"Don't be absurd now. We will hardly go bankrupt within 2-3 years just by not taking and keeping Ambrakia, that much is certain. The most important thing for us to do right now is to close that front and focus on the Carthaginians. Being paid at minimum 3000 mnai for it is not a bad by itself, and if we add to that the promise of gaining a huge sum if anything but the minimum gain would happen and it's an extremely lucrative deal.

Your proposal does not close the front, nor would it bring in as much money in the short term - especially if the Epeirotes refuse the initial offer in my proposal. It would take a long time for it to earn us that much by keeping Ambrakia, because you need to remember to count the cost of holding and defending it, which is not only costly in and of itself but it's a real hassle. It is, after all, the most important Epeirote settlement as you say, and if you think the populace - as well as the Epeirotes themselves - would just accept us there, you're fooling yourself. Much better it is, then, to simply not bother with all that and claim a hefty sum for losing a front and avoiding the cost and trouble of governing yet another foreign province. At this time we can do without that."