Chapter 568
Originally, the Syracuse soldiers were informed by their officers that Sir Dionysius had caught a fever and was resting in his mansion, unable to patrol for the time being.
However, the Diónia people's shouts were very convincing. 'Dionysius escaped alone' had already caused them to panic, but 'Syracuse City is under attack' was even more shocking. Not only were the soldiers panicking, but the officers could not sit still either. Therefore, many Syracuse militia and freedmen gathered at the West Courtyard Square, discussing the rumors nervously …
In the end, they decided to meet Dionysius to verify the authenticity of the rumors. The army of thousands of people blocked Dionysius' temporary residence in a grandiose manner.
Meanwhile, in the mansion, Fasipizas, Leptinus, Androstini, and a few other generals were running around anxiously like ants on a hot pan.
When Fasipizas heard the rumors, he was shocked. The news of Dionysius's departure was only known to those present. How did the Diónia people know about it?! Could it be that someone was communicating with Diónia?! Secondly, Dionysius said that he rushed back to Syracuse because the Diónia people had landed in Mejaro. But now, the Diónia people said that they had already occupied many cities in Sicily and were attacking Syracuse City. Although the enemy's words could not be easily trusted, now that he thought about it, even if the Diónia people landed in Sicily, Masias would be able to deal with them. Yet, Dionysius left in such a hurry. Was it really possible? After all, the Diónia people had accurately stated the fact that Dionysius had left.
Fasipizas' mind was racing, and so were the others. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, but outside the room, it was noisy.
"Everyone, the soldiers have been incited by the rumors spread by the people of Diónia. They insist on seeing His Excellency Dionysius. What should we do to quell this chaos?!" Fasipizas asked anxiously, breaking the silence.
"Of course we can't let them in. If they know that Sir Dionysius has indeed left, there will definitely be chaos!" One of the generals said firmly.
"But how can we stop them from coming in?" Fasipes said worriedly, "There are thousands of soldiers outside. Once they lose their patience, the guards won't be able to stop them!"
"Why don't we send someone out and make an oath in the name of a god, saying, 'Lord Dionysius didn't leave. He's just seriously ill. Their presence will affect the treatment of Lord Dionysius. When Lord Dionysius recovers, he'll meet with them.'" The leader of the secret agents, Androstini, suggested.
"This is a good idea!" Fasipexas' eyes lit up, then he looked around at the crowd and asked, "Who is willing to persuade the soldiers?"
Everyone stopped talking. Their gazes were either looking up or down, but they didn't want to make eye contact with Huaxi Peizas.
"Lord Androstini?" Fasipizas asked in desperation.
"I'm just a nobody in charge of gathering information for Lord Dionysius. How can the soldiers believe what I say?" Androstini shrugged and tactfully rejected.
Fasipes thought so and shifted his gaze to Dionysius's younger brother, "Sir Leptinus?"
The straightforward Leptinus hurriedly shook his head and said directly, "I will never make such a false oath in the name of a god!"
Fasipes immediately felt bitter. He thought, As Dionysius's younger brother, you're not willing to do it. Do you think others are willing to do it? That's blasphemy!
When Fasipes turned his gaze to the other generals, one of them said impatiently, "General Fasipes, when Lord Dionysius left, he gave you the authority to command this army. If you don't go and persuade the soldiers, are you going to make us go?!"
"That's right! That's right! You're the most powerful person in Syracuse right now, and you have the highest prestige among the soldiers. There's no better candidate than you! "
A few generals spoke at once, and Fasipes' heart skipped a beat. He could feel a strong sense of jealousy from his comrades' words.
At this time, Androstini and Leptinus also expressed their agreement. The reason they reached an agreement so quickly was because they knew very well that this was a dangerous task! Using lies to deceive tens of thousands of Syracuse citizens and freedmen. If one day the truth was exposed, the executor would definitely incur the wrath of the people of Syracuse. Not only would he be ostracized in Syracuse, he might even be accused of blasphemy by the people in power and be heavily punished …
Fasipes naturally knew the pros and cons of this. Seeing these people quickly unite and isolate him, he felt a sense of desolation in his heart … As a normal citizen of Syracuse, he was able to become a general that Dionysius trusted because of his foresight, skill, and adaptability. He did not only know how to flatter Dionysius, he could always make decisions that were beneficial to him at crucial times.
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Fasipes was silent for a while. He repeatedly deliberated in his heart, and finally made up his mind. However, his expression remained calm as he stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go and persuade the soldiers."
The crowd revealed a joyful expression as they watched Fasipes walk out of the mansion with heavy steps.
"Isn't this not too good?" Leptinus said with some pity.
The others ignored him.
Suddenly, an even louder roar erupted from outside the mansion. Everyone in the house could hear it clearly.
"We want to go home! We want to go back to Syracuse! … "
What happened outside?! Androstini felt uneasy.
At this moment, a guard barged in and said in a panic, "Sirs, General Fasipizas … General Fasipizas has announced to the soldiers, 'Lord Dionysius has left the Sirius, and he will soon return with reinforcements from Sicily!'"
"What?!"
"Damn you, Luciperzas! How could he speak the truth! "
… …
"Sir Okridon, we'll reach Crotone soon after we go around this point!" The captain shouted.
Okridon nodded, indicating that he understood. As a senator of Carthage's Senate, Okridon was Hanno's confidant. This time, he was ordered by Hanno to negotiate with Diónia.
Diónia, the Greek city-state alliance that Carthage did not take seriously, had surprised Carthage in the war against Italy. Not only did they defeat the insufferably arrogant Dionysius at sea and on land, but they also sent troops to land in Sicily … The news spread to Carthage, and the people were in an uproar. Especially when they saw Carthage's merchant ships transporting hundreds of tons of grain and thousands of Syracuse prisoners, they were even more elated.
Compared to Carthage, the people's impression of Diónia's alliance had improved, while the senators were discussing the sudden change in the situation between Greece and Sicily. Hanno sent Okridon to Diónia in hopes that he could find out the intentions of this city-state alliance that had just signed a friendly agreement and see if they could reach an alliance to protect Carthage's interests in Sicily. At the same time, it would be convenient for Hanno to propose in the Senate that he "remove the governor of Sicily".
Okridon learned from the Carthage emissary who had accompanied the grain ship to Turín that Diónia's army was besieging Siletina. Their new king, who could really make decisions, was also in the army. So, Okridon canceled his plan to go to Turín and prepared to go directly to Diónia's camp in Siletina. However, the port of Siletina was in the hands of Syracuse. If they forcefully landed on the nearby beach and soaked the precious Bolton in the sea, Okridon felt that it would damage the image of a great city-state emissary. So, he decided to stop the ship at the port of Crotone and take a look at the situation of the famous city-state of Crotone in Greece after being massacred by the Syracuse.
After going around the promontory, Okridon saw seven or eight three-oared warships lined up in the sea in front of him. Sometimes they charged, sometimes they retreated, and sometimes they circled. The columns cooperated with each other and often crossed each other. Obviously, this was the Dionysian fleet training.
Okridon looked for a while but did not see the warship "Raven" that was rumored to have defeated the Syracuse fleet, so he lost interest.
Just as the ship was about to turn into the port, a fast ship came and stopped them.
Okridon noticed that the sail of the other ship also had the symbol of the Diónia Alliance, which was "black hair entwined with a double thigh". He was slightly surprised. Crotone actually relied on Diónia to such an extent that even the port was patrolled by the Dionysian fleet?!
After the patrol ship asked Okridon about the purpose of his visit, it took the initiative to navigate ahead.
After entering the port, he found out why the Dionysian fleet was patrolling the sea of Crotone. Most of the piers at the port were burned, the wreckage of ships were everywhere on the beach, and there were many charred ship planks floating on the sea. The land was full of ruins. It was pitch black.
Okridon saw all this and could not help but think of the tragedy caused by the Syracuse after conquering Mortia. He could not help but curse. "Damn Dionysius! Such brutality, the gods will punish him! "
There were not many ships in the port. Most of them were merchant ships from Diónia, carrying some necessities that the Crotone people urgently needed: olive oil, tar, pottery, furniture, ironware …
Okridon's ship stopped at a relatively intact port. The Carthage emissary group went ashore and followed the captain of the patrol ship.
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