He looked back at the legion commanders around him, who were also observing the Tiber River, and said, "According to rumors, hundreds of years ago, the Tiber River often flooded, and the middle and lower reaches along the river were full of swamps and wetlands. Especially in this area, no race or force was willing to build here. Only the Romans, who were ostracized by the Latins, chose to settle here. As a result, they have now become the overlords of central Italy…"
"But now that we're here, it's time for its overlord to step aside!" Amyntas said immediately, the victory in yesterday's battle and the congratulations from King Davos and his colleagues just now made him very high-spirited.
"Yes, that's our goal, but we need to achieve it through battle." Davos smiled slightly and looked at the Third Legion Commander: "Lizalu, I had a messenger send the battle plan for Lavinium to you last night. Have you seen it?"
Lizalu immediately replied: "Your Majesty, you want our Third Legion to cross the Tiber River, build a camp on the north bank of the Tiber River, block reinforcements from the Etruscan city-states and Roman colonies, and at the same time attack the city of Rome from the north…"
"That's right, this is the task of your Third Legion." Davos nodded, pointing to the upper reaches of the river with his left hand, and said: "There is a pile bridge three or four miles away from here, which is an important land route for communication between Rome and the Etruscan region. The Romans probably won't destroy it. You can use this bridge to launch an attack on the city of Rome. If the pile bridge has been destroyed by the Romans, it doesn't matter. The Third Fleet will use their warships to build a passage for you to attack Rome. You must block the Roman reinforcements and attack the city of Rome. The task is very heavy!"
Davos paused here and asked, "I remember that in the battle report you submitted last time, it was recorded that a company blocked the attack of more than 5,000 warriors from Kautini, and finally ensured that they were surrounded and annihilated. The company commander who completed this feat was called Tagulu, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I hope your Third Legion can have a few more company officers like Tagulu, turn your camp into an iron wall, and completely cut off the reinforcements to the city of Rome from the north! At the same time, the Third Legion must also be like a sharp sword, launching a fierce attack on the city of Rome from the north, and strive to break through the enemy's defenses and open a gap for the entire army to attack the city!" Davos encouraged loudly.
Regarding King Davos's earnest expectations, Lizalu, who belonged to the younger generation among the legion commanders, was both excited and a little nervous: "Your Majesty, the Third Legion will do its best to complete the combat mission! But… because we have to fight on two fronts, the strength… is slightly insufficient."
Before Davos could respond, Amyntas said loudly: "Your Majesty, this important task should be given to our First Legion! You don't need to send reinforcements to the First Legion, we can complete the task perfectly!"
"This task should be given to our Second Legion! The First Legion has been fighting repeatedly and is short of personnel, while the soldiers of our Second Legion are fully staffed!" Matonis shouted immediately after.
Stimulated by the two legion commanders, Lizalu also immediately shouted: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, our Third Legion will definitely be able to complete this task!"
"First Legion, Second Legion, you all have important tasks, so don't argue anymore." Davos waved his hand to stop the quarrel between the two legion commanders, Amyntas and Matonis, and then comforted Lizalu: "Don't worry, the Third Fleet will cooperate with you in your actions. The fleet infantry under their command are not weak."
Lizalu was overjoyed and quickly asked: "Your Majesty, when will the Third Fleet arrive?"
"The Tiber River is winding, and the Third Fleet has to go upstream, which will take more time, but Hades blesses us, today is a favorable wind, and there are slaves and laborers to help tow the ropes. They should be here soon. When the time comes, you must seize the time, cross the river by boat, quickly build a camp on the north bank of the pile bridge, and you must also assist the Third Fleet in leveling the river beach so that they can push the warships onto the river beach. The Third Fleet crew's garrison will be merged with yours." Davos reminded patiently.
"I understand, Your Majesty!" Lizalu suddenly thought of something and asked: "Your Majesty, if we find that the Romans have no defenses at the pile bridge after we cross the river by boat, can I directly lead the troops to kill them?"
"If there is such a great opportunity, of course, we can't let it go. All our legions will cooperate with you to attack the city immediately, but I think the Romans shouldn't make such a stupid mistake." Davos smiled.
A group of people came to the granary camp behind the port with smiles.
"Your Majesty, there are a total of 90 large granaries and ten fodder sheds in this camp. The granaries are filled with ground wheat flour, and there are about… 3,000 catties in one granary. In addition to fodder, there are also soybeans in the fodder sheds. We rescued 45 intact granaries, four fodder sheds, and eight granaries were partially burned…"
After listening to Lydes's introduction, Davos praised: "It seems that these flour and fodder were prepared to be transported to the Roman army in Hernici. Lydes, Kuchius, your two cavalry legions arrived in time, seized this batch of grain, which not only dealt a blow to the enemy, but also alleviated our military grain supply. This is a great achievement!"
Kuchius interjected: "Your Majesty, the reason why we were able to succeed is that we came too quickly, catching the Romans by surprise and leaving them unprepared; on the other hand, the Romans built the granaries too well, very strong, fireproof and moisture-proof. It takes time to make them burn. The Romans are not serious about building city walls, but they are very serious about building granaries, which is helping us!"
Everyone laughed again.
Davos said seriously: "It is precisely because we have made full preparations in advance, and the Romans did not expect that we would suddenly lead a large army to directly attack the city of Rome, that there will be many mistakes, but we must also be cautious and careful, and not give the Romans time to breathe."
All the legion commanders put away their smiles and nodded solemnly.
"Olyphus!"
"Here, Your Majesty!"
"You lead the Fourth Legion to set up camp here, protect the granary and river port, and at the same time be responsible for the attack on the west city wall of Rome tomorrow." Davos pointed to the towering city wall in front and asked: "Where do you think is the focus of your attack?"
Olyphus pointed without hesitation to the long section of protruding wall on the right front, which was exactly the place where Davos had said that the largest slum in Rome was behind the wall: "Here! Of course, it's here! It's too ugly. If I don't take it down and destroy it, I won't be able to sleep peacefully in the future."
Olyphus's teasing words made everyone laugh again.
Davos nodded and reminded: "Follow the plan discussed last night. The Roman nobles and civilians have deep contradictions. We must find ways to alienate them, divide them, and prevent them from fighting us with one heart and one mind."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Olyphus replied seriously.
After arranging the matters outside the west city wall of Rome, Davos led the legion commanders around the Roman city wall and rode eastward. The palace guards escorted him, and the cavalry of the First and Second Cavalry Legions followed closely behind. Therefore, even if the Roman soldiers on each section of the city wall saw a group of Daonian senior generals wearing gorgeous armor and helmets with colorful crests appearing under the city wall a hundred meters away, looking at the city wall and gesticulating, with more than a dozen military flags waving behind them, they did not dare to rush out of the city to attack.
The group walked and watched, and soon reached the easternmost end of the Roman city wall, and then turned northwest along the city wall. At this time, Davos said: "Amyntas, you lead the First Legion to set up camp here."
"It's finally our First Legion's turn. I thought Your Majesty had forgotten us." Amyntas said loudly, pretending to complain.
"Of course I won't forget." Davos said with a serious expression: "As the strongest legion in our Daonian combat force, the First Legion, the tasks you undertake are naturally the most arduous. From here to the city wall on the bank of the Tiber River, it is all within the attack range of your First Legion. You must put enough offensive pressure on the Romans!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not only let the Romans know how powerful our First Legion is, but also attack the city of Rome from here!" Amyntas said confidently.
"In addition, the wall section here is very long, but the attacking force is the smallest in all directions. After the city is broken, the Romans are likely to escape from here. You must ensure that you try your best to intercept them all!" Davos said solemnly.
Amyntas was stunned, and then replied: "This… of course, there is no problem!"
"Also, you should pay attention to the fact that the location of the First Legion's camp is the farthest from the main force of other legions. Not far to the east of here, there are several Roman colonies, so the First Legion is likely to become the target of the Roman reinforcements' key attack." Davos reminded with a solemn expression.
Amyntas's expression also became serious, and he nodded.
"The Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade will camp with the First Legion, but they have important tasks to perform and will not attack the city with you."
After listening to Davos's words, Amyntas looked at Izam, who smiled at him.
"Izam!"
"Here!" The Duke of Ya, who was already middle-aged, was no longer as jumpy as when he was young. He responded respectfully.
"In order to prevent the Roman soldiers from seeing and becoming suspicious, you should not go to the Tiber River to survey the terrain during the day. The Roman rainy season is from December to February, which has long ended, and although Rome did not suffer a drought last year, according to intelligence, the number of rainfalls was less than in previous years. We have already seen in the downstream just now that the water flow is gentle and the water level on the bank has dropped, so your chances of success are very high."
"Your Majesty, our Mountain Range Reconnaissance Brigade has been undergoing the most arduous training for the past ten years, all for this very day! Rest assured, even if it rains heavily and the river floods, we will definitely succeed!" Izzam finally revealed his true colors, speaking with arrogance.
"Very good, that's the Izzam I know!" Davos said with a smile, "After the operation is successful, don't forget to send someone to inform me immediately."
"Yes!"
At this moment, Davos looked around at the legion commanders and asked, "After seeing the city of Rome, what are your thoughts?"
"Your Majesty, although the walls of Rome are unsightly, after walking around them, I feel that their length is not short, and the area of the urban area is also quite large..." Olivus said, and Davos added, "According to the information we have now, the walls of Rome are about 14 li long. It is known as the City of Seven Hills, and there are seven low hills within the city, so its actual urban area is even larger than we feel."
"In order to conquer the Hernici, the Romans have drawn all their young and middle-aged citizens to fight abroad. Now there should not be many Roman soldiers in this city who can fight, and defending such a long wall will expose their weakness of insufficient troops..."
As Olivus spoke, Matonis interjected, "I have already noticed it along the way. The quality of the soldiers on the city is not good. Lydes, can you send a cavalry to test it out?"
Seeing Davos nod in agreement, Lydes immediately sent out a cavalry squad. When they quickly approached the city wall within 50 meters at an oblique angle, there was a commotion among the soldiers on the city. Soon, javelins and arrows were shot down, but the rapidly moving cavalry squad instantly broke away from the attacked area.
Cavalry cannot attack a city, let alone that few people would not pose any threat to the city wall. Roman soldiers could have calmly responded without attacking so hastily, wasting javelins and arrows. The legion commanders, with rich combat experience, saw this and showed a relaxed smile on their faces.
"Your Majesty, the reason why you let several legions attack various sections of the Roman city wall at the same time, instead of concentrating our forces to attack one or two key locations, is to force the Romans to spread out their temporarily recruited, combat-ineffective soldiers, making their defense even weaker, so that we can conquer the city of Rome faster and easier!" After Matonis finished speaking, he glanced at Olivus triumphantly.
Olivus cursed inwardly. What Matonis had just said was exactly what he wanted to say but hadn't finished.
"However, when we fully attack the city of Rome tomorrow, the Roman colonial cities and allies that receive the news will definitely send reinforcements!" Georgiris reminded with some concern, "Especially the Roman army attacking the Hernici and the Roman army in the west that was just defeated by us yesterday. If they arrive while we are attacking the city—"
"Yesterday, the Roman army in the west suffered heavy losses. The pursuit of the First and Second Cavalry Legions contained many of their routed soldiers. Just the Roman soldiers who were ordered to cut off the hands and feet of the captured Romans roughly numbered more than 3,000, not including those who died or were injured in battle and those who died or were injured in the rout, so they will not be able to pose a danger to us for a while." Lizalus said with certainty, "As for the Roman army in the northeast direction—"
"Their strength is indeed huge, but according to previous information, their camp is more than 100 li away from here, and the road is uneven. Normal marching will take at least three or four days. By then, we will have already occupied the city of Rome!" Trotlilas said loudly.
"Don't underestimate the enemy!" Davos solemnly reminded, "The Roman dictator Camillus is not a simple person. He has participated in countless battles, has rich combat experience, and has commanded many battles without suffering a defeat—" Saying this, he saw Amyntas curl his lip, but quickly frowned again, obviously thinking of the last time he fought Camillus, which caused the First Legion to suffer great losses.
"Therefore, we cannot judge the army led by Camillus based on normal circumstances... Two days!" Davos pondered for a while, held out two fingers, and said with a solemn expression, "We must halve the time for the Roman army to return, and tentatively judge that Camillus will lead his army back in two days, so you only have one day to attack the city, and you must capture the city of Rome tomorrow!" Davos said the last sentence forcefully, word by word.
The legion commanders felt the pressure when they heard this.
"The reconnaissance squads and mountain reconnaissance squads of each legion will be temporarily placed under my direct command. I will send them out to scout the movements around Rome all day long. If there is any abnormality, report to me at any time. The cavalry of the First Cavalry Legion and the Second Cavalry Legion will remain in the camp to recharge their energy, restore their horsepower, and be ready to attack at any time. As for you—" Davos looked at the six legion commanders, Amyntas, Matonis, Lizalus, Olivus, Georgiris, and Trotlilas, and said in a deep voice, "Return quickly and command your legion soldiers to build your camps as soon as possible according to the positions just assigned. This camp must not only allow the soldiers to rest in peace, but also ensure a certain degree of defense. At the same time, carefully prepare for tomorrow's siege. You are each responsible for attacking a section of the city wall. I want to see who will be the first to break through the Roman defense and enter the city tomorrow!"
The legion commanders looked at each other when they heard this, and they all had a sense of competition in their hearts.
"But you must also pay attention, don't just focus on attacking and let the soldiers suffer too many casualties, because taking the city of Rome is just the beginning, the real battle is still behind!"
Davos's last words alerted the legion commanders, and then they hurried back to their legions, while Davos led the palace guards and two cavalry legions, slowly walking back.
Davos looked at the sky and asked, "Has Epithenes set off with his team?"
"According to the plan, he should have set off this morning and should be on the road now," Tolmid answered.
Davos thought of another question and said with a slightly expectant tone, "I hope the Volsci and Hernici can help us buy some more time according to the plan."
Tolmid vaguely felt that this ever-victorious and decisive commander of Daonia seemed a little nervous at this moment. He did not know what to say for a while, so he remained silent.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
When Mirushius set off this morning, he felt a little heavy. Although he was not a senator and could not attend yesterday's Senate meeting, his father told him about it when he returned home. The two even had a small dispute. He, who admired Camillus, was dissatisfied with his uncle Marujinesis taking advantage of the dictator's expedition to direct other senators to make small moves behind his back. However, he still took over the task assigned by the Senate, because he felt that it would be less restrictive to Camillus if he carried out this order than if others did.
However, not long after setting off, he received a new order from the Senate. Although the original order that made him dissatisfied had been cancelled, he did not feel happy at all at this moment, and his heart was full of shock: The Daonian army was marching towards the city of Rome! He only heard that the Daonian army had landed on the coast last night, and today they were already attacking the city of Rome?!
The speed of the Daonian army's actions completely exceeded Mirushius's expectations, and the sense of crisis forced him to speed up his progress again and again.
After crossing Prinister and Sagnia, Mirushius tried not to slow down even though the road ahead became more and more uneven.
At this moment, a rider ran up from the front. The rider hugged the horse's neck tightly. When he saw them, he did not avoid them, but instead ran into them head-on.
The soldiers in the team rushed forward to intercept him. The frightened horse threw off a person. Because this person was wearing Roman clothes and had a javelin stuck in his back, his injuries were quite serious, and Mirushius had no choice but to step forward to check.
The man woke up in a groan. When he saw Mirushius, he immediately said: I am... I am the slave Kelius of Lord Potitus... Ahead... Ahead there is an ambush by the Hernici... We were attacked... Be careful..."
Without thinking carefully, Mirushius knew why Potitus's slave would appear here. He hurriedly asked, "How many enemies are there?"
"At least seventy or eighty people..."
"There are so many people?!" Mirushius was taken aback and looked back at the ten soldiers following him. He felt a little embarrassed: Should he continue to force his way forward? Or should he turn back and ask for reinforcements?
After thinking for only a while, he made a decision: Immediately turn back to Sagnia!
It was not because he was greedy for life and afraid of death, but because he believed that the mission he was responsible for was related to the survival of the city of Rome and could not be taken lightly, and Sagnia was not far from here, so it would not delay much time.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In fact, when the Daonian legions arrived outside the city of Rome, they had already rushed to the areas where their legions should be according to the plan discussed last night. The engineers of each legion had initially established the construction plan for the entire camp last night according to the plan set by Davos, referring to the map of the city of Rome. Now they needed to go to the site to revise and determine the plan.
Soon, a new camp construction plan came out.
So, they led the engineering battalions of each legion to measure and mark the land outside the city of Rome according to this camp plan: Where should the trench start to be dug? How deep should it be dug? Where should the earth base be built? How high should it be? The location of the camp gate? The location of the sentry tower? ... Of course, the construction of the Daonian field camp has special regulations. After many battles of testing and revision, it will not actually change much. The soldiers have long been familiar with it through countless military training. Therefore, after the legion commander rushed back, after assigning the task of stationing to the lower-level team officers, the soldiers started working enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, the ballistae of the Daonian legions were concentrated and pushed to the southwest corner of Rome, about two hundred meters from the city, and began launching stone projectiles at the section of the city wall that protruded outwards like a dog's ear.
Dozens of stone projectiles simultaneously bombarded the city wall, creating a terrifying spectacle and causing a chorus of exclamations from the defending soldiers on the wall.
Round after round of stone projectiles pounded the wall, causing shattered bricks and stone fragments to continuously fall downwards with a "clatter clatter" sound, also making the defending soldiers on the wall feel uneasy.
The attack on Rome was not only carried out by ballistae but also by belly bows. The giant iron arrows shot from these bows, which were like countless times magnified bows, were not aimed at the city walls, but instead fell into the slums behind the city walls, causing panic among the Roman populace.
But soon, the people in the slums discovered that several papyrus scrolls were tied to the shafts of these iron arrows stuck in the ground and in the houses. The bolder citizens curiously came forward to untie the papyrus scrolls.
The city defense commander, Scipio, had a scroll brought to him by a soldier. He cautiously unfolded it and read it. The paper was filled with words written in Latin: "Fellow Romans, my name is Varro, and I was once a Roman citizen. I lived on the Aventine Hill since I was a child. Eight years ago, because a rogue drove his flock of sheep to graze on the wheat seedlings in the field I leased and provoked me with words, I angrily injured him. As a result, the court sentenced me to a large fine, which I could not afford to pay. Ultimately, under the pressure of the other party, I had to sell myself into slavery to pay off this huge debt. Only later did I realize that this person was a client of Caburus Claudius Sabinus, which is why I lost this lawsuit that I should not have lost and became a slave!"
"All those living in Rome, fellow citizens who, like me, have no land, all those fellow citizens who own small plots of land but are of common birth, are you, like me, living in insecurity every day, constantly worried that those nobles who own a lot of land and a lot of slaves will seize your insignificant share of land and turn you into their slaves, just because they, already wealthy enough, want to gain even more! We have repeatedly resisted the greed of the nobles, wanting to gain a little right to protect ourselves, so we have repeatedly abandoned the city, wanting to make the greedy nobles realize the importance of us commoners! But to this day, these greedy Roman nobles still control all the power of this city-state, while we are the cattle and sheep they raise, who can be slaughtered by them at any time! Fellow citizens, are you willing to accept this?!"
"Fortunately, with Diana's blessing, the Daonians have arrived! Although Daonia is a country with a king, its citizens have great power. They own their own land, and the law protects it from being plundered. Regardless of their birth or race, as long as they have the ability, they can hold public office and even eventually become a senator. Even ordinary citizens can report corrupt officials and have them punished by law..."
"The Daonian king has promised me that he will turn Rome into a place as beautiful as Daonia! Fellow citizens, if you do not want to become slaves, then join the Daonian army and overthrow the rule of these greedy and ugly Roman nobles!"
After reading it,
Scipio felt a chill in his heart, and his hands and feet turned cold. He hurriedly ordered, "Quick! Quickly send people to collect all these papyrus scrolls and do not allow anyone to possess them!"
When the city guards sent by Scipio arrived in the slums, they saw groups of civilians gathered on the sides of the streets, surrounding several literate civilians, listening to them read the papyrus scrolls taken from the iron arrows while talking to each other.
"I know this Varro. He used to live in front of my house. He was a very good person. When he became a slave, he even distributed some of his family's belongings to everyone... Alas..."
"The people of the Claudius family are really bad! They have always been very harsh on us commoners! Just last month, the youngest son of this Caburus Claudius Sabinus, who had just become a centurion, injured my neighbor over a trivial matter, and he is still unable to get out of bed!"
"It's not just the Claudius family. Which of these big families in Rome isn't bad! In my opinion, now that the Daonians have come, it would be best to kill them all!"
"Do you think what is said in this letter is true? Is it really that good to be a Daonian citizen?"
...
Just as the civilians were discussing the matters described in these papyrus scrolls, the city guards, carrying out their orders, rushed in and forcibly tried to confiscate these papyrus scrolls, which naturally led to conflict.
Fortunately, senators led by Ambustus, who had received the news, arrived in time, appeasing the enraged civilians on the spot and criticizing the city guards who had almost caused an incident.
At the same time, Ambustus, holding a papyrus scroll, loudly proclaimed, "Citizens, this is a Daonian conspiracy! They want to use this to sow discord among us, so that we cannot work together to defend the city! More than a decade ago, we had internal disputes and conflicts, and a portion of the people abandoned Rome and fled to Veii, angering Jupiter and causing the Gauls to give us the most painful punishment!"
"After rebuilding Rome, we have sworn an oath on the Capitoline Hill to never repeat our mistakes! Therefore, do not be deceived by the enemy's sweet words and do not let the tragedy of Rome's destruction be repeated!"
Ambustus's words quickly extinguished the anger of the Roman people who were constantly gathering.
But then, someone shouted, "Yes, the commoners who fled to Veii eventually moved back to Rome, but were the promises made by the Senate back then fulfilled?! We still owe huge debts, we cannot lease public land, we cannot hold important positions in the city-state, and the Senate simply ignores our request that one of the two consuls elected each year must be a commoner!"
Ambustus fixed his eyes on the speaker, who was none other than the tribune Gaius Julius Brutus. Before he could explain, the crowd roared again: "The tribune is right. The Senate is always perfunctory with us, only wanting us to risk our lives, but not wanting to give us any rights!"
"This is the Rome of the nobles and the rich, not our Rome! What does it matter to us if such a Rome is destroyed!"
"We will only take up arms and fight the Daonians when we are promised the same rights as the nobles!"
...
The protests of the people surged towards the senators like a tide, causing them to feel alarmed. In normal times, they would have many ways to deal with such protests, but now the city was surrounded by a large army, and a single wrong move could cause internal chaos before the enemy even began their attack. So Ambustus and the others hurriedly said, "The Senate will immediately discuss the demands they have put forward and ask them to wait patiently for a reply."
Having obtained the consent of the people, the senators were then able to return to the Senate and urgently convene a meeting.
However, whether it was canceling debts or sharing public land with the commoners, it seriously involved the interests of the senators and nobles. Not to mention allowing commoners to hold important positions in the city-state, or even become consuls, which was even more of a taboo for the nobles. Therefore, although the Senate was fiercely debating, it had not reached a conclusion.
..................................
At this time, Scipio, who had been busy with the defense of Rome, received another urgent report: Daonian warships had appeared on the Tiber River.
Although he had considered the possibility of enemy ships invading the Tiber River after learning of the fall of Ostia, he was still very nervous when the news arrived.
He immediately rushed to the southwest corner of the city wall, stood on the battlements, and looked south. He saw a long line of triremes arranged in a long dragon formation. Under the traction of slaves and laborers, and with the sailors rowing with all their might, they were sailing upstream along the Tiber River. The leading warships had already approached the river port...
These warships, which were very small on the vast sea, appeared unusually large on the Tiber River, which was only about a hundred meters wide. The 50-meter-long hull crossed the river, reaching half the width of the river, which made many Roman soldiers on the city wall who had never seen a trireme feel very nervous.
What made Scipio even more nervous was that he saw many Daonian soldiers disembarking from the warships at the river port, and then the warships sailed to the opposite bank to dock, and the Daonian soldiers landed on the river beach on the opposite bank...
The Daonians want to attack Rome from the north via the Pons Mulvius! A jolt went through Scipio's mind, and he immediately ordered, "Quickly notify Cassius to strengthen the defense of the Pons Mulvius and beware of the Daonian attack!"
After the messenger left, Scipio thought about it and was still a little worried, so he sent another 700 Roman soldiers to the Pons Mulvius, of course, most of them were citizens over 50 years old.
While Scipio was worried about the north side of Rome, another soldier came to report: outside the west city wall of Rome, a group of Roman slaves and Latin laborers had appeared. Under the protection of Daonian soldiers, they were shouting to the soldiers on the city wall.
The content of the slaves and laborers' shouts was actually similar to what was written on the papyrus scrolls before, but these people spoke from their own experiences, which only increased their persuasiveness. Moreover, they were targeting not only the Roman commoners but also the slaves. Because of the shortage of troops in the city, the Roman Senate had to allow the city's slaves to serve as soldiers and promised to grant them freedom after the war. Now, the commoners and slave soldiers on the west city wall were a little distracted, and their state even infected the people in the city. The Senate's delay in making a decision also angered them. They gathered together and ran to the Senate to protest, even proclaiming that if the Senate did not give them a clear answer, they would open the city gates and welcome the Daonians.
The urgent reports sent by the city defense commander Scipio and the people's siege outside the Senate made the senators like ants on a hot pot, terrified and uneasy.
At this moment, Portitus's words reminded them: "Camillus is now the dictator of Rome!"
Yes, Rome now has a dictator. During this period, all resolutions and bills of Rome must be approved by him before they can be implemented. Now, the dictator Camillus is on an expedition, and when he returns, the Roman army will also return, and the crisis will naturally be resolved... The senators suddenly understood and had an idea.
In the past, Roman nobles had many fierce conflicts with the common people, and most of them relied on delaying tactics to survive the crisis. Afterwards, everything was as usual without much change... This time, they still decided to choose this method, and all kinds of coincidences made them believe that the gods were blessing Rome.
So, they quickly passed the proposal: abolish the interest on debts owed by the Roman people, allow all citizens to apply for renting public land, and limit the area of land rented by each person. Commoners can hold important positions in the city-state, and it can be considered that one of the two consuls each year is from a commoner background. The slaves who participated in defending the city this time will be immediately granted freedom...
The senators passed the proposal, but did not immediately go out to announce it to the people. Instead, they sent their confidant slaves back to their homes, gathered their retainers, and let them quietly mix into the gathering crowd...
With everything arranged properly, they opened the Senate door and announced the proposals they had passed to the crowd.
The crowd present was overjoyed, and some even shouted excitedly: "Long live the Senate! Long live Rome!"
At this time, the senators took the opportunity to announce: "Since the dictator Camillus is in power now, according to Roman law, the proposals we have passed must be signed by him before they can take effect, so please wait a few days."
The enthusiasm of the people, like being doused with a can of cold water, suddenly dropped. But at this time, the clan retainers mixed in among them kept shouting: "Don't worry, Camillus is on the side of our common people. He has spoken for our common people many times in the Senate!"
"Yes, look at how many commoner officers he has promoted in his army. He will definitely sign this proposal!"
"We only need to hold on for two or three more days. When Camillus returns, we can enjoy equal rights with the nobles!"
"Yes, we must defend Rome!"...
Although a few wise people felt something was wrong, the atmosphere of the entire assembly had been driven by the nobles' retainers. Many people chose to believe the senators' words, and some even volunteered to become soldiers to defend Rome.
A crisis that was about to erupt was eliminated invisibly, and the senators breathed a sigh of relief. As for whether Camillus would sign this bill after he returned,
They were not worried at all that Camillus, who was born into the nobility, would dare to withstand the pressure of all the senators and sign that proposal. As for whether the common people would protest or even clash because they were deceived afterwards, that was a matter for the future. The most important thing was to get through the most immediate danger first.
...................
Now, the areas about one mile around the east, west, south, and north sides of the Roman city have been occupied by the Dionysian army. After the soldiers of the Dionysian legions had a simple lunch and rested for a while, they began to build camps under the leadership of their officers.
Except for the two cavalry legions, which were responsible for observing the enemy's situation and launching attacks at any time, and the palace guards, who were responsible for protecting the king's safety, the other six legions, plus their support personnel, the laborers responsible for transporting supplies, and even the crew of the Third Fleet, nearly 70,000 people were busy, and soon the area around Rome became a large construction site, and the city of Rome was even shrouded in dust.
In the area responsible by the Second Legion, Adoris and his comrades were digging trenches with pickaxes and shovels while talking.
At this time, someone shouted: "Is Adoris here? Someone is looking for him!"
"Who is it?" As soon as Adoris poked his head out of the trench, he heard a joyful shout: "Brother!"
"Cloto?!" As soon as Adoris saw the person coming, Cloto Kataks had already ran to his side.
"Why are you here?!"
"Father asked me to come and see you."
"I'm fine. In yesterday's battle, my squad killed many enemies and were not injured." Adoris patted his bare chest and said a little proudly: "Tell Father to rest assured. I am busy now and don't have extra time to talk to you. You go back first."
"Father is now busy discussing tomorrow's battle plan with Tolmides, Printols, and other staff members. There is nothing for me to do now that I'm back, so why not work here with you?" Cloto Kataks requested.
"Okay!" Adoris agreed very simply.
Cloto Kataks immediately took off his clothes and jumped into the dirty, dark pit.
"Let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Cloto Kataks." Adoris introduced to his comrades who were busy in the pit.
The soldiers of the Second Legion were mainly citizens of Thurii, and some came from Amendolara, Bisinia, and Castron, all of which belonged to the Thurii region. Of course, the young citizens of this region knew about the Dionysian royal family, and some may have even seen Cloto Kataks when they were studying at the Thurii school and knew his identity, so they greeted Cloto Kataks very enthusiastically.
Cloto Kataks greeted them with the humility of a new recruit seeing old soldiers, which won him even more favor from the soldiers. Someone even joked: "Even the First Legion is not as glorious as our squad, because there are two princes here."
"Captain, give me another wooden shovel!" Adoris shouted.
Squad Leader Timamanlas did not immediately hand over the wooden shovel, but cautiously asked in a low voice: "Is your brother okay?"
"Captain, you are being biased. Why didn't you ask me if I could bear it when you beat me with a stick at the beginning?" Adoris said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"Your brother is not a soldier under my command." Timamanlas replied calmly.
"Don't worry, my brother has received military training since he was a child, and he is not that delicate." Adoris said, taking the wooden shovel and handing it to Cloto Kataks.
Cloto Kataks immediately picked up the shovel and started working.
Timamanlas watched for a while and saw that the young prince was working steadily and well, so he felt relieved, and then said loudly: "Brothers, with the help of Cloto Kataks, let's work harder and try to complete the task earlier, leaving the other squads behind, so that we can get the centurion's reward and let our squad take on the important task of attacking the city tomorrow!"
The squad leader's words made the soldiers even more enthusiastic, and some even sang the Dionysian Legion war song. Soon everyone sang together while working, and the construction site was very lively.
This scene made Cloto Kataks a little envious.
Just as he was in a daze, Adoris's voice rang in his ear: "Being a legion soldier is interesting, right?"
Cloto Kataks nodded slightly.
"It's even more interesting during battles. Even if there are some conflicts between comrades during peacetime, they will desperately protect you on the battlefield, and you will also desperately protect them. At that time, everyone becomes closer than real brothers. This is a... a very special feeling!" Adoris said with emotion, patting his younger brother: "You don't need to worry either. You are only 18 years old. When they were 18, they were still in the reserves. You have already gone to the battlefield and can participate in such an exciting battle. When you get older, Father will definitely arrange for you to work in the legion."
Cloto Kataks nodded, but when he thought of what his father usually said to him, he was not sure whether he could become a legion soldier.
....................
In yesterday's battle, the Roman army was defeated. Under the pursuit of the Dionysian cavalry, Paulus, Medius, and Pantius led the remnants to Antium.
Pantius accidentally fell during the escape and was trampled by the panicked soldiers, causing a fracture in his right leg. If the guards had not risked their lives to rescue him, he might have become a prisoner of the Dionysians.
After entering the city, Paulus and Medius felt a little relieved. But when the results of the headcount came out, they were dealt another blow: of the 25,000 people who went on the expedition, only more than 1,000 soldiers returned.
Fortunately, stragglers continued to return. They learned from the stragglers that there were many wounded stragglers along the way from Lavinium to Antium who were wailing because they could not walk.
The two were anxious. After discussion, they decided to take advantage of the darkness and the Dionysians' return to camp to rest, and send troops to rescue these wounded soldiers.
This was a great risk, and some soldiers even refused to leave the city to rescue them, but fortunately, the Dionysian pursuers had already entered the city of Lavinium to rest, so that Paulus and Medius were able to repeatedly lead the army to rescue the wounded soldiers.
They were busy until the early hours of the next day, bringing the number of soldiers in the city to more than 12,000, but more than 5,000 of them were injured and unable to fight. Even if all the doctors in Antium were gathered to treat them, it was still a drop in the bucket, and soldiers continued to die painfully in wails...
Paulus and Medius had no way to deal with this. Moreover, at this time, both of them and the soldiers were so exhausted that they fell asleep as soon as they hit the ground.
They slept until dawn. When Paulus woke up, it was almost noon, and he soon received the first bad news: nearly 400 wounded soldiers had died in the second half of the night.
This made Paulus, who was already in a bad mood, even worse. The bread tasted completely tasteless in his mouth. At this time, Medius came to him in a hurry: "Our scouts have discovered that the Dionysians who originally occupied Lavinium are gone."
"Gone?! They went to attack Ostia?!" Paulus asked in surprise.
"The specific situation is unclear. I have already sent scouts to Ostia to investigate," Mejus said with a worried expression.
"I hope Ostia can withstand the enemy's attack! I hope Dictator Camillus can lead the troops back as soon as possible!" Paulus now deeply regretted easily engaging in a battle with the Daonians yesterday, which resulted in heavy losses for the army and low morale among the soldiers, making it impossible to lead them into battle again. He sighed and then asked, "What is the situation with the Lavinians?"
"The Daonians only gathered and imprisoned the Lavinians, and stole their food, but they didn't harm them. Our cavalry has already released them, but they don't know where the Daonian army went."
As Mejus was speaking, a guard hurriedly pushed the door open and entered: "Generals, a messenger has arrived from Rome, saying that there is a very urgent matter to discuss!"
"Quick, invite him in!" The two exchanged glances, both feeling uneasy.
"The Roman Senate orders that 'In view of the Daonians' capture of Ostia yesterday, and their current large-scale advance towards Rome, Rome is in danger! Generals Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius should immediately lead their troops back to rescue Rome!'"
Ostia is lost?! The Daonians are actually advancing directly on Rome?! These words were like a thunderbolt, leaving the two completely shocked. They never expected the Daonians' military actions to be so swift and bold. At this moment, they regretted even more their rash decision to engage in a battle with the Daonians yesterday. But no matter how difficult the situation of the army is now, they must immediately return to the rescue, otherwise, if Rome falls, everything will be over.
The two quickly reached a consensus. Then, they first explained the situation to Pantius, who was bedridden and recuperating, and asked him to temporarily hold Antium. Next, the two began to gather soldiers, but they soon encountered a problem: As a newly occupied town of Rome, Antium was designated by the Senate as a colony, with tens of thousands of landless civilians from Rome and the surrounding areas relocated to this town, where land was distributed to them. They also formed the main component of Antium's ten thousand-strong garrison. Due to the short amount of time that had passed, the town had not yet formed its own council, and the main town affairs were still decided by Paulus, the military governor of Antium appointed by the Senate. However, it was impossible for Paulus to take away the majority of Antium's citizen-soldiers, because with a large army pressing down on them, the Roman civilians who had been allocated land would prioritize protecting their newly acquired property in Antium.
Therefore, Mejus persuaded the citizens with kind words, while Paulus used Roman law and authority to threaten them. The two played both good cop and bad cop, and after expending a great deal of effort, they finally managed to gather more than 5,000 Roman civilian-soldiers who had been terrified by the Daonian army.
By the time they left the city,
it was already afternoon. But Paulus and his men did not immediately lead the team to Rome, but first passed through Satricum and Velitrae, because after the defeat yesterday, many defeated soldiers fled to these two new colonies. Coupled with the soldiers left behind in the city, Paulus and Mejus could still recruit many soldiers to strengthen their rescue team.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Paulus hurriedly led his troops to leave Antium, unaware that a large fleet reappeared on the sea near the port of Antium, their destination being the port of Ostia.
The Third Fleet's Raven warships had all gone up the Tiber River to Rome, leaving behind fast triremes and other small and medium-sized warships, a total of more than 80 ships, which formed a cordon north of the port of Ostia to protect the arrival of the entire fleet.
"This is Rome's port of Ostia? It's a bit too small." The Daonian Kingdom's ironware merchant, Theos, standing at the bow of the merchant ship as it approached the port, couldn't help but reveal a look of disappointment.
"What you see now is already a port that has been expanded many times. Ten years ago, this port was even smaller," said Sostratus, the president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce. As the kingdom's major seller, he had a wide range of sales channels and had been to Ostia many times.
"Whether the port is big or small is not important, but why are there so few laborers at the port?" The pottery merchant, Dikkopolis, who had just walked out of the cabin, looked surprised. He said anxiously, "The fleet that came with us is full of all kinds of supplies. With so few people to unload the goods, when will we be able to unload all the goods?!"
As he was speaking, he saw thousands of strong men lined up in formation in the distance and arrived at the dock.
"Look, His Majesty had already thought of this problem and sent the army to unload the goods for us," Sostratus said with a smile.
The first to dock at the pier were not merchant ships, but several large passenger ships, and the first to disembark were senators from the Senate.
The palace secretary, Henipolis, was already standing on the dock, welcoming them with a smile: "Lord Asistes! Lord Antrapolis! Lord Teles! Lord Nicomachus! … Welcome to Latinum's Ostia!"
The senators also returned the greetings.
"Is His Majesty in the city?" Asistes asked.
"His Majesty has already led a large army to attack the city of Rome, so he did not come to welcome you," Henipolis explained specifically.
"You're already starting to attack the city of Rome?!" The senators were all surprised. They were not senior generals of the Daonian army and could not have known the battle plan drawn up by Davos. However, after deciding to come to Latinum, they had all made a special effort to understand the situation here. Of course, they knew the position of the city of Rome in the Latinum region. It was a large city with a population of over one hundred thousand. Would it be so easily captured?! Moreover, Rome is deep inland, far from the coast. Would it be too dangerous for His Majesty Davos to directly lead his army into the heart of the Latinum region after only capturing Ostia?!
Henipolis saw the surprise and worry in their hearts, but he didn't explain in detail. Instead, he raised a scroll of papyrus tied with a black ribbon and said, "Lord Teles, His Majesty has appointed you as the temporary administrative officer of Ostia, responsible for governing this most important port city in the Latinum region, ensuring the smooth and prosperous external trade, material transportation, and sea and river passages to the city of Rome…"
As he spoke, he handed the letter of appointment to Teles.
Teles quickly unfolded it and examined it carefully.
Henipolis then said to the others: "During your stay in Ostia, you can assist Lord Teles in governing this city. This will also help you to understand the situation in the Latinum region in advance, and then you can go to the city of Rome after His Majesty captures the city of Rome."
Listening to Henipolis's tone, His Majesty is very confident in capturing the city of Rome! Asistes imperceptibly exchanged glances with the other senators, and then they all expressed their understanding.
At this time, Teles, who had finished reading Davos's handwritten order, asked in confusion: "His Majesty has asked me to manage Ostia, but apart from our army, there doesn't seem to be anyone in this port!"
"There were originally about three thousand laborers and slaves in the port, but most of them were sent to pull the Third Fleet's warships to Rome today, and they will return soon. His Majesty has made a commitment to give the slaves freedom and allow laborers and slaves to join Daonia and become our citizens. In addition, there are several thousand Ostians imprisoned in the city…"
Henipolis said, and suddenly remembered something, and quickly said: "By the way, Lord Teles, His Majesty asked me to remind you that although Ostia is a small city with few people, its location is crucial to our expeditionary army! After the Romans recover, they will definitely come and fight for it with all their might! Therefore, although there are currently 3,000 guards in the city, it is still slightly insufficient, but now the army must do its best to attack the city of Rome, and it is temporarily unable to increase troops here. Therefore, Lord Teles, you must make ensuring the safety of the city of Ostia your top priority. This is the key to our Daonian conquest of Latinum!"
After hearing this, Teles's face became more serious and he fell into contemplation.
The reason why Davos chose Teles to be the administrative officer of Ostia was because he considered that Teles was different from other non-military senators. He had received military training in Thurii for a long time, and eventually became the captain of the reserve team. Therefore, he not only had a good understanding of Daonia's military system, but also had rich command experience. He could just use his two specialties in the position of administrative officer of Ostia.
Of course, Asistes is also a well-rounded political talent, but Davos has other important uses for him.
"Okay, everyone, my mission is complete." Henipolis's tone became brisk, pointing to the attendants around him and saying: "He will take you to the city hall, where several subordinates are waiting for you, Lord Teles, to give orders. The accommodation of the adults and officials, the entry of caravans, the transportation of goods… etc., all these have to be handed over to you. In order to wait for you, I have delayed a lot of time. Now I have to rush to Rome. Such an important battle to attack the city of Rome, if I can't witness it with my own eyes, how can I write His Majesty's biography next! …" Henipolis said, saluted everyone, and then jumped on the warhorse led by the attendant and galloped away with a team of cavalry.
The remaining people stood on the dock, looking at each other for a moment.
Teles came back to his senses, saluted everyone, and said: "Everyone, I still need your help to take over this new town of Daonia."
"You're too kind, Lord Theris. In this unfamiliar land, we should naturally unite and help each other!" Asystestes said quickly.
"Yes! Yes!" The others echoed.
"It is precisely because we are governing a new area that we can stimulate greater interest and motivation." Antrapolis also said.
"We came to Latium together, and Lord Theris was the first to receive an appointment, which is a great joy! Although the situation isn't suitable now, Theris can owe us a feast for now!" Nicomachus said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"Of course, no problem, consider it the reward for hiring you to work." Theris immediately took over the conversation.
"Then this banquet can't be cheap for you, the cost of hiring us is very expensive." Asystestes also joked.
Everyone laughed.
In the laughter, Theris nodded slightly to Nicomachus, thanking him for using this method to resolve the possible jealousy in everyone's hearts. After all, they came to Latium together, but he was the first to be appointed and arranged in such an important position.
Nicomachus responded with a smile.
Theris looked back at the many officials disembarking, and the cargo ships approaching the dock, the long convoy stretching beyond the port…
He immediately felt the weight of the responsibilities he bore, and urgently said loudly: "Everyone, we must hurry to the city hall!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
The sun was setting in the west, dyeing the horizon a blood red.
After a day of fierce fighting, the city of Ferentium was finally silent of battle, replaced by cheers throughout the city, as a bright red Roman military flag fluttered over the city walls of Ferentium.
"Dictator Camillus!!!"
"The great Camillus!!!"
"Long live Lord Camillus!!!"
… …
When the Roman dictator Camillus, fully armed, entered the city of Ferentium, every soldier who met or saw him stood at attention, saluting him with respect, because this veteran, with his illustrious military exploits, had once again won a glorious victory for Rome.
Camillus wore a kind smile, praising the bravery of every soldier he met, but in reality, he was not as happy as he appeared, because although he had taken the city, he had not completely annihilated the garrison.
Last night, some of the Ferentium garrison broke through the Roman encirclement under the cover of night. Because the city of Ferentium was located at the foot of the Hernici Mountains, it was already a large mountain city. Although the Roman army had nearly 70,000 men, it was impossible to encircle it as tightly as on the plains. In addition, the Hernici had been fully defending for more than ten days, and had never intended to abandon this central town, so the Roman soldiers relaxed their vigilance, allowing the enemy to successfully break through and escape into the mountains, which forced Camillus to launch a general offensive against the city of Ferentium today.
At this moment, Furius hurried over.
"What is the situation with the interrogation of the prisoners?" Camillus asked.
"Some prisoners admitted that last night, Volscian reinforcements and some Hernici tribal warriors chose to break through, about 3,000 people…"
3,000 people! Camillus frowned. For the Roman army of nearly 70,000, 3,000 people were indeed insignificant, but the Roman army could not stay here for long, and these remnants of the Hernici and Volsci could cause considerable trouble for the Romans who would colonize this place next.
Just as Camillus was troubled by this, Furius said again with a solemn expression: "Dictator, I also learned an important thing from the prisoners—when the Volsci persuaded them to break through, they said, 'The Daunian reinforcements are coming, and they may have a major battle with the Romans, so you don't need to defend the city of Ferentium to the death. First preserve your strength, and when the Romans go to fight the Daunians, you can retake this city.' It's just that they were reluctant to abandon Ferentium, so they didn't choose to break through…"
Camillus's face changed when he heard this, and he immediately asked: "The Daunian reinforcements are coming again?! How many are coming?!"
Furius shook his head: "The prisoners don't know about this, it may be a lie made up by the Volsci to get them to break through."
Camillus pondered for a while, a few traces of melancholy appearing on his face. He quickly made a decision: "We have been away from Rome for too long! Now it seems that the troops in Rome and its west are somewhat empty. Starting tomorrow, the army will gradually return to Rome—"
Camillus was speaking when he heard Lucius's shout: "Father! Father! …"
He looked up and saw his son rushing from the city gate, followed by several people who looked somewhat familiar.
Camillus blinked his cloudy eyes and said uncertainly: "That seems to be Milius?"
Furius confirmed: "That's right, that is Milius."
The commander of the Roman city guard actually came to the city of Ferentium! Camillus and Furius exchanged glances, both feeling uneasy.
Milius borrowed a hundred cavalrymen from the city of Signia to escort him, and traveled south in a hurry. On the way, he also fought twice with a small number of Hernici who came to intercept them. After rushing all the way, he finally arrived at the city of Ferentium at dusk. Learning that the Roman army had already captured this central town of the Hernici, Milius couldn't help but feel happy for Camillus, because this achievement was enough to offset the accusations against him by the senators before.
He staggered to Camillus, barely gave a military salute, and then said breathlessly: "Dictator… the Daunian army landed on the coast yesterday… and captured Ostia… Today they are marching towards the city of Rome… The Senate requires you… requires you to immediately lead the army back to rescue Rome!"
Furius was shocked when he heard this: "What?! Rome—"
"Shh!" Camillus looked at him with a serious expression.
Furius immediately understood and stopped speaking, then looked at the surrounding soldiers, who seemed to have noticed nothing unusual.
"How many Daunian troops are there?" Compared to Furius, Camillus was much calmer, and he asked in a deep voice.
"According to… according to the reports of the scouts, there may be more than 50,000 people," Milius replied.
More than 50,000 people, this is not a small number! Camillus was surprised, mainly because he had received definite news some time ago that "Carthage had already engaged in battle with Daonia."
With the Carthaginian army pressing hard in Sicily, shouldn't Daonia be fighting Carthage with all its strength?! Rome had clearly ceased hostilities with the Volsci, and the Hernici, who were being attacked, were still in the inland hinterland, which should not have any impact on Daonia, and should not have caused the Daunians to make a big fuss, right?! The Daunians actually disregarded Carthage, which posed a clear threat to them, and instead launched a large-scale attack on Rome, which posed no threat to them at this stage. This is not reasonable!… Camillus felt very confused, and at the same time, he felt extremely annoyed, after all, his misjudgment had put Rome in a dangerous situation.
But now is not the time for regret, he must make a decision quickly. He steadied his mind and immediately issued an order: "Furius, you immediately notify Quintus, Licinius and other generals to go to the main tent to hold an emergency military meeting!"
"Yes!"
"Milius." Camillus looked at the haggard young man and said apologetically: "I know you are very tired, but the situation is urgent now, and I still need your assistance. Sit down first, recover some strength, and have a drink of water."
"Dictator, I'm fine, I can still persevere!" Milius immediately straightened his chest and said.
Half an hour later, the main generals of the Roman army gathered in the army's main tent. After listening to the Senate's order brought by Milius, the entire tent was in an uproar.
Camillus coughed, and his son Lucius immediately shouted loudly: "Quiet! Please keep quiet, everyone!"
"Generals." Camillus said in a solemn tone from the main seat: "Rome has been attacked, and we must return to support as soon as possible! But now the soldiers have just captured the city of Ferentium and need time to rest, and now it is night, and it is very dangerous for the army to march at night, so I have decided to lead the army back tomorrow—"
Quintus immediately stood up to object: "Dictator, there are only a few thousand soldiers stationed in the city of Rome now, while the enemy has tens of thousands of people. The Senate has had to conscript old people and children as soldiers. It generally takes two to three days to return to Rome from here. If we delay one night, many people will die in the city of Rome! We should seize the time and return immediately!"
"Returning at this time, not to mention that the soldiers are already very tired, just the problem of how to control the army of tens of thousands of people marching in the dark is a big problem. In case of an attack by the Hernici or other enemies, they only need a very small number of people to cause chaos or even defeat to our tens of thousands of people! Who will be responsible for this failure then!" Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus loudly objected.
"Alright, stop arguing, I haven't finished what I was saying just now." Camillus stretched out his hands and pressed down, signaling everyone to calm down. He said: "Although the army cannot march at night, a small number of troops can still do it with careful arrangement. Quintus! Licinius! You two each lead 20 elite centuries, set off immediately, and return along the Tolerus River, striving to reach the vicinity of the city of Rome by tomorrow night!"
Previously, in the process of attacking the Hernici, as the front line moved forward, the transportation line was lengthened. In order to prevent the Hernici and their allies from harassing the Roman supply transportation, Camillus established a small defensive camp every five or six miles on the east bank of the Tolerus River, generally with two or three centuries stationed there, to escort the supply transportation along the way. Now, it may become the greatest aid to the Roman army marching in the dark.
"Yes, Dictator! We will definitely reach Rome by tomorrow night!" Quintus and Licinius immediately stood up and made their promises loudly.
"After arriving outside the city of Rome, observe the battlefield situation clearly and do not attack rashly. Instead, put pressure on the Daunian army so that they dare not fully attack the city of Rome..." Camillus patiently cautioned his subordinates, then he said in a deep voice, "I will do my best to lead the army to arrive by the night after tomorrow, join you, and then fight the Daunians to the death!"
Upon hearing this, the unease that the generals in the tent had felt after receiving the news turned into excitement...
...
In the black of night, when all things were silent, most of the Roman citizens within the city and the Daunian soldiers outside the city had fallen asleep. However, outside the northeastern city walls of Rome, several hundred soldiers quietly emerged from the Daunian First Legion's camp.
Wearing black undershirts and black headscarves, with leather shields and short swords strapped tightly to their backs, and a small bag of dried beef tied around their waists, they silently marched southwest through the open Campus Martius in this pitch-black night.
The Campus Martius was originally a wide wetland caused by the long-term flooding of the Tiber River. Servius Tullius, the sixth king of Rome, drained and filled this wetland, eventually obtaining this vast plain, and named it the Campus Martius. Named after the Roman god of war, it is evident that this plain was initially intended for the assembly of troops, but later it also served as a voting place for the citizens' assembly, as there was no such large open space within the city of Rome to accommodate all the citizens. However, after the arrival of the Daunian army, the Romans retreated to the city, and the Campus Martius was left empty, as it was located outside the northern city walls.
As this group of people reached the edge of the Campus Martius, they saw the towering city walls ahead, and the dark, looming mountain behind the walls—the Capitoline Hill, which held an important place in the hearts of the Romans.
After confirming their position, these people quietly turned west along the direction of the city walls.
Before long, they heard the sound of rushing water; the Tiber River was ahead.
These people immediately dispersed and searched along the riverbank. Soon, someone whispered, "Centurion, here!"
The person called Centurion was Izham, the centurion of the Mountain Reconnaissance Unit. He strode over.
At the spot where the soldier was standing, two thick wooden pillars stood upright, driven deep into the ground, with only half their height exposed above the ground. Wooden planks were laid between the pillars, extending towards the river surface, and then abruptly ending midway. This was a destroyed wooden bridge.
Izham cast his gaze forward.
Less than 20 meters from the riverbank, he could vaguely make out the outline of some land. He knew that it was the island in the river that the Romans called Tiberina Island. Before the Daunian army arrived in Rome, the Romans evacuated the residents living on the island and destroyed the wooden bridges connecting it to both banks.
If the Romans on the island hadn't been evacuated, perhaps they would have discovered our operation... Izham only had a fleeting thought in his mind, then he whispered, "Quick, bring the ropes and tie them to this wooden pillar!"
A dozen people carried a large bundle of ropes, as thick as gun barrels, and tied one end of the rope firmly to the wooden pillar.
"Tarentus, are you ready?" Izham asked in a low voice.
"Centurion, I can't wait any longer!" A strong soldier replied, his voice slightly stiff.
"Good, it's up to you!" Izham punched his sturdy chest and turned to the other soldiers, saying, "Tie him up."
The team members wrapped the other end of the rope around his waist. He was not carrying a leather shield or a short sword, but rather carried rope hooks, iron saws, and large iron pliers.
After the rope was tied securely around his waist, the team members tugged on it, feeling that it was very strong.
Izham looked at this warrior from Messapia with anticipation, and encouraged him, "Hades will bless you. Go and become a kingdom hero like Siculus!"
Tarentus solemnly gave a military salute.
Izham and the team members also solemnly returned the salute.
Tarentus put the inflated sheep's stomach, made into a knapsack, under his arms, then grabbed the rope with both hands and walked backwards into the river step by step.
The coldness of the river made his skin suddenly tighten, and the slippery riverbed made it impossible for him to stand up straight. The Tiber River, which seemed to have a gentle current during the day, made him feel how strong its impact was when he walked into the river. Tarentus involuntarily rushed downstream, but fortunately, the rope around his waist held his body. His teammates were releasing the rope little by little as if they were playing tug-of-war, which allowed him to slowly walk downstream...
Before long, he saw that the riverbank ahead was no longer flat, but had become a levee seven or eight meters high, standing straight beside Tarentus.
Tarentus, who had observed the terrain beforehand, knew that this meant that he had passed the walls of Rome.
Although he was still by the river, the water had become deeper, and his feet could not reach the bottom. Fortunately, the buoyancy of the sheep's stomach allowed him to float on the surface of the river, slowly drifting downstream. And Tarentus kept his eyes wide open, watching the front.
Before long, he saw the Roman Sublicius Bridge lying across the river in front of him, which the centurion had repeatedly emphasized, and his heart was filled with joy.
...
The rope held by the mountain reconnaissance team members was originally very tight, but suddenly it slackened.
The team members were also delighted: he must have arrived!
Izham remained solemn and asked in a deep voice, "How much rope was released?"
The team member responsible for counting replied, "Nearly 250 meters."
"Then he should have arrived." The reason why Izham was so sure was because he had previously learned in detail from Varro and several other former Roman citizens.
...
At this moment, Tarentus was hugging the bridge pillar closest to the levee, turning his head to look at the levee. With the faint moonlight of the crescent moon in the sky, he could vaguely see a dark hole on the levee near the Sublicius Bridge, about four meters from the river surface.
Tarentus was overjoyed again. He knew that he had found the famous Roman drainage system that the centurion had mentioned—the Cloaca Maxima.
So, he untied the pickaxe hanging from his waist, unwrapped the cloth strips, and with the other hand, he kept pulling the rope with a frequency.
Soon, the teammates who received the signal pulled him back.
He took the opportunity to use his hands and feet to paddle hard, getting closer to the levee.
After a while, the rope was released little by little again, causing him to be washed by the current to the bottom of the sewer. This place was easy to distinguish because it had an unpleasant odor, and there were wet water stains on the levee, covered with moss.
Tarentus immediately raised the pickaxe and stabbed it forcefully.
The sharp point of the pickaxe pierced into the stone crevice.
He grabbed the pickaxe with one hand and pulled the rope hard with the other, telling his teammates to stop releasing the rope, tighten the rope, and keep him in this position.
Then, he patiently untied the rope hook from his body, held the end in his hand, estimated the distance, and threw it upwards with force.
He heard a crisp "clang" above his head, and he secretly cried out that it was not good. He quickly dodged, and the iron hook hit his body and fell into the river.
What a close call! Tarentus did not immediately pull up the rope hook that had fallen into the river, but rather leaned against the levee, carefully observing the movements on the Sublicius Bridge, fearing that he would be heard by the Roman patrol soldiers.
But he obviously underestimated the Tiber River. Although it seemed to have a calm current, far less turbulent than when Siculus crossed the Crathis River, the low, heavy Ringing produced by the river water hitting the bridge pillars and the levee year after year was enough to absorb any thin sounds produced near him.
After a long while, seeing that there was no movement on the bridge and the shore, Tarentus threw the rope hook in his hand again. First, he heard a smaller crisp sound, followed by a low muffled sound.
The rope hook did not fall! Tarentus was overjoyed. He reached out and pulled hard, the rope was very tight, it seemed that the rope hook was hooked very firmly.
He forcefully pulled out the pickaxe, hung it back on his waist, then grabbed the rope hook with both hands and slowly climbed up. This section of the levee was the location where the sewer discharged sewage, and it was relatively slippery. Tarentus slipped several times, hitting his body on the stone wall, but he endured and did not make a sound.
Finally, he climbed to the sewer outlet, grabbed the iron gate that sealed the outlet with both hands.
The Cloaca Maxima was originally just a drainage ditch dug by the Romans to drain the flooded river water between the hills. This project was ordered to be built by Tarquin, the last king of Rome. Its initial starting position was on the Roman Forum next to the Senate.
With the improvement of the city of Rome and the increase in population, drainage and dredging were no longer necessary, but the discharge of domestic sewage became a concern for the people. Therefore, every household began to dig drainage ditches in front of their houses and connect them to the original large drainage ditch, discharging the various sewage generated every day into the Tiber River. Over time, the drainage ditches became more and more numerous and longer, covering the entire city of Rome, and their routes were extremely intricate.
The Romans kept discharging dirty water, sewage, excrement, and even various garbage into it, often causing the drainage ditches to be blocked and stinking, and occasionally leading to outbreaks of epidemics. Later, a senator named Maximus proposed a motion in the Senate: to establish a new department and send special city-state civil servants to manage the drainage ditches in the city of Rome.
This proposal was passed almost unanimously. Therefore, the drainage ditches were widened and deepened, paving stone slabs on the ground, and regularly dredging them... From then on, the drainage ditches became sewers, and the Romans also created a deity for this complex sewer system—the goddess Cloacina.