But the Roman rescue troops quickly tasted the bitterness of the winding city wall they had built, as they were unable to pick up speed.
Seeing this, the Daonian soldiers on the wall also urged their comrades below to hurry up the city.
Kael Kels, the captain of the Sixth Legion's light infantry battalion, came from Silting. He was not a later immigrant, but a native of Silting. A dozen years ago, he was just an ordinary citizen of Silting. He participated in the Ramato River battle. After the defeat, he was lucky enough not to escape back to Silting, but fled to Croton. He survived the South Italian War and then became a citizen of Daonia. He also became one of the most diligent soldiers in the Sixth Legion's barracks and repeatedly made military exploits in the conquest of the Apulia region.
After being promoted to battalion commander, he wrote several letters to the Ministry of Military Affairs, requesting to be transferred to the Eighth Legion. The Ministry of Military Affairs had always refused, fearing that this general, who had a deep hatred for the Syracuse people, would clash with the Syracuse people after going to Sicily.
This time, as the commander of the raid, he was not worried when he saw the Romans attacking from both sides. He immediately ordered: each soldier on the city wall should send out two platoons to form a dense formation and block the walkways at both ends of the city wall.
The walkways on the Roman city wall were not wide, so Scipio was able to successfully block the Daonian soldiers who had climbed onto the city wall through the siege tower. Now Kael Kels also used this method to buy time for the subsequent troops to climb the city. This was truly a case of tit for tat.
Even if all the more than a thousand men of the Light Infantry Battalion and the Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion came up, Kael Kels was not prepared to attack from the city wall, because the walkway was narrow and long, and it would take a long time to break through the enemy. He had a better choice, because there was a stone ladder in front of him leading down to the city.
It was precisely because the southeast corner was remote that the Romans built the uphill ramp here to facilitate the soldiers' rapid arrival, but they did not expect that it would become a fatal weakness exploited by the enemy.
Marcus and Barbus quickly realized this problem, but the First Legion and the Sixth Legion's offensive during this period was even more urgent, obviously to cooperate with the sneak attack of this force, so they had no soldiers to spare.
Barbus had no choice but to immediately send someone to Scipio for help.
At this time, the Roman soldiers, who had been fighting for a long time and were already exhausted, were inspired by the belief of "defending their homeland" and marched fiercely along the city wall walkway towards the southeast corner.
However, the Daonian soldiers, who were arranged in a dense formation and had been resting and recuperating, blocked their way forward like two huge rocks.
The other Daonian soldiers climbed the city very quickly, not only because of the 30 rope hooks, but also because the soldiers brought more ropes. After climbing the city, they untied them from their bodies, tied them into long ropes, and tied them to the battlements or held them in their hands.
Nearly a hundred soldiers climbed onto the city wall at once, and soon the densely packed Daonian soldiers crowded the southeast corner of the city wall.
With an order from Kael Kels, a force of a thousand light infantry and reconnaissance soldiers quickly stepped down the stone ladder and finally entered the Roman city.
In front of them were three routes of attack: the first was to follow the northeast city wall, close to Quirinal Hill, all the way north, either to support the First Legion or to directly attack the center of Rome—the Senate, but this road was long and narrow, and easily blocked; the second route was to advance to the northwest, passing through the road between Quirinal Hill and Viminal Hill, directly reaching the center of Rome, but the road was also narrow and easily blocked, and it was taboo to go deep alone without understanding the situation in the city; the third route was Kael Kels' choice, to quickly advance west along the south city wall, first assisting the Sixth Legion in defeating the defending army in front of them.
In fact, not far from the stone ladder was a city gate of Rome—the Quirinal Gate, but the entire gate was filled with stones and mud. The Roman city wall was winding and had many city gates (at least ten), and there were not enough soldiers in the city to defend them. Therefore, yesterday the Roman Senate decided to mobilize the people to block all the city gates to prevent them from becoming a breakthrough for the enemy.
It would take a lot of time to clean it up and open the city gate, but now time was the most precious thing for the Daonian army entering the city, so Kael Kels did not stop and led the troops to quickly advance west.
The light infantry and reconnaissance soldiers, who had always been in an auxiliary position in the war, had a rare opportunity to take the lead in this important battle. Everyone was very excited and full of strength. Before long, they passed through the Viminal Gate and ran into old men and women transporting supplies to the defending army on the city wall. The Daonian soldiers, like tigers entering a flock of sheep, easily knocked them down with their leather shields. The remaining people fled in panic, scattering arrows, javelins, and oil cans all over the ground.
The defending army on the city wall saw this scene and shouted in horror: "The enemy! The enemy has invaded the city!!..."
There was immediately a great commotion on the city wall, and the panicked soldiers could not concentrate on fighting. A few soldiers even ignored the dissuasion of the team officers and left their defensive positions, wanting to run down the city.
At this time, someone shouted: "Reinforcements are here! Reinforcements are here!!..."
Scipio urgently sent 300 heavy infantry, which was all he had.
But this little force was not enough to pose a threat to the Daonian army that had entered the city. Kael Kels decisively ordered: let three companies quickly meet them and attack the enemy's reinforcements; let the other two companies go up from the stone ladders on both sides of the Viminal Gate and attack the defending army on the city wall.
......................
"...The enemy has invaded the city! The enemy has invaded the city!!..." The people responsible for transporting supplies ran back to the square in panic, shouting hoarsely, causing chaos in the square.
The senators in the square also changed their faces.
"Go and detain them all for me. Don't let them shout and create chaos!" Marrucinensis immediately ordered the captain of the guard responsible for maintaining order in the square in anger.
Potitus, who always opposed him, did not stop him. He agreed that strong measures should be used in this time of crisis.
"Could it be...the enemy really...invaded?!" Amburstus asked with a trembling voice, expressing everyone's common concern.
"...Detain someone and ask them in detail." Potitus looked relatively calm, but he was leaning on a cane and shaking slightly.
At this time, a messenger sent by Scipio arrived at the square. The cruel facts he revealed made the senators feel panicked.
"Didn't Scipio already send reinforcements?! These brave citizens...will definitely kill all the enemies who have managed to break into the city!" Plenius shouted loudly. He wanted to dispel the fear in his and his colleagues' hearts, but his tone seemed so unconfident.
"Scipio would not have sent a messenger to tell us if he was confident of repelling the enemy..." Marrucinensis sighed. He and Scipio came from the same clan, and he had always tried to support this capable clansman, so he naturally knew him better: "And we don't have any extra soldiers..."
In fact, the senators had been constantly receiving battle reports from the defending army on the city wall. They knew very well that the situation was very serious. Marrucinensis's words only shattered the last bit of luck remaining in their hearts, plunging them into a terrible silence.
"Go to Capitoline!" Potitus said with a firm tone, no longer panicked: "Don't worry, everyone. Just like when the Celts invaded, the Daonians may be able to occupy Rome, but they will never be able to take our sacred place! And compared to the last time, this time the situation is even more favorable. Camillus is about to return with a large army, and this time the number of troops is far greater than it was a dozen years ago, and they are also more well-trained! The Daonians will be driven out more quickly, and victory will ultimately belong to Rome!..."
Potitus's words, which stabilized people's hearts, made the senators no longer so panicked.
......................
The Roman people in the square received instructions from the senators and hurried back to their homes in panic, hastily packing their belongings, carrying food, and preparing to flee to Capitoline Hill for refuge.
When the people living near the embankment hurried back to the district, they saw a horrifying scene: many of the stone slabs used to cover the sewers on the side of the street had been lifted, exposing the dark and smelly sewers. On the street, hundreds of soldiers wearing black leather armor, holding black shields and short swords, were lined up with their backs to them and facing the Tiber River...
"It's the enemy!! They've invaded! !..." The Roman people shouted in horror, and even some women fainted from fear.
Lizalu heard the noise behind him. He didn't care about these old men, women, and children at all, and didn't even look back. Instead, he pointed the short sword in his hand forward and shouted loudly in an impassioned voice: "Warriors of the Mountain Battalion, the time to make great contributions has come, follow me and kill them!"
After speaking, he was the first to rush towards the bridgehead of the Roman Sublicius Bridge, followed closely by the soldiers.
Their shouts of Hades alarmed the Roman soldiers who were in a bitter battle. The fierce attack of the First Battalion of the Daonian Third Legion had already made them difficult to cope with. Seeing many soldiers wearing black helmets and black armor rushing towards them with fierce momentum, the fighting spirit in the hearts of these Roman reinforcements, mainly composed of slaves, immediately dropped to the bottom. They completely ignored Cassius's order to turn around and resist, and instantly fled in all directions.
Their escape also shook the morale of the Roman soldiers who had been fighting hard until now.
At the bridgehead, the Daonian soldiers, who had been very tired from attacking, heard the shouts of Hades from the opposite side, and everyone was greatly encouraged. Their sore arms seemed to have been injected with strength again, and the offensive once again recovered its fierce momentum. This became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The Roman defense on the embankment had collapsed, and Cassius couldn't even think about fighting to the death. He was swept away by the routed soldiers towards the city, but as a defending general, his attire was too conspicuous, and he was quickly intercepted by the soldiers of the Mountain Ridge Brigade rushing towards him.
Tyrentius roared, and the short sword in his right hand easily pierced the chest of the unmotivated Cassius.
As he fell, Cassius still believed that the city of Rome had fallen, and these enemies were rushing in from other districts, and that he had held out until the very end.
He never imagined that these enemies had been hiding not far from them underground...
The soldiers of the Third Legion, who had crossed the bridgehead and rushed onto the embankment, quickly joined up with the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade and chased after the fleeing routed soldiers, rushing into the Roman city...
......................
Meanwhile, on the eastern section of the southern city wall, Kerkos' mixed force, while intercepting Scipio Africanus' reinforcements, also sent another group of soldiers up the city wall via stone steps, throwing the defending soldiers on the wall into chaos. The soldiers of the Sixth Legion, who were attacking the city from the front, also took the opportunity to climb onto the city wall.
At this time, 500 reinforcements who had climbed up the southeast corner of the city wall with rope hooks arrived, bypassing the frontal battle and attacking the flank of Scipio Africanus' reinforcements.
The Roman reinforcements quickly collapsed, and this defeat completely shattered the morale of the defending soldiers on the city wall, and they began to flee.
Since the eastern city wall had already been cut off by Kerkos' forces, they could only flee west in a swarm, which naturally affected Scipio Africanus' defending soldiers, who were already struggling to hold on, because the Daunian Second Legion, after receiving reinforcements from Tolmides and Epitelas, had launched an even more fierce offensive, so they also gave up resistance and prepared to flee.
However, the Daunian soldiers who had once reached the city wall via siege towers but were blocked by them in the walkway became obstacles to their westward escape, and the stone steps down the city were being blocked by the enemies below the city. The panicked Roman soldiers actually jumped off the city wall, which was more than ten meters high...
Scipio Africanus, seeing that the situation was not good, had chosen a retreat route early on, and at this moment, under the protection of his guards, he fled towards the Roman Forum.
......................
At the southwest corner of the city wall, another section of the city wall was blasted down, and the soldiers of the Fifth Legion passed through the gap in orderly formation.
The Roman soldiers responsible for intercepting under the city felt the pressure doubled. Just as their spear formation was being forced back by the Daunian soldiers' offensive, an urgent message came: the southern city wall defense line had been completely breached!
Seeing that the battle situation was beyond redemption,
Musia reluctantly issued the order to retreat, because continuing to fight would easily lead to his troops being completely surrounded in the southwest corner by the enemies advancing into the city from the east and attacking westward.
......................
With the west, south, and north sides of the city of Rome breached, only the defending soldiers on the northeast side were still holding on, because behind them was the Romans' holy land—the Capitoline Hill.
At this moment, Amyntas was extremely anxious. When the scouts reported to him that more than 1,000 Roman reinforcements were approaching the camp from the east, he angrily replied, "Report to me again when the enemy has breached the camp!"
For a time, the attendants around him were all as silent as cicadas in winter.
Only Printolinus said, "Legion Commander, look, our soldiers have climbed onto the city!"
"It's not like we haven't climbed up before, and we'll still be driven down!" Amyntas said somewhat angrily, feeling that they were not up to the task.
"But, the defending soldiers on the city wall are already in chaos!" The careful Printolus stared ahead and said in a deep voice.
The defending soldiers on the city wall were indeed in chaos. This was because the Roman pontoon bridge and the embankment were not far from the Capitoline Hill, and most of the routed soldiers from the north ran towards the square adjacent to the Capitoline Hill. The soldiers of the Third Legion followed closely, rushing into the Roman Forum.
At this time, in the Roman Forum, there were wounded soldiers waiting for rescue, families with their families, and pack trains transporting grain... The entire square was overcrowded, and they were all fleeing in panic towards the Capitoline Hill.
The soldiers of the Third Legion, like tigers entering a flock of sheep, plunged into this sea of people, immediately throwing the square into chaos, with cries of wailing shaking the sky.
The defending soldiers on the northeast city wall could turn their heads and see the black-helmeted, black-armored enemies not far inside the city cutting off the passage to the Capitoline Hill, and then, like driving cattle and sheep, chasing the people into scattered flight. The defending soldiers, worried about their families, no longer had the heart to fight, and they all turned around and fled...
......................
One good news after another came one after another, and cheers in the central army camp were constant.
Davos quietly walked out of the tent, looking at the city wall in the distance, lost in thought: the Daunian military flag had already been raised there, and he could vaguely hear the cries coming from inside the city.
"Your Majesty, we have already taken this great city, but you don't seem to be very happy." Henipolis came to his side and said in a relaxed tone. Only he could speak to Davos in such a tone.
"Of course I'm very happy." Davos said lightly. This was not a lie. The stone that had been pressing on his chest was shattered, and his spirit had a strange relaxation, but he still tried his best to suppress this excitement: "But now is not the time to celebrate victory. There are still 70,000 Roman troops outside the city, coming towards us."
"Their homes have been occupied, do they still have the heart to fight us?!" Henipolis was quite disapproving.
"Henny, in war, you must go all out at all times, and don't have any illusions." Davos said seriously.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, I have written down this sentence." Henipolis really picked up the wooden board and began to record.
Davos smiled helplessly, turned his head and asked Asinarus next to him, "Have Epitelas and Tolmides already set off with their troops?"
"Your Majesty, they have been gone for about... ten minutes." As a staff officer, the most important thing is that the data he says should be as accurate as possible and not vague. So Asinarus specially ran back to the big tent, looked at the hourglass timer, and then rushed back to answer.
After receiving the news of the city's fall, Davos immediately ordered: Epitelas led 1,500 soldiers and 200 cavalry to the east to assist the blocking troops and defeat the Roman reinforcements.
Then he ordered: Tolmides led 2,000 soldiers to take a boat from the river port to the opposite bank, bypassing the Roman reinforcements coming from the north, and encircling and annihilating them.
Davos nodded and asked with concern: "Has the medical camp begun to rescue the wounded soldiers under the city?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Davos looked up at the sky and said, "Notify the logistics camps in each camp, pull out the camps, load the supplies, and prepare to enter the city."
"Yes!"
..........................
Two hours later, the sky was close to dusk, and the sounds of fighting and crying in the city had subsided. The Daunian soldiers cleared the stones and dust in the Syriac city gate cave facing the Roman Forum, and then opened the city gate wide, lined up on both sides of the road, welcoming their commander—the Daunian king—to enter the city of Rome.
In the majestic sound of military horns, Davos, surrounded by the palace guards, led all the attendants to enter the city of Rome on foot, which of course aroused the doubts of the soldiers.
"Why doesn't His Majesty Davos ride a horse?"
"...How would I know? Perhaps it's because the streets here are too narrow and inconvenient to ride?"
"Don't guess. Legion Commander Matonis just said that His Majesty said, 'Because this city was taken down by our bloody battles, riding into the city is disrespectful to us!'"
"His Majesty is so good to our soldiers!"
"Quick! Quick! Stop talking!"
They saw Davos walking towards them on the side of the road, and the soldiers who were speaking immediately became nervous.
Davos walked up to one of the squad leaders and asked in a gentle tone: "What's your name?"
Before the squad leader could answer, Matonis, who was following Davos, immediately said: "Your Majesty, he is the squad leader of the fifth squad of the fourth detachment of the third brigade of the Second Legion, named Timothy Spes, from Castron. He was very brave in this siege and took the lead in leading the soldiers to climb the city wall!" Matonis praised, but his eyes were glaring at him, with an expression of "I'll settle the score with you later."
"It can be seen that you are a hero!" Davos praised.
Timothy Spes straightened his chest.
Davos stretched out his hand and pointed to his right hand, which was holding a short sword and attached to his side, and asked: "Are you injured?"
"Your Majesty... a little injury... it's already healed." Timothy Spes subconsciously moved his right hand behind him.
Matonis immediately stepped forward and pulled up his right hand. He saw a sword wound running from his arm all the way to his forearm, with the skin everted, revealing scarlet muscles. Although the bleeding had stopped, such a long and hideous wound still made people feel heartache.
"Why didn't you go to the medical camp for bandaging?!—"
Davos stopped Matonis from continuing to scold, and then said to Timothy Spes earnestly: "Our kingdom's military law requires being brave in battle and protecting yourself after battle. Do you know why? Because only in this way can you continue to fight with a healthy body and continue to make contributions. You have received rewards for your military exploits, but it is best to be able to enjoy these rewards yourself after the war. We are now fighting far away from home, and we need you to take care of your bodies even more! Go to the medical camp to find a doctor for treatment as soon as possible. There will be more fierce battles waiting for us next, and we need warriors like you to win victory for the kingdom again!"
Speaking of this, Davos turned his head and said to Matonis and several other legion commanders: "It is not necessary for the soldiers to stand like this. They are very tired after today's siege battle. Let them go back to rest and recover their strength as soon as possible. Let all levels of squad leaders take responsibility for sending the injured soldiers under their command to the medical camp for treatment! If there are any omissions or failures to detect that cause the soldiers to get sick, the squad leader will be punished!"
"But Your Majesty, your safety—" Oliveros said with concern.
Davos waved his hand and said loudly, "My safety is protected by the guards! Besides, this city has already been conquered by our brave soldiers. I don't think any Romans here have the courage to challenge the kingdom!"
None of the senior generals raised any further questions.
Davos turned to Timosipes again and said kindly, "Go and get treatment quickly. I hope to hear news of your meritorious service again soon!"
Davos then looked at the soldiers standing beside him and waved his hand, saying, "Dionian warriors, all of you return to your respective garrisons to rest well, restore your abundant physical strength, and prepare for the next battle!"
At this moment, Timosipes, deeply moved by Davos's words, couldn't help but shout loudly, "Long live Emperor Davos!"
The soldiers around who heard Davos's words also shouted excitedly, "Long live Emperor Davos! ! ..."
Soon, the sound reverberated throughout the city, and the Roman people hiding in their houses were a little frightened when they heard the deafening shouts.
Some of the bolder ones even looked through the windows at Davos and the others who were walking in the streets, their eyes full of hatred.
Davos, of course, also saw these sharp gazes like knives. He didn't care at all. Instead, he looked around with leisure, occasionally poking the ground with his foot. He clearly felt that Rome at this time was still far from the Roman Empire in his previous life, which was famous for its roads, bridges, and buildings. After all, Rome was only just rising in central Italy at this time and had not yet built a vast road system to facilitate the rule of the entire Italy. Even the pile bridge on the Tiber River was not yet a stone bridge. Dionia's strength in construction had already far surpassed Rome's, which made Davos feel a burst of joy in his heart. He couldn't help but say, "I heard that the Romans built the city of Rome very ugly in order to rebuild it quickly. Now it seems that this rumor is true."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Rome is not only ugly in its walls, but also in its urban areas. This place originally had a large river, hills, and plains. A good plan would have made it a very beautiful city, but it was ruined by the Romans!" Hynepolis sighed regretfully.
"Now that this city belongs to Dionia, we can completely tear it down and rebuild it!" Matonis said indifferently.
"It seems that you, Matonis, are very interested in rebuilding Rome. After the war is over, the Senate can appoint you as the superintendent of Rome's construction," Davos said jokingly.
"No, Your Majesty, I am not interested in rebuilding Rome.
You should give this position to someone else," Matonis said quickly.
Everyone laughed.
When Davos's peripheral vision swept over a Roman civilian's corpse on the corner of the street, the smile on his face faded: "Before the siege, I asked the legions not to kill the civilians in the city at will after breaking through the city. How well did the soldiers carry out this order?"
Oliveros glanced at Davos's face and said cautiously, "We have emphasized it repeatedly, and the soldiers have tried their best not to attack the civilians in the city, but some people don't know what's good for them and actively attacked us, so there's nothing we can do. In fact, the main reason for their injuries and deaths was that when they saw us breaking through the city, they panicked and fled, pushing and trampling each other, which caused a lot of casualties in their square…"
Of course, Davos understood that after occupying the enemy's city, there would inevitably be civilian casualties. Otherwise, how could the people of the enemy country be subdued? He just wanted to warn these legion commanders to restrain the soldiers and not act recklessly: "The Roman army is still on its way. The more living Roman civilians we have, the more beneficial it will be for the next battle… Have these Romans all returned to their homes?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, some people were unwilling to leave and stayed in the square. We… had to take some coercive measures!" Matonis said.
Davos nodded. At this time, he had already entered the Roman Forum. This spacious and flat area, which was originally paved with white stone slabs, was now almost red. Pools of blood constantly came into Davos's view. He frowned, watching the soldiers cleaning the square and dragging away corpses one by one, and then said, "How are you going to deal with these corpses?"
Matonis pointed forward and said nonchalantly, "Drag them to the square outside the east city gate for cremation."
Davos pondered for a moment and said, "Bring some Romans with you when you cremate them, let them confirm the identities of the dead, and then bring the ashes to the relatives of the dead."
Matonis was stunned, feeling that this was a bit troublesome, and wanted to argue further, but Oliveros stopped him and interjected, "Okay, Your Majesty, I will immediately send someone to notify Amyntas, who is in charge of this matter."
Davos and his group walked straight north across the square. He saw twelve bronze pillars, each about the size of a person's embrace, standing at intervals on the edge of the square. He stepped forward and looked up.
Each bronze pillar was covered with writing, perhaps due to years of age and exposure to wind and rain, there were some rusty spots.
"Your Majesty, what is written on it?" Hynepolis asked curiously when he saw Davos looking at it in a daze.
"This is the Roman Twelve Tables, which records the laws of the Romans. Rome, like our Dionia, is a country that extremely adheres to the law!" Davos sighed with emotion. He remembered that when he was studying law in university in his previous life, the Roman Twelve Tables was an important foundation for understanding the formation of Western law. He didn't expect to see the real thing today.
He reached out and touched the cold bronze pillar, and his past and present lives intersected at this moment. He said with a sigh, "This is the most precious wealth of the Romans!"
Oliveros said flatteringly, "Unfortunately, this precious wealth of the Romans now belongs to our Dionia!"
Hynepolis scanned the bronze pillars with greedy eyes. Although he did not know Latin, he had decided to buy a literate Latin slave to copy down the articles on them.
"Let's go." Davos led them up the steps, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and entered the center of Roman power—the Senate.
"This is the Roman Senate? It's much smaller than our Great Assembly Hall!" Hynepolis said, looking around with a slightly disdainful expression.
Davos didn't speak, but he was also carefully looking at this building, which frequently appeared in literary works, historical materials, and film and television works in his previous life. Compared with the Thurii Great Assembly Hall, which could accommodate thousands of people, this circular venue could only accommodate two or three hundred people, and the interior facilities were old. This made him suddenly realize: This is no longer the history of his previous life. In this life, the Dionian Kingdom he established will surely replace Rome's position. The brilliant Caesar and Octavian, the politician who truly established the Roman Empire, will no longer exist.
Thinking of this, he strode towards the center of the venue.
The guards had already placed wooden tables and chairs where the Roman senators gave speeches, and placed a map of Rome on them.
Matonis and Oliveros quickly sat down on the wooden chairs.
Before long, Amyntas, Lizalus, Georgiris, Trottilas, Epitenes, Ledes, Kutzius, Tormides, Midorades, Printols, Izam, as well as Stesichidas, the general manager of all the medical camps this time, and Oropus, the overall person in charge of all the engineering camps… etc., arrived one after another.
"Let's first talk about the losses of each legion in this siege," Davos said, looking around at everyone, and then said in a deep voice.
After Davos said this, the faces of several legion commanders were a little unsightly.
After the legion commanders reported, it was Davos's turn to look unsightly, because the army casualties were as high as more than 5,000, with the Fourth Legion suffering the most casualties, followed by the First and Second Legions. Moreover, unlike previous battles, as many as 2,000 people died directly in battle, and the mortality rate was much higher than before.
Although Davos had expected that the casualties in this siege would be relatively large, he did not expect that it would be a twelfth of the army's casualties. Almost every one of the six legions had 1,000 casualties, not counting those lightly wounded soldiers.
Davos suppressed the shock in his heart and asked Stesichidas, "How are the wounded soldiers doing?"
Stesichidas's expression was solemn: "The situation is very bad! So far, 450 people have died because the treatment was ineffective, and it is still uncertain whether 232 soldiers with severe burns can survive the fever and infection in the next few days… There are also more than 1,000 soldiers with severe falls, stabs, cuts, smashes, drownings… who cannot recover in the short term, or even if they do recover, they will not be able to live like normal people…"
After hearing this, Davos felt uncomfortable. He knew that the main reason for such heavy casualties was actually himself. If he had not forcibly demanded that Rome be captured within a day, the legions would not have continued to attack so fiercely at the expense of their lives, but he still couldn't help but say sharply, "More than 5,000 people! This is usually the population of a small Greek city-state, and it was wasted in this one day of battle! The soldiers trust us and fully carry out every order we issue, and we must also love them, lead them out, and try to bring them home intact!"
Speaking of this, Davos slammed the table: "But some of you don't use your brains at all when fighting, and don't care about the lives of the soldiers. If you continue to fight like this, the entire legion will be wiped out! I don't see how you will face the parents, wives, and children of the fallen soldiers when you go back!"
Davos's sharp gaze swept over the legion commanders sitting there, especially lingering slightly on Amyntas and Oliveros.
Without the help of siege equipment and the coordinated attack of friendly forces, Amyntas delusion of relying on one's own strength tobreak through the city wall, actually invested almost all his troops, continuously and fiercely attacking the defenders on the city wall, which actually caused the First Legion, the most powerful fighting force, to suffer not small losses.
After his Fourth Legion breached the city walls, Olives, without careful consideration or reconnaissance, and failing to properly control his soldiers, rashly allowed them to pour into the breach, resulting in them being trapped beneath the city, causing numerous burns and extremely heavy casualties.
As for Matonis' Second Legion, Davos was right behind him, witnessing almost the entire battle. He was well aware that although the Second Legion possessed the best siege equipment, the Romans had also massed heavy forces to defend the area he was attacking. Therefore, Davos didn't hold much resentment towards Matonis.
In all these years of war, Davos had rarely spoken so severely, and the legion commanders all lowered their heads in shame.
Davos didn't look at them any longer, softening his tone as he said to Stesichidas, "What difficulties are you encountering in treating the soldiers?"
"There are too many wounded soldiers, and we don't have enough manpower to care for them."
"Tolmides, you are responsible for drawing soldiers from each legion and having them follow Stesichidas' commands, assisting the medical corps in helping their comrades."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, we also need many spacious and clean rooms for the wounded soldiers to rest and recover."
"That's easy to arrange." Davos thought for a moment and said, "I've heard that many Roman nobles have fled to Capitoline Hill. Troilus, you are responsible for leading troops to clear out their residences and hand them over to the medical corps for use."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Stesichidas hesitated for a moment, then added, "Also... Your Majesty, I hope to be able to treat the wounded Roman civilians." A doctor's heart is like a parent's. Although they were enemies, in a doctor's eyes, there are only patients.
Davos smiled slightly, saying with satisfaction, "I would have had you do that even if you hadn't said it."
Davos turned his gaze back to the legion commanders: "Now, let's clarify the garrison locations for each legion within the city of Rome."
Upon hearing this, the legion commanders immediately leaned forward, looking at the map of Rome on the wooden table.
"The First and Second Legions will camp in the forum." Davos pointed to the map, saying, "The Fourth Legion will camp in the Colosseum, the Sixth Legion will camp in the southeast corner of the city, the Fifth Legion will camp in the southwest corner of the city, and the Third Legion—"
Davos paused, looking at Lizalu: "You will still reside in your original camp, and you must also encompass the riverbank where the Third Fleet's warships were originally docked, continuing to improve the camp's defenses. Compared to the other legions, you will have to work harder, but you must understand that you are guarding the entire army's supply transportation base, which is extremely important! You must be cautious and careful in guarding it, and no problems are allowed!"
"Leave it to us in the Third Legion, Your Majesty, you can rest assured!" Lizalu said loudly.
Davos nodded, looking around at the legion commanders: "Everyone understands the location of their legion's garrison, right? If there are any difficulties, feel free to mention them."
The legion commanders looked at the map and all indicated that they had no objections, except for Geogris, who looked troubled. Davos noticed this and immediately said, "Geogris, if you have any difficulties, feel free to speak up."
Geogris cautiously said, "Your Majesty, the southwest corner of the city is full of messy houses, and there isn't enough open space for the Fifth Legion to camp. Moreover, there's trash everywhere, and the smell is unpleasant, which is not conducive to the soldiers' rest... There's quite a bit of open space near the Colosseum. Do you think I could have the Fifth Legion camp here at the Colosseum as well?"
Upon hearing this, Davos quickly looked at the map. The map did not mark a slum in the southwest corner of Rome, but he trusted Geogris's statement, as they were the officers closest to the front lines.
"Alright!" Davos immediately agreed to Geogris's suggestion and then asked the Sixth Legion commander: "Trotulas, are there any difficulties with your Sixth Legion camping in the southeast corner?"
"Your Majesty, I observed it when I climbed the city wall. There is enough open space there, so there are no problems with camping."
After speaking about the infantry legions, Davos looked at the cavalry legion commanders: "The two cavalry legions will have their encampments on the north side of the Caelian Hill and the south side of the forum. There is a large market there, which the Romans no longer use. When I entered the city gate just now, I saw some livestock pens and stables in the market that are perfect for your cavalry to use."
Ledes and Kutzius had no objections.
"Now that the camp areas for each legion have been determined, let's clarify your defense zones." Davos pointed to the map, continuing, "The sections of the wall that each legion initially attacked will be the sections of the wall that you will each patrol. At the same time, each legion will also be responsible for the order and security within the city. The initial plan is as follows: the Fourth and Fifth Legions will be responsible for the area south of the Colosseum, the First and Sixth Legions will be responsible for the area from the Roman Forum to the north of the Esquiline Hill, and the Second Legion, the Fleet Infantry, and the Mountain Reconnaissance Detachment will be responsible for the area in the middle of the city."
Speaking of this, Davos looked at Matonis: "The area your Second Legion is responsible for is the largest, but the number of soldiers is the smallest. However, you don't need to worry. According to the current intelligence I have, most of the residents in the central area are Roman nobles, but many of them have fled to Capitoline Hill, so your task will be relatively easy."
"Your Majesty, even if they were all still there, our brothers in the Second Legion wouldn't feel any pressure. They're just old people, women, and children, what's so scary about them!" Matonis said confidently.
"The Third Legion is responsible for the north bank of the Roman Pons Sublicius, and at the same time, they must protect the port that we will soon build there. As for the two cavalry legions, your task is to patrol the entire city, discover anomalies, and promptly notify the legions responsible for the area so that they can resolve them. The city is not conducive to cavalry combat, so don't let our valuable cavalry be lost here. In addition, each legion must seize the time to improve the sections of the city wall they are defending, placing chevaux de frise and digging traps outside the city walls... to ensure that we no longer need to pay a high price in casualties to easily defend this city that already belongs to us... Oh, yes, you, the Fourth and Fifth Legions, must quickly repair those two breaches in the city wall that you demolished!"
"Your Majesty, our soldiers are already working hard to repair them," Geogris immediately said.
"Very good!" Davos nodded at him with satisfaction. Geogris is not as brave as Matonis in battle, nor as intelligent as Olives, and is even somewhat timid by nature, but it is precisely because of his timidity that he has become cautious and meticulous, which can play an important role in certain situations.
"Your Majesty, what about us? Where do we live? What is our task? You wouldn't have forgotten about us, would you!" Epitenes asked anxiously.
"How could I forget your troops!" Davos said with a smile, then pointed to the mountain-shaped marker next to the western section of the northeast city wall and said in a deep voice, "I require you to lead your troops to build a camp, surrounding Capitoline Hill."
"Wouldn't it be better to attack it directly?!" Epitenes suggested loudly.
"No, we will keep it." Davos smiled mysteriously: "This is how we will control the large Roman army outside the city."
Davos's words made the legion commanders thoughtful.
"You all understand your tasks, right? Does anyone have any different opinions?"
"No," the generals replied in unison.
"How many prisoners have we captured?" Davos turned to ask Tolmides.
"Preliminary statistics show that there are more than 21,300 people."
"That's quite a few people."
"Many are elderly, women, children... and slaves," Tolmides reminded him.
"Release all the prisoners who are over 55 years old and under 15 years old, and the rest will be taken by your legions as laborers... Wait a minute—" Davos suddenly remembered something and changed his mind: "First, separate the nobles and commoners from these prisoners, and also find out who the nobles' clients are. Neither nobles nor clients, regardless of age, should be released."
"This... We are not very familiar with the situation in Rome. I'm afraid it won't be possible to distinguish them clearly in a short period of time," Tolmides said with a troubled expression.
"You... take Valgus—the Roman slave who just surrendered to us—with you and have him do the initial identification. You are responsible for supervising him," Davos understood that these men under him were good at fighting, but had no experience in handling other administrative affairs. He now desperately longed for that group of senators and administrative officials in Ostia.
"Understood," Tolmides accepted the order.
"Oropus, the engineering team you organized manufactured many siege weapons in a short period of time, making great contributions to our capture of Rome!" Davos did not hesitate to praise him, and informed the judge advocate that he must record the contributions made by the engineers and carpenters as an important basis for awarding land based on merit after the war.
Then, he made another request: "I need you to lead all the engineering personnel to build a simple pier as soon as possible on the riverbank where the Third Fleet's warships are docked, so that our cargo ships can dock and unload supplies."
Oropus was surprised: "Your Majesty, isn't there a river port here! Why do we need to build another one?"
Davos knew that although Oropus was a mercenary, he had been obsessed with researching and manufacturing equipment in recent years and did not fully understand the current situation, so he patiently explained to him: "The Roman army is coming soon, I'm afraid there will be nearly 70,000 people. With the current state of our army, it is not advisable to fight them head-on. For the time being, we can only defend this city of Rome, but that river port is outside the city of Rome and does not have solid city wall defenses. To defend it would require paying a great price in casualties, which is completely unnecessary, so I can only ask you for help! And tomorrow, a large number of personnel and cargo ships will arrive in Rome, so I hope you can speed up the construction of the pier!"
"We will do our best!" Oropus replied in a deep voice. Although he felt some pressure, he was still confident that he could build the pier by tomorrow, after all, he now had more than 1,000 experienced and skilled engineers and craftsmen (including the engineering battalions of each legion), and there was also a sufficient supply of wood.
"Your Majesty." At this moment, Miltiades said with some concern, "Once the Roman army arrives and we defend the city of Rome, the Romans may control both banks of the Tiber River from Rome to Ostia. The slaves will then be unable to pull our cargo ships. Without the trackers, the ships will be unable to reach Rome independently from Ostia, unless a strong east wind blows. In this case, Rome's external access would be cut off, turning it into an isolated city."
Miltiades' words startled the generals.
Davos laughed and said, "I have also considered this issue, but there is no need to worry. We can have the trackers pull the ships along the north bank of the Tiber."
"The north bank?"
"According to previous intelligence, the Tiber River section from Rome to Ostia is deep and wide, making it impossible to wade across. And along this long section of the river, the Romans have only built two bridges: one is the Pons Sublicius, guarded by the Third Legion, and the other is a wooden bridge (actually two bridges) built on the Tiber Island, but it has already been destroyed by the Romans themselves. I estimate that the reason there are so few bridges is because the Romans used to be enemies with the Etruscans, and they wanted to prevent them from easily crossing the Tiber River and invading Roman territory. Moreover, our fleet controls the coast here, so the Roman army cannot easily reach the north bank for the time being and threaten the trackers pulling our ships."
"As for the Roman colonies and Etruscan allies on the north bank of the Tiber River, their reinforcements have already been defeated by us, and many have been captured—" Davos looked approvingly at Lizalu and said, "Next, we will take some actions against the city-states on the north bank to eliminate Roman power on the north bank of the Tiber River and ensure the safety of the waterway."
The generals were all somewhat invigorated. After all, no general likes to be passively beaten. Davos' words seemed to imply that they would take some military action against the north bank of the Tiber River.
"Your Majesty, I have seen the information about the Latium region. It seems that the city of Fidenae also has a pontoon bridge connecting the two banks of the Tiber River," Printoris reminded softly at this time.
Hearing this, Davos nodded approvingly, "Yes, Fidenae does have a pontoon bridge, but the bridge deck is narrow and unfavorable for the passage of a large army. I have already ordered the scouts to pay close attention to the movements of the Fidenae pontoon bridge day and night. Once enemy activity is detected, Lizalu, you must immediately send a large detachment to the north bank of the pontoon bridge to intercept the enemy from crossing the river. If it is a large Roman army that is dispatched, then Olivus, your Fourth Legion must gather in advance and rush there. However, I don't think Camillus would make such a foolish mistake as to have his army crowd onto the narrow pontoon bridge for us to slaughter."
"Understood, Your Majesty," Lizalu and Olivus responded in unison.
Miltiades also felt relieved and then said, "Your Majesty, when can our Third Fleet leave Rome and return to the sea?"
A warship that roams the sea,
Is like a dragon in shallow water, with no place to use its strength. In his heart, Miltiades, as the commander of the navy, was unwilling to let the fleet become an appendage of the army, only playing a supporting role in the entire battle.
Davos obviously understood his thoughts and said, "In today's battle, the fleet's sailors have also made great contributions and must be very tired. Rest well in the camp tonight and recover your strength. Tomorrow morning, you can lead the fleet away from Rome to ensure the army's maritime safety. However, five fast ships and those 2,000 fleet infantrymen must remain."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Miltiades replied without hesitation.
Davos then asked him, "From Ostia to Thrinacia, it takes three or four days, right?"
"If the wind is favorable, it will only take one or two days."
"Your Third Fleet's naval base in Thrinacia has plenty of personnel," Davos looked at him and said in a deep voice, "I allow the Third Fleet to recruit another 2,000 fleet infantrymen to participate in this war against Rome and Carthage."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Miltiades looked overjoyed and actually stood up to give Davos a forceful military salute.
You should know that the establishment of each legion and fleet is fixed. The legion commander and fleet commander are absolutely not allowed to expand their army without authorization. This right is only in the hands of the king. If anyone violates this, once discovered, according to military law, they will not only be sentenced, but may even be deprived of Daonian citizenship. Of course, in wartime, the legion commander and regional commander stationed in the war zone have the right to summon citizens in the area to participate in the war, but these temporary troops must be disbanded after the war is over. Therefore, the legion commanders all cast envious glances at Miltiades.
"The river port outside the city cannot be defended, and the granary naturally cannot be defended either." Davos turned to Tolmides and asked, "Have all the grains outside the city been transported in?"
"The supply train is stepping up the transfer."
"Where do you store the grain in the city?" Davos asked again.
"Here." Tolmides pointed to a hill south of the square on the map: "Palatine Hill. The terrain here is relatively low and flat, and there are wide and flat roads, as well as many vacant courtyards and ready-made granaries, which is convenient for us to store grain. Moreover, we have also searched a lot of leftover grain from these houses."
"The people living on this hill are descendants of the colonists who built the city here with Rome's first king. Now they have become nobles. This hill is closest to the Capitoline Hill. I am afraid that most of the people on the hill have fled to the Capitoline Hill." According to the previous intelligence of Rome, Davos actually guessed the situation of the residents on the Palatine Hill after the city was broken with great accuracy. At the same time, Tolmides' words also reminded him: "Tolmides, you send people to take troops to collect all the grain stored in the homes of the nobles in Rome and use it as military rations."
"Only nobles?" Tolmides was a little surprised.
"Yes, only nobles! If they haven't gone to the Capitoline Hill, leave them a small amount of grain, enough for ten days of consumption. However, do not break into the homes of civilians, let alone take away their grain and property. If I know anyone violates this, I will severely punish them!" Davos looked around at the crowd and said sternly.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that since the soldiers entered the city, they have been strictly abiding by your ban..." The generals made assurances one after another.
"Okay, everyone, you have all clearly defined your tasks, so hurry up and carry them out." Davos stood up and said in a passionate voice, "The Roman army is on its way and will probably arrive tomorrow or the day after. We must make full preparations before it arrives, defeat them, and expand our results! Let this land completely belong to the Kingdom of Daonia!"
The generals, full of fighting spirit, saluted Davos and strode away.
Stesichidas and Orophus also left with great enthusiasm.
After everyone left, Davos called out to Printoris.
"Your Majesty, the First Legion suffered heavy casualties, and I am responsible..." Printoris wanted to admit his mistake with a guilty expression.
Davos waved his hand and said, "I understand the situation. It's not your fault. Don't take the responsibility on yourself."
Printoris immediately relaxed.
"Now I will give you a task." Davos said with a serious expression: "You take a few staff officers and 100 palace guards to search all the noble residences in the city, collect all the gold, silver, and other valuables, and register them. This drought has almost exhausted the national treasury. These properties will be transported back to alleviate the domestic situation."
Printoris immediately expressed his understanding. He thought for a while and said, "Do we need to touch those temples?"
In a city-state, temples are the richest because people respect and revere gods and always give the best things to gods, hoping to get their protection and blessing. In addition to the temples of several main gods on the Capitoline Hill, there are also temples in other districts of Rome.
"Not for the time being!" Davos still had some scruples about this.
He didn't need to explain much. Printoris seemed to have understood, accepted the order readily, and turned to leave.
Davos looked at the empty venue and temporarily relaxed. He looked at the map on the wooden table for a while, and then decided to go to the medical camp to visit the wounded soldiers.
Just as he walked out of the Senate gate, he ran into Croto Catakes.
"Father!" Although Croto Catakes looked tired, he seemed somewhat excited.
Davos certainly knew the reason: In the later stage of the battle to intercept the Roman reinforcements, his son chopped down two enemies, overcame the discomfort of killing for the first time, and then followed the army to break through the city of Rome, chasing the defeated defenders, and then cleaned up the square full of wounded people and blood stains with other soldiers.
Davos was satisfied with his son's performance on the battlefield for the first time, but obviously he was now in an excited state like a child getting a new toy, and he needed to cool down in due course, so Davos said calmly, "Come out with me."
"Where are we going?"
Heni polis, who was following behind, said meaningfully, "The wounded camp!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Quintus and Furius each led 3,000 soldiers and began to accelerate their return to Rome at dusk yesterday, but they were indeed inexperienced in marching at night due to insufficient preparation. They soon encountered some difficulties, such as soldiers falling and getting injured, getting separated, and riots in the team... As the night deepened, the situation became increasingly difficult to control. Quintus and Furius dared not rush any further and had to let the soldiers crowd into the riverside camp to rest.
The next morning, the army set off early again.
But before long, they encountered trouble again. Although they did not encounter any harassment from the natives, the roads along the river were either destroyed or blocked by wood and stones, forcing the army to stop and clear the roads... Walking and stopping like this, they finally walked out of the Trerus Valley at dusk and arrived at the city of Praeneste.