ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 635 The Fall of Thebes

"Oh, that cunning Phoebus!"

Among the Spartans that these military ministers are most familiar with, apart from Chrysops, who has come to Thurii many times for negotiations, I am afraid that Phoebidas is the most familiar.But in the hearts of the Dionysians, his image can be said to be notorious. Not only did he participate in and command Syracuse's military operation to invade Dionysius during the battle in South Italy, he also designed the massacre of Dionysius. The S family.Although the people of Dionysia hated Dionysius, Phoebidas' betrayal and deception also made them feel very contemptible.

"Your Majesty, what is Phoebus doing?" Tormid asked curiously.

"He has just been appointed by the Spartan Council of Elders as the commander-in-chief of the Chalcidic Alliance," said Davos.

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At this moment, Phoebus, who was talked about by several military governors of Dionia, was leading a large group of people through the Isthmus of Corinth.His mission was to lead the main force of Sparta to the Chalcidic Peninsula, help Macedonia regain its lost land, defeat Olintus, and break up the Chalcidic Alliance.

This is an extremely important task, and it was originally not Phoebedas' turn, because although the trapping and killing of Dionysius was an order issued by the elders' council, some Spartan elders still punished Phoebe who carried out this massacre task. Disgusted, Bydas objected to his being appointed leader, and it was only the persistence of Agesilaus that finally secured his appointment.

The army was about to enter the Boeotian region.

At this time, Phoebidas repeatedly reminded the army officers at all levels to be more vigilant and march cautiously.

Because after the Corinthian War, Thebes was the last city-state to accept the king's peace treaty. After being forced to dismantle the Boeotian Alliance that the Thebans had been working hard for, the Thebans must be very dissatisfied with Sparta's attitude. , although Thebes has not made any provocative actions against Sparta on the surface in recent years, Phoebus did not dare to take it lightly lest he betray Agesilaus's trust.

After passing through the ruins of Plataea, the Spartan army was almost approaching Thebes.

Phoebus saw that it was already getting late and ordered the troops to camp on the spot.

Just as the soldiers were busy, a mysterious man came from Thebes and insisted on meeting Phoebus.

When the guards led him into the big tent, he respectfully saluted Phoebus, and then said: "Dear General Phoebus, I am Leontiadas's trusted slave."

Of course Philidas knew who Leontiadas was.

The Thebans hated Sparta, but not everyone was like that. Just like there were pro-Spartan factions among the citizens of Athens and Corinth, there were also pro-Spartan factions in Thebes. It was precisely because of their promotion in the country that Thebes Sparta finally accepted the king's peace treaty, and because Sparta had become so powerful in recent years, Thebes had to re-employ the pro-Spartan faction that had been suppressed in order not to provoke it, to show Thebes' support for Sparta. Leontiadas is the leader of the pro-Spartan faction, and he is also one of the military governors of Thebes this year (Thebes also implements a dual-consul government).

After confirming the Persian silver mask that Agesilaus had given to Leontiadas half a year ago, Phoebidas' serious expression softened and he asked: "Leontiadas faction What do you have to tell me?"

The slave said nothing, only looked back and forth at the guards on both sides.

Phoebus understood, but said loudly: "They are brave Spartan warriors, my good comrades, there is nothing to keep secret!"

Seeing what Phoebidas said, the slave had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "General, my master would like to invite you to lead your troops to attack the Acropolis of Thebes."

It turned out that although Leontiadas was elected as consul, anti-Spartans accounted for the vast majority in the council and citizens' assembly. His rights were greatly restricted and he actually became a decoration.Proud and arrogant, he felt humiliated, and secretly determined to change this embarrassing political situation.

At this time, he saw the Spartan army approaching. Two days later it happened to be the Day of the Mother of God in Thebes (that is, the celebration day of Demeter). The Acropolis would be undefended and handed over to the women. Celebrate holidays.On the Mother's Day of Thebes, city-state women who have been doing housework can celebrate in the Acropolis temple. Since they are required to stay at home all year round, they will do some wild things when they are free on this day, so the city-state Men are to avoid it, as this custom is similar to the Bacchanalia.

So, he made a risky decision: to unite with the Spartans, capture the Acropolis of Thebes, arrest the anti-Spartans, and completely take control of Thebes.

After listening to the slave's detailed account, Phoebidas was surprised and also felt moved.

Just as he was deep in thought, the Spartan adjutant next to him couldn't help but said: "Phoebidus, the mission given to us by the Council of Elders is to go to Chalcedric and attack Olintus, not to wait until the elders are obtained." With the permission of the council, he rashly attacked Thebes and triggered a new war."

When the slave heard this, he looked anxiously at the leader of the Spartan army.

If he were an ordinary Spartan general, he might strictly follow the instructions of the Council of Elders and never make any extraneous matters. However, Phoebidas was different. He was already bold and spent time with Dionysius during the Southern Italian War. Here, he learned more about cunning and viciousness at all means to achieve his goals, so he pondered and said: "Thorax, after the Peloponnesian War, Spartan troops can freely enter and leave Central Greece. , and after the last war, when we led the army to pass here, we had to obtain the consent of several important city-states in Central Greece in advance, otherwise we could only go to Northern Greece by boat. Do you know why this is?"

The adjutant named Thorax said without thinking: "It's because Athens, Thebes...these Central Greek city-states are against us."

"So you see, Sparta is blocked on the Peloponnese Peninsula by Athens and Thebes, and it is very difficult to move freely. We need to make Thebes an ally of Sparta again. This is far better than attacking thousands of miles away. Chalcidea is much more important! Now we are approaching the territory of Thebes, but the Thebans are about to hold a celebration. They obviously think that we will lead the army to northern Greece, so they are completely negligent. If we miss This great opportunity will be something you will regret very much!" Phoebe Das said in a deep voice, clenching his fists tightly and his eyes shining with greed.

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Thebes is on the plain south of Lake Jelika. The city is right on the main road leading to western Central Greece and northern Greece. The east and west sides are surrounded by mountains stretching 400 to [-] meters above sea level. Although it is not too difficult to travel , but it is far less convenient than going directly through Thebes.Thebes also relied on the prosperity of commerce and trade caused by the fertility of the plains south of Lake Jelika and convenient transportation, which made Thebes one of the major states in Greece.

The Acropolis of Thebes was built on an oval highland called Cadmea in the city. It was also considered one of the best Davidic cities among the city-states of Central Greece.Due to terrain restrictions, the city of Thebes is a rectangular shape long from north to south and narrow from east to west. The acropolis is almost adjacent to the east wall near the mountains.

On this Mother's Day

Phoebidas first led a part of the troops to quietly lurk in the mountains on the east side of Thebes. After Leontiadas used his power as consul to mobilize the guards at the east gate, Phoebidas led an army. They rushed in and quickly occupied the dangerous but undefended Acropolis.

The Theban Council, composed of nobles, was threatened and blocked by the homeless rogues hired by Leontiadas, and was unable to summon citizens to resist in time.

The pro-Spartan elements had already formed an armed force to attack the southern city gate of Thebes, opened the city gate, put in the remaining Spartan troops, and led them to kill anti-Spartan people in the city. Screams were everywhere, and there was chaos...

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When the Spartans invaded the city of Thebes, Pelopidas was attending a banquet hosted by Charon at his home.

Charon was a well-known wealthy businessman in Thebes. He was outspoken and had many friends. He invited many friends to his home on the grounds that "on Mother Earth Day, women have carnivals in temples, and we men cannot treat ourselves badly."

Epaminondas was not on the invitation list. At the age of 37, he had always been obsessed with learning. He rarely actively participated in political affairs and did not like to make friends. He was not well-known in Thebes, but Pelopidas was his close friend. , and forced him to come to the banquet.

During the banquet, Ipaminondas deliberately sat in a corner, quietly tasting the food and listening to the other guests' conversations.

Pelopidas is the most eye-catching. He is energetic, sharp-tongued, quick-thinking, and rich in knowledge. In addition, he has actively participated in politics as an adult. Although he is still young, he has already held important positions in the city-state. And he was the most active among the anti-Spartans, so many people gathered around him and were proud to talk to him.

In the middle of the banquet, one of their friends broke in and told them: The Spartans had entered the city and were hunting down the anti-Spartan MPs!

This shocking news caused chaos in the banquet.

Pelopidas was the first to react. He shouted: "We must gather the citizens quickly and drive the Spartans out! Who comes with me?!"

But no one came out to respond.

Disappointed, Pelopidas turned around and walked out, but was stopped by Epaminondas: "My friend, please calm down! Philidas made it very clear just now, 'It's Leonti. The collusion between Addas and the Spartans allowed the Spartan army to easily enter the city. This was a carefully planned plan. The Spartans had already occupied the acropolis, and with the help of traitors, you would not only have There is no way that the frightened citizens will be unprepared to fight against the ferocious Spartans, and you will become a delicacy for the hungry wolves!"

(End of this chapter)