Devers paused for a moment and then said, "The second is the sailors. A three-tiered warship requires nearly 200 sailors. If a fleet has 100 three-tiered warships, nearly 20,000 sailors will be needed. The navy is a military force that requires a large population to support, and the Phoenicians and Carthage are not a populous race. Even if they use Numibians as sailors, the Numibians are not a seafaring race, and their nature is relatively lax, which will inevitably reduce the combat ability of the Carthage navy. And we — "
Devers smiled. "Not to mention official citizens and preparatory citizens, once the navy starts recruiting new sailors, those free people will clamor to join. They want to become citizens of the kingdom as soon as possible."
When Devers said this, Tormid and Midolades laughed. Devers's words had completely dispelled their concerns. Only Printos did not laugh. He seemed to have something on his mind.
Devers noticed, so he asked, "Printos, what other suggestions do you have? Say it."
Printos deliberated for a moment and said softly, "Your Majesty, although we have the advantage in Sicily from the current situation, Carthage's defeat in the battle, and then the loss of the fleet in the naval battle and the storm will inevitably make the Carthage panic. If they do not consider suing for peace, then they must do their best to win the next battle. In this way, the Sicilian troops led by Prosos will probably face more soldiers, more fighting spirit, and definitely not led by a mediocre general of the Carthage army — "
"Wait!" Tolmede interrupted, "Our fleet has already occupied the sea advantage of Sicily, and we can completely cut off the Carthaginian army's transportation route to Sicily. Even if the Carthaginians build another army, it will be difficult for them to land in Sicily."
"It is more difficult for the Carthage army to land in Sicily, but it is not impossible. Although our fleet has the upper hand, we can't completely cut off the communication between Sicily and Carthage. " Printos said calmly, "The sailors need food, water, and rest. It's best for the warships to be towed into the military port at night for maintenance so that they can maintain a good combat condition … In Sicily, apart from the military port of Catania, only Messina to the north and Agligento and Gela to the south have good military ports for our fleet to stay. Therefore, if our Sicilian fleet leaves Messina or Agligento in the morning, I'm afraid it'll be afternoon by the time they reach the westernmost part of Sicily, and they'll have to turn back in a hurry …
Also, the number of fleets in Sicily has been greatly reduced. They can't be divided into two or three strong sub-fleets to patrol in turns. Carthage's people still have time to send supplies and reinforcements to Sicily. "
"The Sicilian fleet can send fast ships to take turns to monitor the western waters of Sicily —" Halfway through his argument, Tormid suddenly realized something was wrong. Even if the fast ships discovered the enemy, they would still need to return to the military port to report. By the time the fleet arrived, Carthage's fleet would probably have already entered the port.
So, he changed his words and said, "It's not like Salinus and Minoa can't station some of their warships, right? Midolades. "
Facing Tormid's gaze, as the commander of the navy, Midolades did not dare to speak carelessly in front of the Devers. He thought carefully for a moment and said, "From the battle report, Salinus does not have a military port. Warships can indeed station in ordinary ports for a short period of time, but not for a long time. It will damage the life of the warships and affect their combat power. Of course, the Sicilian army can also build a simple military port in Salinus, but that will take time. "
Midolades's words, "Staying in ordinary ports for too long will damage the life of the warships," were actually directed at the Devers, so he deliberately emphasized his tone. However, he immediately changed the topic. "As far as I know, the best military port on the western end of Sicily is in Lili."
Tormid immediately shook his head. "Lili is an important military town for Carthage in Sicily. Just like Motia, it will be difficult for Prosos to take it down with just his current forces."
At this time, Printos continued the topic and said, "Although Prosos has won many battles, the enemy is concentrated in the two towns of Lili and Palermos. Just now, Lord Tormid has made it very clear that although Prosos can decide the outcome of Sicily's war if he takes Lili, we can't increase the number of troops for the Sicilian army, so it is impossible for the Eighth Legion to do it alone. Not only is it meaningless to attack other towns, but it will also disperse the troops. So, it should be said that the Sicilian army has no way to attack now. "
At this point, Printos said earnestly, "Your Majesty, it is time to change the strategy of the Sicilian army!"
Tormid and Midolades were shocked when they heard this, but the Devers's expression did not change. He sat in the same place and remained silent for a long time. He knew in his heart that Printos was tactfully reminding him that his previous instructions to Prosos were wrong.
At the beginning of the war with Carthage, because the focus of the attack was to be concentrated on Rome, the Devers was still cautious about the situation of the war in Sicily. So, at the beginning, he ordered Prosos to defend the territory of the Kingdom of Sicily. However, the Eighth Legion defeated Carthage's army in the Battle of Minoa, and the navy won the battle on the Sea of Serodiam. This made him realize that Carthage was only outwardly strong, but inwardly weak. So, he changed his strategy. He ordered the Sicilian army and navy to attack with all their strength, trying to take advantage of the enemy's defeat to pursue and attack. This would weaken Carthage's power in Sicily, so that they could gain more chances of winning the next decisive battle with Carthage.
Deep in his heart, the Devers even hoped that Prosos could create another miracle and completely drive away Carthage's power in Sicily.
So far in the war, except for that storm, the attack of the Sicilian army was going smoothly, in line with his expectations … But did he become a little too optimistic because of the successive victories? After all, that was Carthage! The Devers looked at the staff officer in front of him, whom he admired very much. He understood the meaning of Printos' words: Printos was obviously reminding him that the Sicilian army led by Prosos did not have the ability to conquer the western end of Sicily in one fell swoop. On the contrary, because the army was alone and lacked manpower, they might even fall into a dangerous situation.
Printos' reminder reminded the Devers of the Iberian army that had not suffered any losses so far. They thought that the successive defeats of Carthage were likely to allow the Magonid family to regain control of Carthage. They were not like Hanno. They were more aggressive and valued Sicily more. At the same time, they had more experience in war. From the fact that the Iberian army was able to capture the city of Therodiem, it could be seen that they had considerable combat power.
But according to the Devers' understanding of Carthage over the years, it would take time for Carthage to build another army. The elders of Carthage's Senate would argue with each other, and this time would continue to be delayed. Even if Magonid could finally get the army to land in Sicily, it would be at least a month or two later. It would be a pity to let Prosos retreat and defend for such a long time! With the ability of this young commander, he could completely mess up the situation in the western end of Sicily. Even if the Carthage army landed, they would need to spend more energy and time to stabilize the situation, and buy more time for the kingdom …
The Devers thought about it, but in the end, they could not make up their minds. So, he said, "Tell our concerns to Prosos. Let him be vigilant. Whether to continue to attack or retreat and defend is up to him. After all, he is the commander of the battlefield in Sicily!" Prosos had repeatedly created miracles and won victories, so the Devers chose to believe in his ability.
"Yes, Your Majesty." As Tormid spoke, he glanced at Printos, feeling a little envious and jealous. As far as he knew, the Devers rarely changed their military decisions because of other people's persuasion, but this time, they made a compromise …
While Tormid was thinking, the Devers looked at Printos and said in a serious tone, "In the future, if you have any suggestions like this, you have to make them directly, instead of waiting for me to urge you to do it! War is related to the life and death of a country, but modesty and courtesy can cost the lives of hundreds and thousands of soldiers, understand?! "
Printos' expression turned solemn, and then he bowed in shame and said, "Understood, Your Majesty, I will pay attention next time!"
Once again, Tormid cast an envious look at him.
… …
After the military meeting, the Devers summoned the new Senator of the Kingdom, his brother-in-law, Alcibidas, and the shipbuilding merchant of Turií, Micris.
Both of them were well-known merchants in the shipbuilding industry in the Kingdom of Diónia. The Devers summoned them, of course, hoping that they could take the lead in cooperating with the Kingdom to speed up the construction of warships. Due to the tight state treasury, they also hoped that they could agree that the Kingdom could temporarily owe them the shipbuilding costs on credit. Of course, the Kingdom would also give them corresponding compensation after the war, such as relaxing the ban on cutting down trees …
As for Micris, the Devers also focused on Enanilus, who had long been released from prison and had been staying at home. They emphasized that Enanilus had been punished enough for his mistakes, and now that the Kingdom had been expanding, there were always insufficient officials at all levels. Enanilus was once a Senator and also served as a Navy Commander. He had rich administrative experience and was fully capable of serving the Kingdom again.
After listening to the Devers, Micris was very excited and immediately said that when he returned, he would try his best to persuade Enanilus to come out and work.
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