Chapter 968
Printos nodded at him with a smile.
Alexis also smiled back.
At this time, she heard Devers say, "I was a little tempted by this proposal at first, but I gave it up in the end. Why? Because according to the intelligence, the western mountains of Sicily with Kefaloition as the center are higher and more complex than the eastern mountains. For our Diónia's heavy infantry as the main force, it will be more difficult to fight and march, and because of the distance from Catanai, the transportation of supplies is a big problem.
In addition, you should know that there are more than 40,000 Iberian troops in the Carthage army. These soldiers are either from the mountain races of Iberia, or they have followed Carthage's generals for many years in Iberia, so they have very strong fighting strength in the mountains. More importantly, the current Carthage military commander Margo became the governor of Iberia 10 years ago and fought in the wild mountains for 10 years, so he has more experience in mountain warfare.
If we were to engage in a battle with the Carthaginians in the mountains, although we would be able to avoid the Carthaginian cavalry, the outcome would still be unpredictable. Since we already have the absolute advantage in terms of strategy, there is no need to take the risk of engaging in a large-scale battle in the mountains. You must know that it is very likely to decide the fate of the Kingdom! "
Devers's cautious words made Alexis, Olivers, and the others fall into deep thought, and also made Amyntas, Matonis, and the others feel puzzled. What absolute advantage do we have?
"Of course it's the navy! Our fleet has an absolute advantage! "Sykerian said loudly and confidently.
"Sykerian is right, our advantage is in the navy!" Devers said firmly, and then took out a papyrus scroll. "At the beginning of the banquet, I received a battle report from the Third Fleet. They defeated the new Carthage fleet in Sardinia two days ago!"
Hearing this news, everyone felt happy. Sykerian rushed forward and took the battle report. After quickly reading it, he couldn't help but praise, "Good Midolades! In the crisis of being attacked by the enemy's superior warships, the Carthage suffered a crushing defeat! "
As the generals looked at each other, Devers said in a low voice, "The Carthage army has more than 100,000 people gathered on Sicily, and the military food consumption is very large every day. Their colonial cities and Phoenician allies on Sicily can't meet their military food supply. Moreover, Prososus destroyed the cities' farmland and cut their wheat. They even have difficulties in survival, so Carthage can only collect food from the Afrika continent and meet the daily needs of this huge army by sea —"
"Your Majesty is right! As long as the Sicilian fleet completely cuts off the sea transportation between Carthage and Sicily, we don't even need to fight them head-on. No matter how many Carthage soldiers there are, they can only starve to death on this island! "Sykerian interrupted loudly.
Devers didn't take it seriously. Instead, he said to him with a serious expression, "So next … after the Sicilian fleet receives the replenishment of the newly built warships, I request the Sicilian fleet to strengthen the blockade on the west of Sicily and intercept all the ships coming and going!
This task isn't easy to accomplish. Although our navy has the advantage, for the sake of victory in this war and the lives of more than 100,000 Carthage soldiers, Carthage will definitely do everything possible to open up the sea route. The Sicilian fleet will definitely be attacked by Carthage from the sea! Sykerian, can you complete this task?! "
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will make sure that Carthage's fleet doesn't return!" Sykerian replied confidently.
"I believe you can do it!" Devers encouraged him, then reminded him softly, "But I hope you can be more cautious. Don't let the fleet be destroyed by the storm again."
"Yes …" Sykerian replied with his head lowered.
"Your Majesty!" Amyntas asked anxiously, "According to your plan, does it mean that we don't need to take the initiative to attack?!"
"Yes!" Devers's resolute answer made Amyntas, Matonis, Olivers, and the other high-ranking generals show more or less disappointment on their faces.
Devers took in their expressions, then looked at the silent Alexis and asked, "Alexis, what do you think?"
Alexis looked around and said in a heavy voice, "Your Majesty, this war has been going on for more than a year. The soldiers first fought hard in the north, and now they have come to the south. They haven't been able to rest and reorganize, and they have paid a considerable amount of casualties. As far as I know, almost all the people in the Turís region wear the black veil …
Now we are going to fight against the stronger Carthage. I originally thought that the casualties would be higher than before, but Your Majesty's strategy can not only reduce the casualties of our soldiers, but also allow us to obtain the final victory. This is where Your Majesty's military strength is far superior to ours! "Alexis praised sincerely.
Devers heard this and felt a little ashamed. In fact, before the banquet, he more or less had the idea of waiting for all the troops to gather and find an opportunity to fight against the Carthage army. This might be the ambition of every commander with a large number of troops. But the victory report of the Third Fleet made him happy, and he also realized the absolute advantage that the navy had, so he was determined to carry out the other plan in his heart to the end.
At this moment, he coughed lightly and said, "Alexis said very well. The purpose of war is to protect the interests of the kingdom, not to pursue the pleasure of killing. We must do our best to ensure that the soldiers who trust us wholeheartedly and fight for the kingdom can return home safely."
Devers' eyes swept across the faces of Amyntas, Matonis, and the others, and continued, "Our army won't take the initiative to attack, but it doesn't mean that we can relax our vigilance. In order to survive, the Carthage army will very likely take the initiative to attack us. For this reason, we must speed up the construction of the camp, build more defense facilities, and give our soldiers an absolute advantage in defense.
In addition, even if the Carthage army on Sicily is defeated, I'm afraid this war will not end immediately. You must prepare to march to Africa, to the south of Iberia, so during this period, you must do your best to maintain the morale of the soldiers. You must not let them slack off, and you must strengthen the training of the Rome soldiers, Sammonae soldiers, and Potentia soldiers, so that they are familiar with our flag, orders, and tactics as soon as possible, which will be beneficial for future battles. "
The Devers' words lifted the spirits of the generals, so when Devers asked again, "Do you have any other opinions?", everyone agreed to carry out the plan drawn up by Devers.
Seeing that everyone had a unified understanding, Devers smiled and said, "There is another advantage for us in carrying out this plan. We can use fewer troops to defend against the attack of Carthage's larger forces, and depending on the development of the battle, we can divide some soldiers to support Serinus, Enna, or Prososus, or even attack the empty rear of the Carthage army.
Everyone, because of the advantage of the sea route, we seem to be in a passive defense, but in fact, we have the initiative. The Carthage army will be defeated by us! "
… …
On the west bank of the Pletani River, in the camp built by the Carthage army, Margo's angry roar came from the central tent. "Damn you, Anrobas, you idiot! … "
Pomilka, who had rushed over after hearing the news, walked into the tent and saw Margo draw his sword and slash at the table.
"What happened?" Pomilka asked softly.
"Look, this is the naval general you all trust, the one who claims to be the most capable in Carthage!" Margo angrily threw a papyrus scroll on the table at him.
Pomilka picked it up, and after reading it, his expression changed drastically. He asked in shock, "Is this true?"
"This was written by a member of the Magonid Family who was the captain of the newly formed fleet. Of course it's true!" Margo held his shining sword and sat back on the wooden chair, staring at Pomilka angrily. "Anrobas was incompetent and misplaced the fleet, causing the fleet to suffer a crushing defeat and causing Ademica's whereabouts to be unknown! According to this member of my family, after they escaped back to the port of Saros, Anrobas even reprimanded them, threatening them not to reveal the whole process of the naval battle. Obviously, he wanted to escape punishment!
He's delusional! I'm going to write a letter to the Senate, explaining the truth of the naval battle, and request that he be escorted back to Carthage for trial and punishment! You and I will sign together! "
"This …"
Pomilka showed a look of hesitation, but Margo snorted heavily. "You're not willing?!"
"The new fleet suffered a defeat when it had the upper hand. Anrobas should have been interrogated by the Senate. I'm willing to sign with you," Pomilka said with a worried expression. "But now is the time of war. If the commander of the navy is suddenly replaced, I'm afraid it will have a great impact on the entire fleet …"
Margo sneered. "In my opinion, replacing him will be of great help to the navy! Let me ask you, since he became the commander of the navy, has our fleet, which dominated the western Mediterranean, ever won a victory?! "
Pomilka was speechless, because that was the truth. Since the start of the war, the Carthage fleet had been defeated in every battle. Now, they could only hide in the port, not daring to compete with the Dionysian fleet.
"After the fleet was destroyed by the storm, Anrobas shouldn't have continued to be the commander of the navy, and the new fleet that was built with great difficulty shouldn't have been sent to Sardinia. It's all because of Hanno's selfishness that Carthage has paid such a high price! This can't go on anymore! This can't go on anymore! Otherwise, once the entire sea is controlled by the Dionysian fleet, our army will be finished! "Margo pounded the table.
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