This meeting severely damaged Leonidas's confidence. Even his Spartan generals were now languishing.
For the first time, they all realized that once Stoica and Athens joined forces, Sparta would be completely defeated.
Now that they had realized this, the safest course of action was, of course, to quickly sign a peace agreement and retreat back to the Peloponnesian League's own territory.
However, King Stoby had been making such a fuss for most of the time, intentionally or unintentionally revealing Stoby's strength to everyone, and it certainly wasn't just for the purpose of signing a peace agreement.
As expected.
Now, the initiative is in Stoby's hands!
If Stoica refuses to sign, even if the Spartan King Leonidas withdraws his troops, Stoica and Athens will take advantage of the situation!
"Sparta also has its dignity! We can give all the small city-states of the Tinian Alliance we have occupied in the west to Stobi as a sign of sincerity. But if you still want more, our Spartan warriors will be forced to take up arms and fight to the death!"
Not daring to take any risks, Leonidas rushed to speak and drew the red line.
Although they knew they could not defeat the other side, the Peloponnesian League had the upper hand after attacking all the way.
If the loss of sovereignty and humiliation to the country were too great, Leonidas would not be able to explain to his allies and his people.
He drew the red line immediately.
Those annexed territories that did not belong to the Peloponnesian League could be ceded to Stobi in exchange for peace.
But this is the Peloponnesian League's inherent territory, and we must defend it even if we can't win!
The Spartans' reputation for bravery and fearlessness must not be tarnished!
What?
Is Leonidas willing to give me all the territories in the west that were taken away by the Peloponnesian League?
I heard that there are dozens of small city-states!
Who says the King of Sparta is cold-blooded and heartless? I think he's the best man in the world!
Xia Zhe was delighted when he heard this and was about to agree when he suddenly remembered that he hadn't mentioned the King's Heart that he wanted.
Helplessly, he could only change his expression again, frowning and speaking thoughtfully.
"Well, ahem. The King of Sparta is indeed straightforward, I am very satisfied. But, but I still have a small request. Just a small request!" Xia Zhe said carefully.
The king is still not satisfied?
Xia Zhe's attitude shocked Achilles, the high priest and even all the people present!
Without even fighting a single battle, the king was able to force the powerful Leonidas to make huge concessions!
What he gave up was a large area of the most fertile land!
And the most densely populated!
With such resources, coupled with Athens' recognition of control over Boeotia, and the Thessalian region and the Euboean Islands already firmly in hand.
Even if we don't take into account the territories of the Great North and the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, Stobi is already worthy of being called the largest country in Greece!
With a little management, the people's hearts can be stabilized.
Becoming the overlord of all Greece is just around the corner!
Everyone thought that the king would quickly agree and immediately sign a peace agreement with Sparta.
However, I never expected it!
The king was still not satisfied and even made other demands!
"This? If you want something else, just tell me directly. If it hurts the feelings of the Spartan people or destroys the friendship between Sparta and its allies, I can't agree to it!" Leonidas answered nervously.
Leonidas understands!
King Stobi seems to speak very kindly and carefully, but deep down he does not accept Sparta leading the peace terms!
The other party's meaning is very clear.
Only King Stobi can propose the conditions, the weaker party has no chance!
"It's nothing, actually. I just want my maid to go to the temple in Sparta and take a few treasures back for her to play with! As for the rest, I accept everything else!"
Seeing that Leonidas' tone was a bit unfriendly, Xia Zhe became more cautious and spoke more politely.
He and Lillian had already discussed it.
If King Leonidas of Sparta agrees, then let Lillian do it herself this time.
After all, Sparta was an enemy country, and was notoriously brutal. That was why Xia Zhe was unwilling to take the risk of going to Sparta.
He trusted Lillian's loyalty and meticulousness.
He believed that as long as Lillian entered the temple of Sparta and searched carefully, she would be able to find the red heart of the king!
Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present who had some experience suddenly changed.
This is so insulting!
Who in the world doesn’t know about heroes? Sparta is the place that most respects male strength!
For thousands of years, Sparta had an unwritten rule: women were not allowed to enter the temple!
Otherwise, you will be hanged for blasphemy!
Because of this rule, several famous queens of Sparta in history never dared to enter the temple!
Leonidas also strictly restricted the women in the royal family, including his own mother, from even approaching the temple!
No one could have imagined that King Stobi would make such an insulting request!
Not only did he want to allow the Stoic woman into the temple of Sparta, but this woman was just a maid of the Stoic king!
This request seemed to mean no cession of territory or payment of compensation, but it was clearly intended to humiliate Leonidas.
Everyone's heart tightened, worried that Leonidas would suddenly attack because he couldn't bear it anymore!
If that were the case, the hard-earned hope for peace would probably be shattered!
"Hahaha! King Stobi is truly a great man, ruthless and domineering! I've already given up my land, so why would I care about my own reputation? Okay! I promise you! But you have to keep your word and not bring up any other conditions!"
After struggling for a long time with a gloomy expression, Leonidas finally spoke.
He felt that although King Stobi's request was highly symbolic, it was better than causing Sparta to lose real strength!
As long as the strength is still there, you can only endure being insulted!
I can only blame myself for only focusing on Athens and not looking elsewhere sooner.
Now that we know how powerful Stoby is, it’s not too late!
As long as we endure humiliation, train our troops well, and accumulate national strength.
In the future, there will still be a chance to regain the position of overlord!
Leonidas' statement moved everyone around him deeply.
Stoica and the Athenian soldiers were certainly very relieved.
The Spartan soldiers could sense the king's painstaking efforts and shed tears. No one showed any dissatisfaction.
In the competition just now, it was definitely our group that lost!
It’s all our fault that we were too complacent and didn’t hone our skills well enough!
That will bring humiliation to the king!
Everything the king is doing now is for the good of Sparta!
"That's great, that's great! I told you before I came here that the Spartan King Leonidas is very easy to talk to! That old man Cleisthenes still looks unconvinced! Let's sign the peace agreement quickly! After signing, Achilles will send some people to escort Lillian to the city of Sparta!" Xia Zhe said happily.
Hearing that King Stobi finally agreed to sign the agreement, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
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