v9 Chapter 158： Overture before the war (3)

Olivers glanced at Patroclus and raised objections: “Today the Greek coalition forces are still on the offensive and the Messenian border defenses are relatively weak. We take the initiative to retreat. If we do not control well, we may be self-defeating and let the Greek coalition forces Rush into the Messenian Plain..."

"Yes, once the Greek coalition forces rush into the Messenian Plain, even if we retreat to the city of Messenia, the lands and villages that have just been allocated to the citizens of Messenia will definitely be destroyed. Months of hard work are all in vain!" Taginos also reminded.

"The most important thing is that the port of Messenia does not have any defenses. There are a lot of materials and many ships parked there. If it falls into the hands of the Greek coalition forces, it will be a great loss for us..."

No matter what kind of mentality it is, most of the generals stationed in Laconia and Messenia disagree with the opinions of Patroclus and Printoles, which makes Patroclus betray. Yue look.

After listening carefully, Cloto Kataks pondered for a while, and finally he said seriously: "Generals, defeating the Greek coalition and controlling Greece is the ultimate goal given to our expeditionary army by the kingdom, and the landing raid on Thessaly It is the most important military operation to achieve this goal! As part of the expeditionary force, we fighting in the Peloponnese must contain the main force of the Greek coalition as much as possible to ensure the success of the landing operation, so there is no need to discuss in Messene The issue of whether or not to retreat in northern Asia should focus on discussing how to retreat to ensure that our defense does not have major problems! Unity and tacit cooperation are the most important weapons of our Dionian kingdom’s army. Regardless of whether your Majesty personally leads the army, we should carry it forward!..."

At this moment, Olivers and the others seemed to see the shadow of King Daves from Cloto Kataks, and they couldn't help but dare not speak any more.

Priintoles smiled with relief.

………………………………………………

In the early morning of August 3, it was very early and it was also exceptionally blue, with no clouds in sight. The strong southerly wind blows on the sea, pushing waves of tide water after another, constantly beating the coast.

In the two bays of Lagnia and Messiania, thousands of cargo ships and warships rise and fall with the waves, but the soldiers and crew on each ship stand or sit, all upright and lowered. Head, hands stretched out, palms up, eyes closed, silently praying to the sea **** Poseidon.

On the flagships of the First Fleet, Second Fleet, and Third Fleet, the three fleet captains Sekerian, Midolades, and Stefakas stood on the bow, holding wine glasses high and singing An ode to Poseidon, and then spilled wine into the sea to bless this trip.

"Woo!..." The bugle sounded, and the flags representing sailing were immediately raised on the flagship of the Second Fleet, and all the warships of the Second Fleet that were already outside the Lagnia Bay began to sail.

At almost the same time, the bugle sounded in the Gulf of Messeria, and the warships of the 3rd Fleet were dispatched one after another.

Until the crew in the bay could no longer see the warships of the 2nd Fleet, "Woo!..." The bugle sounded again in Lagnia Bay.

"Crotto, we should set off!" Patroclus on the ship solemnly gave a military salute.

"May Hades bless you! I'm waiting for the news of your victory!" Cloto Kataks on the trestle bridge also offered his own blessings as a military salute.

Patroclus sat back in his seat, and then calmly watched the ship he was on, following the other troop carriers loaded with soldiers, and the troop carriers filed out from the Port of Hilles in an orderly manner. These troop carriers were in Lagnia according to their previous training. The bays formed their own formations, and then merged with the squadrons of the 1st Fleet that had been waiting outside, forming three large mixed formations and a single fleet, and then these fleets set sail in the order of landing targets from north to south. ...

This process seems simple, but it is actually extremely complicated. It takes a lot of effort to get all the soldiers on board and out of the port. Therefore, there are dozens of clippers in the Gulf of Laconia. Shuttle scheduling between ships...Although the whole process is still a bit chaotic, overall it is relatively smooth.

An hour later, it was finally Patroclus's turn to sail.

As it is now heading against the wind, not only the crew is struggling to row, but even the soldiers on the boat also join in, shouting chants with the crew, sliding the oars rhythmically, and the helmsman controls the rudder to make the boat follow the boat. The "Zigzag"-shaped route, sailing towards the southeast...

About half an hour later, the fleet bypassed the promontory. At this time, the crew climbed up the masts, untied the ropes, and lowered the sails. The wind immediately swelled the sails, which was originally like a sickly old man on crutches. Immediately, his fleet became full of powerful young men, struggling to fly, and the strong south wind made the entire fleet sail north as if it were wings.

At this time, the second fleet has reached the Salong Bay, and in order to better blockade the Athens fleet, Midolades divided the fleet into two parts, blocking the sea passages at the north and south ends of Aegina.

The Athenian naval commander, Kabrias, who received the news, quickly rushed to the nearby coast. Standing on a high ground, he could see the deployment of the Dionian fleet in the bay more clearly.

Just as he was thinking about the reason why the Dionian fleet was neither attacking nor leaving near Aegina, Kallistatus, who came after hearing the news, shouted eagerly from a long distance: " Cabrías, the Dionia fleet that had disappeared for a while suddenly appeared again. Are you preparing to attack us?!"

"I have been observing here for quite a while. The Dionian fleet is arranged in a loose array and has been blocking the sea passage on the north side of Aegina. Although there are attacks on merchant ships that want to enter and exit, it seems that It seems that there is no plan to continue westward and attack Piraeus..."

Cabrías pointed at the Dionian fleet, which was almost stationary under the coast, and said comfortingly: "And now we are prepared for the warships in the port of Piraeus and Salamiga. They are all ready for battle, and many light infantry are stationed. If the Dionia fleet really dares to enter the narrow channel and attack our port, it would be a good thing!"

"You mean—" Kallistatus walked to him, looked down at the enemy ship on the sea, and asked with a little excitement: "Let Salami Gadget repeat?!"

"This is just my expectation..." Kabrias remembered the naval battle with the Dionian fleet in the Gulf of Lagnia some time ago, and couldn't help shaking his head: "But the Dionian fleet Well-trained, it is very likely that you will not make such a mistake..."

"There are a lot of warships in the Dionian Fleet!" Kallistatus looked down on the sea and asked thoughtfully: "They disappeared in the Aegean Sea for a while, you analyzed that they were going Attacking the islands to the west, so you took the initiative to lead your fleet to attack Lagnia Bay... Now they suddenly appear in Salong Bay, do you think they are for any purpose? Or just to retaliate against us and attack us Merchant ship?"

Before and after the Peloponnesian War, the generals of Athens not only had to talk loudly in the council and offer suggestions for the development of the city-state, but also personally lead the citizen soldiers to conquer the battlefield. This is what Kemeng and Pericles did. Serasibulus even died in the battle. However, the frequency of the war also put forward high demands on the quality of the generals of the Athenian army, which began to lead to the division of the leadership of Athens. There were politicians such as Callistratus who specialized in politics, and there were also politicians such as Ifekrates and Karate. A general who specializes in fighting like Blías. Therefore, Kallistatus has a very good relationship with Ifekrates and Kabrias, and often asks them about military issues.

"It's hard to say now, I think--" Cabrias was still pondering, and a cavalry came quickly: "General Cabrias, there is news from Aegina, and the ship of Dionia is not only sealed. Blocked the sea passage to the north, and also blocked the sea passage to the south, intercepting and attacking any merchant ships that want to enter or exit!"

Callistratus's face changed drastically: "Do the Dionians want to completely block our maritime trade?!"

"From here, the Dionian fleet may have deployed about two hundred warships, and if they want to blockade the other side, they probably need to deploy the same number of warships... hundreds of warships, tens of thousands of crews. , Such a large-scale operation...just to block our merchant ships, it would not be worth the loss..." Kabrias was lost in thought, UU reading www.uukanshu. com suddenly changed his face: "If you say... the Dionian fleet is not only to block our merchant ships, but also to block our fleet... to prevent our warships from entering the Aegean Sea and threaten their ships. team--"

"The fleet? What fleet?!" Kallistatus was taken aback and asked immediately.

"Either transporting supplies, or carrying soldiers... The fleet should be large, otherwise their fleet can be fully guarded..." As his thinking deepened, Kabrias's tone became more and more affirmative.

"You mean they are going to land?!" Calistratus exclaimed.

"Do not rule out this possibility! Haven't we been worried about the Dionian army's re-entry in Messiah before!" Cabrias said solemnly.

Callistratus became nervous: "We have to make sure whether the Dionian army will land?! Where to land?! Caprias, you must lead the fleet to break through the Dionian fleet. Blockade, enter the Aegean Sea, find out if there is a fleet in Dionia going to land, and obstruct and destroy it!"

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