Chapter 821
At the same time, the people of Rome had also stopped 20 meters away.
Devers and Camillus were both on their horses, looking at each other.
In the end, it was Camillus who broke the silence first. "King of Diónia, I'm Camillus, the dictator of Rome!"
"I know you." Devers nodded and said, "You are the hero of Rome. You once destroyed Rome's mortal enemy, Venus, drove away the Celts who occupied the city of Rome, and defeated the surrounding hostile forces many times."
Camillus was not surprised that Devers knew so much about him. A good commander must carefully study his opponent. He suddenly asked in a stern voice, "Rome and Diónia, one in the central part of Italy, and the other in the southern part of Italy. There are many forces in between, and there has never been any conflict between the two countries. Why did you lead your army to invade our land, destroy our homes, and slaughter our people, regardless of the long journey, despite the huge amount of resources, and even the lives of the citizens of Diónia?!"
Camillus's question seemed a little redundant, but Devers knew that if he did not answer properly, the soldiers would not be able to help but wonder if the war was necessary when the news spread. It would affect the morale of the soldiers. So, he pondered for a moment and then answered in a loud voice, "After you people of Rome drove away the Celts, you did not restore your homeland, prosper your trade, and give your people a stable life. Instead, you fought everywhere and invaded the surrounding races! The Walshis and the Helnici are allies of Diónia. Rome brazenly invaded their territory, occupied their towns, slaughtered their people, and almost wiped them out! We once sent messengers to Rome to beg you to stop the war, but you brutally refused!
Since the establishment of Diónia, we have always kept our promises. That is why we have the trust of our allies, and why our country is strong today. So, we cannot ignore the tragic experience of our allies. We must respond to their demands and fulfill our covenant. This is the reason why we are here! Just like how the Celts invaded Rome ten years ago, this time, your God is punishing you for killing indiscriminately! "
"Nonsense!" After listening to the translation, Camillus couldn't help but shout angrily.
What Camillus hated the most was hearing about the "punishment of the gods." When he was banished from Rome, one of the main reasons was that he was falsely accused of looting the temple's gold and silver after conquering the City of Wei 'ai, which angered the gods. Secondly, when he left Rome, he told his family angrily, "Those who wronged him will be punished." As a result, some people later attributed the Celts' invasion to the gods seeking redress for their grievances, so they sent their punishment to Rome. This matter had always troubled him, so he would never allow the Devers to use the name of "divine punishment" to cover up their sin of invading Rome and to undermine the morale of the militia in Rome.
"Your Majesty, he said that you are … spouting nonsense," Amyrius translated tactfully.
The Devers didn't get angry. Instead, they laughed.
Camillus realized that he couldn't keep his cool, so he changed the topic and said directly, "Although you have seized Rome, it didn't bring you many benefits. Look at your surroundings. To the north is the Etrurian alliance of Rome, and to the east and south are the Latin alliance and colonial cities of Rome … You are already surrounded! Now, I have returned with 70,000 troops of Rome. I will trap your army in Rome, making it impossible for them to move!
And I heard that to the south of the Kingdom of Diónia, on Sicily, our ally, the Carthage, is at war with you. I heard that the allied forces of the Samonians are still invading your eastern region … As the king of Diónia, you are leading the main force of Diónia to be trapped in Rome, far away from your kingdom. Even if you aren't worried about your kingdom, aren't your soldiers worried that their homeland will be invaded by the Carthage and Samonians?! "
The Devers remained unmoved. He said with a smile, "No, no, I'm not worried at all. My soldiers and I like staying here because the people of Rome provide us with rich food, allowing us to stay here for a long time. The only thing I'm worried about is that these kind people of Rome have given us food. What if they run out of food soon? We are not so kind as to return the food. Also, I'm worried about your soldiers. With such a large number of soldiers, how long will your food last?! "
Threat! This was a naked threat and warning! After listening to the translation, Lucius and the other soldiers who accompanied him glared angrily and raised their shields and spears.
Although Camillus was frowning, he was still able to remain calm. He said in a deep voice, "We, the Roman citizens, have always been brave and unafraid of threats. That's why we can survive in this harsh environment where we are surrounded by enemies! You can starve the people in the city. We, the citizen soldiers of Rome, will not stop fighting you even if we have to eat grass and starve! We will avenge our families until we die!
But what good will it do for you if we fight to the death like this? On the contrary, if we both stop fighting, as long as you withdraw from the city of Rome and Latin, we are not only willing to provide a large amount of gold, silver, and supplies, but we are also willing to return the land of the Volsci and Hernici and sign a peace agreement with them. We will also sign an agreement with Diónia to never invade.
King, you can also lead your elite troops to deal with other enemies to ensure that your land and people are not invaded and harmed. What do you think?! "
The people of Rome want to negotiate for peace?! The Devers looked at the sincere Camillus and patted the neck of the War Horse with his right hand. After a moment, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "I remember ten years ago, you also proposed to the Celts who occupied the city of Rome to 'pay them a large amount of gold and silver to let them leave.' Just when they let their guard down, you led the army to attack them. As a result, the Celts were defeated. Although I want to agree with your proposal, I am afraid of suffering the same tragic fate as the Celts!"
Camillus' face twitched a few times. The wrinkles on his face covered his surprise. The king of Diónia knew too much about the things in Rome!
He quickly calmed down and said, "Since you know the situation at that time so well, you should know that it was the senators who were trapped in the Capitoline Mountain that made the decision to 'use gold and silver to get the Celts to retreat.' Far away from the city of Rome, the soldiers and I knew nothing about it. But now, as the dictator, I have asked for the will of the soldiers and made a suggestion. All Romans must obey it! "
Would the people of Rome, who had always been uncompromising to the invading enemy, really give in for the safety of the city of Rome? The Devers, who knew the general history of Rome in his previous life, stared at Camillus for a while. He was both curious and cautious. He pretended to think carefully for a moment and then said, "This matter is too important. I need to go back to the city to discuss with the generals before I can give you an answer."
"I hope the answer is not too late. My soldiers are eager to go home. I am afraid they can't wait too long!" Camillus said with a threatening tone.
The Devers smiled. "Whether or not we can reach a truce with Rome in the end, I am honored to meet you, General Camillus! So, I have a gift for you later. I believe you will like it. "
After that, the Devers turned his horse around and led the people back to the city.
Camillus also turned back to the camp without hesitation.
On the way, Lucius asked with a little expectation, "Father, the king of Diónia wants to give you a gift. Does this mean that there is a possibility of peace talks?"
"This king of Diónia is not simple. Don't have high hopes for him." Camillus recalled the situation when he talked to the Devers just now and said with a serious expression, "You have also observed just now. The traps and abatis that the people of Diónia have laid under the city are not the Celts! Even if there is really a need for peace talks, we have to take back Ostia. Only then can we have more initiative in the negotiations! "
Lucius nodded gravely.
At the same time, Heniboris also asked the Devers, "Your Majesty, are we going to talk peace with the people of Rome?"
"Peace talks?" The Devers sneered. "If I had such a plan, would I have transferred the senators and officials such as Asistes, Antrápolis, Nicomachus, and Teris to Rome! Whether the people of Rome really want to talk peace or just want to numb us, I believe we will soon find out the real purpose of Camillus. If he just wants to buy time, he will find out that this is a stupid decision! "
… …
The warships going upstream to Rome was not only time-consuming and laborious, but it was much more convenient to go down the Tiber River.
The reason why Mithrades led the warships that were anchored in Rome only arrived at Ostia at dusk was that Dyvers used the assassination incident in the Temple of Diana as an excuse to consider the arrival of the Roman army. In order to ensure the stability of the city and have the army fight with all their might, Dyvers ordered the Roman administrator, Asistes, to immediately count all the male nobles and diners between the ages of 55 and 14 in the city and escort them to Turi by the Third Fleet. In the end, because there were too many of them (about 4,500), Dyvers also rented some merchants' cargo ships.
Midolades entered the port on a clipper.
Just over two days later, there were some changes in the port of Ostia. The number of merchant ships from Diónia increased, but the management of the port did not become chaotic. Instead, it became more orderly. The wooden fences used by the chambers of commerce of Diónia on the port were also removed. At least when Midolades passed by, there were no conflicts or disputes.
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