Chapter 28 The Real Purpose of Davos

As soon as Hiros sat down, Davos asked, "What do you think of today's Senate meeting?"

Hiros hesitated for a while, and did not answer the question directly, but said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I think that during his tenure as Minister of Military Affairs, Sir Antonios did a very good job, and the Ministry of Military Affairs is running very well, so I can let me temporarily Give him a period of time, wait for him to recover, and then continue to serve as the Minister of Military Affairs. It is now during the war, in order to ensure that the Military Affairs Department will not be turbulent, I suggest... It is better not to change the Minister of Military Affairs."

Davos looked at him, Shiros was frank.

After a while, Daves waved his left hand lightly, and said in a deep voice, "Antonios is voluntarily dismissed, even if I keep him, he will not stay in this position, look at this-"

Davos turned the "Roll to Officers" on the table to the page of the Eighth Legion, and handed it to him.

Hiros took it suspiciously, and after a closer look, his face changed slightly. In the past two days, the arrest of Laodician's son Paphogras for murder has gradually spread in the port of Turii (mainly Naxo). The credit of the merchants), Hiros also heard about it, and couldn’t help complaining in his heart: Isn’t Antonis promoting this troublemaker at this time?

He considered his words and said softly, "Your Majesty, I don't think Lord Antonios would make such a mistake and promote such an unqualified soldier..."

"At least he was dereliction of duty, and it also shows that there are many problems in the Ministry of Military Affairs. That's why I set up a military court and let local inspectors enter the army, because the whole army needs to be rectified! So you After taking office, this Minister of Military Affairs has a heavy responsibility, not only to help military courts and inspectors, and to cooperate with their work as much as possible, but also to keep the Ministry of Military Affairs stable, so that the officers and soldiers of the subordinate military teams and soldiers can feel at ease..." Davos said seriously said: "I believe you can grasp the balance between the two!"

Although Davos had high hopes, Hiros felt a great responsibility. He hadn't responded yet, and Davos said, "Take this roster back and check it out, how many unqualified officers and soldiers have been promoted. , I will find out those officers who violate the law and dereliction of duty in the Ministry of Military Affairs, and hand them over to the inspectors and military courts. The army of the kingdom will never allow the existence of any moths! This time, it must be dealt with seriously, and it will ring for the whole army. Alarm bells!"

Davos' deafening voice shocked Hiros. He shook his head and said forcefully, "Your Majesty, I will do my best!"

"Very good!" Davos nodded with satisfaction, then pulled out another letter, and said in a deep voice, "There is one more important thing that you must know as the Minister of Military Affairs." He handed the letter to Hiros.

After Hiros read the letter, his face was solemn: "Your Majesty, what is said in this letter is true?!"

"I am sending someone to investigate,

Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid it's more than that..." Davers said as he walked to the large map on the wall, pointed to the western part of Mount Etna with his hand, and said with a serious expression: " After the South-Italian War, we had the plains of Catania, Naxos, Siculi, Tauromenion and Messina, with the aid of allied city-states such as Leotine and Taunis. Lacuza was suppressed in the southeast corner of Sicily, which made the kingdom's strength occupy an absolute advantage in eastern Sicily. The Sikelians feared our strength and took the initiative to form an alliance with us, becoming a member of the Dionian League. , and the reason why we treat every Sikel town and tribe equally, and always adopt the policy of helping the weak and weakening the strong when they ask for help, is to avoid the domination of one family and prevent them from reuniting into the kingdom of Sikel, so that in the future Assimilate them, merge them...

However, from the current point of view, there is a problem with the implementation of this policy. The Tanikian tribe of the Sikelians is likely to use the help of the Sicilian elders to quietly annex and expand in these years! I don't have much detailed information on the current status of this tribe yet, although since the tribe is far away in Kepharoydion, it is the closest town to the west of the Sikelians, not far from Katanai and Naxos. Farther away, but the hounds in Sicily (referring to the intelligence services of Aristillas) did not ignore it to such an extent. It can be seen that they consciously blocked the news, which cannot but arouse our vigilance! "

The tone of Davos' speech made Hiros feel something. He straightened his body and asked uncertainly, "Your Majesty, do you mean war?!"

Davos glanced at the map again, smashed his fist into Sicily, and said decisively: "As long as the guilt of Laodician and other Sicilian elders is confirmed, we have a reason to start a war against Tanikan and completely destroy it. The opportunity to rise, and at the same time deter other Sikel forces and strengthen their control! Therefore, during this time, the Ministry of Military Affairs must prepare in advance, especially the Eighth Army, which will be the main force for the attack on Tanikan."

Out of his knowledge of Davos, Hiros did not immediately oppose his decision, but put forward his own suggestion: "Your Majesty, before declaring war on the Sikel people, the Military Affairs Department can only make preparations quietly to avoid letting the Western After getting the news, the Kyle people are ready to make trouble for our future offensive. And now we are in the war against the Dauni people. If we also start a war in Sicily at the same time, the pressure on the logistics and transportation of the army will be relatively large. It is best to be able to Launching it after the Downey War is over, which is also conducive to the smooth passage of war resolutions in the Senate.

In addition, since the war is going to be launched again, it is best for the army to maintain stability. The investigation and handling of the past illegal team officers... I hope that it can not be expanded too much, and... it is best not to punish them too heavily. After all, they are all first offenders. I hope Your Majesty can give them a chance to change, and it will not damage the respect of the soldiers for you! "

Davers listened carefully and fell into deep thought.

Hiros sat quietly and waited.

In the end, Davos said slowly: "You are responsible for the affairs of the Ministry of Military Affairs. The specific investigation and punishment measures will be decided by you and the military judge and prosecutor, and then handed over to me to review and sign. As for when to launch the investigation against Tarnick. Ann's war, I will depend on the situation."

Although Davos did not clearly agree with Hiros' opinion, Hiros knew that the king had actually made concessions, and he immediately said gratefully: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Davos stared at Shiros. Over the years, as his authority has grown, his relationship with his former mercenary friends has become more and more intimate... However, fortunately, there are still people like Hiros, Kapus, Alexis, etc. It's actually a good thing to question and advise on his decisions!

Thinking of this, he softened his tone again: "Any other suggestions?"

Seeing Davos' calm expression, Hiros said: "The commander of the Eighth Legion is Leotizides, he has never had the experience of commanding a legion in combat, and Your Majesty, you just said that the Eighth Legion will As the main force of the attack on the Sikel people, for the sake of safety, do you need to replace a senior officer with more experience in commanding the legion to take over as the commander of the Eighth Legion?"

Davos' mouth curled slightly and said, "Who else among the generals knows the terrain of Sicily better than Leotidides? Knows the customs there better? Can the Sicilian civic soldiers obey their commands?"

Davos' remarks stopped Shiros: Leotizides has been rooted in Sicily for six years! Naturally, it is not comparable to other legion commanders who are unfamiliar with Sicily. According to the "Dionysian Military Law", one of the important conditions for a senior general to command operations is to be familiar with the battlefield environment and understand the customs and customs around the battlefield. Of course, this does not mean that other commanders cannot go to Sicily to fight, but this will undoubtedly prolong the time to end the war and increase the consumption of the war...

Hiros thought of Antonios, but once Laodician and others were really proved to be violating discipline, then Antonios, who was his relative and was deeply involved with the Sicilian elders, would inevitably be criticized by the elders, and the Senate could not. Interfering with the candidates for the commander responsible for attacking the Sikelians, but their accusations will inevitably cause the people of the kingdom to criticize Antonios, which is simply roasting Antonios on the stove! So Hiros realized at this time that Davos’s letting Antonios resign and stay at home was actually a kind of protection for him.

Davos saw that Hiros was silent, and continued: "Leotizides, many people say that he is taciturn, strict and serious, and doesn't like to associate with him, but I think he spends his time talking and chatting with others. When it comes to thinking about the military and training soldiers, this is a natural warrior! I believe he will command this war well!"

Davos' affirmation made Hiros no longer object, because he believed that Davos's knowledge of people, and many past successes were testimony.

The two discussed for a while, Hiros was about to leave, and was stopped by Davos: "It's past noon, you haven't eaten lunch yet, and I happen to be hungry too. Speaking of which, we haven't sat down for a long time. Let's have a relaxing drink and chat together! You don't leave yet, I'll let the chef cook some good dishes, and let's have a good drink!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……………………………………

The western mountain road of Turii, built ten years ago, is an important passage between Turii and the region of Lucania and the more north. There are hundreds of pedestrians coming and going, and the desolate scene that was inaccessible ten years ago is long gone.