Chapter 1121
As the governor of the region, the Asistes was not surprised. He muttered to himself, "If all the alliances go all out to support us, there will be about fifty to sixty thousand soldiers. Even if half of them come, there will still be twenty to thirty thousand soldiers. Together with our own army, I think we can repel the invading Gauls with just the strength of Rome alone. This is also the goal that His Majesty hoped to achieve when he established the Diónia Alliance in central Italy."
At this point, the Asistes looked at the young commander in front of him and said solemnly, "Of course, Lord Patroclus. You are now the highest military commander in Rome. You will be in charge of the military decisions."
"I also think that the forces in Rome alone are enough to fight against the invading Gauls!" Patroclus said confidently, "However, to assemble such a large army, we still need Lord Asistes to provide sufficient logistical support and weapons reserves."
"You can rest assured that I will do my best to ensure that the army fights." The Asistes was delighted to see that the young commander not only agreed with his opinion, but was also full of fighting spirit. He immediately promised, "Also, I have just sent a messenger to Turií to inform His Majesty of the 'Gauls' invasion. I believe that the kingdom will soon concentrate more manpower and resources to deal with the Gauls. So you don't have to worry about anything. Lead the army to stop the Gauls from invading our territory, and then think of a way to repel them …"
… … …
In the next few days, the allied armies of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia in Rome arrived one after another. The first to arrive in Rome were the armies of the Latin Alliance. Because they were the closest to Rome, and because they were also the victims of the Gauls, they sent more than 10,000 soldiers.
This pleased Patroclus, for in the last few years, Diónia had made use of the towns of Rome, Vigo, and so forth, and by means of trade, communication, and so on, it had grown closer and closer to the neighboring Latin states. In fact, in the military training of the XIV Corps, he had from time to time asked the citizens of the Latin states to join him, and his request was carried out. Therefore, among the states near Rome, the troops of the Latin states were the most familiar with the military tactics of Diónia, and their soldiers made up the majority of the allied forces, which made it easier for Patroclus to command.
They were followed by the Volsci and the Helniki, who were very active, but having suffered heavy losses in the last war, their population was unlikely to change much in a few years, and they sent less than five thousand soldiers.
After that, the Sabine army and the Ekwe army arrived …
The allies of Etruria did not send any troops. Instead, they seized the time to evacuate the citizens back to their cities. While strengthening the defenses of the cities, they also sent messengers to Rome every day, urging Diónia to send reinforcements north as soon as possible.
Within a few days, the barracks in Rome had gathered thirty thousand Diónia soldiers from Rome, and the Latin, Volsci, Helniki, and so on. The total number of soldiers had exceeded fifty thousand, but Patroclus still did not move.
However, the Asistes could not sit still any longer, and hurried to the barracks. "Commander Patroclus, there is news from the north that the Gauls have crossed the border line we have built. The situation of the border legion led by Lord Hasdrubal is unknown. But the Gauls quickly conquered Florentia, and then launched a massive attack on Felathri and Fufluna, looting the villages along the way, and killing the Etrurian people. The emissaries of the Etrurian states are blocking the entrance of the regional administrative office every day. If you don't send your troops north, I'm afraid that the Etrurian emissaries will all run to Turií and complain to His Majesty! "
It seemed that the Asistes held a grudge against Patroclus, even skipping the respectful title of 'Commander'.
Patroclus, however, appeared calm after listening to the report. He said unhurriedly, "Lord Asistes, from the current situation, the Etrurians' fear of the Gauls has penetrated deep into their bones. They are completely panicking, and have lost their normal rationality and judgment.
However, as the main force against the Gauls, Diónia must remain calm, analyze the current chaotic situation, and find a good opportunity to strike, instead of rushing north and engaging the Gauls in battle. Otherwise, if the attack is thwarted, our morale will undoubtedly be greatly affected, and the stability of Rome will be affected … "
After all, the Asistes was a mercenary. In his early years, he followed the Devers to fight in Persia. It was not that he did not know military affairs. It was just that he had been dealing with government affairs for the past 20 years. In addition to the continuous bad news from the frontlines, and the incessant harassment from the Etrurian emissaries, he, who shouldered the heavy responsibility of the entire region, could not help but feel anxious. After Patroclus's reminder, he came to a realization.
However, Patroclus's words had a hint of reprimand. As the dignified regional administrative officer and an important minister of the kingdom, the Asistes felt a little embarrassed. If it were someone else, he might have shouted a few more words to save some face. However, the person sitting opposite him was the son-in-law of the king of the Devers, who was highly regarded by the king. So, the Asistes could only suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart. After a while, he finally said in a muffled voice, "What's your plan?"
"My lord!" Patroclus could see that the Asistes was a little angry, but he did not care too much. Although the Asistes had a higher rank, the 14th Legion was not under the jurisdiction of the regional administrative officer. Before Patroclus took office, his wife, Cynthia, had reminded him to deliberately avoid close contact with the Asistes. But considering that the Asistes was a close confidant of His Majesty since the establishment of Diónia, and had a very high seniority, he still softened his tone a little. "Although there is no specific news, I don't think the Gauls can conquer the Florentia and Lucca barracks in just a few days. Lord Hastruba should still be stubbornly holding on.
If the city of Florentia can seriously implement the defensive measures we have set up in the past, it will be impossible for the Gauls to break through the city. Unfortunately, under the protection of our border corps for more than a year, they have lost their vigilance. After receiving the alarm, they are still slowly opening the city gates to receive the refugees. When the Gauls bypassed the barracks and quickly marched towards Florentia, they arrived at the city gates in a very short time and launched an attack. However, they panicked and did not immediately close the city gates, allowing the Gauls to rush into the city with the refugees … "
After Patroclus told him the real reason for the fall of Florentia, he sighed and said regretfully, "The Gauls have occupied Florentia, so they have a foothold in Etruria, and a more adequate supply of military provisions. According to the information we have obtained, the Gauls have about 40,000 people, and their morale is high. If I lead the army to cross the Tiber River and rush to the northern part of Etruria to fight them, even if we can win, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. It is better not to go north first to avoid raising the Gauls' vigilance. At the same time, we can wait for the alliance army to converge and have more material reserves … "
"You do not have to worry about military provisions. Crotocatax has been working hard to prepare!" The Asistes reminded him in a serious tone, "But it is not a solution to just let the army stay in the barracks and wait. If the Gauls conquer other Etrurian cities, I am afraid that we will not be able to explain to the Etrurian alliance and the other allies! "
"The 14th Legion only answers to His Majesty and the Kingdom!" Patroclus replied calmly.
When the Asistes heard this, he was a little angry, "But you are now the commander of the entire northern coalition army of Diónia! Protecting the Etrurian alliance is the responsibility that His Majesty has entrusted to you! "
"Yes." Patroclus said seriously, "That is why I have to be cautious, and that is why I have been working hard to wait for the right time! Lord Asistes, you do not need to be anxious. As long as we win, any blame and resentment will disappear. "
Seeing that he was stubborn, the Asistes said angrily, "Fine, then I will wait for your victory!" Then he flicked his sleeves and left.
When Crotocatax returned to the administrative office and reported to him, the Asistes was still complaining about the matter. He said angrily, "When I interact with Patroclus, I feel that he is a very easy person to talk to. Why is he so stubborn at such a critical time? He will not listen to my advice! The entire northern coalition army of Diónia is under his control. I am really worried! "
When Crotocatax heard this, he comforted him, "My Lord, you are governing a huge region like Rome, and at the same time, you also have to take care of the friendly relations with the neighboring allies. You have such a heavy responsibility. Now that the invasion of the Gauls has threatened the safety of the people in the central region, it is very likely that it will destroy the stability and order that you have painstakingly built here in the past few years. I see that you have not been sleeping well all this time, it shows how much pressure you are facing!
As a legion commander, Patroclus looked young, but it wasn't because he was my brother-in-law that my father appointed him as the commander of the Fourteenth Legion, giving him the right to command the allied armies in times of emergency and defend against the Gauls. It was because he was one of the most outstanding candidates among the younger generation of commanders in the Dionysian army. My father, who had always been good at using people, had arranged for him to be here because he believed that he had the ability to shoulder this heavy responsibility.
In fact, he is also facing a lot of pressure. Every time I delivered supplies to the camp and went to see him, he was either assigning missions to the other generals, listening to the reports from the scouts, or focused on looking at the map by himself. He didn't have the time to say a word to me.
Rome is the northernmost territory of the kingdom, and it is impossible for reinforcements to arrive in a short period of time. The coalition army led by Patroclus is the only force that can resist the Gauls at this time. If he suffers a defeat in battle with the Gauls, it may give the Gauls the opportunity to rush into Rome. So, I think it is understandable that he remains cautious. "
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