Chapter 847
Apuleius was carried out by the guards, and he kept struggling and shouting, "Everyone, stop lying to yourself, Rome is finished! This is all Camillus' fault! Jupiter above, save Rome! This is all Camillus' fault … "
After Apuleius was taken out, there was silence in the shrine. Some people clenched their clothes tightly with fear hidden in their eyes; some people looked down at the ground to hide their reddened eyes …
Potitus and Maruginense looked at each other, and a sense of powerlessness surged in their hearts, but he suppressed this negative emotion and said softly, "Ambustus, please continue your discussion just now."
… …
After the triumphant ceremony, the Devers prepared to hold a military meeting to discuss the next step of the army's attack plan, but before the meeting, he first met with a person.
"Sit down, Publius."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Publius' attitude was respectful and fluent.
Publius was not one of the senators on Capitoline Hill. These days, he had witnessed the surrender of the civilians in Rome, and a large number of civilians and soldiers fled back. He also learned from Vi 'ai and the emissaries of the Etruscan city-states that Vi' ai and Casrella had indeed been captured by Diónia, and several Etruscan city-states had allied with Diónia. Then, Surwerth and Xhosa had successively surrendered … He even learned that the Roman army that had fought in Ostia had finally been disbanded.
As the patriarch of a large Rome clan, he had keenly realized that the Diónia had gained a foothold in the Latin region, and it would be difficult for Camillus and the others to recapture Rome.
Emotionally, although this made him a little depressed, it was good news for the Manlius clan, who had been forced to join the Diónia side.
Therefore, at this moment, in the eyes of the Devers, Publius sat very obediently and put on a respectful and listening posture.
More or less grasping Publius' mentality at this time, the Devers smiled slightly in his heart and said, "I heard from the governor of Rome, Asistes, that during this time, you have actively assisted the city hall, making Diónia's governance of Rome more targeted, more efficient, and smoother."
"Lord Asistes flatters me. I just gave some suggestions. After all, I know Rome better," Publius said modestly.
The Devers looked at him and suddenly said straightforwardly, "As the patriarch of the Manlius clan and the senator of Rome, I think your understanding of this region and your ability to deal with government affairs are far better than Valcers. However, he is now the adjutant of the governor of Rome, while you are idle. Do you feel indignant?"
Publius' heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my family and I are only your captives. We are already very grateful to be able to obtain your forgiveness. How would we dare to hope for anything else!"
"You have joined the Kingdom of Diónia and are becoming a citizen of Diónia. I think with your shrewdness, you should have learned about the political system of Diónia these days." The Devers tapped the table with his hand, looked at him, and said, "The Senate of Diónia gathers the elites of various cities and races in Diónia. They can not only assist me in formulating the laws and decisions of the entire kingdom in the Senate, but also serve as the highest executive of a city or even a region, managing the administrative affairs of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people on their own. While they are doing their best to contribute to the kingdom, they are also doing their best to protect the rights and interests of the region and race where they were born. For a city as large as Rome to be incorporated into the kingdom, of course, there needs to be elites who can represent the people of Rome to enter the Senate and advocate for their rights … "
"Your Majesty …" Publius was tempted. He knew that the reason why the Devers said this to him was because they had expectations of him, so he boldly asked, "How can I become a senator of Diónia?"
"First of all, put down your arrogance as a noble of Rome. No matter what kind of administrative position you take, try your best to serve the civilians in the city and win their recognition … I think with the foundation laid by Marcus, it will be easy for you to achieve this." The Devers said seriously, "Secondly, you have to make enough contributions to the kingdom to gain the recognition of the senators of Diónia, so that when you are recommended, you will not be opposed by most of the senators."
After listening, Publius immediately took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, please order whatever you want me to do. I will do my best to complete it!"
Sure enough, he is a smart man! The Devers met the other party's eager gaze and said in a deep voice, "Now there is a very important thing that you need to do as soon as possible. The city-state of Etruria has allied with us, and the colonies of Rome in the north have been completely cleared. Our north is safe. Although the army led by Camillus has been disbanded, he still has a considerable number of soldiers and the support of the Latin Alliance. I do not intend to fight them head-on for the time being.
I need to send an envoy to the various Latin city-states in the south while the Rome army is still resting in Saturnicum in the southwest. I need to try my best to persuade them to leave the Latin Alliance, cut off their ties with Rome, and form an alliance with the kingdom, so as to further weaken the power of Rome's remaining army … "
It was not that the Devers had not sent envoys before, but the effect was not good. The Latin city-states were still full of distrust of outsiders from Diónia, just like the previous Etrurian city-states. Therefore, the Devers looked for Publius.
Over the years, Rome had maintained a strong position in the Latin region, and the Latin city-states looked up to it. The higher-ups often had dealings with these large clans in Rome, and some even became relatives.
Publius calculated in his mind and asked, "What are the conditions for negotiation?"
It seemed like there was a chance! The Devers pretended to ponder for a moment before replying, "The treaty of alliance between us and the city-states of Etruria can be used as an example. Herney, show the contents of the treaty of alliance to Publius later. "
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Heniboris, who was at the side, immediately responded.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the Latin city-state in the south." Publius no longer hesitated.
"Very good!" The Devers smiled. "With you as the envoy, I believe that the negotiations with the Latin city-state will be much smoother. Let's set off tomorrow. If there is anything that needs to be prepared before the mission, you can tell Heniboris and let him help you solve it."
Heniboris immediately nodded at Publius in greeting.
Publius also hurriedly gave Heniboris a friendly smile.
"There is one more thing." The Devers continued, "When we first entered Rome, some remnants of the Roman aristocracy occupied Capitoline Mountain. We have not attacked them until now, mainly because we were busy stabilizing the order in the city and at the same time taking care of the mood of the people in the city. (In fact, the main reason was that the Devers wanted to leave the enemies on Capitoline Mountain to attract Camillus's army to attack Rome by force. In the end, Camillus did not fall for it, and his army was eventually disintegrated. The remnants retreated to Saturnicum to rest and reorganize. Looking at the situation, they will not be able to threaten Rome in a short time.)
Now that the city of Rome has stabilized, seizing the Capitoline Mountain will save us a lot of manpower and help us manage the city better. In fact, it is not because our Diónia army cannot attack. Capitoline Mountain is densely populated. I only need to order the soldiers to continuously throw burning tar cans at the top of the mountain with ballistas, and we can cause countless deaths and injuries … "
The Devers spoke in a flat tone, but it made Publius' hair stand on end. He had seen the terrible scene of the ballistas attacking the city on the west wall before, so he did not doubt its power. He was hesitating whether to dissuade the Devers.
However, he heard the Devers sigh and say in a compassionate tone, "I heard that there are many women and children on the mountain, and there are many temples … Therefore, this is the last resort. I am going to send an envoy up the mountain to persuade them to surrender. "
As the Devers said this, his eyes looked at Publius.
Publius hesitated for a moment and asked boldly, "Your Majesty, if these people on the mountain surrender … What should we do with them?"
The Devers knew what he was worried about. Because when Diónia captured the Rome nobles, they mainly imprisoned them, escorted them away from Rome, and made them slaves … If they followed this method, it would be impossible to make the Rome people on the mountain surrender, because most of them were Rome senators and nobles.
The Devers smiled, tapped the back of the chair with his fingers, and said, "I can assure you that as long as they are willing to surrender and become citizens of Diónia, although they will be sent away from Rome, they will no longer be degraded to slaves. Instead, they will be scattered and placed in other territories of Diónia, enjoying the same rights as other citizens of the kingdom."
Publius was lost in thought. He was still a little hesitant.
At this time, the Devers said, "If you become a senator of Diónia, your immediate family will be allowed to stay in Rome. Think about it, this may be the only Rome family that will be allowed to stay here!"
Publius was tempted again. "Your Majesty … Can you allow me to persuade them to surrender after I go to Latin City?"
Publius said this with consideration. He knew that these senators and nobles on Capitoline Mountain were the most determined group of people to resist. They would not surrender easily. Letting them stay on the mountain for a few more days might reduce the difficulty of persuading them.
"Of course." The Devers promised and said happily, "You have boldly taken on these two important matters, which makes me feel a lot more relaxed! Next, let's have a casual chat. You were once a senator of Rome and grew up here. Can you tell me in detail what you think of the city-states and forces around Rome? "
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