Camillus said solemnly: "First of all, we must be deeply aware that Dioonia is the most powerful and dangerous enemy we have ever faced. The Dionian army was obviously a terrible army with strict military training and strong military discipline, otherwise we would not have been able to explain the fact that their soldiers were able to fight our soldiers in an unhurried formation and fight with our soldiers after a rapid march of dozens of miles, in the face of the troops I led in outnumbered of them, and to be able to hold out for so long, which is by no means comparable to the forces we have defeated before, such as the Etruscans and the Wolsey...... Their soldiers, though brave, lack strict discipline and uncomplicated tactics, and are completely scattered in battle.

Secondly, the morale of the Dionian soldiers was very strong. In this battle, they were smaller in number than the soldiers I led, and their physical strength was more than mine, but they were still able to fight for that long, and even if they almost broke through their formation a few times, they did not panic and behaved quite calmly.

You may say, 'The troops sent by Dionya this time are probably the best of their army.' But even if the other Dionian armies were only half as powerful as this one, it would be terrible. For when I returned, I inquired with the Carthaginian envoys that the kingdom of Dionya was vast and populous, and it was said that their existing army numbered more than 100,000 men, and that they had a powerful fleet, which was far from being able to be fought against by Rome on its own.

Therefore, we must first base ourselves on defense, and require all allies and colonial cities on the sea side to strengthen the defenses of the cities, strengthen patrols and explorations, and prevent the Ionians from attacking from the sea. At the same time, our Roman citizens were to be ready to be called up at any time, ready to reinforce the enemy if they found it.

In addition, I propose that the previous resolution on the 'occupation of land by the landless civilians of Wolsey' be implemented immediately, so that they may soon enter the cities of Villitre, Antium, and Satnikum as a new source of our troops, replacing the troops that were previously stationed there. Of course, given their financial resources, we must also equip them with weapons and equipment, so we must also ask the Carthaginians to continue to provide us with financial support for this.

In addition, with regard to the Act on the Admission of Latin Exiles as Roman Citizens, passed by the Senate a few years ago, it is hoped that the scope of the absorption of exiles, such as Etruscans, Sabines, ......, etc., will be accelerated, so that we can have more troops to fight against Dionia......"

At this point, Camillus stopped talking, and some words were not said in the end. He had also wanted to propose "allowing the Roman commoners to rent the common lands of Rome, and even to distribute part of the public land to the landless commoners and the new citizens, in order to increase their loyalty ......", but when he thought that the lands were still held by the Roman aristocracy, this proposal would undoubtedly offend their interests, not only cause them strong opposition, but also expose himself to suspicion and ostracism, and even suffer from the miserable situation of Marcus...... The already aged Camillos chose to give up.

However, he had other options, he continued: "We also need to strengthen the military training of the citizens, enhance their ability to fight the Ionian soldiers, and have some knowledge of some of the special tactics of the Ionian army, so that they can respond in a timely manner. From my observations, Dionia may have been affected by the drought, so they did not send many troops to the Latin area, and now it should be enough for us to take the defensive against their attack.

However, since we are already at war with Dionia, and it is an ally of Wolsey, as time goes on, once Dionya has sufficient food to supply the army, its attack on us is likely to increase, so we cannot sit back and watch the war between Carthage and Dionia, hoping that Carthage will defeat Dionya and that their fleet will protect our shores, but what if Carthage fails?! Then we will bear the wrath of the Dioonians alone! ”

Camillus's words shook the hearts of the elders.

Camillus looked around at them and said loudly with a serious expression: "So, we can't just defend, we must also attack!" Putting pressure on the Dionians must not allow them to easily concentrate their main forces on the battle against the Carthaginians! We want to contribute our strength to the victory of the allied Carthaginians over Dionia! ”

Camillus's words made the senators thoughtful.

Paulus couldn't help but say: "Camillus, you just said that you want to attack, your previous battle has shown that it is more dangerous for us to attack Wolsey, and Dionia's fleet can raid the rear of our army at any time and cut off our grain transportation......"

"It's a real adventure to attack Wolsey, but what if you attack Hurniki?" Camillus's words stunned Paulus, and at the same time opened his mind: when the Volsey coalition army attacked the territory of the Roman allies, it was not only Walsey who was defeated by Camillus's army, but also the Ekü and Helnikians. Rome eventually chose to take revenge on Wolsey because Wolsey had caused more trouble to Rome in the past, and it had the most and most fertile land. Although the Helniki were weak and mostly hilly, they were also a people who often caused problems for Rome......

Paulus was thinking, and Camillus continued: "While we defend against a possible attack by the Wolsey and Dionians in the southwest, we must not sit idly by and watch the war between Dionya and Carthage, but send our army to attack Helniki in the northeast.

The strength of the Helnihians had been severely weakened by us in previous wars, and to be able to destroy them would not only reduce our Roman enemy by one enemy, but also divide the land they occupied to the landless Roman civilians.

In addition, there are some Wolsey towns adjacent to Helniki that will also be the focus of our attack, and if the Dionians, who are the Volsey League, come to their rescue, we can fight them in the hinterland far from the coast. ”

"But it's mainly hilly and mountainous, which is not conducive to our heavy infantry fighting!" Frius reminded.

Camillus immediately responded, "But it is also not conducive to the fighting of the soldiers of Dionia, and even less to the battle of their powerful cavalry. There, we were more familiar with the terrain, and with the support of our Latin allies, we had nothing to worry about. We're holding the Ionians at bay there, and we're even forcing them to send in more reinforcements...... Once Carthage is victorious in naval battles, we can send another army to attack the territory of Wolsey again from the southwestern plains, and finally surround the Dionians! ……”

The senators nodded their heads repeatedly, but some expressed concern: "The town of Wolsey on the edge of the Herniki region is close to the Samones, and I have heard that the Samoneans are allied with Dionia, in case—"

"You don't have to worry!" Paulus exclaimed, "The Carthaginian envoy once mentioned that the Samonians had long been dissatisfied with Dionia, and they were likely to take action against Dionya in this war between Carthage and Dionia......"

"The Carthaginians have said that they will attack Dionysia immediately, so let's not believe them too much!" Another patriarch complained.

Regardless, Camillus's analysis provoked a heated debate among the senators, and at the same time gave them the determination to fight the kingdom of Dionia.

At this time, Portitus stood up with his cane, and as a senator who had been in Roman politics for decades, serving more than ten times as consul and military officer, his prestige was enough that the others had consciously stopped discussing or lowered their voices before he could begin to speak.

"Fathers and newcomers, this war with Dionya is as much a matter of life and death as the war with the Celts, and all of us Roman citizens must work together to face another severe test that Jupiter has given us! Any arguments, suspicions, and infighting will uselessly consume our energy and time, destroy unity, and fail to take the right action in time! Therefore I propose, in this time of crisis, that the Senate elect a dictator to lead the Roman citizens and win the war against Dionia! ”

As soon as Portitus's voice fell, the venue fell silent for a while.

Later, Paulus was the first to speak: "I agree with Portitus and elect a dictator to deal with the war with Dionya with all his might!" ”

Subsequently, Frius also loudly expressed his support: "As a military and political officer who has fought against Dionia, I know very well that the Dioonians are powerful, and we need a dictator to eliminate the contradictions between the people, unify everyone's understanding, and devote ourselves to this difficult war, so that we can win the final victory!" ”

The selfless speeches of the two military and political officers were supported by the majority of the elders present. You know, once a dictator is elected, the military and political officers are automatically eliminated.

As the senators spoke up one by one, Camillus also expressed his support, but he said: "I hope that I will not be elected for dictatorship this time, because this war with the kingdom of Dioonia will probably be a hard and long war, and I am too old to have enough energy to take on this responsibility, but I am willing to offer my advice to the new dictator to help him defeat the Dionians." ”

"Are you as old as I am! But if the Dioonians attack the city of Rome, I will take up arms and go into battle! You don't shirk your responsibilities! Portitus pointed his cane at him and rebuked him sharply. When Portitus first served as consul and led the army, Camillus was still an ordinary officer, and it was precisely because of his bravery in battle and Portitus's appreciation that he gradually entered the center of Roman power.

"To be a dictator at this time, this is not an honor, but a duty! Great responsibility! Because the life and death of Rome is in the hands of the dictator! Portitus said earnestly, not only to Camillus, but also to other senators who had thoughts in this regard: "As a hero who has repeatedly faced powerful enemies and saved Rome, you should not shirk this responsibility, because only you can lead the citizens of Rome to victory this time!" ”()

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