Chapter 824
At dusk, in front of the camp that the Roman army was building, Adrius, the messenger sent by the Devers, stood with two women and two children behind him.
Under the curious gaze of the surrounding Rome soldiers, before Camillus could send someone to greet them, Adrius shouted loudly in Latin, "Lord Camillus, dictator of Rome, His Majesty the king of the Devers, in order to thank you for your kindness and help, has specially sent back your wife, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, hoping to forge a deeper friendship! … "
Hearing the repeated shouts of the messenger from Rome, the surrounding Roman soldiers suddenly had a complicated look on their faces and began to whisper.
The Camillus family was only a small noble family in Rome. In his generation, it was even more sparse. Camillus only had one son and a few relatives, and this time, he basically brought all the adult males of his family to Helniki. It was not for fairness, but because this was a war that they had to win. So, he also wanted the males of his family to gain some merits and benefits in this war. Therefore, when the Senate decided to retreat to Capitoline Hill, his mansion in Rome lacked competent men to preside over the retreat. Moreover, his house was not located in the central area of the city of Rome, so his family retreated slowly and did not make it to the top of the hill.
In the big tent in the center of the Rome camp, Camillus and his son were surprised to hear the news. At the same time, Lucius also felt lucky. He said hurriedly, "Father, quick! Send someone to bring them in! "
Then, he sighed again, "Although I hate the people of Diónia, I am very grateful for what their king did this time! He is indeed a hero praised by the Greeks. He really has an extraordinary bearing! … "
Camillus was silent for a long time with a painful look on his face. Finally, he squeezed out a sentence, "No, Lucius, we can't … let them walk into this camp."
"Father, what are you talking about?!" Lucius thought he had heard wrong.
"We can't … we can't … leave your mother behind, and … we can't!" Camillus clenched his fist and slammed it on the wooden table. "This is the conspiracy of the King of Diónia!"
"Father, do you know what you're saying? It's your wife standing outside! Your daughter-in-law! And your two adorable grandsons! Could you bear to see them fall into the hands of the enemy and be tortured and humiliated? Lucius asked in disbelief and anger.
"Calm down … child." Camillus looked at his roaring son and moved his lips with difficulty. He tried to persuade him with a trembling voice, "I … I also want to save them! But now … not now! As the families of the other soldiers were still in the city, what would the soldiers think if Diónia only sent my family back?! Did you hear the shout of that Diónia man outside the camp? What do you mean by thanking me for my help?! This is the conspiracy of the Diónia people! If I really bring back your mother, your wife, and your children, the soldiers will inevitably be suspicious. Then will they still listen to my orders? How can an army that doesn't obey orders work together to recapture Rome?! "
Lucius, who had always listened to his father, found it difficult to accept Camillus' explanation at this time. He said bitterly, "Father, you are a dictator! Do you still need to consider what the soldiers think before you do anything? You have to know that the reason why my mother and the others were captured was because you took away all the young and strong citizens of the city. You must make up for your mistake as soon as possible! "
Although some people had said similar words to express their dissatisfaction with Camillus in private, when these words came out from the mouth of a family member, it was like a sharp sword piercing through Camillus's chest, making him feel dizzy. He quickly held the wooden table with his hands. After a while, he said firmly, "No, I won't do that! But I will lead the army to recapture Rome and personally rescue our loved ones! "
Hearing this, Lucius cursed and immediately turned to leave the tent.
"Guards!" Camillus immediately shouted, then said to the guard captain who entered the tent with a painful expression, "Stop Lucius immediately! And … and send someone to chase the envoy of Diónia and the people he brought … back to the city … "
"This …" The guard captain certainly knew what was going on outside the camp, because there were soldiers everywhere in the camp spreading the news.
While he was hesitating, Camillus shouted sternly, "Go and carry out the order!"
"Yes … Yes!"
After the guard captain left, Camillus sat down dejectedly. He seemed to have aged a few years.
After a while, his adjutant entered the tent and was about to report the situation to him. Seeing his bleak expression, he could not speak for a while.
Instead, Camillus noticed his presence and asked weakly, "What's the matter?"
"The scouts reported that the people of Diónia opened the northern gate and released some Rome citizens."
Camillus's first thought was: The king of Diónia released these Rome citizens on purpose to divert the influence of the release of my family members and make me change my mind. He is really scheming!
Camillus wanted to ask the people of Rome about the current situation in the city in detail, but he was weak and drowsy at the moment, so he had to say, "Go and settle these people down. Bring a few people here tomorrow morning. I want to understand the situation from them."
"Yes, dictator."
After the adjutant left, Camillus ordered the guards: no one was allowed to enter the big tent unless there was an emergency.
Then he, who was mentally and physically exhausted, asked the servants to quickly make the bed. He did not even eat dinner and fell asleep in a hurry.
… …
At this time, it was past dusk, and the sky began to darken. The soldiers stopped setting up camp and returned to their tents to start eating dinner.
Camillus's adjutant sent a Rome squadron to escort the hundreds of Rome citizens out of the city to the residence of the refugees on the east side of the army camp.
The Rome squadron that was sent to carry out this task was basically composed of civilians, including their squadron leader, Sextus. This was not a coincidence, because the superiority of the Rome aristocracy was not only reflected in political affairs, but also in military affairs. The children of the great aristocracy could become the captain of the army without fighting a few battles, while it was difficult for civilians to be promoted to squadron leader even if they made many contributions. Of course, the situation had changed in the past few years. Some civilians had also been promoted in the army, especially when Camillus became the chief commander of the army. However, this was still not a common phenomenon. There was still a clear difference in the treatment of the aristocracy and the civilians in the army. So when the soldiers were tired and hungry, and it was time for them to eat dinner, this squadron, which was almost entirely composed of civilians, was sent out.
Camillus's adjutant explained carefully, "This is to take care of you, because these people who are released from the city are from Mount Silio."
Indeed, the Roman squadron made up of the residents of Mount Sirius did not complain. They hurried over and were surprised to find that they knew all the old people. Eight or nine of them were relatives of the soldiers, including the father of the squadron leader, Sextus.
Therefore, the soldiers rushed forward and eagerly asked about the situation at home, completely forgetting the adjutant's instructions to quietly bring these people to the rear and not to disturb the army.
In the end, these old people did not rush to answer the soldiers' questions. Instead, they persuaded them to escape from the army, return to the city of Rome, and join the Kingdom of Diónia.
Among these conversations, Sextus's father's persuasion to his son was the most typical one.
"Father, where are Tuya and the children?! Are they … Are they all right?! "
"Don't worry, they are all fine! The Dionysian Army's military discipline is very good. After entering Rome, they did not kill wantonly, nor did they plunder. In this aspect, the Celts can't compare to them at all. Even we … can't compare to them. "
"Father, you are actually speaking up for the people of Diónia?!"
"Because this is the truth! Not only am I speaking up for them, but I am also here to persuade you! "
"Persuade me?!"
"I advise you to immediately leave the army of Rome and join the Kingdom of Diónia with me!"
"Oh my god, you betrayed Rome?!"
"It's not that I betrayed Rome, but many people in Mount Silio and even the entire city of Rome have joined the Kingdom of Diónia!"
"Why?! Father, why?! You are a citizen of Rome! You have lived in Rome all your life. You are a true citizen of Rome! You have participated in more than 20 battles and even won a laurel once. You are the hero of our neighborhood. You are my — "
"I also participated in the battle with the Celts and followed Camillus to drive them away. But what was the use of that?! You know, the many years of fighting have left me crippled, and I often get sick with fevers. Because of the treatment, I owe a lot of debts. If not for the support of my comrades, I'm afraid that even my family's land would have been taken away by the nobles! Did the Senate of Rome ever protect our family from the harassment of those creditors because of my military exploits? "
"Father, don't worry. I am now a platoon jarl. This time, I went to Helniki and obtained a lot of spoils of war. I should be able to pay off my previous debts!"
"Oh, I didn't notice that you became a platoon jarl."
"In the battle with the Helniki, our original officer was injured and died. Dictator Camillus saw my bravery and promoted me to platoon jarl."
"But what's the use of that?! Can it stop those greedy nobles and creditors from harassing our family?! Can it give you more land?! Can it be a mid-to-high ranking official in Rome?! Can it guarantee that your family will not have to worry about food and clothing when you are injured and can't even hold a spear?! … "
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