Chapter 1228
"In the morning, the Dionysian fleet approached the port of Piraeus. At that time, there was news that the Dionysian Army had broken through the defense line at the border, and the city was in chaos … To prevent any accidents, I ordered the port to be temporarily closed … The Dionysian fleet had approached the port of Piraeus several times before, and we did the same, but I never thought that the Dionysian fleet was doing this to cover up their attempt to capture Eyna Island!"
"I remember now, you did tell us about the Dionysian fleet threatening the port of Piraeus, and to prevent losses, we also agreed to the order to close the port." Callistratus' expression became extremely ugly. "But now that Eyna is under attack, what should we do?"
Cabrias only hesitated for a moment before he decided to make up for his mistake. He said resolutely, "Eyna must not be occupied by Diónia. I request to lead the fleet to attack and distract the Dionysian fleet. You will send the fleet to transport reinforcements, take the opportunity to enter the port, and defend the city of Eyna!"
The generals knew that Cabrias' plan was very risky, but at least half of them agreed almost without thinking, because they knew very well that although the Dionysian fleet was powerful, they still could not completely seal off the sea routes to Athens. This was because they were stationed in the south of Peloponnesus, and traveled back and forth every morning and evening, and there would always be a period of time when they could not patrol in Sarons Bay. However, if Diónia were to occupy Eyna Island, which was close to Athens, because of the complete military port facilities on Eyna Island, they could directly dock their fleet on Eyna Island. It would be like holding a dagger directly to the chest of Athens. They could threaten the port of Piraeus 24 hours a day, and it would be a huge disaster for Athens.
"Generals, although I have conveyed the request of the Eyna crew to you according to their request, I do not want you to send your fleet out of the port!" The official of the port of Piraeus said solemnly, "According to the crew of Eyna, Diónia sent two fleets. One surrounded Eyna Island, and the other sealed off the port of Piraeus. There might be more than six hundred of them, so the twenty warships that rushed out of Eyna Island were all hit and sunk. Only this clipper managed to make it into the port under their cover …"
There are only 75 warships in the port of Piraeus. If they take the risk and attack, I'm afraid they will suffer the same fate. If the Athens Assembly doesn't have the protection of warships, I'm afraid the punishment of the gods will come! "
When the generals heard this, they were greatly shocked.
Before the Persia army attacked, the people of Athens sought an oracle from Delphi: the wooden wall will protect Athens!
Under the bewitchment of Themistocles, the people believed that the "wooden wall" mentioned in the oracle was the warships, so they spent a lot of money to build warships. Thus, the naval battle of Salamega, which was led by the Athens fleet, became the turning point of the Hippocratic War. It also made the people of Athens believe in the oracle of Delphi, and it was passed down from generation to generation.
Now that Athens was facing great danger, if the warships that Athens relied on were all destroyed, these generals would feel terrified and at a loss from the bottom of their hearts.
At this time, even Caprias, who had been resolute just now, became a little confused.
"Stop the war with Diónia and negotiate for peace." Iphicrates sighed softly. "Now that things have come to this, this is the only way to save Athens!"
Iphicrates' words shocked everyone, and the room suddenly fell into silence. Before his arrival, it was not that no one thought of negotiating peace with Diónia, but no one proposed it, because it was because the Executive Committee of the generals had reached a consensus that the citizens of Athens were so hostile to Diónia that they finally declared war on Diónia. Now, only a few months had passed, and the generals who first proposed this resolution would undoubtedly bear more anger from the citizens of Athens.
However, Iphicrates' words pierced through this layer of window paper. The Dionysian Army was about to arrive, and the sea barrier of Eyna Island was invaded. Athens, who was trapped in a dangerous city, actually had no other choice.
At the emergency meeting of the citizens, when Callistratus put forward the proposal of "negotiating peace with Diónia", he thought that he would be criticized and obstructed by the citizens, but that was not the case. Whether it was the citizens who retreated from the western border, the citizens who followed Iphicrates to fight in Peloponnesus for several months, or the citizens who dealt with the Dionysian fleet on the warships every day, all of them, without exception, had witnessed the strength of the Dionysian Army. They were eager to end this terrible war, and they did not have the heart to hold the Executive Committee of the generals accountable.
The proposal was quickly passed, and Callistratus's initiative to apply to be the envoy of the Dionysian Army was also approved.
The next morning, the ground outside the city of Athens shook, and dust filled the air. The Diónia Allied Army appeared in the field of vision of the sentries at the top of the city wall.
The citizens of Athens who received the news quickly put on their armor, picked up their shields and spears, and rushed to the top of the city wall to prepare for defense.
At this time, the Diónia Allied Army had already lined up at the bottom of the city wall. The soldiers were like a tide, the spears were like a forest, countless military flags were fluttering, and countless shining armors were shining … The citizens of Athens were dizzy when they saw this, and their hearts tightened.
"Hades!!! Hades!!! Hades!!! " The Diónia soldiers shouted in unison, their voices like thunder, causing the militia of Athens to tremble.
While the Dionysian Army was in high spirits, Callistratus walked out of the city gate and walked straight into the Diónia Army, meeting the commander-in-chief of this army, Patroclus.
However, when he mentioned that "Athens wants to negotiate an armistice with Diónia", Patroclus shook his head and refused, telling him that the authority to negotiate an armistice with the Greek Alliance lies in the hands of Prince Cloto Catax, the commander-in-chief of the other Dionysian Army.
Callistratus had no choice but to propose that during the negotiation between Athens and Diónia, was it possible to suspend the attack on Athens?
Patroclus directly refused. Unless an armistice was signed, the Dionysian Army under his command would never stop attacking the city of Athens!
Hearing this, Callistratus had no choice but to rush to Peloponnesus immediately.
Patroclus's formation under the city of Athens was just a demonstration of the military might of the Diónia Allied Army and a blow to the morale of the people of Athens. He knew very well that the city of Athens would not be easy to take, so he quickly issued an order: the army was to build a camp two miles away from the city of Athens.
… …
Callistratus hurried all the way south, passed Megara, and entered the city of Corinth.
Corinth took the initiative to ask him about the situation in the north. He said that Athens had gathered its soldiers in the city to defend first, and had now easily repelled an all-out attack by the Dionysian Army and were accumulating more strength. This time, he came at the request of the people of Athens to negotiate with Diónia, hoping to get back the bodies of the citizens of Athens who died in the battle of Peloponnesus.
Corinth and the people were skeptical, but they were sure of one thing: the people of Athens were already defending the city, and it was impossible for them to send reinforcements.
On the way to the Diónia Camp, Callistratus saw the Dionysian Army arrayed under the city of Corinth, and they were using a siege weapon called the ballista, which Iphicrates had specially mentioned, to bombard the city wall with stone bullets. It was indeed a shocking sight, and this made him feel even more urgent.
Iphicrates had also emphasized one point: the Dionysian Army was good at building camps, and had the habit of "building camps everywhere they went".
This time, the Dionysian Army built their camp next to the port of Ismya on the east side of the isthmus of Corinth. He had heard from the people of Corinth that not long after the Dionysian Army arrived under the city of Corinth, they launched an all-out attack on the port of Ismya. Due to their overwhelming numbers and fierce attacks, although the people of Corinth had sent reinforcements to the port, the port of Ismya, which was poorly fortified, only lasted for half a day before it was flooded by the raging black tide.
Callistratus stood at a high point on the coast, and he could even see many Diónia warships anchored in the port. He could relate that the reason why the Dionysian fleet began to attack Eyna Island was because they had occupied the port of Ismya, which was not far from Eyna. With a foothold, they could better seal off the port of Piraeus, and provide support to the army that was landing on Eyna Island.
With a heavy heart, Callistratus was led by the officers of the Diónia Team into the relatively simple Camp of Daoria, and entered a military tent.
There was only one person in the tent, and it was Karias, who had been on a diplomatic mission to Athens before.
With a smile on his face, Karias took the initiative to welcome him. "Sir Callistratus, welcome! It must have been tiring for you to come all the way from Athens. Please take a seat and rest. I have prepared some cold honey syrup for you to quench your thirst! "
Karias was very polite, and there was not a hint of arrogance in his tone. However, the way he addressed Karias as "Sir Callistratus" still made the chief general of Athens feel the hidden sharpness in his words. He increased his vigilance, and a smile quickly appeared on his face. "Thank you very much! You are so thoughtful! "
As he spoke, he sat down without any hesitation, picked up the pottery bottle on the table, poured himself a cup, and drank it in one gulp. Then, he said happily, "This syrup is really delicious!"
Karias also returned to his seat, and said apologetically, "Sir Callistratus, you have requested to see His Highness Cloto Catax. Unfortunately, he is not in the military camp now, and cannot see you."
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