Chapter 1229
"He's not here?" Kalistratus was a little disappointed and doubtful.
"His Highness has led the army to Argos." Kalistratus looked at Kalistratus and said in a clear voice, "Because the people of Argos have decided to withdraw from the Greek alliance and surrender to Diónia. His Highness has decided to appease them personally."
"When will Prince Cloto Catax return?" Kalistratus asked without changing his expression, as if he did not care about Argos' surrender. However, his heart sank. Argos has surrendered? Is this true?!
As the second most powerful nation of Peloponnesus, it was reasonable for Argos to surrender. Previously, the Argosian army in the Greek alliance insisted on going east and returning to their homeland first. Thus, they were separated from the main Greek alliance led by Iphicrates. As a result, they were surrounded by the Dionysian Army in the territory of Tegea. Some of the more than 7,000 Argosian soldiers died in battle, and more than half of them surrendered.
Then, Printos suggested that Cloto Catax send messengers to Argos and ask them to surrender. Otherwise, all the Argosian captives would be sold to the Western Mediterranean as slaves.
Even though three-quarters of the young and middle-aged citizens of Argos had fallen into the hands of the Dionysian Army, the stubborn people of Argos still showed hesitation and did not agree immediately. However, it did not take long for them to learn that the Dionysian Army that landed in Thessaly had invaded Attica and that the army led by Iphicrates had escaped back to the city of Athens. The people of Argos knew that the situation was hopeless, so they decided to surrender to Diónia.
"His Highness should be back tomorrow." Kalistratus suddenly said in a serious tone, "However, if Lord Kalistratus is here to negotiate, you don't have to meet His Highness. This is because the officials of the Kingdom of Diónia have their own duties, and the negotiations are the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now, the negotiations with the various Greek city-states are handled by me, the diplomat of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia, Kalistratus! "
After hearing this, a smile appeared on Calistratus' face again. "That couldn't be better. Lord Karias and I are already old acquaintances. It will be more convenient to negotiate."
He coughed a few times, sat up straight, and said with a straight face, "The war between Athens and Diónia was not actually the intention of the people of Athens. I believe you should know that the original Turií was a sub-state initiated by the great General Pericles and fully supported by the people of Athens. Therefore, many people of Athens have always thought that Diónia was a gradual expansion of the original Turií, and they have a special feeling for Diónia. Even if they love the play "The Diónians", it is mostly because of this feeling. Otherwise, why haven't there been any plays about other city-states being created …
Although we were surprised when the Dionysian Army landed in Messenia and later attacked Sparta, we did not send messengers to stop it. On the contrary, many people of Athens were happy because Sparta, which used to oppress us, was being conquered by Diónia, which had some emotional connection with Athens. This was also a kind of revenge for Athens.
However, Diónia is, after all, a foreign country. Your occupation of Sparta caused the Olympia priests and the Delphi priests to feel uneasy. They went around persuading other city-states to make Diónia their enemy. This even affected many of Athens' allies. In the end, Athens had no choice but to join the Greek alliance and declare war on Diónia … "
Calistratus sighed. "But war is cruel. A large amount of gold and silver in the treasury of Athens was rapidly consumed. The people's daily necessities were gradually depleted. Young citizens were constantly killed and injured in battle … The people of Athens had tasted the cruelty of war! I think it should be the same for the people of Diónia! So today, I have come here with the wishes of the people of Athens. I solemnly propose that Athens is willing to stop the war with Diónia and restore peace! "
Calistratus glanced at Calistratus. Seeing that Calistratus was listening attentively, he continued, "After the peace armistice, Athens will recognize the current arrangements of Diónia with Messenia and Sparta. It will also recognize Diónia's handling of the city-states of Thessaly. It will also persuade Delphi and Olympia to accept Diónia as a member of the Greek Holy Alliance.
At the same time, Diónia should withdraw all its troops from the mainland of Greece. Diónia's fleet should no longer appear in the Aegean Sea.
If Diónia agrees to the above conditions, Athens is willing to sign a long-term peace and friendship agreement with Diónia. It is also willing to open the trade market of Athens and its allies to Diónia merchants! "
After listening, Calistratus blinked and said slowly, "The armistice agreement proposed by Athens sounds good. It reminds me of the friendship agreement signed between Diónia and Sparta. But at that time, Diónia had no choice but to compromise with Sparta due to its strength. But now that the kingdom has developed to this day, His Majesty no longer allows us to sign such an agreement that binds our hands and feet — "
"Relying on force and blindly expanding and invading will only arouse the resistance of the Greek people and ultimately lead to failure!" "Only friendly exchanges and peaceful trade can bring stability and prosperity to the city!" Callistratus advised with a righteous tone.
Calistratus smiled. "Wasn't it because of Athens' continuous expansion of the sea that Sparta was worried and eventually led to the Peloponnesus War?"
Calistratus did not argue. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "You're right. It is precisely because of the mistakes made by Athens that we should learn from them today and avoid making the same mistake again."
Calistratus was speechless. He drank the water in the wooden cup in one gulp and said bluntly, "I'll tell you clearly. Diónia will never agree to the conditions you proposed. If Athens wants to make a truce with Diónia, I have a truce request personally drafted by His Majesty the King. It was precisely because Agos agreed to this request that Diónia quickly turned from enemies to friends. Do you want to hear it?"
Calistratus said with a solemn expression, "Please speak."
Calistratus said firmly, "Athens must dissolve its own alliance and join the new Greek alliance led by Diónia. Then peace will be achieved immediately. It's as simple as that."
As soon as Calistratus finished speaking, Calistratus said loudly, "Your request is too harsh. Athens will never agree! Most of the allies of Athens are the children of Athens and are close to the people of Athens by blood. The people of Athens will never agree — "
"Enough! The Greeks often say, 'Sparta's stick, Athens's tongue.' I've personally witnessed your eloquence in the city of Athens. I don't want to hear more from you now. " Calistratus interrupted him and said in a firm tone, "This is the request made by His Majesty. It can't be changed! If you don't agree, you can only go back and continue to fight with us. We don't care. "
Calistratus no longer had the calmness he had when they first met. He felt bitter in his heart, but he still wanted to fight for it. "I can't agree to the conditions you've put forward now. I have to return to Athens and bring it up in the 500-member parliament. After discussing it with the parliament members and reaching an agreement, I still have to go through the citizens' assembly to discuss and approve it. Only then can I give you a positive answer. This process will take about five or six days … Before Athens gives a final answer, can you ask the Dionysian Army to suspend its attack on Athens? To ensure that your request can be accepted by the people of Athens more smoothly. "
"That's impossible!" Calistratus refused clearly. "I'm only responsible for diplomatic negotiations. I can't influence the command of the army commander. If you want Athens to suffer less damage, you'd better give a reply as soon as possible!"
Calistratus saw that the other party refused to budge. Although he was disappointed, he did not show it on his face. He stood up and said helplessly, "Well, I'll convey your request to the people of Athens as soon as possible."
After that, he walked out of the tent. After a few steps, he could not help but turn back and said solemnly, "I think you should be prepared. The citizens of Athens who advocate freedom are likely to oppose your request. For this reason, the citizens of Athens will unite and defend the city of Athens and the port of Piraeus with all their might! During the War of Peloponnesus, Sparta's allied forces failed to break through the city of Athens for more than ten years. The war between Diónia and Athens is bound to be protracted. When that time comes, it will be a disaster for both countries! "
Calistratus said confidently, "Thank you for your reminder! The reason why His Majesty the King dared to put forward such a condition is that he has made all kinds of preparations. We firmly believe that the final victory will belong to Diónia! Is Athens ready for everything? Also, I want to remind you that the Carthaginian emissary also came to negotiate with us like you, but he couldn't make a decision after a long time. In the end, when Carthaginian had no choice but to surrender, they paid a greater price. I hope that Athens will not repeat the same mistake as Carthaginian! "
Calistratus wanted to say something, but found that he had nothing to say. He could only walk out of the tent silently.
When he walked out of the military camp, he could not help but turn his head and look back. The new Greek alliance led by Diónia?! The decision made at the beginning was not wrong. Diónia really had great ambitions for Greece. They wanted to replace Sparta as the new overlord of Greece! Unfortunately …
Calistratus turned to look at the city of Corinth in front of him. Stone shells kept hitting the city wall, and the rumbling sound made him feel frightened. He began to worry about whether the city wall of Athens could withstand such attacks. Yes, unfortunately for a powerful kingdom that could send 100,000 elite soldiers and thousands of warships, the previous efforts of Athens might be in vain. What should they do next?
Kalistratos' lonely eyes were filled with an endless sense of loss …
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