"Oh, no wonder he's so handsome! If I had a daughter, I would definitely marry her to him!"
"Stop dreaming! That's Prince Croto, the eldest son of His Majesty Davos, the future king. With your status, you want to be the prince's father-in-law! Prince Croto' future wife will definitely be the most precious lady in our kingdom or a princess from a foreign land!"
But obviously, the girls of Laos did not agree with this statement. Daonian women are different from women in other Greek city-states, and have always been known in the Greek world for their enthusiasm, openness, and boldness. The multi-ethnic living environment of Laos makes the girls even more unrestrained and enthusiastic. They took the initiative to sprinkle flower petals on the young prince, and even affectionately called out his name.
It was Croto's first time experiencing such a scene, and he was actually a little nervous and shy, which made the girls cheer even more excitedly.
"Your Majesty, Prince Crotois more popular with the people of Laos than you are!" Tolmid, who was traveling with the army, joked.
Davos laughed, but did not respond, which made Croto even more embarrassed.
At this time, someone in the crowd beside the road asked suspiciously: "Who is that fierce-looking old man next to His Majesty Davos?!"
A fierce-looking old man?! Tolmid's face turned ugly. He felt that he was only in his fifties and still very young. Besides, there were only two more scars on his face. How could he be considered fierce?!
Hennipolis laughed for once.
Someone in the crowd who understood said: "That's Tolmid, the staff officer of the Kingdom's Ministry of Military Affairs. He is a hero who followed His Majesty on the expedition to Persia!"
Tolmid could be sure that the person who said this must have been a squad leader from the early days of the establishment of the Daonian Army, or even a comrade-in-arms of the former mercenaries. Otherwise, how could ordinary people know him, who has an inconspicuous position in the kingdom and rarely appears in public? As far as he knew, the staff department's information recorded that some retired army squad leaders chose to settle in Laos.
He immediately looked at the crowded people beside the road, but for a moment he did not see a familiar face, but he heard someone shouting: "Who is that general next to His Majesty, wearing a mask and unable to see his face?! He looks so strange!"
Tolmid chuckled twice, and now it was his turn to watch the excitement.
At this time, someone in the crowd shouted loudly: "Citizens of Laos, do you still remember who gave up the privileges of lifelong executive officer and took the initiative to request the incorporation of Laos into the kingdom, so that we could get rid of oppression and have the life we have today?!"
"It's the kind Lord Hennipolis! Don't forget, the arena, bathhouse, library… in Laos city were mostly built with his gratuitous donations!" Another voice shouted.
Back then, when the Senate was discussing the incorporation of Laos into the kingdom, considering that Lezan was once the private property independently ruled by the Hennipolis family, and was the first to actively request incorporation into Daonia, setting a good example for other allies, as a reward, the Senate passed a bill: giving Hennipolis two percent of Laos' annual tax revenue (of course, Davos played a certain role in this), but Hennipolis donated all the money to Laos for repairing and building public works to make up for his mistakes back then.
"Yes, I still remember that when Lord Hennipolis was the executive officer of Laos, he was determined to give us more rights and freedom, but his uncle led a group of nobles and leaders in Laos to oppose him, and even almost murdered him…"
"We should have thanked Lord Hennipolis long ago. We owe him too much!"
"I heard that Lord Hennipolis is His Majesty Davos' secretary. He should be in the team too, right?!"
"Lord Hennipolis!"
"Lord Hennipolis!!"
"Lord Hennipolis!!!"
…
The cheers from the roadside gradually converged into the same voice.
Hennipolis's emotions fluctuated sharply, and he looked at Davos with gratitude: "Your Majesty, thank you!"
Having followed Davos for so long, he could of course guess that the reason why the people of Laos finally showed such a consistent scene must have been because the intelligence department was promoting it.
"This is what you deserve!" Davos said meaningfully: "Even if I didn't do this, the people of Laos have never forgotten everything you have done for them. It's time to forget the mistakes of the past and meet the people of your hometown, so that you can better communicate with and help them in the future!"
Davos's words gave Hennipolis courage. He nodded, took a deep breath, and resolutely took off his mask and helmet.
"It's Lord Hennipolis!!"
"Long live Lord Hennipolis!!!"
…
Even greater cheers erupted around.
In the cheers, Davos said softly to his son: "Ordinary people are easily satisfied. As long as you have done good things for them, they will always remember them in their hearts and ignore the mistakes you have made…"
While listening to his father's teachings, Croto looked at the surging crowd on the roadside, his eyes flashing with envy…
"Your Majesty, Arianthos is here!" Martius, the commander of the palace guards, hurried over to remind him.
Davos looked forward and saw Arianthos, the city's chief executive, leading a group of officials, walking in the opposite direction of the marching army, striding towards them.
"It seems we were moving too slowly. Even Arianthos, waiting at the city gate, couldn't wait any longer." Davos turned to Hieronypolis and smiled, "Or perhaps he wanted to see you sooner, Hiero."
Arianthos, the trusted native general of Avinogis back then, and Hieronypolis's most loyal regent. After Laos was incorporated into Daonia, to stabilize its political situation, the Senate also nominated him to become a senator. According to a special bill of the Senate at the time, 'Senators from newly joined cities of the kingdom may not immediately serve as the administrative head of the mother city.' This was partly to avoid suspicion and also to better manage the city, allowing it to integrate into the kingdom more quickly. It wasn't until ten years later, when the Senate confirmed that the people of Laos were completely loyal and the city was located in the heart of the kingdom with no danger, and its development was smooth, that this ban on Laos was lifted. Arianthos was then able to successfully take office as the administrative head of Laos, and Hieronypolis also contributed a lot to this.
Hieronypolis also recovered from his excitement and said with a smile, "Before we set off, Arianthos wrote to tell me that he was both excited and nervous to hear that Your Majesty was coming. He wanted to lead the officials of Laos to hold a grand welcome banquet for you, but he was afraid that you would refuse and criticize him…"
"Arianthos continued the policies of his predecessor while also making some improvements. Laos has developed very well in the past two years, which is inseparable from the efforts of the officials of Laos. I will definitely attend the banquet tonight, but it should not be too extravagant." Davos smiled and gave an affirmative answer.
Although the 'Daonian Military Law' stipulates that 'No banquets may be held or participated in during military expeditions,' Davos knew very well that he was not only the commander of the army but also the king of Daonia. In addition to fighting, he also shouldered some political tasks. Whether it was to commend the achievements of the officials of Laos or to show the royal family's affinity and win the hearts of the people, he had to attend. Moreover, since he became the King of Daonia, he had never officially inspected other cities within the kingdom. Laos was the only kingdom city he would enter on his expedition to Latium. Participating in banquets, sharing joy with officials and citizens, and expressing his expectations for the kingdom, officials, and citizens were very meaningful for ordinary officials and people who had never seen the king.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Just as Davos led the army to the city of Laos, some soldiers from the Third Legion and the Second Cavalry Legion, having received military orders, had already boarded passenger ships, left Naples, and sailed into the port of Setia, an important town of the Volsci.
The Volscian leaders who came to greet them saw ships full of soldiers docking at the pier, as if giving them, who had been worried about the Roman attack, a shot in the arm. They discussed, "It seems that what Daonian Legion Commander Amyntas said is true. They are really preparing to launch a large-scale attack on Rome to rescue us Volsci!"
As a result, they were even more enthusiastic about the Daolian legion soldiers who landed.
Amyntas, the commander of the First Legion, also rushed from the legion's garrison to greet his comrades upon receiving the news. Lizalu, the commander of the Third Legion, rushed to meet him as soon as he landed.
"Legion Commander Amyntas!" Lizalu saluted him upon seeing him. Although their military ranks were now equal, when he first joined the Daonian Legion, Amyntas was already a senior officer of the legion. Not only was he experienced, but he had also made outstanding military achievements. His prestige in the Daonian army was far beyond what he could compare to, so even the most unruly of them showed due respect.
"We've finally waited for you to come! I've been worried to death during this time!" Amyntas punched Lizalu in the chest excitedly and grinned, "The great battle is finally about to begin! Lizalu, quickly gather your legion and follow me to the barracks. Let's have a good discussion about how to fight the next battle."
"Okay." This was exactly what Lizalu wanted. He didn't like socializing either. After reluctantly dealing with the Volscian leaders who came to greet him, he led the Third Legion and some soldiers from the Second Cavalry Legion to follow Amyntas to the garrison.
During this period, because the Romans focused their attacks on the Hernici in the east, the Roman army originally in the Volscian territory retreated sharply, and the war between the Volsci and Rome temporarily subsided. Afterwards, because the Volsci sent troops to rescue the Hernici, the territory was empty of troops. After the Volscian leaders discussed with Amyntas, the commander of the Daonian First Legion, Amyntas agreed to move the camp north, bringing more Volscian villages under its protection. Now, the Daonian military camp is northwest of Setia, only about 20 miles away from the city of Satricum, which is heavily guarded by the Romans.
Therefore, Amyntas asked Lizalu to lead the Third Legion and the Second Cavalry Legion to march as quickly and secretly as possible so as not to be discovered by the Romans on the opposite side. To this end, he also sent people in advance to notify the First Cavalry Legion to leave the camp to drive away Roman scouts and spies in order to block the leakage of news from the camp.
Inside the army camp's main tent, Lizalu met Printors. He immediately greeted the adjutant, who had previously helped him secure victory in Campania.
"Alright, we can chat later. Let's quickly discuss how to complete the task assigned by His Majesty," Amyntas urged.
"What's the situation in Latium right now?" Lizalu asked first. This was a basic quality that a senior Daonian commander should possess. Without understanding the surrounding situation and the enemy's strength, it was impossible to win a battle.
Therefore, Amyntas wasn't annoyed. He pointed to the map and explained seriously, "Since the Romans launched a large-scale attack on the Hernici people last month, they have conquered several towns in succession. Now, they have completely besieged the Hernici people's central town—Ferentinum—and are intensifying their attack. Their forces have increased from the original 40,000 to 70,000. According to the Volsci people, Ferentinum's situation is very critical and cannot be defended for more than a few days. Once this town falls, not only will the Hernici people be finished, but the Volsci people will also suffer heavy losses because the Volsci people sent a significant number of warriors to rescue the Hernici, and they are now trapped in the town of Ferentinum. Therefore, the Volsci territory is already very weak in terms of military strength, and we, the First Legion, are helping them hold on."
Lizalu stared intently at the map for a while before pointing to the north of the Volsci territory and asking, "Since the Roman army is concentrated on attacking the Hernici, the defense here must be very weak, right?"
"The citizens of these Latin allies to the west of Rome have all been drafted to attack the Hernici, so there aren't many troops indeed. But here! Here! And here! There are 10,000 Roman troops stationed in each of these locations!" Amyntas pointed three times on the map.
Lizalu leaned closer to take a closer look. The names of the three cities marked on the map were: Velitrae, Satricum, and Antium. They happened to block the Volsci's route north into the Latium region.
Lizalu estimated for a moment and was surprised, "The Romans can actually assemble such a large army?!"
"According to the Volsci, Rome has not only mobilized all of its own young and middle-aged citizens this time, but also asked all of the Latin allies and the Etruscan allies in the north to provide a lot of reinforcements. Therefore, it is going all out in this war. I think this is also why His Majesty personally led a large army to solve the Roman problem first!" Printors emphasized from the side.
"But with these three cities in the way, it won't be possible to conquer one of them in just a day or two. I'm afraid it will delay His Majesty's attack plan," Lizalu said worriedly, pointing at the map.
"Are you stupid?!" Amyntas criticized unceremoniously, "We don't need to forcefully attack them at all. We just need to bypass them and enter the coastal area of Latium to ensure that His Majesty's army successfully lands on the coast."
Lizalu, whose thinking had been stuck in a rut, slapped his forehead.
He smiled awkwardly, pondered for a while, and said, "If we do this, we can only let the soldiers carry rations and leave the auxiliary troops in the camp to ensure rapid marching. In case we encounter the enemy intercepting us from the city, we can also quickly respond. But if we do this… our camp, even the entire Volsci territory, will be completely open to the Romans!"
Printors smiled and said, "There's no need to worry too much about that. Once our army successfully lands, the entire Latium region will be on high alert for our attack. Where would they have the mind to invade Volsci! Moreover, we will also arrange for other personnel in the camp to go to Sershe and take the fleet to the newly occupied land of the army."
Lizalu no longer had any concerns and eagerly asked loudly, "When will we move?!"
"We'll wait until the army led by His Majesty arrives in the Latium region by ship. But before that, we still need to discuss with the Volsci higher-ups and ask them to provide some assistance for this army's attack."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The news that "the Battle of the Sea off Selinus was ultimately disrupted by a storm, and both sides' warships were almost completely destroyed" spread throughout western Sicily early the next morning. Bomilcar, the acting commander of the Carthaginian army, was greatly shocked upon hearing this bad news. He urgently sent messengers on fast ships to quickly transmit the news back to Carthage, and at the same time notified the coastal city-states to carefully search the coasts of their territories for survivors and send them all to Lilybaeum.
Meanwhile, the Daonian camp outside Selinus was overcrowded. Not only were the tents filled with survivors of the shipwreck, but the passageways and open spaces outside the tents were also filled with struggling and groaning sailors. Doctors and nurses had been continuously treating the wounded for more than ten hours and were still busy. Outside the camp, there were densely packed, pale bodies or unconscious people who had not yet been confirmed dead. The more than 20,000 Daonian legionnaires and their allied soldiers were also fully assisting the medical camp, rescuing their compatriots and naval comrades.
Inside the main tent, Leotichides, who had been busy until now and hadn't slept all night, sat on a wooden chair, listening to the report from his adjutant, Mucrus. Although he was very tired, he still held his back straight.
"Commander, since last night, our soldiers have found about 150,000 bodies on the coast. About 100,000 people have been rescued, including more than 61,500 Daonians. The number of Daonian sailors confirmed dead is 29,379…" Mucrus held the record board, and every time he read a set of numbers, his heart would jump wildly. Behind these huge numbers meant the passing of countless once-vibrant lives, the wailing of families…
Leotichides didn't seem to react much to this. After listening to the adjutant's report, he still had a blank expression and quickly asked, "How many people are there in our Sicilian fleet in total?"
Mucrus thought for a while and said uncertainly, "Based on the last time the Minoan Sicilian fleet came to collect rations, they may have about 110,000 to 120,000 people…"
Leotichides estimated in his mind and said, "In that case, we still haven't found up to 30,000 sailors."
"They are likely to have drifted to the coast controlled by the Carthaginians, or they may have drifted to the coast of the allied states. We need to contact the southern coastal city-states such as Minoa and Agrigentum in the next few days to understand the detailed situation," Mucrus said.
Leotichides nodded and then sighed, "The navy really consumes too many young and middle-aged citizens of the kingdom. This storm alone has caused us to lose tens of thousands of people, enough for us to build five or six legions!"
Mucrus comforted him, "Sir, but we have also easily captured nearly 40,000 Carthaginians or Phoenicians. If it were a normal battle, how many battles would it take to have so many prisoners?"
Leotichides frowned upon hearing this, and his sharp eyes stared at Mucrus without blinking until the latter lowered his head. Then, he slowly asked, "Have Secrianus and Flarios been found?"
"…There is still no news…" Mucrus looked sad.
"Continue to send people to search, don't give up. And we must entrust Serophinnis to send spies to the Carthaginian city-states in the west to find out information." Only at this time did a trace of fluctuation appear on Leotichides' face: "I heard that Secrianus is very good at swimming. He once crossed the turbulent Crati River when he was young. He shouldn't drown in the sea so easily."
"Yes, Commander."
"Anything else?"
"Um… the medical camp reminds us that there are too many corpses inside and outside the camp now. If they are left for too long, the corpses will rot and easily lead to an epidemic."
"As long as they confirm the deaths, they will all be taken to be cremated. Let the surviving sailors take their ashes back to the fleet bases in Catania or Taranto. As for the ashes of those Carthaginians, bury them on the spot," Leotichides said, and then remembered something, adding with emphasis: "This matter must be done immediately so that these living sailors can return to their garrisons as soon as possible to avoid wasting our food in vain. But those fleet infantrymen must stay and fight with us."
Leotichides had long coveted these infantrymen in the Sicilian fleet. He had seen their military training in Catania and believed that their military qualities were not weaker than the regular soldiers of the Eighth Legion. Taking advantage of the destruction of the Sicilian fleet and the disappearance of Secrianus and Flarios, he incorporated them into his own team to strengthen his strength.
Before Mucrus could respond, Leotichides emphasized again: "Also… draw 10,000 young and strong sailors from the navy and equip them with spears to temporarily serve as our light infantry."
Mucrus was surprised. He euphemistically reminded him, "Commander, without the permission of the Department of Military Affairs, your transfer of the navy's fleet infantry is already a violation of the regulations. If you want to reorganize the sailors again, I'm afraid the navy will be dissatisfied with this."
Leotichides didn't think so. He said in a deep voice, "We are now deep into the Carthaginian sphere of influence. Not only has the supply line been lengthened, but the enemy may also launch a counterattack at any time. However, the warships of the Sicilian fleet are all gone and cannot provide us with coastal protection. We are fighting alone. If we don't strengthen our strength, we may fall into a difficult situation at any time. The Sicilian Navy can't play a role without ships, so it's better to let the idle sailors and fleet infantry temporarily be under my command. This is a special period, I believe His Majesty and the Department of Military Affairs will understand my approach!"
As an adjutant, Mucrus could only remind him. Since Leotichides insisted on doing it, he could only execute it, and then he immediately turned the topic to other aspects: "Sir, what about the 40,000 Carthaginian prisoners?"
"Keep them for now and deal with them according to the usual methods of detaining prisoners." Leotichides said thoughtfully: "The Carthaginians must also have our sailors there. We can exchange them with them when the time comes."
Will the Carthaginians agree? You previously resolutely refused their request to redeem the captured soldiers of the Carthaginian Sacred Band! Muculus only dared to bury this doubt in his heart, not speaking it out loud.
"We still have to take Selinus as soon as possible!" Leotychides muttered. Whether from a strategic point of view of attacking western Sicily, or from the perspective of facilitating the transportation of grain and supplies... even from the perspective of having a safer place to hold so many prisoners, capturing Selinus was a matter of urgency.
Muculus hurriedly reminded him: "Commander, the soldiers were busy all night last night and are quite exhausted. They don't have the strength to attack the city today. Moreover, yesterday the Carthaginians transported thousands of soldiers into Selinus, and their defenses have been strengthened. And –"
"And we have lost the Sicilian fleet and can no longer blockade the port, and the Carthaginians can reinforce from the sea at any time!" Leotychides took over, his expression grave. This was his biggest concern: the disappearance of the Daonian army's naval advantage in Sicily would add many difficulties to the land offensive, because the further west the army attacked, the closer it would be to Carthage, and the stronger the enemy's reinforcements from the sea would be. The Daonian army, having lost its fleet, had no way to stop them, and could only hope that after the news of the "destruction of the Sicilian fleet" reached Thurii, His Majesty would send the Third or Fourth Fleet to regain naval superiority in Sicily.
Just as Leotychides was frowning and thinking hard, a guard came in to report: "The captain of the Diocassius company, who is patrolling the coast, requests to see you, saying he has urgent military information to report."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Are you saying that there are still our 42 trireme warships in the port of Selinus?!" Even Leotychides, who was usually indifferent, couldn't help but be greatly moved upon hearing this news.
"Yes, Commander." Diocassius also said excitedly: "When the storm came, the Second Squadron of the First Fleet was attacking a Carthaginian fleet outside the port of Selinus. Squadron Commander Stephacas urgently led the surrounding warships into the port of Selinus and successfully landed, occupying the southwestern corner of the port. They originally planned to send a fast ship last night, after the storm subsided, to notify us, but the wreckage of ships caused by the storm blocked the port, making nighttime sailing dangerous, so they only dared to clear a passage from the port this morning and send a fast ship to report."
In fact, the harbor of Selinus, like other Greek city-state harbors, has breakwaters and a water gate at the entrance, which can be blocked with iron chains, and there are towers built on the breakwaters to attack enemy ships. However, yesterday, when the Carthaginian fleet entered the port, they panicked and blocked the water gate, making it impossible for the Selinuses to close the port. In addition, the storm struck, and the personnel in the port only wanted to go home and take shelter as soon as possible, resulting in lax port defenses, allowing the Daonian warships to easily break into the port and successfully land.
Leotychides quickly calmed his emotions.
He calmly asked: "How many people do they have now? Can they withstand the enemy's attack?"
"According to the messenger, Squadron Commander Stephacas is very confident about this, because 30 of the 42 warships that entered the port are Raven warships, so they have about 1,200 fully armed fleet infantrymen and nearly 7,000 sailors. They rammed and sank many Carthaginian troop transports, and after landing, they also robbed the Carthaginian grain transport fleet, and even stripped off the armor and weapons of many drowned Carthaginian soldiers, thereby obtaining more than 400 sets of heavy infantry equipment and more than 30 bows and arrows. They also had some sailors sharpen one end of the oars and use them as extended wooden spears, and their warships controlled the sea within the port… According to the messenger, when he left the port, the Carthaginians did not launch an attack on them…"
"After our several attacks on the city, the number of Selinus defenders is probably less than 2,000. Even with reinforcements this time, it will not exceed 5,000. If the Carthaginians launch a full-scale attack, it will cause great trouble to the navy in the port, but it seems that the Carthaginian garrison commander lacks the courage and is worried that we will take the opportunity to attack the city, so he did not take immediate action…" After listening to Diocassius's account, Leotychides analyzed. He already realized that this was an excellent opportunity and asked Muculus with a slightly excited tone: "What time is it now?"
"About 8 a.m."
"Muculus, you immediately notify the soldiers of the Eighth Legion and the reserve team to go to the tents to rest. I will only give them four hours to sleep and recover. They must wake up by noon. After eating lunch, immediately start attacking the city!" Leotychides decisively issued the order.
"Yes, Commander, I will convey it immediately."
"Diocassius, go and call the messenger in. I want to ask for more details." Leotychides said. Out of caution, he first wanted to personally confirm the authenticity of the news, and secondly, he wanted to further understand the more detailed situation of the enemy and ourselves in the city.
At noon, Leotychides led the army to attack the city in a big way.
Having already made contact, the remnants of the Sicilian fleet in the port also responded immediately, launching an attack on the city from the port.
The Carthaginian defenders faced a two-pronged attack and were in a difficult situation.
In the afternoon, Milerfiore led a small number of cavalry to escape from the south gate, and the Selinus defenders opened the gate and surrendered.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The southwestern region of Latium in March is truly a rainy season. The morning mist, coupled with the drizzling rain, is the weather that sentries on the city walls hate the most. It not only prevents people from sleeping against the wall for a while longer, but also the slightly damp and cold temperature makes the sentries, who have just eaten breakfast, feel hungry again soon. The Romans' serious character and strict military law prevent them from easily leaving their posts, so they can only slowly patrol the walls of Antium while praying that time will pass quickly so that the next batch of comrades can come to relieve them.
"Do you hear what that sound is?" one sentry suddenly asked nervously.
Another sentry immediately cocked his ear to listen.
"Swish! Swish! Swish! …" The slight and continuous sound was different from the sound of the tide by the sea, with a metallic texture.
The sentry's face changed: there were troops outside the city, and a considerable number of them.
Was it the enemy?! The sentry looked up, but in the empty city, drizzling rain fell, and he couldn't see a single figure.
The garrison commander of Antium was Paulus Valerius Potitus. Not long ago, he was still the Roman military tribune on duty, but after Camillus was appointed dictator, the six Roman military tribunes naturally stepped down. Because Paulus had always been cautious and steady in his work, the Senate appointed him as the garrison commander of the newly occupied town of Antium, hoping that he could firmly defend the southwestern border and coast of Rome and the Latin League, so as to ensure Rome's complete conquest of the Hernici.
The sentry's report quickly attracted his attention, and he immediately sent a team of scouts out of the city to investigate.
Soon, this team of scouts fled back in a panic, because they were attacked by many black-helmeted, black-armored cavalrymen not long after they left the city, and were almost wiped out.
It's the Daonians! Paulus became nervous: were they preparing to attack Antium?!
He immediately gathered the troops in the city, began to deploy defenses, and prepared to resist the Daonians' attack.
Roman soldiers stood all over the city walls, nervously watching outside the city.
This lasted for more than an hour. The mist cleared, the drizzle stopped, and the sky was bright, but no Daonian army appeared outside the city, and even the previous "swish, swish" sound disappeared.
Paulus felt confused, and he decided to send out scouts again to find out the enemy's movements.
As a result, the scouts sent out were ambushed again. According to the scouts who fled back, Daonian cavalrymen were patrolling in all directions one mile outside the city of Antium, and they were unable to break through their interception and ascertain the Daonian army's movements.
Paulus was both confused and nervous. Before figuring out the Daonian army's movements, he did not dare to send troops out of the city. After all, the Roman army was still attacking the Hernici in the east, and the Latin region was short of troops. His task was to defend Antium, and together with the garrisons of Velitrae and Satricum, to block the enemy's attack from the south.
While Paulus remained on the defensive, the Satricum garrison to his north encountered the same situation, and they also took the same response.
In order to ensure the safety of the territory and the Latin League, the Roman Senate sent cautious and prudent generals to these two newly occupied towns, so that they did not dare to send troops at the first time to launch a tentative attack, so as to possibly find out the Daonian army's movements.
In fact, the Daonian First Legion, Third Legion, First Cavalry Legion, and part of the Second Cavalry Legion, forming a large force of nearly 20,000 people, were lined up in eight columns, with the cavalry legions guarding the flanks of the marching columns, with no supply train following. They set out from the military camp in Setia at dawn and marched north. By morning, they had reached the border between Latium and the Volsci.
Amyntas had the two cavalry legions block the outward passages of Antium and Satricum, ambushing and killing scouts, in order to ensure that his main force could pass quickly and secretly through the area between Antium and Satricum, and then continue to move northwest.
Adria, not far north of Antium, is an ancient Latin city-state, and one of the few coastal towns in the Latin League. It has close ties with Rome. Twenty years ago, Camillus, dissatisfied with the Roman Senate's verdict against him, lived in seclusion in Adria. More than ten years ago, when the Celts occupied Rome and plundered the Latin region, Camillus, with the support of the citizens of Adria, was the first to raise the banner of resistance and eventually restored Rome. After that, Rome and Adria established an even stronger alliance.
At this moment, the sentries in Adria also heard the "swishing, swishing" footsteps, but they did not raise any alarm. After all, Adria was far from the center of the Latin League, and also far from the Hernici, Aequi, and Marsi tribes to the east. In the past, except for some territorial conflicts with the Volsci, it rarely experienced major wars. Moreover, with Antium and Satricum, belonging to Rome, blocking its south, the war in the south had subsided. The people of Adria believed they were safe and did not think it could be the enemy. They even thought it was the Roman army carrying out a troop movement, so they did not send out scouts to investigate.
After the First and Third Legions of the Daunians passed Adria, they began to approach the coast. This black army was finally discovered by Latin merchant ships and caravans passing by. They were shocked and hurriedly went to neighboring towns to report the alarm. More alert merchant ships immediately turned south, preparing to notify Antium, which was heavily guarded.
In fact, it was completely unnecessary. Paulus, the garrison commander of Antium, had been restless on the city wall for more than two hours. Finally, he decided to send out a few scouts again to risk leaving the city to investigate the movements of the Daunian army.
Just then, a subordinate suddenly shouted, "General, signal fires have been lit on the port lighthouse!"
Paulus was startled and hurriedly looked back, only to see a straight plume of black smoke rising from the direction of the port.
Are enemies attacking from the sea?! Paulus's heart tightened again. Then he saw cavalry galloping from within the city, shouting under the city walls, "General Paulus, countless warships and troop transports have appeared on the sea outside the port!!"
Paulus was shocked: Did the Daunians want to repeat the previous battle of capturing Antium?!
"Immediately transfer 500 light infantry and 2,000 heavy infantry to the port to set up defenses!" He ordered the deputy without hesitation.
"Yes, General!"
After Paulus finished speaking, he quickly went down the city wall, mounted his horse, and rushed to the port with his guards.
Panic had already appeared in the city, especially at the city gate connecting the inner city to the port, where severe congestion occurred. Countless port residents scrambled to pour into the city, some even shouting in panic, "The enemy's army is coming! Run!…"
Paulus and his guards spent a great deal of effort to squeeze out. They rushed to the towering lighthouse on the breakwater without stopping.
When he climbed the lighthouse, the scene he saw in his field of vision shocked him: It was past noon, the sea outside the port shimmered, and endless sails appeared on the distant sea, extending beyond his sight, connecting with the sea and sky in the far distance… These sailboats all had one characteristic: their sides gleamed with gold,
which was very dazzling.
Although the Romans did not have a strong navy and had hardly fought any large-scale naval battles, Paulus, who had served as a military tribune several times, was quite experienced in warfare and often humbly asked Camillus for advice. Therefore, he could judge that most of the terrifying number of ships were troop transports, because troop transports had one characteristic: after the soldiers boarded the ship, they would hang their shields on both sides of the hull. This not only freed up space inside the ship for convenient access, but also defended against long-range attacks from enemy ships, which could be said to serve two purposes at once, so it had almost become a common tradition for troop transports in various Mediterranean countries.
How many reinforcements have the Daunians sent?! In addition to his shock, Paulus asked with a slightly trembling voice, "Has the iron chain… of the port been lowered?"
"It has been raised."
"What about the sentry towers on the breakwater? Have the soldiers been stationed?"
"General, don't worry, the archers have all climbed the sentry towers, and the tar, arrows, and rags are all prepared."
"That's good!" Paulus felt a little relieved, and he added, "The army in the city will arrive soon, you don't need to panic."
"General," the port director said, "According to the lighthouse sentries' continuous observation, this huge fleet is probably not heading for Antium, it should be going north!"
Paulus was stunned and carefully looked at the distant sea again: Although the fleet was too far away to see clearly, compared with some ships that were fleeing to the port of Antium, the white sails showed only their sides, plus the gleaming of the ship's sides, and the distance between the fleet and the coast did not seem to have changed much during the time they were talking… Obviously, the Daunian fleet was continuing to sail north!
"Could it be that the Daunians are preparing to land on the coast north of Antium?" Paulus said in a low voice uncertainly.
The port director reminded him, "General, it would be better for the Daunians to land in the south than to land in the north. Last time they landed on the southern coast and finally occupied Antium."
Only then did Paulus remember: The area between Antium and Adria was a low hilly area. Although it was relatively flat, it was obviously not as convenient as the south, so…
Thinking of this, Paulus's expression suddenly changed drastically: The Daunians were preparing to land on the coast further north, attack the Latin League, and even possibly attack the weakly defended hinterland, finally approaching Rome…
Thinking of this, Paulus broke out in a cold sweat, because he immediately thought: The Daunian army that appeared from the south at dawn was probably going to meet this huge fleet, they had already passed through the blockade line set up by Rome on the Volscian border and entered the hinterland of the Latin League!!
It was no wonder that Paulus had not thought of this beforehand. The information in his mind was still the original "The Daunian army in Volsci only has nearly ten thousand people." He had not received the news that Daonia had reinforced its troops to Volsci (because the Third Fleet had completely blockaded the sea route south of Latium during this period), so he subconsciously believed that an army that did not have a numerical advantage would pass through the blockade and penetrate deep into enemy territory, even if it could gain a temporary advantage, it would be difficult to escape being besieged and annihilated. This kind of infiltration tactic was suitable for fast-moving, light mountain tribes, but not for the Daunian regular army, which was mainly composed of heavy infantry.
Although he had been taught a lesson by the Daunian navy once before, it was impossible to quickly liberate the brain of Paulus, the former Roman military tribune, who had become accustomed to traditional land battles.
"Immediately send out scouts to track along the coastline to find out where this fleet is landing, and then report immediately!" Paulus urgently ordered: "Also send out messengers to notify the garrisons of Satricum and Velitrae, tell them that the Daunian army has entered the hinterland of Latium, and their navy is about to land along the coast, let them prepare for an attack! Also… send out messengers to Rome quickly, notify the Senate, and let them be prepared!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The combined forces of the Daunian First Legion and Third Legion passed through the small Latin coastal city of Lavinium again.
Although this city was small, it held a very important position in the minds of the Latins, because in Latin legends, they were descendants of Aeneas, the hero of the powerful city-state of Troy in Asia Minor during the ancient Mediterranean era, second only to Hector (said to be a member of the Trojan royal family).
After Troy was occupied by the Greeks, Aeneas led some Trojans and sailed to Italy, landing in the Latium region. He was welcomed by the Latin king, who married his daughter Lavinia to him. Thus, Aeneas built a new city on the Latin coast, named after his wife. This was the origin of Lavinium. Later, the son born to the two of them built a new city near Lake Albano, a volcanic lake north of Lavinium, called Alba Longa. Later, this city became the center of the Latins, until the twins born to Princess Silvia of the royal family were abandoned in the wild, raised by a she-wolf, established Rome, and eventually destroyed Alba Longa.
Although Lavinium was the origin of the Romans, it was indeed a small city-state, with low city walls and few residents. When they saw the Daunian army passing swaggeringly outside the city, the sentries on the city walls were frightened and trembling, and the people in the city were even more terrified and uneasy.
However, the Daunian army did not stop marching, they continued north along the coast.
"Two Legion Commanders, the First and Second Cavalry Legions have returned—" Before the scout could finish speaking, the rumble of horses' hooves sounded behind him.
"Amyntas, Lizalus, our cavalry legions have returned on time!" Lydes shouted on horseback.
"How is the situation?" Amyntas asked.
"At least before we left, we didn't see any troops leaving Antium and Satricum." Lydes patted the horse's neck lightly and said with a slightly smug expression, "During this period, they did send out a lot of scouts, but none of them escaped our interception. What about you? Have you reached your destination?"
"We've passed Lavinium, we should be there soon." Amyntas wiped the sweat from his face, then flicked his hand and said with a slight complaint, "We started gathering and setting off before dawn, and we've been walking non-stop until now, I'm afraid we've walked seventy or eighty li. The brothers are already very tired. If it weren't for the fact that we've been walking on flat ground all the time, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to complete this task assigned by His Majesty at all."
"I don't think the brothers will complain." Lydes looked at the legion soldiers passing by with tired faces and said comfortingly, "They should all be very excited to be able to participate in this upcoming great battle."
"It's not just the soldiers who are excited, we are also very excited!" Lizalus interjected.
The legion commanders looked at each other and laughed.
The Daunian army finally stopped moving forward. Under the command and arrangement of the legion commanders, 20,000 legion soldiers, with their backs to the silver-white flat beach, slowly arranged themselves into a battle formation that was four li long and eight rows deep.
At this moment, the legion commanders finally issued orders: the soldiers could temporarily take off their armor, put down their weapons, and then sit down to rest, eat some rations, and restore their strength.
As soon as the order was issued, the entire four-mile-long military formation collapsed like a domino effect, and in the blink of an eye, all the soldiers fell down, which was quite a spectacular sight.
Amyntas, Lizalus, and the others did not dare to be careless at this time. Ledes sent out all the cavalry to scout the surrounding movements and protect the safety of the military formation.
The Daonian army on the coast did not have to wait long. As the sun began to set, the soldiers at the southernmost end of the military formation began to cheer: "Our fleet! Our fleet is here! His Majesty's army is about to arrive!!!..."
In order to carry out this difficult task, allowing the soldiers to march for a long time and deep into enemy territory, the legion commanders had already told the squad officers in detail about the plan and purpose of this operation yesterday, and then the squad officers at all levels of the legion informed all the soldiers, so the soldiers had great enthusiasm to endure fatigue and carry out long marches. Therefore, when they saw black warships appearing on the distant sea, they immediately thought: behind the Daonian fleet must be a huge fleet full of soldiers.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The soldiers' speculation was correct. The Daonian Third Fleet continued to sail forward, followed by a fleet covering the sea. They turned their bows and sailed towards the beach.
Adoris sat in the boat, looking at the distant beach. From here, he could not see the fully armed legion soldiers on the shore, only a thick black line on the coast extending infinitely to both sides, and interspersed with twinkling golden light in the black line... Adoris knew that it was the military flag shining.
On this troop transport ship, the captain directed the helmsman to adjust the course. Fifty soldiers sat on both sides of the ship, assisting the sailors in rowing the oars. In the center of the ship, squad leader Timamanlas was loudly emphasizing the things that the soldiers must abide by after landing.
After speaking, he solemnly emphasized: "Have you all remembered?!"
"We have remembered!!" the soldiers responded in unison.
Timamanlas looked at Adoris, and Adoris immediately said loudly: "I have remembered, squad leader, don't worry!" As soon as he thought of the last time he was beaten, his buttocks ached faintly, and he almost missed the northward battle, so how dare he disobey orders and violate military law again.
At this time, it was high tide, and the ship was moving very fast with the help of the tide. Before long, Adoris could see the soldiers on the shore clearly: most of them were sitting or lying on the ground, taking off their armor, wearing only black linings, drinking water and eating rations,
While watching the sea, some people waved their arms towards the sea and shouted excitedly...
Adoris was watching with fascination when he heard Timamanlas shout: "Prepare to land!"
Adoris's mood suddenly became excited. He and his comrades immediately picked up their personal belongings placed at their feet, quickly put on their armor, hung their short swords, carried their rations, picked up their long shields, javelins, and spears, and watched the boat approach the white beach. Then the hull suddenly stopped, and the smooth bottom had landed on the land. The helmsman immediately locked the rudder, pulled out a long pole from the boat, and plunged it into the sand to hold it in place and prevent the boat from retreating.
Without the need for the squad officer to give orders, the soldiers who had been waiting for the opportunity jumped off the boat one after another, stepped on the cool sea water, and quickly went ashore. Squad leader Timamanlas quickly gathered the soldiers and then led them to approach other squads...
The beach was full of troop transport ships, and soon the long beach was also filled with Daonian legion soldiers in black helmets and black armor. One military flag after another was erected. The squad officers led their soldiers to find their respective companies and battalions. The beach was full of voices, lively and unusual, but it did not seem very chaotic, because the soldiers transported by this wave of landing ships all belonged to the Second Legion. Considering that in the entire Daonian army, except for the First Legion, the Second Legion was more well-trained and disciplined, so in this landing, Davos let the fleet carrying the Second Legion soldiers be at the front, landing first, completing the assembly as soon as possible, and clearing obstacles for the subsequent troops.
Subsequently, the docked ships began to leave the beach one after another in order to free up space for the subsequent fleet to dock.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The legion commanders Amyntas, Lizalus, Ledes, and Kuchias, who were less than 400 meters away from the beach, were also closely watching the landing of the Second Legion. They watched the army that had just landed go from being scattered and chaotic at first to being assembled into small columns, then converging into eight or nine large columns, and finally, in the sound of the bugle, these columns quickly gathered from all parts of the beach to form a large phalanx...
Amyntas and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Although their troops had already been arranged to protect this landing, after all, such a large-scale landing operation was a first for even experienced people like them, and it was also led by King Davos himself. If there were any accidents... Everyone was still under some pressure, but now it seems that everything is going smoothly.
"Matonis is doing a good job!" Amyntas praised. Only a veteran senior general like him who had participated in the expedition to Persia dared to evaluate a legion commander of the same level in public.
At this moment, a scout galloped over: "Report to the legion commander, a Roman army of about 7,000 men has been discovered five miles south, marching this way!"
"Report to the legion commander, there are nearly 8,000 Roman troops approaching here six or seven miles southeast!"
"The Romans are finally here!" Lizalus said, his tone full of excitement.
"They've come at the right time!" Amyntas glanced at the second wave of ships approaching the coast: "Immediately notify the brothers to prepare for battle!"
"Woo! Woo! Woo!..." The bugle sounded, and the resting soldiers, under the urging of the squad officers, quickly began to put on their armor. The Second Legion, which was forming a line on the beach, immediately accelerated the speed of assembly upon hearing the bugle...
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After receiving the scout's report, Paulus felt extremely uneasy. A sense of responsibility prompted him to immediately lead 7,500 soldiers to set off north. After more than two hours of rapid marching, the army had reached Lavinium. He slowed down the marching speed because he knew that the Daonian army was not far ahead. The scouts he had sent out before had been driven away by the enemy cavalry in this vicinity. At the same time, he was also waiting for the armies from Saturnia and Velletri.
This time, the Daonian cavalry did not obstruct him in front. The Roman army marched smoothly. Paulus, who was riding a horse at the front of the team, could already see hundreds of ships floating on the sea. Some were surging towards the coast with the tide, and some were leaving the coast and heading for the open sea. The density of the ships completely obscured the azure blue sea...
Paulus became anxious again. At this time, the scouts who had been sent out quickly returned: "Report, General, the enemy is lined up two miles away, with no less than 20,000 men!"
Paulus was shocked: there were not so many Daonian troops in Volsci. Could it be that some of their soldiers had landed from the sea and joined the team?!
Thinking of this, Paulus became even more anxious and regretted that he had arrived late, but he did not dare to immediately lead an army of less than 10,000 men to attack, and ordered the troops to stop advancing and begin to form a line on the spot.
Before long, the troops from Saturnia arrived. The main general leading the army was also the garrison general of the city, Mejus, full name Mejus. Saint Pronius. Asrio. This was an old general over 50 years old, born into the Saint Pronius noble family. After the Celts occupied the city of Rome, the Senate sent him to serve as the garrison general of Saturnia, precisely because of his rich war experience and tenacious character.
At this moment, the always prudent he was struggling to rein in the warhorse that was galloping quickly in front of Paulus, and at the same time asked eagerly: "Where is the Daonian army?! How many people are there?!"
Paulus pointed to the front and said: "The Daonian fleet is landing on a large scale on the coast ahead. Their troops in Volsci have also formed a military formation in front to protect their landing. According to the scouts' report, they have about 20,000 men, and you and I both know that their reinforcements in Volsci do not exceed 10,000 men, so..."
Mejus looked at the busy Daorian fleet on the distant sea with a gloomy face, and said in a deep voice: "The combined forces of you and I are less than 20,000 men, and the later the time, the more Daonian soldiers will land. If we rashly engage in battle, once we fail... The army that can contain the Daonians in the west of Rome will be greatly weakened, and the situation will become very bad..."
"I think so too." Paulus also looked worried. He hesitated and reminded: "But... if we allow the Daonians to successfully land here, invade our territory and the Latin League, poison our people, and even threaten Rome... The Senate and the Roman people are afraid that they will not forgive us!"
Mejus was stunned, then sighed: "Let's wait for Pantious to come and discuss it together... Before I led the team out of Saturnia, I received a report from his messenger that he will lead 10,000 soldiers to arrive later."
"Ten thousand soldiers?! He's too bold. What if the Volsci attack Velletri?!" Paulus was shocked, but then he changed his mind: Velletri is deep inland and located northeast of Saturnia. Not everyone has the courage of Camillus to bypass Antium and Saturnia, which are in the front, and directly attack Velletri. What's more, the Daonian army is in front, and most of the Volsci warriors have run to help the Hernici, where else is there excess force to harass the Roman towns.
"If Pantius arrives and the Daunian forces opposite haven't changed much, perhaps we can fight…" Paulus said uncertainly.
Before long, the army of Velitrae also arrived.
After listening to Paulus's brief introduction to the battle situation, Pantius, who was also a former military tribune and older than Paulus, seemed a little impatient: "What are you still waiting for?! Waiting for the Daunian army to land completely, destroy the surrounding towns, and attack Rome?! Now is our only chance to defeat the Daunians, we must not miss it! Attack! We must attack immediately!!"
Paulus and Maenius did not object, because if they didn't want to bear huge guilt, this was indeed the only chance!
Although the Daunian army lined up on the distant coast already exceeded 25,000, with Antium's 7,500, Satricum's 8,000, and Velitrae's 10,000, the total strength of the Roman army also exceeded 25,000, which was completely enough to fight them.
The Daunians must not be allowed to reinforce, and we must seize the time to fight! After the three reached a consensus, they immediately began to take action: the troops of Antium and Satricum had already completed their formation, and the troops of Velitrae quickly lined up on the right side of the Satricum troops… Soon, the huge Roman battle formation began to advance.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Romans are finally here! Amyntas, standing in front of the battle formation, saw the dust in the distance and finally smiled, jokingly saying: "If I had known the Romans would come so late, I shouldn't have had the Second Legion appear in the formation."
"Do you think the Romans are stupid? We've been landing for so long, and the army lined up here is still less than 20,000?! Anyone would know that there must be an ambush here!" Matonis immediately retorted.
"Finally, we can officially fight the Romans!" Lizarrus's eyes flashed with excitement. He had heard before that the Military Department had always attached great importance to this Latin city-state in central Italy. The last time he led his troops to sneak attack from the coast, he didn't feel anything special, but in the past two days, he learned from his conversation with Amyntas that the Romans' combat effectiveness was indeed not weak, and their tactics had many similarities with the Daunian legions, so he was very much looking forward to fighting the Romans.
"We should go back and prepare for battle!" Lydes reminded, looking at the long red line that was faintly visible in the distant dust.
Amyntas immediately saluted the others and said solemnly: "May Hades protect us, victory belongs to the kingdom!"
"Victory belongs to Daonia!"
"We will win!"
Second Legion Commander Matonis, Third Legion Commander Lizarrus, First Cavalry Legion Commander Lydes, and Second Cavalry Legion Commander Kouchios also saluted in response.
Then they each rode back to their respective formations, notifying their subordinate officers to reorganize their ranks and prepare to meet the enemy.
The Daunian First Legion was located in the center, with the Second and Third Legions on the left and right flanks, respectively. The First and Second Cavalry Legions were located on the flanks to the rear, with a total force of approximately 27,000 men. The entire battle formation was four miles long. This was the most common formation, demonstrating the legion commanders' confidence in their soldiers, because they believed that their side surpassed the opponent in terms of numbers, morale, and combat effectiveness, and there was no need to resort to tricks to reduce the gap.
Amyntas was behind his own legion, paying attention to the soldiers making their final preparations for battle, when a messenger rushed over: "Legion Commander, His Majesty is here!"
Amyntas hurriedly turned his horse around and saw more than two hundred riders galloping from behind. Davos, in the lead, was wearing golden armor, a black cloak, and black plumes trailing from his golden helmet.
On either side of him, two extremely strong riders each held a large flag high.
One was a silver-white double-pronged fork entwined with black silk ribbons, the tips of the forked prongs splayed open and tightly bound by a golden crown of poplar branches. This was King Davos's scepter.
The other flag was much larger. At its top was a golden statue of Hades, and below it was a crossbar, on which were inlaid small golden statues of Thanatos, the three judges of the underworld, the Furies, Cerberus, and Charon. They were all subordinates of Hades, the King of the Underworld, and each was also a symbol of a legion. For example, the banner carried by a legion cohort had a statue of the God of Death at the top, and the banner of a company had a statue of the Furies… Further down the flagpole was an even longer crossbar, on which no more statues were inlaid, but rather some small golden discs were hung. These discs all had portraits on them, and they were all heroes of the Daunian kingdom who died in battle and were enshrined in the Hall of Heroes of the Temple of Hades in Thurii, such as Dracos, Zipetes, Soberkos… This was the military flag representing the army of the Daunian kingdom. It was like a small tree cast in gold, and the golden discs swayed and collided with each other as it moved forward, making a pleasant sound, as if the heroic spirits were murmuring…
Amyntas immediately rode forward and gave a respectful military salute: "Your Majesty!"
Davos returned the salute and said in a calm tone: "We are here as spectators, not to interfere with your command."
Amyntas thought he had misheard, but seeing Davos's serious expression, he quickly said happily: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!" Before this battle, the legion commanders had discussed and unanimously elected the most experienced Amyntas to be the commander-in-chief of this battle. This was the first time in Amyntas's 30 years of military service that he had independently commanded a battle composed of multiple units, and he was both excited and nervous, fearing that Davos would not let him command.
Davos smiled slightly. He had already heard Prontor's report on the way. With more soldiers than the enemy and far more cavalry, even with the influence of previous history, he did not think the Romans would win.
When Davos and his party arrived at the rear of the formation, Matonis, Lizarrus, Lydes, and Kouchios all rushed to pay their respects. Davos encouraged them one by one.
The surrounding soldiers were very excited to learn of King Davos's arrival. Due to military law, they could not leave their positions, so they turned around to salute and cheer him.
Soon, the cheers spread throughout the entire army: "Long live King Davos!!!"
"Long live His Majesty!!!"
… …
In the tide of cheers, Patrolas, the commander of the First Legion cohort, looked back frequently. Even he, who had been through many battles, felt an impulse and wished he could start fighting immediately so that his prominent and respected father-in-law could see his ability with his own eyes.
As for Adoris, who was in the Second Legion's formation, he had been eager to try, but he suddenly felt nervous when he heard of his adoptive father's arrival.
A mile away, Paulus, Maenius, and Pantius, who were commanding the Roman soldiers to advance, suddenly heard the thunderous cheers erupting from the opposite Daunian army and could not help but show concern for the enemy's high morale.
As the distance narrowed, Roman nobles like Paulus, Maenius, and Pantius, who had received a Greek higher education from childhood, could faintly hear the content of the cheers: "Long live King Davos…"
Everyone changed color at the same time: The King of Daonia is here?! The invincible and miraculous King of Daonia?!
During this period, due to the war between Rome and Daonia, the Romans began to seriously understand the information of the Kingdom of Daonia, of course, more of which was about the rumors of the King of Daonia. Since this king, who came from a mercenary background, came to Magna Graecia more than ten years ago, he has repeatedly defeated the strong with the weak, winning repeatedly, and led only a little over a thousand mercenaries to create the powerful Kingdom of Daonia today in just over ten years. This is simply a miracle! Now, the person who created this miracle may be in front of them, how can these Roman generals not feel nervous!
Especially Maenius, who was in front of the center of the army formation, could clearly see the two golden flags held high behind the enemy formation, which were extremely dazzling under the sunlight, and even made his legs feel a little weak.
But the army had already deployed and the soldiers were advancing, so how could they retreat at this critical moment! Moreover, Daonia's previous victories did not come from Rome. These three Roman generals, who had not yet fought against the Daunian army, believed that the brave Roman soldiers were different from the warriors of those city-states and tribes who had previously been defeated by the Daunian army, and they must firmly believe this at this moment.
So, the bugle call was blown again.
The high-pitched bugle call not only excited the soldiers, but also drove away the unease in the generals' hearts.
Davos stood quietly at the rear of the formation, looking at the Roman army in front of him, but his heart was rippling: Although it was different from the Roman army he had seen on TV and in movies in his previous life, this was the first time in this life that he had seen the Roman army. These Roman soldiers, who had conquered the entire Mediterranean in his previous life, held long shields and spears. The entire army was like a burning fire, rapidly sweeping towards the Daunian army formation; while the Daunian army remained motionless, as silent as a towering mountain. The color of the armor and shields was like the bleak night, making people shudder. This red and black, the colors were so distinct, what kind of bloody and magnificent sparks would collide on this land.
Davos subconsciously touched his chin.
As the Romans approached, the shouts were like thunder and the ground was shaking. Even Davos and the warhorses under the crotches of his entourage, who were watching the battle, began to feel uneasy. They shook their limbs and snorted incessantly.
While the siege was in full swing, Miltiades led the Third Fleet to the mouth of the Tiber River, approaching the port of Ostia.
The Romans had already blocked the port of Ostia with iron chains, and archers in the towers on the breakwater test-fired rockets at the approaching warships as a deterrent.
The Third Fleet bypassed the port, and then the warships docked on the south bank of the Tiber River.
The Ostia urban area is similar to a rectangle, with its long western side bordering the coast and fortified with walls. If Daonia wanted to attack from this direction, it could only do so by sea, which was too difficult. Therefore, the Daonian army concentrated its attack on the east and south sides, while the short northern side of Ostia was the port.
Why wasn't Ostia built along the banks of the Tiber River? Logically, this would be more beneficial to the lives of the city's residents, making it easier to work in the fields or fetch water. That's because there is a large lagoon adjacent to the eastern side of the port, formed by the Tiber River's annual floods overflowing its banks. This oval-shaped lake, about 300 meters long from north to south and more than 200 meters long from east to west, has long been a part of the city of Ostia. The Ostians even deliberately left enough tidal flats on the lakeside within the city to prevent flooding of houses when the Tiber River flooded and connected to the lagoon.
Since the war with Daonia, although the Senate was not too worried about the safety of Ostia, it still listened to the Carthaginians' advice and built a short breakwater at the place where the lagoon was closest to the Tiber River bank, mainly to prevent the Daonians from pushing warships across the mere ten-meter riverbank, through the lagoon, and into the city. This was just the Carthaginians' precaution.
But this time, the Daonian fleet really came, and their warships sailed east along the riverbank, bypassing the newly built breakwater. Then, the warships docked on the south bank of the Tiber River, and the fleet infantry disembarked. Each person carried a large wooden board. Under the command of the officers, 2,800 fleet infantrymen assembled (the Third Fleet had a total of 70 Raven warships).
After advancing several hundred meters, they came to the lakeside and placed the wooden boards in the water, putting their helmets, wooden shields, leather armor, and short swords on top. Wearing only leather armor and leather sandals, they held the sides of the wooden boards with both hands, floating on the water, and propelled themselves forward by paddling with their legs. An armed swim across the less than one-mile lake was an easy task for the fleet infantry, who were skilled swimmers and had received rigorous training in this area.
When some of the citizens of Ostia suddenly discovered that the lagoon, which they usually used for drinking water and swimming, was full of enemies rapidly swimming towards the city, they cried out in terror, hoping that the defending soldiers could stop them from landing.
However, the vanguard of the fleet infantry had already landed. They quickly put on their helmets, picked up their wooden shields and short swords. The wet and muddy beach was difficult to walk on, but it was not a problem for these fleet infantrymen, mostly fishermen by origin, who had grown up playing on the seashore and riverbanks.
They not only moved freely, but also gradually formed formations as they advanced.
By the time the defending general received the news, most of the fleet infantry had landed, and the city was in chaos.
Although the Daonian army's fierce attack made the defense of the city walls strained, the Roman general had to squeeze out a small number of troops to go to the city to block the advance of the fleet infantry and avoid being attacked from both sides. But in fact, this was just a stopgap measure.
The scouts, who had been observing the movements of the defending army, quickly reported the changes in the enemy on the city walls to King Davos. He unhesitatingly ordered the Fourth Legion, which had been resting, to join the siege immediately, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
At dusk, the Daonian army captured Ostia.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
At the same time, the rapid sound of horses' hooves broke the silence of the Roman city at dusk, coupled with the messenger shouting all the way on horseback: "Emergency military situation! Emergency military situation!…" to allow the people on the street to make way in advance, so as not to accidentally injure them.
This naturally aroused the doubts and panic of many Roman citizens: "What happened?! Could it be that Camillus has been defeated?!"
"Don't talk nonsense, how could Camillus be defeated! I think it must be that our army has conquered the city of Frentinum!"
"If it was a victory, the messenger would have announced it to us earlier, and there would be no need to rush to the Senate so urgently."
… …
Just as the Roman people were talking about it, the messenger rode his horse through the square and pushed open the gate of the Senate.
At this time, the Roman senators were preparing to leave the meeting and go home to rest when they suddenly heard the news that "the Daonian army is coming from the sea and is about to land on the Latin coast," and they were greatly shocked.
These days, their main task in the Senate was to listen to the progress of the Roman army's war against the Hernici. Just as they were eager to receive the news of the final victory, they did not expect to hear first that the Daonians had launched an attack on them.
Aren't the Daonians now fighting Carthage in Sicily?! Aren't they defending against the invasion of the Samnites?!… Many Roman senators' first reaction to the news was disbelief.
Compared to the shock of most of the senators, Portitus seemed a little calmer. He asked loudly: "Where are the Daonian troops landing, have you confirmed it?"
The messenger replied: "General Paulus is sending scouts to track along the coast, and I believe news will be reported back soon."
Portitus pondered and muttered to himself: "Adria? Impossible, it's too close to Antium, our army can easily disrupt the Daonians' landing… The coast of Lavinium, it's possible, this small city doesn't have many citizen soldiers…"
Before he could finish speaking, Abinius had already shouted loudly: "Ostia is not far from Lavinium!"
"Ostia! The Daonians' target is most likely Ostia!!…" A cry of alarm suddenly rang out in the meeting place. The Roman senators were not incompetent people. Most of them had participated in many city-state affairs and foreign wars before becoming senators. Of course, they could realize how much Rome would lose by losing Ostia, and how much it would help the Daonians to gain Ostia.
"The city of Ostia has 3,000 defenders, and Paulus, Maelius, and Pontius will definitely gather their troops and rush to intercept them after they discover the anomaly. The situation should not be that bad," Lucretius comforted everyone.
"The previous battles have already told us that the Daonian soldiers are very powerful, and according to the messenger's report just now, the number of Daonian troops about to land is probably more than the number of soldiers we sent to garrison the Volsci border. In addition, the 10,000 Daonian reinforcements originally in the Volsci territory also went to assist their landing. We must be prepared for the worst. Paulus and the others may not be able to stop the enemy from landing, and Ostia is likely to be attacked by the enemy!" The cautious Portitus warned loudly.
"Even if they can land smoothly, they cannot capture Ostia in such a short period of time. We still have a chance!" Appius said loudly.
His words were immediately echoed by many senators. Yes, they not only misjudged the situation, but the Daonians boldly led their troops from the sea again, bypassing the towns heavily defended by the Romans on land, and suddenly attacked their defenseless hinterland, making their southwestern defense strategy useless. Of course, they did not want Daonia to seize Ostia again, which would make their regret in their hearts beyond measure.
"Now Paulus and the troops he led are probably already fighting the Daonians. We will probably get news tonight about how the battle is going," Ambutius reminded everyone not to waste any more energy on blindly guessing. He said in a deep voice: "What we need to do now is to immediately send someone to inform Camillus!"
"I don't agree with your opinion. It's already dark outside now. It's difficult to ride a horse at night, and the valley of the Trerus River is uneven. What's more, there are still remnants of the Hernici wandering in the wild. Sending someone to inform Camillus at this time is likely to cost them their lives before they see him. Losing their lives is a small matter. If they fall into the hands of the Hernici and their allies, and they learn of the Daonians' large-scale invasion, it will greatly boost their morale and cause trouble for Camillus's future retreat," Publius Cornelius Scipio immediately objected.
Many senators thought he made sense.
At this time, a voice rang out loudly in the meeting place: "No matter how difficult it is, someone must be sent to inform Camillus tonight and let him lead his troops back as soon as possible!" Portitus said resolutely, looking around at everyone in the meeting place, his expression very solemn: "Senators and newcomers, I have just thought of a very serious problem. In my decades of life, war has always been as unpredictable as the temperament of the gods. When you think the situation will be very bad, the reality will be even worse! We must consider the possibility that the Daonian army will launch a large-scale attack on our city of Rome tomorrow!"
There was another uproar in the meeting place.
Even if the Daonians risked bypassing the Roman defenses on land and suddenly attacked the colony of Ostia, did they have the courage to go deep into the inland of the Latin region alone?! To attack the city of Rome when surrounded by enemies?! Many senators were shocked by Portitus's speculation, but they were completely skeptical: First of all, Ostia alone would take them a lot of time!
"For the safety of Rome, it's always right to be cautious! Most of Rome's citizens have been drafted to attack the Hernici. Within Rome itself, we only have 3,000 young and able citizen-soldiers stationed, which does make our forces seem somewhat weak!" Ambrosius took over the conversation, expressing his concerns and proactively suggesting: "I recommend immediately mobilizing citizens over 50 years old, and also arming the commoners and freedmen in the Aventine district (referring to Rome's famous slum at the time), to jointly defend Rome until Camillus leads the main army back! When the meeting concludes, I will immediately find the city defense commander, Cassius, and work together to complete this matter."
Although many senators expressed doubt that the Daunians would immediately attack Rome, they agreed to the proposal out of concern for safety. Some even suggested: 'Why not immediately send people to contact the surrounding Latin allies and ask them to send citizens to help defend Rome?'
However, others objected: 'Most of the citizens of the Latin allies have followed Camillus to attack the Hernici. Where would they have extra soldiers to assist us? I fear that when they learn of the Daunians invading Latium, they will instead ask us for help.'
This suggestion ultimately came to nothing.
At this time, Abinius sighed: 'According to the previous battle reports, Camillus has been leading his army to forcefully attack Ferentium for some time now, and it is at the most critical moment. If we let him withdraw now, the efforts we have made before will probably be wasted.'
Many people sighed in agreement. Seeing that the Hernici were about to be destroyed and that land was about to belong to Rome, they were unwilling to give it up when success was so close.
Camillus's enemy, Appuleius, seized the opportunity to stand up and accuse him: 'Senators and new members, Camillus, as the Roman dictator, leads an unprecedented army of 70,000, consuming huge amounts of grain every day, but has not yet conquered Ferentium and completely eliminated the power of the Hernici, and has put Rome in such a dangerous situation. He must be held responsible for this! We should not let him withdraw his troops, but urge him to capture Ferentium within these two days, and then quickly return to Rome, so as not to waste the supplies that we have provided for the army through thrift. If Camillus cannot do it, after repelling the Daunians, we should consider whether to punish him.'
Appuleius's words appealed to some senators.
This made Potitus very angry, because if Appuleius's proposal was approved, it meant that his suggestion to 'let Camillus lead his army back as soon as possible' would likely be shelved by the Senate. So he angrily rebuked Appuleius loudly: 'You are putting Rome in a dangerous situation!'
Despite Potitus's high prestige, Appuleius had finally seized an opportunity to accuse Camillus, and he was willing to risk everything. He retorted loudly: 'According to Ambrosius's method, we can organize a defense force of nearly ten thousand people tomorrow.'
With such sufficient defensive strength, I have never heard of any force being able to forcefully capture a city in one day, let alone Rome, which can accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. We must have confidence that we can hold out until Camillus leads his army back!
Moreover, this is just your speculation, Your Excellency. The Daunians are more likely not to attack Rome immediately, after all, this would involve a great risk. But we, for this small possibility, are abandoning the great opportunity to eliminate the Hernici and gain new colonies that we have won with great difficulty. I don't think this is a smart move, and it's not good for Rome.
It is precisely because the Daunian army has invaded Latium that other races who hate Rome will inevitably jump out again and oppose us. We can only concentrate all our efforts to deal with our great enemy—Daonia—after we have eliminated the Hernici and severely weakened the power of the Volsci!'
Appuleius's words were reasonable and well-founded, and Potitus was speechless for a moment.
At this time, Marrucinensis, who was also sitting on an ivory chair in the front row of the venue, spoke: 'Appuleius is right, urging Camillus to eliminate the Hernici as soon as possible is conducive to our battle with the Daunians!'
Originally, many senators were very tempted by Appuleius's proposal, and Marrucinensis's support made them make up their minds. This is because Marrucinensis is also a very senior senator in the Senate. His age is similar to that of Potitus, and he has also served as consul several times (slightly less than Potitus), but because he did not stay behind and hold on to the Capitoline Hill when the Celts broke through the city of Rome, but retreated early, which became a stain on his political career. Therefore, after the reconstruction of Rome, he appeared more low-key in the Senate, but this does not mean that his influence is small. After all, his full name is Publius Cornelius Marrucinensis, and he is the most important representative of the powerful Cornelii family in the Senate.
Despite the opposition of senators such as Potitus and Ambrosius, the Senate finally passed Appuleius's proposal: urging Camillus to capture Ferentium within three days, and then quickly lead his army back to rescue Rome.
Potitus looked at Appuleius, who had a smug look on his face, and hated him in his heart. He knew that Appuleius seemed to be thinking for Rome, but was actually taking revenge. Because whether Camillus captured Ferentium within the prescribed time or not, he would not have a good outcome. Because even if he completed the task, and Rome was attacked, the people would resent him as a dictator for failing to protect Rome well, and he would likely be accused in the citizens' assembly after the war. And if he ignored the Senate's order and returned to rescue in time, he would offend the senators who yearned for Rome's expansion and wanted to win more benefits.
Damn Appuleius! Potitus said loudly: 'Now that we have made a decision, we should immediately send a messenger to notify Camillus, and also let him know about the Daunian army's attack, so that he can step up his battle preparations and capture Ferentium as soon as possible.'
Although Potitus said so, he didn't think so in his heart. Based on his understanding of Camillus, Camillus, who was worried about Rome being attacked, would likely refuse to attack Ferentium again and immediately lead his army back. After all, Camillus is a dictator. During his tenure, his power is supreme, and he can veto the Senate's resolutions and do things entirely according to his own ideas. In fact, Camillus could have chosen a senator in the Senate as his agent during the expedition, who would have the power to decide everything in the city, but Camillus, who was modest and cautious and did not like to take power, gave up this right, which led to today's predicament.
However, Appuleius obviously also noticed Potitus's intention, and he directly responded: 'Let's not forget that Camillus is a dictator. During his tenure, the proposals we pass can only be suggestions to him. If he is unwilling to listen, we can't do anything to him... So I suggest that the Senate appoint a special messenger to rush to the Ferentium military camp, first tell Camillus the proposals we have passed, and then tell him about the Daunian invasion after the siege is over. To this end, we should seal off the gates of Rome and prohibit anyone from going out…'
'You're crazy! You are despising Roman law! You are provoking the Roman dictator! Cough...cough...' Potitus was so angry that he coughed repeatedly, and his body, leaning on a cane, was a little unsteady.
The senators next to him hurriedly helped him.
Marrucinensis seemingly said with concern: 'Potitus, old friend, don't be too excited. Appuleius is doing this to allow Camillus to concentrate on completing the task without being distracted. He is also thinking about the overall situation in Rome, even at the risk of being punished by Camillus.'
'Yes, yes! I think Appuleius's proposal makes sense!... ' With Marrucinensis's endorsement, many senators successively expressed their support for Appuleius. The reason why they dared to be so bold is self-evident: Although Camillus is wise and decisive in dealing with enemies in military affairs, he is gentle and amiable to the Roman people and even the senators of the Senate. During his three terms as dictator, he spent most of his time fighting abroad, and delegated the power to stabilize the country to the Senate. He did not over-exercise his power, and did not punish any senator, even Appuleius, the great sinner who slandered his reputation and caused him to leave Rome, was still safe and sound, and has been staying in the Senate, so these senators are unscrupulous.
Seeing that even old senators like Lucretius also supported Appuleius's new proposal, Potitus calmed down, sat back in his seat, closed his eyes, and simply turned a blind eye.
Sure enough, the messenger finally selected by the senators was the city defense commander, Milucius. It should be known that his full name is Milucius Cornelius Scipio, and he belongs to the same clan as the old senator Marrucinensis, so it can be seen whose words he will listen to.
Potitus just snorted coldly when he learned of this result.
After this selection was over, the venue fell into a brief silence. Ambrosius took the opportunity to request to carry out war mobilization in the city of Rome and was granted permission. Appuleius also left the venue to notify the city defense commander, Milucius, to execute the Senate's resolution.
The other senators continued to sit in the venue, and even began to contact their family slaves to bring them dinner. Obviously, they were prepared to continue discussing until the evening. After all, whether the Daunians had landed? Whether they had fought with Paulus and the army they led? Did they really want to occupy Ostia?… These all needed to be determined, so they were waiting for more news to be sent back from the west coast.