Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 157: Overture before the war (2)

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Since the establishment of Dionia, there have been only two large-scale battles like this one. In the Western Mediterranean War, King Daves led the main force to fight the Carthage army in Sicily, but part of that war Soldiers are provided by allies, so there is a lot of moisture in the 100,000 soldiers; secondly, in the Gaul War, Leotichides led a large army to conquer Yamauchi Gaul, but in fact, the main force of his own power was not 10 Ten thousand people, including the partial division led by Patroclus, only exceeded 100,000.

Therefore, this time it is really a 100,000 army composed of the regular Dionian army in the landing operation (The Balearic slingers belong to the special Dionian army and have a formal establishment in the Ministry of Military Affairs. They must be accepted in peacetime. The training of the Eighteenth Corps stationed in the Iberian region occasionally participated in combat against Iberian natives; the Gaul Brigade was also a regular force, and the Ministry of Military Affairs was based on the previous Roman Reserve Brigade. It wanted to pass time. Eventually it was transformed into a regular army. It has been trained and commanded by the 14th army stationed in the Po area. It has also participated in the war against the Ligurians with the border army. Now Liguria is still in sporadic places. The stubborn resistance has basically been calmed down, and the Gaul Brigade is indispensable), and it is enviable that Patroclus can command such a large army in such an important battle at such a young age!

Olivers, Taginos and other generals looked at Patroclus, who was talking and talking. They were very envious and jealous, but there was no trace of contempt. After all, Patroclus was in the Etruscan company. Surprisingly, the deeds of annihilating the invading Roman army in a short period of time were amazing. After that, he led his army to Gaul in Shannei. In a few years, he not only stabilized the Po area, but also almost conquered Liguli. Ya... Therefore, he was able to become the head coach of the landing operation because of his outstanding commanding ability and past feats, not because he was the son-in-law of King Daves.

Plintors did not have these complicated thoughts. His mind was focused on the upcoming landing operation, and he frowned and continued to ask: "100,000 soldiers need at least 2,000 ships to transport and land. There are still many locations. There are many islands on the east coast of Greece and the coastline is tortuous. How can we reach the landing site as quickly and accurately as possible? How can we ensure the safety of the fleet at sea?..."

"I will answer these questions." Sekelian took over the words unwillingly: "This time I, Midolades and Stefacas are responsible for the maritime security of the landing operation. Yes, the 1st Fleet, 2nd Fleet and 3rd Fleet, a total of 1,200 warships will **** all fleets transporting soldiers and supplies, and will participate in operations in due course.

There are only two city-states in the Greek League that are likely to cause trouble for the transport fleet, Athens and Thessaly. According to intelligence, the Athens Navy has more than 80 warships, of which 50 are three-layer paddle warships. Recently, due to the support of its maritime allies, it may exceed a hundred. The Athens Navy has relatively strong tactical capabilities, high ship handling skills, and aggressiveness. Seven days ago, our main navy assisted the army in conquering the islands on the west coast. The Athens fleet actually quietly approached the Gulf of Lagnia, and even the 1st left behind There was a battle in the 1st Squadron of the fleet. As the Athenians were not familiar with our tactics, they lost a few warships and later retreated voluntarily. This is also a small victory for our navy...

The formation of Thessaly’s fleet only a few years ago, but it is said that Jason has invested a lot in this, and now there are nearly a hundred warships, but there has never been any major battle. So far, our intelligence personnel have never seen this fleet patrol at sea. A fleet that likes to stay in a port is not capable of combat.

So based on the analysis of the enemy's situation, our navy made the following combat deployment on the day of landing. The 2nd Fleet and 3rd Fleet left the port before the transport fleet departed. The Second Fleet blocked the Salong Bay, and the Third Fleet blocked the Gulf of Pergaça (the bay to the east of Thessaly) to prevent Athens and Thessa respectively. Lee’s warship went to sea to attack the transport fleet, and the five squadrons of the 1st Fleet respectively escorted each transport fleet to the landing site—"

Secrian said this, swallowed, moistened his throat, and continued: "In addition, I want to talk about the transport fleet that has landed this time. When recruiting transport ships in port towns, they deliberately choose merchant ships familiar with the coastal routes of North Greece. In this regard, chambers of commerce in various regions have provided great help, so there is no need to worry that the crew will be unfamiliar with the shipping route.

Moreover, the Ministry of Military Affairs also devoted time to the formation of more than 2,000 merchant ships, clarified their respective tasks, and conducted unified training, so there is no need to worry about too much order in the fleet when they land. Confused.

In this season, there are more southerly winds in the Aegean Sea. We will choose the stronger day in the south as the landing day. According to my judgment, it may only take half a day for the fleet to reach the destination. "

Plintors listened carefully, his frowning brows were not fully stretched: "The threats faced by our huge fleet going to Beihang may not be limited to Athens and Thessaly Navy——"

"I know Master Printors is talking about the Persian navy." This time it was Midolades who was interjecting. He and Sekelian looked at each other and said with a smile: "We are talking about Persian The navy did not take it lightly. Since the First Fleet was stationed in the waters south of the Peloponnese, it has been sending clippers to monitor the movements of the Persian fleet in Asia Minor, and no abnormalities have been found so far.

After our 2nd Fleet returned from Egypt, we sent additional clippers to the waters near Crete to strengthen the observation of the Phoenician waters. From the information we have now, it seems that the Persians have begun to attack Egypt. Initiating an offensive, a large number of warships are concentrated in Phoenician Tyre and Sidon, and there is no sign of going westward to aid Greece. "

After listening, Plintors still asked with some worry: "100,000 soldiers, the rations consumed every day are huge, how do you solve it after you land?"

Patroclus replied without hesitation: "The Ministry of Military Affairs requires that every soldier must carry a five-day ration. After the landing is successful, the nearby port towns, such as Lamia and Peleus, will be occupied as soon as possible to ensure Our ships carrying materials can enter the port and unload the cargo.

Of course, this is only temporary, and Philae should be the base that can provide logistics supplies for the entire army very conveniently. According to the information we have obtained, a large amount of food has been stored in Philae. Those are all prepared for Jason’s army. Therefore, our landing troops must penetrate into the hinterland of Thessaly and capture Philae as soon as possible. "

A smile appeared at the corner of Patroclus’ mouth, and he confidently said: "Your Majesty also values ​​Philae very much. There have been some arrangements in advance, and I believe it will be of great help to the smooth capture of Philae. It is now 7 At the end of the month, it will be August when we attack, and the wheat is about to mature. Thessaly has a large number of fertile wheat fields, which can provide us with the rations for the next few months..."

Until this moment, Plintors' complexion turned a little, looking at the generals who had just arrived in Sparta, and said seriously: "It seems that your Majesty attaches great importance to this landing operation. I have done a lot of preparations. I believe that you have led the army to conduct multiple landing operations. I have no doubts. I just hope that you will continue to pay close attention to the movements of the Aegean Sea in the next few days. Improve your login plan according to the actual situation."

Plintors apparently said these words in the capacity of chief of staff, and Patroclus and other generals nodded earnestly.

Then Patroclus looked at Cloto Kataks and asked with concern: "Whether the landing in Thessaly is successful or not is the key to whether you can hold it here. I heard that you are fighting against Sparta. The loss is not small, and now we are facing a large-scale attack by the Greek coalition forces. Isn’t there a shortage of troops? Do I need some troops to support you?"

After fighting in the Peloponnese for more than two months, Croto Catacs is no longer lacking self-confidence like at the beginning. Any decision must be consulted with Plintors, he replied confidently. "Actually, our losses in the battle with Sparta were not great. The four legions and one cavalry regiment were still very complete. In addition, we could also organize young and middle-aged Black Laos and Baileys from Messenia and Laconia. The Assi people have about 15,000 soldiers, and their total strength can reach 45,000, which is not much different from the Greek coalition forces.

What's more, they are offensive, we are defensive, and the troops are completely sufficient. Moreover, from the previous combat situation, the Greek coalition forces are not good at siege. Their siege equipment is simple and the method is very simple. They are not even brave enough. They did not pose a big threat to our defensive camp. In fact, even without you We also have the confidence to hold on to the low morale of the Greek coalition forces and eventually have to retreat. "

Hearing this, Patroclus frowned and reminded directly: "I suggest that you don't defend too hard, and you should make some concessions, so that the Greek coalition forces will taste the sweetness and not want to retreat. , We need to contain the Greek coalition forces in the Peloponnese so that they cannot rescue Thessaly in time!"

Clotokatax was taken aback.

Plintors, who was reminded, reacted quickly and immediately persuaded: "Commander Patroclus said it is very reasonable. Before, our tenacious defense was to defend Messenia and Laconia. Now to ensure the smooth implementation of the landing plan, we can consider giving up a bit, such as taking the initiative to abandon a defensive camp..."