Chapter 629
Sparta knew that the location of the Kargedic Peninsula in northern Greece was very important. It was shaped like a harpoon and was nicknamed "Poseidon's Trident". It was located in the middle of the important sea route from the mainland of Greece to the Black Sea. Moreover, according to the messenger, 'Olympus is actively sending messengers to contact Thebes and Athens'. Therefore, the council of elders almost unanimously passed the resolution to "rescue Macedonia".
In fact, there was another important point that the king and elders of Sparta had a tacit understanding. They needed Macedonia, their northern ally, to cooperate with Sparta to squeeze the strategic space of Thebes and Athens from the south and north. At the same time, Sparta needed a large number of soldiers and strong cavalry.
After the decision was made, Agesilaus stood up and said with a solemn expression, "I think before we send our troops to Kargedic, we'd better confirm another important matter."
As soon as he said this, the faces of the elders in the hall changed. They all knew what Agesilaus was talking about. The ten-year alliance with Diónia would expire in a few months. In the past few days, the council of elders had held a discussion on the issue of "whether to continue the alliance with Diónia", and the result was a heated debate.
The radical elders, led by the young king of Sparta, Agesiporis, believed that after the end of the Corinth War, Sparta had become the overlord of Greece again, and there was no need to worry about Diónia. On the contrary, Sparta must restrain Diónia's expansion. They could not allow it to conquer Apulia, which was only separated from the Peloponnesus Peninsula by the Adriatic Sea. This would pose a threat to the security of Sparta's territory. After all, it was a "Greek" kingdom that ignored the authority of Sparta and dared to threaten Sparta.
On the other hand, the conservative elders led by Agesilaus (who were more conservative when it came to Diónia) believed that although Sparta relied on the "Great King's Peace" to regain control of the situation in Greece, compared to before the Corinth War, Sparta was not only weaker, but its prestige was also declining. Thebes, Athens, and other city-states could jump out at any time to go against Sparta. Before the complete suppression and unification of the city-states in Greece, not only should they not provoke this powerful kingdom, but they also had to prevent Diónia from interfering with Sparta's authority as the executor of the "Great King's Peace" in Greece. Therefore, it was necessary to renew the treaty!
"King Agesilaus, the treaty with Diónia will only expire in January next year. We have four months. Let us consider this important issue carefully. There is no need to make a decision in such a hurry." Agesiporis's uncle, the former regent, Praxitas, said calmly, "After all, it is too important. It is related to the development of Sparta for the next ten years. We must be careful!"
"It is precisely because of the importance of this treaty. It is not only related to the development of Sparta for the next ten years, but it is also related to the war that we are about to launch. That is why I want everyone to make a decision as soon as possible!" Agesilaus said seriously.
"What we are fighting against the Calgedic Alliance is not a war, but a battle. Once our army steps onto the land of the Calgedic Half-Island, what awaits the Orinthians is only a crushing defeat," Agesilaus said confidently. Agsiboris, who was already 30 years old, said confidently. In the past ten years, he had grown from a young king to the king of Sparta, and he had been through many battles. Especially when he led the army to destroy Mandinia, he had won many praises. Standing among the elders who were in their sixties and seventies, his youth was especially eye-catching.
Compared to the high-spirited Agesilaus, Agesilaus, who was in his fifties, was not only lame, his hair was white, and his back was a little bent. He said calmly, "War is unpredictable. Otherwise, we would not have expected it ten years ago. We were just helping Phocis in a battle, but it turned into a war that lasted for ten years. Sparta had no choice but to rely on our former enemy, Persia, to end the war that consumed too much of our strength …"
Agesilaus' words caused the elders to reminisce, and they sighed from time to time.
"Now, our warriors are going to leave Peloponnesus and head to the Northern Greece region that we have never fought before, the Calgedic Peninsula. I heard that the situation there is very complicated. Not only are there internal city-states fighting, but it also involves Macedonia and Thessaly, the two most populous regions. Even Thebes and Athens are connected to them. Will our interference cause a new war? This must make us vigilant! "Agesilaus' words made the elders fall into deep thought.
"Since the expedition to the Calgedic Peninsula might have such a terrible result, King Agesilaus, why did you still support the expedition just now?" Praxitas sneered at Agesilaus' insincerity.
Agesilaus still retorted calmly, "I support the expedition because this is in line with Sparta's interests. If the Calgedic League is allowed to grow without restraint, then the other Greek city-states will follow its example and form an alliance. This will not only make the Great King's Contract ineffective, but it will also shake Sparta's prestige in Greece. Moreover, by winning over Macedonia and conquering the Greek city-states on the Calgedic Island, it will be beneficial for us to occupy the route to the Black Sea and threaten Athens to not dare to oppose Sparta in the future. However, to be on the safe side, before the expedition, we should continue the alliance agreement with Diónia to ensure that when the war in Northern Greece expands, Diónia will not intervene.
Besides, even if we conquer Calgedic, there are still Agos, Athens, Thebes … These city-states are still dissatisfied with us. If we want to restore the prosperity after the Peloponnesus War, Sparta will still need time. So I don't want … during this period of time when Sparta is working hard to develop, a 'Persia' similar to the Corinth War will appear in the Western Mediterranean Sea and make things difficult for Sparta! Moreover, once we renew the contract with Diónia, judging from the past ten years, the Diónia are still trustworthy … "
"If we want to renew the contract, Diónia might not agree to it," Praxitas said coldly.
"Then wouldn't we be able to detect Diónia's malicious intentions towards Sparta, and we can also take precautions in advance," Agesilaus replied calmly.
"Asking us to renew the contract with Diónia in the colonies will damage Sparta's reputation! Why don't we ask Diónia to send someone to Sparta to renew the contract?! "Agesilaus said unwillingly.
Agesilaus looked at the king of Sparta who was on the same level as him, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He advised with the tone of an elder, "There's an old saying in Sparta, 'Gorgeous clothes are not as durable as sturdy coarse cloth.' Since we have taken the initiative to seek peace with Persia, Greece's arch-enemy for decades, and caused ourselves to be cursed for it, why should we care about making a trip to Greece? Didn't we take the initiative to sign the agreement with Diónia during the Corinth War? Everything we do is for the sake of Sparta's strength. What does personal honor matter? "
Agesilaus' words made the elders nod, and Agesilaus was unable to refute. Although Agesilaus took the throne by a narrow margin and his biggest supporter, Lysander, died in battle a few years later, not only was he not neglected in the Elder Council, but after more than ten years of operation, his influence in the country grew day by day, especially in the Elder Council. Although these Sparta elders were brave warriors when they were young, they were now old men in their sixties or seventies. Instead of taking risks, most of them preferred to be safe.
Agesilaus was a king who liked to use strategy rather than fists. He was the first to propose peace with Persia. Therefore, when the Elder Council voted on this matter, most of them agreed to "immediately go to Diónia to discuss the renewal of the contract."
The messenger candidate was quickly selected. He was the one who was responsible for signing the treaty with Diónia back then, Chalisops.
… …
In the Sikere town at the center of the mainland of Sicily, Kephaloition, many Sikere tribe leaders gathered again.
Sitting at the head of the table was the leader of the Tanik tribe, Acoris. He scanned the crowd and said loudly, "Leaders, the Turií have sent news that Laodisian, Lessiperatus, and the others have been arrested by Diónia. They will be put on trial soon. The Diónia must have found out about what we have done. Perhaps they are preparing an army to declare war on us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a huge commotion in the crowd.
The leaders could not hide the shock on their faces. One of the leaders stood up and asked anxiously, "Leader Acoris, how did you get the news? Or did you hear the rumors? "
"What would you do if I told you the news, Leader Zemacis?" Leader Zemaxis! "Arconis widened his eyes and stared at him like a beast that was about to devour him.
"Of course … of course I will send someone to explain to the Senate of Diónia …" Zemacis stammered.
"Explain what?!" Appidus, another leader who had a close relationship with Acoris, mocked, "Explain why you want to annex other tribes and take the wives of other leaders as your concubines?!"
The leaders beside him laughed in disdain.
"It's useless to beg for mercy from Diónia!" Acoris slammed the armrest and stood up. He looked at the leaders and said loudly, "Look at how Diónia treated the non-humans in the past! Lucania was annexed! Bruti was annexed! Mesapi was forced to be annexed! Puchetti was annexed! And now they are annexing Downey! Diónia will never allow the non-humans to exist independently! Perhaps in the eyes of the greedy king of Diónia, we Sikere are already his next target! We have violated the treaty and attacked and annexed other tribes. We have already given him an excuse to start a war. Perhaps Diónia's troops are already on their way to Sicily! … "
The leaders were in an uproar again. They whispered to each other anxiously.
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