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“I never lie in times of war.” Leotychides glared at Siprus, but his tone remained flat as he said, “So I decided to change my earlier plan and instead lead the Eighth Legion to Minoa to face the Carthaginian.”

“Excellent! You are indeed brave and worthy to be the commander His Majesty likes! Your new plan is much better than your rubbish plan.” A voice of appreciation rang outside the door as Navarch Seclian strode into the meeting room.

Leotychides\' eyebrows knitted together.

Siprus, on the other hand, asked in surprise, “You would lead the army straight into battle with the Carthaginians? It\'s too risky! The Carthaginian army is over forty thousand strong! Are you going to gather all the Theonian citizens in Sicily?! But if you lose, all the kingdom\'s territories in Sicily will be in danger! I think it would be safer to proceed with your previous plan!”

Since the rule dictated that governor Siprus had the right to attend military meetings and raise objections, Leotychides had to explain to him in detail, “The previous plan was based on the Carthaginians sending a large army of eighty to one hundred thousand men. But to my surprise, they sent only sixty thousand men, with twenty thousand soldiers headed to the northern coast instead. And according to the information I received, the Numidians comprised half of the Carthaginian army of forty thousand. And since the Carthaginians had oppressed them, their morale was low, and the fact that a thousand Sikeloi warriors had forced them to retreat showed the incompetence of their officers.

And according to our intelligence, Carthage\'s commander, Muntebaal, enjoyed pleasures and disliked being on the battlefield and close to his soldiers. Hence he failed to make full use of his massive force. Thus, even with fewer troops, the Eighth Legion and our reserve would defeat them with our far superior fighting ability and morale.

Besides, we can\'t just watch this Carthaginian army rely on their large numbers to slowly conquer our allies one by one, as that would only sharpen their entire army through battles and victories, improving their morale and strength… Once the Carthaginian army has conquered the southern coast, it will be difficult for us to fight them.”

“This plan of yours is correct, while the previous plan was completely passive. When I arrived yesterday and heard about your previous plan, I wanted to discuss it with you.” Seclian spoke loudly, in the tone of a superior speaking to a subordinate.

Although it was true that Seclian, as a statesman of the Senate, had higher seniority and position in the kingdom than Leotychides, it still made Leotychides feel uncomfortable. But when he thought he would have to rely on the Navy for his military operations later, he could only suppress his emotions and say lightly, “I am also basing this on what is stated in Theonia\'s Military Code of Conduct, ‘All military plans are to be made according to the actual situation.’ Since the situation has changed, I must naturally change the plans I made with it.”

Unlike Cornelius, who would keep worrying about gains and losses, Siprus immediately asked after getting convinced, “How many men will you take to battle?”

“The whole of the Eighth Legion and the Fourth Cavalry Legion, plus some reserve soldiers, which I estimate to be around fifteen thousand. The rest of the reserves would remain in camp, while we wouldn’t deploy the troops of our allies, as they\'d also have to guard against Syracuse.”

Siprus was surprised at Leotychides\' words, “Lord Prosous, isn\'t fifteen thousand men too few?!”

“Not at all.” Then Leotychides said with a clear head, “I will also ask Lord Kreru of Henna to organise all the Sikeloi warriors and take the mountain route to Minoa. Meanwhile, I will lead these fifteen thousand soldiers, disembark by the sea at the port of Kamarina, and march west along the south coast, incorporating the armies of all the friendly city-states we pass. So by the time we reach Minoa, I estimate the army will number at least thirty thousand…”

“Oh! In my haste, I forgot about the city-states friendly to us, such as Kamarina, Gela, Agrigento… and so on.” Siprus revealed his shortcoming, but his face showed a reassuring smile, “Lord Prosous, the decision you have made is the right one! Directly clashing with Carthage will show how our kingdom protects the cities close to us, which would deepen our friendship with them!…”

But Leotychides didn\'t think that far since he only wanted to win. Then he turned his to Seclian and said, “I hope the navy you lead will protect the transport of troops and the delivery of supplies, Lord Seclian!”

“That is the duty of our navy!” Seclian replied at once. But his following words revealed his true purpose, “By protecting you, I can lure the Carthaginian fleet to fight us!”

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

When the news reached Rome about the Carthaginian army had landed in Sicily and was marching towards the Theonian territory, the senators were all excited. On the other hand, the dictator Camillus thought the time had come and immediately ordered the army to march towards Hernici.

Soon after assembling the forty thousand soldiers of Rome and the Latin league in Mars Square, Camillus led the army out of Rome and marched straight southeast.

The Hernicans are ancient indigenous people of central Italia, living mainly in the lowlands between the Hernici and Lepini mountains. The lowlands are about seventy-five kilometres long and only about ten kilometres wide, with the river Trerus running through the middle. To the west and south were the Volscians, who lived near the Lepini Mountains; to the east were the Marsians and the Aequians, who lived deep in the mountains; and to the north were some Latin city-states, mainly Praeneste.

After passing through the town of Gabii, a part of the Latin League, the Roman army camped outside Praeneste at dusk.

When the Hernicans heard of the approaching Roman army, they were so frightened that they rushed to send men to ask the Volscians for help.

The following day, the Roman army continued south, passing through their Latin ally Toleriun, and soon reached Signia, a town bordering the Hernicans and Latins.

Signia is a small town at the foot of the Lepini Mountains, with a small population but relatively treacherous terrain, and is an important route for the Hernican tribes living in the Lepini Mountains to leave.

Camillus immediately sent five thousand soldiers to surround the small town and to assemble the siege equipment. And as soon as everything was ready, they would attack the city.

Meanwhile, he led the thirty-five thousand soldiers across the Trerus without stopping and reached Anagnia, another important Hernican town near Latium and on the eastern bank of the Trerus. In the afternoon, he split off another ten thousand soldiers and had them surround the city.

He then led the remaining twenty-five thousand soldiers around Anagnia. Then they began setting up camp a few kilometres to the south, aiming for the central town of the Hernicans – Ferentinum.

It hadn\'t been long since the Hernicans had suffered a devastating defeat when they joined forces with the Volsci to attack Rome\'s Latin allies, so where would they get enough soldiers to rescue the besieged towns? So all they could do was hide in their towns, strengthen their defences and wait for the Volscians to save them.

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

As news of the Roman army\'s attack on Hernici\'s territory reached Privernum, the officials of the Volscian Alliance gathered nervously. They had just repelled the Romans and were still discussing how to retake the Roman-occupied cities of Antium, Velitrae… and so on, so they didn\'t expect the Romans to start another war in eastern Volsci so soon.

Amintas, whom they had invited to attend the meeting, was puzzled and asked in surprise, “The news that came in earlier said that the Romans had stationed ten thousand men each in Antium, Velitrae and Satricum?! So where did the Romans get so many soldiers to attack the Hernicans?!!!”

The Consul of Privernum, Katamentalus, said helplessly, “The Romans didn\'t have so many able citizens, but they also had many allies in the Latin League and the many Etruscan city-states they had conquered. So they are perfectly capable of starting another war while fighting us! That is what makes the Romans so terrifying!”

‘The Romans are concentrating all their efforts on a great battle! While we in Theonia…’ Amintas inwardly sighed as he thought of his First Legion, which had just finished replenishing its troops. With the strength of the Roman army, the First Legion, with less than ten thousand soldiers, won\'t be enough to help the Hernicans repel the Romans\' attack!

Seeing Amintas\' tangled expression, Phryntor hurriedly asked, “Why don\'t you contact the Aequians and the Marsians to join forces against the Romans?! I\'ve heard that these two races are right next to the Hernicans, and once the Romans have wiped out the Hernicans, these two races, who are also at odds with Rome, will also face the Roman threat head-on!”

Toulus, the consul of Circeii, replied, “The Hernicans must have already contacted the Aequians and the Marsians, but the question now is, should we rescue the Hernicans?”

“Of course, we must!” Katamentalus replied without hesitation, “Our cities of Fabrateria, Frusinum… and the likes are just south of the Hernican territory. Once the Romans destroyed the Hernicans, they would attack them afterwards! Thus it would be better to save the Hernicans now than later!!!”