Hearing that the consul was willing to sacrifice Roman interests in exchange for the temporary neutrality of the Greeks, Antony, Octavian and other generals all came to their senses.
Octavian, in particular, was extremely politically acumenable.
He immediately stepped forward and volunteered to go to Syracuse to negotiate with King Stobi.
Caesar was still very confident in his nephew.
After specifically giving some negotiation requirements, Caesar quickly sent Octavian out on a speedboat straight to the port of Syracuse.
After a few days of rest in Sicily, the Greek expeditionary force recovered from the fatigue of continuous battles.
The morale of the entire army was high, and they were all waiting for the fleet from the Roman mainland in the north to come and fight.
But after waiting for a long time, no ship appeared from the Roman mainland. After sending people to inquire, they learned that the news that the Greek coalition had cut off the return route of the Roman main force had spread throughout the northern coast of the Mediterranean.
Whether it was Gaul, Spain, or the Teutonic tribes, they all began to gather their forces and were ready to take action.
They planned to take advantage of Rome's preoccupation with itself to gain independence and break away from Rome's control.
Fortunately, Pompey and Crassus were also outstanding people of their generation.
Although the two were nervous, they still appeared calm and composed with the Roman garrison.
As a result, the various forces on all sides dare not act rashly for the time being.
Everyone was waiting, waiting for the Roman and Greek expeditionary forces to fight, and based on the outcome of the war, they would decide what to do next.
Against this delicate backdrop, Octavian arrived in Syracuse.
Upon hearing that Caesar had sent an envoy from Egypt, Xia Zhe did not understand his intention, so he had to summon his main generals to attend the meeting.
Entering the meeting room, Octavian was secretly surprised to see the extraordinary demeanor of the Greek generals.
Especially when he saw the two familiar faces of Hannibal and Spartacus, Octavian became more and more uneasy.
What a surprise!
Who would have thought that King Stobi would recruit Hannibal, who was most familiar with the Romans, and Spartacus, the beacon in the hearts of Roman slaves!
It seems that Caesar's judgment was extremely accurate.
The Greeks definitely didn’t come for this little place called Sicily!
Their ultimate goal must be Rome!
"If you have anything to say, please speak directly. These generals are my most loyal right-hand men. They will listen to anything I can tell them."
When he noticed Octavian's face changed several times after entering the hall, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak, Xia Zhe spoke and set the tone.
Since King Stobi had said so, Octavian had no choice but to speak and negotiate according to Caesar's request.
"Your Majesty, please understand. Sicily is far away from the Greek mainland, but very close to Rome. This place should be under the jurisdiction of Rome! My Roman consul, Lord Caesar, is kind-hearted. He meant that since Greece has conquered this place, it is okay to give it to you. But Rome should be given some compensation so that we can give an explanation to the Roman people!" said Octavian.
compensate?
Many Greek generals were surprised to hear such arguments.
Through the introductions of Hannibal, Spartacus and others during this period, everyone has a better understanding of Rome and Caesar.
The Romans have always fought for every inch of land!
Caesar is a tough guy who will never give in!
When people saw Octavian coming in with such a heroic and imposing manner, many people thought that he was coming to declare war or issue an ultimatum!
Anyway, we had already planned to fight the Romans after we set out to sea, and everyone was ready to go all out.
The generals were all waiting for Octavian to make some harsh remarks, and then they would make a tit-for-tat statement!
Who would have known that Caesar's envoys actually intended to acknowledge the Greek occupation of Sicily from the very beginning.
They just want some compensation!
This brought everyone back to their senses.
yes!
In fact, we and Rome have never declared war, nor have we ever attacked each other!
In theory, the potential conflicts between the two sides have not been brought to the surface.
It is not impossible to avoid war through diplomatic compromise.
Although the Apennines are also very rich, in the inherent concept of the Greeks, the land west of the Ionian Sea is a barren land and has no value.
Or is it that only the Aegean coast is truly suitable for civilized Greeks to live in?
Therefore, many people do not have much motivation to fight major wars overseas.
Now that there is an opportunity for political compromise, some people immediately begin to waver.
"What you said is quite interesting. Then why don't you tell me, what conditions can make the Romans recognize Greece's occupation of the Sicilian mainland?" someone asked.
Hearing this, although it was not Xia Zhe who asked it, Octavian was still a little happy.
Without hesitation, he immediately put forward the plan given by Caesar before leaving.
"It's very simple! Just allow my Roman caravans to trade freely, and the Roman fleet to move freely! If Greece accepts, we are willing to sign a peace agreement with Greece, develop peacefully, and prosper together!" said Octavian.
Just allow Roman ships to travel freely?
This requirement is too low!
Hearing Octavian's words, many Greek generals were moved. Even veteran general Themistocles smiled.
Only Spartacus, Enomai, and Gannicus looked displeased. Hannibal and Alexander also had serious expressions.
Although they all knew that peace was better than war, Spartacus, Enomaei and Gannicus were all once slaves of the Romans.
They sacrificed their lives to resist tyranny and watched their brothers fall under the knives of the Romans.
Now that they finally had a chance to fight back, they gave up halfway. The three of them really couldn't accept it.
Hannibal and Alexander had a different idea.
Both of them were excellent strategists, and they vaguely felt that Caesar was not sincere, but just wanted to stabilize the Greek side first so that he could concentrate on other things.
The so-called agreement may look good when it is being implemented, but if it is not implemented, it is actually just a piece of waste paper.
Both of them felt that once Rome had time, it would most likely tear up the agreement and turn around to attack Sicily or even mainland Greece!
However, the atmosphere in the meeting hall was clearly led by Octavian, and most of the Greek generals intended to go back.
At this moment, even if the two wanted to object, it was not convenient for them to speak up.
After all, neither of them could be considered King Stobi's true subordinates, and both were worried about being suspected.
Especially Alexander.
Alexander had figured out the key point when he was marching south from the north to the Peloponnese. Kings have always valued the support of the people.
Now there is an opportunity to satisfy the soldiers without fighting, and the king will most likely agree.
In this situation, it seems inappropriate for me to stand up without knowing the situation.
For a moment, no one in the conference room spoke, and they all turned their eyes to Xia Zhe, waiting for Wang to make his final statement.
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