Free Tyrant by Valerio Massimo Manfredi Page A

tell me what is going on?’
    The shouting died down a little; one of the old men recognized him and said: ‘Your commander has ordered the evacuation of the city!’
    ‘What?’ exclaimed Dionysius in amazement. ‘What did you say?’
    ‘You heard him,’ broke in Diocles. ‘The city must be evacuated.’
    ‘You’re crazy. You can’t do that.’
    ‘I’m your commander, I demand respect!’ shouted Diocles in a fit. His right cheek was clearly swollen with the punch he had received that morning.
    ‘You have to deserve respect,’ retorted Dionysius. ‘These people have fought with superhuman courage: they deserve our support and we’re still capable of winning. Hannibal lost twice as many men as we did. We can call in the navy infantry and . . .’
    ‘You just don’t understand, do you? Hannibal’s fleet is heading for Syracuse. We have to return immediately after having secured whatever we can here.’
    Diocles stared at him with an incredulous expression. ‘Who told you such a thing? Who?’
    Dionysius seemed to hesitate, then said: ‘Someone who arrived after you had gone.’
    ‘Someone? What does that mean: “someone”? Did you see him? Did you talk to him? Do you know his name? Does anyone in the city know him?’
    Diocles snapped at his insistent questions. ‘I’m not obliged to account to you for my decisions. You are my subordinate,’ he shouted, ‘and you must only obey my orders!’
    Dionysius got even closer. ‘Yes, I’m your subordinate, here, in time of war and under wartime laws, but once we get back to Syracuse I become a citizen again, and while you can accuse me of punching you in the face, I can have the Assembly incriminate you for high treason. I assure you that all my friends in the Company will uphold the charge.’
    Diocles struggled to curb his anger: ‘The city has become indefensible, understand? We’ve lost a third of our forces, and it’s more than likely that Hannibal’s fleet is sailing towards Syracuse, taking advantage of our absence. Everyone is saying so; it must be true.’
    ‘You are taking on an enormous responsibility,’ replied Dionysius. ‘The fate of this city and the blood of this people will be on your hands.’ He turned and made to leave, but Diocles stopped him.
    ‘Wait! Stop, I say! And the rest of you as well, listen to me. Call back your commanders, convince them to listen to my plan. You’ll realize yourselves that it’s the only sensible way to proceed.’
    It took hours before the Himeran commanders could be convinced to return. Dionysius and the other Syracusan officers were present as well when Diocles began to speak.
    ‘I know what you’re feeling. I know that you’ve sworn to defend the city to the very end, but think about it: what good will this sacrifice do? Why give up your lives if you cannot save those of your wives and your children? What solace will you have, dying, to know that they will be enslaved and at the mercy of a cruel enemy? Heed my words; listen to the plan I’ve prepared. We will evacuate the city in three stages. There will be a new moon tonight; the darkness will allow us to take the women and children aboard the fleet. Our ships will take them to Messana, where they will be protected by a navy infantry unit.
    ‘Phase two: another group will follow us to Syracuse by land, along the coastal dune that hid our approach.
    ‘Phase three: the fleet will return before dawn and take aboard anyone still in the city. If there is not enough room on the ships for everyone, those remaining can scatter through the countryside or try to reach us in Syracuse, where we will provide them with help. When Hannibal orders the attack, he’ll find the city deserted.’
    A deadly silence fell over the council hall, and no one dared speak: the mere thought of abandoning the city where they were born and had lived was more terrible than death. After a while, one of the Himerans arose and spoke for all of them.
    ‘Listen to us now,