Chapter 538
"Commander, Ligur is not far from here. If the wind is right, the fleet can reach here in two hours," Zantiparis comforted him. "Moreover, Sir Secorian has left a few fast ships behind. If there are any abnormalities, they will immediately rush back to Ligur to inform him."
Antonios still had some concerns after hearing this. After all, the 1st Legion was alone in the enemy's territory. Ensuring the smooth passage of the sea was their only hope. "I hope so!" He did not want to comment too much on Secorian's decision. He even thought that if Dyvers was leading the army here, Secorian would definitely not have done this. He would definitely have created the conditions to allow the fleet to stop here in the end.
"Sir, I hope to go to the western mountains of Etna and tell the Naxos people who are in exile there that we have reclaimed the land of Naxos. I believe they will be very happy when they hear this and will immediately come to protect this town!" Laodisian begged Antonios.
Antonios, however, shook his head and said, "Laodisian, you can ask others to recall the exiles of Naxos, but you cannot do it."
Laodisian was surprised. He did not understand why Antonios would reject his reasonable request. Just as he was about to argue, Antonios said, "I need you to call the Naxos man who just left … call …"
"Tolilaus, Legion Commander," Shero Finis reminded him.
"I need you and Tolilaus to take charge of the town's administrative affairs," Antonius said, "You and Tolilaus need to manage the people of Naxos in the town. Assign them houses, maintain order, make bread, and transport supplies to the port. The fields outside the town can't be left to waste. Also, organize the young men of Naxos and have them trained by the officers of the First Legion. After all, we don't have many people, and we need more to protect Naxos!"
Although Antonios had served as an inspector and other public officials in the alliance, he had never been the chief executive of a city, which was the highest official position in charge of the entire city-state. Therefore, he lacked specific administrative experience. What he said was only what he thought and said, without any sense of importance.
However, Laodisian was a noble of Naxos. In his more than 20 years of political career, he had served as a general and once as a chief general. He knew very well what he should do and what he could do in such a situation, so he was very happy to get this appointment.
Moreover, Laodisian had stayed in Lijim for a long time, so he could feel the importance of Diónia in Great Greece. He was keenly aware that if Diónia really defeated Syracuse, not only Great Greece, but even the eastern part of Sicily would be under the influence of Diónia … Then, what would happen to Naxos?
At this moment, Laodisian thought about many things. He looked up at the general in front of him who was said to be the strongest army in Diónia. Although he was in his forties, he still looked smart and capable. The fact that he was sent to Sicily to fight independently meant that he was probably trusted by the new king of Diónia. During the voyage, Laodisian even heard that he was not married despite his age …
Laodisian's thoughts ran wild. He had a beautiful daughter, and he was going to marry her to the son of Lijim's chief general, Atilykus, but Atilykus did not agree. Now, it seemed that although Antonios was a little older, he was a better candidate for marriage!
Thinking of this, he quickly said, "Thank you, Lord Antonios, for your trust. Tolilaus and I will do our best to manage this town well and provide the greatest help to your army! In addition, if there are any important or difficult problems, we will ask you for instructions! "
Laodisian's humble attitude satisfied Antonios. He said, "Now, there is one thing that needs to be solved as soon as possible. Go tell Saratus and ask him to inform Lijim to send some weapons and armor over as soon as possible. When more people from Naxos arrive, we will need more weapons to build more troops to defeat the people of Syracuse.
Also, you need to build a blacksmith shop in the town as soon as possible so that we can repair weapons. Such a big town, but there is no blacksmith shop! The Sicureans are ridiculous. Do they think that if they don't buy and sell weapons in the town, there won't be any free people and slaves rebelling?! "
Laodisian said angrily, "The Sicureans have a small population and want to annex the land of Naxos. For this, they captured the Naxosians and reduced them to slaves. They also recruited many free people to work this land that doesn't belong to them … In fact, they should know very well that the people of Naxos have hated them for a long time!"
Antonios nodded.
At this time, a man next to Xenophanes said loudly, "Not only are there exiles from Naxos in the western mountains of Etna, but there are also exiles from Katarnae. There are even more of them. I hope to lead them here. Please allow me, Lord Antonius!"
"You are?" Antonios looked at him and asked doubtfully.
"He is one of the organizers who helped the first legion take down Mejaro and caused the riots in the town. He is Lexi Peratus of Katanai," Xenophanes said.
Katanai! Antonios' heart skipped a beat and immediately said to him, "Of course we welcome the arrival of the Katanai! The king of Diónia sent the army to Sicily not only to defeat Syracuse, but also to let the Sicilian city-states that had been oppressed by Syracuse regain their independence and let the people who had lost their homes restore their homes! … "
"Thank you, the great Diónia Alliance! I will do my best to gather the Katanai to contribute to this great goal of the Diónia Alliance! "Lexi Peratus said loudly with a grateful look on his face.
Laodisian also voiced his agreement.
"There is Tauromignan in the north. Pay attention to your safety when you go to the mountains west of Etna!" Antonios reminded him, then looked at the fourth platoon leader and said, "Tegetilos, take out two hundred soldiers and build a sentry post four miles north of Mejaro. Keep an eye on Tauromignan and prevent them from sneaking down the mountain to attack the Sicilian people who came to join us. If Tauromignan dares to send an army out, have the soldiers stationed at the sentry post report immediately! "
"Yes, Commander!" The strong Tegetilos replied with a strong voice like thunder.
"The other platoons will now lead the soldiers to strengthen the walls of Mejaro and build defensive measures!"
"Yes, Commander!"
After the tasks were assigned, the officers and the representatives of the exiles left one after another, leaving only Xenophanes behind.
Antonios looked at this person with a slightly complicated feeling. After the Devers gave him the order, they saw that he was worried about leaving Greece and fighting across the sea in an unfamiliar territory, afraid that he would not be able to complete the task, so they reminded him, "After you land, the people of Aristiras will find you and provide you with great help! … "
Aristiras was the intelligence officer of the Devers. In the past, Antonios had seen him a few times when he went to the Devers' mansion. He was a man with a serious expression and did not like to talk much. For some reason, Antonios did not want to have much contact with him, but from what he learned today, it seemed that the riot that caused the town of Mejaro had already been planned a few months ago, which meant that a few months ago, the Devers had already begun to send people to Sicily! Could it be that before the war began, His Majesty had already prepared for today's attack on Sicily?!
Although Antonios was surprised, he quickly regained his composure. After all, he had followed the Devers for the past few years and had seen too many magical things from them. In his heart, he had long accepted the fact that the Devers were the favored ones of Hades. Moreover, with the people of Aristiras in Sicily making arrangements, it was very helpful for him to complete the task!
Therefore, he put on an enthusiastic face and said, "When I received the order in Sirium, His Majesty mentioned you to me. I did not expect to receive such great help as soon as I set foot on the land of Sicily, allowing the First Legion to successfully capture Mejaro. Thank you very much!"
Xenophanes hurriedly said humbly, "Commander Antonios, you flatter me too much. Even without my help, the First Legion's attack speed was so fast that they could still successfully capture Mejaro."
"Indeed." Antonios was not modest. Then, he changed the topic. "But the casualties of the soldiers will increase. There are few people in the First Legion, and every soldier is very important. Moreover, because of the work you have done before, organizing the freedmen and slaves, they have long accepted the Diónia Alliance. That is why we can stabilize the town of Mejaro so quickly and quickly carry out the next step of the plan. This is all thanks to you! "
Xenophanes did not say anything, but his face was shining.
Antonios then said, "Can you tell me how many people you have sent to Sicily? Which city-states are they in? "
Xenophanes shook his head and said, "I don't know how many people Aristiras has sent to Sicily. I only know that our person in charge in Sicily is Antraporis. He will send people to me from time to time to convey orders and understand the situation of Mejaro."
Antraporis?! Antonios felt that the name was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it before.
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