Chapter 638
"I will never surrender to the Sparta, even if it means death!" Peropidas' face was filled with grief and indignation.
Epaminonda still maintained a calm expression and gently advised again, "Calm down, my dear friend. Your sacrifice will not benefit the Thebes. What you should do now is to quickly find the anti- Sparta citizens who have not been arrested and lead them out of the city of Thebes."
"You want me to run away like a coward?!" Peropidas looked at Epaminonda in disbelief as if he did not know him.
Epaminonda looked sincere and said in a deep voice, "During the reign of the Thirty Tyrants of Athens, Serasibulus escaped from Athens. Later, he led the rebels to launch many attacks and finally liberated the city of Athens … I hope you can become someone like him!"
One must know that Serasibulus had led the exiles to hide in the territory of the Thebes. It was the Thebes that provided them with refuge and support, so his deeds were widely known in the Thebes.
Peropidas fell into deep thought. Charon and his other friends also came to persuade him.
Peropidas finally made up his mind. "Okay, I will go to Athens!"
His friends bid farewell to him, and Charon gave him a package filled with gold and silver.
Peropidas hurriedly embarked on the road of escape, but he swore to the gods that he would return to the Thebes. The people of Sparta who had just left!
After Peropidas left, everyone focused their attention on Epaminonda. When the bad news came and everyone panicked, Epaminonda was able to remain calm and even persuaded the stubborn Peropidas to leave. This made Charon and the others look at this ordinary-looking man in a new light, and they insisted that he stay at home.
When the riots in the city subsided, Epaminonda immediately left.
Walking in the city that was originally extremely lively due to the festival but now had very few people, he saw the shocking pools of blood on the streets from time to time. He was also interrogated by the rude and unreasonable Sparta patrols. Epaminonda, who had always been kind to others, was burning with anger …
… …
On this day, Sparta's raid on Thebes was carried out perfectly. Phoebidas had taken complete control of the city of Thebes.
This incident also shocked the other city-states in Greece. "Sparta attacked a city-state that was not hostile to them without a declaration of war." This was a clear violation of Greek tradition and the king's contract, which made them feel extremely uneasy. Athens, Corinth, Megara, Argus, and other city-states all sent messengers to Sparta to question it and ask it to withdraw its troops stationed in Thebes.
The Sparta Elder Council fell into a passive position for a while. Some elders scolded Phoebidas for being reckless, but more elders were very satisfied with the success of Phoebidas's raid on Thebes, especially Agesilaus, who declared that Phoebidas had established a pro-Sparta government in Thebes. This was a great victory! Even during the Peloponnesus War and after victory, Lysander had not been able to make Thebes completely lean towards Sparta, but Phoebidas had done it. He was amazing!
But in order to appease the other city-states and appease their anger, they still had to put on a show. Therefore, the Elder Council made a decision: Phoebidas had misbehaved, and he would be fined 100,000 drachmas (in fact, Phoebidas did not even have to pay the money). He would also be transferred back to Sparta to reflect on his actions. However, the reason why Phoebidas attacked Thebes was because someone had accused another military governor of Thebes, Ismailas, of colluding with Persia.
As one of the leaders of the Sparta Thebes, Ismailas was arrested by Sparta on the day the city was breached. Therefore, Sparta put the crime on him and announced that they would organize a jury to try the matter.
Sparta wanted to try a governor of Thebes for colluding with Persia?! This was ridiculous! Wasn't Sparta the biggest lackey of Persia?!
The native Greek people who were secretly cursing "Sparta's overbearing" looked at the composition of the jury again. Other than Sparta, it was the citizens of Sparta's allies on the Peloponnesus Peninsula. There was no justice at all, it was all Sparta!
In the end, Sparta executed Ismailas for "colluding with the enemy" and transferred him back to Phoebidas. However, another general was sent to take over the defense of Thebes. There were 1500 Sparta troops still stationed in Thebes.
Sparta was thick-skinned. Facing the accusations of other city-states, they did not change their mind and firmly held on to Phoebidas's achievements. Athens, Corinth, Argos, and other city-states only protested in the face of this result. They did not take any more forceful actions. The Great King's Peace Treaty weakened their power, and Sparta's strength forced them to swallow their dissatisfaction. However, Athens began to provide support to the Thebes who were constantly fleeing to their territory.
Phoebidas was recalled, but the task of suppressing the Caldic League in Northern Greece had to continue. So the Council of Elders appointed Agesilaus's brother Terutias, who had distinguished himself in the Corinth War, as the commander of the expeditionary army.
At the same time, the Council of Elders also decided to restore the city of Pratia, which was destroyed by Sparta 50 years ago. This city was located in the south of Thebes, guarding a passage from the Isthmus of Corinth to Pioscia. Sparta was going to expand its power in Central Greece …
… …
"Brothers, get up. We have a mission!" The team leader went into the tent. He shouted at the top of his voice.
The soldiers who were resting on the bed immediately turned over and sat up.
"Captain, what's the mission?!" Adoris asked first.
"Commander Alexis ordered Legio IV to attack Sipontum," the squad leader replied.
"Just our army?"
"Of course it's just us. The other legions also have their own missions. For example, the First Legion is going to attack Weeste …"
"Weeste, that's a troublesome mission." Adoris's casual words piqued the curiosity of his comrades. "Adoris, is it difficult to attack Weeste?"
"Not really." Compared to these comrades who knew nothing about the Dourney region, Adoris had learned about the situation of the Dourney region from his father before the Dourney War began. "Weeste is a small town. It's said that there are less than 10,000 people, but it's located at the top of the Lala Peninsula. It's at least 150 miles from Lucenia to Weeste, and half of it is mountain roads. If the First Legion took a detour and marched along the coast for safety purposes, the journey would be even longer …"
"How far are we from Sipontum?" another soldier asked.
Adoris thought for a while and said, "Probably less than 50 miles."
"That's great!" The soldiers heaved a sigh of relief.
"Don't be too happy yet. Along the way, the warriors of the Dourney tribe might attack us at any time. That's why Commander Olivers wants us to march in full armor!"
The squad leader's reminder did not displease the soldiers. Since the start of the war, the Dionysian Army had not suffered many casualties. However, the new recruits who had experienced many wars had lost their initial enthusiasm and longing. Instead, they felt the cruelty and mercilessness of war, including Adoris.
"Quickly put on your armor and weapons and gather outside. If you're late, you'll have a taste of Commander Olivers's power! "
…
Although the Diónia army had conquered Lucenia, the central city of the Dourney tribe, Alexis only allowed the First Legion to enter the city to maintain order. The rest of the legions were still stationed in the original barracks outside the city. After all, the Dourney people would soon become the citizens of Diónia. If too many soldiers entered the city, it would be difficult to manage. It would inevitably cause conflicts and disputes. If the Dourney people were to become extremely disgusted with the people of Diónia, it would be difficult to manage in the future. The King of Devers would not praise Alexis for conquering the Dourney tribe. Instead, he would blame Alexis for his mistakes.
After the Legio IV assembled in the barracks, they left the barracks and headed east.
Not long after, they saw the broken walls of Lucenia standing not far away from the north. It quietly told the tragic story of the siege the day before.
Adoris could still clearly remember:
"That morning, the army surrounded Lucenia City. There were also a few thousand cavalrymen patrolling the perimeter and the Tenth Legion as reserve troops to scout and defend against the arrival of the Dourney reinforcements.
The Legio IV that he was in was responsible for attacking the west side. They were equipped with 20 ballistae and four large siege towers.
Legion Commander Olivers gave the order.
The ballistae were fired, the siege towers moved forward, the soldiers carried ladders, shouted Hades' name, and rushed to the city wall. The scene was grand and intense, and it made Adoris even more excited than the battle at the Orfanto River. This time, his battalion was the second echelon of the siege. They did not enter the battle immediately, so they stood at the back and could see the entire battlefield more clearly.
He did not know if it was because of him that Olivers let his brigade serve as a reserve, but he had never stopped worrying about the stalemate of the siege and the fact that other soldiers would fall from the top of the wall from time to time.
However, when a company attacked the top of the city wall, Legion Commander Olivers ordered the reserve troops to enter the battle. Adoris and his comrades rushed to the top of the city wall through the wooden ladders of the siege towers with high morale and high speed. They attacked the panicking defenders …
The Dourney's resistance did not last long. When they were sent by the legion commander to clean up the battlefield, they saw their injured comrades groaning and many of their brothers who had died in the battle. Adoris, who was in high spirits, felt as if a can of cold water had been poured on him. He loved to fight, but at that moment, he experienced the cruelty of war … "
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