Chapter 1196
"Yes, Your Majesty," Aristiras replied. He had already given them a reminder. As for what the King of Devers would do in the future, it was none of his concern.
"By the way, have the Macedonians joined this alliance?" The Devers suddenly thought of Thessaly's neighbor, the legendary kingdom in his previous life. He could not help but ask.
"Oh, I heard that Athens has also sent an envoy to Macedonia, but King Marton is seriously ill. I heard that he cannot even get out of bed, so he rejected the request of the envoy from Athens. Now, the situation in Macedonia is a little chaotic. There is also the threat of Thessaly's people in the south. Under these circumstances, the King of Macedonia does not dare to risk sending his army south to fight."
"Macedonia is still a weak country at this time …" The Devers sighed and mumbled.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Heniboris stood at the door and said, "Your Majesty, Prosous is here."
"Your Majesty, I'll take my leave first," Aristiras immediately said tactfully.
"Thank you for your hard work! After you go back, continue to pay close attention to the movements of the various cities in Greece and report to me at any time, "the Devers said seriously.
"Yes!"
After the Chief of Intelligence of the Kingdom left, the Devers specially tidied up his appearance before saying to Heniboris, "Herny, go and fetch him personally."
"Alright." Heniboris nodded knowingly.
As soon as Leotychides walked into the office, the Devers welcomed him warmly.
"Your Majesty." Although he was not wearing armor, Leotychides still gave a very formal military salute.
After the Devers returned the salute, he gestured for him to sit down. Then, he sat on the wooden chair opposite him and asked with a smile, "How have you been resting these days?"
"I'm bored out of my mind. I still hope that I can have something to do." Leotychides's dull face revealed a trace of pleading.
"Actually, neither I nor the Ministry of Military Affairs care about your past identity. There are many people in the Senate who used to be a king, a chief general of a city-state, or a tribal leader. Many of them used to be enemies, but now they are citizens of Diónia, contributing their strength to the kingdom. Moreover, you have made a lot of contributions to the kingdom over the years!"
After sighing, Devers stopped smiling and said seriously, "But you have been concealing your true identity, and this concealment has a great impact on this military operation. This is why I decided to transfer you back and temporarily suspend you from the Ministry of Military Affairs."
"It's indeed my fault for concealing my true identity. I have no opinion on the punishment given by the Ministry of Military Affairs," Leo said seriously when he mentioned the pros and cons.
"Now I have a question." Devers gently patted the armrest. "Should I call you Prososus from now on? Or Leotychides? "
Leotychides did not hesitate and immediately answered, "Prososus has become a thing of the past. I am now a citizen of Prososus and Diónia, and Prososus will be my family name, which will continue to be passed down."
Devers smiled and said, "Two days ago, an emissary from Egypt came to Turií and told me a piece of news. 'The Persia army is gathering in large numbers in Eastern Phoenicia, and they intend to invade Egypt.' Pharaoh Tanis of Egypt hopes that when the Persia army invades Egypt, we, Diónia, can send reinforcements to Egypt … "
When Leotychides heard this, he subconsciously grabbed the armrest.
Sure enough … Devers looked at him and said slowly, "Egypt is our ally. During the war in the Western Mediterranean, they selflessly provided us with a large amount of food, so that we could survive the most difficult period. Now that they are in trouble, of course, we should lend a helping hand and fully support them.
In addition, Persia regards Diónia as an enemy. During the war in the Western Mediterranean, they had sent reinforcements to help Carthage. In the past two years, they have also incited the city-states in Greece to unite against us … Therefore, helping Egypt and attacking Persia is a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.
The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom has passed the resolution to 'help Egypt'. After discussing with the Ministry of Military Affairs, I think you're the most suitable candidate to be the commander of the reinforcements. Are you willing to accept this appointment and go to Persia to fight? "
Of course, Leotychides, who had been idle for a period of time, was willing to accept this appointment. However, he still suppressed the impulse in his heart and asked first, "Your Majesty, may I know which legions the kingdom will send as reinforcements?"
Devers praised Leotychides for being able to remain calm in such a situation. He said loudly, "Currently, we're considering three legions from Sicily as the main force of the reinforcements, with the second fleet providing support at sea. In addition, considering that Egypt's territory is vast and flat, which is conducive for cavalry to gallop, we're prepared to let the Afrikan light cavalry legion participate in the expedition. Considering that the Persia army mainly relies on projectiles, we'll also recruit 2,000 Bali Slingers … What do you think? Are you satisfied with this arrangement? "
"Your Majesty, I'm willing to accept your appointment," Leotychides responded decisively.
"Persia is not our Diónia. Their military mobilization will not be so fast. I'm afraid it will take some time before they actually attack Egypt. You don't have to be too anxious. Go to Sicily first and familiarize yourself with the legions you'll be commanding.
Among these troops, the Eighth Legion has the strongest combat power, and you're the old commander of the Eighth Legion. You've led it to win a lot of glory. I believe that when you take over this reinforcement army, you'll quickly gain the support of the soldiers …
However, don't assemble the troops on a large scale yet to avoid consuming the military rations prematurely. After all, the army in Peloponnesus also consumed a lot of military rations. "
Hearing this, Leotychides could not help but ask, "When I lead the army to Egypt, what about the military rations?"
"Pharaoh Tanis of Egypt has already made a promise in the letter that all the military rations for the reinforcements will be provided by him." Devers said calmly, "Egypt has always been the main granary of the Mediterranean. In recent years, its political situation has been relatively stable. It's said that the food reserves are abundant, so you don't have to worry. Of course, the Ministry of Military Affairs will also send some supplies to you at the right time as a supplement. "
Leotychides nodded and did not say anything for a while.
Devers looked at him, but continued, "I heard that when you left Mersenia, you reminded Cloto Catax, 'Don't let your guard down against the other Greek city-states other than Sparta. They have always been fickle …'
Now, your worries have become a reality. Many Greek city-states, led by Athens, are forming an alliance against Diónia. This will undoubtedly bring great difficulties to our strategy of controlling Greece. Moreover, if our war in Greece can't end in a short time, we'll have to reinforce Egypt here. There's no doubt that we'll fall into a dilemma of fighting on two sides … You know Greece better. Do you have any suggestions? "
Listening to Devers, Leotychides thought about this problem in his mind. As a commander, he certainly did not want the war in Greece to affect the reinforcement to Egypt.
After a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, a few years ago, the Italian Gauls were regarded as scourges by the Etruscans, Latins, and other races in the north. They were numerous, fierce, and aggressive. Even the kingdom saw them as a great threat.
But Your Majesty, you gathered an army of 100,000 at once, and it only took you a few months to defeat the Gauls. Now, their territory has been annexed to the kingdom. "
Leotychides briefly mentioned the conquest of the Gauls. After all, he was the commander of the northern expedition to Gaul at that time. Saying too much would undoubtedly make him look like he was boasting.
"The war in Greece is actually a little similar to the war in Gaul. It looks like there are many city-states, the situation is complicated, and its citizens are also very good at fighting. But in fact, the Peloponnesus Peninsula, Central Greece, Northern Greece, and even the Ionian Islands are far smaller than the kingdom's territory. The population is also much smaller, not to mention weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies …
Your Majesty can completely concentrate most of the kingdom's troops in the same way you conquered the Gauls and launch an all-out attack with a military force that far exceeds the Greek mainland. You can definitely complete the conquest of Greece in a short time. "
"Hmm …" Devers stroked his chin thoughtfully.
After sending Leotychides off, Devers asked Heniboris to bring a wooden map of Greece. He looked at the map alone and fell into deep thought.
… …
Asidamas walked into the mansion of the governor of Phyllis and saw Thessaly's Tarkus Iazon pacing back and forth at the entrance of the living room. He walked up to him and asked, "Sir, what brings you here?"
Iazon recovered from his deep thought and held Asidamas' arm respectfully. He walked into the living room and invited him to sit down. Then, he said with a solemn expression, "I just received news that the Dionysian Army defeated the 30,000-strong army of Sparta in Tegea with the support of Persia!"
"Sparta suffered another defeat in the battle?!" Asidamas was shocked by the news. For a politician who spent most of his life under the rule of Sparta, it was a little hard to accept.
"Yes, I heard that not only did the Dionynia defeat the Sparta army, but they also occupied Sparta's camp and captured many soldiers. They drove Sparta's defeated soldiers into the mountains and took the opportunity to capture Tegea …" Iazon said emotionally.
Asidamas sighed and said with some emotion, "From this, even with the support of Persia, Sparta is no match for the Dionynia. Their decline is inevitable … Sir, what's your plan?"
Iazon sat down on a chair next to him and said, "I want to hear your suggestion first."
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