Chapter 763: The Arrival of Theonias Main Army

Although the sentries in the city of Ardea heard the clattering footsteps, it did not arouse their vigilance. After all, Ardea was far in the centre of the Latin city-states, which were distant from the eastern Hernicans, Aequii, and Marsians. And apart from some territorial conflicts with the Volsci in the past, they had rarely experienced major wars. Moreover, now that Rome had taken over Antium and Satricum, the war in the south had subsided. And thus, the Ardeans believed they were safe and never thought they were the enemy, only assuming that the Roman army was mobilising, and therefore, they didn't send scouts to investigate.

After passing through the city of Ardea, Theonia's First and Third Legions began approaching the coast, causing Latium's passing merchant ships and caravans to discover this black armoured army. Surprised, they hurried to report the news to neighbour towns and cities while some merchant ships turned south to inform the heavily garrisoned Antium.

In fact, there was no need for them to report, for after more than two hours of fidgeting, Paulus, the commander in charge of the defenders of Antium, finally decided to send his few scouts out again to check on the Theonian army's movements.

Suddenly, his subordinates reported, "General, the signal fire has lit up on the port's watchtower!"

Paulus was startled after hearing that, making him turn his head quickly to see black smoke rising in the port's direction.

'Is there an enemy attacking from the sea?!' Just as Paulus became anxious again, he saw the cavalry rushing towards the city, shouting, "General Paulus, countless warships and transport ships have appeared on the sea outside the port!!"

Paulus was shocked, 'Do the Theonians want to repeat their strategy of capturing Antium?!'

"Immediately send five hundred light infantry and two thousand heavy infantry to the port for defence!" Paulus immediately ordered his adjutant without hesitation.

"Yes, General!"

Having said this, Paulus quickly descended from the city wall, mounted his horse and rushed to the port with his team of guards.

Panic was already spreading through the city, especially at the entrance to the inner area leading to the port. It was jammed with people from the port trying to get into the city, some even shouting in panic, "Enemy army is coming! Run!..."

After struggling to squeeze through the crowd, Paulus and his guards rushed non-stop to the high watchtower above the breakwater.

But waiting for him at the top of the watchtower was a sight that made him gasp: On the distant sparkling sea surface outside the port, endless sails appeared that extended far beyond the horizon where the sea and sky met. These sailing ships shared the same characteristic of having sides that shone with golden light, creating a very dazzling sight.

Although the Romans did not have a strong navy and rarely fought major naval battles, Paulus, having served as a military tribune on several occasions and even having repeatedly sought the advice of Camillus with an open mind, could judge that most of the ships in such a large fleet were transport ships, based on their unique feature, such as the soldiers' shields hanging from both sides of the ship after boarding. They had done that to make room in the ship and make it more accessible, and it would also help defend against enemy ships' long-range attacks, killing two birds with one stone. Therefore, it had become a common tradition for ships transporting troops in the city-states of the Mediterranean.

'How many soldiers have the Theonians sent?!' Then the shocked Paulus asked with a slightly trembling voice, "Did...did you pull up the port's chain?"

"We have already pulled it up."

"What about the watchtowers on the breakwater? Are the soldiers in position?"

"You can rest assured, General. The archers had already manned the watchtowers, and we had also prepared the tar, arrows and rags."

"Wonderful!" Paulus slightly breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "The army in the city will soon arrive, so you don't need to panic."

"General." The port chief suddenly said, "From the report of the sentries in the watchtowers, I am afraid this massive fleet isn't heading towards us. They had observed that they continued heading north!"

Paulus was taken aback and looked carefully at the distant sea. Although the Theonian fleet was too far away and hardly visible, the sliver of visible white sails indicated that the distance between the fleet and the coast had not changed much while they were talking, unlike some ships fleeing towards the port of Antium. Obviously, the Theonian fleet was continuing to sail north!

"Could it be that the Theonians are going to land on the coast north of Antium?" Paulus muttered with uncertainty.

The port chief reminded him, "General, it would be better for the Theonians to land in the north than in the south because the last time they landed on the south coast, they managed to take Antium."

Paulus then recalled the low hilly terrain between Antium and Ardea. Although it was mostly flat, it couldn't compare to the South. So... Paulus' expression suddenly changed, 'The Theonians will land on the northernmost coast, attack our Latin allies, and perhaps even target the weakly defended Latium before directly attacking Rome...'

Then Paulus broke into a cold sweat. He remembered the Theonian army that had appeared from the south in the early hours of the morning, 'I fear they must have passed through the blockade we had set up here on the frontier against the Volscians and entered the heart of Latium to rendezvous with this massive fleet!!'

Paulus didn't think about this initially because he believed the original report stating that the Theonian army in Volsci was only about ten thousand strong, as he hadn't received any news of Theonia increasing their troops in Volsci (the Third Fleet had completely blocked the naval path south of Latium). Therefore, he subconsciously believed that even if this smaller army managed to pass through the blockade and penetrate deep into their rear, they would have a difficult chance of escaping their fate of getting surrounded and eliminated after taking a temporary advantage. After all, such an invasive tactic is only suitable for fast and light mountain races but not for the regular Theonian troops, mainly composed of heavy infantry.

Though the Theonian Navy had already taught them a lesson, it was impossible for Paulus, a former military tribune accustomed to traditional land battles, to free his caged thinking so quickly.

"Immediately send the mounted scouts along the coast to determine where this fleet will land and report back immediately!" Paulus hurriedly ordered, "Send messengers again to inform the defenders of Satricum and Velitrae that the Theonian army has entered Latium and that their navy is about to land along the coast and that they should prepare to attack! Also... send messengers to Rome quickly to inform the Senate that they should prepare!"

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

The joint army of the First and Third Legion passed through the small coastal town of Lavinium.

Although Lavinium is small, it has a very important place in the minds of the Latins. In Latin legends, the Latins were the descendants of Aeneas, a hero second only after Hector in the mighty city-state of Troy in Asia Minor, far back in the olden days of the Mediterranean.

After the Greeks captured Troy, Aeneas and some Trojans fled by ship to Italia and landed in Latium. There, they were welcomed by King Latinus, who betrothed Aeneas to his daughter Lavinia. Aeneas then built a new city on the coast of Latium, which he named after his wife, thus founding Lavinium. The couple later had a son who built a new city near Lake Alba, a volcanic crater lake north of Lavinium, and named it Alba Longa. This city became the centre of the Latins until the twins born to Princess Rhea Silvia of Alba Longa were abandoned in the wild and raised by a she-wolf. These twins then went on to found Rome and eventually destroyed Alba Longa.

Although Lavinium was the birthplace of the Romans, it was a small city-state with few inhabitants and low walls. So when the Theonian army passed through the city, the guards at the top of the walls could only tremble in fear, while the people inside were even more anxious.

However, the Theonian army didn't stop marching and continued heading north along the coast.

"My lords, the first and second cavalry legions had returned-" Before the mounted scout could finish his report, they heard the rumble of hooves behind him.

"Amintas, Litom, it seems we came back on time!" Ledes shouted from his horse.

"How's the situation?" Amintas asked.

"We at least didn't see any troops leave Antium or Satricum before we left." Ledes patted his horse's neck. Then he proudly said, "They did send out several mounted scouts, but none managed to escape our interception. What about your side? Have we reached our destination?"

"We've already passed Lavinium, so we should be almost there." Amintas wiped the sweat from his face and shook his hand away. Then, with a slight groan, he said, "We gathered and left before dawn and have been walking non-stop until now. I am afraid we have already covered about forty kilometres, and the brothers are all tired. If it weren't for the flat road, we might not even be able to complete His Majesty's task."

"I don't think our brothers are complaining, " Ledes said with relief as he looked at the weary soldiers passing by, "On the contrary, they seemed excited about the upcoming battle."

"They're not the only ones who're excited; we're excited too!" Litom interrupted.

The several legates looked at each other and laughed.

Once the Theonian army had stopped advancing, the twenty thousand legionaries, under the command and direction of the various legates, began to form a military formation two kilometres long and eight columns thick, with their backs to the white beach.