Only Leonidas, with his 300 personal soldiers, retreated to Olympia in the northwest corner of the Peloponnese Peninsula and was not completely wiped out.
In order to confuse the Romans, Xia Zhe, under the slogan of clearing the last stumbling block, led an army of more than 10 million on land and sea and attacked Olympia.
Along the way, he also asked all countries along the way to join in with their fleets.
When they arrived at the edge of Olympia, the fleet commanded by Xia Zhe had reached 15,000 ships!
Using such a terrifying army to attack three hundred people is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito!
Leonidas was so horrified that he committed suicide in front of the statue of Zeus in the Temple of Olympia!
The three hundred warriors under his command were indeed brave. None of them surrendered, and all chose to commit suicide with the king.
When Alexander and his men arrived at the statue of Zeus, there was nothing left except corpses on the ground.
Upon hearing the news that Leonidas was dead, Xia Zhe felt quite emotional.
He did not intend to force Leonidas to death, but just wanted to use him to act out a play and try to paralyze the Roman spies stationed in Greece.
Unexpectedly, Leonidas didn't even attempt to surrender, but chose suicide. His three hundred loyal men also followed him to the afterlife, which made Xia Zhe quite impressed.
Without further ado, Xia Zhe immediately ordered a ceremonial burial of Leonidas and his three hundred personal guards at the edge of Olympia. Then, a large stele was erected, with a line of words written by Xia Zhe himself on it.
"Stranger passerby, please tell everyone! The three hundred Spartans rest here forever!"
After doing all this, the show is almost over.
This place is already the westernmost part of the Greek mainland. If you go west out to sea, you can reach the Apennine Peninsula directly.
Without hesitation, Xia Zhe immediately summoned the main generals for a secret meeting to clarify his true goal.
Everyone was shocked to hear that the king actually planned to lead the 15 million troops here to cross the Adriatic Sea and attack the Roman mainland.
Since moving south, the war situation between Persia and Rome on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean has been the focus of all generals.
Everyone knows that even if Xerxes successfully returned and successfully coordinated the vast resources of the Persian Empire.
But in the war between Persia and Rome, Persia, fighting on its own territory, was still at a disadvantage.
Not only did the Roman legions have incredible combat power, their commander, Caesar, was also a genius at warfare!
Xerxes' command level was clearly not inferior to that of Achilles and Alexander, but after fighting with Caesar, he was always outmaneuvered.
In less than a month, the main force of Persia that Xerxes had finally assembled was completely wiped out.
Today, the Roman legions have crossed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and occupied the former capital of Babylon.
Xerxes was forced to retreat to the Persian Plateau, the birthplace of the Persian Empire.
If Achilles had not set up a defense line on the Asia Minor Plateau in advance, Caesar would not have wanted to fight on two fronts and would not have turned against Greece for the time being.
I am afraid that the Asia Minor Plateau, which we have finally captured, has been attacked by the Romans.
At this moment, even if it is based on the purpose of mutual dependence, the king should send troops to the east to confront Caesar's main force head-on.
Going around in circles and attacking the Roman mainland is like a drop of water from a distant source that cannot quench immediate thirst!
Moreover, such a cross-sea attack would put a huge strain on logistics and supply, and no one knew whether the Roman navy was strong or not.
If the Romans blockaded the Adriatic Sea, even if they successfully landed, their forces would dwindle over time. This was not a sound strategic solution.
However, Xia Zhe didn't consider these issues at all.
He only knew that he had only one last King's Heart left.
Moreover, this king's heart was taken to the not-too-distant city of Rome.
Xia Zhe was unwilling to give up if he didn't try his best to seize it. Therefore, he had to find a reason to launch an expedition to the Apennines.
"No need to say anything. I know very well the level of Caesar's command. There is no one on my Greek side who can defeat him in a frontal battle! We can only cut off the firewood from the root and start from the root of Rome to force Caesar to be led by the nose by us. Before Persia is destroyed, we must first take the city of Rome!" Xia Zhe concluded seriously.
The king actually said that Caesar's command level was better than anyone in Greece!
Wouldn’t that be higher than the king himself?
Does such a top-notch conducting artist really exist in the world?
The strangest thing is that no one had heard of Caesar at first. Why did the king attach so much importance to this name when he first heard it at the end of the Greco-Persian War?
Could it be that true geniuses all have some kind of telepathy?
Xia Zhe's words made everyone start to speculate and focus on the vague mysticism. As a result, no one dared to object anymore.
The proposal was passed unanimously. Xia Zhe was overjoyed and immediately ordered to go to sea.
A huge fleet of 16,000 warships, carrying more than 10 million soldiers from various Greek countries, set sail and headed straight for the Apennine Peninsula across the Adriatic Sea.
This sea area was not well known to the traditional Greeks, who were more familiar with the shipping routes within the Aegean Sea.
However, relying on the world map in his mind and the compass assigned to each ship, Xia Zhe has a very accurate grasp of the general direction.
As for the actual sailing, with a first-class naval commander like Themistocles around, it is of course extremely safe.
This time the goal was to launch a surprise attack on the city of Rome.
In order to achieve maximum surprise, Xia Zhe and Themistocles discussed and reached a consensus.
The fleet did not choose to head directly northwest and land on the east coast of the Apennine Peninsula. Instead, it made a circle and turned to the Ionian Sea, intending to cross the strait between the Sicilian mainland and the Apennine Peninsula and land on the west coast.
Because the city of Rome is close to the west coast.
If we land from the west, we can reach the city of Rome in one or two days. It won't give the Romans too much time to prepare like landing on the east coast.
Archimedes was also very happy when he heard that the fleet would pass through his hometown of Sicily.
He excitedly proposed that the fleet stop for two days for supplies in Syracuse, the largest city on the Sicilian mainland, and introduce a close childhood friend to the king.
This man understood the Romans very well and was a skilled warrior. He would surely provide useful advice to the Greek expeditionary force.
What Xia Zhe needs most now, of course, is a general who understands the Romans.
He was overjoyed when he heard this and agreed immediately.
A few days later, Athens' huge fleet docked at the port of Syracuse on the Sicilian mainland.
Without wasting any time, Archimedes immediately went into the city, found his childhood close friend, and introduced him to Xia Zhe.
He was a middle-aged man who looked quite elegant, speaking with an accent that did not belong to mainland Sicily.
According to his self-introduction, he was from Carthage, further south of the Mediterranean, and his name was Hannibal.
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