No one expected that Pericles planned to compete with Stoic in army, and set the battlefield for the decisive battle in Thessalium, the hometown of Eubia.
Unable to refuse, Seleucus had no choice but to accept the decision. After much deliberation, he chose Mari.
The city is nestled between mountains and rivers, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Seleucus believed that it would take Alexander half a month or ten days to conquer the city.
For five days, Seleucus suffered terribly.
The ferocity of Alexander's siege far exceeded his expectations.
Now, more than half of the tens of thousands of people under Seleucus's command have been lost.
In three days at most, Mali will be captured! Thessalian's large-scale resistance will be over!
at the same time.
Pericles and his two million mercenaries had arrived at the great plain south of Thermopylae.
The leader of the alliance gave the order, and the seventeen northern city-states of the Tino Alliance sent out their main forces to wait there.
Together, they raised a total of two million!
Two million plus two million equals an army of four million.
Although they don't have super troops like the Theban heavy cavalry, they have sufficient money and food, and their weapons and armor are well prepared, so their combat effectiveness is not weak!
Knowing that Seleucus, that bastard, had done his best to hold back the Stoic army, Pericles felt that the balance of victory had tipped towards him!
Facing an army of four million, he delivered a passionate speech.
I demand that everyone, once they leave Thermopylae to the north, must immediately rush to the city of Mari as quickly as possible. Don't give the Stobi army a chance to breathe!
In particular, the 800,000 cavalrymen must capture the southern entrance of Mount Olympus within one day and cut off the Stobi army's route back to the north.
At the same time, lock the mountain pass to prevent Stoby's subsequent troops from sending reinforcements!
Of course, considering that these four million troops were either mercenaries or small city-state troops, their loyalty was not high. Pericles promised a huge sum of money!
Starting from the day you leave Thermopylae, each person will be given one gold coin per day! If you make a contribution, the amount can be multiplied depending on the situation!
On the contrary, if you desert the battlefield, not only will you not receive any reward, but you will also be hunted down by the Tino Alliance!
This simple and direct stimulation has a significant effect.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers shouted loudly, and their morale was high!
Seeing this situation, Pericles' face was flushed and he was in high spirits.
On the contrary, Cleisthenes, who was standing beside him, was somewhat worried.
Here, the armies of Stobi and Tino's alliance are about to collide with the earth.
On the sea, the fleet led by Xia Zhe was approaching their destination - Tino Island.
The journey south was surprisingly smooth. The Prime Minister and the High Priest were completely baffled.
Everyone knows that Tino Island is the location of the Tino Alliance's treasury!
Such an important place has always been heavily guarded!
How come the main force of Athens’ navy is not here?
Could it be that the king can not only mobilize our army, but also the enemy?
In fact, Wang was not taking a chance at all, but had already predicted that Tino Island had no defense?
Yes!
It must be like this!
The Prime Minister and the High Priest both admired Xia Zhe very much, believing that he possessed the magical ability to predict the future.
No one had explained to Xia Zhe the importance of Tino Island. Even after more than ten days out of port, Xia Zhe still considered Tino Island a minor power.
Early that morning, through the mist covering the sea, an island appeared in the sight of Stoby's ironclad fleet.
After comparing it with the nautical chart, everyone unanimously agreed that this was the famous Tino Island.
The port on the island is very large, three or four times the size of Botaitia Port!
But there weren't many warships anchored there, less than 500 at most.
In order to guard against a surprise attack from the east by the Persian navy, Pericles sent the main force of the Athenian navy to Rhodes, 2,000 nautical miles to the east.
The navy's various reconnaissance ships were scattered along every route that the Persian navy might come.
However, despite all his calculations, Pericles did not anticipate that Strobila, with its weak navy, would dare to use dozens of ships to penetrate so deep into the Athenian sphere of influence!
The Athenian navy was still unaware until the ironclad fleet arrived at the edge of the island of Tinos!
"It's amazing! It's easy for our sea fortress to deal with the wooden warships lying in the harbor! In my opinion, it's better to divide our troops into several groups and rush into the harbor from all directions at the same time! In this way, we can ensure that no enemy ship can escape! What do you think, my king?" the Prime Minister asked excitedly.
"It's up to you." Xia Zhe answered casually.
The Prime Minister and the High Priest wanted to kill more enemies and take away the large reserves in the Tino Island Treasury.
But Xia Zhe didn't have so many ideas, he only cared about the heart of the king.
As long as they can seize this island and search it carefully, Xia Zhe believes that they will gain something!
Seeing that the king had handed the command back to him, the Prime Minister felt heavy in his heart.
It seems that at this point, Wang feels that he has achieved what he wants no matter how he fights!
That's why he was so indifferent and was far less nervous than he was during the Battle of Botaitia.
However, although the king didn't care, the prime minister also made demands on himself.
Of course, it's impossible to be as skilled as the king in commanding troops. However, at least we should fight in a proper manner.
Otherwise, the soldiers would laugh at him.
After taking his leave from Xia Zhe, the Prime Minister immediately called the high priest, as well as a group of generals and staff under his command to discuss the details of the attack plan.
Soon, a tactical plan of encircling the enemy ships with eight routes and completely destroying them was formulated.
This plan, which was the result of collective brainstorming, may not be considered genius, but it is comprehensive.
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