This was exactly what Phoebidas wanted. He had actually thought about this before. He said, "After you won the battle of Siridon, you shouldn't have continued to attack Crotone as planned. Instead, you should have led your army to bypass Crotone and Turín. You should have landed near Heraclea and rendezvoused with Tarantum's army to capture Heraclea. While the main force of Diónia isn't in Turín, you should have led your army to invade Diónia's territory from the north. You don't have to worry about the defenseless Amendola and directly attack Turín.
If the Dionysian Army goes to battle, you can take the opportunity to annihilate them. If they are stubbornly defending, you can attack Turín. You can even successfully capture Ciudad Crotone. Now that you have Tarantum's army, taking Turín shouldn't be a problem. At the same time, you can also send a small number of troops to block the exit of the mountain road in the west, so that the main force led by the Devers can't return in time … "
"The army is going to bypass Heraclea by ship?! General Phoebidas, don't forget that the Dionysian fleet is in the estuary of the Krati River. They will definitely rush to the sea to attack our fleet! "Phoebidas objected.
"You are frightened by the Raven Warship of Diónia, aren't you?" Phoebidas had a look of disdain on his face. "I admit that Diónia's naval tactics are unique, but you have underestimated Diónia. You did not gather all your warships to fight and even used my plan. The navy of Syracuse and Tarantum's warships are three times the number of Diónia's fleet. The final winner of this battle will definitely be you! By that time, Syracuse will control the coast and capture Turín. Even if the Devers lead their army back to Diónia, they will ultimately face a fragmented alliance! "
"General Phoebidas's plan is good, but it's based on the fact that we already know the characteristics of the Dionysian fleet and how the Devers could defeat the 50,000 strong Samonians in such a short time. In addition, the Devers are too good at commanding in the field. Our army can't fight them head-on at all … But the truth is, we were confident that Diónia, which is obviously weaker than Syracuse, would not be able to stop our attack at sea or on land. That's why Syracuse's army went all the way north!" Phoebidas retorted. Dionysius nodded slightly.
"Actually, according to my initial suggestion to Dionysius, Syracuse should not have sent their army to Greece to rescue Locri. Instead, they should have allowed the Southern Italian Coalition to besiege Locri. With our naval support, Locri would not be breached. Then, while Locri was holding back the Southern Italian Coalition, Syracuse's fleet would cut off the sea trade of Diónia, Crotone, and other city-states in the western Mediterranean Sea. With the national strength of Diónia, I'm afraid that it would not last for half a year before it would have to withdraw its army from Locri.
After that, we could focus all our forces on attacking Liguim. It is the closest to Sicily, but far from Diónia. Just the transportation of food would be a huge problem, and we would have to go around the territories of Locri and its allies. That would be another big problem. It's hard to say if Diónia could withstand such a huge expenditure. Even if the Devers really came with their army, we could leave by ship at any time … After going back and forth a few times like this, I'm afraid that Diónia would not dare to send reinforcements to Liguim. As long as we take down Liguim, not only will we have complete control over the Strait of Messina, we will be able to collect more war funds, and we will be able to unite the forces of Sicily and Locri without any worries. Then, when we carry out your original plan, Dionysius, Diónia will eventually be dragged down by the powerful strength of Syracuse … "Felistos gushed endlessly, finally settling one of the regrets in his heart.
Phoebidas did not get angry. He thought about it carefully and reminded, "Syracuse's fleet!"
"The way I see it, Dionia is worried about Syracuse's powerful navy, so it'll probably let its fleet defend the coast of Tulij. Even if it goes south in the end, they don't have actual combat experience. Also, they're not familiar with the sea, so we'll be able to discover the weakness of the Raven Warship earlier, so we won't be caught off guard …" Felistos explained.
"Good! Good! Phoebidas, Felistos, your plan is great! If I followed your plan back then, I would not have been chased out of Sicily today! Sigh! " Dionysius looked regretful. He then changed the topic, "However, these methods will no longer work against Diónia in the future! I heard that Diónia not only annexed Locri and its allies, but also Tarantum. They even obtained Messina and occupied the Catania Plains in Sicily. To the north of Diónia, the powerful Samonians have already submitted to them. Now, Diónia has many regions such as Lucania, Magna Graecia, Bruti, and the east central coast of Sicily. Not only does their land area far surpass that of Syracuse, their strength is also much stronger than before. If they are given a few more years of stable development, they will definitely become the most powerful force in Greece! When that time comes, not only will Syracuse have no choice but to submit to them, but even Sparta, Athens, Thebes, and other powerful Greek states will have to seek their opinions before doing anything! "Dionysius said casually, but his eyes were fixed on Phoebidas.
Phoebidas sat expressionlessly, but Dionysius knew that he must have listened to him, so he was prepared to say a few more words. As long as Sparta had enough fear of Diónia, then Sparta would definitely try its best to hinder Diónia's development. This way, the possibility of him returning to Syracuse would increase.
At this time, his subordinate walked into the cabin, "Master, the fleet has passed the Adriatic Sea and is approaching Kejira Island."
Hearing this, Phoebidas had mixed feelings. Sparta was about to arrive!
"Order the fleet to sail southeast to Crete." Dionysius's voice made him turn his head in shock. "Dionysius, you're not going to Sparta?!"
"Yes, I've changed my mind. I'm going to Cyrenaica." Dionysius smiled mysteriously.
Phoebidas could not sit still anymore. He shouted, "You promised me that you'd go to Sparta with me! I've already sent someone to inform the Elder Council! "
Dionysius pointed at Phoebidas and asked angrily, "Sparta once promised me that you'd support me, Dionysius, for a long time, and now?! Now you're supporting the rebels! How can I trust you?! "
"This …" Phoebidas was speechless.
Perhaps Dionysius had been holding it in for a long time. Both of them glared at each other like two bulls.
After a while, Phoebidas asked in a low voice, "Dionysius, are you sure you're not going to Sparta?!"
"Phoebidas, all these years in Syracuse, I've never made a decision easily. Every decision I make can affect the life and death of a large number of people. Going to Cyrenaica is an important decision I've made!" Dionysius answered proudly. At this moment, he displayed the dignity of a tyrant of a city.
Phoebidas's face was livid. He threatened, "Dionysius, you'll regret this decision!" After that, he turned and walked out of the cabin.
"Sparta gave up on me and chose Harolis. You'll regret this decision in the future!" Dionysius shouted angrily behind him.
"Dionysius, we don't need to provoke Sparta at this time." Hipparinus looked worried.
"Dionysius discussed it with me. Sparta is at war now. If we go to Sparta, it's very likely that the two thousand mercenaries we lead will be forcibly conscripted into war. The large amount of money we take with us will also be used as military expenditure. Our movements in Sparta will also be restricted by them. They won't allow us to prepare for our return to Syracuse …
"A few years ago, the king of Cyrenaica was just overthrown. Now the nobles are in power, but the ruling families have conflicts with each other, so the political situation is not stable. Moreover, there are frequent conflicts with the local Libyans. If we bring two thousand mercenaries to Cyrenaica, not only will we not be restricted, we will also become the target that they will fight to recruit. This will be beneficial to our development …" Phoebidas explained in detail.
"On Ortygia, I promised Phoebidas to go to Sparta just to confuse the people of Sparta. Now, the entire fleet, including the helmsman, are my trusted slaves. Even the sailors are my trusted mercenaries. Phoebidas and his dozen or so Sparta warriors can't stop us at all! When we reach Cyrenaica, I will send someone to send him safely back to Sparta. " The hatred on Dionysius's face had yet to fade. He slapped the wooden chair and sighed helplessly. "Sparta betrayed us. Based on my temper, I would have sacrificed Phoebidas's head to Apollo! But we still need Sparta's help in the future! "
As the three of them sighed. "Daddy! Daddy! … "Accompanied by a crisp cry, a four-year-old child stumbled into the cabin.
"Little Dio, don't run around!" A teenage boy chased after him and entered the cabin.
Dionysius picked up his son and asked in a pleasant tone, "Little Dio, do you miss daddy?"
"I … I'm playing hide-and-seek with Brother Dionysius …" Dionysius turned around and pointed at the boy.
"Brother-in-law," Dionysius greeted him respectfully.
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