Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1121: The Military Meeting After the Great Victory

"Sister!" Agnes flushed, a little embarrassed in front of so many of the younger children.

Christoya knew Agnes's temperament too well and immediately changed the subject. "Alright, let's head to the zoo—"

"Mother, I won't be going," Cynthia interjected.

"We planned this trip to the zoo just for you. How can you not go?" Christoya frowned, slightly displeased, but her tone softened when she saw Cynthia's melancholy expression. "Your father told me everything. The Gauls are attacking fiercely, yes, but your husband commands a massive army of over fifty thousand men. Your father even ordered the nearby Twelfth Legion to hurry to Rome and report to him... I've heard the Gauls are fierce, but their equipment is crude. They'll definitely be crushed by your husband's elite troops, so put your mind at ease."

"I know all that, Mother, but I'm still anxious. I just don't have the heart for an outing at such a critical time..." Cynthia hesitated.

Christoya looked surprised. "You were never this worried when your husband went to war before."

"Mother, Patroclus used to be a regular legion officer. If he got hurt in battle... it only affected our family. Now he's commanding the Daionian Northern Coalition. He's responsible for the safety of tens of thousands of families and the kingdom's entire northern region. How can I not worry?" Cynthia sighed.

Hearing this, Christoya seemed to recall something and sighed as well. "Every time your father led the army out, it concerned the life and death of the kingdom," she said earnestly. "Do you think Agnes and I weren't worried? But what did we do? We managed everything at home, tried our best to keep our minds off it, and made sure we stayed healthy. If your father found out at the front lines that Agnes and I had fallen ill, how could he focus on the war?"

"Don't give your husband reasons to worry. Keep your mind off the war and find something to relax," Agnes urged from the side. "In the end, Hades will bless him."

Joy instantly flooded Cynthia's face. Overcome with emotion, tears welled in her eyes.

"Father won a great battle! Father won a great battle!" Parpiras cheered, dancing with joy.

"I told you Hades would protect him," Agnes noted calmly.

"What are the details of the battle?" Christoya smiled, pressing for more information on her daughter's behalf.

Ribaso answered respectfully, "I heard our coalition won a series of consecutive victories and completely destroyed the Gauls invading Etruria. His Majesty was overjoyed when he received the battle report. He has already summoned the five Rotating Chairmen and several ministers from the Ministry of Military Affairs to the Royal Palace for a meeting."

He then looked at Cynthia. "His Majesty knew Princess Cynthia was at the estate, so he specifically sent me back to inform you so you wouldn't worry."

"See how much your father cares about you?" Christoya shot Cynthia a playful, reproachful glance.

"Thank you, Lord Ribaso!" Cynthia wiped away her tears of joy and bowed to him in heartfelt gratitude.

Ribaso hurriedly stepped aside. "Princess, it is merely my duty. There is no need for thanks."

"Alright, can we go to the zoo now? We've been delayed for so long because of you. Eunice and Avia are probably getting impatient," Christoya said in mock complaint.

"It's my fault, Mother. We'll leave right now!" Cynthia smiled brightly. She crouched down, reached out her hand, and spoke softly, "Chris, let Auntie hold your hand. We'll run a little faster so we can get to the zoo early and see the elephants, alright?"

"I want to see the lions too."

"No problem!"

"And the hippos."

"Of course!"

...

Cynthia held the skipping Chris by the hand and walked briskly out of the backyard, leaving a trail of laughter behind them.

In high spirits, Christoya looked at Agnes. "Apox went to the academy this morning, and Antebris went to practice ball. The estate is full of women right now. We are going to have a wonderful day at the zoo!"

Parpiras gently tugged at Christoya's hand and said earnestly, "Grandmother, Chris and I are men."

"Oh, right. Plus you two little warriors." Christoya tapped his forehead, her smile growing even brighter.

...

Last year, following Davos's proposal, Christoya had immediately taken action. After repeated discussions and surveys, she selected the hilly terrain south of the Thurii Stone Quarry, close to the Crati River, to build the zoo. This location made transporting the necessary stone materials and massive amounts of water much more convenient.

The zoo was still under construction and had not yet opened to the public, but it already housed elephants, lions, hippos, crocodiles, and many other animals. These had all been specially delivered by allied nations—such as Egypt and Mauretania—after they heard King Davos had an interest in them.

While Christoya's group rode a carriage toward the zoo under the escort of the Palace Guard, Davos was in the Royal Palace discussing matters with his ministers.

"Your Majesty, the facts have proven your decision correct. Patroclus is indeed an outstanding military commander! We originally thought that although he led a large number of soldiers, more than half were recruits from a wide variety of backgrounds. Furthermore, they were facing the Gauls, whom all the tribes of central Italy fear. Therefore, our previous analysis concluded that with the current strength of the Daionian Northern Coalition, holding the Roman Region defensively wouldn't be much of a problem, but driving back the Gauls ravaging Etruria would be extremely difficult. We also believed..."

Minister of Military Affairs Alexis hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly. "Fourteenth Legion Commander Patroclus only took up his post recently and lacked experience in multi-legion operations. Because he is quite young, we feared he wouldn't be able to command complete obedience from the allied generals. That was why we advised Your Majesty to send a more experienced veteran to replace him as commander of the Northern Coalition (since the Fourteenth Legion was stationed in the Roman Region, the Ministry of Military Affairs stipulated that its Legion Commander held the authority to command allied forces against the enemy in emergencies). If not for Your Majesty's insistence, this victory would not have come so swiftly!"

Davos listened with a calm expression. In truth, his insistence on letting Patroclus continue commanding the coalition wasn't born from absolute confidence in his son-in-law. When he appointed Patroclus as the Fourteenth Legion Commander and Sextus as the Eighteenth Legion Commander, it marked the beginning of his planned effort to inject fresh blood into the army and gradually replace the older generation of generals. Naturally, this move had met with considerable pressure. Sending a veteran to take over command after only a little more than a year would not only crush the young generals' confidence but also disrupt his original plan. Therefore, his support for Patroclus was partly to save his own face.

Of course, Davos was no longer influenced by the history of his past life as he had been prior to the Western Mediterranean War. After defeating Rome and Carthage, and witnessing the rapid development of the kingdom in recent years, he deeply realized that the Kingdom of Daionia's strength far surpassed that of Rome and Carthage during this historical period in his previous life. From their army structure to weapons research and strategic tactics, they reigned supreme across the entire Mediterranean. As such, the Gauls, who had once caused immense trouble for Rome, were nothing more than a minor nuisance to the Daionia of today. Even if the Northern Coalition suffered a minor setback, it wouldn't inflict much damage on the kingdom. Instead, the allied states' fear of the Gauls would drive them to rally even closer around the Kingdom of Daionia.

However, he had never expected Patroclus's performance to vastly exceed his expectations, shattering the main force of the Gauls in less than a month. He felt profoundly satisfied with the result and had to try his best to suppress the smugness welling up in his heart.

"Your Majesty, judging from the battle report, although Legion Commander Patroclus is young, he deploys his troops with great composure and experience. He marched swiftly to the vicinity of Volsinii, but he didn't immediately launch an attack by relying on his numerical superiority. Instead, he built a camp and lured the enemy to attack. Through a minor victory in defensive warfare, he won the trust of the allied generals and boosted the soldiers' morale. Following that, he feigned a retreat south of the Tiber River, making the Gauls believe the Daionian army had lost its nerve. This gave them the confidence to launch a bold, all-out assault on Volsinii. In the end, taking advantage of the Gauls' exhaustion and deep slumber after days of bitter fighting, he swiftly led his army back and launched a surprise attack on the Gallic camp..."

The newly appointed Chief of Staff, Plintors, analyzed the situation seriously. "Although this glorious victory is partly due to the Gauls' own ignorance and arrogance—they abandoned caution upon encountering our powerful coalition, attacked blindly, and showed no discipline in their marching and camping—it also proves that Legion Commander Patroclus understands his own soldiers, the state of the allied forces, and the nature of the Gauls. Only with such understanding could every decision he made align so perfectly with the battlefield situation, making victory come so easily. It can be said that he has truly grasped the essence of Military Law. Congratulations, Your Majesty! The kingdom has gained another outstanding military commander, and such a young one at that!"