"Thinking about what? Ionians? Peropidas got to the bottom of it.

"The Dionian army, to be exact." "This time I went to Messenia, where I stayed for several days, and had the privilege of visiting the camps, outposts, and temporary ports of Dionia, watching their training, logistical transportation, and healing of soldiers...... I benefited a lot, and for fear of forgetting, I took the time to record and organize it when I came back......"

When Peropidas heard this, he immediately understood his intentions: "Do you think that these beneficial things practiced by the Diolynian army can be applied to our army?" ”

Ipamironda shook his head lightly: "Dionya is a powerful kingdom, but we don't even have the whole of Piosia, we don't have such a strong national strength, and many things can't be implemented, but we can learn from it, and more importantly, we can clarify the direction of our army's future development......"

"When you're done, be sure to show me first." Peropidas said with interest.

"That's for sure! Because when the time comes, I will have a new proposal for army reform before Parliament, and I need your support. ”

"I've always been your supporter in this regard." Without hesitation, Peropidas agreed, and then he added: "It seems that you have decided that the Dionian army is strong and that they can defeat Sparta. ”

"Yes, I don't think that even if Sparta hadn't experienced the Battle of Leuctra, they would never have been an opponent of the Dionians!" Ipamilonda said firmly.

"Even with the support of Persia?"

"Persia is too far away, and they can't support Sparta indefinitely."

"And what about the Dionians after their victory over Sparta?" Pelopidas shifted the subject: "I remember that when you came back and told the parliament about your mission to Messenia, you said, 'The Dionian commander wants the war to stop and restore peace in Greece...... What do you think he means by that? ”

Don't you feel familiar with this sentence! The Persians said it not long ago. Ipamilonda said meaningfully.

Peropidas was not surprised, he stood up, and paced as he thought: "You are the same as I thought, the Dionians probably want to become a second Persia and control the situation in the whole of Greece...... With the current strength of Dionia, and its hostile relationship with Persia, it is completely understandable that they want to take Greece under their control. It's just that...... Although Dionya is closer to this place than Persia, their territory is not here after all, do you think Dionia will be like Persia...... Pick a Sparta to take control of the situation here? ”

Ipamironda groaned, "From the current situation, it seems that the Dionians, like the Persians, want to control Greece first, use it as a springboard, and then confront each other. But the situation in Greece is complicated, there is hay everywhere, and if you accidentally touch a little spark, it can cause a fire, so the way you just said should be the best choice for the Dionians, and we should try to become the Sparta in the hands of Dionia, which will be very good for the future development of Thebes! ”

"I think so too, and if Dionya really thinks so, we in Thebes are undoubtedly their best partners in Greece!" Although Peropidas said this, his mood did not appear to be excited, but he frowned: "It's just that the situation has changed a little now, and before coming to your house, I met with the priest of Delphi. ”

"What did Delphi send priests to Thebes for?" Ipamironda immediately became alarmed.

Peropidas said solemnly: "The priest told me that they heard." After the news of the invasion of the Peloponnese by the Dionian army, they felt that things were out of the ordinary, so they asked Apollo for an oracle, but the Pythia saw a vision of the temple of Delphi burning in a fire, and they thought that this was a warning given by Apollo that if the invasion of the heretical Dioonians was not stopped, Greece itself would be destroyed, so they sent priests to the city-states of the Holy Alliance, hoping that the Greek city-states would unite and drive the alien race of Dionyas out of Greece as they had repelled Persia……”

Ipamironda, who had spoken unhurriedly and behaved elegantly, changed his face, and he asked urgently, "How did you answer the priest of Delphi?" ”

"Of course, I don't agree with this statement of the priests of Delphi, if the gods can really warn us, why didn't they protect us in Thebes, but let the Spartans easily occupy our acropolis." Peropidas said angrily, and then sighed: "However, after all, Delphi has a great influence among the people, so I did not oppose it explicitly, but shirked it and said, 'We Thebes are now in a stalemate with Athens, and we have to guard against the Thessalians going south, so we really don't have the strength to fight against the Dionians, not to mention that we have just signed an alliance agreement with them, and now the Dionyans have fulfilled their covenant and helped us fight against our mortal enemy Sparta, how can we Thebans not keep our promise at this time, Betrayal of the Diorians! ’

But the damned priest of Delphi accused, 'Thebes should not have made an alliance with Dionys, which gave Dionyas a reason to intervene in the Greek war, which they had long coveted.' 'He asked us to break the covenant with Dionya as soon as possible, and told me not to worry about the security of the realm, and that Delphi had consulted with the priests of Olympia and agreed to send envoys to the various city-states, including Iason of Thessaly and Athens, to persuade them to put aside their enmity and join forces against the foreign invaders of Dionia......"

"This is to form an all-Greek coalition against Dionia!" Ipamironda gasped, he really didn't expect that the entry of the Dionian army into the Peloponnese would make Delphi and Olympia react so much, although these two places have almost no force, but they are the holy places of all Greece, and they have a great impact on the people, if they are determined to oppose Dionia, the governments of the city-states may really be able to achieve it under the persecution of the people......

He froze and said, "I think...... It is likely that Athens will agree to the advice of the priests of Delphi, but will Iason? Thessaly already had the strength to fight against Sparta, but this man had been hiding his ambitions like a cunning wolf in the northern grass until we defeated the Spartans in Leuctra. ”

"Iason, indeed, is very shrewd, and the priests of Delphi may not be able to move him." Pelopidas agreed, and said with a solemn expression: "I have not given a definite answer to the priest of Delphi, but tomorrow he will come to the council to make a request to all the councillors." ”

"So you're coming to me first, and then you're going to the other councillors' homes for support?" Ipamironda understood his friend's true intentions, and he immediately asked, "And what is your opinion on the request of the priests of Delphi?" ”

"My opinion...... Didn't you just say that if Dionya wanted to become a second Persia, then Thebes would have to become a second Sparta. I've been to Persia and I've been to Dionia, and the towns in the kingdom of Dioonia are more prosperous than many of the Greek city-states, not to mention their central city of Turi, and I feel no less than Persian Babylon, or even more vibrant than Babylon!

What's more, as you told me earlier, Dionia's army is also very strong! So I think that Greece today is a combination of the forces of most of the city-states, and it is difficult to compete with the powerful Dionia. Thebes should be on the side of the victors, so that our efforts in the past few years have not been in vain! ”

"I'm here for you!" Ipamironda was the first to express his attitude, but at the same time he cautioned: "But it is difficult for you to get the full support of the parliamentarians, and even more difficult to convince the people of Thebes." Taking a step back, even if you do get the council to agree to your proposal, I am afraid it will be difficult to get all the other allies of Piosia to support our decision, and then the alliance of Piosia that we have worked so hard to build will not only be dissolved, but in Central Greece, Thebes will be isolated, and even besieged by other city-states again! ”

"I have also taken into account the problems you have said, and of course I will not explicitly refuse the request of the priests of Delphi to openly support Dionia." Peropidas showed a sly smile: "But I can delay time!" Athens, Corinth, Argoth, Ellis, Phokis, Lokris, and Thessalians...... There were many Greek city-states, each with its own interests and needs, and there were many contradictions between them, and it was impossible for Delphi and Olympia to convince them to unite against the Dionians in a short time.

And even if they were convinced, it would take a lot of time for the city-states to mobilize militarily and finally bring their armies together, I see...... It will take at least two or three months, and in such a long time, perhaps the Ionian war against Sparta will be over, and the Dioonians will take new action, and the situation will become clearer and more favorable for us to make new decisions. ”

Ipamironda groaned, "I think I can, so I can ...... The Thessalians and Athens had not yet made their position clear, and their hostility towards Thebes was still evident, and Piosia's security was still under threat, so it was believed that the parliamentarians and the people of Thebes would be able to accept it, and it would be in the interests of the other Piosia allies. ”