"I recommend a person to serve as our Spartan envoy to Dionia. I believe he can accomplish this mission!" Agsilous looked at the puzzled eyes of everyone and said loudly: "This person is Xenophon!"

Cliombrotus was stunned and immediately retorted: "You are confused! Xenophon is not a Spartan, how could he be a Spartan envoy!"

Agsilous was not angry at Cliombrotus's impolite words. He said calmly: "Xenophon has lived in our Sparta territory for more than 20 years. He has participated in many battles with his citizens. Even facing his mother Athens, he has not stopped waving the spear in his hands. His military achievements are no less than our soldiers. Moreover, he also used the pen in his hand to preach the fineness of our Spartan political system to the Greek city-state and strengthened our influence on allies, which is something we Spartans cannot do!

In addition, his son has been playing for Sparta and is still fighting in the Piosha area. Such a Greek scholar who has made so much contribution to Sparta. Even if he does not have the identity of a Spartan citizen, his actions have proved that he is a Spartan and an excellent Spartan citizen!

As for why I recommend him as an envoy to Diony, because he participated in the Persian Expeditionary Force and later became a mercenary leader of the Expeditionary Force, I once heard from Kerithops that he had a deep friendship with the current King of Dionys during the Persian war. I believe that the effect of his mission to Diony will definitely be stronger than that of others!"

Despite Agsilous's full recommendation and Xenophon's reputation in Sparta has always been good, the conservative Spartan elders and ombudsmen still had a fierce debate on this.

Finally, at the end of the 22nd year of the Kingdom (372 BC), the Council of Spartan Elders finally made a strange decision: appoint a Spartan general as the envoy, and Xenophon served as the deputy envoy to Dionia, but all negotiations with Dionia were left to Xenophon.

This was Xenophon's first time going to the Western Mediterranean. The moment he stepped onto the passenger ship, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

In the past few decades, he had the idea of ​​"trip to Dionia". Even after Dionia held a meeting of Greek scholars, he invited him many times, but he did not go there in the end. One of the reasons was that he knew that the Sparta where he lived was hostile to Dionia, and the Spartan king Agsilous, who had always cared for him, was even more vigilant about him. If he went there rashly, it would definitely make the Spartans feel resentful; and the other reason was that Davers once invited him when he went to Great Greece, but he refused. Now Davers has made a great career in the Western Mediterranean, and he cannot go there happily, after all, he is also arrogant.

Now Sparta gave him this task, giving him the opportunity to see with his own eyes the Kingdom of Dionys established by his former friend Davers.

Xenophon's route to Turiyi was almost the same as the route on the mission of Kerithops back then, but after more than 10 years of development, the situation was completely different.

After passing through Kekira Island, the passenger ship crossed the middle line of the Adriatic Sea entrance, and encountered a patrol fleet from Dionia.

This is a fleet of four three-layer oar warships and eight small and medium-sized warships. When the passenger ship captain told him that this was a patrol fleet in Dionia, he couldn't believe it because such a fleet was close to the naval configuration of some medium-strength city-states in Greece, and some city-states were even worse than that, but this was just a patrol fleet in Dionia?

So Xenophon asked twice in a row. After receiving a definite answer, he still held a skeptical attitude, and even believed that Dionia intended to expand the size of his patrol fleet in order to intimidate the surrounding forces.

Passenger ship landed at Odrum Port.

Today, the Port of Odrum has expanded several times compared to when Kelithops was on mission, and its maritime trade has also increased several times. The main reason is that Dionia's conquest of Sannegaul in recent years has shocked the forces in central and northern Italy, the Weineti people and Umbrians... have taken the initiative to show goodwill to Dionia and form alliances. Even Dionia's influence has affected some Illyrian coastal city-states on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea. When these forces actively approach Dionia, Dionia certainly seized the opportunity to strengthen its connection with it through trade and cultural infiltration methods.

The Adriatic Sea is a natural maritime transportation route. Many towns in Dionia, which are nearing the sea, have become extremely frequent with these newly joined Dionian allies. Odrum is just one of them. However, its geographical location is special, and not only can it enjoy the benefits of trade in the Adriatic Sea, but also some merchant ships from the Eastern Mediterranean also dock here...

In order to meet the growing trade and tourists' needs, Odrum not only expanded the port, but later built two other ports next to it. The city area has been expanded again and again. The size of the entire Odrum City has even approached Udier, the center of the area, and it is no longer the same as the small town of Mesapi.

When the Chief Executive of Odrum learned that the Spartan emissary was coming, he specially sent someone to welcome Xenophon and his group and also held a banquet to welcome him.

Xenophon politely declined and praised him: Odrum's port trade is extremely prosperous and must be one of the best towns in the Kingdom of Dionia. If it continues to develop like this, it will be completely comparable to the Piraeus Port in Athens.

Chief Executive Odrum quickly and modestly said: There are many port towns like Odrum in the Kingdom of Diony, and Odrum needs to make more efforts if he wants to become a leading port town.

Many?... When Xenophon heard this, he couldn't help but blink. He felt that he seemed to have discovered a characteristic of the Diorians: he liked to exaggerate the strength of the kingdom to outsiders.

After saying goodbye to Odrum officials, Xenophon and his group got on the carriage and headed west.

Along the way, Xenophon witnessed the avenue built by the Dionians, which was flat and wide, strong and beautiful, and the carriage was driving smoothly on it at a very fast speed. He was amazed at this.

But when he learned from the coachman that such roads had been paved everywhere in the kingdom and connected various towns, the previous prejudice made him subconsciously think that the other party was boasting again, because in his impression: even in Greece, only the roads like this were from Piraeus to Athens can be worse than that of the Port of Odrum. The trade in the port of Odrum was prosperous, and it is understandable that his external connections were better, but it is hard to say other places.

But Xenophon gradually began to feel that this excellent avenue was too long, because the carriage had been driving for most of the day and passed by one or two towns. The avenue was still extending forward, and the prejudice in his heart was shaken.

When passing Tarantumcheng, Xenophon couldn't help looking at him. The Spartans who had been with him over the years still talked about the Spartan sub-state that was forcibly taken away by the Dionians from time to time. This is also one of the reasons why the Spartans are hostile to Dionians.

At this moment, he wanted to go in and see what Tarantum, who became the Free City of the Kingdom of Dionia, is now, but the head of the Odrum team responsible for transporting them, expressed his refusal, believing that it was their duty to send the Spartan emissary to Turiy as soon as possible, and it should not be delayed in the middle to avoid accidents.

Xenophon was a little dissatisfied, but there was no way.

The convoy finally arrived at the naval base not far from Tarantum. It was dusk. The base guards carefully checked the official documents of the Spartan emissary and Odrum, and let them enter.

Since it was getting late, the Spartan emissary group could only rest for one night in the camp.

When Xenophon learned that this was the naval base of Dionia, he wanted to take the opportunity to visit and have a glimpse of the military preparations of Dionia's naval.

Unexpectedly, the guards in the camp restricted them from staying in their residences and not moving around.

Of course, the Spartans who accompanied him were dissatisfied, but before leaving, Agsilous solemnly warned them: try to make good friends with the Dionians during their mission, do not anger them, and avoid causing disaster to Sparta.

So the Spartan emissary group chose to forbear.

Unexpectedly, the second day happened to be the training day of the Tarantum Naval Base. Two squadrons of the 1st Fleet of the Dionia entered the port early and were conducting array and confrontation training.

When Xenophon and his team left on the pier on a fast ship, they were able to see a corner of the fleet training: amid the loud sound of the military horns, nearly 200 warships said that they were constantly changing the ship formation during the rapid sailing, and the scene was very spectacular and lively.

Naval battles were not good at the Spartans (Xenophon himself had never participated in the naval battles). They could not see any tricks from this training, but they still shocked them with so many three-layer warships.

The scale of such a fleet is close to the naval level of Athens' peak, so it is understandable that the patrol fleet has such a configuration...Xenophon thought so in his mind.

The captain of the Clippers saw them so surprised and couldn't help but remind them proudly: "There are more than these naval warships in Dionia. In addition to this naval base in Tarantum, there are also Brindisi, Catania, Lilibi... and other naval bases, which own more than a thousand warships!"

Xenophon's heart moved. Although this time he still felt that the Dionians were a little boasting, some words might be true. Although Xenophon did not know much about other naval bases, Brindisi was close to the Peloponnese, and the Spartans had a certain understanding of it. Therefore, Dionia, which has multiple naval bases, is likely to have multiple naval bases.
Chapter completed!