Chapter 784
"Yes, Sir Dictator! We will reach Rome by tomorrow night! "Quintus and Licinius immediately stood up and promised loudly.
"When you arrive outside Rome, you must observe the situation on the battlefield. Do not attack rashly. Instead, you must put pressure on the Dionysian Army so that they will not dare to attack Rome with full force …" Camillus patiently warned his men, then he said in a deep voice, "I will do my best to lead the army to arrive the day after tomorrow night and meet with you. Then, we will fight to the death with the Diónia!"
When the generals in the tent heard this, their uneasiness after learning the news turned into excitement …
… …
At night, when everything was quiet, most of the people of Rome in the city and the Diónia soldiers outside the city were asleep. However, outside the northeast wall of Rome, hundreds of soldiers quietly came out of the camp of the First Legion of Diónia.
They wore black shirts and black scarves over their heads. Leather shields and short swords were tied tightly to their backs, and a small bag of beef jerky was tied to their waists. In this pitch-black night, they quietly moved southwest and crossed the open Piazza de Mars.
The Piazza de Mars was originally a wide wetland caused by the long-term flooding of the Tiber River. Servius, the sixth king of Rome, drained and filled the wetland, and finally obtained this vast flat land, which he named Piazza de Mars. Using the name of the God of War of Rome, it could be seen that this flat land was originally used to gather troops, but later, it was also used as a voting place for the citizens' assembly. After all, the city of Rome did not have enough open space to accommodate all the citizens. However, after the arrival of the Dionysian Army, the people of Rome retreated to defend the city, and the Piazza de Mars was left empty because it was located outside the northern wall.
When the group came to the edge of the Piazza de Mars, they saw the towering city wall in front of them and the dark mountain behind it. It was the mountain that occupied an important position in the hearts of the people of Rome – Capitoline.
After these people determined the direction, they quietly followed the direction of the city wall and turned west.
After walking for a while, they heard the sound of flowing water. The Tiber River was in front of them.
These people immediately spread out and searched along the riverbank. Soon, someone shouted in a low voice, "Captain, over here!"
The one who was addressed as' captain 'was none other than the captain of the Mountain Ridge Scouts, Izamu.
The place where the soldier stood had two thick wooden pillars. They had been driven deep into the ground, and the part above the ground was only half the height of a person. Between the wooden pillars was a wooden plank that led all the way to the river, but it was broken midway. This was a destroyed wooden bridge.
Y 'zam looked ahead and saw a vague outline of land less than 20 meters away from the shore. He knew it was the island in the middle of the river called Tiberina by the people of Rome. Before the Dionysian Army arrived in Rome, the people of Rome evacuated the people living on the island and destroyed the wooden bridges that led to it.
If the people of Rome hadn't evacuated the island, they might have discovered our actions … Izam thought. He then said in a low voice, "Bring the rope here and tie it to this wooden pole!"
More than ten people carried a large bundle of rope that was as thick as a spear and tied one end of the rope to the wooden pole.
"Is Terentus ready?" Y 'zam asked in a low voice.
"Captain, I can't wait anymore!" a strong soldier replied in a slightly stiff voice.
"Alright, it's up to you!" Y 'zam hammered his sturdy chest with his fist. He turned around and said to the other soldiers, "Tie it up for him."
The team members tied the other end of the rope around his waist. He did not carry a leather shield or a short sword. Instead, he had a rope hook, an iron saw, and a big iron pincer.
After the rope was tied around his waist, the team members tugged on it and felt that it was very sturdy.
Y 'zam looked at the warrior from Mesapi with anticipation and encouraged him, "The Hades will protect you. Go, go and become a hero of the kingdom like Therian!"
Terentus solemnly saluted.
Y 'zam and the team members also solemnly returned the salute.
Terentus wore the vest made of inflatable lamb's belly under his arm. Then, he grabbed the rope with both hands and walked backward toward the river.
The coldness of the river caused his skin to tighten. The slippery bottom of the river made him unable to stand up straight. The River Tiber seemed to flow slowly during the day, but when he walked into the river, he could feel how strong its momentum was. Terentus could not help but flow downstream. Fortunately, the rope around his waist was holding his body back. His team members were slowly releasing the rope like a tug-of-war, allowing him to slowly move downstream.
Not long after, he saw that the river bank in front of him was no longer flat. It had become a bank that was seven to eight meters tall. It stood straight beside Terentus.
Terentus had observed the terrain beforehand. He knew that this meant that he had already passed the walls of Rome.
Even though he was still by the river, the water had become deeper. He could not step on the bottom of the river. Fortunately, the buoyancy of the lamb's belly allowed him to float on the surface of the river. He slowly drifted downstream. Terentus' eyes were wide open as he stared ahead.
Not long after, he saw the Rome Bridge lying across the river in front of him. It was the bridge that the commander had mentioned many times. He was instantly delighted.
… …
The rope that the Mountain Ridge scouts were holding onto was originally very tight, but it suddenly loosened up.
The team members were also delighted. They should have arrived!
Y 'zam's expression was solemn. He asked in a low voice, "How long is the rope?"
The team member who was in charge of counting answered, "Nearly 250 meters."
"Then, we should have arrived." Y 'zam was so sure because he had asked Valkries and a few other former citizens of Rome in detail beforehand.
… …
At this moment, Terentus was hugging the pillar closest to the bank. He turned his head to look at the bank. With the dim moonlight from the crescent moon in the sky, he could vaguely see a big, dark hole on the bank near the bridge. It was about four meters from the river.
Terentus was delighted again. He knew that he had found the famous drainage system of Rome that the commander had mentioned — the Maxim Sewer.
Thus, he untied the pickaxe hanging from his waist and untied the cloth that was wrapped around it. His other hand continuously tugged at the rope.
Soon, the team members who received the signal pulled him back.
He took the opportunity to paddle with his hands and feet, getting closer to the bank.
After a while, the rope was lowered bit by bit, and he was washed to the bottom of the sewer. It was easy to see where the sewer was because it had an unpleasant stench, and the bank was wet and covered in moss.
Terentus immediately raised the pickaxe and stabbed it hard.
The sharp tip of the pickaxe plunged into a crack in the stone.
He grabbed the pickaxe with one hand and tugged at the rope with the other. This was to tell his team members to stop releasing the rope and tighten the rope to keep him in this position.
Then, he patiently untied the hook on his body and grabbed the end of the rope in his hand. He estimated the distance and threw it above his head.
He heard a crisp clang above his head. He cursed inwardly and hurriedly dodged. The iron hook brushed past his body and fell into the river.
That was close! Terentus did not immediately pull up the rope that fell into the river. Instead, he stuck to the bank and carefully observed the movements on the bridge. He was afraid that the patrolling soldiers of Rome would hear him.
But he had obviously underestimated the Tiber River. Even though it looked calm and was not as turbulent as when Therian crossed the Krati River in the past, the river had been crashing against the bridge and the bank for many years. The deep and heavy sound was enough to absorb any faint sounds around him.
After a while, seeing that there were no movements on the bridge or the bank, Terentus threw the hook in his hand again. He first heard a slightly smaller, crisp sound, followed by a low, muffled sound.
The hook did not fall! Terentus was delighted. He stretched out his hand and tugged hard. The rope was very taut. It seemed that the hook was very firmly hooked.
He pulled the pickaxe out with force and hung it back at his waist. Then, he grabbed the hook with both hands and slowly climbed up. This section of the bank was where the sewage from the sewer was discharged. It was relatively slippery. Terentus slipped a few times and his body hit the stone wall, but he held back and did not make a sound.
Finally, he climbed to the exit of the sewer and grabbed the iron grate that blocked the exit.
The Maxim Sewer was originally a drainage ditch dug by the people of Rome to drain the flooded river between the hills. This project happened to be built by the last King of Rome, Talvin. Its original location was in the Forum of Rome next to the Senate.
As the city of Rome improved and the population increased, there was no longer a need to drain the sewer and remove the silt. Instead, the discharge of domestic sewage became a concern for the people. So, every household began to dig a drainage ditch in front of their house and connect it to the original large drainage ditch. They discharged all kinds of sewage produced in their homes into the Tiber River through the drainage ditch. Over time, the number of drainage ditches increased and became longer. They covered the entire city of Rome, and their routes were extremely complicated.
The people of Rome constantly discharged dirty water, sewage, feces, urine, and even various kinds of garbage into the sewers. This often caused the drainage ditches to be blocked and the stench to reach the sky. Occasionally, it would also lead to the outbreak of diseases. Later, a senator named Maxim in the Senate proposed a bill: to establish a new department and send special public officials of the city to manage the drainage ditches in Rome.
The motion was approved by almost unanimous votes. So, the drainage ditches were widened and dug deep. The ground was paved with stone slabs and it was regularly dredged. From then on, the drainage ditches became sewers. The people of Rome also created a god for this complicated sewer system — the goddess Cloacina.
The exit of this sewer was as tall as a person and was nearly circular. The iron gate was solidly welded into the stone wall, and each iron rod was as thick as an adult's finger. However, this iron gate was obviously very old. It was covered in rust, especially at the bottom of the iron gate, which had long been corroded by the sewage that was discharged every day. The thickness of the iron gate was uneven.
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