Chapter 1024
Just as Okridon feared, the harmonious atmosphere between the two was no longer there. This time, not only did Margo reject Okridon's request to stop the attack, but he also loudly reprimanded the Hanoverians: Not only did the Hanoverians not unite to defeat the powerful enemy, but they also tried to incite civil strife and betray the interests of the city-state. This is treason!
The two quarreled, and Okridon left angrily.
Mago vented his anger, but he was not in a good mood: the original main force of the siege, the Numibians, had suffered too many casualties during this period, and coupled with the suspicion and scrutiny of the generals and team officers, now no matter how much the generals threatened and tempted them, they basically did not contribute.
Time was very important to Mago, and he could not care less, and decided to let the Iberian army he trusted become the main force of the siege.
Although the Dionysian army had been working hard on building the defences in Selinus, time was short and they couldn't compare to the outer walls, which were made entirely of stone. After two days of fierce fighting, on the afternoon of the third day, good news came from the frontlines. "Lord Margo, General Hasdrubal has taken over the western part of the inner walls!"
In fact, there was no need for the messenger to report, Mago, who was standing on the outer wall and watching the battle, could clearly see the Iberian soldiers in front of him climbing the wall. He immediately ordered excitedly: "Tell Hasdrubal, do not stop at the top of the wall, continue the attack, capture the port as soon as possible, and seize the whole city!"
"Also remind General Hasdrubal to be careful of the counterattack of the Diónia!" Pomilka interrupted.
Mago glanced at him, and then waved to the messenger: "That's it! Pass the message to Hasdrubal, go quickly! "
"Lord Margo, after we take over Serinus … you won't launch a new attack, will you?" Pomilka asked in a soft voice, worried about his gains and losses.
The excitement on Mago's face quickly disappeared, and he snorted coldly and said sarcastically: "The Senate has already threatened me to stop sending us rations, how can I launch a new battle!"
Pomilka sighed and said worriedly, "Our reserve rations can only last for less than ten days. If Carthage stops sending us rations, then we'll …"
Margo said calmly, "Our navy has been completely defeated. I heard that Diónia's warships have been cruising in Carthage's waters every day. It's impossible for Carthage to transport military supplies here. What's the point of the Senate threatening us?
Moreover, even if the Dionysian fleet were to lift the blockade during the negotiations, would the Senate really dare not supply us with food? You should know that this army is not only made up of Numibian and Iberian natives, but also citizens from Carthage and the Phoenician allies. If they starve to death, they won't be afraid of incurring the wrath of the people of Carthage! "
Mago, who held military power, acted shamelessly, and the nursing home could not do anything to him for the time being … Pomilka was speechless. He sighed and said, "Lord Mago, if you do this, you will anger many senators. When you return to Carthage, I'm afraid you will be interrogated by the Senate …"
"I'm not afraid of their interrogation!" Mago's face showed a hint of anger. He said in a low voice, "I'm worried that some people will put the name of the culprit who 'caused Carthage to be forced to negotiate' on me, tarnishing the honor of the great Magonid family! I will never allow such a thing to happen!
Think about it, since we landed in Sicily, we have conquered Minoa, Agrigento, Econum, and Gela, won the Battle of Gela, invaded Diónia's territory in Sicily, and even deterred the main army led by the king of Diónia from fighting us! On the contrary, Montenegro's army suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Minoa, and the navy led by Annobus suffered repeated defeats … Who recommended them?!
Now, we have conquered the heavily guarded city of Serinus. If the Senate insists on putting the blame on you and me, the people will understand that the real sinner will not be us, who have been winning victories for Carthage, but some incompetent and shameless senators! "
At this point, Brother Ma took a deep breath and looked at the soldiers who were cheering for their victory on the city wall. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since Ecridon said that the Dionians are very willing to negotiate, our capture of Serinus will increase their willingness to negotiate. This will also give Ecridon more bargaining chips in the negotiations and reduce the price they have to pay …"
Mago's greatest fear was that if the Diónia stopped the peace talks and continued to fight, his army would collapse due to lack of food.
But at this time, he had fallen into a double dilemma of politics and military affairs. In order to defend the honor of himself and his family, he had no other choice.
Pomilka obviously thought of this as well, so he was not completely moved by Mago's words. He said quietly and frankly, "I hope things develop as you say …"
The two of them quickly fell into silence, each holding onto the battlements and silently looking forward.
After some time, a messenger rushed in. "Lord Mago, the Diónia have built a strong wall in front of the port. They have dug trenches and set up stables. The number of enemies on top of the wall is increasing, and our attack is blocked. General Hasdrubal is asking for instructions."
Mago's heart tightened. He immediately asked, "What does Hasdrubal think?"
"The general thinks that the soldiers are very tired after fighting for so long, and they don't know the enemy's defense. He hopes that the soldiers can retreat and regroup, and attack tomorrow when they are fully prepared."
"Damn those Diónia! How many walls did they build?!" Mago, who was eager for victory, lost his composure and cursed.
"This should be the last line of defense of Diónia in Serinus," Pomilka comforted.
Time, oh, time … Margo muttered in his mind. He had wanted to end the battle as soon as possible and stop the war against Dionia so that the truce negotiations could continue and win a chance of survival for the army. However, things did not go as smoothly as he had imagined.
"Let Hasdrubal retreat with his troops for the time being …" Mago said angrily and slammed his palm on the battlements.
At this moment, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed that there seemed to be black smoke rising from the far right behind him. He immediately turned around and saw that northwest of the Carthaginian camp outside Serinus City, not only were there flames flashing and black smoke billowing, but if he listened carefully, he could also hear the sounds of battle.
"What's going on over there?!" Pomilka exclaimed. "Send someone to check it out!"
Mago's intuition, honed from ten years of experience in the Iberian battlefield, told him that the situation was not good. He decisively ordered his adjutant to immediately send someone to inform Stikamo (the general in charge of 10,000 Carthage's militia and responsible for guarding the camp) that there has been a change in the northwest camp. Let him lead the army to quell the rebellion! Also, send someone to inform Kisego (Kisego is currently leading more than 6,000 Phoenician soldiers as a reserve force for the siege and is on standby in Serinus). Tell him to immediately lead the troops back to the camp and assist Stikamo! "
"Yes, my lord!" The adjutant immediately went to arrange for the messengers.
"Is there a rebellion among the Numibian cavalry?" Pomilka asked worriedly as he pointed to the place where the thick smoke was rising. As the Carthaginian army had built walls on both the north and south sides of the camp in order to capture the city of Serinus, it blocked Margo's line of sight at this time, making it impossible for him to see the situation inside the camp. However, that direction was mainly where the Numibian cavalry's camp was located, so Pomilka made this guess.
"… That's hard to say," Mago muttered. He dared not make a rash judgment because there were not only Numibian soldiers in that direction, but also Lusitanian cavalry and a small number of Numibian infantry. Moreover, the Dionysian Army's successive successful raids on Palemos and Lili had left a shadow in Mago's heart. At this moment, he suddenly had a more terrifying guess: Could it be that the Dionysian Army had secretly invaded the camp?!
He could not help but shiver a few times. Once again, he shouted to the adjutant, "Hurry and inform Hasdrubal immediately. Tell him to leave 10,000 men to defend the newly captured inner city and lead the other troops back to the camp immediately!"
As soon as Mago gave the order, he saw several scouts galloping from the camp to the wall, shouting, "Lord Mago! Lord Mago! "
"What's the matter?!" Mago hurriedly poked his head out from the battlements.
"Lord Mago, the Numibian soldiers who went out to patrol this morning suddenly attacked the soldiers stationed at the western camp gate when they returned to camp and occupied the camp gate. At the same time, there was a rebellion in their camp. The Numibian cavalry gathered together and not only burned their own camp, but also launched an attack on the nearby Carthage cavalry camp … After General Stikamo received the news, he was gathering troops to quell the rebellion. Before he could reach the western camp, he received news that the Numibian camp in the east was unstable. Some Numibian soldiers were attacking their officers and plotting to start a rebellion. General Stikamo believes that there are not enough troops to quell the rebellion in the entire camp in time. He hopes that you can send more reinforcements. "
"This must be caused by the Diónia. We didn't clean up the Numibian army of spies! And those rebellious Numibian cavalry, they must have been incited by the Diónia! "Pomilka said cautiously at this time, his expression filled with regret.
During the reorganization of the entire Carthage army, some Numibian spies released by the Diónia had been found. If it were not for Mago's haste to attack Serinus, Pomilka believed that a few more days of reorganization would be enough to ensure the stability of the Numibian army. However, both of them had neglected the Numibian cavalry. The reorganization and review of them were not strict because when the rumors about the Numibian army were spreading, the Numibian cavalry camp was very calm. In addition, the Numibians in the east and west were relatively independent and did not have much contact. Therefore, both Mago and Pomilka had the illusion that the Numibian cavalry was trustworthy.
After hearing the cavalry's request for help, Mago was relieved at first. The movement in the camp was not caused by the Dionysian Army's raid!
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