Chapter 1030
"That's great! We're very willing to join forces with Diónia to attack Carthage City! " Almost all the Numibians were overjoyed. The words of the Devers had completely dispelled their doubts. One after another, they expressed their willingness to form an alliance with Delnia.
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out, "Dear King Devers, I'm Tinum, the leader of the Asili tribe of West Numia. I have a question. Diónia is a kingdom, but our Numibia is not only divided into two parts, East and West, but each is composed of many tribes. Each tribe has different interests. Once we form an alliance with Diónia, if a war breaks out between the tribes, who will Diónia, as an ally, choose to help? "
The Devers looked at the lanky Numibian leader with a gloomy gaze. He was not unfamiliar with the name. He immediately said sincerely, "Leader Tinum, I've heard that you played a great role in bravely resisting the army of Carthage this time. I'm very grateful for this, and I won't forget the contribution of your tribe!"
The Devers looked straight at him. Although he did not explicitly say that the promise would not be changed, he believed that he could understand the meaning behind the words.
Sure enough, a smile appeared on Tinum's face. He bowed slightly in return.
"The question you just raised is very good. What I want to emphasize to you is that the alliance between Diónia and East and West Numibia is not like the alliance between Carthage and the Phoenician city-states. I'm sure you all know that the other Phoenician city-states must obey the orders of Carthage. What I hope to establish is an equal alliance. Every tribe in Numibia, big or small, strong or weak, is equal to Diónia. Therefore, you can rest assured that Diónia will respect each of your tribes according to the covenant and will not interfere in your internal affairs.
Of course, if there is an internal conflict and you take the initiative to ask for help from Diónia, we will try our best to mediate for you. However, we will never be biased towards one side, nor will we provide supplies or send troops, so you can rest assured! As far as I know, you Numibians are a relatively united race. There are basically no major conflicts between tribes … "
Devers praised the unity of the Numibian tribes and the lack of conflicts. This was only the surface truth, but the underlying reason was that the East Lumibian tribes were struggling to cope with Carthage's relentless advance. With survival being a problem, they did not have the energy to pursue the development of the tribes. As for the West Numibian tribes, Carthage's control over them was also relatively tight. As the leader of the alliance, it vigorously attacked and weakened the ambitious tribes who dared to initiate conflicts. For example, the Masili tribe had learned a few lessons and had no choice but to follow the rules. As a result, many tribes in the Numibian region huddled together for a long period of time. Not only did they maintain peace, but they also maintained good relations.
However, the shrewd Devers would never mention that when the threat of Carthage was eliminated in the future, whether the Numibian tribes could still maintain such peace.
However, most of the Numibians did not have a long-term vision and did not think deeply. Instead, after listening to the Devers, they nodded repeatedly, their faces filled with pride. Now, they were very satisfied with the Devers' answer, dispelling their doubts and worries, leaving only one thought — Diónia was indeed different from Carthage. It would become the strongest ally that the Numibians could rely on.
Therefore, they raised their glasses and toasted the Devers to express their gratitude. The Devers and the generals also raised their glasses in return, and the atmosphere of the banquet became even more enthusiastic.
… …
Late at night, the banquet ended. One by one, the Numibians left drunk and satisfied. The generals also returned excitedly because the war would not end soon.
Only Heniboris did not leave. He followed the Devers into the living room.
The servants brought hot water and clean linen. The Devers covered his face with the linen that occupied the hot water. He immediately felt that under the hot air, all the pores on his face opened up, as if the smell of alcohol had been taken away, and his spirit was refreshed.
He lay on his back for a long time until the linen became cold. Only then did he get up and take it off. Seeing that Heniboris was still sitting quietly next to him, he asked with some surprise, "Henny, is there anything else?"
"Your Majesty." Heniboris bowed and asked softly, "We have completely defeated the army of Carthage. You also said at the banquet tonight that we are going to land in Afrika and attack Carthage City. So, is there still a need to negotiate with the people of Carthage?"
"Of course there is a need to continue negotiating." The Devers explained patiently, "Our army cannot relax against the remnants of the Carthage army that escaped into Segesta and Mazara. We have to continue attacking. Also … Mazara, Segesta, Eriks, Sicans … These remnants of Sicily Island need time to subdue and deal with them to ensure that we do not have to worry about the future. So, if the army wants to land in Afrika, I'm afraid it will take some time.
And during this time, I don't want the people of Carthage to completely see through our true intentions and think of all ways to fully prepare for defense. This will cause great difficulties for our landing army. So, we have to continue acting with them, relax their vigilance, and buy us time. "
"Your Majesty, this victory will probably make the people of Carthage even more anxious to negotiate with us. If we continue to negotiate according to the previous conditions, it is very likely that the people of Carthage will agree."
Heniboris' reminder made the Devers fall into deep thought. After a moment, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Henny, you are right. Since we have obtained a new major victory, it is natural to ask for more benefits. Who asked the envoy of Carthage to not agree to the conditions we proposed earlier?"
"Yes, in the last negotiation, I also specifically reminded the envoy called Okridon." Heniboris also had a smirk on his face.
"This new condition … is to let the people of Carthage cede the southern part of Iberia to us. What do you think?" The Devers asked.
"... The gold and silver mines in the southern part of Iberia are an important source of precious metal trade. We previously occupied Sardinia, and now we want the southern part of Iberia. If the people of Carthage agree, their precious metal trade will be completely destroyed, and their treasury revenue will also plummet. I don't think they will agree easily. What's more, the interior of the southern part of Iberia was developed by the Magonid Family after more than ten years of painstaking effort. It is their foundation, and they will definitely not agree to this condition! This way, we can bargain with the people of Carthage and achieve the goal of stalling for time … "Heniboris seriously analyzed.
"Yes! In Carthage, the enmity between the Magonid faction and the Hanoverian faction is very deep, and there are many contradictions. It is precisely because they are hindering each other in the war that we have created a lot of conditions for victory. "Dyvers said with a sigh. There were some words that he did not say out loud, but hid in his heart.
The Devers remembered that in the history of his previous life, after the First Punic War, Carthage ceded Sicily to Rome (Sardinia was later ceded), but the Hannibal Family mainly relied on the financial and manpower accumulated from developing the southern part of Iberia to cause a huge disaster to Rome in the Second Punic War … Therefore, the condition he proposed was not just to stall for time, but he was determined to completely occupy this treasure land and not give Carthage a chance to make a comeback.
"Your Majesty, are we really going to attack the city of Carthage … and completely destroy Carthage?" Heniboris' voice brought the Devers back from his thoughts.
Looking at the court clerk's worried face, the Devers smiled. "Why? You can't bear to?"
"I'm … worried that attacking the city of Carthage will cause a lot of casualties to our army …" Heniboris did not completely tell the truth. Although his attitude towards the envoy of Carthage during the negotiations was bad, as a highly educated citizen of Diónia, he had gradually developed a considerable interest in the culture created by the people of Carthage through his research on Carthage over the years. He did not want such an ancient and glorious city to be completely destroyed.
The Devers did not expose his thoughts, and calmly said, "In ancient times, there was a giant snake. It was ferocious and extremely powerful, and no one dared to provoke it. But it had a shortcoming, and that was that it was very gluttonous. It ate from morning to night, and in the end, it ate itself to death … "
Heniboris blinked and said, "Your Majesty, are you worried that expanding the kingdom too quickly … will lead to danger?"
The Devers stretched out his hand and counted down with his fingers. "Campania, the Samonai Mountains, the Latin region, Corsica, Sardinia, all of Sicily, and if possible, the southern part of Iberia and the new towns in Afrika … In this war, the land that Diónia has obtained has already exceeded the original size of its territory … Just to digest and absorb these lands and integrate the people of these lands into the Kingdom of Diónia, we will have to spend a lot of time, manpower, and materials. This is not something that can be done easily.
Afrika on the other side of the sea is an even wider continent that we are completely unfamiliar with. The people of Carthage have lived there for hundreds of years and have great influence. To completely destroy them, we will have to pay a great price! And if we destroy Carthage, will we be able to replace Carthage's position in Afrika? "
The Devers looked at Heniboris with a solemn expression.
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