Syracuse has three ports, the smallest port is on Ortigia Island, with only two piers and few ships moored. There is a small port to the north of the isthmus connecting Ortigia Island and the city, which is the early commercial port of Syracuse. Later, with the expansion of the urban area, the population increased, and the prosperity of maritime trade, the small port was no longer sufficient to use, so a big port was built.

In a broad sense, Dagang refers to a bay that is as vast as a pocket to the west of Syracuse City. The real Dagang is only a small part of the northeast corner of the bay. It is two miles south of the isthmus of Ortigia Island. It was originally part of the swamp. Later, it was filled by the Syracuse people and built a port and continued to pour into Syracuse. In order to have enough place to live, the free people and slaves working for the port had to continue to fill the swamp west and build simple houses, which also caused the walls near the bay to move westward. Among the derogatory nicknames that citizens in the city gave to the people of the port area, "Swamp Man" is the most used.

Hiktas led more than 2,000 soldiers to march southwest quickly, without encountering any major obstacles along the way.

In fact, Teagenis, who was defending the West City, had received the urgent news from the Council that "there has been a rebellion in Hiktas and is attacking the Council" and asked him to immediately send 2,000 heavy infantrymen to the Council to quickly eliminate the rebellion and avoid attack from the Council.

The members of the council were indeed recruiting old citizens as Hiktas expected, but what he did not expect was that military mobilization would take time, and the square was too close to the council. The members of the council were worried about their own safety and could not wait for the new army to be formed, so they sent people to seek help from Teagenis, who was closest to them.

The MPs described the situation very seriously. Teagenis became anxious while shocked. Due to the occupation of Yuriarus Fortress, the Council sent more than 6,000 soldiers (including on the walkways on both sides). In addition, the subsequent attacks of the Syracuse army on the city were extensive and fierce. All the troops under Teagenis went to the city to defend, and there were no extra reserve soldiers around him, so they had to quickly draw from the troops defending the city.

Nearly 1,000 soldiers were drawn, which was the largest force he had squeezed out with all his efforts, and the defense forces on the entire city became even tighter.

Nearly 1,000 soldiers rushed to the main urban area, and at this moment, Hiktas led more than 2,000 soldiers to the port, and the two sides passed by across several streets.

Hiktas led his troops to the inner wall. This was the city wall built by the Syracuse people in order to separate the people in the port area. Every day, a team of civilians in the Syracuse city were stationed in Syracuse city. If the goods from the port, the Gentile merchants and the Gentile sailors had to go to the main urban area, they had to go through their inspection. The people in the port area had to pass this checkpoint to go to the city area, and they would inevitably be questioned. The people in the port area always believed that this was the most powerful evidence of Syracuse's unequal treatment of them, and they also gave them a thorn in their hearts.

After overthrowing Dionysius, Tescitis and others proposed to Gerolis to "demolite this inner wall" on this matter. Gerolis did not agree, but agreed that the soldiers stationed in the inner wall would be held by the port citizens. However, after Gerolis' death, the Council once again replaced the soldiers stationed in the inner wall with citizens of the city. This inner wall actually became an irreversible barrier between the people in the port area and the citizens of the city.

Since this inner wall is mainly aimed at the port area and serves as isolation and inspection, it is not built as tall and strong as the outer city wall. After Xiktas led his team to arrive, he did not talk to the team officials here at all. He directly ordered the soldiers to kill the city from several stone stairs inside the city wall, and at the same time ordered other soldiers to throw javelins at the defenders at the city wall.

Usually, there are 20 soldiers garrisoned here. After Teagenis sent reinforcements to the Council, he also thought about the importance of this place, but he was really short of troops and sent only 150 people. He originally thought that after Hitax attacked the Council, the inner wall could cut off their retreat to the port, and the pursuers could encircle them here and eliminate them. However, he did not expect that Hitax did not attack the Council at all, but returned to the port directly. As a result, 150 defenders were quickly defeated under the full attack of more than 2,000 people.

Hitax led his troops through the inner wall and entered the port area. While he asked Zamoratis to take people to tell the people in the port area that he had decided to join the Kingdom of Dionia, hoping to get their support and make all defenses to deal with the possible upcoming attack of the Syracuse army.

At the same time, he led the main force straight to the military port.

The military port is located not far north of Shang Port and has been expanded many times. In the late period of Dionysius's rule, it was able to accommodate 500 three-layer oar warships and 100,000 crew members. However, there are only 50 warships parked in the military port (including 30 three-layer oar warships). There are about 7,000 people in the military port, most of which are from the people in the port area. Nearly half of these crew members from the port area are poor free people, and a very small number of them are from the urban area. They are the port defenders, captains, and deck soldiers...

Since it was in the war, the Council required that the fleet crews must gather at the military port early every morning, and then take their place on the warships, and be ready to attack at any time when there is an order.

However, there were only more than 100 defenders in the port city, and even if the soldiers on the ship were added, there were no more than 400 people in total. They were able to ensure the safety of the military port and command warships because in the past, the people in the port area basically abide by the Syracuse laws.

Now, Hiktas led his army to the outside of the military port, without saying a word, directly ordered the soldiers to attack forcibly, and arranged some people to shout in the military port: "Brothers in the port area, you no longer have to worry about fighting with the powerful Dionyan fleet. General Hiktas has led us to join the Kingdom of Dionyan. Take up the weapons in your hands, and occupy this military port with us, and then become citizens of Dionyan and obtain fertile land!..."

Since half of the Syracuse sailors were composed of free people, they were easily infiltrated by the Sicilian intelligence agencies of Dionysia. These spies often promoted the "terror of the Dionysian Navy and the benefits enjoyed by the free people after joining the kingdom" in the sailors, which made the sailors love and fear for Dionysia. Since Syracuse tore up the agreement, formed an alliance with Carthage, and went to war with Dionysia, the navy avoided war in order to preserve its strength at the beginning. Later, at the strong request of Carthage, the Syracuse navy did not have no cruises on the sea, but after discovering the Dionysian warships from afar, even if the commander wanted to try a battle, the sailors were not determined to fight and used various methods to delay and not implement them. So to date, the Syracuse navy has not fought with the Dionysian fleet, nor has it attacked the Dionysian ships.

Now, the sailors heard the shouts of the soldiers familiar outside the military port. Under the leadership of the Dionian spies, they picked up wooden oars and took out daggers, rushed up, quickly defeated the captain and deck soldiers on the warship, then jumped off the ship, and rushed towards the military port defenders who were struggling to defend against the attack of Hiktas at the door.

Hiktas occupied the military port and did not feel relaxed. He knew that the council would soon send troops and time was very tight, so he said to Artemis solemnly: "I have done what you want me to do, and I will need your help next!"

…………………………………………

A hundred meters away from the gate of Syracuse, Leotizides, in military uniform, stood facing the city wall like a sculpture. The battle lasted for 4 hours. The sun rose to the middle of the sky. He was basically standing here, not moving much, staring at the battle in front of him with all concentration. The soldiers who fell from the ladder, the soldiers who were hit by stones and wood under the city, the siege cars ignited by rockets, and the shrill screams made by the soldiers trapped in the siege tower continued... but none of them moved his face, which was frozen by frost. Instead, his adjutant Taglu had been worried about the fierce battle.

At this time, a messenger rushed from the front. Taglu hurriedly met. After a while, he rushed to Leotizides and said, "Mr. Commander, Anfides, the first captain of the Seventh Army, said, 'The siege troops he led were too much casualties. I hope they can be withdrawn immediately and let the next wave of troops succeed.'"

Leotizides said without hesitation: "Tell him, 'Don't retreat, continue to attack with all my strength, otherwise the military law will punish you!"

When Taglu heard this, hesitated for a moment and said, "Master Commander, they are the 7th Legion--"

"What's wrong with the Seventh Legion?!" Leoticids's face darkened: "As the commander, the Seventh Legion and the Eighth Legion treat each other the same. In the last wave of offensive, the Eighth Legion fought for more than two hours, and it was really difficult to support it. I changed to the Seventh Legion. How long have they fought?"

"About... more than an hour." Facing Leotizides' sharp gaze, Taglu said in a low voice.

"It's only been more than an hour, and the evacuated Eighth Legion soldiers have not received enough rest and let them continue to fight for another hour." Leotizides said coldly.

"Yes!" Taglu was about to inform the messenger, but he heard Leotizides say: "In theory, the Seventh Legion should be able to fight longer."

“Eh?”

"Have you noticed that the Carthaginians' defenses were weakening?" Leothides watched the battle ahead, not so much as asking Taglu's opinion, but rather as analyzing to himself: "In this period, as far as I have seen, our soldiers have climbed the city through the ladder twice, and persisted at the city for at least 5 minutes before being driven down. At this time yesterday, this situation has not happened at all; and... Our light infantry standing on several moving towers have not been replaced so far, and at this time yesterday, two rounds have been replaced. What does this mean?"
Chapter completed!