Chapter 388
'Masias?!' The Devers remembered that Ancitanos told him that Masias was the leader of the Campanian mercenaries. He later became an important general under Dionysius.
"Do you have any proof?" the Devers asked.
"No, he came to Turís empty-handed. The hotel he stayed in and the dagger was prepared by a man named Aurolas. However, he only knows the name. He doesn't know what Aurolas looks like or what he does …" Matonis said solemnly, "I'm sending someone to the hotel he's staying in right now. I'm hoping to find out more about Aurolas."
"What about the woman?" the Devers asked.
"No one has come to the patrol station to say that they know her …" Matonis was a little depressed.
"Matonis, it hasn't been long since the assassination, but you've already made a lot of progress!" The Devers comforted him with a sharp glint in his eyes, "It doesn't matter if she's from Turís or from another city. Since she's able to attend the celebration, she must have some clues. Furthermore, the dagger she's holding is similar to the one the assassin had. They're both coated with poison. She's definitely related to Syracuse!"
The Devers sneered and ordered, "Matonis, go find Aristiras immediately. He'll help you find out the truth as soon as possible."
"Yes, Sir." Matonis turned around and left.
At this time, Cunogorata worriedly asked, "Sir Devers, are you going to declare war on Syracuse? Even though the assassin said that Syracuse ordered him to do it, there's no proof, and — "
The Devers, who had always respected him, interrupted the old man's words, "Sir Cunogorata, what will happen to Diónia if they really succeed in assassinating me?"
Cunogorata was taken aback. He thought for a moment and had no choice but to tell the truth, "There will … There will be unrest …" Not just unrest, but a civil war would soon break out. The Greeks, the Lucanians, and the Bruti Alliance would definitely clash. The Legion Commanders had similar qualifications and prestige, but none of them could intimidate all the legions. On the other hand, the civil officials had the advantage in the Senate. If this continued … The more Cunogorata thought about it, the more worried he became.
"Then what will happen to our Southern Alliance?" The Devers watched his expression and continued to guide him. The Southern Alliance was an alliance of Greek city-states led by Diónia. Diónia was the mainstay of the alliance because it was far stronger than the other city-states. Once the Diónia Alliance fell into internal strife and its power weakened, Crotone and Lijim would probably jump out to fight for power. Since both sides were equally powerful, the Southern Alliance might end up as an empty shell. Moreover, Crotone might take revenge on Xillian and Triene who had betrayed it. It was also possible that Crotone would declare war on Diónia to take revenge.
"We all know that Syracuse has signed a peace treaty with Carthage, but Syracuse still hasn't dismissed its mercenary troops. Instead, it's buying grains and building ships … Why? Is it to help Sparta defeat the Thebes Alliance? "
The Devers' question was directed at Cunogorata's heart. Indeed, Dionysius had long had ambitions for Greece. If the Diónia Alliance fell into chaos and the Southern Alliance became a pile of loose sand, Syracuse could easily achieve its goal with its strength far surpassing that of the various Greek city-states and alliances …
The Devers stared at the old man in front of him. Tiny beads of sweat quietly seeped out from his white temples. As the Senator of Diónia who had served three consecutive terms as the governor of Turií, the Turií Alliance could not be neglected. Unfortunately, his biggest weakness was that he was afraid of war.
"Lord Cunogorata, you should know me. I will not recklessly declare war on Syracuse without sufficient preparation. However, it is time for us to take action. Otherwise, it will be a terrible thing to allow a vicious wolf like Syracuse to lurk around Diónia, drooling over our land and disrupting the order of our alliance! "
Cunogorata listened to Devers' sincere words and pondered for a moment. He finally changed his mind. "Lord Devers, is there anything you need me to do?"
The Devers's face lit up with joy. "In an emergency meeting of the Senate, I hope you can support my proposal to mobilize the citizens of Diónia to prepare for war with Syracuse!"
Was it just a "preparation"? Cunogorata could not believe his ears. He thought the Devers were about to start a war with Syracuse when he saw how aggressive they were.
"Of course, that's not all. We also need to support Lijim in building a Colonial City in Sicily …" The Devers looked at Cunogorata and said word by word, "I also need you to tell the other elders the 'truth' of the assassin incident. The assassin was sent by Locri under Syracuse's request!"
Cunogorata's eyes widened in shock. "Lord Devers, you're —"
"That's right. I'm going to attack Locri!" The Devers's expression was ferocious as he said firmly, "Dionysius and Locri have formed an alliance because he wants Locri to become a springboard for Syracuse to invade Greece. Locri's existence makes it impossible for Greece to unite as a whole. This is a great opportunity to declare war on Locri. If Syracuse comes to our rescue, we'll have a high chance of winning against our Southern Alliance on Greek soil! If it doesn't come, we'll conquer this city that betrayed Greece! "
Although Cunogorata agreed that the war between Diónia and Syracuse was inevitable, compared to facing the powerful Syracuse, he preferred to deal with Locri first. When the City Alliance of Diónia was first established, Locri was a powerful force in Greece. However, it was nothing in the eyes of the people of Diónia now. Furthermore, the fact that the Devers could come up with such a strategy meant that he was not blinded by anger. Hence, Cunogorata began to come up with a plan. "Coincidentally, the generals and councilors of the Southern Alliance have been invited to this celebration. Lord Atilicus of Lijim, Lord Lysias of Crotone, Lord Cypross of Triene, Lord Prethenis of Siletina, and Lord Phrynris of Corunna are all in Turií. They must have heard about today's shocking event. We can hold the Southern Alliance meeting in Siletina in Turií. I believe we'll be able to reach an agreement easily!"
"I believe they're waiting for the Senate to contact them. Our Senate meeting must end as soon as possible," reminded the Devers.
"I understand." Cunogorata nodded. When he left the Devers' mansion, his steps were heavy. He knew that after today, the Diónia Alliance that had been at peace for more than three years might once again open the door to war.
… …
When the Senate of Diónia convened, the elders were more concerned about the safety of the Devers, especially the former mercenary elders, the elders of Lucania, Amendolara, and some of the elders of Bruti.
Therefore, when Cunogorata told them the "truth", the elders were enraged. The Devers' proposal to "declare war on Locri" was easily passed.
Although the warmongers such as Amyntas were slightly disappointed that the Devers did not directly declare war on the culprit — Syracuse. Even though Cornelus, Ancetanos, and the others were surprised that Syracuse didn't step forward and let Locke take the lead, they were relieved for the time being.
The Senate finally decided to send an emissary with harsh requirements to question Locri.
… …
The Devers did not have time to rest after returning home. He immediately asked for his father-in-law — Attilius.
"Seeing that you're fine, I can finally rest assured!" Attilius said happily as soon as he saw him. This made the Devers feel a little warm.
Then, Attilius shouted loudly, "Syracuse! It must be Syracuse who did it, right?! I've said it before — "
The Devers interrupted him and said decisively, "The Senate of Diónia has decided to fully support Lijim's construction of a colonial city in Sicily, but we also hope that you can abide by your previous words and hand over Lijim's fleet to Diónia!"
"That's really good news. However, if we hand over the fleet to you, can Diónia guarantee the safety of Lijim's coast and trade routes? "Attilius became reluctant at this moment.
"I think Syracuse won't have time to humiliate Lijim anymore because Diónia will send an emissary to question Locri. 'Why did you send an assassin to assassinate me?'" The Devers's words were shocking.
Attilius was shocked, "How … How could it be Locri?"
"Because Diónia and the Southern Alliance need to wage war on Locri!" The Devers said resolutely.
Attilius was still shocked, but he had already understood the Devers's intention. With trembling hands, he held the armrest of the wooden chair and slowly sat down, "You … You want to … No! You want to lure the people of Syracuse to Greece … "
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