Chapter 19 Peace Talk

He looked around at the other three and said, "I have two news, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Listen to the bad news first. Look at the ΔΔshuge WwんW. "kan→shu→ge.la" Drax said first.

"This morning, just after leaving the swamp, the food convoy returning to Turii was attacked by 300 sailors from Crotone. The free people who were guarding the baggage were temporarily unprepared, causing 50 casualties and the loss of the pack beasts. Quite a few. Before our soldiers arrived, the enemy had fled back to the ship moored on the coast..." Davos read aloud.

"300 people?! The number of Crotones participating in the attack increases, and they are getting more and more courageous! I remember that our garrison is near the swamp!" Capps said in surprise.

"Perhaps it is because of this that the guards lose their vigilance." Davos said with a serious expression: "We must learn the lesson of this time to ensure that we will not commit it again in the future!"

Capps and Drakes clenched their fists and nodded vigorously.

"It's a shame that we don't have a fleet, otherwise how could the Crotones easily attack our villages and kill our people on our territory!" Drax said angrily.

In this regard, everyone is very helpless. After all, Dionia is an emerging alliance. It has only been established for less than a year. The navy is not like the army. As long as there are people, weapons, and strict training, it can be sent to the battlefield in a few months. To manufacture naval warships, especially the main warships, the three-tiered oar warships, even if the speed is accelerated, it will take at least three months to launch. It also requires nearly two hundred sailors and experienced helmsmen... and so on. After training, running-in, and skillful manipulation of warships, it will still take several months to form combat effectiveness. Therefore, the navy is an expensive service that consumes time, money, and manpower. Small city-states cannot afford to support them. With the current strength of the Dionysian Alliance, money and manpower are not a big problem, and the most important thing is time. . After this war with Crotone, Davos has secretly listed "establishing a navy" as the top priority for the next alliance development.

"Lord Davos, what is the good news?" Avinogis asked.

Davos smiled slightly: "Lochry has sent troops to attack Colonia! As you said, in such a situation, Crotone may consider negotiating with us again. If it still does not move-- Davos's voice suddenly became as cold as a cold wind: "I ordered Hieronymus to send troops to cross the Tachinadi River and destroy the farmland, villages, canals...etc outside the city of Crotone." All facilities, forcing the Crotones to negotiate!"

………………

Early the next morning, Lycias and Thesprotis entered the central tent of Dionia.

Davers looked at them both,

With a smile on his face, he said, "Lord Lucias, I said we would meet again, but I didn't expect it to come true so soon."

Lysias ignored Davos' teasing and said with a serious expression: "Lord Davos, the negotiating conditions you proposed last time, after deliberation at the Crotone Council, agreed to give up Crimesa and hand it over to Daivos. Onia disposes of, and is willing to pay a certain amount of money to bring about peace! As for the dissolution of the Crotone League--"

Lysias paused, considering how to use language to better persuade Davos, but Hisprotis replied, "The council agreed in principle to dissolve the alliance, but now Loclery is attacking Columbine. Ya, based on the deep friendship between Colonia and Crotone for hundreds of years, Crotone must give assistance to Colonia, and having the identity of the leader of the alliance will help Crotone to convene citizens, form an army, and reinforce Corenia, repel Lokri... After we repel them, we will... Disband... Thesprotis suddenly choked up and couldn't speak. Crotone's century-old hegemony in Greater Greece, then It was built by the ancestors of the Crotone people, Yan Lu Lanluo, who worked hard and built it with bloody battles.

Lycias, who had originally complained that Thesprotis had given all his cards to the opponent as soon as he came up, was completely stupid, and Lycias was also full of sadness at this moment.

"Crotone doesn't need to dissolve the alliance!" Davos's first sentence surprised the two of them.

Davos looked at the surprised expressions of the two and continued: "Even, Dionia can immediately release the captive tens of thousands of Crotone citizens!"

Lysias and Thesprotis looked at each other, unable to believe their ears.

"But I have one condition." Davos said slowly, "Dionia has not been in the habit of returning the things she got."

Lycias responded quickly: "You mean... Asproustum?"

Davers smiled: "It's not just this."

He walked to the map, stretched out his finger and pointed to a place: "Our Dionysian army has begun to build camp here!"

Lysias stepped forward to take a look, and couldn't help taking a deep breath: "You still want the land on the north bank of the Neto River?!"

"It's not what I want, but the conditions that must be met for Dionia to conduct peace talks!" Davos said sternly: "Crotone is aggressive, and launched two attacks on Turii and Dai. In the war of the Onia Alliance, we burned Turii, plundered wealth, and slaughtered the people of Dionia. Driven by the goddess of nemesis, we fought back bravely. The blessing of Hades allowed us to successfully obtain a new victory. One victory after another. The confidence of the people of Dionia is high, and they can't wait to let Crotone suffer the pain of being burned again! If there is no rich spoils, our people will never agree to negotiate with you! Already There are many people who suggest that the more than 10,000 captives should be sent to mine, just like Syracuse dealt with the Athenian captives!"

Davos' stern tone made Thesprotis' hair stand on end. Of course, he knew what happened to the expedition soldiers who were captured in Athens. He trembled and said: "Asproustum plus Neto River The land on the shore, these almost occupy the territory of one of the three roots of Crotone. If they are all given to Dioria, what will happen to so many Crotone people who originally lived on these lands?! The council is not Might agree!"

"These two wars have cost Crotone and Asproustum the lives of no less than 20,000 citizens, and the land should have been abandoned a lot. Move the people to Crotone City and enrich the manpower. , the redistribution of labor-starved lands, which I think is just the right way to reorganize Crotone, while making peace with Dionia, and allowing returning Crotone citizens to form an army again to help test the Renya, repelling Lochry, this is a good thing to kill multiple birds with one stone!" Davos said in a deep voice.

There seemed to be some kind of temptation in his words, which made Thesprotis couldn't help nodding his head. He looked at Lysias subconsciously, and Lysias shook his head slightly. Thesprotis opened his mouth, but did not speak. Then fell silent.

"Of course, you can also go back and discuss slowly. I'm not in a hurry. Maybe, in a few days, it will not be you, but Locley. As long as I can cooperate with Dionia, I think Locke will be standing in front of me. I don't care how much Crotone's land is divided." Davers said slowly, with an indifferent expression.

Lycias and Thesprotis felt chills all over, and Thesprotis hurriedly said: "Dear Davos, all the land on the north bank of the Neto River is handed over to Dionia, this is indeed... ...It's really difficult to get the council to agree, but some of the land...I think it can be allocated to you...the exact amount, we can negotiate. As for Asprostum—"

Hearing this, Davos interrupted him unceremoniously: "Asproustum must be controlled by Dionia, this is not negotiable! To prevent Crotone from breaking his word again, tearing up the agreement and launching war!"

Thesprotis stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Lycias sighed deeply in his heart. The easy compromise, incompetence and weakness of Thesprotis made him speechless, but this was the choice of the council! In fact, Lycias also understood: the war has been going on until now, and Crotone has been completely passive. Even if he was confident that Dionia's army would never be able to break through the strong city of Crotone, and even force Dionia to retreat in the end, so what! With farmland, villages, town facilities all destroyed, and a lack of young and middle-aged citizens, it will be a long process for Crotone to return to its former prosperity. But the severe situation did not allow Crotone to have the luxury of time, and the panicked people did not have the determination to fight to the end. Therefore, compromise and concession in exchange for peace, reducing losses, and preparing for future revival became the best choice for the council.

Having figured this out, Lycias no longer hesitated: "Asprostom is the northern barrier of Crotone, and if it falls into the hands of the enemy, it will only make the people of Crotone more uneasy. I think even if the council agrees, the Citizens Assembly will oppose it!"

"So, you rejected Dionia's terms of peace talks." Davos looked at Lycias stiffly.

Thesprotis tugged at Lysias's clothes anxiously, and Lysias said calmly: "The people of Crotone are against the enemy's possession of Asprostum, but they are not necessarily against it. It's occupied by allies."

"Allies?!" Davos, who had been calm and steady in control of the negotiation rhythm, also seemed a little surprised.

"That's right!" Lycias raised his head and said loudly, "As long as Dionia and Crotone form an alliance, then Asproustum and part of the land on the north bank of the Neto River will be handed over to Dai. Onia is not a big problem."