Hilde turned around and looked at Xerxes very seriously.
"The Carthaginians are a very important force in the western Mediterranean. They have been eyeing Sicily. Even if we win the Sicilian War and seize the Sicily region, the Carthaginians will probably not give up this land easily. So, my goal is, on the one hand, we must prepare for the war with Syracuse and find out the gods' intentions. On the other hand, I plan to send a group of envoys to Carthage to clearly define the intentions and territorial scope of my Greek Empire. At least, in the foreseeable future, I don't want the Carthaginians to make things difficult for me."
"On a diplomatic mission..."
Xerxes smiled and asked:
"Are you planning to send Sophia as an envoy?"
"how do you know?"
"It will become clear if you think about it. Sophia is a Carthaginian who can speak Phoenician. She is also the Basilisa of the Empire. As an envoy to Carthage, she is definitely the best candidate in terms of status and familiarity."
Xerxes knew it too.
Sophia was a descendant of the royal family of Carthage.
Although it is not clear what level of royal family she is, she is related to the current King of Carthage by blood. She was sold as a slave because of political struggles, so Sophia is quite pitiful. But now the slave has transformed into the Queen of the Greek Empire and is going to Carthage as an envoy. No one can predict what unexpected situations will happen. So, Hildes thought about it and decided to talk to Xerxes today.
"I'm just a little worried."
"What are you worried about? Is it a matter of self-protection?"
"You shouldn't be afraid of protecting yourself. I plan to send Rhodes to escort you."
"Rod? Are you serious?"
Xerxes frowned slightly.
"The biggest problem in attacking Sicily is whether we can lead the army across the strait. Moreover, we will inevitably have a big battle with the Syracuse fleet, and Rhodes may be the key factor in our victory in this naval battle. But if you send Rhodes and Sophia to Carthage, will it lead to very bad results?"
"I have considered it."
Hilde smiled.
"But I don't intend to win by naval battle."
"So what are you going to do?"
"In fact, according to our current investigation, the entire Sicily is in a misunderstanding. They think we will definitely send hundreds of warships to besiege Syracuse, but they have not considered that our enemy is not just Syracuse, but also the city-states in Italy. Although Syracuse is the main body of the current Greater Greece Alliance, it is also highly dependent on the city-states in southern Italy for assistance. Therefore, when we go to Carthage, our next goal is to disintegrate the Italian city-states."
"But a naval battle is still unavoidable."
"Who said that?"
Hilde gestured a shape in front of her.
Her fingers suddenly moved upwards, turned a corner, and went straight down again.
Xerxes was stunned for a moment before he realized:
"What!? You're planning on going around it!?"
"Yes, the Syracusans could never have imagined that our army would bypass Macedonia, then go from northern Italy, through Rome, and directly reach the Italian city-states in the south. Our army has an absolute advantage. With such a surprise attack, we can reach our destination within three months. Those Italian city-states that rely heavily on sea power will be powerless to fight back under such a surprise attack."
The plan for the first section of the second session was confirmed
"My God..."
Hilde's idea.
It's just very bold.
If we follow the coast of the Ariad Sea, go north from Illyria, enter the Gaul region of Southern Alps, then enter the Apennines, pass through Rome, and reach the south, it will be a very long expedition. The time and energy required are probably not something that can be simply calculated, but Hilde dared to make such a plan.
If it was someone else, Xerxes would probably think that this person must be just talking on paper and must have a problem with his brain to make such a decision. However, if it was Hilde, she must have her own reasons for making such a decision. So Xerxes asked, "How confident are you about this plan?"
"Eighty percent."
"Is that okay?"
"What we lack the most now is the army. The four legions stationed in the mainland are ready to go. As long as they get the order, they can directly cross the Kingdom of Macedonia, enter Illyria and Cisalpine Gaul, and then enter the Italian Peninsula. In fact, the supplies needed in the middle and the guarantee of the supply roads are not a big problem. Moreover, along the way, we can also promote the power of our Greek Empire to the Italians and Gauls, and use a gentle attitude to make these city-states and forces submit to us."
"you……"
Although Hilde is a man who never fights a battle without preparation.
but--
Hilde's words left Xerxes at a loss for words.
Hilde was able to think of this, and she really exceeded Xerxes's imagination. According to Hilde's plan, her idea was to let the legions stationed in the province of Thessaly and the native area cross the Macedonian region, and then directly penetrate the entire Italian peninsula from north to south and attack the Greek city-states in the south. In this way, half of the Syracuse Alliance's strength can be disintegrated, and it can also play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses. In the case of avoiding a naval decisive battle, it is really a well-considered plan to weaken the Syracuse Alliance in one go.
However, this plan was very bold. Let's not talk about whether the Kingdom of Macedonia would allow Hilde's army to pass through their territory. Although they had done so before, it was unknown whether they would do so now. And Hilde's march this time passed through civilizations that the Greek Empire had never come into contact with before, such as Cisalpine Gaul or the city-states in Italy. Among them, the Latins, mainly Romans, and other local Italian city-states, whether they could accept the army's entry was another question.
This plan will indeed catch the other party off guard.
However, feasibility is actually questionable.
But Hield has apparently made up his mind.
"so be it."
Xerxes could only support it.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No, no need. However, I plan to let Tomyris take charge of this operation. What do you think?"
"Tomyris is a calm person, I think it's fine."
"Then it's decided happily!"
Hilde clapped her hands.
"Anyway, this matter has been decided. From now on, Tomyris will be in charge of this team. We will set out from Thessaly, cross Macedonia, and give the other party a surprise!"
"How should I put it... you are really worthy of me."
Looking at Hilde's confident look.
Xerxes couldn't help but sigh.
However, it was good for Sophia to do so. At least it showed that the things that happened before did not have any serious impact on Hilde. Next, as long as everything went well, the two main things would be to send an envoy to Carthage and then launch a surprise attack.
And Hilde made a careful plan for this.
Hilde breaks down the plan into three steps.
She was sure that the opponent's oracles and heroes would all be concentrated in the Sicily Peninsula. After all, they needed to do their best to resist Hilde's attack, and the possibility of attacking from all sides was extremely low. Although Hilde was not clear about the opponent's overall strength, she could still guess it. After confirming this, Hilde's main direction, that is, the main force of the Greek Empire, would oppress Sicily. The main fleet and three legions were ready to go, which would give Syracuse in Sicily a sense of pressure that a decisive battle would break out at any time.
In this case, it would be difficult to divert attention from Syracuse in Sicily.
Hilde's fleet will be led by Rod, with Sophia as the envoy, to the Carthage region. Of course, Hilde has not yet decided whether to go to Carthage.
And the other way.
The troops led by Tomyris will attack by land from the Italian peninsula.
Give the opponent a sudden blow.
If the Greek city-states in southern Italy, represented by Croton, fall, Syracuse's defenses will collapse immediately, and only Syracuse will be left to hold on. Hilde can also gather all the troops and attack Sicily from three directions. Of course, the premise is that the Carthaginians are willing to give up their interests in Sicily for the time being.
Of course this is difficult.
Syracuse might even form an alliance with the Carthaginians.
Syracuse has done this before.
The specific plan will be further refined depending on the trial situation.
Hilde was now certain of that.
Hilde was a woman with strong execution ability. She decided to do this, so she had to do it immediately tomorrow. So, early the next morning, Hilde summoned Tomyris.
"His Majesty."
Tomyris knelt on one knee while holding the fork.
Show your respect.
"Please give your Majesty's orders."
"Tomyris, I have a very important task for you."
"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."
"I order you to lead the four legions stationed in Thessaly and Greater Byzantium, cross the Kingdom of Macedonia, enter the Gaul region south of the Alps, enter the Italian Peninsula, and attack the local Greek city-states from north to south. Can you complete this mission?"
"……this?"
Tomyris was also a little surprised.
She thought about it and finally figured out Hilde's plan.
It turned out that they were attacking from north to south, making a big circle.
"I can do it."
"I knew it would be okay if I gave it to you."
"I will make sure to complete your majesty's mission."
"Well, the mission is not just this... The reason why I gave you full responsibility for this mission is that I hope you can do more on top of military conquest. This time we will pass through the Kingdom of Macedonia, Cisalpine Gaul, and the territory of the Italians. We have rarely come into contact with these regional forces before."
The second verse of the second tune has some bold plans
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Tomyris understood what Hilde meant.
To do so would simply further expand the empire's military power.
After all, to some extent, the influence of the Greek Empire was not enough. For example, the Italians represented by the Latins, the barbarians such as the Gauls, and the Carthaginians in the south knew very little about the Greek Empire. The best way to understand it was to let the powerful army that they could not resist walk in front of them. In this way, they would know how terrible the Greek Empire was, and naturally they would be afraid of this country and surrender.
After all, when attacking Persia.
Hilde doesn't want his back to catch fire.
"Then I look forward to hearing your good news."
"Your Majesty, I won't let you down."
The fact that Hilde entrusted such an important task to Tomyris also showed her complete trust in Tomyris.
After Tomyris accepted the mission, he immediately set out from Actium with a team of cavalry and headed for Larissa, the capital of Thessaly. Tomyris did not bring other oracles with him, but Artemis followed him. As a god, Artemis was not convenient to participate in the battlefield in Sicily, but it was acceptable for her to go to Italy with Tomyris. So, Tomyris and Artemis arrived at the city of Larissa within a few days.
"Larissa has changed a lot now."
When Tomyris arrived here.
She couldn't help but sigh.
Artemis beside her smiled and said, "There are large-scale construction projects everywhere."
"Sissi said that Larissa will be an extremely important city in the future empire, so it must be well built."
"This is the hometown of Achilles."
Artemis couldn't help but think back to the past.
Larissa used to be a small city protected by earthen walls. The Thessalians living here did not have the habit of building city-states like the Greeks in the south. Their men were good at fighting on horseback, and the Thessalian cavalry was also famous in the world. Moreover, because of their higher level of civilization, they had always maintained a friendly relationship with the Greeks in the south.
And now, the brick wall has been built.
New buildings are being constructed.
It won't be long before a great city appears here, and its name will be Larissa.
Larissa was the capital of the Thessalians. After being conquered by Hild, the Thessalians, who were also part of the Greeks, became the most loyal citizens of the Greek Empire. The most important thing was that the Thessalians provided Hild with a large number of excellent cavalry, which was a very rare thing. Hild focused on the construction of Larissa, and won over the tribes of Thessaly, adding the well-trained and highly combat-effective Thessalian heavy cavalry to various legions. The natives of Larissa, together with the new immigrants, began to build a new city.
Likewise, Thessaly's geographical location was important.
Because it borders closely with the Kingdom of Macedonia.
The Kingdom of Macedonia was the last great power in the Greek peninsula, but it had long lost the strength to fight against the Greek Empire. The population of the Kingdom of Macedonia was several hundred thousand, but the military force was no more than ten thousand, and Thessaly, which was the reserve force, was also annexed by Hilde. It can be said that the Kingdom of Macedonia was almost trapped. As long as Hilde was willing, Tomyris could easily destroy Macedonia. However, Hilde did not do so, but continued to maintain contact with the Macedonians in an "equal" manner.
Tomyris never quite understood.
But since it was Hilde's decision, there should be reasons for it.
Besides this——
The Macedonians are not complete Greeks, but they are full of martial virtues and their army is very strong. This time, Tomyris will lead the army directly into the Macedonian Kingdom. He will swagger through Macedonia to let the Macedonians know that you still have a big father called the Greek Empire. If you don't want to die, you'd better be honest.
