"Lysicus, is this what you call a damn feint! 5000… 5000 brave Samnite warriors are gone just like that! And my dear friend, Usibius… Usibius!…"
Segovax cursed, his eyes suddenly reddening: Usibius was about the same age as him, their tribal territories were adjacent, and they had played together since childhood, building a deep friendship. Therefore, after the death of the previous high chieftain of the Cautini, Usibius gave up competing for the position of high chieftain and fully supported him, which allowed him to defeat Quinctius and become the new high chieftain of the Cautini. And after he was captured, it was Usibius who, together with other chieftains, withstood Quinctius's demand to re-elect the high chieftain, actively cooperated with other tribal high chieftains, and finally rescued him…
Segovax was an impatient, irritable, and vindictive person, making him difficult to approach and with few friends. Only his decades-long friendship with Usibius was deep, and upon hearing the news of his death, he immediately lost control of his emotions.
"Lysicus, don't blame Segovax for scolding you. You've had a bad relationship with Gellius for over a decade, yet you didn't increase your vigilance against him, and you didn't promptly detect the signs of Abellinum's betrayal. You really bear a great responsibility for this failure!" Badanius, the high chieftain of the Pentri, also spoke out in criticism. Back then, he had harbored concerns about going to war with Daonia, but he was persuaded by Lysicus. As a result, since the start of the war, the allied forces had suffered repeated defeats, and the Pentri had suffered heavy losses. His dissatisfaction with Lysicus was also increasing.
"Alright, since things have already happened, what's the use of blaming each other now! That damned traitor solemnly swore an oath before the high priest, but still betrayed our entire Samnite League. This is the first time in the history of our race, and who could have imagined it! Although the feint plan was proposed by Lysicus, it was decided by our joint discussion. At the time, no one warned us to be careful of Abellinum and the Potentini. We all overlooked it…" Contrux, the high chieftain of the Caraceni, sighed. As the oldest of the four high chieftains, although he had a fiery temper, he deeply understood that in times of crisis, it was even more necessary to ensure the unity of the entire tribal alliance.
"Now the Daunian allied forces have entered the mountains, and it is also a large army. Our homeland is under serious threat. Next, we must take immediate action to prevent the enemy from further invading and protect our territory and people!" Contrux reminded them with utmost solemnity.
"In that case, we must stop the siege of Neapolis, which is a bit of a pity." Although Badanius, the high chieftain of the Pentri, said this, there was not a trace of regret on his face. In recent days, the Samnite allied forces had ravaged most of the cities of the Campanian League, but they could not do anything about Neapolis, with its high walls and thick defenses. They had launched several strong attacks, losing some warriors, but could not see any hope of breaking through the city walls.
The Samnite tribal allied forces' siege ability was mediocre. If it hadn't been for the earlier feint plan to be implemented, the army would have withdrawn long ago. Now that the feint plan had been shattered, the other three had no objection to this.
"But where should we withdraw the army to meet the enemy? You should know that a day ago, the Daonians were still near Aquilonia, and now there is no updated news about them. This place is only 200 miles away from Aquilonia. By the time we lead the army to Aquilonia, who knows where the Daonians will have run off to." Badanius raised an important question.
"Lysicus, what suggestions do you have?" Contrux asked. After all, the Daunian allied forces were operating within the territory of the Hirpini, and Lysicus should be more familiar with the situation there.
Upon hearing the news that "the army left in the mountains was defeated," Lysicus was first shocked, then ashamed, and then fearful… Therefore, when Segovax and Badanius criticized him, he was still racking his brains on how to deal with this crisis. Although he was a little angry in his heart, he did not show it. Just as Contrux said, he needed the entire tribal alliance to work together to drive away the Daunian allied forces ravaging the Hirpini territory. He glanced at Segovax, who was still in grief, and thought to himself: I didn't notice Abellinum's abnormality, but you occupied Nuceria, which had closer ties with Abellinum, and installed many confidants and cronies in its territory, didn't you also fail to notice the Abellinum army's movements.
Of course, he would not say these words out loud.
"We should withdraw the army to Beneventum! It's not that I have selfish motives, but because Abellinum, which is very close to Beneventum, has already betrayed Samnium. In this way, the allied forces organized by the Daonians can smoothly pass through Abellinum and attack Beneventum! Once they occupy Beneventum, then the Cautini will also be under great threat—"
Speaking of this, Lysicus looked at Segovax. He firmly believed that the high chieftain of the Cautini, even if he was grieving over the death of his close friend, should understand how much of a threat losing Beneventum would pose to the Cautini. After all, the two towns were adjacent, only a dozen miles apart, and the Cautini were located on a small plain in the mountains, with no dangerous terrain. Therefore, he believed that Segovax would ultimately support him.
"What if the Daonians don't attack Beneventum, but continue to advance north after conquering Aquilonia?" Badanius immediately raised his concerns, because he was worried that heavily defending Beneventum would leave the eastern part of the mountains defenseless, and if the Daunian army went north all the way, it would threaten the territories of the Pentri and Caraceni.
Therefore, Contrux also expressed his concern.
Lysicus shook his head and said, "The Daunian allied forces will not do that, because our army is not only stationed in Beneventum, but can also attack Abellinum. Occupying Abellinum not only guarantees the safety of the Cautini territory, but can also continue to threaten Potentia. I'm afraid this is exactly what the Daonians are worried about."
"Lysicus is right, I agree to withdraw to Beneventum!" Segovax loudly expressed his support, completely without the grief and indignation of scolding Lysicus earlier.
The high chieftains of the two most powerful tribes in the alliance had reached an agreement. Contrux and Badanius actually had no more choices. Besides, they also felt that Lysicus's words made sense.
Just as the four were discussing the withdrawal, Badanius couldn't help but say, "Actually, we… can consider a truce with Daonia…"
The three of them were shocked when they heard this. Since the start of the war with Daonia, the Samnite tribal alliance had suffered repeated defeats and heavy losses. Many tribal chieftains had a lot of complaints, and even their own confidence in the war was wavering.
However, Lysicus was the first to object: "We tore up the alliance and declared war on Daonia, invaded the Daunian region, and plundered the Campanian League. These are all serious violations of the Daonians' taboos. That tough Daunian king will never negotiate peace with us. He can't wait to completely eliminate us, who are constantly causing him trouble. So we can only continue to fight until there is a turning point."
Lysicus understood: If the Samnite League really surrendered to Daonia, he would be the first victim, because Gellius, who had already defected to Daonia, would definitely not spare him, so his attitude was very firm.
"Turning point? What turning point?" Badanius asked with a slightly gloomy expression.
"Defeat the Daonians in the next battle! Or wait for Daonia to be defeated on other battlefields!" Segovax took over the conversation. He was also clear in his heart: If the Samnite League really wanted to make peace with Daonia, he would never have a good outcome, because he was the instigator of this war, and he also lured and killed Quinctius, who was strongly supported by Daonia, and slaughtered and arrested so many Nucerian clansmen who believed in Hades.
But he would not say these things, but found a more sufficient reason: "Badanius, don't be silly! Think about Tarentum, which tore up the alliance and fought against Daonia! After the Southern Italian War, they surrendered to Daonia and became that so-called free city. As a result, their territory was greatly divided, and they could not have their own army. The citizens of the entire city-state were raised like cattle and sheep. Do you want our Samnite League to become the second Tarentum?! Even if we want to negotiate peace, we must create more trouble for Daonia and force him to take the initiative to negotiate peace, so that we can obtain a more equal position in the negotiations and formulate a peace treaty that is more beneficial to us!"
"Negotiate peace?! Hmph, we are descendants of Savo, and we must never succumb to any force! As long as we cannot guarantee the independence of the alliance, we must fight to the end, even if it means death!" Contrux was the oldest, but his fighting spirit was the strongest. He also shouted to Badanius in the tone of an elder: "Bring out your courage, your father's soul wandering in the Temple of Savo is still waiting for you to wash away his shame!"
Faced with the strong opposition from the three high chieftains, Badanius laughed and said, "You are right, the alliance can only fight Daonia to the end to have a way out…"
Late at night, a messenger from Beneventum rushed to the Samnite camp, bringing the news that "a large army was stationed in the Abellinum territory," which further increased the urgency of the four high chieftains to withdraw their troops to Beneventum immediately.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
At the same time, a fast ship from Aenona, shrouded in the night, sailed into the port of Neapolis under the guidance of the lighthouse fire.
Not long after, the candles in the Neapolis council hall were lit, and the Neapolitan upper echelons, the allied upper echelons who had taken refuge, and the allied reinforcements generals arrived one after another.
Onosius, the chief general of Naples, held up a letter in his left hand and excitedly said, "Everyone, I have just received a letter from Adrianus, the administrative official of Aenona. In his letter, he mentioned, 'Yesterday, Alexis, the commander of the Daunian army, led his troops from the east into the Samnite mountains, joined forces with the armies of Potentia and Abellinum, and together they surrounded and annihilated a major Samnite force of nearly 7,000 men left in the mountains, and also forced Aquilonia to surrender'… Today, this 20,000-strong Daunian allied army has already reached Abellinum and is preparing to launch an attack on Beneventum tomorrow!"
"That's great, our disaster is finally coming to an end! Beneventum is the central town of the Hirpini, and the Samnite allied army outside the city will definitely retreat to fully defend against our allies' attack!"
"Didn't I tell you? The Daonians always keep their promises and would definitely come to rescue us in Campania. You didn't believe it then, but what about now?"
"Haha, General Aelos, please forgive our ignorance. Unlike you, we haven't fought alongside the Daunian army and don't have a deep understanding of them. How could we have possibly imagined that the Daonians' delay in responding to our previous pleas for help was precisely to suddenly stab the Samnites fiercely in their soft underbelly!"
"General Onosius, after the Samnites retreat, we hope Naples can immediately send troops to help us retake Pompeii!"
"No! You should help us in Herculaneum first, we are closest to Naples!"
"And us in Liternum!"
...
Upon receiving this good news, the gloom that had hung over the Neapolitan council these past few days was completely swept away. While rejoicing that the disaster was passing, they began to argue again, eager to rebuild their homes.
In the days following the Samnites' surprise attack on the Campanian League, they not only besieged Naples but also sent out troops to attack other Campanian League city-states. Apart from city-states with relatively special geographical locations like Surrentum, Aenaria, and Capeae, many small coastal towns successively fell, and most refugees fled into the city of Naples.
"Everyone, there's no need to worry," Onosius reassured them. "Adrianus mentioned in his letter that tomorrow, General Xanthippus, the Daunian legion commander stationed in Aenona, will lead his troops by ship to Naples to join forces with our army and recapture the lost towns!"
The crowd cheered again and praised, "As expected of Daonia, a good ally that keeps its promises! They are so thoughtful! With the Daunian army here, we are even more confident in recapturing our city-states!"
Then,
Onosius continued, "The letter also mentioned that when the Samnite army retreats, they hope we can send out troops to harass and obstruct them..."
Hearing this, the hall suddenly fell silent.
After a moment, the Neapolitan councilors shook their heads and said, "Let us go out of the city to attack the Samnites?! No! No! That's too dangerous! Since the Samnites are retreating, let them retreat. There's no need for us to risk the lives of our citizens!"
If the Daunian Third Legion helping the Campanian League defeat the Caudini a few months ago helped the Campanians regain a little fighting spirit, this large-scale Samnite assault not only shattered that spirit but also deepened their fear of this terrifying mountain race.
Onosius was naturally aware of this situation, as he was part of it. It was Aelos, however, who loudly argued with them.
Onosius had to clear his throat a few times to draw everyone's attention back to himself: "I want to bring something to your attention. When the Samnites retreat, they are very likely to burn down the towns they occupied and scorch our farmland out of spite. Should we stop them?!"
This reminder actually came from Adrianus. Having served as the administrative official in Aenona for over two years and dealt with the Campanians many times, he was well aware of their character. They were far from comparable to the brave and tenacious Volsci or Hernici. Therefore, in his letter, he didn't mention that harassing the retreating Samnite army was to buy time for Alexis to attack Beneventum, but only emphasized this point.
Everyone was stunned. Refugees from other city-states certainly couldn't allow their homes to be burned down, while the Neapolitans were more concerned about the destruction of their farmland. For a while, they had supplied military rations to the Daunian Third Legion, and now they had to take care of the allied citizens who had fled to their city. Food within Naples was tight, and they couldn't rely on Daonia, which had just experienced a drought. All their hopes were on this year's autumn harvest.
Although the Caudini's past invasions rarely destroyed farmland, that was because they confidently believed that "the grain produced by these farmlands would eventually become their plunder in the next raid." But under the current war situation, it was difficult to guarantee that they wouldn't act desperately and create greater trouble for the Campanian League.
Therefore, after an urgent discussion, the Neapolitan councilors finally agreed to Adrianus's suggestion.
...
Beneventum, the largest town in the Samnite Tribal League. Although the Samnites were a mountain race, it was rare for them to build towns on mountaintops like Aquilonia. More than half of the tribes and tribal unions lived in valleys and mountain hollows. Beneventum was located in a rare, relatively large and flat hilly area surrounded by mountains. Furthermore, it was the confluence of two rivers, providing abundant water sources and fertile land, making it the most developed in terms of both grazing and farming among all Samnite towns.
Therefore, Beneventum had always been at the forefront of the Samnite Tribal League in terms of both population and strength. Most of the time, the great chieftain of the large tribes within its territory was the great chieftain of the Hirpini tribe. Only occasionally, when other Hirpini tribes envied Beneventum's wealth and were dissatisfied with the arrogance of the Beneventum people, would they unite to elect a chieftain from another area to serve as the great chieftain of the tribe to counterbalance Beneventum, with Abellinum being the preferred choice.
This Hirpini town was located about 40 li south of Beneventum, also in a hilly area, but much smaller. A river also flowed through it, but this not-so-large Sabato River eventually flowed into Beneventum's territory, joining the Volturnus River.
Therefore, the people of Abellinum always felt inferior to the people of Beneventum. Even during the reign of Verannius, the former great chieftain of the Hirpini and the capable chieftain of Abellinum, the people of Abellinum still felt slightly lacking in confidence. For the next decade or so, they had to endure the oppression and humiliation from the people of Beneventum.
It wasn't until early this morning, when the Daunian allied army left Abellinum and began marching towards Beneventum's territory, that the people of Abellinum cheered and saw them off, believing that their day of revenge had finally arrived.
3,500 Abellinum warriors marched proudly at the front, followed by 6,000 Daunian legionaries in the middle, and 12,000 soldiers from Potentia at the rear. Not counting the Daunian engineering corps, medical corps, mountain reconnaissance teams, and the lagging supply train... their combat force reached 21,500 men. They formed a column stretching over ten li, marching north along the Sabato River.
After leaving Abellinum's territory, enemy figures began to appear in the mountains and forests on both banks. Although not numerous, they were positioned high up and hurled javelins and arrows at the Daunian allied army marching in the river valley. They even pushed rocks from the mountain into the river to obstruct the march of the entire column.
Seeing this situation, Alexis, after discussing with Gelon and Polet, had them each send out 1,000 soldiers to leave the riverbank and march in the mountains and forests on both sides, simultaneously driving away the harassing enemy to protect the main force in the middle. The main force, while marching in the river valley, also periodically cleared rocks and fallen trees blocking the path.
When the sun had reached the center of the sky, the winding river channel suddenly straightened, and the mountains bordering the river not only became shorter but also voluntarily receded about a li away. The soldiers' vision was no longer blocked by the lush, towering trees. What came into view was the flat land on both sides of the riverbanks, green grass, and small swaying trees... The Daunian allied army had entered the territory of Beneventum.
The terrain here was somewhat special. Two ranges of hills running north-south like parallel lines guarded the Sabato River as it extended forward. Between the hills was a flat grassland about two li wide, and in the center of the grassland flowed the Sabato River, only about twenty meters wide and knee-deep.
The vanguard of the allied army stopped their march here. The Abellinum warriors, who had been trekking for half a day, began to eat to replenish their strength while waiting for the units behind to catch up.
"Beneventum city is another five or six li ahead," Gelon said, pointing forward, to Alexis and Polet, who had arrived one after another. "In the past, this area ahead was the settlement area for the various tribes of Beneventum, but they have all withdrawn now..."
Gelon described the situation in Beneventum's territory, but couldn't help but feel a great sense of emotion in his heart. In fact, his impression of Beneventum mostly remained from over a decade ago. Since the Southern Italian War, he had fallen out with Liscus and eventually became mortal enemies. The only time he had come to Beneventum was when the tribal league held a great sacrifice here. If it weren't for the strong support of the Daunian envoy, he would have almost been divine-punished by the Samnite priesthood. He came in fear and left in fear, so how could he have been in the mood to notice the changes in Beneventum's territory? What he was describing now came from the intelligence gathered by his subordinates over the years. And now, he had led his troops here to thoroughly wash away the humiliation of the past and clear the shadow buried deep in his heart.
After listening, Pollet turned to Alexis and asked, "It seems the Beneventum people are prepared. Do we need to start setting up camp here?"
"This is too far from Beneventum to put pressure on them," Alexis said, observing the terrain ahead intently.
Then, he pointed to the long line of hills to the west, which appeared to be about a hundred meters high, and asked, "How far is the mountain path connecting Cautium and Beneventum from here?"
"That's hard to say, there are several mountain ridges in between," Guelnus thought for a moment, shaking his head, unable to give a specific number.
Alexis then pointed to the lower hills on the east side and asked, "If we cross them, the terrain to the east should be flatter, right?"
"Yes, General Alexis, you remember correctly. From these hills eastward to the Volturno River, although there are some small hills, the terrain is relatively flat," Guelnus replied.
Alexis had his adjutant bring the simplified Samnite map drawn based on the information provided by Guelnus and others. He consulted Guelnus while comparing the real-world terrain with the map.
After pondering for a while, he made up his mind and said, "We will march forward another three miles before starting to build the camp. Chief Guelnus, you will lead your warriors to camp in this river valley to protect our supply line."
Hearing this, Guelnus breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stated, "Rest assured, we will guard this place firmly. Not even a single enemy will slip through here!"
For the Abellinum warriors, the Sabato River was not just a supply line, but also the only passage from Beneventum to their homeland. And now that the Abellinum territory was short on troops, the troops Guelnus spoke of would of course put in 200% effort to guard this place.
This was precisely Alexis's intention. Then he pointed to the map and said, "High Chief Pollet, your army's encampment will extend from the south bank of the Volturno River towards this side, and our Daunian camp will be in the middle of your two camps."
Alexis arranged it this way considering that the Abellinum and Potentia had a feud more than a decade ago and this was their first joint operation, so they still lacked coordination. Zanttipus had specifically reminded him of this before. Moreover, the Abellinum had fewer soldiers, and the Potentia warriors lacked combat experience, so the Daunian camp in the middle could take care of both sides. At the same time, once the camp was built, occupying the two rivers would not only make it convenient to get water but also put great pressure on Beneventum.
"I have no objections, but I hope the general can send someone to guide us in building the camp," Pollet had participated in Daunian military training, and he was well aware that the Daunian army had in-depth research on building camps.
To ensure the safety of the warriors' lodging, he shamelessly made a direct request.
Before Alexis could respond, Guelnus, having been reminded, immediately said, "We also hope that the general can send someone to help build the camp."
Although Guelnus had not participated in Daunian military training, he had visited Thurii's military camp many times and watched the Daunian citizens train, so he also had some understanding of it. Moreover, he considered that the Abellinum had the fewest warriors, and they had to build a camp and defend against enemy raids, so they actually needed the help of allies even more.
"Of course, no problem. I will definitely help with all my strength!" Alexis was very happy that the two had such requests, because this would make it easier for him to unify the planning of the entire camp and rationally allocate manpower.
After the three reached an agreement, Guelnus led his army straight north, while Alexis and Pollet led their troops across the eastern hills, advancing in a northeast direction.
Yesterday evening, after receiving the news that "the Daunian army has entered the Abellinum territory," the Samnite allied army, worried about the safety of Beneventum, could not wait for the other tribal armies to withdraw their camps. That night, Lesguk led more than 3,000 Hirpinian warriors, disregarding their fatigue, and withdrew to Abella. They set out early the next morning and entered Beneventum at noon after a rapid march.
Beneventum originally had 1,000 warriors stationed in the city, originally to guard against the Abellinum people in the south. After Lesguk led his team back, the total number of warriors in the city reached more than 4,000. Hearing that the warriors of other tribes would arrive later, the tribesmen's confidence greatly increased.
However, Lesguk was not satisfied with just defending and waiting. After understanding the enemy's movements through the scouts he sent out, he immediately led the 1,000 warriors originally stationed in the city (the other warriors needed to rest well to recover their strength due to continuous marching) and quietly detoured into the eastern mountains to launch a surprise attack on the Abellinum people three miles south of Beneventum.
As the commander of the Daunian allied forces, Alexis, leading his army in unfamiliar mountainous areas, would certainly not lose his vigilance. On the contrary, he was even more cautious, repeatedly demanding that both the Abellinum and Potentia armies must allocate half of their forces to defend the camp under construction.
Therefore, Lesguk's surprise attack failed and quickly evolved into a battle between the Bereventum and Abellinum warriors. The two sides first threw javelins at each other, and then fought with spears. Although Lesguk led fewer warriors, they were full of energy and had some advantages.
However, as 1,000 Daunian light infantry arrived from the east to reinforce, Lesguk could only retreat.
But he did not give up. While sending 2,000 warriors who were resting in the city to harass the Potentia from the east, attracting the attention of the Daunian army, he once again personally led 2,000 warriors directly through the Sabato River valley to attack the Abellinum.
However, the number of Daunian allied forces used for defense was more than twice the number of Beneventum's existing warriors. After Alexis realized that the Abellinum side seemed to be the focus of the enemy's attack, he simply had a light infantry battalion stationed in front of the Abellinum camp.
Beneventum's attack failed to cause much trouble for the Abellinum army, but instead increased some casualties. For Beneventum, which lacked troops, every warrior's life was very precious, so Lesguk could only lead his team back dejectedly.
Who knew that as soon as he returned to the city, he received an urgent report from his subordinates: Several thousand enemies were approaching Beneventum from the east.
This made Lesguk feel nervous. He immediately gathered the warriors in the city and led them to the city to defend.
Alexis led a heavy infantry battalion and 3,000 Potentia warriors to approach Beneventum.
Looking at the seven-meter-high stone wall a hundred meters away, Alexis recalled some information about the city provided by Guelnus: "More than ten years ago, Beneventum was just a wooden city, and the simple wooden fences around it were mostly damaged. It was only used to prevent beasts, not to prevent enemies. Because there were few civil wars between the Samnite tribes, and foreign enemies had never threatened the mountainous areas, they had never worried about the safety of their homes.
But after the powerful Daunian kingdom rose in the south, the situation changed. The Samnite tribal coalition was defeated and shamefully submitted to it. The Daonians even interfered in the internal affairs of the Samnites, causing the opposition between Beneventum and Abellinum. Therefore, High Chief Lesguk, feeling uneasy, repeatedly called for the reconstruction of a strong Beneventum at the assembly to resist possible foreign invasion. The chiefs of the Beneventum tribes, who also felt uneasy, finally agreed to his suggestion.
The Hirpinians had no experience in building stone cities, so Lesguk specially borrowed many Campanian slaves who knew how to build cities from Cautium. They not only completed the planning of the new city but also found good stone materials for building the city on the north bank of the Volturno River, which was very close to the new city site. After a long period of 6 years, with the joint efforts of the Beneventum tribal people, the new city of Beneventum was finally completed. Lesguk quickly invited the Samnite tribal alliance priest group to hold a sacrificial ceremony in Beneventum in the name of celebrating the new city, thus triggering a series of events later…"
Of course, in Guelnus's narration, there were no good words for Lesguk and the other tribes of Beneventum. He also accused Lesguk, who proposed building the new city, of having long planned to oppose Daonia. At the same time, he also mentioned a detail: "The city drawings designed by the Campanian slaves had the concept of an acropolis, which made the Beneventum people very interested. They simply included the end of the row of hills parallel to the Sabato River on the east side into the city, and the area of this hill accounted for half of the area of Beneventum, and an inner city was built on the top of the hill."
Since then, Beneventum has the Volturno River as a barrier to the north, the Sabato River flowing in front of the city to the west, and the hills as a barrier to the south, with only the east being relatively flat… This is why Alexis led his team to attack from here.
Alexis's gaze passed over the seven-meter-high stone wall, looking at the hill rising from south to north in the city, blocking his view. It was at least thirty meters high, with no lush trees on it, only densely packed houses and another stone wall on the top of the hill… This was one of the reasons why he did not rashly issue an order to immediately attack the city with the 20,000 allied soldiers who had arrived here after a difficult journey.
"Commander, the ballistae are ready."
"Fire," Alexis gave the order. A moment later, ten whistling bullets struck the city wall, and the huge sound caused the Hirpinian warriors to exclaim in surprise.
The threat posed by Alexis's army to Beneventum caused Lesguk to lead the main force to confront it in the city, reducing the harassment of the Daunian allied forces building the camp.
As dusk approached, the Daonian allied forces had dug trenches, cleared weeds and trees from the camp area, and begun to build earthen ramparts. The entire allied camp formed an arc-shaped ellipse, with the Potentian and Abenilum armies camped further north, and the Daonian army camped to the southwest. Because the line of hills to the east was not completely continuous, but had some low hills, Alexis, considering the need to provide more support to the weaker Abenilum people, extended the camp towards the break in the hills on the east side (located on the side and rear of the Abenilum camp), to prevent the hills from isolating the Abenilum camp from the main force, making it a potential target for enemy attacks.
Meanwhile, the main force of the Samnite allied army, due to its unwieldy size (carrying many looted slaves and property), coupled with the harassment of the Campanian army, barely managed to reach Cautium.
At night, Lesguk carefully planned a night attack on the Daonian allied camp, with the main target being the Potentians.
Although the cautious Alexis had warned Polertes in advance to be prepared, the Beneventan night attack still caused some confusion among the inexperienced Potentian warriors.
Subsequently, Alexis, upon receiving the news, immediately dispatched reinforcements.
Lesguk, due to his own insufficient forces, was unable to further expand the advantages gained. Before the enemy reinforcements arrived, he had his warriors burn some tents and then quickly retreat.
......................
On the same day, Zanthippus led half a reserve legion, departing from the port of Aenona, sailing around the Sorrento Peninsula, landing on the coast near Pompeii without any hindrance, and then successfully recovering the completely looted city of Pompeii.
Next, he sent troops to easily recover the city of Oplontis, not far from Pompeii, which was also deserted.
After lunch, Zanthippus left 200 soldiers garrisoned in each of these two cities, and then led 3,600 soldiers, marching east, into the territory of Nuceria. Some residents and priests from the small town of Baparia (whose residents had close ties with the Nucerians for many years and many spoke Samnite, this town was burned down by Segovax) began to shout in Samnite: "Avenge Quintus! Drive out the Cautinians! Return our free Nuceria!" and other slogans, which resonated with the original Nucerian tribal people. Especially when they saw familiar Hades priests and Baparian residents in the Team, they immediately developed a strong affection for this army. Therefore, Zanthippus's army was supported and welcomed by many Nucerian people, and people constantly joined the Team along the way.
After Segovax lured and killed Quintus and occupied the territory of Nuceria, because he was busy cooperating with other tribes to attack the Campanian League, he only massacred some fanatical Hades-worshiping Nucerian tribesmen, forcing the tribes to submit.
He made them send almost all of their young and middle-aged tribesmen, driving them to attack the Campanian League, while leaving 500 warriors from Cautium to garrison the city of Nuceria.
As for the subsequent measures to completely control the Nucerian region, such as forcibly relocating several large Nucerian tribes to other areas, and then relocating several tribes from Cautium to Nuceria to occupy the vacant land... etc., due to the urgency of time, had not yet been implemented, but the Nucerian tribes had already felt the crisis of survival, especially the barbaric behavior of the Cautian warriors in the city, which was fueling the anger in the hearts of the Nucerian people every day.
When the Cautian warriors stood on the city wall, shocked by the large number of enemies below the city (half of whom were people from various Nucerian tribes, whom Zanthippus had placed at the rear of the formation, so the warriors on the city could not see clearly), the people in the city were overjoyed by the arrival of reinforcements and began to take action. While the Cautian warriors were all on the city wall defending, they set fire to the Cautian warriors' temporary camp in the city.
Seeing the fire rising from the camp, the Cautian warriors were even more panicked. They could not but know that Nuceria was as dangerous as the outside of the city, and since their homes were in Cautium, they had no intention of defending this town that had nothing to do with them to the death. So, seeing that the situation was not good, they immediately left the city, wanting to escape from the east gate, where there were no enemies outside the city. Who knew that javelins were constantly shot from the houses on both sides of the street, killing and wounding the fleeing warriors. Moreover, on the street ahead, the people in the city used wood, mud bricks, stones... to block the road, which caused chaos to the fleeing Team.
After the Cautian warriors left the city wall, the people in the city quickly opened the unguarded west gate, and Zanthippus led his soldiers in, launching a pursuit of the enemy under the guidance of the people in the city.
The Cautian warriors collapsed, and except for a few who escaped out of the city, most of the warriors were either killed in battle or captured.
Since the leaders of the Nucerian tribes were all under the control of Segovax, the Nucerian people who had escaped Segovax's control quickly elected several respected elders from the tribes to discuss with the Daonian army.
Zanthippus also took the initiative to withdraw his troops from the city of Nuceria to show his sincerity.
Soon, the two sides reached a simple agreement: the Daonian army would fully guarantee the safety of the Nucerian territory, but would not send troops to garrison the city of Nuceria; the Nucerian tribes would allow the Daonian army to transport supplies through their territory to Abenilum, and would do their best to provide assistance; Daonia would send Hades priests to Nuceria as soon as possible to preside over sacred affairs, and would repair the Hades Temple as soon as possible; Daonia would do its best to help the Nucerian warriors coerced by Segovax return to their homes, and Nuceria would also send people to follow the Daonian army to persuade the Nucerian warriors to escape... etc.
With the agreement reached, Zanthippus breathed a sigh of relief, because two of the clauses in the agreement were very important for the Daonian allied forces currently fighting: one was the grain transportation problem, because if the grain was transported by sea to Poseidonia, then through the rugged mountain road to Copia, then through the mountain road to Abenilum, and finally transported to the Daonian allied camp in Beneventum, it would be both time-consuming and laborious; but if it was transported by sea to Pompeii, and then through the territory of Nuceria, through the mountain road to Abenilum (Nuceria and Abenilum are separated by continuous mountains thousands of meters high, and there are only a few narrow mountain roads connecting the two places, but the distance is not too far, which also eliminates the possibility of the Samnite allied forces crossing the mountains and intercepting the grain route), in this way, the entire journey would be almost halved, so at the parting in Copia, Alexis and Zanthippus had already discussed the plan, and recovering Nuceria was the top priority.
The other was to establish a friendly agreement with the Nucerians, and with their help, prompting the Nucerian warriors in the Samnite allied army to defect from their army and weaken their strength became a natural thing.
But what Zanthippus did not expect was that the Nucerians would actively propose to welcome back the Hades priests, perhaps because Segovax had wantonly persecuted the Hades believers in the Nucerian territory, which instead stimulated the Nucerian people's rebellious psychology, and also because at this chaotic time, the arrival of the Hades priests could help the Nucerian people in difficulty in many aspects such as treating diseases, providing relief, and comforting... etc., which the priests of the local gods such as Savonis could not do.
..........................
That night, the defeated soldiers fled back to Cautium, and Segovax was shocked when he learned of it. The retreat of the army and the possibility of Nuceria being attacked by the enemy were within his expectations. But the rapid loss of this southernmost land of the Cautinian tribe, and the role and hostility shown by the Nucerians in it, frightened him.
On the one hand, he blocked the news to prevent the Nucerian warriors from knowing about it; on the other hand, he sent 500 more warriors (including those defeated soldiers) to Lora and Cesala in the west, hoping that these two cities could become the barrier to the south of Cautium.
To be honest, he was not worried about the Campanian army, but he was indeed a little wary of the Daonians, even though their number of soldiers was likely not very large.
..........................
The next day, the Daonian allied forces continued to build the camp. Having learned the lesson from last night, the allied soldiers worked even more diligently, cutting down trees, building wooden fences, building sentry towers, setting up deer fences... etc.
Lesguk gradually adapted to the enemy's dispatch of troops to press the city and the bombardment of ballistae, and repeatedly sent warriors out of the city to harass. In response, the Daonian allied forces, who also gradually gained experience, took corresponding defensive measures, and after suffering a few casualties, forced them back.
In the afternoon, more than 10,000 Samnite allied warriors finally entered the city of Beneventum.
Also on this day, Zanthippus led 3,600 soldiers to leave the territory of Nuceria and marched north. After two hours of marching, they approached the city of Lora. Here, they joined forces with 8,000 Campanian allied soldiers coming from the west, bringing the total force to 11,600 people.
There were only 1,500 Cautinian warriors in the city of Lora, and they were naturally very nervous, so the four gates were tightly closed, and the whole city was mobilized, with all the warriors going to the city wall to prepare for defense.
The tables have turned. Two days ago, the Samnite tribal allied forces swept through the territory of the Campanian League. Only the city of Naples was surrounded by the Samnites on the Campanian Plain. The shouts of the Samnite warriors could make countless fleeing people tremble in the city of Naples. But now the situation is reversed. The Campanian army, united with the Daonians, surrounded Lora, a famous town of the Cautinians. The soldiers felt both excited and nervous.
At Zantepolis's urging, the Campania allied forces generals listened to his advice and did not rush to attack. Instead, they followed the Daonian army to build a camp one mile southwest of Lora City. Zantepolis set up the camp here because it was close to the mountains, making it easy to cut down trees for building the camp and siege equipment.
On the same day, Merishanda, the commander of the Tenth Legion, under the instructions of the Ministry of Military Affairs, led the remaining four heavy infantry battalions out of Asculum and marched north to Aecae, to join the Eleventh Legion, which had only six heavy infantry battalions left.
Capus, the acting commander of the Eleventh Legion, was appointed by the Ministry of Military Affairs as the temporary commander of this army, and was actively preparing for the next military action.
......................
"It's so noisy outside, what happened?" Storlo's wife, Conia, asked the female slave who had just entered the courtyard.
"Mistress, they are all saying, 'Tustron has surrendered to Daonia...'" The Sabine female slave lowered her head, not daring to let her mistress see the uncontrollable joy on her face. Because the Storlo couple had been restricted to their home these days, the female slave was the one who went to the square to collect food and inquire about news. She had already learned from others that the status of slaves in the Kingdom of Daonia was much better than in Rome, and it was easier to gain freedom. Therefore, she certainly hoped that Daonia would win in this war and completely place Rome under the rule of Daonia.
"Tustron surrendered?! How is that possible?!" Conia felt unbelievable, because in her impression, since the city of Alba Longa was destroyed by Rome, Tustron, which also had a long history of city-building, had repeatedly tried to occupy the Latin Holy Mountain because it was close to Lake Alba Longa, and often boasted of being the "center of the Latins." Therefore, she felt that this proud city-state should resist to the end for the glory of the Latins, but she did not expect that it would surrender so obediently without fighting a single battle.
Storlo sighed softly beside her: "Since the Daonians captured the city of Gabii, killed the brave warriors who resisted stubbornly, and turned all the other captured people into slaves, this cruel practice must have frightened the surrounding city-states. Labicum, Pedum, Artena... surrendered one after another, and even Tibur, which was very powerful in the northern region, also submitted to the Daonians.
Now, tens of thousands of Daonian soldiers are approaching the city of Tustron, and the hostages that Tustron sent to the city of Rome are now in the hands of the Daonians again (these hostages once followed the Roman nobles to escape to the Capitoline Hill, and later were sent down the mountain among thousands of noble families), how could they not surrender..."
After hearing this, Conia asked in a trembling voice: "So many Latin city-states have surrendered, next... next will the Daonians attack Velletri, Satricum, Antium?! The Roman army led by Camillus and Titus... can... can they repel them?"
Storlo was silent.
Through this period of understanding, he knew that the Daonians' attack was always carefully planned, using cunning tactics, yet like a storm, swift and unstoppable! This was the case when Rome was captured! This was the case when Veii and Caislera were captured! This was the case when Fidene and Romentum were captured! This was the case when the Roman allied forces were defeated! It took less than ten days from the capture of Gabii to the surrender of Tustron today, and it has only been more than two months since the Daonian army landed on the Latin coast. Such a terrifying ability to conquer has left the repeatedly defeated Roman army with no chance to breathe and recuperate. Even with Camillus leading them, can they really turn defeat into victory?!
After watching the progress of the battle for so long, and tossing and turning through many sleepless nights, Storlo had already felt despair about this. He also discovered that the key to the Daonian army's rapid conquest of Latium was that they were completely different from the Celts. They had a strong ability to assimilate. Listen to the cheers outside the courtyard. The Roman civilians have completely forgotten their former origins and regarded themselves as members of the Kingdom of Daonia... Alas!...
Storlo's silence made Conia understand. In fact, the observations over these days had also given her a vague answer. When her worries were confirmed, she no longer shouted, but her hands kept wringing the hem of her clothes, her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her expression was constantly changing.
Suddenly, she grabbed her husband's hand and said anxiously and fearfully: "Storlo... Why don't... you join Daonia too?"
Storlo was shocked when he heard this. Before he could answer, Conia seemed to have been inspired all of a sudden. She grabbed his hand tightly and said anxiously: "Yes, join the Kingdom of Daonia! Only in this way can your father be saved from the danger of being captured after defeat! Only then is it possible to persuade my father to come down the mountain and surrender! Only then is it possible to persuade my sister and brother-in-law to surrender!... Although we may not all live in the city of Rome in the future, at least they... they will not be killed or become slaves..."
Listening to his wife's worried words and pleas, Storlo couldn't help but hug her trembling body tightly in his arms. This time, he was really a little tempted...
..........................
Today, the reason why the people in the city of Rome are so excited is not only because the Daonian army has won one victory after another, which makes them more certain that the Daonian rule in the Latin region is becoming more and more stable, and it is almost impossible for the Roman nobles to regain their rule in Rome. Their newly acquired land and rights will never be taken away again.
Moreover, they also know that this army, which has been fighting abroad for more than ten days, is about to return to the city of Rome, including 6,000 Roman soldiers. Although the strong attack on Gabii was a tough battle, after that it was just a constant march and surrender. The casualties of the soldiers were not great, but in this chaotic situation, the Roman people hoped to see their lively relatives appear before their eyes.
Near noon, nearly 30,000 Daonian soldiers led by Printoles arrived in the city of Rome. King Davos personally led the officials of the city of Rome to welcome them out of the city, and announced: "In order to commend the soldiers for their contributions to the kingdom, a grand banquet will be held for them at noon! And after the banquet, an olive ball legion competition will be held!"
When the soldiers heard this news, the fatigue and running around of the past few days disappeared without a trace, and they burst into deafening cheers.
Since the establishment of Daonia, this is the first time a banquet has been held to celebrate during the war. Davos mainly considered that such a large number of Daonian legion soldiers were away from their hometowns for the first time, and had been fighting on foreign land for such a long time, and their bodies and minds were a little tired, and they needed a chance to relax.
Moreover, now the situation in the entire Latin region is gradually becoming clear, and the order in the city of Rome is becoming more and more stable, so Davos dared to make such a decision.
In the past month or so, the Daonian army has successively captured cities and forced city-states to surrender, seizing a large amount of food, livestock, and property. Of course, it is not a problem to organize a banquet.
But in fact, there is no need to consume a lot of grain. Davos's chef is the head chef of the entire banquet, and the dishes carefully prepared for each soldier are quite rich: a pot of steaming mutton soup, a piece of fragrant fried beef, a grilled river fish smoked with herbs, a handful of clean cabbage that can be dipped in sauce, a small bowl of cooked chickpeas, a handful of olives and nuts, a piece of baked honey bread, and of course, a pot of watered wine...
In order to prepare for this grand banquet, more than 500 fat sheep and nearly 100 cattle were slaughtered in the city of Rome. In the past two days, the soldiers stationed in the city used fishing nets to catch thousands of pounds of fish in the Tiber River...
The soldiers of each legion enjoyed the food in their own barracks. The 6,000 Roman reserve soldiers did not have their own barracks. After obtaining Davos's consent, Sextus led them to eat in the Mars Square in the northeast of the city of Rome.
The Rome City Hall borrowed the kitchens of nearly a hundred civilian families on the Palatine Hill, and hired their chefs to make dishes under the guidance of Davos's chef. The logistics camps of each legion successively sent people to line up to receive food from the Palatine Hill in order.
Long lines extended from the Palatine Hill to all directions of the city, and the scene was very spectacular.
King Davos, accompanied by Croto Catacus and guarded by the guards, visited the barracks of each legion in turn to attend the celebration banquet. Every time he arrived at a barracks, he would hold a wine glass and walk among the soldiers, chatting with them cordially. At the same time, he would also let Croto Catacus replace him in toasting the officers and soldiers who performed well to show encouragement.
It was not until this time that all the legion soldiers truly knew that the young man who often stood behind the king, silent and taciturn, the young man who led the team to attack fiercely at the final moments of the siege of Fidene and Gabii, was not an officer of the palace guard, but the prince of the Kingdom of Daonia!
The soldiers were surprised, but they were even more fond of this gentle young man, and they toasted him one after another. Croto Catacus also accepted all comers. By the time he had finished visiting all the barracks, he was already walking unsteadily and talking drunkenly.
Davos had no choice but to ask the guards to help him back to his room to rest.
Finally, Davos and his party arrived at the Mars Square, and Sextus led the officers to welcome the arrival of King Davos.
As a result, Davos proposed to stay and dine with these Roman civilian soldiers who had just joined the Kingdom of Daonia.
Not only the officers, but even Sextus, who was relatively familiar with Davos, was surprised. Before he could find a reason to refuse, Davos had already walked straight to the soldiers and sat on the grass without hesitation.
Maltius brought him some food, and he began to eat while chatting with the soldiers through the translator.
It was the first time Roman civilians had dined with a king, and this king not only held great power but was also rumored to be a descendant of Greek gods, so they were both curious and nervous. However, seeing that the king was unpretentious and spoke to them very gently about everyday matters, they gradually relaxed and mustered the courage to talk to Davos about some of the problems they were facing. Davos patiently responded to each one, so more and more soldiers came over, which made the guards even busier, but the atmosphere became increasingly lively.
As the banquet was coming to an end, Davos asked, "What preparations have you made for the upcoming rugby game?"
The soldiers responded with a variety of answers, but they all expressed the same idea: they would very much like to participate, but they knew nothing about the sport and were afraid of embarrassing themselves in the game.
Davos smiled and told them, "In the Kingdom of Daonia, rugby is very popular with the citizens. The games are intense and exciting, showcasing the players' strength, speed, intelligence, and overall tactical coordination. I believe you will quickly come to enjoy it after you get acquainted with it."
Davos continued to surprise them, saying, "This sport was inspired by Hades in my dream and then taught to the Daonian soldiers, so rest assured, I will quickly teach you how to play rugby, and I will personally take you onto the field to play…"
The soldiers were very excited after hearing this and actively requested to participate. Bursts of laughter erupted from Mars Square from time to time.
Considering that ten teams would participate in the afternoon's rugby game, namely the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Legions, the First and Second Cavalry Legions, the Lucanian Reserve Legion, and the Roman Reserve Team, the competition venues were held at the Roman Arena and Mars Square, and three competition fields were opened up in the vast Mars Square.
In addition to the soldiers who needed to be stationed on the city walls, ready to defend against foreign enemies at any time, the soldiers who were sent out to scout the enemy situation around Rome, and the soldiers who patrolled the streets to maintain order, not only soldiers from various legions, Daonian merchants who came to Rome for trade, and their entourage poured into the stadium to watch the game, but it also attracted some people from Rome and surrounding towns such as Veii and Fidenae.
In the past, the entertainment that these Romans could watch, apart from dramas and sports competitions, was gladiator contests, a cruel entertainment that the Romans learned from the Etruscans, bringing a bloody sensory stimulation to the audience through the mutual killing of slaves on the arena. Especially in the past ten years, with the increase in wars and the increase in prisoners, gladiator contests in Rome have gradually increased.
This was the first time they had watched a Daonian rugby game.
The grand scale of the game and the intense physical confrontation first attracted their attention. Before long, they also discovered that the overall coordination of offense and defense between the two teams, and the battle of wits and courage in rapid movement, was also very interesting. All of this made them feel the profoundness and fun of this sport; and every time the referee blew the whistle to make a penalty, the coaches on the sidelines promptly changed players and formations, and every player who left the field clapped their hands to the sidelines to show their respect, all of which made them aware of the rigor, formality, and elegance of this sport.
Therefore, the complex game rules did not make the Roman people feel a headache. Instead, it made these Romans, who were accustomed to formulating and abiding by laws, more carefully ponder the mysteries of it. After a few games, they, like other legion soldiers and spectators, cheered for every offensive score of the players on the field and sighed for every mistake…
Davos really fulfilled his promise and personally led the Roman players onto the field.
The audience on the sidelines immediately exclaimed and cheered, but the Second Legion players, as their opponents, were a little unhappy.
Matonis, the legion commander of the Second Legion and the coach, immediately came over to protest.
Davos said, "These Roman soldiers have never been exposed to rugby before. This is their first time playing against you. If I don't play, then you will win very easily, which is unfair to the other legions…"
Under Davos's insistence, the Second Legion players had no choice but to accept helplessly.
Davos was of course the quarterback, because that was the only way he could lead the whole team. Although he was already 40 years old, he insisted on exercising every day and had very good physical fitness. Moreover, the Second Legion players became a little timid and did not engage in intense confrontation with him when facing the king they usually admired, which allowed Davos to organize the offense more easily.
The news that "King Davos is playing in the game" quickly spread throughout the legions. This was a rare spectacle that had not been seen in more than a decade! The soldiers flocked to the stadium, layer upon layer, surrounding the field. Every catch and throw of Davos's ball caused thunderous cheers from outside the field, which also put a lot of psychological pressure on the Second Legion players.
Under his command, the Roman players gradually began to play in a decent manner, and even scored a touchdown. In addition, the Romans' innate tenacity and tenacious defense kept the score from widening.
This made the Second Legion players start to get a little anxious, and their movements became bigger and the confrontation became more intense.
Under such circumstances, Davos began to be targeted, and even once was knocked to the ground by an opponent who was dazed.
The audience outside the field exclaimed, and Matonis and the players were also frightened and quickly came over to express their condolences.
Davos got up, shook his head, tried his best to smile, and then comforted the bewildered perpetrator, and told him in a gentle tone: "I'm fine, rugby is supposed to be played like this!"
This heartwarming scene once again brought warm applause from the audience on the sidelines.
After the game restarted, Matonis had a flash of inspiration and shouted loudly to the bench: "Adoris! Adoris!"
Adoris, wearing a simple game uniform, immediately ran to Matonis and said excitedly: "Legion Commander, is it my turn to play?!"
"Yes," Matonis said affirmatively. "After you come on, play as the center guard and completely defend the opponent's quarterback for me!"
"Ah? Defend me… Father!" Adoris was dumbfounded.
"There's no way, no one else dares to seriously defend against His Majesty, only you can!" Matonis shrugged helplessly, then looked at him and said in a deep voice: "Listen, boy, we can't lose to the beginner Romans here, otherwise the Second Legion will become the laughing stock of all the legions in Daonia. As a soldier of the Second Legion, do you want that?!"
"No!" Adoris replied without hesitation.
"Very good, go on the field and defend well!" Matonis encouraged loudly, pushing him onto the field.
The Roman Reserve Team was still on the offensive. After both sides were in position, Davos was slightly stunned when he saw Adoris standing opposite his teammate in front of him: "Adoris, you're on the field."
"Father, I… I won't let you pass the ball easily again!" Adoris said somewhat nervously.
Davos raised his eyebrows: "Oh, then try it."
Adoris really didn't have as many scruples as other teammates. Although he was a little restrained at first, he gradually let go. There were scenes of the father and son chasing each other, which made the soldiers outside the field laugh.
The Roman people, who didn't know why, asked for the reason and then laughed along.
As a result, the game was intense and the laughter continued off the field.
Of course, once the Second Legion players became serious, and quarterback Davos was restricted, the Roman soldiers, as novices, were naturally no match, but when the game ended, many players walked off the field reluctantly. This one game made them fall in love with this sport.
When King Davos left the field, the audience on the sidelines shouted that they wanted him to continue playing. Davos smiled and waved to the audience around him to express his gratitude.
Due to the urgency of time, after the first round of elimination matches, the second round immediately began. Each legion had thousands of soldiers, all of whom could play rugby and could be rotated at any time, so there was no shortage of players and no need to rest. The final was between the First Legion and the Second Legion.
The two top legions in the kingdom not only competed in military affairs, but also often competed with each other in other aspects. Naturally, they also tried their best in this game, so the game was quite intense, and the audience on the sidelines was also quite nervous, constantly cheering for both sides.
An interesting scene appeared again in the game: Matonis once again used his trump card, sending Adoris to specifically raid Patroclus, the quarterback of the First Legion.
This scene of the brother-in-law against the brother-in-law was staged again, adding a bit of fun to the tense game, and Davos off the field also smiled happily.
It was precisely Adoris's key tackle that caused Patroclus to drop the ball, allowing the Second Legion to win the championship by a narrow margin of one point.
By the time the entire game was over, it was almost dusk, and the lively atmosphere in the city had not yet dissipated.
The soldiers of each legion were still fiercely discussing the mistakes and regrets in the game, while the Roman soldiers and people were still savoring the joy and excitement that the rugby game brought them. Of course, the topic also included King Davos. They did not expect that the usually high-ranking King Daonia would be so approachable and could mingle with ordinary people, being closer to the people than the Roman senators who called themselves "fathers of the people", which made them have a better impression of the Kingdom of Daonia.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"Father! I'm sorry, I'm late!" Croto Catakes hurriedly walked into the living room and said apologetically, because he had just woken up from his hangover, and his voice was still a little hoarse.
"Come, sit down quickly. Everyone has been waiting for you for a while." Davos, sitting at the head of the table, looked at him with concern, then said in a gentle tone, "Now you know the harm of heavy drinking, right? You should be moderate in drinking from now on."
"Being drunk is really too uncomfortable. I will try my best not to drink in the future." Croto Catakes was drunk for the first time. He touched his still dizzy head and responded in a low voice.
"You just need to drink less, but it's impossible not to drink at all. Otherwise, you won't be able to get along better with the soldiers," a voice rang out from the side.
Croto Catakes quickly turned his head and called out affectionately, "Brother! Thank you for your reminder!" Then he turned to the other side and nodded in greeting: "Hello, brother-in-law!"
Patroklos nodded with a smile and also offered a friendly suggestion, "I also felt very uncomfortable the first time I got drunk. At that time, my squad leader got me some honey water to drink, and I felt much better soon."
"Honey water? I'll try it later." Croto Catakes expressed his gratitude, then sat down next to Adoris.
Davos gestured to the servant standing aside, and soon dinner was placed on the table.
Davos smiled, his eyes slowly sweeping over Adoris, Croto Catakes, and Patroklos, and said in a calm tone, "There is an old saying in the East called 'Father and son fight as soldiers,' which means that when a father and son fight together, they are often very united and can win battles. This time, for the expedition to Latinium, all the adult men in our family are here… I am very ashamed. It has been almost two months since I arrived here. Because the war has been tense, government affairs have been busy, and in order to avoid suspicion, I have not given you more care. Today, I finally have a chance, so I invited the three of you over tonight, so our family can gather together, have a good meal, drink some wine, and talk."
"I am very happy that the fighting is so frequent and tragic, but none of you have suffered any major injuries. This is the greatest luck! So, this first glass of wine, we must thank Hades for protecting us!"
Saying that, Davos raised his glass.
Adoris and Patroklos also raised their glasses one after another, only Croto Catakes hesitated a little.
"Croto, you just woke up from being drunk, so just drink honey water," Davos said.
His words made Croto Catakes change his mind. He asked the servant to add more water to the wine, and then poured himself a glass.
After the four silently prayed to Hades, they drank the glass dry.
"Your Majesty!" Patroklos put down his glass,
and refilled it, saying, "I should—"
"Uh!" Davos solemnly corrected, "I said this is our family gathering, why are you still calling me that! What should you call me, like Cynthia does?"
Patroklos hesitated for a moment, then respectfully called out, "Father!"
"Mmm!" Davos responded with a smile.
"Did you call it wrong? Shouldn't you be punished with a drink first?" Adoris looked at Patroklos with bright eyes.
Patroklos drank it dry very simply, then pointed the empty glass at Adoris.
To be honest, although Patroklos was Adoris's brother-in-law, they had never really eaten together. Patroklos's straightforwardness and generosity immediately suited Adoris's temperament, and he immediately returned the toast.
"Haha, Patro, Cynthia is my eldest daughter. She has helped us take care of the other children since she was little, so they all admire Cynthia. You married her, and Adoris and the others have a little resentment!" Davos deliberately brought up the matter in a joking tone.
Adoris touched his nose slightly awkwardly. Croto Catakes's heart trembled slightly, but the matter had passed for more than two years, and he had accepted the fact and faded that feeling in his heart.
Patroklos smiled and refilled his glass, saying, "Father… Father, what I wanted to say just now is… the helmet Croto gave me has very good protection and once saved my life. When defending the city of Ostia, I was fighting with the enemy, and an arrow shot at the side of my helmet. The helmet resisted the impact of the arrow very well and did not cause me to feel dizzy, which would have given the enemy in front of me an opportunity…"
Patroklos touched his head, recalling the dangerous situation at the time, and said with lingering fear, "So, I have to toast you, Croto, thank you very much! You saved my life!"
Patroklos stood up and sincerely raised his glass to Croto Catakes.
Croto Catakes hurriedly stood up and said, "What Father said just now is not right. We don't blame you for marrying our sister. On the contrary, we thank our sister for bringing us such a good brother-in-law! Now we are a family, and it is right to help each other! On the contrary, according to the tradition of Daonia, I should toast you first, brother-in-law!"
Davos was very satisfied that Croto Catakes was able to overcome his previous emotional entanglement and behave so generously and appropriately. He looked at the two clinking glasses and drinking with satisfaction, and happily patted the table: "Yes, yes, this is what a family should be!"
Then, Davos picked up another glass of wine and said loudly, "This second glass of wine is to thank you for your excellent performance in this war! Patro, as the captain of the First Legion, you have been calm and commanded well in the difficult battles of rescuing Volsci, attacking Rome, and defending Ostia… In critical moments, you took the lead and boosted morale. Your performance was very outstanding, and I am proud of you!
Adoris, in the battles of intercepting the Roman reinforcements, conquering Fidene, and conquering Gabi, you not only performed very bravely yourself, but also led your squad well. So your promotion to squad leader is not because Matonis is trying to please you because you are my son, but because you earned it with your own achievements. I am proud of you!
Croto, you just turned 18 and went to the battlefield for the first time. I originally just wanted you to feel the atmosphere of the battlefield and didn't intend to let you fight the enemy alone, but you repeatedly volunteered to fight, and successively participated in intercepting the Roman reinforcements, defending Ostia, and conquering Fidene and Gabi. Especially when storming the city of Gabi, at the most critical moment, you bravely led the palace guards to rush to the top of the city and made the first contribution to capturing the city of Gabi. You are already an excellent warrior, and I am proud of you!
So this glass of wine is to toast the three outstanding young men in our family. You have brought glory to the royal family with your outstanding performance. I thank you!"
Davos stood up and sincerely raised his glass to the three, then drained it in one gulp.
Croto Catakes, Adoris, and Patroklos were all radiant after hearing Davos's words. After looking at each other and smiling, they all picked up their glasses and toasted Davos in return.
Davos refilled his glass again, looked at them, and said earnestly, "This last glass of wine… is to toast our loved ones! They are worried in the rear while we are fighting in the front! Adoris, Croto, your two mothers send a letter every day, and most of the content is about asking about your situation in Latinium. What did you eat today? Did you participate in the battle? Were you injured in the battle?… To reassure them, I have to spend energy writing nice words every day to comfort them.
Patro, it's the same for you. The letters Cynthia writes to you every day are forwarded by me. I think they must be full of concern for you… So you must remember that the reason we are fighting is for the peace of our homeland. Don't be too obsessed with fighting and forget the loved ones who are worried about you in the rear!"
The three, who were still high-spirited just now, instantly turned serious. Patroklos thought of his beloved wife, who was pregnant, Croto Catakes thought of his loving mother Agnes and his seemingly strict but actually caring mother Christoia, and Adoris thought of his mother Christoia, who had always cared for him very much, and his sister, who had taken care of him since he was a child. The three silently picked up their glasses and drank them all in one gulp with emotion.
The living room was silent for a while before Davos said, "Okay, the three glasses of wine have been finished. Next, let's eat freely and chat casually. Croto, your stomach is not feeling well, so I specially cooked you some oatmeal porridge. Have a little first."
The servant had already brought the steaming rice porridge to Croto Catakes's table. He scooped a spoonful and drank it slowly.
The dinner prepared for them that night was hot pot with beef and mutton, because Davos felt that it was more lively for a family to eat this, but Patroklos and Adoris had already eaten a lot at the banquet at noon, so their appetite was not very strong. They only ate a few bites simply, and Adoris couldn't help but ask, "Father, should we attack the Roman army hiding in the colonial city in southwestern Latinium next?"
"Yes." Davos affirmed his question and said clearly, "Rome is a vicious wolf. We should take advantage of its injury to intensify our attack and never give it a chance to recover, to avoid it biting us back. So I have decided to personally lead the army tomorrow to attack the Roman colonial city in the southwest and other Latin city-states that have not yet surrendered."
"Will our legions participate too?" Adoris asked quickly.
"The Second Legion will go on the expedition with me." After Davos finished speaking, he looked at Patroklos: "The First Legion will temporarily stay in the city of Rome, together with the Lucanian Reserve Legion, to assist the chief executive Asystes in maintaining order and stability in the city of Rome. At the same time, you must also send the wounded soldiers back to Thurii, and the reserve soldiers in Thurii must also rush to Rome to make up for the vacancies in your First Legion.
After the First Legion completes its reorganization, the Second Legion will rush back to the city of Rome to relieve you… In this way, I hope that while eliminating the Roman army, we can restore the full combat effectiveness of each legion as soon as possible, because we have sufficient manpower and now have sufficient military food reserves."