Chapter 844
Of course, he did not forget to return the favor. For the past few days, he had been leading the priests to preach the benefits of joining the Kingdom of Diónia to the people of Rome who came to the Temple of Diana to worship, intentionally or unintentionally, to dispel their confusion and anxiety about the future.
Following behind the group of priests was a band. Dozens of musicians were holding brass horns, drums, flutes, lyres, and various other musical instruments. As they marched, they played music.
The beautiful melody attracted the attention of the audience on the roadside. Someone could not help but ask curiously in Greek, "What's the name of this music?"
"It's called the Victory March!" A musician responded loudly.
Therefore, the name of the Victory March quickly spread to the people on the roadside. Even the most picky people in Rome had to admit, "Diónia is indeed a big country. They have specially made such a beautiful piece of music for the triumphal procession. This melody is very suitable for the triumphal procession!"
Behind the band, a carriage appeared. It was pulled by two horses, but both were variegated horses (because there were not so many black horses in Rome). On the carriage stood a Diónia general in full military uniform.
The people of Rome did not know him, and they did not applaud.
Of course, such a deserted scene made Amyntas not in the mood to smile and wave to the people on the roadside as usual. He even felt that it was a mistake to hold a triumphal procession in Rome, so he kept a straight face.
Behind him were 200 soldiers selected from the First Legion. They lined up in neat rows and walked at the same pace. Their mighty appearance reminded the people of Rome of the arduous battle they had suffered a few days ago. They silently watched the group of soldiers pass by.
Then, they were surprised to see another carriage carrying another Diónia general pass by. The people of Rome were suddenly surprised.
When the soldiers of the Second Legion passed by, and another Diónia general passed by in a carriage, the people of Rome were confused. Wasn't the triumphal procession supposed to give the general the highest honor? But why were there so many generals in carriages during the triumphal procession of Diónia? Moreover, there were no attendants behind the generals holding up laurels for them and whispering in their ears, "You are just a mortal!" Was this the most significant difference between the triumphal procession of Diónia and the triumphal procession of Rome?
Maicarius and the others were deep in thought.
Just as the Diónia generals in carriages led groups of Diónia soldiers and passed by Rome in silence, the crowd suddenly burst into exclamations.
It turned out that the people of Rome knew the next general who appeared in front of them. It was Sextus of Raventine. How could the people of Rome not be surprised when this young Roman procession appeared in the triumphal procession?
Every citizen of Rome dreamed of participating in a triumphal procession, but it was an extravagant hope for the commoners of Rome. On the one hand, it was difficult for them to become the commander-in-chief of the army, and on the other hand, it was impossible for the Senate to approve a triumphal procession for them. But now, Sextus had set a precedent. Although it was a triumphal procession held by the Kingdom of Diónia, it gave the commoners hope and made them believe in the promise made by the Devers in the square that day.
Of course, the feelings of Maicarius and the others were more complicated.
"Sextus is a traitor! He became a hero of Diónia by slaughtering his fellow Rome citizens. Isn't he afraid of Jupiter's punishment?! "A commoner of Rome, who was also from Via, cursed.
Just as he finished speaking, another commoner beside him defended loudly, "You should thank Sextus! He led the army to attack Via and maintained the military discipline of the soldiers. He didn't loot and kill in the city. Not many people died in Via, so you can still see your loved ones when you come back. Think about it, if the people of Diónia had attacked Via, I'm afraid the situation wouldn't have been any better than when we attacked Ostia. You can only cry now! "
Maicarius had to admit this point, but he couldn't help retorting, "Has Sextus ever served as a consul or military officer?! Has he ever commanded an army to achieve a great victory with more than 5,000 soldiers?! Has he ever made the entire army cheer for him because of the victory?! What right does Sextus have to ride in a carriage during a triumphal procession?! "
"What you said is really funny! My friend, look carefully. This is the triumphal procession of the Kingdom of Diónia, not the triumphal procession of Rome. Why should it be carried out according to the original rules of Rome?! Sextus is the hero of Raventine, the hero of the commoners of Rome! He deserves this honor! "
The words of the man who might have been Sextus' neighbor resonated with many of the commoners. They spoke up to defend Sextus and the Roman soldiers behind him, accusing Maicarius and the others of being jealous.
There were many commoners in Rome, so the people from Via Via did not dare to refute. Maicarius subconsciously hugged his son tightly, but he heard his son point at Sextus on the carriage and say loudly, "Father, I want to see you on the carriage too!"
Maicarius was excited for a moment. He admitted that he had been a little jealous before. Sextus had become the protagonist of a triumphal procession at such a young age, while he was almost 30 years old and had yet to achieve anything. It was inevitable that his emotions would be a little unbalanced. But now that he had joined the Kingdom of Diónia, the situation might be different in the future! We are both commoners, but if Sextus can do it, why can't I?! "
Thinking of this, he pinched his son's foot and said confidently, "Son, you will see that day!"
At this moment, it was unknown how many commoners of Rome had secretly made up their minds like Maicarius.
A unique scene appeared on this triumphal procession. When the other Diónia generals and their troops passed by, both sides of the road were silent. Sextus and the 200 commoners of Rome were surrounded by cheers, as if this triumphal procession was specially organized for them.
Although Sextus was more mature than his peers, he could not help but be in high spirits on such an occasion. He frequently waved to his compatriots by the side of the field.
When his carriage passed under the triumphal arch, he looked up at the white arch, which was mottled with age. He was a little dazed, and he suddenly felt a little worried. He was afraid that this was just a dream …
When Sextus entered the square of Rome, the cheers were even more deafening. Countless people of Rome waved their arms excitedly and shouted the names of their loved ones. The interaction on and off the field was extremely lively.
Not only did the Devers invite most of the families of the Rome's reserve troops to the square, but they also invited the transport personnel, personnel from the engineering and medical camps, and personnel from the various chambers of commerce who had come to Rome with the Diónia army to the square as spectators. This was also an honor for them, because most of them would not be able to enter the Victory Square during a triumphal procession in Turií. Therefore, the cheers here were not only for the soldiers of Rome's reserve troops, but also for the soldiers of Diónia who finally felt the glory of the triumphal procession. All of them had smiles on their faces.
Of course, for them, the greater glory was the recognition from the King of the Devers on the platform in front of them.
Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, the Devers, who stood on the platform in front of the Senate, looked at the flag bearer of the Diónia army walking forward with a smile on his face. He joked, "Terentus, you have raised the standard of the selection of flag bearers for the triumphal procession to a higher level!"
This was a tactful compliment from the Devers to Terentus. However, when he heard it, he was not humble at all. He said naively, "Your Majesty, I can still do better."
The Devers immediately smiled and said, "Good! This is what an excellent soldier of the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade should say! " After he finished speaking, he personally helped Terentus wear the three-headed dog gold medal. He then grabbed Terentus' hand and raised it high in front of the soldiers below the platform.
The soldiers of Diónia were cheering loudly. The soldiers of Rome were also shouting loudly. They were not completely following the crowd. When they saw this scene that was completely different from the triumphal procession in Rome, they realized that the triumphal procession in Diónia was not only related to the commander of the army. Ordinary soldiers like them could also obtain great glory through their own efforts.
The Devers then helped the other flag bearers wear the medal. When it was the turn of the soldier of Rome, Valerius, the Devers specially explained to him the origin of the three-headed dog on the medal in a pleasant manner.
After listening to the interpreter's translation, Valerius fondled the silver medal on his chest fondly. This peasant of Rome, who was already in his thirties but had yet to marry a wife due to his poverty, stuttered and asked, "This … this thing is worth … how much land?"
After listening to the translation, the Devers laughed and said, "This medal is your glory. Keep it well! Becoming a flag bearer in the triumphal procession will at least give you three acres of land after this war. Make more achievements, and the land you will own in the future will only increase! "
Valerius' eyes lit up when he heard this.
Facing the commander of the First Legion, Amyntas, the Devers said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your hard work!"
Amyntas took the silver scepter and said softly with mixed feelings, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Originally, he had defeated the Roman army outside Ostia, ensured the landing of the army, resisted the attack of the Roman army on Ostia, and defeated the allied army of Rome at the upper reaches of the Tiber River. These achievements seemed to make him the real protagonist of this triumphal procession. He once heard that the Devers had made this proposal at the preparation meeting for the triumphal procession, but it was opposed by a group of young staff officers from the Ministry of Military Affairs, and in the end, it became like this.
Amyntas knew very well that they were right. According to the Military Law, only a commander who commanded the army independently and won a great victory could sit on a carriage pulled by four horses on the triumphal procession, suppress all the other generals, and obtain the highest honor. The real commander of this war was the King of the Devers. His victories were all due to the planning of the Devers, but he still had some unwillingness in his heart.
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