Dionysius not only freed them, but also gave them some gifts.

These Bruti and Lucanian warriors originally thought that the fate of the captives would be miserable, but they did not expect to be treated like this, and thanked the gods again and again for their protection.

Grateful to Dionysius, most of the warriors made their way back to the city of Aspraustum, but only a few hesitated and decided to go west, not through Clepetia, but over the mountain path between the plains of Eufermia and the mountains of Bruti, and return to their homeland......

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On this day, the 4th and 5th Dionian Corps, which had retreated to Asphorustum, suffered a total of more than 4,000 casualties, most of which were suffered during the retreat.

In particular, the first brigade of the Fifth Army was completely wiped out, and there was no news of the commander of the Fifth Army, Drax, which was a huge blow to the soldiers of the whole army, as well as to the top of the army such as Pherisius and Epitenis.

After the defeat of the general battle, he immediately realized that the situation was extremely unfavorable for Dionia, and he had to pick himself up and establish an effective defense as soon as possible to prevent the Syracuse army from invading Dionia's territory and win time for Davers to lead the main army back. So, in the city of Aspraustum, he conducted training for the Fourth and Fifth Legions after the defeat, and personally served as the commander of the Fifth Legion.

Epitenis also let go of his pride at this moment, and actively cooperated with Pherisius to train soldiers, and discussed with the administrator Agacia how to strengthen the city's defenses.

At the same time, Phellisius also sent a ballista unit and engineering battalion to Crotone to strengthen the defenses of the Crotone, as the Syracuse had cannons, and if Crotone did not have them, it would make it more difficult to defend the city. According to the new edition of the Dionian Military Law, the chapter on defending the city specifically mentions the principle of "fighting ballistae against ballistas". As an important ally on the southern border of Dionia, Crotone must not be occupied, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable, so Phellisius no longer cares about the military department's request that the ballista cannot be leaked.

In addition, Phellisius sent fast horses to recover the team that had escorted more than 500 Lokri captives to Turiyi, hoping to exchange these captives for Dionian soldiers captured in the Syracuse army.

The defeat in this battle also made him more cautious, and he sent an urgent message to the Turriy Senate. Because he feared that the Syracuse would bypass Crotone and take Crimesa, which was small and relatively weakly defended, he hoped that the Senate would send a new legion to Crimesa. In this way, the three cities of Sprustum, Crimesa, and Crotone are horns of each other, and they can support each other, and their defenses are thicker, more layered, and more secure.

The Trina rout led by Sipros did not follow the Dioonians into Aspraustum, but into the city of Crotone. Because the city of Asphorustum is too small to accommodate so many people for a long time. Moreover, the addition of the Trina soldiers would also strengthen the defense of Crotone, and Crotone was too late to be happy, and he didn't care about the rations that the Trina people consumed.

You must know that the armies of Crotone and Trila were brothers and sisters in this battle, and they happened to be on the two flanks of the coalition forces, and they were the direct targets of the attack and interception of the opposing reinforcements. Pursued by Campanian mercenaries and Syracuse sailors, fewer than 4,000 Trinas escaped. The Crotoneans were attacked by the reinforcements of the Syracuse and the continuous pursuit of the mercenary cavalry (the Numibian and Celtic cavalry, after being desperately volleyed by the first brigade of the Fifth Legion, in order to vent their anger and atone for their crimes, some of the cavalry dragged the Dioonians and waited for the infantry to come and encircle, while the other part turned to the northeast to pursue the Siritins and Crotone), and finally reached the city with more than 8,000 men.

Both sides lost almost half of their citizens.

In addition to his grief, Sipros was also secretly glad that he had made the right decision in advance, allowing the people of Trina to evacuate to the Bruti region of Dioonia early, and he no longer had to worry about their safety.

The people of Crotone, who had suffered a crushing defeat a few years earlier, were once again in great grief, and in addition to their grief, they were even more worried about whether Crotone would be able to withstand the attack of this huge army when they set foot on the land of Syracuse.

Crotone's army, plus Trina's rout, and less than 2,000 Siritins, totaled about 14,000 people, plus the council's urgent mobilization of freedmen to fight, it was estimated that 20,000 people could defend the city, so the generals of Crotone had some confidence.

At the urgently convened and enlarged Council of 1,000 men, it was raised that Crotone, now that he had suffered heavy losses, should he consider an armistice with the Syracuse, as he had done with Dionia, in order to regain his strength.

This proposal was opposed by the majority, and even Lucias, who had always been accustomed to compromising with the situation, refuted it with stern words, and said loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, unlike Dionia, the tyrant Dionysius, with such a great advantage, would never sign a truce with us on a relatively equal footing, but would have wanted to make our great Crotone his servant, to make us pay a high tribute, and to make our citizens shed their blood for his conquests. And even change our democracy to a dictatorship like Syracuse, as he did in other Greek city-states in Sicily! ……

Moreover, after Crotone became the so-called ally city-state of Syracuse, we also had to face the bullying of our sworn enemy Lockry, because Lodionysius married the sister of Demodocus, the chief general of Lockry, who was an accomplice in Syracuse's invasion of Greater Greece, and naturally had a much higher status than Crotone in the eyes of Dionysius. In this way, Lockry can use the power of Dionysius to humiliate us, and even to the benefit of Crotone! Citizens, in the face of such a very likely future, are you willing to surrender to Syracuse?! ”

"Fight to the death with Syracuse! Even if Crotone perishes, don't become a slave of Dionysius! ......" the citizens shouted angrily, and finally reached an agreement on the question of war and peace.

At this time, a messenger sent by Phellisius came to the city of Crotone, bringing not only the ballista troops, but also the promise made by Phellisius on behalf of the Dionian Senate: Dionya would fight alongside Crotone against the Syracuse! Any difficulties in Crotone can be raised with Dionia, who will do everything in his power to help solve them! ”

Dionia's promise and his actions (bringing in the Nu Artillery Corps) moved the citizens of Crotone and greatly removed the Androny's constant vigilance against Dionia. For the first time, the people of Crotone felt a sense of security that they had never felt before, backed by a powerful ally.

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The messenger of Phellisius galloped all the way down the road without stopping, and through the three horse changes at the roadside station, it only took half a day to bring the important battle report of the "defeat of the coalition army" to the Senate of Turiy, and soon spread throughout the city.

Although the people of Turii were not as sad as the Dionian people of Aspraustum and Crimesa, after all, most of the soldiers of the 4th and 5th Legions who participated in the war were from the Bruti region, Asrpstum, and Crimesa, but they were far more shocked than in these three regions. Since the establishment of the new city of Turiyi, every time there is a war, they have received news of victory, and they have become accustomed to victory for the first time to hear about defeat, and panic has spread among the people......

On that day, many people went to the Hades Temple to pray, hoping that the Hades would bless the alliance for safety. In the afternoon, even the people of Amendolara and Bissinia came to the temple......

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While the Senate was meeting urgently to discuss what to do, in Davers's mansion, Christoya was discussing with several of his business chiefs about the possible impact of the defeat of the coalition on his estate.

"Madam, Syracuse should soon march on Crotone, and Asphorustum will be a battleground to ensure the safety of the bank. Are we ...... Should the gold and silver stored in the Aspraustum Bank be temporarily evacuated from there? The bank supervisor cautiously advised.

"The banks of Asphorustum must not be evacuated!" Christoya said in a resolute tone: "You must understand that in the eyes of the people, Christoya Bank is not my personal property, but more on behalf of my husband, Archon Davers!" In this critical situation, even the Archon's property has to be evacuated, so do the citizens of Asprarustum still have the confidence to hold on! Well! Not only can the banks there not be withdrawn, but they must be opened on time every day!

In addition, you have to ask the bankers of the city to smile more confidently at every customer, and if the Aspraustum City Hall is financially strapped and needs money, even if there is no interest, you must lend it to them! ”

The bank supervisor was stunned when he heard the last sentence, and then said helplessly: "Madam, I understand." ”

"How's the restaurant going?" Christoya turned to another director.

"As a result of the war, there are now a lot more customers in the restaurants than before, especially in the port of Turiyi. After the sea trade route was cut off by the Syracuse fleet, the most popular place for the idle sailors and laborers was the restaurant except the arena, so the restaurants there were full every day, and there were not enough seats, so there were often some minor conflicts, and I have already discussed with the captain of the port patrol that he would send more men to strengthen the patrol of that area.