Chapter 225
He looked at the other three and said, "I've received two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news first," Drax said first.
"This morning, not long after the grain transport team returned to Tuliyi left the swamp, they were attacked by Crotone's 300 sailors. The freedmen who were escorting the supplies were caught off guard, resulting in 50 casualties and a large number of pack beasts being lost. Before our soldiers arrived, the enemy had already escaped to their ships anchored by the shore … "The Devers read aloud.
"300?! The number of Crotone's people participating in the attack is increasing. They are getting bolder! I remember we have a garrison near the swamp! "Capus said in surprise.
"Perhaps that's why the guards let their guard down." The Devers said with a serious expression, "We must learn from this lesson and make sure it doesn't happen again!"
Capus and Dracos clenched their fists and nodded firmly.
"What's worse is that we don't have a fleet. Otherwise, we wouldn't have let the Crotone attack our villages and kill our people so easily!" Drax said angrily.
Everyone was helpless about this. Diónia was a new alliance after all. It had only been established for less than a year. The navy was not like the army. As long as they had people, weapons, and strict training, they could be deployed to the battlefield in a few months. It would take at least three months to build a warship for the navy, especially the main warship — the triple-oared warship, even if it was sped up, it would still need nearly two hundred sailors, an experienced helmsman, and so on. After training, breaking in, and then familiarizing themselves with the warship, it would still take a few more months for the warship to have combat effectiveness. Therefore, the navy was an expensive force that consumed time, money, and manpower. A small city-state could not afford it. With the current strength of the Diónia alliance, money and manpower were not a big problem. What they lacked the most was time. After the war with Crotone, the Devers had secretly listed the establishment of the navy as the most important development of the alliance.
"Master Devers, what's the good news?" Avinogis asked.
Devers smiled. "Locke has sent troops to attack Corunya! Just like what you've said, under these circumstances, Crotone might consider negotiating with us again. If it still doesn't move — "The Devers' voice suddenly became as cold as the wind." I will order Hieronymus to send troops across the Tachinadi River and destroy all the farmlands, villages, canals, and other facilities outside Ciudad Crotone. I will force the people of Crotone to negotiate! "
… …
On the morning of the following day, Lysias and Sisprotes entered the main tent of the army of Diónia.
Devers looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Master Lysias, I said that we would meet again. I didn't expect it to come true so soon."
Lysias ignored the Devers' ridicule and said with a serious expression, "Master Devers, the Crotone council has agreed to give up Crimissa and hand him over to Diónia to deal with. They are also willing to pay a certain amount of money to promote peace! As for disbanding the Crotone alliance — "
Lysias paused, considering how to use words to better persuade the Devers. However, Sisprotes continued, "The council has agreed to disband the alliance in principle, but now Locke is attacking Corunya. Based on the century-long friendship between Corunya and Crotone, Crotone must provide assistance to Corunya. With the identity of the leader of the alliance, it will be beneficial for Crotone to gather citizens, form an army, reinforce Corunya, and defeat Locke … After defeating them, we will … we will disband …" Sisprotes suddenly choked with sobs and could not continue. Crotone's century-long hegemony in Greece was established by the ancestors of Crotone through many bloody battles. Now, it was going to be in vain … How could he not be emotional?
Lysias, who was originally complaining that Sisprotes had revealed all his trump cards to the enemy as soon as they met and that it was completely stupid, was now filled with sadness.
"Crotone does not need to disband the alliance!" The first sentence that the Devers said was beyond their expectations.
Looking at the surprised expressions of the two, the Devers continued, "In fact, Diónia can immediately release the tens of thousands of Crotone citizens!"
Lysias and Sisprotis looked at each other, not daring to believe their ears.
"But I have a condition." The Devers slowly said, "Diónia does not have the habit of returning what they have obtained."
Lysias reacted quickly, "You mean … Asprusstom?"
The Devers smiled, "Not only this."
He walked to the map, stretched out his finger, and pointed to a place, "Our Diónia army has already started to build camp here!"
Lysias stepped forward to take a look and could not help but gasp, "You still want the land on the north bank of the Neto River?!"
"It's not that I want it, but this is a condition that must be met in order for Diónia to negotiate peace!" The Devers said seriously, "Crotone is aggressive by nature. They launched two wars against Turií and the Diónia alliance, burning Turií, plundering wealth, and wantonly slaughtering the people of Diónia. Driven by the Goddess of Vengeance, we fought back bravely. With Hades' blessing, we were able to obtain victory after victory without a hitch. The people of Diónia are very confident. They want Crotone to suffer the pain of being burned once again! If there are no rich spoils of war, our people will never agree to negotiate with you! Many people have suggested sending these ten thousand captives to mining, just like how Syracuse dealt with the captives of Athens! "
The Devers's tone made Sisprotis' hair stand on end. Of course, he knew what happened to the captives of Athens. He said with a trembling voice, "Asbrustum and the land on the north bank of the Neto River are almost one of the three territories of Crotone. If they are all given to Diónia, what will happen to the people of Crotone who originally lived on these lands? The council will never agree to it! "
"The two wars have caused Crotone and Asbrustum to lose at least twenty thousand lives. Most of the land should have been abandoned. Moving the people to Ciudad Crotone, replenishing the manpower, and redistributing the land that lacks labor force. I think this is a good way to reorganize Crotone. At the same time, we can reach peace with Diónia. We can also let the returning people of Crotone form an army again to help Corunna and defeat Rockley. This is a good thing!" The Devers said in a deep voice.
His words seemed to have some kind of temptation, causing Sisprotis to nod involuntarily. He subconsciously looked at Lysias, and Lysias shook his head slightly. Sisprotis opened his mouth, but no words came out. Then, he fell into silence.
"Of course, you can go back and discuss it slowly. I'm not in a hurry at all. Perhaps, in a few days, the one standing in front of me will not be you, but Rockley. As long as we can cooperate with Diónia, I don't think Rockley will care about how much land of Crotone is divided. "The Devers said slowly, with an indifferent expression.
Lucius and Sisprotis felt cold all over. Sisprotis hurriedly said, "Honorable Devers, giving all the land on the north bank of the Neto River to Diónia is indeed … indeed difficult for the council to agree, but part of the land … I think it can be given to you. As for the specific amount, we can discuss it later. As for Asbrustum — "
Hearing this, the Devers interrupted him rudely, "Asbrustum must be controlled by Diónia. This is not negotiable! This is to prevent Crotone from going back on their word again, tearing up the agreement and starting a war! "
Sisprotis stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Lucius let out a long sigh in his heart. Sisprotis's easy compromise, incompetence and weakness made him speechless, but this was the council's choice! In fact, Lucius also understood that Crotone had been completely passive since the start of the war. Even if he was confident that Diónia's army would not be able to break through Ciudad Crotone, and could even force Diónia to retreat in the end, so what? Farmland, villages, and town facilities were all destroyed, and there was a lack of young citizens. It would be a long process for Crotone to return to its previous prosperity. But the grim situation did not allow Crotone to have the luxury of time, and the panicked people did not have the determination to fight to the end. Therefore, compromising in exchange for peace and reducing losses for the future revival was the council's best choice.
After thinking this through, Lucius no longer hesitated, "Asbrustum is the northern barrier of Crotone. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, it will only make the people of Crotone more uneasy. I think even if the council agrees, the citizens' assembly will oppose it! "
"In that case, you have rejected Diónia's conditions for the peace talks." The Devers looked at Lucius stiffly.
Sisprotis anxiously tugged at Lucius' clothes. Lucius said calmly, "The people of Crotone oppose the enemy's possession of Asbrustum, but they will not necessarily oppose it being occupied by an ally."
"Ally?!" The Devers who had been calm and steady in controlling the pace of the negotiation was also a little surprised.
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