Chapter 1209
However, today, the Sparta warriors were shocked to see that the Lagenia Bay was filled with ships. Fully armed Diónia soldiers disembarked from the ships continuously. The entire coast of Sparta was filled with people. How many soldiers were there?!
They were extremely shocked. They had seen the tens of thousands of Diónia's army before and deeply felt the huge gap in their numbers. They did not expect that there would be more Diónia soldiers this time, and they were definitely not just there to make up the numbers. In the eyes of these experienced Sparta warriors, these Diónia soldiers were not only well-armed, but also orderly and disciplined. They should be able to fight.
Agesilaus was one of the Spartans who witnessed this scene. At that moment, his heart suddenly fell to the bottom of the valley, and despair drowned him like a tide. His body swayed, and he was about to fall. Xenophon, who was beside him, quickly held him up.
"Don't worry … There's still hope …" Xenophon comforted him softly.
Agesilaus looked at the dark coast and was silent for a long time before letting out a hoarse sigh. "May Zeus bless us …"
Xenophon also looked at the bustling coast. Although he had seen the prosperity of the center of the Kingdom of Diónia, he was not calm after witnessing the power of the Dionysian Army. He suddenly remembered what the Devers had said decades ago when they parted. "He wants to build a brand new country in the Western Mediterranean, and he invites me to join …" Xenophon did not think much of it at that time, but now it seemed that the Devers had fulfilled his promise.
At this moment, Xenophon suddenly felt a little regretful …
The Sparta people watched the arrival of the Diónia reinforcements in fear, while Cloto Catax, Printos, and the other garrison generals happily welcomed the reinforcements led by Patroclus into the city of Sparta.
After a brief tour of the city's main scenery, the group of people entered the heavily-guarded meeting hall and held a military meeting.
Cloto Catax originally wanted Patroclus to sit at the head of the table because he was the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements appointed by the King of Devers. The reinforcements had far more soldiers than the Dionysian Army stationed in Sparta, and they also had an important mission.
Patroclus should be the youngest military commander since the establishment of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia. During the Gallic War, the regional governor of Rome, Asistes, once commented on him in private, saying that he was "brilliant in military affairs, but young and successful, inevitably too arrogant and prone to neglect others."
But Patroclus, who had honed himself in the Po River region for several years, was clearly much calmer than when he was first appointed as the commander of the 14th Army. After he was transferred back to Turií, Cynthia, who was grieving over the loss of her brother, had solemnly warned him many times to make him understand that Cloto Catax was no longer the quiet, hardworking, middle-level official of the kingdom he was in Rome, but the successor of the King of Devers, who was working hard to cultivate his prestige in the army … So he politely refused Cloto Catax's suggestion and insisted on sitting at the head of the table.
After everyone was seated, Cloto Catax coughed softly and said in a clear voice, "First of all, on behalf of the soldiers stationed in Messenia and Laconia, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you! Recently, the Greek allied forces have been launching continuous attacks on us. Even though the soldiers have been holding the line, they are still under a lot of pressure. Your arrival has boosted their confidence! "
Cloto Catax paused for a moment, took out a letter from his pocket, and said with a straight face, "Commander Patroclus has sent me a letter from His Majesty. In his heart, His Majesty praised us for our outstanding performance in the previous battle. It is a great achievement to be able to conquer the hegemon of Greece, Sparta, in such a short time!"
Hearing this, Printos, Olivers, Trotiras, and the others subconsciously puffed out their chests.
Cloto Catax's gaze swept across their faces, and finally landed on the somewhat absent-minded Ctessus. He continued in a gentle tone, "His Majesty also mentioned that although we have achieved the expected goal, the expeditionary army has still paid a heavy price. However, this is unavoidable. After all, we are fighting against Sparta, who dominates Greece with their military strength, and not the weak Tarantum. Many soldiers have died in the battle, but this is war!" … His Majesty has been through hundreds of battles, and he will not blame anyone for this! On the contrary, he encourages us not to have any concerns, to continue to unite as one, to fight with all our strength, and finally achieve the strategic goal set by the kingdom! "
Cloto Catax's words made the garrison generals feel greatly relieved, especially Ctessus, whose face instantly looked much better.
Cloto Catax saw that his words had an effect, and he was also happy. He knew very well that Adoris's death was not only a heavy burden on him, but also on the generals who fought against Peloponnesus. Especially Ctessus, his face was written with self-blame almost every day.
Cloto Catax did not resent Ctessus, only sympathy. Under the circumstances of the sudden change of the battle, as the commander-in-chief, he was already panicking, but Ctessus was able to take a more timely and correct response, thus ensuring that the First Legion was not defeated by Sparta, laying the foundation for the final victory of the battle. For this reason, he had talked to Ctessus in private once, but the effect was not obvious.
Fortunately, the Devers wrote the letter in time. Although the letter did not directly mention Adoris's name, it let Ctessus feel that the Devers understood and encouraged him, so the whole state of mind of Ctessus changed.
Patroclus looked at the scene in front of him silently. When he received the news of Adoris's death, he was indeed shocked and sad, but not as sad as his wife. After all, he and Adoris did not have a good relationship. Adoris had an inexplicable hostility towards him, so the two of them did not interact much.
At this moment, what surprised him was the change in Cloto Catax. A few years ago, when he was the commander of the legion in Rome, he was very close to Cloto Catax. In his impression, the young prince was gentle, serious, diligent, and amiable. But today, when he saw him again, the young prince's speech and behavior were a bit more dignified.
"Commander Patroclus." Cloto Catax looked at his brother-in-law and said loudly, "Next, please tell us about the follow-up military plan that His Majesty and the Ministry of Military Affairs have discussed and formulated!"
Patroclus came back to his senses, looked around, and said in a clear voice, "Everyone who has been fighting here for more than three months, according to the latest military plan drawn up by His Majesty, you will still need to hold on here independently for a period of time, because the army I am leading is not here to reinforce you —"
"What?!" Hearing this, Olivers, Tegthinus, and the other generals were surprised, while Printos looked pensive.
Without waiting for them to ask, Patroclus continued, "The Ministry of Military Affairs has made a deduction before. The Peloponnesus Peninsula is not large, but there are many mountains. If we fight the enemy head-on in Messenia and Laconia, we will not be able to fully deploy our superior forces. Although we can repel them, we will not be able to destroy them better. On the contrary, the defeated Greek coalition forces will retreat to their own city-states, which will greatly extend the time it takes for us to conquer Greece.
And our army wants to land on the flank of the Greek coalition forces and carry out a pincer attack. The only place suitable for a large-scale landing is Elis, because our previous conquest of Zakynsus, Keraronia, and other islands has already strengthened their defenses along the coast. Furthermore, the Greek coalition forces are south of Elis, and reinforcements can arrive at any time. Landing there will undoubtedly cost us a lot, and we may not succeed.
In addition, the Ministry of Military Affairs has also received intelligence that the Greek coalition forces have strengthened their defenses along the coast of Attica and Pioscia … But it is useless for them to do so, His Majesty has already set the target for our surprise attack — "
With an expression of admiration, Patroclus said in a more serious tone, "That is Thessaly! It is reported that more than half of the Greek coalition forces are Thessaly's soldiers, and their combat power is also the strongest. They are the absolute main force of the Greek coalition forces! We have to take advantage of the fact that their rear is empty to send a large army to quickly launch a surprise attack and occupy the entire territory of Thessaly. Then, the Thessaly army that is still fighting here will inevitably collapse without a fight. When the Thessaly army retreats, the Greek coalition forces will naturally collapse … "
Olivers and the other generals were suddenly enlightened after hearing this.
Printos revealed a look of understanding, and cautiously reminded them, "The Greek coalition forces know that they are strengthening their defenses along the coast in Central Greece, so they should not ignore Thessaly."
"Sir Printos is right, the Ministry of Military Affairs has received news from Philae that Iazon has indeed sent troops to strengthen the defense of the southern coast of Philae." Patroclus did not dare to belittle the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Military Affairs who was wise and had made great contributions. He explained in a serious manner, "But our main landing point is not in the east of Thessaly, but in the north, in the territory of Peleus and Macedonia, and in the south, in Lamia.
Although Macedonia did not join the Greek coalition, it has lent its soldiers to Sparta and Athens (in fact, they are hired). It is also the enemy of Diónia. The Lamia region was forced to rely on Iazon not long ago, and Peleus is far away from the center of Thessaly. Their strength is not strong, and they are not very loyal to Iazon. So far, we have not found that they have strengthened their defenses along the coast … "
As Printos listened, he recalled the geography of the east coast of Greece and the situation of the sea. After pondering for a while, he asked again, "How many soldiers are participating in the landing battle?"
"There are the Second Legion, Legio III, Fifth Legion, Ninth Legion, Tenth Legion, Eleventh Legion, Twelfth Legion, Thirteenth Legion, Second and Third Cavalry Legions, Gallic Brigade (including 6,000 Gallic warriors and 2,000 Gallic cavalry), 2,000 Balearic Catapults … There are 80,000 soldiers who are going to land directly for the battle." As Patroclus said, he suddenly thought of something, "Oh yes, including the fleet infantry of the three fleets that are escorting us, there are nearly 100,000 combat soldiers in total!"
When Patroclus finished, the generals present widened their eyes: 100,000 soldiers were deployed at once, what a grand scene it would be!
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