Chapter 716
Apuleius' harsh rebuke of Camillus, who had made great achievements in the war, caused an uproar among the elders.
Camillus was a gentle and kind man. He had been criticized from time to time in the Senate, but he could always remain calm. But now, he was staring at Apuleius with a trace of anger in his eyes. It was this man who falsely accused him of keeping the spoils of war for himself more than a decade ago. In the end, he was put on trial and forced to leave Rome.
Apuleius did not avoid Camillus's gaze. Over the years, as Camillus won one victory after another, his prestige grew, which made his situation more difficult. He often heard people pointing at him and scolding him when he walked in the city, "That's the one who falsely accused Camillus. May Jupiter punish him!" Under such circumstances, the reason he could still sit in the Senate was that some bigwigs did not want to see Camillus's prestige grow too high. Some senators were jealous of his achievements and needed someone to oppose him.
Apuleius knew his value, so he never concealed his hostility toward Camillus.
"I've never heard such ridiculous words!" The governor, Pantius, stood up and loudly defended his former superior, "How can you blame Camillus for the failure of that battle? If you want to blame someone, blame us for not informing Camillus in time about the arrival of the Dionysian Army! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not expecting the Dionysian Army to launch a military operation as soon as they arrived in Wolsey!
Anyone who has commanded a battle should know that Camillus did not make any mistakes in that battle, and any general in Rome would choose to save the citizens and allied soldiers of Rome who were in danger! The only thing Camillus lacked was that he did not expect the Dionysian Army to be so strong! But how could any of the senators know about this before they have fought with the people of Diónia? "
"Hmph, so you can only blame Diónia for being too strong?!" Apuleius mocked disdainfully.
"Rumor has it that the Kingdom of Diónia has the most powerful army in this land. Now it seems that the rumor isn't just flattery. The arrival of their army has already caused us to suffer consecutive defeats. We must be vigilant! We should not pursue the issue of who is right and who is wrong in this battle. Instead, we should discuss how to face the threat of Diónia. This is the problem that we need to solve urgently! "Ambrosius said solemnly.
"Yes, and Diónia also has a powerful fleet that constantly threatens our allies and colonial cities by the sea." The veteran Elder Lucretius also supported Camillus. He said, "Camillus made a calm judgment. You chose to retreat in time, which is absolutely correct! The safety of Rome and its allies is far more important than obtaining a few more pieces of Wolsey land! "
With two important senators endorsing Camillus in a row, the others could not blame him anymore. No one mentioned the failure of this battle and the failure of Quintus to attack the city.
"Elders and newcomers," he said. The president of this meeting, Governor Paulus, finally began to speak and led the topic to the focus of this meeting. "The Kingdom of Diónia in southern Italy has started a war with us, Rome. Judging from the current situation, Diónia has a strong army and a powerful fleet, which poses a great threat to Rome! The previous battle only happened in the Wolsey area. In the future, the battle is likely to expand to our allies and even the territory of Rome. Do you have any good suggestions to avoid such a terrible situation from happening? "
"I have already said before that we should not be bewitched by Carthage and his people. If we rashly become enemies with Diónia, it will be detrimental to the development of Rome. The facts have proven everything!" The high priest Vlagus got up and suggested worriedly, "In order to prevent Diónia from further invading us, we should immediately stop the war with Wolsey, sign an armistice agreement with Wolsey, return the occupied Wolsey territory, and send someone to make peace with Diónia. Diónia and Rome have no hatred in the past, and now they are facing a drought. After losing the reason to start a war, they will be happy to stop this meaningless war for them! "
"The high priest is right!" Some of the senators agreed with Vlagus' proposal. This was rare for the senators of Rome who had always been aggressive and rarely compromised. This showed how much pressure Diónia was putting on Rome.
If it was someone else who said this, Quintus, who had always hated surrender and compromise, would have scolded him. However, Vlagus' full name was Vlagus Julius. He was born in the Julius clan. It was said that this clan was the descendant of Mars, the god of war, and Venus, the goddess of love. Their direct ancestor was Julius, the first king of Alba Longa (Alba Longa used to be the center of the entire Latin region, the motherland of Romulus, the founder of Rome). After Alba Longa was defeated by Rome, the Julius clan moved to Rome. Because of their noble bloodline and the fact that they were the descendants of the gods, their clansmen often served as high priests and spoke for the gods.
Although the high priest had no real power, his position was honorable, and Vlagus had been respected by the people since he became the high priest. Quintus considered the influence of Vlagus, so he spoke in a more gentle tone, "High priest, I think you haven't forgotten the resolution that the Senate just passed a few days ago. 'Villette, Antium, and Saturnicum will be turned into colonial cities, and part of their land will be distributed to the landless civilians.' Now you want us to return the occupied land to Wolsey. Do you think the civilians who are preparing to go to these colonial cities will agree? You don't want to see those civilians start another riot again, do you?
Also, Wolsey has always been the enemy of Rome. This time, we almost destroyed it. It was not easy for it to get the help of Diónia. Will it be satisfied with a truce with Rome? I'm afraid it wants to use the army of Diónia to destroy Rome so that Wolsey will no longer be threatened by us! "
"I agree with Quintus' opinion!" Pantius immediately expressed his support loudly, "Since the founding of Rome, there has never been a precedent of choosing to compromise and surrender in the face of an enemy's threat. We must not make an exception! Rome has encountered many forces stronger than itself in the past, but we have gradually grown stronger through continuous battles! Today, as long as we, the people of Rome, unite as one and dare to continue to fight against Diónia, I believe that the final victory will still belong to Rome! "
"Pantius is right. We, the people of Rome, will never compromise and surrender!" Some of the younger senators echoed Pantius' words loudly. Although some of the senators did not speak, their eyes were also flashing with the desire to fight.
He snorted and said, "We were bewitched by the people of Carthage to start a war with Diónia. But the people of Carthage promised us that they would start a war with Diónia in Sicily, but did they do it? The people of Carthage also have a strong navy, but they hide in their port and do not attack the Dionysian fleet! Everyone, we must be careful not to let Rome become the sword in the hands of the people of Carthage. At that time, we will cut it full of holes, or even break it, but in the end, we will get nothing! "
"Pantius is right!" Another senator who could not be underestimated, Pubrius Cornelius Scipio, reminded loudly, "We, the people of Rome, do not refuse to fight, but we cannot be fools and be used by others. The people of Carthage want to use us to deal with the people of Diónia, but if they do not do anything themselves, we cannot be stupid enough to be completely instigated by them. So we must urge them to send troops immediately. We must tell them clearly, 'Not only will Carthage attack the territory of Diónia in Sicily, but we will also defeat their fleet and protect the coast of our Latin region. Otherwise, we, the people of Rome, will have to stop the war with the people of Diónia!' "
The senators all understood what Scipio meant. They all agreed and quickly reached a consensus. After the meeting, they would immediately ask Paulus to go to the envoy of Carthage in the city and use a threatening tone to urge Carthage to send troops as soon as possible!
At this time, Potitus, who was sitting in the ivory chair at the front of the meeting, said slowly, "Camillus, you are the greatest general of Rome. At the same time, you have fought with the people of Diónia many times. According to your past habits, I believe that you have seriously considered how to fight with Diónia next. Can you tell us about it? "
As soon as Potitus finished speaking, all the senators looked at Camillus and pricked up their ears at the same time. Although some people were jealous of Camillus's reputation, no one could deny Camillus's military talent. Not only did he win many battles and save Rome several times, but the military reform under his leadership also made it more convenient for other generals in Rome to command the army and brought more victories. Therefore, Camillus was the biggest reliance of the people of Rome. When a crisis came, everyone could not help but think of him.
Camillus did not refuse. Out of concern for Rome, he had long wanted to discuss with the top Senate how to deal with the upcoming crisis. At this moment, he thought about it seriously for a while, then faced the senators. First, he thanked them for forgiving him for his failure in the battle. Then he solemnly said, "First of all, everyone must be deeply aware that Diónia is the strongest and most dangerous enemy we have faced so far. ()
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