Chapter 774
"We didn't collect much. Ostia doesn't have a lot of food reserves, and we didn't find any stored grain in the warehouse at the port. However, the rations that the soldiers brought are enough for two days. By then, the food fleet should have arrived. "
"It seems like the food is concentrated in Rome. After all, they have to supply the Roman army that is attacking Helniki," the Devers muttered.
"However, we have collected nearly two hundred carts and many beasts of burden in the city, as well as some fodder. We also found a lot of wood in the warehouse. The engineers are using them to make siege weapons …" Tormid continued.
"This is good news." Although it was good news, there was not a trace of happiness on Dyvers' face. When he talked about tomorrow's battle, his face became extremely solemn: "We have to urge them to speed up the production of siege weapons. If they produce more siege vehicles, we will have a higher chance of victory!"
"Your Majesty, you brought more than five hundred skilled engineers and carpenters from Turín. Together with the engineering battalions of the various legions, there are more than a thousand of them. With the support of the soldiers, they can definitely make enough siege weapons to meet the needs of tomorrow and the day after," Tormid immediately comforted him.
"I hope so." The Devers nodded slightly and quickened his pace into the city hall of Ostia.
"Your Majesty!" The three commanders, Olivers, Giogris, Tenotiras, Midolades, and Izam were already waiting in the meeting room.
"Have your legions settled down?" The Devers asked casually.
"Your Majesty, everything is arranged. They are eagerly waiting for the battle tomorrow and the day after!" Olivers said first.
"I think you can't wait to fight." After entering the conference hall, the expression on Devers's face turned relaxed, and his teasing made everyone laugh.
Amidst the laughter, Devers walked to the front. Crotocatax stood quietly behind him. His gaze swept across Olivers, Giogris, Trotiras, Izam, and the other generals who had followed him through life and death since the time of Persia. They had made countless meritorious contributions. Somehow, his mood calmed down.
He glanced at the simple map of Rome drawn by the Ministry of Military Affairs based on the intelligence on the wooden table in the center of the room, and then said in a clear voice, "Before we discuss tomorrow's battle plan, let a former citizen of Rome introduce the current situation of Rome in detail. You can ask him directly if you have any questions."
"That's great!" Olivers said happily.
Valcers was called into the conference room with a confused look on his face. He looked around at the generals of Diónia in bright armor and gorgeous crowns, and the King of Devers in front of him. He felt very nervous.
But as he answered more and more questions about Rome in detail, the nervousness in his heart gradually turned into shock. Is Diónia going to attack Rome directly?!
… …
Late at night, Crotocatax was woken up by the urge to pee. He was about to go back to bed after relieving himself in a daze, but the candlelight shining through the room next door made his heart skip a beat.
He gently pushed open the unlatched door and saw the Devers sitting at the wooden table, staring intently at the map of Rome, deep in thought. A corner of the map drooped down, and he could vaguely see the dense annotations that had been added because of Valcers' narration.
For as long as he could remember, Clotocatax would often see his father diligently dealing with government affairs in the study late at night. And this time, when he followed his father to the expedition, his father used this habit on the military. Everyone said that his father was a wise king and a great commander. They all thought that this was a gift from Hades, but they didn't know the hardships and efforts that his father had put in for so many years! Cloto Catax looked at his father's unusually tall back with admiration, then quietly closed the door.
The Devers had no idea that his son had been peeping outside the door. His mind was completely immersed in the map. The strings of numbers on the map had turned into countless soldiers in his eyes. The battle would only start tomorrow, but at this moment, thousands of soldiers had already begun fighting in his mind …
… …
Colius, Potitus' trusted servant, immediately led two slaves and rode out of the city after receiving the order.
They were in luck. Apuleius had just passed on the Senate's order to Milusius, the commander of the city guards. Before Milusius could pass on the order to the guards at the city gates, Colius and the rest were able to leave the city without a hitch.
The three of them then sped towards the southeast. By the time they passed by Prenister, it was already night time. The continuous galloping not only tired the horses to the point of panting, but also caused their buttocks to ache from the jolting. Their inner thighs were also bleeding.
"Colius, we can't go any further. The sky is already dark, and there is no moon tonight. We are going into the valley, and the terrain will become more and more uneven. We can't even see the road clearly. If we are not careful, we might fall off our horses. This is too dangerous!" A slave tried to dissuade Colius from moving forward.
Another young slave said loudly, "We can light a torch —"
"Idiot!" Before he could finish, the slave interrupted him, "Beasts are not the only ones wandering around at night. There are also aborigines. If we light a torch, we will be easily discovered by them in the dark and become their target!"
After listening to his words, Colius hesitated. After all, this slave was a Vestini from the east of the Aqui people. He was familiar with the terrain here, which was why Colius brought him along. He looked at the darkness in front of him and pondered for a moment before saying reluctantly, "Not far ahead, there should be a Roman army camp. We can rest there."
The three of them grabbed the reins tightly to control the horses and continued to move forward slowly. Then, they heard "Awooo!" A shrill wolf's howl was heard. Then, pairs of green eyes appeared around them.
"Quick! Run back! " The slave immediately shouted nervously.
Colius reacted quickly and quickly turned the horse's head. Only the young slave wanted to say something, but the horse under him neighed in panic and raised its front hooves, throwing him off the horse.
While the wolf was eating the slave and the horse, Colius and the young slave rode the horse, ran all the way, and hid in the city of Prinister.
… …
When Midolades woke up in the morning, the first thing he did was to ask the guard, "What's the weather today?"
"General, the weather is very good. There is no rain, and there is a light wind. It's a southeast wind!"
Midolades was so happy that he almost jumped up. "The old sailors at the port were right. There is indeed a strong east wind today! Tell the adjutant to give the order to the crew to prepare in half an hour, then gather at the port, and take the warship to Rome! "
"Yes, General!" The guard turned to inform the adjutant.
"Wait a minute! Hmm … and the laborers and slaves at the port, don't forget to inform them to get ready to move! "
Since the establishment of the Dionysian fleet, they had never had the experience of letting people pull the fiber. After all, Turií was relatively close to the estuary. The lower reaches of the Crati River were flat and wide, and the current was relatively slow. It was not too difficult to go upstream, and the same was true for the lower reaches of the Neto River. However, according to intelligence, Rome was more than 50 miles away from the mouth of the Tiber River. The river was winding, and the current was sometimes fast and sometimes slow. To go upstream from the port of Ostia to Rome, ships only needed to pull the fiber. Therefore, under normal circumstances, merchant ships unloaded at the port of Ostia, and then transported to Rome by land.
For this purpose, a flat and wide road was built between Rome and Ostia. Now, the Diónia army was walking on this road. Compared to the fleet, they had set off much earlier.
The Devers left three battalions of Turií reserve soldiers to guard Ostia (these troops were originally used to replenish the soldiers of the First and Second Legions when they suffered losses). They led Legio IV, Legio V, Legio VI, the Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion, the Engineering Battalion, the Medical Battalion, and the pack carrying the siege equipment. Relying on the plains, the whole army was arranged in more than a dozen columns, marching along the south bank of the Tiber River in a mighty manner to the east.
The King of Devers rode in the middle of the army, surrounded by 250 palace guards, more than 20 staff officers of the Ministry of Military Affairs, messengers, buglers, and even a band.
At this moment, the staff officer Tormid was reporting to him, "Your Majesty, Amyntas has sent scouts to report that they have led the army to set off and will first arrive at Rome to wait for us."
"Amyntas' fighting spirit is very strong. He wants to reach Rome before us!" The Devers smiled and looked around. "Are we going to lose to him?"
"We will definitely reach Rome first!" Cloto Catax and the young men from the staff office shouted in unison. Although the palace guards did not speak, their eyes were bright.
"That's good!" The Devers said loudly, "Let the band play the 'Battlefield March', let the soldiers march faster!"
The high-pitched and passionate melody sounded in the army, lifting the spirits of the soldiers and dispelling their drowsiness. No one knew who was the first to sing the song of Hades. Soon, the song spread throughout the entire army. The soldiers braved the dawn, stepped on the soft ground with dew drops, and marched forward with large strides.
… …
The big movement made by the Dionysian Army could not be hidden from the scouts and spies of Rome. So before dawn, the spies sent the news that "Ostia was occupied by Diónia" back to Rome.
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