Chapter 934
However, in the Senate of Carthage, the atmosphere in the hall was not as relaxed as the people had imagined. Instead, it was very solemn.
In the Carthage Sufet election that had just ended in October, Orkton was once again re-elected. However, standing in the middle of the Senate hall, he did not feel the joy of victory. Instead, he said to the crowd with a solemn expression, "Senators, I believe you have received the news. Our Phoenician allies in Sardinia, Albia, Saros, Saint Iberia, and Kalaris, have sent messengers to us to ask for help. Our judges stationed in Sardinia have also sent back detailed news. The people of Diónia, who are as greedy as hungry wolves, have set their eyes on Sardinia after conquering Alenia in Corsica.
They have sent a fleet to patrol the waters of Sardinia, and they have also frequently landed on the coasts near the towns on the island. They have sent troops to attack villages, destroy mines, and even incite the slaves and start riots … Now the situation in Sardinia is becoming chaotic, and the people of the allies are also panicking. As the leader of the Phoenician city-states in Sardinia, we, the Carthage, cannot see them in trouble. Senators, please give your opinion on whether we should send reinforcements immediately or not. "
"Isn't that obvious?" Esyaruba, the leader of the neutral faction, stood up and said solemnly, "The most important source of income for the treasury of the Carthage is the trade of precious metals. Sardinia and Corsica are one of the important sources of the precious metals trade for the Carthage, not to mention that Sardinia is also one of the important sources of business income for the merchants of the Carthage. Therefore, not only must we immediately send troops to rescue Sardinia, we must also recapture Alenia in Corsica."
Esyaruba had a high prestige in the Senate. In addition, Sardinia was indeed related to the fundamental interests of the Carthage, so his speech was echoed by many senators.
"Elders, there is already a Phoenician army of tens of thousands on the island of Sardinia. The Diónia do not dare to fight against them. However, the cunning Diónia always use warships to avoid their encampments and attack the defenseless areas.
Therefore, considering that the battle in Sicily is going on and that we are short of soldiers, we don't have to send troops to Sardinia, but we have to send a fleet to repel the Dionysian fleet that is constantly attacking Sardinia in order to ensure the safety of Sardinia. After defeating the Dionysian fleet, we will transport some of our soldiers and the Sardinian army to Corsica to take back Alenia. "
Many of the elders felt that Taipanrac's words made sense, but there were also people who raised their doubts. "Previously, our fleet had already been destroyed by the storm. How is the progress of the new fleet that has been under construction? Are we ready to go to sea to fight? "
"I think it's more appropriate for our commander to answer this question," Okridon said to Annobus, who was sitting at the back of the meeting room.
These days, Annobus had been busy between the ports of the various Phoenician states in Africana. He had only rushed back to attend this Senate meeting after receiving a message from Hanno. At this moment, he stood up and said loudly, "My lords, ever since the Senate issued the decision in June to the Carthage and the various states to build warships with all their might, all the shipyards in Carthage and the various Phoenician states in Africana have been speeding up the construction of warships. From what I know now, there are 195 three-decker warships that have been built. They are currently being manned and ready for sea trials."
"How long will it take before they can go to sea to fight?" an elder asked impatiently.
"Generally speaking, it will take at least three months for a new fleet to have the ability to go to sea to fight." When Annobus said this, he saw the disappointment on the faces of many of the elders present. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "However, the situation now is rather special. Because that storm destroyed our warships, it left behind a large number of experienced sailors. They only need 10 to 15 days to familiarize themselves with the new ships, then they can form a fleet and go to sea to fight."
"That's great!" The faces of the elders were filled with joy. Some even shouted out loud. During this period of time, due to the threat of the Diónia warships in the northern seas, Carthage's people were trembling with fear even when they were sailing out to sea. They had never felt so aggrieved before.
"15 days is too long. Our allies can't wait that long. I suggest at least seven days! Within seven days, Lord Annobus, please form a fleet as soon as possible, head to Sardinia, protect its waters, and repel the Dionysian fleet's invasion of Sardinia. Then return safely and protect the safety of Carthage and Sicily. "Okridon asked with a serious expression," Lord Annobus, can you do it? "
In fact, Okridon had already discussed it with Annobus beforehand. Annobus even put on a look of deep thought. After a while, he nodded solemnly. "I will do my best!"
"Alright, my lords, now let's reinforce Sardinia …" Before Okridon could finish, Pretacuba loudly interrupted him. "Wait a minute! The newly built fleet should not be sent to Sardinia first, but to Sicily! Sardinia has more than 10,000 Phoenician soldiers guarding it. The Diónia only dared to harass them, but they did not dare to directly attack the cities on the island. Their safety was actually guaranteed, and the situation was not as serious as they made it out to be.
Now, the most important issue that concerns the survival of our Carthage is not Sardinia, but Sicily! The 100,000 troops led by Lord Margo have already invaded Diónia's territory in Sicily and are engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. But the problem now is that because we do not have the advantage of the sea, food and supplies can only be transported by land. Due to the long distance and uneven terrain, we need a lot of labor. Not only has it increased the consumption of food, but we have also been attacked by the Dionysian fleet from the sea several times.
Moreover, the main force of our army is far away in the east of Sicily, and the rear defense is relatively empty. The Diónia soldiers have circled to the west by ship many times and landed on the shore to harass us, threatening the safety of our territory and allies in Sicily. They have already sent messengers here to ask for help before. Why are we only discussing Sardinia today? I propose that the newly built fleet must be sent to the Sicilian sea immediately to regain our maritime advantage and ensure that the army led by Lord Margo can smoothly drive the Diónia out of Sicily!
Due to Margo's achievements in Sicily, Pretacuba was once again elected as Sophie this time, which also greatly increased the weight of his words in the Senate. For a time, there was a lot of discussion in the meeting room, but no one clearly expressed opposition.
At this time, Tepanlaco asked loudly, "If the new fleet is sent to Sicily, when will Sardinia's request for reinforcements be resolved?"
Pretacuba glanced at him and said, "At least wait until Lord Margo leads the army to drive the Diónia out of Sicily, then consider this issue."
Tepanlaco sneered and said with a slight sarcasm, "Lord Margo has led 100,000 troops, with the assistance of Syracuse, but so far, he has not been able to take down a small village in Diónia. Most of the soldiers are still blocked on the periphery of the Catania Plain. How long will it take to wait for him to capture Catania and Naxos? By that time, I am afraid all the mines in Sardinia will be in ruins! "
Pretacuba immediately retorted, "The reason why our army's attack is slow now is precisely because the transportation of rations is dragging us down, so it should be even more …"
"Our fleet must go to Sardinia first!" A younger senator suddenly stood up and interrupted him loudly.
Pretacuba took a closer look and saw that it was El Akra, a new elite of the neutral faction. His heart suddenly tightened, and he suddenly felt a little uneasy.
"Lord Pretacuba, you have just been emphasizing the importance of Sicily and requesting to put the new fleet in Sicily, but do you know how this fleet came about?!" El Akra waved his hand excitedly and said, "A large amount of wood was cut from the Iberian Peninsula and transported by ship to the ports of Carthage and other Phoenician cities. Then, all the shipyards started and accelerated the construction. Do you know the most important reason why so many warships can be built in just a few months?!
It's money! Back then, you said at the Senate meeting, 'Although your Magonid family controls the southern part of Iberia, in order to get the local natives to agree to us safely cut down a large number of trees, we have to make some concessions.' In the end, you persuaded the Senate to pass the resolution. Carthage has to allocate a portion of the national treasury's income to support Iberia every month in order to obtain ship wood!
Although we, Carthage, have high prestige and the various Phoenician allies are very cooperative, those shipyard owners and craftsmen stop other businesses and build warships for us every day. Is it free? Of course not! Even if they are willing, we, Carthage people, will not ruin our reputation! We have paid a large amount of gold and silver to ensure the quality of the construction and to ensure that they will continue to build warships for us.
What about after the fleet is established? Hiring sailors requires money! Providing rations requires money! Money was needed to supply the entire Carthaginian army with rations and supplies. Lord Pretacuba, please tell me, where does this money come from?! "
After hearing this, Pretacuba temporarily remained silent. As a senator of the Senate and the newly re-elected Sophie, he certainly could not lie with his eyes open and let others laugh at him.
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