"Matonis, don't talk nonsense! It's not that we can't take Capitoline Hill, it's that His Majesty ordered us to besiege it temporarily and not to attack!" Epitenes scolded angrily.
"The situation in Rome is still unstable. What if something goes wrong in Rome after the two generals lead their troops away?! Therefore, only our Third Legion can go into battle!" Lizalu interjected.
… …
Several legion commanders were actually arguing with each other in order to compete for the opportunity to go into battle.
Seeing Davos frown slightly, Tormid hurriedly tried to stop them: "Everyone—"
"Your Majesty, the Second Legion, the Third Legion, and the Reserve Corps all have important tasks and cannot be easily dispatched. I am willing to lead troops into battle and take Cesrela within a day! At the same time, recapture Veii!"
As soon as these words came out, Matonis and others immediately stopped arguing, and the eyes in the venue quickly focused on Prontols, who had been sitting quietly beside him.
"Prontols, now is not the time to brag randomly. We are holding a very important military meeting!" Matonis looked at him as if he were an idiot and couldn't help but sneer.
"I can swear to Hades in front of His Majesty!" Prontols said seriously.
"If our army cannot be dispatched, what will you rely on to capture Cesrela and Veii?" Epitenes looked at him with interest.
"Are you planning to use the Mountain Ridge Brigade?" Davos' voice came from the head.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Prontols said respectfully: "In the past two days, Legion Commanders Matonis, Lizalu, and Epitenes have been busy with military affairs, while I have been idle and led a team of scout soldiers to quietly investigate the surrounding environment and terrain on the north bank of the Tiber River. Although Cesrela City is located on a mountain, it is not too difficult for mountain scouts to climb over.
According to my long-term observation, even during the day, there are no sentries on the head of Cesrela City, and the defense is relatively lax… It may be related to its long-term friendship with Rome and the fact that it has maintained peace for more than ten years, so the possibility of a successful surprise attack is very high."
"I remember you used to be in the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade for a few years and have made military exploits…" Davos looked at him and said slowly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"In this case, you are not talking big. Cesrela City can indeed be climbed. Are you planning to attack at night?" Davos glanced at everyone and asked thoughtfully.
"Yes,
Your Majesty."
"Then what about Veii? Are you also planning to use the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade to sneak attack?" Davos asked again.
Prontols said calmly: "Let the Romans attack, Your Majesty."
Davos' eyebrows twitched, and then his eyes narrowed. He understood that the "Romans" Prontols was talking about were the reserve team that had just been formed by Roman civilians in the city. It had increased from several hundred people a few days ago to more than 2,000 people. To this end, Davos also promoted several more capable and loyal Roman civilians to serve as Sextus' assistants.
"Let these Roman civilians in the city attack Veii?! This is impossible!" Matonis clearly opposed: "The order in Rome is not very good now. It was these Roman civilians who caused it. Yesterday, several Roman civilians attacked the patrol team! It is too risky to let such an unstable reserve team attack Veii! Moreover, according to the reports of the scouts, although there are not many Roman soldiers in Veii, the defenses are still relatively tight. It is impossible for this reserve team of more than 2,000 Roman civilians who have not received our Daonian regular military training to capture it!"
"Lord Matonis, the several captured Romans have been confirmed to be retainers of the Roman nobles after interrogation." Antrapolis interjected. As the Roman administrative adjutant, he was responsible for the order and security in the city, so the patrol office and the court were under his control.
"The small nobles and retainers in the city have not been completely cleared out yet, which just shows that the personnel of this reserve team are complicated. How can we dare to use them with confidence!" Matonis replied unyieldingly.
Yasistestes interjected: "In the past two days, I have talked with Sextus, the captain of the Roman Reserve Team, and several team officials below. They said that the soldiers are eager to make contributions in order to obtain more rewards. If we are always afraid to use them boldly and still doubt them, I am afraid that their expectations of us will turn into resentment, which is not conducive to our governance of this city!
They dare to risk defecting from the Roman army and flee back here to surrender to us… I believe that most of them really want to join our Daonian kingdom. Even if a small number of people have ulterior motives, so what? It just so happens that we can expose them through battle. Even if the siege fails, we will discover hidden dangers and make these Roman civilians more loyal. This is a good thing!"
"Lord Yasistestes is right! In the long run, our army cannot stay in Rome forever. In the future, the main force to fight against the surrounding forces will be the Daonian citizen army composed of Romans. Why not take advantage of our legions being here to train them well!" Nicomachus also suggested.
At this time, Prontols further explained: "Your Majesty, I am not asking the Roman Reserve Team to attack Veii by force, but to let them use their identity to cleverly seize Veii."
After Prontols said this, Davos had a general idea in his mind. He asked: "Do you want them to pretend to be Roman reinforcements?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Prontols explained seriously: "We all know that if we want to go from the south bank of the Tiber River to the north bank, in addition to the two bridges in Rome (the Roman Pile Bridge and the bridge on the Tiber Island), the city of Fidenae upstream also has a bridge to cross. Since Veii's last failed attack, they have been locking the city gates. Our cavalry has been patrolling the north bank of the Tiber River for the past two days, and we have not seen any Roman soldiers entering Veii through the city of Fidenae upstream. Therefore, the people of Veii probably do not know that Roman civilians have joined our Daonia. We can completely let the Roman civilian soldiers who fled back pretend to be their reinforcements and trick them into opening the city gate…"
"Bang!" Davos slapped the table forcefully and praised loudly: "Very good! Prontols, your plan is very good! Veii is located on the east side of the north bank of the Tiber River, and Cesrela is located on the west side of the north bank. If we can capture these two towns at the same time, we can use them as horns to support each other with Rome and build a barrier on the north side of Rome. In the future, whether it is the Etruscan-Roman coalition army attacking from the north or the Roman-Latin coalition army crossing the river from the upper reaches of the Tiber River, they will have to conquer this barrier first. At that time, Lizalu, the Third Legion you lead will not have to defend so passively, and you can completely free up most of the soldiers to invest in other battlefields…"
Davos said here, and Lizalu's face showed joy.
"I have decided to adopt Prontols' suggestion and let the Roman Reserve Team cleverly seize Veii."
"Your Majesty, who are you going to send to command?" Tormid asked.
"Just as Yasistestes said, since these Roman civilians have joined Daonia, we must boldly appoint them, otherwise, what is the difference between us and the Roman nobles? I think… let Sextus be the commander of the attack on Veii." Davos said decisively.
"Sextus, this young Roman man, is good. Since being elected as the head of the Aventine Demos, he has been actively assisting us in comforting the Roman civilians who have fled back." Yasistestes interjected.
"For these Romans who sincerely surrender to us, we must boldly give them more opportunities. Even if the capture of Veii fails, we will at least get a group of Roman civilians who have been tested and are loyal to us!" Davos' words were deeply approved by the administrative elders such as Yasistestes.
"But Cesrela must be captured, and it must be captured in the shortest possible time!" Davos' tone suddenly turned tough. He said: "The Roman army led by Camillus is launching a continuous and fierce attack on Ostia City, regardless of casualties. The fast boat reported yesterday that most of the trenches outside Ostia City have been filled, and the city walls have also collapsed in many places. Before long, we will no longer have the advantage of the terrain and will have to directly fight the Romans head-on…
We have the initiative in the battle, and there is no need to fight a dying mad dog head-on, increasing the casualties of our soldiers. Therefore, we don't have to defend Ostia to the death. As long as we capture Cesrela, we can use its port as a transfer station connecting the Roman river port. Although it is farther away than Ostia, Cesrela's maritime trade is prosperous, and its port must be larger and have more complete facilities than Ostia, and it will not be threatened by the Romans, so—"
Davos looked directly at this adjutant he valued, raised his right fist, and waved it forcefully: "Prontols, you will carry out the plan to raid Cesrela. Feel free to raise any needs, and we will do our best to solve them, but I hope you can do it as soon as possible—no! Capture it within the next two days. Can you do it?!"
Prontols thought for a moment, and then said firmly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to accept this task!"
His words made Matonis, Lizalu, and Epitenes show admiration, while Tormid looked at him with a complicated expression: King Davos gave him two days, but according to Prontols' surprise attack plan, there is actually only one night left today. Is it too late? Even those who have been on the battlefield for a long time would not dare to guarantee this.
"Very good, I am waiting for your victorious news!" Davos smiled. He readily agreed to Prontols' request to leave the venue now and prepare, and watched him leave with an admiring look.
At this time, Tormid asked: "Your Majesty, are you planning to withdraw the troops in Ostia City after occupying Cesrela?"
"It's not just the troops, I want to evacuate everyone and all the supplies from Ostia, leaving the Romans an empty city." Davos said with a gloomy look: "Currently, Roman soldiers and civilians are constantly fleeing back to Rome, with numbers already reaching 4,000. Yet Camillus still leads the army in relentless attacks on Ostia because he believes Ostia is important to us. We must use the facts to tell these Romans that this is just their fantasy! Once their fantasy is shattered, I'd like to know if they can continue fighting, having lost their homes, suffered many casualties, and with limited military rations?!"
Davos's words made everyone present thoughtful.
"Tapyrus," Davos said, looking at the diplomat, continuing, "We can't bear the Roman attacks alone; we need to get our allies moving too! Go and visit the Volsci and Hernici, tell them that the city of Rome has been taken by us, and we are drawing the main force of Rome. They can take this opportunity to attack the undefended areas of Rome and reclaim their territories!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And… those Latin city-states… Decades ago, they were enemies with Rome. I don't believe they are as close as brothers with Rome now. I heard that a few years ago, the Latin city-state of Truslon was rumored to be rebelling against Rome and was almost wiped out by Rome… Go back and study it carefully, see if you can win over a few Latin city-states. I can make a promise that as long as they are willing to become allies of Daonia, our army will not harm them in the slightest, and will protect their safety, just like we treat Campania and Volsci…"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my best to complete the task you have entrusted to me!" Tapyrus replied excitedly, believing that he had found a place to be useful this time.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed.
Davos summoned several Roman reserve officers, led by Sextus, and announced the "Raid on Veii" order to them.
Compared to his excited colleagues, Sextus, who was appointed as the commander, was also somewhat excited, but he still mustered the courage to ask: "Your Majesty, after occupying the city of Veii, how should we deal with the civilians in the city?"
"The same as Rome."
Davos's answer relieved Sextus.
Since the civilians in Veii had all been relocated from Rome, Sextus knew many Veiians. Therefore, he was very confident in the surprise attack plan proposed by Davos, and of course, he had not forgotten Davos's reminder.
After walking out of the Senate and gathering the Roman citizen soldiers, Sextus had already roughly conceived an attack plan: he would select 120 of the most trustworthy Roman citizen soldiers who were also familiar with the Veiians to form a squadron,
as the vanguard, to trick the city gate open. And he would personally lead 2,000 soldiers behind, resolutely preventing anyone from leaving the team without permission. Once he saw that the vanguard had occupied the city gate, he would immediately lead the army in a surprise attack. This would minimize the risk of someone betraying them and causing the operation to fail.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In contrast to Sextus, Printolas did not have to worry about the problem of soldiers, because he had initially served in the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade. Izam valued him very much and once said that he was the pride of the brigade. Therefore, after learning that he was requesting an important combat mission for the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade, he was very happy and actively cooperated with his command to improve the plan for a night raid on Caisleia.
Printolas was worried about two things: First, the attack could only be at night, but Caisleia was more than 60 miles away from Rome. Traveling by land would require them to set off now in order to arrive there by dusk, but it was questionable whether the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade members, who had consumed a lot of physical strength, would still have the strength to climb the steep mountains. Fortunately, they could also travel by water, which was both faster and more energy-saving. Therefore, Printolas decided to have the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade soldiers board the cargo ships docked at the new port of Rome in batches, first arriving at the port of Ostia, and then having the ships transport them to the coast near Caisleia at dusk.
Second, how to cross the mountains and the walls of Caisleia in the dark. This might be a major problem for the Daonian legion soldiers, but it was not too big of a problem for the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade soldiers. When Davos established this brigade, he hoped that their role in the war would not only be reconnaissance but also special operations, so Izam usually formulated training programs according to this need and strictly trained the soldiers. In addition, the first word of their brigade name was "Mountain," so crossing mountains and ridges was a key training project for them, including climbing in the dark. Moreover, the careful Printolas had also drawn a map of the terrain around Caisleia in the previous reconnaissance. Izam summoned the reconnaissance soldiers with the strongest climbing ability, and everyone discussed how to climb over Caisleia together with the map.
Once the plan was established, Izam immediately ordered the soldiers to prepare supplies and tools.
After noon, the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade marched to the new port of Rome in high spirits, ready to board the ship and set off.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the early morning, Amyntas was awakened by the guards. His first sentence was: "The Romans have started attacking again?!"
"Legate, no messengers have reported enemy attacks. It's already dawn, and breakfast is ready."
"No attack?!" Amyntas was surprised. He knew that for the past few days, the Romans had started attacking at dawn and fought until dusk. Their fierce attacks had made Amyntas feel a little apprehensive.
He vigorously rubbed his stubble-covered face with his hands. He had been worrying about the war for the past few days and was sleep-deprived, always feeling a little tired, but the guard's words made him feel a little relaxed.
While eating breakfast, he was still thinking: The Romans didn't launch an attack at this time as usual. Could it be that they were no longer able to sustain this intensity of attack?
Not long after eating breakfast, taking advantage of the rare free time, Amyntas decided to hold a military meeting.
Fourth Legion Commander Olivus, Fifth Legion Commander Georgelis, and Ostia Administrative Officer Thelis arrived one after another (Thelis also served as the military officer of Ostia before, so he also had the right to participate in military meetings). Also attending the meeting were Amyntas's adjutant Aristolos and his personal staff officer Croto Catacus.
The meeting began with a report on the casualties of each unit yesterday. Since it was already dusk when the battle ended yesterday, the soldiers were tired and the sky was dark, so it was impossible to make accurate casualty statistics, so it was postponed to today.
First Legion Adjutant Aristolos stood up, holding the data that had just been compiled from each legion, and said: "The First Legion lost 293 men and 537 were injured yesterday, the Fourth Legion lost 558 men and 722 were injured, the Fifth Legion lost 536 men and 891 were injured, the Ostia Reserve lost 1,021 men and 537 were injured (the soldiers of the three Thurii legion reserve battalions were transferred to formal legion soldiers and added to these three legions)…"
In the hall, whether it was several military officers or Croto Catacus, their expressions were very heavy, because these cold numbers represented living lives.
"Yesterday alone… our casualties reached 5,000, which is more than the sum of the casualties in the previous two days!" After hearing this, Amyntas smashed his fist on the back of the chair with a painful expression.
Croto Catacus looked at Amyntas, who had a look of indignation on his face, and thought of the tragic battlefield he had seen on the city wall these past few days. He couldn't help but feel sad. He even felt that the task his father had given him was a bit superfluous, because under the fierce attacks of the Romans today, even defending the city was a bit difficult, let alone going out of the city to fight in the field.
He saw that Olivus, who was usually humorous, said with lingering fear at the moment: "The reason why the casualties were so high yesterday is because the Romans had built an earthen base in front of the trench that was one meter higher than our city wall. They deployed a large number of light infantry on the earthen base, using javelins and arrows to focus on attacking our crossbow cannons on the city wall, which forced our crossbow cannons to move down the city… Afterwards, the Romans pushed their crossbow cannons to the front of the city to bombard them, which also caused several sections of the city wall to collapse, further weakening our advantage of relying on the city wall for defense. Moreover, they had the advantage of a large number of people, launching wave after wave of attacks…
Hades is above! This time, I really saw the Roman small phalanx tactics similar to ours, so when they fought face-to-face with our soldiers at the breach, their formation was hardly affected by the terrain, and the Roman soldiers were no less brave than our soldiers, and even had a stronger desire to fight. I even personally saw several Roman soldiers hug our soldiers' legs tightly after being stabbed down, giving the soldiers next to them a chance… So they were able to break into several breaches in the city wall. I even felt a little lucky to be able to repel them in the end…"
"What luck! That's because our soldiers are more capable in the melee, and the short sword also played a very strong killing role! Olivus, as a legion commander, you are a role model for the legion soldiers, you must always maintain courage and confidence, so that your soldiers will be full of confidence in victory!" Amyntas immediately scolded loudly, his tone like that of a mercenary squad leader criticizing Olivus, a small mercenary, twenty years ago.
After a moment of stunned silence, Olivus immediately realized and apologized: "I'm sorry, everyone, I was a little out of control just now! The legion has been used to winning smoothly in recent years, and this is the first time we have encountered such brave, organized, and tactical enemies, which has caused us to lose many brothers! It seems that His Majesty is right, the Romans are indeed a strong enemy, we should abandon the illusion of easily winning and go all out to defeat this enemy!"
"We should fight with all our strength, but we don't need to overestimate the Romans too much!" Amyntas said confidently, "Our losses yesterday were not small. Logically, the Romans should continue to attack today to gain more advantages, but it's almost noon now. Why haven't the Romans launched another attack?!"
Amyntas raised his head, looked at the crowd, and said loudly, "I'm sure the Romans' losses are even greater, because they are attacking a city! This kind of loss has prevented the Roman army, which has more than 60,000 soldiers and has been attacking continuously for three days, from organizing an attack again today. They are afraid!"
"The commander is right!" Thelis took over and said, "According to news from Rome, Roman civilian soldiers have been fleeing the front-line camps and returning to Rome these past two days. Moreover, the Roman army not only includes Romans, but also armies from Latin city-states and Etruscan city-states. The Romans may not care about casualties, but can their allied armies withstand such heavy losses?!"
"Lord Thelis is right!" Amyntas slammed the back of the chair again and said loudly, "The Roman army has a complex source of soldiers, unlike our legions which are so united. As long as we can repel their attacks a few more times, the enemy will probably collapse. When that time comes, it will be our time to attack, so everyone must encourage your soldiers to continue to persevere in defense and not slack off. Victory will ultimately belong to us!"
After listening, Croto Cataks turned to look at Amyntas again. Although his father had privately told him, "Amyntas is too brave in battle and doesn't consider problems carefully enough. During battles, the army often suffers too many casualties, making him unsuitable to be the commander of a large army…", Croto Cataks felt at this moment that Amyntas possessed a vigorous energy that was not afraid of failure and was always courageous and enterprising. He could well inspire the morale of his officers and soldiers, and play a pivotal role at critical moments.
"Everyone, while the enemy hasn't attacked today, organize the soldiers and the people in the city to seize the time and try to block the gaps! For those that can't be blocked, set up traps near the breaches…" Amyntas instructed, and finally asked, "Do you have anything else to add?"
Giogris immediately said, "Commander, when I came, I ran into Lord Stesichodas. He asked me to tell you that there are too many wounded in the medical camp now, and there are not enough herbs…"
"Lord Stesichodas should have come to me directly about such an important matter!" Amyntas complained, completely forgetting that he had never invited anyone from the medical camp to participate in the military conferences these past few days, and he had been staying on the city walls to fight at other times. How could Stesichodas have been able to see him?
Croto Cataks blinked. Through these few days of contact, he discovered that this was perhaps one of Amyntas's biggest shortcomings—being too arbitrary and dictatorial. No wonder his father was a little uneasy about him.
Giogris hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord Stesichodas has been busy treating the wounded these past two days, I'm afraid he couldn't spare the time."
Thelis also followed up and said, "In a while, I will send someone to the port to notify Agumus's (a large herb merchant from Thurii) subordinates to see if they have any stored herbs there. If not, have them transport them from the kingdom as soon as possible."
"Well, I'll leave this matter to you." Amyntas said straightforwardly, then looked at the others, "Are there any other problems? If not, hurry up and carry out your tasks."
As soon as he finished speaking, a guard strode into the hall, "Report, Commander, His Majesty the King has sent a messenger, saying that there are urgent military orders to convey!"
Amyntas was stunned and quickly said, "Quick, let him in."
After a while, the messenger walked into the hall. Croto Cataks recognized him as Asinarus, a young staff officer by his father's side.
Asinarus quickly glanced at the crowd in the hall, then looked at Amyntas and said respectfully, "Commander Amyntas, legion commanders and lords, I have been ordered by His Majesty Davos to come to Ostia to convey his latest orders!" Saying that, he held up a papyrus scroll tied with black thread with both hands and presented it to Amyntas.
Amyntas unfolded the papyrus scroll, first showing a look of joy, then his expression became solemn, his eyes staring straight at Asinarus, with a hint of anger in his words, "Are you sure this is His Majesty's handwritten order?! And not the intention of your staff department?!"
Asinarus said neither humble nor arrogant, "Commander, you can't not recognize His Majesty's handwriting and his seal, can you?! Besides, His Majesty personally led the army on the expedition, how dare our staff department issue orders privately!"
"What exactly is going on?" Olivus saw that the atmosphere was not right and quickly interjected.
"His Majesty wants us… to withdraw from Ostia!" Amyntas slammed his hand on the back of the chair again.
Everyone showed surprise. After all, the soldiers had fought bloody battles for three days and suffered heavy casualties to barely hold Ostia. To actually give it up would be unacceptable to anyone.
Therefore, even Giogris raised a question, "Does His Majesty think we can't hold Ostia?"
"The commander didn't say the full original meaning of His Majesty's handwritten order!" Asinarus glanced at Amyntas and explained seriously, "Yesterday, we had already captured Cascelera and Viae. The port of Cascelera is not far from the mouth of the Tiber River, and it can accommodate more ships. Given that the Roman army has continuously attacked Ostia strongly, causing our army to suffer increased casualties, in order to ensure that we have sufficient troops in the upcoming battles, and that there is no need to fight to the death here with an army that has lost its homeland and has no hope, His Majesty Davos has decided—please note, not wants to—"
Asinarus subtly rebuked Amyntas here, then emphasized his tone and said, "The soldiers of the three legions will quickly withdraw to the north bank of the Tiber River, and then return to Rome by land. All other troops, as well as all the people, materials, and prisoners of Ostia, will be transferred to Cascelera! If possible, completely burn down Ostia to completely cut off the Roman army's desire to use the port of Ostia and demoralize them! Lord Thelis is responsible for directing the evacuation of the entire city, and everyone must obey his orders! After arriving at Cascelera, Lord Thelis will take over as the administrative officer of Cascelera… This is the full content of the handwritten order, please follow His Majesty's orders and execute them immediately!"
While Asinarus was speaking, Olivus and the others were already passing around Davos's handwritten order.
"Indeed, His Majesty's handwritten order says so!" Olivus said loudly.
"This is great, our soldiers can reduce unnecessary casualties!" Giogris showed a look of joy.
These days, due to the Romans' continuous siege, the successive arrival of legions, and Amyntas serving as commander… the entire city was revolving around the war. Thelis was more like a general under Amyntas being commanded here and there, and had been criticized by Amyntas for his subordinates' lack of ability. As the administrative officer of this small city, it was impossible for him not to have resentment. But the shrewd him would not show his joy at regaining power at this time, so he remained silent, but in his mind he was conceiving a plan to evacuate as soon as possible without being discovered by the enemy.
Although Amyntas admitted in his heart that the Roman army's attack had caused heavy casualties to the troops, retreating without victory was like admitting defeat before the battle to him, and he was really unwilling.
Croto Cataks saw Amyntas supporting the back of the chair with both hands, his eyes staring straight at Asinarus, his aura like a fierce beast ready to pounce at any time. He subconsciously reached out and touched the secret order his father had given him in his arms. He realized at this moment that these high-ranking generals who usually greeted him with smiling faces were not as obedient as he imagined at certain critical moments, but he was full of confidence in his father's prestige.
"Commander, we should execute His Majesty's orders immediately!" Olivus suddenly said loudly again.
Giogris also followed up and said, "Yes, we should take advantage of this time when the Romans are not attacking and quickly prepare for the evacuation!"
The successive statements of the two legion commanders caused Amyntas to shift his gaze. He looked at Olivus and Giogris, and after a moment, said desolately, "Then let Lord Thelis be responsible for arranging the evacuation…"
After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the hall.
The remaining few people looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
If one day, I can lead an army to fight, how can I make these generals obey orders? Croto Cataks was thinking silently…
.........
Camillus came out of the camp treating the wounded with a very heavy heart. The tragic scene of struggling wounded in the camp always lingered in front of him. Their painful moans gripped his heart tightly, making him feel dazed.
"Father, be careful!" Lucius grabbed Camillus, who was about to fall.
"Lucius… you said, I insisted on taking Ostia… was it wrong?" Camillus leaned on his son's shoulder and murmured in a low voice.
"Father, if we don't attack Ostia, are we going to attack Rome?! Father, don't think too much. Titus, Aulus, Quintus, and the others all unanimously agree with your plan. In the current difficult situation, we can only force the Daonians to negotiate peace with us by constantly killing Daunian soldiers and capturing Ostia. Only then do we have hope!" Lucius said in a deep voice.
"These past few days, 20,000 people have been killed or wounded!…" Camillus sighed a long breath. He always cherished the lives of soldiers and was known for fighting clever battles with few casualties. This time, such heavy casualties were the result of the plan he had formulated, and he could not help but feel deeply guilty.
But having spent his life fighting on the battlefield, he quickly adjusted his mentality, because he knew very well that the predicament the Roman army now faced did not allow him to be overly depressed.
Quintus, Furius, Licinius, Aulus, Titus, Servius, and several other generals had already gathered in the main tent.
"Dictator!" Seeing Camillus walk into the tent with faltering steps, everyone hurriedly saluted respectfully.
"How is the situation in Ostia?" Camillus didn't bother with formalities and directly asked Servius.
Servius, who was responsible for guarding against enemy raids from the city today, hurriedly replied, "The Daonians have stationed many soldiers on the city walls, probably because they saw our troops deployed outside the city. They didn't dare to leave the city to destroy our earthworks, but they are seizing the time to repair the breaches in the city walls!"
"So we must seize the time, reorganize our troops, and launch another attack!" Hearing this, Camillus looked slightly anxious. He looked at Licinius: "How is the progress of the earthwork construction?"
"It will definitely be completed before dark!" Licinius said with certainty: "This is thanks to Adi, Antius, and Satricum sending a large number of people to help us build!"
"Good! Good! …" Camillus praised repeatedly, and the solemn expression on his face relaxed a lot: "Licinius, you have done a great job. I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers! As long as the earthworks we build can completely surround Ostia, we not only don't have to worry about the enemy sneaking out of the city, but we can also send a large number of light infantry, and even, like the Daonians, move ballistae up there to remotely attack the enemies on the city walls and inside the city, providing the greatest help for our heavy infantry's attack and reducing their casualties… Caslera, Volsci, and Tarquinia, these Etruscan allied armies, are they still clamoring to leave?"
Camillus's last sentence was asking Titus, whom he had sent to appease the Etruscans.
"Dictator, these Etruscans are just talking! If they were really allowed to leave, would they dare to go alone?!" Titus sneered disdainfully: "There is a Daunian fleet at sea, and only the upper reaches of the Tiber River can be used to reach the north bank. But with their less than 10,000 troops, and their courage, without our company, would they dare to march alone for seventy or eighty miles, bypassing Rome, which is heavily defended by the Daonians?! However, they said that if they were to attack Ostia like this in the next battle, they would refuse to participate in the battle again!"
"Refuse to participate in the battle?! Do these Etruscans think that joining our ranks is only to share the spoils of war?!" Quintus said angrily: "Dictator, the next time we attack the city, we must put them at the forefront of the attacking troops. I want to see if these Etruscans, who were conquered by us, dare to fight bravely!"
"Quintus,
Don't be too excited. Doing so will only completely strain our relationship with the Etruscans, and it will also affect the Latin allies' view of us," Aulus reminded from the side.
"If we don't do this, are we going to let our soldiers charge to the front?! The most casualties these days have been among our Roman citizens! So far, nearly 5,000 civilian soldiers have fled the camp and defected to the enemy! Can we trust the remaining thousands of civilian soldiers?! Now we have no more than 15,000 citizen soldiers who can actually fight. Many noble Roman citizens died heroically under the city with deep hatred for the Daonians! If we don't let the Etruscans and the Latin allied armies take the lead, even if we retake Ostia, I'm afraid the citizen soldiers in Rome will be almost dead!" Quintus's words of grief and indignation made the faces of everyone in the tent darken, and they fell silent for a while.
"We retook Ostia, are the Daonians really willing… to negotiate peace with us?" Titus was the first to break the silence. He said hesitantly: "You must know what the Daonians did in Rome… was to turn our nobles into slaves!"
His words expressed the doubts and uneasiness in the hearts of the generals, and everyone focused their attention on Camillus.
Camillus did not answer immediately, because the desertion of Roman civilian soldiers in the past few days and the tenacious defense in Ostia were shaking his confidence, making it impossible for him to give a definite answer.
It was his son Lucius who said loudly: "We can only hurt the Daonians and threaten the safety of the Daonians with our bravery and determination, so that we can force them to negotiate peace with us! After all, the Daonians are not only fighting against us Romans, but also against our allies, the Carthaginians. If the Daunian army suffers too much loss here, how can they fight against the Carthaginians?!"
"Don't trust Carthage too much! If they really used all their strength to attack Daonia, how could the Daonians still send so many troops to attack us!" Quintus was full of resentment when he mentioned Carthage.
"Besides retaking Ostia, we don't have a better way…" Aulus sighed, which made the other generals look dim.
"Everyone, don't think about the future things anymore, let's do the current things well first." At this time, Camillus spoke: "Judging from yesterday's battle situation, our siege has made great progress. The soldiers have already broken into the city and engaged in a mixed battle with the Daonians, which has given the enemy great pressure and casualties. Next, we only need to…"
Camillus detailed some new ideas for the next step of the attack and some improvements to the siege tactics. This was the result of his careful observation of the battle situation and hard thinking in the past few days.
His tone was calm, but contained a kind of power that could calm everyone down and listen carefully.
Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Camillus glanced at Quintus and emphasized: "In order to ensure the smooth siege next time, we must unite our allied armies! …"
Including Quintus, everyone finally agreed with Camillus's opinion and discussed and improved the siege plan together.
After sending everyone away, Camillus felt a little relaxed, and suddenly felt exhausted. These days, he was worried about the war, ate less, slept less, and was anxious. Even a young man's body could not bear it, let alone an old man in his 60s. He had to lie down and rest.
This sleep lasted past dusk until he was awakened.
"The sentries on the city wall of Ostia have all disappeared suddenly?!" Camillus, who had just woken up, patted his still dazed head, thinking about the meaning behind the Daonians' move.
At this time, the tent was opened again, and Lucius rushed in: "Father, a big fire broke out in Ostia!"
"What?!" Camillus was shocked. With the help of his servants, he strode out of the tent.
The camp was already full of soldiers coming out of their tents. They looked in astonishment at the blazing fire in Ostia in the distance, and the noise and discussions filled the entire camp.
Seeing this scene, Camillus was stunned for a moment, and suddenly shouted: "Not good, the people of Ostia are going to escape! Quick! Send troops! Rush into the city, put out the fire, and catch the Daonians! Quick! …"
In the dark night, Roman soldiers were organized and rushed towards the burning city of Ostia.
But they were still too late.
After Thelis received Davos's "retreat" order, he ordered his subordinates to contact the merchant ships in the port and the Daunian fleet cruising in the nearby sea to gradually begin an orderly retreat.
Since most of the evacuation operations were carried out in the small port directly facing the sea on the west side, the Roman army monitoring the mouth of the Tiber River did not notice anything unusual.
Finally, when the Daunian soldiers on the city wall began to evacuate, Thelis ordered people to set fire to the area and port that had been poured with asphalt.
When Camillus learned that "the army failed to put out the fire, the city and port of Ostia were destroyed, but no Daonians were seen," he felt depressed and uncomfortable, and could not say a word.
He now understood: The Daonians would rather burn the city than let them occupy it, which had shown their determination not to compromise!
"Father, what's wrong with you?!" In Lucius's exclamation, Camillus covered his chest and slowly collapsed to the ground.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Micaelius was a squad leader. Although he was a Roman civilian, his home was not in Rome, but in Veii, where he owned his own land and family.
These days, news about "Daonians giving special preferential treatment to Roman civilians" spread in the camp. The civilian soldiers living in Rome began to flee the camp one after another. Micaelius and many Roman civilians who had moved to the colony north of the Tiber River were a little tempted, but did not leave. After all, in the colony that had been built for less than ten years, the conflict between nobles and civilians was not serious, and they lived a good life. In this situation, abandoning the motherland where they had lived for decades and joining a strange kingdom was a difficult choice for them to make as farmers.
However, they, who were loyal to Rome, did not receive the rewards they deserved, but were hated by the Roman noble soldiers in the camp.
These nobles and hangers-on learned from the spread news that "their family members in Rome were imprisoned, their land was divided among the civilians, their residences were occupied by the civilians, and their wealth was also plundered by the civilians (this was just a rumor)", plus the constant desertion of civilians these days… Of course, they did not have a good look at the civilian soldiers who were still in the camp. Suspicion, ridicule, and abuse were considered mild. During the siege, blatantly using their power to arrange civilian soldiers in the most dangerous attacking positions, but not allowing them to retreat or provide assistance, this was not the first or second time.
This chilled the hearts of many common soldiers who had originally been determined to follow Rome. The opposition and suspicion between the Roman nobles and commoners within the camp deepened. Even Macareus and others, who initially had firm stances, were now beginning to waver, but the continuous battles had left them with no time to calm down and think about the future.
This morning, the unwilling Roman generals dispatched several centuries to search the city of Ostia, hoping to find something.
Macareus' century was assigned to the port.
Macareus had been to the port of Ostia many times before. The scene of the port's sea crowded with ships and the docks teeming with people was gone. Those closely arranged houses and warehouses had now turned into piles of burning ruins, with black smoke rising everywhere, lamenting the tragic encounter the port had suffered last night...
Looking at all of this, Macareus' heart was filled with desolation, and he couldn't help but think of Rome, Veii, and himself...
"Captain, the dictator told us that as long as we can recapture Ostia, we can force the Daonians to negotiate peace with us, and thus regain the city of Rome... Now that we have recaptured Ostia, can we really negotiate peace with the Daonians?" A Veii soldier beside him asked doubtfully.
Macareus couldn't answer his doubts. The soldiers weren't fools. The fierce fighting between the two sides these days had resulted in no small number of casualties. According to the Romans' past war habits, after gaining an advantage, they would definitely completely conquer their opponent, leaving them with no ability to resist Rome. Would the equally powerful Daunian kingdom easily let Rome off?
"What does it matter to us whether the Daonians stop fighting or not? I've had enough of this endless fighting. While Jupiter is still protecting me, I want to leave here and go back to Veii!" Another soldier said loudly.
Macareus glanced at him and said, "As long as the Daonians still occupy Rome, Veii, which is not far from Rome, is in danger. Our fighting here is also for ourselves. Look here—" Macareus pointed to the ruined port of Ostia and said worriedly, "We must not let Veii become like this!"
As soon as Macareus' words came out, everyone suddenly fell silent, all looking up to the northeast, their faces full of worry.
After a while, the soldier who spoke earlier said softly, "Why not... join Daonia? It can protect Veii and increase our wealth..."
The other soldiers remained silent, and even Macareus didn't reprimand him. Everyone looked at each other, their expressions rather strange.
At this moment, someone shouted loudly from the front, "Look! A ship is coming!"
Since entering the city of Ostia in the morning,
the soldiers had seen nothing but ruins, so many soldiers curiously flocked to the port's breakwater.
A sailboat was seen sailing from the near sea in the north, turning into the mouth of the Tiber River. It first approached the north bank, but seemed to have seen the many Roman soldiers in the port, so it turned around and sailed straight towards the port.
"Is it an Etruscan ship?" Many soldiers speculated. The mouth of the Tiber River was more than 200 meters wide, and the morning mist made it difficult to see clearly. They could only judge based on the direction the ship was coming from. Of course, they also hoped that this was the case.
Until they saw the pattern of "black hair entwined around a double-pronged fork" painted on the sail, the soldiers suddenly became agitated and picked up the weapons in their hands.
The sailboat stopped and turned sideways more than 30 meters away from the breakwater. Several people on the ship shouted loudly in Latin.
Macareus' squad couldn't squeeze onto the breakwater, so they couldn't hear what the people on the ship were shouting, but they soon saw a commotion among the soldiers in front, followed by a noisy sound that hit their eardrums: "This is impossible! They are lying. The city of Caisleia could not have been occupied by the Daonians!"
"You're right. The city of Caisleia is built on the hills and is difficult to attack! Moreover, the main force of Daonia is concentrated here to fight us. How could they have enough troops to attack Caisleia? This must be a lie!"
"The city of Rome, so big, was captured by the Daonians in one day! This has already shown how terrible the Daonians' siege ability is. Is Caisleia more difficult to capture than Rome?! Moreover, you have all seen that this ship came from the north!"
"So what! The cunning Daonians may have deliberately had this ship circle around to deceive us!"
"Hey, you only care about Caisleia. Didn't you hear the people on the ship say that Veii has also been occupied by them! We spent ten years to capture Veii. How could the Daonians capture it in such a short time? So I say the Daonians are deceiving us!"
"If Caisleia and Veii have fallen, our Sutrium will be in danger! In any case, I must go back and see!"
"I'll go back with you!"
…
In the past few days of siege warfare, the Roman army suffered considerable casualties. Camillus took the opportunity to reorganize the army, mixing citizens from the colonies with citizens from the city of Rome, in order to make command and combat smoother. Therefore, a Roman century often had Roman citizens from multiple places.
Macareus' squad was all citizens from Veii. Hearing these words, their faces changed.
"Captain, what should we do?!" The soldiers looked at Macareus in panic.
Macareus was equally distraught. Although he also felt that this might be the Daonians deceiving them, he couldn't say the words "Ignore them, stay and continue fighting." He hesitated for a long time, and the scene of his wife and children seeing him off when he went on the expedition repeatedly appeared in his mind. Finally, he hardened his heart and said, "Let's go too! We'll go back to the camp immediately, pick up our packages, leave the army, and rush back to Veii from the upper reaches of the Tiber!"
"What if... what if Veii has really been occupied by the Daonians?!" The soldiers asked in trembling voices.
"Then... then surrender to the Daonians..." Macareus squeezed these words out of his mouth in pain.
None of the soldiers objected. On the contrary, the expressions on their faces relaxed.
Not only Macareus' squad, but several other squads of soldiers were clamoring to rush back to the camp immediately. No matter how the centurions from the city of Rome tried to dissuade or threaten them, they couldn't stop them.
The previous sailboat had already sailed to the north bank, but it didn't moor on the opposite bank because there was too much mudflat at the mouth of the river. Instead, it moved forward and glided for a while before landing. Dozens of trackers got off the ship, attached tow ropes to the sailboat, the sailors rowed, and the trackers pulled the boat, heading upstream along the Tiber River.
Before long, one ship after another sailed from the north, turned into the mouth of the Tiber River, and sailed along the north bank towards the city of Rome in the east.
The Roman soldiers still staying in the port finally stopped doubting what the Daonians had said earlier, and ran out of the city of Ostia and back to the camp. This time, the camp was already boiling...
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After learning from the doctor that his father had woken up, Lucius immediately lifted the tent curtain and walked inside.
Camillus was lying on the couch, his eyes open, staring straight at the top of the tent, wondering what he was thinking.
Lucius tiptoed to the couch and asked softly with concern, "Father, are you feeling better?!"
"Cough... I'm fine." Camillus replied in a hoarse voice, weakly, and then immediately asked, "What's the situation in the camp now?"
"Um... nothing... nothing major. The order in the camp is still relatively stable," Lucius said perfunctorily.
Camillus turned his head. Although his face was pale, his eyes were still bright. "You are my son. Can you hide anything from me when you speak... I'm lying here... and I can hear the noise coming from outside, which shows... which shows that something big has happened... Tell me everything, I can handle it."
"Father, the doctor said that you should pay more attention so that your body can recover! Titus, Quintus, Aulus, and others are temporarily responsible for the army's affairs. Don't worry too much! ..." Lucius gently comforted him.
"I am the dictator of Rome! As long as I am alive... I must be responsible for all Roman citizens... When I die... there will be plenty of time to rest... cough cough..." Camillus patted the couch with his hand, saying anxiously and loudly.
Seeing him coughing repeatedly, Lucius hurriedly said, "Don't worry! Don't worry! Take a breath first, and let me slowly tell you... This morning, we sent several Roman centuries to search the burned city of Ostia. As a result, the soldiers believed the rumors spread by the Daunian ships, saying that Caisleia and Veii had been occupied by the Daonians—"
"Caisleia and Veii have been captured?!" Camillus stared in shock.
"I said it was just a rumor! The walls of Caisleia and Veii are strong and the terrain is dangerous. The main force of Daonia is fighting us. How could they capture these two city-states in such a short time!" Lucius said somewhat irritably at this moment. "But those stupid soldiers believed it, and the rumor spread throughout the entire camp. As a result, not only Veii, but also the soldiers from the colonial cities of Sulmo, Cosa, and other cities on the north bank of the Tiber River also fled the camp. Even the armies of the Etruscan allies demanded to leave! Titus, Aulus, and others have urgently led the army to stop them..."
Camillus never expected that the situation would become so bad after waking up. In his anxiety, he not only couldn't think of any good solutions, but also had a splitting headache. He supported himself on the couch with his hands, wanting to get up, but he couldn't muster any strength.
"Quick! ... Quick, call the soldiers to carry me out... I'll go and persuade them!" He was so anxious that he wanted to speak loudly, but the voice he managed to utter was very weak.
"Father, your health isn't good right now, the doctor won't let you go out! You have to believe that Titus and the others can handle this matter properly!…" Lucius pressed down on his father, earnestly trying to persuade him.
While the two were arguing, Titus walked in.
Lucius happened to see him and asked in surprise, "Titus, why are you back so soon?! Has everything calmed down at the camp?!"
As Lucius spoke, he winked at him.
Titus clearly wasn't in the mood to pay attention to that. He looked weary and worried as he faced Camillus on the couch, and said urgently, "Dictator, as soon as I heard you were awake, I rushed back immediately. Envoys from Volci and Tarquinii have arrived, saying that Caere and Veii have fallen and demanding that their armies be withdrawn to protect their city-states from being invaded by the Daonians—"
"If Caere and Veii have really been occupied by the Daonians as these envoys claim, how did they reach the camp? Titus, are you sure they are really envoys from Volci and Tarquinii?!" Lucius immediately questioned.
"We all know the people who came. They are the Archon of Volci, Messalla, and the Senator of Tarquinii, Corda. They arrived at Adria by ship, then disembarked and rushed here. According to them, the Daunian warships did not intercept them."
Titus replied indignantly, "As soon as they arrived at the camp, they spread the news about the fall of Caere and Veii. The already unsettled camp became completely chaotic. Not only did the Etruscan army want to leave, but the soldiers from the colony north of the Tiber River wanted to leave, and some armies from the Latin allies also demanded to leave! Now, Quintus and the others are blocking several camp gates with their troops. The Etruscans are declaring, 'If you don't let us leave, we will force our way out!' There have already been small-scale conflicts between the two sides, so I rushed back to ask for your instructions!"
"This is all a Daunian plot!" Lucius shouted angrily, "Damn Etruscans! Damn Latin city-states! And those Roman civilians who should be crucified!…"
At this moment, Camillus calmed down. He sighed softly, "The fire at Ostia… burned away the soldiers' hope of fighting. The fall of Caere… and Veii has disintegrated our army… The Daunian King… alas…"
Camillus suddenly stopped talking, lying quietly with his eyes slightly closed.
"Father!"
"Dictator!" The two shouted worriedly.
After a moment, Camillus opened his mouth and asked, "Titus… did you ask them, even if… the Etruscan army leaves us… how will they return?"
Titus immediately replied, "I asked.
They said that after crossing the river upstream of the Tiber, they would immediately head east into the mountains, bypassing Veii. That mountainous area is still controlled by the Etruscans and is relatively safe…"
Camillus nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, and said intermittently, "Judging from the current situation… it is no longer possible to force them to stay… Otherwise… it will only lead to a civil war in the camp… No matter who wins or loses… only the Daonians will benefit, and our… friendly relations… with Etruria… the colony… and even the Latin allies… will be completely destroyed… Since that's the case… it's better to let them leave…"
"Dictator!" Titus said urgently, "Since we returned from the Hernici, fighting the Daonians until now, plus the fleeing civilian soldiers, we have lost nearly 30,000 men! If we let the Etruscans, colonists, and Latin allied forces leave, we may have less than 15,000 soldiers left. Not only will we be unable to retake Rome, but we may also be attacked by the Daonians!"
"Titus!" Camillus called out with difficulty, then said self-reproachingly, "I made a big mistake before… Upon hearing that Rome had fallen, I couldn't wait to take it back immediately… Therefore… the army suffered so many casualties… and fell into such a great predicament… It's all my fault…"
"No, Dictator, quickly retaking the city of Rome is not just your idea alone, it is the urgent hope of our entire army!" Titus wasn't just comforting him, because what he said was also the truth.
"Now we all know… quickly retaking Rome is… an impossible thing to achieve…" Camillus sighed lightly, coughed a few times, and showed a hint of pain: "Attacking even Ostia… is so difficult… Then, what will happen when we really attack Rome?!"
Titus and Lucius couldn't refute, because it was the truth, so they remained silent.
At this moment, Camillus opened his eyes, which shone with brilliance: "Titus, do you still remember how we defeated the Celts back then?!… We attacked the Celtic's supply squads… attacked the raiding parties they sent out to attack other villages… One victory after another… allowed the Latins… Etruscans… and Sabines who had been ravaged by the Celts… to join us one after another… The team grew larger and larger like a snowball… while the Celts were forced to stay within the city of Rome… afraid to leave the city… Later, they were so afraid that they didn't dare to fight us head-on… and could only choose to retreat… but in the end, we still caught up and defeated them!"
Camillus's voice gradually became more and more forceful: "That war… I remember it lasted for more than half a year, and now, to deal with the powerful Daonians, we… we should also adopt this strategy. Only by persisting in a long-term battle with the Daonians… can we finally achieve victory!"
Titus was somewhat moved by what he heard, but he also felt a bit uneasy: "The Daonians are not Celts who only know how to burn, kill, and loot. They are more cunning than the Celts!"
"But… the Celts back then didn't have such powerful enemies as Carthage… and Samnium!" Camillus confidently replied.
Titus was persuaded and immediately said, "I will immediately convey your meaning to Quintus and the others…"
Although Quintus clearly opposed Camillus's decision, the Roman generals ultimately reached an agreement: the Etruscan army was allowed to leave, but they had to accompany the colonial soldiers and ensure their safe return home.
After this force left, the generals generously allowed the Latin allied forces to return to their respective city-states. These Latin allied generals did not leave in a hurry like the Etruscans, but rushed to the main tent to sincerely express to Camillus that as long as he summoned them, their city-states would be willing to continue fighting alongside Rome at any time to drive out the Daunian invaders!
Watching the troops fighting side-by-side leave one after another had a great impact on the Roman soldiers who remained in the camp. They inevitably became panicked, and the generals put in a lot of effort to barely quell the chaos in the camp.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The allied force of about 13,000 men, composed of Etruscans and Roman colonists, marched eastward and reached the territory of Crustumerium in the evening. After camping and resting for one night, they arrived at Fidenae in the afternoon of the next day and crossed the Tiber River via a pontoon bridge.
Just as they left the riverbank and prepared to advance further east into the mountains, they discovered that the Daunian army was already lined up in front of them, blocking their way. The panicked allied soldiers had no choice but to prepare for a desperate fight.
Just as the two armies were about to approach, the Etruscan armies of Volci and Tarquinii suddenly turned their shields and spears and launched an attack on the flank of the Roman colonial soldiers' formation.
The Roman soldiers did not expect their allies to betray them suddenly and were caught off guard, immediately falling into chaos.
The Daunian army took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack from the front, and the allied forces quickly collapsed.
Except for a very small number of Roman colonial soldiers who escaped across the Tiber River and hid in the city of Fidenae, most were captured. Soldiers from other Etruscan city-states also surrendered one after another, and the Daunian army won a great victory with almost no losses.
It turned out that Printorres had successfully led the mountain reconnaissance detachment in a night attack on the city of Caere, but a few Caeretans took advantage of the night to escape to the neighboring city of Tarquinii.
The Tarquinenses were shocked. The Daonians had captured the city overnight, and their powerful military force made them feel fear. Now, Tarquinii, lacking young adult citizens, was clearly unable to resist the Daunian army's continued attack. Therefore, Tarquinii sent people to urgently notify the neighboring Etruscan city-state of Volci, while also sending envoys to Caere to investigate.
After capturing Caere, Printorres immediately sent people back to Rome to report the victory to Davos.
Davos was overjoyed and immediately sent two cohorts of the Third Legion to garrison the city of Caere according to the pre-arranged plan.
When the Tarquinian envoys arrived at the city of Caere, Printorres was busy running around in circles. Not only did he have to quickly stabilize order within the city, but he also had to handle the complex affairs of the port in a timely manner, because King Davos repeatedly emphasized: In addition to detaining ships from Caere and Carthage, do not plunder or harm merchant ships from other city-states.
Regarding the arrival of the Tarquinian envoys, Printorres only told them that any proposals and requests could be discussed with His Majesty the King in Rome.
Seeing that the Daunian general who occupied the city of Caere did not speak harshly or even threaten them with force, the Tarquinian envoys felt a little relieved and actually went to Rome.
Soon after, the envoys from Volci also arrived.
Davos received them very friendly and expressed the Daunian Kingdom's desire to form an alliance with the Etruscan city-states to jointly resist the Romans.