Chapter 783
"You're welcome, Sir Terris. In this strange land, we should unite and help each other!" Asistes quickly said.
"Yeah! That's right! "The others echoed.
"It's because we're going to govern a new area that we're more interested and motivated," Andrapolis also said.
"Let's come to Latin together. Sir Terris is the first to be appointed. This is great news! Although the situation is not suitable now, Terris can owe us a banquet first! "Nicomachus said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"Of course, no problem. Just treat it as the payment for hiring you." Terris immediately followed up.
"Then we can't let you get away with this banquet. It's very expensive to hire us." Asistes also teased.
Everyone laughed.
While laughing, Terris nodded slightly at Nicomachus, thanking him for using this method to resolve the possible jealousy in everyone's hearts. After all, they all came to Latin together, but he was the first to be appointed and placed in such an important position.
Nicomachus responded with a smile.
Terris looked back at the many officials who were disembarking, as well as the cargo ships that were approaching the port. The long fleet of ships lined up all the way to the port …
He immediately felt the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders, so he hurriedly said in a loud voice, "Sirs, we have to hurry to the city hall!"
… …
The sun was setting in the west, dyeing the horizon blood red.
After a day of fierce fighting in Fürentirum, the sounds of fighting finally stopped. Instead, cheers filled the city. A bright red flag of Rome fluttered above Fürentirum.
"Dictator Camillus!!!"
"The great Camillus!!!"
"Long live Sir Camillus!!!"
… …
When the Dictator of Rome, Camillus, entered Fürentirum in full military uniform, every soldier who met or saw him stood up, saluted, and paid their respects to him. This veteran general with outstanding military achievements had once again won a glorious victory for Rome.
Camillus had a kind smile on his face, praising the bravery of every soldier he met, but in fact, he was not as happy as he looked. Although he had taken the city, he did not completely wipe out the defenders in the city.
Last night, some of the defenders of Fürentirum broke through the siege of Rome during the night. As Fürentirum was located at the foot of the Helniki Mountains, it was a relatively large mountain city. Although the Roman army had nearly 70,000 soldiers, it was impossible for them to encircle the city as tightly as they did on the plains. In addition, the Helniki had been defending with all their might for more than ten days and had never had any intention of giving up this central city. Therefore, the soldiers of Rome let down their guard, allowing the enemy to successfully break through and escape into the mountains. This forced Camillus to launch an all-out attack on Fürentirum today.
At this moment, Frius rushed over.
"How's the interrogation of the captives?" Camillus asked.
"Some of the captives admitted that Wolsey's reinforcements and some of the warriors of the Helniki tribe chose to break through the siege last night. There were about 3,000 of them …"
3,000 people! Camillus frowned. For the Roman army of nearly 70,000 people, 3,000 people was indeed insignificant, but the Roman army would not stay here for long. The remnants of the Helniki and Wolsey might cause a lot of trouble for the Roman colonists.
While Camillus was having a headache over this, Frius said with a solemn expression, "Dictator, I learned another important thing from the captives. When the Wolsey persuaded them to break through, they said, 'The reinforcements of Diónia are coming, and there will be a war with the Roman army. They advised them not to defend Fürentirum, but to preserve their strength first. When the Roman army goes to fight the Diónia, they will retake the city.' However, they could not bear to abandon Fürentirum, so they did not choose to break through …"
Camillus's expression changed when he heard this. He immediately asked, "The reinforcements of Diónia are coming again? How many are coming?! "
Frius shook his head. "The captives are not clear about this. It could be a lie made up by the Wolsey to let them break through."
Camillus pondered for a moment, and his face showed a hint of melancholy. He quickly made a decision. "We have left Rome for too long! Now it seems that Rome and its forces in the west are a little weak. From tomorrow onwards, the army will gradually return to Rome … "
As Camillus was speaking, he heard Lucius shouting, "Father! Father! … "
He looked up and saw his son rushing over from the city gate. There were a few people following behind him, and they looked familiar.
Camillus blinked his murky eyes and said with uncertainty, "That seems to be Milusius?"
Frius gave him confirmation, "That's right, that's Milusius."
The chief of the city guard of Rome actually came to Fürentirum! Camillus and Frius looked at each other, feeling uneasy.
Milusius had asked for a hundred cavalrymen from Signia to escort him all the way to the south. Along the way, they even fought two battles with a small number of Helniki who came to intercept them. Finally, they arrived at Fürentirum at dusk. Knowing that the Roman army had conquered the central town of the Helniki, Milusius could not help but feel happy for Camillus. This achievement was enough to offset the criticism of him by the senators.
He staggered to Camillus and reluctantly gave a military salute. He then said while panting, "Sir Dictator … The army of Diónia landed on the coast yesterday … and captured Ostia … Today, they are marching towards Rome … The Senate requests you … requests you to return with the army immediately to rescue Rome!"
Frius was shocked when he heard this. "What?! Rome — "
"Shhh!" Camillus looked at him with a serious expression.
Frius immediately understood and stopped talking. He looked at the soldiers around him and did not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
"How many people are there in the Dionysian Army?" Camillus was much calmer than Frius. He asked in a deep voice.
"According to … According to the report of the cavalry, there might be more than 50,000 people," Milusius replied.
More than 50,000 people, that was not a small number! Camillus was shocked, mainly because he had received news that Carthage had engaged in a battle with Diónia some time ago.
With Carthage's army advancing in Sicily, shouldn't Diónia be fighting with Carthage with all their might?! Rome had clearly made a truce with Wolsey, and the Hernici who had turned to attack were still in the hinterland. It should not have affected Diónia much, and it should not have caused Diónia to go to war! Diónia actually ignored Carthage, who was obviously a threat to them, and instead attacked Rome, which was not a threat to them at this stage. This did not make sense! Camillus was very confused and annoyed at the same time. After all, his mistake had put Rome in a dangerous situation.
But now was not the time for regrets. He had to make a decision quickly. He calmed himself down and immediately gave an order. "Frius, immediately inform Quintus, Lysinius, and the other generals to the main tent for an emergency military meeting!"
"Yes!"
"Milusius." Camillus looked at the haggard young man and said apologetically, "I know you are very tired, but the situation is urgent now, and I still need your help. Sit down first, recover some strength, and drink some water. "
"Dictator, I am fine, I can still hold on!" Milusius immediately puffed up his chest and said.
Half an hour later, the main generals of the Rome army gathered in the main tent of the military camp. After listening to the Senate's order brought by Milusius, the whole tent was in an uproar.
Camillus coughed, and his son, Lucius, immediately shouted, "Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet! "
"Generals." Camillus sat on the main seat and said with a solemn expression, "Rome is under attack, we must return as soon as possible! But the soldiers have just taken down Fürentirum and need time to rest. Moreover, it is night time now, and it is very dangerous for the army to march in the dark. So I have decided to lead the army back tomorrow — "
Quintus immediately stood up and objected, "Dictator, there are only a few thousand soldiers stationed in the city of Rome, while the enemy has tens of thousands of people. The Senate has no choice but to recruit the elderly and children as soldiers. It will normally take two to three days to return to Rome from here. If we delay for one night, many people in Rome will die! We better hurry up and return immediately! "
"If we return at this time, not to mention that the soldiers are already very tired, just the tens of thousands of people marching in the dark alone will be a big problem. If we encounter an attack from the Hernici or other enemies, they only need a small number of people to cause chaos among our tens of thousands of people, or even defeat us! Who will be responsible for this failure! "Titus Quinctius Chinchinnatus loudly objected.
"Alright, all of you, stop arguing. I have not finished what I wanted to say just now." Camillus stretched out his hands and gestured for everyone to calm down. He said, "Although the army cannot march at night, a small number of troops can still do it with careful arrangements. Quintus! Licinius! Each of you will lead 20 elite platoons and set off immediately along the Tulerus River. Try to reach the vicinity of Rome by tomorrow night! "
During the attack on the Hernici, as the battle line moved forward, the transport line was stretched. In order to prevent the Hernici and their allies from attacking Rome's supply transport, Camillus built a small defensive camp every five or six miles on the east bank of the Tulerus River. Generally, there were two or three platoons stationed there to escort the supply transport. Now, they could become the biggest help for the Roman army in the dark.
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