Chapter 637
"Oh, it's that cunning Phoebidas!"
The military ministers were most familiar with the Sparta people, other than Klesops, who had come to Turií many times for negotiations, Phoebidas was probably the only other person who was familiar with Sparta. However, in the hearts of the people of Diónia, his image could be said to be infamous. Not only did he participate in and command Syracuse's invasion of Diónia during the war in Southern Italy, but he also plotted the massacre of Dionysius's family. Although the people of Diónia hated Dionysius, Phoebidas's betrayal and deceit made them feel very disdainful.
"Your Majesty, what is Phoebidas doing?" Tormid asked curiously.
"He has just been appointed by the Sparta Elder Council as the commander of the expedition against the Calgicidic Alliance," the Devers said.
… …
At this moment, Phoebidas, who was constantly mentioned by the military ministers of Diónia, was leading a large group of people through the Isthmus of Corinth. His mission was to lead the main force of Sparta to the Calgicidic Half Island, help Macedon regain its lost land, defeat Olympius, and break up the Calgicidic Alliance.
This was an extremely important mission. Originally, Phoebidas was not supposed to be assigned to it. Although the Elder Council had given the order to trap and kill Dionysius, some of the Sparta Elders were still disgusted with Phoebidas, who had carried out the assassination mission, and objected to letting him lead the army. It was only because of Agesilaus' insistence that Phoebidas was appointed to lead the army.
The army was about to enter the Pioscia region.
At this time, Phoebidas repeatedly reminded the team officers of all levels to be vigilant and to march cautiously.
After the end of the Corinth War, the Thebes were the last city-state to accept the king's peace treaty. After being forced to break up the Pioscia Alliance that the Thebes had been working hard for, the Thebes must have been very dissatisfied with Sparta's attitude. Although the Thebes had not done anything provocative to Sparta in the past few years, Phoebidas did not dare to let his guard down, lest he betrayed Agesilaus' trust.
After the Sparta army passed through the ruins of Pratia, they were approaching the territory of Thebes.
Seeing that it was getting late, Phoebidas ordered the troops to set up camp on the spot.
Just as the soldiers began to get busy, a secretive person came from the territory of Thebes and insisted on meeting Phoebidas.
When the guards led him into the tent, he bowed respectfully to Phoebidas and said, "Dear General Phoebidas, I am Leontiadas' trusted slave."
Of course, Phoebidas knew who Leontiadas was.
The Thebes hated Sparta, but not all of them. Just like the citizens of Athens and Corinth had pro-Sparta factions, so did the Thebes. It was because of their promotion in the country that the Thebes finally accepted the king's peace treaty. And because Sparta had grown in power in recent years, the Thebes had no choice but to put the pro- Sparta faction, which had been suppressed, in order not to provoke it, to show that the Thebes were friendly to Sparta. Leontiadas was the leader of the pro-Sparta faction, and he was also one of the military archons of the Thebes this year (the Thebes also had a dual archon system).
After confirming the silver mask of Persia that Agesilaus had given to Leontiadas half a year ago, Phoebidas's serious expression softened. He asked, "What did Leontiadas send you to tell me?"
The slave did not speak, only glancing back and forth between the guards on both sides.
Phoebidas understood, but said loudly, "They are the brave warriors of Sparta, my good comrades. There is nothing to keep secret!"
Hearing Phoebidas's words, the slave had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "General, my master would like to invite you to lead your troops to attack the Thebes' citadel."
It turned out that although Leontiadas was elected as archon, the majority of the council and the citizens' assembly were anti-Sparta factions, and his power was greatly restricted. In fact, he had become a mere decoration. The proud and arrogant Leontiadas felt humiliated, and secretly made up his mind to change this awkward political situation.
At this time, he saw a large army of Sparta approaching. Two days later, it happened to be Mother's Day of the Thebes (which was the celebration day of Demeter). The citadel would be undefended, and the women would celebrate the festival. On the day of Mother's Day of the Thebes, the women of the city who had been busy with household chores could celebrate it in the citadel's temple. Because they were required to stay at home all year round, on this day, they would be free to do some unrestrained things, so the men of the city had to avoid it. This custom was similar to Bacchanalia.
Therefore, he made a risky decision: to unite with the Sparta people, attack the citadel of Thebes, arrest the anti-Sparta faction, and completely control the power of Thebes.
After listening to the detailed description of the slave, Phoebidas was surprised and also tempted.
While he was deep in thought, the adjutant of Sparta next to him could not help but say, "Phoebidas, the mission given to us by the Council of Elders is to go to Calgedic and attack Olympus, not to attack the Thebes without the permission of the Council of Elders and start a new war."
When the slave heard this, he looked at the leader of the Sparta army anxiously.
If it was an ordinary general of Sparta, he might have strictly followed the instructions of the Council of Elders and not caused any trouble. However, Phoebidas was different. He was originally bold, but during the days he spent with Dionysius during the war in Southern Italy, he had learned more about the cunning and viciousness of people who would use any means to achieve their goals. So he said in a low voice, "After the War of Peloponnesus, the army of Sparta can freely enter and leave Central Greece. After the last war, we had to obtain the consent of several important city-states in Central Greece in advance. Otherwise, we could only go to Northern Greece by ship. Do you know why?"
The adjutant named Solax said without hesitation, "Because Athens, Thebes … these city-states in Central Greece are against us."
"So you see, Sparta is blocked by Athens and Thebes in the peninsula of Peloponnesus. They can't move freely. We need to make the Thebes an ally of Sparta again. This is far more important than attacking Calgatica, which is thousands of miles away! Now we are close to the territory of the Thebes, and the Thebes are about to hold a celebration. Obviously, they think that we will lead the army to Northern Greece, so they have completely let down their guard. If we miss this great opportunity, we will regret it! "Phoebidas said in a low voice, clenching his fists, his eyes shining with greed.
… …
Thebes was located on the plains south of Lake Jerica. Its city was right on the main road leading to Western Central Greece and Northern Greece. Both the east and west sides were mountains that stretched three to four hundred meters above sea level. Although it was not too difficult to travel, it was far more convenient to pass through Thebes. Thebes relied on the fertility of the plains south of Lake Jerica to prosper in trade and trade, making it one of the largest states in Greece.
Thebes's acropolis was built on a cobbled-shaped highland called Cadmia. It was considered one of the best City of David among the city-states in Central Greece. However, due to the limitations of the terrain, the city of Thebes was a rectangular shape, long from north to south and narrow from east to west. The acropolis was almost next to the eastern city wall near the mountains.
On the day of Mother Earth Day.
Phoebidas first led a part of his troops to quietly lurk in the mountains east of Thebes. When Leontiadas used his authority as an archon to transfer the guards at the east gate, Phoebidas led his troops in and quickly occupied the undefended acropolis.
The council of Thebes, which was made up of nobles, was threatened and blocked by the refugees hired by Leontiadas. They could not summon the citizens in time to resist.
The pro- Sparta faction had already formed an armed force to attack the south gate of Thebes. They opened the gate and let in the remaining Sparta troops. They led them to hunt and kill anti- Sparta people in the city. Screams were heard everywhere in the city. It was chaos …
… …
When Sparta attacked the city of Thebes, Pelopidas was attending a banquet hosted by Charon at his home.
Charon was a famous wealthy merchant in Thebes City. He was forthright and had many friends. He used the excuse of "the women are having a party in the temple on Mother's Day, so we men shouldn't mistreat ourselves" to invite many friends to his house.
Epaminonda was not on the invitation list. He was already 37 years old and had always been obsessed with learning. He rarely took the initiative to participate in political affairs and did not like to make friends. He was not well-known in Thebes. However, Pelopidas was his best friend. He forced him to attend the banquet.
At the banquet, Epaminonda deliberately sat in the corner, quietly tasting the food and listening to the conversation of the other guests.
Pelopidas was the most eye-catching. He was energetic, sharp, quick-witted, and knowledgeable. Moreover, he had been actively involved in politics since he was an adult. Although he was still young, he had already held an important position in the city. He was also the most active member of the anti- Sparta faction. Therefore, many people surrounded him and felt proud to talk to him.
In the middle of the banquet, one of their friends barged in and told them that Sparta had attacked the city and were hunting down those who were pro-Sparta!
This shocking news caused chaos in the banquet.
Pelopidas was the first to react. He shouted, "We must quickly gather the citizens and drive the Sparta out! Who is going with me?! "
But no one came out to respond.
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