Chapter 1012
Lilibo was located in the center of the western coast of Sicily. If the Diónia took control of it, it would be easier to cut off Carthage's sea connection with western Sicily, making it more difficult to transport food from the sea, and the food reserves in Gataiji's camp were not enough to last a month!
After all, Margo was a veteran who had fought in Iberia for many years. He did not hesitate for long before he made up his mind.
"You, immediately go to the north and inform Hasdrubal to give up on the rescue of Palemos. Try to collect as much food as possible in the city of Elukes, and then lead the army not back to Segesta's camp, but to Serinus's camp!" Margo gnashed his teeth as he gave the order to the messenger, and led the army of 30,000 slowly back to the south.
… …
In the Diónia camp in Minoa, the Devers tossed and turned restlessly, unable to sleep. He was waiting for news from Lilibo.
Previously, when he received Leotychides's letter, he was attracted by his bold raid plan. He immediately summoned all the commanders, and also notified Cecelian to come over for a discussion. Because Cecelian had stayed in Lilibo before, he knew the situation there.
Originally, after everyone saw the sketch of Lilibo's city defense attached to Leotychides's letter, they all thought that even if the army sneaked into Lilibo's port, it would be very difficult to seize the opportunity to capture the whole city. However, as long as they could destroy Lilibo's port, it would greatly weaken Carthage's ability to transport supplies to the Sicilian army, so it was very worth a try.
But then, Cecelian mentioned that there might be tunnels in Lilibo's port, which made the Devers's eyes light up. Although it was only a rumor, he still decided to give it a try. That was why he decided to send the second legion and the Sicilian fleet to assist Leotychides and seize Lilibo.
On the same day, many fast ships of Diónia sailed quickly in the western waters of Sicily, contacting all parties and planning this big operation together.
When dusk arrived, Devers saw off the soldiers of the Second Legion at the simple port of Minoa as they boarded the battleships of the Sicilian fleet. He was mentally prepared. The worst outcome would be that the fleet pretending to be Carthage would be seen through by the patrol ships of Lili and would not be able to enter the port at all. The better outcome would be that the fleet entered the port and captured the lighthouse. The fleet would pass through the water gate and the legion would land at the port. However, in the end, they would not be able to capture the whole city and could only destroy the port and return. The best outcome would, of course, be that they captured Lili City.
Even in the worst-case scenario, the Dionysian Army would not suffer too great a loss. They would only waste an entire day's time and energy and miss a great opportunity.
Logically speaking, Devers who had led thousands of troops and experienced hundreds of battles should not be so worried about personal gains and losses, but because this military operation was related to the future development of the war, he did not have a good night's sleep, which was rare for him.
After daybreak, Hennepolis entered the big tent and noticed that Devers was in low spirits, so he asked with concern, "Your Majesty, did you not rest well last night?"
"Yes, I really envy you. No matter where you are, you can fall asleep as soon as you fall, and it's not easy to wake you up," Devers sighed sincerely.
"This is because Your Majesty is constantly worrying about the various affairs of the kingdom, while I only need to write documents and orders according to your requirements, and then focus the rest of my energy on writing my biography. Life is simple, but it's also more fulfilling. Naturally, I can eat and sleep well," Hennepolis said calmly. "So, Your Majesty, you're destined to create a great nation and leave behind a glorious history so that millions of people will remember it forever. I can only borrow a bit of your brilliance to illuminate myself. Perhaps the future generations can barely remember my name." Heniboris said calmly.
Hennepolis's ingenious flattery made Devers feel better. He laughed and said, "Henny, don't think that just because you say good things, you can make me relax the ban. Regarding my biography, without my permission, no one is to leak it to others!"
"Your Majesty …" Hennepolis put on a pleading expression. Devers ignored him and asked, "Did any battle report come in today?"
"Not yet —" Before Hennepolis could finish, Martius walked into the big tent. "Your Majesty, Serinus sent news. Late last night, Carthage's camp suddenly lit up, and there seems to be a large number of soldiers moving about in the camp. It lasted until dawn before the camp regained its peace, but it seems that the army has left the camp."
"They must have gone to Lili!" Hennepolis immediately said excitedly. "This means that our army has entered Lili Harbor!"
Devers had almost not slept the night before, so his energy had not recovered, so he was still relatively calm. "Very good, we are already halfway there. May Hades bless them with the best outcome!"
He stood up. "I'm going to rest for a while. If there is any further news, inform me immediately." With that, he slowly walked into his bedroom.
Hennepolis and Martius looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
… …
In the afternoon, the high-ranking Diónia generals in Minoa gathered in the big tent. At that moment, Devers said in high spirits, "Everyone, we have captured Lili Harbor! The destruction of Carthage's army is not far away! "
The generals were not surprised by this news, because the warships of the Sicilian fleet had already sailed into the harbor, and a large number of captives from Lili Harbor were being escorted into the camp.
"Your Majesty, Lili Harbor is too important to the Dionysian Army. I'm afraid that Martonis and Prososus will be fiercely attacked by Carthage's army. Should we send more reinforcements?" Olivers suggested eagerly.
"I just received news from Prososus's speedboat. They haven't found any traces of Carthage's reinforcements until this morning, and Serinus said that there are signs of troops returning from Carthage's camp outside the city …" Devers looked around and said slowly.
"Did Carthage's people give up on recapturing Lili Harbor?" Alexis looked at Devers with uncertainty.
Devers nodded and said, "Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid that Margo is not planning to recapture Lili Harbor in a hurry. Instead, he is still focusing his attack on Serinus. So, what we need to worry about now is not Lili Harbor, but Serinus!"
"Your Majesty, since we've already conquered Palemos and Lili, Erius is already surrounded by us. The Carthaginians are attacking Serinus, so shouldn't we also attack Erius and take over this city that's very important to the Phoenicians?" suggested Trotillas, the commander of the sixth legion. "That's right.
"If we capture Lili Harbor, it will definitely arouse the vigilance of the other Phoenician cities in Sicily. I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed with a sneak attack. Moreover, there are many temples in Erikos, and it is a holy place for the Phoenicians of the western Mediterranean to worship. The Carthage army will definitely do their best to rescue it, "Tormid reminded.
"Then, can we get Lizaru and Epitene to stop the Carthage army from attacking Serinus? At the same time, when we find an opportunity to attack, we will be able to gather more troops and launch an attack faster, "Olivers suggested.
Devers tapped his fingers on the table and pondered for a while before saying, "Recently, although we have obtained a series of victories, the main force of the Carthage army has not suffered too many losses. It is still a terrifying beast. We cannot let our guard down now, nor should we force it too much. You must know that a beast that is forced to a dead end is very terrifying. In order to prevent the counterattack of the Carthage army from increasing the casualties of the army, we have to loosen the ropes and let the Carthage army feel that they can still hold on and not perish together with us … That's why Lizaru and the others have to stay in Herna for the time being.
Erikos, Mazara, Segesta, and the other Phoenician cities do not have to rush to attack, because this will disperse our forces and give the Carthage army one more target to attack. What we need to do now is to consolidate the results of the previous battle, strengthen our defense, and continue to deplete the morale and supplies of the Carthage army. At the same time, be ready to attack at any time. Once an opportunity appears, we will kill and injure the Carthage soldiers, hit their morale, and let this beast that is trapped in a cage bleed continuously until it finally dies … "
The generals were deep in thought.
Devers looked around at them and smiled. "Capturing Lili is indeed a great victory for us. Previously, Cykerian reported to me that he is preparing to plan another operation with the Midolades. If it is successful, it may lead to us seeing the dawn of victory in this long war with the Carthage army! Of course, before that, we may have to welcome the arrival of the Carthage emissary who has requested for peace talks. "
The words of Devers made the atmosphere in the tent warm up again.
… …
Compared to the relaxed and joyful atmosphere in the Dionysian Barracks, the atmosphere in the Carthaginian Senate was solemn. The news of "Lilibo's fall" was sent back by the ships of Mazara, which took the risk to send back, shocking the Carthaginian Senators.
If one were to say that Hadrumentum and Ogilgili were burned down because these two Phoenician cities had fewer people, Lili was a military city that Carthage had spent countless gold, silver, and manpower to build. If it fell into the hands of the Dionians so easily, could the Carthaginian army really defeat the powerful Dionians? If the previous breakaway of Corsica and Sardinia, the failure of the navy, and the invasion of Afrika had given the elders of Carthage many blows, making them no longer optimistic about the development of the whole war, then the fall of Lili was a heavy blow to them, deepening their pessimism.
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