Chapter 1217
However, Polydorus did not know that after the order was issued, Polyfron, who was at the front of the team, turned pale. The War Horse he was riding on had its mane pulled out by Polyfron, and it neighed in pain …
Late at night, Thessaly's army returned to the camp outside the city of Phylai, and the exhausted soldiers soon fell asleep.
Polydorus, who was troubled by the tense situation in front of him, tossed and turned, and could not sleep.
Suddenly, he heard a few loud noises outside the door. He sat up subconsciously and shouted, "Felix (the guard on duty at the door), what's going on outside?"
No one responded, but then he heard footsteps. A tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Polifron. His face was ferocious, and he held a dagger in his hand that shone with a cold light.
Polidorus was startled and immediately shouted, "Third Brother, what are you — —"
Polyfron's eyes widened, and he quickly and forcefully swung the dagger, cutting a big bloody wound on Polydorus's face. The blood and pain made him stop shouting abruptly, and he fell on his back on the bed.
Polyfron did not hesitate to stab his brother's chest with the dagger, and blood splashed on his face. It was not until Polydorus stopped struggling that he stood up, stared at his brother lying in a pool of blood, and whispered fiercely, "Coward, you should have died long ago! Next, I will let Iazon know that only I can save Thessaly! "
… …
At dusk that day, the messenger of Orops rode to Athens.
The General Executive Committee of Athens quickly held an emergency meeting about this.
"Everyone, I have just received news from the Orops," Callistratus said with a serious expression. "Their crew discovered a large number of Dionian warships and transport ships entering the Mariakos Gulf and Pagasa Gulf and staying there for a long time …" Callisestratus said solemnly.
The other eight generals were shocked when they heard the news. Someone could not help but exclaim, "The people of Diónia are going to land on Thessaly!"
Someone said worriedly, "It's not just about landing in Thessaly. If the Diónia successfully landed in Mariacos Bay, they could definitely capture Heraclea and Hot Spring Pass, and then continue south to attack the city of Phocis …"
"Since the start of the war, Athens has been on guard against the Diónia's possible landing. Thessaly should be prepared as well. The Dionysian Army might not be able to land successfully," one of the generals said with uncertainty.
"The key is how many soldiers did Diónia send out?" "Did the Oropians say how many Diónia troopers there are?" Cabrias asked.
"I've asked." Callistratus replied, "They could not give a specific number, but they are sure that the number of Diónia warships and troop ships they saw must be more than a thousand."
"A thousand …" Cabrias estimated, "If the entire fleet of Diónia is calculated as a thousand ships, even if the troopers account for half of them, there are about 25,000 soldiers. And we all know very well that the number of warships in a mixed fleet of warships and transport fleets often only accounts for a quarter of the entire fleet, or even less. Excluding some of the transport ships, I estimate that the Dionysian Army that is landing on land has at least 30,000 soldiers … "
"30,000!" The other generals of Athens looked at each other, and one of them said, "It is reported that there are more than 30,000 Dionysian Army soldiers defending Peloponnesus against the Greek coalition forces. Could it be that they have transported the main force of Diónia that is defending Messenia and Sparta to the north?"
"I don't think so!" Cabrias said with certainty, "If the Diónia have withdrawn their troops in Peloponnesus, then the remaining soldiers are certainly not enough to resist the attack of the Greek coalition forces. Once we recapture Messenia and Sparta, it is tantamount to cutting off the retreat route of their army that has just landed in the north. I think the Diónia would not make such a big mistake!
Besides, a few years ago, when Diónia and Carthage were at war, they had sent out 100,000 troops. The army of Diónia landing in the north is likely to be the new army that has just been sent from their country … "
"The news of Diónia sending out 100,000 soldiers to fight against Carthage is just a rumor. It cannot be confirmed to be true. Who knows if Diónia is deliberately exaggerating the truth to scare the surrounding forces?" The general stubbornly retorted, "Even if it's the truth, it's only because they were fighting on their own land. Now, transporting tens of thousands of soldiers from Dionia to Thessaly, which is hundreds of miles away, would cost a lot of resources. You should know very well how much resources it would take to transport tens of thousands of soldiers from Dionia to Thessaly, which is hundreds of miles away. I don't think Dionia has the capability to transfer troops from their own domain!"
Cabrias said seriously, "During the War of Peloponnesus, Athens could already send out 40,000 troops to Syracuse. Now that the territory controlled by the Kingdom of Diónia is much larger than ours back then, of course they can do it."
The general sneered, "The territory of the Kingdom of Diónia is indeed much larger than that of Athens, but most of it is barren and barren. How can it be compared to the wealth of Athens back then? At that time, we controlled the trade of the entire Aegean Sea! — — "
"Everyone, stop arguing!" Callistratus advised with a serious expression, "Regardless of whether the Dionysian Army that landed in Thessaly was transferred from Peloponnesus or was transported from the Kingdom of Diónia, the problem now is that the defenses in Thessaly should be very weak. I'm afraid it will be very difficult to defend against such a large army. What should we do about it?"
"Immediately send someone to inform the cities of Phocis and Locris that 'Diónia has landed in Thessaly'. Ask them to strengthen the defenses of their cities and send people to investigate the movements of the Dionysian Army in Thessaly as soon as possible," Cabrias said calmly. "At the same time, we should immediately send someone to Peloponnesus and inform Iazon of this news. He will definitely lead his army back to Thessaly as soon as possible, defeat the Dionysian Army, and eliminate the threat in the north. When necessary, we should also send reinforcements."
"Cabrias, I can only agree to half of your proposal," a slow voice came from the corner. A leisurely voice came from the corner. The person who spoke was a white-haired old man. He had been resting with his eyes closed, but the moment he spoke, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
His name was Agur Rios, an aristocrat of Athens. He used to be one of the leaders of the democrats, and had been elected as the general of Athens many times. Working together with Thrasybulus, they gradually brought out the shadow of the defeat against Sparta and began to restore the strength of the past. Moreover, he pursued the principle of "the interests of the city", which directly led to the creation of the theater subsidy system. Therefore, he was very loved and respected by the people of Athens. However, in recent years, he no longer participated in the election of the general of Athens. One reason was that he was too old, but the more important reason was that he was the father of Kallistratus. He wanted to make way for his son, who was already famous and had greater ambitions.
Two months ago, a democratic general was seriously ill and could not participate in the council. He recommended Agur Rios to replace him, and the citizens' assembly finally passed this somewhat absurd resolution. The possible reason was that Kallistratus had successfully signed the contract with Sparta and pushed out the Thebes. This was a great benefit to the Athens, and it won him great prestige. In addition, in the face of the invasion of the Dionysian Army, the decline of Sparta, the rise of the Thebes, and the ambition of Thessaly, Agur Rios, who had experienced the War of Peloponnesus and the War of Corinth, was in charge of the General Executive Committee. This would probably make the Greek people feel more at ease. Therefore, there was the anecdote of a father and son serving as the general of Athens at the same time. This was something that had never happened since Athens adopted the democratic system.
"Currently, the Greek allied forces are attacking Messenia and Sparta, which are occupied by the Dionysian. They have the absolute advantage. Perhaps it will only take a few more days to break through the defense of the Diónia and completely drive them out of Peloponnesus. If we tell Tarkus that 'Thessaly is under attack by the Dionysian Army' at this time, he will definitely lead his army back to Thessaly immediately. It will take at least two to three months before he can rejoin the Greek allied forces …"
Agur Rios scanned the crowd with a deep gaze, and finally his eyes fell on his son. "There is even a possibility that he will not lead the main force to the south again, to prevent Thessaly from being attacked again! According to Iphicrates' report, not only does Thessaly's army account for half of the Greek allied forces, but it is also very strong. It is the main force of the allied forces to attack the Dionysian Army. Once Thessaly's army leaves, the fighting strength of the allied forces will be greatly weakened, and the confidence of the other Greek city-states will be shaken. At that time, not only will the Greek allied forces no longer have the upper hand, but they may also suffer a defeat! "
Callistratus' heart skipped a beat, and he said hesitantly, "Father, you mean … we should not tell this news to Iazon for the time being. But this way, Thessaly will be in danger. Once Diónia occupies Thessaly, not only will they be able to threaten Central Greece from the north, they may even be able to threaten Amphipolis in the north of Macedonia … In the long run, we will lose more than we gain! "
Agur Rios did not immediately respond. His turbid eyes looked forward, and with some reminiscence, he said unhurriedly, "You all know that I was once a survivor of the Battle of Amphipolis (a crucial battle in the Peloponnesus War, where Athens was defeated, causing the food transportation channel from the Yoke Galaxy to Athens to be cut off). But you don't know that before that battle, I stayed in the territory of Thessaly for a period of time, and I have a certain understanding of Thessaly …
The land there is flat and vast, with a large population. The city-states are fighting all year round, and there are many fierce and aggressive aborigines in the surrounding mountains, constantly fighting with the people of Thessaly … I was actually very surprised that Iazon was able to unify it in the end. A unified Thessaly is the main force to resist Diónia, but it is also a threat to Athens. I think Iazon has fully demonstrated his ambition before!
I don't think that as a foreign race, Diónia can completely conquer Thessaly and its surrounding areas with just 30,000 soldiers. It is more likely that they will arouse the anger of the xenophobic people of Thessaly, just like when Sparta invaded Pioscia before, completely falling into the quagmire of war. And a Thessaly that has fallen back into chaos will no longer be a threat to Athens … "
Note: According to historical records, after Iazon was assassinated, his brother Polydorus took over as Tarkus. He and Polydoron died on the way to Larissa, and then Polydoron took over as Thessaly's Tarkus. Because Polydorus died suddenly, without any warning, many people at that time thought that Polydoron killed Polydorus while he was sleeping at night.
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