Chapter 392
Early in the morning, the adjutant knocked on the door of Epicthenis's bedroom in the Legion Commander's mansion in Asprustum. The person who opened the door was a completely naked young man.
The adjutant was already used to it. "Legion Commander, there's an urgent letter from the Senate!" he shouted.
"Got it." A lazy voice came from the room.
A moment later, Epicthenis walked out of the bedroom naked and took the letter from the adjutant's hand.
The man stretched his head out, wanting to read it. Epicthenis patted his face and said intimately, "Go back first. I'll come find you later."
The young man went back to his bedroom and put on his clothes. Before he left, he didn't forget to kiss Epicthenis on the cheek.
"Not bad, right? A noble from Tarantum. Very cultured. It's a pity that his family has fallen," Epicthenis said to the adjutant with a hint of pride as he watched the young man leave.
The adjutant didn't say anything. He didn't want to comment on his commander's hobbies.
"Oh, right. Read the letter first." Under the urging gaze of the adjutant, Epicthenis opened the letter. After reading it, he whistled. "Lord Devers wants us, Legio IV, to arrive at Siletina before October to meet up with the Southern Alliance's army and prepare to attack Lockeri."
"That's great!" The adjutant said excitedly. "We'll inform the governors of Asprustum and Crimissa right now. Inform the legions in both cities to gather at Crimissa's square tomorrow. Asprustum's square is too small to accommodate 8,000 legions."
"We don't have to rush. It's written clearly in the letter that we just need to arrive at Siletina before October. This means that Lord Devers isn't in a hurry to start a war with Lockeri. If we go too early, we'll finish all our rations and have to eat our reserve rations. That's a waste. We still have more than ten days to prepare. I can discuss with the two governors about the distribution of rations and other preparations. At the same time, we can wait for the soldiers to return from the football match. "
Epicthenis's words made sense. The adjutant said helplessly, "Fine. You're the Legion Commander, so you have the final say. However, I'm afraid that Dracos will lead the Fifth Legion there too early. If they don't wait for us, they'll probably start cursing. "
"That stubborn donkey. To be honest, I'm also afraid that he'll get angry," Epicthenis shrugged helplessly. The two of them burst into laughter.
… …
Dracos was supervising the training of the soldiers in the 5th Division's barracks outside Cosenza City.
He was supposed to be transferred back to the army by the Devers the year before last, but he refused to comply with the transfer orders. The reason was that he was only good at fighting and did not know how to do paperwork. Even if he trained, he would not be able to do it. The Devers couldn't do anything to him. According to military law, a Legion Commander could not stay in a legion for too long (mainly because the Devers were afraid that if he stayed for too long, the soldiers would develop a sense of dependence on the Legion Commander, which would weaken his prestige in the hearts of the soldiers). Therefore, they had no choice but to send him to Cosenza as the Legion Commander of the newly formed Fifth Legion. However, Dracos did not disappoint the Devers. In just a few years, through rigorous training, he had trained the undisciplined Bruti people into qualified soldiers.
"Legion Commander, an urgent letter from the Senate from Cosenza!" A guard hurried over.
Dracos opened the letter and read it. His face lit up with joy. He shouted, "Messenger! Messenger! "
"I'm here, Legion Commander."
"Immediately send your men to Vig, Kenapetiya, and Anbalia with this urgent letter. Inform the soldiers of the Fifth Legion to report to the square in Cosenza City tomorrow. Those who are late will be punished with 30 strokes of the stick!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Legion Commander, are we going to war?!" the adjutant asked excitedly.
"We've declared war on Rockley for so long. Why are we only sending the mobilization order now? What's there to be happy about?!" Dracos said with some dissatisfaction. He then instructed the adjutant, "You stay here and supervise their training. I have to immediately go to Cosenza to discuss the deployment of troops with the governor, Felicius."
The adjutant remembered something and reminded Dracos, "Legion Commander, we still have some soldiers participating in a rugby match in Turií. Look —"
"I almost forgot if you didn't mention it." Dracos thought for a moment and said, "Find some reserve soldiers to replace them first. At the same time, send someone to Turií to urge them to come back quickly. Otherwise, don't blame me if they miss the battle."
… …
Agesilaus lay in the big tent with a solemn expression. Now, the Sparta Coalition Army and the anti- Sparta Alliance were in a stalemate at the Isthmus of Corinth. The enemy relied on the strong defense of Corinth City to repel Sparta's attacks many times, leaving him at a loss.
It was not that Agesilaus did not want to open up a second battlefield, but the Sparta fleet had suffered heavy losses. That damn Athens Konon led the huge fleet built by Persia directly into the port of Piraeus and handed the entire fleet over to Athens. This caused Sparta to face the same predicament they faced decades ago — they lost the sea.
'Damn Persia, they're definitely behind this!' Agesilaus cursed in his heart, but he obviously forgot that it was his actions in Asia Minor that led to today's outcome.
At this moment, someone opened the tent. "King Agesilaus, I'm here."
"Phoebidas." Agesilaus was about to sit up.
Phoebidas dared to step forward, held him down, and said with concern, "I heard that you haven't been feeling well these days. You even fainted yesterday. Don't stand up."
As Phoebidas spoke, he sat cross-legged on the ground.
Agesilaus did not act pretentious. He continued to lie on the bed and said, "This is an old problem. I'll be fine after a few days of rest (actually, this is a side effect of polio). This time, I called you here because the Elders Council has sent an urgent letter. "
Agesilaus' expression became serious. "Syracuse is about to attack Great Greece, so they're asking us for help. They're asking for a general who's proficient in military affairs to help them defeat Diónia."
"What?! Dionysius wants to start a war against Great Greece at this time? Where's the aid he promised us?! "Phoebidas was shocked.
"Of course not …" Agesilaus sighed helplessly. "According to Syracuse, it was Diónia who first declared war on Lokri, forcing them to fight to protect their ally … But you and I both know about the assassination of the Consul of Diónia ten days ago. Although Diónia claimed that it was the Lokri who did it, I'm afraid the truth is not that simple."
"Damn Dionysius! This bastard who doesn't keep his promise! " Phoebidas scolded angrily. "If it wasn't for our Sparta's support, how could he have secured the position of the tyrant of Syracuse?! … "
"Although Dionysius is infuriating, Diónia and Athens have strengthened their relationship. You have to know that Turií was established by Athens in the past and has always been an ally of Athens … "Agesilaus stared at Phoebidas and said solemnly," Therefore, since this war is unavoidable, we must not let Diónia win! That's why I've recommended you to the Elder Council. I understand your ability, but I hope you can put aside your resentment towards Dionysius and help Sparta win this war! "
Phoebidas listened and nodded heavily. "King Agesilaus, don't worry. I'll help Dionysius defeat Diónia as soon as possible. Then, I'll ask him to send troops to aid Sparta as soon as possible!"
Agesilaus cautiously reminded him, "Don't be careless, and don't underestimate the young Archon Devers of Diónia! You have to know that he has never lost a battle until now. Otherwise, the Diónia Alliance wouldn't have risen so quickly, surpassing our expectations! Dionysius asked us for help because he felt this pressure! In the past, when he fought against Carthage, he didn't take the initiative to ask for our help before the war. He even said that if the war against Diónia and the Southern Italian Alliance breaks out, he's willing to let the Sparta general command. "
"Dionysius isn't good at battles, and the Devers —" Phoebidas thought carefully and said excitedly, "Although I don't like this person, I have to admit that he's a good opponent. However, I'm confident that I can defeat him!"
Agesilaus looked at him for a while, then nodded and said, "That's right. We Sparta should be fearless. Hurry back to the team now, complete the handover, and immediately rush to Syracuse. "
"Yes!"
Seeing Phoebidas leave, Agesilaus was still worried. The young Archon of Diónia, who he had never met but had been winning, not only gave Dionysius pressure, but also the King of Sparta who had been paying attention to Diónia …
… …
At the same time, in a mansion in the city of Athens, the chief general of Athens, Serasiblos, was talking to Aesocrates.
Aesocrates, who was usually aloof, was quite respectful in front of Serasiblos because in his heart, Serasiblos was someone worthy of his respect.
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