dirt road.

The guide explained, "These supplies are being transported to Thurii for construction and weapons production. Due to the war, the city urgently needs both materials."

"Copper and stone mines to the west?" Juleios inquired, narrowing his eyes as he observed the road cutting through the hills.

"Yes, but the Cosini River acts as a natural barrier. The Lucanians can’t cross it." Though the guide was usually talkative, he avoided further elaboration and quickly led the group to the Crathis River.

The Crathis, at least fifty meters wide, had a fast current due to the spring season. The floating bridge swayed as they crossed, forcing Juleios and his men to dismount and lead their horses carefully.

Beyond the river lay the Sybaris Plain, a lush corridor between the mountains and the coast. This corridor, much wider than Amendolara’s coastal region, was visibly busier, with Thuriian farmers laboring in the fields. Clearly, this was one of Thurii’s few remaining safe zones.

After traveling another ten miles south, the corridor narrowed abruptly due to large tidal flats along the coast. Here, the guide halted his horse and said, "Ahead lies the territory of Castros. Do you wish to continue?"

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