It was not until there was no longer a single Carthaginian ship on the surface that the ships of the Sicilian fleet stopped this physically demanding rampage and began to rescue the Dionian crew from the overboard, placing them on the Carthaginian warship captured by the fleet's infantry......

During the whole process, the Carthaginian people on the shore went from the initial excitement, to panic, to choking, and finally to the silence of the crowded beach......

They had heard of the crushing defeat of the army in Sicily, and of the destruction of the Carthaginian allies...... It worries them, but after all, it is not as good as witnessing the Dionian navy defeat their fleet and wreak havoc in the seas on which they live, and the strength of the enemy makes each of them shudder......

It was not only the people of Carthage who were hit hard, but also the senators who watched the battle from the walls of the breakwater, and the impact was even stronger because they stood closer, saw more clearly, and thought more.

Fortunately, all of them were the Carthaginian aristocratic elites who had been tempered in the political arena for many years, and after a period of silence, Hanno first let out a long sigh and said with a heavy expression: "We should immediately start armistice negotiations with Dionia, in order to achieve peace as soon as possible, for those conditions put forward by Dionia...... I think it is still necessary to make some concessions appropriately. ”

This time, Hanno's proposal was immediately echoed by many senators: "Lord Hanno is right! Now that our navy is finished, and our army is trapped in Sicily, for the safety of Carthage, even at some cost, we must make an armistice with the Dioones as soon as possible! ”

"Pay some price?! I'm afraid that if the people know, they will never agree, and they will come to the Senate to protest! ”

"You look too high at those lowly people, I believe that after watching today's naval battle, they will definitely be more eager than us to stop this war!"

……

The Magonides, led by Pretachuba, remained silent amid the echo of the senators, for the defeat of the naval battle had made them deeply aware that the army led by Marco in Sicily would find themselves in an even greater predicament, and that peace was the only way to get them out of danger.

At this time, Tepanlako was not ready to let them go, and he said bitterly: "Ladies and gentlemen, today we have all witnessed the defeat of the navy, and we can say that this war is ...... We Carthage...... It's a complete failure...... We will pay a terrible price for the sake of peace! In this regard, should we reflect on it, half a year ago, Lord Hanno and Lord Ocleton...... Many other patriarchs have repeatedly emphasized that 'Dionya has a strong army, and it is not good for Carthage to start a war, and I hope to do my best to maintain the peace!' Why do some people insist on going to war, resulting in such a bad situation today! Shouldn't we hold them accountable?! ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked and subconsciously looked at Pretakuba.

"The declaration of war on Dionya is a unanimous resolution of the Senate." Pretakuba replied coldly.

"If it weren't for your frequent incitement of the population to put pressure on the Senate, that resolution would not have been passed at all, and ...... The theft of Iberian silver by the Ionian merchant ship is also suspicious, and I propose that the matter should be re-investigated in detail, so that the crimes of some people for their own interests and against the interests of the city-state must not go unpunished, and that those of us who truly love Carthage innocently bear the wrath of the people! ”

Tepanraco's words reminded the surrounding senators and made their eyes shine: the defeat of this war and the terrible price that may be paid afterwards will inevitably cause the anger of the Carthaginian people, and the Senate really needs a scapegoat to take on this huge responsibility, and Margo, who actively started this war, is undoubtedly the best target, not to mention that the Magonides family, whose strength and prestige have been severely hit in the war, also make them feel a lot less awe.

As a result, many senators expressed their agreement, hoping that the Senate would re-investigate in detail the "instigation of the people to start a war against Dionysia, and the theft and sale of Iberian silver mines by Dionian merchant ships", and if there was a conspiracy behind it, it would be severely punished.

As more and more of the senators agreed to Tepanrako's proposal, Pretakuba saw Hanno's cold gaze, and he suddenly understood: since the outbreak of the war, the greatest enemy of the Magonides family had not given Margo much of an obstacle, but was waiting for the most ferocious stab at this most critical moment.

He was a little panicked in his heart, and loudly defended: "Have you all forgotten! Carthage went to war because Dionya declared war on Rome, and Rome was our ally, and we had to fulfill the covenant! Lady Esyaruba, do you think so?! ”

Faced with Pretakuba's plea gaze for help, the gray-haired neutral leader coughed dryly, turned to look at the others, and said, "Everyone, we should now immediately send someone to rescue the crew who fell overboard, repair the damaged warship, bury the warriors who died in battle, and comfort the bereaved people...... It is also necessary to discuss what concessions may be made in the armistice negotiations with Dionia, and to send another negotiator...... There are so many things that need to be done immediately...... Belch...... What you just talked about can be discussed after it has been done......"

Pretakuba's heart sank to the bottom, and although Esyaruba spoke perfunctorily, he could hear his support for Tepanrako's proposal.

Hanno stroked his beard with his hand, a mocking smile on his face.

As the sun sets and night falls, countless ships are still shuttling and bustling on the sea near Carthage, and the shouts and cries resound through what was once the largest city-state in the western Mediterranean......

In this naval battle, about 180 ships on the Carthaginian side and 390 ships from the two Dionian fleets, a total of 570 ships were involved. For most of the fierce battle, the Carthaginian fleet lost 135 ships, its naval commander was killed, the Dionian Third Fleet also lost 76 ships, its flagship was also sunk, and Midorades shivered when he was rescued from the sea.

However, the Dionian Third Fleet was nearly destroyed by the Carthaginian fleet at the heavy cost of more than half of the casualties, and it was difficult to recover in a short period of time, let alone pose a threat to the Dionian navy, which allowed the Dionian navy to sail boldly in the waters of Africa and directly oppress and blockade the Carthaginian city, which was a great strategic victory.

Therefore, when Davers received the news of this naval battle, he was very excited, and publicly commended the two fleets for their uninterrupted unity and cooperation, fearless sacrifice, and won this important victory for the kingdom, called on the whole army to learn from them, and promised that all the crews who participated in the battle would be remembered for a great achievement, and at the same time he would urge the War Department to make up for the ships damaged in the Third Fleet as soon as possible, so that it would be complete.

Two days later, Ocleton, who was the emissary of the Carthaginian negotiations, rushed to Minoa in the hope of resuming the peace talks.

Davers agreed in person, but secretly instructed Hennipolis to delay as much time as possible in the negotiations.

After learning that the king of Dionya still welcomed the peace talks, the Carthaginian Senate immediately passed a resolution and sent an envoy to the Carthaginian camp in Selinus to inform Margo to suspend the attack on Selinus in order to ensure the smooth progress of the peace talks.

Marco had received more information, and Pretakuba had sent someone to remind him that in the past few days the people of Carthage had not only vigorously called for the cessation of the war and the restoration of peace, but had also expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the war against Dionys; The Senate is also in a state of flux, saying that it is responding to popular demands and preparing to launch an investigation into a series of events that took place before the war, and its goal is clearly aimed at the Magonid family led by Marco.

After receiving this news, Marco realized the danger, and after consulting with his family's generals, he resolutely decided: he would not obey the decision of the Senate, and stop the reorganization of the Numibians in the camp, and resume the attack on the city of Selinus.

He decided to use a victory to restore the magonides' prestige in Carthage.

After Davers received the news that "Margo led the army to start the attack on the city of Selinus again", he learned the general reason through other channels, and immediately asked Henipolis to question Ocleton: since Carthage was already negotiating an armistice with Theonia, why was it still ordering the Sicilian army to attack Selinus! Doubting his sincerity in the negotiations, Dionysia decided to suspend the negotiations until the Carthaginian army of Sicily had truly eliminated their hostility towards Dionia.

Ocliton wanted to refute Hennipolis: Dionys, while negotiating, did not let the fleet continue to cruise in the waters of Sicily, and even penetrated into the waters of Carthage, posing a great threat to the entry and exit of ships in the port!

However, the current war situation is extremely unfavorable to Carthage, and Ocleton has a heavy responsibility and urgently needs to reach an agreement as soon as possible to maintain the security of Carthage's land, so he does not dare to say such hard words, but earnestly assures: The attack on Selinus is by no means at the behest of the Senate, it must be Margo's own doing, he will immediately rush to Selinus to stop Margo's hostilities, and the Senate will punish Margo, hoping that the negotiations can continue after this matter is settled.

Hennepolis, who had received Davers's instructions, certainly welcomed this.

Despite the fact that Ocliton swore in Minoa, he was not confident that he would be able to convince the noble, stubborn patriarch of the Magonides family to stop his assault on Selinus.