Dido did not expect this Diónia official to propose such an idea. For a moment, she was shy, irritated, worried, angry … Countless emotions twisted into a mess in her heart.
Carthage and Greece were somewhat similar in terms of marriage. Marriage was basically decided by the elders. But for Dido, the situation was special. Her mother died early and her father was now in a coma. Her father doted on her and had long agreed to let her choose her own husband. Otherwise, she would not be unmarried at the age of 24, so it was entirely up to her to decide whether to marry or not. It was just that she never thought that her marriage would be linked to her father's life and death, the rise and fall of her family, and the future of thousands of people in southern Iberia.
How could someone as smart as she not see that this was a trap designed by the King of Diónia and his men? But at the moment, she was in a mess of emotions. She did not want to expose it, nor did she dare to rashly make a choice.
But when she visited the unconscious Mago again, she finally made a decision and agreed to marry the Prince of Diónia, Cloto Catax.
The incorporation of the former Carthage's new colony in southern Iberia into the Kingdom of Diónia was also quickly finalized.
Two days later, Heniboris met Okriton, who had returned to Lili, and directly told him the news that "the people of the southern Iberian colony voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Diónia", and announced that since the Iberian colony was no longer within the scope of negotiations, the Kingdom asked for a new condition for negotiations, and that Hadrumentum and its territory belonged to Diónia.
The rebellion of the Magonid family surprised Okriton, but at this time Carthage could not even take care of himself, so how could he have the ability to crusade against Iberia hundreds of miles away? He could only protest to Heniboris: unless Diónia handed over the Magonid family who had committed treason, Carthage refused to negotiate with Diónia again.
The two sides parted on bad terms.
With Hadrumentum as a lesson and Lúspina as an example, Tapsos opened the city and surrendered only the second day after the siege.
Alexis let the army rest a little and then led the army west. Two days later, they set up camp ten miles away from Addis City.
Alexis didn't launch an attack immediately. Instead, she ordered the soldiers to build a camp while she sent scouts and mountain scouts to investigate the enemy's situation and the surrounding terrain.
Samos, who was in the city of Ardis, was very nervous when he heard the news that the Dionysian Army was approaching. He ordered the army not to attack and to strengthen the defense.
The two sides confronted each other until early February. During this period, the Phoenician allies to the west of Carthage had sent reinforcements one after another, increasing the number of Carthage soldiers defending Addis to more than 20,000.
But at the same time, Samos also received bad news: a large Numibian army had appeared to the south of Ardis.
Previously, the Senate of Carthage had sent many envoys to the tribes in Eastern Numibia, using their previously established relationships and promises of various benefits in an attempt to persuade them to remain neutral. However, the tribes in Eastern Numibia had already established an alliance with Diónia. Moreover, at this time, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Carthage's days were numbered. How could they let go of this great opportunity to beat the drowning dog and completely free the Eastern Numibians from Carthage's control?
Therefore, the tribes in Eastern Numibia finally gathered more than 15,000 warriors and planned to rush to Hadrumentum to meet with the Dionysian Army. However, Alexis sent a messenger to order them to march directly to Carthage City from the south.
At the same time, Alexis moved her camp further west, less than five miles away from Addis City.
Samos was caught in a difficult choice. Originally, when he heard that the Eastern Numibian army was approaching, in order to avoid being attacked from both sides, he had already begun to plan. He would first leave a part of the army to garrison Addis while he quietly led the main force to the south. He would first defeat the Eastern Numibians, who were numerous but not strong, before rushing back to confront the Dionysian Army again.
However, the Dionysian Army suddenly moved their camp forward to the city of Addis. This meant that the movements of Carthage's army in the city could not be hidden from the eyes of the Diónia. Once the main force of the army attacked the Eastern Numibians, it was likely that they would be attacked from both sides by the Diónia.
While Samos was hesitating, another piece of bad news came: another Dionysian Army (in fact, a mixed force composed of part of the Tenth Legion of Diónia and the infantry of the Sicilian Fleet, numbering close to 10,000) had landed on the west coast of Carthage and surrounded the city of Diarrhytos (the Phoenician city-state, located about 100 miles west of Carthage City, adjacent to Utica). Diarrhytos hurriedly sent messengers to Carthage to ask for reinforcements, and requested the return of the public militia that had previously reinforced Carthage.
Samos knew that the Phoenician city-states in the west, due to a large number of citizen soldiers being conscripted, were lacking in military strength. They might not be able to defend against the Dionysian Army's attack. If Carthage could not rescue them in time, the entire west coast could fall just like the east coast. However, now that Carthage's enemies were approaching from both the east and the south, as the only powerful army in Carthage, how would he dare to lead them away?
However, it was not a good idea to sit back and do nothing because the news could only be blocked for a while. Over time, if the Phoenician soldiers in the army learned that their motherland had been or might be attacked by Diónia, they would not hesitate to leave the army and rush back to their motherland. By then, the army would have lost one-third or more of its forces, and the war to defend Carthage would be even more difficult.
Samos finally made up his mind. He rushed back to Carthage and explained to the Senate the danger the army was facing. He suggested that the best way to solve the current predicament was to take the risk of fighting the Dionysian Army in the east of Ardis while the Phoenician militia was still there. After defeating them, he would lead the victorious army to defeat the Eastern Numibians, and the crisis Carthage was facing would be mostly resolved. Finally, he could return to the Phoenician Alliance.
After some debate, the senators finally agreed to his proposal. Just as Hanno said, "Although this is a huge risk, at least there is a chance of survival. It is better than doing nothing and letting the Diónia besiege Carthage step by step until it is finally destroyed …"
To increase their chances of winning, the Senate carried out an emergency mobilization.
When Samos returned to Ardis, he brought back another three thousand soldiers. They were either old or young. Carthage gave it his all for the upcoming decisive battle.
Although Ardis was not far from Carthage, this unusual number of three thousand soldiers was not a small number. The Diónia scouts would quickly find out and report back to Alexis.
The next morning, Alexis, who had just woken up, received another report from the scouts: Carthage's army was constantly moving out of Ardis, marching in the direction of the camp.
The Carthage army that had been guarding Ardis had suddenly left the city! Alexis was not surprised. She continued to follow her previous pace, carefully washing up, leisurely finishing her breakfast, putting on her armor … After everything was ready, she called for Printos and rode out of the camp with her guards and 300 Western Numibian cavalrymen.
Just three miles to the west, she heard noises coming from the front and saw tens of thousands of Carthage soldiers lining up on the flat grassland …
Alexis held the reins with both hands, and with a smile on her face, she turned her head and said to Printos, "It seems like it is just as we expected. The Carthaginians can't wait to find us for a decisive battle."
"That's obvious. After all, this is the only path they can choose. Maybe there's still a little hope." Printos stared solemnly at the front and said, "But because of this, Carthage, who are already in a desperate situation, will definitely do their best to win this battle. Even if we surpass them in strength, we must not underestimate them. I believe that even if we win in the end, we will have to pay a heavy price … Commander, I suggest that we avoid the decisive battle with Carthage at this time. In a few days, when Commander Melisanda's army has conquered the Phoenician cities in the west, the strength of this Carthage army will inevitably be weakened and their morale will be low. By then, we will have an easier time advancing."
Alexis fell into deep thought. After a while, he shook his head and said, "Printos, maybe your suggestion is right, but I can't accept it. We refuse to fight. We want to wait for the Phoenician soldiers of Carthage to escape before we attack. But when that time comes, Carthage's army will face the joint attack of us and the Eastern Numibians. It is very likely that they will give up Addis and retreat to the city of Carthage. Carthage's walls are high and thick, and the city has a large population. It also occupies a favorable terrain. Even if we add all the infantry of Legio IV and the Numibians to attack Carthage for a few months, we may not be able to take it down. "
At this point, Alexis sighed, "Didn't the person in charge of the supply fleet say that because the Tenth Legion has also landed in Africa, the demand for supplies has increased greatly? The supplies stored in Lili and Selinus have been used up. His Majesty has already sent someone to inform Katanai and Tuliyi to urgently prepare a large amount of supplies … Also, the sea between Sicily and Africa is quite stormy this season. The fleet has encountered many storms during the transportation process, and more than ten ships have been lost …" Alexis sighed, "Didn't the person in charge of the supply fleet say that because the Tenth Legion has also landed in Africa?
As the war continues, Diónia will suffer more and more losses. Now that we have a chance to defeat Carthage's main army and end the war as soon as possible, why should we give up? Besides … We have been biding our time here for so long. Amyntas and the others are already very unhappy. If we avoid this battle and wait for the Tenth Legion to finish their battle in the west, the arrogant soldiers of the First, Second, and Legio III will probably come out to protest. So we must fight this battle! "
After hearing this, Printos felt that it made sense. He immediately said, "Lord Commander, I am your advisor. It is my duty to give you different suggestions for your reference. Since you have made your decision, let us start preparing for the battle."
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