Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 179: Athens surrender (2)

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With the siege platform closer to the city and condescending, the attack range of all ballistas has been greatly increased, covering almost half of the area of ​​the city of Athens, and the ballistas not only fired stone bullets, but also threw flaming fire into the city. The oil tank caused fire everywhere in the city of Athens, causing chaos.

Immediately afterwards, the Dionian army launched nine super siege towers, which were slowly guarded by siege equipment such as arrow shields and wooden box cars, as well as light and heavy infantry behind. Advance towards the western wall of Athens.

The guard soldiers at the head of the city were very panicked when they saw these behemoths higher than the city wall pushing towards them. After hearing the news, Ifekrates and Kabriyas who rushed to the scene were also stunned.

At this moment, the super siege tower, which was 50 meters away from the city wall, stopped advancing. The light infantry on the top level began to shoot arrows at the defenders at the head of the city, and the next level of the siege tower also Lifting the baffle, revealing the hideous face of the belly bow, the huge iron arrow whizzed towards the city head, like a skewers of meat, it can knock down several soldiers at a time, and it is terrifying to death.

If it weren't for the guards to rescue him in time, Efekratus was almost killed by an iron arrow. With lingering fears, he looked at the towering siege platform not far away and the huge siege equipment in front of him, and a strong helplessness suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart...

For several days, Patroclus attacked the city of Athens in this way. Although he had not launched a full-scale siege, he had already caused considerable damage to the defenders at the head of the city, even more so. The panic and chaos in the city. He not only showed the Athenians the terrible siege ability of the Dionian army, but at the same time cryptically told the high level of Athens: The Dionian Holy Kingdom is strong and has enough ability to protect the huge consumption of the 100,000 army, and it can be carried out. Continued siege.

For Athens, these days are a complete disaster. One-fifth of the city was attacked by Dionian ballistas, and a half of it was burned to ruins, including the citizens of Pniks Hill. The venue was also damaged (Prix Hill is very close to the southern city wall, near the avenue leading to the port of Piraeus, completely within the range of the ballista on the nearest siege platform outside the city, and it is The target that Patroclus focused on did not cause much damage because Croto Katakst asked his men to be merciful.) Nearly a thousand families have lost their homes, crying day and night, and requesting the assistance of the city hall. It caused a great shock to the other people of Athens.

The Athens government sent a large number of people to deal with the aftermath of these attacked urban areas, and at the same time strengthened the defense of the city wall to prevent the Dionian army from launching an attack on the city due to the turmoil in the city. But the vast city of Athens, coupled with the long walls and the port of Piraeus, required a large number of citizen soldiers, so that the number of patrols to maintain order in the city was greatly reduced. However, the destruction of the urban area by the ballistas has made food and water supplies even more tense. The conflict between urban residents and the refugees outside the city has been intensified, causing many conflicts.

While the patrol was exhausted, more than 2,000 mining slaves took advantage of the turmoil in the city and weakened supervision, secretly contacted, suddenly launched a riot, killed the foreman and guards who supervised them, and rushed out of the slave camp like a prison. Collect weapons and destroy the manor of the mine owner. Then on the way to the city gate, the Athenian people in the houses along the way were killed, and the slaves were liberated. When they reached the west city gate, the number of slaves increased to more than 6,000.

Effikratus, who received the news, urgently mobilized an army to block the group of slaves who were trying to escape in time at the gate of the West City, and the two sides started a fierce battle.

Although Ifekratus has few soldiers, the soldiers are fully armed and full of energy. Although there were many people in the slave team, the equipment was simple, and many people were even bare-handed. Due to the abuse of the mine owners, most of the mine slaves were sick and weak. In addition, the streets were narrow and could not give full play to their advantages. Some could not withstand the attack of the Athenian soldiers.

At this time, Cabrias led another army to rush to the rear. Under the front and back attack, the slave team quickly collapsed and fled in all directions.

Because the Dionian coalition forces outside the city still use siege equipment to attack the defenders from a distance, the light infantry on the siege tower noticed the strangeness in the city and rushed to notify the command in the rear camp. official.

Patroclus quickly made a decision: launch a formal attack on the Western Wall.

But just as the Dionian soldiers lined up and sounded the offensive bugle, the riots in the West Gate had subsided. Patroclus who received the news hesitated for a while, and finally cancelled the offensive order. , It can be said that I missed a great opportunity to capture the city of Athens.

This slave riot has had a great impact on the city of Athens. Although the riotous slaves only killed less than 300 Athenians in two blocks, they caused panic among many Athenians, especially those citizens with more slaves. They either asked the city hall to send a patrol to take care of them. Slaves, or simply give male slaves to the city-states for free, and even a small number of Athenian citizens, because of excessive fears, bitterly kills the slaves in the family. Naturally, they were also desperately resisted by the slaves. So scenes of family tragedies occurred in Athens from time to time. Staged in the city, the contradiction between slaves and slave owners is intensified by the extreme drama...

The enemy is besieged outside, and there are many internal conflicts. The city of Athens is like sitting on a volcanic crater about to erupt, and it may be wiped out at any time. Finally, in the 500-member assembly that was urgently convened in the city hall, most of the members rushed to propose: accept Dionia's request and negotiate a truce with him.

The next citizen assembly had to be temporarily transferred to the Dionysus Theater due to the threat of Pniks Mountain by the Dionian Ballista.

The citizens of Athens who once expressed indignantly that "I would rather die with the city than surrender to Dionia" have experienced a lack of water and food, their compatriots turned enemies, slave riots, fires, and faced Dai every day. After the threats of Onia’s bows and arrows and stone bullets, and the extreme mental pressure... After all the hardships, most of them heard the proposal of the 500-member council announced by Callistratus, and they were relieved as if they were amnesty.

Only a few citizens headed by Isocrates expressed firm opposition. Isocrates even gave an impassioned speech on the podium. He yelled in his hoarse voice: "...The children and grandchildren of Theseus, Your ancestors were once the best and bravest citizens in the world. When hundreds of thousands of Persian troops invaded Greece, and other city-states flinched for it, your ancestors bravely stepped forward in Salamis. Victory created the powerful Persian navy and finally won the victory in the Hippo War. Through this great victory, other city-states saw the greatness of Athens, and regarded Athens as their savior. Since then, Athens has created great glory. Do you remember the words Pericles said, "Athens is a school for all Greeks!" Yes, it was the golden age that all of us here are yearning for!

And history repeats itself today, and another powerful invader invades Greece, and they even killed the city of Athens! Citizens, it's time! It's time to be like our ancestors, when other Greek city-states are afraid of surrendering, we should bravely stand up and fight unyieldingly with the Dionian army for your freedom and dignity!

Athena prefers heroes. She will only bless us who fight unyieldingly. In the end, we will repel the Dionian army. By then we will be the savior of the entire Greece. Without the elbow of Sparta, we will create A brighter future than the previous golden age! ...

And if you choose to surrender and surrender to these barbarians who are not fluent in Greek, you will have to abandon the democracy that once made us proud and let a king give orders; the wit and humor you like The dramas of "will be replaced by their seemingly large-scale, but comical square dances; the competitive sports that you admire will be replaced by brutal and terrifying competitions; more importantly, we can’t. They sacrificed to the beautiful and intelligent Athena and other Greek gods as before, and had to kneel down to worship the heretics they believed in; in the end, the splendid culture and history of Athens will be forcibly erased, and only to show off to future generations Their history of conquest!

Citizens, by then the great Athens will be dead! It's dead! ……"

At the end, Isocrates burst into tears, unable to cry.

There was deathly silence in the theater, and gradually there was a choking sound, until finally there was a cry.

However, ideals are beautiful and reality is cruel. By the time of voting, this resolution was still passed by an absolute majority.

Athens surrendered! ! ! When the messenger of Athens walked into the camp of the Dionian army with a look of loss and depression, the good news quickly spread to the Allied Dionian army, cheering everywhere.

Patroclaws repeatedly asked Crotocatex to preside over the surrender ceremony in Athens, but Crotocatex could only postpone it and had to accept it. The two army commanders humbly and cooperated with each other throughout the war in Greece, and it was a good story for a while.

And when the messenger of Athens painfully signed the armistice agreement, a fishing boat took advantage of the Dionian people celebrating and the blockade outside the port became loose, quietly lined out the port, and flexibly turned west. Enter Salamiga Bay.

At this moment, a tall and burly man emerged from the humble boat shed.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Hurry up and hide in. If you are hit by the patrol boat of Dionia, you will be in trouble!" the owner yelled eagerly.

"Don't worry, you Athens have surrendered. The Dionians are probably celebrating. Who cares about your little fishing boat." The man said nonchalantly.