The elders were all nervous, especially the elders of the Margonides were trembling.

"We will retreat to the venue first and send someone to inform General Samors, asking him to lead the army to disperse the crowd." At this time, Hannor could still remain calm and whisper his suggestions to the veterans who were at a loss for a moment.

The elders returned to the venue and, while waiting for the arrival of the army, started the meeting again with fear. This time the resistance was much smaller. They passed the resolution of "resuming peace talks as soon as possible based on most of the negotiation conditions of Dionia", and sent an envoy to reach a ceasefire agreement with Dionia as soon as possible.

When Hanno, under the protection of the coming army, walked out of the Senate venue and announced the new resolution of the Senate to the people who were still gathering outside the door and still refused to leave, which aroused the people's cheers.

But Hannover also reminded them: Even if the peace talks resume, they should not relax their vigilance. If the army of Dionian invading Afilica cannot be repelled, the possibility of the peace talks will be very small, and Carthage will lose more benefits.

Therefore, he encouraged the people present to actively prepare for war and defend Carthage.

The people responded enthusiastically.

But things didn't end so smoothly. On that night, several elders from Margonids were beaten by the people on their way home, and one of them was even unconscious.

While the whole city was preparing for war, although the Senate condemned the violence and sent people to investigate it, there was no result.

At the same time, some Margonids' elders felt danger and began to quietly escape from Carthage.

When the Carthage messengers met Alexis, the army of Dionys had already begun to siege at Ruspina.

After learning about the purpose of the Carthage messenger, Alexis made it clear that the order given to him by His Majesty King Davers was to attack Carthage. He would not stop the attack until His Majesty ordered the truce.

When the depressed Carthage messenger left Ruspina, he was surprised to find that many Numibians also appeared here and were in harmony with the soldiers of the Dionians.

It turned out that the troop transport ships that had been storms had returned to Hadrum Tum one after another. Alexis allowed the East Numibians to return to their hometown first, and then gathered together again to assist the Dionian army in attacking Carthage together.

The reason why Alexis did not allow these East Numibians to join the war immediately was because the East Numibians were basically infantry, their combat effectiveness was not strong, and they were all very willing to return home, worried that they would not only consume a lot of military rations and supplies, but also drag down the legion during the battle. However, he tried his best to retain the West Numibian cavalry. Apart from those who drowned in the sea and insisted on leaving, about 2,000 Nomibian cavalry left to fight.

After the Carthage messenger left, Alexis began to order the army to launch a strong attack on Ruspina. The engineering battalions of several legions had stepped up the production of some siege equipment, and Alexis also basically understood the situation of the entire city.

In this area, Ruspina is one of the few larger Phoenician city-states, just like Hadrumentum, but in Alexis' eyes it is still a small city, and there is no careful construction of defensive facilities. He carefully adjusted the siege deployment based on what he observed, and he firmly believed that this city-state could be captured within a few days.

There are several reasons why Alexis was so anxious to attack Ruspina: First, although he had ordered the soldiers to step up the repair of the port of Hadrumentum, the port could not be built in a short time without enough labor, lack of building materials, and facing enemies in an unfamiliar environment. The encounter of the second fleet made him realize that in this season of late winter, this sea area was windy, and he needed to provide a safe harbor for the fleet that kept transporting supplies to him as soon as possible, and at the same time it could greatly improve the efficiency of unloading. Therefore, it is the best choice to attack the next coastal city-state as soon as possible.

Secondly, the army of Dionia was just a newcomer and wanted to gain a foothold, it was necessary to establish a solid rear so that it could safely and boldly attack Carthage. Therefore, a city-state like Ruspina, which is very close to Hadrumentum, must be conquered first.

In addition, Alexis had some other thoughts in his mind. Early in the morning after the army landed, he received a reward from the scout: there were heavy troops stationed in the Phoenician city of Atticus on the west (the road from Hadrumentum to Carthage on land was indeed flat, but this road was specific. There were a series of mountains between Carthage and Hadrumentum, and it extended eastward to form the Cabernet Peninsula. Although the flat valley in the middle was not narrow, Atticus was located west of it. After Carthage learned that the Dionian army landed in Hadrumentum, he immediately sent reinforcements to Atticus). Alexis hoped that by attacking the Phoenician city of Hadrumentum, the Carthage could attract the Carthage army to rescue, and thus eliminate the vitality of Carthage through field battles.

……………………………………

Just as the Carthage messenger Ocredon rushed to Sicily again to negotiate with Henipolis again, several Margonid veterans had fled to the sexi in southern Iberia. Out of resentment and fear, they added fuel to the fire and hype about what happened in Carthage. Members of the Margonid family who were stationed in the city and local officials were shocked when they learned about it.

In the Governor's residence, Dido called Haka urgently, and asked him anxiously as soon as he met: "I heard that our army in Sicily was either destroyed or captured. Now my father and brother are not aware of life and death, and so many tribesmen don't know what the situation is! But at this time, the cursed Hanno took a ruthless attack on our forces in Carthage, sent people to assassinate Uncle Pretakuba, and drove the others out of Carthage... What should we do now?!"

When Dido was speaking, Haka was already supported by his slaves and lying down on a wooden chair. Since Mago led his army to Sicily, all matters in Iberia have been mainly managed by Haka alone. In addition, he is also responsible for the logistics transportation of the Iberian army, paying attention to the dynamics of the indigenous people inside and outside the territory. Haka has suffered from his physical condition and his body has become worse, his body has faded sharply, and he has even difficulty walking.

"Not only what you said, I also got a message..." Haka touched his forehead with his hand and said softly: "Teppanrako, the important leader of the Hannover faction, has proposed to the Senate that he would conduct a trial of his uncle and my brother in absentia, saying that he would punish him severely because they caused such a major failure, putting Carthage in danger, and at the same time, to appease the Carthage people--"

"Appease the people of Carthage?! Who will appease us?! For Carthage, most of the adult men from the Margonid family have gone to Sicily, and there is no news yet!" Dido's eyes were filled with tears, but his anger distorted her beautiful face and looked a little hideous: "Also, we have been in this backward and barbaric and dangerous place for so many years. How much effort did we put in and how many families died to obtain these lands are also for the interests of Carthage?!

Otherwise, after Carthage declared war with Dionysia, Iberia could send so many soldiers! But the Carthage Senate ignored our capture and, without our consent, would hand over the land we had earned to the Dionys! My father and brother fought bravely for Carthage, and now his life and death are unknown. Not only will he not get the respect and sympathy of Carthage, but he will be judged and humiliated their honor. The Carthage Senate is to force our Margonid family to death!”

Dido gritted his teeth and said sternly: "Hakka, since the Carthage Senate is going to ruthlessly attack us, why do we still have to be tricked by them? Let's just leave Carthage and stop obeying the orders of the Carthage Senate!"

Haka listened quietly, not surprised by what Dido said. In fact, she had vented similar anger to him many times in the past two days, but the reason why she was so determined this time was because she heard that the Carthage Senate wanted to conduct a severe trial on Mago and Hasdruba. According to the previous military tradition of Carthage, generals who had suffered major war defeats were severely tried by the Senate, and were basically crucified.

One person who escaped punishment was Mago's elder brother Himilco. Although he committed suicide in the end, the citizens at that time still complained to the Senate and were too indulged in him. Now Mago suffered greater military failures than Himilco back then. In addition, the Margonid family had very little power in the Senate, and Hanno and others interfered with it. Mago and Hasdruba were in danger of being executed, so it was no wonder Dido was emotionally violent.

"Aren't you serious?" Haka asked softly.

"Of course I'm serious!" Dido walked over and looked down at Haka, sternly sternly: "Carthage regards us as enemies, and then we are no longer Carthage! Haka, gather all the officials in your territory and declare to them that the Iberian colony is independent and has no relationship with Carthage!"

Haka rubbed his forehead and sighed: "Now the main officials in the territory are all our Margonids. If they declare independence, they may not have much objection, but it will inevitably cause panic among the Carthage and Phoenician people in the territory.

And you should know that the biggest danger we face directly is the Iberian indigenous peoples inside and outside the territory. Because we blocked the news of our defeat, they seemed quiet for the time being, but over time they would always know that at that time they would definitely attack our territory on the grounds of "requesting compensation". There are not enough troops in our territory. Once we leave Carthage, we will not receive reinforcements. At that time, we cannot resist the attack of these ferocious indigenous people. The land will be occupied by them and the people will be tortured by them!
Chapter completed!