ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 1226
"He's not here?" Callistratus was a little disappointed and a little doubtful.

"His Highness led the army to Argos." Karias looked at the other party and spoke very clearly: "Because the Argos people have decided to withdraw from the Greek Alliance and surrender to our Dionia, His Highness decided to go to appease them personally. "

"When will Prince Clotokatax come back?" Callistratus asked with an unchanged expression. He seemed not to care about Argos's surrender, but his heart sank: Argos surrendered. Already?is this real? !
The surrender of Argos, the second most powerful state in the Peloponnese, was actually reasonable. The Argos army in the previous Greek coalition insisted on going east and returning to its motherland first. Therefore, it and Iphicrates The main force of the Greek coalition led by Si separated, and was surrounded by the Dionian army in the territory of Tegea. Some of the more than 7000 Argos soldiers died in battle, and more than half surrendered.

Printoles then suggested that Crotocathax send an envoy to Argos and ask them to surrender, otherwise all the Argos captives would be sold as slaves in the Western Mediterranean.

Although 3/4 of the young and middle-aged citizens of Argos fell into the hands of the Dionian army, the stubborn Argosians still showed hesitation and did not agree immediately.But not long after they learned the news that "the Dionysian army that landed in Thessaly had invaded the Attica region, and the army led by Iphicrates had fled back to the city of Athens," the Argives Knowing that the situation was over, he decided to surrender to Dionia.

"His Highness should be back tomorrow." Karias suddenly said with an emphasis: "However, if Lord Callistratus is here to negotiate, there is no need to see His Highness, because the officials of the Kingdom of Dionia are from different countries. To perform their duties, negotiations are the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now, the negotiations with various Greek city-states are in charge of me, the diplomat of the Holy Kingdom of Dionia, Karias!"

After hearing this, Callistratus had a smile on his face again: "This is the best. Master Callias and I are already old acquaintances, so it will be more convenient to discuss it."

He coughed a few times, sat up straight, and said with a serious face: "The war between Athens and Dionia is actually not the original intention of us Athenians. I believe you should know that the original Thurii was founded by the great General Pericles advocated and the Athenian people fully supported the establishment of the sub-state, so many Athenian people have always believed that Dionia was gradually expanded from the original Thurii, and they have a special feeling for Dionia, even though They love to watch the drama "The Dionians", and it is mostly because of this emotion. Otherwise, why have no dramas describing other city-states been created...

Although the Dionian army landed in Messenia and later attacked Sparta, we were surprised, but they did not send envoys to stop it. On the contrary, many Athenian people were happy because Sparta, which had once oppressed us, was being Athens had some emotional connection with the conquest of Dionia, which was also equivalent to a kind of revenge for Athens.

However, Dionia is a foreign country after all. Your occupation of Sparta caused uneasiness among the priests of Olympia and Delphi. They lobbied other city-states to make Dionia their enemies, and even affected many people in Athens. Allies, this eventually led to Athens involuntarily joining the Greek Alliance and declaring war on Dionia..."

Callistratus sighed: "But the war is cruel. A large amount of gold and silver in the Athenian treasury is rapidly consumed, the people's living materials are gradually depleted, and young citizens are constantly killed and injured in battle... The people of Athens have already died. I have tasted the cruelty of war! I think it should be the same for the people of Dionia! So today I come here with the will of the people of Athens to solemnly propose that Athens is willing to stop the war and restore peace with Dionia !”

Callistratus glanced at the other party and saw that Callias was listening carefully, so he continued: "After the peace truce, Athens will recognize Dionia's existing rights over Messenia and Sparta. Arrangements, and recognition of Dionia's handling of the city-states of Thessaly, will also persuade Delphi and Olympia to accept Dionia as a member of the Holy Alliance of Greece.

At the same time, Dionia should withdraw all troops on the mainland of Greece, and Dionia's fleet can no longer appear in the Aegean Sea.

If Dionia agrees to the above conditions, Athens is willing to sign a long-term peace and friendship agreement with Dionia, and is willing to open the trade market of Athens and its allies to Dionia merchants! "

After listening, Karias blinked and said slowly: "The armistice agreement proposed by Athens sounds good. It reminds me of the friendly agreement that Dionia once signed with Sparta. But at that time Dionia had to compromise with Sparta because of its strength, but with the development of the kingdom today, His Majesty no longer allows us to sign such a self-binding agreement - "

"Relying on force and blind expansion and aggression will only arouse the resistance of the Greek people and eventually lead to failure!" Callistratus persuaded him sternly: "Only friendly exchanges and peaceful trade can make the city-state stable and prosperous!"

Karias smiled: "Isn't it your Athens' continuous expansion on the sea that caused Sparta's concerns, which eventually led to the Peloponnesian War?"

Callistratus did not argue, but said in a deep voice: "You are right. It is precisely because of the mistakes that Athens made back then that we should learn from it today and avoid making the same mistakes again."

Karias was speechless for a moment, he drank the syrup in the wooden cup in one gulp, and then said bluntly: "Let me tell you clearly, it is impossible for Dionia to agree to the condition you proposed. Dionia's truce negotiation, I have a truce request drawn up by His Majesty the King himself. Argos agreed to this request, and Dionia and it quickly changed from enemies to friends. Do you want to hear it? "

Callistratus said solemnly: "Please tell me."

Karias said firmly and forcefully: "Athens must dissolve its own alliance and join the New Greek Alliance led by Dionia, then peace will be achieved immediately, it's that simple."

As soon as Callias finished speaking, Karalistratus said loudly: "Your request is too harsh, and Athens will never agree! Most of the allies of Athens are sub-states of Athens, and they have blood ties with the people of Athens. It’s impossible for the Athenian people to agree to the closeness——”

"Okay! The Greeks often say, 'The stick of Sparta is the tongue of Athens.' I have personally seen your eloquence in the city of Athens, and I don't want to hear more from you now." Callias said. He cut off his words and said firmly: "This is the request made by His Majesty and it cannot be changed! If you don't agree, you can only go back and continue fighting with us. We don't care."

Callias directly wanted to meet with you, which made Callistratus lose the calmness he had when they first met. He felt bitter in his heart, but he still wanted to fight for it again: "I can't agree to these conditions you put forward now. You must return to Athens and propose it to the 500-person assembly. After discussing with the members and reaching an agreement, it must be discussed and approved by the citizens' assembly before we can give you a positive answer. This process will take about five or six days... Before Athens gives its final reply, can the Dionian army suspend its attack on Athens? To ensure that your demands can be accepted by the citizens of Athens smoothly."

"This is absolutely impossible!" Karias clearly refused: "I am only in charge of diplomatic negotiations, and cannot influence the command of the army commander. If you want to make Athens suffer less damage, you'd better hurry up and give an answer!"

Callistratus saw that the other party refused to enter, and although he was disappointed in his heart, there was no abnormality on his face. He stood up and said helplessly: "Okay, I will convey your request to the people of Athens as soon as possible. .”

After finishing speaking, he walked out of the tent. After walking a few steps, he couldn't help but look back and said solemnly: "I think you should be prepared. The citizens of Athens who advocate freedom are likely to object to your request. Then the citizens of Athens will unite to defend the city of Athens and the port of Piraeus with all their strength! During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan coalition failed to break through the city of Athens for more than ten years, and the war between Dionia and Athens is bound to end. It will take a long time, and by then it will be a disaster for both countries!”

Karias said confidently: "Thank you for your reminder! The reason why our Majesty the King dared to propose such a condition has made us fully prepared. We firmly believe that the final victory will belong to Dionia And are you all ready in Athens? Also, I want to remind you that the envoys of Carthage came to negotiate with us just like you, but they were unable to make a decision. In the end, Carthage had to When they surrendered, they paid a higher price. I hope Athens will not make the same mistake as Carthage!"

Callistratus wanted to say something, but found that he had nothing to say, so he could only walk out of the military tent silently.

When he walked out of the military camp, he couldn't help but turn his head and look back: The New Greek Alliance led by Dionia? ! ...The decision made at the beginning was not wrong. Dionia indeed had great ambitions for the Greek mainland and wanted to replace Sparta and become the new overlord of Greece!Unfortunately……

Callistratus turned around and looked at the city of Corinth in front of him. Stone bombs kept hitting the city wall. The rumbling sound made him feel startled, and he began to worry about whether the city wall of Athens could continue to withstand such an attack. Attack: Yes, it's a pity that for a powerful kingdom capable of dispatching 10 elite troops and thousands of warships, Athens' previous efforts may be in vain. What should we do next?
There is endless confusion in Callistratos' lonely eyes...

(End of this chapter)