Chapter 580
He remembered the last time he went to Turín, Diónia was still in danger under the threat of Dionysius's army. He did not expect that after a few months, the soldiers of Syracuse would need the consent of Diónia to return home alive … Everything happened so fast, it was like a dream.
Chalisopus pulled himself together and walked into the city.
In this war, the people of Syracuse were either killed or sold, and there were not many left. But now, there were quite a lot of residents in the city. Not only the soldiers of the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Legions, but also the troops led by Hilos and Hieronymus, who had conquered Rockley and its allies, had returned to Syracuse.
Logically, the prisoners of Syracuse were being sent back in batches, and the troops of Diónia should also be disbanded in batches to relieve the pressure of logistics and labor shortage in the alliance. But the Devers considered that the war in Greece had just ended, and the people of the city-states that had surrendered were not yet convinced. They were afraid that there would be a change of heart, so they gathered a large number of troops in Syracuse, hoping to deter thieves and thieves, so that they could smoothly implement the series of plans that Diónia would implement to govern Greece.
In addition, there was a special group in the city, and that was the group of nearly a thousand engineers and craftsmen in the army of Syracuse. The Devers had been waiting for them for a long time, so when the army of Syracuse surrendered, he immediately ordered them to be protected. He did not hesitate to break his promise and did not include these people in the list of people to be released in the negotiations with Ferosanus. At the same time, he forced Ferosanus to agree to their request: Diónia's fleet would send their families over.
The Devers also made various promises to these people, such as citizenship, land, a good research environment, and so on. Finally, they reluctantly "kept" these people.
The soldiers of Diónia strolled along the streets in twos and threes, chatting with relaxed expressions on their faces. Even when they saw Chalisopus, they only glanced at him curiously. They did not go up to the patrol captain leading the way, nor did they show the slightest bit of respect. It was as if they had seen an ordinary person. Even though Chalisopus's attire was so distinctive: scarlet cloak, long hair, and thick beard, Sparta was the only one in Greece.
Compared to a few months ago when Chalisopus went to Turín, the soldiers of Diónia were much calmer.
Thinking of this, Chalisopus felt that it was because they had defeated the powerful Syracuse that Diónia had become the overlord of Greece in the Western Mediterranean, that they were no longer afraid of any Greek city …
Thinking of this, Chalisopus felt that this was the reason why the Elders of Sparta had sent him to come to Diónia. He felt that he had a great responsibility.
Most of the Dionic soldiers were gathered in the arena to participate in or watch the rugby match between the various corps organized by the senior team officers. The noise in the arena could be heard several blocks away. Although Kelisopes was curious, he did not have the time to watch.
He waited for more than ten minutes. If it were any other Sparta emissary, he would have been furious. They would have thought that this was an insult to Sparta.
Chalisopus could still control himself, because he did see the visitors, which meant that the people of Diónia were not lying. They were not deliberately making things difficult for him. They just did not regard the emissaries of Sparta as the most important like the other Greek cities. Chalisops was still able to restrain himself because he had indeed seen the visitors, which meant that the Dionians were not lying and were not deliberately making things difficult for him. They were just not like the other Greek city-states who viewed the Spartan envoys as the most important. Chalisopus could only endure it. After all, this was not Greece, not Ionia, not Asia Minor, but Greece, where Sparta's influence was weak, and Diónia, which had never been afraid of Sparta!
"Chalisopus, it's nice to see you again!" The Deities showed enthusiasm when they saw him. They even said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! A few generals of Corunna came, and it took me a lot of time. "
Corunna?! Chalisopus's heart skipped a beat. That was the city-state of the Southern Alliance. They first betrayed Diónia and went to Syracuse. Later, after Syracuse was defeated, they went back to Diónia …
After Greece was almost conquered by Diónia, Chalisopus could guess why this untrustworthy city-state sent an emissary here. He calmed himself down and said, "Deities, congratulations on defeating Dionysius and winning the war!"
"Did Sparta send you here just to congratulate me?" The Deities had a smile on his face, but he went straight to the point.
"You have defeated Sparta's ally, Syracuse. You have also sent troops to Sicily and occupied some Greek city-states … The Sparta Council of Elders is concerned about the aggression shown by Diónia, and sent me here to ask the Devers … King, do you know if Diónia is hostile to Sparta?!" Chalisopus stared at the Devers and said the last sentence in a deep voice.
Chalisopus's words made the Devers's expression turn serious. He said seriously, "I have told Phoebidas, who helped Dionysius to invade Greece, that as long as Sparta is not hostile to Diónia, Diónia is not hostile to Sparta. I have no interest in the land on the other side of the Adriatic Sea."
"Of course Sparta is not hostile to Diónia!" "Sparta helped Syracuse because we had an alliance with Dionysius. When this alliance was established, Greece did not yet have the Dionysian Alliance, so we had to act according to the oath made by Hercules. But from now on, such a situation will not happen again!" Chalisops immediately declared solemnly, "Sparta helped Syracuse because we had an alliance with Dionysius.
The Devers immediately sensed something from Chalisopus's words. He raised his eyebrows. "Sparta has given up on Dionysius?"
Chalisopus did not give a direct answer. Instead, he suggested, "Devers, since both of us are not hostile to each other, do you think we should sign an agreement to prevent the two powerful city-states, Sparta and Diónia, from being dragged into a meaningless war because of unnecessary friction and conflict?"
Henepolis, who rarely did not interrupt when the Devers received a guest, looked at Chalisopus and then at the Devers with an excited expression. Sparta has acknowledged Diónia as its equal, and has taken the initiative to seek a peace agreement with Diónia?!
The Devers's expression remained calm. He did not even consider the so-called glory. He continued to ask, "What kind of agreement?"
It had always been the other Greek city-states begging Sparta for agreements and alliances, and the elders of Sparta would propose all kinds of harsh conditions according to the situation to obtain benefits for Sparta. Chalisopus was not used to taking the initiative to seek an agreement and being forced to show his trump card first. However, the terrible situation that Sparta was facing had forced him to lower his head. Even though he felt aggrieved, he still had to put on a friendly face. "Sparta hopes to sign a long-term peace agreement with Diónia. Both sides will maintain peace, not invade each other, and will not participate in the hostile actions of other city-states against each other!" Chalisopus paused here.
The Devers understood why Sparta made this proposal. It was probably because they were worried that Diónia would join the Anti- Sparta Alliance. It seemed that Sparta was not in a good situation.
Chalisopus could not guess what the Devers were thinking when he saw that the latter's expression did not change. He took a deep breath and continued to state the conditions offered by the Elder Council, "At the same time, Sparta will force Syracuse to accept a truce and compensate Diónia for the war. We also hope that Diónia will not force Syracuse and its allies too much, and stop further encroaching on Syracuse's interests. After all, Sparta is Syracuse's ally and has been friendly for decades …" Chalisopus paused and looked at the Devers again.
The Devers's face was still expressionless, but the clerk next to him, Henepolis, could not help but say, "Syracuse has signed a peace treaty with us. Sparta … what right does Sparta have to interfere with Diónia's handling of the aftermath of this war?"
Chalisopus ignored Henepolis. Seeing that the Devers were still silent, he continued, "In addition, this time, Tarantum was instigated by Syracuse to launch a war against Diónia. They have been punished by the gods. Now, the aliens are besieging this great city, and the land of the Greeks is being occupied by them! Tarantum has realized the mistakes it has made before and is willing to pay a large amount of war reparations to Diónia in order to get your forgiveness. As the mother city of Tarantum, Sparta must protect this city that is connected to us by blood. I hope that Diónia can release the captives of Tarantum so that Tarantum can resist the attack of the aliens and become a barrier to the east of Greece again! "
"At this time, the people of Sparta are actually concerned about the safety of Greece!" Henepolis sneered angrily, "When Dionysius led the army to invade Greece, burning, looting, and even slaughtering the people of the Siletorians, why didn't the people of Sparta come out to dissuade them? Tarantum tore up the covenant and suddenly attacked the land of Diónia. Where were you people then?! … "
Chalisopus did not seem to hear these words and only said to the Devers, "These are the terms of the peace negotiations that the Elders Council of Sparta has drawn up after many discussions. The specific details need to be further negotiated with you, King of Devers."
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