“Matonis, stop spouting rubbishes. It's not because we failed to attack Mons Capitolinus, but it was His Majesty's order for us to keep it under siege for the time being and not to attack!” Epiphanes cursed in anger.
“With the situation of Rome still unstable, what would happen once there is chaos in Rome while you two lords lead your army to leave?! That's why it can only be our Third Legion that could go out to fight!” Litom interjected.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
While the several strategoi started arguing with each other to compete for the chance to participate in the battle, Tolmides saw Davos frowning slightly, and so he quickly spoke out to stop them, “The few of you-”
“Your Majesty, since we can't easily dispatch the Second Legion, the Third Legion, and the Reserve Brigade due to their important tasks, I am willing to lead my troops to capture Caisra in one day! At the same time, I will also capture Veii!”
As soon as he spoke those words, Matonis and the others immediately stopped arguing and quickly gazed at Phryntor, who had been sitting quietly.
“Phryntor, we are holding an important military meeting, and you shouldn't brag recklessly!” Matonis sneered as he looked at him like an idiot.
“I can swear to Hades in front of His Majesty!” Phryntor said earnestly.
“So what will you rely on to capture Caisra and Veii if we can't dispatch our legion?” Epiphanes looked at him with interest.
“Are you planning to use the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade?” Davos' voice sounded.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Phryntor said respectfully, “In the past two days, while the three legates—Matonis, Litom, and Epiphanes—were occupied with military affairs, I found myself with some free time. Seizing the opportunity, I led a group of reconnaissance soldiers to explore the environment and terrain around the northern bank of the Tiber. Despite the fact that the city of Caisra is atop a hill, it doesn't pose a significant challenge for our mountain reconnaissance soldiers to climb over.
And from my observation, there are no lookouts atop the walls of Caisra, and their defence is relatively lax…which might have been due to their long-term friendly relations with Rome, resulting in more than ten years of peace. So the possibility of a successful surprise attack is high.”
“I remember you had spent a few years in the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade and even made military achievements…” said Davos slowly while looking at him.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So it seems you aren't bragging, And since we can climb over the city of Caisra, are you planning to attack at night?” Davos glanced at everyone and asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So what about Veii? Are you also planning to use the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade?” Davos asked again.
Phryntor said calmly, “We will let the Romans attack, Your Majesty.”
Davos' brows twitched as his eyes narrowed, realising that the Romans Phryntor referred to were the reserve troops they had just formed among the Roman plebeians in the city. This force had grown from a few hundred days ago to more than two thousand. For this reason, Davos promoted a few of the more capable and loyal Roman plebeians to assist Sextus.
“It's impossible for these Roman plebeians to attack Veii!” Matonis expressed his objection, “It is the fault of these Roman plebeians that the city of Rome is still in disorder even now, with several of them even attacking the patrol team yesterday! It's too risky to let such an unstable reserve force attack Veii! Moreover, the scouts reported that despite not having many Roman soldiers in the city of Veii, their defence remains relatively tight, and it would be impossible for just these two thousand or so Roman reserves, who have not received our formal military training, to take down Veii!”
“Lord Matonis, we had interrogated the captured Romans, and we had confirmed they are the followers of the Roman nobility,” Antrapolis interrupted. As the vice praetor of Rome responsible for the city's order and security, he was in charge of the city guard and court.
“The fact that we haven't yet been able to eliminate the minor nobles and their supporters from the city implies that some of them might be present in this reserve force! How could we possibly use them with confidence then?” Matonis retorted, unwilling to be outdone.
Asistes interjected, “While speaking with Strategos Sextus and several officers of the Roman Reserve forces over the past two days, they have conveyed the soldiers’ eagerness for opportunities to earn achievements and secure greater rewards. Therefore, I am concerned that excessive hesitation in deploying them and maintaining doubts could potentially transform their hopeful anticipation into resentment, thereby creating an unfavourable situation for our city's governance.
And since they dare risk betraying the Roman army to flee here and submit to us…I believe most of them genuinely want to join our kingdom of Theonia. So, even if a few have ulterior motives, what about it? Instead, it would be even better since we could use this battle to expose them. And even if we fail with the siege, we have instead discovered the hidden danger while making these Roman plebeians even more loyal to us, which is a good thing!”
“Lord Asistes is right! Since our army can't stay in Rome forever, the main force that would have to fight the neighbouring forces, in the long run, will be the Theonian army made up of Romans! So we should take advantage while our legion is still here to have them rack up experience!”
Phryntor explained further, “Your Majesty, I will not use the Roman reserve force to attack straightforwardly. Rather, I would let them use their identity to take over Veii.”
A rough idea came to Davos' mind after Phryntor's statement, making him ask, “Do you want them to act as Roman reinforcements?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Phryntor explained earnestly, “We are all aware that to travel from the south bank of the Tiber to the north bank, aside from the two bridges within the city of Rome (Pons Aemillius and the bridge on the centre of the river), there is also a bridge in the city of Fidenae upstream that can serve as a crossing point. However, since their failed attack, the people of Veii have kept their city gates closed. Over the last two days, our cavalry has thoroughly examined the north bank of the Tiber and observed no Roman soldiers entering Veii through the upstream city of Fidenae. Therefore, it is highly likely that the people of Veii remain unaware of the Roman plebeians who have joined us. Thus, we can have these Roman plebeian soldiers who had submitted to us to pretend to be their reinforcements and trick them into opening the city gates of Veii…”
‘’Smack!’ Davos pounded at the table and praised loudly, “Excellent! Phryntor, your plan is truly remarkable! Seizing both Veii to the east of the north bank of the Tiber and Caisra to the west simultaneously would create the formidable horns that support the city of Rome and serve as our barrier to the north. This strategic move would force any future opponents, whether from the Etruscan League or the Latin League allied with Rome, to conquer this barrier after they crossed from the upper reaches of the Tiber. This, in turn, would allow Litom and the Third Legion he led to no longer need to be so passive in defending, liberating a significant portion of our forces for deployment on other battlefronts..”
Litom's expression also lit up with joy at Davos' words. contemporary romance
“I have decided to adopt Phryntor's suggestion and let the Roman reserve force go conquer Veii.”
“Who will you send to command them, Your Majesty?” Tolmides asked.
“As Asistes suggested, now that these Roman plebeians have joined Theonia, we must be resolute in appointing them. Failing to do so would place us in the same category as the Roman nobles. In this regard, I propose that Sextus take on the role of commander for the assault on Veii,” said Davos decisively.
“Sextus is an excellent young man who had been actively assisting us and assuring those Roman plebeians who have fled since he was elected as demarchos of Aventinus,” interrupted Asistes.
“We must be daring enough to give these Romans who sincerely trusted us more opportunities. And even if we fail to capture Veii, we have at least received a group of tested and loyal Roman plebeians!” Asistes agreed deeply at Davos' words.
“However, we must still capture Caisra, which must be in the shortest possible time!” Davos' tone turned serious, “The Roman army that Camillus led had continuously attacked the city of Ostia without regard for casualties. Our fast ships brought yesterday's report and told us that the enemy had filled most of the trenches outside Ostia, with the city walls collapsing in multiple places. And we would soon have to fight the Romans directly…
But we do not need to fight a dying mad dog since we already have the battle initiative, and engaging them in battle further would only increase our soldiers' casualties. Instead, taking Caisra would allow us to use its port as a hub to link Rome's river port, thereby removing our need to defend Ostia. Despite its greater distance than Ostia, Caisra's prosperous maritime trade allowed it to have larger port and better defensive structures that couldn't be threatened by the Romans, so-”
Davos looked straight at the staff officer he valued, raised his right fist, and swung it hard, “Phryntor, I entrust the execution of the surprise attack plan on Caisra to you. Feel free to request whatever resources you require, and we will provide our utmost support. However, the only thing I want for you is for you to seize Caisra with utmost haste – no, you must capture it between today and tomorrow. Can you achieve this task?”
Phryntor pondered momentarily and then said decisively, “I am willing to accept this task, Your Majesty!”
His words caused Matonis, Litom, and Epiphanes to show admiration, while Tolmides looked at him with a complicated expression. Despite King Davos giving him two days, they could infer from Phryntor's plan that there is actually only one night left. However, is that enough? After all, even those who had been on the battlefield wouldn't dare to make a guarantee!
“Very well, I'll await news of your victory!” With a smile, Davos readily agreed to Phryntor's request to depart from the venue and make preparations. He watched Phryntor leave with a gaze filled with appreciation.
At this moment, Tolmides asked, “Your Majesty, do you intend to withdraw our troops from Ostia after capturing Caisra?”
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