Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1247: Strategy Against Persia (1)

"That is a good suggestion," Davos said with an approving nod. "Tapirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must promptly send envoys to the tribes of Cisalpine Gaul bordering the Liguria Region for friendly negotiations. As for the Intelligence Department... they have already begun operations in Transalpine Gaul."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Minister of Foreign Affairs Tapirus said, immediately rising to respond.

"Is there anything else?" Davos asked.

"Your Majesty," Crotokatax said with a light cough, "yesterday, the preparatory committee received a definitive reply from Egypt. They will be sending a delegation of nearly a hundred envoys to the Theonian Rugby Games, led by Pharaoh Tanib's son, Tachos."

"The same Tachos whom Tanib has already designated as the next pharaoh?" Davos asked in mild surprise.

"Yes. We confirmed it repeatedly; this Egyptian delegation is indeed led by the Egyptian vizier, Tachos."

"Your Majesty, for the pharaoh to send his own heir to Thurii to watch the games will undoubtedly demonstrate our kingdom's might to the world. It also reflects the solid friendship between Daionia and Egypt!" Tapirus said excitedly. "I suggest we welcome the Egyptian delegation with the grandest of ceremonies to show how highly we value them!"

"That is only proper. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will handle the arrangements." Davos did not look pleased; instead, his expression turned solemn. "According to the Intelligence Department, Tanib has been bedridden for three months. I wrote to him offering to send our best doctors to Egypt to treat him, but he politely declined. Although we don't know the exact details of his condition, state affairs are already entirely managed by Tachos. It is clear his illness is quite severe. Under such circumstances, for Tachos to personally come to Thurii... is it really just for friendship?"

The ministers fell deep into thought.

Originally, the head of the Intelligence Department was not allowed to attend the Kingdom Executive Council. However, the information gathered by the department was often the focus of discussion during these meetings, requiring Aristiras to provide detailed explanations. Since they constantly had to summon him at the last minute, the Ministers of State eventually amended the rules, making Aristiras a regular attendee at the council sessions.

This revelation immediately sparked a flurry of heated discussion among the ministers in the great hall.

"Your Majesty, for Tachos to lead the Egyptian delegation to Thurii at such a critical juncture clearly shows he feels threatened by Nectanebo and had no choice but to come seek our kingdom's backing personally," Minister of State Cyprolus declared in a ringing voice. "We should unhesitatingly offer him our clear support to bolster his confidence! The kingdom and Persia are already mortal enemies. Egypt, sharing a border with Persia, is our most important ally for keeping them in check, and even for launching future offensives against them. We absolutely cannot lose them!"

The moment Cyprolus finished speaking, Antaoris stood up. "But merely offering vocal support to Egypt is not enough. Tanib is only bedridden; he hasn't passed away. Yet, as the pharaoh's heir and the current regent managing state affairs, Tachos has traveled thousands of miles to Thurii to seek help. This proves that neither Tanib nor Tachos can rely on their own strength to eliminate Nectanebo's threat.

"With Persia's backing, Nectanebo likely has the capability to launch a rebellion and ultimately seize the Egyptian throne! Therefore, we must take action. Just as we did five years ago, we must dispatch an army to Egypt to consolidate Tachos's rule!"

"Egypt is only an ally of Daionia, not a vassal. If we are to deploy an army, Tachos must take the initiative to request it first. Otherwise, an ally could turn into an enemy," Cyprolus cautioned.

"According to diplomatic convention, that is how it should be done," Antaoris immediately replied. "However, we must consider that Tachos is a young man not even thirty years old. Reports indicate that during his regency, he decisively overturned the decrees favoring priests that Pharaoh Tanib had upheld in Egypt for years... Young men are often overly confident and fail to see the larger situation clearly. What if he doesn't request our reinforcements in time? We must prepare for this contingency in advance!"

Since Lysias and Hermon retired, and with Sedorum largely inactive due to his advanced age, the mantle of Chief Minister of State had implicitly fallen upon Cyprolus and Antaoris. As a result, such exchanges frequently played out during the executive council meetings, though Antaoris was usually the one to take the initiative.

Then Oliphus stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, ever since Persia quelled the rebellion in Asia Minor early last year, the Persian army swiftly withdrew east of Mesopotamia. At the time, we all assumed that because the Persians had been fighting continuously for over three years, their national strength was heavily depleted, and the King of Persia had abandoned his plans to conquer Egypt.

"But looking at it now, the greedy Persians haven't given up; they've merely changed strategies. They are using the same methods that succeeded in pacifying the Asia Minor rebellion on the Egyptians. By bribing Egyptian generals to incite internal strife, they hope to conquer Egypt much more easily. We must remain vigilant against this!

"This King of Persia is insidious, cunning, and fiercely vengeful. Years ago, simply because Your Majesty rejected the Persian envoy's plea for peace on behalf of Carthage, he began to harbor hatred for Daionia and instigated the Greek city-states to oppose us..."

Oliphus grew increasingly impassioned as he spoke. "Over the past four years, we not only provided material aid to the rebels in Asia Minor, but we also allowed our Greek allies to actively accept employment from the regional governors of Asia Minor, dispatching citizens to join the battles. Artaxerxes has long since regarded us as his mortal enemy. I fear that this time, Persia isn't just making a move against Egypt; they likely have other plots aimed at our kingdom. We can no longer afford to react passively. We must take the initiative! While Persia's national strength has not yet recovered, we should dispatch a massive army and attack Persia!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many ministers were taken aback. The original focus of the meeting was to discuss the hosting of the games—how did the topic suddenly escalate to launching a war against Persia?!

Sedorum coughed lightly a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "I recall... we discussed this issue last year, didn't we? And wasn't it flatly rejected by everyone? Why bring it up again today?"

"Lord Sedorum," Oliphus said, bowing slightly to show his respect, though his tone remained resolute. "The reason this proposal was rejected last year was that we did not anticipate the sudden collapse of the rebel forces in Asia Minor, nor that the Persians could so swiftly pacify a western region that had been in continuous revolt for years. Couple that with the kingdom's need to prepare for the games, and the proposal naturally failed to pass.

"However, through more than a year of investigation, we have figured it out. The rapid collapse of the Asia Minor rebels was merely because Artaxerxes bought off and wooed some of their generals and the local nobles. They assassinated Ariobarzanes and other rebel leaders, which handed the Persians their victory.

"Yet, in the year or so since quelling the rebellion, the Persians have failed to establish effective rule over Asia Minor. The political situation there remains quite chaotic, which will reduce the resistance we face when attacking Persia.

"Meanwhile, the Theonian Rugby Games will be held next month. Not only will they no longer consume the bulk of the kingdom's energy, but a successful event will also boost the people's confidence. Furthermore, after five years of recuperation, the kingdom has abundant grain and supplies, and our troops are in peak condition. We have fully taken control of the Greek League, and Thessaly has been integrated into the kingdom, extending our sphere of influence eastward across the Aegean Sea right up to the coast of Asia Minor... With such a massive strategic advantage, we should seize this golden opportunity and launch an attack on Persia!"

"Persia is not Carthage or Greece; it is a kingdom with a vast territory and a massive population. Even if its national strength has declined due to war, comparing Daionia to them is still like a wolf facing a sick bull. Defeating such an empire will be no easy feat! Has the Ministry of Military Affairs drafted a detailed offensive plan for this?!" Asistes's skepticism sounded more like an invitation for the military officials to elaborate.

"Of course we have!" Chief of Staff Plintors took the opportunity to stand up and explain. "Your Majesty! My lords! Ever since the proposal to attack Persia was rejected last year, the Ministry of Military Affairs has continuously explored how to defeat them. Through intelligence gathering and numerous simulated battlefield exercises, the ministry finally drafted an offensive plan. Its general strategy is—"

Plintors cleared his throat to ensure his voice carried clearly. "To fully exploit the chaotic situation in Asia Minor, we will dispatch an army of approximately fifty thousand men to attack its western region. This force doesn't necessarily have to consist entirely of Daionian Citizens. As the leader of the Greek League, the kingdom can absolutely mobilize our Greek allies. Under the banner of 'Vengeance Against Persia,' we can assemble the Allied Forces to launch an attack on western Asia Minor.

"Greece—especially the island city-states of Ionia—is very close to Asia Minor, which will make our grain transport much more convenient. Additionally, it will help us secure the support of the Greek city-states along the coast of Asia Minor much faster.

"During his battles with the Asia Minor rebels in recent years, the King of Persia sent envoys to promise the coastal Greek city-states there that he was 'willing to grant them more autonomy.' Because of this, those city-states largely remained neutral and didn't support the rebels."