Fellow Citizens, we have another difficult choice before us.
Do we trust in our phalanx, and in the blessings of Tyche and Nike, and our strong arms? Or do we trust in guile, in our barbaroi allies, and in the skills of our brave horsemen, the heirs of Herodion? Do we wish to crush Taras decisively for all the world to see, or merely humble them?
If we follow the strategem proposed by the renowned Xanthos and glorious Theron , then we must dispatch our esteemed Xenoparakletor to Metapontion without delay. The reasons are twofold. First, if we seek to defeat and rout the flower of Tarantine courage in the field, we must do so with all the strength available to us. Although we are strong in horse and in javelins, they outnumber us in spears, so we must gain Thuriian aid, which means we need Metapontion to allow them passage. To meet them on the field otherwise is hubris.
Moreover, if we do win a decisive victory in the field, we cannot assume Metapontion will stay neutral. They have clearly indicated their desire to back the weaker against the stronger, and this will undeniably be the case if we sweep the Tarantines before us in an onrushing storm of iron. Cautious Phokion is right to say that Metapontion are the more fearsome foe, compared to the Dauni. So we must secure their neutrality, if this is the course we seek.
If we follow the strategem proposed by cunning Epiktetos, on the other hand, then we may not need Metapontion's forbearance so much. A siege against a more intact Taras may not be such a grand provocation, and we may have more time to entreaty them later. Instead, we could turn some of our attention north, to the Dauni, and deal with them before they become overly burdensome. We will have the men to do so, and our Epulian allies will not need to shelter behind their walls from barbaoi raids whilst their best men are far from home fighting our war.
As for the proposals proposed by eloquent Pylonos, they seem entirely reasonable to me. If we wish our League to be like a true family, with Eretria sitting at its head as the stern father, then we must build it upon bonds of respect and obedience. All of these proposals are too our benefit. Common weights and measures will only strengthen our bonds of trade, and a Panepulian Games held outside our walls will glorify both the Gods and Eretria, as it is held in our honour. A common strategos to head the league forces makes obvious sense, rather than a confused Hydra.
As for this veto, perhaps the most contentious proposal offered, let me ask you this. Imagine in twenty years time that our League has truly grown to be a formidable force, and could offer some thousands of men to our defence. Suppose they vetoed a proposed war, or threatened to do so. Would it be prudent to force them to fight? Would it really be in our interest, to prosecute a war which two thirds of our allies thought unwise? Friends are honest with friends. Far-sighted Pylonos looks forward to a day when our League is not a humble little band, but a mighty force in its own right, and how it may best function then. I say he shows great prudence.
For myself, I must mull over this decision further before committing to a course, and would urge similar thought from you all. A swift victory is tempting, for the best war is always the war that is ended. But likewise, the cunning strategy of Epiktetos may play well to our strengths and allies. Mark my words, and choose alliances that marry well with the strategy we embark upon, just as the divine marriage of Apollon and Athena will bless us on the field!
So speaks Arktos, son of Arktos Arkadios.
