Chapter 710
At this moment, Felicius strode into the hall and nodded to everyone with a smile. He then politely declined Cypross's offer of the main seat and stood beside him.
Myron could not help but frown at this.
Felicius looked around at the crowd and said humbly, "Before I came, His Majesty had solemnly told me, 'You can only bring your eyes and ears when you go to Sicily!' So, I'm not here to supervise you, nor will I interfere with any of your arrangements. If you have any needs or suggestions, you can pass them on to His Majesty and the Senate through me.
But before you start the meeting, I have two important appointments signed by His Majesty and the Senate! " Felicius's expression became serious as he said this. He raised a papyrus scroll tied with a black rope in his right hand.
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on it. Only Cypross and Leotychides remained calm, because they already knew the contents.
Felicius unrolled the papyrus scroll and read aloud, "In view of the possibility of Carthage launching a large-scale attack on Sicily, in order to better concentrate all the forces of the cities of Sicily and the allied states, provide logistical assistance and support to the combat forces more effectively and quickly, and better coordinate the defense of the cities, after discussion with the Senate, I have decided to appoint Cypross as the wartime governor of the Kingdom of Diónia in Sicily, as well as the governor of Carthage. He will be responsible for all administrative affairs in Sicily, and actively cooperate with the combat forces in the war against Carthage. I hope that the governors of the cities of Sicily will obey the governor's orders. His name will be — King of Devers! "
As soon as Felicius finished reading, there was a slight sigh and breathing in the hall. A wartime governor! This was a top official position that was far more powerful than the governor. Since the founding of Diónia, this was only the second time such a position had appeared, which showed how precious it was. The previous wartime governor, Cydorum, was already one of the five rotating presidents of the Senate, and often participated in important meetings in the palace.
Everyone looked at Cypross enviously, while Felicius handed the letter of appointment to Myron, who was on Cypross's right, and asked him to pass it down to verify its authenticity.
Myron glanced at the papyrus roll with mixed feelings. The two seals of the King of Devers and the Senate were clearly reflected in his eyes. Although there was jealousy in his heart, he had to admit that Cypross had a greater advantage in becoming a wartime governor compared to himself. After all, Catanai, which he was in charge of, had far exceeded the other towns in Sicily in terms of population and land. Catanai had replaced Syracuse as the largest city in Sicily. Moreover, Cypross had been in Sicily for almost seven years and was more familiar with the situation here than he was.
After all, Myron had fought side by side with Cypross, and they had a good relationship. After he took office in Naxos, he even received a lot of help from Cypross, so he sighed and said softly, "I have no objection."
Even the governor of the second largest city of Diónia in Sicily, Milón, who had outstanding qualifications and achievements, said so, so no one else would object.
Felicius took out another papyrus roll.
Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up again. Who would it be this time?! What position would it be?!
"I hereby appoint Prososus, the Commander of the Eighth Legion, as the Commander of Sicily. He will be responsible for commanding all the land troops of Diónia and their allies in Sicily to fight against the Carthage people. Signed — Devers. "
The content of this appointment was very short. That was because this was a military appointment, and the Devers could make the decision directly without going through the Senate. Moreover, there was only one senior army general in Sicily, Prososus, and other administrative officials would not argue with him. So, the Devers did not need to explain in detail.
Therefore, after listening to this, there was no unusual emotion, only a slight disappointment. The appointment was over just like that?
When Felicius finished reading, he turned his head to look at Leotychides. He was the first senior general to be appointed as a commander, but the failure at the Battle of Ramato River cast a shadow over his military career. In the face of the latecomer, there was only hope and encouragement in his eyes. "Congratulations, Commander Prososus! I hope that you will win the war in Sicily under the protection of the Hades! "
Prososus nodded to express his gratitude and took the letter of appointment. His face was still expressionless, but his heart was surging. After staying in Diónia for more than ten years, he had finally become a regional commander. This was the highest position in the Dionysian Army (the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief could only be held by the King of Devers), and he could command tens of thousands of soldiers in battle. He was no less than a king of Sparta!
"Thank you, Your Majesty and the Senate for your trust in me! Now, with Carthage tearing up the friendly agreement, Sicily is not only the territory of Diónia, but also the other Greek city-states will suffer a great crisis! I hope that I can get the full help of all of you and your friendly city-states to assist Commander Prososus in thwarting the ambition of the Carthage to encroach on Sicily! " The newly appointed wartime governor, Cypross, made his announcement with great emotion. "Next, I would like to invite Commander Prososus to analyze the military situation before the war."
Leotychides immediately stood up and walked to the large map of Sicily that had long been hung on the wall. He picked up a slender wooden stick by the wall and said, "Everyone, according to the analysis of the Ministry of Military Affairs, according to the current national strength of Carthage, it can send at least 100,000 troops. If we include the troops in the hands of Governor Margo in the Iberian Peninsula, it can send at least 150,000 troops to Sicily —"
150,000 troops?! Everyone present, including Myron, could not help but be stunned.
"Of course, although the Carthage army has a large number of troops, the combat effectiveness of their soldiers is far inferior to our legions. I am afraid that more than half of their soldiers are Numibians, Mauritanians, Iberians, and mercenaries from other places …" Leotychides continued, "I think that it is impossible for Carthage to send so many troops at once. At most, it will not exceed 100,000 troops!"
This number was the conclusion that Leotychides came up with based on the previous two wars between Carthage and Dionysius' Syracuse. He pointed at the western end of Sicily on the map with a wooden stick. "The Carthage army is likely to land in Lili or Eryx. They have two routes of attack. One is along the northern coastline of Sicily, marching to Messina. There are not many Greek city-states along this route, and none of them are strong. However, the northern mountains and forests are dense, and the coastline is narrow, making it impossible for Carthage to deploy their forces. Back then, when Dionysius had a great military advantage, it took him a long time to attack Carthage along the northern coastline. Therefore, I think that the northern coastline will not be the main direction of attack for Carthage.
The other route of attack is along the southern coastline of Sicily. The terrain here is relatively flat, and it can accommodate the spread of the army. In the past, this has been the main route of attack for Carthage and Syracuse. I think this time will not be an exception. "
Leotychides said with certainty. He pointed at the map with the wooden stick in his hand. "Minoa, Agrigento, Gela, Kamalina … Although there are many Greek city-states along the southern coastline, and they are relatively strong, I don't think they can withstand the attack of Syracuse's army for a long time, and I don't plan to send reinforcements to these city-states."
As soon as this was said, there were whispers in the hall.
The chief administrator of Messina, Amicles, raised an objection. "Although these Greek city-states have not formed an alliance with Diónia on the surface, they have always maintained friendly relations with our kingdom, and trade is frequent. They have also actively cooperated with some of our operations in Sicily, such as targeting the Sikere people and isolating Syracuse … Therefore, they can be considered as a de facto alliance. Once the war breaks out, they will definitely seek help from Diónia. According to the tradition of the kingdom, how can we just sit back and do nothing? "
Amicles' words echoed the thoughts of the chief administrators. After all, they had a good relationship with the higher-ups of the Greek city-states during their time in office.
Leotychides was unmoved. He said coldly, "Since there is no alliance agreement, there is no violation of it. We don't have a lot of troops in Sicily. There are only about 20,000 soldiers in the Eighth Legion, including the reserve soldiers. If we carry out an emergency mobilization, the number of soldiers can be increased to about 50,000. However, if we do that, almost all the young men in the Kingdom's territory in Sicily will be mobilized, which will seriously affect the upcoming winter sowing and the daily order of the entire region. I don't think this is what the administrators and His Majesty want to see!
Moreover, even if we gather so many soldiers and send reinforcements to Gela or Agrigento, it will easily lead to a stalemate with Syracuse's army. On one hand, can the cities in Sicily bear the pressure of the food supply caused by the long stalemate? On the other hand, if the food supply line is stretched and the military strength in the territory is empty, it will be a disaster for the troops we send out and the cities in the territory if we encounter a surprise attack from the enemy! "
Everyone was moved by Leotychides's heavy tone. What attracted their attention was that the wooden stick in Leotychides's hand was pointing at a city icon on the map — Syracuse.
"Syracuse is the only city-state in Sicily that doesn't have any dealings with us. However, it is not weak and occupies an important strategic position in the east. A few days ago, it did not respond to the messenger we sent to request an alliance. It is obvious that it has a grudge against Diónia. According to the information we received, Carthage's men have been seen in the Syracuse port area. This has aroused our vigilance! We must be careful that Syracuse will become the Tarantum of the Southern Italian War! "
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