Chapter 406
Standing on the steps in front of the Senate, Cunogorata looked back at everything in front of him. The peace and harmony of the square reminded him of the painful memories in his heart. His expression gradually became determined. "It's not easy for the Diónia Alliance to reach what it is today. We must not allow the people of Syracuse to destroy it!"
Cornelus, who also had painful memories, no longer had his usual gentleness. "Even if we have to donate all our money, we must win this war! Only then can the people of Diónia have a future! "
… …
Syracuse was very busy these few days. On one hand, he had to reorganize the mixed fleet from various alliances that had just gathered in Turií. On the other hand, he had to establish the subdivisions, arrange the accommodation and food for the sailors, maintain the warships, install the 'crows', and many other matters. On the other hand, he had to participate in and guide the construction of the dry dock, the naval port, and set up the cordon to prevent anyone from approaching and watching the naval training.
Now, the stretch of river from the port to the Shrine of Hera had become a large construction site. Thousands of Diónia people were busy building and expanding the naval base. With the help of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Turií City Hall, Syracuse was much more relaxed. But what worried him the most was that the two new legions had not been formed yet, and he could not practice his new tactics at all.
So when the news that the army of Syracuse had landed in Rockley, and Syracuse's fleet of nearly 500 warships were stationed in the northern sea of Rockley to protect Syracuse's troop transport fleet, not only did the Devers's warning and plan, he also did not have the slightest desire to go to war.
… … …
In the headquarters of the Southern Alliance of Siritia, the representatives of the various city-states, led by Ancetanos, put aside unnecessary quarrels and quickly reached an agreement. The city-states of the Southern Alliance would do their best to send as many troops as possible to form a coalition army, and the commander of the coalition army would temporarily be Felicius. If the Devers were to lead the troops into battle, the position of commander-in-chief would naturally belong to him. However, he was not around, so the representatives of the various city-states believed that Felicius's prestige was not enough to make the generals of the other city-states completely follow the White Tiger. He could only be a temporary replacement. Furthermore, Felicius had to discuss with the generals of the other city-states before making any important decisions. In addition, the Allied Army could freely march, station, and set up camp in any city-state or territory of the Southern Alliance. The rations were provided by each city-state according to its strength. Of course, Diónia had the most, but Crotone and Lijim also had a lot. Fortunately, it was only the end of October, and the autumn harvest had just ended, so the citizens of each city-state had enough food to spare. The granary specially built by the Alliance of Diónia a few years ago was full, so there was no worry of food shortage for the time being.
Once the agreement was reached, the representatives of the various cities immediately returned to their respective cities and urged them to dispatch their troops. Only two people did not move.
Ancitanos did so because Diónia had already made preparations before the Devers left. He only needed to wait for the arrival of the Fourth and Fifth Legions in the West Courtyard.
The other person was the emissary of Corunna, Ullipatos. Because Corunna was already at the frontline of the battlefield, the entire Corunna had begun to mobilize for war, preparing to defend against the attack of Syracuse. As the emissary, he had a great responsibility. He had to stay here and urge the reinforcements of the other city-states to hurry to Corunna as soon as possible.
"Sir Ancitanos, are you sure that the army of Diónia has already set off?!" he asked anxiously again.
"When I set off from Asprostum, our Legio IV had already gathered their soldiers in the square. Based on my understanding of the Alliance's army, they should be on their way now."
"That's good! That's good! " Ullipatos said, but he was fidgeting as if he had a sore on his butt. He then asked, "Then … Then, has the Fifth Legion of yours set off too?!"
"The commander of the Fifth Legion of Diónia doesn't have any hobbies other than fighting. As soon as he receives the order, he will definitely gather his troops and set off immediately. I even think that the Fifth Legion may set off earlier than Legio IV, "Ancitanos said seriously.
Ullipatos calmed down a little.
Ancitanos saw him stomping his feet and tapping the wooden table with his right hand, looking anxious. He could not help but remind him, "I suggest that you go to the city hall of Siletina and urge them to mobilize the militia as soon as possible."
Siletina? Ullipatos was a little confused. According to the agreement, their army was not going to Corunna.
Ancitanos explained to him seriously, "Siletina, Triene, and Crotone are in charge of defending the north bank of the Ramato River, but if the people of Syracuse cross the Ramato River and circle to the north of Corunna, then our plan to stop the people of Syracuse in the territory of Rockley and its allies will fail!"
Ullipatos immediately came to his senses. He immediately stood up and said, "You're right. I'll go find Sir Pretinis now."
… …
On this day, in Rockley, Dionysius encountered a problem.
His original plan was for the entire fleet to sail north from Syracuse early in the morning and reach Rockley in a day. Therefore, he specially asked the most experienced sailors to pick a day when the main force of Diónia was going to travel to Potentia. At the same time, it was a peaceful day.
The huge fleet arrived at Lockley without a hitch, but after entering the port, they encountered a lot of trouble.
Rockley did not have a natural port like Syracuse, which could easily accommodate thousands of ships. Rockley's port was also not as big as Syracuse's. It could only accommodate five to six hundred ships at a time. At the same time, as a city-state, Rockley had limited manpower. It had never handled a series of landing procedures for nearly ten thousand ships at the port, such as arrival, unloading, transportation, leaving, and rotation. This required sufficient labor, orderly organization, strong management, and rich experience. Rockley did not have all of these.
In order to keep it a secret and achieve the purpose of a surprise attack, Dionysius had sent a clipper to Rockley the day before. Therefore, Rockley was not fully prepared.
As a result, a large number of goods could not be cleaned in time after being unloaded. They piled up at the port, blocking the way for the soldiers to go ashore. The soldiers of Syracuse had to clean them up themselves. The soldiers who had been drifting at sea for almost a day were very tired. They were eager to rest. Of course, they were angry and would have conflicts with the workers at the port if they did not agree.
The ships that had finished unloading were eager to leave through the gaps, while the ships that came to unload were eager to dock. How could the officials in Rockley take care of so many ships? Ships collided with each other and crew members fell into the water from time to time. There were even a few ships that were collided with each other and ended up capsizing due to the damage to their hulls.
Outside the port, thousands of ships stopped on the sea. Whether it was the sailors or the soldiers, they were all eager to go ashore and rest. The ship owners were anxious to complete their task quickly and leave. They were worried that although the sea conditions were good, the weather in the Mediterranean Sea was ever-changing. If a sudden storm came, all the ships would be smashed to the shore. They would not even have a place to hide and would be crushed together …
Dionysius was one of the first to go ashore. When he saw that Rockley Port had quickly descended into chaos, he was extremely anxious. He even lost his temper with his brother-in-law, Demodorcas, who had always welcomed him.
However, anger was useless. The problem was there and it had to be solved as soon as possible. Therefore, Dionysius had no choice but to strictly order the people who had already gone ashore to work as laborers. They had to listen to the commands of the people at Rockley Port to help move the goods, clear the port, and mediate the conflict. At the same time, he had no choice but to order all the transport ships outside the port to land at the beach near Rockley and let the soldiers go ashore.
After giving these orders, Dionysius knew that the terrible situation at Rockley Port would be greatly improved. However, there were still a lot of things to deal with. Without two to three days to settle and reorganize, the army of Syracuse would not be able to send out their troops.
In order to not see and not feel annoyed, Dionysius left a few generals and ministers in charge of coordinating and commanding the landing. He left the port with Phoebidas and the others and entered Rockley City.
It was Phoebidas's first time in Rockley. While he was carefully looking at the buildings in the city, he heard Dionysius ask softly, "Phoebidas, where do you think our first target should be?"
Phoebidas glanced at him, then glanced at the others who were separated by the guards behind them. He felt strange. Previously, when he was in Syracuse, he had already expressed his opinion to this tyrant. Why hadn't he made up his mind yet?
So, he said with certainty again, "My first choice is still Corunna."
Hearing this, Dionysius fell silent. He understood Phoebidas's intention. While the various city-states of the Southern Alliance were not ready for war, he would attack so quickly that they could not form an alliance. However, the reason why he was hesitating was not because the army of Syracuse was like a wolf entering a flock of sheep. However, there were too many fat sheep, and he did not know which one to eat first. It was because he already had a target in his heart, and that was Lijim.
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