Chapter 869: Carthage warmly welcomes Mago

“Fa…ther is it because the situation in the south has changed?” Patroclus asked hurriedly.

Davos was pleased with Patroclus' keen military instincts. As an excellent senior officer, his gaze shouldn't be focused on just one battle but should look at the whole picture. He then looked at the other two again and saw Adoris and Crotokatax looking back with a concerned gaze. Since they were fighting in Latium and had almost no access to external information, Davos felt it necessary to inform them about the situation on other battlefields.

“After Alexius two victory over the Samnite Tribal Alliance in Ausculum and Aphrodisia, the Samnites have stopped attacking the kingdom's territory and had instead launched a large-scale attack on the Campanian League, capturing the city-states of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Tesara, and finally began besieging Neapolis.”

“Isn't the Campanian League in danger of getting wiped out? Have we already sent troops to rescue them?” Asked Crotokatax.

Davos laughed, “Something happened before they invaded the Campanian League. The great chieftain of the Caudini had plotted against the Nucerian chieftain Kinduk and murdered him. He then captured Nuceria, and by doing so, he apparently stimulated Garni of Abellinum, who not only decided to make Abellinum a free city of Theonia but also to assist us in attacking the Samnite Tribal Alliance. As a result, the Ministry of Military had drawn up a new battle plan for Alexius to lead an attack on the Samnite mountains from the east.”

“Father, I remember you repeatedly reminding the Ministry of Military not to let the army attack the Samnite Mountains!” Crotokatax exclaimed, who was somewhat worried that his father would reprimand the officials of the Ministry of Military, such as Hielos and Philesius, for their presumptuous actions.

“I had indeed given such order,” Davos, on the contrary, remained calm as he continued, “But the situation has now changed. The Ministry of Military had secretly ordered Potentia to gather their men and quietly join up with the army of Abellinum, both of whom are familiar with the Samnite Mountains and skilled in mountain warfare. The Samnites originally intended to lure us into attacking the mountains, but we, instead, set up an ambush in Aquilonia, completely wiping out the main force they had hidden in the mountains!

Now that Alexius is leading his men and the allied army, totalling nearly twenty thousand soldiers, to attack Beneventum directly, the Samnite Tribal Alliance besieging Neapolis will have to withdraw and return to defend. As such, we now hold a dominant position in the battle against the Samnites, whether it is the confrontation with the Samnite Tribal Alliance in Beneventum or our joint attack with the Campanian League army on the Samnite towns on the eastern plains. Meanwhile, in the Dauni region, our remaining army will take advantage of this great opportunity where the enemy's main force is held back and continue attacking the other towns in the Samnite mountains…”

“So, the war with the Samnites no longer requires our help,” Adoris said with a hint of disappointment and then asked, “Father, what's the situation in Sicily?”

Davos' expression changed as he slowly said, “After Prosous defeated the Carthaginian army in Minoa, our fleets in Sicily and the Carthaginian fleet engaged in a great battle in the sea off Selinua, with the result that…a great storm destroying nearly all the ships of the enemy and ours, with Fulalios drowning and Seclian missing to this day, and more than ten thousand sailors died.”

“What?!” The three were visibly shocked as they had never expected them to suffer such tragic losses in the southern waters while they were still engaged in battle in the north.

Davos continued, “We had deployed the Fourth Fleet to Sicily and are still holding advantage of the sea. Prosous led the capture of Selinus, and the remaining Carthaginian forces held onto a few important towns and dared not attack. Thus, Prosous sent his army around to plunder and destroy the areas occupied by the Carthaginians in Sicily to achieve an offensive defence.

But the Carthaginians' disastrous defeat led to them appointing a new supreme commander, Mago, the Governor of Iberia in Carthage. Now, they are gathering soldiers and forming armies on the entire coast of Africa and Iberia, preparing to land in Sicily, so a new great war is about to begin! Thus, we must finish off the Romans and Samnites as soon as possible and rush south to fight our greatest enemy, Carthage!”

Davos' words not only made the three young men feel the urgency of the situation but also made them excited.

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

On the day Davos held the banquet, competition, and rewards for his soldiers in the city of Rome, a massive fleet carrying Iberian troops arrived at the port of Utica.

Utica, the Phoenician city-state on the continent of Africa, is second only to Carthage in terms of town size, and it is located on the coastal side about fifty-five kilometres west of Carthage.

Mago's ship was the first to dock, and he, dressed in military attire, stepped onto the dock. Immediately, the elders, led by Pretasdrubal, stepped forward and said, “Lord Mago, welcome back!”

Mago gave Pretasdrubal a warm hug and said passionately, “You've worked hard, Pretasdrubal! Thank you for all the things you've done while I was away! Thank you!…”

Pretasdrubal patted Mago's broad back and said excitedly, “It's good that you're back. Now that you are back, we now have hope!…”

Mago then warmly greeted the other Magonid elders.

“Lord Mago, welcome back! You have finally led your army!” An elderly man with a white beard and hair stepped forward.

“Honourable lord Adrusbal!” Facing the leader of the neutral faction, Adrusbal, whose reputation in the Senate was second only to Hanno's, Mago greeted him respectfully and spoke with a grave expression, “With Carthage in danger, how can I simply stand by and ignore it, as a descendant of the city's founder?!”

“I am glad you think this way; after all, all Carthaginian citizens have high hopes for you!”

“All?!” Mago sneered and then pointed to the elders who had come to greet him and said, “That's not right. At least some people who haven't come here don't think so.”

“Those who haven't come here have assembled for you more than sixty thousand soldiers and are now gathering a vast number of supplies for this army and are pressing the shipyards and other allied states to speed up the construction of warships… So do not be unduly suspicious of your own kinsmen who are likewise making their endeavours for Carthage's future!” Adrusbal said with a heavy heart.

Hearing that made Mago want to retort but stopped. After thinking for a moment, his tone became gentler, “Unlike the natives of Sicily, Numidia, and Iberia, the Theonians will be truly the most formidable adversaries we face and must put forth our best to defeat them. Hence, I would commit to preserving Carthage's unity, so I also hope that Lord Adrusbal play a more significant role in this endeavour.”

“You can rest assured that our past failures have taught us a valuable lesson. Both Hanno and I, along with the other elders, are determined to see you win because failure would spell the end for Carthage! So you can be assured that we will do our best to support you until we expel the Theonians from Sicily and force their king into choosing a humiliating peace talk!” Adrusbal promised.

Mago expressed his gratitude and then looked at the port as he waited for his officers to gather the soldiers who had landed before leading them out of the city of Utica.

There were not many Carthaginians or Phoenicians among the twenty thousand soldiers led by Mago as most of them were mercenaries, just like the army Hasdrubal led before. Their faces and attire, distinct from the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, piqued the curiosity of not only the spectators in Utica but also the elders who had gathered to welcome them.

Shortly after, several more ships docked, and a group of burly men disembarked. They were clad in striped plaid pants without any upper body clothing. Unusually tall and muscular, they sported thick hair, peculiar tattoos scattered across their bodies, dishevelled short hair, wild beards, and a ferocious face. Their arrival caused a series of exclamations from the onlookers at the port.

However, that made these people feel as if they were being provoked, so they used the long sword on their left hand to bang against the long shield on their right hand and began roaring, making them even more terrifying. As a result, that frightened most of the people of Utica who were watching and made them turn around and flee, making the place somewhat chaotic for a while. Thankfully, their leader intervened promptly, yet this didn't ensure they could assemble peacefully at the port.

“A group of terrifying barbarians! Are they also from Iberia?!” Adrusbal asked with a surprised expression.

“They are the Celts in the mountains of northern Iberia, who fought with such ferocity that the other natives of Iberia feared them. It just so happens that the area they live in has gotten flooded, washing away their livestock and food. As they are now facing famine, I traded thousands of livestock for their help, as I believe that with them here, our war against Theonia will be smoother!” Mago said confidently.

“I hope so. After all, this is also the reason the Senate didn't allow your army to land at Carthage's port. So I hope you will manage your troops well and not make trouble here, as it will give the population a bad impression of you,” Adrusbal reminded solemnly.

Mago once again expressed gratitude for Adrusbal's kind reminder.

Once all the soldiers disembarked, Mago's subordinates gathered them together and left the city of Utica to camp outside while Mago followed the elders to Carthage.

During the more than ten years where Mago lived in the south of Iberia, he still returned to the city of Carthage many times, but in no way had he expected to encounter such a situation as that of today, where almost the entire population of the city ran out and crowded both sides of the road, and as soon as he entered the city, thunderous cheers rang out all around him as the people shouted his name and threw flurries of flower petals at him…