Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 920: A Terrifying Disease

From them, the defenders learned that Antium had fallen to the Daionian Army. Satricum was now one of only two Roman towns still putting up resistance—a revelation that deeply unsettled the soldiers.

It was under these circumstances that Quintus took matters into his own hands. Concealing his plans from Camillus and ignoring the objections of the other generals, he secretly led 4,000 soldiers out of the city under the cover of darkness. He intended to launch a surprise attack on the Davos Camp, hoping a victory would boost their morale.

Not long after leaving the city, they were discovered by the hidden sentries posted outside the camp by the Mountain Scout Corps.

Davos swiftly mobilized his forces to encircle and annihilate them.

Realizing the situation had turned against him, Quintus hastily ordered a retreat and personally led the rearguard to hold off the pursuers. He ultimately died in battle, and nearly half of his forces were killed, wounded, or captured. The failure of this night raid dealt a massive blow to the Romans' morale. They began to waver, doubting the words from Camillus they had once firmly believed: "...As long as we hold out, our turning point will come..."

In the harvest month of September, while the citizens of other city-states rejoiced, the City of Satricum felt completely lifeless. The sentries on the walls rarely bothered to patrol. Instead, they leaned against the battlements or sat on the ground, staring blankly and lost in their own thoughts. They barely even spoke to one another.

Down in the city streets, foul pools of vomit were scattered everywhere, and soldiers lay collapsed by the roadside in twos and threes. Outside the field hospital in the plaza, a massive crowd had gathered. Ignoring the pungent stench and the swarms of flies and mosquitoes, they desperately demanded to see a doctor. Their agonizing, heart-wrenching coughs echoed across the entire square...

Inside a bedroom in the city governor's mansion, Camillus snapped his eyes open from a nightmare.

His personal slave, who had been anxiously standing by the bed, immediately called out softly in joy, "My lord, you're awake!"

The slave hurriedly grabbed a prepared jug of water, supported his master's head with one hand, and helped him drink.

After taking a few sips, Camillus recovered a little of his strength. "...How long did I sleep this time?" he asked quietly.

"T-two days," the slave replied, looking visibly despondent.

Camillus's expression darkened. His periods of unconsciousness were only growing longer. He could almost feel his own organs rotting away inside him, filling him with a deep sense of urgency.

"Outside... how is the situation outside?!" The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake—how could a slave possibly know the military situation? He quickly corrected himself. "Where is Lucius?"

"Lord Lucius has fallen ill." The slave trembled slightly.

Camillus froze. Right now, his concern for the City of Satricum outweighed even his worry for his son. "Go..." he continued, "call Titus here."

Titus had been temporarily placed in charge of the army's command and usually reported the battle conditions to him.

"Lord Titus is ill as well. He hasn't been here to see you in two days," the slave said anxiously, his face turning pale.

"Titus is ill too?!" Camillus was taken aback again. Decades of military experience triggered a sharp warning in his mind. "Who else... who else is sick?!" he demanded.

"Lord Licinius! Lord Servius! I heard many soldiers have fallen ill too! My lord, could this be... could this be..." Panic twisted the slave's features. Terror filled his eyes, though he didn't dare speak the word aloud.

Camillus's face turned a ghastly, livid hue. "Go immediately," he ordered in a dark tone. "Bring all the generals who aren't sick... cough, cough... bring them here!"

...

"You suspect it is a plague?!" Hearing the word spill from Maecius's lips, Camillus's cloudy eyes suddenly widened. His parched throat produced the loudest shout he had managed since waking up. Even though he had already suspected as much, a part of him still refused to believe it was true.

"Lord Dictator..." Maecius, a battle-hardened veteran, looked utterly panicked. His voice trembled. "...In my decades of military service... I've seen a plague once or twice... and this time... this time is just like the others... It's the same fever... headaches... vomiting... diarrhea... severe weakness... And more and more soldiers are showing these exact symptoms..."

Camillus shut his eyes in agony. Maecius, Aurus, and the other generals fell silent, fixing their helpless gazes upon the old man who had completely lost his mobility.

After a long while, Camillus slowly opened his eyes. Staring blankly at the ceiling, his face etched with sorrow, he murmured, "Great Jupiter! ...Are you abandoning... abandoning Rome?!"

The moment he spoke, tears streamed down the faces of every general in the room.

Camillus forced his head to turn, looking at the men gathered around his bed. His expression was terrifyingly calm. "Surrender to Daionia..."

The officers, led by Aurus and Maecius, felt a massive shock jolt through their hearts. They immediately voiced loud objections on instinct. "Lord Dictator, we absolutely cannot surrender! We can still fight..."

Camillus let out a long sigh. "While the plague has yet to spread through the entire city..." he said in a low, heavy voice. "...Surrender to Daionia. At the very least, you can save some of our people's lives... This is my... Camillus's... final order as the dictator of Rome..." With that, he closed his eyes, two streams of murky tears slowly tracing the deep wrinkles carved into his face.

Dead silence filled the room.

A moment later, the officers filed out of the bedroom. Lost in their own grim thoughts, they walked out of the governor's mansion in complete silence.

"Are we really going to follow the dictator's orders and surrender to Daionia?!" one general finally burst out, unable to hold it in any longer.

"What else can we do but surrender?! We're trapped in this city with nowhere to run. We'll only end up catching the plague, and our souls won't find peace even in death!" Another general, snapping under the immense pressure, lost control of his emotions. He threw his head back to look at the sky, loudly interrogating the deity they so devoutly worshipped. "Jupiter! Are you not the patron god of Rome?! Rome is on the brink of annihilation—where are you?!"

Hearing this, not a single person stepped forward to stop their comrade's blasphemous outburst. Instead, their faces only grew more sorrowful.

Right then, Aurus suddenly spoke up. "This plague can infect us Roman soldiers, which means it can naturally infect the Theonians! We can use this surrender as a chance to pass the plague onto the Theonians. This might just be the turning point Rome needs!"

Maecius and the others froze for a moment before their eyes lit up. The main forces of the Daionian Army were camped right outside the city walls. If they caught the plague and the majority of their soldiers died, would they still have the strength to control the newly conquered Latium region?!

...

Inside the main tent of the Davos Camp, Davos was reading a battle report that had just arrived from Campania. Soon, a smile spread across his face.

"Your Majesty, has Alexis sent good news?" Henipolis asked softly, his curiosity piqued.

"The high chief of the Pentri has dispatched an envoy to Alexis, asking for a truce and peace talks! The Caudini have also sent emissaries to Xanthiparis to express the exact same intentions." Davos gently tapped the letter against his arm, his tone light and cheerful.

"Nothing from the Caracenians?" Henipolis asked.

"Of the four major Samnite tribes, the Caraceni are the most conservative and stubborn, yet they are also the weakest. They've suffered heavy losses this time as well. They think that by hiding deep in the mountains, we can't do anything to them. Hmph. They shouldn't forget that without the support of the other tribes, the neighboring mountain races—like the Marsians and the Hernicians—will be more than happy to settle old scores with them." Davos chuckled disdainfully. "When that time comes, the Caracenians will come to us on their own."

With that, he handed the battle report to Henipolis. Then, he turned to Crotocatax beside him. "Croto, how do you think we should specifically deal with these two Samnite tribes, the Caudini and the Pentri?"

Since Davos had already explained his preliminary plans for handling the defeated four major Samnite tribes, Crotocatax had spent the past few days carefully mulling over the matter. Faced with Davos's test, he spoke with a degree of confidence. "Father... the Samnites were once our allies, but they tore up the treaty, provoked a war, and ruthlessly pillaged the citizens of our kingdom and allied states... Therefore, we must increase the severity of our punishments and tighten our control over the Samnite race to prevent them from rebelling again!

"My recommendation is that the high chiefs of the Pentri and the Caudini must travel to Thurii to face severe punishment. The other tribal chiefs must also be disciplined accordingly, and all the tribes must offer up hostages.

"Just as you said before, Father, the Pentri and Caudini tribes must become complete vassals of the kingdom. The Caudini lands we currently occupy will belong entirely to Daionia. The Caudini will only retain the land north of the Volturno River, serving as a buffer between the kingdom and the mountain races like the Sidicini and the Aurunci. The new high chief of the Caudini must be selected from the former Naconia tribe.

"We haven't captured much Pentri territory yet, but they must cede the mountainous regions bordering the Dauni region so that we can easily build cities there...

"Furthermore, neither tribe will be allowed to restrict our kingdom's priests from building temples in the mountains, nor can they stop the kingdom's citizens from trading with the Samnite people..."

"Your Majesty, Prince Croto has covered everything quite thoroughly! His considerations are extremely detailed!" Tolmides repeatedly praised.

Davos smiled and nodded. "It seems that since my last test, even though you've been busy following me around Latium, you have constantly been thinking about how to handle the Samnite tribes. In your suggestions this time, you have considered the problem entirely from the perspective of the kingdom's interests. The plan you provided is even more detailed, specific, and actionable. Well done!"