ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 714 Disputes in the Roman Senate ([-])
The senators were in an uproar at Apuleius's harsh accusation against Camillus, who had made great achievements in battle.

Camillus was a gentle and kind-hearted person. He had encountered criticism from time to time in the Senate and could handle it calmly. But at this moment, he was staring at Apuleius, with a trace of anger flashing in his eyes, because it was this man He was falsely accused of taking the spoils of war more than ten years ago, and he was eventually tried and forced to leave Rome.

Apuleius faced Camillus's bright eyes but did not escape.Over the years, with Camillus' victories one after another, his prestige has become higher and higher, which has also made his situation difficult. He often walks in the city, and from time to time he can hear someone pointing at him and scolding: "That is a false accusation card Men of Mulus, may Jupiter punish him!"Under such circumstances, the reason why he can still sit firmly in the Senate is because some big figures don't want to see Camillus's prestige is too high, and some seniors are jealous of his achievements and need someone to oppose him.

Apuleius knew his worth, so he never concealed his hostility towards Camillus.

"I have never heard such ridiculous words!" The military and political officer Pantius stood up and loudly defended his former commander: "How can you blame Camillus for the failure of that battle! If you want to blame it, blame it. We did not inform Camillus in time about the news that the Dionysian army had arrived! If you want to blame it, no one would have thought that the Dionysian army had just arrived in Volsey and started taking military action. !

Anyone who has commanded a battle should know clearly that Camillus did not make any mistakes in his command in that battle, and any Roman general in that situation would choose to save the people in danger. Roman citizens and allied soldiers!The only shortcoming of Camillus is that he did not expect the combat effectiveness of the Dionian army to be so powerful!But which elder can know that before he has ever fought against the Dionians! "

"Hmph, so all this can only be blamed on Dionysia being too powerful?!" Apuleius mocked disdainfully.

"There are rumors that the Kingdom of Dionia has the most powerful army on this land. Now it seems that this is not a boast. The arrival of their army has caused us to suffer defeats one after another. This must arouse our vigilance! We Now we should not pursue the question of who is right or wrong in this battle, but should discuss how to face the threat of Dionia next. This is the problem we urgently need to solve now!" Ambustus' expression He said solemnly.

"Yes, and Dionia also has a powerful fleet that always threatens our allies and colonial cities near the sea." Veteran veteran Lucritius also supported Camillus, he said: " Camillus made a calm judgment, and you are absolutely correct in choosing a timely retreat! The safety of Rome and its allies is far more important than obtaining a few more Volsey lands!"

With two important senators endorsing Camillus, it was no longer easy for others to criticize. No one mentioned the failure of this battle and the failure of Quintus' siege.

"Dear elders and newcomers." Paulus, the rotating chairman of this meeting, the military and political officer, finally began to speak, leading the topic to the focus of this meeting: "The Kingdom of Dionia in southern Italy has gone to war with our Rome. Judging from the current battle situation, Dionia has a powerful army and a powerful fleet, which poses a great threat to our Rome! The previous battle only took place in the Volscian region, and subsequent battles are likely to It will also expand to our allies and even Rome. Do you have any good suggestions to avoid such a bad situation from happening?"

"I have already said before that we should not be deceived by the Carthaginians and take the risk to turn against Dionia. This will be detrimental to the development of Rome. Now the facts have explained everything!" High Priest Fragus got up , Worriedly proposed: "In order to prevent the Dionians from further invading us, we should immediately stop the war with Wolsey, sign an armistice agreement with Wolsey, and return the occupied Wolsey territory. Send someone to make peace with Dionia. Dionia and Rome have never had any enmity in the past, and now they are facing a drought in their country. After losing the reason to start the war, they must be happy to stop this war that is nothing to them. A meaningless war!"

"The high priest is right!" Fragus's proposal was actually approved by some senators. This is relatively rare for the Roman senators who have always been aggressive and less compromising. This also shows that Dionia's support for How much pressure is there in Rome.

If someone else had said this, Quintus, who always hates surrender and compromise, would have cursed him angrily, but Fragus's full name is Fragus Julius, and he was born in the Julius clan. It is said that this clan is the descendant of Mars, the god of war, and Venus, the god of love. Their direct ancestor is Eurus, the first king of Alba Longa (Alba Longa was once the center of the entire Latin region and the founder of Rome. The motherland of Romulus), after Alba Longa was defeated by Rome, the Julius clan moved to Rome. Because of their noble blood and descendants of gods, their clansmen often served as high priests and spoke for the gods.

Although the high priest has no real power, his status is honorable, and Fragus has been respected by the people since he took office. Considering his influence, Quintus' tone was gentler: "High priest, I think you should I have not forgotten a resolution just passed by the Senate a few days ago, 'to make Vilitre, Antium, and Satnicum into colonial cities, and distribute part of their land to landless commoners.' Now you want to make We will return the occupied land to Wolsey. Do you think the civilians who are already preparing to go to these colonial cities will agree?! You must not want to see those civilians launch another riot again!

Also, Wolsey has always been our sworn enemy of Rome. This time we almost destroyed it. It finally got the help of Dionia. Will it only be satisfied with a truce with our Rome? !I'm afraid it must hope to use the Dionysian army to take the opportunity to destroy our Rome, so that Wolsey will never be threatened by us again! "

"I agree with Quintus!" Pantius immediately expressed his support loudly: "Since the founding of Rome, there has never been a precedent for choosing to compromise and surrender when it is only facing the threat of the enemy. Make an exception for us! Rome has encountered fewer forces stronger than itself in the past, but we have gradually grown stronger in constant battles! And today, as long as we Romans unite and dare to continue fighting with Dionia Keep fighting, I believe the final victory still belongs to us, Rome!"

"Pantius is right, we in Rome will never compromise or surrender!..." The younger senators responded loudly to Pontius's words.Although some elders did not speak out, their eyes flashed with fighting intent.

Fragus's face was a little ugly. He snorted and said: "We were bewitched by the Carthaginians and went to war with Dionia, but the Carthaginians promised us to fight against Dionia in Sicily. Dionysia launched a war, but did they do it?! Carthage also had a powerful navy, but they hid in their ports and did not launch an attack on the Dionysia fleet! Everyone, we must be careful not to let Rome become Carthage The sword in Taiji's hand was full of gaps or even broken, but in the end he got nothing!"

"Flagus is right!" Publius Cornelius Scipio, another senator who should not be underestimated, reminded loudly: "We Romans do not refuse to fight, but we Nor can we be fools and be used by others. The Carthaginians want to use us to deal with the Dionians, but if they don't do anything themselves, we can't be stupid enough to completely accept their instructions, so we must urge them to send troops immediately, Tell them clearly, 'Carthage will not only attack the Dionian territory in Sicily, but also defeat their fleet and protect the coast of our Latin region. Otherwise, we in Rome will have to fight with the Dionians. Armistice!'"

The elders all understood what Scipio meant, and they all agreed to this, and quickly reached a consensus: after the meeting, immediately let Paulus go to the Carthaginian envoy in the city, and use threatening He urged Carthage to send troops as soon as possible!
At this time, Potitus, who was sitting on the ivory chair at the front of the venue, said unhurriedly: "Camillus, you are the greatest general in Rome. At the same time, you have fought against the Dionians many times this time. .According to your past habits, I believe you have seriously considered how to fight Dionia next. Can you tell us?"

As soon as Potitus finished speaking, all the senators looked at Camillus and pricked up their ears.Although some people are jealous of Camillus's reputation, no one can deny Camillus's military talent. Not only did he win many battles and save Rome several times, but the military reform under his leadership also made Other Roman generals commanded the army more conveniently and brought more victories. Therefore, Camillus was the Romans' greatest support. When a crisis came, everyone would involuntarily think of him.

Camillus did not refuse. Out of concern for Rome, he had long wanted to discuss how to deal with the next crisis with the senior officials of the Senate.At this moment, he thought seriously for a while, and then faced the elders, first expressed his gratitude to them for forgiving him for his failure in the battle, and then he solemnly said: "First of all, everyone must be deeply aware that Dionia is The most powerful and dangerous enemy we have ever faced.

　Thanks to Zheng Aifan for the tip!Your support is my motivation to write! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)