Chapter 1029
At this moment, the guards outside the gate shouted, "The leaders of Numibia have arrived!"
Subsequently, dozens of Numibians in shabby clothes, some of whom had not even washed their clothes, walked into the courtyard uneasily.
Only then did the generals understand why so many tables had been set up.
The Devers stood up and said loudly with a smile on his face, "Welcome, our new friends of the Kingdom of Diónia! Please sit down! "
As soon as the Devers finished speaking, Heniboris, who was next to him, immediately translated loudly. He did not speak Numibian. He spoke Carthage. Over the years, he had assisted the King of Devers in researching information about Carthage, so he began to learn Carthage on his own. He was now fluent in it. Under Carthage's rule for a long time, most of the leaders of the Numibians could speak Carthage.
After Heniboris translated, the Devers immediately began to applaud. The generals followed his lead and clapped one after another.
The Numibian leaders felt the goodwill of the Diónia people and felt a little relieved. They were led to their seats by the soldiers.
After seeing everyone sit down, the Devers picked up a glass of wine and said loudly, "Today is a day worth celebrating! Under the excellent command of our generals, the heroic battle of our soldiers, and the cooperation of our new Numibian friends, we have completely defeated the Carthage army! From now on, we will no longer defend, but attack! And attack! So, for this glorious victory, let us toast! "
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
...
All the generals were excited and raised their glasses high. Even Matonis and Olivers knocked on the table with their hands and cheered loudly.
After listening to Heniboris's translation, the Numibian leaders also raised their glasses.
Everyone drank in one gulp.
The Devers immediately refilled their glasses and said, "This second toast is to our new friends of Numibia. In the past, Diónia and Numibia were strangers to each other due to the distance between them. Before this war, both sides had fought each other many times. Of course, you were forced to do so by Carthage's people. However, there's an old saying in the East that goes, 'no discord, no concord'. You and I, who were forced to be involved in this war, have come together in the end. In the past, we had never worked together, but you trusted us unconditionally. You took great risks and successfully executed the plan in today's battle, making our victory easier and fewer casualties! I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers of Diónia!
In the name of Hades, I promise you that my promise to you will not change! Diónia wants to be a long-term ally of Numibia. Let's drink to that! "
After hearing this, the Numibian leaders were finally relieved. They held their wine glasses excitedly, stood up, and said in a trembling voice, "Good! Good! … "They gulped down their wine.
The Devers then picked up another glass of wine and said seriously, "Although we have won a great victory this time, Carthage is still a powerful city-state. Whether it's us, Diónia, or Numibia, don't let down your guard. We should continue to strengthen our cooperation, continue to launch attacks, and completely defeat the people of Carthage. Only then can we ensure the safety of Diónia and prevent the freedom of the Numibians from being taken away! For this, let's drink to that! "
Everyone in the meeting raised their glasses and drank in one gulp.
The Devers could not help but burp. He wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth, looked around at the crowd, and said with a smile, "Today is a joyous day. I wanted to toast a few more glasses of wine, but I'm afraid that you'll criticize me and say, 'I've been fighting for a day and I'm starving. How can I just drink until I'm full?' So, from now on, you can eat as much as you want. Due to the lack of time and limited conditions, the dishes are not very plentiful. However, with Carthage as our military rations, we won't limit it tonight! "
The generals understood the mockery in the Devers' words and laughed.
When Henipolis was translating, he was worried that the Numibians would not understand, so he added his own explanation, which made the Numibians laugh.
In order to let the Numibians relax, the Devers specifically told Henipolis in advance: Do not add water when preparing the wine.
That was why the Tuliyi wine tasted very sweet and delicious in their mouths. However, after drinking three large glasses of wine on an empty stomach, many of them were already a little tipsy. Their previous restraint and nervousness were gradually forgotten. In addition, they were really hungry. One by one, they grabbed the food on the table and gulped it down.
The courtyard was filled with chewing sounds, and the atmosphere began to warm up.
Although the Devers was a little hungry, he was over 40 years old and had been paying more attention to taking care of his body in recent years. He had been chewing slowly.
After a while, a Numibian stood up, and with the help of the alcohol, he said loudly in the Carthage language, "O … Honorable King of Diónia, we believe in your promise to us, to let us Numibians regain our independence! But … but we have completely betrayed the Carthage people. They must hate us very much, and the greedy Carthage people have always coveted our land. Even if we chose to retreat because of our defeat this time, the Numibian tribes are still very weak compared to the Carthage. When the Carthage recovers from their defeat, they will definitely retaliate against us double. When that time comes, what can Diónia do for us? "
His words resonated with some of the Numibian leaders, and they all agreed.
After listening to Henipolis's translation, the Devers did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Are you from East Numibia or West Numibia?"
"I'm from the Saarmu tribe in East Numibia. I'm the son of the chief, Krieg."
The Devers nodded. The Numibians he had asked Henipolis and Tormid to invite to the banquet this time were either tribal leaders in West Numibia or influential figures in East Numibia.
The Devers knew very well that compared to the West Numibians, Carthage's control over East Numibia was stricter and more oppressive. This also made the East Numibians very afraid of Carthage. When he sent spies deep into the Carthage camp in an attempt to unite with the Numibians, the West Numibians were more active. Today, they were the first to rebel. Although the East Numibians were more numerous, they did not respond as much. Of course, this was also related to their different organization in the Carthage army. In the end, when they saw the main force of the Carthage army — the Iberian Army was completely defeated and the Legion of Dionysia soldiers were right in front of them, they hurriedly launched a rebellion. It was more like an act of desperation to save themselves.
The Devers understood this better. He said with a gentle expression, "Through this cooperation, I believe that we both know each other's sincerity. Since we have a common enemy, why don't we continue this cooperation and let Diónia and Numibia become a long-term alliance?! Whether it's a year later or five years later, as long as another force dares to attack one of us, the other side will take the initiative to declare war on that force. Both sides will work together to defeat the enemy. What do you think? "
"Establish a long-term alliance?!" Krieg thought for a moment and smiled in relief. "This is a very good suggestion! In this way, we have nothing to worry about! "
"It's good to become a long-term alliance! I agree! "
"Agree!"
"When will we become allies?!"
…
Many Numibians expressed their agreement excitedly.
At this time, another Eastern Numibian stood up and asked, "Respected King of Diónia, we Eastern Numibians live in the interior of Afrika. The coast is controlled by Carthage and his Phoenician allies, and Diónia is far away in Italy and Sicily. If Carthage sends troops to invade our territory in the future, we won't be able to inform you in time. By the time you find out, I'm afraid that many tribes will have been captured and destroyed by Carthage. In that case, an alliance doesn't seem to be of much use."
The excitement on the faces of the Numibians quickly faded, especially the Eastern Numibians. The words of this compatriot made them suddenly realize that an alliance with Diónia did not seem to be able to eliminate the danger they were facing.
Devers laughed and said loudly, "You don't have to worry. After Diónia annihilates the Carthage army in Sicily, they are not going to stop. We are also going to land in Afrika and attack Carthage's Phoenician allies, and eventually launch an attack on Carthage City.
Only by completely defeating Carthage, this greedy city-state will sign the agreement and agree to return your land and release your compatriots who have been enslaved by them.
At the same time, we Diónia will also build a few towns on the coast of Afrika, so that we can monitor Carthage closely, strengthen our ties with you, and at the same time, we can conduct fair trade with you and improve your lives … "
At this point, the Devers noticed that the Numibians were looking at them with bright eyes, and their faces were once again filled with excitement.
The surrounding Dionysian generals were astonished. After all, apart from telling Heliboris part of the plan in Davus' mind, he did not reveal it to anyone else. However, the eyes of people like Amyntas, Matonis, and the others were also shining because this meant that even if the war in Sicily ended, this war would continue, and they would have more opportunities to contribute.
The Devers then said, "Of course, our Dionysian Army is completely unfamiliar with Afrika, so we still need the full assistance of Numibia. Let's work together and finally force Carthage to surrender!"
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