Chapter 203
Crotone mobilized their troops to reinforce Crimissa, and the spies that Aristiras placed at Crotone's docks had already heard about it.
The next morning, when the messenger of the mercenary army arrived at the Devers' mansion, the Devers had already received the news from Aristiras that Crotone's reinforcements were coming. He immediately knew that Timason's mercenary army was doomed.
Therefore, when the messenger of the mercenary army, Piccoles, asked the Devers, "Mr. Devers, the mercenary army led by Leader Timason has already taken over Crimissa. We hope to join the Diónia Alliance and get reinforcements from Diónia immediately!"
The Devers told Piccoles, who was once a translator in the Menon Army Camp and later became his subordinate, but he chose to leave the Byzantine Empire, "Piccoles, you are late. I just received the news. 'Yesterday afternoon, almost 10,000 troops of Crotone set off from the docks.' They should be able to reach Crimissa in the afternoon. I don't think Timason can defend Crimissa … "
"10,000 troops?!" Piccoles was stunned when he heard this news.
"I have already sent people to investigate. I believe that we will know the exact situation of Crimissa by noon," the Devers continued.
"Maybe … maybe Timason and the others are still holding on …" Piccols came back to his senses and begged, "Boss … Leader Dyves, for the sake of the fact that we fought side by side, I beg you … I beg you to send an army to Crimisa and save them! Otherwise, it will be too late if you go after receiving the news!! … "
The word 'leader' from Piccoles made the Devers a little emotional, but he still shook his head and said, "Sigh … I can't send troops immediately even if I want to. This requires the approval of most members of the Senate, and they won't agree without accurate information! If the people of Crimissa retake the city, and the Diónia Alliance enters the territory of Crimissa, it will be a violation of the agreement, and it will mean war! The war with Crotone!! "
The Devers' patient explanation was obviously not heard by the impatient Piccols. He yelled almost crazily, "We're going to save our brothers anyway, so we'll definitely have to fight Crotone! What are you afraid of? You're the only Life Consul of Diónia, you have the final say here! Send the troops, I beg you, Chief Devers! The lives of Timason, Creano, and the rest of the mercenaries are awaiting your rescue! … "
Devers shook his head, feeling that it was impossible to explain things to him. "Go and rest first. When there is news, I will inform you." With that, he signaled the servant to take him away.
Piccoles pushed him away and shouted, "Devers, if it wasn't for the help of Timason and his brothers, you would have died in Persia! But look at how you treat your former comrade! When we came here, not only did we not provide any help, but we were also wronged. Now that Timason and his brothers' lives are in danger, and they asked you for help, you didn't even help them. You even found an excuse, saying that 'we need the approval of the Senate' … "
Piccoles scolded the Devers for being ungrateful. Devers was furious when he heard that. He thought, You said you're going to Syracuse, but you're actually going to attack Crimissa. When did you talk to me about it? You just wanted to use me and Agathia to make Diónia take the blame for you, but you never thought about how you would put Diónia and yourself in a passive position! Now that you've failed, you're begging me, but you don't even have the slightest apology. Who's the ungrateful one? Do you really think I'm that easy to talk to?
With his current identity, there was no need for him to argue with a simple-minded mercenary. He simply ordered the guards to chase Piccoles out of the mansion.
There was a lot of noise in the living room. With the help of Asuna, Kristoya came down from the second floor with her big belly. She asked with concern, "I heard arguing downstairs. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Devers squeezed out a smile and scolded her softly, "You're about to give birth. Instead of resting, you're still walking around."
Kristoya tactfully stopped asking. She covered her bulging belly and said, "The baby kept kicking me just now. It woke me up."
"Baby, be good and let your mother rest!" Devers placed his face on Kristoya's belly and said softly.
"Oh, he kicked me again!" Kristoya said in surprise.
"Madam, he's so naughty. It must be a boy!" Asuna said with a smile.
"Naughty little guy!" Devers patted his belly and said softly, "Kristoya, I'll accompany you for a walk in the courtyard."
At that moment, he and Kristoya both had a blissful smile on their faces.
… …
After Piccols was chased out of the Devers' residence, he immediately regretted it. The Devers' door was tightly shut. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open it. He had no choice but to look for Felicius and the others.
However, Felicius, Capus, and Antonios either avoided him or apologized to Piccols when they saw him, saying that they couldn't help him.
In the end, it was Agathia who told him, "Because the mercenaries have been causing trouble in the Alliance recently, Lord Devers and them have been under a lot of pressure in the Senate. Especially this time, Timason and the others attacked Crimissa without Diónia's knowledge. This caused Polyxis and a few other Turií senators to directly criticize Devers during the meeting, saying that he was using the Alliance of Diónia to seek personal benefits for the mercenaries! This is the first time Lord Devers has faced such severe criticism and humiliation since he became an Archon! Under such circumstances, it's impossible for the Devers to use their troops on their own! "
Piccols listened without fully understanding, but he also realized that they were oversimplifying things.
… …
At noon, Crimissa's news came back: the mercenaries were completely wiped out.
Devers sat alone in silence. After a long time, he let out a soft sigh.
This matter seemed to have come to an end, but Devers realized that it was far from over.
Sure enough, in the afternoon, a passenger ship from Crotone sailed into the port of Turií. Two people alighted from the ship: the general of Crotone, Lucias, and the chief general of Crimissa, Antares.
What did this mean? The faces of the senators in charge of welcoming them changed slightly.
Two corpses were also carried off the ship: Timason and Creano.
This made Felicius, Agathia, and the other mercenary senators sad.
Therefore, today's Senate meeting began with an unusually tense and solemn atmosphere.
The chief general of Crimissa, Antares, was the first to speak. He tearfully accused the mercenaries of all the evil deeds they had committed in Crimissa yesterday and the suffering the people of Crimissa had suffered. Then he burst into tears, "Why have the people of Crimissa been living peacefully for decades, but recently they have been plundered by wars?! Could it be that we accidentally offended Ares, causing him to vent his anger on the people of the Crimean Continent?! … "
Lucias looked around the hall and noticed that some of the Dionysian elders looked unnatural. Meanwhile, Archon Dyvers, who was sitting in the front row, was listening attentively, occasionally nodding his head as though he was in the same situation. He sneered in his heart, stood up, walked to the center of the hall, hugged Antares, and then faced the senators of Diónia and said, "Honorable Consul and the lords of the Senate of the Diónia Alliance, as an emissary of Crotone, I would like to say that yesterday, Crotone sent reinforcements in time to save Crimissa from being destroyed by a group of bandits! During the interrogation of the prisoners after the war, we learned that these bandits were mercenaries from Asia Minor. They had fought together with Lord Devers and some of the senators in Persia for more than a year. They were invited to come to Greece and registered in the Alliance, preparing to become citizens of Diónia. Is this true?! "
"That's right," the Devers nodded and admitted without hesitation.
Lucias did not expect him to answer so straightforwardly. He was slightly taken aback, then he raised his voice and said loudly, "According to the statements of the prisoners, they were instructed by the Diónia Alliance to raid Crimissa, preparing to turn Crimissa into an ally of Diónia —"
"Nonsense!"
"Bullsh * t!"
"This is a false accusation!"
…
Amyntas, Dracos, Agathia, and the others stood up and cursed.
"Whether you admit it or not, the truth is the truth! The bodies of the two bandit leaders are still on the dock, and some of you even shed tears just now. " Lucias pointed to the front, his expression solemn as he shouted, "People of Diónia, you have broken the truce agreement with Crotone, and you still want to deny it?!"
Antares glared and pointed at the Devers and cursed, "Ever since you foreigners came to Greece, there has not been a day of peace in Greece! No, it was not Crimissa who angered Ares, it was you who expanded and invaded everywhere, bringing war to the various city-states of Greece! The grievances of thousands of people who died in Crimissa must be redressed, and Diónia must be punished! "
There was an uproar in the hall.
The Devers stood up and walked in front of Antares. He sneered and said, "I originally wanted to express Diónia's apology to Crimissa, and even offer some compensation, even though Diónia had nothing to do with this matter."
Antares opened his mouth to refute, but the Devers looked at him and roared, "You shut up!"
He was startled.
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