Chapter 887
"Does the dictator know that you're back?" Titus was obviously a little dissatisfied with Quintus's decision, so he asked in a questioning tone.
"I really want to report to the dictator, but he doesn't seem to be in good health. Lucius didn't let me in to disturb him." Quintus showed a look of contempt on his face and said in a serious tone, "Titus, this is very worrying! Can Camillus really command the army now, lead us to defeat the powerful Diónia, and recapture Rome?! "
"As long as the dictator is still alive, he is the commander of our entire army!" Titus said firmly.
Quintus was a little anxious and blurted out, "Is Camillus really worthy of your trust?! Since we returned from Helniki, the recapture of Rome has been blocked! We failed to recapture Ostia! We were almost surrounded when we rescued Gaby! After that, we holed up here and watched Tustron, Aresia … One by one, our allies turned their backs on us, but we didn't take any action! Now the army of Diónia is about to reach the city, and we have no way to escape. Isn't this Camillus's fault?! "
Quintus's voice was so loud that the people around him heard it and began to whisper.
Titus suddenly felt annoyed and spoke impolitely, "Quintus, you and I are both people who have been on the battlefield for a long time. You should know that since the invasion of Diónia until now, the dictator has not made any mistakes in commanding the battle. If it were you or I, we wouldn't be able to do better! What's more, in such a predicament, only the dictator can unite the entire army and stabilize the morale! And we must also unite together to resist the attack of Diónia and usher in the hope of victory! Therefore, any attempt to create chaos is absolutely not allowed! "Titus's sharp eyes looked straight at Quintus.
Quintus's expression changed slightly. He understood that Titus was warning him.
During this time, because Quintus was dissatisfied with Camillus's conservative strategy, he privately persuaded Aulus and Servius to pressure Camillus and change his strategy. As a result, when Camillus received the news, he transferred him to Antium in advance to ensure the unity of the army. The reason why Quintus disobeyed the military order and returned without permission was that he was certain that Camillus wouldn't dare to punish him. After he returned, the first thing he did was to persuade Titus. That was because Titus had a high prestige among the soldiers. He could be considered the second-in-command of the army. With Titus' support, he could force Camillus to make concessions and even obtain the right to command the army.
But before Quintus could fully express his meaning, the shrewd Titus had already made his position clear and shut Quintus' mouth.
At this time, Quintus only felt anxious in his heart, but he had nowhere to vent. His right fist slammed heavily on the battlement. If it weren't for the fall of Rome, the information was cut off, and the fate of the senators was unknown. Otherwise, with his noble status as the patriarch of the Claudius clan, he would have long accused Camillus of "passive avoidance of war" and stripped him of his right to command. But without the support of the Senate, his prestige in the army was not high. Except for the citizens and hangers-on of the Claudius clan, there were probably no other citizen soldiers willing to listen to his command. Otherwise, why would he humbly accept the anger of a small noble like Titus here?!
"Unity?!" Quintus sneered, "You are willing to accept the command of Camillus, who has lost his courage, and watch Rome slowly fall, but I will not! Absolutely not! "
Quintus's angry roar silenced the surroundings.
Titus watched him stride away, and there was a layer of worry in his heart. As the actual commander of these battles with the Dionysian Army, he knew very well that it was not that Camillus did not want to adopt a more proactive strategy, but that even though the Diónia were in a state of attack, they did not let down their guard. Not only were there Diónia scouts patrolling around Saturnicum, but there were also tens of thousands of troops guarding the flanks of the siege troops. In order to avoid falling into the trap of the Battle of Gabi again, Camillus had to adopt forbearance to preserve his little strength and wait for a turnaround.
But would the turnaround really come? Titus looked at the sweating soldiers in front of the city, thinking of the powerful Dionysian Army and their terrible king, and his eyes were a little confused …
… …
In the city of Saturnicum, Servius found Licinius, who had become the mayor.
Previously, Licinius was questioned by the generals led by Quintus because of his civilian identity, and he almost lost the power to command the soldiers in battle. But after returning to Saturnicum, precisely because of his civilian background, the dictator Camillus appointed him as the mayor of Saturnicum. Because Saturnicum was a newly established colony city of Rome, the people in the city were mainly civilians of Rome who had migrated there. Now that the army had been stationed for a long time, and most of the soldiers were citizens of Rome, it was inevitable that there would be conflicts and dissatisfaction among the people of Saturnicum. Not only was Licinius steady in his work, but his prestige among the civilians of Rome also made the people of Saturnicum more obedient.
Camillus' appointment was obviously made after careful consideration. Since the army had been stationed until now, even when the Diónia army was approaching, the city of Saturnicum remained stable, which showed Licinius' role in it.
Licinius and Servius were relatives. Licinius' son, Tolo, married Ambrosius' youngest daughter, and Servius married Ambrosius' eldest daughter. The two were brothers-in-law. But the relationship between the two was not very good, and they rarely interacted. Because Servius was a noble, arrogant, flamboyant, and looked down on civilians, he and Quintus got along well. When Quintus questioned Camillus' battle plan, he clearly supported him. In the end, Camillus sent Quintus to Antium, and at the same time, put Servius in charge of the wounded barracks in the city, quietly depriving him of his right to command troops.
"Licinius, I hope to get your help," Servius said straightforwardly.
"What do you need me to do? Please tell me." Licinius said politely, but in his heart, he was a little dissatisfied. Is this the tone of asking for help?!
Servius obviously did not have the habit of observing other people's expressions. He complained loudly, "The dictator asked me to manage the wounded barracks, but it's not just a barracks, it's simply hell! Nearly 3,000 seriously injured soldiers are crowded in the small square. Not only is the ground covered in blood, groans are incessant, and the stench is overwhelming. One-third of the people do not have tents to cover themselves, and flies and mosquitoes are flying everywhere. It's very disgusting! It rained heavily the day before yesterday, and as a result, some of the wounded soldiers were drenched in the rain and died of fever … "
Servius looked pained. "These are the warriors of Rome! They fought bravely for Rome, how can we abandon them so easily? Mars will punish us! So I hope you can vacate some houses for these wounded soldiers, send more people, so that they can be better settled and better taken care of! … "
Looking at Servius' compassionate look, Licinius only wanted to vomit. He clearly remembered that when Camillus appointed Servius to manage the wounded barracks, the aristocratic general's face darkened, and he even jumped up and cursed, saying things like, "I will never care about those dead people! …" Later, he reluctantly accepted the appointment under the persuasion of the crowd. As far as he knew, he rarely went to inspect and manage the wounded barracks these days, and now he actually wanted to play the good guy?!
Licinius looked embarrassed, sighed, and said, "You are right, these warriors of Rome should indeed be taken good care of, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to vacate houses for them …"
Hearing this, Servius's face darkened.
As if he did not see it, Licinius continued, "Sigh … You know, in order to settle our 13,000 troops in the city, I have already spent a lot of effort! The residents of the entire residential area in the west of the city have been moved out to accommodate the troops, and they can only live together with the residents of other urban areas. The people in the city have already expressed their dissatisfaction with this, and we had a hard time appeasing them. If we have to find new accommodation for the wounded soldiers now, I am afraid that many of the residents in the city will have to move again. This will inevitably arouse the anger of the people and cause unrest in the city! In the face of the imminent battle with the Diónia, it is best to maintain the stability of the city! "
Servius immediately put on a stern face and loudly rebuked, "Licinius, for the sake of the interests of the civilians, you completely disregard the lives of the wounded soldiers, and have the heart to let our warriors die in the wind and rain. Are you still worthy of being a Rome general?!"
Being accused in public, Licinius was furious. He knew that if he did not fight back and let these words reach the ears of the soldiers, it would inevitably cause the soldiers to resent him, so he immediately said sternly, "Servius, since you took over the wounded barracks, have you inspected the wounded barracks?! Have you comforted the wounded soldiers who are groaning in pain?! Have you instructed your men to build more tents to improve their living environment?! You keep saying that you are doing this for the good of the wounded soldiers, but that is just a lie! The real truth is, due to your negligence, the wounded barracks were not properly repaired, causing the heavy rain to cause the deaths of some wounded soldiers! You should bear an important responsibility for this! "
"You … You!" Servius was indeed criticized because of the heavy rain. After Quintus came back, he reminded him to take care of the wounded soldiers. After all, a large number of wounded soldiers were more or less related to the soldiers in the army. Taking care of them would naturally win the morale of the army.
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