Mount of the God of War Retirement Home

Inside the spacious and solemn council hall, Divine Blood Aristocrats in white robes sat on circular marble steps, arranged according to their status and lineage. Although their attire was elegant and luxurious, they all looked old, and the entire hall was filled with a somber atmosphere.

"Gentlemen, my husband Leonidas is currently engaged in a bloody battle with the Persians at Hot Spring Pass. Outside, a formidable Persian army of 300,000 is advancing. Once this natural barrier is breached, the enemy can advance unimpeded and storm the Athens. This is a critical moment for the survival of Greece. I once again implore Mount of Ares to sound the war horn, immediately assemble the troops, march north, and hold Hot Spring Pass!"

Spartan Queen Gogo of Sparta addressed these high-ranking Divine Blood Aristocrats, delivering a passionate and impassioned appeal.

However, pairs of dozing, drowsy old eyes roused themselves from their drowsiness and looked down at the two solitary women in the center of the open-air stands, their gazes indifferent and unmoved.

"Ridiculous! Since when has the fate of Greece been decided by a tiny Hot Spring Pass, by you Spartans?"

The old man at the highest point, wearing Gorgon Emblem on his chest, frowned in displeasure and opened his eyes with a cold snort.

"Besides, Mount of Ares has never issued an order to hold Hot Spring Pass..."

Queen Gogo's breath hitched, her expression darkening.

This is the crux of the current stalemate in the war.

In fact, at the very beginning of the Third Iliad War, Mount of Ares had already chosen the location for the decisive land battle, namely the rugged Platia region in Corinth.

In this way, although the area along the Athenian border would be impregnable, it would leave many northern city-states vulnerable, and under the crushing force of the Persian army, they would have no power to fight back.

Furthermore, almost all Greek city planning followed a concentric ring structure from the acropolis to the city walls and then to farmland. If war broke out on the Greek mainland, it meant that farmland and cash crops outside the city would be ravaged, and citizens would suffer economic losses due to the inability to farm and the damage to their crops. The large concentration of people and livestock in the city center could easily lead to food and water contamination, thereby triggering disease outbreaks.

By diverting most of its military forces to the Plataea region to consolidate Athens' base, while leaving the greater risks to the city-states along the route, it naturally led to disagreements.

In response, Sparta, the leading city-state on the northern border, advocated pushing the defensive line forward to the Thessaly city-state's Tempe Gorge and the rear Hot Spring Pass, arguing that it would be inconvenient for large armies to deploy through natural defenses to repel the enemy and protect the entire Greek territory as much as possible.

The more radical Thessaly even threatened that if the coalition forces of Mount of Ares could not support their resistance and preserve the city-state's temple of evil gods, they would rather surrender to the Persians.

Two opposing opinions on strategic decision-making led to a continuous wrangling between the two sides regarding land defense deployment.

The naval victory at the Battle of Salamis led the Persians to shift their focus to land warfare and accelerate their march.

With the fall of Macedonia and Thrace, and seeing the Persians advancing rapidly and closing in, Spartan King Leonidas, Macedonia Prince Alexander, and the Roman Emperor Caesar, who was forced to remain in Greece, made a decisive move and quickly contacted the surrounding city-states to deploy defenses in the Thessaly Tempe Gorge.

As a result, although the Spartans' unilateral actions halted the Persian army's advance, their practice of acting first and informing later displeased the habitually authoritarian Mount of Ares.

The Athenian army's delay in action today is likely an attempt by Mount of Ares to weaken and intimidate Sparta.

Meanwhile, the elderly people, nearing the end of their lives, whispered amongst themselves, their voices filled with disdain and murmurs.

"What do you mean by the life or death of Greece? I think the Spartans clearly want to use the Athenian army to defend their own territory!"

"That's right. We should have just followed our plan, but the Spartans insisted on taking matters into their own hands and defending Hot Spring Pass. Since they refuse to obey the Mount of Ares, they must bear the consequences themselves!"

"Indeed, Athens has already sacrificed enough for Greece in the two Iliad War! We don't need to benefit these barbarians by sending troops to support them. After all, those who die are Athenian citizens! They are our descendants!"

"Besides, Hot Spring Pass a small pass. We severely damaged the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. This time, it will be like the two previous Iliad War, all bark and no bite. No matter how much the Persians fuss, they won't be able to stir up any waves."

As the discussions grew increasingly noisy and unpleasant, Queen Gogo realized that these Divine Blood Aristocrats were revealing their selfish motives, as well as their arrogance and blind self-importance. She couldn't help but shout angrily.

"Gentlemen! Don't limit your attention to Mount of Ares or Athens. Open your eyes and look outside. The Roman god-father has fallen, City of Seven Hills almost fell. Cyrus the Great even colluded with the Egyptians and Huns to prepare for a full-scale war with Greece. Therefore, this Iliad War is definitely different from the previous two!"

Moreover, even though we won the Battle of Marathon, the Battle of Salamis, and the first two Iliad War, it did not change our passive and dangerous situation. The Persians launched war after war, and they would not stop until they annexed the entire Greek territory!

"At this crucial moment, do you still insist on clinging to Athens, unwilling to put aside your pride and prejudices for the sake of all of Greece?"

This reasoned and well-founded rebuttal, like a storm, quelled the noise in the council hall, causing many of the Divine Blood Aristocrats to pause for thought.

However, a robust, bearded man in a white robe stood up, opened his arms, and solemnly pondered.

"Your Majesty, I understand your feelings very well. After all, King Leonidas personally led the troops to the front lines, drawing upon 300 royal guards with divine blood flowing through their veins. Behind them are 300 Sparta families on the verge of collapse! Among them are your fathers, brothers, and relatives. For this war, the Spartans have given their all!"

Theron? No way, it wasn't this guy who leaked our whereabouts. Did I really misunderstand him?

The Spartan Queen stared at the man who was agreeing with her, and was momentarily stunned.

But in an instant, the bearded man changed his tone, his gaze turning cold and stern.

"But once a large army is mobilized and the war Hot Spring Pass and the Persians begins, how many Athenians will perish! How many families will be shattered!"

The Spartans certainly made sacrifices for the war, but the Athenians sacrificed even more!

Mount of Ares has a responsibility to the citizens of Athens, and to all Greeks!

According to my recent news, Hot Spring Pass is far from falling!

You cannot allow the innocent bloodshed of free Athenians, dragging the whole of Greece onto the Sparta war machine, simply because you are worried about your husband and the citizens of Sparta!

Each word was a piercing blow to the heart, coupled with the news from the front lines that Theron passed from his bosom to everyone in the council hall, causing the Athenian Divine Blood Aristocrats, who had initially been somewhat persuaded, to turn cold and indifferent.