Chapter 611
As soon as Hilos sat down, the Devers asked, "What do you think about today's Senate meeting?"
Hilos hesitated for a moment and did not answer the question directly. Instead, he said sincerely, "Your Majesty, I think that Lord Antonios has done a very good job as the Military Minister. The Ministry of Military Affairs has also been operating very well. I can replace him for a while and continue to be the Military Minister after he recovers. Now that we are at war, to ensure that the Ministry of Military Affairs will not be shaken, I suggest … not to change the Military Minister."
The Devers looked at Hilos, who had a sincere look on his face.
A moment later, Daves waved his left hand and said in a deep voice, "Antonios took the initiative to resign. Even if I try to persuade him to stay, he will not stay in this position any longer. Look at this —"
The Devers flipped the "Officer Promotion Register" on the table to the page of the Eighth Division and handed it to him.
Hilos took it with a puzzled look. After reading it carefully, his expression changed slightly. Over the past two days, the news that Laodisian's son, Paphocles, had been arrested for murder had gradually spread in the port of Turií (mainly thanks to the merchants from Naxos). Hilos had also heard about it. He could not help but complain in his heart. Why did Antonios still promote this troublemaker at this time? Wasn't he giving others a handle on him?
He weighed his words carefully and said softly, "Your Majesty, I think Lord Antonios would not make such a mistake and promote such an unqualified soldier …"
"At least he has committed a dereliction of duty. This also shows that there are many problems in the Ministry of Military Affairs. This is why I want to establish a military court and also let the local censors enter the army. The entire army needs to be reorganized! That's why you, as the Minister of Military Affairs, have great responsibilities. Not only do you have to help the military court and the censors, you have to cooperate with them as much as possible. You also have to maintain the stability of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and let the officers and soldiers of the various corps feel at ease … "Dyvers said earnestly." I believe that you can grasp the balance between the two! "
Although the Devers had high hopes, Hilos felt that he had a great responsibility. Before he could respond, the Devers said again, "Take this register back and check how many unqualified officers and soldiers have been promoted. Find out all the officers in the Ministry of Military Affairs who broke the law and committed dereliction of duty, and let them be dealt with by the censors and military court. The Kingdom's army must not have any parasites! This time, we must deal with this seriously and sound the alarm for the whole army! "
Dyvers' deafening voice shook Xilos. He pulled himself together and said, "Your Majesty, I will do my best!"
"Very good!" The Devers nodded with satisfaction. He then took out a letter and said in a deep voice, "There is one more important thing that you, as the Military Minister, must know." He then handed the letter to Hilos.
After reading the letter, Hilos's face turned solemn, "Your Majesty, is everything written in this letter true?"
"I'm sending people to investigate. Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid that this is not the only problem …" The Devers said as he walked to the large map on the wall and pointed at the western part of Mount Etna. With a serious expression, he said, "After the Southern Italian War, we now have the Catania Plains, Naxos, Sicily, Tauromenian, and Messina. We also have the support of Leontini, Taunis, and other allied city-states. Syracuse is suppressed in the southeast corner of Sicily, allowing the Kingdom to have an absolute advantage in the eastern part of Sicily. The people of Sikell are afraid of our power, so they took the initiative to form an alliance with us, becoming a member of the Alliance of Diónia. The reason why we treat every Sikell town and tribe equally, and always adopt the policy of supporting the weak and weakening the strong when they ask for help, is to prevent one of them from becoming the strongest, and to prevent them from reuniting into the Sikell Kingdom, so that we can assimilate and merge them in the future …
However, from the looks of it now, there is a problem with the implementation of this policy. The Sikell Tanik tribe may have used the help of the Elders of Sicily to secretly annex and expand their territory! I don't have too much information about the tribe's current situation. Although the tribe is located far away in Kefaloidian, which is the closest town to the west of Sikell, and is further away from Catania and Naxos, the Hounds in Sicily (I'm referring to Aristiras' intelligence department) would not have overlooked it to this extent. From this, it can be seen that they have consciously blocked the information, and this must raise our vigilance! "
The tone of the Devers's words made Hilos feel something. He straightened his body and asked with uncertainty, "Your Majesty, do you mean war?"
The Devers glanced at the map again and punched Sicily with his fist. He said resolutely, "As long as we can confirm the crimes of Laodisian and the other Elders of Sicily, we will have a reason to declare war on Tanidian and completely destroy its chance of rising. At the same time, we will intimidate the other Sikell factions and strengthen our control over them! Therefore, during this period of time, the Ministry of Military Affairs must make preparations, especially the Eighth Legion. It will be the main force to attack Tanidian. "
Due to his understanding of the Devers, Hilos did not object to his decision immediately. Instead, he gave his own suggestion, "Your Majesty, before we declare war on the Sikell Tribe, the Ministry of Military Affairs can only secretly make preparations to prevent the Sikell Tribe from receiving the news and creating trouble for us in the future. Moreover, we are currently in the midst of a war against the Downey Tribe. If we declare war on Sicily at the same time, the pressure on the logistics of the army will be greater. It is best to declare war after the war with the Downey Tribe ends. This will also help the Senate pass the war resolution smoothly.
In addition, since we are going to declare war again, it is best to maintain the stability of the army. As for the investigation and punishment of the officers who have violated the law … I hope that the punishment will not be too severe. After all, they are all first-time offenders. I hope that Your Majesty can give them a chance to repent. This will not harm the soldiers' respect for you! "
The Devers listened attentively and fell into deep thought.
Hilos sat quietly and waited.
Finally, the Devers said slowly, "I will leave the matters of the Ministry of Military Affairs to you. The specific investigation and punishment measures will be decided by you and the military judge and prosecutor. After that, I will review and sign them. As for when to declare war on Tanidian, I will decide according to the situation. "
Although the Devers did not explicitly agree with Hilos, Hilos knew that the king had actually made a concession. He immediately said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Devers looked at Hilos. Over the years, as his authority grew, he had become more and more distant from his former mercenary friends. Fortunately, there were people like Hilos, Capus, and Alexis who could constantly question his decisions and give him suggestions. This was actually a good thing!
Thinking of this, his tone softened a little. "Do you have any other suggestions?"
Seeing that the Devers were calm, Hilos said, "The commander of the Eighth Legion is Leotychides. He has never commanded an army in battle. Your Majesty, you said that the Eighth Legion will be the main force to attack the Sikere Tribe. To be on the safe side, should we transfer a high-ranking officer with more experience to take over as the commander of the Eighth Legion?"
The Devers smirked and said, "Among the generals, who knows the terrain of Sicily better than Leotychides? Who knows the customs and customs better? Who is better able to make the citizens of Sicily obey orders? "
The Devers's question stumped Hilos. Leotychides had been in Sicily for six years! Naturally, he could not be compared to the other commanders who were unfamiliar with Sicily. According to the "Military Law of Diónia", one of the important requirements for a high-ranking general to be familiar with the battlefield environment and understand the customs and customs of the surrounding area. Of course, this did not mean that the other commanders could not go to Sicily to fight, but this would undoubtedly prolong the war and increase the war's consumption.
Hilos thought of Antonios. However, if Laodisian and the others were proven to have violated the rules, then Antonios, who was Laodisian's relative and had deep ties with the Sicilian elders, would definitely be criticized by the elders. The Senate could not interfere with the choice of the commander in charge of attacking the Sikere Tribe, but their criticism would definitely cause the people of the Kingdom to criticize Antonios. This was akin to roasting Antonios on a stove! That was why Hilos realized that the Devers had asked Antonios to resign and stay at home to protect him.
Seeing that Hilos did not speak, the Devers continued, "Many people say that Leotychides is a man of few words, strict and serious, and people do not like to interact with him. However, I think that he spends most of his time chatting with others thinking about military affairs and training his soldiers. He is a natural warrior! I believe that he will be able to command this war well! "
Hilos no longer objected to the Devers' affirmation, because he believed in the Devers's ability to judge people. Their many successes in the past were the proof.
After discussing for a while, Hilos was about to leave when the Devers called out to him, "It's already past noon. You haven't had lunch yet, right? I'm also hungry. Speaking of which, it's been a while since we sat together and drank and chatted! Don't leave just yet. I'll ask the chef to make a few dishes, and we'll have a few drinks! "
"Yes, Your Majesty."
… …
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