Chapter 846
Why? The reason was simple. The people of Rome, led by the senators and nobles of Rome, retreated to the Capitoline Hill. Although the Dionysian Army only blockaded the hill and did not attack, they often sent people up the hill to shout, such as, "The army of your expedition to Helsinki attacked the city of Rome and was repelled … Casrella and Vyai have been captured … The army of Rome led by Camillus was defeated in Ostia …"
At first, only a few Latins were shouting, but later, many Rome civilians that the people on the hill were familiar with joined the group. They would add some other content to their shouts, such as, "We have lived in the comfortable houses that originally belonged to you … We have owned the land that originally belonged to you …"
Although the senators repeatedly avoided it, "These are all lies, a trick of the people of Diónia to create chaos among us! … "
However, when the people on the hill heard the shouts from the foot of the hill, and during the day, they could see many people dressed in Rome civilian costumes talking to the soldiers of Diónia in black helmets and black armor in a seemingly cordial manner, and then leaving one by one with big and small bags (in fact, the civilians of Rome were applying to become citizens of Diónia, and they were going to the square to receive their ration of food every day), it was inevitable that they would be suspicious. Coupled with the predicament on the hill, there was some confusion.
Therefore, the senators finally ordered the blockade of the cliff where they could clearly see the square.
In the dimly lit rear hall of the Temple of Jupiter, hundreds of senators of Rome who had just looked at the triumphant square from the top of the cliff sat around solemnly. The atmosphere was a little depressing.
"Cough! Cough! " Potitus's cough was particularly clear in this silent space, attracting everyone's attention. However, he was really just coughing because he was weak, and he did not want to be the first to speak.
After a while, Ambustos, who had been temporarily appointed by the Senate, broke the silence. "Elders and newcomers, I want to remind you that although the people can't see the situation in the square today, they can hear the shouts in the square. I think this will cause a lot of trouble for them, so I hope everyone will take care of their families and customers when they go back! Scipio, you also have to be vigilant and let the soldiers pay attention to maintaining order! "
"I've sent more soldiers. Don't worry," Scipio The Great replied.
"Hey!" Apuleius suddenly shouted. Seeing that everyone was looking at him in astonishment, he stood up and shouted, "We have been on the mountain for almost ten days! Ten days! Why don't we see our army attacking the city?! Is it really as the Diónia said? Camillus's army has been defeated by the Ionians! "
Many elders trembled unconsciously when they heard this. This was the question they were most afraid to mention.
"Cough cough … there are 70,000 troops outside the city, and Camillus is the commander. There are so many Latin allies and colonial cities supporting them. How could they have suffered a crushing defeat!" Potitus tried to comfort everyone.
Since they came up the mountain, in order to unite against the enemy, Apuleius had been warned by Maruginense. "Don't randomly attack the dictator in the face of danger and cause unnecessary panic." However, the long-term pressure finally made Apuleius burst out again. "If Camillus's army did not fail, then where are they?! Could it be that they have escaped?! "
Maruginense immediately shouted, "Don't talk nonsense! Don't believe the rumor that 'our army was defeated in Ostia'. However, this rumor also tells us that Camillus may be leading the army to attack Ostia! "
The elders with rich war experience led by Potitus, Maruginense, and Scipio The Great certainly made reasonable speculations about the reason why Camillus had not attacked the city for a long time. Many of the elders had accepted this explanation.
However, at this moment, Apuleius still did not let it go. "Why attack Ostia instead of directly attacking Rome?! Could it be that Camillus is muddle-headed and thinks that we, the people of Rome, live in the small city of Ostia?! "
"The city of Rome has high and thick walls and is heavily guarded. It is not as easy to attack as Ostia. Camillus probably wants to attack Ostia to consume the forces of Diónia, lock them in the interior, and force them to fight outside the city, or choose to stop the war … Apuleius, I have already explained these words once yesterday. Don't make me say it again!" Maruginense's sharp eyes looked straight at Apuleius. The person that he supported suddenly became a little disobedient, which made his eyes filled with anger.
Apuleius tactfully stopped talking.
However, someone raised a doubt. "Camillus's attack on Ostia may be the right strategy, but we all heard what the enemy said, 'Venus and Casrella have been captured by them.' Yesterday, they also said, 'Surwertheim and Xhosa have also surrendered to them, and even our ally, the Etruscans, have formed an alliance with them.' If these are all true, even if we recapture Ostia, I'm afraid it will not be of much use. "
These words immediately caused the elders to whisper among themselves.
When Maruginense saw that the person who spoke was Lucretius, he secretly hated the old man for bringing up a topic that everyone was very worried about. Did he lose his mind?! However, for an old man who had been in the Senate for decades, he still had some scruples, so he perfunctorily said, "I said that these are all lies of the enemy. We don't have to believe them."
"Why don't we send someone down the mountain to investigate? Just like Pantius in the past! If we can confirm that these are all lies of the enemy, we and the people will be relieved. "
Maruginense finally could not stand it anymore and said angrily, "Lucretius, apart from worshiping Jupiter every day, all you do is sleep. Have you seriously participated in any meetings or any affairs?! Scipio, tell him, what have we done?! "
"So far, we have sent five warriors down the mountain to investigate, but so far, we have not seen them return," Scipio said solemnly. Scipio solemnly said, "When the Celts occupied Rome, their discipline was lax, and the blockade of the Capitoline Mountain was not tight. As for the Dionians … You can see from the camp they built at the foot of the mountain that it is very difficult to sneak in."
"Well, as the dictator of Rome, Camillus will do his best to repel the Diónia, just like he defeated the Celts in the past!" In order to avoid Lucretius from being too embarrassed and causing a quarrel, Ambutus interrupted, "Let's focus on the important issues that concern us first! We only have enough food for 20 days. If Camillus cannot recapture Rome in 20 days, we will starve.
There is also drinking water. Although there is a small spring on the mountainside not far from the Temple of Juno, it is not enough for more than 5,000 people to drink. Fortunately, the rainy season has just passed, and it has rained several times in the past ten days. There is still a lot of water stored in the temples. However, if there is no rain for five or six days in a row, it will be very difficult for everyone to drink enough water.
Also, there is the disease. We rushed up the mountain and did not bring many herbs. The people are crowded on the mountain. They can't eat well, sleep well, and are in a bad mood. Some people are sick, and they can't get good treatment. They can't recover … "
Ambutus' words made the senators look even more worried.
"Sigh!" Potitus sighed. "When the Celts invaded, we only had a few hundred people when we retreated here. Now, the number of people is more than ten times that. Naturally, we have to consume a lot more resources …"
"Are we going to drive too many people down Capitoline Mountain?!" a senator asked anxiously.
His words caused an uproar in the temple.
Ambutus hurriedly said, "We don't need to do that! What I mean is … we have to strictly control the consumption of food and water, and prevent the outbreak of the disease so that we can hold on the mountain for a longer time. We have to hold on until Camillus leads the soldiers to repel the Diónia and recapture Rome … "
Before the senators could start discussing, someone stood up from the crowd and said loudly, "Elders and newcomers, I have doubts about whether Camillus can recapture Rome! You saw the Diónia's triumphant return just now. So many people in Rome joined in their triumphant celebration. What does this mean?! The people of Rome are betraying us and supporting the invading Diónia! With the support of those people, the Diónia will have more soldiers to defend Rome. The army led by Camillus can still … "
"Nonsense!" Maruginense shouted and glared at the person who spoke. "Apulius, are you crazy?!"
Apuleius also threw caution to the wind. "I'm not crazy. My mind is very clear. You are also very clear, but you are all running away! When Rome fell, so many people were trapped in the city. In the first few days, we could still see and hear the sound of fighting in the city from the mountain. There were even fires and thick smoke … But now! We haven't heard the sound of fighting for many days. Instead, the square is getting more and more lively. I'm afraid the Diónia have … "
"Guards! Guards! Take him away and lock him up! "Maruki Gineenses roared in exasperation.
Scipio The Great hesitated for a moment. After all, it was against the rules of the Senate. But when he saw Potitus, Ambutus, Lucretius, and many other respected senators nodding, he immediately called the guards.
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