Chapter 753: Carthages New Supreme Commander
Chapter 753: Carthages New Supreme Commander
For that reason, Hanno believed many neutral elders would oppose the appointment of Mago as the Carthaginian army’s supreme commander, but he couldn’t make this reason public.
Over the years, Mago repeatedly complained to the Senate about the army’s struggles against the numerous and fierce Iberian natives. So he hoped to expand the military and also requested Carthage to increase the soldiers’ salaries to ensure their morale.
So, Hanno urged the Senate to agree to Mago’s military expansion but continued to delay the payment of salaries. He cited that the continuous war in Numidia had strained the national treasury and asked Mago to find ways to manage the situation on his own.
At the time, Hanno gloated at the thought that even if the Iberian natives failed to defeat Mago, the mercenaries under him would revolt for lack of money and food.
But to his surprise, Mago managed to survive. He not only conquered the vast lands of southern Iberia but also allowed his clan to live a prosperous life, something Hanno deeply regretted.
Though many elders didn’t know the inside story, some elders who weren’t part of either faction were stirred by Pretasdrubal’s words.
Palteshmoun could only remind them, “The Theonians have captured many of our citizens, and our army in Sicily is in a critical situation… If we continue to fight them, it will only worsen our army’s situation, which is a total indifference and irresponsible attitude towards our citizens!”
“I believe it would be more irresponsible for us to propose a truce and negotiate peace at this time, as it would allow Theonia to concentrate on wiping out their powerful enemies to the north, Rome and the Samnites. They would then expand their territory, increase their population and make their kingdom more powerful! Compromising would not only betray our allies but also miss a great opportunity to unite and launch a joint attack against Theonia. This would only make Theonia’s already threatening presence even more difficult to deal with! Eshmounadon, do you think the Theonians would forgive us for breaking our previous treaty and stop the war just because we stopped fighting them?! Think of Taranto! Think of Syracuse! Once the Theonians have secured the north, they will be able to raise an army of over a hundred thousand to attack western Sicily! Once they have taken our lands there, they could take a naval transport to land in Africa and attack here in full force! Attack Carthage!”
Pretasdrubal then looked at the crowd and said, “Esteemed lords, you can send someone to negotiate a truce if you want Carthage to become a free city of Theonia!”
Pretasdrubal’s words went so far as to plunge the somewhat noisy hall into silence.
After a while, Eshmounadon said, “I object! Pretasdrubal, you are…you are maliciously slandering! All I ask for is a temporary truce…to…save our captured citizens!…”
Hanno frowned at how Eshmounadon stuttered since he knew he could no longer remain silent, as it would only place his side, which was already in a difficult position, get accused by others again. Thus he stood up.
Suddenly, all eyes focused on him.
“Whether it is Eshmounadon who demands a temporary peace with Theonia or Pretasdrubal who insists on continuing the war, it is all in the interest of our Carthage, but each has a slightly different perspective.” Hanno became serious and said deeply, “Now Carthage is in a difficult position, our army suffered a terrible defeat and our citizens captured, and the Theonians are invading our territories in Sicily… So let us work together to defeat our enemies instead of squabbling over personal grievances and ignoring Carthage’s interests! So I propose sending an envoy to Sicily to ask the Theonians to ransom our captured citizens, even if we have to pay with a large amount of grain.
At the same time, although I have had conflicts with Lord Mago, personal gains and losses count for nothing in the face of Carthage’s interest. So with Lord Pretasdrubal’s strong recommendation and most elders concurring that Mago is the most suitable candidate, I propose appointing him as the new supreme commander of the Carthaginian army to lead the fight against the Theonians and bring victory to Carthage….”
Hanno’s words shocked Eshmounadon, made Pretasdrubal suspicious and surprised the elders of both sides, suddenly shrouding the meeting place in a strange silence.
“Clap! Clap! Clap!…” Adrusbal broke the silence with his applause, prompting some elders to follow suit. The elders, who were worried about the safety of Carthage, were relieved to see the two political parties in Carthage set aside their differences to confront a great enemy together. So they applauded Hanno without hesitation, forgetting that he had refused to let Mago join the war and had personally appointed Muntebaal as supreme commander, leading to their disastrous defeat.
Hanno breathed a sigh of relief at their applause. Though he had made concessions to the Magonid, he had also temporarily dodged the accusations of some of the elders and regained the initiative.
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After their victory at the Battle of Minoa, Leotychides easily captured the Carthaginian camp. They had also seized a large number of supplies, including, of course, mountains of grain, which considerably eased the food shortages of the Theonian land and naval armies in Sicily. The Theonian troops, in pursuit of the routed enemy, took Thermae and, after bathing in the hot springs, all returned to Minoa to prevent the scattered army from going deep into enemy territory and being attacked.
The next day, Leotychides began reorganising his troops, treating the wounded, transporting supplies… all the while keeping a close eye on the enemy’s movements.
And so the scouts returned with the news that the routed Carthaginian forces had not all retreated to Selinus. Instead, most had withdrawn as far as Lilybaeum, with only a small number remaining at Selinus, including the remaining Sacred Band of Carthage.
Leotychides immediately realised that this was another favourable opportunity for battle. Fearing he would scare off the enemy, Leotychides sent four thousand heavy infantry of the Eighth Legion on a transport ship, protected by the navy, to land on the beach west of Selinus to cut off the retreat of the routed troops. Meanwhile, he himself would lead a force of twenty thousand men and push west along the coastal path.
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The Sacred Band, led by Milkpilles, and some Carthaginian citizens opposed Muntebaal’s order and remained in the city of Selinus.
After their tragic defeat at the Battle of Minoa, most of the Carthaginian troops fled to Selinus, physically and mentally exhausted. After a night of panic and uncertainty, the despairing Muntebaal tried to lead the army westwards, but Milkpilles objected.
As Hanno’s son-in-law, Milkpilles felt that this defeat had greatly affected Hanno’s faction, so if he abandoned his allies and allowed the Theonians to invade Carthage’s jurisdiction, he would meet a terrible end when he returned to Carthage. In addition, they had to wait for some time for the return of the soldiers lost in the mountains. And finally, Milkpilles had his own pride and persistence as a son of a renowned family in Carthage.
With Muntebaal’s prestige diminished by this defeat, some defeated soldiers willingly followed Milkpilles’ decision to stay. Muntebaal, on the other hand, angrily abandoned them after many failed attempts to persuade them and hastily retreated to Lilybaeum with an army composed mainly of Numidians.
Then upon learning that the Theonians had retreated from Thermae, the extremely worried Milkpress became relieved. His confidence grew even more with the continuous arrival of routed troops, which increased the strength of the city of Selinus to three thousand.
But then, Milkpilles received news that a thousand-strong Theonian army had landed west of Selinus.
As he began to panic, he received another emergency report stating that tens of thousands of Theonian troops were moving rapidly westward along the coastal path from Minoa.
Milkpilles immediately realised their goal: Selinus, where he is now, became Theonia’s first target.
‘What shall I do?’ After a disastrous defeat, Milkpilles found himself in a difficult position whether to lead the army to withdraw immediately before the enemy arrived or stay and defend. But since he had just sworn to Muntebaal that he would hold onto Selinus, there was no telling how Muntebaal would mock him if he were to run away before the battle even began. On the other hand, if he stayed and defended, with three thousand men in the city and the citizens of Selinus, it might be possible to hold out for a few months.
However, some officers under Milkpilles disagreed, arguing that the soldiers’ morale was low after a defeat. Additionally, commanding the defeated soldiers were challenging because they belonged to different units and lacked the necessary cohesion to work effectively as a team.
Another officer pointed out another critical issue. They must have sufficient provisions to hold Selinus, but they don’t have enough reserves in the city and couldn’t support the army’s long-term defensive plan.
During the Carthaginian army’s eastward march, they had also taken Selinus’ stocks of provisions when they passed through. As a result of the Battle of Minoa, they had left all the provisions stored in the Carthaginian camp, which the enemy then seized.
After hearing this, the inexperienced and anxious Milkpilles suddenly realises they had made a huge mistake. But it also gave him a reason to return to Lilybaeum without being criticised.
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Upon hearing that Milkpilles was gathering his troops and preparing to withdraw, the officials of Selinus came to dissuade him.
Milkpilles had to spend some time trying to persuade them. However, the barrage of words and tears from the people of Selinus made him eventually give up, so he sent his soldiers to disperse the crowd and began preparing to leave the city forcibly.