Chapter 566
As a general, who would not want to win? If he could completely capture Syracuse, the first Greek city-state in the Western Mediterranean, this glorious record would not only win the attention of the people of Diónia, but it would also amaze the entire Greek world. At that time, no one would laugh at him for being under the command of a spy.
Antraporis saw through his thoughts. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir Antonios, I hope … Oh no, I suggest that the First Legion doesn't go south for the time being and enter the territory of Syracuse."
"Oh?" Antonios glanced at him. Although the words made him unhappy, he knew that Antraporis, who had been rooted in Sicily for a long time and could stir up such a huge riot, must know the situation here better than him. Therefore, he asked humbly, "Why?"
"The people of Syracuse have a characteristic. In times of peace and tranquility, they will reject any ambitious politicians with strong appeal and choose a mediocre democracy with many people. However, when faced with danger and destruction, they will voluntarily choose the strong and accept the dictatorship … "Antraporis said solemnly," Besides, Syracuse has been the largest Greek city-state in Sicily and even the entire Western Mediterranean for many years. Its citizens are often proud of this and are very sensitive to any foreign army entering their territory! The officials of Syracuse who were preparing to launch a riot previously refused my men and me to enter the city and assist them because they were afraid of being discovered by the people and causing their disgust. At the same time, they are also wary of us.
Sir Antonios, if the First Legion appears under the city of Syracuse, the rioting people of Syracuse will not see us as reinforcements but as enemies! If Dionysius's men take the opportunity to sow discord, it is very likely that Dionysius's forces will regain power and deal with us together! … "
Antonios pondered for a long time. Before he came, he had a basic understanding of the situation in Syracuse. Syracuse was not a small town like Sekuley. It was said to be a huge city with a population of 400,000. If it was really as Andraporis said, and the thousands of his men went over to take advantage of the chaos to capture Syracuse in one fell swoop and end the war completely, not only was it impossible, but they might also be wiped out!
Antonios looked at the soldiers who were chasing the defeated enemy on the battlefield. From the moment they landed in Sicily until now, they had been fighting with their lives on the line for three consecutive days. It was not easy to achieve today's victory! As the Legion Commander, he had to lead them to enjoy the glory of victory, not to fall into unknown danger …
Thinking of this, Antonius slowly said, "Do you have any suggestions?"
Andraporis was waiting for him to say this. He quickly said, "It's best that the riots in Syracuse never stop. Let them kill each other and consume the strength of Syracuse. This is good for Diónia and the other city-states in Sicily!" Andraporis, who used to be a Katanai, showed his hatred for Syracuse. He said with hatred, "And while Syracuse is in chaos, we should seize the time to let Sekuley, Katanai, Leontini, and —"
Andraporis pointed to Taunis not far away. "Let these city-states restore order and recognize Diónia's position as the leader of the alliance. In the last letter to me, His Majesty mentioned that 'the Katanai Plain is a vaster and more fertile plain than the Sybari Plain (mainly volcanic soil). He hopes to let Diónia directly govern this area as much as possible' … "
After hearing this, Antonios took a deep breath. He was still focused on how to defeat the strong enemy, but the Devers were already thinking about how to annex this land. Was this the gap between him and the Devers?!
Looking at the shocked Antonios, Andraporis was equally uneasy. When he first read the meaning revealed in the letter from the Devers, Andraporis himself felt a little uncomfortable. After all, he used to be a Katanai. He had always hoped that Katanai could overthrow the puppet rule of Syracuse and the exiles could return home. But he never thought of letting Katanai accept the rule of another powerful force, even though this force was now the country he belonged to.
But along with the letter written by the Devers, there was also a letter from Aristiras. In the letter, his brother said, "Even if Katanai, Leontini, and other city-states can gain independence in this war, whether it is against Syracuse or Carthage, they are too weak. It is inevitable that they will suffer the same disaster in the future. But once they are under the rule of Diónia, the safety of Katanai will be guaranteed. And with the current regime of Diónia, the people of Katanai will not have to worry about being oppressed, and will have more political rights …
My brother, more importantly, judging from the current course of this war, Syracuse's defeat is certain. Although Diónia has paid a huge sacrifice, it will gain a lot of land! The biggest headache for His Majesty in the future is not to get too many towns, but how to get more people to fill the empty land of Greece. Therefore, it is unlikely that there will be too many immigrants from Diónia in the Catania Plains. The original Katanai will be the real masters of their hometown, and will also occupy a certain position in the political arena of Diónia.
And as an original Katanai, you are now a citizen of Diónia. After more than half a year of lurking in Sicily, you have gained the recognition and respect of many exiles. If you want to enter politics after the war, you will inevitably play a great role in the process of Katanai's integration into Diónia! And you will also have a brighter future! … "
Andraporis was quite tempted after reading the letter. Now, after being stimulated by Antonios, he felt for the first time that he was so eager to get the title of "Senator of Diónia". Therefore, not only did he not resist the idea of "integrating Katanai into Diónia", but he was determined to do his best to facilitate it!
"What about the city-states in the south?" Antonios asked a little reluctantly.
"The city-states in the southeast corner of Sicily have always been allies with Syracuse, and they have a close relationship. Even if they overthrow the tyrant supported by Dionysius, their friendly relationship with Syracuse will not change much. If we enter rashly, it will only push them closer to Syracuse! " Andraporis told Antonios the conclusions of his serious analysis over the past half a year. "As for the city-states on the south coast like Gela, Agrigento, His Majesty hopes to maintain a friendly relationship with them, and has no intention of letting them join the alliance of Diónia, so as to avoid arousing the vigilance and dissatisfaction of Carthage …"
Antonios nodded thoughtfully. "It seems that we can let our brothers have a good rest."
… …
In the port of Lycaon in Corinth, the Amyclaeans, the occupiers of the central part of the Peloponnesian coalition, led by Sparta, were to return to their homeland to celebrate the hyacinthus, according to custom.
Considering that these soldiers had to pass through the city of Corinth on their way back, the high-spirited Agesilaus sent 300 Sparta heavy infantry to escort them home for the sake of safety and to show that Sparta valued the alliance.
When the escort team sent the Amiclei to Sigion, they casually returned to the port. As they passed by the city wall of Corinth, General Iphicrates of Athens led his light infantry out of the city gate and launched an attack on them.
Although the heavily armored Sparta infantry responded hastily, they were not afraid of fighting because of their small numbers. Instead, they thought that this was a great opportunity to annihilate the defenders of Corinth, so they stood up and fought.
However, the light infantry of Athens did not engage in close combat with them. Instead, they used their lightness to widen the distance between them and the Sparta soldiers, throwing javelins and launching long-range attacks.
The Sparta soldiers charged forward many times, but they could not get close to the enemy. Instead, they used up their stamina in the process. In the sky full of flying javelins, their teammates were constantly hit by the javelins and fell to the ground …
This way of fighting did not allow the Sparta soldiers to display their bravery at all. Instead, the soldiers were tortured by the moans of their teammates. After fighting for an hour, the morale of the Sparta soldiers hit rock bottom. The Sparta soldiers, who "regarded death as glory and escape as shame", turned around and ran away.
However, how could they outrun the light infantry when they were wearing heavy armor? As a result, they were almost wiped out by the Athens soldiers.
When the battle ended, even the people of Athens themselves could not believe that it was real. Iphicrates and his troops gained confidence from this.
When the news of this victory quickly spread throughout the Anti- Sparta Alliance, the people who were shrouded in fear of failure burst into enthusiastic cheers. Although this was not a big battle, the nearly 300 heavy infantry that were destroyed were real citizens of Sparta. The entire Sparta only had three to four thousand strong citizens (not including the Pysias and Helaoth). The myth of the invincibility of Sparta was broken, and all the shaken city-states regained their confidence in resistance. Iphicrates, who was previously unknown, also became famous.
When the news reached the Sparta Alliance, Agesilaus was receiving the envoy of Thebes who asked for peace with the arrogance of a victor, and he made very harsh demands. At this time, when he received the news, his arrogance instantly turned into regret, and the entire army fell into sorrow.
When the envoy of Thebes heard the news, he quickly left the camp of Sparta and no longer proposed peace.
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