Chapter 338 Palermos Surrender

Engineers and carpenters assemble and build siege machines while soldiers build camp outside Palermus.

When Leotizides piled the bodies of Lusitania soldiers outside the city of Palermos and demanded their surrender, the Palermos urgently convened a citizens' assembly to discuss it.

But Leotidides saw that the Palermos did not give a clear answer all morning, and immediately launched an attack. Tens of thousands of heavily armed legionnaires lined up in front of the city, promoting various attacks. City equipment, began to siege.

The people of Palermos hurriedly organized and went to the city to defend against it. The battle continued from the afternoon to the dusk, and lasted for more than four hours in total. The Dionysian army did not attack the city with all its strength, but was just a test of force. It's not big, and it's easy to retreat when it's time to retreat.

But for the Palermos, the four-hour defensive battle was like a nightmare: the Dionians attacked the city's defenders from a long distance from the towering mobile towers; Under the cover, they approached the city directly and covered the city head with a rain of arrows; the stone bullets fired by the ballista continued to fall into the city, smashing houses and injuring the people; the iron arrows shot from the belly bow allowed the defending soldiers at the head of the city. The death is terrifying... Not to mention, every time the Dionysian heavy infantry who used the ladder and ants to attack the city climbed to the top of the city, the Palermos defenders had to pay relatively large casualties to drive them down. .

Therefore, when the Dionysian army retreated, the Palermos were not happy with their victory. Their casualties exceeded 1,000, of which the young and middle-aged civic soldiers who were the main force of the defense suffered more than half of the casualties.

The Dionysian fleet was blocked by the sea, the land was surrounded again, the reinforcements of Carthage were annihilated, and their own defenders were weak. The Palermos had lost their confidence in defending the city, and they soon held an emergency meeting at night. The Citizens' Assembly was held, and a resolution was quickly passed: Surrender to the Dionysian army!

All the citizens present deceived themselves that this was just a temporary surrender, in order to save Palermo, just as the Syracuse army attacked the west more than 20 years ago, they surrendered to Dionysius, and waited for Carthia. After the army of Keith regained its advantage, they could return to the extended family of the West Phoenicians centered on Carthage.

So in the early morning of the second day, the emissary of Palermus went to the Dionysian barracks and formally proposed to Leothyides: Palermus is willing to surrender!

When Leotizides discussed with Cypros, Zantiparis, and Midorades about attacking Palermos, he also discussed the question of "what to do if Palermus surrenders".

In this war, so far, Dionia has basically adopted the strategy of "relegating the people in the town to slaves, and the entire town was completely incorporated into the Kingdom of Dionia" for the captured Phoenician towns. way, so is Alenia, so is Saros, so is Serinus,

A slightly different one is Santa Ibinia.

After the Ninth Legion captured St. Ibinia, Stromboli personally appeased the captured St. Ibinians and made a promise: as long as they did their best to smelt and cast precious metals for the kingdom, when the war was over, not only would they be given freedom. , and support their application for citizenship of the Kingdom of Dionia.

Cypros, who has rich political and administrative experience, believes that Palermus is different from the Phoenician city-states on Sardinia and Corsica. It is not controlled by Carthage, but is an ally of Carthage. This was true of the independent city-states, the Phoenician city-states of Sicily and Africa. Its surrender was of course handled differently from the Phoenician towns on those two small islands.

Cypros proposed: Include Palermus into the Dionysian League, so that both sides can accept it, so as to achieve the front line where Dionysian and Carthaginian armies are gathered, and the war situation is very tense. The purpose of recruiting the opponent's power, saving time, and weakening the opponent's strength, but also set an example for other Phoenician city-states to avoid future deadly battles.

His suggestion was approved by the three high-ranking generals, so when the emissary of Palermus came to discuss the surrender, Leotizides proposed to "let Palermus join the Dionysian League", which was indeed Surprise the people of Palermo.

In addition, Leotidides also proposed: In this war, Palermos will not be recruited for food and grass, and Palermus citizens will be recruited less, but the Palermus must find an opportunity to convince the people in Gaia. The Palermos civic soldiers of the Taichi army surrendered.

The emissary of Palermos complied, but he hesitated after another request from Leotizides: The Dionysian army must enter the city of Palamos!

The messenger objected to this, but Leotidides was firm, because the Dionysian army needed to use Palermos as the forward base of the 7th and 8th legions, and its port as the station of the third fleet, so The entry of the army is a necessary condition. If the Palermos cannot agree, then the surrender cannot be achieved, and the Dionysian army will immediately attack, capture the city of Palermus, and completely control it.

Facing the might of Leotidides, the Palermos Messenger shrank back.

Of course, Leotidides also made a promise in the name of Hades: The Dionysian army will settle in Palermos, never interfere in the internal affairs of Palermus, not violate the laws of Palermus, and not take it by force. Housing, not harassing people...

The emissary of Palermos brought Leotidides' negotiated conditions back to the city. The issue of the entry of the runners-up in the city of Palermos" was hotly debated.

But at this time, the Dionysian army once again sent troops in front of the city of Palermos, with murderous aura, and threatened: the people of Palermus must make a decision within half an hour, otherwise they will attack the city.

Under the heavy pressure, the people of Palermos agreed to surrender, and they hoped that the Dionysians would keep their promises.

Leotizides had Zantiparis lead the Seventh Legion to garrison the camp to guard the Carthaginian army south of the mountain, and he himself led the Eighth Legion into the city of Palermos.

As soon as the army entered the city, it quickly took over the defense of the entire city wall and the entry and exit of the city gate, and took over the management of the port. The army of more than 8,000 people lived in two places: one was in the square of the city, and the other was in the port.

The people of Palermos hid in their houses, peeking anxiously at the Dionian soldiers who were lined up neatly and arrogantly entering the city. Although the Dionysians had a reputation for keeping promises in the Western Mediterranean, Paler Moss City is now like a woman who has taken off all her clothes. Even in the face of a kind-hearted strong man, she will tremble with fear.

But what they feared did not happen, and the Dionian soldiers focused on setting up tents, building new camps, taking over key points in the cities... There was not a single incident of looting and tyranny. After more than ten years of military training, the citizens of Dionia have become accustomed to obeying the military law, not to mention that their army commander is notoriously strict, how could they have just won a military exploit and destroyed it for a small indulgence. My own great future in Dionia.

Even a very small number of Catanes complained: "The Carthaginian army destroyed their homes and the Catania plain before, we should not treat these Phoenicians as accomplices so leniently!"

The officers would comfort them: "Among these Phoenicians who acted as accomplices, there were no Palermos, who did not follow the Carthaginian army to the east, but stayed outside the city of Serinus. In the camp. (Of course, this is what the emissary of Palermos said, and Leotizides was willing to believe his words at this time), so it can be seen that Palermos and our Dionysus have no hatred... …”

The good performance of the Dionysian soldiers in the city slowly dispelled the fear in the hearts of the people of Palermos. Gradually, some people tried to get out of their homes and met the Dionysian soldiers on the street. Nothing happened. , and even the Dionysian soldiers smiled at them, which made more people let go of their guard and take to the streets... The whole day, the city of Palermos remained calm, Dionia Soldiers and the people of Palermos did not interfere with each other and went their separate ways.

At night, Leotidides, who lived in the camp at the square, was awakened by the officers stationed in the port and learned that the Carthaginians had brought reinforcements by sea and wanted to enter the port.

Leotidides immediately had an idea. He sent someone to call several high-ranking city-states in Palermos and asked them to help and lure reinforcements into the port.

When these senior officials of the city-state received this news, they may have regretted surrendering too early, but now that the boat is done, the people of the city are under the control of the Dionysian army, and they have to obey, but after learning that the vast majority of the reinforcements When soldiers are composed of citizens of their own city-state, their actions become much more proactive.

So when the reinforcements all boarded the pier and were surrounded by the Eighth Army, they rushed forward to persuade them to surrender.

Reinforcement soldiers certainly had no more options.

The fleet transporting reinforcements found that they had been fooled and wanted to flee the port immediately, but the Dionians stationed at the port had already closed the water gate and pulled up the sea-blocking chains, and the entire fleet became a turtle in a urn.

Not only did they earn 4,000 soldiers in vain, but they also captured a Carthaginian fleet. The Eighth Legion had a lot to gain this night.

However, after questioning Palermo's reinforcements and interrogating the Carthaginian crew, a very bold and crazy idea suddenly popped into his mind, and he immediately issued an order: martial law throughout the city, No one is allowed to go out.

Then they sent people to call Zantiparis outside the city and Tigertus, the commander of the half-mountain reconnaissance brigade who conquered the city of Syracuse. The three discussed in the big tent in the city until dawn. The Carthaginian crew was repeatedly interrogated many times.