"Dionya Mansheng!! ……”

"Dionian Navy Victory!! ……”

"King Davers wins!! ……”

"Hades wins!! ……”

……

The people cheered hoarsely, venting the humiliation and fear that had accumulated in their hearts during this time, and at the same time, it would also make them feel that this victory was not only a spectator, but also a participant, because it was their hard work and persistence that made Davers king, and Hades blessed the alliance, so that there was this immediate victory!!

Davers has always been the king, and our alliance will always be safe! This belief began to be implanted in the hearts of the people.

At this moment, the big stone that has been pressing on the hearts of the people suddenly disappeared, and how many people stopped the madness of this move: some cried and cried; Some knelt on the ground and reverently sang the hymn of Hades; Some rushed into the sea and shouted; Some excitedly hugged the people around them, regardless of gender, to share the joy in their hearts. Even the little guy Patroclus took the opportunity to hug Cynthia, who he had always had a crush on.

To add insult to injury, some of the women in the crowd claimed that the evening was free to celebrate Dionia's hard-won victory.

Even the head of the Kristonia restaurant in Turriyi excitedly announced in the crowd that in the evening, all Kristonia restaurants in Turriy would provide free drinks to the guests celebrating the victory.

The cheers of the Ionian populace of the entire coast reached its peak.

And while the people were cheering for the victory, the Dionian fleet, while rescuing the sailors who had fallen into the water, divided half of the warships, gathered them, and immediately turned around and headed north under the leadership of Davers.

As they passed through the mouth of the Klatti River, they were joined by 300 cargo ships loaded with most of the soldiers of the Second Legion, and sailed mightily towards the shores of Heraclia.

……………………………

Since yesterday, Diomilas and Eumacus, outside Heraclia, have been somewhat confused: the Dioonians had suddenly tightened the blockade of their territory, set up a checkpoint on the banks of the Saraceno River, and sent a company to guard it, and no one could enter or leave.

In fact, the same measures were taken at the wooden bridge over the Krati River and in the southern city of Turiyi, and even the port was blocked, and no ship was allowed to leave the Krati River and enter the sea.

These draconian measures caused Tarantum to be cut off from the news from Turiyi at once, which made the two leading Archons of Tarantum feel a little uneasy: What happened to Turii?

After repeated analysis, they finally guessed that the biggest possibility was that Davers had returned, because only he had the right to do such a tight lockdown.

But speculation is speculation after all, and a decisive decision cannot be made without conclusive evidence, and the two consuls have an argument because of this.

Eumacus demanded that the troops besieging Heraclea be withdrawn immediately and retreat to Metapontum to avoid being attacked by the main forces of Dionia's return.

Theomilas objected, arguing: Tarantum spent a huge price to finally reach the city of Heraclia, and was able to invade the territory of Theonia, and could not take the initiative to withdraw the siege because of the matter of chasing the wind and shadows, if he did so, he would be laughed at by the people of Tarantum, and even impeached by the Senate!

After some arguments, the two finally came to an agreement: to send a large number of scouts every day to cross the Sini River and wreak havoc on the land of Amendolara, and to detect whether a large force of Dionyas appeared in the south. At the same time, more pontoon bridges were built over the Agri River to facilitate the retreat of the troops.

They also sent people back to Tarantum in the hope that the Senate would send spies to the previously unsightly city of Castron, in order to learn some about the current situation in the city.

In the restless wait-and-see, the day passed smoothly.

The next morning, however, it was Tarantum's fleet that news came that the Dionian fleet had suddenly sailed out of the Krati River and had encountered the navy of Syracuse at sea, and that a battle had already taken place.

The admiral of the Tarantum fleet also asked: Will the Tarantum fleet also participate in the battle?

When the two consuls heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't have to think about it to know that Dionia's risky move was obviously an act of seeking death, but they were glad to see Dionia's "heroic action" because it would relieve the psychological burden of the Tarantum army. After all, more than a hundred three-layer oared warships are hidden in the Klatty River, and who knows when they will suddenly come out. Just because Syracuse can easily win doesn't mean that Tarantum can do it too. Therefore, for the two consuls, the pressure at sea was still a bit great. It's just that now it's the Syracuse Navy that rules the bay of Taranto and shares the pressure on Tarantum. If this naval battle can inflict heavy damage on the Dionian fleet, Tarantum will have no pressure on the sea route at all.

But to the fleet's request, both consuls refused. Since a few years ago, the Tarantum fleet was defeated by the Meppu coalition forces, after several years of accumulation, it was not easy for the fleet to have 35 three-layer oars and 20 other ships, there is no need to invest in this naval battle that they know will be won. What's more, although Tarantum and Syracuse joined forces on the issue of playing against Dionia, Tarantum has his own dignity as a great Greek powerhouse.

The two consuls rejected the fleet's request and told them to report on the situation when the naval battle was over.

Then he stopped thinking about it and began to think about how to conquer the city of Heraclia.

These days, the combined forces of Dionya and Heraclia were quite able to hold their breath, allowing the Tarantum soldiers to wreak havoc on the lands of Amendolara, and even the soldiers led the stolen cattle and sheep to shout and curse under the city, and they remained closed behind the gates.

This was a headache for the two consuls: they asked themselves if they were capable of attacking a city defended by more than 10,000 soldiers with nearly 20,000 troops. I heard that the people of Syracuse had a powerful siege weapon, and the Senate had sent someone to the Silidian court to ask for a lease, but I wonder if the arrogant Sicilian tyrant would agree? If Dionysius did not agree, the Tarantum army would have to besiege the city until Heraclia ran out of food. Not to mention that it will take time, not to mention that the main force of Dionya may return at any time, then Heraklia, the closest to Turiyi, must be the first target of their rescue.

Is it really Tarantum that Tarantum has a chance to wait until the Syracuse conquers Crotone and the army approaches Turiyi? Diomyras thought unwillingly......

…………………………………

In the city of Heraclia, Trifias, who had been busy pacifying the people, worrying about the city's defenses, and placing reinforcements for the past few days, had a rare sleep, and had just gotten up to eat breakfast, when he heard the servant report that the general of Dionya had asked to see him.

To tell the truth, Trifias was a little afraid to meet the commander of the Dionian legion, Matonis, in order to defend Heracles, the Dionicians had even destroyed their own territory by the Syracuses, and every time he saw Mattonis's angry breathing fire in his eyes on the city walls, he clenched his fists and forcibly suppressed his painful expression, which made Trifias's guilt soar.

Matonis strode into the living room, and Trifias was still drinking with wheat porridge: "Captain Matonis, have you had breakfast?" Would you like to get some? ”

Through this period of contact, Trifias knew that the mercenary-turned-Ionian Legion Captain didn't like the vulgar manners, and the more casual you were, the more relaxed he became.

"I've eaten it." Mattonis said, reaching for a wooden chair and sitting down beside Trifias, "I'm here to tell you something very important! ”

"Oh, you say!" Trifias quickly put down the porridge and wiped his mouth with a linen towel.

"The emissary who infiltrated the city from Turiyi last night told me something very important!"

Trifias immediately pricked up his ears, of course he knew about someone sneaking in last night, but that person came to find Matonis, and he couldn't force him to ask, but Turiyi, who had been ignoring Heraclia a few days ago, suddenly sent a messenger and ventured in, I'm afraid things will not be simple.

"His Majesty Davers has returned to Turriyi with his army!"

"Davers is back, that's great!" Trifias exclaimed excitedly, and then he was stunned again: "Wait...... What did you just say? Your Majesty Davers?! ”

"The people of Dionya received the oracle of Hades, and together they elected Lord Davos as the king of Dionia!" Mattonis said proudly.

O King! Trifias touched his chin, this is an internal political matter of Dionia, he has no right to question it, not to mention that now is not the time to think about it: "So Davers ...... The king will soon be able to lead his army north and repel the Tarantums?! ”

"The messenger told me that Your Majesty will lead the Dionian fleet out to sea this morning to seek an opportunity to fight the Syracuse navy, and let us prepare for an attack, and once the naval battle is won, we will immediately attack the enemy camp and hold back the Tarantum people, so that Your Majesty's army can arrive from the sea and encircle and annihilate the Tarantum army here!" Mattonis, excited.

"This plan is...... It's good. Trifias looked stunned and said hesitantly, "But can Dionia's fleet defeat the Syracuse navy?!" You must know that the Syracuse Navy is much stronger! ”

"I believe in His Majesty Davers, he always does what he says!" With a determined expression, Matonis stood up and said loudly, "If you don't want to send troops, Lord Tripheas, I will take my legion out when the time comes!" ”8)