Siege of Byzantion

As though to highlight the plight of Pontos and it's status amongst it's allies, not only was their attempt to take Nikaia repelled, but Byzantion fell as well.



Only a token resistance was put up by a people tired of their tyrant.



Battle of Bithynia

Now that Nikaia was secure, Pyrrhos could look to taking the fight to Pontos. A Pontic army was gathering inside the borders of Bithynia, an insult which could not go unpunished.

Despite having a smaller force composed only of mercenaries, Pyrrhos offered battle.



His smaller force outmaneuvered the Pontic army, made up almost entirely of pitiful peasant levies.





Pyrrhos, though now entering his sixties, still led the final charge that drove the raiders off.



It was a humiliating defeat for Pontos.



As a result of the battle, a cessation of hostilities was agreed, with Pontos relinquishing it's claims on territory on this or the other side of the Hellespont.



Revolt in Sardis

Spurred on by Pergamene agents promising better conditions and genuine freedom as opposed to the oppression of Seleukid rule, Sardis rose in revolt in 258BC.



Wasting no time, Pergamon dispatched an army to aid in the changover. There were still some Seleukid loyalists holed up in the citadel, so it was down to the soldierly Oroidos Byllideus to oust them.



Fighting was brief and fierce, and ultimately the day was Pergamene. A government sympathetic to the new confederation was installed.




257BC:



Sardis captured and my lands joined up - and without having to go to war with the Seleukids either. That's the result of some concerted agent-effort to get a revolt that I could capitalise on. Had a spy in Sardis for the better part of a decade, and a constant string of assassin-sabotages.

However I can't afford to repair the Temple of Ephesus yet. That's a massive 40000 mnai to fix. I had to use some cheeky FD to take Patavium off the Romans, I don't want them wandering off too early. Especially when they've tried to take Messana several times.