Chapter 1124
"Sister!" In front of so many juniors, Aegnis couldn't keep her composure.
Cristoya understood Aegnis's temperament too well, and immediately changed the topic, "Alright, let's go to the zoo."
"Mother, I won't be going," Cynthia interrupted.
"We're going to the zoo together for you, how can you not go?" Cristoya was a little displeased, but when she saw Cynthia's melancholy expression, she softened her tone and advised, "Your father told me that even though the Gauls are aggressive, your husband leads a huge army of more than fifty thousand men. He also ordered the nearby twelfth legion to hurry to Rome under your husband's command. I heard that even though the Gauls are fierce, their equipment is crude. They'll definitely be defeated by your husband's elite troops. Don't worry! "
"Mother, I understand all this, but I'm still a little worried. That's why I'm not in the mood to play at such a crucial time …" Cynthia was a little hesitant.
Cristoya asked in surprise, "You've never been this worried when your husband went out to war before?"
"Mother, Patroclus used to be an officer of the legion. If he gets injured in battle … It's our family's business. Now that he's the commander of the northern coalition army of Diónia, it concerns the safety of thousands of families and the northern regions of the kingdom … How can I not be worried?" Cynthia said with a sigh.
Cristoya seemed to think of something after hearing this, and sighed as well. She spoke with a solemn expression, "When your father led the army to war in the past, which time didn't it concern the life and death of the kingdom? Aren't you and I worried? But what did we do? We tried our best to take care of everything at home, and tried our best not to think about this troublesome matter. We ensured that we were healthy. If your father at the frontlines knew that Aegnis and I had fallen ill, would he still be able to devote himself to the war? … "
"Don't let your husband worry, and don't think about the war. Find something to relax yourself … In the end, your husband will receive the protection of Hades!" Aegnis advised from the side.
Obviously, Cynthia listened to her two mothers, and her worried expression faded a lot. Just as she was about to agree to go to the zoo, the wooden door of the inner courtyard was suddenly pushed open, and the palace steward, Ribazot, hurried into the backyard. He bowed excitedly and said, "Your Royal Highnesses, Princess Cynthia, great victory! Lord Patroclus led his army and defeated the Gauls who invaded Etruria! "
Cynthia was overjoyed when she heard that. She was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
"Daddy won a great battle! Papa has won a great battle! "Palpiras even danced and cheered.
"I told you that Hades would protect us," Aegnis said calmly.
"What's the exact situation of the battle?" Christoya smiled and asked on her daughter's behalf.
Ribazot immediately replied respectfully, "I heard that our allied army has won many battles, and has completely defeated the Gauls who invaded Etruria … His Majesty was very happy when he received the news, and has already summoned the five chairmen and a few ministers from the Ministry of Military Affairs to the palace for a discussion."
He then looked at Cynthia, "His Majesty knows that Princess Cynthia is in the mansion, so he specially sent me back to inform you so that you won't worry."
"Look at how much your father cares about you!" Christoya looked at Cynthia reproachfully.
"Thank you, Lord Ribazot!" Cynthia wiped away the tears of excitement in her eyes, and bowed sincerely towards Ribazot.
Ribazot hurriedly dodged, and said repeatedly, "Princess, this is something that I should do, it's not worth your thanks."
"Alright, can we go to the zoo now? It's all because of you that we've been delayed for so long. Eunice and Olivia might be waiting anxiously, "Christoya complained, pretending to be dissatisfied.
"Mother, it's my fault. Let's go now!" Cynthia smiled sweetly, and then squatted down. She extended her hand, and said gently, "Chris, let aunt hold your hand. Let's run faster and get to the zoo as soon as possible, and then go see the elephants, alright?"
"I still want to see the lions."
"No problem!"
"And the hippopotamus."
"Sure!"
… …
Cynthia led the bouncing Chris out of the backyard with quick steps, and a wave of laughter followed.
Christoya looked at Aegnis happily, "This morning, Apox went to the school, Antebris went to practice, and the mansion is full of women. We're going to have a good day in the zoo!"
Palpiras gently tugged at Christoya's hand, and said seriously, "Grandmother, Chris and I are men."
"Oh, that's right, and you two little warriors too." Christoya used a finger to poke his forehead, and smiled even more happily.
… …
Last year, after the Devers' suggestion, Christoya immediately took action. After repeated discussions and surveys, she chose the hilly area to the south of the Turií stone mine, near the Krati River, to build the zoo. This way, the stone and large amounts of water needed would be more convenient, and transportation would be easier.
Until now, the zoo was still under construction, and not open to the public. However, there were already elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and many other animals inside. They were all specially sent over by allied countries (such as Egypt and Mauritania) when they heard that the King of Devers had such needs.
While Christoya and her party were escorted by the palace guards to the zoo in a carriage, the Devers were in the palace discussing matters with the ministers.
"Your Majesty, the facts have proven that your decision was correct. Patroclus is indeed an excellent military commander! Originally, we thought that although the number of soldiers he led was large, most of them were new recruits, and they came from many different sources. Moreover, they were facing the Gauls that all the races in central Italy feared. So, after our analysis, we thought that with the current strength of the Northern Coalition of Diónia, if they adopted a defensive posture, it would not be a big problem to defend Rome, but it would be more difficult to repel the Gauls who were wreaking havoc in Etruria. And we also thought … "
Alexis, the Minister of Military Affairs, hesitated for a moment, then said frankly, "Patroclus, the commander of the Fourteenth Legion, has not been in office for long, and he does not have the experience of commanding so many legions. Also, he is relatively young, and I am afraid that he will not be able to make the generals of the allied countries completely obey him. So, we suggested that Your Majesty should send a more experienced veteran to replace him as the commander of the Northern Coalition. (As the Fourteenth Legion is located in the Rome area, the Ministry of Military Affairs has stipulated that the Legion Commander has the right to command the allied armies in case of emergency.) If it were not for Your Majesty's insistence, I am afraid that this victory would not have come so quickly! … "
Devers listened calmly. In fact, the reason why he insisted that Patroclus continue to command the allied armies was not because he had absolute confidence in his son-in-law, but because when he appointed Patroclus as the commander of the Fourteenth Legion and Sextus as the commander of the Eighteenth Legion, he planned to inject new blood into the army and gradually replace the older generation of generals. Naturally, he was under a lot of pressure. It had only been a little more than a year, and if he were to send a veteran to take over the command, it would not only dampen the confidence of the young generals, but it would also disrupt his original plan. So, he supported Patroclus to protect his own reputation.
Of course, at this time, Devers was no longer as affected by the history of his previous life as he was before the Western Mediterranean War. After defeating Rome and Carthage, and the rapid development of the kingdom in the past few years, he was deeply aware that the strength of the Kingdom of Diónia had far surpassed that of Rome and Carthage at this time in the history of his previous life. In terms of military construction, weapons research, strategies and tactics, they were the best in the entire Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, the Gauls, who once caused a lot of trouble to Rome, were now just a small trouble for the Kingdom of Diónia. Even if the Northern Allied Armies suffered some minor setbacks, it would not affect the kingdom too much. On the contrary, it would make the allies more united around the Kingdom of Diónia due to their fear of the Gauls.
However, he never expected that Patroclus's performance would far exceed his expectations. In less than a month, he had defeated the main force of the Gauls. This made him very satisfied, and he had to suppress the complacency in his heart.
"Your Majesty, according to the battle reports, although Patroclus is young, he is very calm and experienced in commanding his troops. He quickly marched to the vicinity of Volsena, but did not immediately lead the army to attack immediately because of his superior numbers. Instead, he built a camp and lured the enemy to attack. Through a small victory in the defensive battle, he won the trust of the allied generals, and the morale of the soldiers was boosted. Then, he deliberately retreated to the south of the Tiber River, making the Gauls think that the Dionysian Army was afraid, so they dared to attack Volsena boldly. In the end, he took advantage of the Gauls' days of hard fighting and tired sleep to quickly lead the army back again, raiding the Gauls' camp … "
The new chief of staff, Printos, analyzed seriously, "Although this glorious victory has something to do with the ignorance and arrogance of the Gauls. Not only did they not fight cautiously after encountering our powerful allied forces, they only knew how to attack fiercely, and there was no order in their marching and setting up camp. But on the other hand, it can be seen that Patroclus not only understood his own soldiers and the situation of the allied forces, but also understood the situation of the Gauls. Every decision he made was so in line with the situation at that time, and made the victory so easy. It can be said that he has mastered the essence of the 'Military Law'. Congratulations, Your Majesty! The kingdom has gained another outstanding military commander, and he is so young! "
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