Chapter 1278
"He's the one who insisted on it. I'm afraid that he wants to protect the few remaining citizens of Sparta. Besides, I can see that although he's old, he's still in good health. If it's just to lead the army, it shouldn't be a problem." Devers said seriously, "Besides, he's been fighting in Asia Minor for many years. He's very familiar with the situation there. He can provide valuable reference for you to lead the coalition army to attack the western part of Asia Minor. So I suggest that you communicate with him as much as possible during the war."
Upon hearing this, Leotychides's stiff expression changed a little. He was silent for a moment before he asked, "Your Majesty, this booklet records the soldiers, food, and ships provided by the allies, but it doesn't say how many soldiers the kingdom is going to send."
Devers smiled and said in an understanding tone, "The Greek allies will send a total of thirty thousand soldiers. If you don't have enough troops around you, it won't be good for you to command the battle. So I've discussed with the Ministry of Military Affairs and decided to send the Tenth Legion, the Eleventh Legion, the Twentieth Legion (the Thessaly Legion), and the Sixth Cavalry Legion (composed of the Thessaly Cavalry). Also, the allies of Central Greece, such as Wolsey, Helniki, Sabine, and Eque, are willing to send troops. They've been allies with us for a long time, and they're all on the Italian Peninsula. Their relationship is closer, and they can be considered as one of us. I'll also hand over their army to you … In this way, the number of troops provided by the kingdom has exceeded thirty thousand, and the total number of the coalition army is more than sixty thousand. Are you satisfied with such an army?"
Leotychides did not respond directly. Instead, he asked, "Your Majesty, what about the navy?"
"During the period when the coalition army is landing in Asia Minor, the Fourth Fleet will temporarily be under your command. (The Fourth Fleet is mainly formed from the Thessaly warships captured by Diónia. It has a total of 100 warships. After Diónia annexed Thessaly, they drained the Almiros wetlands and built the Almiros military port, which became the base of the Fourth Fleet. After that, the Fourth Fleet will be merged with other fleets to carry out important missions … In addition, more than 100 Greek warships provided by the allies of Athens will also be under your command, "Devers briefly explained.
Leotychides' heart skipped a beat. He then asked, "Other than letting me lead the Greek coalition army to attack Persia, the Kingdom should have other plans, right?"
"Of course, even if you didn't ask, I was going to tell you so that you can understand the entire military plan of the Ministry of Military Affairs to attack Persia in detail. Once you are familiar with the upcoming battle, it will be beneficial for you to make the right decision." Devers asked Heniboris to bring a map of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. He then pointed at the map and explained seriously, "The Kingdom has received news that ever since Egypt's successor Pharaoh Jeho passed away in a storm on his way to Turií, the Egyptian general Niketani Persia started a rebellion. The bedridden Tanib was so angry that he fell into a coma. The city of Memphis has fallen into chaos. Perhaps during the time I am talking to you, Niketani Persia has already led his army to attack Memphis.
In order to fulfill the covenant and punish the rebellion, I have appointed Calsidis as the commander of the reinforcements. He is to gather a few legions from Sicily and rush to Egypt as soon as possible to defeat the rebels and restore stability to Egypt's political situation. At the same time, the Ministry of Military Affairs has informed the First and Second Fleets to complete the mobilization as soon as possible and rush to the Southern Gulf of Peloponnesus to be stationed there for wartime consolidation. The Sekerian will be the commander of the navy and search for opportunities to fight the Persia's fleet at sea.
The Ministry of Military Affairs will also mobilize the other main forces in the Kingdom's territory. I will personally lead them to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The initial plan is to land in Egypt, but whether there will be any changes at that time will depend on the development of the war. In the end, the three armies will meet in the near east of Persia and march to the heart of Persia to fight the Persia's army. "
Devers spoke calmly, but Leotychides could already feel the magnificent scene of war from his words. He could not help but feel a little excited. This was an unprecedented war!
He tried to calm himself down and asked, "How long do you give these allies to gather their troops?"
"Two months. Because they need to finish harvesting the farmland before they can go out to fight." Devers said calmly, "Although it is a little slow, it is also a good thing from another point of view. At least after the allied forces land in Asia Minor, they can gather food on the spot and reduce their dependence on logistics. Then they will rush to Philae in Thessaly within 15 days and complete the final assembly of the allied forces. This is my request to all the allies who participated in the war in Persia, and they have all agreed.
You can first assemble the tenth and eleventh legions, and rush to Larissa in Thessaly as soon as possible. Be prepared to attack Asia Minor in advance. "
At this point, Devers stood up and looked expectantly at the commander with outstanding military achievements. He said solemnly, "Persia is vast, and Asia Minor is even more complicated. I and the Ministry of Military Affairs will not give specific instructions. After all, three years ago, you led some officers and staff to Asia Minor to support and observe the battle of the Persia rebel army. You are more familiar with the situation there. All military operations will be decided by you. I believe that you will do better than Agesilaus back then!"
Leotychides's spirit was lifted, and he immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will complete the conquest of the western part of Asia Minor as soon as possible, and join the main forces led by you as soon as possible!"
After sending off Leotychides, Devers said to Hennepolis, "Go and call Calsidis (the commander of the eighth legion) in."
… …
After spending several years to quell the rebellion in Asia Minor, Persia had consumed too much of its national power. It could no longer conquer Egypt and had to retreat. This caused Artaxerxes' second military operation to attack Egypt to fail, causing his prestige to decline further.
In order to intimidate his subjects, he followed the advice of Tribassus and wantonly dealt with the rebellion in Asia Minor. Many officials and local nobles in Asia Minor were implicated because of this. They were punished at best, and beheaded at worst. A large amount of wealth and land were confiscated, and then transferred to the eastern and central nobles of Persia who supported Artaxerxes. He also transferred many noble officials of Persia centered around Susa to the western part of Asia Minor and appointed them to important positions.
Artaxerxes' successive actions won the praise of the nobles of Persia. They no longer urged the king of Persia to continue preparing for the war against Egypt. Instead, they spent all their energy fighting for the western part of Asia Minor, which was a fat piece of meat.
On the other hand, Artaxerxes, who had suffered several setbacks in his personal expeditions, completely gave up on the idea of obtaining military honors. He decided to stay in Babylon and enjoy the rest of his life. However, when it rains, it pours. Not long after, another problem arose in the harem.
Artaxerxes was already old. A few years ago, he began to look for a successor for this huge empire. He had many children, but without hesitation, he decided to pass the throne to his eldest son, Darius, just like how his father had passed the throne to him. He had also allowed Darius to wear the crown that symbolized the king of Persia in public.
According to the tradition and customs of Persia, the heir could ask his parents to grant him a favor in public. As long as it was within the scope of the authority of the parents, the heir had to agree and could not refuse. Darius, on the other hand, made a request to "grant Aspacia".
Aspacia used to be one of Cyrus the Younger's favorite concubines. Later, she was brought into the palace by Artaxerxes. Of course, Artaxerxes was reluctant to let her go. However, due to the customs, he said perfunctorily that Aspacia was already free and could not be forced to go against her will. If she was willing to obey Darius, he would be happy to do so.
To his surprise, Aspacia publicly chose Darius as her lifelong support. Artaxerxes had no choice but to follow the law of Persia and hand her over to his son. However, his heart was filled with anger. Not long after, he took Aspacia away from Darius and sent her to the Temple of Anatis in Ikbatana. She was dedicated to the goddess and became a priestess. For the rest of her life, she had to follow strict chastity.
Artaxerxes was very proud that he had punished the woman who had betrayed him in such a gentle way and taught his son a lesson. However, he did not know that the heir of the kingdom was furious and began to plot a rebellion. Not long after, many people participated in Darius's rebellion. Just when he was about to take action, a eunuch who participated in the rebellion reported it to Artaxerxes out of fear. The king of Persia was furious. He not only killed Darius with his own hands, but also executed many Persia officials who were involved in the rebellion. For a time, Babylon was flooded with blood.
A spy reported to the king of Persia that Darius had also sent someone to persuade Terebasus. He might have also participated in the rebellion.
However, the intelligence department could not come up with any solid evidence. The only reason they could come up with was that Terebasus and Darius were in the same situation.
It turned out that many years ago, in order to win over his trusted ministers, Artaxerxes had promised to marry his daughter, Amestris, to Terebasus, just as he had married his other two daughters to the sons of Orontas and Fanabazos. However, the king of Persia quickly reneged on his promise because he had married Amestris himself. So he changed his promise and wanted to marry his youngest daughter, Atossa, to Terebasus. But later, he was so obsessed with Atossa that he did not fulfill his promise. This incident made Terebasus a joke in the court of Persia. However, he had always behaved calmly and never complained. However, the intelligence department believed that he was still dissatisfied, so Darius had to contact him.
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