Chapter 721
"But I heard that he was the one who led the army to conquer Numibia over the past decade. It seems that he's not a useless person." Kisgo was slightly puzzled.
"Hmph, Numibia has been under the influence of Carthage for decades. How many tribes are willing to submit to Carthage? Moreover, the Numibians have always been in a state of disunity. How could they unite to resist Carthage's army? The Senate can conquer Numibia even if they send a woman as their commander." Hasdrubal said disdainfully, "Uncle said that Montenegro is a glutton who can't bear hardship. I heard that when he was commanding the war in Numibia, he was afraid of the hot weather and never went to the frontline to command. Instead, he hid in his tent and commanded remotely … Hanno's appointment of him as the commander of the army is a joke! Hanno is also an idiot who knows nothing about military affairs! He only sent 40,000 people from this city to fight against Diónia. He thought that by capturing a few towns and winning a few victories, he could make Diónia yield and gain some benefits … He thinks that war is like a business transaction, where you can bargain! "
"Yes, since we've already declared war against Diónia, we should take advantage of the time when Diónia is still weak due to the drought to defeat them!" Kisgo said with a worried expression, "If we don't change our mindset soon, I'm afraid this expedition will …"
"Isn't that good? Hanno's failure is good for us to return to the center of Carthage!" Hasdrubal said with a relaxed expression.
"But … what if Montenegro randomly gives orders to our army?" Kisego was a little worried.
Hasdrubal glanced at him. "Did you forget what Uncle Margo told you? We don't have to listen to Montenegro's command at all. We can control our own army! "
Kisgo thought for a moment and suggested, "In that case … it's best if we can lead the army alone."
"I'll make this request to Montenegro. I'm afraid he doesn't want to stay with us who are always arguing with him and not willing to listen to his orders," Hasdrubal said with a smirk on his face.
At this moment, the watchman on the mast shouted, "We're almost at Sicily!"
Hasdrubal and Kisego's spirits were roused. They hurried to the bow of the ship, gazing at the vague outline of the land in the distance.
Hasdrubal looked excited. "Kisego, let's do something big together!"
… …
"I didn't expect Carthage to send such a commander. He can win the battle without going to the battlefield personally. This is a kind of ability!" The Devers were in a good mood after reading the information about Carthage's army.
"Make a copy of this information about Carthage's army and send it to Prososus immediately. I believe he will make good use of it." Devers separated a portion of the information on the table and handed it to Aristiras.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Aristiras, do you think that Hanno only sent 40,000 soldiers … Oh, including the Iberian army, a total of 60,000 soldiers to Sicily? Does he really think that with just 60,000 soldiers, he can defeat our Diónia and completely occupy Sicily?" The Devers suddenly asked.
Sometimes, when the Devers were thinking about some important national affairs, they would suddenly ask the vassals around them to confirm their own thoughts or broaden their thinking. Aristiras was already prepared for this. He calmly said, "Perhaps Carthage's Hanno has never thought of completely occupying Sicily or completely defeating our Diónia. He only wants to obtain some victories and force us to sign some agreements that are beneficial to them …"
"… Makes sense." The Devers pondered and nodded. After a while, he touched his chin and said in a deep voice, "It's also possible … The people of Carthage don't want to send so many troops at once to increase the pressure on the logistics. Instead, they will wait for the development of the war and increase the number in the future … But no matter what, the ruler of Carthage, Lord Hanno, is good at playing politics, but obviously not as bold as the Magonid Clan. Perhaps in his heart, he doesn't see this war as a decisive battle between Diónia and Carthage at all. This should be a good thing for us … "As the Devers spoke, his voice gradually became softer, and he fell into deep thought again.
Aristiras stood quietly at the side and did not make a sound.
After a while, the Devers looked at him again and said, "At the assembly of the Protectors yesterday, the Protectors from Ujentum, Messagne, and Oudié all mentioned that there are unfamiliar Mesapi people going in and out of the mansions of some of the former Mesapi tribal leaders in the towns and villages. Send someone to investigate."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"It's best to find out who's supporting them! It seems that some people want to take advantage of the war between us and Carthage to create more trouble for us! " The Devers looked ahead with a sharp gaze. In fact, he already had a suspect in his heart.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll do it immediately!" Aristiras looked solemn.
At this moment, a palace guard came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Lord Secorian has arrived."
"Let him in quickly!" The Devers said happily.
Aristiras immediately took his leave.
Secorian, who was already in his forties, still had a slender body and vigorous movements. There was no sign of a fat middle-aged man. He strode into the office and came before the Devers. He quickly and straightforwardly gave a standard military salute. "Your Majesty, I'm here!"
"Look at you. It seems that you can't wait any longer," the Devers joked.
"Isn't that so, Your Majesty! I've been in that small bay in Tarantum for almost ten years. I've almost forgotten how to pilot a warship! "Secorian also joked.
"It seems that I'll have to reconsider changing a naval commander," the Devers said seriously.
"Is there a better naval commander than me in the kingdom?" Secorian immediately replied.
Both of them burst into laughter.
"This time, I'll send you to Sicily to command the First and Third Fleets to fight against Carthage's navy. The commander of the Third Fleet, Flarios, used to be your subordinate, so it'll be easier for you to command him. Do you have any other requests? "the Devers said seriously.
"Can I command the Second Fleet as well?" Secorian made his request without hesitation.
The Devers shook his head. "Midolades's fleet needs to pin down the people of Rome on the West Coast. Besides, after the First Fleet of nearly 60,000 people went to Sicily, most of their food supplies will be provided by the kingdom. You also know that the kingdom has just experienced a drought, and the cities in Southern Italy are short of food supplies. I've prioritized the food delivered from Egypt to your fleet. If you add another 30,000 to 40,000 people, I'm afraid that most of the navy under your command will have to go hungry. "
Currently, there were four fleets in the Kingdom of Diónia. The First Fleet was mainly stationed in Tarantum, the Second Fleet was stationed in Triene, the Third Fleet was stationed in Catanai, and the Fourth Fleet was stationed in Brindisi. As a large number of people were needed to form a fleet, in principle, they were assigned to the nearest fleet. For example, the main force of the First Fleet was stationed in the northwest corner of Tarantum, and the land from there to Metapontum was basically allocated to the sailors and helmsmen of the First Fleet. Some of the sailors came from Tarantum, Metapontum, and Heraclea … Therefore, every time the First Fleet trained, they could bring enough rations and arrive at the base in time.
In addition, the main combat force of the Dionysian fleet was the Raven warship, and the main combat method was to engage in boarding battles, which required a large number of infantrymen to fight on board. During the war in Southern Italy, the infantrymen were completely provided by the army. However, after the establishment of the kingdom, Secorian made a suggestion to the Ministry of Military Affairs. He believed that it would be difficult to coordinate the army's participation in the naval operations every time (because the fleet and the army were not stationed together, and it was impossible to train with every army), and it would be impossible to fully exert the power of the army during the war (because they would be transferred to the fleet from time to time). It would be better to let each fleet be equipped with their own infantrymen, so that they could devote themselves to the fighting at sea and the invasion of the enemy's coastline …
The Ministry of Military Affairs argued about his suggestion. In the end, the report was passed to the Devers, and the Devers readily signed "Agreed". This was because he knew very well that the navy had always been used for attack, and they needed to have their own Marine Corps.
For this reason, the naval base needed enough land to accommodate the sailors and infantrymen of the fleet. Therefore, the Second Fleet was stationed in Triene, where there was the Opimia Plain; the Third Fleet was stationed in Catanai, where there was the fertile Catania Plain; the Fourth Fleet was stationed in Brindisi, and Brindisi itself was a naval base; while the First Fleet was stationed in Tarantum, there was also a sub-fleet stationed in the military port in the southern part of the Sybari Plain. Therefore, the scale of each fleet was quite large, especially the First Fleet, whose numbers completely exceeded the sum of the five army corps. Once they were far away from their base, the consumption of food was huge.
Of course, Secorian knew the pros and cons of this, so he did not insist. He then raised a sensitive question, "When I go to Sicily, who will be in charge of commanding the operations? Will it be me or the newly appointed commander of Sicily, Prososus? "
The Devers stared at him and said solemnly, "In principle, you will be in charge of the navy, and Prososus will be in charge of the army. The navy and the army will work together to defend our territory in Sicily and destroy the invading Carthage army. When you and Prososus discuss the military plan, the governor of Sicily, Cyprolos, will also participate. When the two of you can't come to an agreement, he will make the final decision. Once the plan is established, it must be carried out with full force, without any shirking or delay. "
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