Chapter 476
"Tarantum …" Devers chuckled. It was obvious that he no longer cared about the powerful eastern Hellenic nation whose army and navy had been annihilated. Although he coveted the land of Tarantum, now was not the time. "I think … we should stop attacking Tarantum for the time being. Right now, Diónia's main enemy is still Syracuse. As long as it's taken care of, all the problems will be solved."
"You're right." Triphias nodded and asked, "Then, Metapontum —"
"I'll have the Seventh Legion stay here for the time being. Tomorrow, we'll head north to reclaim Metapontum. If the people of Tarantum are smart, they'll escape to their territory overnight … "
Dyvers was obviously very confident in recovering Metapontum, and Triphias agreed. He immediately said, "We, Heraclea, will also send troops to follow the Seventh Army. We hope to liberate Metapontum, which is occupied by Tarantum, as soon as possible!"
Devers frowned. He could hear the hidden meaning behind Triphias' words. It seemed that Triphias was worried that Diónia would not leave Metapontum after reclaiming it. Devers glanced at him and asked calmly, "I heard that Tudevos didn't die in the battle?"
"It seems so, but because Heraclea was also besieged, he didn't escape here. I wonder if he escaped to the north? "
North? Galaguso! Devers pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "No matter what, we'll find him as soon as possible and let him come back to preside over Metapontum, so that the war-torn city can recover its prosperity as soon as possible! Diónia will do its best to help Heraclea and Metapontum recover their prosperity. Because in times of crisis, you chose to trust the Diónia Alliance. Diónia should return this precious trust! "
Triphias was ashamed of his petty thoughts. He was impressed by Devers's magnanimity, so he sincerely thanked Devers again.
At this moment, the two Legion Commanders walked over from afar. Devers hurriedly went forward with a smile on his face. "The heroes who created this glorious victory are here!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty Devers!"
The two of them immediately stood up and saluted. The Devers returned the salute and praised loudly, "Amyntas! Matonis! The two of you have worked together to annihilate the army of Tarantum, relieving the threat of war in the north of Diónia, allowing us to focus on the strong enemy in the south! On behalf of the Senate of Diónia, I thank you both! "
Amyntas chuckled and said, "It's mainly because of Your Majesty's planning that we were able to defeat them so easily. To be honest, these Tarantum people are too weak. I didn't even use much strength before they surrendered … "
"Yeah, the combat power of these Tarantum people isn't even as good as the Tarantum reinforcements led by A … Archita. If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't have waited for you to come. I would've attacked them independently two days ago, "Matonis said with some regret.
"You've become arrogant after becoming a Legion Commander. How dare you talk about attacking Tarantum's camp with those inadequately equipped recruits of yours! "Amyntas found fault on the spot.
"My new legion is made up of recruits. What's wrong with that! They held back the Tarantum army, which outnumbered them by more than twice, and even defeated them! "Matonis retorted indignantly.
Devers watched the two of them argue, but he thought to himself: As far as he knew, Tarantum suffered a great loss in strength after the war with Mesapi, and faced with the betrayal of Heraclea and Metapontum. They were unwilling to accept it and learned from Diónia, granting many free citizens citizenship, thus replenishing the city's army (Crotone also adopted a similar policy). However, the increase in the number of citizens did not strengthen the training. Instead, it lowered the military quality of the entire militia …
Devers stopped the two of them from continuing to argue. He said with relief, "Matonis, I recommended you as the Seventh Legion Commander back then. I didn't misjudge you! When the Tarantum army split up to attack Amendolara, you were still able to control the army and endure it. This is the demeanor of a general, and it created the conditions for us to encircle and annihilate the Tarantum army! … "
Matonis was praised by Devers and scratched his head in embarrassment. To get out of the awkward situation, he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I also caught two big fish in this battle!"
"What big fish?" Devers could vaguely guess what it was, but he still cooperated and showed an interested expression.
"Brothers, bring them up!" Matonis waved his hand in front of him in an imposing manner.
A moment later, the soldiers pushed up two captives with their hands tied behind their backs.
"Senators of Tarantum, we haven't seen each other for a long time," Devers said half-sarcastically and half-emotionally.
Diomiras lowered his head and did not speak.
Umarcas looked up at Devers and said earnestly, "Sir Devers, please treat the Tarantum people you've captured well!"
"I will," Devers said calmly, "as long as the Tarantum Senate can pay the corresponding price."
Diomiras suddenly raised his head and shouted, "Dyvers, you ungrateful villain. Don't forget how Tarantum selflessly helped the weak and puny you!"
Devers's eyes suddenly became sharp. He said coldly, "Of course I didn't forget, and neither did the people of Diónia! So, when Tarantum was attacked by the allied forces of Mesapi and Puchetti and was in imminent danger, Dionia did not hesitate to accept your request for help even though he had other military plans. He immediately dispatched troops to repel the allied forces of Mesapi and Puchetti and save Tarantum! However, you didn't appreciate the blood and sacrifice of the citizens of Diónia. In the following time, you provoked the people of Diónia on the sea many times, sank our fishing boats, captured our fishermen, and even spread unfavorable rumors about the Alliance of Diónia in the city of Tarantum. I heard that you even sold my statue for people to pee on at home … These dirty tricks, for the sake of your help, the people of Diónia can tolerate, but — "
Devers's eyes were like lightning as he shouted angrily, "You shouldn't have. When Diónia was invaded by foreign enemies and faced difficulties, as an ally, Tarantum actually tore up the alliance and became an accomplice of the enemies of Diónia. You led your army and waved your shields and spears to kill your allies who once fought alongside you! — — "
"That's because as an ally, you were the first to break the alliance and poach Metapontum and Heraclea, the two former allies of Tarantum!" Diomiras roared, unwilling to be outdone.
"Whether you believe it or not, Heraclea never had any secret contact with Diónia beforehand. Joining the Alliance of Diónia was the will of all the citizens of Heraclea, because Tarantum has always treated Heraclea like a dog, and we don't want to be dogs anymore. It's as simple as that. I think that's why Metapontum chose to leave the Alliance of Tarantum … "Triphias, who was watching quietly at the side, quickly came out to explain.
Diomiras stared at Triphias with his eyes wide open, "Do you think I'll believe the words of a traitor?!"
Devers sneered, "Yes, there's no point in telling you this now. The principle of Diónia has always been, 'Treat friends sincerely, treat enemies fiercely', especially traitors. They won't let them off easily! Based on the current situation of Tarantum, even if I don't send troops, what will the Meshapi people do when they know that Tarantum's army has been defeated? Turií was once burned down by fire, how will Tarantum be destroyed by their mortal enemy for a hundred years?! I'm very interested … "
Diomiras and Umarcas' faces instantly turned pale.
Diomiras still stubbornly threatened, "Tarantum is … is a child state of Sparta! Sparta will not allow Tarantum to be bullied by other cities! "
"Sparta?!" Devers did not even blink and snorted coldly, "Do you think Sparta still has the strength to help Tarantum?! I heard that the war that happened on the Peloponnesus Peninsula was enough to give Sparta a headache. They had even requested assistance from Syracuse … "
"Devers, don't be too proud! Syracuse's army is coming! I'm also looking forward … looking forward to the day Turií is destroyed again! "Diomiras threw caution to the wind and shouted fiercely.
"You won't see that day. As long as I'm here, Syracuse's army will not be able to enter Diónia's territory again. Not only will Dionysius have to spit out the things he won previously, he will also lose even more! "Devers said confidently. He waved his hand and a few soldiers came forward to carry the two away.
Umarcas was still unwilling to give up and pleaded, "Lord Devers, Tarantum has indeed made a mistake this time! But please think about Archita! Think about Archita! — — "
"Shut up, Umarcas! You're bringing shame to Tarantum! "
"You're the one who should shut up, you damn war maniac covered in grease (Diomiras' family produces olive oil)! If it wasn't for you, Tarantum would not have fallen to this state today! … "
The quarrel between the two gradually became silent as the soldiers walked away …
… …
In the central tent of Syracuse's barracks, Dionysius was discussing with his generals about the upcoming siege.
In the morning, the clipper sent by the Syracuse Navy told Dionysius a shocking piece of news. Diónia's Consul Devers had returned to Turií and was elected as the King by the Diónia people!
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