Chapter 1143
"Then inform the governors of these two towns to arrange for the citizens of the Messenian Kingdom to come to Tuliyi as soon as possible and discuss how to rebuild Messenia together in the palace. Lord Lysias, you are in charge of this. "
Although Lysias was against Diónia's involvement in the war in Greece, he did not dare to disobey the Devers' orders. He reluctantly replied, "Yes."
The Devers looked at him, then turned to another person who had remained silent until now. "Prosous, you are the kingdom's ever-victorious general and born in Agos. You should be more familiar with Sparta. Do you have any suggestions for the kingdom's next military operation?"
Leotychides was a little surprised, then his expression became indifferent. He said, "Your Majesty, I have no objections."
In the Devers' impression, although Prosous was a man of few words, when it came to military matters, he would become talkative and insightful. Today was a little unusual.
The Devers looked at him again and said, "After the meeting, you have to discuss it with the Ministry of Military Affairs. This time, you will be the commander of the army in Greece."
Alexis and the other generals were not surprised to hear this appointment. Since His Majesty the Devers had designated the First Legion to go to Greece, then Prosous, as the head of the First Legion, was definitely the best candidate to be the commander. In the current Dionysian Army, Alexis was the only one who could surpass Prosous in terms of military achievements, qualifications, and ability to command multiple legions. However, as the Minister of Military Affairs, it was usually impossible for him to personally participate in the battle.
As for Amyntas, not to mention that he was now retired, the Turín people had a lot of complaints about him for the past few years. This was because the First Legion he led had suffered too many casualties during the war in the western Mediterranean.
As for the rising stars in the army, such as Patroclus, Sextus, and the others, they all had important responsibilities. Moreover, the First Legion was also in the army, so it was impossible for them to be the commander.
The ministers present all felt that this appointment was a matter of course, but Leotychides hesitated for a moment before replying, "… Yes."
The Devers looked at him again and stood up. His deep eyes slowly swept across everyone's faces. With a serious expression, he said, "Everyone, since we've made it clear that we're going to Greece, regardless of whether you have any objections or not, and regardless of how the war in Greece will develop, you must gather all of your strength and work together to prepare for this significant expedition!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
… …
After all the ministers had left, Dyfoss summoned Aristiras, the head of the intelligence department. (After Dyfoss took advantage of that great dispute to reform the Senate and completely stripped the power to make decisions from the Senate, he soon established a new intelligence department of the kingdom. Aristiras, who used to work for him in secret, was now working openly. His highest position was the head of the intelligence department, which was the highest among the middle-level officials. He did not become a high-ranking official. This was also a small compromise that Dyfoss made with the other ministers.)
"Did anything happen to Prososus recently?" the Devers asked in a seemingly casual manner.
Aristiras thought for a moment and replied, "Lord Prososus is the same as before. His life is regular and monotonous. There's nothing unusual … His family is also very peaceful."
"Hmm …" The Devers tapped on the table with his fingers. Recalling the scene of the meeting just now, Prososus was obviously a little absent-minded. It was the first time the Devers had seen this kind of situation from the ever-victorious general. "Send a few more people to observe him more carefully in the coming days. It's best if they can find out about his diet, sleep, and so on …"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll arrange it right away," Aristiras immediately responded.
"We're going to Greece soon. We can't afford any mistakes …" the Devers muttered to himself. He then looked up at Aristiras and asked, "Is there any report on the situation of the army at the border?"
"Yes." Aristiras was already prepared. He immediately took out two papyrus rolls from his pocket. One of them was obviously much thicker.
The Devers took the thick papyrus roll first. He did not open it immediately. Instead, he asked, "Is this from the Po River region? (After the conquest of Mountain Gaul, the Kingdom of Diónia established the middle reaches of the Po River region here)?
"Yes."
The Devers opened it with great interest. It was written in the same style as before. Not only did it record the daily actions of Hasdrubal and the main officers of the border army, the movements of the army, and the movements of the army, but it also recorded the consumption and changes of food supplies. There was even a detailed description of the local customs of the Ligurian region that the army passed through. In addition, there were also some opinions on defending and counterattacking the Ligurian tribes, as well as some suggestions on how to better deal with the Ligurians and further assimilate them.
From the standpoint of surveillance and providing information, the recorder was obviously unqualified. However, the information he submitted was of great value to the Devers. That was why the Devers stopped Aristiras from trying to force him to change his ways.
"I remember that the person who provided this information is called Maximus. He's from Rome, and he used to be the city magistrate of Rome …" The Devers carefully rolled up the papyrus roll. "He became an official citizen of Diónia last year, right? What's his current position in the border army of the Po River? "
"Your Majesty, it was with your special permission that he became an official citizen last year. He's now the logistics officer of the border army, and he's deeply trusted by Hasdrubal."
"Logistics officer … That's quite a high position in the army." The Devers looked down at the papyrus roll and muttered, "It's a waste of talent for a person like this to be just an ordinary member of the intelligence department! I think we should find someone to replace him after the Ligurian rebellion is quelled. I have other plans for him. "
"Your Majesty." Aristiras quickly bowed. "The intelligence department is newly established, and we're in desperate need of someone like Maximus who has profound knowledge and can organize things!"
"If that's the case …" The Devers pondered for a moment before saying, "Then transfer him back as soon as possible. He'll help you reorganize, plan, and manage the intelligence department properly. After all, the intelligence department is now the official administrative department of the kingdom, and we need to maintain a proper image. I don't want the Ministry of Supervision to complain about you all every day!"
"… Understood, Your Majesty." Aristiras bowed again, his back breaking out in cold sweat.
After Aristiras left, Heniboris walked into the meeting hall and saw the Devers with his hands behind his back, staring at the map of the Mediterranean Sea on the wall.
"Your Majesty, I'm here," he said softly.
The Devers did not turn around and said slowly, "Herny, how many years has it been since Kroto left Turís?"
Heniboris's heart skipped a beat. "I remember it was in the fourteenth year of the kingdom, Your Majesty. You led the army north to attack Rome, and His Highness Kroto followed. He's been staying in Rome ever since, and it's been thirteen years now. It's been a long time since he left Turís!"
"Yes, it's been a long time!" The Devers sighed softly, turned around, and said meaningfully, "Although he's done a good job in Rome, and has been the governor of Rome for almost three years, he's been away from Turís for too long. It's easy for people to forget him!"
Heniboris's eyelids twitched. He couldn't help but recall what Ancitanos had said here. He immediately stood solemnly and remained silent.
"Write," the Devers said.
"Yes." Heniboris immediately sat down in front of the wooden table and quickly picked up a pen and paper.
"Give orders to the assistant ministers. Tell them that Crotocatax has been away from Turís for many years, and Princess Cristoya has fallen ill from longing for him. Therefore, she has allowed him to retire in advance and return to Turís to serve her mother. The successor of the governor of Rome will be discussed and decided by them …" As soon as the Devers finished dictating, Heniboris had finished writing and was about to hand the order to the Devers.
However, the Devers said, "Give them another order. Tell them that I've approved Ancitanos's resignation as the foreign minister. The successor will be Tapirus. I hope they can complete the handover as soon as possible to avoid affecting the next military operation against Sparta."
Heniboris's hand that was holding the pen trembled slightly. After a moment, he replied softly, "Your Majesty, it's done."
… …
When Leotychides came out of the Ministry of Military Affairs and embarked on his way home, it was already dusk.
In the beginning, Leotychides's home was in the port area of Turís. Later, when he became a soldier of the legion and became a citizen of Diónia, most of the land he received was concentrated in Crimissa, so he built a house there. However, he rarely lived there because he was already the commander of the Eighth Legion at that time and stayed in the military camp of Catania all year round. Later, when he entered the Senate and with his brilliant military exploits, the kingdom granted him a residential area in the eastern outer city of Turís, not far from the Temple of Hera. Since then, his family had lived there.
Most of the senators who lived in the inner city, because they were close to the Great Assembly Hall and the Victory Square, walked home. Most of the senators who lived in the outer city, because the distance was longer, and in order to avoid being disturbed by passers-by, went home in palanquins. Only a few of them chose to ride horses, which were reported to and approved by the city guard. Leoticides was one of them, and he was accompanied by four attendants on horseback to keep him safe.
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