ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 811 Printors’ worries
Davos paused and then said: "The second is sailors. A trireme requires nearly 200 sailors. If a fleet has 100 triremes, it will require nearly 2 sailors. The navy is a military force that needs to be supported by a large population, and the Phoenicians and Carthaginians are not a race with a large population. Even if it uses Numibians as sailors, the Numibians are not A seafaring race with a relatively loose nature will inevitably reduce the combat capabilities of the Carthaginian navy. And we-"

Davos smiled: "Not to mention formal citizens and reserve citizens, once the navy starts to recruit new sailors, the free citizens will clamor and clamor to join. They hope to become citizens of the kingdom as soon as possible. "

When Davos said this, Tormide and Midolades laughed, and Davos' words completely dispelled their concerns.Only Printors didn't smile, and seemed to have something on his mind.

Davos noticed it, so he asked: "Printors, if you have any other suggestions, please tell me."

Printors thought for a long time and said softly: "Your Majesty, although judging from the current battle situation, we have the advantage in Sicily, Carthage failed in the battle, and then the fleet was lost in naval battles and storms. However, successive defeats will definitely make the Carthaginians panic. If they do not consider suing for peace, they must do their best to win in the next battle. In this way, the Sicilian troops led by Proseus I am afraid that they will face a Carthaginian army with more soldiers, more fighting spirit, and will definitely not be led by mediocre generals——"

"Wait!" Tormid interjected: "Our fleet has already occupied the maritime superiority of Sicily and can completely cut off Carthage's troop transportation route to Sicily. Even if Carthage builds a large army, it will be difficult. Landing in Sicily.”

"It is difficult for the Carthaginian army to land in Sicily, but it is not impossible. Although our fleet has the advantage, it cannot completely cut off the connection between Sicily and Carthage." Printors said calmly: "Sailors need food, water and rest. It is best for warships to be towed into the military port at night for repair and maintenance so that they can be maintained in good combat condition... In Sicily, apart from the Catania military port, there is only Mexico to the north. To the south, only the allies Agrigento and Gela have complete military ports for our fleet to station. Therefore, if our Sicilian fleet sets off from Messina or Agrigento in the morning, it will patrol to Sicily. I'm afraid it's already afternoon when they reach the westernmost point, and they will have to return in a hurry...

Moreover, the current Sicilian fleet has been greatly reduced in number and cannot be divided into two or three squadrons with strong combat effectiveness to patrol in turns. The Carthaginians still have time to transport supplies and reinforcements to Sicily. "

"The Sicilian fleet can send clippers to take turns monitoring the western waters of Sicily -" Tormid was halfway through his argument when he suddenly realized something was wrong: even if the clippers discovered the enemy's situation, they still need to return to the military port to report, and wait for the fleet to arrive again. , the Carthage fleet may have entered the harbor.

So, he changed his words and said: "It's not impossible for Selinus and Minoa to station some warships, right? Midolades."

Facing the gaze cast by Tormid, Midorades, as a naval commander, did not dare to speak randomly in front of Davos. He thought carefully and said: "From the battle report, Selinnu There is no military port in Sicily, and warships can indeed stay in ordinary ports for a short period of time, but if they cannot do so for a long time, it will damage the life of the warship and affect its combat effectiveness. Of course, the Sicilian army can also build a simple military port in Selinus. military port, but that will take time.”

Midorades' words that "warships staying in ordinary ports for too long will damage the life of warships" were actually meant for Davos, so he deliberately emphasized his tone, but he immediately changed the subject: "According to The best naval port I know of at the western end of Sicily is at Lilibi."

Tormid immediately shook his head: "Lilibi is an important military town of Carthage in Sicily, just like Mortia at the time. It will be difficult to capture it with Proseus's current strength alone. "

At this time, Printors continued the topic and said: "Although Prosous has fought and won victoriously, the enemy is concentrated in the two towns of Lilibi and Palermos. Just now Lord Tormide has already It is very clear that although Prosous's capture of Lilibi can determine the victory of Sicily, since we cannot add a large number of troops to the Sicilian army now, it is impossible to rely on the Eighth Army alone. Attacking other towns would not only be meaningless, but would also scatter the troops, so it should be said that the Sicilian army is now invincible."

Having said this, Printors said sincerely: "Your Majesty, it's time for the Sicilian army to change its strategy!"

Tormid and Midorades were shocked when they heard this, but Davos' expression remained unchanged, but he sat there and remained silent for a long time. He knew clearly in his heart: Printors was reminding him tactfully, The previous instructions given to Proseus were wrong.

At the beginning of the war with Carthage, because he wanted to focus his attack on Rome, Davos was still cautious about the war situation in Sicily, so he ordered Proseus to defend Sicily at the beginning. Kingdom territory, but the Eighth Army defeated the Carthaginian army in the Battle of Minoa, and the navy won a victory on the sea of ​​Cerodiaum, which made him realize that the Carthaginians were strong on the outside and capable on the inside, so he changed his strategy: let Sicily The army and navy attacked with all their strength, trying to take advantage of the enemy's defeat and pursue the victory to further weaken Carthage's power in Sicily and gain more chances for victory in the next decisive battle with Carthage.

Even deep down in his heart, Davos hoped that Proseus could create another miracle and completely drive away Carthage's power in Sicily.

The war has progressed so far. Except for that storm, the Sicilian army's attack has gone smoothly, in line with my expectations... But have I become a little too optimistic because of successive victories?After all, it was Carthage!Davos stared at the staff officer in front of him who he admired very much. He understood the meaning of Printors' words: He was obviously reminding himself that the Sicilian army led by Proseus did not conquer the western end of Sicily in one fell swoop. On the contrary, due to the in-depth solitary army and insufficient troops, it may still fall into a dangerous situation.

Plintors' reminder made Davos think of the Iberian army that has not suffered any losses so far, and that the successive failures of Carthage are likely to allow the Magnid family to regain control of Carthage. They are no better than Hanno, they are more aggressive, they value Sicily more, and they also have richer war experience. It can be seen from the fact that the Iberian army was able to conquer the city of Cerrodiham that they are quite combat-effective.

But according to what Daves has learned about Carthage over the years, it will take time for Carthage to build up an army again. The elders of the Carthage Senate are arguing with each other, which will continue to delay this time. I'm afraid even that Mago can finally land the army in Sicily, at least in a month or two, and it would be a pity to just let Proseus retreat and defend for such a long time!With the ability of this young commander, he can completely mess up the situation in the western end of Sicily. Even if the Carthaginian army lands, they will need to spend more energy and time to stabilize the situation and win more victories for the kingdom. time……

Davos thought about it and finally couldn't make up his mind, so he said: "Tell Proseus our worries and let him be more vigilant. It is up to him to decide whether to continue the attack or retreat to defend. After all, he He is the commander of the Sicilian battlefield!" Prosous has repeatedly performed miracles and won victories, making Davos choose to believe in his abilities.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Tormid said, but glanced at Printors next to him, feeling a bit envious and jealous in his heart: as far as he knew, Davos made few military decisions. The revision was made due to other people's persuasion, but this time a compromise was made...

While Tormid was thinking about it, Davos looked at Printols and said in a serious tone: "In the future, suggestions like this must be made directly instead of waiting for me to ask! War is related to the country's Life and death, humility and courtesy may cost hundreds of soldiers their lives, do you understand?!”

Printors looked stern, then saluted shamefully and said: "I understand, Your Majesty, I will pay attention next time!"

Tormid cast an envious look at him again.

.......................................

After the military meeting, Davos summoned the newly-promoted elders of the kingdom—his brother-in-law Alcibiadas, and Mikris, a great shipbuilder in Turui.

These two are famous big businessmen in the shipbuilding industry of the Kingdom of Dionia. Daves called them here, of course, hoping that they can take the lead in cooperating with the kingdom to speed up the construction of warships, and due to the tight treasury, he also hoped that they could It can be agreed that the kingdom can temporarily credit them for the shipbuilding costs. Of course, the kingdom will also provide them with corresponding compensation after the war, such as relaxing the ban on felling trees...

Regarding Mikris, Davos also focused on Enanylus, who had been released from prison and had been staying at home. He emphasized: Enanylus had been punished enough for his mistakes, and now The kingdom has been expanding, and there is always a shortage of officials at all levels. Enanilus was once a senator and a naval commander. He has rich administrative experience and can definitely come out to serve the kingdom again.

After hearing what Davos said, Mikris was extremely excited and immediately said: After he returns, he will try his best to persuade Enanilus to do something.

(End of this chapter)