June 1, 363 Gregorian Calendar, Hitaros, Menia. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Twenty days have passed since the city-state alliance decided to start a war with the Lenoskes, but the Lenosk side does not seem to have any intention of taking action here. At that time, in order to prepare for the war, the city-state alliance urgently used the savings in the alliance's treasury and organized citizen armies of various city-states to prepare for the ensuing war. But twenty days have passed, and the Renoskes have not even appeared outside the Spring Pass.

Originally thinking that the other side might use some kind of delaying tactics, Nathaniels sent his capable men to infiltrate Galatasaray to reconnoiter the situation, but received the news that Bazaev did not plan to march immediately to suppress the resistance of the Hitaros. For most of the main force of his division was withdrawn, and he was heading north to assemble and prepare for war with Pamis. For another reason, Bazaev is said to have taken Kutuzov's advice not to rashly attack Chunquan Pass. The Hitaros must have set up a tight defense at this pass, and a frontal attack has no chance of victory. It is better to wait for the garrison fleet on Luspel Island to land at Argos when it moves south, so that the other side will be unable to defend itself.

The Civic Army of the City-States was paid daily because the soldiers gave up their professions to join the army, and they were paid to support their families. If they are not paid, there will be no one to serve as soldiers. The Alliance's reserve funds are currently only enough to sustain a fully combat-ready army for one month, and since the City-State Alliance had not been required to conduct such large-scale military operations before, there was little room for budget in this regard.

The Council of Five Hundred convened a meeting for this purpose, and the senators were inclined to temporarily disband the army. There are two reasons for this: first, the coffers have bottomed out and are unable to support armaments of this size; The second is that if most of the soldiers are not allowed to go home, then the production task of this season will be missed. The latter point, Argos and Anedan were particularly concerned. The Argos are either sailors or fishermen, and this is one of the few good weather in the Yunvit Sea, and it is a good season for production at sea. The majority of the Anedans are farmers, and the late summer and early autumn are also busy times.

Nathaniels and Aeneas tried to convince the senators to keep some of their army and allocate funds to build a new fleet at Argos. This time, however, they did not succeed, and the Council of 500 voted 485 in favor, 13 against, and 2 absentees, and decided to dissolve the Citizens' Army. Aeneas's proposal to build 50 new three-deck oars and train 1,500 oarsmen did not even go to the voting stage.

"Your Royal Highness, please don't worry, maybe we will be able to regroup our army before winter." Aeneas comforted Nathaniels.

"Thank you for your help, Aeneas." Nathaniels shook hands with the Thracian consuls.

"It's a shame, Your Highness Nathaniels, I support your opinion, but it's a pity that most people don't see those potential dangers." Mentor said this to the prince as he walked out of the room.

"Don't mind, my friend." Nathaniels patted Mentor on the shoulder.

"So, we have to go back to our respective city-states, do your Royal Highness have any arrangements?" Aeneas asked.

"I have been invited by the consuls of Argos to help them destroy a group of thieves, and since I am under the fence, I can't refuse such a job, don't you? From today onwards, we are the only regular military force in this land, and it seems like a great responsibility. Nathaniels laughed to himself helplessly.

"Good luck, then."

"Oh, by the way, why is Lord Odysseus absent from this meeting? We would have needed his eloquence to help us gain the support of the patriarchs. Nathaniels asked.

"Ah, the ostensible reason is that his speech at the last meeting caused concern to his fiancée's family, so he has to go back and do some explanation, and of course handle the marriage by the way." Aeneas replied.

"In fact, the reason is that he doesn't want to offend most of the elders on this issue, so he found a high-sounding reason to hang up the exemption card." Nathaniels hit the nail on the head when it pointed out the wisdom of the Itaks.

Aeneas could only shrug his shoulders helplessly.

Spring Pass is the only link between the Arcadia region, where the Five Western City-States are located, and Galatasaray, and is named after the many interstitial springs that come alive during the spring season. Although the Civic Army was disbanded, the three consuls of Menia paid for it themselves and added some guards to defend the area. However, such a guard, which is less than 100 people, is vulnerable in the face of a regular army.

The young Mentor was temporarily appointed military governor of Menia, and he had submitted a proposal to the council of the city-state to strengthen the walls of the city council when Nathaniels had arrived, but the matter was still at odds with the Council of Hundred. Although all three archons were supporters of the proposal, many of the senators felt that the cost of converting the existing earthen walls into stone walls would be too great to balance in the budget for the year. And it may not be too late in time, the Renoskes will attack at any moment.

"If you don't start doing something useful but time-consuming right away, you'll never have time to finish it." Mentor protested to the senators, but to no avail, and nearly half of the senators disagreed.

On 5 June, the Council of 100 in Menia finally agreed to a proposal to re-ram and thicken the existing earthen walls. But it was too late, and that night the Spring Pass was breached by the Lenosk army, and all the guards were killed.

Bazaev was not completely idle after taking over Kutuzov's duties, and although his writing was indeed terrible, as a Heilman, he was not inferior to any of his countrymen in cunning. First, he took the advice of his fellow Chabaev and wrote a letter to persuade him to surrender. At the same time, he did not stop preparing for war, although Kutuzov took with him 13 of the original 15 winged Husahholuvig, Bazaev still had 20 fully manned Rynosk heavy infantry Holuvig, and at the end of May, he received another 10 light infantry Holuvigs composed of mercenaries. So, Chabaev had a total of 12,000 heavy infantry, 6,000 archers and 1,200 wing Husa at his disposal. He cleverly concealed these forces in the area around Galatasaray, and the method was actually very simple, except for the Wing Husa, the rest of the infantry squads were sent out to collect supplies, so that the Scouts of the Hitaros spent a day scouting in Galatasaray and saw a limited number of troops. And Bazaev also deliberately released false information, claiming that he was waiting for the fleet on the Luspel Island side to go south. Finally, and most importantly, Bazaev selected some of his capable subordinates and infiltrated the Spring Pass in disguise. By June 5, he had arranged for about 300 men to infiltrate the Arcadia region, and it was only one of them who cooperated with the attack on Spring Pass.

The Menians were unaware of this, not because they were slack, but because they had not fought for so long that they lacked sufficient experience in these battlefield tricks. So, when the Renoskes attacked the guards of Spring Pass on the night of June 5, the Menians did not even create a place for the other side to be killed.

Menia was in danger at the moment, but fortunately one of the guards managed to escape smartly, and she galloped all the way to ring the alarm bell of the city-state at dawn on June 6. At this time, the Menians knew that the Spring Pass had been lost.

The three archons immediately gathered together to discuss how to deal with the situation.

"We should immediately call out to the other city-states." Thoclos said.

"It's necessary to warn others, but it won't save us, the Renoskes don't have a map here, so they may be delayed for a while, but it won't be delayed for long. We must organize the evacuation of the whole city, the Renoskes are accustomed to plundering outside, and the people who stay will only suffer their scourge in vain. Penthos suggested. So, Thoclos, you are familiar with all the day-to-day affairs and personnel of the city-state, and you organize the retreat. Mentor, you are the best at uniting young people, you go and open the arsenal and let the young people equip themselves to protect the old and young women and children in the city. ”

"Then, dear Penthos, go and help Thoclos. I will organize an army and give the Renoskes a head-on blow. Mentor said with a clenched fist.

"No, young man." "We're probably just fighting the Renoskes now, and we need to preserve our strength, especially our youth, who are the future of the city-state, and we can't afford to lose them in a meaningless battle." ”

"What is a pointless battle?! I was born to defend my city-state, and I feel honored to die for my people and my city-state. Mentor said.

"Maybe in the future you will have such an opportunity to show your bravery and perseverance, but not today, today I will not let any Menian youth go to death. Hurry up and do as I say, and get out of here as soon as possible. ”

Thoclos stopped Mentor, who was still trying to argue, "Penthos, what are you going to do?" Don't forget, you're one of the consuls, and you can't easily abdicate your responsibilities. You are highly respected and respected throughout the league, and we need you to continue to guide us in the years to come. ”

"Thoclos and Mentor, I am old, and if wisdom is concerned, Odysseus of Ithac is far superior to me; In terms of bravery, even if I am twenty years younger, I am no match for Aeneas in Thrace. But I always have a little experience and courage, and I want to buy more time for the retreat of the Menians, which may be made fun of by posterity, but it is also the greatest effect that my old bones can play. You don't have to worry about me, just go about your business. I'll go first. After saying that, Penthos saluted the two and left straight away.

The elderly consul of Menia returned to his lodgings, where his family had gathered to wait for him. Living with Penthos, in addition to his wife, there is also a family of the eldest son. His second son was running a business in Argos at this time, and both daughters were married.

"Father, what's going on now? What should we do? Naturally, it was his eldest son, Amphion, who asked this.

"The situation is very critical, and the Renoskes may arrive at the city in the evening, so you should quickly pack up your useful things and retreat with Lord Thoclus." After holding his eldest son's hand, Penthos kissed him lightly on the forehead, "Hurry up and clean up, the sooner the better, remember to bring your shield and gun." ”

Amphion didn't think much of it, and took his wife and ran to the back room. At this time, Pentus's wife, Tarasa, who had lived with her husband for forty years, came forward and realized that he had other commands. The couple hugged and kissed each other, and then Penthos said, "My lady, go and bring me the robe I wore on the Panathenaeum." ”

"What are you doing here? My dear husband, I can see the resoluteness and determination of you, an expression and a bearing that can only be found by those who have died in order to fulfill the oracle. Thalassa's eyes were red and swollen.

"There are no oracles, and if there is one, I will not hesitate in the slightest. I've lived long enough to be able to do something like this while I can still move my legs, and that's exactly what I want. ”

"Look at the light in your eyes, I know I can't stop you, so please let me follow you. This will fulfill the promise we made before Hera. ”

Peng Thos stroked his wife's gray hair, and after being silent for a while, he smiled and said, "Okay, good, if you have a wife like this, what more can your husband ask for?" ”

About 30 fari (45 km) from the city of Menia, the front-of-line troops of Renosk were rapidly advancing. Bazaev himself was among the vanguard. He was very complacent about his new victory, a successful fraud and sneak attack, and the Heilman people were never ashamed of it.

Compared with the two great generals of the Renosk people, Kutuzov and Suvorov, the generals of the Heylemans were a different type, they were always not good at observing the overall situation, but they were always unique in their strategy and tactics in dealing with local aspects. Of course, Bazaev is also a bit of a personal ambition, he hopes that he can get the same status as Kutuzov and others, gain the highest trust of the tsar, and finally lead the army in the true sense of the word. Although he recognized Chabaev's ability, he did not think much of him, because he thought that Chabaev's mentality of being Kutuzov's deputy was too cowardly.

At this moment, Bazaev was riding on his horse and secretly thought to himself: "Chabaev still said that we should be cautious, the people of Hitaros are not more than Err, their kings are already defeated under our hands, what can five small city-states do?" Now, if I can pacify Arcadia in one fell swoop, I can ask His Majesty the Tsar to make a fief here, and I will no longer have to look at Churkin's face when I become the tsar's lord. ”

The Heilman pondered this, and the scout's reward interrupted his continued vision of the future.

"What's the matter, are those people coming to fight us with hoes and forks?"

"No, there isn't."

"What else could happen?" Bazaev asked contemptuously.

"There was a group of people, driving a herd of cattle and sheep, carrying a lot of things towards us. An old man at the head was gorgeously dressed and looked extraordinary. They did not panic when they saw our cavalry scouts, but beckoned us to come and ask us to bring you a message. The scout replied.

"It's a bit strange, the whole army has been ordered to stop advancing for the time being, and we'll see what the guest is here for."

About a quarter of an hour later, Bazaev met with visitors from the Menia side under a makeshift awning. The formation was indeed as described by the scouts, with a large herd of cattle and sheep, and several wagons full of barrels full of wine. The leaders were none other than Penthos and his wife.

"Penthos, the consul of Menia, and his wife Tarazar salute you, my sir." Bazaev heard something like this from the mouth of the translator.

"Ask me what they are doing in front of me?"

"Respected general, when I heard that your army was coming, I brought some cattle, sheep and wine to treat your army."

"I accept Your Excellency's good intentions, if nothing else, we will continue to march."

"Dare to ask the General, how many people are in your department now?"

"What are you asking about this?"

"I just want to remind the general that with this little man in your vanguard, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take down Menia today."

"Are you kidding, I have already inquired about the situation of your city-state, and your troops are not even comparable to my front men, not to mention that you only have a dirt fence that has been in disrepair for a long time." Bazaev sneered.

"It is true that we do not have a strong wall, but your spies should tell you that all the houses in Menia are made of the finest granite. We know we can't hold the walls, but if we really decide to fight to the death with your troops, you should prepare to attack house by house. Our entire city will fight you to the end, how much do you think you'll have to spend to wipe out the city? Penthos sneered.

"Didn't you come to tell me this, don't you think we can't make your street fighting game enjoyable if we don't have enough to eat and drink?" Bazaev is not stupid.

"That's natural, the purpose of the old decay here is to tell the general that we are not all willing to fight. At present, the senators of the city-state are still hesitating whether to help His Majesty the Tsar of Reynosque or Prince Nathaniels. Therefore, I hope that the general will show a little sincerity, which will help my comrades to persuade the other senators to join His Majesty the Tsar. ”

"Sincerity, you rejected my sincerity before, and now you are asking for me."

"It was the other four city-states that were seduced by Prince Nathaniels and did not represent the wishes of everyone."

"So, what do you want me to do to prove my sincerity?" Bazaev quickly considered the gains and losses, and if Menia could take his side, he would have gained a strategic fulcrum in Arcadia, which would always be advantageous for future operations. Moreover, he was not willing to pay too many casualties in Menia, and the Theban side was currently drawing elite forces from the territory of Hitarus. Duke Meshkin, who had allocated him troops, had told him clearly that there would be no more surplus troops to replenish him. And he can't expect any support from Fels, so Bazaev still has to be careful about the troops.

"Suspend military operations for the time being, and send an emissary to Menia. You don't have to worry about what we're up to, my wife and I are here as hostages. ”

Hearing this, Bazaev became polite to Penthos. In any case, this old man will always be able to come forward to arrange some things for him in the future, and it is always useful to accumulate some favors with him now. Moreover, the other party has already met the labor army with such fanfare, so he must have little left to use the favorable conditions for this vanguard to advance and attack. It is better to continue to wait for the large army with siege weapons to come to converge before making all plans.

Bazaev then sent an emissary to Menia with Penthos' minions, while he ordered his troops to camp on the spot and await news.