Chapter 840
However, as someone who had fought on the battlefield all his life, he quickly adjusted his mentality because he knew the predicament that the Rome army was facing now, and he did not allow himself to be overly depressed.
Quintus, Frius, Licinius, Aulus, Titus, Servius, and the other generals had already gathered in the tent.
"Sir Dictator!" Seeing Camillus stumbling into the tent, everyone hurriedly bowed respectfully.
"What's the situation in Ostia?" Camillus didn't bother with pleasantries and directly asked Servius.
Servius, who was in charge of guarding against the enemy's surprise attack, quickly replied, "The people of Diónia stationed many soldiers on top of the city wall. Perhaps they saw our troops outside the city, so they didn't dare to go out of the city to destroy our earth rampart. However, they are seizing the time to repair the breach in the city wall!"
"So, we have to seize the time, reorganize the troops, and launch another attack!" Hearing this, Camillus was a little anxious. He looked at Lysinius. "How's the construction of the mine going?"
"I'll definitely be able to close it before nightfall!" Licinius said with certainty, "This is all thanks to Adi, Antius, and Saturnicum who sent a large number of people to help us build it!"
"Alright! Good! Camillus praised him repeatedly, and the solemn expression on his face relaxed a lot. "Lysinius, you did a good job. I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers! As long as the ramparts we build can completely surround Ostia, not only will we not have to worry about the enemy sneaking out of the city to attack us, but we can also send a large number of light infantry, or even learn from the Diónia and move their ballistae up to attack the enemy at the top of the city and inside the city from a distance. This will provide the greatest help to our heavy infantry attack and reduce their casualties … The Etruscan allied armies of Caesrella, Walci, and Tarchona are no longer clamoring to leave, are they? "
Camillus' last sentence was directed at Titus, whom he had sent to pacify the Etruscans.
"Mr. Dictator, these Etruscans are just words. If we really let them go, would they dare to leave alone?!" Titus sneered disdainfully, "There are Diónia's fleets at sea, and the Tiber River can only be crossed upstream to reach the north bank. However, with their less than 10,000 soldiers and their courage, without our company, they dare to march 70 to 80 miles alone and bypass Rome which is heavily defended by Diónia?! However, they said that if they continue to attack Ostia like this in the next battle, they refuse to participate in the battle again! "
"Refusing to participate in the battle? Do these Etruscans think that they joined us just to share the spoils of war?! " Quintus said angrily, "Sir Dictator, the next time we attack the city, we must place them at the forefront of the attack. I would like to see if these Etruscans that we have conquered dare to fight with all their might!"
"Quintus, don't be too agitated. Doing so will only ruin the relationship between us and the Etruscans. It will also affect the Latin Alliance's army's opinion of us," Aulus reminded him from the side.
"If we don't do this, are we going to let our soldiers charge at the forefront?! The ones who have suffered the most casualties in the past few days are the citizens of Rome! Up until now, nearly 5,000 civilian soldiers have escaped from the camp and joined the enemy! Can we trust the remaining few thousand civilian soldiers?! Now, the number of civilian soldiers that can really fight is less than 15000. Many of the citizens of Rome who were born with noble backgrounds have died bravely at the gates of the city with a deep-rooted hatred for the people of Diónia! If we don't let the Etruscans and the Latin Alliance's army take the lead, even if we recapture Ostia, I'm afraid that almost all of the civilian soldiers in Rome will die! "Quintus' words of grief and indignation caused everyone in the tent to feel sad.
"If we recapture Ostia, will the people of Diónia really be willing to … negotiate with us?" Titus was the first to break the silence. He said hesitantly, "You must know that what the people of Diónia are doing in Rome … is to turn the nobles into slaves!"
His words voiced the doubts and uneasiness in the hearts of the generals. Everyone focused their eyes on Camillus.
However, Camillus did not answer immediately because the defection of the civilian soldiers in Rome and the tenacious defense in Ostia had shaken his confidence, making it impossible for him to give a definite answer.
Instead, it was his son, Lucius, who said loudly, "We can only force the people of Diónia to negotiate with us by threatening the safety of the people of Diónia with our valor and determination! After all, the people of Diónia are not only fighting against us in Rome, but also our ally, the people of Carthage. The army of Diónia has suffered too many losses here. How can they fight against the people of Carthage?! "
"Don't trust the people of Carthage too much! If they really attack Diónia with all their strength, how can the people of Diónia send so many troops to attack us! "Quintus was full of resentment when he mentioned the people of Carthage.
"Apart from taking back Ostia, we don't have any better ideas …" Aulus sighed, and his words caused the other generals' expressions to darken.
"Everyone, don't think about the future for now. Let's do what's in front of us first." At this time, Camillus said, "From the situation of the battle yesterday, we have made great progress in the siege. The soldiers have broken into the city and engaged in a chaotic battle with the people of Diónia. They have given the enemy a lot of pressure and casualties. Next, we just have to … "
Camillus explained in detail some of the new ideas for the next attack and some improvements to the siege tactics. This was the result of his careful observation of the battle situation and hard thinking over the past few days.
His tone was calm, but it contained a kind of power that could make everyone calm down and listen carefully.
Seeing that everyone was listening carefully, Camillus glanced at Quintus and emphasized, "In order to ensure the success of the next siege, we must unite our allied army! … "
Everyone, including Quintus, finally agreed with Camillus's opinion and discussed and improved the siege plan together.
After sending everyone away, Camillus's mood relaxed a little, but he suddenly felt weak all over. These few days, he was worried about the war, ate little, slept little, and was anxious. Even the body of a young man could not withstand it, let alone an old man in his sixties. He had to lie down and rest.
He slept past dusk until he was woken up by someone.
"All the sentries in Ostia suddenly disappeared?!" Camillus, who had just woken up, patted his head that was still a little confused, thinking about the meaning behind the move of the people of Diónia.
At this time, the tent was opened again, and Lucius rushed in, "Father, there is a fire in Ostia!"
"What?!" Camillus was taken aback. With the help of the servants, he hurried out of the big tent.
The camp was already full of soldiers coming out of their tents. They looked at the fire in the distance in horror at Ostia. Noise and discussion filled the entire camp.
Camillus saw the scene and was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he shouted, "Not good, the people of Ostia are escaping! Quick! Send the army! Rush into the city, put out the fire, and catch the people of Diónia! Quick! … "
In the night, the soldiers of Rome were organized and rushed towards the burning Ostia.
But they were still too late.
After receiving the "retreat" order from the Devers, Teris ordered his officers to contact the cargo ships of the Chamber of Commerce at the port and the Dionysian fleet cruising the nearby sea, and gradually began to retreat in an orderly manner.
Since most of the evacuation was carried out in the small port directly facing the sea in the west, the Rome army monitoring the mouth of the Tiber River did not notice anything unusual.
Finally, when the soldiers of Diónia began to retreat, Teris ordered his men to set fire to the city and the port that were doused with tar.
When Camillus learned that "the army failed to put out the fire, the Ostia district and the port were burned, but not a single person of Diónia was seen", he felt depressed and could not say a word.
At this time, he understood that the people of Diónia would rather burn the city than let them occupy it. They had already shown their determination to not compromise!
"Father, what's wrong with you?!" In the midst of Lucius's exclamation, Camillus covered his chest and slowly fell to the ground.
… …
Although he was a civilian of Rome, his home was not in Rome, but in Venus, where he had his own land and family.
In the past few days, the news that "the people of Diónia gave special treatment to the civilians of Rome" spread in the camp. The civilian soldiers living in the city of Rome began to flee the camp. Although Maichelus and many of the civilians of Rome who moved to the colonial city north of the Tiber River were a little tempted, they did not leave. After all, in the colonial city that was built less than ten years ago, the conflict between the nobles and the civilians was not serious, and their lives were not bad. Under such circumstances, it was difficult for farmers to abandon their home country, which they had lived in for decades, and join an unfamiliar kingdom.
However, because they were loyal to Rome, they did not receive the commendation they deserved. Instead, they were hated by the nobles and soldiers of Rome in the camp.
These nobles and diners learned from the news that their families in Rome were imprisoned, and their land was divided among the commoners. Their houses were occupied by the commoners, and their wealth was robbed by the commoners (this was a rumor). In addition, the commoners had been betraying them in the past few days. Of course, they did not have a good attitude towards the commoner soldiers who were still in the camp. Suspicion, ridicule, and abuse were considered light. During the siege, they blatantly used their power to place the civilian soldiers in the most dangerous positions, but did not allow them to retreat or provide assistance. This was not the first or second time.
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