Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece
chapter-780

“No longer there?! Did they go to attack Ostia?!” Paulus asked in shock.

“The detailed situation isn't clear, so I sent scouts to check Ostia,” said Maegius with a worried expression.

“Let's hope Ostia can withstand the enemy's attack and for dictator Camillus to lead the army back as soon as possible!” Paulus began regretting engaging the Theonians in a battle yesterday, resulting in his army being severely devastated and soldiers so demoralised that he could no longer lead them into battle. He then sighed and turned to ask, “What's the situation in Lavinium?”

“The Theonians just gathered the people of Lavinium in one place and took all their food but didn't harm them. After our cavalry released them, they told us they didn't know where the Theonian army had gone.”

While Maegius was speaking, he saw guards hastily enter and said, “Two generals, a messenger has arrived from the city of Rome, saying there is an emergency matter and wishes to see you!”

“Invite him quickly!” The two looked at each other, feeling uneasy.

“Generals Paulus, Maegius, and Pantheus, the Roman Senate have issued an order for you to lead your troops and immediately rush back to rescue Rome since the Theonians have captured Ostia and are advancing towards the city of Rome, putting the city in danger!”

‘Ostia fell?! The Theonians are now marching to Rome?!!’ The messenger's words were like a bolt of lightning that completely shocked the two, as they had never expected the Theonian army to act so fast and boldly. At this moment, they even began regretting engaging the Theonians recklessly. But no matter how devastated their army is, they must still immediately return. Otherwise, everything will be over once Rome falls.

The two quickly agreed and then explained the situation to Pantheus, who was bedridden and recovering from his injuries, asking him to guard Antium for the time being. The two men then recruited soldiers but soon encountered a problem. After the Senate converted the newly occupied Antium into Rome’s colonial city-state, the Senate relocated tens of thousands of landless plebeians from Rome and its surrounding areas to Antium, giving them a piece of land, with most of them becoming a part of Antium's ten thousand defenders. However, the city-state had not yet formed its council since only a short time had passed, so Paulus decided most of the governing matters as the military consul of Antium appointed by the Senate. But even with his position, he still failed to bring the vast majority of the citizens of Antium, as the Roman plebeians, who had just received their piece of land, prioritised defending their property in Antium first in the face of an overwhelming enemy.

With one playing the good guy and the other the bad guy, Maegius persuaded the citizens with words while Paulus threatened them with Roman law and power. As a result, they managed to recruit more than five thousand Roman soldiers among those afraid of the Theonian army with great difficulty.

Although it was already the afternoon when they left the city, Paulus and the others didn't lead the army to Rome. Instead, they passed through Satricum and Velitrae first because, after yesterday's defeat, many scattered soldiers fled to these two new colonial cities. Finally, with the addition of the soldiers left in the two cities, Paulus and Maegius managed to recruit many soldiers to bolster their rescue force.

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

Because Paulus hastily led his army away from Antium, he didn’t know that a large fleet of ships had once again appeared on the sea near the port of Antium, with their destination being the port of Ostia.

Since the corvus warships of the Third Fleet sailed along the Tiber to Rome, only the more than eighty fast triremes and other small and medium-sized warships were left to escort the arrival of the transport fleet to Ostia.

“Is this the port of Ostia? It's too small,” As the merchant ship approached the port, Tios, a great merchant of the Kingdom of Theonia, stood on the ship's bow and looked at the dock with disappointment.

“The Romans had already expanded the port you see today many times over and was even smaller a decade ago,” said Sostratus, the president of Thurii's Chamber of Commerce. As the kingdom’s major dealer, he had a vast distribution channel and had even visited Ostia multiple times.

“It doesn't matter what size of the port, but why are there so few labourers in the port?” Dicaeapolis, a pottery merchant who had just stepped out of the cabin, looked surprised and asked anxiously, “All the ships in the fleet are full of all kinds of goods; when will we finish unloading them all with so few people to unload the goods?!”

After saying that, they saw a thousand brawny men queued up in the distance and came to the dock.

“See, His Majesty had already thought of this issue and sent troops to unload our cargo,” laughed Sostratus.

But the first to dock at the port wasn't a merchant ship but several large passenger ships, with the statesmen of the Senate leading the way to disembark.

The court clerk, Henipolis, stood at the dock and greeted them with a smile, “Lord Asistes! Lord Antrapolis! Lord Theris! Lord Nicomachus!…welcome to Ostia!”

The statesmen also greeted him back one after another.

“Is His Majesty in the city?” Asked Asistes.

“His Majesty has led the army to attack the city of Rome, so he couldn't come to welcome you,” Henipolis explained.

“He is attacking the city of Rome now?!” The statesmen were surprised. Although they weren't high-ranking officers in the Theonian army and couldn't have known the battle plan Davos drew up, they still learned some knowledge of the situation here after deciding to come to Latium and naturally knew the position of Rome in the Latium region. So would it be easy to take a large city with over a hundred thousand population?! Moreover, Rome was far inland and far from the coast; wouldn't it be too dangerous for His Majesty Davos to lead his troops into the heart of Latium after simply capturing Ostia?!

Even after seeing the surprised face and concern in their hearts, Henipolis didn't elaborate further and just raised a papyrus scroll tied with a black strip and said, “Lord Theris. His Majesty has appointed you as the temporary praetor of Ostia, responsible for governing the most important port city in the Latium region! You must ensure the prosperous and smooth flow of foreign trade, material transportation, and Ostia's sea and river channels to the city of Rome…”

After saying that, he handed the appointment letter to Theris, and Theris quickly unscrolled it to read it closer.

Henipolis then said to the others, “My Lords, you must assist Lord Theris in governing this city during your stay in Ostia, which will also help you gain an understanding of the situation in the Latium region in advance. Only after His Majesty captures Rome can you then go to Rome.”

From Henipolis' tone, they knew that His Majesty Davos had great confidence in capturing the city of Rome. Asistes and the other statesmen glanced at each other and expressed their understanding.

After reading Davos' appointment letter, Theris asked in confusion, “His Majesty asked me to manage Ostia, but there seems to be no one here except for our army!”

“There were about three thousand labourers and slaves here, but most of them went to pull the ships of the Third Fleet and have gone to Rome. But they would soon return. And His Majesty promised to grant the slaves their freedom and allow both the labourers and slaves to join Theonia and become our citizens. Furthermore, we are currently holding several thousand Ostians in the city…”

After saying that, Henipolis suddenly remembered something and said hastily, “By the way, Lord Theris. His Majesty has asked me to remind you that although the city of Ostia is sparsely populated, its location is vital to our army! After the Romans recovered their strength, they would definitely come and take it back with all their might! So even though there are currently three thousand defenders in the city, it is still insufficient. Unfortunately, the army needed to attack the city of Rome with all its strength, so His Majesty could temporarily not increase the troops here. So, Lord Theris, your priority must ensure the safety of the city of Ostia, which is the key to our conquest of Latium!”

After hearing that, Theris' expression became slightly more serious and thought deeply.

Davos appointed Theris as the praetor of Ostia because of his unique qualities, which set him apart from the other statesmen without a military background. After undergoing long-term military training in Thurii, he eventually became a senior centurion in Theonia's reserve army. As a result, he had a thorough understanding of Theonia's military system and considerable experience in leading soldiers. These attributes made him an ideal choice for the position of praetor of Ostia, allowing him to use his strengths fully.

Asistes was also a statesman with both civil and military skills, but Davos had another important position for him.

“My Lords, I've completed my task,” Henipolis' tone became lighter as he pointed to the attendant at his side and said, “He will be the one to lead you to the city hall, where several of Lord Theris' subordinates is awaiting orders. The accommodation for the lords and officials, the entry of the merchants, the transportation of goods…and so on, will all have to be handled by you, Lord Theris. I have already stayed here longer waiting for you, and now I have to go to Rome since if I cannot witness such an important battle as the attack on the city of Rome, how can I write His Majesty's biography?!…” After saying these words, Henipolis saluted at the crowd, mounted the warhorse his attendant brought and took off with a group of cavalry.

The remaining group stood still at the dock, looking at each other for a while.

Theris regained his composure and bowed to the others, saying, “My Lords, I must ask for your help in taking over this new city of Theonia together.”