Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1118: The Youngest Commander

As the Regional Administrator, Asistes was unsurprised. He mused, "If every allied state sends full support, we should see fifty or sixty thousand men. Even if only half arrive, that's twenty or thirty thousand. Combined with our own forces, I believe the Roman Region might have enough strength to... drive back these invading Gauls on its own. This was exactly what His Majesty envisioned when he established the Daionian Alliance in central Italy."

At this, Asistes looked at the young Legion Commander before him, his expression turning solemn. "Of course, Lord Legion Commander Patroclus, you are now the supreme military commander of the Roman Region. All military decisions are yours to make."

"I also believe the Roman Region's forces alone are enough to match the Gauls!" Patroclus said with absolute confidence. "However, gathering such a massive army for battle will require Lord Asistes to provide ample logistical support and weapon reserves."

"Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to supply the troops," Asistes promised immediately, delighted to see the young Legion Commander share his view with such fighting spirit. "Furthermore, I have already sent a messenger to Thurii to inform His Majesty of this massive Gallic invasion. I am certain the kingdom will soon mobilize even more manpower and resources to deal with it. You needn't worry about a thing. First, lead the army to stop the Gauls from invading our territory, then find a way to drive them back..."

...

Over the next few days, the allied armies of the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia located near the Roman Region began to arrive. The first to reach Rome were the forces from the Latin city-states. Because they were closest to Rome, and having suffered terribly at the hands of the Gauls in the past, they dispatched a force of over 10,000 men.

This deeply pleased Patroclus. Over the past few years, Daionia had used towns like Rome and Veii to forge increasingly tight bonds with the neighboring Latin allies through trade, transportation, and other means. In fact, Patroclus had frequently requested that citizens of the Latin allied states join the Fourteenth Legion's military training, a request that had been actively fulfilled. As a result, among all the allies near Rome, the Latin armies were the most familiar with Daionian military tactics. Having their soldiers make up the bulk of the allied forces would make it much easier for Patroclus to command them in battle.

The Volscians and Hernicians arrived next. They showed great enthusiasm, but having suffered heavy casualties in the previous war, their populations had not recovered in just a few short years. Thus, the combined troops they sent numbered fewer than 5,000 men.

Following them came the armies of the Sabines, the Aequians...

Although 30,000 Daionian soldiers of the Roman Region had assembled in Rome's military camps within just a few days, and the continuous arrivals of the Latin, Volscian, and Hernician allied forces had pushed the total army past 50,000 men, Patroclus held his ground and refused to march.

Asistes, however, could not sit still. He hurried to the military camp. "Legion Commander Patroclus, news has come from the north. The Gauls have breached our established border defenses, and the status of Lord Hasdrubal's Border Legion is unknown! The Gauls quickly overran Florentia and are marching south in massive numbers. They have launched successive attacks on Velanora and Fufluna, plundering towns and villages along the way and slaughtering the Etruscans... The envoys of the Etruscan allies are blocking the doors of the Regional Administrative Hall every single day. If you don't dispatch the army north soon, I'm afraid the Etruscan envoys will march straight to Thurii to file a complaint against us to His Majesty!"

It seemed Asistes harbored some resentment toward Patroclus, completely dropping the respectful title of "Lord."

Patroclus remained perfectly calm as he listened. Unhurried, he replied, "Lord Asistes, judging from the current situation, the Etruscans' fear of the Gauls has seeped into their very bones. They are in complete panic and have lost all reason and judgment.

"But as the main force resisting the Gauls, we of Daionia must maintain enough composure. We must analyze this chaotic battlefield and find a truly favorable opportunity before striking. We cannot hastily march north and blindly engage the Gauls. If our attack were to suffer a setback, it would undoubtedly deal a devastating blow to our morale and affect the stability of Rome..."

Asistes was a former mercenary, after all. Having followed Davos through the campaigns in Persia in his early years, he was no stranger to military strategy. It was just that he had been entirely devoted to civic administration for the past twenty years. Coupled with the constant stream of bad news from the frontlines and the endless harassment by the Etruscan envoys, bearing the heavy responsibility of the entire region had inevitably made him anxious and hot-headed. Brought back to his senses by Patroclus's reminder, he gained some clarity.

Yet Patroclus's words carried a lecturing tone. As the esteemed Regional Administrator and a prominent official of the kingdom, Asistes felt his pride sting. Had it been anyone else, he likely would have bellowed a few more words to save face. But the man sitting across from him was the son-in-law of King Davos, highly favored by His Majesty. Asistes could only swallow his displeasure. After a long moment, he choked out a muffled, grumpy question: "What is your plan?"

"Lord!" Patroclus noticed Asistes's anger, though he paid it little mind. While Asistes held a higher official rank, the Fourteenth Legion did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Regional Administrator. Furthermore, before taking office, Patroclus had been explicitly warned by his wife, Cynthia, and had intentionally avoided getting too close to Asistes. Still, considering that Asistes had been one of His Majesty's closest confidants since the founding of Daionia and possessed vast seniority, Patroclus softened his tone. "Even though no detailed news has emerged, I do not believe the Gauls could conquer the military camps at Florentia and Lucca in just a few days. Lord Hasdrubal must still be putting up a stubborn defense.

"If the city of Florentia had strictly followed the defensive measures we previously established for them, it would have been utterly impossible for the Gauls to breach their walls. Unfortunately, they had grown complacent over the past year under the protection of our Border Legion. After receiving the warning, they dawdled, keeping the city gates wide open to take in fleeing refugees. When the Gauls bypassed the military camps, marched swiftly on Florentia, and arrived to launch an assault in such a short time, the defenders panicked. They failed to shut the gates immediately, allowing the Gauls to surge into the city right on the heels of the refugees..."

After explaining the true reason behind Florentia's fall, Patroclus sighed and said with regret, "By occupying Florentia, the Gauls have secured a foothold within Etruria and gained an ample supply of military rations. According to the intelligence we have gathered so far, the Gauls number around 40,000 men, and their morale is high. If I were to lead the army across the Tiber River right now and rush headlong to fight them in northern Etruria, we would suffer heavy casualties even if we managed to win. It is far better to hold off on marching north. This prevents us from alerting the Gauls to our movements while we wait for the rest of the allied armies to converge and amass even greater supply reserves..."

"You don't need to worry about rations and supplies. Crotocatax has been working tirelessly to prepare them!" Asistes reminded him with heavy emphasis. "But simply leaving the army sitting in the camps to wait is not a solution either. If the Gauls manage to conquer any other Etruscan city-states, I fear we will have a hard time explaining ourselves to our Etruscan allies—and to all our other allies as well!"

"The Fourteenth Legion answers only to His Majesty and the kingdom!" Patroclus replied evenly.

Hearing this, Asistes grew angry. "But you are now the commander of the entire Daionian Northern Coalition! Protecting the Etruscan allies is a responsibility entrusted to you by His Majesty!"

"It is," Patroclus said, his expression completely serious. "That is exactly why I must be cautious, why I am doing everything in my power to wait for the right moment! Lord Asistes, you needn't be so anxious. All it will take is one great victory, and all blame and resentment will vanish."

Seeing him so stubbornly deaf to reason, Asistes angrily threw down a final remark: "Fine, then I will wait for your victory!" He flicked his sleeves and stormed out.

Upon returning to the Administrative Hall, Asistes's resentment still had not faded. While Crotocatax was giving his work report, Asistes vented his frustrations, grumbling, "When dealing with Patroclus normally, he always struck me as an agreeable man. Why does he suddenly become so obstinate and deaf to advice at such a crucial moment?! The entire Daionian Northern Coalition is under his command. I am genuinely worried!"

Crotocatax listened and offered a comforting reply. "Lord, you govern the vast Roman Region while simultaneously managing our friendly relations with the surrounding allied states. Your responsibilities are monumental. Now, we are faced with a Gallic invasion that threatens the safety of the people throughout the entire central region, and it could very well shatter the stable order you have worked so painstakingly to build here over the past few years. I have noticed you haven't been sleeping well lately. It is clear just how immense the pressure on you truly is!

"As a Legion Commander, Patroclus might seem young. But my royal father didn't appoint him to lead the Fourteenth Legion—giving him the authority to command the coalition and fend off the Gauls in a state of emergency—just because he is my brother-in-law. It was because Patroclus is one of the most outstanding candidates among the younger generation of generals in the Daionian Army. My royal father has always been an exceptional judge of talent. If he stationed Patroclus here, it is undoubtedly because he believes he has the ability to shoulder such a heavy burden.

"In truth, the pressure he faces is just as great. Every time I deliver supplies to the camp and go to see him, he is either assigning tasks to his officers, listening to scout reports, or completely engrossed in studying the maps alone. He simply doesn't have the time to say a single extra word to me.

"If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The Roman Region is the kingdom's northernmost territory, and reinforcements will not arrive anytime soon. The coalition Patroclus is leading is currently the absolute only force standing against the Gauls. If he leads his army into battle and suffers a single defeat, the Gauls might seize the opportunity to surge straight into the Roman Region... So, I think it is entirely understandable that he remains cautious..."