Chapter 781
At this time, Potitus' words reminded them, "Camillus is now the dictator of Rome!"
Yes, there was now a dictator in Rome. During this period, all the resolutions and laws in Rome had to be approved by him before they could be implemented. Now the dictator, Camillus, was away on an expedition. When he returned, the army of Rome would also return, and the crisis would naturally be resolved. The senators suddenly had an idea.
In the past, the aristocrats of Rome had many fierce conflicts with the civilians. Most of them had relied on the strategy of delaying to survive the crisis. After that, nothing much had changed. This time, they still decided to use this method. All kinds of coincidences made them think that the gods were protecting Rome.
Therefore, they quickly passed the proposal: abolish the interest on the debts of the people of Rome, allow all citizens to apply for public land, and limit the area of land that each person could rent. Civilians could take up important positions in the city, and they could consider that one of the two consuls every year would be held by a civilian. The slaves who participated in the defense this time would immediately be free.
The senators passed the proposal, but they did not immediately go out to announce it to the people. Instead, they asked their trusted slaves to go home and gather the diners. They then quietly mixed into the crowd.
After everything was arranged, they opened the door of the Senate, faced the crowd, and announced the proposal that they had passed.
The crowd was overjoyed. Some even shouted excitedly, "Victory to the Senate! Victory to the Rome! "
At this time, the senators took the opportunity to announce, "Since the dictator, Camillus, is now in power, according to the law of Rome, the proposal that we passed must be signed by him before it can be effective. So, please wait for two or three days."
The enthusiasm of the people suddenly dropped as if a can of cold water had been poured on them. But at this time, the clan diners kept shouting, "Don't worry, Camillus is on our side. He has spoken for us in the Senate many times!"
"Yes, look at how many civilian officers he has promoted in the army. He will definitely sign this proposal!"
"As long as we hold on for another two or three days and wait for Camillus to return, we will be able to enjoy the same rights as the nobles!"
"Yes, we must defend Rome!"
Although there were a few sensible people who felt that something was wrong, the atmosphere of the gathering had been stirred up by the nobles. Many people chose to believe what the senators said, and some even volunteered to become soldiers to protect Rome.
A crisis that was about to erupt was averted, and the elders heaved a sigh of relief. As for whether or not Camillus would sign the bill when he returned, they were not worried that the noble Camillus would sign the bill against the pressure of all the elders. As for whether or not the commoners would protest because they were deceived, or even start a conflict, that was a matter for the future. They had to overcome the greatest danger before them first.
… …
Now, about a mile away from the east, west, south, and north of Rome were occupied by the Dionysian Army. After a simple lunch and a short rest, the soldiers of the Diónia legions began to build camps under the leadership of their team officers.
Apart from the two cavalry legions who were tasked with the task of observing the enemy's situation and attacking at any time, and the palace guards who were responsible for the safety of the king, the other six legions plus their auxiliary personnel, laborers responsible for transporting supplies, and even the crew of the Third Fleet, nearly 70,000 people were busy. Soon, the surroundings of Rome became a large construction site. The city of Rome was even covered in dust.
In the area that the Second Legion was responsible for, Adoris and his comrades were waving pickaxes and shovels to dig trenches while talking.
At this time, someone shouted, "Is Adoris here? Someone is looking for him! "
"Who is it?" As soon as Adoris poked his head out of the trench, he heard a joyful shout, "Brother!"
"Clotho?!" When Adoris saw who it was, Cloto Catax had already run to his side.
"Why are you here?!"
"Father asked me to come and see you."
"I'm fine. In the battle yesterday, my team killed many enemies, and none of them were injured." Adoris patted his bare chest and said a little proudly, "Tell father not to worry. I'm busy now and don't have extra time to talk to you. You can go back first. "
"Father is now busy discussing tomorrow's battle plan with Tormid, Printos, and the other staff officers. I have nothing to do when I go back now. Why don't I work here with you?" Cloto Catax requested.
"Okay!" Adoris agreed without hesitation.
Crotocatax immediately took off his clothes and jumped into the dirty, dark pit.
"Let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Cloto Catax." Adoris introduced him to his comrades who were busy in the pit.
The soldiers of the Second Legion were mainly citizens of Turín. Some of them came from Amendolara, Abyssinia, and Castellón, all of which belonged to the region of Turín. The young citizens of this region, of course, knew the situation of the royal family of Diónia. Some of them might have even met Cloto Catax when they were studying in Turín School. They knew who he was, so they greeted Cloto Catax warmly.
On the other hand, Cloto and Catax greeted them with the same humble attitude of a new recruit greeting a veteran. This won the favor of the soldiers, someone even jokingly said: "Even the first legion is not as glorious as our division, because we have two princes here."
"Captain, give me another wooden shovel!" Adoris shouted.
The captain, Timamanras, did not immediately hand over the wooden shovel. Instead, he asked cautiously in a low voice, "Can your brother do it?"
"Captain, you're being biased. Why didn't you ask me if I could take it when you hit me with the stick?" Adoris said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"Your brother is not one of my soldiers," Timamanras replied calmly.
"Don't worry. My brother has received military training since he was young, just like me. He's not that delicate," Adoris said as he took the wooden shovel and handed it to Cloto Catax.
Cloto Catax immediately picked up the shovel and started working.
Timamanras watched from the side for a while. Seeing that the young prince was working steadily and well, he was relieved. Then, he said loudly, "Brothers, with Cloto Catax's help, let's work hard and try to finish the task earlier. Let's leave the other divisions behind so that we can be rewarded by the captain. He will let our division take on the important task of attacking the city tomorrow!"
The captain's words made the soldiers work even more enthusiastically. Some even sang the battle song of the Legion of Dionysia. Soon, everyone was working and singing, and the construction site was bustling with noise and excitement.
This scene made Cloto Catax a little envious.
Just as he was in a daze, Adoris's voice rang in his ear. "Is it fun to be a soldier of the legion?"
Cloto Catax nodded slightly.
"It's more fun during the battle. Even if you have some conflicts with your comrades, they will risk their lives to protect you on the battlefield, and you will also risk your life to protect them. At that time, everyone will become closer than real brothers. This is a … a very special feeling!" Adoris said emotionally and patted his brother. "You don't have to worry. You have just reached 18 years old. When they were 18 years old, they were still in the reserve team. You are already on the battlefield and can participate in such an exciting battle. When you are older, father will definitely arrange for you to serve in the legion. "
Cloto Catax nodded, but he was not sure if he could become a soldier of the legion when he remembered what his father said to him.
… …
In yesterday's battle, the Roman army was defeated. Under the pursuit of the Diónia cavalry, Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius led the remaining soldiers to escape into Antium.
Pantius accidentally fell during the escape and was trampled by the panicked soldiers, causing his right leg to be fractured. If it were not for the guards who risked their lives to save him, he might have become a prisoner of Diónia.
After entering the city, Paulus and Mejus calmed down a little. But when the statistics came out, they suffered another blow. Out of the 25000 soldiers who set out for the expedition, only about a thousand soldiers returned.
Fortunately, there were defeated soldiers returning one after another. Both of them learned from the defeated soldiers that along the way from Lavinium to Antium, many of the defeated soldiers who were injured in the hands and feet were crying because they could not walk.
The two of them were anxious. After a discussion, they decided to send troops to rescue these wounded soldiers while it was dark and the Diónia had returned to their camp to rest.
This was a great risk, and some soldiers even refused to go out of the city to rescue them. But fortunately, the Diónia soldiers had rested in the city of Lavinium, so Paulus and Mejus could repeatedly lead the troops to rescue the wounded soldiers.
They busied themselves until dawn the next day. The number of soldiers in the city had reached more than twelve thousand, but more than five thousand of them had lost their ability to fight due to injuries. Even if all the doctors in Antium were gathered to treat them, it was still a drop in the bucket. Soldiers continued to wail and die in pain …
Paulus and Mecius could do nothing about it, and besides, both of them and the soldiers were exhausted to the extreme, and they almost fell asleep on the ground.
They slept until dawn. When Paulus woke up, it was almost noon. He soon received the first bad news: nearly 400 wounded soldiers died in the second half of the night.
This made Paulus's already bad mood worse. The bread in his mouth was completely tasteless. At this time, Mejus hurried to find him. "The scouts we sent out found that the Diónia soldiers who occupied Lavinium are no longer there."
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