Chapter 1141
The Devers asked Heniboris to make copies of the battle report and distribute it to the ministers. He then said, "Everyone, as we expected, not long after the signing of the Treaty of Kalias, the war between Sparta and the Thebes broke out again. However, this time, the Sparta army was defeated by the Thebes. As an ally of the Thebes, what measures should we take in the upcoming war? What do you think of this? "
While most of the people were still reading the battle report in detail and deep in thought, the commander of the second legion, Martonis, was already praising loudly with admiration, "Your Majesty, your previous judgment is very correct! The Thebes really defeated the Sparta, who had been running rampant in Greece for many years! "
After the war began, the Devers held a military conference to analyze the war. Almost all the senior generals were not optimistic about the Thebes, but the Devers predicted that the Thebes had a high chance of winning.
Even though the generals respected the Devers, they were skeptical about this judgment. But they did not expect the final result to be as the King of the Devers had predicted.
"Your Majesty." Chief of Staff Printos immediately said, "The Thebes commander, Ipamilonda, whom you have your eyes on, has indeed performed amazingly in this battle. His ingenious design against the traditional formation of the Sparta has played a huge role. As a result, the Sparta army, which was not weak and had more people, was defeated before they could display their full strength. It seems that the Thebes have been able to resist the attacks of the Sparta all these years, not only because of the bravery of their citizens, but also because of the outstanding commanding ability of their generals. "
"The Thebes, who have been reborn in the disaster, are in line with Ancitanos's view. Their higher-ups are relatively united, with the capable and courageous Pelopidas at the helm, and the army is under the cool-headed and talented commander Ipamilonda. The two sides work closely together, and the citizens are full of vitality and are willing to contribute to the revitalization of the Thebes. I am not surprised that they were able to defeat Sparta. I also believe that with the current momentum of the Thebes, they will have another shocking performance in the future. Am I right? Ancitanos.
"Your Majesty." Although the successor of the Foreign Minister Ancitanos had been confirmed, the decree had not been issued yet, so he still appeared at this important meeting. At this moment, he bowed slightly to the Devers and said with some emotion, "It is shameful to say that a few years ago, someone predicted that the Thebes would rise. At that time, I did not pay much attention, but I did not expect him to be right. It is really amazing!"
"Oh?" The Devers were surprised and asked curiously. "Who made such an accurate judgment?"
"Your Majesty, it is your son, Apotheosis." Ancitanos then repeated what Apotheosis said in the Diónia Academy and emphasized, "There were many students who attended this class at that time, and they can all prove that what I said is true."
There were sounds of admiration in the meeting hall of the palace. Everyone praised Apox for his intelligence and wisdom. He was able to make such an amazing judgment at such a young age. No wonder he was His Majesty's son and was favored by Hades …
The Devers had a smile on his face and looked very happy. He listened carefully to the praise of his ministers. After a while, he emphasized again, "Well, everyone, let's get back to the topic. What do you think will happen to the situation in Greece after this war? What measures should we take to deal with it? Everyone, please share your opinions. "
"Your Majesty." The head of the ministers, Lucias, stood up shakily with the support of his crutch.
The Devers hurriedly said, "Lord Lucias, sit down and talk! Sit down and talk! "
Lucias did not force himself. He sat down again and said slowly, "Although we, Diónia, have formed an alliance with the Thebes, the situation in Greece has always been complicated. It is better for us not to get involved easily and be dragged down by it.
Now, fortunately, the Thebes have defeated Sparta. We can take advantage of this great opportunity. With the good relationship between Diónia, the Thebes, and Sparta, we can act as the mediator of the war and urge the two sides to reach an armistice agreement. I think this will help our ally, the Thebes, and increase our influence in Greece. We will not be dragged into this war. This is a good thing that kills three birds with one stone. I think Your Majesty should seriously consider it! "
At the beginning, Lucias did not agree with the alliance between Diónia and the Thebes. However, the Devers insisted and finally reached an alliance agreement. Now, he advised again.
As soon as his voice fell, another assistant minister, Antares, immediately retorted, "Lord Lucias, I don't agree with your suggestion! Why should we, Diónia, form an alliance with the Thebes? Not because we want to take revenge on Sparta for tearing up the peace agreement, but because of the need for the development of the Kingdom.
Today, the situation in Africana and Iberia is stable. Mountain Gaul has been conquered. Although the Ligurians occasionally riot, they are no longer a threat … In addition, the other forces in the Western Mediterranean have basically attached themselves to our country. After a few years of recuperation, the Kingdom has not only walked out of the predicament after the war in the Western Mediterranean, agriculture, commerce, handicrafts … all aspects have made great progress. The people are rich and stable. They are all eager to advance eastward and set foot on the ancestral land to win more glory and wealth! "
"War … war!" Lucias slapped the back of the chair hard and said in a hoarse, trembling voice, "Constantly waging war is not very good for the Kingdom. It will destroy the stability of the Kingdom and make the people greedy and belligerent. This is not good for our governance! Although the previous wars have been won, you have seen the damage caused to the Kingdom. This will take a long time to recover. And victory will not always belong to us. In case we encounter defeat in the future war, the consequences will be unimaginable … So we still have to be safe! "
When he finished this last sentence, he looked at the Devers.
The Devers looked calm and did not respond.
Another assistant minister, Cypross, said, "Lord Lucias, the alliance with the Thebes is not only a need for the development of the Kingdom, but also an important decision made by His Majesty based on the security of the Kingdom.
We all know that Persia has shown hostility to Diónia. It fully supports the restoration of peace in Greece, and is trying to unify the forces of the whole of Greece through Sparta to fight against us. We are separated from the mainland of Greece by the narrow Adriatic Sea. Once Persia's conspiracy is realized, the east coast of Greece will become very unsafe. So His Majesty took the initiative to attack and ally with the Thebes to destroy Persia's conspiracy.
Now that Thebes has unexpectedly defeated the Spartan army, we should seize this opportunity and decisively send troops to Greece under the pretext of supporting our ally. We will completely defeat Sparta and shatter Persia's conspiracy. In turn, we will turn the Greek city-states into our allies and become the eastern barrier of our kingdom. We might even take a step further and use them as our forward base to threaten Persia! "
"Well said, Lord Cypross!" Matonis, Olivers, and the other commanders praised in unison.
This made Lucias a little embarrassed, and even Antares felt a little uncomfortable.
The Devers coughed twice, and the meeting hall immediately returned to silence.
Soon, Hakkar's distinctive sharp and slow voice sounded in the hall. "I agree that we should use this opportunity to ally with the Thebes to enter Greece and destroy Persia's conspiracy … However, I am worried that although the Thebes have won a battle, they are still at a disadvantage in the war. Is it possible that they will use this victory to reach a truce with the Sparta?"
Hakkar's words caused everyone to ponder.
"If the Thebes have really reached a truce with Sparta, it is not a good thing for us, because as an ally of the Thebes, we have no legitimate reason to send troops to Greece," Antares was the first to speak up. "We, the Diónia, have no influence in Greece, and even because we worship Hades, the Delphi Temple views us as heretics. They have long slandered the reputation of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia in Greece, and the ordinary Greek people do not have a good impression of us. If we hastily send troops to Greece without a legitimate reason and without the support of an ally, I am afraid that it will cause strong resentment among the Greek people, and it will be extremely disadvantageous for us to control the situation there!"
"What is there to worry about? As long as we are strong enough, we can completely conquer Sparta, and the other city-states will naturally show respect to Diónia! "Matonis said loudly.
"In fact, other than the Thebes, we have another legitimate reason to send troops to Greece, and it will also gain the support of some of the Greek people." "Your Majesty, do you still remember the promise you made to the Tyndaris after the war with Syracuse many years ago?" He bowed to Dyves and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the promise you made to the people of Tyndaris many years ago?"
The Devers suddenly understood. He recalled the scene at that time and said in a low voice, "If you did not mention it, I would have forgotten! I once promised them that one day in the future, they will be able to return to their homeland, rebuild their home, and worship their ancient hero again … "
Some of the ministers in the hall understood this, but some were confused. Hakkar could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, where is the homeland of the Tyndaris?"
"Most of the Tyndaris came from Messenia in Peloponnesus. That land was forcibly occupied by Sparta a hundred years ago, and the people who originally lived there were all turned into slaves by them. However, the Messenians were dissatisfied with the cruel rule of the Sparta, and the resistance against them never stopped. Through a great uprising, the ancestors of the Tyndaris finally forced the Sparta to expel them from Peloponnesus …" The Devers briefly described the history of the Tyndaris.
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