Chapter 144
"The Crotone are already bullying us. Why don't the soldiers teach them a lesson?!" Strompoli, who had wanted to compromise with the Crotone before, was now furious.
"The soldiers have obeyed Sir Devers's orders and guarded the city, but they can't wait to eat the flesh of the Crotone raw!" Amyntas vented his anger at the Devers.
"Sir Consul, are we just going to watch the Crotone behave atrociously on our land?!" Scombras roared unwillingly.
"Of course not!" The Devers answered resolutely, his eyes flashing with a strange light, "The reason we pull back our fists is so that we can hit them better. The Crotone's army is stronger than ours, that's a fact. So we have to wait, just like in boxing, a brilliant boxer always defends first, waiting for the opponent to reveal a flaw before delivering a fatal blow! "
Everyone in the hall was shocked.
… …
By the time Archita came ashore in Turií, Melansius had already returned to the city.
Archita represented Tarantum to lodge a serious protest. Melansius said disapprovingly, "Crotone has no ill intentions towards Armendolara. I just wanted to go out and greet this young consul who is said to be able to defeat many with fewer. I didn't expect him to be so cowardly that he doesn't even dare to come out and meet me!"
Archita breathed a sigh of relief for the time being, then threw down a harsh sentence, "If Crotone goes to war with Armendolara, Tarantum will join forces with Metapontum and Heraclea to go to war with Crotone at all costs!"
At the same time, he advised Melansius, "Since Crotone has occupied Turií, washed away their shame and won great glory, then the next step is to lead the troops back to Crotone and restore peace to this land. Then, it was time for him to return to Crotone and restore peace to this land. Melansius, of course, could hear the threat in Archita's words, but his face was sullen and he did not respond.
Of course, Melantius could hear the threat in Acheta's words, but he kept a calm face and did not respond.
At the foot of the mountain, he saw the ruins of the warehouse and hotel that had been burned to ashes and smoke was still billowing. He became nervous again.
At the foot of the mountain, he saw the ruins of the warehouse and the hotel that had been burned to ashes and was still smoking. He became nervous again.
As soon as he entered the city, the anger on the faces of the people reflected in his eyes. So, as soon as he saw the Devers, he expressed his condolences and concern for Armendolara and said frankly, "Devers, Tarantum has no intention of going to war with Crotone for now. I hope you can understand."
"Don't worry about it. Although we're furious at Crotone's actions, we can still restrain ourselves." Dyvers calmly replied, "Can a man bite back after being bitten by a dog?"
Achetta didn't laugh. The calmer Dyvers appeared, the more uneasy he felt: after the annihilation of the Lucanian Alliance, the soldiers of Tarantum were celebrating their victory. However, Dyvers and his men went back to the camp to sleep, saying that they wanted to recover their exhausted energy. The next day, they told him, "We have retaken Amendolar!"
… …
When Tarantum's envoy arrived at Crotone, the council in Crotone's city hall was in a heated discussion about the "follow-up to the occupation of the city of Turií".
Conservatives such as General Lucias suggested: After plundering Turií's wealth, they would support a puppet government that was close to Crotone and then retreat to avoid the dissatisfaction of the surrounding city-states.
Radicals such as Chief General Myron (the same name as the famous Crotone athlete Myron from a hundred years ago. Because this athlete was so legendary, he was regarded as the hero of Crotone, so many Crotone children were named Myron by their parents) believed that Turií and Crotone had already formed a deep hatred and it would be difficult for the government they supported to retain power. Moreover, it was too close to Tarantum. If they kept the garrison, not only would it disperse the strength of Crotone, but it would also cause more hatred between the local people and Tarantum. The best way was to burn the city!
"Burn the city?!" The other generals and councilors were shocked.
"That's right, burn the city!" Myron said passionately, "Our ancestors defeated Cybaris and destroyed the city twice. The last time was when they dug the Krati River and used the flood to destroy the city of Cybaris. They made a name for themselves and shocked Greece, in exchange for the prosperity of Crotone and the hegemony of this area! However, since we were defeated by the allied forces of Rockley and Lijim a few decades ago, some city-states no longer respected us and secretly opposed us. We need to re-establish the dignity of Crotone! Now, a great opportunity is in front of us. This is a gift from the gods! If we miss it, we will be punished!
Moreover, after destroying Turií, the Cybaris Plain will temporarily become unclaimed. We can recruit city-states that are on good terms with us from Greece or other places to build a new city on the Cybaris Plain. Then, we can send some of our landless citizens over to become new immigrants to the new city. I believe the surrounding city-states will not be able to find fault with us, and the power of Crotone will expand to the north, increasing our strength … "
Myron's words were inspiring and practical. Most people in the council agreed with him.
Thus, the messengers of Crotone soon arrived in Turií. Melantius, who had nothing to do, was excited when he received the order from the Crotone City Hall. He waved his hands and said, "As the third general to destroy the city-states on the Cybaris Plain, I will surely go down in history!"
He acted quickly. First, he asked the freedmen who sided with him to immediately build a pontoon bridge across the Krati River (the original pontoon bridge had been burned by the Turií).
Then, he made up charges, claiming to punish the mastermind behind the killing of Crotone's messengers. In the end, the wealthy merchants of Turií were arrested, tortured, imprisoned, and even executed. All the wealth of their families was confiscated.
Soon, the impatient Melantius felt that this method was too slow. He simply gave the order: Plunder all the food and property in the city!
In an instant, the whole city of Turií was filled with cries. The Turií people lying on the ground did not expect that a more terrible disaster would befall them soon …
… …
Armendolara's scouts who were patrolling outside Turií saw from afar the Crotone soldiers escorting the Turií people out of the city.
Not long after, thick smoke rose from everywhere in the city, and soon, it was set on fire …
The scouts immediately reported to Ledes.
Ledes was shocked when he heard the news. He quickly rode across the Saraceno River to confirm it.
By then, Turií had become a city of fire. The cries of the people outside the city shook the heavens …
Soon, the Devers received the urgent news and were stunned. Crotone was destroying the city! They were retreating?!
Asistes scolded the brutality of Crotone while the Devers sat down and rubbed their chins, thinking about the significance of this major event for Armendolara.
Then, the Asistes saw the Devers stand up again. They paced back and forth in the hall with a strange expression.
When he saw that his vision was blurry, the Devers suddenly asked with a trembling voice, "If Crotone's army leaves now, where will they be by dusk?"
The Asistes thought for a moment and said, "They won't be able to travel fast with so many supplies. They will probably reach Castellón by dusk."
"Will Castellón let the army enter the city?" the Devers asked urgently.
"Impossible! They just looted and burned the city of Turií! "
The Devers nodded. The Asistes had the same opinion as him. After pacing back and forth, he finally made up his mind and said, "Inform Ledes to keep a close eye on the pontoon bridge over the Clati River! At the same time, send Y 'zam's scouts to follow the progress of Crotone's army. Where is the camp? How are we going to set it up? Give me all the details, but keep it hidden. Don't let Crotone find out! I want him to send someone to report to me at all times! "
"Yes!" The Asistes answered excitedly. After following the Devers for so long, he knew that the Devers must be planning something big. The young Asistes could not help but ask excitedly, "Sir, are you going to attack Crotone's army?"
"Whether we attack or not depends on whether Crotone gives us the chance!" The Devers sneered. "Crotone owes so much blood, and he wants to go back easily? It won't be that easy. I believe that the impartial Hades will take care of us! It's time for us to show our fangs!
The Devers sounded righteous, but there was another reason that made him make up his mind. The destruction of the city of Turií gave him a better chance than attacking Lucania. It was a chance for Amendola to grow stronger quickly! And this required him to take another big gamble!
The Senate was called for an emergency meeting. When the Devers announced that the city of Turií had been burned, the elders were not surprised. They had already digested this shocking news before they came. However, the older citizens had mixed feelings. They used to hate the selfishness of the Turií for causing Amendola to suffer a heavy blow. However, when the worse retribution befell the Turií, they realized that they did not feel good. Instead, pity overwhelmed their hatred.
But then, the Devers said with righteous indignation, "Crotone's crime must be punished! As an ally of Turií, we, Amendola, have the obligation to avenge the Turií people! Of course, we also need to tell Crotone that the Sibari Plain is not a place where they can come and go as they please! I announce that Amendola is mobilizing for war. Prepare to attack Crotone's army! "
As soon as he finished, the meeting was in an uproar.
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