Chapter 1211
Olivers glanced at Patroclus and objected, "Now that the Greek Coalition Army is still attacking fiercely, and the defenses at the border of Messenia are relatively weak, if we take the initiative to retreat, and if we don't control it well, it's very likely that the Greek Coalition Army will charge into the Messenian Plains …"
"Yes, once the Greek Coalition Army charges into the Messenian Plains, even if we retreat to Messenia, the land that has just been divided to the citizens of Messenia and the established villages will be destroyed, and our efforts over the past few months will be in vain!" Tegthenos also reminded.
"Most importantly, the port of Messenia has no defenses, and there are a lot of resources and ships there. If it falls into the hands of the Greek Coalition Army, it will be a great loss for us …"
Regardless of what kind of mentality they had, most of the generals stationed in Laconia and Messenia did not agree with Patroclus and Printos, and this made Patroclus show a displeased expression.
After listening carefully, Cloto Catax pondered for a while, and finally said with a straight face, "Generals, defeating the Greek Coalition Army and taking control of Greece is the ultimate goal that the Kingdom has given our expeditionary force, and the most important military operation to achieve this goal is to land on the mainland and attack Thessaly! As a part of the expeditionary force, we have to fight at Peloponnesus as much as possible to restrain the main force of the Greek Coalition Army, and ensure the success of the landing operation. Therefore, there is no need to discuss whether to retreat in the north of Messenia, but to focus on how to retreat to ensure that there are no major problems with our defense! Unity and tacit cooperation are the most important weapons for the army of the Kingdom of Diónia to win every battle. Regardless of whether His Majesty personally leads the army, we should carry it forward! … "
At this moment, Olivers and the others seemed to see the shadow of the King of Devers in Cloto Catax, and they could not help but shudder, not daring to argue anymore.
Printos showed a gratified smile.
… …
On the morning of the 3rd of August, the sky brightened very early, and the sky was exceptionally blue, without a single cloud in sight. A strong southern wind was blowing on the surface of the sea, pushing wave after wave of water against the shore.
In the two bays of Lagania and Messenia, thousands of cargo ships and warships rose and fell with the waves, but the soldiers and crew on each ship were either standing or sitting, with their upper bodies straight, heads bowed, hands stretched out, palms facing up, eyes closed, silently praying to the god of the sea, Poseidon.
On the flagships of the First, Second, and Third Fleets, the three fleet commanders, Sekerian, Midolades, and Stefakas, stood at the bow of the ship. They raised their wine glasses and sang a song dedicated to Poseidon. Then, they sprinkled the wine into the sea to bless the trip.
"Wu! The bugle sounded, and the flagship of the 2nd Fleet immediately raised the colored flag representing the voyage. All the battleships of the 2nd Fleet that were already on the outskirts of Lagonia Bay began to set sail.
Almost at the same time, bugles sounded in Mesaria Bay, and the warships of the 3rd Fleet also moved out.
Until the sailors in the bay could no longer see the 2nd Fleet's battleships. "Woo! … "The bugle sounded again in Lagonia Bay.
"Clotho, it's time for us to go!" Patroclus, who was on the ship, solemnly gave a military salute.
"May the Hades bless you! I'll wait for the news of your victory! "Cloto Catax, who was on the pier, returned the military salute and offered his blessings.
Patroclus returned to his seat, then calmly watched as the ship he was on followed the other troop ships full of soldiers out of Hillers Port in an orderly manner. These troop ships formed their own formations in Lagonia Bay according to their previous training, and then joined up with the sub-fleets of the 1st Flotilla that had been waiting outside, forming three large mixed formations and a single fleet. Then, these fleets set sail in order of landing targets from north to south …
The process seemed simple, but it was actually extremely complicated. It took a lot of effort just to get all the soldiers to board the ships and leave the port. Therefore, in Lagonia Bay, there were dozens of fast ships shuttling back and forth between thousands of ships … Although the whole process was still a little chaotic, overall it was relatively smooth.
An hour later, it was finally the turn of the fleet Patroclus was on to set sail.
As they were sailing against the wind, not only were the crew members doing their best to row the boat, even the soldiers on the ship were joining in. They shouted the chant along with the crew and moved the oars rhythmically. The helmsman controlled the rudder and made the boat sail southeast in a zigzag pattern …
About half an hour later, the fleet rounded the headland. At this time, the crew climbed up the mast, untied the ropes, and lowered the sails. The wind immediately puffed up the sails, and the fleet that originally looked like a weak old man staggering with the help of a walking stick immediately turned into a group of energetic youths sprinting with all their might. The strong south wind made the entire fleet sail northward as if they had wings.
At this time, the 2nd Fleet had arrived at Sarons Bay, and in order to better block the Athens fleet, the Midolades also divided the fleet into two parts, blocking the sea passage at the north and south ends of Eyna Island respectively.
Upon receiving the news, the Admiral of the Athens Navy, Caprias, quickly rushed to the nearby coast. Standing on high ground, he could see the deployment of the Dionysian fleet in the bay more clearly.
Just as he was pondering the reason why the Dionysian fleet was hovering near Eyna Island, neither attacking nor leaving, Callisestratus, who had rushed over after hearing the news, anxiously shouted from afar, "Caprias, the Dionysian fleet that has disappeared for some time has suddenly reappeared. Are they preparing to attack us?"
"I've been observing here for some time. The Dionysian fleet is arranged in a loose formation and has been blocking the sea passage to the north of Eyna Island. Although they are attacking merchant ships that want to enter and leave, it seems that they have no intention of continuing west and attacking Piraeus …"
Caprias pointed at the almost motionless Dionysian fleet under the coast and comforted him, "Moreover, we are now prepared. The warships at Piraeus Harbor and Salamiga Island are all ready for battle, and we have also stationed many light infantry. If the Dionysian fleet really dares to enter that narrow passage and attack our harbor, it will instead be a good thing!"
"You mean …" Callisestratus walked to his side and looked down at the enemy ships on the sea, and asked with a slightly agitated tone, "Let the victory at Salamiga repeat?"
"This is just a wish of mine …" Caprias recalled the naval battle with the Dionysian fleet in Lagonia Bay some time ago, and could not help but shake his head. "But the Dionysian fleet is well-trained, and it is very likely that they will not make such a mistake …"
"There are many warships in the Dionysian fleet!" Callisestratus looked down at the sea, and asked thoughtfully, "They had disappeared from the Aegean Sea for a period of time. At that time, you analyzed that they had gone to attack the islands in the west, so you took the initiative to lead the fleet to attack Lagonia Bay … Now that they have suddenly appeared in Sarons Bay, do you think they have a purpose? Or is it just to retaliate against us by attacking our merchant ships? "
Before and after the Peloponnesian War, the generals of Athens not only had to speak eloquently at the council and give advice for the development of the city, but they also had to personally lead the citizen soldiers into battle. Comon and Pericles had done so, and Thrasybulus had even died on the battlefield. However, the frequent wars had also set high requirements for the quality of the generals of the Athens army, and it began to cause divisions in the leadership of the Athens army. There were politicians like Callisestratus who specialized in politics, and generals like Iphicrates and Caprias who specialized in war. Therefore, Callisestratus had a good relationship with Iphicrates and Caprias, and often consulted them about military matters.
"It's hard to say now, I think …" While Caprias was still muttering to himself, a cavalryman hurried over. "General Caprias, there's news from Eyna Island. Diónia's warships have not only blocked the northern sea passage, but also the southern sea passage. They are intercepting and attacking any merchant ships that want to enter or leave!"
Callisestratus' expression changed drastically. "Are the Diónia trying to completely block our sea trade?!"
"From the looks of it, the Dionysian fleet has probably deployed about 200 warships, and if they want to block that end, they probably need to deploy a similar number of warships … A few hundred warships, tens of thousands of crew, such a large-scale operation … Just to block our merchant ships, it's not worth it …" Caprias was deep in thought, and suddenly his expression changed. "If … the Dionysian fleet is not only trying to block our merchant ships, but also to block our fleet … to prevent our warships from entering the Aegean Sea and threatening their fleet …"
"Fleet? What fleet?! "Callisestratus was stunned, and immediately asked.
"It could be transporting supplies or soldiers … The scale of the fleet should be very large. Otherwise, their fleet could completely protect us …" The more he thought about it, the more certain Caprias' tone became.
"You mean they're going to disembark?!" Callisestratus exclaimed.
"We can't rule out this possibility! Haven't we always been worried that the Dionysian Army will disembark again?! "Caprias said solemnly.
Callisestratus became nervous. "We have to confirm whether the Dionysian Army is going to disembark?! Where are they going to disembark?! Caprias, you have to lead the fleet to break through the Dionysian fleet's blockade, enter the Aegean Sea, and find out if Diónia's fleet is going to disembark. Then, you have to obstruct and destroy it! "
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