ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 891 Miltias’ Rejection and Obedience

Sekerian turned to look at Miltias, his eyes were bright, and he reprimanded loudly: "Miltias, the Dionian Navy has always made brave advances as our navy's tradition since its creation, but you are afraid of too much wind and waves. , instead of cruising the waters west of Sicily as planned, I missed a good opportunity to take advantage of the Carthaginian army to land in Sicily and inflict heavy damage on them. I am very disappointed about this!"

Miltias was still listening intently to Seclian's adventures, and was sighing in his heart: If it weren't for this old officer's good luck, as well as his super physical fitness and swimming skills, ordinary sailors would have become Carthaginians. Human captives.

He suddenly heard these next few words, and his face suddenly turned red. He did not argue, but lowered his head in shame.

"Fortunately, I'm back now." Sekelian said in a deep voice, "You can return the command of the fleet to me."

Miltias suddenly raised his head, and after making contact with Sekerian's sharp eyes, he immediately avoided it. After a moment, he met Sekerian's eyes again, and mustered up the courage to say: "...My lord...the commander of the Sicilian fleet" The power was granted to me by His Majesty and the Ministry of Military Affairs. I... dare not transfer it privately because it is against military law!"

Miltias's objection made Sekerian stunned. His face showed a bit of worry. He tried his best to keep his tone calm and said: "You don't understand what I mean. You can continue to serve as the commander of the Sicilian Fleet. But the fleet is commanded by me. You have to know that if it weren’t for me being trapped in Lilibi, you wouldn’t be able to become the commander of the Sicilian fleet!”

What Seklian said is indeed true. Daves’ letter to the Ministry of Military Affairs also specifically mentioned the "Appointment of the Sicilian Fleet Officer". Because Sekrian had not been recovered, and Frarios drowned again, the Ministry of Military Affairs finally decided to appoint Miltias as the official captain of the Sicilian fleet out of command convenience.

As the former commander of the Dionian Navy, Sekerian won consecutive battles at the beginning of the establishment of the navy. He led the Dionian Navy, which had just emerged from its infancy, to gain a reputation. His prestige in the navy was very high. Midora The three fleet commanders Des, Flarios, and Miltias were all his subordinates at the beginning. Miltias would inevitably feel nervous when facing the powerful Sekerian.

However, Miltias has been in charge of the Fourth Fleet for so many years. He is no longer the captain of Davos's ship back then, and he has gained some confidence and power (this is also the purpose of Davos dividing the navy into four). one).What's more important is that Miltias thought that he had made a big mistake before, and now he was thinking about making up for it in future battles. If he gave up the command of the fleet to Seclian at this time, I am afraid that by the end of the war, this mistake would be gone. There is no way to make amends, because everyone will attribute the victory to Sekerian, and he himself will become a joke to the navy...

In a moment, Miltias had already considered these powerful relationships clearly, so he calmed down and spoke in a stronger tone: "Lord Sekerian, you were once my commander and a senator. Elder, I still remember what you once said, 'As captains of warships, you must set an example for the entire crew, perform your duties well, command your crew well, and fight bravely...', I I think you should know very well that since the founding of the kingdom, there has never been a general in the army who only enjoys the benefits of job promotion without seriously performing his duties, and I don’t want to be the first!”

Miltiarch said with an extremely serious expression, and then he smiled bitterly: "Of course, if you feel that I am incompetent, you can apply to the Ministry of Military Affairs to remove me from the position of commander of the Sicilian Fleet..."

Seclian's expression darkened, and his gaze at Miltias became sharp.

Miltias also faced it calmly without fear.

The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the room became solidified. Even the servant who was clearing the table quickly fled away.

After a moment, Sekerian twitched his face a few times, and tried his best to smile: "Very good, Miltias, as a commander... you must have this kind of momentum that you would prefer me to someone else."

Although Sekerian is very powerful in the Dionian navy, he is not arrogant. Without Miltias's cooperation, it is certainly impossible for him to usurp fleet command, because this not only violates military law, but also violates military law. According to the laws of the kingdom, King Davos's temper would probably send him to prison in anger.As for directly proposing to the Ministry of Military Affairs to "remove Miltias and let him take over the position of commander of the Sicilian fleet", this approach would be too overbearing and would arouse the resentment of some people in the kingdom's army and damage his own image.

Sekerian has been in a high position for more than ten years. He is no longer the young and impulsive poor sailor he was. Naturally, he will have a lot of concerns. After a while, he said nonchalantly: "In a moment, you can send me a fast ship to take me back to Catania." The naval base... I should also go and pay my respects to Flarios and the brothers who died in the battle..."

Miltias didn't know what Sekerian was thinking at this moment, but Sekerian stopped pressing, which made him temporarily relieved. Of course, he wanted Sekerian to leave, so he didn't try to hold him back: "Okay, sir, I'll make arrangements right away."

With that said, he quickly left the frozen living room like he was avoiding the plague and strode towards the yard.

At this moment, the wooden door was pushed open, and Leotizides' adjutant Muklu walked in: "General Miltias, Commander Prosaus invites you to the mansion of the lord of the city. There is an urgent military situation to discuss with you. !”

When Miltias heard this, he brought him a pillow just because he wanted to doze off. He was overjoyed and did not ask what the urgent military situation was. He turned around and said, "Sir, I want to go to the city first to discuss the battle plan with their army. "

"Without affecting the overall strategy, we must try our best to protect the interests of our fleet!" Sekerian slowly walked out of the living room. On the way here, he had heard that "Leotisides once transferred tens of thousands of "Fleet crew members were incorporated into the legion", so I gave a special reminder.

Muklu looked at him with wide eyes and shouted in surprise: "Lord Sekerian, are you still alive?!"

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

As soon as Dionia's two top navy and army officers met in Sicily, Leotizides said: "Agrigento sent an envoy to ask for urgent help. Tens of thousands of Carthaginian troops are attacking Agrigen." Ligento City.”

On the way here, Taglu did not reveal any urgent military situation to Miltias, so he was a little surprised when he heard this: "Tens of thousands of Carthaginian soldiers are attacking the city of Agrigento?! This is impossible! Our patrol ships have found no trace of the Carthaginian army heading east on the coast east of Selinus in the past few days, and the city of Minoa is also very peaceful!"

"The Carthaginian army did not go to the south coast. They probably went to the central mountainous area." There was a trace of regret on Leotizdesimuna's face: "We boarded the Carthaginian man named Mago. General Ji was fooled! He besieged Selinus to attract our attention, but secretly sent some troops over the mountains to attack our allies in the rear."

"Aren't there Sikels in the mountains? How could they let the Carthaginian army pass easily..." Miltias asked doubtfully, thinking of this Dionian ally with whom he had not dealt with yet.

"I was careless this time. Although the news from the West Kells has not come yet, I think they have been defeated. Among the soldiers Mago brought from Iberia, there are races that are very good at fighting in the mountains. Before The fall of Serdium is a good example." Leotizides' voice was slightly urgent: "Agrigento has already killed and wounded many soldiers in the Battle of Minoa. A few days ago, Because Carthage besieged Selinus, they also sent some reinforcements. Now I am afraid that the city of Agrigento is empty of troops. We must rescue immediately! There are no extra ships in the port now. I need your fleet to transport 6000 immediately. Reinforcements are heading to the port of Agrigento!"

Miltias also knew that the situation was urgent. Once Agrigento fell, not only the neighboring Gela and Minoa would be in danger, but the land access of the Dionysian army would also be cut off. Under the attack of the Carthaginian army, , the situation on the entire south coast of Sicily became complicated, so Miltias did not say anything like "the Sicilian fleet is used for combat, not for transporting troops..." and other evasive words, but immediately responded: " I will go to the port now to prepare the fleet, and when your soldiers arrive, I will send them to Agrigento immediately."

Miltias's cheerfulness made Leotizides sigh in relief, and then he asked: "I heard Tagru said that Seclian is still alive and has returned to the port of Selinus?"

"Yes, it is really Hades' blessing! He is going to go to the Catania Naval Base first... to stay for a while and pay homage to his dead brothers." Miltias wanted to show joy, but he remembered what Sekerian wanted to do. He wants to take over the affairs of the fleet, so his expression looks a little weird.

Leotizides looked at him and said calmly: "Cyklian must have suffered a lot during this period, and he should take a rest."

Seclian's return will naturally involve the issue of command of the Sicilian fleet. Compared to Seclian's strength, Leotizides is more willing to work with Miltias who became actively cooperative because of his mistakes. Therefore, his words vaguely revealed the meaning of supporting Miltias, which made Miltias happy. After all, if the Ministry of Military Affairs really considered this issue, they might also consult Leotici who fought alongside him. Des's opinion.

(End of this chapter)