Chapter 1046
Olivers had originally thought that he wouldn't be able to fight a battle, but the Devers's orders made him overjoyed. Although he was a little disappointed that he couldn't be a commander, the Devers had specially explained it to him, which straightened out his mood. He immediately said solemnly, "Your Majesty, don't worry! I will cooperate well with Tegthenos and complete the attack on Sardinia as soon as possible. "
As a newcomer to the Dionysian Army, Sextus naturally had no objections.
After the two generals received their orders, the other generals who didn't have any missions saw hope. However, the Devers looked at them and said calmly, "The Seventh Legion needs to be temporarily stationed in Lilybe, Mazara, Selinus, and Palermos to stabilize the order of the entire western region. The Tenth Legion and the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade will stay in Lilybe as reserve troops, ready to respond to sudden emergencies. Legio VI, the Eighth Legion, the Lucania Reserve Legion, and the three Cavalry Legions can be disbanded first, allowing the soldiers who have fought for a year to return home. At the same time, it will ease the shortage of military supplies. However, you and the other Legion Commanders can't go home for the time being. You must stay in your respective barracks. Once you receive the order, you must gather the soldiers as soon as possible and rush to the designated battlefield. Does everyone understand? "
"Understood, Your Majesty!" No matter how disappointed they were, no general dared to express any objections.
"Your Majesty, what about the navy?" Sekerian couldn't help but ask.
"How can the navy not be part of the attack on Carthage on the other side of the sea?" The Devers's expression was still serious. "Not only will the Sicilian Fleet and the Third Fleet have to escort the expeditionary army safely to Afrika, but you will also be responsible for the safety of the transport fleet in the future. In addition, from today onwards, the navy doesn't need to patrol the western waters anymore. Instead, their target will be the Carthage waters. They will block the Carthage port, intercept the ships of Carthage and its allies, and land and harass our enemies. At the same time, they will actively cooperate with Alexis' army until the end of the war … This is the navy's mission. It's very hard. Can you accept it? "
"Doesn't this highlight the importance of the navy? It's better to have something to do than to be idle. The Sicilian Fleet is happy to accept this mission. " Sekerian laughed heartily as he deliberately glanced at the corps commanders who were about to return home and put on a smug look, making Eptenis and the others want to beat him up.
Compared to Sekerian, Midolades's reply was much more serious. "Your Majesty, the 3rd Fleet will definitely complete the mission."
Devers turned a blind eye to Sekerian's little farce and looked at the Sicilian commander who had been quiet all this while. "Prosous, you still have one more mission. After returning to the east, Osgia Island will still be your responsibility. It no longer has any impact on the entire war, so I won't set a deadline for conquering it, but I want you to minimize the consumption of resources and casualties of soldiers as much as possible. Can you do that?"
"I'll try my best, Your Majesty," Leotychides replied calmly.
"Everyone, now that you understand your respective tasks, please return immediately and carry them out seriously. Alexis, stay here for now. "
This military meeting was so short because the Devers didn't want to give the generals any time to bargain after giving their orders.
Only Alexis was left in the hall. The Devers asked softly, "What do you think about landing on Africana and attacking Carthage City?"
Although Alexis had just received the order, after the battle of Serinus, Sicily was basically in the kingdom's pocket. As long as the war wasn't over, landing on Africana and attacking Carthage City was expected. Alexis, Leotychides, and the other high-ranking generals were already thinking about the next step of the attack. This was also one of the reasons why they were able to obtain such high positions in the Dionysian Army. So, Alexis said calmly, "Your Majesty, do you have a map of Africana?"
The Devers immediately asked Heniboris to bring the map and put it on the table.
Alexis stepped forward, looked at the map attentively, and then said solemnly, "Three legions plus Numibian cavalry and infantry, the number of soldiers is estimated to be more than 50,000. It's very large. I've seen the battle report of Your Majesty leading the army to land in Latin. You spent almost a day, and even the First Legion and Legio III landed first to stop the Rome's attack. Only then did the entire army safely set foot on the land of Latin. From this, it can be seen that landing is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and risky military operation.
And this time, half of the landing troops are Numibians. They haven't gone through strict training and have never fought side by side with us. Once they encounter an attack from Carthage's people, they are likely to panic and not listen to orders … Not only can they not be of help to our army, but they will also become a burden or even a hidden danger.
So, I hope that our army and the Numibian army don't land at the same time. It'll be done in two batches. I'll lead three legions to land first and set up camp. On the second day, we'll transport the Numibians over. This will not only improve the efficiency of the landing, but also ensure safety. "
After listening to this, the Devers secretly praised Alexis. It seems that my previous appointment has not gone to her head. She still remains calm.
Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "I agree with your suggestion. We can land in two batches. Where do you think the landing site should be chosen? "
Alexis had already thought about it. She then said, "Although we destroyed Carthage's 100,000 troops in Sicily, I think they still have some strength. If we land near Carthage, they will definitely attack us frantically, which may lead to our failure to land. And if the landing site is too far away from Carthage, it may give the Carthage people enough time to defend.
Moreover, I heard that the coast to the west of Carthage is crisscrossed with mountains and hills. This will make it difficult for the landing troops to march to Carthage City. So, the landing site I chose is here — "
The Devers looked at the place where he was pointing. It was Hadrumentum, the Phoenician city that had once housed the East Phoenician fleet and was later raided and burned by the Sicilian fleet.
This was also the landing site that the Devers had envisioned, but he was not surprised. After all, Hadrumentum was indeed a very ideal landing site. The city was located on a long, flat beach, which could accommodate the landing of a large army. The nearby Phoenician city-states were relatively weak and not enough to pose any threat to the landing troops of Diónia. Moreover, it was more than 100 miles away from Carthage, neither too far nor too close. Moreover, it was along the coast, and the terrain was flat and conducive for marching. In addition, the Sicilian fleet had raided there before and was relatively familiar with the sea conditions and geographical environment there. Alexis was one of the best generals in the Kingdom of Diónia. It was natural for her to choose Hadrumentum.
"I agree with your opinion." The Devers nodded and muttered, "Alexis, as long as our army can stand firm in Afrika and fight steadily, it is only a matter of time before we defeat Carthage. However, I have some ideas on how to deal with Carthage. Please listen to them first. "
Although the Devers spoke politely, Alexis immediately returned to her seat and said seriously, "Your Majesty, please speak."
The Devers explained in detail what he had said to Heniboris before, and emphasized at the end, "Of course, the war is not something we can control. Sometimes, the situation changes far beyond our expectations. As the frontline commander, you can make the most appropriate move according to the actual situation at the time. I said all this just to let you know what to do. "
Alexis pondered for a while before responding seriously, "I understand, Your Majesty. I will try my best to make the war develop in this direction! "
This was one of the reasons why the Devers chose Alexis as the expedition commander: Alexis had a political mind. She could think and solve some political problems while commanding the war, unlike Amyntas who only thought about war.
In fact, after careful observation, the Devers found that although Leotychides was obsessed with the study of war and was not good at communicating with others, he did not only know how to fight. For example, a few years ago, when he led the army to pacify the Sikere people, and when he first attacked West Sicily, some of the political measures he adopted were quite good. But this time, the Devers did not choose him as the commander because he was too inexperienced and didn't have enough prestige to suppress the high-ranking generals who were unwilling to accept him.
"Before you leave, do you have any requests that I can help with?" The Devers asked with concern.
"Uh … Your Majesty, can you send me another person?" Alexis took the opportunity to ask.
The Devers smiled, "Printos?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. With his help, I won't have to worry about any flaws in my plan. I will have more confidence in obtaining victory! " Alexis said honestly. She was not at all worried that the Devers would have the wrong impression that her victory was due to Printos's planning.
"I promise you, Printos staying with me in Lili is indeed a waste of his talent." The Devers agreed without hesitation, then asked, "Do you have any other requests?"
"No."
"But I have a request for you now." The Devers smiled, "Drink a glass of Turií wine with me. I hope you will bring me the news of victory soon!"
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