Chapter 888
Therefore, Servius came to Licinius. On the one hand, he wanted to make up for it, and on the other hand, he wanted to shift the blame. However, he did not expect Licinius to be so ruthless and list his mistakes in public. This made Servius extremely angry, but he could not find a reason to refute. His face was red, and he finally roared, "You lowly commoner! Most of the civilians in the army have fled to surrender to the people of Diónia. Are you still here to be a spy?! The dictator should have arrested you a long time ago! You civilians are not trustworthy at all! … "
As soon as this remark came out, the people around him were in an uproar.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Servius immediately left.
"Damn it!" Licinius stared at Servius's back as he left, his face gloomy and terrifying.
… …
The coast from Carthage to Utica, which was more than ten miles long, had now become a huge military camp. Thousands of citizens from Carthage and the Phoenician city-states, indigenous people from the Iberian Peninsula, nomads from Numibia, and even indigenous people from Mauritania and Gaul had gathered here one after another. The races with different appearances wore different costumes and spoke completely different languages. It was very lively, as if this place had become the center of the entire Mediterranean world.
However, for the senators of the Carthage Senate, this huge military camp next to the city of Carthage was a potential terrible threat: many races gathered here. Due to the language barrier, poor communication, different customs, and different interests, there were conflicts every day. The people of Carthage and Phoenicia living outside the city also complained to the Senate from time to time that they were harassed by the indigenous people. Fortunately, Brother Ma led his subordinates around and settled a lot of disputes. In addition, such a huge army would consume a lot of food and salary every day they stayed here …
Therefore, the senators could not wait to send this terrible army to Sicily to harm the people of Diónia, so they sent people every day to urge Brother Mara to lead the army to land in Sicily as soon as possible.
For Mara, he also hoped to land in Sicily as soon as possible. After all, he was busy solving these disputes every day, which gave him a headache. In the long run, the image of the Magonid family in the eyes of the people of Carthage would be ruined because of these unruly mercenaries. However, since the Carthage fleet was destroyed by the storm, new warships were still being built, while Diónia warships often cruised the waters west of Sicily, attacking the merchant ships of Carthage and its allies heading to Sicily, threatening the sea route between Carthage and Sicily. Therefore, without the protection of the fleet, how could Mara dare to let the soldiers take cargo ships, cross the sea, and land in Sicily?
On this day, the Afrika coast that had been sunny and hot finally had a light drizzle, and a strong sea breeze blew. The temperature finally dropped, and the soldiers who had been enduring the scorching heat ran out of their tents to enjoy this rare coolness. Even the Iberian natives took off their clothes and used the rain to wash their bodies. At the same time, they shouted excitedly. Their sturdy bodies and ferocious appearance made it so that no one dared to look at them with contempt.
At this time, Mara also walked out of the central tent and looked at the big flag standing in front of the tent, lost in thought. Under the sea breeze, the flag had been fluttering toward the northeast.
At this time, Annobus walked toward him.
During the battle with the Dionysian fleet, the storm also destroyed the double-headed dragon ship that the commander of the Carthage Navy was on. He was pushed to the coast of Mazara by the turbulent waves and was finally rescued. But he was soon ordered to return to Carthage to be questioned by the Senate, who wanted to hold him accountable for causing the annihilation of the Carthage fleet.
Fortunately, Hanno secretly instructed Tepanrako, Okridon, and other elders to exonerate him, claiming that the Dionysian fleet had more warships and was more powerful. Although Annobus had caused heavy losses to his warships, he had also used the storm to destroy the opponent's fleet, ensuring the safety of Carthage and the western waters of Sicily. His merits outweighed his faults! …
Therefore, not only was he not punished, but he continued to serve as the commander of the Carthage Navy, but now he was just a figurehead.
Of course, this decision of the Carthage Senate took place a few days after the sea battle. If it was now, the elders would not have let Annobus off so easily. After all, the Diónia warships continued to show off their strength in the western waters of Sicily that Carthage used to control, bringing a heavy blow to Carthage's sea trade, making Annobus's previous statement that "the Dionysian fleet was also destroyed" a lie.
So later, the Senate and Mara reached a consensus: Annobus and the Carthage fleet led by him would be under Mara's direct command. This was originally very different from the proposal that "the army would be under Mara's command, and the navy would be under Annobus's command" advocated by Hanno. This showed the anger of the people of Carthage against Annobus.
"Lord Mara!" Arnobus walked closer and bowed respectfully. The criticism and criticism he had suffered during this period of time had made him cautious and cautious.
"What did the Tyrians say?" Mara asked directly.
"The Tyrians … refused to provide escort for our landing fleet …" Annobus said softly, "They also said … they will not accept our command, and will decide the timing and sea area of the attack themselves …"
"We, Carthage, have worked hard to transport gold and silver for them for decades, so that they could live comfortably under the rule of Persia, and in return, this is the answer we get! They brought warships to the western Mediterranean just to put on a show! What use is a motherland like this to us! … "
Brother Margo threw a tantrum, while Anrobas stood quietly on the side and listened.
"Does Hanno know about this?" Mara suddenly asked.
"I have informed the Senate, and the Senate has asked Lord Hanno to send someone to negotiate with the Tyrians …" Annobus answered carefully.
"It seems that the Phoenician Coalition Fleet can't be counted on for the time being!" Mara did not show any frustration on his face. He had obviously received information in advance and expected such a result, so he glanced at Annobus and said, "I called you over to tell you that I have decided to lead the army to land in Sicily tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?!" Annobus was really shocked. He stared at Mara with wide eyes.
Mara also looked at Annobus with an unusually determined expression. Then he raised his head and pointed to the fluttering flag in front of him. "Do you see that? It's the southwest wind! I have questioned many of the old sailors of Carthage and Utica, and all of them have agreed that the same wind and the same rain will come on the morrow! The fast ships I sent out to scout the enemy and the merchant ships that returned to the port all told me that there was no trace of Diónia warships on the route today, so it is very likely that they will not appear tomorrow! "
"But … if the weather is still like this tomorrow, the wind and waves will be strong on the sea, and it will be very difficult to land! Besides, the weather at sea is unpredictable. If we encounter it again … "Annobus's words came to an abrupt halt, but the fear that appeared on his face made it clear what he wanted to say.
"A storm." Margo softly spat out the words that Arnobus wanted to say. Then, with a determined expression, he said, "Since you think so, the Dionians must have the same fear. That's why they didn't send out their warships today. Tomorrow, they will still be holed up in the harbor. That's the best chance for us to land! Without the help of the Tyrians, our army can also land in Sicily without the threat of the Dionysian fleet … Then, we can surprise the Diónia and launch a sudden attack! If we really encounter another storm, it means that Barr Harmon is no longer protecting Carthage. No matter how much effort we put in, it would all be in vain … But this is impossible, because our Carthage is under the protection of Barr Harmon and Tanit. We have already lived here for hundreds of years, and we will continue to live here! "
"But …" Annobus still wanted to persuade him, but Mara had already impatiently waved his hand to stop him. "I did not call you here to listen to your nagging, but to discuss and formulate a landing plan with me as soon as possible, and then inform the cities of Carthage and Utica to make all preparations as soon as possible."
"Alright, Lord Mara, I object to such a risk, but since you insist, I can only listen to your orders." Annobus knew Mara well, and knew that it was useless to persuade him again. He spoke in such a tone, with the intention that if the landing failed, he could also use this as an excuse.
… …
The next day, as expected, it drizzled on the coast where Carthage was located, and a southwest wind blew. It even affected the western part of Sicily.
Usually, in such a weather, the laborers at the port of Lili would be relatively idle, because very few merchant ships would go to sea to trade in such weather. However, due to the ravages of the Diónia warships, only in such weather could the merchant ships of Carthage and the Phoenicians be safe. Yesterday, the port of Lili was relatively busy, and it seemed that the situation would not be bad today, so early in the morning, the port management personnel rushed the laborers to the dock.
Among the laborers in Lili, there were no Carthage people. After all, almost all Carthage people came from wealthy families, and no one would do such laborious and menial work. More than half of the laborers were Numibian slaves, but these Numibians who grew up inland were only suitable for some hard and menial work. As for how to guide the ships to the dock, fix the ships, better load and unload the cargo … some of the more demanding port work, such as guiding the ships to the dock, fixing the ships, and better loading and unloading the goods, needed other races with sailing experience to complete. Therefore, there were some Greek slaves, mixed Phoenician and Greek free people, and even Greek free people among the laborers in Lili. This was the result of the Phoenicians and Greeks living together on this small island for hundreds of years.
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