Chapter 826
"Sir! Wake up! Something big happened! Sir … "
Camillus was woken up by his adjutant, and his heart suddenly tightened. "What happened?"
"There is a riot in the camp! Some soldiers attacked the guards of the camp and occupied the gate … "
"What?! … "
… …
The Devers let some Rome civilians out of the city purely because they did not want to cause trouble for Camillus's Rome army. They did not have high expectations because they had carefully observed the camp built by the Rome army from the top of the city wall. It seemed that the defense was pretty good, and Camillus was cruel enough to refuse to accept his family …
The Devers lamented that the dictator of Rome was indeed worthy of being called the "Father of Rome" in his previous life. At the same time, they did not think that the cold-hearted and cool-headed dictator of Rome would allow these civilians to enter the camp and disturb the army's morale.
However, all kinds of coincidences made the result of this matter greatly exceed the Devers' expectations.
When he was woken up by Martius in his sleep and learned that there was chaos in the Rome camp, he could not believe that it was caused by the group of old people that he let out in the afternoon. It was not until Amyntas, the commander of the First Legion, who was responsible for the defense of the northeast city wall, sent soldiers to select a few Rome soldiers and civilians who escaped into the city through the east gate and brought them to the Senate. After some questioning, the Devers learned that the chaos in the Rome camp was caused by thousands of Rome civilians who wanted to escape the camp.
"Is this true? Or is it Camillus's plan to lure the enemy? "The Devers looked at the dark night outside the window and could not be sure.
He ordered the legions to gather their troops and asked the intelligence department to immediately interrogate the soldiers and civilians who entered the city separately.
In the end, when he made up his mind to take action, the commotion in the Rome camp was much quieter than before. However, he still sent the Second and Fifth Legions out of the south gate to attack the Rome camp. He also sent the First Legion out of the east gate to pick up the fleeing soldiers and civilians of Rome and repel the pursuers.
Due to the suddenness of the incident, Camillus and the generals had devoted most of their energy to stabilizing the army and quelling the unrest in the camp that night. They had no spare energy to resist the attack of the Diónia, let alone send more troops to counterattack the Dionysian Army.
On the other hand, the Devers were not well-prepared in advance. It was risky to attack the Rome encampment in the dark. Besides, they were worried that the Roman civilians who fled into Rome would be unstable and cause chaos. So the battle at night did not last long.
But for the leaders of both sides, there were many thorny issues that needed to be resolved urgently.
… …
More than a dozen candles illuminated the Senate of Rome. The Devers paced back and forth in the center of the hall, his head lowered as he pondered. Behind him, Heniboris and Cloto Catax accompanied him.
At this time, the governor of Rome, Asistes, strode into the hall.
"What's the situation with the Rome civilians who fled into the city?" the Devers asked immediately when he saw him.
The Asistes immediately said, "Your Majesty, according to the results of our emergency statistics, a total of 1,275 Roman soldiers and 213 Roman civilians fled into the city. The administrative adjutant, Tonix, has organized 100 people from Rome who have applied for Diónia citizenship to screen them. Two nobles and seven patrons of the nobles have been identified. The rest of the Rome civilians have been determined to be civilians. They are now temporarily under control in the barracks of the First Legion, waiting for your next instructions, Your Majesty."
The Devers was delighted with the efficiency of the newly established city hall. He asked in a gentle tone, "What do you think we should do with them?"
"When I came here, I have asked the census officer, Portacus, to tell them about the special bill Your Majesty has made for the civilians of Rome and persuade them to apply for Diónia citizenship immediately. The Rome soldiers who have applied for Diónia citizenship can immediately allocate them land and housing, and then let them go home. As for the Rome soldiers who are still unwilling to join our kingdom, we will temporarily let them serve as chores in the barracks for a period of time on the grounds of 'lack of manpower' so that it will be easier for us to keep an eye on them … "The Asistes spoke with assurance. It was obvious that he had already planned for this.
"Asistes, you are very thoughtful!" The Devers first praised him, and then said confidently, "These Rome soldiers risked their lives to rush out of the barracks in the middle of the night and return to Rome. I can see that most of them are willing to become citizens of Diónia. Even if there are a few who have not figured it out yet, there is no need to be too cautious. Just let them go home. Let the patrols pay more attention to them. Even if some of them have other intentions, they can't do anything in Rome now!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Asistes immediately responded.
The Devers looked at him and suddenly smiled, "I understand now. You have long planned to let them go home, haven't you?"
"Nothing can hide from Your Majesty's eyes," the Asistes replied respectfully.
"Oh you!" Dyvers pointed at him with his finger. He wanted to criticize him, but he swallowed his words. He patted Dyvers on the shoulder and said, "I appointed you as the governor of Rome because I believe that you are the only one who can turn Rome into a city of Dionia. So, you can rest assured and give orders boldly. Carry out your governance of this city. Don't worry about me!" Dyvers nodded and said, "I appointed you as the governor of Rome because I believe that you are the only one who can turn Rome into a city of Dionia.
"Yes …!" It was still the same answer, but this time, the Asistes sounded a little excited. He took a deep breath and then said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, there is a Rome soldier who strongly requests to see you. He said that he has an important matter to report to you … And this person is the only Rome platoon captain among all the Rome soldiers who escaped into the city. According to the others, this time the civilians of Rome were able to escape from the barracks mainly because of his planning and leadership. "
"Oh?!" The Devers asked with interest, "What is his name?"
"Lucius Sextus. I've brought him here. He's waiting outside the door."
"Then let him come in," the Devers said with interest.
… …
As a citizen of Rome, it was the first time Sextus had entered the Senate of Rome. Of course, he had heard many stories about the layout of the Senate and the many things that happened in the meeting hall. He had also imagined that one day he would sit in this sacred place in a red robe and discuss the future of Rome.
However, at this time, the people guarding the passage of the hall were not the soldiers of Rome with red helmets and red armor, but the guards of Diónia with black helmets and black armor. The ring-shaped hall, which was supposed to be a fierce quarrel, was now empty. There should be enough space for the senators to give speeches, but there was a long table and many wooden chairs in the center of the hall. Under the illumination of the candlelight, three people sat in the center of the hall.
It seemed that the people of Diónia had transformed the sacred Senate of Rome into an ordinary meeting place! Sextus felt that he should be angry, but he could not summon the strength to do so. Instead, there was an indescribable feeling that made him feel a little uncomfortable.
He walked to the center of the hall under the guidance of the palace guard, Martius. The middle-aged man who he had been staring at said politely, "Please sit down, Sextus."
Sextus sat down without hesitation and asked in Greek, "Are you the king of Diónia?"
"I am." The Devers smiled slightly.
"We people of Rome finally abolished the monarchy because of the cruelty of the king a hundred years ago and adopted a republican system of government. We made all the citizens swear that no one will ever be the king. As far as I know, many of the city-states in Greece have also changed from the monarchy to a democratic system, but Diónia has a monarchy. Do you think we people of Rome will accept the rule of a king? "
The Devers smiled faintly again and said, "If the people of Rome are satisfied with the system of Rome, why do you often fight with the nobles and even refuse to vote for the consul in the assembly?"
Sextus had obviously thought about this and quickly replied, "There are problems with the republican system of Rome, but it is still better than the former monarchy."
"In my opinion, the government of a city-state does not depend on what kind of government it is, but on how many citizens it can benefit!" The Devers emphasized, "The system of Rome makes the people of Rome, who account for about half of the total population, feel strongly dissatisfied and constantly fight against it. Although the Kingdom of Diónia has a monarchy, every citizen in the kingdom owns land and can use the public land of the kingdom fairly. Every citizen can pay off their debts smoothly. Every citizen has the opportunity to serve as an important minister and senator of the kingdom. Every citizen must abide by the law, whether they are civilians or nobles. As long as they break the law, they will be punished …"
Even as a king, I still have to abide by the laws of the kingdom made by the Senate. Therefore, I will not brazenly take the wife of a citizen who is beautiful as my own (the last king of Rome was expelled because the wife of a citizen was humiliated by the royal family), because that would be punishable by law, the most serious punishment being death. I will also not forcibly rob the property of a citizen who is rich, because then I will commit the crime of theft. I will also not order the arrest or even the death of a person who is not pleasing to the eye, because the judges will refuse to execute the order, and the Senate will also protest … "
When Sextus heard this, he said in disbelief, "You made the monarchy of Diónia sound so good. Is it really carried out like this?"
。 m.
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