Davos rubbed his chin as he pondered for a while. Then he said, “First, refrain from disturbing them and just monitor their activities discreetly. If there is any change in the situation, report it immediately.”
“Yes!”
“Emilius, the intelligence you have gathered during this period has been instrumental in securing one victory after another for the army. Once this war ends, the kingdom will duly reward you and your subordinates for your invaluable contributions.” Davos praised without hesitation.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Emilius was so excited that his eyes narrowed into a slit.
Davos looked at him and smiled, “It's been a long day, and I'm sure you must be hungry. I'm about to have dinner, so why don't you join me?”
“Ah?! N..now?! Yes! Yes!…”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Meanwhile, in the temporary camp of the Roman army outside the city of Praeneste, the Roman dictator Camillus was discussing the strategy for the next battle with his generals.
“Lord Dictator, you want us to attack Ostia instead of Rome?!” Minus looked at Camillus in surprise.
The other generals were equally astonished, apart from Titus, who was lost in thought.
Camillus looked at them and said, “To be exact, we will set out and feign an attack on Rome while another army will capture Ostia first!”
Without waiting for the generals to ask, Camillus explained, “We all know how difficult it is to forcefully attack a city. Previously, with our seventy thousand men, we besieged the city of Ferentinum, which had fewer than ten thousand defenders, and even then, it took us more than ten days and resulted in massive casualties to capture it. Now, there are at least fifty thousand Theonian troops inside the city of Rome, and we all know how strong they are. In addition, the walls of Rome are so tall and thick that it would be challenging to retake Rome…just by relying on our army, which is only slightly more than the enemy!-”
“Lord Camillus!” Minus interrupted loudly. He snapped at him angrily that he addressed him by his first name, “As the dictator of Rome, you became frightened before even fighting the enemy even though you currently hold the only powerful troops capable of saving Rome?! The citizens are counting on you to reclaim our homeland. Are you still the hero who once saved Rome? Where has your courage gone? Are you still deserving of being the commander of this army?…” Perhaps it was because of Minus' depth of love that he felt responsible, so he couldn't control his temper and was in a state of rage.
“Minus, how can you speak to the dictator in such a tone!” Aurus immediately criticised the young man as someone from the same clan.
Instead of getting angry, Camillus patiently explained, “It is because our army is the final hope to save Rome that we must be more cautious. Otherwise, it will become even more difficult to recapture Rome once we fail-”
“If the Theonians can…capture Rome in one day, why can't we?!” Minus snarled.
Lucius could no longer stop himself from retorting, “What the Theonians faced when they attacked Rome were mostly the elderlies and young men, as well as freemen and slaves. But the one we would face when we attack Rome would be the well-trained army of Theonia! Moreover, the defeated soldiers reported that the Theonians had made many powerful siege equipment, including several ballistae. Meanwhile, our most powerful siege equipment now is the ballistae that the Carthaginians had gifted us!”
Minus was taken aback. Still, he retorted, “But the defeated soldiers also said there are two holes in the city wall! Moreover, we still have our citizens on Mons Capitolinus. So, if we attack the city, they can also launch an attack on the Theonians from the inside. With us working together from both the inside and outside, we can reclaim Rome!”
“Young man, a siege isn't as easy as you think. Why don't you sit down and listen to the dictator first?!” Titus admonished him. Despite being a young senator, he held great prestige in the army. He had previously served as one of the main generals in the attack on southern Etruria and had played a crucial role in several significant victories.
Camillus didn't take Minus' word to heart. After looking at Minus, who had a worried expression, then at the other generals, he frankly said, “From the previous report we received, the one leading this Theonian army was their king, Davos, whom the Greeks referred to as the invincible general. Their recent occupation of Rome has undoubtedly boosted their morale, and we shouldn’t underestimate their defensive capabilities, given their expertise in besieging cities. They may even be anticipating our attack on the city, which could potentially demoralise our own soldiers. Therefore, we must be cautious in our approach. Still, this Theonian army that occupied our Rome has its weakness, and it is – Ostia!”
Camillus spoke aloud, pointing his finger at the small port town on the map, “The king of Theonia could daringly penetrate and attack Rome alone because they had the advantage of the water. With the Theonian ships could always carry their soldiers and supplies to the city of Rome through the Tiber River, they did not fear being besieged by us. But once we took Ostia-”
“There's no point to even occupying Ostia since the estuary of the Tiber River is so wide. In addition, with the strength of the Theonian fleet, it is impossible for us to block the whole river!” Minus retorted.
“We can, of course, block them! If the Theonian ships intended to navigate upstream of the Tiber to reach Rome, they would have to depend on ship pullers unless they encountered a powerful east wind. Thus, by capturing Ostia, we would effectively sever their access to the source of ship pullers. And once our ally Caisra also acts on the Tiber's north bank, we can cut off the support of the Theonian ships to Rome and isolate the Theonian army!” Titus immediately understood Camillus' intention in wanting to capture Ostia.
By now, Minus had already accepted Camillus' proposal. Still, he continued looking for a loophole in the plan, “But…since Ostia is important, they should already strengthen its defence and the Theonian army in Rome should also send reinforcements…”
Titus smiled and said, “Ostia is a small city with a wall just over three metres high. So even if the Theonians strengthened their defences, they wouldn't be able to turn it into a dozen metres high like the walls of Rome in such a short time. Thus it will be much easier to attack it than to attack Rome. If the Theonians were to send reinforcements, they would just weaken their forces in the city.”
Titus' explanation not only dispelled Minus' indignation but also answered some doubts of the other generals.
Camillus look at Titus approvingly before saying, “To make the Theonians in Rome remain unaware of our true intentions, it is crucial to retake Ostia swiftly while minimising our casualties. Thus the plan I thought up is-”
After looking at them, Camillus continued, “After our army arrives outside Rome tomorrow, we will begin building camps and block the enemy's access to the Tiber by capturing the river port outside Rome. On the other hand, Titus will lead an army of twenty-five thousand soldiers from our colonial cities and allies to march quietly and swiftly and storm Ostia!”
“Understood, Lord Dictator!” Titus knew why Camillus had said he would lead the armies of their colonies and allied cities. Because if he were to lead the soldiers of the city of Rome, their desperate desire to reclaim their homes might lead to them disobeying the order. And even if they obeyed, their morale would undoubtedly be low.
The other generals also understood it. Suddenly, Licinius said with some worry, “Lord Dicator, the Theonians might notice the obvious difference in our number and take precautions as early as possible.”
“Since the Theonians are confined within the city and have limited visibility, we can disguise the civilians staying here and arrange them in the rear of the army to confuse the enemy…” said Camillus calmly.
“I think we can carry out this plan,” Titus immediately agreed.
“I agree too!” The other generals also expressed their agreement.
“What if the Theonians discover a problem and leave the city to fight against us?” The sharp Minus quickly discovers a loophole and reminds them.
“That's even better! Even outnumbered, the forty thousand Roman soldiers will make up the difference with their belief to take back our homes. In addition, we still have troops on Mons Capitolinus, and the troops Titus led could return in time to defeat the Theonians. It would instead allow us to take back the city of Rome easily!” Licinius said confidently.
Minus no longer said anything.
Camillus then looked at them and said, “While we march on Rome tomorrow, we shall also send an envoy across the Tiber to contact our colonial cities and Etruscan allies on the northern bank and ask for their cooperation. Minus, I will leave this task to you.”
“Me?!” Minus was slightly surprised at receiving a heavy responsibility even after contradicting Camillus several times.
“You are the best candidate for it!” Camillus spoke sincerely, without resentment of getting shouted by Minus, “I believe you can urge them to send troops and take control of the north bank of the Tiber!”
“I will certainly complete the task!” Minus replied with an excited and decisive tone. After all, this task was the most suitable for him, who still wanted to contribute significantly to rescuing Rome even though he couldn't lead thousands of troops in the battle since he was young and had served in the military for only a few years.
“Now that everyone has agreed to this plan, then…” Camillus began making more detailed arrangements with the generals for tomorrow's plan.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The following morning, Davos got the news from the scout that Camillus' army was on its way to Rome.
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