Chapter 782
"They're gone?! They've gone to attack Ostia?! "Paulus asked in surprise.
"I'm not sure about the specific situation. I've sent scouts to Ostia to investigate," Mejus said with a worried look.
"I hope that Ostia can withstand the enemy's attack! I hope that Dictator Camillus can lead his troops back as soon as possible! " Paulus now regretted that he had fought with the Diónia so easily yesterday, causing the army to suffer heavy losses. The soldiers' morale was low, and it was impossible for them to lead the army into battle again. He sighed and asked, "What's the situation with the Lavinim?"
"The Diónia only imprisoned the Lavinim and took away their food, but they did not hurt them. Our cavalry has released them, but they don't know where the Dionysian Army has gone. "
As Mejus spoke, a guard pushed the door open hurriedly and said, "Generals, a messenger has arrived from Rome, saying that he has an urgent matter to discuss with you!"
"Quick, let him in!" The two looked at each other and felt a little uneasy.
"The Senate of Rome has ordered, 'Given that the Diónia have captured Ostia yesterday and are now marching towards Rome, Rome is in danger! Generals Paulus, Mejus, and Pantius should immediately lead their troops and rush back to rescue Rome! "
Ostia is lost?! The Diónia are marching directly to Rome?! These words were like five bolts of lightning, completely shocking the two generals. They never thought that the military action of the Diónia would be so fast and bold. At this moment, they regretted rashly fighting with the Diónia yesterday. However, no matter how difficult the situation was for the army, they must return immediately. Otherwise, if Rome were to fall, everything would be over.
The two quickly reached an agreement, then explained the situation to Pantius, who was recuperating in bed, and asked him to temporarily take charge of Antium. Then, the two began to recruit soldiers, but they soon encountered a problem. Antium was a newly occupied town by Rome, and the Senate had made it a colonial city. Tens of thousands of landless civilians from Rome and Rome were moved to this town and distributed land to them. They were also the main part of the garrison of Antium. Due to the short period of time, the city had yet to form its own parliament. The main affairs of the town were still decided by Paulus, the military governor of Antium appointed by the Senate. However, it was impossible for Paulus to take away most of the civilian soldiers in Antium. Under the pressure of the army, the first thing the civilians of Rome, who had been distributed land, had to protect their newly distributed property in Antium.
Therefore, Mejus tried to persuade the citizens with kind words, while Paulus threatened them with the laws and power of Rome. One played the good cop, and the other played the bad cop. It took a lot of effort to finally recruit more than 5,000 civilian soldiers of Rome, who had been scared out of their wits by the Dionysian Army.
When they left the city, it was already afternoon, but Paulus did not lead the team to Rome immediately. Instead, they first passed by Saturnicum and Villette. After yesterday's defeat, many defeated soldiers fled to these two new colonial cities. Coupled with the soldiers who stayed in the cities, Paulus and Mejus could still recruit many soldiers to strengthen their rescue team.
… …
Paulus left Antium with his army in a hurry. He did not know that a huge fleet had once again appeared on the sea near the port of Antium. Their destination was the port of Ostia.
The Third Fleet's Raven Warships all went along the Tiber River to Rome, leaving behind the fast three-oared warships and other small and medium-sized warships. There were more than 80 of them. They set up a cordon north of the port of Ostia to escort the arrival of the entire fleet.
"This is the port of Ostia in Rome? Isn't it a little too small? " The merchant ship approached the port. Standing at the bow of the ship, Dios, the ironware merchant of the Kingdom of Diónia, looked at the port that was gradually approaching. He could not help but look disappointed.
"What you see now is a port that has been expanded many times. Ten years ago, this port was even smaller," said Sostatus, the president of the Turií Chamber of Commerce. Sostatus, the president of the Tuliyi Chamber of Commerce, said. As a major merchant in the kingdom, he had a wide sales channel and had been to Ostia many times.
"It doesn't matter whether the port is big or small, but why are there so few workers at the port?" The pottery merchant, Dikboris, who had just walked out of the cabin, had a surprised look on his face. He said anxiously, "The fleet that came with us is loaded with all kinds of goods. How long will it take to unload all the goods with so few people?!"
As he spoke, he saw thousands of strong men in the distance lining up and arriving at the port.
"Look, His Majesty has already thought of this problem. He has sent the army to unload the goods for us," Dikboris said with a smile.
The first to dock at the port were not merchant ships, but a few large passenger ships. The first to disembark were the senators from the Senate.
The court clerk, Henippolis, was already standing at the port. He greeted them with a smile, "Sir Asistes! Sir Andraporis! Sir Terris! Sir Nicomachus! Welcome to Ostia of Latin! "
The senators returned the greeting.
"Is His Majesty in the city?" Asistes asked.
"His Majesty has led the army to attack Rome, so he is not here to welcome you," Henippolis explained.
"They are attacking Rome now?!" The senators were surprised. They were not high-ranking generals of the Dionysian Army, so it was impossible for them to know the battle plan of the Devers. However, after they decided to come to Latin, they had done some research on the situation here. Of course, they knew the status of Rome in the Latin region. It was a large city with a population of over a hundred thousand. Would it be so easy to take it down?! Moreover, Rome was deep inland and far from the coast. Wouldn't it be too dangerous for His Majesty the Devers to directly lead the army into the heart of the Latin region after conquering Ostia?!
Henippolis saw the surprise and worry in their hearts, but he did not elaborate. Instead, he raised a papyrus scroll tied with black cloth and said, "Sir Terris, His Majesty has appointed you as the temporary chief executive of Ostia. You will be in charge of managing the most important port city in the Latin region. You will ensure the foreign trade of Ostia's port, the transfer of goods, and the smooth and prosperous sea and river passage to Rome …"
As he said this, he handed the letter of appointment to Terris.
Terris quickly unfolded it and read it carefully.
Henippolis then said to the others, "When you are in Ostia, you can assist Sir Terris in managing this city. This will also help you understand the situation in the Latin region in advance. After His Majesty has conquered Rome, you can go to Rome."
Judging from Henippolis' tone, His Majesty was very confident in conquering Rome! Asistes looked at the other senators without batting an eyelid and then expressed their understanding.
At this time, Terris, who had finished reading the order of the Devers, asked doubtfully, "His Majesty has asked me to manage Ostia, but other than our army, there doesn't seem to be anyone else in this port!"
"There were originally about 3,000 laborers and slaves in the port, but most of them were sent to transport the warships of the Third Fleet to Rome today. They will return soon. His Majesty has promised to give freedom to the slaves and allow laborers and slaves to join Diónia and become our citizens. In addition, there are thousands of Ostia imprisoned in the city … "
Henippolis suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said, "By the way, Sir Terris, His Majesty wants me to remind you that although there are only a few people in Ostia, its location is very important to our expedition army! When the people of Rome recover, they will definitely come to fight for it with all their might! Therefore, although there are 3,000 soldiers in the city now, it is still slightly insufficient. However, the army is going to attack Rome with all their might and temporarily can't increase the number of troops here. Therefore, Sir Terris, you have to ensure the safety of Ostia as your first priority. This is the key for Diónia to conquer Latin! "
After listening, Terris' face became more solemn and he fell into deep thought.
The reason why the Devers chose Terris to be the governor of Ostia was that Terris was different from the other senators who did not belong to the military system. He had received military training in Turií for a long time and eventually became the captain of the reserve troops. Therefore, not only did he understand the military system of Diónia very well, but he also had rich commanding experience. Being the governor of Ostia could put his two strengths to good use.
Of course, Asistes was also a political talent who was good with both the pen and the sword, but the Devers had other plans for him.
"Alright, sirs, my task is done." Heniboris' tone became lighter. He pointed to the attendant beside him and said, "He will bring you to the city hall in the city. There are a few subordinates waiting for you to give orders, Sir Terris. The accommodation of the sirs and officials, the settlement of the caravans, the transportation of the goods … and so on will all be handed over to you. In order to wait for you, I have already delayed a lot of time. Now, I have to rush to Rome. The attack on Rome is such an important battle. If I can't witness it with my own eyes, how can I write the biography of His Majesty? " As Heniboris spoke, he bowed to the crowd and then jumped onto the War Horse that his attendant had brought over. He led a group of cavalrymen and left.
The remaining people stood at the dock and looked at each other for a moment.
Terris came back to his senses and bowed to the crowd. "Sirs, I will have to ask for your help to take over this new city of Diónia."
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