Chapter 1023
It was not until there was not a single Carthage ship in sight that the warships of the Sicilian fleet stopped their exhausting rampage. They began to rescue the Diónia sailors who had fallen into the water and placed them on the Carthage warships that had been captured by the infantry of the fleet.
Throughout the entire process, the citizens of Carthage on the shore went from excitement to panic, to choking with sobs, and in the end, the crowded beach was silent.
They had heard about the crushing defeat of the army in Sicily, and the destruction of the allies of Carthage. Although they were worried, it was not as bad as witnessing the Diónia navy defeating their fleet and wreaking havoc in the waters that they relied on for survival. The strength of the enemy sent chills down their spines.
The citizens of Carthage were not the only ones who suffered a heavy blow. The senators who were watching the battle from the walls of the breakwater were also the ones who were more affected. As they stood closer, they could see more clearly and had more thoughts, so the impact was even more intense.
Fortunately, each of them was an elite noble of Carthage who had been tempered in the political arena for many years. After a period of silence, Hanno let out a long sigh and said with a heavy expression, "We should immediately start negotiations with Diónia. In order to achieve peace as soon as possible, regarding the conditions that Diónia has proposed … I think we should make some appropriate concessions."
This time, Hanno's proposal was immediately responded by many senators. "Sir Hanno is right! Now that our navy is finished and our army is trapped in Sicily, for the safety of Carthage, we must stop the war with Diónia as soon as possible, even if we have to pay a price! "
"Pay a price?! I'm afraid that if the people know about this, they will never agree and will even go to the Senate to protest! "
"You're too optimistic. Look at those lowly people. I believe that after watching today's naval battle, they will definitely be more anxious than us to stop this war!"
… …
The Magonid faction led by Pretacuba remained silent. After all, the defeat of this naval battle made them deeply aware that the army led by Mago in Sicily would fall into an even greater predicament. Negotiating for peace was the only way to help them out of danger.
At this time, Taipanrac wasn't ready to let them go as he said in a pained tone: "My lords, today we have all witnessed the defeat of the Marines. It can be said that this war … Our Carthage … is a complete failure … In order to negotiate for peace, we will pay a heavy price! Shouldn't we reflect on this matter? Half a year ago, Lord Hanno, Lord Eckriton, and many other elders emphasized that 'Diónia's military is strong and if we wage war against Carthage, we hope that we can maintain peace!' Why did some people insist on waging war, resulting in such a terrible situation today? Shouldn't we hold them accountable?! "
As soon as he said that, everyone was shocked and subconsciously looked at Pretakuba.
"The declaration of war against Diónia was a resolution unanimously passed by the Senate," Pretakuba replied coldly.
"If it weren't for you frequently inciting the people to put pressure on the Senate, that resolution wouldn't have been passed at all. Also … the theft of the Iberian silver mine by a Diónia merchant ship is also very suspicious. I propose that this matter should be re-investigated in detail. We must not let some people escape punishment for crimes that harm the interests of the city for their own interests, and let us, who truly love Carthage, bear the anger of the people!"
Tepanlaco's words reminded the elders around him, and their eyes lit up. The failure of this war and the possible heavy price to be paid in the future would inevitably arouse the anger of the people of Carthage. The Senate did need a scapegoat to bear this huge responsibility, and Margot, who actively started this war, was undoubtedly the best target. Not to mention that the Magonid Family, whose strength and prestige had suffered a serious blow in the war, had also made them less awestruck.
Therefore, many elders expressed their approval one after another, hoping that the Senate would re-investigate the matter of "inciting the people to start a war against Diónia, and the theft of the Iberian silver mine by a Diónia merchant ship." If there was a conspiracy behind it, they would be severely punished.
As more and more elders agreed with Taipanrako's proposal, Pretacuba saw Hanno's cold stare. He suddenly understood. Ever since the war broke out, the biggest enemy of the Magonid family did not give Lord Magonid too much of a hindrance. Instead, he was waiting for the most critical moment to stab the Magonid family with the most ferocious knife.
He panicked a little and loudly argued, "Have you all forgotten? The reason why Carthage started the war is because Diónia declared war on Rome, and Rome is our ally, we must fulfill the covenant! Don't you think so, Lord Esyaruba?! "
In the face of Pretakuba's pleading gaze, the white-haired leader of the neutral faction coughed a few times, turned to look at the others, and said, "Everyone, we should immediately send people to rescue the sailors who fell into the water, repair the damaged warships, bury the warriors who died in the war and comfort the people who lost their loved ones … We also need to discuss what concessions we might make in the armistice negotiations with Diónia, and send envoys to negotiate … There are so many things that we need to do immediately … Uh … The things you just discussed can be discussed after these things are done …"
Pretakuba's heart sank to the bottom. Although Esyaruba said it perfunctorily, he could hear his support for Tepanlaco's proposal.
Hanno stroked his beard with his hand, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
As the sun set and night fell, there were still countless ships shuttling back and forth on the sea near Carthage. Shouts and cries resounded in this once largest city-state in the Western Mediterranean Sea for a long time …
In this naval battle, there were about 180 warships on Carthage's side, and 390 warships from the two fleets of Diónia, a total of 570 warships participated in the battle. After fighting fiercely for half of the day, the Carthage fleet lost 135 warships, and its commander died in battle. The Third Fleet of Diónia also lost 76 warships, and its flagship was also hit and sunk. When the Midolades were rescued from the sea, they were shivering in the cold. In the history of the previous naval battles in the Mediterranean Sea, such a high casualty rate for both sides was unprecedented.
However, the Third Fleet of Diónia paid the heavy price of more than half of the casualties in exchange for the near-destruction of the Carthage fleet. It was difficult to recover in a short period of time, and they could not pose a threat to the Navy of Diónia. This allowed the Navy of Diónia to sail boldly in the waters of Afrika, and they could directly oppress and blockade the city of Carthage. This was a great strategic victory for them.
Therefore, after receiving the news of this naval battle, Devers was very excited. He publicly praised the seamless unity of the two fleets, their fearlessness of sacrifice, and won this important victory for the Kingdom. He called on the entire army to learn from them, and promised that all the crew who participated in the battle would be recorded as a great merit. At the same time, he would urge the Ministry of Military Affairs to replenish the damaged ships of the Third Fleet as soon as possible.
Two days later, Okridon, who was the envoy of Carthage's negotiations, rushed to Minoa, hoping to restart the peace talks.
Devers readily agreed in person, but secretly instructed Heniboris to delay the negotiations as much as possible.
When the Senate of Carthage learned that the King of Diónia still welcomed the peace talks, it immediately passed a resolution and sent an envoy to the Carthage camp in Serinus to inform Margo to suspend the attack on Serinus to ensure the smooth progress of the peace talks.
Unexpectedly, Margo received more news. Pretacuba had sent someone to remind him: these days, the people of Carthage not only strongly called for the war to stop and restore peace, but also expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the war against Diónia. The Senate was also turbulent, saying that it was responding to the people's demands and was ready to launch an investigation into the series of events that happened before the war. The target was obviously the Magonid family led by Margo.
After receiving this news, Margo realized the danger he was in. After discussing with his family's generals, he made a firm decision: he would never obey the decision of the Senate, stop the reorganization of the Numibians in the camp, and restart the attack on Serinus City.
He decided to use a victory to restore the prestige of the Magonid family in Carthage.
After the Devers received the news that "Margo led the army to restart the attack on Serinus," and learned the general reason through other channels, they immediately asked Heniboris to question Okridon: Since Carthage was already negotiating a truce with Diónia, why did he still order the Sicilian army to attack Serinus? Diónia doubted the sincerity of the negotiations and decided to suspend the negotiations until the Carthage army in Sicily truly eliminated their hostility to Diónia.
Okridon wanted to refute Heniboris: While Diónia was negotiating, did they not let their fleet continue to cruise in the waters of Sicily? They even penetrated deep into the waters of Carthage, posing a great threat to the ships entering and leaving the port!
However, the current war situation was extremely unfavorable to Carthage. Okridon shouldered the heavy responsibility of urgently reaching an agreement as soon as possible to safeguard the safety of Carthage's homeland. Therefore, he did not dare to say such harsh words. Instead, he sincerely promised that the attack on Serinus was not inspired by the Senate. It must be Margo's private action. He would immediately rush to Serinus to stop Margo's hostile actions, and the senators would also punish Margo. He hoped that the negotiations could continue after this matter was settled.
Heniboris, who had received the Devers' instructions, of course welcomed this.
Although Okridon made a solemn vow in Minoa, in fact, he was not confident that he could persuade the noble and stubborn patriarch of the Magonid family to stop the attack on Serinus.
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