With Kesselera's example fresh in their minds, the two envoys dared not be perfunctory again, and the two sides quickly began negotiations on the matter.
During this time, spurred on by Davos, messengers rode fast horses frequently between Rome and Volsci and Tarquinii, and the two sides quickly drafted a preliminary alliance agreement, the main contents of which were:
First, the Kingdom of Daonia would form a military alliance with Tarquinii and Volsci;
Second, Tarquinii and Volsci must respond to Daonia's requests and provide troops to fight against Daonia's enemies, and Daonia must also protect the territorial security of Tarquinii and Volsci;
Third, Volsci and Tarquinii recognize Daonia's legitimate occupation of Kesselera;
Fourth, Daonia must assist Tarquinii and Volsci in recovering Sulmo and Cosa, returning their territories to the original allied states, but the Roman citizens within the cities would belong to Daonia, and the allied soldiers must not plunder;
...
The alliance agreement had not yet been formally signed when these two Etruscan city-states, under Davos's urging, sent envoys to the Roman camp the next day, which led to this easy victory.
...
That day, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear and cloudless.
After experiencing war, slaughter, chaos, and weeping, the citizens of Rome had a rare bit of joy on their faces, and they dressed in finery, bringing their wives and daughters, gathering on both sides of the road from the arena to the forum, waiting for the start of the triumphal procession.
Among these people was Mecaelius, who, three days earlier, upon learning of Veii's fall, immediately fled the military camp along with many Veii soldiers.
Because the Roman army was busy blocking the departure of the Etruscans and other colonial city-state armies north of the Tiber, most of them escaped successfully, and many, like Mecaelius, ran directly to the walls of Rome and surrendered to the Daonians.
After confirming their identities, Daonian officials would transport the surrendered Roman nobles and their families by ship to the south, where the Thurii Registry Department would disperse and resettle them in various towns within the kingdom. As for the surrendered commoners, they would be asked whether they chose to live in Rome or Veii, and then resettled according to their choice. In fact, they would actively guide the commoners to choose Rome, because after the Roman nobles were cleared out, the entire city of Rome was more than half empty.
For Mecaelius, who had grown up in the city of Rome, he certainly wanted to return to Rome, because not only were there better houses here, but also more fertile land could be allocated (the Roman Senate, in order to limit Veii,
had allocated all the flat land along the river that originally belonged to Veii to Rome, leaving only the hills and mountains for the Roman citizens who moved to Veii to be allocated).
The Daonian officials not only helped him find his wife and children, but also told him that His Majesty King Davos had specially promulgated a law for these Romans who applied to become Daonian citizens: 'When the autumn harvest comes, they can first harvest the crops that originally belonged to their land, and then cultivate the new land.'
Davos's thoughtful measures indeed reassured many of the Roman commoners who had defected to Daonia.
Just as Mecaelius was busy moving, news spread throughout the city of Rome: the Daonians were preparing to hold a triumphal procession in Rome tomorrow!
This immediately caused a stir among the Roman citizens, after all, the triumphal procession was one of the most sacred ceremonies for Roman citizens. It was a ceremony for the Romans to show off their battle achievements and glory after defeating the enemy, so Mecaelius and the other Roman commoners were eager to know: did the Daonians know how to hold a triumphal procession? What attitude would the Daonians take towards the Romans in the triumphal procession? (Because in the past Roman triumphal processions, the captured enemies would always be paraded)...
Therefore, many Roman citizens gathered on the roadside with considerable doubts and complex expressions, waiting for the start of the ceremony.
"Woo!..." The military horn sounded long, followed by the simultaneous playing of drums and music, the stirring melody mixed with a bit of joy coming from the south of the city of Rome.
Listening to the music, the people on the roadside couldn't help but shake their heads and sway to the strange and beautiful melody. Some even exclaimed that the music was beautiful, asking the people around them for the name, but no one knew.
After a while, the people on the south side of the city first stirred, shouting loudly: "They're coming! They're coming!!..."
The people on the roadside began to surge forward, but were stopped by the Daonian soldiers standing on the roadside and holding hands to maintain order.
Mecaelius picked up his five-year-old child, stood on tiptoe, and looked south, only to see a golden banner shining brightly in the center of the road in the south, being held high in the air, heading towards them...
When he got closer, Mecaelius could see clearly that on the high-flying black flag was drawn a silver double-pronged fork topped with a golden crown, surrounded by gems, and entwined with black hair, and the top of the flag was a statue of a majestic Greek deity.
Is this the military flag of the Kingdom of Daonia?! Mecaelius looked up at it. He had gone directly to attack Ostia after returning from Hernici with the Roman army, and had not seen what the Daonian military flag actually looked like before surrendering.
This time, he looked very carefully, because he knew that he would be fighting under the command of this flag in the future.
The Roman citizens on both sides of the road curiously sized up the soldier holding the flag. Although he was not very tall and burly, he was agile, muscular, and had several scars on his face, making him look quite fierce.
The Roman citizens would certainly not know that in the Daonian triumphal procession, those who could hold the military flag were the most valiant and outstanding soldiers in the war. For a Daonian citizen, this was the highest honor, and also the focus of attention of the Daonian people. After all, there was only one person holding the military flag, while there were several generals riding in chariots.
Not a single Roman citizen watching from the sidelines cheered or threw flowers at the soldier holding the flag. This may have made Terentius feel a little regretful, but he was still full of pride, because he was the first mountain reconnaissance squad soldier to hold the military flag in a triumphal procession since the establishment of Daonia. First, he risked sneaking into the Roman city's underground waterway, making the first contribution, and then he was the first to climb the city wall during the night attack on Kesselera, continuously cutting down five or six Kesselera soldiers who discovered the situation and came to intercept him, winning time for the entire operation. Therefore, when selecting the flag bearer for the triumphal procession, he was undoubtedly elected.
Following closely behind him were ten soldiers, holding up ten flags. Because there were too many flags and the road was not wide enough, they were forced to line up in two rows. These flags belonged to the First Legion, Second Legion, Third Legion, Fourth Legion, Fifth Legion, Sixth Legion, First Cavalry Legion, Second Cavalry Legion, and this time also included the squad flag of the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade. This special unit with a strength of only 1,000 people had played an extremely important role in this war, and of course the casualties were not small. Davos certainly wanted to commend it greatly to make up for the neglect of its military honor over the years.
Now holding this Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade squad flag was a company commander, Crigolas. Although he did not perform very prominently in this battle as a squad officer, he had performed well in previous battles over the past ten years.
There was also a flag that was...
The Roman citizens on the roadside, upon seeing this flag and the soldier holding it, couldn't help but exclaim: "It's Valerius! It's actually Valerius!"
But more Roman citizens, like Mecaelius, looked at the only red flag with complex expressions.
The soldier holding this flag, Valerius, was still dressed in the attire of a Roman heavy infantryman. As a member of the newly formed Roman Reserve Battalion, he performed bravely in the surprise attack on Veii three days ago and became the representative of the Roman Reserve Battalion. Of course, his performance was far inferior to that of other legion flag bearers, but what Davos needed was the political significance he represented.
But obviously, this Roman commoner had not yet adapted to such an atmosphere, and was a little timid, not even nodding to the people who recognized him, unlike the other flag bearers who were high-spirited and proud.
And after the flag bearers, what appeared before Mecaelius and the other citizens was another statue of a deity, carried by four Daonian priests in white robes, walking solemnly in the procession.
Many Roman citizens whispered, asking: who is this Greek deity?
Those who knew the situation told them: that is the patron saint of the Kingdom of Daonia - Hades, the King of the Underworld.
Hearing this, the discussion among the people on the roadside actually quieted down a bit, because they realized that after joining the Kingdom of Daonia, they would inevitably have to deal with this powerful Greek deity.
And after the Daonian priests passed, another statue of a deity appeared before Mecaelius and the other citizens.
"It's the goddess Diana!!" Someone shouted excitedly.
The Daonians placed the statue of the goddess Diana, who was widely worshiped by the Roman commoners, behind their patron saint, which showed their importance to the deities worshiped by the Roman commoners. This made Mecaelius and the others breathe a sigh of relief. They even saw the chief priest of the Temple of Diana among the priests carrying the statue.
This chief priest looked solemn, but was indeed very happy in his heart, because Cardias, the priest in charge of the Temple of Hades, had already had secret talks with him: after Rome was incorporated into the Kingdom of Daonia, the Temple of Hades would focus on supporting the Temple of Diana as one of the main temples worshiped by the Romans who were already Daonian citizens, and the Temple of Diana would also become a place where Daonian citizens of other races could freely worship.
Cardias's promise made the chief priest of the Temple of Diana feel excited. It should be known that although the Temple of Diana in the city of Rome was very popular among the Latin commoners in the past, it was not very valued by the Senate, and could not enter the Capitoline Hill to enjoy the sacrifices of the entire city-state during important festivals. And Daonia obviously did not favor Jupiter and Juno, who were somewhat similar to the Greek main gods, but wanted to focus on supporting Diana. Letting them walk in the grand triumphal procession today was a start, which made the chief priest full of expectations for the future.
Of course, he didn't forget to return the favor. In the past few days, he had been leading the priests to subtly promote the benefits of joining the Kingdom of Daonia to the Roman people who came to worship at the Temple of Diana, dispelling their confusion and anxiety about the future.
Following the priests was the band. Dozens of musicians with various instruments such as copper horns, drums, flutes, and lyres marched and played music.
The beautiful melody attracted the audience on the roadside. Some couldn't help but curiously ask in Greek, "What is the name of this piece of music?"
"It's called the Victory March!" a musician responded loudly.
Thus, the name "Victory March" quickly spread among the people along the road. Even the most critical Romans had to admit: "Daonia is indeed a great power. They even created such a beautiful piece of music specifically for the triumphal ceremony. This melody is perfect for a triumph!"
Behind the band, a chariot appeared, pulled by a pair of horses, but they were of mixed colors (because there were not enough black horses in the city of Rome). Standing on the chariot was a Daonian general in full military attire.
The Roman people neither recognized him nor applauded.
Of course, such a cold scene left Amyntas in no mood to smile and wave to the people by the roadside as usual. He even felt that holding a triumph in Rome was a mistake in the first place, so he kept a straight face.
Behind him were 200 soldiers drawn from the First Legion. They marched in neat ranks, their uniform steps and imposing military appearance reminded the Roman civilians of the arduous battles they had suffered a few days ago. They silently watched the soldiers pass by.
Then, they were surprised to see another chariot carrying another Daonian general drive past, and the Roman people were immediately amazed.
When the soldiers of the Second Legion passed by, and another Daonian general in a chariot passed by, the Roman people were all confused: Isn't the highest honor given to the victorious general in a triumph? But why are there so many generals riding in chariots in Daonia's triumph?! Moreover, none of the generals had attendants holding laurel wreaths above their heads and whispering in their ears, 'You are just a mortal!' Is this the most significant difference between the Daonian triumph and the Roman triumph?!
Mykellius and the others fell into thought.
Just as one Daonian general after another led teams of Daonian soldiers past the silent gaze of the Roman people, a cry of surprise suddenly erupted from the crowd.
It turned out that most of the Roman people recognized the next general who appeared before them—Sextus of Lavinium! This former young Roman commoner actually appeared in the grand triumph and as one of the protagonists. How could this not surprise the Roman commoners!
Every Roman citizen had a dream of participating in a triumph, but for the Roman commoners, this was a luxury. On the one hand, it was difficult for them to become the leading general, and on the other hand, the Senate would not approve a triumph for them. But now Sextus had set a precedent. Although this was a triumph held by the Kingdom of Daonia, it gave them hope and made them even more confident in the promise made by Davos in the square that day.
Of course, Mykellius and the others had more complicated feelings about this.
"Sextus, the traitor! He became a hero of the Daonians by slaughtering his own Roman compatriots. Isn't he afraid of Jupiter's punishment?!" a Roman commoner from Veii cursed.
As soon as he finished speaking, another commoner next to him loudly defended: "You should thank Sextus! He led the army to capture Veii and maintained the discipline of the soldiers very well. There was no looting or killing in the city.
Not many people died in Veii, so you can still see your relatives when you come back. Think about it, if the Daonians had attacked Veii, I'm afraid the situation would not have been much better than when we captured Ostia before. You would only be crying now!"
Mykellius had to admit this, but he couldn't help but retort: "Has Sextus ever served as a consul or military tribune?! Has he ever commanded an army to win a great victory of more than 5,000 people?! Has he ever made the soldiers of the entire army cheer for him because of victory?! What qualifications does Sextus have to ride in a chariot in a triumph!"
"What you said is really funny! Friend, see clearly, this is the triumph of the Kingdom of Daonia, not the triumph of Rome. Why should it be carried out according to the original rules of Rome! Sextus is the hero of Lavinium, the hero of the Roman commoners! He deserves this honor!"
These words from someone who may have been Sextus's neighbor resonated with many commoners. They spoke out one after another to defend Sextus and the Roman soldiers behind him, and accused Mykellius and the others of being jealous.
The commoners of Rome had the advantage in numbers, and the people from Veii did not dare to refute any more. Mykellius subconsciously hugged his child, but he heard his son pointing at Sextus in the chariot and saying loudly, "Dad, I want to see you standing in a chariot too!"
Mykellius was agitated for a moment. He admitted that he had indeed been a little jealous before: Sextus had become the protagonist of the triumph at such a young age, while he was almost 30 years old and had not achieved much. It was inevitable that his emotions were somewhat unbalanced. But now that he had joined the Kingdom of Daonia, the situation in the future might be different! They were both commoners, Sextus could do it, why couldn't I!
Thinking of this, he pinched his child's foot and said confidently, "Child, you will see that day!"
At this moment, I don't know how many Roman commoners made up their minds like Mykellius.
A unique scene appeared at this triumph: when the other Daonian generals and their troops passed by, both sides of the road were silent; Sextus and the 200 Roman commoner soldiers were always surrounded by cheers, as if this triumph was held specifically for them.
Although Sextus was more mature than his peers, he could not help but be high-spirited in such an occasion, and frequently waved to his compatriots on the sidelines.
As his chariot passed under the triumphal arch, he looked up at the white archway, which was somewhat mottled due to years of disrepair. His mind was a little dazed, and a trace of worry suddenly surged in his heart, fearing that this was just a dream…
When Sextus entered the Roman Forum, the cheers here were even more deafening. Countless Roman people excitedly waved their arms and shouted the names of their relatives. The interaction inside and outside the venue was even more lively.
Davos not only invited most of the families of the Roman reserve troops to the square, but also invited the personnel who came to Rome with the Daonian army to transport supplies, the engineering battalion, the medical battalion, and the personnel from various chambers of commerce to the square as spectators. This was also an honor for them, because in Thurii, most of them would probably have difficulty entering Victory Square during the triumph. Therefore, the cheers here were not only directed at the soldiers of the Roman reserve team. The soldiers of the Daonian legions finally felt the glory of the triumph, and smiles appeared on their faces.
Of course, the greater honor for them came from the recognition of King Davos on the platform in front.
Under the gaze of the soldiers, Davos, standing on the platform in front of the Senate, looked at the standard bearer of the Daonian military flag who came forward with a smile and jokingly said, "Telentus, you have raised the standard for the selection of standard bearers at future triumphs to a higher level!"
This was Davos's euphemistic praise for Telentus. Who knew that he would not be humble at all after hearing it and said in a simple and honest manner: "Your Majesty, I can do better."
Davos then smiled and said: "Good! This is what an excellent mountain reconnaissance battalion soldier should say!" After speaking, he personally pinned the three-headed dog gold medal on Telentus, then grabbed Telentus's hand and raised it high, facing the soldiers below the stage.
The Daonian soldiers were cheering loudly, and the Roman soldiers were also shouting. It was not entirely following the crowd, but when they saw this scene that was completely different from the Roman triumph, they all realized that the Daonian triumph was not only related to the commanding general, but also ordinary soldiers like them could gain great honor through their own efforts.
Davos then pinned medals on the other standard bearers. When it was the Roman soldier Valerius's turn, Davos specially explained the origin of the three-headed dog on the medal to him in a kind and gentle manner.
After listening to the translator's translation, Valerius stroked the silver medal on his chest with affection. This landless Roman commoner, who was already in his thirties but had not yet married due to poverty, stammered and asked: "This… is this thing worth… how much land?"
Davos laughed after hearing the translation: "This medal is your glory, keep it safe! Being a standard bearer at the triumph can at least get you three more acres of land after this war. Make more contributions, and the land you will own in the future will only become more and more!"
Valerius's eyes lit up after hearing this.
Facing the First Legion Commander Amyntas, Davos said in a deep voice: "You have worked hard!"
Amyntas took the silver scepter and said in a complicated mood in a low voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Originally, his achievements in defeating the Roman army outside the city of Ostia, ensuring the landing of the army, resisting the Roman army's strong attack on Ostia, and defeating the Roman coalition forces upstream of the Tiber River… seemed to make him the true protagonist of this triumph. He had heard that Davos had this proposal at the triumph preparation meeting, but it was opposed by a group of young staff officers from the Ministry of Military Affairs, and it ended up like this.
Amyntas knew very well that they were right. According to the "Military Law", only commanders who independently commanded the army to win a great victory could ride in a four-horse chariot at the triumph, overpowering all the generals and gaining the highest honor. And the real commander of this war was King Davos, and all his victories came from Davos's planning, but he still had unwillingness in his heart.
Davos expressed his gratitude to each of the legion commanders who came to the stage. When it was the turn of Olivos, the commander of the Fourth Legion, he looked down at the silver scepter, examining its shape, length, and differences from the past, and joked, "Your Majesty, since the drought, our national treasury has been tight. I was worried that there would be no reward to receive at the triumphal ceremony."
Davos replied with a serious face, "Rome has enough gold and silver, and also very good craftsmen. Of course, if you are so concerned about the national treasury, you can donate it to the Ministry of Finance!"
"The Ministry of Finance doesn't care about this little piece of silver," Olivos said with a smile, but he held the scepter tightly in his hand.
Sextus stood with the legion commanders on the platform, listening to the thunderous cheers of the soldiers and civilians below, feeling both excited and nervous.
Davos came to him, smiling sincerely, and said, "Sextus, thank you for your contributions to the Kingdom of Daonia! I am very pleased that the kingdom can have such an outstanding citizen like you!"
Davos said, handing him the silver scepter.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Sextus expressed his gratitude excitedly, then carefully took the scepter, looking at it again and again, quite fond of it.
"I look forward to the day when a triumphal ceremony is held for you!" Davos encouraged him again.
Davos's words and the scene filled Sextus with enthusiasm. He imitated the other legion commanders, bringing his feet together, holding the scepter in his right hand, and forcefully striking his left chest, performing a standard Daonian military salute.
"Your Majesty!" The last general to come to the stage preemptively gave Davos a military salute.
When Davos saw him, a trace of apology appeared on his face: "Izam, this scepter should have been given to you long ago!"
Izam was also straightforward: "As long as Your Majesty can often remember our Mountain Scout Brigade in the future, the previous neglect of our Mountain Brigade will be forgiven."
Davos laughed and handed him the scepter.
Izam waved the scepter in his hand towards the direction where the Mountain Brigade soldiers were standing below the stage. Seeing the soldiers cheer, he said to Davos, "This honor belongs to all the soldiers of our entire Mountain Scout Brigade. However, I think Printols is more suitable than me to sit in the chariot."
Davos said lightly, "I remember Printols's achievements, so don't worry about him anymore."
After the generals and soldiers on the platform accepted the cheers from the square, Davos walked to the front of the stage. Half of the 20 announcers behind him were Latins who were proficient in Greek.
Davos shouted loudly, "Whether you are soldiers of the Daoniac Legion or Roman soldiers who have newly joined Daonia, it is because of your brave fighting and successive victories that today's triumphal ceremony is being held! The kingdom thanks you, brave Daonian citizens!"
"Long live!!! Long live!!! Long live!!!..." Continuous cheers erupted from the square.
"We have traveled a long distance to Latinium to fight bloody battles, mainly to make this place the same as other regions of Daonia, where every citizen can own land, every citizen can enjoy equal rights, and every citizen can live a good life with their families! To achieve this goal, you have made great sacrifices, and this war is far from over. More sacrifices will be made in the future. Daonian citizens, are you afraid?! Will you shrink back?!"
"No!!! No!!! No!!!..."
Davos nodded.
He shouted with passionate emotion, "As long as we unite and cooperate, and are not afraid of challenges, any enemy will be crushed by us, and Rome will surely become a peaceful and prosperous place like Southern Italy! At that time, your achievements will be engraved on stone tablets, written into history books, for the people to admire! And you will also receive the most generous rewards from the kingdom!"
Speaking of this, Davos couldn't help but shout, "Long live, the warriors of Daonia!"
The excited soldiers immediately responded with continuous cheers, including many Roman common soldiers: "Long live the Kingdom of Daonia!!!..."
"Long live His Majesty King Davos!!!..."
... ...
This cheering echoed in the Roman city, making countless noble families pale in comparison, and also making Stolo, who was leaning on a cane and looking at the square from the window, look solemn.
At this moment, his wife, Conia, came over and hugged him tightly.
Feeling her body tremble slightly, Stolo knew that his wife was afraid: These days, she had been worried that she would be like other Roman noble men, being escorted onto a ship by Daonian soldiers and sent to some strange place, leaving her alone in this city full of hostility...
Not only did his wife think so, but even Stolo himself had once thought that he would be arrested by Daonian soldiers and sent elsewhere. Because after the assassination at the temple, some people who resisted Daonia were arrested one after another. As one of the planners, he thought he would suffer the same fate. Although the number of patrols by those soldiers in his neighborhood had increased, no one had ever broken into his mansion.
While becoming cautious and no longer interacting with others, Stolo had also been thinking: Why is this happening?
Of course, he would not know that Davos had a considerable interest and respect for him because he was a well-known historical figure.
He believed that the Daonians must know of his special background and were waiting for him to take the initiative to surrender like other Roman commoners.
But he would not surrender, because his father-in-law was still defending on Capitoline Hill, and his father was fighting outside the city of Rome. If he surrendered, where would he place several relatives!
"Stolo, there have been rumors in the city these days that our army has... been defeated. Is this true?!" Conia asked with a trembling voice.
Stolo came back to his senses and immediately comforted her, "That is an army of 70,000 people, much larger than the Daonian army, and led by the dictator Camillus himself. Even if there are one or two failures, it will not have much impact on the entire army! This is just a rumor, trying to shake our confidence and make us surrender..."
"But..." Conia was still worried: "The rumors that Veii and Caesarea have been occupied should be true. I have seen quite a few Veii people passing by the door these past two days."
"Even if Veii and Caesarea are really occupied by the Daonians, there is nothing to worry about." Stolo continued to comfort his wife: "The Celts occupied even more towns back then, but weren't they eventually driven back by us! As long as our army is still there, and Lord Camillus is still there, we will definitely be able to... eventually drive away the Daonians!"
Speaking of this, Stolo quickly changed the subject: "What are we having for lunch today? I'm a little hungry."
"Since the granary and cellar at home were plundered by the damned Daonians, what good food can there be! Every day, we only get a little flour and a few dry fruits distributed according to the number of people..." Conia said loudly, her resentment towards the Daonians overflowing.
"By the way, this morning, those Daonians sent a few river fish over. At least we saw some meat, but the fishy smell of this river fish is too strong. If it's not cooked well, it can't be eaten. I have to go to the kitchen and tell the servants..." Conia said, and hurriedly walked out of the room.
Stolo's face returned to solemnity again, and he gazed out the window.
The triumphal ceremony ended, and the Roman people who had dispersed from the square were returning to their new homes in groups. Caelian Hill was the area where the most Roman commoners were settled. The people were fiercely discussing the triumphal ceremony they had just watched. The sound was so loud that even Stolo, who lived on the hillside, could hear it clearly. Whether they were arguing about the differences between the two triumphal ceremonies, lamenting that Sextus and Valerius had become one of the protagonists of the triumphal ceremony, or discussing the Daonian king's speech at the triumphal ceremony... Stolo heard the same emotion from these words—excitement.
Compared to the occupation of the city of Rome and the defeat of the army, this was what worried him the most—the Roman commoners were recognizing the Kingdom of Daonia.
"Turning Rome into a fair, prosperous, and peaceful city?!..." Stolo whispered these words: This was the ambition he had set after adulthood, but he knew how difficult it was to achieve this goal. However, now the enemies of Rome are using these to win the recognition of the Roman commoners. This is something that the barbaric Celts could never have imagined! High-ranking senators, do you know that what you have been trying to prevent is now becoming a sharp weapon piercing your chests!
Stolo looked at the outline of Capitoline Hill in the far southeast, and slammed his fist on the windowsill in annoyance.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
At this time, the Roman senators, like Stolo, were looking at the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hill. Because Capitoline Hill was the highest point in the city and not too far from the Roman Forum, they could see it more clearly, and even vaguely see the priests, statues, bands, generals riding chariots, and soldiers marching in formation in the procession...
Although they could not hear the sound, the Roman senators, who knew more about the Kingdom of Daonia, knew what the Daonians were doing: They were actually holding a triumphal ceremony in the city of Rome!
What made them even more angry was that they saw that among the soldiers participating in the triumphal ceremony, there was a general wearing Roman armor and many Roman soldiers. Moreover, by the end, they could hear Latin shouts mixed in with the earth-shattering cheers from the square. Therefore, before the triumphal ceremony in the square ended, many senators had already silently left the top of the cliff.
The only thing the senators felt fortunate about was that they had sent soldiers to block this area, which had the clearest view of the Roman Forum, several days ago, prohibiting any civilians from entering.
Why was this the case? The reason was simple: the Romans, led by the Senate and the nobility, retreated to Capitoline Hill. Although the Daonian army only blockaded them and did not attack, they often sent people to shout at the hill, such as, "Your army that went on a distant expedition to the Hernici ambushed the city of Rome and was repelled... Caesrela and Veii have been captured... Camillus's Roman army was defeated at Ostia..."
At first, only a few Latins were shouting, but later, many Roman civilians familiar to the people on the hill joined the ranks. They would add other content to their shouts, such as, "We have moved into your comfortable homes... We now own your land..."
Despite the senators repeatedly refuting: "These are all lies, tricks of the Daonians, trying to create chaos among us!"
However, the people on the hill, listening to the shouts from below and seeing many people in Roman civilian clothes chatting seemingly amicably with the black-helmeted, black-armored Daonian soldiers in the square during the day, and then leaving with large packages (actually Roman civilians applying to become Daonian citizens and receiving food rations from the square every day), could not help but become suspicious. Coupled with the difficulties on the hill, some chaos ensued.
Therefore, the senators finally ordered the blockade of the cliff area with a clear view of the square.
In the dimly lit rear hall of the Temple of Jupiter, hundreds of Roman senators who had just watched the triumphal procession in the square from the cliff top sat around with solemn expressions, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.
"Cough! Cough!..." Portitus's cough was particularly clear in this silent space, drawing everyone's attention to him, but he was only coughing because of physical weakness and had no desire to speak first.
After a while, Ambustus, the administrator of Capitoline Hill temporarily appointed by the Senate, broke the silence: "Fathers and newly appointed members, I would like to remind you that although the people cannot see the situation in the square today, they can hear the shouts from the square. I think this will cause them great distress, so I hope everyone will take care of their families and clients after returning! Scipio, you must also be vigilant and have the soldiers maintain order!"
"I have already increased the number of soldiers, so rest assured," Scipio replied.
"Hey!" Appuleius suddenly shouted. Seeing everyone staring at him in astonishment, he stood up and shouted loudly, "We have been on the hill for almost ten days! Ten days! Why haven't we seen our army come to attack the city?! Is it really as the Daonians say, that Camillus's army has been defeated by the Ionians?!"
Many senators shuddered involuntarily upon hearing this, as this was the question they feared mentioning the most.
"Cough, cough... There are 70,000 troops outside the city, and Camillus is the commander, with so many Latin allies and colonial cities supporting us. How could they suffer a crushing defeat!" Portitus tried to reassure everyone.
Since ascending the hill, Appuleius had been warned by Marrucinensis, in order to unite against the enemy, "Do not recklessly criticize the dictator when facing danger, causing unnecessary panic." But the long-term pressure finally made Appuleius erupt again: "If Camillus's army has not been defeated, then where are they?! Could it be that they have fled?!"
Marrucinensis immediately shouted loudly, "Don't talk nonsense! Do not believe the enemy's rumors that 'our army has been defeated at Ostia,' but this rumor also tells us one thing: Camillus may be leading the army to attack Ostia!"
Senators with rich war experience, led by Portitus, Marrucinensis, and Scipio, had of course made reasonable speculations about the reasons why Camillus had not attacked the city for a long time.
Previously, many senators had accepted this explanation.
But at this moment, Appuleius still insisted: "Why attack Ostia instead of directly attacking Rome?! Is Camillus confused, thinking that we Romans all live in the small city of Ostia?!"
"Rome has high walls and strong defenses, making it less easy to attack than Ostia. Camillus is likely trying to weaken the Daonian forces by attacking Ostia, blockading them inland, forcing them to come out of the city for a decisive battle, or choosing to cease hostilities... Appuleius, I have already explained these words once yesterday, don't make me say them a second time!" Marrucinensis's sharp gaze stared directly at Appuleius. The fact that the person he had personally supported had suddenly become somewhat disobedient filled his eyes with anger.
Appuleius wisely stopped talking.
However, someone else raised a question: "Camillus's attack on Ostia may be the right strategy, but we have all heard what the enemy said, 'Veii and Caesrela have been captured by them.' Yesterday they also said, 'Sulmo and Cosa have also surrendered to them, and even our ally, the Etruscans, have formed an alliance with them'... If these are all true, even if we retake Ostia, I'm afraid it won't do much good."
These words immediately caused the senators to whisper among themselves.
Seeing that the speaker was Lucretius, Marrucinensis secretly hated that this old fellow was stirring up trouble by openly raising a topic that everyone was very worried about. Was he losing his mind?! But he was still wary of an old man who had been in the Senate for decades, so he said perfunctorily, "I said these are all lies of the enemy, and we don't need to believe them."
"Why not send someone down the mountain to scout? Just like Pantheus back then! If we can confirm that these are all lies of the enemy, we and the people will be relieved."
Marrucinensis finally couldn't help it and said angrily, "Lucretius, you only worship Jupiter and sleep every day. Have you seriously attended meetings and participated in any affairs?! Scipio, tell him what we have done?!"
"So far, we have sent out five warriors to sneak down the mountain to gather information, but they have not returned to this day," Scipio said solemnly. "When the Celts occupied Rome, their discipline was lax, and the blockade of Capitoline Hill was not strict. But the Daonians... You can tell by looking at the camps they have built at the foot of the mountain that it is very difficult to sneak past."
"Alright, Camillus, as the dictator of Rome, will definitely do his best to defeat the Daonians, just like he defeated the Celts back then!" Ambustus interjected to avoid Lucretius being too embarrassed and causing an argument. "Let's first concern ourselves with important issues related to us! Our food is only enough for 20 days. If Camillus fails to retake Rome within 20 days, we will starve.
Also, there is the issue of drinking water. Although there is a small spring on the hillside not far from the Temple of Juno, it is not enough for more than 5,000 people to drink. Fortunately, the rainy season has just passed, and there have been several rains in the past ten days. Many temples have stored a lot of water, but if it doesn't rain for five or six consecutive days, it will be very difficult for everyone to have enough water to drink...
There is also the issue of disease. We rushed up the mountain and didn't bring much herbs. The people are crowded on the mountain, not eating well, not sleeping well, and feeling unhappy. Some people are sick and cannot get good treatment, so they cannot recover..."
Ambustus's words made the senators even more worried.
"Alas!" Portitus sighed, "When the Celts invaded, there were only a few hundred of us who retreated here, but now the number is more than ten times that, so the consumption of materials is naturally much greater..."
"Are we going to drive too many people down Capitoline Hill?!" one senator asked anxiously.
This caused an uproar in the temple.
Ambustus quickly said, "We don't need to do that! What I mean is... we must strictly control the consumption of food and water, and also prevent the occurrence of epidemics, so as to hold out on the mountain for a longer time, hold out until Camillus leads the soldiers to defeat the Daonians and retake Rome..."
Before the senators could begin to discuss, a person stood up from the crowd and said loudly, "Fathers and newly appointed members, I have doubts about whether Camillus can retake Rome! You all saw the Daonians' triumphal procession just now. So many Roman civilians joined in their triumphal celebration. What does this mean?! The civilians of Rome are betraying us and turning to support the invading Daonians! With the support of those civilians, the Daonians will have more soldiers to defend Rome. How can Camillus lead an army to—"
"Nonsense!" Marrucinensis shouted loudly, glaring fiercely at the speaker, "Appuleius, have you gone mad?!"
Appuleius was also going all out at this moment: "I'm not mad, my head is very clear, and you are also very clear, but you are all escaping! When Rome fell, so many people were trapped in the city. In the first few days, we could still see and hear the sounds of fighting in the city on the mountain, and even fires and smoke... But what about now! How many days have we not heard the sounds of fighting? On the contrary, the square is becoming more and more lively. I'm afraid the Daonians have completely—"
"Guards! Guards! Take him down and lock him up!" Marrucinensis roared in exasperation.
Scipio hesitated for a moment, after all, this violated the Senate's regulations, but seeing that Portitus, Ambustus, Lucretius, and many other respected senators were nodding, he immediately called the guards.
Appius was dragged out by the guards, still struggling and shouting: "Don't deceive yourselves anymore, Rome is finished! It's all Camillus's fault! Jupiter above, save Rome! It's all Camillus's fault…"
After Appius was escorted out, the temple was silent. Some people clenched their clothes tightly, their eyes hiding fear; others looked down at the ground, trying to conceal their reddened eyes…
Potitus and Marrucinensis exchanged a glance, a sense of powerlessness rising in their hearts, but they suppressed this negative emotion, and Potitus said softly: "Ambustus, please continue with your agenda from just now."
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
After the triumphal ceremony, Davos prepared to convene a military meeting to discuss the next step in the army's offensive plan, but before the meeting began, he first received someone.
"Sit down, Publius."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Publius's attitude was respectful, and his address was fluent.
Publius was not like the senators on Capitoline Hill. In recent days, he had personally witnessed the submission of the common people in Rome, the large-scale return of common soldiers, and had also learned from the Veientines and Etruscan city-state envoys who had come to Rome that Veii and Caisra had indeed been captured by Daonia, and several Etruscan city-states had allied with Daonia. Then, Sulmo and Cosa also surrendered one after another… He even learned that the Roman army that had fought in Ostia had also been disbanded in the end.
As the head of a large Roman clan, he had keenly realized that the Daonians had gained a firm foothold in the Latium region, and it would be difficult for Camillus and the others to recapture Rome.
Emotionally, this made him somewhat frustrated, but for the Manlius clan, which had been forced to join the Daonian side, this was good news.
So, at this moment, in Davos's eyes, Publius was sitting very properly, posing as if he was listening respectfully.
Having somewhat grasped Publius's state of mind at this time, Davos smiled slightly in his heart and said: "I heard from the Roman Administrator Aeschylus that you have been actively assisting the city hall during this period, making Daonia's governance of Rome more targeted, more efficient, and smoother."
"Lord Aeschylus is too kind to me. I only made a few suggestions, after all, I know Rome relatively well," Publius said modestly.
Davos looked at him and suddenly said bluntly: "I think that as the head of the Manlius clan and a Roman senator, whether it is your understanding of this area or your ability to handle government affairs, you are far superior to Valerius, but he is now the Deputy Administrator of Rome, while you are being idle. Do you feel unwilling?"
Publius's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said: "Your Majesty, my family and I are just your prisoners. We are already very grateful to be forgiven by you. How dare we hope for anything else!"
"You have already joined the Daonian Kingdom and are becoming a Daonian citizen. I think with your shrewdness, you should have understood Daonia's political system these days," Davos said, tapping the table lightly with his hand, looking at him. "The Daonian Senate gathers elites from various cities and races of Daonia. They can assist me in the Senate to formulate the laws and decisions of the entire kingdom, and they can also serve as the highest administrative officials of a city or even a region, managing the administrative affairs of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people alone. While they are fully dedicated to the kingdom, they are also trying to protect the rights and interests of the regions and races they come from. Such a large city as Rome needs to be incorporated into the kingdom. Of course, it also needs elites who can represent the Roman people to enter the Senate and speak out for their rights…"
"Your Majesty…" Publius was moved.
He knew that Davos said this to him because he must have expectations of him, so he boldly asked: "What does it take to become a Daonian senator?"
"First of all, put down the airs of your Roman aristocrat. No matter what administrative position you hold, do your best to serve the common people in the city and win their approval… I think with the foundation laid by Marcus, this is still very easy for you to achieve," Davos said seriously. "Secondly, you have to make enough contributions to the kingdom in order to gain the approval of the Daonian senators, so that when you are recommended, at least you will not be opposed by most of the senators."
After listening, Publius immediately took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, if you want me to do anything, please give the order, and I will do my best to complete it!"
Sure enough, he is a smart man! Davos met the other party's eager gaze and said in a deep voice: "Now there is a very important thing that needs you to seize the time to do. The Etruscan city-states have allied with us, and the Roman colonies in the north have been completely cleared, and our north is already safe. Although the army led by Camillus has been disbanded, he still has the support of quite a few soldiers and Latin allies. I don't intend to fight them head-on for the time being.
ァnewヤ~⑧~1~Chinese website ω ω ω . χ ~ ⒏ ~ 1z щ . c ò м
I need to send an envoy, while the Roman army is still resting in Satricum to the southwest, to go to the various Latin city-states to the south, and try to persuade them to break away from the Latin League, sever ties with Rome, and ally with the kingdom, so as to further weaken the power of the remaining Roman army…"
Davos had sent envoys before, but the effect was not good. The Latin city-states were still full of distrust of the foreign Daonians, just like the Etruscan city-states before, so Davos brought Publius here.
Over the years, Rome has maintained a strong position in the Latium region. The Latin city-states rely on it, and their high-level officials often have contacts with these large Roman clans, and some have even become relatives.
Publius pondered for a while in his heart and asked: "What are the negotiation conditions?"
It seems that there is hope! Davos pretended to ponder, and only replied after a while: "Our alliance treaty with the Etruscan city-states can be used as a model. Heniochus, you will show Publius the contents of the alliance agreement later."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Heniochus, who was on the side, immediately responded.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to be an envoy to the Latin city-states in the south," Publius said without hesitation.
"Very good!" Davos smiled: "With you as an envoy, I believe that the negotiations with the Latin city-states will go much smoother. Let's set off tomorrow. If there is anything you need to prepare before the mission, you can tell Heniochus and let him help you solve it."
Heniochus immediately nodded to Publius.
Publius also quickly gave Heniochus a friendly smile.
"There is one more thing," Davos continued: "When we entered Rome, some remnants of the Roman aristocracy occupied Capitoline Hill. We have not attacked it until now, mainly because we were busy stabilizing the order in the city at that time, and at the same time we had to take care of the emotions of the people in the city (in fact, the main reason was that Davos wanted to keep the enemies on Capitoline Hill to attract Camillus's army to forcibly attack Rome, but Camillus did not fall for it, and his army was eventually disintegrated, and its remnants retreated to Satricum to rest, and judging from its situation, it could no longer threaten Rome in a short time).
Now that the city of Rome has stabilized, taking Capitoline Hill can save our troops and better manage the city. In fact, it is not because our Daonian army is unable to attack. Capitoline Hill is densely populated. I only need to order the soldiers to use crossbows to continuously throw burning tar cans at the top of the mountain, which can cause countless deaths and injuries…"
Davos spoke in a calm tone, but it made Publius's hair stand on end. He had seen the terrible scene of crossbows attacking the city on the western city wall before, and he had no doubt about its power. He was hesitating whether to dissuade Davos.
But he heard Davos sigh and say in a compassionate tone: "I heard that there are many women and children on the mountain, and there are also many temples… Therefore, this is the last resort. I plan to send an envoy to the mountain to persuade them to surrender."
Davos said here, but his eyes were looking at Publius.
Publius hesitated for a moment, and asked boldly: "Your Majesty, if these people on the mountain surrender… how will they be dealt with?"
Davos knew what he was worried about: Because after Daonia captured Roman nobles before, they were mainly imprisoned, deported from Rome, and became slaves… If this method of disposal is followed, it is impossible for the Romans on the mountain to surrender, because most of them are Roman senators and nobles.
Davos smiled, tapped the back of the chair lightly with his hand, and said: "I can guarantee to you that as long as they are willing to surrender and become Daonian citizens, although they will be sent away from Rome, they will no longer be demoted to slaves, but will be scattered and resettled in other territories of Daonia, enjoying the same rights as other citizens of the kingdom."
Publius fell into thought, he was still a little hesitant.
At this time, Davos said again: "If you become a Daonian senator, your direct family will be allowed to stay in Rome. Think about it, this may be the only Roman family left here!"
Publius was moved again: "Your Majesty… can you allow me to persuade them to surrender after I have been an envoy to the Latin city-states?"
Publius said this because he had his own considerations. He knew very well that the senators and nobles on Capitoline Hill were the most determined group of people to resist, and they would never surrender easily. Letting them be trapped on the mountain for a few more days might reduce the difficulty of persuasion.
"Of course," Davos agreed readily, and said happily: "You have boldly shouldered these two important things, which makes me feel a lot easier! Next, let's chat casually. You used to be a Roman senator and grew up here. Can you tell me in detail what you think of these city-states and forces around Rome?"
After summoning Publius, Davos immediately convened a military meeting. After discussing with the generals, they decided on a strategy of "east first, west later, combining fighting and negotiation" to attack the Latin region.
Fidenae was located on the banks of the upper Tiber River, only about thirteen miles from Rome, but it was a town established by the Etruscans, not large in area, but straddling both banks of the Tiber River. During Rome's gradual rise, it was the main bridge for the Etruscans to set foot on the south bank of the Tiber River. Especially since Veii was very close to Fidenae, it repeatedly invaded Rome through it.
Therefore, for decades, the Romans and Veientes repeatedly fought for this small city. Eventually, the Romans turned Fidenae into its colony and made it a forward base for Rome's attack on Veii, until Veii gradually became defensive and was eventually occupied by Rome.
As a Roman colony, Fidenae, due to its close proximity to Rome, had most of its fertile riverside land assigned to Rome, which made the population of this small city even smaller than before.
When Rome was captured by the Daonians, the Roman people living in Fidenae were terrified. However, for several days in a row, there was no movement within the city of Rome. In addition, Camillus led his army back, which relieved the people of Fidenae. But soon the Roman army moved west, and not long after, Veii suddenly fell, which made the people of Fidenae terrified again.
A few days later, the Etruscan-Roman colony allied forces arrived, including citizens of Fidenae who had been conscripted before. Just as the people were relieved, the allied forces crossing the river were defeated miserably. The people of Fidenae witnessed with their own eyes the large Daunian cavalry along the riverbank, chasing and killing the fleeing Roman soldiers. Many people knelt down and surrendered, and some jumped directly into the Tiber River, which was swallowed by the river in an instant…
Although the victorious Daunian army did not take the opportunity to attack Fidenae, and the surroundings of Fidenae returned to calm in the following days, the people of Fidenae, frightened by the tragedy of that day, no longer believed they were safe. Many people strongly called for fleeing this dangerous place, either to the Latin League in the south or to Camillus in the west.
However, it was difficult to leave their homeland, and the whole city argued for several days, but still could not make a decision.
One early morning, the sleepy sentries of Fidenae climbed onto the city wall, and they were immediately stunned: in the distance, dust was billowing, and a dark mass of people was surging towards Fidenae…
"The enemy is coming!! The Daonians are attacking!!!…" The alarm bells rang in the city, and the people panicked.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Early the next morning after the military meeting, Davos sent a large army to attack Fidenae.
Most of the Third Legion and the Roman reserve advanced east along the north bank of the Tiber River, while the Second Legion, the Sixth Legion, four battalions of the Lucanian Reserve Legion, the Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion, the First Cavalry Legion, and a 500-man engineering team advanced east along the south bank of the Tiber River, a total of more than 30,000 people, attacking Fidenae from both the north and south.
The reason why Davos used such a large force to attack a small city with fewer than a thousand defenders was not because he was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but because he hoped to use a swift offensive to defeat more enemies in a short period of time, deter the Latin city-states, and create a more favorable situation for himself.
In order to stabilize the order within the city of Rome, Davos, like last time, did not lead the army in person, but he appointed a temporary commander-in-chief, but this choice was beyond the expectations of the generals—Plintorles, the staff officer of the Military Affairs Department.
When announcing the choice, because the First Legion was not going to fight, and the commander of the Third Legion, Lizalus, had a good relationship with Plintorles, only Matonis, the commander of the Second Legion, raised an objection: "Plintorles has never personally commanded an army in battle, and has no experience as a commander…"
However, under Davos's insistence, Matonis, who was accustomed to obeying Davos's orders, had no choice but to reluctantly accept.
30,000 people attacking a small city with fewer than 1,000 defenders, and the city's location is flat, it seems easy to capture.
But in reality, it is not, because for decades, Fidenae has been a strategic point of contention between Rome and Veii, and has evolved into a small military fortress. The city walls are high and thick, and there is a moat, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, according to the planned offensive plan, the expeditionary force must capture the city as quickly as possible, and cannot form a long-term stalemate.
In order to repay King Davos's trust and to prove himself, Plintorles, after carefully studying the situation of Fidenae and its surrounding terrain, decided to adopt a similar tactic to the one His Majesty Davos used to capture the city of Rome: he had the engineering team Renovation multiple carts, carrying five fast boats, transported by many pack animals and a large amount of labor, bypassing the city of Fidenae through land, avoiding the attention of the defenders, and arrived at the low flat area of the upper Tiber River…
Faced with the Daonians' persuasion to surrender, the people of Fidenae neither agreed nor opposed, only saying that they needed to consider it.
How could Plintorles allow the other party to delay? He immediately issued an order to attack the city.
At an order, the Daunian army launched a strong attack on the city of Fidenae from the south and the north.
Just when the Fidenae defenders were fully resisting the Daunian soldiers' attack on the city, more than 200 mountain reconnaissance team members, fully armed, rowed five fast boats, rushed down from the upper reaches, and when passing through the city of Fidenae, they were blocked by the pontoon bridge spanning the river, and almost broke the pontoon bridge.
The upper reaches of the Tiber River east of Fidenae have rapid currents, which not only makes it impossible to swim, but also makes it very difficult to operate rafts. In addition, the riverside towns east of Fidenae, except for Crustumerium, which is a Roman colony, are all territories of the Sabines. This mountain race has never seen the sea, nor can they build boats, and most of the tribesmen cannot even swim. Therefore, the people of Fidenae have never encountered an attack from the upper Tiber River, but they never dreamed that the Daonians would have such a whimsical idea, spending a huge amount of manpower to transport boats from land to the upper Tiber River, so they were completely unprepared.
When the mountain reconnaissance team soldiers successively climbed onto the pontoon bridge and began to kill towards the south city of Fidenae, the panicked people of Fidenae hurriedly squeezed out less than a hundred soldiers from the city wall and rushed to the bridgehead to intercept them.
By the time they arrived, some of the raiding mountain reconnaissance team soldiers had already set foot on the land of the south city. They immediately launched a swift attack on the hurriedly arriving Fidenae soldiers, disrupting the Fidenae soldiers who were trying to form a formation.
In the melee, how could the Fidenae citizen soldiers be a match for the mountain reconnaissance team soldiers who had undergone arduous training for many years? After they were defeated, the south city was breached not long after.
Soon, the isolated north city also surrendered.
It was only early afternoon when the Daunian army occupied the entire city of Fidenae. From the attack to the end, it lasted only less than four hours. Plintorles's command ability was initially recognized by the generals and soldiers.
The Daunian army, having previously occupied Rome, now also controlled the passage to the upper Tiber River, completely cutting off the connection between the Romans and the north bank of the Tiber River.
After the Daunian army rested in Fidenae for a day, they advanced east again the next day. Their target was Crustumerium, the last colony in eastern Rome.
Crustumerium was originally a town established by the Sabines, but the complex relationship with Rome was established not long after the founding of Rome.
According to legend, after Romulus founded Rome, because most of his followers were single men, it caused a lot of trouble. In order to solve their marriage problems and allow these energetic men to settle in Rome with peace of mind, Romulus came up with an idea. He declared to the outside world that he would hold a festival of Neptune and invited the surrounding forces to participate.
Some Sabine tribesmen believed it to be true and came to Rome with their wives and daughters. As a result, Romulus led his followers to rob the Sabine women.
Half a year later, the Sabines who had lost their relatives gathered their troops to attack Rome. Just as the two sides were about to start a decisive battle, the Sabine women who had become Roman wives appeared. They knelt down and begged both sides to stop the war. Under the influence of kinship, the two sides reached a reconciliation, and Romulus even invited these Sabine tribes to move to Rome, and the two sides merged into one.
The town where these Sabine tribes lived was Crustumerium.
Regardless of whether this legend heard from the Romans is true or false, it is a fact that Crustumerium became a Roman colony during the Roman monarchy. Many Latins were called upon by the Roman king to move to this town, but decades later, it joined the Latin city-states in their war against Rome. After being defeated, it became a Roman colony again, and soon became a forward base for Rome to resist the Sabine invasion. The Romans defeated the Sabines here several times.
ァNew ~⑧~1~Chinese Net ωωω.χ~⒏~1z щ.c ò м
Crustumerium is less than ten miles from Fidenae, built on a hill near the Tiber River, overlooking the narrow riverside plain washed out by the muddy sand mixed with the Tiber River water to the east.
Plintorles led the Daunian army to the city of Crustumerium very quickly, but he did not attack immediately, because Publius, who arrived later, said that he was confident that he could persuade the people of Crustumerium to surrender.
Sure enough, less than two hours after Publius entered the city, the people of Crustumerium opened the city gates.
Crustumerium, adjacent to the Sabines, would have difficulty resisting the Sabine invasion without Rome's support. Previously, the citizens who had been sent to join the Roman army ran back and told the people the news of the "disintegration of the Roman army", causing extreme anxiety in the city. Subsequently, the Daonians broke through the adjacent city of Fidenae in less than a day, which made the people of Crustumerium even more terrified. At this time, Publius, a former Roman senator familiar to them, entered the city to persuade them. Surrounded by two major forces and isolated, the people of Crustumerium had no choice but to surrender.
Davos quickly had Publius sign a treaty of alliance with the Christaum people. Since then, the Daonian army conquered the east of Rome with lightning speed and set its sights on the Latin states in the south.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Master, you look so beautiful in this… underwear! Even Aphrodite would be jealous of you!" Agnes' personal maid couldn't help but praise.
"Don't talk nonsense. How can I compare with the Goddess of Love!" Although Agnes said this, her tone was not stern. She turned around and asked softly, "Does it really look good?"
"It is said that Aphrodite's breastband is full of temptation, but I think this underwear, combined with your beautiful figure, Master, even I, as a woman, can't help but be attracted to it, even… envious. If His Majesty Davos sees it, he will definitely be deeply fascinated by you!" The maid exclaimed with a fascinated look.
Agnes didn't speak, but looked at the bronze mirror, which was as tall as a person, again and again. One hand touched the white underwear in front of her chest, and the other hand posed. Entering her 40s, she already felt the passage of time from the skin that was beginning to relax. This set of clothes, which Christoia sent and she called "underwear", made her feel comfortable while also showing off her slender figure from her youth, and also added a mysterious beauty, which made Agnes indulge herself in front of the mirror…
After a long time, she put on her clothes again, took the maid downstairs, and came to the hall.
Christoia, who was sitting in the hall discussing matters with the chief steward of the court, Libazo, saw her and immediately asked everyone else to leave.
When only the two of them were left in the hall, Christoia asked, "Agnes, sister, did you wear it? How does it feel?!" Her tone was a little eager.
"Very… very good! I like it very much!" Agnes replied with a little shyness.
"Since you think it's good, the women of Daonia will think it's even better!" Christoia clapped her hands excitedly: "Tomorrow, I will have Libazo send slaves to build a garment workshop, and then buy a dozen female slaves who can sew to start making this kind of underwear, and give it to the wives of the senators as gifts, so that they can help me promote it…"
Christoia said excitedly. Agnes was not very interested in these things. She asked softly, "Sister, you seemed to have said before that this underwear was designed by His Majesty?"
"Yes, I originally wanted His Majesty to give me some ideas to make up for the losses caused by the bank's full assistance to the people in overcoming the drought last year. Who knew he would give me such an idea!" Christoia smiled, then thought of something again, and her expression became serious, and she said: "He is usually so busy with government affairs,
who knew that he would pay so much attention to our… there!"
Speaking of this, Christoia bit her shell teeth, took Agnes' hand, and said intimately: "Sister, you and I, sisters, must keep a close eye on His Majesty and never let him go out to philander!"
"Maybe… maybe Hades gave His Majesty an inspiration…" Agnes defended Davos in a low voice.
"Hades is not a god who likes to pay attention to this aspect…" Christoia also whispered a sentence about the kingdom's patron god, and then said solemnly: "Sister, we are both getting old, we must learn to dress ourselves better, so that we can always attract His Majesty's attention to us!"
Agnes nodded gently, and the two women, who were close in age and had different hobbies, had lived together for nearly 20 years and had tacitly established a close relationship that was not like blood sisters but better than blood sisters.
"Sister, don't always wear that white one. His Majesty will get tired of seeing it after a long time. In a few days, I will send you a few other colors and patterns of underwear…" Christoia suggested.
"Okay…" Agnes responded with a slightly shy voice.
"Mother, we're back!" At this time, a clear shout came from outside the door, followed by two beautiful girls, one tall and one short, walking into the hall.
"Mother Agnes is also here!" The tall girl then shouted.
The short girl respectfully saluted in turn: "Mother! Mother Christoia!"
"Eunice, how do you greet your elders? Haven't you learned it!" Christoia sat upright and said with a straight face.
"Okay…" Eunice pouted, helplessly saluted the two mothers, and then glared at Avia, who was laughing secretly, to show her dissatisfaction.
"Why are you back so early today?!" Christoia asked sternly.
"Uh… this afternoon is a dance class. I have my period, so the teacher gave me a day off. I thought it would be boring to go home alone, so I helped Avia ask for a day off too." Eunice said boldly.
"It's not enough for you to be lazy alone, you have to drag your sister along!" Christoia's face darkened.
"I… I'm also feeling a little unwell, so my sister—" Avia was about to explain stammeringly when Eunice patted her: "Don't talk."
Christoia's almond eyes widened, and Agnes quickly said, "Since you are both feeling unwell, then go and rest quickly."
The two girls' faces lit up, and then they looked at Christoia again.
Christoia's face was still gloomy: "I will forgive you two this time. If you leave early like this again next time, you will be punished!"
"Understood!" The two responded in unison, turned around and smiled at each other, and walked out briskly.
Walking to the door, Eunice turned her head and asked, "Mother, is there any news about Father and Brother today?"
"Yes! This morning, the messenger brought a letter from your father, saying that the Roman army has been disintegrated, and your eldest brother and Brother Adoris have returned to Rome safely, preparing to participate in the triumphal ceremony held in Rome…" Christoia said.
"A triumphal ceremony held in Rome?!" Eunice exclaimed softly, then said annoyedly: "I really want to see it!"
"When will Father and Brother come back?" Avia interjected.
"Child, this… the letter didn't say." Christoia said with a smile: "However, since our army has occupied Rome and defeated their army, the day of final victory should not be far away. By then, your father and they will come back!"
Avia smiled happily after hearing this.
"Let's go, Avia, we should go back to the bedroom to rest." Eunice winked at her repeatedly.
The two girls walked out of the hall, and they could vaguely hear their whispers: "In a while, let's release Briantes' dog and lead out my horse. You hold your kitten, and then we'll play outside the yard."
"Brother Briantes will be angry when he finds out!"
"With me here, he won't dare!"
… …
Christoia in the hall suddenly sighed.
Seeing this, Agnes quickly persuaded, "Sister, don't be too strict with the children, let them relax occasionally."
"I'm not worried about this." Christoia looked out the door and shook her head, saying: "In a few months, Eunice will be 14 years old. She's almost an adult, and she's still so mischievous…"
"According to the laws of our Daonia, Eunice is still two years away from adulthood, Sister, you are worried too early. Moreover, I think it's a good thing that Eunice has a strong personality. She won't be bullied in the future, but Avia makes me feel a little worried," Agnes comforted.
In most Greek city-states, girls are considered adults at the age of 14 and can talk about marriage. However, in the Kingdom of Daonia, under the strong request of King Davos and with the support of medical authorities such as Herpus, the Senate passed the law that "girls are only considered adults at the age of 16 and cannot marry before that" (originally, Davos wanted to set the age of adulthood for girls at 18, but because of the harsh environment and backward medicine in this era, the average age of Greeks was not high, and girls were often precocious. If they had to wait until they were eighteen to marry, the cost of raising them would be too high, which would not be conducive to the growth of the Daonian population, so a compromise was made.)
"You don't have to worry about that. Who would dare to bully our children!" Christoia raised her eyebrows slightly, turned her head to look at Agnes, and said softly: "This morning, Andrea came over and talked about her eldest son, Yumatheus, and asked about Eunice intentionally or unintentionally…"
"He wants to propose to her for his son?!" Agnes was shocked. Although she rarely interacted with outsiders, she grew up in a noble family in Ligium and knew something about these things.
"If it were in other Greek city-states, Eunice would also be of marriageable age. Andrea wanted to give me a heads-up in advance, so I pretended not to know and didn't give her an answer. I guess it won't be long before more people mention this to me…" Christoia shrugged helplessly.
"Sister, you don't have to worry too much. His Majesty has said several times, 'Eunice and the others' marriages are up to them to decide. They can marry whoever they want to marry.'" Agnes comforted.
Both she and Christoia felt deeply about the traditional patriarchal marriage system in Greece. Christoia was sent to Cyrus the Younger, the Persian prince, as a concubine, and Agnes was sent to Thurii. Both were decided by their fathers without consulting their wishes. Fortunately, the ending was good. Agnes certainly didn't want her children to follow in their footsteps, and Davos' decision was naturally welcomed by her.
"Sister, it's not that simple." Christoia shook her head and said with some annoyance: "Eunice is young, how can she tell whether the man she likes is good or bad? We still have to vet him for her! Besides, if she really marries an ordinary commoner, what will the senators and ministers' wives of Daonia think? What will their children think? I'm afraid this ordinary son-in-law will face a lot of pressure in the kingdom in the future, so will he still be good to Eunice?… These things have to be considered carefully!"
Agnes, however, didn't quite agree: "Sister, you're overthinking it. I think as long as Eunice truly likes him, that's all that matters."
"You're so carefree saying that. Once Avia comes of age, it will be your turn to worry," Christoia rolled her eyes, then stretched and said, "I'm going to take a bath and relax. By the time the children return, it will be dinner time. Want to join me? I have a few other colors and styles of lingerie that you can try on to see if they fit."
"Alright," Agnes said, standing up.
Nowadays, bathing has become a daily habit for the people of Daonia, but the hot spring bathhouse is a bit far from Thurii, and it's impossible for the royal family to visit frequently, not to mention it's not very secure. So, Davos directly had a bathroom built in the residence.
The two graceful middle-aged women chatted and laughed as they walked out of the hall.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
As dusk approached, in the Daonian Senate's grand assembly hall, the meeting had concluded, and the senators left the venue in small groups.
Today, the Senate received good news such as "King Davos' army has been victorious in the Latinium region… Abenilum has applied to become a free city of Daonia…" Of course, there was also bad news mixed in, such as "The Samnite army has launched a surprise attack on the Campania region, and Naples is urgently requesting aid from Daonia," but this did not affect the senators' mood. They walked down the steps, chatting and laughing.
The five rotating chairmen of the Senate, walking slowly behind, were still discussing some issues.
"His Majesty said in his letter, 'The situation in Rome has stabilized, and the expeditionary army is expanding its occupied territories, preparing to completely defeat the Romans.' He requests that we make detailed plans in advance for the large-scale migration of Daonian citizens to the Roman region after the war, and for the dispersal and resettlement of surrendered Roman nobles in other cities. What suggestions do you have?" Cornelius asked.
"I noticed that His Majesty wrote 'migrate Daonian citizens' in the letter, rather than having probationary citizens and free people go to fill the newly occupied lands as in the past. This shows that His Majesty attaches great importance to the Roman region and needs to quickly integrate Rome into the kingdom!" Lysias said in a deep voice.
"According to the messengers, the area where Rome is located is a fertile plain, much larger than our Sybaris Plain, and the Tiber River is also wider than the Crati River. Its agriculture and animal husbandry are quite prosperous. If we can completely possess Rome, not only can we solve the worries caused by the previous drought, but also greatly increase our national strength…"
Antaoris pondered and said, "However, that area is not adjacent to our existing territory.
There are many other forces and races around, and the Romans themselves are quite powerful. Perhaps His Majesty is considering these factors, which is why he requires a large number of Daonian citizens to be migrated there, so that they can quickly become the backbone of stabilizing the Roman region. If they were probationary citizens and free people, I'm afraid they would not be able to firmly defend the interests of the kingdom in that dangerous area."
"Although I didn't personally witness our soldiers fighting the Romans, in the past few days, our Thurii district alone has transported back nearly 2,000 dead citizens and more than 2,000 wounded. The officials of the city hall are assisting the military department, and have been busy comforting the families of the deceased and arranging treatment for the wounded. I heard that the casualties in other regions are also not small, which shows that the Romans are indeed quite fierce!" Lysias said in a heavy tone.
"Do you remember when His Majesty said some time ago that he wanted to migrate citizens to the Campania region? At that time, it was decided to migrate some young citizens from the Lucania region. Hermon and I have already made the plans, but unfortunately it was forced to stop due to Carthage's participation in the war. This time, it is just right to let them migrate to Rome," Vespa suggested from the side.
"Vespa, don't just focus your eyes on the Lucania region," Sedolum retorted to Vespa, reminding him, "How many citizens can be moved out of the Lucania region? I'm afraid it won't even reach 10,000 people. But His Majesty said in his letter that, apart from those Roman civilians who have already surrendered, the land of Rome alone can accommodate another 200,000 to 300,000 people, as well as the towns of Veii, Ostia, and Caesarea! Moreover, His Majesty also said that the Roman nobles who surrender in the future should be dispersed and resettled in other cities. Why don't we move some citizens from each city to Rome, and the vacant positions can be used to resettle these Romans? Wouldn't that be very convenient!"
"What Lord Sedolum said is a good idea!" Antaoris took over the conversation: "However, considering that the Roman city hall has just been established and its ability to handle government affairs is not strong, and the Romans still have an adaptation process to us, we can migrate to Rome in multiple batches, each time migrating a small number of citizens, to avoid major chaos. In addition, the citizens going to Rome cannot all be young; there must also be middle-aged and elderly citizens, so that the community can be stable. Also, the citizens sent to Rome should be predominantly of Greek descent—"
Saying this, Anta Oristus noticed the displeasure on the faces of Vespas and Sedorumm, and quickly added, "I don't mean to discriminate against other ethnic groups. I'm only doing this to help the common people of Rome integrate into the kingdom as soon as possible..."
"Anta Oristus's suggestions are very reasonable, and we need to consider them carefully." Cornelius praised the young colleague a few times, and then solemnly said: "Everyone, this is the first time we have relocated formal citizens of the kingdom. You need to know that they are not probationary citizens or free people. They have all the rights granted to them by the laws of the kingdom. They own their own land. They live well in the existing towns. How can we make them willingly go to Rome? How can we make them satisfied with their new residence?… These are the most troublesome problems for us!"
"I don't think this is a problem." Anta Oristus said disapprovingly, "What the citizens of the kingdom are most worried about is not leaving their hometowns and settling in unfamiliar places, but fearing an overly peaceful life, because this means they cannot gain merit through war and adventure to increase their wealth and gain rapid promotion in status. And in Rome, they can be given many such opportunities. Before the great war with Rome, so many officials risked choosing to go with His Majesty, wasn't it for this reason! Now that ordinary citizens can get such opportunities, I believe they will also actively participate."
Anta Oristus's words made the other three nod repeatedly. Cornelius coughed slightly awkwardly: "Uh… Anta Oristus is right, but we need to know the real reaction of the people after implementation, so we need to do more preparations in advance to reduce the resistance of the people, such as carefully doing the land replacement for the relocated citizens, the transportation of citizens' property, the distribution of new houses, and the disposal of old homes…"
"It seems that next time we need to call Burkus (Minister of Agriculture) and Raphias (Minister of Census) to discuss this matter together, and then formulate a preliminary plan and submit it to His Majesty for review," Lysias said.
"I think we can let the city halls of each town do publicity in advance, promoting the benefits of settling in Rome —" Anta Oristus actively offered suggestions, but he only said half of his words when Philius's voice came from behind: "Lord Cornelius! Lord Lysias!…"
Cornelius looked back and saw the four elders of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Hilos, Philius, Arpuns, and Hieronimus, walking towards them together, and couldn't help but be a little surprised: "What's the matter with you?"
Philius looked at Hilos.
Minister of Military Affairs Hilos said: "The five rotating chairmen, today the Senate unanimously rejected the unreasonable request of the Samnite envoy to exchange their prisoners with 'Campanian prisoners'. This is in line with the promise made by His Majesty after the Grumium incident, but… it may not be enough to just refuse. We also need to rescue the Campanian League, which is being attacked by the Samnites, after all, it is our ally."
"Rescuing Naples should be the main issue for discussion at tomorrow's meeting." Cornelius frowned and said, "Now His Majesty is leading most of the army to attack Rome in the north, and we are at war with Carthage in the south. Alexis is stationed in the Apulia region to prevent the Samnites from invading and other forces from coveting. As far as I know, the legions in the kingdom are already in a state of war. Even the Seventh Legion is ready to go south to Sicily at any time. His Majesty repeatedly instructed that they should not be moved lightly. Now that you are talking about this matter, I would like to ask you how you plan to rescue Campania?"
"Could it be that the Ninth or Tenth Legion is to be transferred?" Although Anta Oristus had a little dispute with Cornelius just now, he took over Cornelius's words at this moment and continued to ask questions: "The journey from Apulia to Campania is far, transportation is difficult, and the pressure on military food transportation will increase. Moreover, who knows whether the cunning Samnites are deliberately luring us to transfer the army from Apulia, and then want to attack the Daonia region again! After all, our army has to detour, but they can go straight through the mountains."
"Not the troops from Apulia." Hilos said affirmatively: "We hope that the Senate can pass a resolution to allow the free city of Potentia to immediately form an army to support the kingdom's war with the Samnites."
"Potentia?!" The five rotating chairmen were a little surprised. It's no wonder they didn't think of it for a while. For more than ten years, the Potentia area has maintained stability and has close ties with the Lucania area. Trade, personnel exchanges, religious dissemination… everything is developing rapidly without hindrance. Moreover, the Potentia people are never absent from various festivals and competitions in the kingdom. Therefore, not only the ordinary people of Daonia, but also most of the senators, subconsciously regard Potentia as a part of the Lucania area, forgetting that it is actually just a free city of the kingdom.
At this time, military training officer Hieronimus said: "According to the statistics of our Ministry of Military Affairs, if Potentia conducts a full conscription, it can form an army of about 20,000 people. Therefore, Potentia can send at least 10,000 reinforcements."