Antigones, the leader of the Macedonian camp, held a regular military meeting as usual.

It was an extraordinary meeting, as the king summoned his three sons and several important ministers to discuss the situation.

At the meeting, the security of the Macedonian borders was analysed as usual, and the generals reported on the situation of the garrisons.

The king deliberately brought up the topic of the Athenian rebels and asked the generals for their opinions.

Captain Arianos of the Guards Cavalry analyzed:

"The Attica Peninsula, where Athens is located, is our only route to the Peloponnese and is strategically located.

From a military point of view, taking Athens would be very beneficial to us.

For one, it will connect our territory in Greece. The unimpeded march in this area makes it easier for each other to support each other.

Second, once the port of Athens is owned, it can sit on the South Aegean Sea and expand the scope of naval activities. ”

Before he could finish speaking, the civil representative Karas stood up to speak:

"If the kingdom expands its territory, it should be divided into two directions. One direction and, the other side fights.

and an alliance with Greece in the south, so that it can continue to participate in Aegean trade and maintain good economic development. Militarily, it can also avoid head-to-head confrontation with the elite Spartan hoplites and the King's Guard of Greece.

The battle was to expand by force to the north, attacking the backward Thrace and Dacia in order to obtain a solid rear and increase the depth of the territory. ”

Anthony, who was in charge of armament, agreed:

"In terms of military equipment, most of the Macedonian infantry in the early days were militia gun formations, and the two Macedonian heavy cavalry were the most elite.

The General's Guard was a Greek-style cavalry, except for high morale, weak protection and light horses were not reliable.

Therefore, I think that even if we have to fight Greece, it is better to develop our national strength first, and it is not too late to fight when the army is well equipped. ”

General Phillips retorted:

"Now the iron-striking craft of various countries is indeed developing rapidly, and new equipment for weapons and armor has appeared. However, at present, the gap in equipment is not large, and the armies of various countries are still using old equipment.

The main Greek heavy infantry of the Greek alliance, as well as the Cretan archers, are indeed stronger than our current infantry. But these forces are in the minority after all, and they have their flaws.

The Spartan heavy phalanx defending the Peloponnesa itself so far served as the Praetorian Guard of the Spartan king, maintaining only one phalanx of troops.

In actual combat, the multi-armed forces can play their greatest role in closely coordinating operations, and we have a special advantage in this regard.

The Macedonians have a long history of using cavalry, and we have a large class of landed nobility that can raise horses; The nature of the agrarian society of the Greeks in the south determined that their armies would inevitably be dominated by infantry.

In particular, Greece's cavalry has a single type of cavalry, and the Greek cavalry is inferior to our Macedonian light cavalry in terms of maintenance costs and combat strength.

So I think we are not afraid to fight the Greeks. ”

Seeing that there were supporters, Arianos became more emboldened, and added:

"The Greek federation is loosely affiliated, with four of the seven city-states overseas. Summoning coalition forces is not something that can be done in a matter of days.

In this way, we won in terms of mobilization capacity before the war began.

Moreover, they are now at war with Carthage. Distracted, we can look for quick wins. Consolidate the Greek peninsula and use it as a rear base, and then concentrate on attacking the barbarians in the north to expand the territory of the kingdom. ”

The generals nodded in agreement. Antigone asked his eldest son, Guerras, what he thought, and Gueras said that he agreed with the plan to fight south.

At this time, the second prince, Oonos, signaled that he wanted to express his opinion, and the king agreed.

Oonos says:

"Where there is war, but seek quick victory.

With troops in the north, in the vast territory of the enemy, we will encounter the problem of the large span of the occupied area and the distance between the cities.

If you increase the depth, it will be more difficult to replenish. But it is difficult to conquer it completely in a short period of time. After a long delay, there is still a strong enemy in the south.

At that time, Macedonia had troops in the north and empty in the south, and the Greeks inevitably took advantage of their strength to attack Macedonia.

The king of Sparta, Cleomenes, was stubborn and self-serving, and he had put his troops in order, and he would certainly attack us.

In that case, the cities of Corinth and Larissa would be captured at least, threatening the security of the capital Thessaloniki; I don't think I need to say much about the severe consequences of attacking our capital.

In our time, there is no trust between nations. We need to consider all situations and prepare countermeasures. ”

The crowd held their breath and listened attentively. Oonos looked at everyone, paused, and continued:

"Even if we form an alliance with the Greeks, let's not talk about the fact that the Greeks have always talked about politics rather than friendship.

Now that Greece was on the verge of war with Rome and Carthage, the Romans should have ambitions beyond Sicily.

I've heard that the Roman Brutus family had long coveted Corinthian and Athenian trade and wealth. At that time, we will be dragged into a new war by Greece. It can be seen that there is no substantial benefit to the Greeks forming an alliance.

I advocate attacking Athens.

First of all, we sent troops under the pretext of protecting the Corinthian land trade, which would have left the Spartans blameless.

Secondly, we raised troops under the banner of quelling the rebels, and this is a famous and righteous army.

Believe that we can get more support from more people, even the people of Athens. In this way, the whole situation is in our favor.

Then again, the Spartans don't rest on their laurels. They would have gone to war with Macedonia for Athens.

Then we would have a decisive battle with their army in the Peloponnese.

Macedonia can win. There is basically no depth in Greece itself, and we will quickly unify the Greek peninsula.

Even if the other members of the Greek alliance declare war on us, they don't care.

First of all, it is important to know that the Greek city-states abroad have long since become incompatible with the native Greeks.

Moreover, who of the situated expatriates would risk going ashore to fight Macedonia? We can hold Athens and Sparta.

The profits of the war were enormous.

The Macedonian economy will get a big tonic. Mastering the Aegean trade will allow us to grow our wealth rapidly.

And the integrated Greek peninsula is a whole that is connected into a single piece. With this as a rear base, the Kingdom of Macedonia will have a lot to offer. That's what I'm thinking. ”

The generals and civil ministers were impressed by this statement.

The king nodded approvingly,

"Gentlemen!"

Antigones' tone was slightly satisfied and proud,

"Oonos is right. That's exactly what I mean. Instead of waiting for change, take the initiative.

Let's go back and get ready. I have a plan for the specific arrangements for each work, and I will assign tasks to the DPRK in the coming days.

You can make suggestions and improvement measures at that time.

Meeting. ”

When preparations for the war began in Macedonia, when plans were made. The situation in the world has changed.

First of all, the Romans took the first step in the expansion of force, declaring war on Greece. Carthage then declared a state of war with Greece.

The smoke of gunfire in central and southern Europe has just begun. On the western continent of Europa, the Britons and the Gauls invaded the Germans, and fierce conquest wars broke out between the two sides.

At this time, the eastern powers also embarked on the road of external expansion.

Egypt was the first to attack Seleucus and laid siege to the city of Damascus.

Parthia was the easternmost state of the known civilized world at the time, and they lived in barren land surrounded by deserts. With limited living materials, they are trying to change the status quo. So they were not afraid to take risks, and the Parthians followed in the footsteps of Egypt and declared war on Seleucus. Their immediate goal was to capture Seleucia and gain access to the city's rich resources.

The first to take action in Macedonia were diplomats and spies. They are tasked with understanding and spying on the cultures, living conditions, policies and intelligence of various countries.

The first line of intelligence spies was on their way to the Greek peninsula. The diplomat left for Thrace, and all he had to do was make a friendly visit, obtain trade rights between the two sides, and find out the local people's customs.

Back to Macedonia

The capital is Thessaloniki

In the golden autumn of the harvest, stand on a high place and look out of the city: green mountains, green water, red camellias and rhododendrons, decorating this place like a paradise.

Here, the mountains are full of flowers. Green olive groves and vineyards, fragrant cow and goat milk, sweet wine and clear springs, blooming violets, blue morning glories, fragrant red roses, fragrant daffodils and lilies......

There are young and beautiful Macedonian girls chasing and playing on the green hillside. People are praising nature and life. Sturdy peasant women are busy harvesting wheat and corn in the fields. It's been another good year.

Then look at the palatial Macedonian Royal Palace, nestled in a leafy and flowered place. There are pools, there are rivers.

Along the palace gate, through a stone-paved corridor, you will see a very open courtyard, with pavilions and pavilions, countless portals and staircases, this is a palace dotted with white marble and colorful glazed tiles.

The most splendid must be the queen's apartment.

A leisurely and beautiful life always needs strength to defend. The Macedonian people understood this and heard that the king was recruiting troops in preparation for the defense of the honor of the kingdom. Ordinary people have enthusiastically participated or donated money to help.

Most of the merchants, especially the big ones who did business in Corinth, knew that the kingdom was also protecting their interests, and many donated half of their fortunes.

King Antigone was deeply moved by the unity of the Macedonian people, and was determined to reap the glory of victory for his kingdom.

The king issued a series of decrees, which were consistently implemented. From top to bottom across Macedonia, the pace of life begins to tighten.

Martial law was imposed in the cities, taxes were raised, and the population of the controlled areas was stabilized.

Construction began in coordination with various localities to improve the main transportation roads and pave new stone roads.

The governors strengthened the security of the city and built temples and temples; Recruit peasants and add security forces to replace the garrison. Recruits were recruited for training, some of them were incorporated into the main force, and the other part was used as a reserve.

The diplomats brought back good news that Thrace and Dacia had accepted the offer to negotiate Macedonia's trade rights and recognized the current borders. In this way, the situation in the north has been stabilized for the time being.

And the intelligence channels from the south are also unimpeded.

Antigone knew the operation could begin. Damasos was sent to guard Corinth, an important city at the forefront.

The king chose a small and capable army for the third prince, and before he left, he instructed him:

"Going to be the Governor of Corinth is a great opportunity for you to exercise.

Your deputy, Dallas, is experienced and resourceful, and can be consulted with him in case of trouble.

Your main task is to cooperate with our future actions. But don't act rashly until I give you the news! ”

Damasos nodded knowingly. Antigone went on to say:

"The city of Corinth was fortified, and there was plenty of food and grass in the city. If you are attacked by the Greeks, remember to hold high walls and defend them with fortifications.

Three messengers were sent to send a message when the soldiers were rescued. It's only three days' march to Corinth, and your brothers and I will be there as soon as possible to help you out.

In the same way, if I give you news, tell you to act. Then you have to attack secretly and quickly. Pay attention to the camera, and if you encounter the main enemy force on the way, you must retreat to the city and wait for reinforcements. ”

Antigone embraced his three sons and expressed his blessings. Queen Xessara had wept and fell into the arms of her maid.

Seeing this, Damasos stepped forward to support his mother and comforted:

"Please rest assured, father, and mother. I will complete my task successfully. Go home soon! ”

After speaking, he turned around and stepped on his war horse to lead the troops. No more looking back.

The young general wore a bronze helmet with a feather crown, a black cape, silver-white armor, and capable knee pads and leggings. A silver-white armor glows brightly in the sun, and he is just in his prime.

Garrus and Oonos rode one ride after another, to the landmark. It's time of separation.

"Send you a thousand miles, and there will be a farewell. Big brother and second brother, please go back! You have more important things to deal with. ”

They are all hot-blooded young people, and there are not so many entanglements of children's love. When the brother was about to leave, he gave up with a few short words of advice. The three brothers met shortly after in the city of Sparta.