Chapter 1204
A glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's dim eyes.
But Agesilaus sighed in his heart. Even if they recaptured Sparta in the end, would the Pyriasis and Helaohs, who had tasted the sweetness of victory, be willing to accept their rule again?
… …
In the evening, the Devers dragged their tired bodies back to their mansion.
Dinner was supposed to be the most lively time for the Devers' family, but today the Devers did not speak much. Even though Eunice took the initiative to raise a topic with her father several times, his answers were perfunctory.
After dinner, the Devers called Crystal and Aegnis to the master bedroom on the second floor.
"Your Majesty, did something happen to Clotho?!" It was rare for Crystal to see the Devers with such an ugly expression, and she had been worried about Cloto Catax for the past few days, so she felt extremely uneasy.
The Devers let out a long sigh, "It's not Clotho, it's Adoris … He's gone to Alisher …"
The first sentence made Crystal heave a sigh of relief, but the second sentence made her worried again, "Adoris?! How?! He's always been so reassuring, and he's so strong, and he's already a captain … How — "
The Devers sighed again, and said in a heavy tone, "Clotho led the army to a decisive battle with the main army of Sparta. Sparta's attack was fierce, and the brigade led by Adoris was the main target. In the end, he suffered many wounds …"
Cristoya's expression froze for a moment, then she suddenly scolded: "What is Cloto doing?! As the commander of the army, why doesn't he take care of his brother! Has he forgotten how Adoris has taken care of him all these years?! — — "
"Sister!" Aegnis had come in late, and she had a cold personality. She didn't have deep feelings for Adoris, so she was able to remain calm when she heard the news. She sat next to Christoya and held her trembling hand tightly, comforting her in a soft voice, "Clotho and Adoris have a deep friendship, so there's no way he wouldn't take care of his brother. I'm afraid this is … an accident?"
Devers nodded and said in a low voice, "King Agesilaus of Sparta is a cunning opponent. He formulated a sinister battle plan that caused the First Legion to fall into chaos and almost caused our army to be defeated in the battle. Fortunately, Clotho responded appropriately and won the battle in the end … The entire brigade led by Adoris was almost wiped out. This is the biggest loss in this battle!"
"But … how am I going to face Cynthia, Edu and the child!" Hot tears streamed down Christoya's face as she sobbed, "Ever since Adoris became independent, I haven't cared for him at all. I'm not a good mother …"
Devers gently pressed on his wife's shoulder and said emotionally, "No, you've always been a good mother to Adoris, carefully raising him … On the other hand, I've never truly accepted him as my own child and was too strict with him. Now that I think about it … I really regret it!"
Christoya looked at her husband with teary eyes, wiping away her tears as she comforted him, "Your Majesty, don't blame yourself. Educating a child is a woman's job, and you're so busy …"
Christoya's words didn't reduce the guilt in Devers's heart. He shook his head and stood up, saying, "Aegnis, stay here with Christoya. I'm going out for a walk."
"It's so late, where are you going?" Aegnis asked with concern.
"I'm standing on the cliff, looking at the Krati River."
Devers really was standing on the hill, looking down at the Krati River in the evening. He still remembered that when he first moved to this hill more than a decade ago, it was pitch-black all around him at night. Whirlpools constantly appeared on the surface of the river, reflecting the moonlight, making it seem especially serene. Coupled with the rumbling of the waves, it always made one's heart palpitate.
But now, not only were the lights on both sides of the Krati River twinkling like the stars in the sky, but the lights in the river were also connected, swaying the surface of the river. These were the ships that entered the river port under the guidance of lighthouses, and some Diónia merchants had specially customized boats to serve as restaurants on the river … Liveliness and clamor had replaced the desolation and silence of the past. This was the result of decades of hard work by Devers, and it was also the change he had made to this world.
At this thought, a sense of heroism rose from the bottom of his heart, dispelling the original guilt Devers felt.
… …
The news of the 'Dionysian Army conquering Sparta' quickly spread throughout Greece, causing many city-states to tremble in shock. At the same time, it also prompted some city-states to speed up the pace of joint resistance.
Corinth was an active participant in the war between Diónia and Sparta, and had even been attacked by the Dionysian fleet in the port. Thus, the infuriated Corinth was one of the first city-states to join the Anti- Diónia Alliance. Now, it was very likely to become the next target of the Dionysian Army.
The restless Corinth carried out emergency military mobilization while asking for help from their allies.
Argos had been hesitant during this war. In addition to not wanting to help their mortal enemy, Sparta, another important reason was that the envoy of Diónia, Karias, had once proposed to the Argos Council, "As long as they support Diónia, after the war, Diónia will return Tetia, which was taken away by Sparta a hundred years ago (not Tetia in the Arcadia Region, but a small city located in the northeast corner of Sparta's territory, adjacent to Argos' territory)."
The Argos were tempted, but soon wavered under the persuasion of the eloquent envoy of Athens. Later, as a close neighbor of Sparta, the Argos discovered that after Diónia occupied Sparta, they completely abolished the original political system of Sparta, turning the Pyriaci and Hellaoshi into new citizens of Sparta. Everything in Sparta changed except for the land.
This made the Argos, who were also an oligarchy, feel terrified. They finally decided to join the Anti- Diónia Alliance, strengthening the defense of the border while reinforcing their friendly ally, Corinth.
The people of Athens had long been mobilizing their military. After learning that the Dionysian Army had completely occupied Sparta, the Council of Athens felt even more urgent. They repeatedly urged their allies and vassal states to send reinforcements and supplies to Athens as soon as possible. This was because Callistratus and the other generals knew that if Athens did not stand up for Sparta's fall and Diónia's strong performance, many of the less determined city-states would likely fall to Diónia's side.
Therefore, Athens quickly formed an army of 10,000 men, led by Iphitrax, and marched with great fanfare to support Corinth.
When the Thebes and their allies learned that Diónia had conquered Sparta, they were even more determined to maintain their neutrality. On the other hand, the city-states of Phocis and Locris in the west were influenced by the priests of Delphi and actively responded to the call of Athens. A total of 6,000 soldiers were sent to join the army of Athens.
After Sparta was completely defeated, Pisa no longer had a strong support. Even without its previous promise, it was inevitable that it would eventually attach itself to Elis, which was also in the same region. Elis, which was previously hostile to Diónia, began to hesitate. This was because after Messenia and Sparta were both occupied by Diónia, and after the Arcadia Union became an ally of Diónia, Elis, which was located in the northwest corner of the Peloponnesus peninsula, was completely surrounded by Diónia and its allies. Therefore, when the other city-states that joined the Anti- Diónia Alliance were actively taking action, Elis became more passive.
After the Dionysian Army gifted Tegea to Mandinia, the other city-states of the Arcadia Union hoped that Mandinia would return the territory of Tegea and work together with them to persuade the Dionysian Army to forgive the captive citizens of Tegea and let them return to their homeland.
How could the people of Mandinia be willing to spit out the fat meat that they had swallowed? In the face of the surging public opinion, the Lycomedes, who initially expressed opposition, finally changed their stance and defended the interests of Mandinia.
The two sides quarreled endlessly, and some city-states even threatened to "leave the Union". At this time, the news that "the Dionysian Army has occupied the entire territory of Sparta" came. The quarrels of the Arcadia Union quickly stopped, and they quickly reached an agreement: they would send an envoy to Sparta to congratulate Diónia, their ally, and at the same time learn about the treatment of Sparta.
In Thessaly, in Northern Greece, Iazon announced to the public in Pharsalus, "As a member of the Greek city-states, the people of Thessaly will never sit back and watch the foreign races invade the land of Greece and bully our compatriots! He, Tarkus of Thessaly, will lead all the warriors of Thessaly to drive away the invaders and help our compatriots in the south reclaim their homeland! "
After he issued the military mobilization, the city-states and the races in the surrounding mountains of Thessaly all sent their troops and gathered in Pharsalus …
… …
Within the territory of Persia, the entire western part of Asia Minor (today's Anatolia region in Turkey) was divided into many regions, and Phrygia was one of them. It had risen to become a kingdom hundreds of years ago, and its influence and territory in Asia Minor was enough to compete with the Heti Empire. Even though it had now become a part of the territory of Persia, it still retained its unique culture and some special rights.
Today, Phrygia was completely located in the center of western Asia Minor, and it was not near the sea at all. However, when Fanabazos was the governor of Phrygia, he used his prestige to lease the coastal town of Aspendos in the southern region of Pisidia to serve as the port of Virginia. Today, Timotheus served as the commander of the fleet in this military port.
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