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Mithridates still felt puzzled even after hearing that, “It is regrettable that they got defeated in the end. However, what does this have to do with us?”

Henipolis, who had deliberately stopped to create suspense, smiled and said, “Because some of the Alerians had fled to Italia and founded Elea along with other Greek colonies, this history is engraved on a stone table inside the Temple of Apollo in Elea. And now, the Eleans are now citizens of Theonia, so Aleria, which they had founded, should also belong to us!”

Despite being somewhat unreasonable, Mithridates believed Henipolis’ explanation was reasonable. Thus, he immediately stated, “The Third Fleet will retake Aleria from Carthage and wash away the shame of us, Greeks!”

Davos was satisfied with his statement and encouraged him, “Return and tell your crew that recapturing Aleria would not only deal a great blow to the Carthaginians but also inspire the Greek city-states in the western Mediterranean. It would also deepen our friendly relations with Massalia and become their hero!”

Furthermore, from what I know, Aleria has a well-equipped and large port, which combines military and commercial ports and can serve as a place to dock for all warships of the Third Fleet, thus avoiding the hassle of travelling back and forth. So once you take Aleria, you can have the Third Fleet use it as a base to assault the island of Sardinia adjacent to Corsica, attack the mining teams on the island, take their towns and villages, and attack their transport ships…”

Mithridates said, “Your Majesty, you can rest assured that I will make it so that they could not ship even a single piece of metal to the Phoenicians!”

Seeing Mithridates’ excitement, Davos couldn’t help but remind him, “I currently can’t spare any troops here to support you, and thus, the task of attacking Corsica and Sardinia falls solely on your Third Fleet. You must be bold yet cautious and prioritise the well-being of your soldiers. Avoid excessive casualties, as we won’t be able to proceed with the subsequent plan otherwise.”

Davos’ words made Mithridates feel more stressed.

At this moment, Crotokatax asked, “Father, will our military action on Corsica dissatisfy the Etruscans and make them change their thoughts?”

Davos had already, in fact, discussed the issue with Crotokatax before, so it was just a gentle reminder to Davos when Crotokatax raised the question at this time.

Davos inwardly praised his son’s consideration and said with a straight face, “There’s nothing to worry about. Despite the Etruscans’ frequent trade with Carthage, they are no longer allies and are dissatisfied with Carthage’s support of Rome. Furthermore, the southern Etruscan city-states have recently formed an alliance with us….”

Then, he looked at Mithridates again, “However, you should try not to show your warships on the lands under the Etruscans, nor should you allow your soldiers to enter their territories to avoid stimulating the Etruscans, who are already afraid of our might… Other than that, I have no other requests and would leave how to attack Corsica to you.”

Mithridates became even more pressured at Davos’ words, causing him to take a deep breath and say, “Ye…yes, Your Majesty!”

Tolmides watched Mithridates’ departing back and couldn’t help but say, “He’s a little nervous.”

“It’s good that he is nervous as that would mean he would be cautious when taking action. Besides, even if the Third Fleet didn’t achieve any decent results, as long the fleet roamed around these two islands, it would be enough to cause trouble for the Carthaginians. On the contrary, what I fear is that Mithridates, in his overconfidence, might let his guard down and take a risky action that could incur significant losses for the Third Fleet, diminishing our advantage, just like…alas!” Davos’ words came to a halt as he sighed heavily.

Tolmides knew Davos must have remembered Seclian and the fleet in Sicily again.

Suddenly, Martius entered the tent again and said, “Your Majesty, legatus Matonis had sent a messenger to report that Aricia has surrendered!”

Davos smiled and said, “O Hades, today is really a day of wonderful news!”

It was no wonder Davos was so happy: Aricia, not far from Tusculum, lies just west of Lake Alba Longa. It is quite an old Latin city-state that has served as the centre of the western part of Latium since the old times, particularly after the destruction of Alba Longa. As one can see from its name, the city is closely associated with the goddess of the hunt, Diana, highly revered by the Latins. This connection allowed Aricia to once unite the Latin city-states in the west against the emerging power of Rome. However, after facing multiple defeats, it eventually joined the Roman-led Latin League.

After personally leading his army out of Rome, Davos first camped outside the city of Tusculum (the former Roman camp). He then divided his troops to attack several Latin city-states not far to the west, primarily focusing on Aricia. Despite the other city-states surrendering, the proud Aricians remained defiant and refused to submit to Theonia. In response, Davos ordered Matonis to lead the Second and Sixth Legions to launch an attack on Aricia.

Only after several days of continuous attack did they finally yield results.

Once Davos’ smile disappeared, it was followed by his stern voice, “If it were not for the feelings of the Roman plebeians, a Latin city-state like Aricia that dared to defy us should have been subjected to the same treatment as that of Gabii. Still, even if they had surrendered, we shouldn’t treat them lightly! Heni, inform Tapirus to go and discuss with those Aricians. Since Aricia is the sacred forest of the goddess of hunting, I can make Aricia a holy site worshipped by all Latins and replace the position of Alba Longa. However, from now on, Aricia can no longer build walls or have an army, and its population shall not be more than five thousand. The city shall be open to all while we will manage its security…”

“Understood, Your Majesty. Uh…I heard that due to its connection with Diana, Aricia is also a famous medical centre in the Latium region…” Henipolis reminded.

Davos grinned and said, “Can Aricia’s medical skills compare to Theonia?! I think this duty shall be handed over to Hades!”

“Your Majesty, it is wonderful that Aricia has surrendered. Still, it was a pity that we could not lure out the Roman army!” said Tolmides with some regret.

Davos smiled and said nonchalantly, “We have already fooled the Romans once, so they naturally will become much more cautious. Now that their main force is still huddling in Satricum, it just shows that they are prepared to fight to the death. This is also a good thing, as without the support of the Romans and with Aricia’s surrender, the other city-states in western Latium will soon make their choices as well.”

Suddenly, Davos’ gaze became sharp as he spoke decisively, “Tolmides, go and inform the entire army to prepare. Tomorrow, we shall leave Tusculum, march southwest, and build a camp north of Satricum. It’s time for us to finally settle the Romans!”

Davos’ words cheered everyone in the command tent.

“Roger, I’ll notify all the legions right away!” Tolmides responded excitedly.

“And…when we had to send envoys to these city-states to persuade their surrender, Ardea’s attitude was the most resolute, and they even beat up our envoys…” Davos said coldly.

“From the reports, Camillus, the Roman dictator, had once lived in Ardea for a long time. They had even strongly supported him in the battle to expel the Gauls, so Camillus and Ardea’s relationship should be close, with Camillus even often giving Ardea a lot of care in the Roman Senate, so it’s not surprising for the Ardeans to act like that. Unfortunately, Ardea will have to give up their support for Camillus for the sake of their own city-state’s survival as well.” Henipolis persuaded.

“With the burning of Ostia, Ardea became very important to our attack on the main Roman army camped in Satricum because it isn’t far from Antium and not too far from the place we are going to camp, and it also has a good port…” Davos’ gaze then glinted, “So we need to take full control of this town to transit and transport the food supplies of our armies. Henceforth, we shall not accept Ardea’s surrender as we shall conquer it completely!”

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

Outside the city of Satricum, thousands of Roman citizens tirelessly enforce the city’s defence, reinforcing the city walls, covering the city with abatis, widening and deepening the trenches, setting up multiple layers of traps, building multiple watchtowers between the traps, and expanding the entire range of defence outwards… Now, the defence of the entire city is surprisingly very similar to the defensive encampments usually built by the Theonian army.

All of that was because Titus, the one tasked with this responsibility, was the first to command the army to attack Ostia. Having encountered the formidable defence of the Theonians, he contemplated implementing a similar strategy with slight modifications.

Currently, he was standing atop the city wall overseeing the entire project. Yet despite seeing the entire defence gradually taking shape under the efforts of sweating soldiers, there was not a trace of joy on his face but rather a look of gloom.

“General, Lord Quintus is here,” His subordinate whispered beside him.

Upon hearing this, Titus turned around and glanced at Quintus, who was climbing the stairs, and the annoyance on his face disappeared in a flash.

“Hey, Titus!”

Looking at Quintus walking towards him, Titus remained unenthusiastic as he said, “When did you return? Have the city’s defence in Antium completed?!”

Titus’ tone carried a hint of inquiry, and despite feeling some displeasure, Quintus opened his mouth to explain, “Antium has just over three thousand soldiers, and with Pantheus basically healed, he can handle the task on his own. Since I was essentially a hindrance there, I decided to return.”

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