Chapter 812
Camillus said, "… Fortunately, the people in the city did not surrender. The senators led them to Capitoline to defend our temple. There are also many people who escaped from Rome who are camping in the wilderness not far from here. They can endure the difficulties and not surrender because they believe in you, the brave warriors of Rome and the allies. You can defeat the enemy and take back Rome! But if you can't unite, can't strictly enforce the military discipline, don't listen to orders, and act recklessly like a plate of loose sand, we can't defeat the powerful enemy of Diónia! By that time, we can't take back Rome, and your loved ones will become slaves, never to see each other again. You will either die in battle or become homeless stray dogs, slaves captured by the aliens at will. Are you willing to do that?! "
"No!" The generals and platoon leaders were the first to raise their arms and shout.
The soldiers were also shocked by the tragic future described by Camillus, and they followed suit.
When the shouts gradually converged into a torrent of voices, Camillus knelt down on the city wall, raised his hands high, looked up to the sky, and shouted piously, "Jupiter, we will defeat the Diónia just like we defeated the Celts. We will never let the aliens defile your temple. So please protect us!"
Not long after he finished shouting, a loud rumble came from the cliff behind Signia City. A huge rock rolled down the hillside with gravel, and finally hit the empty space on the side of Signia City with a loud bang.
The generals were the first to shout excitedly, "It's a divine sign! Jupiter has responded! "
Then the soldiers also reacted, and the gloominess on their faces was swept away with joy. They hurriedly lowered their heads and prayed to Jupiter.
Jupiter's miracle shocked the Roman soldiers, who were at a loss and at a loss. They quickly came to a consensus and began to shout the slogan "Defeat the enemy, take back Rome." So Camillus led them to march quickly to Prieneste in a pitiful manner.
At dusk, when the army arrived at Prinister, the situation became a little chaotic. The generals were busy setting up the camp and arranging for the soldiers to rest. The people of Rome who had been stranded there rushed over, and so did the soldiers. Both sides were eagerly looking for their loved ones in the crowd. Those who saw their loved ones felt very lucky and thanked Jupiter for his protection. Those who did not see their loved ones were secretly sad. But the terrible situation of the exiled people made the soldiers even more eager to take back Rome.
The dictator Camillus first went to meet the higher-ups of Prinister to thank them for the great help they had given to Rome.
Then he quickly summoned Mejus, Quintus, and Frius, and asked them about the details of the Dionysian Army breaking the city.
… …
When the Devers welcomed the arrival of the kingdom's administrators, they also received war reports and proposals about Sicily sent to him by the Senate and the Ministry of Military Affairs.
He never expected that the huge Sicilian fleet would be destroyed by a storm. This made the naval advantage of Diónia in Sicily less strong, and it also made the war between Diónia and Carthage change. For this reason, the Devers first held an emergency military meeting.
Attending the meeting were Tormid of the General Staff, Printos, and the commander of the Third Fleet, Midolades.
The Devers looked at the three of them sternly and then said, "You have all read the war report. What do you think?"
Tormid coughed and said, "Your Majesty, this storm destroyed more than half of the kingdom's warships, but it also destroyed almost all of Carthage's warships. Judging from the results, it's not too bad. We still have the advantage in the sea. Moreover, the Ministry of Military Affairs proposed to transfer the Fourth Fleet of Brindisi to Sicily. In addition to the dozens of warships left in the Sicilian fleet, we have a greater naval advantage in Sicily than before. It will become more difficult for Carthage to send reinforcements and supplies to Sicily, and our victory in Sicily will become more stable! "
The Devers tapped his fingers on the table and said in a low voice, "Will the transfer of the Fourth Fleet from the east coast of Greece give Sparta and the remnants of the former Pucchetti and Mesapi forces who escaped to Greece an opportunity to take advantage of them?"
"According to the intelligence, after the Thebes rioted and got rid of Sparta's control, another war will break out in Central Greece. How many city-states will participate in this war, and how long will it last? We can't make an accurate judgment now, but Sparta obviously won't be able to get out of this war in a short period of time. They won't have the spare strength to attack the kingdom. As for the enemies who escaped to Greece, their numbers are too small, and the political situation in Apulia is stable. They won't be able to cause any big trouble, "Tormid said confidently.
The Devers thought for a while and nodded.
Midolades interrupted, "Although Lord Tormid's words make sense, transferring the Fourth Fleet will still bring trouble to Apulia. Moreover, Commander Alexis is now leading all the troops in Apulia to defend against the Samonians. If there's any trouble at this time, it will be more troublesome. Why don't we transfer some of the warships of the Third Fleet to Sicily?"
The Devers looked at him and said seriously after a while, "In the military plan to attack Rome and Latin region, the Third Fleet is very important. It must cooperate with the main army and not be easily separated! Although the Third Fleet is only responsible for guarding the main army, it may play a bigger role in the future! Midolades, don't get distracted! However, if you personally want to go to Sicily, I can approve it at my discretion. "
The Devers's words made Midolades break out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I will lead the Third Fleet to ensure the safety of the army at sea. Please rest assured!"
The Devers's expression softened a little. He turned to Tormid and said, "I agree with the Ministry of Military Affairs. Let's transfer the Fourth Fleet to Sicily. However, we have to remind Alexis to strengthen the defense of the east coast of Apulia to prevent other enemies from taking advantage of the situation. "
At this point, he said with a heavy expression, "Also … inform Prosos to increase the search for Therkian and Fralios. If they are alive, I want to see them. If they are dead, I want to see their bodies! Even if they are really dead, we must not let the bodies of the two high-ranking generals and heroes of the kingdom be left in the wild. They can only go to the Hall of Martyrs and the Temple of Death! As for the candidate for the commander of the newly integrated Sicilian fleet … First, it should be Therkian. If he … is not here, then it should be Fralios. If Fralios is also not here, let Miltias of the Fourth Fleet take the position. "
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Tormid as he used a pen to record on a wooden board that he carried with him.
The Devers let out a long sigh. "What pained me the most about this disaster was not the warships, but the dead crew members … How many people died in this battle?"
Tormid immediately replied, "Based on the preliminary statistics, there are more than 10,000 dead crew members."
After hearing this, the Devers's expression became even heavier. "More than 10,000! They were all experienced sailors who were familiar with Diónia's naval tactics. Tens of thousands of families lost their loved ones in a storm … The Ministry of Military Affairs will send people to the military port of Tarantum, Castellón, and Catania to offer condolences to the families of these dead sailors and comfort their grief. We will also start discussing their post-war pensions now! "
"Understood, Your Majesty. I will immediately write a letter to the Ministry of Military Affairs and get you to sign it, "replied Tormid.
The Devers thought of something and asked again, "What is the name of the admiral who led the warships in time to break into the port of Selinus, and finally helped Prosos to seize the city?"
"Stefakas."
"Stefakas …" The Devers repeated the name and said approvingly, "To be able to preserve the fleet at such a critical moment and obtain military merits, it seems that he is a decisive and quick-witted admiral!"
When the people present heard this, they immediately felt envious of Stefakas. To be mentioned by the Devers and remembered, his future must be bright!
The Devers turned their eyes to Printos, who had not yet spoken, and asked, "What do you think of the war in Sicily?"
"Your Majesty." Printos reminded, "Although our navy now has the advantage in the Sicilian sea, Carthage has been a maritime power in the western Mediterranean for a hundred years. Their shipbuilding ability is stronger than that of the kingdom. According to intelligence, there are four large shipyards in the port of Carthage, and dozens of Phoenician coastal city-states affiliated with them also have strong shipbuilding abilities. Once they are allowed to build warships with all their might, I'm afraid that in a few months, they will have a warship that will not lose to our fleet! "
"You're right!" The Devers nodded and said seriously, "This is indeed a problem that we should pay attention to! We must also speed up the progress, vigorously build new warships, restore and strengthen our naval fleet in order to deal with the challenges that Carthage will continue to face at sea and completely obtain the maritime supremacy of the western Mediterranean Sea! I will immediately write to the Senate and ask them to organize and mobilize the coastal cities of Southern Italy to start building warships!
But you don't have to worry too much. Maybe Carthage has accumulated more shipbuilding technology and the number of shipwrights than us, but it has two fatal shortcomings that are destined to be unable to defeat the kingdom's navy! "
The Devers' words attracted the attention of the three of them. He stretched out two fingers and slowly said, "The first is wood. There are no tall trees on the land of Afrika. The source of wood they can obtain for shipbuilding is the Iberian Peninsula, but its developed shipbuilding industry is concentrated in Carthage and the surrounding Phoenician city-states. This determines that they must first transport wood from Iberia to Carthage before they can start building ships. This is not only time-consuming, but it is also easy to be cut off and get into trouble.
In our territory, there are continuous mountain ridges and abundant timber resources. Furthermore, they are beside the coastal cities of Southern Italy. This time, I will ask the Senate to temporarily lift the ban on logging trees and provide enough ship wood for the shipyards free of charge. "
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