Chapter 1163
Olivers's expression changed. He immediately realized that he had almost made a big mistake. If he had really done that and His Majesty the Devers found out about it, he would definitely think that he had taken the lead to embarrass Cloto Catax. Then, he would definitely face the wrath of His Majesty …
So, he quickly laughed and said, "Haha, the drinking was all to scare Ctessus. We're just having a meal and chatting tonight! You're in luck! Mesenia Bay has always been closed off, so the seafood is very delicious. The oysters are plentiful, big and fat. You can eat until you're stuffed to death! "
"Then I'll have to taste it!" Tygertilos quickly followed up. At that moment, he also realized that he had said the wrong thing.
Printos breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he could not help but look up to Trotiras.
… …
Cloto Catax and his party arrived at the camp, or rather, the city of Mesenia (after more than a month of joint efforts by the Dionysian soldiers and the Mesenians, this former Sparta camp could barely be considered a city). They entered the military tent and handed over military affairs to Leotychides.
"This is my first time serving as an army commander. I don't have much confidence in being able to complete the heavy responsibility that my father has entrusted to me." "General Prososus, you are a veteran general of the kingdom, and you have a deep understanding of the Peloponnesian Empire. Can you give me some pointers?" Klotokatax said frankly, "General Prososus, you are a veteran general of the kingdom, and you have a deep understanding of the Peloponnesian Empire.
Originally, after the handover of military affairs, Leotychides was ready to pack his bags and leave as soon as possible. He did not expect Cloto Catax to make such a request. He looked at the sincere prince in front of him and looked around. Apart from the two of them, there were also Printos and Mukrou in the tent. Both of them were whispering something. (Although Leotychides had been transferred, Staff Officer Tagrou would still stay behind as Printos' subordinate to handle trivial military affairs.)
Leotychides hesitated for a moment and said coldly, "I'm the prince of Sparta. Do you believe my suggestion?"
"Father firmly believes that you will not betray the kingdom, so when he received your first letter, he rejected the proposal of the Ministry of Military Affairs and let you continue to be the commander. It was not until he received your second letter, when you voluntarily asked to resign from your position, that he hesitated for a long time before he finally agreed. He told me, 'People are human because they have rich emotions. It's completely reasonable that you can't fight your fellow countrymen.' Moreover, he said to me with a sigh, 'I didn't expect that Prososus, who looks like a wooden man, is actually so affectionate and righteous!' … These were my father's exact words. Although I don't know much about you, my father trusts you. I have no reason not to trust you! "Cloto Catax was still as honest as ever.
After listening to these words, Leotychides's heart stirred slightly, but his expression was still indifferent. He continued to ask, "After defeating the army of Sparta, how will Your Highness deal with Sparta?"
Cloto Catax said solemnly, "Sparta is the most important city-state in Greece, and it is also an important part of the various forces in Greece. If we completely destroy it, not only will the people of Greece resent it, but it will also cause the power imbalance in the whole of Greece and the whole of Peloponnesus. This is not what my father wants to see, and it is not in the interests of the kingdom!
Therefore, we will deal with the defeated Sparta the same way we dealt with Carthage. Sparta will lose its former glory, and there may be some changes in its political system, but it will continue to survive. Even the ordinary people of Sparta may live a better life than they do now, because as far as I know, the people of Sparta are living in a terrible state … "
After hearing this, Leotychides did not say anything. He slowly walked to the side of the main seat, pulled a wooden chair, and sat down. He turned around and said, "Mukelu, bring me the map of Peloponnesus."
The wooden map was placed on the table. Leotychides glanced at Cloto Catax, then said in a deep voice, "Now that we have occupied Mersenia, there is only Mount Tegetos between us and Sparta. However, it will not be easy to invade their territory.
There are two ways! One is for our army to land on the coast of Sparta by boat, and repeat the method we used to conquer Mersenia. However, we were able to successfully conquer Mersenia because our operation was too sudden, and Sparta did not have time to prepare their defenses. After Sparta lost the battle against Leuctra, their military strength in Mersenia was obviously weakened, and their military strength in Mersenia was obviously insufficient. This allowed our army to land successfully. However, to land on the coast of Sparta was much more difficult.
First of all, although the number of Sparta soldiers may be less than 2000, this only refers to the young and strong citizens. Old people over the age of 50 can still wear armor and fight, and their fighting strength is not too weak. This way, Sparta can temporarily form an army of nearly 4000 people.
Before I left Sparta, I remembered that the population of the Biriasi was three times that of the Spartans. Now, there might be an obvious decrease in the number of Biriasi, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to form an army of 5000 people. Furthermore, according to Sparta's tradition, as long as there is a war, the Biriasi must provide sufficient soldiers. In recent years, Sparta has been in frequent battles, so the Biriasi's fighting strength shouldn't be weak.
There is also a large number of Black Rovers living in Sparta. The ancestors of these Black Rovers were conquered by Sparta long ago, and Sparta is stricter with them. Compared to Mersenia, they are more loyal to Sparta. From what I remember, the number of Black Rovers is 7-8 times that of Sparta. Now, even if we lose Mersenia, the number of Black Rovers left is at least three times that of Sparta. It should not be a problem to form a temporary army of 10,000 people. This way, Sparta can temporarily form a reliable army of around 20,000 people to defend against our landing.
Secondly, the coast of Sparta is much narrower than the coast of Mersenia, which makes it easier for Sparta to defend. Also, I received news from the navy that during this period of time, Sparta has set up countless wooden stakes near the coast … In this situation, if we want to forcefully land, even if we win in the end, we will have to pay a huge price.
There is one thing … I'm afraid you don't know. Some time ago, the first fleet occupied the Kisira Island (an island in the Lagonia Gulf). The Sekerian persuaded me to lead an army to land on the coast of Sparta, but I refused. He couldn't help but send out the infantry of the fleet to attack the coast of Sparta, but he failed. I heard that hundreds of people died … "
Cloto Catax looked at Printos in surprise.
Printos' face suddenly became solemn. "The Ministry of Military Affairs did not receive any battle reports on this."
Leotychides said faintly, "Maybe the battle report is still on the way … He is now on the Kisira Island, you can also ask him directly."
Cloto Catax felt a little headache. He thought that the biggest problem for him as a commander would be to make the officers of the expeditionary army obey him, but he actually forgot about the navy. The Sekerian, the father of the navy and the hero of the kingdom, was the most difficult to deal with!
Leotychides did not care what the two people in front of him were thinking. He pointed at the map with his finger. "The other way is from the north of Mersenia, through the south of the Arcadia Region, bypassing Mount Tegetos and entering the north of Sparta's territory … But the key problem is whether the Arcadians will allow our army to enter their territory.
The city-states of Arcadia used to be allies of Sparta, but recently, they formed an Arcadia Union, wanting to be independent from the Peloponnesus Union, so they were threatened by Sparta. If it weren't for our arrival, they would have probably gone to war with Sparta.
The Arcadians had sent messengers to the Thebes for help, and the Thebes advised them to ask us for help. They also sent messengers to Mersenia, wanting to intercede for the Arcadians — "
"You mean the Thebes sent messengers?!" Cloto Catax asked.
"They came three days ago, and the messengers were Ipamilonda." Leotychides deliberately paused.
Sure enough, Cloto Catax asked in surprise, "The Pioscia commander who led the army to defeat the Sparta army in Leuctra?!"
"That's him." Leotychides said calmly. "But I didn't talk to him in detail. I told him that a new commander was coming, so he was willing to stay and wait."
"The Arcadians didn't send messengers?" Printos asked. He and Cloto Catax had the same doubts. Since the Thebes were here to help the Arcadia Union, why did the Thebes' messengers arrive, but not the Arcadians?
"According to the Thebes' messengers, the Arcadia Union messengers who were following him were suddenly called back before they could enter Mersenia. This was because Sparta sent messengers to the Arcadians to ask for peace …"
Cloto Catax was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood. He could not help but ask, "Sparta wants to stop the war with the Arcadians, and then focus on us. But will the Arcadians, who have been bullied by Sparta, agree?! "
"Your Highness." Leotychides sat firmly on the wooden chair and pointed at his feet. In a deep voice, he said, "In the land of Peloponnesus, you must remember this saying: 'Do not trust any agreement made by any city-state!' For the sake of better survival and benefits, most of the cities here would be allies today, enemies tomorrow, and then restore peace the day after … This was quite common.
For decades, the Arcadians have been allies of Sparta. However, in recent years, they have been dragged into wars by Sparta. They are dissatisfied with the tyranny of Sparta, so they want to become independent from the Peloponnesus Alliance. If Sparta takes the initiative to recognize their alliance and stop the war against them, it is very likely that the relationship between the two sides will be restored, and they may even join forces to deal with us … "
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