Chapter 769
While the siege was in full swing, the Third Fleet led by Midolades sailed to the mouth of the Tiber River and approached the port of Ostia.
The Romans had already sealed off the port of Ostia with iron chains, and the archers in the watchtowers fired fire arrows at the warships approaching the port as a deterrent.
The Third Fleet bypassed the port, and then the warships docked on the south bank of the Tiber River.
Ostia was shaped like a rectangle. Its long western side was against the coast and had walls. If Diónia wanted to attack from this direction, they could only do so through the sea. It was too difficult, so the Dionysian Army concentrated their attack on the east and south sides, while the short northern side of Ostia was the port.
Why did Ostia not build a city along the Taipei River? Logically speaking, this was more conducive to the lives of the people in the city, whether it was to work in the fields or to fetch water. That was because there was a large lagoon on the east side of the port. It was formed when the Tiber River overflowed year after year. This oval lake, about 300 meters from north to south and more than 200 meters from east to west, had long become a part of Ostia. Even the people of Ostia specifically left enough mudflats by the lake in the city so that when the Taipei River overflowed and connected to the lagoon, the houses would not be flooded.
Since the war with Diónia, although the Senate was not too worried about the safety of Ostia, they still listened to the suggestion of Carthage and built a short breakwater at the part of the lagoon closest to the Tiber River. The main purpose was to prevent Diónia from pushing their warships across the river bank, which was only a dozen meters long, through the lagoon and into the city. This was just a precautionary measure by Carthage.
But this time, the Dionysian Fleet really came, and their warships sailed east along the river bank. After bypassing the newly built breakwater, the warships docked at the south bank of the Tiber River. The fleet infantrymen disembarked, each carrying a large wooden board. Under the command of the team officers, the 2,800 fleet infantrymen assembled (the Third Fleet had a total of 70 Raven warships).
After advancing quickly for a few hundred meters, they came to the lakeside and placed the wooden board in the water. On top of it were helmets, wooden shields, leather armors, and short swords. Wearing only leather armor and leather sandals, they held the sides of the board with their hands and floated on the water, using their legs as oars to paddle forward. Swimming less than a mile across the lake was a very easy task for the fleet infantrymen who were proficient in the water and had strict training in this area.
When the citizens of Ostia realized that the lagoon where they usually used to drink and swim was filled with enemies, they screamed in fear, hoping that the guards would stop them from coming ashore.
But the vanguard of the fleet infantrymen had already reached the shore. They quickly put on their helmets and picked up wooden shields and short swords. The slippery muddy beach was difficult to walk on, but it was not a difficult task for the fleet infantrymen, who were mostly fishermen and had been playing on the shore since they were young. Not only did they move freely, but they also gradually formed a formation as they moved.
By the time the commander of the defenders received the news, the fleet infantrymen had already reached the shore, and the city was in chaos.
Although the fierce attack of the Dionysian army had tightened the defense of the city, the commander of the Roman army had to squeeze out a small number of troops to the city to stop the advance of the fleet infantrymen and avoid being attacked from both sides. But in fact, it was like drinking poison to quench thirst.
The scouts who had been observing the movements of the defenders quickly reported the changes of the enemy to the King of Devers. Without hesitation, he ordered the rested Legio IV to immediately join the siege team. This was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
At dusk, the Diónia army captured Ostia.
… …
At the same time, the hurried sound of horse hooves broke the silence of the city of Rome at dusk. In addition, the messenger on the War Horse shouted, "Urgent military news! Urgent military news! " So that the people on the street would make way in advance to avoid accidental injuries.
This naturally caused many people in Rome to be confused and panicked. "What happened?! Could it be that Camillus has failed? "
"Don't talk nonsense. How could Camillus fail? I think it must be our army that captured Fürentirum! "
"If it was a victory, the messenger just now would have announced it to us. There is no need to rush to the Senate in such a hurry."
…
Just as the people in Rome were discussing, the messenger rode through the square and pushed open the door of the Senate.
At this time, the senators of Rome were preparing to leave the meeting and go home to rest. Suddenly, they heard the news that the Diónia army was coming from the sea and was about to land on the coast of Latin. They were shocked.
These days, the main business of staying in the Senate was to listen to the progress of the war between the Rome army and the Hernici. Just when they were eager to hear the news of the final victory, they did not expect to hear the news that the Diónia army had launched an attack on them.
Were the Diónia not now fighting against Carthage in Sicily?! Were they not defending against the Samonians?! The first reaction of many senators in Rome when they heard the news was disbelief.
Compared to the shock of most senators, Potitus appeared to be a little calmer. He asked loudly, "Where is the Dionysian Army landing? Are you sure?"
The messenger replied, "General Paulus has sent scouts to track along the coast. I believe there will be news soon."
While thinking, Potitus muttered to himself, "Adim? It is too close to Antium. Our army can easily disrupt the landing of the Diónia army. The coast of Lavinium, it is possible. There are not many citizen soldiers in this small city … "
Before he finished, Abinius shouted, "Ostia is not far from Lavinium!"
"Ostia! The target of Diónia's attack is most likely Ostia!! " There was a sudden exclamation in the meeting hall. The senators of Rome were not useless people. Most of them had participated in many city-state affairs and foreign wars before they became senators. Of course, they could understand how great the loss of Ostia was to Rome, and how much help it would be to the Diónia if they gained Ostia.
"Ostia has three thousand soldiers defending it. When Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius discover the anomaly, they will definitely gather their troops and rush over to stop them. The situation should not be that bad," Lucretius comforted the crowd.
"The previous battle has already told us that the Diónia soldiers are very strong. According to the messenger's report, the number of the Diónia army that is about to land is probably more than the number of soldiers we have sent to the border of Wolsey. In addition, the ten thousand Diónia reinforcements that were originally in Wolsey are rushing over to help them land. We must be prepared for the worst. I am afraid that Paulus and the others will not be able to stop them from landing, and Ostia is likely to be attacked by them!" The cautious Potitus reminded them loudly.
"Even if they can land successfully, they will not be able to take down Ostia in such a short time. We still have a chance!" Apuleius said loudly.
His words were immediately echoed by many of the elders. Yes, not only did they misjudge the situation, but Diónia had also boldly led the army to attack from the sea again, bypassing the heavily defended towns of Rome and raiding its defenceless hinterland, rendering the southwest defense strategy that they had set up useless. Of course, they did not want Diónia to seize Ostia again. That would only make them regret it even more.
"I am afraid that the army led by Paulus and the others is already fighting with Diónia. I believe we will get news of the situation tonight." Ambrosius reminded the crowd not to waste their energy on blind guesses. He said in a deep voice, "What we need to do now is to send someone to inform Camillus immediately!"
"I don't agree with you. It is already dark outside, and it is difficult to ride in the dark. The terrain of the Tulerus Valley is uneven, and there are still remnants of the Hernici wandering in the wild. If we send someone to inform Camillus at this time, it is very likely that they will lose their lives before they see him. Losing their lives is a small matter, but if they fall into the hands of the Helniki and their allies and let them know that the Dionians are invading, their morale will be greatly boosted, and it will cause trouble for Camillus when he leads his army to retreat in the future, "Publius Cornelius Scipio immediately objected.
Many of the elders thought that his words made sense.
At this time, a loud voice sounded in the hall, "No matter how difficult it is, we must send someone to inform Camillus tonight and let him lead the army back as soon as possible!" Potitus spoke in a resolute tone. He looked around at the people in the hall with a solemn expression. "Elders and newcomers, I just thought of a very serious problem. In my decades of life, war has always been as unpredictable as the temperament of a god. Whenever you think that the situation is bad, the truth will become even worse! We must consider the possibility that the Dionysian Army will attack Rome tomorrow! "
There was another uproar in the hall.
Even if the Diónia took the risk of bypassing Rome's defenses on land and raiding the colonial city of Ostia, would they have the guts to invade the interior of the Latin region alone?! How could they attack the city of Rome when they were surrounded by enemies?! Although many senators were shocked by Potitus' speculation, they were completely skeptical. First of all, Ostia alone would take them a lot of time!
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