Chapter 913
So, when he heard the news, Hasdrubal's first reaction was, "Oh no, the reinforcements from Diónia are here!"
When he personally ran to the coast and saw the ships full of people leaving the port, he realized that the Diónia coalition army that he had been fighting with for more than 10 days was actually trying to escape!
Hasdrubal immediately rushed back to the camp and gathered his troops.
By the time Carthage's army arrived at the city with the siege weapons, more than an hour had passed. More than half of the Diónia fleet had evacuated. Only about 400 citizens of Jellaa, who volunteered to stay and guard the city so that the others could leave safely (including some elderly who did not want to abandon their homes), fought to the end and successfully ensured the smooth evacuation of more than 30,000 people.
On the way back, the Sicilian fleet looked more powerful (because there were more than 30 Phoenician warships among them), so the Syracuse fleet was nowhere to be seen.
At dusk, the fleet entered the port of Catanai.
Seeing the familiar port and the few people there to welcome them, the soldiers of the Eighth Legion were a little disappointed, but they also felt relieved. For the past few months, they had been fighting outside. They had the glory of the Battle of Minoa, the pride of wreaking havoc in Carthage's Sicilian territory, the sympathy for the destruction of the navy by the storm, and the humiliation of being defeated in the Battle of Jellaa. After all, it was the worsening situation on the battlefield that forced them to come back, which made them feel a little embarrassed to see their families.
Leotychides's ship stopped at a specific port. After he got off the ship, he saw Cypross, the wartime governor of Sicily and the governor of Catanai, coming to welcome him.
"Welcome home, Commander Prososus!" Cypross smiled and saluted.
Leotychides returned the greeting with an indifferent expression and said, "A defeated general, what is there to welcome?"
Cypross stared blankly for a moment, then sincerely consoled him, "Lord Prosous, 'You defeated the Carthaginian army in the Battle of Minoa, defeated the Carthaginian army, captured Serinus, and created chaos in the western part of Sicily controlled by the Carthaginians. You completely disrupted the plans of the Carthaginians, and forced them to postpone their attack on Sicily for a few months. Your performance has exceeded His Majesty's expectations, and you have successfully completed the task that he had given you …' These words were not said by me, but by His Majesty in his letter."
"His Majesty wrote a letter?!" At this time, Leotychides was a little surprised.
"Why would I, the governor of Sicily, lie to you?!" Cypross joked and took out the letter.
Leotychides immediately took the letter and began to read it.
In the letter, the Devers did praise Leotychides and his army for their outstanding performance. At the same time, he also reminded them that the Carthage had launched another large-scale attack on Sicily, and that the Diónia coalition was too deep into the enemy's territory. Not only was it not advisable to fight them head-on, but they also had to retreat at the right time to avoid being ambushed by the Carthage's army. In a disadvantageous situation, they could even give up the friendly city-states on the south coast and defend the territory of the kingdom …
This letter had almost shockingly predicted the development of the war in Sicily during this period. While Leotychides was shocked by the Devers' superb strategic vision, he also had a lot of complaints. Why didn't this letter come earlier?
"Oh, it's a letter from His Majesty!" While Leotychides was still savoring the memory, the letter in his hand was already taken away by Cypross behind him.
"When His Majesty wrote this letter, he didn't know that you were still alive and had returned to the fleet. Otherwise, the letter …" Cypross explained.
"It's better to know later …" Cypross replied casually, but the image of Miltias who had died in battle appeared in his mind. He exhaled and quickly looked down at the letter. "Oh, His Majesty also said that they have occupied Rome and obtained a large area of land in Latin. They have also gained the allegiance of most of the Latin city-states. The remnants of Rome's army have retreated to a few small towns. It will only take a month or two to end the war in Latin. After that, he will lead the army south and rush to Sicily to fight the Carthage's army to the death! He hopes that we can defend against the attack of the Carthage army during this period of time and prevent them from destroying the territory of Sicily … "
Cypross seized the opportunity and said, "In order to complete the task given by His Majesty, we will hold a military meeting later to formulate a new plan to deal with the attack of the Carthage army. I have already informed the commander of the Seventh Legion, Breroux. He is rushing here from the new barracks."
Leotychides's expression changed slightly. "I have no objections."
"Wait for me." Cypross turned around to look for his subordinates. "After the soldiers and civilians disembark, do not wait for me. Immediately return to the naval base in Catania to rest and reorganize. I —"
Cypross interrupted him. "Lord Cypross, before you let the fleet return to the base, please let them assemble on the shore and take a tour around the city of Catania. Lord Leotychides, the soldiers of the Eighth Legion and the Fourth Cavalry Legion, please also line up and enter the city. "
"What do you mean?" Cypross was a little puzzled.
Leotychides also looked at Cypross in confusion.
"Although the war is far from over, the people of Katanai are already waiting in the city, ready to warmly welcome the returning soldiers and sailors to thank them for fighting bravely for the past few months and ensuring the safety of our home!" Xipross explained solemnly. "Although the war is far from over, the people of Katanai are already waiting in the city, preparing to warmly welcome the returning soldiers and sailors to thank them for fighting bravely for the past few months and ensuring the safety of our home!"
Upon hearing this, Cypross and Leotychides looked at each other. Be it the Eighth Legion, the Fourth Cavalry Legion, or the Second Fleet of the Sicilian Fleet, more than half of the soldiers and crew were from Catania. Since the beginning of the war, there had been a lot of casualties, especially for the fleet, which had even lost two commanders. So the crew was a little afraid to see the people of Catania, afraid to hear the cries of the people who had lost their loved ones. But Cypross had organized such a simple triumphal return, which was undoubtedly a good opportunity to boost the morale of the soldiers and crew who had been defeated and forced to return home.
So Leotychides said coldly, "I will gather the soldiers and let them line up into the city, but I will not participate."
"Me too." Cypross thought of something and turned back to point at the people who were disembarking from the ship in the distance. "Don't forget about them."
Cypross understood what he meant. These refugees from Minoa, Gela, and Agrigento had lost their homes and loved ones, and were crying in pain and at a loss. But Katanai was cheering for the return of the soldiers. What would they think of him?
Cypross said unhurriedly, "Don't worry. I have sent officials to take care of them. They will not be allowed to enter the city for the time being."
… …
In the evening, five people were sitting in the executive meeting room of Catania's city hall. They were Cypross, the Governor of Sicily; Leotychides, the Commander of Sicily; Cypross, the Commander of the Sicilian Fleet; Brereu, the Commander of the Seventh Legion; and Asitemis, the Commander of the Fourth Cavalry Legion.
In fact, Brereu had already arrived at Catania, but he did not go to the port with Cypross to greet him, so Cypross had to make up a white lie.
But after meeting Leotizides, Breroux still expressed his admiration for the battles that Leotizides had carried out during this period of time. His tone was also more appropriate, but he didn't mention anything about "the 7th Legion coming to Sicily will have to listen to Leotizides' command" or anything like that.
Cypross coughed a few times, glanced at the other four, and said, "My lords, you have all read His Majesty's letter. How to resist the attack of Carthage's army in the next one or two months and prevent them from causing damage to the territory of Sicily, in order to welcome the arrival of His Majesty's army to counterattack and encircle Carthage is the problem we will discuss today … Everyone, please share your opinions first."
"I don't have any suggestions now." Brereu took over the conversation, but said humbly, "Because according to the principles of the 'Military Law of Diónia', we must understand the specific situation of the battlefield in order to make the right battle plan. Our Seventh Legion has just arrived at Catania and is completely unaware of the situation here. Lord Prososus has been in Sicily for so many years, and led the army to fight against Carthage for a few months, so he must have a very deep understanding of the army of Carthage. Can you please give us a detailed introduction of the situation first? "
Cypross frowned slightly. Although Brereu spoke very politely, this politeness showed a kind of equality between the two, but the reality was that according to the orders of the King of Devers and the Ministry of Military Affairs, Brereu led the Seventh Legion to Sicily to be under the command of Leotychides, and they were in a superior and subordinate relationship.
Leotychides's originally expressionless face did not show any abnormality. He said very straightforwardly, "These few days, I have seriously thought about the battle experience with Carthage during this period of time, and made some analysis and summary. Just in time for you to listen, so that you will not be at a disadvantage in the future battles."
Leotychides stood up, looked at Brereu, and said seriously, "In these few months, Carthage has sent two armies to attack Sicily, and in terms of combat power, the first army and the second army are completely different.
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