Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

There are three ports in Syracuse, the smallest one is on Ortigia Island, which has only two docks and few ships berthed. There is a small port on the north of the isthmus connecting Ortigia Island with the urban area. It was the early commercial port of Syracuse. Later, with the expansion of the urban area, the increase in population, and the prosperity of maritime trade, the small port was no longer sufficient. built a big port.

The big port in a broad sense refers to a wide bay like a pocket to the west of Syracuse, while the real big port is only a small part of the northeast corner of the bay, which is two miles south of the isthmus of Ortigia Island. It used to be a part of the swamp, but it was filled up by the Syracuses and built a port, and the freedmen and slaves who kept pouring into Syracuse and working for the port had to keep going to the port in order to have enough places to live. The swamps were filled in the west and simple houses were built, which also caused the city wall near the bay to move westward. Among the many derogatory nicknames given by citizens in the city to the people in the port area, Swamp Man was the most used.

Hiktas led more than 2,000 soldiers and quickly marched southwest, without encountering major obstacles along the way.

In fact, Theagenis, who was defending the western city, had already received urgent news from the council that Hiktas has rebelled and is attacking the council, and asked him to immediately send 2,000 heavy infantry to the Council, quickly annihilate this rebellion and avoid the Council from being attacked.

The people in the council are indeed urgently recruiting old citizens as Hiktas expected, but what he did not expect is that military mobilization will take time, and the square is too close to the council. Members are worried about their own safety and can’t wait. When the new army was formed, they sent for help to Theagenis, who was nearest to them.

The deputies described the situation as very serious, and Theagenis became very anxious in addition to being shocked. As the fortress of Yuriarus was occupied, the council sent more than 6,000 soldiers (including on both sides of the city wall aisles). , coupled with the subsequent extensive and violent attack by the Syracuse army on the city, all the troops under Teagenes went to the city to defend, and there were no extra soldiers around him, so he had to quickly withdraw from the army defending the city. ,

Nearly 1,000 soldiers were dispatched, which was the largest force he could squeeze out with all his strength, and for this reason, the defense force of the entire city became even tighter.

The nearly 1,000 soldiers hurried to the main city, and at this moment, Hiktas led more than 2,000 soldiers to the port in a hurry, across several streets, the two sides crossed.

Hiktas led the troops to the inner wall, which is the city wall built by the Syracuses to separate the people in the port area. Every day, a team of citizens in the city of Syracuse is stationed. The goods of the port, foreign merchants and To enter the main city, foreign sailors must pass their check. People in the port area naturally have to go through this checkpoint when they go to the city, and they will inevitably be questioned. The people in the port area have always believed that this is the most powerful evidence that Syracuse treated them unequally, and it also gave them a thorn in their hearts.

After the overthrow of Dionysius,

Thestis and others once proposed to Herolis to remove this inner wall on this matter. Herolis did not agree, but agreed that the soldiers stationed on the inner wall should be port citizens, but Herolis died. Later, the council once again replaced the soldiers stationed on the inner wall with citizens of the city, and this inner wall actually became an irreversible gap between the people of the port area and the citizens of the city.

Since this inner wall is mainly aimed at the port area and plays the role of isolation and inspection, it is not as tall and strong as the outer city wall. Directly order the soldiers to kill the city head from several stone stairs on the inner side of the city wall, and at the same time order other soldiers to throw javelins at the defenders at the city head.

Usually there are 20 soldiers stationed here. After Tai Argenis sent reinforcements to the council, he also thought of the importance of this place, but he was really short on troops, and only sent 150 people, originally thinking of Sitaxus. After the attacking council is defeated, the inner wall can cut off their passage to the port, and the subsequent pursuers can encircle them and eliminate them here, but he did not expect that the Sitaxus did not attack the council at all, but returned directly. The port, as a result, the 150 defenders were quickly defeated under the full attack of more than 2,000 people.

Sitaxus led his troops through the inner wall and into the port area. On the other hand, he asked Zamoratis to bring people to tell the people in the port area: he has decided to join the kingdom of Dionia, hoping to get their support and make all defense preparations to deal with the possible coming of Syracuse. Army attack.

At the same time, he led the main force to the military port.

The military port is located not far north of the commercial port. It has been expanded many times. In the later period of Dionysius's reign, it can accommodate 500 three-tier oars and 100,000 crew members. But now there are only 50 warships (including 30 three-tier oars) berthed in the military port, and there are about 7,000 people in the military port, most of whom are from the port area, and nearly half of these crew members from the port area. They are poor free people, very few people come from urban areas, they are port guards, captains, deck soldiers...

Due to the war, the council required that the crew of the fleet must gather at the naval port every morning, and then take their places on the warships, ready to attack at any time when ordered.

However, there are only more than 100 defenders in the city of the port. Even if the soldiers on the ship are added, the total number is not more than 400. They can ensure the security of the military port and command the warships, because in the past, the people in the port area basically obeyed the tin Lacuza Law.

Now, Hiktas led the army to the outside of the military port. Without saying a word, he directly ordered the soldiers to forcibly attack, and also arranged for some people to shout in the military port: Brothers in the port area, you don't have to worry about being with the powerful Dai. The Aonia fleet is at war, and General Hiktas has led us to the kingdom of Dionia. Pick up the weapons in your hands, and join us in occupying this naval port, and then become a citizen of Dioria and gain fertile land ! …”

Since half of Syracuse's sailors were made up of freedmen, they were easily infiltrated by the Dionysian Sicilian intelligence service, and these spies often preached among the sailors the horrors of the Dionysian navy and the enjoyment of the freedmen when they joined the kingdom. The benefits, made the sailors both love and fear Dionia. Since Syracuse tore up the agreement, formed an alliance with Carthage, and went to war with Dionia, at first the navy avoided war because the council wanted to preserve its strength. Later, at the strong request of Carthage, the Syracuse Navy did not go out to sea, but after discovering the Dionysian warship from a distance, even if the commander wanted to try a battle, the sailors did not have the will to fight. , using various methods to delay the implementation, so so far, the Syracuse Navy has not fought against the Dionysian fleet, nor has it attacked the Dionysian ships.

Now, the sailors heard the familiar shouts of the soldiers outside the naval port. Led by the Dionysian spies, they picked up wooden oars and daggers, swarmed up, and quickly defeated the captain and the captain of the warship. The deck soldiers then jumped out of the boat and rushed towards the port defenders who were struggling to defend the Hyktas attack at the gate.

Hiktas occupied the military port, and he did not feel relieved. He knew that the council would send troops soon, and the time was very tight, so he solemnly said to Artemis: I have done what you asked me to do. , I need your help now!

……………………………………

A hundred meters away from the city gate of Syracuse Zaxi, Leotizides in uniform stood facing the city wall like a statue. The battle had lasted for 4 hours, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky, and he was basically standing there. Here, I didn't move much, and I stared intently at the battle in front of me. The screams of soldiers who fell from the ladder, soldiers who were hit by stones and wood under the city, siege vehicles ignited by rockets, and soldiers trapped in siege towers continued... Making his face frozen by the frost moved, it was his adjutant Taglu who had been worrying about the fierce battle.

At this time, a messenger rushed from the front, and Taglu hurried up to meet him. After a while, he rushed to Leotizides and said, Your Excellency Commander, Captain of the 1st Battalion of the Seventh Legion, Ann. Fides said, 'The siege force he led had too many casualties, and I hoped that it could be withdrawn immediately and let the next wave of troops take over.'

Leotidas said without hesitation: Tell him, 'Don't retreat, continue to attack with all your strength, or else you will be punished by military law!'

When Taglu heard it, he hesitated for a while and said, Lord Commander, they are the 7th Legion.

What happened to the Seventh Legion?! Leoticides' face sank: As a commander, the Seventh Legion and the Eighth Legion are treated the same. In the last wave of the offensive, the Eighth Legion insisted on fighting for two years. After more than an hour, it was really hard to support, so I changed to the seventh legion, how long did they fight?

About...more than an hour. Facing Leotidides' sharp gaze, Tagluo said in a low voice.

It's only been over an hour, and the soldiers of the Eighth Legion who have been withdrawn have not received enough rest to continue fighting for another hour. Leotizides said coldly.

Yes! Tagluo was about to inform the messengers when he heard Leotizides say: It stands to reason that the Seventh Legion should be able to fight longer.

Eh?

Have you noticed that the defenses of the Carthaginians are weakening? Leotizides watched the battle ahead, not so much asking for Tagore's opinion, but rather speaking to himself: During this period of time, as far as I can see, our soldiers have climbed to the top of the city through the ladder twice, and persisted at the top of the city for at least 5 minutes before being driven down. At this time yesterday, this was the case. It never showed up at all; and... our light infantry standing on a few mobile towers has not been replaced so far, and it has been replaced twice at this time yesterday, what does that mean?

Leotizides's voice suddenly became louder: It means that the defense capabilities of the Syracuses are weaker than yesterday, they must have dispatched a lot of soldiers to retake the fortress of Yuriarus, so the city headed The defense is not enough.