Chapter 804
"Your Majesty." At this moment, Midolades said worriedly, "When the Roman army arrives and we defend the city of Rome, then both sides of the Tiber River to Ostia will be controlled by the Romans. The slaves will not be able to pull the fiber for our ships. Without the trackers, the ships will not be able to travel from Ostia to Rome unless there is a strong east wind. In this way, Rome will be cut off from the outside world, and it will become an isolated city."
Midolades' words shocked the generals.
Devers smiled and said, "I have also considered this problem, but don't worry. We can let the trackers pull the fiber from the north bank of the Tiber River.
"North bank?"
"According to the previous information, the section of the Tiber River from Rome to Ostia is deep and wide. It is completely impossible to cross. And on such a long section of the river, the Romans only built two bridges. One is the spine bridge guarded by Legio III, and the other is a wooden bridge built on the island in the middle of the river (in fact, there were two bridges). But the Romans have destroyed it themselves. I guess the reason why there are so few bridges is because the Romans and the Etruscans were enemies in the past. To prevent them from easily crossing the Tiber River and invading Rome's territory, and the coast here is controlled by our fleet. The Roman army cannot easily reach the north bank and threaten the trackers that pull the boats for us.
As for the Roman colonies and the Etruscan allies on the north bank of the Tiber River, their reinforcements have been defeated by us, and many of them have been captured … "Devers looked at Lizaru with approval and said," Next, we will take some action against the cities on the north bank to wipe out Rome's forces on the north bank of the Tiber River and ensure the safety of the waterway. "
The generals were a little excited. After all, no general liked to be beaten. Devers' words seemed to imply that they were going to take some military action on the north bank of the Tiber River.
"Your Majesty, I've read the information about the Latin region. It seems that there's a pontoon bridge connecting the two sides of the Tiber River in the city of Ferdenae," Printos reminded him softly.
Hearing this, the Devers nodded approvingly, "Yes, there is a pontoon bridge in Phaidon, but it is too narrow for a large army to pass through. I have already ordered the scouts to monitor the movements of the Feydenae Pontoon Bridge day and night. Once there are signs of the enemy, Lizaru, you will immediately send a large team to the north bank of the pontoon bridge to stop the enemy from crossing the river. If Rome's army was dispatched, then Olivers's Legio IV would have to gather first and rush there. But I don't think Camillus would make such a stupid mistake and let his army gather on the narrow pontoon bridge for us to slaughter. "
"Understood, Your Majesty," Lizaru and Olivers replied in unison.
Midolades was relieved and immediately said, "Your Majesty, when can the Third Fleet leave Rome and return to the sea?"
The warships that dominated the sea were like dragons swimming in shallow water in the middle of the river. They were useless. As the commander of the navy, Midolades did not want the fleet to become a subsidiary of the army and only play a supporting role in the whole battle.
The Devers obviously understood his thoughts and said, "The crew of the fleet also contributed greatly in today's battle. They must be very tired. Rest well in the camp tonight and recover your strength. Tomorrow morning, you can lead the fleet to leave Rome and ensure the safety of the army at sea. But leave five fast ships and 2,000 infantrymen behind. "
"Yes, Your Majesty," Midolades replied without hesitation.
The Devers then asked him, "It will take three to four days to get from Ostia to Triene, right?"
"If the wind is favorable, it will take one to two days."
"The Third Fleet has enough personnel at the naval base in Triene." The Devers looked at him and said in a low voice, "I allow the Third Fleet to recruit another 2,000 infantrymen to participate in the war against Rome and Carthage."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Midolades was overjoyed. He actually stood up and gave a military salute to the Devers.
It should be known that the size of each legion and fleet was fixed. Legion commanders and fleet commanders were not allowed to expand their forces without permission. This right was only in the hands of the king. If someone violated this rule and was found out, not only would he be sentenced according to the military law, he might even be stripped of his citizenship in Diónia. Of course, the legion commanders and regional commanders who were on the battlefield had the right to summon the citizens of the region to participate in the war. However, these temporary troops had to be disbanded after the war ended. Therefore, the legion commanders looked at Midolades with envy.
"If the river port outside the city is lost, the granary will naturally be lost too," the Devers turned and asked Tormid, "Have the food outside the city been transported in?"
"The supply team is speeding up the transportation."
"Where do you store the food in the city?" the Devers asked again.
"Here." Tormid pointed to a hill south of the square on the map. "Mount Palatine. The terrain here is relatively low, and there are wide and flat roads. There are also many empty courtyards and ready-made granaries, which are convenient for us to store food. We also found a lot of food left in these houses."
"The people living on this hill are the descendants of the colonists who followed the first king of Rome to build the city here. Now, they have all become nobles. This hill is the closest to Mount Capitoline. I'm afraid most of the people on the hill have fled to Mount Capitoline." According to the information from the city of Rome, the Devers actually guessed the situation of the residents on Mount Palatine after the city was breached. At the same time, Tormid's words reminded him, "Tormid, send some troops to collect the food stored in the homes of all the nobles in Rome as military food."
"Only the nobles?" Tormid was a little surprised.
"Yes, only the nobles! If they do not go to Capitoline, leave a small amount of food for them, enough to last them for ten days. However, do not break into the houses of the civilians, and do not take away their food and belongings. If I find anyone who violates this rule, I will severely punish them! "the Devers looked around and said sternly.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Since the soldiers entered the city, they have been strictly following your orders …" the generals promised.
"Well, everyone, since you have been clear about your tasks, go and carry them out quickly." The Devers stood up and said in a passionate voice, "The army of Rome is on the way, and I'm afraid they will arrive tomorrow or the day after. We must be fully prepared before they arrive, defeat them, and expand our victory! Let this land belong to the Kingdom of Diónia! "
The generals saluted the Devers with fighting spirit and strode away.
Stesikedas and Orops also left in high spirits.
After everyone left, the Devers stopped Printos.
"Your Majesty, the First Legion suffered heavy casualties. I am responsible …" Printos felt guilty and wanted to apologize.
The Devers waved his hand and said, "I understand the situation. This is not your fault. Don't take the responsibility on yourself."
Printos immediately relaxed.
"Now, I will give you a task." The Devers said with a serious expression, "Take a few advisers and 100 palace guards with you to search all the houses of the nobles in the city. Collect all the gold, silver, and other valuables, and register them. The drought this time has almost depleted the national treasury. These valuables can be transported back to ease the situation in the country. "
Printos immediately expressed his understanding. He thought for a moment and said, "Do we need to move those temples?"
In a city, the temples were the richest because the people worshiped and feared the gods. They always offered the best things to the gods, hoping to get their blessings and protection. In Rome, except for the temples of the main gods on Capitoline Hill, there were also temples in other districts.
"Not for now!" The Devers still had some concerns about this.
Without further explanation, Printos seemed to have understood. He accepted the order and turned to leave.
The Devers looked at the empty hall and temporarily relaxed. He looked at the map on the wooden table for a while and then decided to visit the wounded soldiers in the medical camp.
As soon as he walked out of the Senate, he bumped into Cloto Catax.
"Father!" Although Cloto Catax looked tired, he was a little excited.
Of course, the Devers knew the reason. In the later stages of the battle to stop Rome's reinforcements, his son had cut down two enemies and overcome the discomfort of killing for the first time. Then, he followed the army to break through the city of Rome and chased after the defeated defenders. Then, together with other soldiers, he cleaned up the wounded, bloodstained, and messy square.
The Devers was satisfied with his son's performance on the battlefield for the first time. But now, he was obviously in a state of excitement like a child who got a new toy and needed to cool down at the right time. So the Devers said calmly, "Go out with me."
"Where are we going?"
Heniboris, who was following behind, said with some interest, "The casualty camp!"
… …
Quintus and Frius each led 3,000 soldiers and began to speed up their return to Rome at dusk yesterday. However, they lacked the experience of marching at night due to their lack of preparation. Soon, they encountered some difficulties, such as soldiers falling and getting separated. As the night deepened, the situation became more and more difficult to control. Quintus and Frius did not dare to continue on their journey. They could only let the soldiers rest in the barracks along the river.
In the early morning of the next day, the army set off early again.
But not long after, they encountered trouble again. Although they did not encounter the attacks of the indigenous people, the road along the river was either destroyed or blocked by wood and stones, so the army had to stop and clear the road. They walked and stopped, and finally, at dusk, they walked out of the Tulerus Valley and arrived at the city of Prinister. ()
。 m.
Comments