Chapter 853
The indifferent expression on Camillus's face did not change. He turned his head and asked, "Titus, what do you think about the current situation of the war?"
"Mr. Dictator." Titus looked solemn. He looked at the others, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I think … this may be a conspiracy of the Diónia!"
As soon as these words came out, the other generals were surprised. Only Camillus remained calm.
Titus explained with a worried look, "Previously, we sent reinforcements under the repeated pleas of the messenger from Gabi City. Now that the troops of the Latin Alliance have gathered here, the Diónia have not launched a large-scale attack on Gabi City. Instead, they are building and fortifying their camp. It looks more like they are waiting for us to attack.
If the Diónia do not attack Gabi City, it is likely to lead to a long stalemate. The situation will be disadvantageous to us because the generals and soldiers of the Latin Alliance will be dissatisfied with us. If we choose to attack directly, the Diónia only need to defend their camp, and we will be at a disadvantage. Don't forget the painful lesson they taught us when they attacked Ostia! But if we retreat like this, we will lose our prestige in the Latin Alliance … "
"But … even if we knew that this was a plot of the Diónia, we had to send reinforcements! We are the leader of the Latin Alliance. According to the covenant, we have the responsibility to protect their territory. In the current predicament, we can't lose the trust of these allies … "
Camillus sighed. The indifferent expression on his face made the generals unable to see the fluctuations in his heart. Since the Diónia launched a large-scale attack on the Latin region, the army led by him had been in a passive position. In fact, they had not fought the Dionysian Army head-on, but they had already fallen into today's predicament. The king of Diónia was really a terrible person!
"Since the Diónia want us to take the initiative to attack, then we will attack, but we must hold back …" Camillus finally said.
… …
"Your Majesty, the army of the Rome has been dispatched!"
"Quick! Inform Amyntas, Olivers, Ledes, and Kucius to gather their legions and await my orders. Prepare to attack at any time! "
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Also, send horses to inform Prinister and Hignia!"
… …
"Generals, Rome's army has left Tustron and is coming for us." Printos's words made the legion commanders happy.
"This big fish has finally taken the bait. Our hard work over the past few days has not been in vain!" Trotiras said excitedly.
"This time, we will return the humiliation of being forced to retreat in Ostia!" Matonis was full of pride.
"It's best if we can keep the Roman army here. That way, the battle will be easier!" Epicthenis, the temporary commander of the reserve brigade, had a bigger appetite and thought further.
"Captain Sextus, do you have any suggestions?" Printos looked at the only commander in the tent who was silent.
Although Sextus was called a captain, the reserve brigade of Rome's civilians had more than 6,000 people. Sextus was the captain, and he did the work of a legion commander. However, the reserve brigade of Rome was only a temporary establishment, and it would be disbanded when the war ended. Although the Devers had the idea of building a legion in Rome, Sextus could not be the legion commander for the time being. He could not even be a captain. After all, he did not understand the military system and tactics of Diónia. He still needed to refine them to convince the soldiers.
"I have no objections. Please give the order, commander!" Sextus said in a deep voice.
Crotocatax, who was standing at the side, looked at the Roman man who was only a few years older than him. He could understand how Sextus felt at the moment, but just as his father had told him, only by letting the Romans participate in more battles could they cut off the shackles of their past.
Printos coughed, then looked at the generals and said loudly, "Generals, please fight the enemy according to the previous deployment!"
… …
Tustron was less than 30 miles away from Gabi City, but the Roman army did not march fast. They only arrived at the Diónia camp after noon. Then, the bugle and military drums sounded loudly, and the defenders on Gabi City were very excited when they heard it. "The reinforcements of Rome are here!!!" … "
However, the Roman coalition army did not immediately launch a fierce attack on the camp. The army temporarily stopped moving forward, and the soldiers began to eat rations to replenish their physical strength. After that, the soldiers began to slowly approach the camp in a loose formation.
The soldiers of the Roman coalition army walked carefully, as if they were looking for traps on the ground. In fact, the Diónia camp had no other defensive facilities except for the trenches, sentry towers, and wooden walls.
At the back of the army, the temporary commander, Titus, repeatedly told his scouts, "Ask your men to keep their eyes open. Once they find any abnormalities around the battlefield, report immediately, especially in the direction of Rome!"
Half an hour later, the soldiers of the Roman coalition army approached the trenches, and the attack on the camp began.
… …
"Inform all troops to get ready to leave the city!" The Devers on the south wall of Rome gave the order.
"Your Majesty, the messenger sent by Printos just now said that the attack of Rome is not fierce, and they did not put their main force into the attack. Should we wait a little longer?" Tormid reminded.
"It has been so long since the beginning of the attack of Rome. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid it will still be the same." The Devers said with a firm look, "Besides, they have already started to take action. They may be noticed by Rome at any time. If we miss this chance, the people of Rome will not be fooled again!"
"Understood, Your Majesty." When Tormid responded, the three commanders, Amyntas, Olivers, and Lizaru, had already turned and left the city.
The Devers looked at the last commander beside him and said solemnly, "Giogris, the safety of the city is in your hands. You have to assist the Asistes to control the city of Rome!"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty!" Giogris put his legs together and punched the left side of his chest with his right fist.
The Devers reached out and patted Giogris's shoulder hard, then turned and left the city.
… …
Camillus, Lucius, and Quintus sat in the big tent of the Rome military camp.
At this time, Quintus was complaining to Camillus, "Mr. Dictator, I really don't understand. Since you have decided to give up on Gabi and withdraw the troops, why do you still attack the enemy camp and let our precious soldiers suffer in vain?!"
"We need to let the allies know that the people of Rome have not given up on them and will still fight for them. Although this will cost us some casualties, it is still worth it," Camillus explained.
"In fact, we still gave up on them!" Quintus still looked dissatisfied, "When we retreat to Saturnicum, I am afraid that Gabi City will soon be captured by the people of Diónia. Won't the other Latin Alliance lose confidence in us?!"
Camillus was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "At least we have made an effort, which should give them some confidence. The people of Diónia are cautious in using their troops. They have always attacked the towns near Rome with a large force. They never disperse their forces and loot everywhere. With our current strength, it is impossible for us to have high expectations. We can only hold on to the three colonial cities of Villette, Saturnicum, and Antium, and wait for the situation to change. At that time, we will unite with the Latin Alliance and attack the people of Diónia! "
"What situation change?" Quintus frowned.
"Yesterday, Pantius, who is in Antium, sent someone to tell me that a Phoenician fishing boat broke through the interception of the warships of Diónia and entered the port, bringing a message, 'The Senate of Carthage appointed Margo as the military commander. He will lead no less than 100,000 troops to attack Sicily again!'" As Camillus spoke, his voice unconsciously became louder.
"100,000 troops!" Quintus was happy at first, but then he frowned and said angrily, "The Carthage previously sent an army to attack Sicily, but they did not put much pressure on the people of Diónia. They were defeated, and we made a wrong judgment. The people of Carthage should bear the greatest responsibility for our situation today! Now that the people of Carthage have launched another attack, we should not rely too much on them! "
Quintus' words made Camillus' heart ache. He should be mainly responsible for the wrong judgment of the situation. Quintus was implicitly expressing his dissatisfaction with him.
Lucius did not allow others to criticize his father like this, so he immediately said loudly, "Quintus, don't forget, you were the one who supported my father's proposal to 'concentrate our forces and quickly destroy the Herniki in a short time', and you were the most proactive one! Now that the people of Carthage can attack Sicily again, isn't it good news for us?! Do you have a better way to quickly change our predicament?! And this time, the commander of the army of Carthage is Margo. He is an experienced general of Carthage, and he hates the Greeks very much. He will never show mercy to the people of Diónia! … "
"Okay, stop arguing, both of you." Camillus waved his hand, "Quintus is right. We can't blindly trust the people of Carthage. We still have to see how the war develops …"
"Now, the enemy of Rome has come out. Our goal has been achieved, and the army should retreat." Camillus continued calmly, "Titus knows what to do."
Comments