Chapter 582
After half a day of discussion, they quickly redefined the terms of the negotiation and allowed Chalisops to return to Greece.
In the end, Diónia and Sparta signed the famous "Treaty of the Two Kings" (where the king of Diónia and the king of Sparta finally signed the treaty). The contents of the treaty were as follows: First, Sparta and Diónia would maintain peace, mutual non-aggression, and friendly exchanges.
Second, with the Adriatic Sea as the boundary between the north and south, Sparta would regard the Western Mediterranean Sea as Diónia's sphere of influence. They would not send any troops or warships into it, nor would they send envoys to form alliances with any city-states in the Western Mediterranean Sea, nor would they incite or support other city-states to carry out hostile actions against Diónia. Similarly, Diónia would regard the area east of the Adriatic Sea as Sparta's sphere of influence. They would not send any troops or warships into it, nor would they enter into alliances with any other city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, nor would they incite or support other city-states to carry out hostile actions against Sparta.
Third, considering that Syracuse was still an ally of Sparta, Diónia promised not to infringe upon the territorial interests of Syracuse and not to force it to join the alliance of Diónia. However, Greece's Tarantum did not have any alliance relationship with Sparta. The conflict with Diónia was an internal matter of Greece. According to the second principle of the treaty, Sparta would not intervene.
Fourth …
…
The duration of the treaty was ten years. After the expiration, if both parties had no objections, the treaty would be renewed.
The agreement between Diónia and Sparta was not announced to the public. After all, the fact that both parties regarded other city-states as nothing and privately divided the Mediterranean Sea was too well-known. It would not be good for either party if it was spread out.
However, after Chalisops signed the agreement, he made a special trip to Tarantum and announced to the council of Sparta's decision: Sparta would not intervene in the affairs of Tarantum.
When the generals and councilors of Tarantum heard this, they were grief-stricken. The council was filled with wails.
Two days later, Tarantum sent an envoy to Diónia, expressing his willingness to accept Diónia's conditions and become a Free City of the Alliance.
After signing the agreement that Tarantum would be incorporated into the Diónia Union, the Turií Senate began to release the Tarantum captives in batches as per the Devers' instructions. Why didn't he release them all at once? The Devers were mainly concerned that Tarantum had a precedent of breaking an alliance. They were afraid that it would suddenly go back on its words after getting the benefits. Moreover, the main forces of Diónia were still temporarily stationed in the Siletorians to deal with some post-war affairs in Greece with the Devers, so they could not return in time to deal with it. At the same time, the Devers also wanted Tarantum to suffer a little more. This would correct their arrogant character and make it easier to manage them in the future.
… …
After the failure of Dionysius's raid on the city of Syracuse, he once again returned to the Island of Ortygia. Harolis pleaded with the First Legion of Diónia not to leave for the time being. They should be stationed at the Hexa Gate so that they could receive their assistance at any time. At the same time, Harolis reorganized the order in the city, formed a new defense force, and asked the First Legion to send a team of officers to guide the citizen soldiers of Syracuse in defending the walls of the isthmus.
The failure of Dionysius caused the people of the port area to no longer remain neutral. They also sent troops to the city to accept Harolis's command.
Ten days later, the new leadership of Syracuse, led by Harolis, who signed the peace treaty with Diónia, welcomed the first batch of Syracuse's militia from Greece back to Sicily. The people were moved to tears, and Harolis became more confident.
Dionysius's actions of sending a small team of mercenaries to land on the coast of Syracuse gradually stopped.
After another seven or eight days, the envoy of Sparta, Phoebidas, arrived at Syracuse. He officially recognized the new government of Syracuse and reaffirmed the alliance with Syracuse.
With the support of both Diónia and Sparta, the new Syracuse regime finally made the hesitant Greek city-states on the south coast of Sicily finally decide to sever their ties with Dionysius. Instead, they sent messengers to Harolis to convey their goodwill.
Dionysius was now completely isolated and without help. Although the "rebels" could not break through the sturdy barrier and kill their way into the Island of Ortygia, it was basically impossible for him to recapture Syracuse. What worried him even more was the rapid depletion of food on the island. It was only enough for slightly more than a month.
At this moment, Phoebidas made a bold move. Disregarding the danger, he entered the Island of Ortygia alone and had a frank conversation with Dionysius.
In the end, with Phoebidas's guarantee, Dionysius agreed to lead his family, his supporters, and the thousand or so mercenaries away from the Island of Ortygia to Sparta. At the same time, the Syracuse Council also agreed to provide ten three-decker warships for free so that Dionysius could leave Sicily as soon as possible.
… …
Philistos saw Dionysius standing on the pier, gazing at Ortygia Island behind him for a long time. The entire fleet was ready and waiting for him, so he disembarked to persuade him, "Dionysius, let's go."
"Philistos, my dear friend." Dionysius stood in front of him, his voice distant and distant. "I finally understand … The people of Syracuse, whether in times of peace or in times of war, are always … constantly fighting amongst themselves, exhausting their own energy. They can't fully use their power to expand their territory and obtain more benefits for Syracuse!"
"Yes, Dionysius, this is why I fully support you," Philistos said with a sigh, casually expressing the reason he followed Dionysius.
"That's why I don't think Harolis can correct this bad habit of the people of Syracuse …" Dionysius continued softly.
"Harolis is too idealistic, often self-righteous, and tends to go to extremes. Unfortunately, he lacks courage and ruthlessness. He can't control Syracuse!" When Philistos talked about his good friend who deceived him and imprisoned him, his tone was so calm that it was as if he was talking about a stranger.
"In this chaotic world, we must use blood to intimidate the people, and use strength to conquer the enemy! Harolis won't understand, and fortunately, he won't! " A cold smile appeared on Dionysius's face as he pointed to the north of Ortygia Island. "Without me as their common enemy, I swear to Apollo that within half a year, Syracuse will be in civil strife, and that will be the time for us to return!"
"The people are forgetful. When Syracuse loses its position as the overlord of Sicily, and the people of Syracuse are looked down upon by the foreigners, they will soon feel the cruelty of reality, and they will miss you! I even think that when that time comes, not only will they not resist you, they will even warmly welcome you into Syracuse! " Philistos agreed with Dionysius's words, and said seriously. This was also one of the reasons why they were willing to leave with Dionysius.
"Hahaha, Apollo will protect us, just like he has protected us many times before!" Dionysius smiled and turned around. Suddenly, he remembered something, and his face became gloomy again. "But Diónia is a big problem, we still need to specifically deal with it, and discuss some countermeasures …"
The two discussed in a low voice as they boarded the ship.
The bugle sounded, and the wooden oars hit the water. One ship after another left Ortygia Island, heading east.
The news that Dionysius had left Sicily quickly spread throughout Syracuse, and the people in the city cheered.
The burden that had been weighing on his heart was lifted, and Harolis felt light all over his body. From now on, he would lead the people to restore the prosperity of Syracuse, and he was full of confidence in himself.
In the middle of the fleet that sailed towards Sparta was a large passenger ship. Dionysius, his followers, and his family were all on this ship.
At this time, Dionysius, Philistos, Hipparinus, and Phoebidas were chatting in the passenger cabin.
"Now it seems that Diónia threatened to attack Rockley in order to lure us, Syracuse, into sending troops to Greece as soon as possible," Dionysius said with a sigh.
"From what you said, you led the army to invade Greece, or were you lured by Diónia?!" Phoebidas showed a trace of disdain.
"Conquering Greece was indeed one of my goals!" Dionysius, who was already an exile, was very honest at this moment. "But I overestimated the power of Syracuse, and underestimated Diónia, especially the Devers! I thought that I had already attached great importance to that young man, but his military commanding ability still exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect him to be able to defeat the Samonai army that I instigated so quickly and return to Tuliyi. He used unique tactics to defeat my army on the sea and on the land! … Philistos, I really should have listened to you and not rushed to attack Greece. Instead, I should have spent a few years to consolidate Syracuse's position as the overlord of Sicily, so that the people who are already tired of war can get enough rest! Then even if Greece loses the war, we can still defend Sicily! … "
"What's the point of saying all this now? We've all been driven out of the Western Mediterranean!" Hipparinus said angrily.
"Of course it's useful!" Dionysius had experienced the depression when he first left, but now he had regained his confidence. "Learn from the experience and avoid making the same mistake next time. Didn't we do this back then? Every time we encountered a setback, we would become stronger and stand higher. That was how Syracuse became the overlord of Sicily in the end!"
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