Chapter 14 Reasons for Refusal to Send Troops

"Your Majesty." Ancitanos, who had been silent before, said first at this time: "The order established by the kingdom in central Italy is not very stable. The Etruscan alliance is the biggest force that has allied with us. And they have been very friendly to us over the past few years. If they are in trouble, of course we should lend a hand.

What's more, the Gauls have always been the nightmare of all the forces in central Italy, and its threat to the central region is increasing day by day. As the ally of the entire central region, we, Dionia, have an inevitable confrontation with the Gauls, and are trusted by other forces. main force.

Now the northern part of the Etruscan alliance is very weak. If we have to wait until the Gauls invade the south, we will send troops to rescue. I am afraid that when the army gathers, most of the Etruscan territory has been occupied. By then, not only the kingdom It will be resented by the Etruscans, it will also reduce the trust of other forces in us, and it will seriously affect our construction in the Latium domain, making our military operations less smooth.

And now the Etruscan alliance has voluntarily provided such good conditions, so that we can help them keep the Gauls out of the mountains, stifle their attempts to invade the south in advance, and ensure the safety of the central region. And you can also get more land, fully incorporate the Etruscans into the kingdom's protection circle, and speed up the kingdom's influence on them. This is a good thing that kills several birds with one stone, and we should not refuse! "

"Lord Ancitanos, we all understand what you're saying." The household registration minister Rafias objected: "But you should also understand that the Etruscans gave us part of their land in the hope that we will be in the future. The people living there can join them in defending against the Gauls, but there are always facing the harassment of the Gauls, and there is a danger of losing their lives at any time, and which citizens are willing to move there?"

"What about those pre-citizens and registered freedmen?" Ancitanos asked seriously.

Rafias shook his head and said: "Since the end of the last war, there is still a lot of vacant land in the entire kingdom that has not been allocated. This is a well-known fact. We do not give priority to the allocation of domestic land, but require these They have finally accumulated enough merit and are about to become new citizens to go to Etruria to face the terrible Gauls, which is not only unfair, but also seriously damages the credibility of the kingdom and affects our long-term execution. immigration action.”

After Raphias finished speaking, the palace was silent for a while.

After a while, the Minister of Supervision Sesta said: "Why don't we send troops to directly attack the Gauls' territory, completely conquer the Gauls, and solve this big trouble at one time?"

Treasurer Archibides immediately said loudly: "Now the treasury is stretched, and there is not enough gold and silver to support a big war."

Alexis also went on to say: "According to the information obtained now, most of the northern part of Italy is basically occupied by the Gauls, because there is a long river in its territory, the terrain is flat and the soil is fertile, which makes the Gauls. Half-farming and half-grazing also feeds a large population. It is said that it is precisely because of the large population that they want to go south to occupy more land.

And in the north where these Gauls live are the continuous mountains, and there are many more Gauls to the north of the mountains... If our army crosses the Etruscan region and marches north, it will inevitably lead to a consumption long war. Now that the kingdom has just slowly recovered from the last war, it is not suitable to start another big war in a short period of time. "

"Since the northern part of Etruscan is very dangerous, we don't need to build towns on the land they have allocated to us. We can build military fortresses similar to the Turii army camp, the area can be smaller, and then send legions in turn. Soldiers go to guard,

Just like La River Fortress. "Except for construction issues, Heraclid, the Minister of Construction who rarely speaks in other fields, rarely puts forward his own suggestions, because the several reconstructions of the Turii Barracks are all from his design, and he personally supervised and completed them. He believes that this kind of military fortress, which integrates military defense, town facilities and daily labor, can play a greater role in the Etruscan border.

"Lord Heraclid's proposal to build a military fortress in northern Etruria is indeed a good idea." Alexis first praised Heraclid, and then said cautiously: "However, send legionnaires to There, it’s debatable to take turns on duty... Lahe Fortress is located in the heart of the kingdom, there is no danger, there are not many soldiers on duty, the rotation time is also very short, and the supply of military rations is also very convenient. It's a must-have experience as a legionnaire's reservist, so the citizens have no problem with that. But having the legionnaires on duty on the northern Etruscan border is a whole different story—"

Alexis cleared his throat and analyzed slowly: "First of all, the number of soldiers garrisoned by each military fortress built on the Etruscan border is certainly not a small number. Because they are facing a general They were fierce Gauls. The soldiers had to defend the fortress and repelled the small groups of Gaul troops that harassed the territory of Etruria. At the same time, they also had to take into account the sudden and massive southward invasion of the Gauls. The weak Etruscan army was unreliable, and they were far from the kingdom, so they could not get immediate and strong support. They had to stick to the defense for at least half a month before they could wait for the kingdom's army to come. Therefore, the strength of each fortress was At least not less than 1,000 people can ensure safety.

The border between Etruscans and the Gauls is very long. I am afraid that 3 to 5 such military fortresses can be used to defend against Gallic harassment. This means that we must send at least 3000-5000 legionnaires. , this is 3/5 of the number of a legion, which is no longer a small number, and the military rations and materials it consumes are not a small number. Even if the Etruscans agreed to provide material assistance for free, but in the long run, can they persist? Go down, that's a problem. If we supply it ourselves, it will pay more, because the consumption of the road is also included...

Secondly, it is impossible for reinforcements to go to Etruria to rotate frequently, because our army is stationed in northern Etruria, where it is completely unfamiliar to our army, whether it is an opponent or an environment. Familiarize yourself with an unfamiliar battlefield environment, understand the situation of the enemy, understand the situation of friendly forces, and let the soldiers adapt to the battlefield life there... It takes a long time in various aspects, and only when the generals and soldiers are familiar with the place. , they can fully exert their combat effectiveness, otherwise the frequent rotation of troops, the soldiers are not familiar with or even unfamiliar with the surrounding environment, then during the battle may increase casualties, or even cause failure, this is the "Dionysian Military Law" "Strictly Prohibited! "

Alexis said this and glanced at Davos.

Davers rested his chin in his hand and nodded slightly.

Alexis continued with his expression unchanged: "So the time required for our troops to be stationed there can't be too short, at least half a year. It takes so long for the soldiers to be stationed in an unfamiliar place where they are always facing battles. time, even the nearest soldiers of the XIV Legion (i.e. a regiment formed just a few years ago, with a camp near Rome and from the Latinum region and parts of southern Etruria, mainly Casereira) and Wei Ai) will inevitably miss their hometown, which will lead to low morale.

What's more, these soldiers are the main labor of the family, tending the farmland, herding cattle and sheep, or engaging in other labor to earn money to support the family. The kingdom allows them to serve for a long time. Although they may be rewarded with some rewards, they cannot fulfill their duties as Dionian citizens. other rights and obligations, I am afraid it will still cause them and their families to complain—”

"During the Western Mediterranean War, the soldiers fought abroad for more than a year. I don't think their performance was very good, and there were no complaints." Antaoris said disapprovingly.

"That's because His Majesty personally led the army and always paid attention to adjusting the soldiers' war-weariness." Alexis did not say this to compliment Davos, he explained with a serious expression: "At that time our army was with Rome. After the fierce battle, His Majesty held several competitions and banquets to liven up the atmosphere of the barracks. When going south to Sicily to fight the Carthaginians, the main force still avoided a head-to-head battle with them, and mainly trained, repaired and defended in the camps and cities. , coupled with the great honor of defeating the original Western Mediterranean overlord Carthage inspired them, so they were able to persevere to the end.

But if they were to go to the northern Etruscan border, the commanders of the various fortresses could not have great prestige and charisma, keeping the morale of the soldiers high all the time, and we were able to recognize that helping the Etruscan alliance The importance of maintaining the security of the kingdom, but the soldiers will probably not think so deeply. On the contrary, they will think that it is meaningless to fight for a force that has little to do with them for a long time, which will cause them to lose any desire to fight. "

Having said this, he coughed and said in a serious tone: "What's more, as long as we are not ready to conquer the Gauls in the north, helping the Etruscan alliance and defending the northern border may be a long-term task. , one year, two years, three years... If things go on like this, I am afraid that the soldiers of the various legions of Dionia will complain and even refuse to obey orders and go to Etruria..."

Alexis made the situation so serious that it caused a commotion among those around him.