Chapter 1301
At this time, Capus whispered to him, "Are you going to lead the army eastward along the coast?"
"Yes, because this can ensure the safety and convenience of the logistical transportation line, reduce the threat of Persia to the Coalition Army's flank, and ensure that the army conquers Asia Minor faster."
"Uh … When I returned to Turií from the Po River region and was waiting to leave, Princess Cristoya summoned me. She asked me to bring you a message, hoping that you can conquer or surrender Miletus as soon as possible."
"Miletus?"
"You don't know?" Capus saw that Leotychides was a little puzzled and reminded him, "Princess Cristoya is from Miletus, but since she followed His Majesty, she has not been able to return to Miletus for decades. I heard that this time, His Majesty promised the princess that after Miletus has surrendered to the kingdom, she will be allowed to return to her hometown and visit her relatives."
Hearing this, Leotychides stopped and fell into deep thought.
Capus did not urge him to move forward, and stopped as well to look at the towering Sardes City Gate in front of him. Even though he had weathered countless storms and waves, he could not help but feel a little agitated at this moment. More than 30 years ago, he had also been here under Menon's lead, but the people of Sardes had strictly forbidden them from entering the city. Furthermore, they had designated a narrow area five miles away from the city so that the mercenaries could only build camps in this area, and were not allowed to move around, guarding against them like thieves … But today, not only could he enter the city with his head held high, he would also become the master of this land and its people!
… …
With Capus leading the administrative officials to manage the rear of the conquest, Leotychides could focus all his energy on the military.
At the end of June, the Coalition Army advanced east to the coast of Ephesus. The people of the city had already broken out in a riot. They overthrew the oligarchs who were pro Persia and went more than 10 miles out of the city to welcome the arrival of the Greek Coalition Army.
In mid-July, the Greek Coalition Army arrived at Miletus. The oligarch government of Miletus sent an envoy to meet Leotychides, claiming that Miletus would remain neutral and would not participate in the war between Diónia and Persia.
Leotychides refused without hesitation and strongly demanded that Miletus surrender unconditionally.
Just as the oligarch government of Miletus was debating about this, the Greek Coalition Army surrounded the entire city. The Fourth Fleet of Diónia also rushed over to blockade the port, causing the people of Miletus to panic.
At the same time, the Diónia Intelligence Department personnel lurking in the city of Miletus began to spread rumors. The people were surprised to learn that in the Holy Kingdom of Diónia, there was a Princess Cristoya who was deeply loved by the King of Diónia. She was from Miletus and had always been looking forward to returning to her hometown. The oligarch government of Miletus actually knew about this situation, but they refused to surrender because most of them were the culprits who persecuted the Cristoya family. As long as they were captured, offered to the Dionysian Army, and surrendered to the Dionysian Army, Princess Cristoya would definitely protect the city from the flames of war out of gratitude and nostalgia for their hometown …
This rumor was so convincing that the people were skeptical. Some people specially investigated the people and things mentioned in the rumor and found that it was actually true. It immediately set off a great wave among the people. Therefore, people who were dissatisfied with the oligarchs of Miletus began to link up and incite the people to overthrow them and submit to Diónia.
The government of Miletus felt that the situation was not good and was preparing to send troops to suppress it. Who knew that the Dionysian Army outside the city would launch an attack at this time.
Although the walls of Miletus were tall and strong, it was obviously not enough to defend the entire city with only the military strength of Miletus. Not to mention that it was completely surrounded and there could not be any reinforcements. Therefore, under the restraint of the Dionysian Army, the oligarchs could not transfer more troops to suppress the instability in the city. On the other hand, the patrols they sent in the city quickly aroused the anger of the people. In the end, the people launched a riot and helped the Dionysian Army easily break through the city of Miletus. This resulted in very few casualties on both sides, thus achieving Leotychides's goal – to give a good explanation to Princess Cristoya, who was respected by the people of Diónia.
After the surrender of Miletus, the Greek coalition forces did not encounter any more battles. All the towns along the way opened their gates and surrendered until they arrived at the city of Halicarnassus, the capital of the Caria region.
The coastal city-states of the Caria region, like most of the coastal city-states in western Asia Minor, were once colonized by the Greeks. Not only did it maintain close ties with the Greek city-states, but it also gradually civilized and integrated the indigenous people of the Caria region over a period of hundreds of years. Not only did most of the towns in the region look the same as the Greek cities, but Greek had also become the common language of the region. Although Caria was eventually conquered by the Persia Empire and became its province, the region was still relatively independent like other regions in western Asia Minor. Most of the towns in the region were even united around a close neighbor alliance centered around the Temple of Zeus in Lagina. Of course, it was only a religious group, not a political entity.
After Agesilaus led his army into chaos in the western part of Asia Minor and Tisafris was sentenced to death by the Persian Queen Mother, Hecatomnus, a noble of Caria, took advantage of the turbulent situation to establish his rule in the Caria region. At this time, because the king of Persia not only negotiated peace with Sparta, but also supported Sparta's hegemony in Greece, this caused great dissatisfaction among the nobles and people in western Asia Minor. In order to appease them, Artaxerxes married a daughter to the son of Fanabazos and temporarily appointed Hecatomnus as the governor of Caria.
Hecatomnus was a very shrewd man, and so was his son, Mosolas. They had always paid tribute to the treasury of Persia on time and expressed their allegiance to the king of Persia. Five years ago, when almost all the governors in western Asia Minor rebelled, Mosolas, who took over his father's position as the governor of Caria, also wavered. At first, he remained neutral, but when the rebels were at a disadvantage, he sided with the king of Persia and helped the Persia army to completely wipe out the rebels. Therefore, after the war ended, he was able to retain his position as the governor. During this period of turmoil, his power in Caria was further strengthened. Not only was he officially appointed as the governor of Caria by Persia, but he was also the co-owner of many cities in the Caria region.
Mosolas also moved the governor's residence from Milasa to Halicarnassus. Not only did he spend a huge amount of money to rebuild the city, but he also expanded the port. He built a strong castle and two military ports on a small island outside the city, Zephion. He also spent a huge amount of money to build a fleet. The ambitious Mosolas obviously wanted to develop Caria into a maritime power.
As he was worried that the landing of the Greek allied forces would disrupt his ongoing plans, he actively supported Fanabazos this time. Not only did he provide a large number of troops, but he also became one of the main advocates of building the Asia Minor fleet. He generously provided one-fourth of the warships. Of course, he was also planning to take control of the command of the Asia Minor fleet after the war ended.
Unfortunately, the Asia Minor fleet was completely wiped out by the Dionysian fleet in Samos, which dealt a heavy blow to him. Then, the Greek allied forces defeated the Persia army, which made him extremely uneasy. He immediately mobilized the military in the Caria region and strengthened the defense of Halicarnassus.
His prediction was not wrong. After that, the Greek allied forces advanced eastward along the coast and entered the Caria region.
Mosolas immediately used the same trick and sent an envoy to meet Leotychides. He proposed to him that Caria was willing to remain neutral in this war, and was even willing to provide some resources for the Greek allied forces to pass through the Caria region, as long as the Greek allied forces no longer saw Caria as an enemy.
Mosolas's idea was good, but Leotychides had studied some information about Caria in detail, and he was not at ease with the cunning Mosolas. Moreover, the Caria region was not weak, and he was not at ease to leave such a hidden danger in the rear of the army without dealing with it. So, he did not accept Mosolas's request, but proposed that the Caria region must surrender to Diónia!
Of course, this was unacceptable to the ambitious Mosolas, so the negotiation failed, and the war began.
Mosolas knew that the morale of the Greek allied forces was high, and they were strong. Fighting them in the field would only result in a crushing defeat. So, he withdrew his forces into the city and focused on defense to buy time and wait for the situation to change.
The father and son, Hecatomnus and Mosolas, had been in charge of the Caria region for more than 20 years. The opposition had been suppressed for a long time, and their influence was minimal. The people basically agreed with the rule of this family, so it was impossible for there to be unrest and riots when the army was pressing on the border like Ephesus and Miletus. So, the Greek allied forces had no other choice but to attack.
However, under the high and thick walls of Halicarnassus, the Greek allied forces had failed several times. This caused the Greek allied generals to be careless because of the previous successful attack. They had no choice but to patiently fight with Mosolas.
… …
At the end of April, the Devers led the army eastward from Dafenae. The huge fleet of supplies traveled side by side along the coast. After a long journey of six days, they crossed the desert, bypassed Gaza City, and entered the Canaan region. Then, they easily captured the port of Jaffa, making it an important supply port for the army.
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