Chapter 505
As a Crotone general who had fought against Diónia before, Myron was quite familiar with the tactic of sending warships to harass the coast of Diónia's territory. He was shocked that Diónia managed to defeat several strong enemies in a row, breaking out of their encirclement and gaining the opportunity to fight against Syracuse. Their victory in the naval battle was completely unexpected!
How did that young man do it?! After Myron was exiled, he did not stay idle. While he was living in seclusion in Greece, he collected a lot of information about Diónia and studied Diónia's military and politics. He thought that he had a good understanding of this rapidly rising alliance. He did not expect that Diónia's performance in the war against Syracuse had once again subverted his understanding.
"So, Diónia is really here!" Lysias was excited, but he suddenly remembered something. The joy on his face turned into anger, "They should've come earlier! If the garrison of Asplustum had come to our aid when Syracuse attacked, Ciudad Crotone wouldn't have been breached so quickly! "
Myron did not speak. The inaction of the garrison of Asplustum was a thorn in the hearts of Lysias and the other Crotone leaders.
"Myron, even if Diónia's reinforcements came, can Diónia defeat the Syracuse army? If … then we're all finished! "Lysias began to worry about his personal gains and losses.
It was no wonder that he was like this. After all, they had witnessed the terrifying power of Syracuse's army. Ciudad Crotone was breached in such a short period of time. Could Diónia resist such a huge and ferocious Syracuse army? If Diónia was defeated as well, Crotone's only hope would be gone! Many Crotone people had such conflicting thoughts.
"Based on my understanding of the Devers, since he dares to lead his army here, he must have the confidence to win." Although they were trapped in the acropolis after the city was breached and could not receive any news from the outside, Myron had more confidence in the Devers than any Crotone person. As the saying goes, "The enemy always knows you best." He suggested loudly, "What we need to do now is to wait for the fire to extinguish, then send scouts out of the city to find out the situation. If they find Diónia's army, ask them for help immediately!"
"You're right." After listening to Myron, Lysias calmed down a little. He thought for a moment and added, "We also need to inform Cypross to send scouts out of the city."
The Triene army suffered heavy losses on the day the city was breached. In the end, Cypross led the remaining soldiers and retreated into the acropolis with the Crotone people. After Lysias' reminder, Myron realized that the latter's meticulousness was exactly what he lacked. Because the relationship between Triene and Diónia was much closer than that of Crotone, Diónia would definitely pay more attention to their request for help.
Lysias and Myron, the two famous political figures of Crotone, had been fighting for more than ten years. When the war forced them to work together, they realized that they complemented each other's strengths. It was really a pity …
… …
The Devers were watching the training of the Pike Brigade in the camp field. At noon, they suddenly received news that there was an unusual movement in the port of Crotone.
Upon receiving the news, the Midolades immediately led more than a hundred Raven warships to the mouth of the Neto River. They quickly picked up the soldiers of the First Legion and rushed to the port of Crotone, just in time to see the Syracuse fleet leaving the port in an attempt to escape.
The cunning people of Syracuse coerced the captured Crotone sailors to drive the remaining merchant ships and sailing ships out of the port. More than 40 of their warships were mixed in with these ships and immediately fled south after leaving the port.
The fleet of the Midolades was obstructed by these ships and no one could complete the blockade of the port. Once the warships of Syracuse, which had no intention of fighting, sailed at full speed, it was impossible for the fully loaded Raven warships to catch up. Therefore, the Dionysian fleet only captured a few warships and watched as most of the warships of Syracuse successfully escaped to the south.
Due to the lack of results, the soldiers of the First Legion were a little listless after getting off the ships.
"Melisande!" Melisande, who was leading the soldiers ashore, heard the shout and turned his head. Felicius was standing not far away and waving at him.
Melisande hurriedly said a few words to his subordinates and ran over. "Father, what's the matter?"
"Nothing much, just came to see you." Felicius said faintly, not revealing his concern. After all, this adopted son of his had fallen into the sea twice in the previous naval battles. He had been worried for an entire day. "How are the results of today's battle?"
"They escaped," Melishanda said, unwilling to give up.
Felicius wanted to comfort him, but the messenger Tormid rushed over on horseback. "Commander Felicius, His Majesty is calling for a military meeting. Please go to the main tent immediately."
"Got it." Felicius asked casually, "Tormid, why is His Majesty calling for a meeting at this time?"
Tormid glanced at Melisande and smiled. "Let me guess … Is it to discuss the reason why Syracuse's fleet suddenly escaped from Crotone Port?"
Melisande's heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, the soldiers ashore suddenly became restless. Someone shouted, "Look! There's a fire over there! "
To the south of Neto River, beyond their line of sight, plumes of black smoke rose into the sky …
After a while, the black smoke combined into a thick pillar of smoke. The fire reflected the sky there red …
Felicius and Tormid stared in that direction.
"Is it Ciudad Crotone?" Tormid asked uncertainly.
"It's Ciudad Crotone!" Melisande said in a deep voice. He had fought near Crotone twice by ship. He knew the position of the city.
Felicius and Tolmid exchanged glances with each other with a heavy expression.
The soldiers in the camp and the sailors at the mouth of the river rushed to the north bank of Neto River. They looked at the burning sky in amazement …
When the news of 'Ciudad Crotone burning' spread among the crowd, many Turís' militia cheered loudly. Some even shed tears of excitement. They knelt on the beach and prayed to the Goddess of Vengeance, thanking her for finally responding to their pleas for so many years.
Such a huge commotion in the camp naturally alerted the Devers and the Captains in the main tent. When they rushed to the north bank of Neto River, the ships at sea had already reported the situation at Crotone Port to the camp.
The soldiers were just watching the commotion, while the Devers and the Captains were thinking about the reason why Syracuse did what they did.
"Your Majesty, Syracuse's fleet has escaped. They've burned Ciudad Crotone that they took so much effort to capture. This means that they can't cross the river to fight us after losing their naval advantage. In order to prevent our fleet from ambushing their rear and cutting off their food supply, it seems like they've decided to retreat." Amyntas was the first to voice his opinion.
"Your Majesty, we can't let them retreat to Syracuse so easily! If they defend Syracuse with such a huge force, we won't be able to take it down. Furthermore, if they retreat to Syracuse, Triene and Corunya will be completely controlled by Syracuse. The Rockley Alliance is also their ally. It's very disadvantageous for us to fight there! "Matonis reminded anxiously.
"Then do you think we should fight Syracuse here?!" As Matonis' senior commander, Antonios reminded him in a reprimanding tone, "Crossing the river to fight Syracuse when they're prepared is exactly what Dionysius wants! Didn't they say that Crotone has burned everything except the citadel? Dionysius is trying to make use of our eagerness to save Crotone to achieve his goal of fighting us here! "
"But we're not here to fight Syracuse. Are we here to compete with Syracuse to see who can consume food faster?!" Amyntas expressed his dissatisfaction without hesitation.
"There's nothing wrong with competing in a competition." Capus said in a serious tone, "Our fleet has cut off the communication between Syracuse's army and Sicily. Syracuse can't provide assistance to the army in Greece. I'm afraid that Dionysius can only rely on the Rockley Alliance to provide him with food. However, Rockley isn't a city rich in grains. How can they satisfy the food needs of such a huge army? We have the Alliance's vast territory behind us, and we have the full support of the people and the Alliance. Ancitanos has already gone to Carthage to discuss the sale of food. How can Syracuse's army outlast us? I believe the people of Syracuse will collapse due to the lack of food in two months. By then, we'll be able to eliminate them easily! "
"Lord Capus, don't forget that our soldiers aren't the only ones consuming food. The people of Asprustum and Crimissa are also consuming food. Due to the enemy's cavalry, they're also receiving assistance from the Alliance. That's why we're consuming food more than the people of Syracuse. Even if we have the help of the Alliance, we can still buy food from them. Can we just watch as the people's savings are used up?!" Epthenis retorted bluntly. As a commander who had been fighting on the frontline, he understood the situation better than anyone else.
"Everyone, don't forget that the people of Crotone in Acropolis are still waiting for us to rescue them! Although Dionysius might be using this to gain the upper hand, this is an unprecedented war. Not only are the people of Greece and Sicily concerned, but Greece, Carthage, and the other Mediterranean countries are also concerned. We, Diónia, have always kept our promises. Are we going to watch them die this time?! " Felicius was a cautious person, but the incident with Dracos had triggered his desire for revenge.
Devers's heart skipped a beat. He knew Felicius' words were directed at him.
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