Chapter 1285
The King of Devers's other biological daughter, Avíya, sat in the royal carriage that followed, not showing herself in front of the people. This made the Turís by the roadside feel slightly regretful. As the Diónia princess was introverted and shy, and did not like to appear in public, the Turís didn't know much about her at first. It was only when she became the director of the zoo, and because she had to take care of the animals, she came into contact with the tourists and children visiting the zoo. Only then did everyone understand her kindness and innocence, and thus she was loved by the people.
Cristoya, Aegnis, Cynthia, Avíya, and the children rode in two royal carriages, followed closely by two groups of palace cavalry.
Compared to their enemy, Persia, the Diónia royal family's procession could be said to be very simple, but the people's support for them was far greater than that of the Persia royal family.
"Long live the Devers King!"
"Long live the Devers Royal Family of Hades!"
…
The people used continuous cheers to express their support and support for the King of Devers and his family, as well as to express their good wishes for the upcoming war.
Among these more formal cheers, there were some personal hobbies. "May Hades bless the beautiful Princess Eunice!"
"May Hades bless the kind Princess Avíya!"
"Prince Antebris, I love you!"
…
Eunice giggled and teased, "Antebris, did you hear that? Be careful, or I'll tell Ronia!"
"I don't even know that woman. She might be a rugby fan like you! Don't talk nonsense! "Antebris hurriedly defended himself. Ronia was his wife. She was once the daughter of a Turís rugby team owner. She had a cheerful and generous personality, and loved sports. She had never accepted Antebris's courtship, worried that she would be restricted after marrying into the royal family. Antebris persistently pursued her, and the two only got married after last year's sports competition. This made him the latest among the Devers' children to get married, and it could be said that he had settled one of the Devers' worries. It was precisely because this marriage had not come easily that Antebris treasured it.
"Don't worry, Ante. Eunice won't say anything. She can't bear to lose a good friend like Ronia!" Apox said plainly.
"Apostle, you talk too much!" Eunice rolled her eyes at him. It was true that Eunice and Ronia had similar personalities and interests. Ever since Ronia married into the royal family, the two quickly became good friends. In last year's rugby and soccer competitions, the two often appeared together in the stands of the stadium, becoming a beautiful scene in the competition.
The Devers looked around with a smile on their faces, waving to the people cheering on the side of the road. However, the horses under them did not slow down at all. Soon, the team arrived at the inner city pier.
The Kingdom's Administrative Office, the ministers of various departments, and the senators of the Senate were already waiting there. When they saw the arrival of the King of Devers, they stepped forward in an orderly manner and bowed respectfully.
The Devers dismounted and looked at the five assistant ministers who walked up to him. He said seriously, "After I go to the Eastern Mediterranean, the affairs of the kingdom will be in your hands!"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. His Highness Cloto Catax is outstanding. We will do our best to assist him!" Hakkar said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, we will do our best to maintain the stability of the kingdom, and patiently wait for your triumphant return!" Cypross said sincerely.
"Your Majesty, we will do our best to ensure the logistics of the army. You can attack the Persia with peace of mind!" Antares said immediately.
The Devers smiled and nodded. He patted the shoulders of Bagoule and Adrianx, who did not speak but looked determined. A lot of things had been arranged beforehand, so there was no need for him to say anything more.
He smiled at the ministers and senators who came forward to greet him as he slowly walked to the pier.
When he walked to the side of the docked royal airship, only his family followed him.
He stopped and swept his gentle eyes across the faces of each of his family members. Finally, his eyes fell on Patroclus, who he had called out from the crowd. He said solemnly, "Patroclus, the safety of the kingdom and the royal family is in your hands!"
"Your Majesty —" Patroclus saw the unhappy look on the Devers's face as soon as he said that. He quickly changed his words and said, "Father, I will do my best to assist Clotho to maintain the stability of the kingdom!"
Previously, the Devers had ordered the Ministry of Military Affairs to transfer Hasdrubal to be the commander of the 14th Legion and follow him to Persia. Sextus would take over as the commander of the northern border of the kingdom.
He then appointed his most trusted son-in-law, Patroclus, as the commander of the reserve legion of the kingdom, stationed in the barracks of Turií. The most important mission of this temporary position was that if there was any unrest in the kingdom, especially in the Italian peninsula, he had the right to mobilize reserve troops from any region to quell the unrest.
Patroclus was reluctant at first. He wanted to participate in the large-scale war between Diónia and Persia, but after the Devers's detailed discussion with him and his wife, Cynthia, he finally accepted the appointment.
The Devers had personally led the army to war many times in the past, but they had never made such an arrangement. Why did they have to do this this time? It was because the Devers believed that the war in Persia would last for a long time due to the distance and vastness of its territory. The Kingdom of Diónia had sent almost all of its regular legions, so the internal defense would be inadequate. In case of an emergency, the army would not be able to come back in time. Therefore, they needed the most trustworthy general to stay in the kingdom and gather the remaining military resources to maintain the security of the kingdom.
Of course, there was another important reason that the Devers could not say: Patroclus was still young, but he had already made great achievements in the military. If he was allowed to return from the war in Persia, his prestige in the army would be further enhanced, which would be detrimental to Cloto Catax's rule of the kingdom. Even though the Devers had carefully observed Patroclus for many years and believed that his character was completely trustworthy, he still needed to prepare for a rainy day to prevent a rift in the royal family in the future so that the family could always maintain harmony.
The Devers nodded, then looked at his son, the future king, and said in a deep voice, "Take good care of your two mothers and siblings. After I leave, the kingdom will be handed over to you. Do it well!"
After the conversation between the father and son that night, Cloto Catax certainly understood the true meaning of the Devers's words. Feeling the weight of this heavy responsibility, he took a deep breath and replied with an unprecedented solemn expression, "Yes, Father!"
"Your Majesty, don't forget to inform me and Aegnis to go to Miletus when the time comes!" Just then, Cristoya suddenly reminded him loudly.
The Devers gazed at the charming faces of his two wives and smiled gently. "Both of you wait for my good news."
"Grandpa, I also want to go to Persia with you!" Cristod could not help but say.
Dyvers bent down with a kind look on his face. "You're still too young now. When you've learned all the knowledge in school and grown taller and stronger, not only will I bring you to Persia, but I'll also bring you to Egypt and Greece. What do you think?"
"Yes!" Cristod nodded vigorously.
The Devers smiled and gently pinched his little face. Finally, under the watchful eyes of his relatives, they boarded the twin-headed dragonship.
"Your Majesty." The palace clerk Heniboris and the former head of intelligence, Aristiras, who were waiting at the entrance, bowed.
"Your Majesty, you are too slow … Cough cough … We have been waiting on the ship for so long that our feet are going to rot!" The one who spoke was Amyntas, who was sitting in a wheelchair. Alexis, Felicius, and the other old people also stepped forward and bowed to the Devers.
"Amyntas, you are already so old, but your temperament still hasn't changed. You should know that you can't rush a war with a big country like Persia," the Devers said jokingly as he gestured to Heniboris. "Let's go."
Amidst the cheers and farewells, the twin-headed dragonship slowly left the dock. As soon as it entered the Crati River, there were even louder cheers. It turned out that both sides of the Crati River were also filled with people, who were excitedly waving and shouting at the unique warship in the kingdom.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the people are very enthusiastic about this war!" Felicius said happily.
"All these years, the Turís have sacrificed a lot for the kingdom. I'm afraid they are hoping that the soldiers of the first and second legions can return smoothly and triumphantly!" The Devers said with a sigh.
As soon as he finished speaking, Amyntas suddenly coughed loudly.
As the twin-headed dragonship sailed down the river, the soldiers of the first and second legions were boarding the ships at the port of Turís. At the mouth of the Crati River, thousands of warships of the first and second fleets were waiting there. They had only been ordered to return to the kingdom last month, and had been going back and forth between the Italian peninsula and the southern bay of Peloponnesus. They were responsible for the safety of the transport routes of the various legions in the kingdom. Protecting the transport ships of the first and second legions, as well as the warship of the King of Devers, was the last and most important mission for these two fleets.
The huge fleet sailed out of the bay of Turís, crossed the Adriatic Estuary, passed by the coastal islands of Kekira, Kefalonia, and Zakynsus, and entered the bay of Messenia.
Although Messenia was now a vassal of the Kingdom of Diónia, most of the members of its council were citizens of Diónia, and the citizens of Messenia who were born in Helots were full of gratitude and respect for Diónia. The relationship between the two sides was very close, and in fact, it was not much different from the territory of the kingdom itself. At the same time, it was a maritime trade relay station between the kingdom and the mainland of Greece, which greatly boosted the development of its trade. In recent years, the port had been constantly expanding, and was no longer simple and crude. It could accommodate the huge fleet and meet the needs of the soldiers of the two legions.
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