Chapter 199
After listening to the Devers, Agathia looked at the fleet that was leaving. He recalled the complaints that Creano and the others had been complaining about him. He nodded and said, "You're right!"
… …
Half an hour later, the military fleet was already far away from Turín, heading south towards Syracuse.
Timason, who was sitting on the bow ship, gave an order. The soldiers on the ship immediately moved to restrain the captain and the sailors. They said loudly, "We won't hurt you. We just want you to change your course!"
While comforting the frightened captain and sailors, they raised a red flag on the mainmast. The officers who were scattered on the various ships and had received Timason's secret notice a day ago saw the signal flag flying on the bow ship. They immediately took action and quickly took control of the forty ships.
"Go to the beach between Crimissa and Castellón!" Timason ordered the captain.
"What do you want?!" Although the captain was panicking, he still shouted bravely.
The soldier who was holding him immediately kicked him. "Hurry up and do as the leader says!"
The sailors saw that the captain was humiliated and started to get restless. After two of them were stabbed by the mercenaries, they finally retreated.
"We're all registered freedmen of the Diónia Alliance. Aren't you afraid of incurring the wrath of the Alliance?!" The captain looked at the injured sailors struggling on the deck and shouted angrily.
That was indeed a problem! Timason had been in the Alliance for more than two months. He had some understanding of the laws of Diónia. Even the sailors who were merely registered and had yet to become probationary citizens were treated unfairly in foreign countries. According to the law, the Alliance of Diónia had the obligation to negotiate with the city-state concerned, not to mention the protection of official citizens. If he really killed them, the senators who were once his comrades in the Senate of Diónia would be fine. However, he was afraid that it would infuriate that fellow who only cared about the law and not personal feelings. His wish to use the power of Diónia to protect Crimissa would probably fail.
He ordered his men to bandage the wounds of the two injured sailors, and said to the captain as politely as possible, "I swear in the name of Zeus, I, Timason, have no intention of invading the alliance. As long as you send us ashore, you can sail away!"
The captain doubtfully asked the helmsman to turn the rudder.
Tima Song lowered his voice and hurriedly ordered, "Find a way to inform our companions on the other ships. Try not to harm anyone!"
Why did he say he would try his best? This was because this was a team put together at the last minute, and they were mercenaries. They were only willing to listen to Timason and Creano's commands because they did not want to be restricted by the Alliance. However, Timason knew that he did not have the ability to control them.
Another half an hour later, under the guidance of two guides who had been bribed with a large sum of money, the fleet chose to dock at a sparsely populated beach closer to Castellón in order to avoid being discovered by Crimissa's people.
While the captain was still worried about whether the bottom of the ship would be damaged, the soldiers pushed and shoved them off the ship.
"You said you would let us go!" the captain shouted at Timason in panic.
"I did say that. But not now. To prevent you from rushing back to inform us, you should stay here for a while longer! "Timason said coldly. He ordered the soldiers to drag the ship to the beach and tie up the captain and the sailors. They were thrown into the bushes on the shore. Of course, there would be resistance from the sailors during the process, and there would be casualties. However, Timason did not have the time to worry about that. He, Creano, and the other officers quickly gathered the mercenaries and took out some wood hidden under the tents given by the Devers and their former comrades. Everyone worked together to build a ladder.
Timason knew that the Devers were cautious. He had asked for tents and food not only to hide some siege weapons, but also to make the Devers lower their guard. After every soldier had brought two days' worth of food, he said to the captain who was lying in the bushes, "The supplies on your ship belong to your Consul Devers. Don't forget to return them to him when you get back."
He ignored the pleas of the sailors and led the mercenaries to the south.
It was difficult for a group of seventeen hundred to hide their tracks on the plains during the day, especially when the sun was shining brightly. Timason's initial plan was to land at night, but that meant the fleet of more than forty ships could only roam the sea during the day. If they were too close to the coast, they would easily arouse the suspicions of the patrolling ships of Crotone and Crimean. If they were too far from the coast, it would be difficult for them to determine their direction in the dark, and accidents would easily occur.
As such, Timason and his men prepared to launch a surprise attack and catch Crimissa off guard. The key was to move fast! Even if Crimissa received the news, he would not be able to react quickly.
There was a relatively large swamp between Castellón and Crimissa. It was caused by the flooding of the Racoeli River and its tributaries. At the beginning of December last year, Timason had sneaked over and checked the terrain. It was easy to travel along the coast, and to facilitate the trade between Crimissa and Castellón, there was a ferry and pontoon bridge.
However, Timason did not expect that at the end of December, spring would arrive, and the snow would melt. In addition to that, there would be a series of torrential rains in January, and the river level would be much higher than usual. The swamp area would be much larger than usual, and this would cause the mercenaries to have a hard time marching.
Just as Timason and the others were trudging through the swamp, farmers and slaves could occasionally be seen driving their livestock, chickens and ducks to the edge of the swamp to forage for food. When they noticed the mercenaries in the distance, they all ran away in panic. In the end, scattered cavalrymen began to appear in Timason's field of vision, letting them know that the surprise attack had failed.
Timason immediately summoned Creano, Toricos, and the other officers to the swamp for an emergency meeting. Should they cancel the plan to attack Crimissa?
Creano, Toricos, and the others insisted on moving forward. They believed that they had spent a long time and meticulous preparation to get such a good opportunity. If they gave up and returned to Diónia, they would be ridiculed. More importantly, their intentions would be exposed. The Devers would definitely be wary of them, and the Turís would not treat them well. If that happened, they would be forced to leave Greece, and they would never have such a good opportunity again!
When Timason saw that everyone was of the same mind, he immediately revealed his revised plan. They had to speed up and attack before Crimissa's men could finish setting up their defenses. They had to capture Crimissa in the shortest time possible, then defend against any reinforcements from Crimissa. They had to obtain the approval of the Diónia Alliance to join the Diónia Alliance after they obtained Crimissa. With the protection of a powerful force like Diónia, their safety would be guaranteed!
The officers had no objections to his new plan, so everyone started to move.
"Brothers, hurry up! Hurry up! As long as we get out of here, Crimissa will be like a delicious olive waiting for us to pluck! "Timason loudly encouraged the dispirited mercenaries.
Creano, Toricos, and the other officers urged them as well.
The battle-hardened soldiers knew that the situation was urgent, and there was no room for hesitation. They cursed the terrible environment as they pushed forward … Finally, the main force left the swamp.
At this moment, a cavalryman who had been observing the situation came forward and shouted, "I'm Timason, the patrol captain of Crimissa! Strangers, you are trespassing on Crimean territory, at once — "His voice stopped abruptly as a javelin pierced his chest and he fell off his horse, frightening several cavalrymen who were not far away into a gallop.
"Damn it, who threw the javelin?!" Timason, who was rushing forward, cursed when he saw the scene. He had wanted to deceive Crimissa's men to buy some time for them to attack, but he did not expect these mercenaries, who loved to kill and do things their own way, to ruin his plan.
"Since it has already happened, don't blame them anymore. Don't affect our morale!" Creano reminded softly.
Ever since they reached the shore, Timason had been frustrated by the series of setbacks, but he had to endure it. Creano was right, they had to hurry!
He spat and turned to ask the guide, "How far are we from Crimissa?"
The guide saw the twisted expression on Timason's face and gulped in fear. He said with a trembling voice, "About … About ten miles away …"
Timason looked at the sky and said to the herald, "Tell our men to hurry up and continue to move forward. We will rest when we reach Crimissa!"
… …
There was no one along the way. The farmers and slaves who were working in the fields had obviously heard the news and fled into the city.
Half an hour later, Timason could vaguely see the city of Crimissa in the distance. He immediately asked the troops to stop and advance slowly.
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