Chapter 459
In the southwest corner of the city of Athens, on a hillside that used to be called Prix, the people of Athens built a magnificent meeting hall a hundred years ago to celebrate the overthrow of the tyrant Pisistratus. It could accommodate 500 people at the same time. It faced the Acropolis of Athens not far to the east and was next to the once famous Mount Ares Council. It was a symbol of the people of Athens turning over. After the burning of the city by the Persia and the celebration of Athens' victory in the Greco-Persian War, the people rebuilt it again. This was the famous 500-member Council!
The City Hall of Athens was next to this magnificent building. It looked so inconspicuous, but the "Ten Generals" who were elected every year worked here.
Today, the ruling council of the generals in Athens held a meeting and invited Isocrates to participate in the discussion of the war against Corinth and the war in Greece.
Chief General Serasiblos was the first to speak. "Generals, today Corinth sent an envoy to Athens, asking for reinforcements. Now the situation in Corinth's territory is not very good. Sparta's attack is fierce, and they can't resist it. This has caused the nobles who are pro-Sparta in the city to become arrogant. They proposed to negotiate with Sparta in the council, and they received some support from the people. The morale of Corinth's people is weakening … "
"We must support Corinth! Otherwise, once Corinth turns to Sparta, Sparta can break through the barrier of the isthmus and force their way to Athens. Our long wall has not been repaired yet, and we can't let the dirty feet of Sparta trample on our port of Piraeus, which has just resumed trade, and the territory of Attica, which has not yet recovered its vitality! And if we are defeated, this time Sparta's damage to Athens will be even greater than the last time. Athens will not be able to withstand such torture again! "Androgeides, who was born as a public speaker, said angrily.
His words reminded the others of the dark reign of the "Thirty Tyrants" ten years ago. They all declared, "Help Corinth immediately! Send more soldiers to support Corinth and stop Sparta's attack! … "
"It's not enough to stop Sparta. Since the beginning of the war, our allied forces have never defeated Sparta in the wild. In the long run, the morale of the Allied Army would only get lower and lower. The city-states that hated Sparta would also lose the courage to resist. Therefore, we must defeat Sparta in order to win this war! "A younger general said loudly.
"It's not that easy to defeat Sparta on land, Iphicrates!" General Konon, the loser of the Battle of Ram River and the victor of the Battle of Knedoan Sea, who brought back a large fleet from Athens, sighed. "If we could defeat Sparta on land, with our invincible navy, Sparta would not be so arrogant today!"
"So, I ask the council to authorize me to lead the troops I have trained to support Corinth. I will do my best to defeat Sparta! "Iphicrates said firmly.
Thrasybulus stared at the mountain man from Attica's Keratea region. He knew that Sparta had ravaged Attica during the Peloponnesus War. Iphicrates hated Sparta very much, and he had been studying how to defeat Sparta's heavy infantry. "The troops you have trained? You mean the army of nearly a thousand Serathrean light shieldsmen and Cretan archers? Can these light infantries defeat the Spartans?! "
"We have to admit that compared to the Sparta who have received cruel training since young, our citizen soldiers are no match for them. But the heavy infantry also has its flaws. They move slowly and cannot move easily. So, we let the agile light infantry throw javelins and arrows at them from a distance. The heavy infantry can't catch up with the light infantry and can only passively take a beating. " Iphicrates said confidently, "I believe you have all heard of the Archon Devers of Diónia. He is known as the 'Undefeated General' by the Greeks. He is a man who is good at using light infantry. I have heard that he has also organized light infantry into separate battalions. Especially during the second war with Crotone, he made full use of the light infantry and defeated the flanks of Crotone's heavy infantry, which eventually led to the defeat of Crotone. So, I am confident that I can use this light infantry to defeat Sparta! "
Seraciblos listened and looked at Konon.
Konon nodded and said loudly, "I hope that Iphicrates can defeat Sparta!"
"I agree to send Iphicrates to lead the army to Corinth." Androgeides also expressed his agreement.
"I have no objections." The other generals also expressed their agreement. After all, in a situation where everyone was afraid of fighting Sparta on land, someone suddenly stood up and said with confidence, 'he can defeat Sparta!' This confidence alone was enough to inspire everyone.
"I also agree." Seraciblos also voted in favor, then he reminded, "But, Iphicrates, when you lead the light infantry that you have trained to Corinth, you also need to bring along our citizen militia. Let them participate in the battle against Sparta. This is to prevent the people of Corinth from misunderstanding that we are slacking and not doing our best."
"I understand, Thrasybulus. You're the most thoughtful." Iphicrates sincerely expressed his gratitude, and at the same time, he requested, "Then I need a deputy general to lead our citizen militia."
Seraciblos thought for a moment, then turned to look at Konon and said, "How about sending Timotheus?"
Timotheus was Konon's eldest son. Although he was only in his twenties, he had been wandering with his father in Persia for many years, helping his father deal with military affairs and participating in battles. He was already a very experienced general, especially when it came to naval battles. Konon knew that Seraciblos's suggestion would be very helpful in increasing his son's influence in Athens. After all, he had been in Persia, and the people of Athens were not familiar with him. But at the same time, fighting against Sparta would also be very dangerous.
Konon answered without hesitation, "No problem."
Most of the others also agreed.
"In this case, I will make a proposal to the council this afternoon. It should be approved, and we will send reinforcements to Corinth." Seraciblos made the decision, but his expression was still not relaxed. He looked around and said in a deep voice, "Just now, Iphicrates talked about Diónia. Everyone should know about the war in Greece. Diónia, which is friendly with us, is in a very bad situation now. Not only did they lose the battle, but they are also surrounded by enemies on all sides. Their sea route is blocked, and there seems to be a rebellion in their country … Isocrates, you have been to Diónia before, so you know it better than us. Do you think that with the current situation of Diónia, it can still resist the attack of Syracuse?"
To be honest, Isocrates was a little embarrassed at this time. Before this, he had vowed to Seraciblos that 'Diónia is a greater danger to the Greek world than Syracuse.' He did not expect that in the blink of an eye, Diónia was about to be destroyed. As a scholar and a speaker, Isocrates was not a scholar who only knew how to use his brain, mouth, and hands, and did not understand military affairs. In fact, every citizen of Athens had participated in at least one or two battles in their life.
Therefore, he cleared his throat and said slowly in a hoarse voice, "The Southern Italian Coalition Army has lost the battle, and many Greek city-states have been conquered by Syracuse. Diónia is also surrounded by enemies on all sides, and the domestic political situation is unstable. But please note that the army of Diónia has not suffered a complete defeat. Their commander, the Devers, has still not returned from Lucania. How can we conclude that Diónia will be completely defeated? What if the Devers, who are said to be blessed by the Hades, who have created many military miracles, create another miracle and turn the situation around? … "
"If there is a miracle, of course we will all be happy, because it will be beneficial to Athens. We also hope that Diónia can create a miracle, or at least hold back Syracuse, so that the war in Greece can continue! " Seraciblos said with a serious expression, "But we also have to be prepared for Diónia to be conquered by Syracuse. Once the war in Greece is over, Diogenes is likely to agree to Sparta's request and send Syracuse's navy and land forces to aid Sparta! "
"I heard that Syracuse has more than 400 triple-oar warships. Even if they send out 1/3 of them, it will still change the situation of Sparta's navy, which is currently at a complete disadvantage!" Although Conon had a large number of troops and had defeated the Sparta navy, the old general still did not let his guard down.
"Moreover, Syracuse has a huge army of up to 80,000 people, which is double the number of soldiers that Athens had when they attacked Sicily! Oh my Athens, is Syracuse still a Greek city-state?! "Androgeides exclaimed.
The other generals also expressed their uneasiness.
Seraciblos once again looked at Iphicrates and said with hope, "So in such a serious situation, I hope you can defeat the arrogant Sparta and boost the morale of the anti- Sparta alliance!"
Iphicrates felt a great responsibility, but he still said confidently, "Athens will protect me. Just wait for the news of my victory!"
… …
In the past two days, the Syracuse fleet frequently landed on the coast of Castellon's territory, attacking the people of Castellon and destroying the villages and farmlands outside the city.
Comments