Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - Chapter 1021

[Chapter 359]

It wasn’t until no more Carthaginian ships were seen on the sea that the ships of the Sicilian fleet stopped this exhausting rampage and began to rescue the drowning Dionian crew and place them where they were captured by the fleet’s infantry. The Carthaginian warship…

During the whole process, the Carthaginian people on the shore were excited from the beginning, to panic, to choking, and finally to the silence of the crowded beach of thousands of people…

They once heard that in Sicily The fiasco of the army, hearing that Carthage’s allies were attacked and destroyed… Although they are worried, but after all, it is not as good as today to witness the Dionysian navy defeat their fleet and wreak havoc in the waters where they live. The enemy’s The

power made each of them shudder…

It was not only the people of Carthage who were hit hard, but also the elders who were watching the battle on the wall of the breakwater, because they stood closer, saw more clearly, and thought more, So the impact was even stronger.

Fortunately, all of them were Carthaginian aristocratic elites who had been tempered in politics for many years. After a period of silence, Hanno first sighed and said with a heavy expression: “We should immediately start a truce with Dionia. Negotiations, in order to achieve peace as soon as possible, regarding the conditions put forward by Dionia… I think it is still necessary to make some concessions.”

This time Hanno’s proposal was immediately responded by many elders: “Lord Hanno said Right! Now that our navy is over and the army is trapped in Sicily again, for the safety of Carthage, even if we pay some price, we must stop the war with the Dionians as soon as possible!”

“Pay some price?! I know, they will never agree, and they will come to the Senate to protest!”

“You see those lowly people too high, I believe they will definitely be more anxious than us after watching today’s naval battle. Demands to stop this war!”

…

In response to the voices of the elders, the Margonides led by Pretakuba remained silent. After all, the failure of this naval battle made them deeply aware that the army led by Marco in Sicily would inevitably fall into In a larger predicament, negotiation is the only way to help them out of danger.

At this time, Taipanlacco was not ready to let them go, and he said sadly: “My lords, we have all witnessed the defeat of the navy today. It can be said that this war…our Carthage…is thorough. Failed… We will pay a painful price for the peace! Should we reflect on this, Lord Hanno, Lord Okriton… and many other elders repeatedly emphasized that ‘Dio’ Nia has a strong military, and it is not good for Carthage to start a war. I hope that I can try my best to maintain the peace!’ Why do some people insist on going to war, resulting in such a bad situation today! Shouldn’t we hold them accountable?!”

As soon as these words came out,

everyone was shocked and looked at Pretakuba subconsciously.

“Declaring war on Dionia is a unanimous resolution passed by the Senate.” Pretakuba replied coldly.

“If it weren’t for your frequent incitement of the people to put pressure on the Senate, that resolution would never have passed, and… the case of a Dionysian merchant ship stealing and selling Iberian silver mines is also very suspicious. I suggest that the decision should be revisited. We will investigate this matter in detail, and we must not allow some people to escape punishment for their own interests and crimes that harm the interests of the city-state, and let those of us who truly love Carthage suffer innocently from the anger of the people!”

Taipanlako’s words reminded To the surrounding elders, let their eyes shine: the failure of this war and the heavy price that may be paid later will inevitably arouse the anger of the Carthaginian people. The Senate really needs a scapegoat to take on this huge responsibility and actively launch this. Margo who was in the war was undoubtedly the best target, not to mention the Margonid family, whose strength and prestige were severely hit in the war, also made them a lot less awe-inspiring.

As a result, many elders expressed their approval one after another, hoping that the Senate would re-investigate in detail the matter of “inciting the people to launch a war against Dionia, and the theft and sale of Iberian silver mines by Dionia’s merchant ships”. Conspiracy should be severely punished.

When more and more elders agreed with Taipanlacco’s proposal, Pretakuba saw Hanno’s cold gaze, and he suddenly understood: since the outbreak of the war, this Magni has The biggest enemy of the De family did not hinder Mr. Marco too much, but was waiting for the most vicious stab at this most critical moment.

He was a little panicked, and loudly defended: “Have you all forgotten! The reason why Carthage started war was because Dionysus declared war on Rome, and Rome is our ally, we must fulfill the covenant! Lord Ace Yaruba, do you think this is the case?!”

Facing the look of help from Pretakuba, the white-haired leader of the neutral faction coughed a few times, turned his head to look at the others, and said: “Everyone, we should immediately send people to rescue the drowning crew, repair the damaged ships, bury the fallen warriors and appease the bereaved people… and discuss what may be done in the armistice negotiations with Dionia. Which concessions, and the messengers to be sent to negotiate… There are so many things that need to be done immediately… Uh… The things you just talked about can be discussed after these things are completed…”

Pretakuba’s heart sank At rock bottom, Ace Yaruba could hear his support for Taipanlako’s proposal, despite his perfunctory words.

Hanno stroked his beard with his hand, a mocking smile on his face.

As the sun sets and night falls, countless ships are still busy on the sea near Carthage, and the cries and cries can be heard resounding in the once largest city-state in the Western Mediterranean, which lasts for a long time…

In this naval battle, about 180 warships on the Carthaginian side, 390 warships in the two fleets of Dionia, and a total of 570 warships participated in the battle.

During the fierce battle, the Carthaginian Fleet lost 135 warships, and its naval commander was killed. The Dionysian Third Fleet also lost 76 warships. Its flagship was also sunk and Midorades was rescued from the sea. It was cold and shivering at the start. In the history of the previous Mediterranean naval battles, the battle loss rate of both sides was so high, which had never been seen before.

However, the Dionysian Third Fleet exchanged for the near destruction of the Carthaginian fleet at a heavy price of more than half of the casualties. It is difficult to recover in a short period of time, and it cannot pose a threat to the Dionysian navy, which makes Dionysian navy. The Nia Navy can safely and boldly sail in the waters of Africa, and can directly oppress and block the city of Carthage, which is a great strategic victory.

Therefore, Davos was very excited after receiving the news of this naval battle, and publicly commended the two fleets for their seamless unity and cooperation, fearless sacrifice, and won this important victory for the kingdom, and called on the whole army to fight for them. He studied and promised that all the crew members who participated in the war would make a great contribution. At the same time, he would urge the Ministry of Military Affairs to make up for the battle-damaged ships of the Third Fleet as soon as possible to make it complete.

Two days later, Okridon, the negotiator for Carthage, arrived in Minoa in hopes of restarting the peace talks.

Davos graciously agreed in person, but secretly instructed Henepolis to delay the negotiation as much as possible.

After learning that King Dionia still welcomed the peace talks, the Carthaginian Senate immediately passed a resolution and sent an envoy to the Carthaginian camp of Serinus to inform Marco to suspend the negotiations. Serinus’ attack to ensure the smooth progress of the peace talks.

I don’t know that Marco got more news. Pretakuba has sent someone to remind him that the people of Carthage City have not only strongly called for the end of the war and the restoration of peace in the past few days. The war in Asia expressed extreme dissatisfaction; the Senate was also turbulent, saying that it was responding to the demands of the people and preparing to launch an investigation into a series of events that occurred before the war, and its goal was obviously aimed at the leadership of Marco The Magnid family.

After getting this news, Marco realized the danger, and after consulting with his family’s generals, he made a resolute decision: he would never obey the decision of the Senate, and stop the rectification of the Numibians in the camp, and restart the fight against Cyprus. Linus City attacked.

He decided to use a victory to restore the Margonides’ prestige in Carthage.

After Davos got the news that “Margo led the army to restart the attack on Serinus City”, he learned about the general reason through other channels, and immediately asked Henipolis to question it. Okleton: Why is it still ordering the Sicilian army to attack Serinus when Carthage is already negotiating a truce with Dionia?

Dionia doubted its sincerity in the negotiations and decided to suspend the negotiations until the Carthaginian army in Sicily really eliminated the hostility to Dionia.

Okriton wanted to refute Henepolis: while Dionysus was negotiating, he did not let the fleet continue to cruise in the Sicilian waters, and even went deep into the waters of Carthage, posing a great threat to the entry and exit of ships in the port. !

However, the current war situation is extremely unfavorable for Carthage. Okriton shoulders a heavy responsibility and urgently needs to reach an agreement as soon as possible to maintain the security of Carthage soil. Therefore, he dare not say such hard words, but earnestly guarantee: The attack on Selinnus was by no means at the behest of the senate, it must have been Marco’s private act, he would immediately rush to Selinus to stop Marco’s hostile actions, and the elder Yuan would punish Marco. , I hope the negotiation can continue after this matter is dealt with.

Henepolis, who had been instructed by Davos, of course welcomed it.

Despite his oath in Minoa, he had no confidence that he could persuade the noble and stubborn Magonid family patriarch to stop attacking Serinus.