Oliver glanced at Patroclus and objected: "Now that the Greek coalition is still on the offensive, and the border defense of Messenia is relatively weak, we take the initiative to retreat, in case the control is not good, it is likely to be self-defeating, and let the Greek coalition army rush into the Messenian plain......"

"Yes, once the Greek coalition forces storm the Messenian plain, even if we retreat to the city of Messenia, the land and villages that have just been allocated to the citizens of Messenia will be destroyed and our months of hard work will be in vain!" Tegatinos also reminded.

"The most important thing is that the port of Messenia is undefended, there are a lot of supplies piled up there, and there are many ships moored, and if it falls into the hands of the Greek coalition, it will be a great loss for us......"

Regardless of their mentality, most of the generals stationed in Laconia and Messenia did not agree with Patroclus and Printors, which made Patroclus look displeased.

After listening carefully, Klotocatax pondered for a while, and finally he said with a straight face: "Generals, defeating the Greek coalition and controlling Greece is the ultimate goal of the expeditionary force entrusted to us by the kingdom, and the landing and raid on Thessaly is the most important military operation to achieve this goal!" As part of the expeditionary force, we had to hold back the main forces of the Greek coalition as much as possible in the Peloponnese and ensure the success of the landing operation, so we should no longer discuss whether to retreat in northern Messenia, but should concentrate on how to make concessions in order to ensure that our defense does not have major problems! Solidarity and tacit cooperation are the most important weapons for the army of the Kingdom of Dionia, and whether His Majesty personally leads the army or not, we should carry it forward! ……”

At this moment, Oliver and the others seemed to see the shadow of King Davos from Crotocatacs, and they couldn't help but feel a pang in their hearts, and they didn't dare to say anything more.

Printors smiled reassuringly.

……………………………………………………

In the early morning of August 3, it was very early and exceptionally blue, and there was not a trace of floating clouds in sight. A strong southerly wind blows on the sea, pushing wave after wave of tide and lapping against the shore.

In the two bays of Lagenia and Mesenia, thousands of cargo ships and warships ebb and flow with the waves, but the soldiers and crews on each ship stand or sit, all of them straight, their heads bowed, their hands stretched out, palms up, eyes closed, silently praying to Poseidon, the god of the sea.

On the flagships of the First, Second, and Third Fleets, the three captains of the fleets, Sekerian, Midorades, and Stefacas, stood in the bow of the ship, holding wine glasses alof, singing an ode to Poseidon, and then spilling wine into the sea to bless the trip.

"Woo! ......" The trumpet sounded, and the flagship of the Second Fleet was immediately hoisted on the flagship, and all the ships of the Second Fleet, which were already on the outer side of the Gulf of Ragnia, began to set sail.

Almost at the same time, the sound of military trumpets sounded in the Gulf of Mecelia, and the ships of the 3rd Fleet were dispatched.

Until the crew in the bay could no longer see the 2nd Fleet warship, "Woo! ......" trumpets sounded again in the Gulf of Ragnia.

"Klotto, it's time for us to go!" Patroclus, who was on the ship, solemnly gave a military salute.

"May Hades bless! I await the news of your victory! On the pier, Klotocatax also gave his blessing with a military salute.

Patroclus sat back in his seat, and then calmly watched as his ship followed the other troop carriers laden with soldiers out of the port of Hilles in an orderly manner, and these troop carriers formed their own formations in the Gulf of Ragnia according to their previous training, and then joined up with the detachments of the 1st Fleet that had been waiting for them to form three large mixed formations and a separate fleet, and then these fleets sailed in order of landing targets from north to south......

The process may seem simple, but in fact it is extremely complicated, and it takes a lot of effort just to get all the soldiers on board and out of port, so there are dozens of clippers in the Gulf of Laconia that shuttle between thousands of ships...... Although the whole process was still a little chaotic, it was relatively smooth overall.

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

Since it was now headwind, not only the crew was rowing hard, but even the soldiers on board joined in, shouting trumpets with the crew, rhythmically sliding the oars, and the helmsman controlling the rudder, so that the boat sailed in a zigzag course to the southeast......

After about half an hour, the flotilla had rounded the headland, and the crew climbed the mast, untied the ropes, and lowered the sails, and the wind immediately puffed up the sails, and the flotilla, which had been hobbling like a sick old man on crutches, was at once transformed into a young man full of strength, and the strong south wind made the whole flotilla sail northward as if it were wings.

By this time, the Second Fleet had reached the Gulf of Salon, and in order to better block the Athenian fleet, Midorades also divided the fleet into two parts, blocking the sea passage at the north and south ends of Aegina Island respectively.

The Athenian admiral Cabrias, who received the news, quickly rushed to the nearby coast, and stood on a high position, able to see the disposition of the Dionian fleet in the bay more clearly.

Just as he was pondering the reason why the Dionian fleet was neither attacking nor leaving near the island of Aegina, Calistratus, who had rushed to hear the news, shouted in a loud and eager voice: "Cabrias, the Dionian fleet, which has disappeared for a while, has suddenly appeared again, is it preparing to attack us?!" ”

"I've been here for a while, and the Dionian fleet is lined up in loose formations, blocking the sea passage on the north side of Aegina, and although it is attacking merchant ships that want to enter and leave, it seems that there is no intention of continuing westward and attacking Piraeus......"

Cabrias pointed to the almost stationary Dionian fleet under the coast, and said comfortingly: "And now that we are ready, the warships in the port of Piraeus and Salamican are ready for battle, and there are also a lot of light infantry, if the Dionian fleet really dares to enter that narrow channel and attack our port, it will be a good thing!" ”

"What do you mean—" Callistratus walked up to him, looked down at the enemy ships on the sea, and asked with a little excitement, "Let Salamida repeat it?!" ”

"It's just an expectation of mine......" Cablias remembered the naval battle with the Dionian fleet in the Gulf of Ragnia some time ago, and couldn't help but shake his head: "But the Dionian fleet is well-trained, and it is likely that it will not make such a mistake......"

"There are quite a few ships in the Dionian fleet!" Callistratus looked down at the sea and asked thoughtfully, "They disappeared in the Aegean Sea for a while, and you analyzed that they were going to attack the islands to the west, so you took the initiative to lead the fleet to attack the Gulf of Lagenia...... Now that they've suddenly reappeared in Salong Bay, do you think they're for any purpose? Or is it just to get revenge on us, to attack our merchant ships? ”

Before and after the Peros Pennesian War, the Athenian generals not only had to talk in the council and make suggestions for the development of the city-state, but also personally led the citizen soldiers to fight on the battlefield, as Kemon and Pericles did, and Thrasibulus even died in battle. However, the frequency of wars also put forward high requirements for the quality of the generals of the Athenian army, which began to lead to a split in the Athenian leadership, with politicians who specialized in politics like Calistratus and generals who specialized in warfare like Iphicrates and Cabrias. Therefore, Calistratus had a good relationship with Iphiclates and Cabrias, and often consulted them on military matters.

"It's hard to say now, I think—" Kabrias was still muttering, and a cavalryman quickly arrived: "General Cabrias, news has come from the island of Aegina, that the Dionian warships have blocked not only the northern sea lane, but also the southern sea lane, intercepting and attacking any merchant ships that want to enter and leave!" ”

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

"From here, the Dionian fleet probably has about two hundred warships deployed, and if they want to blockade that end, I am afraid that they will need to deploy the same number of warships...... Hundreds of warships, tens of thousands of crews, such a large-scale operation...... Just to blockade our merchant ships, it is inevitable that the gains outweigh the losses......" Cabrias fell into thought, and suddenly his face changed: "If you say ...... The Dionian fleet was not only for the blockade of our merchant ships, but also for our fleet...... Prevent our ships from entering the Aegean Sea and threaten their fleet—"

"Fleet? What flotilla ?! Calistratus was stunned for a moment, and then asked.

"Either to transport supplies, or to transport soldiers...... The size of the fleet should be large, otherwise their fleet can be escorted......" Cabrias's tone became more and more affirmative as he pondered.

"You're saying they're going to land?!" Calistratus exclaimed.

"I don't rule it out! Didn't we always worry about a repeat of the landing of the Dionian army in Messenia! Kabulias said with a solemn expression.

Callistratus became nervous: "We have to determine if the Dionian army is going to land?!" Where to land?! Kabrias, you must lead the fleet to break through the blockade of the Dionian fleet and enter the Aegean Sea, find out if there is a fleet of Dionian ships to land, and thwart and destroy it! ”