ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 966 The winning strategy against Carthage

Printors smiled and nodded at him.

Alexis smiled back.

At this time, I heard Davos say: "I was a little tempted by this proposal at first, but I gave it up in the end. Why? Because according to the intelligence, the mountainous area in the western part of Sicily centered on Kefalotion is more complex than the eastern part of Sicily." The mountainous terrain is higher and the terrain is complex. For our Dionia army with heavy infantry as the main force, fighting and marching will be more difficult, and because it is far away from Katanai, material transportation is a big problem.

In addition, you should know that there are more than 4 Iberian troops in the Carthaginian army. These soldiers are either mountainous races from Iberia, or they have followed the Carthaginian generals to fight in Iberia for many years. Therefore, in the mountainous areas They have a strong combat effectiveness. What's more important is that the current Carthage military commander Mago took office as governor of Iberia 10 years ago and fought in that wild mountainous area for 10 years. He has richer experience in mountain warfare. experience of.

If we fought against the Carthaginians in the mountains, although we avoided Carthage's superior cavalry, the outcome would still be unpredictable. Since we already have an absolute advantage in strategy, there is absolutely no need to take risks. Engage in a massive mountain battle that could decide the fate of a kingdom! "

Davos's cautious words made Alexis, Olivers and others think, and also made Amyntas, Matonis and others wonder: What absolute advantage do we have?
"Of course it's the navy! Our fleet has an absolute advantage!" Sekerian said loudly and confidently.

"Seklian is right, our advantage lies in the navy!" Davos said firmly, and then took out a papyrus roll: "At the beginning of the banquet, I received an email from the Third Fleet. A battle report, they defeated the new Carthaginian fleet in Sardinia two days ago!"

Hearing the news, everyone was delighted. Sekerian rushed forward and took the battle report. After reading it quickly, he couldn't help but praise: "What a Midorades! He actually fought with the opponent's advantage." In the critical situation of the ship's attack, the Carthaginians suffered a disastrous defeat!"

When the generals were looking at each other, Davos said in a deep voice: "More than 10 Carthaginian troops gathered on Sicily. They consumed a huge amount of military rations every day. They were in colonial cities and Philippi on Sicily. It is impossible for the Nike allies to meet their military food supply, not to mention that Proseus had previously destroyed the farmland of these city-states and cut off their wheat. They even had difficulty in their own survival. Therefore, Carthage could only start from The continent of Africa collects food and transports it by sea to meet the daily needs of this huge army——"

"Your Majesty is right! As long as our Sicilian fleet completely cuts off the sea transportation line between Carthage and Sicily, we don't need to fight it head-on. No matter how many Carthage soldiers there are, they will only starve to death on this island. !" Sekerian interjected loudly.

Davos didn't take it seriously, but said to him with a serious expression: "So next... After the Sicilian fleet is supplemented by newly built warships, I ask the Sicilian fleet to strengthen the blockade of the west of Sicily and intercept all traffic coming and going. vessel!
This task is not easy to complete. Although our navy has the advantage, Carthage will definitely do everything possible to open up the shipping route for the sake of victory in this war and the lives of more than 10 Carthage soldiers. The Sicilian fleet will inevitably Will be attacked by Carthage from the sea!Cykrian, can you complete this mission? ! "

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will make sure that the Carthage fleet never comes back!" Cykerian replied confidently.

"I believe you can do it!" Davos encouraged him and reminded him softly: "But I hope you can be more cautious and prevent the fleet from being destroyed by a storm again."

"Yes..." Sekerian responded with his head lowered.

"Your Majesty!" Amyntas asked eagerly: "According to your plan, don't we need our troops to take the initiative?!"

"Yes!" Daves' decisive answer made Amyntas, Matonis, Olivers and other senior generals show more or less disappointment on their faces.

Davos took in their expressions, then looked at Alexis, who was silent, and asked: "Alexis, what do you think?"

Alexis looked around and said in a heavy voice: "Your Majesty, this war has lasted for more than a year. The soldiers first fought hard in the north, and now they have come to the south. They have not been able to rest and have paid a lot of effort. Huge casualties. As far as I know, in the Turiyi region alone, almost all the people in the city wear black veils...

Now we will fight against the more powerful Carthage. I originally thought that the casualties would be higher than before, but your majesty's strategy allows our soldiers not only to reduce casualties, but also to win the final victory. This is where His Majesty is far superior to us militarily! ” Alexis praised sincerely.

After hearing this, Davos felt a little ashamed.In fact, before the banquet, he had some idea of ​​​​waiting for all the armies to converge and look for an opportunity to fight the Carthaginian army for a decisive battle. This may be the ambition of every commander with heavy troops, but the Third Fleet While he was overjoyed by the victory, he also realized the absolute advantage the navy had, and then he became determined to implement another plan in his heart to the end.

At this moment, he coughed slightly and said: "Alexis said it very well. The purpose of the war is to safeguard the interests of the kingdom, not to pursue the pleasure of killing. We must try our best to protect these people who trust us and work hard for us. The soldiers who fought in the Kingdom were able to return home safely."

Davos's eyes swept across the faces of Amyntas, Martonis and others, and continued: "Just because our army does not take the initiative to attack does not mean that we can relax our vigilance. In order to survive, the Carthaginian army must It is very likely that they will take the initiative to attack us. To this end, we must speed up the construction of camps and build more defensive facilities so that our soldiers will have an absolute advantage in defense.

In addition, even if the Carthaginian army on Sicily is defeated, the war will probably not end immediately. You must be prepared to march to Africa and southern Iberia, so during this period you have to think We must do our best to keep the soldiers' morale high, and must not let them slack off. We must also strengthen the training of Roman soldiers, Samnite warriors, and Potentian warriors, so that they can become familiar with our flags, orders, and tactics as soon as possible. It will be helpful for future battles. "

Davos's words cheered up the generals, so when Davos asked again: "Do you have any other opinions?", everyone agreed to implement the plan drawn up by Davos.

Seeing that everyone has a unified understanding, Davos smiled, and he said: "Executing this plan has another advantage for us. We can use less troops to defend against the attacks of the Carthaginians with more troops, and also Depending on the development of the battle situation, some soldiers can be assigned to support Selinus, Enna, or Prosaus, or even attack the empty rear of the Carthaginian army.

Everyone, because we have the advantage of sea routes, we seem to be in passive defense, but actually we are taking the initiative. The Carthaginian army will definitely be defeated by us! "

..........................................

On the west bank of the Pletany River, in the camp built by the Carthaginian army, Mago's roar came from the Chinese army's tent: "Damn Annobas, you idiot!..."

After hearing the news, Pomirka came into the big tent and saw Ma Ge drew out his sword and slashed at the table.

"What happened?" Pomirka asked softly.

"Look, this is the man you trust and is known as Carthage's most capable naval general!" Mago angrily threw a papyrus roll on the table.

Pomilka picked it up, and after reading it, his face changed drastically, and he asked in surprise: "Is this true?"

"This is written by a member of our Magonid family who serves as the captain of the newly formed fleet. Of course it is true!" Mago held the gleaming sword and sat back on the wooden chair, his eyes glaring. Milka: "Annobasi was incompetent and arranged the wrong ship formation, which resulted in a disastrous defeat for the fleet and the whereabouts of Admika. According to reports from my tribe, after they fled back to the port of Saros, Anobasi Si also lectured them and threatened them not to reveal the entire naval battle process to the outside world, obviously trying to escape responsibility!

He is delusional!I will write a letter to the Senate explaining the true nature of the naval battle and requesting that he be taken back to Carthage to face trial and punishment!You sign with me! "

"This one……"

As soon as Pomilka showed hesitation, Mago snorted heavily: "You don't want to?!"

"The new fleet suffered a defeat even though it had the advantage. Annobas should have been interrogated by the Senate. I am willing to sign with you." Bomirka said with worry: "But now it is During the war, suddenly changing the commander of the navy may have a great impact on the entire fleet..."

Ma Ge sneered: "In my opinion, replacing him will be of great help to the navy! Let me ask you, since he became the commander of the navy, has our dominant fleet in the Western Mediterranean ever won a victory?!"

Pomilka was speechless, because it was indeed the case. Since the war began, the Carthaginian fleet had lost consecutive battles, and now it could only huddle in the port, not daring to compete with the Dionysian fleet.

"After the fleet was destroyed by the storm, Annobus should not have continued to be the commander of the navy, and the new fleet that was finally built should not have been allowed to go to Sardinia. This was all because of Hanno's selfishness. Taiji has paid such a high price! It can’t go on like this anymore! It can’t go on like this anymore!! Otherwise, once the entire sea area is controlled by the Dionian fleet, our army will be completely destroyed!!" Mago said with sorrow and force Banging on the table.

(End of this chapter)