Published at 11th of March 2024 3:26 am

Chapter 885: Hidden Worries

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“Does the lord dictator know about your return?” Titus had a hint of scepticism in his tone as he was dissatisfied with Quintus' arbitrary decision.

“I intended to report to the dictator, but he doesn't seem to be in the best of health, and Lucius didn't want me to disturb him.” Quintus' expression held contempt as he said, “Titus, this is worrying! Can Camillus still command the army effectively and lead us to victory over the mighty Theonians and reclaim Rome?!”

“As long as our lord dictator is alive, he will remain the supreme commander of our army! Titus said firmly.

Hearing that made Quintus anxious, and exclaimed, “Is Camillus really worthy of your trust?! After our return from Hernici, we've faced nothing but failures, from the recapture of Rome to Ostia! We narrowly escaped encirclement when attempting to rescue Gabii. Since then, we could only huddle here, helpless, as Tusculum, Aricia…and other allies turned their backs on us, unable to do anything. Now, we have no means of escape as the Theonian army advances here. Isn't this all Camillus' fault?!!”

Quintus' voice was so loud that everyone around heard him and began discussing in low voices.

But that only made Titus feel more annoyed and impolite, “Quintus, you and I are both veterans! We are naturally aware that since the invasion of the Theonians until now, the lord dictator hasn't made any mistakes in commanding the battle. And it's unlikely that you and I would have been able to do a better job if we were to replace him! Furthermore, in this predicament, only the lord dictator can unite the entire army and stabilise the morale! Hence, we must also unite to resist the attack of the Theonains and welcome the hope of victory! Therefore, we absolutely cannot allow any attempt to create dissent!” Titus then gazes at Quintus sharply.

Quintus' expression changed as he understood that Titus was warning him.

Camillus' passive strategy during this period had dissatisfied Quintus, causing him to privately convince Aurus and Servius to pressure Camillus into changing tactics. Upon learning this, Camillus pre-emptively transferred him to Antium to ensure the army's unity. But firmly believing that Camillus wouldn't punish him, Quintus violated the military order and returned without permission. Upon his return, he began persuading Titus, who had a high reputation among the soldiers and could be considered the second most important figure in the army. He thought that with Titus' support, he could force Camillus to make concessions and possibly gain the right to command the army.

Yet before he could fully express his thoughts, the shrewd Titus had already clarified his position and blocked Quintus' attempt.

At this moment, Quintus, filled with agitation, could only vent by punching the battlement. The fall of Rome, resulting in any news cut off and not knowing whether the senators were still alive, prevented him from charging Camillus with the crime of passively avoiding war, which would have allowed him to strip Camillus of the right to command. Unfortunately, without the support of the Senate, no other soldiers would willingly obey his order besides his house's subordinates, as his prestige in the army isn't high. Otherwise, how could he endure Titus, a lesser nobleman, humiliating him here?

“Unity?!” Quintus sneered, “You are willing to accept the command of the coward Camillus and watch as Rome slowly declines! But I won't! I absolutely will not!!!”

Quintus' angry shout left the surroundings silent.

Titus watched him stride away with an extra layer of worry. As the actual commander against the Theonian army, he understood that it wasn't that Camillus didn't want to adopt a bit more active strategy during this time. He knew that despite the Theonians being on the offensive, they hadn't dropped their guards down. Not only had they sent mounted scouts to patrol around Satricum, but they also had tens of thousands of troops guarding the flanks of those responsible for sieging. As a result, Camillus had to restrain to preserve their limited forces while awaiting a change in the situation to avoid falling into another trap reminiscent of the Battle of Gabii.

‘But will a change of situation really come?’ Titus, while thinking of the mighty Theonian army and their terrifying king, looked at the soldiers sweating profusely with doubts in his eyes.

.............

In the city of Satricum, Servius went to talk to Licinius, who had already become the city's magistrate.

Licinius had nearly lost his authority to command soldiers in battle when the generals under Quintus questioned his plebeian identity. However, upon reaching Satricum, it was precisely due to his plebeian background that dictator Camillus appointed him as Satricum's magistrate. Camillus had decided this as Satricum’s population, a newly established Roman colony, consisted mostly of Roman plebeians who had migrated. The prolonged stay of the army in the city, coupled with the majority of soldiers being Roman citizens, inevitably led to conflicts and dissatisfaction among the people of Satricum. Fortunately, Licinius managed to make them obey because he had not only acted prudent but was also respected among the Roman plebeians.

Camillus had clearly considered this when he appointed him. As a result, the role Licinius played in it is evident from the fact that the city of Satricum remained stable even though the Theonian army was now approaching.

Licinius and Servius were somewhat related, with Licinius' son, Stolo, marrying Ambustus' youngest daughter, while Servius married Ambustus' eldest daughter. Despite that, the two sides were not on good terms and seldom had contact. And that was all due to the arrogant and flamboyant Servius having similar interests with Quintus of holding contempt for the common people. As a result, Camillus had to send Quintus to Antium while allowing Servius to be in charge of the wounded in the city, inconspicuously depriving him of his right to lead troops.

“Licinius, I hope you can lend your help,” Servius said bluntly.

“Tell me what you need me to do.” Despite speaking politely, Licinius felt dissatisfied with Servius’ tone.

Servius, unable to observe other people's expressions, complained loudly, “The dictator asked me to manage the wounded. However, the situation in that place is far worse and is practically hell! Nearly three thousand seriously wounded soldiers crowded the not-so-big square, not only filling with blood, groans, and stench, but one-third of them had no tents to cover them, and flies and mosquitoes coming everywhere, making it very disgusting! And when the heavy rain came the day before yesterday, some of the wounded soldiers became drenched and died of fever…”

His expression then became sorrowful, “They are all warriors of Rome! They had fought bravely for Rome, so how can we easily abandon them? We will definitely receive Mars’ punishment! So I hope you can free up some houses for these wounded soldiers and send more men so that they can get better accommodation and care!…”

Licinius felt vomiting seeing Servius' expression as he clearly remembered that when Camillus appointed Servius to manage the wounded, this general, who had come from nobility, stood up and cursed, saying that he would never care about those dying men… Later, he could only accept the appointment reluctantly under the persuasion of everyone. And as far as Licinius knows, Servius seldom goes to inspect and manage the camp of the wounded these past few days, yet now he actually thought of pretending to be a caring person?!

Then, with a troubled expression, he sighed and said, “You are right. These Roman warriors do deserve good care, but it's probably difficult to free up room for them…” which resulted in Servius' expression darkening.

Licinius continued as if he hadn't noticed it, “Alas…you also should know that I have already made a great deal of effort just to accommodate our over thirteen thousand troops within the city! We were even forced to relocate the residents of the entire population of the city’s western part for military accommodation, and they could only live together with residents from the other parts of the city. The people in the city have already expressed dissatisfaction with this, and it was only with great difficulty that we managed to appease them. If we were to free up new accommodation for the wounded now, we would need to relocate many residents again, which would inevitably provoke public anger and cause unrest in the city! In the face of an emergency situation where we are about to engage the Theonians in battle, it is best to maintain the city's stability!”

Servius became furious and loudly accused, “Licinius, you have completely disregarded the survival of our wounded soldiers just for the benefit of those plebeians! Do you still deserve to be a Roman general now that you are letting our warriors die wailing in the wind and rain?!”

Licinius became equally furious at getting criticised in public. Moreover, he knew that it would inevitably lead to a backlash if he didn't retaliate and let these words reach the ears of the soldiers. Thus, he immediately snapped, “Servius, since you took over the camp of the wounded, have you ever gone there to check on them?! Have you ever gone there to comfort the wounded who groan in pain?! Have you ever ordered your subordinates to build more tents to improve their living conditions?!… Your claim that you are doing these for the benefit of the soldiers is just a lie! The real fact is – due to your negligence, you didn't repair the wounded's camp, which resulted in them getting drenched in the heavy rain and causing some of the wounded to die! You should bear heavy responsibility for this!…”

“Y…you!…” Servius was indeed blamed because of the heavy rain, and Quintus, after returning, also reminded him to take care of the wounded. After all, most of the wounded soldiers have more or less relations with the soldiers of the army, so if they take good care of them, they will also win the army's hearts.

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