Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 379: The choice of the Hanois

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Clotokatax scratched his head with his hand, showing a rare childish expression: "Say that I behaved well, but pay attention to safety...Because my father has also replied to me."

Asistes smiled heartily and said: "You rushed to find me just now. I didn't even have time for dinner. It just happens that today is the first day of the new year. You will be with me. Dinner is ready, and then we eat while discussing how to hold a fishing competition tomorrow. I decided that you will be responsible for organizing this matter."

"Me?" Cloto Kataks was a little surprised.

"No confidence?" Asistes looked at him with a smile.

"No problem!" Croto Kataks responded immediately.

………………………………………

Dionia’s two newly added negotiation conditions shocked Okriton. He didn’t dare to continue the negotiations. He shied away and said that the matter needed to be discussed and decided by the Senate, and returned to Carthage by boat without stopping for a while. , But did not immediately report the matter to the Senate, but first informed Hanno.

That night, several important Hanno veterans including Tepan Laco all rushed to the Hanno mansion one after another.

When Okriton repeated his negotiations with the Dionians in Sicily, the expressions on everyone's faces became serious.

"Master Hanno, the Dionians proposed such harsh negotiation conditions. This is a provocation to us, and we absolutely cannot agree to it! If the Dionians forcefully persecute, we will stop the negotiations!" It was Delevika. He was the most active supporter of Hanno’s "inland expansion policy". Of course, he also received a friendly rebate from Hanno, making his family in Theveste (theveste, East Namibia). A town in, inland south of Carthage, occupies a large area of ​​land near it.

"If we don’t negotiate, then the Dionians can continue to wipe out our remaining troops in Sicily, take the entire western part of Sicily as their own, and then regroup their troops and land in Africa in a large scale to attack us in Carthage. …It’s not that we want to negotiate, but that the enemy is strong and we are weak. The situation is grim, forcing us to have to negotiate!" Summers said with a gloomy sigh. He is the most military-savvy Hannoist since Monte Adler. Man, now led by thousands of Carthage citizen soldiers, is stationed in the territory of East Numibia, suppressing the rebellion and stabilizing the order. This time he was specifically called back, which shows that Hanno attaches great importance to him.

"The Dionians want Corsica, Sardinia, Western Sicily! Now they want southern Iberia, and they want us to return the land in Numibia!... If we all agree Is it enough to satisfy the Dionians?! No, our weakness will only encourage their greed. They will not only add new negotiation conditions, but will even send a large army to Africa to threaten us in Carthage! Since the situation is already so bad, why don't we become tougher, it will make the Dionians scruples!" Delevika retorted.

Hanno listened to the debate between the two and did not make a statement. He turned to ask, "Teppanlaco, what's your opinion?"

Tepan Laco said in a deep thought, "The key question now is that we must first determine if the Dionians really want to negotiate with us? If so, then we will try our best to negotiate with them. To deal with it, in order to finally obtain a truce agreement that is not bad for us; if not, then we must prepare for war and prepare to defend the invasion of Africa by the Dionian army!"

After listening, Hanno looked at Okriton: "You and the Dionians have been negotiating for a while. In your judgment, do the Dionians want to negotiate? Or do they not want to negotiate?"

The weight of this question was very heavy. Okriton did not answer immediately. He pondered for a while before he said: "During the time I negotiated with the Dionians, it was only at the very beginning. I met their king at that time, and his attitude towards me was fairly friendly. After that, I asked to see him again several times, but I was rejected. I don’t think this is because his anger towards us at Carthage is increasing. It was precisely because he wanted to negotiate with Carthage, and worried that under my begging, he would make a decision and interfere with the plan of the Envoy of Dionia.

Secondly, I deliberately angered Dionia’s negotiators several times, and threatened to stop negotiations and let the Carthaginians prepare for war and fight Dionia to the end! "But when I appeared in the negotiation room again on the second day, Dionia’s negotiating officer was still waiting there, and although he said something mocking, he let the negotiation go on. According to my observation, the official was a very proud person, but he was able to endure it this way, which just shows that they have expectations for the negotiation.

However, it is understandable that the Dionians want to get more in the negotiation, just as we want to pay less in the negotiation. So in the negotiation, we are all watching the development of the war, but unfortunately Margo failed. The Dionians have a greater advantage. Of course, they want to get more.

Furthermore, in my conversations with the Dionian negotiators, I discovered that the Dionians did not pay a great price for defeating Margo’s army this time... I have carefully observed the Dio Niah soldiers, all of them are arrogant and can't see the slightest look of languid war..."

The expressions of several people in the room changed drastically.

After a while, Tepanlaco looked reluctantly relieved and said: "...Maybe they pretended to be on purpose, acted for you, and then pressured you."

"Stupid Margo! He is a sinner of Carthage!" Delevika cursed angrily.

Hanno, who is usually incompatible with the Magonis family in the Senate, did not reprimand Margo loudly at this time, but sighed with worry: "Delavika, what you said before is good, Diony The greed of the demihumans can be changed. Perhaps the previous King Dionian did have the willingness to negotiate, but as the gap between the strengths of the two sides grows larger, it is inevitable that they will not have other ideas! Judging from the current situation , We must admit that the Dionians have an absolute advantage in both the navy and the army. We must first do everything possible to strengthen the city of Carthage and eliminate the Dionians’ desire to destroy us. Thoughts! Summers, what do you suggest about this?"

Samors hesitated and didn't answer for a while.

"When is the time now, just say what you have!" Hanno became impatient.

"Master Hanno, then I'll say it." Sommers simply went out and said straightforwardly: "The Sicilian army suffered a disastrous defeat, and the entire sea was completely blocked by the Dionian Navy. The remnants of the island The army can no longer have any hope of escape, and will inevitably surrender to the Dionians. Now that the Dionians have put forward such harsh negotiation conditions, it should be impossible for them to release the prisoners before an agreement is reached. So once the Dionians, after solving the problems in Sicily, land in Africa and launch an attack on the city of Carthage, how many soldiers can we organize to defend Carthage? How much food do we have to protect Carthage? Will the city last longer under the siege of the Dionian army? How many foreign aids do we have to help us when Carthage is in danger?..."

Somers' questioning made the faces of several people in the room suddenly change.

As the Sofitel of this year, Okriton coughed a few times and reluctantly said: "The young and middle-aged citizens of Carthage have suffered a lot after they landed in Sicily with Monte Arderno for the first time. Since then, Margo forced us to recruit more than 10,000 citizen soldiers, and they are now trapped in Sicily. At the same time, there are nearly 8,000 citizens stationed in Numibia under your command.

If the city still wants to be conscripted forcibly, I am afraid it can organize up to more than 4,000 people, including the elderly and young people. In fact, there are not many real citizens, and more are slaves, especially Numibians. Phoenicians are only a small race in the entire Mediterranean, so despite their civilization and technological capabilities for hundreds of years For the Greeks, they have basically been at a disadvantage in the conflicts of immigration waves in the Western Mediterranean. This is the main reason.).

But I can guarantee that the food is sufficient. Due to the blockade of the Dionian fleet, most of the rations we collected from Numibia and allied states for the Sicilian army were not sent out, enough for our people in the city. Eat for more than three months, and don’t forget that people also have food in their homes. It is absolutely no problem to persist for half a year under the siege of the Dionians!

As for the foreign aid you mentioned... the entire Phoenician city-state in Africa is our help from Carthage, and the Dionian army will be unable to move on this land. "

Occleton’s relief obviously did not have the effect, and Samors still looked solemn, and said in a deep voice: "Although Carthage has lagoons and hills as a barrier, 4,000 people are simply not enough to resist the Dionians. The 8,000 soldiers stationed in Namibia should be transferred back to Namibia’s offensive to strengthen the city’s defenses.

Furthermore, the Phoenician allies mentioned by Mr. Okreton just now are our help. I don’t agree with it. I just think the Phoenician allies in Africa will be our burden. Most of their young citizens are We were transferred to Sicily. Once the Dionian army really landed in Africa, the Phoenician allies without the strength to protect themselves might turn to us for help. Should we send reinforcements at that time?

If it is sent, it will not only weaken our few defenses, but also put reinforcements in danger of being attacked by the Dionian army at any time; if not, will the Phoenician allies trust us? Maybe they will fall directly to the Dionians! And—"