Chapter 949
Brereu clenched his fists with a slightly gloomy expression.
"Everyone!" The Devers looked around and said with a serious expression, "When we were fighting in Rome, the Carthage army pretended to besiege Salinus with a large number of troops, but secretly defeated the Sikere army with a strategy. They led their elite troops to invade the defenseless rear and easily occupied Agrigento, forcing the Prososus army to retreat. After that, they attacked Jera. With roughly the same number of soldiers, they defeated our Sicilian coalition in a head-on battle. After that, although they went through many bitter battles, they finally conquered the city of Paragonia that we had painstakingly built and retreated to the west in time before our main army arrived.
From the performance of the Carthage army during this period of time, it is a strong and resilient army. Their commander, Margo, is not only decisive and ruthless, but he also does not lack intelligence. Therefore, they will be a strong opponent for us! "
Amyntas, Matonis, Lizaru, and the other high-ranking generals heard this, and their expressions were also solemn, but their eyes were bursting with fighting spirit.
The Devers saw this and felt gratified. He said loudly again, "However, the Carthage army has gone through many bitter battles. Not only are their soldiers tired, but they have also suffered many casualties. They have chosen to retreat to the west to rest and reorganize their troops. They want to reduce the difficulty of food supply, build more defensive facilities, and even take down Salinus … They want to be fully prepared to deal with our upcoming counterattack. However, we will not give them enough time to prepare, so I have decided that all the troops will only rest in Catanai for a day and march to the west the day after tomorrow! "
The generals heard this and immediately became spirited.
"Izam!" The Devers looked at the mountain reconnaissance captain and ordered, "After the end of the meeting, send your men to the south coast and into the central mountains to investigate the movements of the Carthage army and the situation of the Sikere tribe that betrayed us. Report to me at any time."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Lizaru and Epitenis!" The Devers continued to order, "The day after tomorrow morning, both of you will lead the Legio III and the Lucania reserve army to the west into the central mountains and take back Enna! Take back Kaferoytian! Reconquer the Sikere tribe that rebelled against us, then wait for an opportunity to threaten the Sikan people in the west and the flanks of Carthage's army. Wait for my next order. "
The Devers looked at the two of them, paused, and said, "Lizaru will be in charge of commanding the army, and Epicthenis will be assisting him. Any objections?"
Epithenis shrugged. "I have no objections. I will follow Lizaru's orders." It was not a lie that Epithenis agreed so readily. It was because he did not have a strong desire for power. Otherwise, he would not have taken on any administrative duties other than attending Senate meetings after leaving his position as Legion Commander. Instead, he had gained the reputation of being "fond of handsome men" in Turií.
Moreover, the smart Epithenis understood that the Devers' decision was not because he was biased, but because it was reasonable. After all, the Legio III was a regular army, and he was only the temporary commander of the reserve army. Of course, only Lizaru, the commander of the Legio III, could be the commander. Besides, most of the soldiers in these two armies were Lucanians, and they were more willing to follow the command of Lizaru, who was also a Lucanian.
"Your Majesty." Lizaru was not happy about the appointment. Instead, he said, "I have a request."
"Speak."
Lizaru said seriously, "The Legio III and the Lucania reserve army are indeed good at fighting in the mountains, but the biggest problem in fighting in the mountains is the terrain. If the soldiers are not familiar with the terrain, they will easily fail no matter how elite they are. So, I hope that Your Majesty can send us some Sikere people as guides. "
The Devers smiled. "You and I have the same idea, but I will not only send you a few guides."
As he spoke, he turned to Cyprolos, the governor of Sicily, and said, "I heard that when the Carthaginian army invaded our territory, the governor of Hena, Kreylu, performed outstandingly and successfully defended against the Carthaginians?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Kreyru led the Hena garrison to repel the attacks of Carthage's army several times and defended our territory. According to preliminary estimates, at least 2,000 enemies were killed, "Cypross said honestly.
"After the meeting, I hope that you can appoint a Hena governor adjutant to take over his position temporarily. I need him to organize a Sikere army under Lizaru's command and attack the west together."
"I understand. I will arrange it immediately when I get back," Cypross replied.
The Devers smiled and asked, "Lizaru, are you satisfied with my arrangements?"
Lizaru originally only wanted a few guides, but he did not expect the Devers to give him an army. He could not hide the joy on his face and quickly said, "This is great! Thank you, Your Majesty! "
Amyntas and Matonis looked at him enviously. Two legions and a Sikere army, Lizaru must have more than 20,000 soldiers under his command!
The Devers continued, "The day after tomorrow, I will lead the First Legion, Second Legion, Legio IV, Sixth Legion, Rome Reserve Brigade, First, Second, and Fourth Cavalry Legions to the west along the south coast. Our final destination is Serinus. As for the Seventh Legion and Eighth Legion … "
The Devers looked at the commander of Sicily who was not far from him and said, "Prosos will be in command. Your mission is to lead these two legions, as well as the allied armies of Leontini and Taunis, as well as the allied armies of Agrigento, Gela, Minoa, and other allied armies to attack Syracuse!"
This would also be an army of more than 20,000 soldiers! When the generals looked at this rising star of the army with complicated gazes, Leotychides maintained his poker face and only said softly, "Yes."
Even the Devers could not help but look at him again. He then turned to the commander of the Sicilian fleet on his right and said, "Sekerian!"
"It's the navy's turn last," Sekerian said excitedly with a hint of complaint in his voice.
Everyone's expression changed slightly. Perhaps in the Dionysian Army, Sekerian was the only one who dared to speak to the King of Devers in such a tone.
The Devers did not mind and said, "It's precisely because the navy's mission is the most important that we put it last. Let me ask you, how many warships are left in the Sicilian fleet? "
"There are 70 warships that can actually fight. Among them, 23 are raven warships, 19 are fast warships, and the rest are captured Carthage's three-tiered oar warships …" Sekerian answered seriously.
The three fleets that fought against Carthage only had these few warships left, and two high-ranking navy generals had died in battle. It seemed that the navy had suffered the greatest loss in the war against Carthage, and had also exhausted the nation's resources the most! The Devers sighed in his heart, but maintained his composure and said, "Let me tell you a piece of good news. Within a month, the newly built warships will be added to the Sicilian fleet. This will increase the number of warships under your command to at least 300."
Sekerian was not surprised by this news. In fact, ever since he returned, he had been paying attention to the construction of warships in the kingdom.
"Also, it's not just this month. The newly built warships will be added to the Sicilian fleet one after another until the war ends." The Devers' next words finally made Sekerian smile.
However, the Devers' expression became even more solemn, and his voice became even more powerful. "However, as the Sicilian fleet becomes stronger, you will have to shoulder more responsibilities. You have to actively cooperate with the land forces and continue to harass western Sicily. Continue to defeat Carthage's new fleet! After completely controlling the entire Sea of Sicily, he would further obtain the dominance of the sea between Carthage and Sicily. He would cut off Carthage's material transportation route to the west of Sicily, and he might even be able to threaten Carthage's territory in the future! This is my request for the Sicilian fleet. Can you do it?! "
Sekerian felt a sense of pressure at first, but then he became excited and said loudly, "Your Majesty, even if you add another request, for the Sicilian fleet to independently attack the affiliated towns of Carthage or the towns of its allies, the Sicilian fleet will definitely be able to do it!"
Some of the generals present were displeased. What did Sekerian mean by this? Did he want the navy to take away all the work of the army?!
The Devers very much admired Sekerian's confidence. He nodded and continued, "This time, I will lead the army to the west. You will also lead the fleet to escort the ships carrying supplies along the south coast and accompany the land forces to ensure the absolute safety of the ships when they dock, unload supplies, build camps, and so on!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Sekerian replied straightforwardly.
The Devers then turned to look at Cypross on his left and said seriously, "You will be very busy as the governor of Sicily. The number of soldiers participating in this war is unprecedentedly large, which means that the consumption of rations and supplies is equally shocking. Whether they can be collected and transported well, you will need to build an efficient team to ensure the supply of the army in a timely and rapid manner."
"This is my responsibility as the governor of Sicily. Previously, when Commander Prosos was fighting at the front, I led the officers in Catanai to ensure the supply of rations and supplies to the army under his jurisdiction. I have accumulated a lot of experience, and I believe that this time, we will be able to successfully complete the task!" Cypross said confidently, "And I will maintain close contact with the Senate to ensure that the rations and supplies from all over the kingdom will be delivered to Port Catanai in a timely manner …"
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