Chapter 1166
Although the people present did not know much about the difficulties the Thebes were facing now, they had never thought of asking the Thebes to provide assistance and fight against Sparta. Therefore, Ipamilonda's sincere apology surprised and moved the people led by Cloto Catax.
Cloto Catax immediately said, "General Ipamilonda, the Thebes are now facing difficulties and cannot support us. We can understand this, so His Majesty has specially sent enough soldiers to Peloponnesus to deal with Sparta. The strength of Diónia alone is enough. When Sparta is completely defeated, we will lead the army north to help you remove other threats and restore peace to the Thebes! "
Cloto Catax did not make a promise casually because of a moment of excitement. He considered that since the Kingdom of Diónia wanted to dominate the situation in Greece, it was likely that there would be a conflict with Athens and Thessaly in the future. So, using the excuse of helping the allied Thebes could not only gain the gratitude and assistance of the Thebes, but also conceal their true purpose. Why not?
Printos also considered this, so when Cloto Catax made the promise, he did not interrupt or cover it up.
When Olivers, Tegettillos, and the other commanders heard that there were other battles to fight besides Sparta, they naturally expressed their approval.
Ipamilonda looked quite touched. He said emotionally, "When I go back, I will definitely tell every Thebes what Diónia has done for the Thebes, so that the Thebes will never forget your kindness! Apollo above, I swear in your name that I will do my best to make the Thebes the strongest ally of Diónia in Greece! "
When Ipamilonda knelt on one knee, palms to the sky, and solemnly swore, Cloto Catax was a little stunned. He suddenly felt a little ashamed and quickly stepped forward to help him up. "General Ipamilonda, you … you …"
"Compared to the great help Diónia has given the Thebes, this is the only thing I can do," Ipamilonda said sincerely.
Cloto Catax was a little moved and did not know what to say for a moment.
Ipamilonda said again, "Now that you are at war with Sparta, the Thebes can't send troops to the war for the time being, but we have persuaded the Arcadians to support you."
"I have heard about this from the former commander." Cloto Catax frowned and said in a gentle tone, "However, I heard that Sparta has sent an envoy to restore friendly relations with the Arcadians, so the Arcadians have not sent an envoy to ask us for help so far."
Ipamilonda smiled and said seriously, "The Arcadia Union has just been established, and its affiliated city-states have always been allies with Sparta. In the face of Sparta's rare goodwill, hesitation is inevitable. However, the leader of the Arcadia Union is Mandinia. The city of Mandinia was destroyed by Sparta, and the people of Mandinia have been homeless for more than ten years. They have a deep hatred for the Sparta, so it is impossible for them to reconcile with Sparta.
Moreover, the chief general of Mandinia, Lycomedes, is the main person who facilitated the establishment of the Arcadia Union. Not only in Mandinia, but also in the entire Arcadia Region, he has a very high reputation. He once sent an envoy to Thebes to ask for help, but we persuaded him to ask for help from Diónia instead. On the way to Mersenia, I have spent a few days with him. I think he is a very wise and far-sighted man. He will definitely not allow Sparta's conspiracy to succeed! "
"Since the general has said so, we will wait a little longer." Cloto Catax agreed with Ipamilonda's suggestion.
Beside him, Olivers had some objections. He wanted to voice his opinion, but Printos stopped him with a glare.
Ipamilonda saw his unwillingness, but Ipamilonda pretended not to see it. He continued to talk with Cloto Catax calmly.
Both sides exchanged some opinions and suggestions on "how to defeat Sparta". In the end, they even discussed "how to train soldiers" and "how to organize an army". Even Olivers and the other captains joined in. The conversation lasted for more than three hours, and even after Ipamilonda left, the others still felt that it was not enough.
Looking at his back, Cloto Catax could not help but sigh, "Not only is Ipamilonda very insightful in military affairs, but he is also very knowledgeable. He is also so humble and eager to learn. What a respectable old man!"
"What a pity." Printos said in a low voice, "We have come to Greece. This will definitely limit the growth of the Thebes. Ipamilonda may not have the opportunity to continue to display his talents!"
"But at least we have prevented more Thebes from dying," Cloto Catax said softly.
"Your Highness." Olivers interrupted, "Are we really going to wait for the Arcadians to make a decision before we lead the army to attack Sparta from the north?"
"Uncle Olivers." Although Crotocatax's tone was gentle, his expression was firm. "The situation with Peloponnesus is complicated. We cannot rush it. Otherwise, we may very well turn friends into enemies."
… …
As it turned out, Ipamilonda's judgment was not wrong. Cloto Catax's decision to wait was also correct. On the second day after Ipamilonda left Mersenia, the emissaries of Arcadia arrived, led by Lycomedes.
Originally, he had only come to ask for help. However, in Mersenia, he saw the powerful army of Diónia, and the Dionysian Army was doing their best to help the Mersenians rebuild the new Mersenian government and city.
After some thought, Lycomedes changed his mind. He decided to form an alliance with Diónia.
Cloto Catax held a meeting with him as the commander of the Diónia expeditionary force and as a prince.
After two days of discussion, the two sides drafted a preliminary resolution. The main content of the resolution was: Diónia recognized the Arcadia Union and guaranteed that its interests would not be violated;
The Arcadia Union also recognized Mersenia and would maintain friendly relations with it;
Diónia would assist the Arcadia Union in building the city of Megalopolis as a symbol of friendship between the two sides;
Diónia and the Arcadia Union would form a military alliance. When one side was invaded by a strong enemy, the other side would provide full support. If they wanted to attack the enemy together, they would only target Sparta …
Judging from this alliance treaty, Diónia undoubtedly suffered some losses. However, during private discussions between Cloto Catax and Printos, they had reached an agreement. As long as they could gain the support of the people of the Arcadia Region, which was located in the center of Peloponnesus (even if it was just to maintain neutrality), Diónia's attack on Sparta would undoubtedly be much smoother. It did not matter if they suffered some losses for the time being.
After the agreement was reached, Lycomedes did not stay in Mersenia for long. He immediately returned to Arcadia and prepared to persuade the Arcadia Union to finally pass the agreement.
Cloto Catax also sent messengers to bring the agreement back to Turií and handed it over to the Devers for review.
This naturally took some time. During this period, under the suggestion of Printos, Cloto Catax suspended the construction activities of the soldiers, and all of them were replaced by the Mersinians. He began to strengthen the training of the army, and he stayed in the training ground every day to supervise the training of the army and let the soldiers get used to his presence.
After the agreement with the Arcadia Union was submitted to the King of Devers, it was quickly approved. However, this matter caused a lot of controversy in the Arcadia Union. In fact, all the members of the Arcadia Union were thinking, "Accept Sparta's request for peace? Or ask for help from Diónia? " There was already a lot of disagreement on this issue. Lycomedas had also spent a lot of effort to finally get the Arcadia Union to agree to ask for help from Diónia.
It was said that the people of Sparta were conservative, but the people of Arcadia were even more so. This was because the Arcadia Region was located in the center of the Peloponnesus Peninsula. It was not near the sea and was mostly mountainous. It was geographically isolated, and the local people were very wary of outside forces.
Among them, the people of Mersenia were much better off. After all, they had been wandering for more than ten years and had more knowledge. However, a hundred years ago, the descendants of Tegea and Oconus were the most resolute in their opposition.
Tegea was located in the southeast of the region. Ever since it joined the Peloponnesus Union a hundred years ago, Sparta had always used it as a barrier to the north of the Laconia region. Therefore, they had been suppressing and coaxing it for a long time. Even after Tegea joined the Arcadia Union, there were still many people who supported Sparta. Therefore, when Sparta sent an envoy to the Arcadia Union to ask for peace, Tegea was the most proactive. On the other hand, Oconus was located in the east of the Arcadia Region and was adjacent to Pisa. The two had a close relationship. When the Olympia was held, Oconus even shared some of the benefits. For example, Oconus merchants were allowed to set up stalls in some good areas of the Olympia, and Oconus priests were allowed to participate in the Olympia. Pisa, on the other hand, was fully supported by Sparta. This caused the people of Oconus to have mixed feelings towards Sparta.
In the eyes of these city-states of the Arcadia Union, independence from Sparta's control was a last resort. However, helping an outside force to fight against Sparta was unacceptable. Even though Lycomedas argued that this was only a temporary measure to ensure the safety of the Arcadia Union, the councilors of these city-states still found it hard to accept. Therefore, for a few days, the council of the Arcadia Union debated on the issue of "forming an alliance with Diónia".
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