Chapter 722
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I'm a senator of the Senate after all. I won't act recklessly without considering the bigger picture!"
The Devers also smiled. "With you in charge of the southern sea, I can rest assured! However, after you have complete control of the Sicilian sea, don't completely seal off the sea passage between Carthage and Sicily. "
"Why?" Ceckerian blurted out in surprise.
"Because we need to give Carthage hope. Let them consume their own resources and send the citizens of Carthage to Sicily …" The Devers's eyes flashed with a cold light.
… …
"General, how can you allow Hasdrubal to lead his army to attack the north coast of Sicily alone!" Milefio barged into the main tent and loudly questioned Montt.
Montt did not reprimand Milefio for his rudeness. He shrugged and helplessly asked, "If we don't let him go, what else can we do? Just because he refused to send his troops as the vanguard, he quarreled with me here for three days. This has seriously affected my command of the other troops. Can I punish him with military law?! "
Milefio was speechless for a moment. He immediately realized that Hasdrubal was the most important member of the Magonid family. Punishing him just because of a dispute over a military point of view was not something that Montt, who had an ordinary background and strength, would dare to do. If he really carried out the punishment, it might give Magonid an excuse to withdraw the troops. Montt was afraid to take action for fear of breaking the vanguard.
Milefio said unwillingly, "We can report Hasdrubal's rudeness to the Senate and let them punish him!"
Montt secretly shook his head. Milefio was still too young. The battle has not even started, and he already suggested that I ask for help from the Senate. Wouldn't this make the senators feel that I'm too incompetent? How can I let Hanno be at ease in handing over the command of the army to me?
Thinking of this, he smiled coldly, "Actually, it's a good thing that Hasdrubal is leading his army to attack the north coast. If he attacks with all his might, he can distract the attention of the Dionysian Army and scatter their forces. If he holds back, he will be seen by the Senate and the populace, and will be a disgrace to the Magonid family when compared to our success. I'm sure Brother Ma, who values his family's reputation a lot, would ask Hasdrubal to attack with all his might. "
Millefio thought for a moment and smiled.
"How are the soldiers under your command doing?" Monadeno asked with concern.
"They all thirst for battle!" Milefio answered.
"That's good." Monadeno nodded in satisfaction. It must be known that the Holy Regiment led by Milefio was the main force of Carthage's army. "Go back and get ready. We will soon attack east along the south coast."
"Yes, General!" Milefio said excitedly and left.
After sending off Hanno's son-in-law, Monadeno heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to ask a servant to bring him a jar of wine, a guard came in and reported, "General, the leader of the Sikeres, Arconis, has come to see you again."
"I won't see him!" Monadeno waved his hand impatiently. How could a leader who had lost his people and was fostered like a stray dog in the city of Lili be worthy of seeing him?
Hasdrubal, at the head of his mixed army of twenty thousand, sailed out of Lilibe, and sailed northward, landing at Panormus, a coastal city in the north-west of Sicily.
This was a city founded by the Phoenicians and had always been ruled by the Carthage. Hasdrubal's family's reputation made him very popular. However, the people were surprised to see that there were not many Phoenicians or Carthage citizens in this huge army. Most of them were foreigners dressed in strange clothing, so they refused to let them get close to the city.
Fortunately, the flat land around Panormus was the widest among all the cities on the north coast. Thus, Hasdrubal and Kisego led the army to build a temporary camp outside the city.
Due to the excellent location and environment, Hasdrubal decided to make it the rear base of his army under Kisego's suggestion. He spent a few more days building the camp, stocking up on food supplies, and leaving a small number of soldiers to guard the camp, he led the army eastward.
This time, the army traveled by land. In just over two hours, they reached another Phoenician town, Sorus. Years ago, Dionysius's army and the Carthage's army led by Mago fought fiercely here for months, not because it was a large city, but because it completely blocked the land passage from the mountains to the coast, making it more difficult to attack.
Hasdrubal's army stopped here for a while before continuing on. The road ahead was harder to traverse. On the left was the sea, and on the right was a towering mountain range. The average elevation was about a thousand meters, and the path by the sea was uneven. The narrowest part was less than two miles, and the entire army's speed was slowed down.
Around three o 'clock in the afternoon, they finally walked out of the narrow coastline and onto soft ground. In front of them were low hills.
Hasdrubal was excited. His guide had told him that Himera was just ahead.
Hasdrubal immediately ordered the army to rush to the bank of Himera and set up a temporary camp for the night.
He and Kisego rode fast horses and led the guards to this place, which was of great significance to the Magonid family.
Decades ago, his ancestor Hamilka had led the Carthage army to besiege the largest city on the northern coast of Sicily. In the end, Dillon, the tyrant of Syracuse, arrived with reinforcements and defeated Hamilka's army.
More than ten years ago, Hasdrubal's father, Cimilco, once again led the Carthaginian army to Sicily and conquered the city that brought shame to the Magonid family. Cimilco then built the altar of Baal Hamon and used thousands of captives as a blood sacrifice to appease the spirits of his ancestors and wash away the shame.
By the time Hasdrubal and the others arrived, Himera was no longer in sight. Instead, it was a wasteland overgrown with weeds. Only the river called Himera flowed through the ruins.
On the eastern bank of the Himera there were one or two Greek villages, and the inhabitants of these villages were fleeing eastward with their families in tow.
The guards wanted to chase after them, but Hasdrubal stopped them. "Don't worry, they won't be able to escape!"
He dismounted and paced around the ruins for a while. When the reinforcements arrived at the river, he said to Kisego solemnly, "When I win, I will build an altar here. This time, it's our turn to wash away the shame of our family!"
Kisego nodded solemnly as well.
… … …
The next morning, Hasdrubal gathered his troops and continued their march. He rode at the head of the army.
The Himera River was in front of them, and further east was the territory of the Greeks. If Carthage's army crossed the river, it would be a declaration of war against the Greeks in Sicily.
Without hesitation, Hasdrubal urged his horse to cross the river. This marked the beginning of the war between the two greatest powers in the western Mediterranean, the Kingdom of Diónia and Carthage.
At noon, Carthage's army stopped marching along the coastline. In front of them, a Greek town, Cephaloedum, blocked their way.
Compared to Sorus, Cephaloedum's terrain was more dangerous. The side of the town near the sea was a mountain 300 meters above sea level, while the inland side was a continuous chain of mountains that averaged 400 meters above sea level. The narrowest part of the lowlands in the middle was only 400 meters, and Cephaloedum was guarded by the city.
Seeing that the terrain was dangerous, Hasdrubal immediately ordered his troops to form a dense column in front of the town. (Due to the narrow terrain, they could not spread out directly), stretching for several miles. The bugles were blown, and the war drums thundered. The soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
Then, he sent his men to the city to persuade them to surrender. Otherwise, he threatened to massacre the people in the city, but they refused.
So, Hasdrubal ordered his troops to retreat a mile and set up temporary camps. At the same time, he began to prepare siege weapons.
When Dionysius attacked Carthage's many towns in Sicily, the people of Carthage had suffered a lot with ballistae, crossbows, and siege towers. Over the years, they had been concentrating on research and development. After all, Carthage was a powerful city-state, and its civilization was not inferior to that of Greece. Apart from the complicated process of building super siege weapons, which required more manpower and were difficult to build, they could already build their own siege weapons, such as ballistae and crossbows. They could also use them to help their allies, such as Rome.
The soldiers began to assemble ballistae and crossbows, and cut down trees to make ladders and siege vehicles.
The people of Cephaloedum also sent messengers from the port to Millais, asking for help from Diónia.
The next day, Hasdrubal led his troops to attack Cerrodiem.
The people of the city had already been warned by the people of Diónia half a month ago, and under the guidance of the Diónia, they reinforced the city's defenses. The narrow terrain made it impossible for the Iberian troops to display their advantage in numbers, and they could only attack the western wall, which was beneficial for the people of Cerrodiem.
After a day of fierce fighting, they did not even manage to attack the top of the wall, and the Iberian troops had to retreat.
The next day, Hasdrubal led his troops to attack again, but the siege was still unsuccessful.
It was like this for a few days.
… …
Two days after the Iberian troops left, Monteaderno led the army of Carthage from Lili, marching east along the road of the south coast.
The army reached Mazara in the afternoon.
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