Chapter 528
"And now, Syracuse's huge army is pinned down by us in Greece. When the news of the defeat of its navy and the defeat of the battle reaches Sicily, the people there will definitely have a new idea! Diónia's strength is not as strong as Syracuse. Even if we annihilate the army in Siletina, Syracuse will only need to rest for a few years to regain its strength and become a big problem for Diónia. Therefore, for the sake of Diónia's future, we must take advantage of this opportunity of Syracuse's heavy losses to completely destroy its hegemony in Sicily! "
The Devers's words greatly moved the generals present. Just as they were deep in thought, the Devers continued to speak to Antonios, "Previously, I've already sent people to the east of Sicily to contact the people and forces that oppose Syracuse in various city-states. I believe that when the news of the defeat of Syracuse's army in Greece reaches Sicily, they will definitely take action!
When the First Legion arrives in Sicily, the important thing is not to annihilate the enemy, but to contact these forces that are dissatisfied with Syracuse, overthrow the tyranny of their city-states, break away from the Sicilian Alliance led by Syracuse, and finally isolate Syracuse! … "
The Devers's words lifted Antonios' spirits. He now somewhat understood one of the reasons why the Devers sent him to be the commander of the expedition to Sicily was because he was the best at socializing among the several commanders.
At this time, Henepolis also spread out the map of Sicily on the grass, and everyone gathered around.
The Devers asked, "Commander Antonios, where do you think the First Legion should land in Sicily?"
This was a test for Antonios. Not only him, but the others also looked at the map and fell into deep thought. They were not like the Devers, who considered things in a more comprehensive and long-term way. They were very familiar with Greece, but they were unfamiliar with Sicily.
Antonius squatted on the ground and stared at the map, which was still unfamiliar to him. He tried to memorize every city, every river, and every mountain marked on it. His eyes moved from Syracuse, Taunis, Leontini, Katanai, Naxos, all the way to the north, and finally stopped at the corner of Lijim, which was only a strait away from it.
… …
At dusk, Corunya City suddenly became lively, because more than two thousand citizen soldiers who had been forced to follow Syracuse's army had returned.
The people hugged their loved ones and asked about their well-being. At the same time, they thanked Diónia for its kindness. The citizens who had lost their loved ones cried bitterly, cursing the people of Syracuse for bringing disaster to them. On the other hand, the citizens whose loved ones were trapped in Siletina were worried. They prayed to Apollo for their safety in the upcoming battle.
At this time, in the council of Corunya, the councilors were arguing about a letter that the soldiers had brought back from the Devers.
Chief General Phrynris finally stood up and said loudly, "Citizens of Corunya, this is a critical moment that concerns the survival of Corunya. If you still hold a vague attitude and want to keep delaying without giving a clear answer to the Southern Alliance, Corunya will be in a very dangerous situation!"
His words quieted down the noise in the meeting hall. Someone stood up and retorted, "Lord Phryniris, you've got it backwards. Now that Dionysia has defeated Syracuse and trapped them in Sirityn, we've escaped the danger of being massacred and pillaged by Syracuse. We're completely safe now!"
"Completely safe?!" Phrynris sneered, looked around, and asked loudly, "Do you all think so?!"
"Of course not!" Someone in the council stood up, and Phrynris recognized him as Ulipatos.
"I agree with you, Phrynris. Corunya is in danger now! Everyone, when you heard the letter from the Consul Devers of Diónia, I don't know if you've noticed what it said. '… After repeated discussions with the generals of Crotone and Triene, it has been agreed that over two thousand Corunya soldiers who were captured in the battle against Syracuse and the battle to capture Triene should be allowed to return home …'
Perhaps you only saw the goodwill of Diónia to allow our citizens to return home safely, but you didn't see the words' repeated discussions' in the letter. What does this mean?! " Ulipatos' tone became heavier, "It means that some people in Crotone, Triene, and even Diónia are dissatisfied with us sending troops to participate in the battle against Syracuse! Defending Triene City, capturing Crotone, and participating in the battle against Diónia — our actions have caused them to hold a grudge against us! "
"But we were forced to!" Someone in the crowd shouted, "If we didn't do this, Corunya would have suffered the same fate as the Syritians!"
"That's right! As Corunya's ally for many years, they should understand that we were forced to make this decision! "the people in the hall shouted in agreement.
"Yes, they understand, and that's why they released our citizens. Now, it's time for us to respond to Diónia's goodwill! " Ulipatos said with a solemn expression, "Don't forget what the Devers said at the end of the letter. 'After winning the battle, the Southern Alliance is fighting back against Syracuse and their accomplices, the Locrian Alliance. They are determined to destroy them completely! Therefore, I hope that Corunya will seriously consider returning to the Southern Alliance. Pick up your spear and shield, and join the ranks to fight against the invaders. All the countries of the Southern Alliance are eagerly awaiting your reply! … '
Everyone, is this the request of the Consul Devers of Diónia? No! This is his warning to Corunya! This is the ultimatum given to us by the Southern Alliance! If we don't make a clear statement, the Southern Alliance will see Corunya as the accomplices of Syracuse and Locrian. Who knows, in a few days, the Southern Alliance might not send their emissaries to Corunya, but their army! "
The hall suddenly became even quieter, but there were still people who disagreed, "Ulipatos, it's not that we don't want to fight against Syracuse. Don't forget, we still have a thousand soldiers in Syracuse! If Dionysius finds out that Corunya has betrayed him, with his cruel personality, our people will die in his hands! Then, who will bear the responsibility of the families of the dead soldiers? "
"Yes, it's not that we don't want to fight against the people of Syracuse who oppress us, but this concerns the lives of our citizens. We must be careful! At least compared to the ferocious people of Syracuse, Crotone and Triene have been allies of Corunya for decades. Diónia has always been generous and magnanimous. They should forgive us for our hesitation! "Someone else in the hall echoed.
Phryniris finally could not hold it in anymore, and said loudly again, "Everyone, you think too highly of our former alliance! Syracuse has been massacred! Triene has been conquered, and the people have lost their homes! Crotone's city has been burned down, and it's said that almost half of its people have died! Diónia's citizen soldiers have also lost more than ten thousand people, and the cities outside Crimissa and Aspurustom have been turned into ruins! Compared to them, even if we include the loss of a thousand soldiers, our losses are still relatively minor! "
"Lord Phryniris, what do you mean by this! Don't tell me the lives of our one thousand soldiers are not important! "Someone immediately questioned.
"The Southern Alliance will not think that they are important. They will only think that we have sacrificed too little! Don't forget that our soldiers have invaded their territory and attacked their cities. Even though we were forced to do so, if we treat their kindness as mercy and do not make a decision quickly, anger and jealousy will grow wildly in their hearts like weeds. They will make Corunya a target that must be destroyed just like Syracuse and Rockley. When that happens, who can Corunya rely on? Syracuse? We all know that if we win this war, Syracuse will only support Rockley to swallow us up! In this war that involved all the city-states of Greece, they could either fight to survive or perish. No city-state could live peacefully without fighting! Everyone, you decide the fate of Corunya, and I am willing to face the anger of the people and be the first to vote for Corunya to rejoin the Southern Alliance and declare war on Syracuse and Rockley! "
The hall was dead silent. Phryniris' heavy and emotional speech deeply touched everyone in the hall, forcing them to weigh the pros and cons more deeply.
"I am willing to be the second person to support Corunya's declaration of war on Syracuse!" Ulipatos stood up.
Then the third person …
In the end, the council passed the 'declaration of war on Syracuse' proposal with a small majority. Then, in the emergency meeting, although many citizens strongly opposed it, and some even rushed onto the stage and wanted to beat Phryniris up, the two thousand citizens that Diónia had sent back played a key role. They even had more votes than the council, allowing Corunya to rejoin the Southern Alliance.
… …
Ever since Rockley's army repelled the Lijim's attack on Medma, Rockley's 15000 soldiers had been guarding Medma.
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