Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

"He's not there?" Callistratus was a little disappointed and a little skeptical.

"His Royal Highness led the army to Argos." Karias looked at each other and said clearly: "Because the Argos have decided to withdraw from the Greek Alliance and surrender to us Dionia, His Royal Highness decided to personally appease them. "

"When will Prince Cloto Kataks come back?" Callistratus asked unchanged, as if he didn't care about Argos' surrender, but his heart sank: Argos surrendered Up?is this real?!

As the second strongest state of the Peloponnese, Argos surrendered, in fact, it was reasonable. The Argos army in the Greek coalition army insisted on going east and first returned to the mother state. The main forces of the Greek coalition led by Sisi separated, and as a result, they were surrounded by the Dionian army in the Territory of Taigea. Some of the more than 7,000 Argos soldiers died in the battle and more than half surrendered.

Then Plintors suggested that Cloto Kataks send envoys to Argos, asking them to surrender, otherwise all Argos prisoners will be sold as slaves in the Western Mediterranean.

Although the young and middle-aged citizens of Argos 34 fell into the hands of the Dionian army, the stubborn Argos still showed hesitation and did not immediately agree.But it didn’t take long for them to learn that “the Dionian army that had landed in Thessaly had invaded the Attica area, and the army led by Iphikratus fled back to Athens.” The Argos Knowing that the situation is over, only then decided to surrender to Dionia.

"His Royal Highness should be back tomorrow." Carrias said suddenly with a strong tone: "However, if Lord Calistratus is here to negotiate, there is no need to meet with His Royal Highness, because the officials of the Kingdom of Dionia are different In the performance of his duties, the negotiation is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now, the negotiations with the various Greek city-states are in charge of me, the diplomat of the Holy Kingdom of Dionia, Carrias!"

After listening to Callistratus, a smile appeared on his face again: "This can't be better. Master Karias and I are old acquaintances, and it will be more convenient to discuss."

He coughed a few times, sat upright, and said with a serious face: "The war between Athens and Dionia was actually not our Athenian's intention. I believe you should know that the original Turii was created by the great General Pericles advocated the establishment of the sub-state, and the people of Athens fully supported the establishment of the sub-state, so many people in Athens have always believed that Dionia was gradually expanded from the original Turii, and they have a special affection for Dionia. It is they who love to watch the drama "The Dionian", and most of it is because of this kind of sentiment. Otherwise, why no dramas describing other city-states were created...

Although the Dionian army’s landing in Messenia and the subsequent attack on Sparta surprised us, it did not send an envoy to stop it. On the contrary, many people in Athens were happy because Sparta, which once oppressed us, was being attacked. The dionian conquest of Athens with a certain emotional connection is equivalent to a kind of revenge for Athens.

However, Dionia is a Gentile after all. Your occupation of Sparta caused anxiety among the priests of Olympia and Delphi. They lobbied other city-states to use Dionia as an enemy, and even affected many of Athens. Allies, this eventually led Athens to join the Greek Alliance involuntarily and declare war on Dionia..."

Callistratus sighed: "But the war was cruel. The large amount of gold and silver in the Athens treasury was quickly consumed, the people's living materials were gradually scarce, and young citizens continued to be killed and injured... I have tasted the cruelty of war! I think it should be the same for the people of Dionia! So today I came here with the will of the people of Athens and solemnly proposed-Athens is willing to stop the war with Dionia and restore peace !"

Callistratus glanced at each other and saw that Karias was listening carefully, so he went on to say: "After the peaceful truce, Athens will recognize Dionian’s current position against Messiania and Sparta. The arrangement also recognized Dionia's disposal of the city-states of Thessaly, and would also persuade Delphi and Olympia to accept Dionia as a member of the Holy Alliance of Greece.

At the same time, Dionia should withdraw all troops on the Greek mainland, and Dionia's fleet can no longer appear in the Aegean Sea.

If Dionian agrees to the above conditions, Athens is willing to sign a long-term peace and friendship agreement with Dionian, and is willing to open the trading market of Athens and its allies to Dionian merchants!"

After hearing this, Carrias blinked, and said slowly: "The armistice proposed by Athens sounds good, and it reminds me of the friendly agreement that Dionia had signed with Sparta. But at that time Dionia had to compromise with Sparta because of his strength, but the kingdom has developed to this day, and his Majesty has not allowed us to sign such a self-binding agreement—"

"Relying on force and blindly expanding aggression will only arouse the resistance of the Greek people and eventually lead to failure!" Callistratus sternly persuaded: "Only friendly exchanges and peaceful trade can make city-states stable and prosperous!"

Carrias smiled: "Isn't it because you Athens continued to expand at sea that caused Sparta's concerns and ultimately led to the Peloponnesian War?"

Callistratus did not argue, but said in a deep voice: "You are right. It is precisely because of the mistakes made by Athens that year, so today we should learn more and avoid making the same mistakes."

Carrias was speechless for a while. He drank the pulp in the wooden cup in one gulp, and then said straightforwardly: "I'll tell you clearly. Dionia can't agree to the condition you put forward. Dionian truce negotiated a peace. I have a request for a truce prepared by His Majesty the King himself. Argos agreed to this request, and Dionian quickly turned from an enemy to a friend. Do you want to hear it? "

Callistratus said solemnly: "Please tell me."

Kalias said forcefully and utterly: "Athens must disband its alliance and join the new Greek alliance led by Dionian, then peace will be achieved immediately, it's that simple."

As soon as Karias’s voice fell, Kallistratus said loudly, “Your request is too demanding, and Athens will never agree to it! Most of the allied states in Athens are sub-states of Athens and have blood ties with the people of Athens. It’s impossible for the people of Athens to agree—"

"Okay! The Greeks often say,'Spartan's stick, Athens' tongue.' I have personally seen your eloquence in the city of Athens, and now I don't want to hear more from you." Carrias hit He cut off his words and said firmly: "This is a request made by your majesty, and it cannot be changed! If you do not agree, you can only go back and continue fighting with us. We don't care."

Carrias tried to see him directly, so that Callistratus lost the calmness he had when they first met. He felt bitter, but he wanted to fight for it again: "I can't agree to the conditions you put forward. You have to return to Athens, propose it in the 500-member assembly, negotiate with the councillors, reach an agreement, and discuss and approve the citizen assembly before you can give you a positive answer. This process takes about five or six days... Before Athens gives a final answer, can the Dionian army suspend its attack on Athens? To ensure that your request can be more smoothly accepted by the citizens of Athens."

"This is absolutely impossible!" Karias clearly refused: "I am only responsible for diplomatic negotiations, and cannot influence the command of the army commander. If you want Athens to suffer less damage, you'd better hurry up and reply!"

Callistratus saw that the other party was not coming in. Although disappointed in his heart, there was nothing strange on his face. He stood up and said helplessly: "Well, I will convey your request to the people of Athens as soon as possible. ."

After speaking, he walked out of the account. After a few steps, he couldn't help but turn his head, and said solemnly: "I think you should be prepared. The citizens of Athens who advocate freedom will most likely oppose your request. The citizens of Athens will unite and fully defend the city of Athens and the port of Piraeus! During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan forces failed to break the city of Athens for more than a decade, and the war between Dionia and Athens was bound to happen. It will be protracted, and by then it will be a disaster for both countries!"

Carrias said very confidently: "Thank you for your reminder! The reason why our King dared to propose such a condition has made us fully prepared. We firmly believe that the ultimate victory will belong to Dionia. ! And are you Athens ready for everything? Also, I would like to remind you that the Carthage messenger came to negotiate with us like you, but he was unable to make a decision until finally Carthage had to When they surrendered, they paid more. I hope that Athens will not repeat the mistakes of Carthage!"

Karistratus wanted to say something, but found that he had nothing to say and could only quietly walk out of the military account.

When he walked out of the barracks, he couldn't help but turn his head and look back: the new Greek alliance dominated by Dionia?!... The decision made at the time was not wrong, Dionia really had great ambitions for the Greek mainland, and wanted to replace Sparta as the new hegemon of Greece!Unfortunately……

Kallistatus turned to look at the city of Corinth ahead. Stone bullets continued to hit the wall. The rumbling sound made him feel shocked, and he began to worry about whether the walls of Athens could sustain this. Attack: Yes, it's a pity that for a powerful kingdom that can dispatch 100,000 elite troops and thousands of warships, Athens' previous efforts may be in vain. What should we do next?

There is endless blankness in the lonely eyes of Callistratos...