Chapter 1210
Since the establishment of Diónia, there had only been two large-scale battles like this. During the War of the Western Mediterranean, the King of Devers personally led the main force to fight against Carthage's army in Sicily. However, some of the soldiers in that war were provided by their allies, so there were a lot of impurities in the 100,000 soldiers. The second time was during the War of Gaul, when Leotychides led the army to conquer Mountain Gaul, but in fact, the main force led by him did not have 100,000 soldiers. Including the division led by Patroclus, it only exceeded 100,000 soldiers.
The Balearic Stoners were a special army of Diónia, officially organized by the Ministry of Military Affairs. They were trained by the Eighteenth Legion stationed in the Iberian region, and occasionally participated in battles against the Iberian natives. The Gaul Brigade was also a regular army. The Ministry of Military Affairs referred to the former Rome Reserve Brigade, hoping to eventually turn it into a regular army through time. It had been trained and commanded by the Fourteenth Legion stationed in the Po River region, and had also participated in the war against the Ligurians together with the border army. Now, Liguria had basically been pacified except for a few places that were still resisting stubbornly. The Gaul Brigade's contributions could not go unnoticed. And Patroclus was able to lead such a huge army to carry out such an important battle at such a young age. It was truly enviable!
Olivers, Tegthenos, and the other generals watched Patroclus speak with great confidence and awe, but not a hint of disdain. After all, Patroclus had come up with several miraculous strategies in Etruria, wiping out the invading Roman army in a very short time. Later on, he had stationed his army in Mountain Gaul, and in a few years not only stabilized the Po River region, but also almost conquered Liguria … That was why he could become the commander-in-chief of the landing campaign because of his outstanding leadership skills and past achievements, and not because he was the son-in-law of the Devers King.
Printos, on the other hand, did not have these complicated thoughts. His mind was focused on the upcoming landing operation. He furrowed his brows and continued to ask, "100,000 soldiers will require at least 2,000 ships to transport, and there will be multiple landing sites. There are many islands on the east coast of Greece, and the coastline is winding. How will we be able to reach the landing site as quickly and accurately as possible? How could they ensure the safety of the fleet at sea? … "
"Let me answer these questions." Sekerian took the responsibility and said, "The maritime security of this landing operation will be handled by me, Midolades, and Stefakas. The 1st Flotilla, 2nd Flotilla, and 3rd Flotilla, a total of 1,200 warships, will escort all the fleets transporting soldiers and supplies and participate in the battle when appropriate.
Currently, there were only two city-states in the Greek Alliance that could cause trouble for the transport fleet: Athens and Thessaly. According to intelligence, the Athens Navy had more than 80 warships, of which 50 were three-tiered warships. Recently, due to the support of its naval allies, there might be more than a hundred. "The Athens Navy's tactical ability is relatively strong, their ship handling skills are high, and they are aggressive. Seven days ago, the main force of our navy assisted the army on the west coast to capture the island. The Athens Fleet actually quietly approached Lagonia Bay and fought with the 1st Flotilla Fleet that stayed behind. Because the people of Athens were not familiar with our tactics, they lost several warships and later took the initiative to retreat. This was also a small victory for our navy …
On the other hand, Thessaly's fleet has only been established a few years ago. However, it is said that Ison has invested a lot in it and now, there are nearly a hundred warships in it. However, it has yet to engage in any major battles. Up until now, our intelligence personnel have not seen this fleet patrolling the sea. A fleet that likes to stay in the port doesn't possess any combat power.
So according to the analysis of the enemy's situation, our navy made the following combat deployment on the day of the landing. The 2nd Fleet and the 3rd Fleet left the port before the transport fleet set off. The battleships of the 2nd Fleet blockaded Saron Bay, and the 3rd Fleet blockaded Pagasa Bay (the bay to the east of Thessaly) to prevent the warships of Athens and Thessaly from going out to sea to attack the transport fleet. The 5 sub-fleets of the 1st Flotilla Fleet escorted each transport fleet to the landing land — "
At this point, Sekerian swallowed his saliva, moistened his throat, and continued, "In addition, I want to talk about the transport fleet that landed this time. When the Ministry of Military Affairs recruited transport ships in various port towns of the kingdom a month ago, they deliberately chose merchant ships that were familiar with the coastal routes of Northern Greece. In this regard, the Chamber of Commerce in various regions provided great help, so there was no need to worry about the crew not being familiar with the routes.
Moreover, the Ministry of Military Affairs took the time to organize the more than 2,000 transport ships, clarify their respective tasks, and conduct unified training, so there was no need to worry about the fleet being too disorderly during the landing.
During this season, the Aegean Sea has more southerly winds, so we will choose the day when the southern winds are stronger as the landing day. According to my judgment, it may only take half a day for the fleet to reach the destination. "
Printos listened carefully, and his frown did not completely relax. "When our huge fleet sails to the north, the threat that we will face may not only be the navy of Athens and Thessaly —"
"I know that Lord Printos is talking about the navy of Persia." This time, it was Midolades who interrupted. He and Sekerian looked at each other and said with a smile, "We have not taken the navy of Persia lightly. Since the First Fleet was stationed in the southern waters of Peloponnesus, we have been sending fast ships to monitor the movements of the fleets of Persia in Asia Minor. So far, we have not found any abnormalities.
After our Second Fleet returned from Egypt, we sent more fast ships to the waters near Crete to strengthen our observation of the waters of Phoenicia. From the information we have received now, the Persia has begun to attack Egypt. A large number of warships are concentrated in Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia. There is no sign of a large-scale westward movement to help Greece. "
After listening, Printos still asked with some concern, "100,000 soldiers consume a lot of rations every day. How are you going to solve it after you land?"
Patroclus answered without hesitation, "The Ministry of Military Affairs requires every soldier to carry five days of rations. After the successful landing, we will occupy the nearby port towns as soon as possible, such as Lamia and Peleus, to ensure that our ships carrying supplies can enter the port to unload.
Of course, this is only temporary. The real base that can provide logistics for the entire army should be Philae. And according to the information we received, Philae has a large reserve of rations prepared for Iazon's army. So, our landing troops must break into the hinterland of Thessaly as soon as possible and occupy Philae as soon as possible. "
Patroclus smiled and said confidently, "His Majesty also values Philae very much. He has made some arrangements in advance. I believe that it will be of great help to successfully occupy Philae. It's already the end of July now. When we attack, it will be August. The wheat is about to ripen, and Thessaly has a large number of fertile wheat fields that can supply us with rations for the next few months … "
At this moment, Printos's expression finally relaxed a little. He looked at the generals who had just arrived in Sparta and said in a serious tone, "It seems that His Majesty is taking this landing operation very seriously. He has already ordered the Ministry of Military Affairs to make a lot of preparations. I believe that all of you have also led the army to conduct landing operations many times. I no longer have any doubts. I just hope that all of you will continue to pay close attention to the movements in the Aegean Sea in the next few days and improve your landing plan according to the actual situation."
Obviously, Printos said these words as the chief of staff. Patroclus and the other generals nodded solemnly.
Then, Patroclus looked at Cloto Catax and asked with concern, "Whether we can successfully land on Thessaly or not, the key is whether we can defend this place or not. I heard that you have suffered a lot of losses in the battle against Sparta, and now you are facing a large-scale attack from the allied Greek forces. Are you a little short of manpower? Do you need me to send some troops to support you? "
After fighting in Peloponnesus for more than two months, Cloto Catax was no longer as lacking in confidence as he was in the beginning. He answered confidently, "In fact, we did not suffer a lot of losses in the battle against Sparta. Four legions and one cavalry legion are still intact. In addition, we can also organize about 15,000 young Helots and Pyriasians from Messenia and Laconia. Our total military strength can reach 45,000, which is not much different from the allied Greek forces.
Moreover, they are attacking, and we are defending. We have more than enough troops. Also, judging from the previous battle, the allied Greek forces are not good at sieges. Their siege weapons are simple, and their methods are very simple. They are not even brave enough to pose a big threat to our defensive camp. In fact, even without your landing, we are confident that we can hold on until the Greek forces have low morale and have no choice but to retreat. "
When Patroclus heard that, he suddenly frowned and reminded, "I suggest that you don't defend too forcefully. You should also make some appropriate concessions so that the Greek Coalition Army won't want to retreat. We need to keep the Greek Coalition Army in the Peloponnese so that they can't rescue Thessaly in time!"
Cloto Catax was stunned.
"Commander Patroclus is right. Previously, we defended tenaciously to defend Messenia and Laconia. Now, to ensure the smooth implementation of the landing plan, we can consider making a slight concession, such as taking the initiative to give up a defensive camp …" Printos, who was reminded, quickly replied, "Commander Patroclus is right.
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