Chapter 842
"Father, you're not feeling well now, the doctor won't let you out! You have to believe that Titus and the others can handle this! " Lucius held his father down and urged him anxiously.
While the two were arguing, Titus walked in.
Lucius happened to see him and asked in surprise, "Titus, why are you back so soon?! Has the situation in the camp calmed down?! "
Lucius said and winked at him.
Titus was obviously not in the mood to care. He looked tired and worried as he looked at Camillus, who was lying on the couch, and said anxiously, "Sir Dictator, as soon as I heard that you were awake, I came immediately. The messengers from Volci and Tarchona are here. They said that Kezrella and Vi 'ai have fallen and asked for their troops to be withdrawn to protect their city-states from being invaded by the Diónia — "
"If it's really as these messengers said, that Kezrella and Vi 'ai have been occupied by the Diónia, how did they arrive at the camp? Titus, are you sure that they are really the messengers from Volci and Tarchona?! "Lucius immediately questioned.
"We all know the people who came. Volci's Consul Messala and Tarchona's Senator Coda, they took a ship to Adi, then landed and rushed over. According to them, the Diónia warships did not intercept them. "
Titus replied angrily, "As soon as they arrived at the camp, they spread the news of the fall of Kezrella and Vi 'ai. The camp, which was already restless, became completely chaotic. Not only did the Etruscan army want to leave, but the colonial soldiers on the north bank of the Tiber River also want to leave. Some of the Latin Alliance's troops also want to leave! Now, Quintus and his troops are blocking the gates of a few camps. The Etruscans are declaring, 'If we don't let them go, they're going to barge in!' There's already a small skirmish between the two sides, which is why I'm here to ask for your instructions! "
"This is all a conspiracy by the Diónia!" Lucius shouted angrily, "Damn the Etruscans! Damn the Latin City-States! And those civilians of Rome who deserve to be crucified! … "
At that moment, Camillus had calmed down. He let out a long sigh. "The fire in Ostia … burned away the hope of the soldiers to fight. Caesrella … and the fall of Venus has disintegrated our army … The King of Diónia … Sigh …"
Camillus suddenly stopped talking. He lay there quietly with his eyes slightly closed.
"Father!"
"Mr. Dictator!" The two of them shouted worriedly.
A moment later, Camillus asked, "Titus … did you ask them, even if … the Etruscan army left us … how are they going to return?"
Titus immediately replied, "Yes. They said that after they cross the Tiber River upstream, they will immediately head east into the mountains, bypassing Venus. That mountainous area is still under the control of the Etruscans, so it's relatively safe … "
Camillus nodded slightly, his expression unchanged. He said intermittently, "Judging from the current situation … we can no longer force them to stay … Otherwise … it will only cause a civil war in the camp … No matter who wins or loses … only the Diónia will benefit, and our friendly relations … with the Etruscans … the Colonial City … and even the Latin Alliance … will be completely destroyed … In that case … it's better to let them go …"
"Mr. Dictator!" Titus said eagerly, "Ever since we returned from Helniki, we have lost nearly 30,000 people in the battle with the Diónia, including the civilians and soldiers who have fled! If we let the Etruscans, the colonial citizens, and the Latin Alliance leave, I'm afraid we will have less than 15000 soldiers left. Not only will we not be able to recapture Rome, but we may also be attacked by the Diónia! "
"Titus!" Camillus shouted with great effort, then said in a self-reproachful tone, "I made a big mistake … As soon as I heard that Rome had fallen, I couldn't wait to recapture it immediately … That's why the army has suffered so many casualties … That's why we're in such a big predicament … It's all my fault …"
"No, Mr. Dictator, you're not the only one who wants to recapture Rome quickly. It's the urgent hope of all our soldiers!" Titus was not just comforting him; what he said was also the truth.
"Now we all know that it's impossible to recapture Rome quickly …" Camillus sighed softly, coughed a few times, and showed a hint of pain. "It's already so difficult to attack Ostia … Then, when we really attack Rome … What will happen?!"
Titus and Lucius could not refute that, because it was the truth, so they remained silent.
At this time, Camillus opened his eyes. His eyes were sparkling, "Titus, do you remember how we defeated the Celts? "We attacked the Celts' food collection teams, attacked the looting teams they sent out to attack other villages, and won one victory after another. The Latins, the Etruscans, and the Sabines, who had been poisoned by the Celts, joined us one after another. Our team grew bigger and bigger like a rolling snowball. The Celts, on the other hand, were forced to stay in the city of Rome, not daring to leave the city. In the end, they were too afraid to fight us head-on. They could only choose to retreat … but in the end, we still caught up and defeated them!"
Camillus's voice gradually became stronger, "That war … I remember it lasted for more than half a year. Next, to deal with the powerful Diónia, we … we should adopt the same strategy. Only by persisting in fighting the Diónia for a long time can we finally win!"
Titus was a little moved, but he also felt a little uneasy, "The Diónia are not like the Celts who only know how to burn, kill, and loot. They are more cunning than the Celts!"
"But … the Celts did not have a powerful enemy like Carthage … Sammonet!" Camillus replied confidently.
Titus was convinced. He immediately said, "I'll convey your message to Quintus and the others immediately …"
Although Quintus clearly opposed Camillus's decision, the generals of Rome finally reached an agreement. The Etruscan army was allowed to leave, but they had to accompany the colonial soldiers and ensure that they could safely return to their homes.
After the army left, the generals generously allowed the Latin army to return to their respective cities. These Latin generals did not leave in a hurry like the Etruscans. Instead, they rushed to the big tent and sincerely expressed to Camillus that as long as he called for them, their cities would be willing to continue fighting alongside Rome and chase away the outsiders, Diónia!
Seeing the troops who fought side by side leaving one after another, it was a huge impact on the Roman soldiers who were still in the camp. They inevitably panicked. The generals put in a lot of effort to barely calm the chaos in the camp.
… …
The allied army of about 13000 soldiers from Etruria and the colonies of Rome marched eastward and arrived at the Tustron region in the evening. After resting for a night, they arrived at Pheidina in the afternoon of the second day. They crossed the Tiber River through the pontoon bridge.
Just as they left the river bank and prepared to go east into the mountains, they found that the Diónia army had already lined up in front of them and blocked their way. The panicked allied soldiers had to prepare for a fight to the death.
Just as the two armies were about to approach each other, the Etruscan army of Volci and Tarchona suddenly turned their spears and shields and attacked the flanks of the colonial soldiers of Rome.
The soldiers of Rome did not expect their allies to suddenly betray them. They were caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos.
The Dionysian Army took advantage of the situation and attacked from the front. The allied army was quickly defeated.
Except for a few soldiers who escaped across the Tiber River and hid in the city of Pheidina, most of the soldiers of Rome were captured. The soldiers of other Etruscan cities also surrendered one after another. The Dionysian Army almost did not suffer any losses and won a great victory.
It turned out that Printos led the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade to attack the city of Caesrella at night. However, a small number of Caesrella people escaped to the neighboring city of Tarchona during the night.
The people of Tarchuna turned pale with fright. The Dionians had occupied Luo City in one night, and their formidable military might had struck fear into their hearts. Tarchuna, which lacked young and strong citizens, was clearly unable to resist the Dionian army's continued assault. Therefore, Tarchuna sent people to the neighboring Etruscan city-state, Walch, while sending messengers to Casrella to find out what was happening.
After Printos captured Caesrella, he immediately sent people back to Rome to report the news of the victory to the Devers.
The Devers were overjoyed and immediately sent two battalions of Legio III to guard the city of Caesrella.
When the messenger of Tarchona arrived at Caesrella, Printos was busy. Not only did he have to quickly stabilize the order in the city, but he also had to deal with the complicated affairs of the port in time. This was because the King of the Devers repeatedly emphasized that other than seizing the ships of Caesrella and Carthage, they were not to plunder or harm the merchant ships of other cities.
As for the arrival of the messenger of Tarchona, Printos only told him that if he had any proposals or requests, he could go to Rome to discuss it with His Majesty the King.
When the messenger of Tarchona saw that the Diónia general who occupied Caesrella did not speak ill of them or even threaten them with force, he felt a little relieved and really rushed to Rome.
Not long after, the messenger of Volci also arrived.
The Devers received them very friendly and expressed the Kingdom of Diónia's desire to form an alliance with the Etruscan city-states to fight against the people of Rome.
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