Chapter 570
"Peace negotiation?!" Eckriton was shocked.
"Yes. Syracuse wants to stop the war with Diónia and give up the land they occupied in Greece and the Locri Alliance. In exchange, the troops in Syracuse will be allowed to return to Sicily safely … "said the Devers solemnly.
"King Devers, are you going to agree to their conditions?" asked Eckriton immediately.
"I'm thinking about it … Just like what you said, Diónia has faced many difficulties since the start of the war. It's not just about food, it's also because the citizens have come out to fight. The affairs within the alliance have been neglected and the citizens are weary of the war … Sigh …" The Devers shook his head and sighed.
"King Dyvers, I don't think you can stop the war with Syracuse at this time, because Dionia's national strength cannot compare to Syracuse's. Don't be fooled by Syracuse's consecutive defeats in Greece. It only needs a year or two to recuperate before it can gather a huge army and invade Greece again! In fact, our Carthage learned this painful lesson during the war with Syracuse! Is one or two years enough for Greece to recover its strength after suffering great damage?! "Eckriton reminded loudly with a concerned expression.
"Then …" The Devers hesitated and asked, "What do you suggest …"
"Completely annihilate the Syracuse army in Syracuse!" Eckriton said sternly, "It'll be better if we can capture Dionysius. He's the main culprit of all the wars in Sicily and Greece!"
The Devers felt that he could vaguely see Carthage's attitude towards Syracuse in this war. However, he was prepared to probe Carthage's bottom line. Hence, he continued to ask in a hesitant tone, "Just like what you've said, Syracuse's strength far exceeds Diónia's. Even if we annihilate this army, Syracuse in Sicily can still threaten Greece's safety. Diónia will face the danger of war at any time. Then … what should we do to completely eliminate this danger?"
"Completely eliminate? Then we might as well annihilate Syracuse! This is something that even our Carthage can't do, let alone Diónia! " Eckriton's arrogant tone elicited a snort from Henepolis. Under the Devers' reproachful gaze, Henepolis lowered his head and continued with his work.
Eckriton felt that he was magnanimous. He ignored the young man's rudeness and continued to point out the direction for Diónia's next. "Syracuse, Syracuse, Syracuse, Syracuse," Syracuse, "Syracuse, Syracuse," said. "Syracuse,," said, "Syracuse". "Syracuse" Syracuse, "Syracuse," Syracuse Syracuse, "Syracuse, Syracuse," Syracuse, Syracuse., Syracuse, Syracuse, Syracuse, Syrac "Syracuse" not, "Syracuse, Syrac Haven, Syrachas Syracuse, Have, Syracuse, the Syracuse, Syracused, Have, Syracuse, Syof Syare the Their,. De., Syrac
Haven't your troops already landed in Sicily? As long as the army of Diónia continues to fight in the eastern part of Sicily, the Greek city-states and the people will definitely rise up and support you against the dictatorship of Dionysius. The Sicilian Alliance established by Syracuse will definitely be broken, and Syracuse will no longer be the overlord of Sicily! "The more Okridon spoke, the more agitated he became. He even clenched his fist.
Dyvers, on the other hand, had a calm expression. He exchanged a glance with Hennepolis, who had quietly left the tent and quickly returned. Dyvers then said slowly, "Lord Ecklondon's words are very reasonable, and I'm very tempted by them. However, Diónia has only sent 4,000 soldiers to Sicily. Originally, they only wanted to harass and destroy the eastern part of Sicily, forcing Dionysius to lead part of his army back to Sicily and relieve our pressure in Greece … However, I received an urgent report from Sicily the day before yesterday. Our troops that landed in Sicily were attacked by the 20,000 soldiers led by General Masias of Syracuse. They're in a very difficult situation. It seems that fighting in Sicily won't be easy …
"If … Carthage can seize the opportunity when Syracuse's army is away and its territory is defenseless to attack from the western part of Sicily, then Syracuse won't be able to resist at all. By then, not only will Syracuse's alliance crumble easily, even Syracuse City, which hasn't been occupied for hundreds of years, may be breached! … "
After listening to the Devers's agitated and tactful request, Okridon's originally vigorous demeanor became somewhat awkward. He avoided Devers's seemingly excited gaze and stammered, "… Carthage and Syracuse signed a peace agreement a few years ago … Carthage will abide by the agreement and will not violate it within the time limit … Carthage has always kept its promises. This is the main reason why Carthage can become the wealthiest city-state in the western Mediterranean Sea …"
Henepolis looked at Carthage's pretentious attitude and sneered in his heart.
The Devers looked disappointed. He slumped on the wooden chair and said in a low voice, "Sigh! What a pity … "
"Although Carthage can't participate in the war, we will support Diónia with all our might!" Okridon shouted hastily. He was here because Hanno wanted to deepen the relationship between Diónia and Carthage. He wasn't here to stop the war between Diónia and Syracuse. If he returned with such an outcome, how would he dare to face Hanno? Okridon was slightly anxious, "Not only will we continuously supply you with grains, but we will also provide high-quality weapons. We … We are also willing to provide a huge loan for Diónia to recruit mercenaries when you lack manpower …"
The Devers's eyes lit up and immediately said, "That's great! With Carthage's selfless help, we are confident that we can defeat Syracuse! Henny, bring me a pen and paper. I want to give Lord Okridon a list of supplies that Diónia urgently needs. "
"Yes, Your Majesty." Henepolis immediately stood up and handed the pen and paper to Okridon.
Okridon was dumbfounded when he saw the Devers' sudden change from dejection to confidence. He quickly said, "King Devers, before you make the list, please sign a new agreement with me."
"A new agreement?" The Devers looked confused, but his heart tightened. The true purpose of Carthage's visit was finally revealed!
"Yes, a new agreement. Under your leadership, the Dionysian Army's outstanding performance on the battlefield has once again changed the view of the Carthage Senate on this war. Carthage hopes that after giving full support to Diónia and obtaining victory in this war, Diónia will not be able to … "
Before Okridon could finish, he was interrupted by the voice of the guard captain, Martius, who had lifted the curtain and entered the tent, "Your Majesty, the report from the First Legion is here!"
"Quick, show it to me!" The Devers could not wait to take the papyrus scroll from Martius's hands.
Okridon, who was interrupted, could not help but widen his eyes in curiosity.
"That's great!" The Devers shouted excitedly and said in a clear voice, "In the letter, Antonius said, 'The First Legion has completely defeated the Syracuse coalition led by Masias and has occupied Tauromenian. There has been a large-scale riot in the middle of the entire east coast of Sicily. The people in Siculi, Catanai, Leontini, and Taunis have overthrown the dictatorship of Dionysius. At the same time, the people in Syracuse have also rebelled and chased the supporters of Dionysius to Ortygia Island. '"
At this point, the Devers paused for a moment and said in a more serious tone, "Antonius also said, 'These newly independent city-states are afraid that they will be viciously retaliated by the powerful Syracuse in the future. All of them have requested to join the Diónia alliance.'"
"Really?!" Henepolis and Martius were shocked.
"Take a look!" The Devers handed over the papyrus scroll in his hand with a happy expression.
"Let me take a look first!" Okridon did not care about his manners as a guest and snatched the scroll with unprecedented agility. He could not wait to open it and read it carefully.
The Devers and Henepolis looked at each other and smiled. The war report was indeed real. However, it was not just delivered, but it had been delivered in the morning. The Devers let Henepolis and Martius put on this show, but at the same time, they got rid of Carthage's plan.
Okridon read it over and over again with a look of disbelief. He did not expect that the war situation in Southern Italy would suddenly turn out like this after he left Carthage for less than two days. How was he supposed to say that 'after the war, Diónia is not allowed to set foot in Sicily'?
"This … this … this is really …" Okridon did not know what to say for a moment. After a while, he said, "Has the situation described in this … been confirmed?"
"Sir Okridon, Diónia has a military law. It states that 'No one is allowed to make false reports. If the war report is verified to be inconsistent with the truth, the punishment will be different depending on the severity of the situation. The lightest punishment will be demotion, and the heaviest punishment will be death.' Although Antonius is the commander of the legion, he would not dare to make such a mistake," the Devers answered seriously.
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